公开(公告)号：US11175298B2

公开(公告)日：2021-11-16

申请号：US16917523

申请日：2020-06-30

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Robert K. Neeper ,  Rhett L. Affleck ,  John E. Lillig

IPC: G01N35/00

Abstract: An automated storage system for storing large quantities of samples in trays includes a storage compartment, a tray shuttle compartment abutting the storage compartment on one side and a plurality of independent modules on the other side. The modules perform processing of samples that are retrieved from the storage compartment by a tray shuttle, including extraction of selected samples from retrieved source trays and transfer of the selected samples into a separate, destination tray that can be further processed or removed from the system for use. The independent operation of the modules permits handling and processing to be performed simultaneously by different modules while the tray shuttle accesses additional samples within the storage compartment. In one embodiment, a vertical carousel is used to vertically align a desired tray with the tray shuttle, while the tray shuttle operates within a horizontal plane.

公开(公告)号：US11121017B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-14

申请号：US14472678

申请日：2014-08-29

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Daniel A. Hall ,  Glenn L. Sindledecker ,  Matthew W. Coady ,  Marcello Trolio ,  Michael Spinazola

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/673 ,  B65G47/34

Abstract: A substrate loading device having a frame, a cassette support, and a user interface. The frame is connected to a substrate processing apparatus. The frame has a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the device and processing apparatus. The cassette support is connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate holding cassette. The user interface is arranged for inputting information, and is mounted to the frame so that the user interface is integral with the frame.

公开(公告)号：US11121015B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-14

申请号：US16552881

申请日：2019-08-27

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Daniel Babbs ,  Robert T. Caveney ,  Robert C. May ,  Krzysztof A. Majczak

IPC: H01L21/673 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: A substrate transport system includes a carrier having a housing forming an interior environment having an opening for holding at least one substrate and a door for sealing the opening from an outside atmosphere where when sealed the interior environment is configured to maintain an interior atmosphere therein, the housing including a fluid reservoir exterior to the interior environment and configured to contain a fluid, forming a different atmosphere in the fluid reservoir than the interior atmosphere, to form a fluidic barrier seal that seals the interior environment from an environment exterior to the carrier.

公开(公告)号：US20210249292A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-12

申请号：US17176949

申请日：2021-02-16

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Radik Sunugatov ,  Robert Carlson ,  Mike Krolak

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  B65G1/137

Abstract: A substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported to the processing apparatus, a cassette support connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate cassette container proximate the transport opening, the support configured so that a sealed internal atmosphere of the container is accessed from the support at predetermined access locations of the container, and the cassette support has a predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region, determined at least in part by boundaries of fluid flow generating differential pressure, so that the predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region defines a continuously steady state fluidic flow isolation barrier disposed on the support between the predetermined access locations of the container and another predetermined section of the support isolating the other predetermined section from the predetermined access locations.

公开(公告)号：US20210225685A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-22

申请号：US17158523

申请日：2021-01-26

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Dana L. ATWOOD ,  Jairo MOURA

IPC: H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/677 ,  G05B19/421 ,  H01L21/67 ,  B25J9/16

Abstract: A semiconductor process transport apparatus including a drive section with at least one motor, an articulated arm coupled to the drive section for driving articulation motion, a machine controller coupled to the drive section to control the at least one motor moving the articulated arm from one location to a different location, and an adapter pendant having a machine controller interface coupling the adapter pendant for input/output with the machine controller, the adapter pendant having another interface, configured for connecting a fungible smart mobile device having predetermined resident user operable device functionality characteristics, wherein the other interface has a connectivity configuration so mating of the fungible smart mobile device with the other interface automatically enables configuration of at least one of the resident user operable device functionality characteristics to define an input/output to the machine controller effecting input commands and output signals for motion control of the articulated arm.

