Patents by Inventor Ned G. Matthews

Ned G. Matthews has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Pneumatically actuated flexure gripper for wafer handling robots
    Patent number: 6685422
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides a robot that can transfer workpieces, such as silicon wafers, at increased speeds and accelerations and decelerations. More particularly, the present invention provides a robot wrist associated with the robot arm for mechanically clamping a workpiece to a workpiece handling member attached to the arm. The wafer clamp selectively applies sufficient force to hold the workpiece and prevent slippage and damage to the workpiece during rapid rotation and linear movement of the handling member. In a particular embodiment, a clamp for securing silicon wafers uses a flexure assembly to position and hold the wafer with minimal particle generation and wafer damage. The clamp is designed so that the wafers are normally clamped near full extension of the workpiece handling member to deliver or pick up a wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.
    Inventors: Satish Sundar, Ned G. Matthews
  • Pneumatically actuated flexure gripper for wafer handling robots
    Publication number: 20020051704
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides a robot that can transfer workpieces, such as silicon wafers, at increased speeds and accelerations and decelerations. More particularly, the present invention provides a robot wrist associated with the robot arm for mechanically clamping a workpiece to a workpiece handling member attached to the arm. The wafer clamp selectively applies sufficient force to hold the workpiece and prevent slippage and damage to the workpiece during rapid rotation and linear movement of the handling member. In a particular embodiment, a clamp for securing silicon wafers uses a flexure assembly to position and hold the wafer with minimal particle generation and wafer damage. The clamp is designed so that the wafers are normally clamped near full extension of the workpiece handling member to deliver or pick up a wafer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Publication date: May 2, 2002
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Satish Sundar, Ned G. Matthews
  • Pneumatically actuated flexure gripper for wafer handling robots
    Patent number: 6283701
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides a robot that can transfer workpieces, such as silicon wafers, at increased speeds and accelerations and decelerations. More particularly, the present invention provides a robot wrist associated with the robot arm for mechanically clamping a workpiece to a workpiece handling member attached to the arm. The wafer clamp selectively applies sufficient force to hold the workpiece and prevent slippage and damage to the workpiece during rapid rotation and linear movement of the handling member. In a particular embodiment, a clamp for securing silicon wafers uses a flexure assembly to position and hold the wafer with minimal particle generation and wafer damage. The clamp is designed so that the wafers are normally clamped near full extension of the workpiece handling member to deliver or pick up a wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Satish Sundar, Ned G. Matthews