TWI897017B - Substrate transport apparatus, substrate processing tool and method for substrate transport apparatus position compensation - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate transport empiric arm droop mapping apparatus for a substrate transport system of a processing tool, the mapping apparatus including a frame, an interface disposed on the frame forming datum features representative of a substrate transport space in the processing tool defined by the substrate transport system, a substrate transport arm, that is articulated and has a substrate holder, mounted to the frame in a predetermined relation to at least one of the datum features, and a registration system disposed with respect to the substrate transport arm and at least one datum feature so that the registration system registers, in an arm droop distance register, empiric arm droop distance, due to arm droop changes, between a first arm position and a second arm position different than the first arm position and in which the substrate holder is moved in the transport space along at least one axis of motion.

Description

Substrate conveying equipment, substrate processing tool and method for position compensation of substrate conveying equipment

Example embodiments generally relate to robotic systems, and more particularly to robotic transport devices.

More precise repeatability regarding substrate positioning is desirable, for example, in semiconductor substrate processing. For example, semiconductor substrate handling equipment design has evolved to accommodate applications with ever-increasing throughput requirements, higher process module temperatures, and smaller conveyor openings between process modules of the processing equipment. In particular, the smaller conveyor openings limit the permissible vertical displacement of the end effector as it enters and exits the process module through the conveyor openings. Consequently, the mechanical design challenge for substrate handling equipment lies in the selection of materials and arm linkage geometry to maximize the static and dynamic rigidity of the individual arm linkages and the end effector. The choice of materials and arm linkage geometry can result in high costs and may not achieve the target vertical displacement.

It would be advantageous to provide a substrate transport apparatus that overcomes the above problems and minimizes vertical displacement of the end effector and the substrate thereon as the substrate transport apparatus extends and retracts to a predetermined location within a processing apparatus.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm experienced sag mapping apparatus for a substrate transport system of a processing tool is provided. The mapping apparatus includes: a frame; an interface configured to form a fiducial feature on the frame representing a substrate transport space within the processing tool defined by the substrate transport system; a substrate transport arm articulated and having a substrate gripper, mounted to the frame in a predetermined relationship to at least one fiducial feature; and a registration system configured relative to the substrate transport arm and the at least one fiducial feature such that, in response to arm sag changes caused by movement of the substrate gripper along at least one axis of motion within the transport space between a first arm position and a second arm position different from the first arm position, the registration system registers an experienced arm sag distance in an arm sag distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, an arm drop distance register describes experienced arm drop distances at a first arm position, a second arm position, and a third arm position that is simultaneously different from the first and second arm positions, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop distance register is implemented so as to define a curve describing the variation in arm drop distance with respect to the position of the arm of the substrate gripper as it moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes the variation in arm drop distance with respect to arm position as a substrate gripper moves along more than one different axis of motion, the axis of motion defining a transfer plane or volume in a substrate transport space.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes discrete arm drop distance variations with respect to arm position for substrate gripper motion along each of more than one different axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop distance register is implemented as a data lookup table or algorithm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, at least one motion axis is an extension axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a rotation axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a lifting axis of the substrate transport arm, at least in each quadrant of the substrate transport space surrounding the substrate transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm is provided with a drive section having a coaxial drive spindle that drives the arm's motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm can be selected from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms, each transport arm having a corresponding arm sag register registered by a registration system of the apparatus, each register describing an empirical arm sag distance specific to the corresponding transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a method includes providing a frame having an interface, the interface being disposed on the frame, the interface forming a fiducial feature representing a substrate transport volume within a processing tool defined by a substrate transport system of the processing tool; mounting a substrate transport arm to the frame in a predetermined relationship with respect to at least one fiducial feature, the substrate transport arm being an articulated arm and having a substrate gripper; and registering an arm droop distance experienced in an arm droop register in response to arm droop changes caused by movement of the substrate gripper along at least one axis of motion within the transport volume between a first arm position and a second arm position different from the first arm position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, an arm drop distance register describes experienced arm drop distances at a first arm position, a second arm position, and a third arm position that is simultaneously different from the first and second arm positions, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop distance register is implemented so as to define a curve describing the variation in arm drop distance with respect to the position of the arm of the substrate gripper as it moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes the variation in arm drop distance with respect to the position of an arm of a substrate gripper moving along more than one different axis of motion, the axis of motion defining a transfer plane or volume in a substrate transport space.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes discrete arm drop distance variations with respect to arm position for substrate gripper motion along each of more than one different axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop distance register is implemented as a data lookup table or algorithm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, at least one motion axis is an extension axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a rotation axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a lifting axis of the substrate transport arm, at least in each quadrant of the substrate transport space surrounding the substrate transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm is provided with a drive section having a coaxial drive spindle that drives the arm's motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the substrate transport arm is further selected from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms, each transport arm having a corresponding different arm sag distance register registered by a registration system, each register describing an experienced arm sag distance specific to the corresponding transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport apparatus includes: a frame; a drive section connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connectable to the drive section, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion within a transport space defined by the hinge of the transport arm relative to the frame, between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and a controller operatively connectable to the drive section to implement the hinge of the transport arm, the controller including an arm droop compensator configured to account for an amount of droop experienced by the transport arm between the first position and the second position due to droop of the transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses the drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction that compensates for and accounts for substantially the entire experienced sag distance of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensator has an arm droop distance register, and the arm droop compensator determines an experienced droop distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position from the arm droop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses a drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction, which compensates for and accounts for substantially the entire empirical droop distance of the conveyor arm as determined by the arm droop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in canceling substantially the entire empirical droop distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a clear position independent of the transport arm droop in the direction exhibiting the arm droop.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements a compensatory motion such that the substrate gripper completes the motion to a predetermined location approximately in the net position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensating motion, and the arm motion causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom, and the arm droop distance register describes the experienced arm droop distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive zone, each interchangeable arm having a different arm drop characteristic and an associated corresponding drop distance register describing the experienced arm drop distance of the associated arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool is provided with a substrate transport apparatus as described herein and has a substrate gripping station configured to interface with a substrate on a substrate gripper at a predetermined location in a transport volume, the substrate gripping station being positioned such that the interface is performed independently of the transport arm's droop.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool is provided with a substrate transport apparatus as described herein and has a predetermined structure that interacts with a transport arm or substrate gripper and is configured such that the interaction occurs independently of the lowering of the transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool includes a frame; a drive region connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connectable to the drive region, the arm being articulated and having an end effector and having a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion defined by the articulation of the transport arm between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and a controller operatively connectable to the drive region so as to effect articulation of the transport arm, the controller being configured to compensate for arm droop by effecting movement of the arm with the drive region in a direction opposite to a direction in which arm droop is exhibited, so as to substantially eliminate an entire distance of arm droop experienced between the first position and the second position relative to a predetermined reference datum.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller has an arm drop distance register, and the controller determines an experienced arm drop distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position from the arm drop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom, and the arm droop distance register describes the experienced arm droop distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive zone, each interchangeable arm having a different arm drop characteristic and an associated corresponding arm drop distance register describing the experienced arm drop distance of the associated arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in canceling substantially the entire empirical arm droop distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a clear position that is independent of the arm droop in the direction in which the arm droop is manifested.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller causes the transport arm to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the display arm is drooped, such that the substrate gripper completes the movement and reaches a predetermined position approximately in the clear position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a controller causes the transport arm to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arm is drooped, and the arm movement causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a method includes: providing a substrate transport apparatus having a drive section connected to a frame and a transport arm operatively connected to the drive section, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame between a first position and a second position different from the first position within a transport space defined by the hinge of the transport arm along at least one axis of motion; and interpreting an experienced sag distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position due to sag of the transport arm, wherein the experienced sag distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position is determined by an arm sag distance register of an arm sag compensator resident in a controller connected to the drive section for implementing the hinge of the transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses the drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction that compensates for and accounts for substantially the entire experienced sag distance of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm droop compensator has an arm droop distance register, and the method further includes determining an experienced droop distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position using the arm droop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses a drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction, which compensates for and accounts for substantially the entire empirical droop distance of the conveyor arm as determined by the arm droop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in eliminating substantially the entire empirical sag of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a clear position independent of the transport arm sag in the direction exhibiting the transport arm sag.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements a compensatory motion such that the substrate gripper completes the motion to a predetermined location approximately in the net position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensating motion, and the arm motion causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom. The method further includes: using an arm droop distance register to describe the experienced arm droop distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive zone, each interchangeable arm having a different arm drop characteristic and an associated corresponding arm drop distance register describing the experienced arm drop distance of the associated arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm droop measurement apparatus for a substrate transport system of a processing tool is provided. The measurement apparatus includes: a frame; an interface configured on the frame to form a fiducial feature representing a substrate transport space within the processing tool defined by the substrate transport system; a substrate transport arm articulated and having a substrate gripper, mounted to the frame in a predetermined relationship to at least one fiducial feature; and a registration system configured relative to the substrate transport arm and the at least one fiducial feature such that, when an uncommanded arm geometry change is caused by movement of the substrate gripper along at least one axis of motion within the transport space between a first arm position and a second arm position different from the first arm position, the registration system registers the uncommanded arm displacement distance in an arm droop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, an experienced arm drop distance describes an uncommanded arm displacement distance at a first arm position, a second arm position, and a third arm position that is simultaneously different from the first and second arm positions, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm droop register is implemented so as to define a curve describing uncommanded arm displacement distance changes with respect to arm position, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes an uncommanded arm displacement distance change with respect to an arm position, wherein the substrate gripper moves along more than one different motion axis defining a transfer plane or transfer volume in a substrate transport space.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes discrete and uncommanded arm displacement distance variations for arm position with respect to each of more than one different axes of motion of a substrate gripper.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop register is implemented as a data lookup table or algorithm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, at least one motion axis is an extension axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a rotation axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a lifting axis of the substrate transport arm, at least in each quadrant of the substrate transport space surrounding the substrate transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm is provided with a drive section having a coaxial drive spindle that drives the arm's motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm can be selected from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms, each transport arm having a different corresponding arm drop register registered by a registration system of the apparatus, each register describing an uncommanded arm displacement distance specific to the corresponding transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a method includes providing a frame having an interface disposed on the frame, the interface forming a fiducial feature representing a substrate transport volume within a processing tool defined by a substrate transport system of the processing tool; mounting a substrate transport arm, an articulated arm, and having a substrate gripper, to the frame in a predetermined relationship with at least one fiducial feature; and registering an uncommanded arm displacement distance in an arm drop register with a registration system disposed relative to the substrate transport arm and the at least one fiducial feature in response to an uncommanded arm geometry change caused by movement of the substrate gripper within the transport volume between a first arm position and a second arm position different from the first arm position along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, an arm drop register describes an uncommanded arm displacement distance at a first arm position, a second arm position, and a third arm position that is simultaneously different from the first and second arm positions, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm droop register is implemented so as to define a curve describing uncommanded arm displacement distance changes with respect to arm position, wherein the substrate gripper moves along at least one axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes an uncommanded arm displacement distance change with respect to an arm position, wherein the substrate gripper moves along more than one different motion axis defining a transfer plane or transfer volume in a substrate transport space.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a curve describes discrete and uncommanded arm displacement distance variations for arm position for each of substrate gripper motions along more than one different axis of motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm drop register is implemented as a data lookup table or algorithm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, at least one motion axis is an extension axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a rotation axis of the substrate transport arm, or at least a lifting axis of the substrate transport arm, at least in each quadrant of a substrate transport space surrounding the substrate transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport arm is provided with a drive section having a coaxial drive spindle that drives the arm's motion.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the method further includes selecting a substrate transport arm from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms, each transport arm having a different corresponding arm drop register registered by a registration system, each register describing an uncommanded arm displacement distance specific to the corresponding transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport apparatus includes: a frame; a drive section connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connectable to the drive section, the arm being articulated and having an end effector, and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion defined by the articulation of the transport arm between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and a controller operatively connectable to the drive section to implement the articulation of the transport arm, the controller including an arm droop compensator configured to cause the arm droop compensator to resolve uncommanded arm displacement distances of the transport arm resulting from uncommanded arm geometry changes between the first and second positions.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction using a drive zone that compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensator has an arm droop register, and the arm droop compensator determines an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position from the arm droop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses a drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm as determined by the arm droop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in canceling substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a net position, independent of uncommanded arm geometry changes, in the direction exhibiting the uncommanded arm displacement.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements a compensatory motion such that the substrate gripper completes the motion to a predetermined location approximately in the net position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensating motion, and the arm motion causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom, and the arm drop register describes the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive section, each interchangeable arm having a different arm droop characteristic and an associated corresponding droop register describing the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool is provided with a substrate transport apparatus as described herein and having a substrate gripping station configured to interface with a substrate on a substrate gripper at a predetermined location in a transport volume, the substrate gripping station being positioned such that the interface is performed independently of uncommanded arm geometry changes.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool is provided with a substrate transport apparatus as described herein and having a predetermined structure that interacts with a transport arm or substrate gripper and is configured such that the interaction is performed independently of uncommanded changes in arm geometry.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate processing tool includes: a frame; a drive region connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connected to the drive region, the arm being hinged and having an end effector; and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion defined by the hinge of the transport arm between a first position and a second position different from the first position. and a controller operatively connected to the drive section to effect articulation of the transport arm, the controller being configured to effect movement of the arm with the drive section in a direction opposite to a direction in which the arm droop is exhibited, thereby compensating for the arm droop to substantially eliminate an entire uncommanded arm displacement distance caused by uncommanded arm geometry changes between the first position and the second position relative to a predetermined reference.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller has an arm droop register, and the controller determines an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position from the arm droop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom, and the arm drop register describes the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive section, each interchangeable arm having a different arm drop characteristic and an associated corresponding arm drop register describing the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in canceling substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a clear position, independent of the arm droop, in a direction that exhibits arm droop.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller causes the transport arm to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the display arm is drooped, such that the substrate gripper completes the movement and reaches a predetermined position approximately in the clear position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a controller causes the transport arm to move in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arm is drooped, and the arm movement causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a method includes providing a substrate transport apparatus having a drive section connected to a frame and a transport arm operatively connected to the drive section, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion defined by the hinge of the transport arm between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and resolving an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position due to uncommanded arm geometry changes, wherein the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position is determined by an arm droop register of an arm droop compensator resident in a controller connected to the drive section for implementing the hinge of the transport arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction using the drive zone, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the arm droop compensator has an arm droop register, and the method further includes determining an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position using the arm droop compensator from the arm droop distance register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller uses a drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm as determined by the arm droop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the compensating motion results in canceling substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a net position that is independent of the uncommanded arm geometry changes in a direction that exhibits the uncommanded arm geometry changes.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements a compensatory motion such that the substrate gripper completes the motion to a predetermined location substantially at the net position.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the controller implements compensating motion, and the arm motion causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the drive zone and the conveyor arm are configured such that the conveyor arm can move with more than one degree of freedom. The method further includes describing the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm using an arm drop register.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the transport arm can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at the connection with the drive section, each interchangeable arm having a different arm drop characteristic and an associated corresponding arm drop register describing the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm.

