Patent ID: 8614786

Claim:
A robot for positioning a workpiece in a vacuum, comprising: a first component at least partially located within a vacuum chamber and configured to position a workpiece along a translational axis, the workpiece being located within the vacuum, wherein the first component comprises: an elongated member configured to support the workpiece on a first end, an actuator configured to drive the elongated member along the translational axis to position the workpiece, and a first component bearing configured to act upon a surface of the elongated member during movement along the translational axis; a shaft configured to support the first component such that an axis of symmetry of the shaft is perpendicular to the translational axis; and a second component positioned outside of the vacuum chamber and configured to rotate the shaft about the axis of symmetry and move the shaft in a direction parallel to the axis of symmetry, wherein the second component comprises: a second component gas bearing configured to introduce gas along a circumferential surface of the shaft; and a scavenging seal configured to evacuate the gas introduced by the second component gas bearing.