Captured Fastener Assembly for Semiconductor Reactor Heat Lamps
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fastening methods for heat lamps in semiconductor processing reactors are inefficient and prone to screw loss, leading to potential damage and electrical short-circuits due to the confined space, making lamp replacement challenging and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A captured fastener assembly using various configurations such as threaded eyelet terminals, conductive wire leads, snap rings, bendable tabs, and housing assemblies to securely retain screws within eyelet terminals, allowing for easy installation and removal while preventing screw loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If screws and washers are used to fasten lamps in the reactor, then the lamps can be securely fastened, but the screws are difficult to install and replace, and may be lost within the reactor hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the screw fastener with the eyelet terminal into a single integrated captured fastener assembly. The screw is captured within the eyelet terminal, eliminating the need for separate washers and making the entire fastening system a unified component that is easier to install and replace as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw is nested within the eyelet terminal, with the screw captured inside the eyelet's internal cavity. This nesting arrangement prevents the screw from being lost separately and allows the entire assembly to be handled as one integrated unit during installation and replacement operations.
2Strength
If traditional fastening methods are used, then lamps can be secured, but lamp replacement is time-consuming due to locating and replacing lost screws
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the screw and eyelet terminal into a single captured fastener assembly, the patent eliminates the time-consuming search for lost screws during lamp replacement. The entire fastening system becomes one replaceable unit, significantly reducing maintenance time.
Solution Approach 2:
The captured fastener assembly is designed to be self-contained, with the screw automatically retained within the eyelet terminal. This self-service design prevents loss of components and eliminates the need for separate retrieval operations during lamp replacement.
3Strength
If screws are used in confined reactor space, then lamps can be fastened, but screws may cause damage or electrical short-circuits when lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the screw from the external environment by capturing it within the eyelet terminal. This extraction prevents the screw from becoming a loose foreign object that could cause damage or electrical short-circuits in the confined reactor space.
Solution Approach 2:
The eyelet terminal acts as an intermediary containment structure that holds the screw in a controlled manner. This intermediary arrangement prevents direct contact between the screw and other reactor components, eliminating the hazard of loose screws causing damage or electrical issues.
Data Source
AI summary
A heat lamp which has captured fasteners that can attach the lamp inside a radiantly heated semiconductor processing reactor. The fasteners are captured within eyelet terminals on each end of the lamp, thereby rotatably securing the fasteners to the lamp. The eyelet terminals may have threaded apertures which screw into the threaded portion of the fasteners. Alternatively, the terminals may be adapted with tabs, conductor extensions or housing assemblies which fold over the top of a fastener inserted through the terminal. In another embodiment, the terminals may be adapted with notched projections which engage a circular dovetail in a fastener inserted through the terminal.