Patent ID: 8019467

Claim:
A method of transferring a substrate one or more substrates in a cluster tool, comprising: providing a cluster tool comprising: a first processing rack containing vertical stacks of substrate processing chambers; a second processing rack containing vertical stacks of substrate processing chambers; a first robot assembly disposed adjacent to the first processing rack, comprising: at least one horizontal motion assembly; a vertical motion assembly; a robot hardware assembly; and a robot blade coupled with the robot hardware assembly, wherein the first robot assembly is adapted to transfer a substrate between the substrate processing chambers in the first processing rack; a second robot assembly disposed adjacent to the first robot assembly between the first processing rack and the second processing rack, comprising: at least one horizontal motion assembly; a vertical motion assembly; a robot hardware assembly; and a robot blade coupled with the robot hardware assembly, wherein the second robot assembly is adapted to transfer a substrate between the substrate processing chambers in the first processing rack and/or the second processing rack; and wherein a side of the first processing rack and a side of the second processing rack are both aligned along a direction parallel to the horizontal motion assemblies of the first and second robot assemblies; and transferring a first substrate using the first robot assembly, wherein transferring the first substrate comprises: removing the first substrate from a first processing chamber positioned in the side of the first processing rack; moving the first robot assembly from a position adjacent to the first processing chamber to a position adjacent to a second processing chamber positioned in the side of the first processing rack; and placing the first substrate in the second processing chamber; transferring a second substrate using a second robot assembly, wherein transferring the second substrate comprises: removing the second substrate from a third processing chamber positioned in either the side of the first processing rack or the side of the second processing rack: moving the second robot assembly from a position adjacent to the third processing chamber to a position adjacent to a fourth processing chamber positioned in either the side of the first processing rack or the side of the second processing rack; and placing the second substrate in the fourth processing chamber; and synchronizing the removing the first substrate with the removing the second substrate, the moving the second robot assembly, or the placing the second substrate; and synchronizing the placing the first substrate with the removing the second substrate, the moving the second substrate, or the placing the second substrate, wherein the transferring the first substrate and transferring the second substrate are completed within a first period of time.