Vacuum manipulator for semiconductor manufacturing equipment

Abstract

Various revolutions continue in the technology of semiconductor manufacturing and equipment. The transfer system used in a vacuum is indispensable to the semiconductor manufacturing process, and the vacuum manipulator is the main component of this system. Yaskawa, which is the supplier of the electrically controlled industrial robot known well as “Motoman”, supplies a manipulator that can be used in a vacuum. For this manipulator, Yaskawa adopts the direct drive method with an original motor for the vacuum environment. Moreover, the manipulator has a specially designed controller for direct drive in a vacuum, and software functions for the transfer system. These provide Yaskawa’s vacuum manipulator with various features such as high reliability, high speed and high accuracy.