12: Tool interface area

15: Conveyor arm

18B, 18i: Transport room module

26B, 26i: Conveying equipment

30i: Workpiece Station

30S1, 30S2: Workpiece supports/racks

56,56A: Loading Lockdown Room Module

56S1, 56S2: Workpiece supports/racks

100A~100H: Processing equipment

100E1, 100E2: End

100F1-100F8: Noodles

100S1, 100S2: side

101: Atmospheric Front End

102, 102A~102E: Vacuum Load Lock Chamber

103: Vacuum rear end

104: Transport unit module

105: Loading port module

106: Mini Environment

107: Loading port

108: Transfer Robot

110: Controller

110DC: Droop Compensator

121: Suspension Linkage

122: Suspension Linkage

125A~125E: Transport Room

130: Processing Station

130S: Processing Station

130T1-130T8: Processing Station

143: Suspended arm

144: Linear carrier, linear slider

200, 200A~200C: Drive Zone

200DF: Benchmark Reference Characteristics

200F: Frame, mounting flange

200FI: Interior

268A, 268B: Encoder/Sensor

270: Z-axis drive

270C: Carrier

275: Shrinkage bladder seal

276: Ferrous fluid seal

277: Ferrous fluid seal

280: Harmony-driven motor

280’: First drive motor

280A: Harmony Driven Motor

280A’: Second drive motor

280ACS: Tank Sealing

280AR’: Rotor

280AS: Drive shaft

280AS’: Stator

280B: Harmony-driven motor

280B’: Motor

280BCS: Can seal

280BR’: Rotor

280BS: Drive shaft

280BS’: Stator

280CS: Tank Sealing

280R’: Rotor

280S: Drive shaft

280S’: Stator

281: Shell

282: Rotary drive area

290: Wires

314: Conveyor Arm

314E: End Implementer

315: Conveyor Arm

315E: End Implementer

315F: Driven forearm

315U: Upper Arm

316: Conveyor Arm

316E: End Implementer

317: Conveyor Arm

317E1, 317E2: End-implementation device

318: Conveyor Arm

318E1, 318E2: End-implementer

412: Workpiece in and out of the station

416: Linear Conveyor Room

420: Workpiece conveying system

586: Compensation Movement Direction

599A~599C: Curve

600-630: Steps of the Invention Method

700,700A: Droop distance register

700’, 700n’, 700A’, 700An’: Droop distance register

800~820: Operation steps for conveying equipment

900,900’,900”: Compensatory Movement

2000: Substrate conveyor arm droop measurement equipment

2000DF: Benchmark or reference characteristics

2000F:Framework

2004: Conveying Equipment

2007: Z-axis

2010: Installation surface

2012: Tool Interface Area

2020: Registration System

2020C: Controller

2020CM: Memory

2020CP: Processor

2021: Sensor Device

2030A: First Position

2030B: Second position

2030C: Third position

2030D~P: Subsequent positions

2050: Interface

2060: Interface

2070: Interface

2080: Wafer Conveyor

3018, 3018A, 3018I, 3018J: Transport room module

ATM: Atmospheric pressure

C: Substrate carrier or cassette

CNX: Connection

DEXT: Extended Distance

DRP: Droop Distance

DRXT: Reduction distance

NP: Net Position

PM: Processing Module

R, R1~R8: Extension and retraction axis, path

R _ext1 ~R _ext3 ,R _m : extension position

△R: distance unit increment

S:Substrate

SC: Central

SH: Substrate Clamp

SLE: Frontier

SLT: Backstory

SV: Slit Valve

SVH: Hole Height

T: Rotation direction

T1~T3: Rotation axis

TH _initial ~ TH _{initial + y} : operating temperature

TP: Transfer Plane

TSP: Transport Space

TSV: Transfer Volume

W: wrist

WRP: Wafer/Substrate Resting Plane

X: vertical axis

Z: Lift or vertical position

Z _initial ~ Z _{initial + x} : Z position

△Z: Arm drop distance

θ, θ1~θ8, θn: Rotation axis, extension angle

The following description explains the aforementioned aspects and other features of the disclosed embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figures 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of processing apparatus incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments; Figures 1E and 1F are partial schematic diagrams of the processing apparatus of Figures 1A-1D and 1G-1M; Figures 1G-1M are schematic diagrams of processing apparatus incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments; Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a processing apparatus incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments. FIG2B is a schematic diagram of a robot transport drive area according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiment; FIG2C is a schematic diagram of a robot transport drive area according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiment; FIG2D is a schematic diagram of a robot transport drive area according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiment 3A to 3E are schematic diagrams of a transport arm according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams of a substrate transport arm droop measurement apparatus according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram of a substrate transport arm showing arm droop according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a substrate position according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 6 is FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of pendant registration according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of pendant registration according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; FIG. 8 is an exemplary flow chart according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments; and FIG. 9 is an exemplary illustration of conveyor arm position compensation according to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

Figures 1A-1M are schematic diagrams of substrate processing apparatus according to aspects of the disclosed embodiments. While the disclosed embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in many forms. Furthermore, any suitable size, shape, or type of components or materials may be used.

Aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide methods and apparatus for implementing position compensation for a transport arm, such that the end effector of the transport arm and the substrate carried thereon extend generally along the wafer transport plane, but do not substantially deviate from the wafer transport plane as the transport arm extends. For example, referring also to FIG. 4D , a substrate S is moved within a substrate processing apparatus along a predetermined reference datum plane (referred to herein as a transfer plane TP). In one aspect, transfer plane TP is, for example, a horizontal plane corresponding to the plane of the substrate S held by the transport arm when the transport arm is retracted. In other aspects, transport plane TP can correspond to a path through a slit valve or any suitable substrate gripping location within the substrate processing apparatus. In one aspect, transport plane TP extends or spans, for example, the entire substrate transport chamber in which the transport arm resides.

In one aspect, the transfer plane TP is aligned with the slit valve SV of the substrate transfer chamber and at least partially defines the plane along which substrates S travel as they pass through the slit valve SV to various portions of the substrate processing tool. For example, as the transfer arm 315 (and other transfer arms described herein) extends to transport the substrate S through the slit valve SV, the transfer arm bends or droops, causing the substrate S to be positioned offset from the transfer plane by a droop distance from the DRP. Note that the term "droop" is used herein for convenience to describe the uncommanded, total/unactivated Z-direction displacement, or "sag," of a portion of the transfer arm from a reference datum plane (e.g., the wafer transfer plane TP).

The droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 depends on a number of factors. For example, the droop distance DRP can be a combination of one or more of the following: deflection of the transport arm 315 linkage due to the load (e.g., the weight of the substrate and/or arm linkage) on the spring arm member, the bending caused by the drive zone 200, and/or the transport arm payload; bending and twisting of the transport arm due to the drive load; and kinematic effects resulting from non-orthogonality of the rotation axes T1, T2, and T3 of the transport arm 315 joints relative to a horizontal plane (e.g., the transfer plane TP) and/or non-orthogonality of the drive axes of the drive zone 200 relative to each other and the transfer plane TP.

As can be appreciated, the resulting droop distance DRP varies depending on: the extended position of the transfer arm 315 along the extension axis R, the rotation of the transfer arm in the direction T about the axis θ, the lift or Z position of the transfer arm along the Z axis, and other environmental factors such as the arm temperature (note the thermal expansion and contraction of the arm linkage and other components of the transfer arm (including the drive area)). As described above, increasing the throughput of substrate processing equipment such as processing equipment 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, and 100H places dimensional limits on the allowable droop. For example, to increase production rates, the slit valve hole height (SVH) can be made smaller to reduce the amount of time required to open and close the slit valve. This reduced height SVH reduces the amount of clearance between the end effector and the slit valve SV of the transport device 315 (e.g., the clearance between the substrate clamped on the end effector and the slit valve, the clearance between the end effector wrist joint and the slit valve, etc.), especially due to the process module arrangement and the transport arm/end effector structure (e.g., the distance the short end effector wrist W has to move to extend through the slit valve - note that the wrist W is the joint that couples the end effector to the rest of the transport arm). On the other hand, it is desirable to reduce the Z travel between the end effector and the substrate gripper station to reduce substrate delivery time. This reduced Z travel requires the end effector and the substrate above it to be placed closer to the substrate gripping station.

