Patent ID: 7688017

Claim:
A multi-axis vacuum motor assembly comprising: a first rotor; a first stator adapted to magnetically couple with the first rotor across a vacuum barrier so as to control rotation of a first axis of a robot arm within a vacuum chamber; a second rotor below the first rotor; a second stator below the first stator and adapted to magnetically couple with the second rotor across the vacuum barrier so as to control rotation of a second axis of the robot arm within the vacuum chamber; a first feedback device located on an atmospheric side of the vacuum barrier, nested with the first stator and adapted to monitor rotation of the first axis of the robot arm via a first passive magnetic coupling across the vacuum barrier, the first passive magnetic coupling including a first passive rotary magnetic coupling within the vacuum chamber and a second passive rotary magnetic coupling coupled to the first feedback device; and a second feedback device located on the atmospheric side of the vacuum barrier, nested with the second stator and adapted to monitor rotation of the second axis of the robot arm via a second passive magnetic coupling across the vacuum barrier, the second passive magnetic coupling including a third passive rotary magnetic coupling within the vacuum chamber and a fourth passive rotary magnetic coupling coupled to the second feedback device.