Patent ID: 8888433
Filing Date: 2014-11-18
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising: a casing adapted to form a controlled environment therein, the casing having supports therein each configured for holding a substrate where at least one substrate is held in the casing, and the casing including a load port interface defining a substrate transfer opening through which a substrate transport system accesses the at least one substrate in the casing, the load port interface being a single-plane interface for coupling the casing to a load port such that casing to load port alignment is determined in at least two orthogonal axes by only the single-plane interface, the single-plane interface being arranged substantially perpendicular to the supports; and a door connected to the casing for closing the substrate transfer opening in the casing; a controller connected to the casing; wherein the casing has structure forming a fast swap element allowing replacement of the at least one substrate from the apparatus with another substrate independent of substrate loading in the casing and of substrate handling capacity of the substrate transport apparatus, the fast swap element including the controller being configured to effect substrate replacement with the fast swap element independent of original substrate placement in the supports.