As described above, the droop distance DRP is defined by a combination of linear and highly nonlinear factors, making classical analytical methods inadequate for predicting the droop distance DRP. Disclosed aspects provide a substrate transport arm droop mapping apparatus 2000 (see Figures 4A-4C) configured to map the droop distance DRP during extension of the transport arm 315 in the R direction, combining the arm's rotational orientation in the T direction along the various extension and retraction axes of the processing apparatus 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, and 100H in which the transport arm 315 is operated. Disclosed aspects also provide a transport apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus in which the transport apparatus resides, configured to compensate for arm droop during operation of the transport apparatus. Various aspects of the disclosed embodiments also provide methods for operating a substrate processing apparatus and a conveyor apparatus configured therein to compensate for arm droop. Various aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide for increased placement accuracy of an end effector of the conveyor apparatus and a substrate thereon, thereby increasing the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus.

Shown are processing apparatuses 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, and 100H according to aspects of the disclosed embodiments, such as, for example, semiconductor tool stations. Although the figures show semiconductor tool stations, aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein can be applied to any tool station or application employing a robotic manipulator. In one aspect, processing apparatus 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F are shown as having a clustered tool arrangement (e.g., having a substrate gripper station connected to a central chamber); while in other aspects, the processing apparatus may be a linear arrangement tool 100G, 100H, as described in U.S. Patent No. 8,398,355, entitled “Linearly Distributed Semiconductor Workpiece Processing Tool,” issued on March 19, 2013 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety); however, aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be applied to any suitable tool station. Apparatuses 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, and 100H generally include an atmospheric front end 101; at least one vacuum loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, or 102C; and a vacuum back end 103. The at least one vacuum loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, or 102C can be coupled to any suitable port(s) or opening(s) of the front end 101 and/or back end 103 in any suitable arrangement. For example, in one aspect, one or more loadlock chambers 102, 102A, 102B, or 102C can be arranged side-by-side in a common horizontal plane, as shown in Figures 1B-1D and 1G-1K. In other aspects, one or more loadlock chambers can be arranged in a grid, such that at least two loadlock chambers 102A, 102B, 102C, and 102D are arranged in rows (e.g., with spaced-apart horizontal surfaces) and columns (e.g., with spaced-apart vertical surfaces), as shown in FIG1E . In still other aspects, one or more loadlock chambers can be a single inline loadlock chamber 102, as shown in FIG1A . In yet another aspect, at least one loadlock chamber 102, 102E can be arranged in a stacked inline arrangement, as shown in FIG1F . It should be understood that while the load lock chambers are illustrated as being located on the ends 100E1 or faces 100F1 of the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, and 125D, one or more load lock chambers may be located on any of the sides 100S1, 100S2, or ends 100E1, 100E2, or faces 100F1-100F8 of the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, and 125D. Each of the at least one load lock chambers may also include one or more wafer/substrate resting planes (WRPs) ( FIG. 1F ), wherein substrates are clamped on suitable supports within the respective load lock chambers. In other aspects, the tool station may have any suitable architecture. Components of each of the front end 101 and at least one load lock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C, and the back end 103 can be connected to a controller 110, which can be part of any suitable control architecture, such as, for example, a clustered architecture. The control system can be a closed-loop controller having a master controller (which in one aspect can be controller 110), a cluster controller, and an autonomous remote controller, such as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,904,182, issued March 8, 2011, entitled "Scalable Motion Control System," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In other aspects, any suitable controller and/or control system can be utilized.

In one aspect, the front end 101 generally includes a loadport module 105 and a mini-environment 106, such as an equipment front end module (EFEM). The loadport module 105 can be a box opener/loader to tool standard (BOLTS) interface compliant with SEMI standards E15.1, E47.1, E62, E19.5, or E1.9 for a 300mm loadport, or a front- or bottom-opening box/pod and cassette. In other aspects, the loadport module can be configured for a 200mm wafer/substrate interface, a 450mm wafer/substrate interface, or any other suitable substrate interface, such as larger or smaller semiconductor wafers/substrates, flat panels for flat panel displays, solar panels, photomasks, or any other suitable object. While three loadport modules 105 are shown in Figures 1A-1D, 1J, and 1K, in other aspects, any suitable number of loadport modules can be incorporated into the front end 101. The loadport modules 105 can be configured to receive substrate carriers or cassettes C from an overhead conveyor system, an automated guided vehicle, a personnel guided vehicle, a rail-guided vehicle, or from any other suitable transport method. The loadport modules 105 can interface with the mini-environment 106 via a loadport 107. The loadport 107 can allow substrates to pass between substrate cassettes and the mini-environment 106. The mini-environment 106 generally includes any suitable transfer robot 108, which can incorporate one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein. In one aspect, the robot 108 can be a rail-mounted robot, such as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,002,840, issued December 14, 1999; 8,419,341, issued April 16, 2013; and 7,648,327, issued January 19, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. In other respects, the robot 108 can be generally similar to that described herein with respect to the backend 103. The mini-environment 106 can provide a controlled clean zone for transferring substrates between multiple loadport modules.

At least one vacuum loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C can be located between and connected to the mini-environment 106 and the back-end 103. In other aspects, the loadport 105 can be substantially directly coupled to at least one loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C or a transfer chamber 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 125F, wherein a substrate carrier C is evacuated to the vacuum of the transfer chamber 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, and substrates are transferred directly between the substrate carrier C and the loadlock chamber or transfer chamber. In this regard, the substrate carrier C can function as a loadlock chamber, such that the process vacuum of the transfer chamber extends into the substrate carrier C. As will be appreciated, where the substrate carrier C is substantially directly coupled to the loadlock chamber via a suitable loadport, any suitable transfer equipment may be disposed within the loadlock chamber or otherwise have access to the carrier C to transfer substrates to and from the substrate carrier C. Note that the term "vacuum" as used herein may refer to a high vacuum, such as ^10-5 Torr or less, in which substrates are processed. At least one loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C generally includes an atmosphere and a vacuum slit valve. The slit valves of the load lock chambers 102, 102A, 102B (and the processing station 130) may provide environmental isolation for evacuating the load lock chamber after loading a substrate from the atmosphere front and for maintaining the vacuum in the transfer chamber while venting the load lock chamber with an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen). As will be described herein, the slot valves of the processing tools 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F (and the linear processing tools 100G, 100H) can be located in the same plane, in different vertically stacked planes, or a combination of slot valves located in the same plane and slot valves located in different vertically stacked planes (as described above with respect to the loadports) to facilitate transfer of substrates to and from at least the processing station 130 and the loadlock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C coupled to the transfer chamber 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 125F. At least one load lock chamber 102, 102A, 102B, 102C (and/or front end 101) may also include an aligner to align the substrate's fiducials to the desired position for processing, or any other suitable substrate metrology equipment. In other aspects, the vacuum load lock chamber may be located at any suitable location within the processing equipment and may have any suitable architecture.

The vacuum backend 103 generally includes: transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 125F; one or more processing stations or modules 130; and any suitable number of transport unit modules 104, each including one or more transport robots that may include one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein. The transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 125F may have any suitable shape and size, for example, conforming to SEMI Standard E72. The following describes the transport unit module(s) 104 and one or more transport robots, which can be at least partially located within the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, and 125F to transport substrates between the load lock chambers 102, 102A, 102B, and 120C (or cassettes C located at the load port) and various processing stations 130. In one aspect, the transport unit module 104 can be removed from the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, and 125F to form a modular unit, such that the transport unit module 104 complies with SEMI Standard E72.

The processing station 130 can operate on the substrate through a variety of deposition, etching, or other types of processes to form circuits or other desired structures on the substrate. Typical processes include, but are not limited to, thin film processes that utilize vacuum, such as plasma etching or other etching processes, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma vapor deposition (PVD), implantation such as ion implantation, metrology, rapid thermal processing (RTP), atomic layer deposition (ALD), oxidation/diffusion, nitride formation, vacuum lithography, epitaxy (EPI), wire bonding, and evaporation, or other thin film processes that utilize vacuum pressure. The processing station 130 is communicatively connected to the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, and 125F in any suitable manner (e.g., via slit valves SV) to allow substrates to pass from the transport chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, and 125F to the processing station 130, and vice versa. The slit valves SV of the transfer chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, and 125F can be arranged to allow connection to dual (e.g., more than one substrate processing chamber within a common enclosure) or side-by-side processing stations 130T1-130T8, single processing station 130S, and/or stacked process modules/load lock chambers (Figures 1E and 1F).

Note that when one or more arms of the transport unit module 104 are aligned with a predetermined processing station 130 along the extension-retraction axis R of the transport unit module 104, substrate transfer can occur between the processing station 130 and the load lock chambers 102, 102A, 102B, 102C (or cassette C) coupled to the transfer chambers 125A, 125B, 125C, 125D, 125E, 125F. According to various aspects of the disclosed embodiments, one or more substrates can be transferred to respective predetermined processing stations 130 individually or substantially simultaneously, for example, when picking/placing substrates from side-by-side or successive processing stations, as shown in Figures 1B, 1C, 1D, 1G-1K. In one aspect, the transport unit module 104 can be mounted on a suspension arm 143 (see, for example, Figures 1D and 1G-1I), wherein the suspension arm 143 has a single suspension link or multiple suspension links 121, 122 or a linear carrier 144, such as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 61, filed on October 18, 2013, entitled "Processing Apparatus." /892,849, U.S. Patent Application No. 61/904,908, filed on November 15, 2013, entitled “Processing Apparatus,” and International Patent Application No. PCT/US13/25513, filed on February 11, 2013, entitled “Substrate Processing Apparatus,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

1L , a schematic plan view of a linear wafer processing system 100G is shown in which the tool interface region 2012 is mounted to a transport chamber module 3018 such that the interface region 2012 generally faces (e.g., inwardly) but is offset from the longitudinal axis X of the transport chamber 3018. The transport chamber module 3018 can be extended in any suitable direction by attaching additional transport chamber modules 3018A, 3018I, 3018J to the interfaces 2050, 2060, 2070, as described in U.S. Patent No. 8,398,355, previously incorporated herein by reference. Each transport chamber module 3018, 3018A, 3018I, 3018J includes any suitable wafer transporter 2080, which may include one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein, to transport wafers throughout the processing system 100G and, for example, into and out of the processing module PM. As will be appreciated, each chamber module may be capable of maintaining an isolated or controlled atmosphere (e.g., _N2 , clean air, vacuum).

Referring to FIG. 1M , a schematic diagram of an exemplary processing tool 100H is shown, which may be, for example, along the longitudinal axis X of a linear transport chamber 416. In one aspect of the disclosed embodiment shown in FIG. 1M , a tool interface area 12 may be typically coupled to the transport chamber 416. In this regard, the interface area 12 may define one end of the tool transport chamber 416. As shown in FIG. 1M , the transport chamber 416 may have another workpiece access station 412, for example, at an end opposite the interface station 12. In other aspects, other access stations may be provided for inserting and removing workpieces from the transport chamber. In one aspect, the interface area 12 and the access station 412 may allow for loading and unloading workpieces from the tool. In other aspects, workpieces may be loaded into the tool from one end and removed from the tool from another end. In one aspect, the transport chamber 416 may have one or more transfer chamber modules 18B, 18i. Each chamber module can be capable of maintaining an isolated or controlled atmosphere (e.g., _N2 , clean air, vacuum). As previously noted, the configuration/arrangement of transfer chamber modules 18B, 18i and load lock chamber modules 56A, 56 and workpiece stations forming transfer chamber 416 shown in FIG. 1M is merely exemplary; and in other aspects, the transfer chamber can have more or fewer modules configured in any desired module arrangement. In the illustrated aspect, station 412 can be a load lock chamber. In other aspects, a load lock chamber module can be located between end access stations (which are similar to station 412), or an adjacent transfer chamber module (which is similar to module 18i) can be configured to operate as a load lock chamber.

