At least three spherical surface sliding bearings provided between a first member and a second member and disposed at mutually different positions when seen in the height direction, are provided. Each of the at least three spherical surface sliding bearings has an inner ring and an outer ring, either one of the inner ring and the outer ring is attached to the first member, and the other is attached to the second member. In at least two of the at least three spherical surface sliding bearings, the height adjustment mechanism intervenes, at least either one of between one of the inner ring and the outer ring, and the first member, and between the other and the second member.

A wafer stocker is capable of further improving an environment around wafers. The wafer stocker includes a housing, a loading device provided on a front surface of the housing, a wafer cassette shelf arranged in the housing, a wafer transfer robot configured to move the wafers from a transfer container mounted on the loading device to a wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf, a wafer cassette delivery device configured to move the wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf to a stage having a different height, and a fan filter unit configured to generate a laminar flow in a wafer transfer space and in a wafer cassette transfer space.

A substrate transfer assembly that transfers a substrate includes a robot arm configured to transfer the substrate, a laser disposed at the robot arm and emitting one or more rays of light, an image sensor disposed at the robot arm and generating a photographed picture or video including an image of a front object by the one or more emitted rays of light, and a control circuit configured to control transfer of the substrate based on the image present in the photographed picture or video.

A robot hand includes a contactless holding part that has a first air jet port that radially jets air from the center toward the outer circumference, the contactless holding part contactlessly holding a wafer through radial flowing of the air jetted from the first air jet port and generation of a negative pressure due to the air. The robot hand includes also an outer circumferential support part that has a second air jet port that is disposed to be oriented toward the center of the wafer held by the contactless holding part and jets air toward the outer circumferential edge of the wafer, the outer circumferential support part supporting the wafer without movement of the wafer by the air jetted from the second air jet port.

The disclosure provides an apparatus, system and method for providing an end effector. The end effector may be capable of accommodating semiconductor wafers of varying sizes, and may include: a wafer support; a bearing arm capable of interfacing with at least one robotic element, and at least partially bearing the wafer support at one end thereof; a plurality of support pads on the wafer support for physically interfacing with a one of the semiconductor wafers; and a low friction moving clamp driven bi-directionally along a plane at least partially provided by the bearing arm, wherein the low friction moving clamp retractably applies force to a proximal edge of the semiconductor wafer.

Systems and techniques for reducing or eliminating particulate contamination from wafer handling robots configured for vertical translation are disclosed. In one such technique, a collar may be provided having an aperture through it through which the turret of a wafer handling robot may be extended or retracted. The collar may have one or more radial gas passages. Gas directed at the turret from the radial passage(s) may turn downward when it strikes the turret and may act to prevent or discourage gas from within the base of the wafer handling robot from escaping through the aperture. In another technique, a bellows may be affixed to the bottom of the turret and to the bottom of the base such that the volume of the base occupied by the turret and the bellows remains generally fixed regardless of the degree to which the turret is extended from the base.

A robot apparatus is configured to extend a first end effector into a first process chamber and extend a second end effector into a second process chamber. The first process chamber and the second process chamber are separated by a first pitch. The robot apparatus is further configured to retract the first end effector and the second end effector into a rectangular mainframe while maintaining a distance between the substrates bounded by the first pitch throughout a retraction process, and fold the first end effector and the second end effector inward within a sweep diameter defined by a width of the rectangular mainframe.

A suction clamp for clamping an object. The suction clamp includes a base structure including a base and a connection area, and a first pad for receiving the object. The suction clamp further includes a resilient member connecting the first pad to the connection area of the base structure such that the first pad is moveable relative to the base between a receiving position for receiving the object and a clamping position for clamping the object, wherein the resilient member is adapted to bias the first pad to the receiving position. The suction clamp further includes a suction opening arranged in the base and adapted to be connected to a suction device for providing a suction force for clamping the object on the first pad.

A sealed actuator including stacked motor modules. Each motor module has a motor module housing, a motor stator attached to a respective motor module housing, a motor rotor in communication with a respective motor stator, and a stator seal disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and having a sealing surface interface, that interfaces with a respective sealing housing surface of the motor module housing, facing the motor rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor. The motor module housings are stacked against each other and the sealing housing surface interfaced, at the sealing surface interface facing the rotors, to the respective stacked stator seals of the motor module housings forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked motor modules sealed by the stacked stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators.

An object of the invention is to realize a high transfer throughput in a wafer transfer apparatus in which a wafer transfer robot transfers a wafer via an aligner. A wafer transfer apparatus includes a wafer transfer robot, and a separation dimension between a pair of wafer holding rods forming a finger of the wafer transfer robot is set to be larger than a dimension of a body portion of an aligner in a width direction provided in the wafer transfer apparatus. In addition, an elevating mechanism provided in the wafer transfer apparatus is configured to be able to move the finger to below the body portion of the aligner, thereby achieving the object of the invention.