Ball-Supported Substrate Storage Rack for Laminar Airflow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate storage racks in semiconductor processing systems are complex and costly to manufacture due to the need for milling slots in substrate-friendly materials like quartz or PEEK, which disrupt laminar airflow and increase manufacturing time.
Innovation Solution
A substrate storage rack design featuring a bottom plate, top plate, column assemblies with protrusion elements, and ball members that support substrates directly, eliminating the need for milling and maintaining airflow integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If slots are milled into substrate-friendly materials like quartz or PEEK to create storage racks, then substrate storage capability is provided, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The storage rack is divided into separate components: a backing plate and multiple slotted rails that can be independently manufactured and then assembled together, eliminating the need to mill complex slots into monolithic blocks of difficult-to-machine materials
Solution Approach 2:
The slotted rails are suspended from the backing plate to form a combined structure that provides both support and substrate-friendly surfaces, achieving the functional benefits of a monolithic rack while allowing separate manufacturing of components
2Productivity
If slots are milled into monolithic blocks of quartz or PEEK, then substrate storage is enabled, but manufacturing time increases due to machining requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The rack components are manufactured separately using more efficient processes rather than time-consuming milling operations on monolithic blocks, then assembled to form the complete storage rack
Solution Approach 2:
The invention accepts using simpler, less durable materials for the rack structure (metal or plastic rails) that can be manufactured quickly and economically, trading some longevity for significant gains in manufacturing efficiency
3Strength
If backing plates are used to support slotted rails, then structural support is provided, but laminar airflow is interrupted within the processing system
Solution Approach 1:
The backing plate is designed with localized support features that provide structural strength only where needed to support the slotted rails, minimizing the plate's footprint and reducing interference with laminar airflow in the broader processing environment
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate storage rack for a semiconductor processing system may include a bottom plate, a top plate, and/or at least one column assembly. The top plate may be spaced apart from the bottom plate, and the column assembly may connect the top plate to the bottom plate. The column assembly may have multiple protrusion elements. Each protrusion element may have a top surface opening that supports a ball member. Each ball member in the column assembly may protrude upward from its respective protrusion element toward the top plate and may be configured to support a substrate within the rack. Semiconductor processing systems and methods of making substrate storage racks are also described.