As also noted previously, the transport chamber modules 18B, 18i have one or more corresponding transport devices 26B, 26i located therein, which may include one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments described herein. The transport devices 26B, 26i of the respective transport chamber modules 18B, 18i may cooperate to provide a linearly distributed workpiece transport system 420 within the transport chamber. In this regard, the transport device 26B may have a typical selectively compliant articulated robot arm (SCARA) arm configuration (although in other aspects, the transport arm may have any other desired arrangement, as described below).

In the disclosed embodiment shown in FIG. 1M , the arms and/or end effectors of the transport apparatus 26B can be arranged to provide what may be referred to as a quick-switch arrangement, allowing the transport to rapidly switch wafers between pick/place locations. The transport arm 26B can have any suitable drive region (e.g., coaxially arranged drive spindles, side-by-side drive spindles, horizontally adjacent motors, vertically stacked motors, etc.) to provide each arm with any suitable number of degrees of freedom (e.g., Z-axis motion with independent rotation about the shoulder and elbow joints). As shown in FIG1M , in this regard, modules 56A, 56, 30i can be inserted between transfer chamber modules 18B, 18i and define suitable processing modules, load lock chamber(s), buffer station(s), metrology station(s), or any other desired station(s). For example, the insertable modules (e.g., load lock chambers 56A, 56 and workpiece station 30i) each have a stationary workpiece support/rack 56S, 56S1, 56S2, 30S1, 30S2 that cooperate with a transport arm to facilitate workpiece transport along the linear axis X of the transport chamber. For example, workpiece(s) can be loaded into the transport chamber 416 from the interface area 12. Workpiece(s) can be positioned on the support(s) of load lock chamber module 56A using transport arm 15 in the interface area. Workpiece(s) in load lock chamber module 56A can be moved between load lock chamber module 56A and load lock chamber module 56 by transport arm 26B in module 18B, and in a similar and continuous manner between load lock chamber 56 and workpiece station 30i using arm 26i (in module 18i), and between station 30i and station 412 using arm 26i in module 18i. This process can be reversed in whole or in part to move the workpiece(s) in the opposite direction. Thus, in one aspect, a workpiece can be moved in any direction along the X axis and to any location along the transport chamber, and can be loaded and unloaded from any desired module connected to the transport chamber (performing processing or otherwise). In other aspects, an insertable transport chamber module with a stationary workpiece support or rack may not be positioned between the transport chamber modules 18B and 18i. In such aspects, a transport arm of an adjacent transport chamber module can transfer the workpiece directly from the end effector or one transport arm to the end effector of another transport arm to move the workpiece through the transport chamber. The processing station modules can operate on the wafers through a variety of deposition, etching, or other types of processes to form circuits or other desired structures on the wafers. The processing station module is connected to the transport chamber module to allow wafers to pass from the transport chamber to the processing station, and vice versa. A suitable example of a processing tool having general features similar to the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1D is described in U.S. Patent No. 8,398,355, which was previously incorporated by reference in its entirety.

2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, in one aspect, the transport unit module 104 includes at least one drive section 200, 200A, 200B, and 200C and at least one transport arm section having at least one transport arm, such as the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 described below. The transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 can be coupled to the drive shafts of the drive sections 200, 200A-200C at any suitable connection CNX and in any suitable manner, such that rotation of the drive shafts effects movement of the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 as described herein. As will be described below, in one aspect, the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 can be interchanged from a plurality of different interchangeable transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, thereby switching at the connection CNX to the drive zone, wherein each interchangeable arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 has different droop characteristics and an associated corresponding droop distance register 700 (see FIG. 7 ) that describes the arm droop distance of the associated transport arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318.

At least one drive section 200, 200A, 200B, 200C is mounted to any suitable frame of the processing equipment 100A-100H. In one aspect, as noted above, the transport unit module 104 can be mounted to the linear slider 144 or the suspension arm 143 in any suitable manner, wherein the linear slider and/or the suspension arm 143 have drive sections generally similar to the drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, 200C described herein. At least one drive section 200, 200A, 200B, 200C can include a common drive section including a frame 200F that houses one or more of the Z-axis drive 270 and the rotary drive section 282. The interior 200FI of the frame 200F can be sealed in any suitable manner, as described below. In one aspect, the Z-axis drive can be any suitable drive configured to move at least one transfer arm 300, 301 along the Z-axis. The Z-axis drive is illustrated in FIG2A as a screw-type drive, but in other aspects, the drive can be any suitable linear drive, such as a linear actuator, a piezoelectric motor, etc. The rotational drive section 282 can be configured as any suitable drive section, such as a harmony drive section, for example. For example, the rotary drive section 282 can include any suitable number of coaxially arranged and harmoniously driven motors 280. For example, FIG2B shows that the drive section 282 includes three coaxially arranged and harmoniously driven motors 280, 280A, and 280B. In other aspects, the drive sections 282 can be arranged side by side and/or coaxially. In one aspect, the rotary drive section 282 shown in FIG. 2A includes a motor 280 for driving one of the drive shafts 280S in a harmonious manner; however, in other aspects, the drive section can include any suitable number of harmonious drive motors 280, 280A, 280B (FIG. 2B), corresponding, for example, to any suitable number of drive shafts 280S, 280AS, 280BS (FIG. 2B) in a coaxial drive system. The harmony drive motor 280 can have a high capacity output bearing so that the components of the ferrous fluid seals 276, 277 are centered and at least partially supported by the harmony drive motor 280 with sufficient stability and clearance during the desired rotational T and extension R movements of the transfer unit module 104. Note that the ferrous fluid seals 276, 277 can include several parts that form a generally concentric, coaxial seal, as will be described below. In this example, the rotary drive section 282 includes a housing 281 that houses one or more drive motors 280 and can be generally similar to those described above and/or in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,845,250, 5,899,658, 5,813,823, and 5,720,590, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Ferrous fluid seals 276 and 277 can have tolerances to seal each drive shaft 280S, 280AS, and 280BS within the drive shaft assembly. In one aspect, no ferrous fluid seals are required. For example, the drive section 282 may include a drive having a stator that is substantially sealed from the environment of the operating conveyor arm, while the rotor and drive shaft share the environment of the operating arm. Suitable examples of drive sections that do not have ferrous fluid seals and that can be used with aspects of the disclosed embodiments include the ^MagnaTran® 7 and ^MagnaTran® 8 robotic drive sections from Brooks Automation, which may have a sealed can arrangement, as described below. Note that the drive shaft(s) 280S, 280AS, 280BS may also have a hollow frame (e.g., having a hole extending longitudinally along the center of the drive shaft) to allow wires 290 or any other suitable items to pass through the drive assembly to, for example, another drive area, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 15/110,130, filed on July 7, 2016, and published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2016/0325440 on November 10, 2016 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), or to any suitable position encoder, controller, and/or at least one transfer arm 314 mounted to the drive 200, 200A, 200B, 200C. 315, 316, 317, 318. As can be appreciated, each drive motor of the drive section 200, 200A, 200B, 200C can include any suitable encoder configured to detect the position of the individual motors to determine the position of the end effectors 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E1, 318E1, 318E2 of each transport arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318.

In one aspect, a housing 281 can be mounted to the carrier 270C and coupled to the Z-axis driver 270, allowing the Z-axis driver 270 to move the carrier (and the housing 281 thereon) along the Z-axis. As will be appreciated, in order to seal the control atmosphere in which at least one transfer arm 300, 301 operates from the interior of the driver 200, 200A, 200B, 200C (which can operate in an atmospheric pressure (ATM) environment), one or more of the ferrous fluid seals 276, 277 and the bladder seal 275 described above can be included. The bladder seal 275 may have one end coupled to the carrier 270C and the other end coupled to any suitable portion of the frame 200FI such that the interior 200FI of the frame 200F is isolated from the controlled atmosphere in which the at least one transfer arm 300, 301 operates.

In other aspects, as noted above, a drive having a stator sealed from the atmosphere of the operating conveyor arm without ferrous fluid seals, such as the ^MagnaTran® 7 and MagnaTran® 8 robotic drive sections from Brooks Automation, can be mounted on carrier 270C. For example, referring also to Figures 2C and 2D, the rotary drive section 282 is configured such that the motor stator is sealed from the environment of the operating robot arm, while the motor rotor shares the environment of the operating robot arm. Figure ^2C illustrates a coaxial drive having a first drive motor 280' and a second drive motor 280A'. The first drive motor 280' includes a stator 280S' and a rotor 280R', wherein the rotor 280R' is coupled to the drive shaft 280S. A can seal 280CS can be positioned between the stator 280S' and the rotor 280R' and connected to the housing 281 in any suitable manner to seal the stator 280S' from the environment operating the machine arm. Similarly, the motor 280A' includes a stator 280AS' and a rotor 280AR', wherein the rotor 280AR' is coupled to the drive shaft 280AS. A can seal 280ACS can be disposed between the stator 280AS' and the rotor 280AR'. The can seal 280ACS can be connected to the housing 281 in any suitable manner to seal the stator 280AS' from the environment operating the machine arm. As will be appreciated, any suitable encoder/sensor 268A, 268B can be provided to determine the position of the drive shaft and the arm(s) operated by the drive shaft(s). Referring to FIG. 2D , a three-axis rotary drive section 282 is illustrated. The three-axis rotary drive section can be generally similar to the coaxial drive section described above with respect to FIG. 2C ; however, in this case, there are three motors 280′, 280A′, 280B′, each having a rotor 280R′, 280AR′, 280BR′ coupled to a respective drive shaft 280A, 280AS, 280BS. Each motor also includes a respective stator 280S′, 280AS′, 280BS′, which is sealed from the atmosphere of the operating robot arm(s) by a respective can seal 280SC, 280ACS, 280BCS. As will be appreciated, any suitable encoder/sensor may be provided as described above with respect to FIG. 2C to determine the position of the drive shaft and the arm(s) operated by the drive shaft(s). As will be appreciated, in one aspect, the drive shaft of the exemplary motor shown in FIG. 2C and 2D may not allow wires 290 to be passed through; while in other aspects, any suitable seal may be provided so that wires can be passed through, for example, the hollow drive shaft of the exemplary motor shown in FIG. 2C and 2D.

