A method of operating a robot including a vacuum port for engaging an item, e.g. a wafer, is disclosed. The method includes operating, by a computer system, the robot in a first state, detecting using a vacuum sensor, a transition of a vacuum parameter from a first vacuum parameter zone to a second parameter zone in a plurality of vacuum parameter zones. Based on detecting the transition of the vacuum parameter from the first vacuum parameter zone to the second vacuum parameter zone, the operating state of the robot is altered from the first state to a second state. Also disclosed is an item transfer robot as part of an item transfer system.

A method of teaching a robot, the robot including a first and second end effector that are mounted to a robotic arm wrist, the first and second end effector being rotatable about a same rotational axis independently of each other. The method includes: a first step of, in a state where rotational positions of the first and second end effectors about the rotational axis coincide with each other, attaching a relative motion preventing device to the first and second end effector, the relative motion preventing device preventing the first and second end effector from moving relative to each other; and a fourth step of generating a teaching point of the second end effector based on: a teaching point of the first end effector; and rotational position information about the first and second end effector that are stored in a storage unit in association with each other in a third step.

There is provided a teaching method for a transfer device configured to transfer a substrate between a transfer source object and a transfer destination object on which the substrate is disposable. The teaching method includes: generating three-dimensional image data of a shape of the transfer source object, a shape of the transfer destination object, and a state of the substrate based on captured image data of the transfer source object, the transfer destination object, and the substrate captured by a capturing unit, and based on design data of the transfer source object, the transfer destination object, and the substrate; and teaching the transfer device based on the three-dimensional image data so that the substrate is transferred between the transfer source object and the transfer destination object without colliding with the transfer source object and the transfer destination object.

A control device of robot includes: image data acquirer configured to acquire image data taken by camera, image data including a teaching substrate and a substrate placing portion of a hand, the teaching substrate arranged as a teaching target at substrate target position; a virtual substrate information generator configured to generate information of a virtual substrate virtually arranged at the substrate placing portion of the hand in image data of the camera; distance information calculator configured to calculate distance information from substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate based on image data of the camera; operation control unit configured to control operation of robot arm based on distance information from the substrate placing portion to the teaching substrate such that the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate; and storage unit configured to store, as teaching data, position of the hand when the virtual substrate coincides with the teaching substrate.

A method for measuring displacements of an end effector passing through a load lock gate of semiconductor equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes measuring a first displacement in a vertical direction and a second displacement in a horizontal direction of the end effector while the end effector passes through the load lock gate, calculating changes in pitch and roll of the end effector based on the measured first displacement, and calculating a change in yaw of the end effector based on the measured second displacement.

A robot for transferring a wafer is disclosed. A blade of the robot includes a first sensor on an upper surface of the blade and the second sensor on a back surface of the blade. The first sensor is operable to align the blade with a wafer. The second sensor is operable to align the blade with a holder that holds the wafer.

A robot hand includes base body defining gripping position of substrate, first contacting part provided to base body at tip-end side and configured to contact first part of edge part of substrate when substrate is gripped, rotary body provided on base-end side of base body and having second contacting part configured to contact second part of edge part of substrate when substrate is gripped, and mobile body having shaft part to be inserted into shaft hole of rotary body, and configured to move toward tip end of base body to move rotary body toward tip end of the base body. An axial-center line of shaft part extends in thickness directions of base and rotary bodies provided so as to have clearance in axial direction of shaft part with respect to shaft part.

A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a first radial axis; a second SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a second radial axis, the SCARA arms having a common shoulder axis of rotation; and a drive section coupled to the SCARA arms is configured to independently extend each SCARA arm along a respective radial axis and rotate each SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation where the first radial axis is angled relative to the second radial axis and the end effector of a respective arm is aligned with a respective radial axis, wherein each end effector is configured to hold at least one substrate and the end effectors are located on a common transfer plane.

A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a SCARA arm mounted to the frame at a shoulder joint having two links with at least one end effector dependent therefrom, the links defining an upper arm and a forearm, each end effector pivotally joined to the forearm at a wrist to rotate about a wrist axis, and a drive section with at least one degree of freedom operably coupled to the arm to rotate the arm about a shoulder axis articulating extension and retraction, wherein the end effector is coupled to a wrist joint pulley so that extension and retraction effects rotation of the pulley and end effector as a unit about the wrist axis, and wherein a height of the end effector is within a stack height profile of the wrist joint so that a total stack height is sized to conform with and pass through a pass-through of a slot valve.

A substrate transport apparatus including a lower linearly driven effector structure with spaced paddles, and an upper linearly driven end effector structure with spaced paddles and no rotating joints above a paddle of the lower end effector structure. A drive subsystem is configured to linearly drive the lower end effector structure and to linearly drive the upper end effector structure independent of the lower end effector structure.