Patent ID: 7962242

Claim:
A spatial photomask flipper comprising: a. a photomask clamping unit comprising: i. a double acting photomask clamper providing two opposing clamp motions along a motored clamping axis; ii. two clamping frames attached to said double acting photomask clamper for exercising said opposing clamp motions; iii. multiple clamping points oppositely paired and oppositely attached to respective ones of said two clamping frames for point clamping said photomask; iv. multiple photomask access gates in a number of up to one less all predetermined photomask side orientations for accessing along a photomask transfer axis and within a spatial photomask transfer envelope up to said one less all predetermined photomask side orientations while said photomask being said point clamped and while said photomask clamping unit being spatially rotated into a transfer access orientation, wherein each of said multiple access gates extends in between two adjacent pairs of said oppositely paired clamping points and in between said two clamping frames; b. a link arm comprising a first motored rotation axis rotationally holding said photomask clamping unit at a first functional end of said link arm, said first functional end being opposite a second functional end of said link arm; c. a base comprising a second motored rotation axis rotationally holding said link arm at said second functional end; and wherein: a. said transfer access orientation is an orientation of said photomask clamping unit in which an alternating one of said multiple photomask access gates is facing said transfer axis in either of at least two flip orientations and encompassing said spatial photomask transfer envelope at least while said two clamping frames are open; b. said second motored rotation axis is in a substantial angle and a spacing with respect to said first motored rotation axis such that said alternating one photomask access gate is alternately oriented into said at least two flip orientations while in said transfer access orientation by a combined motored rotation of said photomask clamping unit around said first motored rotation axis and said link arm around said second motored rotation axis; c. said spatial photomask transfer envelope corresponds to the largest projected contours of said photomask while resting on a photomask loader and corresponds to any portion of said photomask loader predetermined to reach within said alternating one photomask access gate; and d. said photomask transfer axis being symmetric with respect to a top side and bottom side of said photomask while resting on a robotic loading arm, said two opposing clamping motions being substantially symmetric with respect to said first motored rotation axis, and said first motored rotation axis being substantially above said transfer axis such that said photomask is substantially equally raised and lowered with respect to said photomask transfer axis by a lower one of said two clamping frames during either of said at least two flip orientations.