3A-3E , the suspension arm 143 and/or the transport unit module 104 may include any suitable arm linkage mechanism(s). Suitable examples of arm linkage mechanisms may be found, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 7,578,649 issued on August 25, 2009, U.S. Patent No. 5,794,487 issued on August 18, 1998, U.S. Patent No. 7,946,800 issued on May 24, 2011, U.S. Patent No. 6,485,250 issued on November 26, 2002, U.S. Patent No. 5,794,487 issued on August 18, 1998 ... No. 7,891,935, U.S. Patent No. 8,419,341 issued on April 16, 2013, U.S. Patent Application No. 13/293,717 filed on November 10, 2011, entitled “Dual-Arm Robot,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 13/861,693 filed on September 5, 2013, entitled “Linear Vacuum Robot with Z Motion and Articulated Arm,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. In various aspects of the disclosed embodiments, at least one transfer arm, suspension arm 143 and/or linear slider 144 of each transport unit module 104 can be derived from a conventional SCARA arm 315 (selectively compliant articulated robot arm) (Figure 3C) type design, which includes an upper arm 315U, a driven forearm 315F and a constrained end effector 315E, or from a telescopic arm or any other suitable arm design, such as a Cartesian linear slider arm 314 (Figure 3B). Suitable examples of transfer arms can be found, for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 12/117,415, filed on May 8, 2008, entitled "Substrate Transport Apparatus Having Multiple Movable Arms Utilizing a Mechanical Switching Mechanism," and U.S. Patent No. 7,648,327, issued on January 19, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The transfer arms can operate independently of one another (e.g., each arm can extend/retract independently of the other arms), can operate via lost-motion switching, or can be operatively coupled in any suitable manner such that the arms share at least one common drive axis. In other aspects, the transport arms may have any other desired arrangement, such as a frog-leg arm 316 ( FIG. 3A ) configuration, a leaping frog arm 317 ( FIG. 3E ) configuration, a dual symmetrical arm 318 ( FIG. 3D ) configuration, etc. Suitable examples of conveyor arms can be found in U.S. Patent No. 6,231,297 issued on May 15, 2001, U.S. Patent No. 5,180,276 issued on January 19, 1993, U.S. Patent No. 6,464,448 issued on October 15, 2002, U.S. Patent No. 6,224,319 issued on May 1, 2001, U.S. Patent No. 5,447,409 issued on September 5, 1995, U.S. Patent No. 7,578,649 issued on August 25, 2009, U.S. Patent No. 5,464,448 issued on October 15, 2002, ,794,487, U.S. Patent No. 7,946,800 issued on May 24, 2011, U.S. Patent No. 6,485,250 issued on November 26, 2002, U.S. Patent No. 7,891,935 issued on February 22, 2011, U.S. Patent Application No. 13/293,717 filed on November 10, 2011, entitled “Dual-Arm Robot,” and U.S. Patent Application No. 13/270,844 filed on October 11, 2011, entitled “Coaxial Drive Vacuum Robot,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Note that the suspension arm 143 can have a generally similar structure to the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, wherein the transport module unit 104 is mounted to the suspension arm in place of the end effectors 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E1, 318E1, 318E2. As will be appreciated, the transport arm(s) 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 are operatively coupled to the respective drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, 200C in any suitable manner, such that the respective drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, 200C are moved along at least one axis of motion by the transport arm relative to a frame (e.g., frame 200F or any suitable frame of the processing tools 100A-100H). The articulated movement of the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 relative to the frame 200F is implemented in a transport space TSP (see Figures 4A and 4B) defined by the articulation of the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, between a first arm position 2030A (e.g., a retracted position of the transport arm, see Figure 4A) and a second arm position 2030B different from the first arm position 2030A (e.g., an extended position of the transport arm, see Figure 4B). As will be described in more detail below, any suitable controller (e.g., controller 110) is coupled to the drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, 200C in any suitable manner to drive the drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, 200C to implement the articulation of the conveyor arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318. The controller 110 includes a droop compensator 110DC configured to cause the droop compensator 110DC to resolve an arm droop distance DRP ( FIG. 4D ) of the conveyor arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 caused by the conveyor arms drooping between a first arm position 2030A and a second arm position 2030B, as will be described in more detail herein.

4A-4D , schematic diagrams of a substrate transport arm droop mapping apparatus 2000 are shown. In one aspect, the mapping apparatus 2000 includes a frame 2000F configured to receive a transport apparatus 2004 in any suitable manner, such that the transport arms 315-318 of the transport apparatus 2004 are movably positioned as described herein. In one aspect, the transport apparatus 2004 can be, for example, substantially similar to the transport apparatus module 104 (including one or more transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 and drive sections 200, 200A-200C); or, in other aspects, similar to the transport apparatus module 104 mounted on the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 described above. In one aspect, frame 2000F defines any suitable reference datum feature that corresponds to and represents, for example, a transfer chamber of front-end module 101 or a suitable reference datum feature of transfer chambers 125A-125F, 3018, 3018A, or 416 of any suitable processing tool 100A-100H.

In one aspect, frame 2000F includes a mounting surface 2010 that forms a datum reference surface to which mounting flange 200F of transport apparatus 2004 is attached. In one aspect, the engagement of mounting flange 200F with mounting surface 2010 establishes the vertical or Z-point of transfer plane TP. In another aspect, mounting surface 2010 forms a datum reference surface to which Z-axis rail 2007 of transport apparatus 2004 is engaged. In one aspect, the engagement of Z-axis rail 2007 with mounting surface 2010 establishes the vertical or Z-point of transfer plane TP. In one aspect, the base reference surface formed by mounting surface 2010 forms the interface between frame 2000F and transport apparatus 2004, representing a substrate transport space TSP within a processing tool (e.g., front-end module 101 or transfer chambers 125A-125F, 3018, 3018A, 416) defined by the substrate transport system of processing tools 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, 100H). In one aspect, the substrate transport system includes one or more of the following: transport apparatus 2004 of processing tools 100A-100H, a substrate gripper location (e.g., a process module, aligner, buffer, etc.), a substrate/cassette elevator, and a slit valve SV.

In one aspect, transport apparatus 2004 includes articulated arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 (e.g., those described above), including drive zones 200, 200A-200C, and end implementers 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, and 318E2 each having a substrate gripper SH. For purposes of explanation, aspects of the disclosed embodiments will be described using end implementer 315E and arm 315, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments also apply to arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 and end implementers 314E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, and 318E2. The transport apparatus 2004 can be mounted to the frame 2000F via respective drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, and 200C to provide the transport arm 315 with at least one axis of motion (θ, R, Z) for movement with at least one degree of freedom to determine the droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 as described herein. In one aspect, the transport apparatus 2004 is mounted to the frame 2000F in a predetermined relationship to at least one datum feature 2000DF of the frame 2000F. For example, in one aspect, the Z-axis 2007 of the transport apparatus 2004 mounted to the flange 200F and/or the drive sections 200, 200A, 200B, and 200C can be aligned with respect to the home or zero position of the transport arm 315. For example, the mounting flange 200F (or the housing of the drive section 200) and/or the Z-axis rail may include any suitable reference feature 200DF that indicates the rotational position of the transport arms 315-318 in the T direction about the axis θ. For example, the reference feature 200DF may define or otherwise indicate the rotational orientation of the arms about the axis θ, which corresponds to an extended and retracted rotation angle of zero degrees (see the extended axis R1 and the corresponding angle θ1 in FIG4C ). The frame 2000F of the mapping apparatus 2000 includes any suitable fiducial or reference feature 2000DF configured to interface with or couple to a fiducial reference feature 200DF of the transport apparatus 2004 so that the vertical distance DRP of the transport arm 315 can be measured relative to the fiducial feature 200DF at a predetermined orientation corresponding to the orientation of the transport apparatus 2004 within the processing apparatus 100A-100H. For example, the interface or coupling of the fiducial reference features 200DF, 2000DF rotationally positions the substrate transport 2004 within the frame 2000 in the T direction about the axis θ such that the zero degree rotation angle for extension and retraction (e.g., extension axis R1) is at a known predetermined location relative to the frame 2000F. As can be appreciated, mounting the conveyor device 2004 in the frame 2000F at a known position provides for measuring the sag distance DRP at substantially all angles θ1-θ8 of extension and retraction of the conveyor arm, as well as for all distances DEXT (e.g., arrival positions) that the arm extends along the various extension axes R1-R8.

In one aspect, the substrate transport arm sag mapping apparatus 2000 also includes a registration system 2020 configured relative to the substrate transport arm 315 and at least one fiducial feature 200DF, 2000DF such that the registration system registers arm sag distance DRP due to arm sag changes caused by movement of the end effector 315E (including the substrate gripper SH) along at least one axis of motion (e.g., R, θ, Z) within a transport space TSP between a first arm position 2030A and a second arm position 2030B. In one aspect, the registration system 2020 includes any suitable controller 2020C, including a memory 2020CM and a processor 2020CP, including any suitable non-transitory computer program code, for implementing the operation of the substrate transport arm sag mapping apparatus 2000 as described herein. The substrate transport arm sag mapping apparatus 2000 further includes at least one sensing device 2021 configured to sense or otherwise detect the position of at least the end effector 315E as the end effector 315E moves along one or more paths of extension and retraction R1-R8 of the substrate transport arms 315-318 within the transport space TSP. Alternatively, the at least one sensing device 2021 may be configured to sense or detect the position of any suitable portion of the substrate transport arm 315 (e.g., the wrist joint corresponding to axis T3, the substrate S clamped on the end effector 315E, etc.). In one aspect, at least one sensing device 2021 includes at least one optical sensor, such as motion tracking camera(s) or a through-beam sensor, or any other suitable sensor (e.g., a proximity sensor, a capacitive sensor, a laser sensor, a confocal sensor, or a sensor using radar, light-reflecting radar (LIDAR), or echolocation), configured to sense/detect the position of at least the end implementer 315E within the transport space TSP. In one aspect, at least one sensing device 2021 is arranged to or otherwise interfaces with any suitable feature of the transport arm 315 (e.g., the end effector 315E, the substrate S gripped thereon, and/or any other suitable feature of the transport arm 315) to determine the position of the feature of the transport arm 315, such as the position of the feature in the Z direction relative to or with respect to a predetermined reference datum representing the substrate transfer plane TP.

In one aspect, the controller 2020C can be substantially similar to the controller 110 in that the controller 2020 is configured to control the transport apparatus 2004 to extend along one or more extension and retraction paths R1-R8 and to move with any suitable number of degrees of freedom, as described herein. The controller 2020C is coupled to the at least one sensing device 2021 in any suitable manner (e.g., via any suitable wired or wireless connection). The at least one sensing device 2021 is configured to send, and the controller 2020C is configured to receive, any suitable signal from the at least one sensing device 2021 indicating the position (e.g., θ, R, Z) of the end effector 315E or any other suitable characteristic of the substrate transport arms 315-318 (including the substrate S gripped thereon) within the transport space TSP relative to the transport plane TP. For example, referring also to Figures 4A-4D and 5 , schematic diagrams illustrating the droop distance DRP of a substrate transport arm (e.g., substrate transport arm 315) are shown. In this regard, the droop distance DRP is shown measured at three points along a substrate S carried on the end effector 315E of the substrate transport arm 315. For example, as the substrate S is transported along the extension-retraction axes R1-R8, the droop distance DRP relative to the transfer plane TP (e.g., the Z position of the end effector 315E and the substrate gripped thereon changes) can be measured at the leading edge SLT of the substrate S, the center SC of the substrate S, and/or the trailing edge SLT of the substrate S. As described herein, a transfer plane TP can be defined based on the position of the substrate S or end effector 315E when the transport arm 315 is in a retracted configuration (e.g., when the substrate S is in the first position 2030A), such as the center SC of the substrate S in the retracted configuration. Alternatively, the transfer plane TP can be defined based on the position of any suitable substrate gripper station, such as a process module, buffer, aligner, load lock chamber, etc. Also as described herein, the nonlinearity of the transport arm 315 results in a Z position variation (e.g., droop distance DRP) relative to any suitable reference datum (e.g., transport plane TP), the height of which depends on the specific configuration of the transport arm 315, with the droop DRP varying uniquely for each arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318.

Continuing with reference to Figures 4A-4D and 5 , an exemplary operation of the substrate transport arm sag mapping apparatus 2000 will be described. In one aspect, a frame 2000F is disposed (block 600 of Figure 6 ) at any suitable location, such as on a semiconductor fabrication facility floor or within a fabrication facility housing the substrate transporter 104 and/or transfer arm 315. As described above, the frame includes an interface thereon, such as the reference datum feature 2000DF described above, where the reference datum feature 2000F represents the substrate transport space TSP. The substrate transport arm 315 is mounted to the frame 2000F (block 610 of Figure 6 ), in a predetermined relationship with at least one datum feature 2000DF, using any suitable means, such as those described above. In one aspect, the drive sections 200, 200A-200C are mounted to the frame 2000F, and the transport arm 315 is mounted to the drive sections 200, 200A-200C such that the drive sections 200, 200A-200C extend the transport arm 315 relative to at least one reference feature 2000DF. As shown in FIG4C , the drive sections 200, 200A-200C and the mounted transport arm 315 are mounted to the frame 2000F such that the reference reference feature 200F of the transport device 2004 is positioned in a predetermined orientation (e.g., aligned in any suitable manner) relative to the reference reference feature 2000DF of the frame 2000F. Here, alignment with reference to the fiducial features 200DF and 2000DF directs the transport arm 315 to its home or original position at angle θ1, which corresponds to the retractor axis R1. In one aspect, when the transport apparatus 2004 is within a transfer chamber of any suitable processing apparatus 100A-H (e.g., front-end module 101 or transfer chambers 125A-125F, 3018, 3018A, 416), angle θ1 and retractor axis R1 correspond to the home or original position of the transport apparatus 2004. In one aspect, the angle θ1 and the extension/retraction axis R1, as well as each of the other angles θ2-θ8 and the extension/retraction axes R2-R8, can correspond to the respective extension/retraction axes of the transfer chambers 125A-125F, 3018, 3018A, and 416 in which the transport device 104 or the transport arm 315 is to be installed.

