US 11,883,958 B2
Robot apparatus including dual end effectors with variable pitch and methods
Karuppasamy Muthukamatchy, Madurai (IN); Rajkumar Thanu, Santa Clara, CA (US); Eran Weiss, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Jeffrey C. Hudgens, San Francisco, CA (US); and Chandrakant M. Sapkale, Karnataka (IN)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 7, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/434,886.
Prior Publication US 2020/0384634 A1, Dec. 10, 2020
Int. Cl. H01L 21/677 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 9/10 (2006.01); B25J 9/16 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/0087 (2013.01) [B25J 9/109 (2013.01); B25J 9/161 (2013.01); H01L 21/0201 (2013.01); H01L 21/02104 (2013.01); H01L 21/67742 (2013.01); H01L 21/67754 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A robot apparatus, comprising:
an upper arm adapted to rotate about a first rotational axis;
a forearm rotatably coupled to the upper arm at a second rotational axis, the second rotational axis spaced from the first rotational axis;
a first wrist member rotatably coupled to the forearm at a third rotational axis, the third rotational axis spaced from the second rotational axis;
a first end effector coupled to the first wrist member;
a second wrist member rotatably coupled to the forearm at the third rotational axis;
a second end effector coupled to the second wrist member;
wherein the first wrist member and the second wrist member are configured to provide a first pitch comprising a first end effector distance between the first end effector and the second end effector while the first end effector and the second end effector are extended a first distance from the first rotational axis to concurrently enter adjacent slit valves of a processing chamber; and
wherein the first wrist member and the second wrist member are configured to rotate dependently in relation to each other about the third rotational axis to a second pitch comprising a second end effector distance between the first end effector and the second end effector while the first end effector and the second end effector are extended a second distance from the first rotational axis to concurrently place substrates on adjacent processing locations within the processing chamber, wherein the first end effector distance is different than the second end effector distance.