Patent ID: 7607879

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a frame; a housing connected to the frame; an access system connected to the frame and forming an access through which substrates are moved in and out of the housing; and at least one substrate processing device connected to the frame for processing substrates and being at least partially positioned in the housing, the at least one substrate processing device comprising a substrate transport apparatus; wherein the frame comprises a movable portion, movable relative to the housing, to which the access system and substrate processing device are connected so that movement of the movable portion causes separation of the access system and the at least one substrate processing device as a unit from an installed position; wherein the substrate transport apparatus is selectable from a number of different interchangeable substrate transport apparatus each having a predetermined reference datum and positioning features for positioning the substrate transport apparatus relative to the frame, the positioning features of each respective substrate transport apparatus being controllably located relative to its predetermined reference datum to be in a repeatable predetermined location with substantially no variance between the positioning features of the other ones of the different interchangeable substrate transport apparatus, wherein the substrate transport apparatus comprises an articulated arm with an end effector for holding and transporting substrates in the housing and wherein the predetermined reference datum of the substrate transport apparatus is a plane of the end effector or an axis of rotation of the articulated arm.