In one aspect, the transport arm 315 mounted to the drive area 200, 200A-200C can be selected from a plurality of transport arms 315-318 mounted to the common drive area 200, 200A-200C. For example, the drive area 200 can be mounted to the frame 2000F, as described above. The arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 are interchangeable, such that any arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 can be selected and mounted to the drive area 200. Here, the transport arm 315 is selected from a plurality of interchangeable transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 and mounted to the drive area 200 within the frame 2000F.

As described above, the controller 2020C is configured to implement movement of the transport arm 315. The controller 2020C implements movement of the transport arm 315 between a first arm position 2030A and a second arm position 2030B along at least one axis of motion within the transport space TSP (block 620 in FIG. 6 ). As described herein, the first arm position 2030A can be a retracted position of the transport arm 315, and the second arm position 2030B can be a slit valve SV position or any other suitable substrate gripping position for a substrate handling station (e.g., a load lock chamber, buffer, process module, etc.) of the substrate processing apparatus 100A-100H. For illustrative purposes only, the transport arm is extended at an angle θ1 along the extend-retract axis R1. The arm droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 is registered by the registration system 2020 in any suitable manner (block 630 of FIG. 6 ). For example, in one aspect, the droop distance DRP can be measured from a transfer plane TP, which can be established from the retracted home/zero position of the substrate S (e.g., when the transport arm is retracted along the stretch-retract axis R1 to the first position 2030A at angle θ1). The transfer plane TP can define a reference datum from which the droop distance DRP is measured for all angles θ1-θ8 and all stretch-retract axes R1-R8. Here, there are eight stretch-retract axes R1-R8 and eight corresponding angles θ1-θ8, but in other aspects, there can be more or fewer than eight stretch-retract axes and more or fewer than eight corresponding angles.

As can be seen in FIG5 , the transport plane TP can correspond to the center SC of the substrate S clamped on the end effector 315E of the transport arm 315. The registration system 2020 is configured to detect the Z position of the substrate, for example, at any suitable point on the substrate S, such as the leading edge SLE, the center SC, and/or the trailing edge SLT of the substrate S. Here, the Z position of the substrate is used for convenience; and in other aspects, the drop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 can be along any suitable axis of any suitable reference frame. In FIG5 , as the transport arm 315 extends, for example, along the axis R1 from the first position 2030A to the second position 2030B, the uncompensated Z position of the leading edge SLE, the center SC, and the trailing edge SLT of the substrate S are mapped with respect to the arm extension DEXT. As shown in Figure 5 , at position 2030A, the trailing edge SLT of the substrate S is lower than the leading edge SLE of the substrate; whereas, at position 2030B, the trailing edge SLT of the substrate S is higher than the leading edge SLE of the substrate. Also as shown in Figure 5 , due to the linear and nonlinear effects of the extension of the transport arm 315, the uncompensated Z position of the center SC of the substrate S is approximately 2.5 distance units below the transfer plane TP.

In one aspect, the registration system 2020 is configured to sample the Z position of the substrate along the stretch-retract axis R1 at any suitable incremental distance. For example, as the end effector 315E moves along the stretch-retract axis R1, the Z position of the substrate can be sampled or measured at each delta R distance unit increment. In one aspect, the droop distance DRP is shown in FIG. 5 as being substantially linear (varying with distance along the stretch-retract axis R1) for exemplary purposes only, but it should be understood that the droop distance may vary non-linearly, for example, in situations where there is a significant overall non-linear variation. In cases where the sag distance is not linear, the Z position of the substrate can be measured more frequently (e.g., with smaller delta R distance unit increments between samples) as the substrate S moves along the stretch-retract axis R1 to increase the definition of the substrate Z position or sag distance DRP measured along the stretch-retract axis R1.

The droop distance DRP measured at different ΔR distance unit intervals between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B as the substrate S moves along the extension-retraction axis R1 is recorded, for example, in the memory 2020CM of the controller 2020C or any other suitable memory. In one aspect, the droop distance DRP measurements are stored in any suitable format/method suitable for programmatic control of the transport device 2004 including the transport arm 315, such as in the form of a lookup table or any suitable algorithm. In one aspect, the droop distance DRP measurements can be stored in an arm droop distance register 700 in the form of a lookup table, an example of which is shown in FIG. 7 . In one aspect, the arm droop distance register 700 includes extended positions R _ext1-m of the transport arm 315, for example, at the center SC of a substrate S carried on the end effector 315E (in other aspects, the extended position of the transport arm 315 can be determined by any suitable characteristic of the transport arm 315 or the substrate S), and is plotted against the extended angles θ _1-n of the transport arm 315. In one aspect, R _ext1 corresponds to the retracted position of the transport arm 315 at a respective angle θ _1-n , while Rm corresponds to the position of the transport arm 315 at the second position 2030B (or a position subsequent to the retracted position). Here, each extended position R _ext1 -R _m (there can be any suitable number of extended positions) corresponds to a sampling location for a droop measurement DRP. In one aspect, the delta R distance unit increments ( FIG. 4C ) between extended positions R _ext1 -R _m can be substantially constant; in other aspects, the delta R distance unit increments can be variable, for example, to provide greater definition within a predetermined region for sag measurement (e.g., a predetermined region along the stretch-retract axes R1 - R8 ). In one aspect, angles θ _1-n correspond to different substrate clamping locations along the stretch-retract axes R1 - R8 ; however, in other aspects, any suitable number of angles can be used to measure sag DRP.

In one aspect, the controller 2020C is configured to drive the drive section 200 in any suitable manner to extend the transport arm 315 along the extend-retract axis R1 at an angle θ1. As the transport arm 315 extends, the sensing device 2021 measures, for example, the Z positions _ΔZ1-1 to ΔZ1 _-m of the substrate S at the extended positions R _ext1 to R _m . The arm drop distances (DRPs) ΔZ1-1 to ΔZ1-m are registered in any suitable manner (block 630 in FIG. 6 ) by the controller, such as in the arm drop distance register 700. The controller 2020C is further configured to rotate the conveyor arm 315 so that the end effector 315E is positioned to extend at an angle θ2 along the other extension-retraction axis R2, repeating blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 to obtain droop DRP distances ΔZ _2-1 to ΔZ _2-m , which are registered in the arm droop distance register 700. In the above manner, droop distance measurements are performed at each angle θ _1-n and for each extension position R _ext1-m. The corresponding droop DRP is measured and recorded in the arm droop distance register 700, for example, from ΔZ _1-1 to ΔZ _1-m at angle θ1 to ΔZ _n-1 to ΔZ _nm at angle θn. Here, the arm droop distance register 700 describes the arm droop distance DRP at a first arm position 2030A, a second arm position 2030B, and at a third arm position 2030C (and subsequent arm positions 2030D~2030P), wherein the third arm position 2030C (and subsequent arm positions 2030D~2030P) is different from both the first arm position 2030A and the second arm position 2030B, wherein the end implementer 315E moves along at least one motion axis (in this example, the extension motion axis R, but in other aspects in the T direction along the θ motion axis and/or along the Z motion axis). Note that the arm sag distance register 700 is demonstrated as making a single sag distance measurement (ΔZ _1-1 ~ΔZ _1-m at angle θ1 to ΔZ _n-1 ~ΔZ _nm at angle θn), which may correspond to the center SC of the substrate S, but it should be understood that in other aspects, the arm sag distance register 700 may also include sag distance measurements of the leading edge SLE and/or trailing edge SLT of the substrate S.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the arm droop distance register 700 may not only associate the droop distance DRP with the extension distances R _ext1 ~R _m in a two-dimensional array, but may also be constructed to compensate for different environmental conditions (such as different operating temperatures TH) during operation of the transport device 104 and/or compensate for arm extensions of the transport arm 315 at different heights along the Z-axis. For example, blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 may be repeated for any suitable number of different temperatures _THinitial ~ _THinitial+y , such that the sag compensation described by the arm sag distance register 700 and the arm sag compensation implemented thereby (described herein) accommodates, for example, thermal expansion and contraction of arm components (e.g., arm linkages, pulleys, belts, end effectors, etc.). Blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 may also be repeated for any suitable number of different Z heights _Zinitial ~ _Zinitial+x , such that the arm droop distance register 700 and the droop compensation implemented thereby (described herein) accommodate, for example, misalignment between the Z axis of the conveyor device 104 and the coaxial axis of the drive section 200, and/or accommodate misalignment between the drive shafts of the coaxial drive sections 200, 200A ~ 200C to which the conveyor arm 315 is coupled. In a further aspect, when the conveying device 104 includes interchangeable arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, an arm drop distance register 700, 700'-700n' can be generated for each interchangeable arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 in the manner described above.

As can be appreciated, the arm drop distance register may be generated in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the mounting of the transport arm 2004 to the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144. Here, the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 (on which the transport arm 2004 is mounted) can be mounted to the frame 2000F of the substrate transport arm droop measurement device 2000 in a manner substantially similar to that described above. The registration system 2020 determines the droop distance of the transport arm 2004 mounted to the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the extension/retraction axis R (e.g., as shown in Figures 1C and 1D). The droop distance DRP implemented by the transport arm 2004 and the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 is then registered in the corresponding arm droop register 700.

As shown in FIG7 , the arm drop distance register 700 is implemented (e.g., in a form) so as to define curves, such as curves 599A-C, that describe arm drop distance DRP variations with respect to arm positions R _ext1 to R _m , θ1 to θn, as the end effector 315E moves along one or more axes of motion R, θ, and Z. In one aspect, the one or more axes of motion R, θ, and Z define a transfer plane TP or transfer volume TSV in the substrate transport space TSP. As shown in FIG7 , each curve 599A-C describes a discrete arm drop distance variation for an arm position (see extension distances R _ext1 to R _m ) as the end effector 315E moves along each of the one or more axes of motion R, θ, and Z.

In one aspect, still referring to Figures 4A-4D, 5, and 7 as well as Figures 1A-1M and 2A-2D, arm droop distance register(s) 700 operate with respective conveyor apparatuses 2004 (and various optional arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318, if equipped). In one aspect, the arm droop distance register(s) 700 for a conveyor apparatus 2004 are transferred (e.g., loaded in any suitable manner) to the droop compensator 110DC of the controller 110 of the processing apparatus 100A-100H in which the conveyor apparatus 2004 is to be used. In one aspect, the droop compensator 110DC can be disposed within the housing of the drive section 200, 200A-200C and coupled to the controller 110 in any suitable manner to implement arm droop compensation as described herein. The controller 110 is then configured to implement compensatory motion of the conveyor arm 2004 (e.g., the conveyor arm 315) with the drive section 200, 200A-200C of the conveyor device 2004, wherein the compensatory motion has a magnitude and a direction that compensates for and resolves substantially the entire droop distance DRP of the conveyor arm 315. In one aspect, using the processing apparatus 100A of FIG. 1A as an example, the droop compensator 110DC of the controller 110 is configured to determine the droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 between a first position 2030A and a second position 2030B from the droop distance register(s) 700 in any suitable manner. In this example, the second position 2030B is the location of the slit valve SV. In one aspect, the magnitude and direction of the compensating movement are determined by the droop distance register(s) 700.

