Carrier Moving Device Priority Mounting Logic
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor and LCD substrate manufacturing, priority lots face increased waiting times due to occupied delivery mounting units, causing delays in treatment start times when priority carriers cannot immediately access the treatment block.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treatment apparatus with delivery, retreat, and carry-in mounting units, along with a carrier moving and mounting device controlled by a unit to prioritize the placement of priority carriers on vacant delivery units, ensuring immediate treatment by rearranging occupied carriers to vacant positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If carriers are mounted on delivery mounting units in a determined carry-in order, then the treatment process follows a stable sequence, but priority lots cannot be processed immediately causing increased waiting time
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier stage is segmented into multiple types of mounting units: delivery mounting units (for active treatment), standby mounting units (for waiting carriers), and priority mounting units (for expedited processing). This segmentation allows the system to handle different carrier priorities simultaneously without disrupting the overall treatment sequence, enabling priority lots to be processed immediately while maintaining stable processing for standard lots.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts carrier mounting positions based on priority status. When a priority carrier is introduced, the control unit dynamically reconfigures the mounting units to allocate a priority mounting unit or deliver the carrier to the treatment block immediately, rather than following the static predetermined sequence. This dynamic adaptation eliminates waiting time for priority lots while maintaining system stability.
2Productivity
If all delivery mounting units are occupied by regular carriers, then treatment stability is maintained, but priority carriers must wait causing treatment delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares priority mounting units in advance as standby positions. When a priority carrier needs immediate processing, pre-designated priority mounting units are already available, eliminating the need to disrupt ongoing treatments. The control unit can immediately mount the priority carrier on an available priority mounting unit or transfer it to the treatment block without affecting the treatment schedule of regular carriers.
Solution Approach 2:
Priority mounting units serve as intermediary positions between the carrier stage and the treatment block. These intermediate positions allow priority carriers to be staged for immediate treatment without displacing carriers already in the treatment sequence. The control unit mediates between priority and regular carriers by routing priority carriers through these intermediary positions, maintaining treatment schedule stability while enabling expedited processing.
3Ease of operation
If the delivery arm follows a predetermined carry-out sequence, then processing order is consistent, but priority lots experience delays when carriers are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a priority dimension to the carrier delivery sequence. Instead of a single linear sequence, the control unit manages multiple delivery sequences simultaneously: the predetermined sequence for regular carriers and an expedited sequence for priority carriers. Priority carriers can be delivered immediately from priority mounting units or carried out immediately when introduced, creating a parallel processing dimension that doesn't disrupt the main sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the status of carriers on mounting units and the treatment block. When a priority carrier is introduced or a mounting unit becomes available, the control unit provides feedback to adjust the delivery sequence dynamically. This feedback mechanism allows the system to interrupt the predetermined sequence temporarily for priority carriers while automatically resuming the normal sequence, maintaining ease of operation while reducing waiting time.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention controls a carrier moving and mounting device such that at normal time, the device moves and mounts carriers in sequence to a delivery mounting units according to a carry-in order, and when a priority carrier is carried into the carry-in mounting unit and if all of the delivery mounting units are occupied by the carriers, the device moves and mounts one of the carriers on the retreat mounting unit, and mounts the priority carrier on the delivery mounting unit which has become vacant by the movement; and controls a delivery device such that at normal time, the delivery device carries the substrates out of the carriers according to the carry-in order of the carriers mounted on the delivery mounting units, and when the priority carrier is mounted, the delivery device carries out the substrates in the priority carrier before the substrates in the other carriers.