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US 11,833,662 B2Granted
Wafer handling robot with radial gas curtain and/or interior volume control
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsCharles N. Ditmore, Richard M. Blank
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collar may be provided having an aperture through it through which the turret of a wafer handling robot may be extended or retracted. The collar may have one or more radial gas passages. Gas directed inwards towards the turret from the radial passage(s) may turn downward when it strikes the turret. A bellows may be optionally affixed to the bottom of the turret and to the bottom of the base such that the volume of the base occupied by the turret and the bellows remains generally fixed regardless of the degree to which the turret is extended from the base.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- one or more robot arms;
- a turret supporting the one or more robot arms;
- a linear translation mechanism supporting the turret;
- and
- a base supporting the linear translation mechanism, wherein:
- the linear translation mechanism is configured to translate the turret, as well as the one or more robot arms, along a first axis relative to the base,
- the base includes an aperture sized to allow at least a first portion of the turret to pass therethrough when the turret is translated along the first axis,
- the aperture has one or more radial gas passages extending around substantially all of the aperture and configured to direct gas inwards towards the turret,
- the one or more radial gas passages are fixed in size,
- a first gap exists between an interior edge of the aperture and the first portion of the turret, and
- the first gap extends around the outer perimeter of the first portion of the turret.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.