As shown in FIG5 , the controller 110 drives, for example, the Z-axis drives of the drive sections 200, 200A-200C of the transport apparatus 2004 (illustrated as the transport apparatus 104 of FIG1A ) based on the magnitude and direction of the compensatory motion determined by the sag distance register(s) 700, such that the substrate S moves generally along the transfer plane TP over the movement of the end effector 315E along the extend-retract axis (e.g., axis R1). In this regard, the compensatory motion is in the direction 586 and has a magnitude that generally corresponds to the amount of uncompensated sag (e.g., sag distance DRP) illustrated in the examples of FIG4D and 5 . In this way, the compensating movement of the transport arm 315 results in the elimination of substantially the entire droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 relative to the transfer plane TP (for example, the transfer plane TP forms a predetermined reference datum for transferring the substrate S here), so that the end implementer 315E at the second position 2030A in the transport space TSP is in the net position NP (for example, along the transfer plane TP, and not substantially deviated above or below the transfer plane TP), and in the direction in which the arm droops (here the Z direction), this position is independent of the arm droop. Again, it is noted that while the second location 2030B is exemplified as a slit valve SV location, the second location 2030B may otherwise be any suitable predetermined substrate destination within the processing equipment 100A-100H (e.g., an aligner, buffer, or a clamping location within a process module).

Referring to FIG. 9 , the controller 110 is configured to implement compensatory motion of the transport arm 315 such that the end effector 315E completes its motion and reaches the second position 2030B at the net position NP. As shown in FIG. 9 , the end effector is in the retracted position DRXT, which may correspond to the first position 2030A. The controller 110 controls the motion 900 of the transport arm 315 (which in this example is a Z-axis motion in the direction 586 ) such that the end effector 315E completes its motion and moves along the net position NP.

The transfer plane TP is then moved along the transfer plane TP to the second position 2030B at the net position NP. As will be appreciated, reaching the net position NP, for example, places the center SC of the substrate S (or any other suitable feature of the transport arm 315, such as the bottom of the end effector or the wrist joint of the linkage coupling the end effector to the transport arm) in a desired position substantially independent of arm droop, which increases processing throughput by reducing transfer times (e.g., pick and place times) and processing time (e.g., less time to close the slit valve, etc.), as described above. Positioning the transport arm 315 substantially independent of arm droop, as described herein, also provides for positioning the end effector interface location of the substrate gripping station (e.g., the handoff/transfer location between the end effector 315 and the substrate gripping location of the substrate gripping station) at a predetermined location within the transport space TSP. Thus, positioning of the end effector interface location of the substrate gripping station (e.g., corresponding to the second position 2030B) is substantially independent of arm droop. In practice, various aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide substrate processing tools 100A-100H having predetermined structures that interact with the transport arm 315 and the end effector 315E and are configured such that the interaction occurs independently of arm droop.

Although motion 900 is illustrated as a generally linear motion, in other respects the motion may have any suitable motion profile. For example, motion 900' increases the Z position of end effector 315E substantially toward the beginning of motion 900', while motion 900" increases the Z position of end effector 315E substantially toward the end of motion 900'. In one aspect, controller 110 is configured to implement a compensating motion with an arm motion that moves between first position 2030A and second position 2030B along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory. The end effector 315 is moved between the second position 2030B, for example as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,517,558 issued on December 13, 2016, U.S. Patent No. 6,216,058 issued on April 10, 2001, and U.S. Patent No. 6,643,563 issued on November 4, 2003, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

As described herein, the drive sections 200, 200A-200C and the transport arm 315 (and arms 314, 316-318) are configured with multiple degrees of freedom (e.g., Z-axis motion, multiple drive shafts each having a separate degree of freedom, etc.). Thus, the motion of the transport arm (e.g., transport arm 315) has more than one degree of freedom. In one aspect, the arm drop register 700, as described above, describes the arm drop distance DRP based on the transport space TSP formed by the more than one arm motion degrees of freedom of the transport arm 315. For example, in one aspect, as described above, the arm drop register 700 includes an arm drop distance DRP for each rotation angle θ of the transport arm 315 and for each Z-axis height of the transport arm 315, thereby defining the transport space TSP.

Referring also to FIG8 , exemplary operations of the transport apparatus 2004 (corresponding to the transport apparatus module 104 and/or the transport apparatus module 104 mounted to the suspension arm 143 or the linear slider 144) will be described. In one aspect, a substrate transport apparatus 2004 is provided (block 800 of FIG8 ). The substrate transport apparatus 2004 includes a drive section 200, 200A-200C, which is connected to the frame and transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 of the substrate processing apparatus 100A-100H. As described above, the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 are articulated and have end effectors 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, and 318E2, each of which has a substrate gripper SH carrying a substrate S. As described above, the end effectors 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, and 318E2 are movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion R within the transport space TSP defined by the articulation of the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318, between a first position 2030A and a second position 2030B different from the first position 2030A. In one aspect, when the transport device 2004 includes a plurality of selectable transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, a transport arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 is selected from the plurality of selectable transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 (block 805 in FIG. 8 ) to couple to the drive zones 200, 200A-200C.

The droop distance DRP of the conveyor arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B is analyzed (block 810 of Figure 8), wherein the droop distance DRP of the conveyor arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B is, for example, determined by the droop compensator 110DC from the arm droop register 700 corresponding to the conveyor device 2004 structure (e.g., the drive section and the arm optionally coupled to the drive section, which may include the suspension arm 143 or the linear slider 144). As described above, the arm droop compensator 10DC can reside in the controller 110 of the processing equipment 100A-100H, or reside in the drive area 200, 200A-200C, and be connected to the controller 110 in any suitable manner to implement the articulation of the transport arm.

In one aspect, the controller uses the drive zones 200, 200A-200C to implement the compensatory motion 900, 900', 900" (e.g., see Figures 5 and 9) of the conveyor arm 2004 between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B (block 820 of Figure 8) with a magnitude and direction 586 that compensates for and resolves substantially the entire droop distance DRP of the conveyor arm 2004. As described above, the conveyor arms 314, 31 The compensating movements 900, 900', and 900" of 5, 316, 317, and 318 result in substantially the entire droop distance DRP being eliminated relative to any suitable predetermined reference (e.g., transfer plane TP). Thus, the substrate gripper SH at a predetermined location in the transport space TSP (e.g., second location 2030B) is at a net position NP, which is independent of arm droop in the direction in which the arm droop is present (e.g., the Z direction). On the one hand, the controller 110 completes the arm movement of the transport arms 314, 315, 316, 317, and 318 between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B, so that the substrate grippers SH of the end effectors 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, and 318E2 complete the movement and arrive at the second position 2030B approximately at the net position NP. In one aspect, the controller 110 implements the compensating motions 900, 900', 900", and the arm motions move the substrate gripper SH of the end effector 314E, 315E, 316E, 317E1, 317E2, 318E1, 318E2 between the first position 2030A and the second position 2030B along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory, as described above.

According to the above, various aspects of the disclosed specific aspects provide a conveying device 104, 2004, which has conveying arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 that are truly switchable/interchangeable with each other on the common drive area 200, 200A~200C, provided that the corresponding arm drop register 700 for the interchangeable arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 is loaded into the controller 110 that controls the movement of the conveying device 104, 2004. Furthermore, while aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described above, it should be understood that aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be employed to maintain any given point on a robot arm (e.g., a substrate gripping location on an end effector, a wrist joint, an elbow joint, etc.) within a tighter predetermined motion path tolerance than would result from the motion path without position compensation as described herein. For example, aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be based on a general three-dimensional path in a transport space TSP, where the general three-dimensional path is determined as described above using a substrate transport arm droop mapping apparatus, where the general three-dimensional path is incorporated into the transport arm command logic provided by a controller (e.g., controller 110). Aspects of the disclosed embodiments utilize the degrees of freedom available in the robot's control system (e.g., drive zones 200, 200A-200C). For example, if the transport arm allows radial, tangential, vertical, and end-effector directional motion (e.g., when the transport arm is mounted to or includes a suspension arm or linear slide), all of these degrees of freedom can be used to compensate for mechanical error trajectories in the transport space TSP.

More generally, the systems and processes previously described for trajectory compensation based on empirical considerations of arm droop (ΔZ) along the four axes (R, θ, Z, TH) of the transport space TSP can be similarly applied to trajectory compensation of the transport arm 315 at any (and every) desired point along a given trajectory in the transport space TSP (e.g., rotation axis T1, rotation axis T2, rotation axis T3, or center SC at the first arm position 2030A or any other arm position). This approach can be applied to maintain any given point of the transport arm 315 within any desired (e.g., tighter) motion path tolerance relative to the resulting uncompensated mechanical path. This means that the proposed compensation approach can be empirically based on a general 3D path in space (R, θ, Z), which can be predetermined through experimental measurements and incorporated as part of the algorithm input. The compensation algorithm will exploit the degrees of freedom (3, 4, 5, 6, or more) available to the robot's control system. For example, if the manipulator allows radial, tangential, vertical, and end-effector pointing motion, all of these degrees of freedom can be used to correct for mechanical trajectory errors in the transport space (TSP). Accordingly, the term arm droop (although previously specifically used for convenience to refer to uncommanded displacement or "droop" in the Z direction), as used more generally herein, is to be understood to mean uncommanded displacement of the transport arm 315 resulting from bending about corresponding axes of motion or degrees of freedom, such as (X, Y) droop or polar translation (R, θ) droop.

By way of further example, referring now to FIG7A , an arm droop distance register 700A is provided. In one aspect, empirical droop distance DRP measurements can be stored in the arm droop distance register 700A in a lookup table format similar to that previously described. The lookup table(s) shown in FIG7A can be combined or blended with the lookup table(s) of FIG7 to form a complex three-dimensional arm droop algorithm for each degree of freedom of the arm. In one aspect, the arm drop distance register 700A includes an extended position R _ext1-m of the conveyor arm 315, for example, at the center SC of the substrate S carried by the end effector 315E, the rotation axis T3 of the wrist W of the conveyor arm 315, and the rotation axis T2 of the elbow of the conveyor arm 315, and is plotted against the extended angles θ _1-n of the conveyor arm 315 (in other aspects, the extended position of the conveyor arm 315 can be determined by any other suitable characteristic of the conveyor arm 315 or the substrate S). In one aspect, R _ext1 corresponds to the retracted position of the conveyor at the respective angles θ _1-n , and R _m corresponds to the position of the conveyor arm 315 at the second position 2030B (or a position subsequent to the retracted position of the arm). Here, each extended position R _ext1 -R _m (any suitable number of extended positions may be used) corresponds to a sampling location for empirical sag measurement DRP. In one aspect, the delta R distance unit increment ( FIG. 4C ) between extended positions R _ext1 -R _m can be substantially constant; in other aspects, the delta R distance unit increment can be varied, for example to provide greater definition within a predetermined region for sag mapping (e.g., a predetermined region along the stretch-retract axes R1 - R8 ). In one aspect, angles θ _1-n correspond to different substrate clamping locations along the stretch-retract axes R1 - R8 ; however, in other aspects, any suitable number of angles may be used to measure empirical sag DRP.

