Patent ID: 7792608

Claim:
An apparatus for supplying substrates to a processing tool, comprising: a substrate carrier handler for transporting a substrate carrier to a first load port of the processing tool, the substrate carrier handler including an end effector for supporting the substrate carrier, wherein the substrate carrier handler includes a pair of vertical guides and a horizontal guide coupled to the vertical guides, the horizontal guide being mounted for vertical movement along the vertical guides, and wherein the end effector is mounted for horizontal movement along the horizontal guide; a controller coupled to the substrate carrier handler and operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that the horizontal guide is raised in a vertical direction to an elevation such that the end effector mounted on the horizontal guide of the substrate carrier handler engages the substrate carrier as the end effector moves along the horizontal guide and disengages the substrate carrier from a substrate carrier conveyor while the substrate carrier is in motion and being transported by the substrate carrier conveyor; and wherein the substrate carrier conveyor includes adjacent carrier engagement members, and a distance between adjacent substrate carriers on the substrate carrier conveyor is less than a distance between adjacent carrier engagement members on the substrate carrier conveyor.