Patent ID: 8651789

Claim:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a transport chamber defining more than one substantially linear substrate transport paths extending longitudinally along the transport chamber between opposing walls of the transport chamber; a generally linear array of substrate holding modules alongside the transport chamber, each communicably connected to the chamber to allow passage of a substrate between transport chamber and holding module; and a substrate transport located in and movably mounted to the transport chamber for transporting the substrate along the more than one substantially linear substrate transport paths, the substrate transport having at least one transporter capable of holding and moving the substrate on at least one of the more than one substantially linear substrate transport paths; wherein the transport chamber comprises different transport tubes at least one of which is sealable at both ends of the transport tube and configured to hold an isolated atmosphere different from an atmosphere of another of the transport tubes where each transport tube has a separate interface at least at one end of a respective transport tube separately mating each transport tube with a common substrate holding module that is common to the different transport tubes, each interface having an opening through which at least one path of the more than one substantially linear substrate transport paths extends through into the common substrate holding module and the at least one transporter is configured to travel through the transport tubes having the different atmospheres for transporting substrates through the different atmospheres corresponding to respective substrate holding modules, each of the different transport tubes having at least one of the substrate transport paths located therein different from another of the transport paths located in another of the transport tubes, and being communicably connected to each other at a first location to allow substrate transfer between different substrate transport paths in different transport tubes, each transport tube extending longitudinally to another location common to each transport tube and distant from the first location, where at least one of the transport tubes is configured to provide substantially uninterrupted transit of the substrate transport through the at least one of the transport tubes along a respective transport path.