Annular Member Mounting With Thermal Alignment in Plasma Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plasma processing systems face challenges in accurately positioning and efficiently replacing annular members, such as edge rings, to ensure uniform plasma processing results on substrates, particularly due to thermal expansion and contraction of components.
Innovation Solution
A plasma processing system with a transfer device that uses lifters and an elevating mechanism to precisely position annular members on a substrate support, adjusting the temperature of the support unit to match the annular member's concave portions with corresponding insertion holes, ensuring accurate mounting and replacement of edge rings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the support unit is heated to expand components for easier assembly, then the ease of operation improves, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The support unit is heated in advance before the annular member is transferred, causing thermal expansion of the insertion holes and lifter positions. This preliminary thermal preparation ensures that when the annular member is transferred and positioned, the expanded dimensions accommodate the positioning tolerance, making mounting easier while maintaining final precision through controlled cooling.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used for mounting annular members, then the manufacturing precision improves through careful positioning, but the productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming manual operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automatically elevating lifters that protrude from the support unit to receive and position the annular member. The lifters self-adjust to the correct height, and the annular member self-aligns through its concave portions fitting onto the lifters, eliminating the need for manual positioning while maintaining high precision through the mechanical guidance of the lifter-annular member interface.
3Manufacturing precision
If the annular member is mounted on a cold support unit, then the manufacturing precision is maintained, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to tight fits and difficult positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature parameter of the support unit is changed from ambient/cold to heated before mounting operations. This parameter change causes thermal expansion of the support unit components, particularly the insertion holes and lifter mounting positions, creating larger clearances and easier positioning during the mounting process. After mounting, the support unit can be cooled to return to dimensional stability for operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise and efficient mounting of annular members, maintaining uniform plasma processing results across the substrate, and facilitates easy replacement without manual intervention, thereby improving processing consistency and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The controller controls the elevating mechanism, the temperature adjustment mechanism, and the transfer mechanism to perform a process of adjusting the temperature of the support unit to a preset temperature at which a position of each of the concave portions of the annular member matches positions of the corresponding lifter and insertion hole
Data Source
AI summary
A plasma processing system is provided. The system comprises a plasma processing apparatus, a transfer apparatus connected to the plasma processing apparatus, and a controler. The plasma processing apparatus includes a substrate support including a support unit for a substrate as well as an annular member disposed to surround the substrate. The substrate support includes a plurality of insertion holes passing through the support unit, lifters to elevate/lower the annular member through the holes insertion and a temperature adjustment mechanism for adjusting a temperature of the support unit. The transfer apparatus includes a transfer mechanism for transferring the annular member to the substrate support. The annual member has includes concave portions in its bottom surface, into which upper end the lifters are fitted.