Patent ID: 7628574

Claim:
An apparatus for processing substrates, said apparatus comprising: a vacuum transfer chamber unit having a side; at least one load lock chamber unit connected to said side of said vacuum transfer chamber unit; at least one vacuum process chamber unit connected to said side of said vacuum transfer chamber unit; a linear robotic transfer mechanism located within said vacuum transfer chamber unit to transfer some of said substrates between said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one vacuum process chamber unit through said vacuum transfer chamber unit; a second vacuum transfer unit connected to said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one vacuum process chamber unit such that said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one vacuum process chamber unit are positioned between said vacuum transfer chamber unit and said second vacuum transfer unit; a second linear robotic transfer mechanism located within said second vacuum transfer chamber unit to transfer some of said substrates between said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one vacuum process chamber unit through said second vacuum transfer chamber unit; at least one additional vacuum process chamber unit connected to said vacuum transfer chamber unit such that said vacuum transfer chamber unit is positioned between said at least one vacuum process chamber unit and said at least one additional vacuum process chamber unit; a third vacuum transfer chamber unit connected to said at least one additional vacuum process chamber unit such that said at least one additional vacuum process chamber unit is positioned between said second vacuum transfer chamber unit and said third vacuum transfer chamber unit; a third linear robotic transfer mechanism located within said third vacuum transfer chamber unit to access said at least one additional vacuum process chamber unit; a fourth vacuum transfer chamber unit connected to said at least one load lock chamber unit; at least one additional load lock chamber unit connected to said fourth vacuum transfer chamber unit such that said fourth vacuum transfer chamber unit is positioned between said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one additional load lock chamber unit; and a fourth linear robotic transfer mechanism located within said fourth vacuum transfer chamber unit to transfer some of said substrates between said at least one load lock chamber unit and said at least one additional load lock chamber unit through said fourth transfer chamber unit.