Process apparatus with on-the-fly substrate centering
AssigneeBrooks Automation US, LLC
InventorLeigh F. Sharrock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame defining a chamber with a substrate transport opening and a substrate transfer plane defined therein, a valve mounted to the frame and being configured to seal an atmosphere of the chamber when closed, the valve having a door movably disposed to open and close the substrate transport opening, and at least one substrate sensor element disposed on a side of the door and oriented to sense substrates located on the substrate transfer plane.
Claims20
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
- a frame defining a chamber with a substrate transport opening and a substrate transfer plane defined therein;
- a valve mounted to the frame and being configured to seal an atmosphere of the chamber when closed, the valve having a closure movably disposed to open and close the substrate transport opening;
- and
- at least one substrate alignment element disposed proximate a seal edge of the closure and oriented and positioned by the closure so that the at least one substrate alignment element interacts with substrates passing through the substrate transport opening proximate the seal edge located on the substrate transfer plane so that the substrate alignment element registers a substrate centering alignment characteristic, determinative of substrate center alignment relative to a substrate holding station, of the substrates passing through the substrate transport opening on the substrate transfer plane, the substrate holding station being different than the valve.
A method for aligning a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate station having an aperture closure for blocking a loading and unloading aperture of the station;
- at least unloading substrates from a substrate cassette, the unloaded substrates exiting the substrate cassette through the loading and unloading aperture along a substrate transfer plane so that the substrate cassette is unloaded;
- providing an apparatus including a door drive for removing a door of the substrate cassette to open the substrate cassette and for operating the aperture closure to open the loading and unloading aperture;
- passing substrates through the loading and unloading aperture on the substrate transfer plane;
- and
- effecting, with at least one substrate alignment element disposed on a side of the aperture closure, registration of an alignment determinative characteristic of the substrates unloaded from the substrate cassette, wherein the at least one substrate alignment element is disposed in a predetermined interaction position and orientation so that the at least one substrate alignment element interacts with substrates, from the predetermined interaction position and orientation, located on and traversing along the substrate transfer plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.