In one aspect, the controller 2020C is configured to actuate the drive section 200 in any suitable manner to extend the transport arm 315 along the extend-retract axis R1 at an angle θ1. As the transport arm 315 extends, the sensing device 2021 measures the R,θ position, such as ΔR,θ1-1 to ΔR,θ1-m, of the center SC of the substrate S, the rotation axis T3 of the wrist W, the rotation axis T2 of the elbow, or any other suitable characteristic of the transport arm 315 or the substrate S at the extended positions R _ext1 to R _m . The experienced arm droop distances DRP, ΔR,θ1-1 to ΔR,θ1-m, are registered (block 630 of FIG. 6 ) to the controller in any suitable manner, such as in the arm droop distance register 700A. The controller 2020C is further configured to rotate the conveyor arm 315 so that the end effector 315E is positioned to extend along the other extension-retraction axis R2 at an angle θ2, repeating blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 to obtain the experienced droop DRP distances ΔR,θ2-1 to ΔR,θ2-m, which are registered in the arm droop distance register 700A. In the above manner, droop distances are measured at each angle θ1 _-n and for each extension position _Rext1-m . The corresponding experienced droop DRP is measured and recorded in the arm droop distance register 700A, for example, as ΔR,θ1-1 to ΔR,θ1-m at angle θ1 and ΔR,θn-1 to ΔR,θn-m at angle θn. Here, the arm droop distance register 700A describes the experienced arm droop distance DRP at a first arm position 2030A and a second arm position 2030B and at a third arm position 2030C (and subsequent arm positions 2030D~2030P), wherein the third arm position 2030C (and subsequent arm positions 2030D~2030P) is different from both the first arm position 2030A and the second arm position 2030B, wherein the end implementer 315E moves along at least one motion axis (in this example, the extension motion axis R, but in other aspects in the T direction along the θ motion axis and/or along the Z motion axis). Note that the arm droop distance register 700A is illustrated with droop distance measurements (△R, θ1-1 of angle θ1 to △R, θ1-m and △R, θn-1 to △R, θn-m of angle θn), which may correspond to the center SC of the substrate S, the rotation axis T3 of the wrist W of the transport arm 315, and the rotation axis T2 of the elbow of the transport arm 315, but it should be understood that in other aspects, the arm droop distance register 700A may also include droop distance measurements for the leading edge SLE and/or trailing edge SLT of the substrate S or any other suitable feature of the transport arm 315.

As shown in FIG. 7A , the arm droop distance register 700A may not only be a two-dimensional array associating the experienced droop distances DRP with the extension distances R _ext1 ~R _m , but may also be constructed to compensate for different environmental conditions (e.g., different operating temperatures TH) during operation of the transport apparatus 104 and/or compensate for arm extensions at different positions of the transport arm 315 along the Z-axis. For example, blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 may be repeated for any suitable number of different temperatures _THinitial ~ _THinitial+y , such that the sag compensation described by the arm sag distance register 700A and the arm sag compensation implemented thereby (described herein) accommodates, for example, thermal expansion and contraction of arm components (e.g., arm linkages, pulleys, belts, end effectors, etc.). Blocks 620 and 630 of FIG. 6 may also be repeated for any suitable number of different Z heights _Zinitial ~ _Zinitial+x , such that the arm droop distance register 700A and the droop compensation implemented thereby (described herein) accommodate, for example, misalignment between the Z axis of the conveyor device 104 and the coaxial axis of the drive section 200, and/or accommodate misalignment between the drive shafts of the coaxial drive sections 200, 200A ~ 200C to which the conveyor arm 315 is coupled. In a further aspect, when the conveying device 104 includes interchangeable arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, the arm drop distance register 700A, 700A'-700An' can be generated for each interchangeable arm 314, 315, 316, 317, 318 in the manner described above.

As can be appreciated, the arm drop distance registers 700A-700An′ may be generated in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the mounting of the transport arm 2004 to the suspension arm 143 or the linear slider 144. Here, the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 and the transport arm 2004 mounted thereon can be mounted to the frame 2000F of the substrate transport arm droop measurement apparatus 2000 in a manner substantially similar to that described above. The registration system 2020 determines the droop distance of the transport arm 2004 mounted to the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the extension/retraction axis R (e.g., as shown in Figures 1C and 1D). The experienced droop distance DRP implemented by both the transport arm 2004 and the suspension arm 143 or linear slider 144 is registered in the corresponding arm droop register 700A.

In one aspect, referring to Figures 4A-4D, 7A and Figures 1A-1M, 2A-2D, arm droop distance register(s) 700A operate as described above with respective conveyor apparatuses 2004 (and the various and optional arms 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, if equipped). In one aspect, the arm droop distance register(s) 700A for the conveyor apparatus 2004 are transferred (e.g., loaded in any suitable manner) to the droop compensator 110DC of the controller 110 for use by the processing apparatuses 100A-100H that utilize the conveyor apparatus 2004. In one aspect, the droop compensator 110DC can be disposed within the housing of the drive sections 200, 200A-200C and coupled to the controller 110 in any suitable manner to implement arm droop compensation as described herein. The controller 110 is then configured to implement compensatory motion of the conveyor arm 2004 (e.g., the conveyor arm 315) using the drive sections 200, 200A-200C of the conveyor device 2004, wherein the compensatory motion has a magnitude and direction that compensates for and accounts for substantially the entire experienced droop distance DRP of the conveyor arm 315. In one aspect, using the processing apparatus 100A of FIG. 1A as an example, the droop compensator 110DC of the controller 110 is configured to determine the experienced droop distance DRP of the transport arm 315 between a first position 2030A and a second position 2030B from the droop distance register(s) 700A in any suitable manner. In this example, the second position 2030B is the location of the slit valve SV. In one aspect, the magnitude and direction of the compensating movement are determined by the droop distance register(s) 700A.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the various aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Those skilled in the art may devise numerous changes and modifications without departing from the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are intended to cover all such changes, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended patent applications. Furthermore, the fact that different dependent or independent clauses recite different features does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be used to advantage; such combinations remain within the scope of the present invention.

200: Drive Zone 315: Conveyor Arm 315E: End Applicator 200DF: Datum or Reference Feature 200F: Frame, Mounting Flange 2000: Substrate Conveyor Arm Sag Mapping Device 2000DF: Datum Feature 2000F: Frame 2004: Conveyor Equipment 2007: Z-Axis 2010: Mounting Surface 2020: Registration System 2020C: Controller 2020CP: Processor 2021: Sensing Device 2030A: First Position TP: Transfer Plane TSP: Transfer Space TSV: Transfer Volume

Claims (30)

A substrate transport apparatus comprises: a frame; a drive section connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connected to the drive section, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and having a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame between a first position and a second position different from the first position in a transport space defined by the hinge of the transport arm along at least one axis of motion relative to the frame; and A controller is operatively connected to the drive section to implement articulation of the conveyor arm, the controller including an arm deflection compensator configured with an experienced arm displacement distance, such that the arm deflection compensator empirically resolves an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position due to an uncommanded arm geometry change. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller implements compensatory movement of the transport arm in magnitude and direction with the drive zone, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compensator has an arm bend register, and the arm bend compensator determines the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position from the arm bend register. A substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller uses the drive zone to implement compensatory movement of the transport arm in size and direction, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm determined by the arm bend register. A substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the compensating motion causes the transport arm to eliminate substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a net position, and in the direction exhibiting the uncommanded arm displacement distance, the position being independent of changes in the uncommanded arm geometry. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller implements the compensating movement such that the substrate gripper completes the movement and reaches the predetermined location approximately at the clear position. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller implements the compensating motion and the arm motion moves the substrate gripper between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory. A substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drive zone and the transport arm are configured such that the transport arm can move with more than one degree of freedom, and the arm bend register describes the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the transport space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the transport arm. A substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transport arm is interchangeable from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at a connection with the drive zone, each of the interchangeable arms having a different arm bending characteristic and an associated corresponding bending register describing an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm. A substrate processing tool having a substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and having a substrate gripping station configured to form an interface with a substrate on the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space, the substrate gripping station being positioned so that the interface is implemented independently of the uncommanded arm geometry changes. A substrate processing tool having a substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and having a predetermined structure that interacts with the transport arm or substrate gripper and is configured such that the interaction is performed independently of uncommanded arm geometry changes. A substrate processing tool comprising: a frame; a drive region connected to the frame; a transport arm operatively connected to the drive region, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and having a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion within a transport space defined by the hinge of the transport arm, between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and A controller operatively connected to the drive section to effect articulation of the transport arm, the controller being configured to empirically compensate for arm bending by effecting movement of the arm with the drive section in a direction opposite to a direction in which the arm bending is exhibited, thereby substantially canceling an entire uncommanded arm displacement distance caused by uncommanded arm geometry changes between the first and second positions relative to a predetermined reference. The substrate processing tool of claim 13, wherein the controller has an arm bend register, and the controller determines the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm between the first position and the second position from the arm bend register. A substrate processing tool as claimed in claim 14, wherein the drive zone and the transport arm are constructed so that the movement of the transport arm has more than one degree of freedom, and the arm bend register describes the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the transport space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the transport arm. A substrate processing tool as claimed in claim 14, wherein the transport arm is interchangeable from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at a connection with the drive zone, each of the interchangeable arms having a different arm bend characteristic and an associated corresponding arm bend register describing an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm. A substrate processing tool as claimed in claim 13, wherein the compensating movement of the arm causes the removal of substantially all of the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the transport arm relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a net position independent of the arm bending in the direction exhibiting the arm bending. The substrate processing tool of claim 17, wherein the predetermined location is a substrate destination in the substrate processing tool. The substrate processing tool of claim 17, wherein the controller effects the movement of the transport arm in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arm bends such that the substrate gripper completes the movement to the predetermined location approximately in the clear position. The substrate processing tool of claim 13, wherein the controller effects the movement of the transport arm in a direction opposite to the direction in which the arm bends, and wherein the arm movement causes the substrate gripper to move between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory. A method for position compensation of a substrate transport apparatus comprises: providing a substrate transport apparatus having a drive region connected to a frame and a transport arm operatively connectable to the drive region, the arm being hinged and having an end effector, and a substrate gripper movable relative to the frame along at least one axis of motion within a transport space defined by the hinge of the transport arm, between a first position and a second position different from the first position; and An uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position due to uncommanded arm geometry changes is empirically resolved, wherein the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm between the first position and the second position is empirically determined by an arm deflection register of an arm deflection compensator, the compensator containing the empirical arm displacement distance and residing in a controller connected to the drive section to implement articulation of the conveyor arm. The method of claim 21, wherein the controller implements compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction with the drive zone, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the arm bend compensator has an arm bend register, the method further comprising: determining the uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveying arm between the first position and the second position using the arm bend compensator from the arm bend distance register. The method of claim 23, wherein the controller implements compensatory movement of the conveyor arm in magnitude and direction with the drive zone, which compensates for and resolves substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance of the conveyor arm determined by the arm bend register. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the compensating motion causes the transport arm to eliminate substantially the entire uncommanded arm displacement distance relative to a predetermined reference datum, such that the substrate gripper at a predetermined location in the transport space is in a net position that is independent of the uncommanded arm geometric change in the direction that exhibits the uncommanded arm geometric change. The method of claim 25, wherein the predetermined location is a substrate destination in a substrate processing tool. The method of claim 25, wherein the controller implements the compensating motion such that the substrate gripper completes the motion to reach the predetermined location approximately at the net position. The method of claim 25, wherein the controller implements the compensating motion and the arm motion moves the substrate gripper between the first position and the second position along an optimal path having a time-optimal trajectory. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the drive zone and the conveyor arm are constructed so that the movement of the conveyor arm has more than one degree of freedom, the method further comprising: using the arm bend register to describe the uncommanded arm displacement distance throughout the conveying space formed by the more than one degree of freedom of movement of the conveyor arm. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the transport arm is interchangeable from a plurality of different and interchangeable transport arms so as to be switched at a connection with the drive zone, each of the interchangeable arms having a different arm bend characteristic and an associated corresponding arm bend register describing an uncommanded arm displacement distance of the associated arm.