公开(公告)号：US20210221007A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-22

申请号：US17153835

申请日：2021-01-20

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Stephen White

IPC: B25J15/00 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B65G1/04 ,  B65G1/137

Abstract: A gripper provides for gripping labware having a variety of diameters and shapes. The gripper includes a support structure having a center axis, a motor, and a gripper stage. The gripper stage includes a plurality of blades, each of the blades having a) a first end through which a blade rotation axis extends, the blade rotation axis being fixed relative to the support structure and offset from the center axis, b) a second end that is circumferentially and radially moveable to rotate the blade about the blade rotation axis, and c) a center portion. The gripper stage also includes a ring structure coupled to the motor to rotate the ring structure around the center axis. The ring structure, as it rotates, moves the second end of each blade to rotate the blade about the blade rotation axis of the blade to shift the center portion towards the center axis to contact an outer portion of a vessel extending along the center axis.

公开(公告)号：US20210173390A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-10

申请号：US17102811

申请日：2020-11-24

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Martin HOSEK ,  Jay KRISHNASAMY ,  Jan PROCHAZKA

IPC: G05B23/02 ,  G06F11/22 ,  G05B19/418 ,  B25J9/16

Abstract: A system for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis includes a data collection function that acquires time histories of selected variables for one or more of the components, a pre-processing function that calculates specified characteristics of the time histories, an analysis function for evaluating the characteristics to produce one or more hypotheses of a condition of the one or more components, and a reasoning function for determining the condition of the one or more components from the one or more hypotheses.

公开(公告)号：US11031265B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US16692443

申请日：2019-11-22

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Radik Sunugatov ,  Robert Carlson

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  B65G49/06

Abstract: Substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect the substrate loading device to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the loading device and processing apparatus, a cassette support for holding at least one substrate cassette container, and cassette support purge ports with purge port nozzle locations disposed on the cassette support, each nozzle location being configured so that a nozzle at the nozzle location couples to at least one purge port of the substrate cassette container, wherein each nozzle location defines an interchangeable purge port nozzle interface so that different interchangeable purge port nozzles are removably mounted to respective nozzle interfaces of the nozzle locations that correspond to the different nozzle configurations of the interchangeable purge port nozzle modules, in conformance with and effecting coupling to different ports of different substrate cassette containers having different purge port characteristics.

公开(公告)号：US20210144991A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US16950442

申请日：2020-11-17

Applicant: BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

Inventor： Johann CAMENISCH ,  Beat REUTELER ,  Mirko HEBENSTREIT ,  Jurg TANNER ,  Christian CACHELIN

IPC: A01N1/02 ,  G01N35/00 ,  G01N35/10 ,  A47F5/00 ,  B65G1/04 ,  B65G1/06

Abstract: A modular sample store including a storage area; a service area; a transfer area; a motorized robot with a lifting device and at least one platform; and a controller. The sample store service area includes one integrally formed cubic vat module and the sample store storage area includes at least one integrally formed cubic vat module. Each one of the aforementioned vat modules includes an essentially horizontal vat floor and four joining vat walls that are connected to the vat floor and that are leaving an open vat space. The modular sample store also includes upper side walls and a cover plate to close the sample store. Each vat floor and vat wall includes an outside liner and an inside liner, which outside and inside liners in each case are separated by a clearance. This clearance is essentially filled with a polymer foam material that provides fixation of the outside and inside liners to each other as well as thermal insulation of and reinforcement to the thus integrally formed cubic vat module sandwich construction.

公开(公告)号：US20210066105A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-04

申请号：US16996409

申请日：2020-08-18

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Robert T. Caveney

IPC: H01L21/677

Abstract: A transport apparatus including a drive section connected to a frame and including a multi-drive shaft spindle, with at least one coaxial shaft spindle, more than one different interchangeable motor module arranged in a stack, each having a motor operably coupled thereto and defining a corresponding independent drive axis, and a can seal disposed between the stator and rotor of each motor module and hermetically sealing the stator and rotor from each other, at least one of the motor modules is selectable for placement in the stack from other different interchangeable motor modules, each having a different predetermined characteristic, independent of placement in the stack, that defines a different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding drive axis, independent of shaft spindle location, so that selection of the at least one motor module determines the different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding axis different from another of the independent drive axis.