Patent ID: 7735447

Claim:
A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a frame; a substrate support, mounted to the frame, configured to support a semiconductor substrate; a dispense arm, mounted to the frame, configured for movement relative to the substrate support; a dispense arm actuator having a first component having a passageway therein, the passageway having an opening in the first component, and a second component, housed within the passageway, being movable between first and second positions within the passageway, the second component dividing the passageway into first and second portions and sealing the first portion from the second portion, at least one of the first and second components being connected to the frame and at least one of the first and second components being connected to the dispense arm; at least one sensor coupled to the dispenser arm actuator to detect a position of the second component within the passageway; and a pump system having a pump and a controller, the pump being connected to the opening and configured to supply a fluid to the first portion of the passageway, the passageway being configured and arranged such that fluid in the first portion of the passageway applies a first force onto the second component to move the second component between the first and second positions at a first speed, the controller being connected to the pump and the at least one sensor, the controller controlling the pump to change the supply of fluid to the first portion of the passageway, when the second component is in a selected position within the passageway, to apply a second force, with the fluid in the first portion of the passageway, onto the second component to move the second component between the first and second positions at a second speed, the second component stopping in the second position in the passageway.