Robot to pedestal alignment head

An apparatus for aligning an automated semiconductor wafer handling device, having extension rods with a wafer gripper assembly attachment region located thereon, with a semiconductor wafer receiving device comprising:

• an alignment head removably coupled to said wafer gripper assembly attachment region on said extension rods of said automated semiconductor wafer handling device, said alignment head further comprising,
• a mounting block having front and back surfaces, said mounting block having cavities formed into said back surface thereof and extending at least partially into said mounting block towards said front surface thereof, said mounting block removably coupled to said automated semiconductor wafer handling device with said wafer gripper assembly attachment region of said extension rods disposed within said cavities of said mounting block,
• a dial indicator support bar having front and back surfaces, said dial indicator support bar having at least one cavity formed therethrough extending completely from said back surface to said front surface thereof, said dial indicator support bar removably coupled to said mounting block, said dial indicator support bar adjustably attachable to said mounting block such that said dial indicator support bar may be removably coupled to said mounting block in a plurality of orientations,
• at least one dial indicator, said at least one dial indicator comprised of a hollow cylindrical shaft having first and second ends, a pin having first and second ends, and a dial gauge disposed adjacent to said back surface of said dial indicator support bar and coupled to said second end of said shaft, said shaft disposed within said at least one cavity formed in said dial indicator support bar, said pin resiliently and movably disposed within said shaft such that said first end of said pin extends from said first end of said shaft beyond said front surface of said dial indicator support bar, said second end of said pin coupled to said dial gauge such that compression of said first end of said pin towards said shaft changes the reading on said dial gauge, thereby indicating the position of said wafer gripper attachment region with respect to said semiconductor wafer receiving device,
• said alignment head disposed on said wafer gripper attachment region such that as said wafer gripper assembly attachment region is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, said alignment head indicates the position of said automated wafer handling device with respect to said semiconductor wafer receiving device.

A method for aligning an automated semiconductor wafer handling device, having extension rods with a wafer gripper assembly attached to a region thereon, with a semiconductor wafer receiving device comprising the steps of:

• removing said wafer gripper assembly from said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods,
• removably coupling an alignment head to said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods, said alignment head having at least one dial indicator arranged within a dial indicator support bar attached to said alignment head in a first position,
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the alignment of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer receiving device is indicated,
• detaching said dial indicator support bar and said at least one dial indicator from said first position on said alignment head,
• attaching said dial indicator support bar and said at least one dial indicator to said alignment head in a second position, and
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator in said second position against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the parallelism of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer receiving device is indicated.

A method for aligning an automated semiconductor wafer handling device, having extension rods with a wafer gripper assembly attached to a region thereon, with a semiconductor wafer receiving device comprising the steps of:

• removing said wafer gripper assembly from said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods,
• removably coupling an alignment head to said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods, said alignment head having at least one dial indicator arranged within a dial indicator support bar attached to said alignment head in a first position,
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the alignment of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer receiving device is indicated,
• centrally attaching a center point to said dial indicator support bar, and
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said center point against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the distance from the center of said wafer gripper attachment region to the center of said wafer receiving device is indicated.

A method for aligning an automated semiconductor wafer handling device, having extension rods with a wafer gripper assembly attached to a region thereon, with a semiconductor wafer receiving device comprising the steps of:

• removing said wafer gripper assembly from said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods,
• removably coupling an alignment head to said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods, said alignment head having at least one dial indicator arranged within a dial indicator support bar attached to said alignment head in a first position,
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the alignment of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer receiving device is indicated,
• deactivating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is returned to a home position with said alignment head disposed in close proximity to a semiconductor wafer dispersing device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator against the surface of said semiconductor wafer dispersing device so that the alignment of said automated semiconductor wafer handling device with respect to said wafer dispersing device is indicated,
• detaching said dial indicator support bar and said at least one dial indicator from said first position on said alignment head,
• attaching said dial indicator support bar and said at least one dial indicator to said alignment head in a second position, and
• returning said automated semiconductor wafer handling to a home position with said alignment head disposed in close proximity to a semiconductor wafer dispersing device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator in said second position against the surface of said semiconductor wafer dispersing device so that the parallelism of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer dispersing device is indicated.

A method for aligning an automated semiconductor wafer handling device, having extension rods with a wafer gripper assembly attached to a region thereon, with a semiconductor wafer receiving device comprising the steps of:

• removing said wafer gripper assembly from said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods,
• removably coupling an alignment head to said wafer gripper attachment region of said extension rods, said alignment head having at least one dial indicator arranged within a dial indicator support bar attached to said alignment head in a first position,
• activating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is brought within close proximity to said semiconductor wafer receiving device, thereby engaging said at least one dial indicator against the surface of said semiconductor wafer receiving device so that the alignment of said wafer handling device with respect to said wafer receiving device is indicated,
• centrally attaching a center point to said dial indicator support bar, and
• deactivating said automated semiconductor wafer handling device such that said alignment head is returned to a home position with said alignment head disposed in close proximity to a semiconductor wafer dispersing device, thereby engaging said center point against the surface of said semiconductor wafer dispersing device so that the distance from the center of said wafer gripper attachment region to the center of said wafer dispersing device is indicated.