Cleanspace Fabricator Layout for Integrated Smart Device Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cleanroom designs for advanced technology fabrication are costly and inefficient, as they require large, expensive environments for processing high technology products, which often necessitate different cleanliness levels for various manufacturing steps, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies in processing and assembly of electronics and smart devices.
Innovation Solution
The use of cleanspace fabricators that allow for the processing of high technology products from wafer substrates to final packaging in a single environment, utilizing additive manufacturing and 3DIC techniques, enabling the creation of customized smart devices and touchscreen devices with integrated hardware-based encryption, by employing a system with multiple processing tools and substrates that can operate independently within a controlled cleanspace.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional cleanroom designs are used for advanced technology fabrication, then processing high technology products can be achieved, but the cost of building and maintaining the cleanspace increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cleanroom into multiple independent cleanspaces, each optimized for specific processing steps. This allows different cleanliness levels to be maintained in different zones, reducing the overall cost of maintaining high cleanliness across the entire facility while still enabling advanced technology fabrication where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating specialized micro-environments with appropriate cleanliness levels for each processing step. Critical fabrication steps occur in high-cleanliness zones, while less sensitive steps like assembly occur in lower-cleanliness zones, optimizing resource allocation and reducing overall maintenance costs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the volume of cleanspace is increased to accommodate larger tools and processing environments, then more processing steps can be performed, but the cost of building and maintaining cleanliness increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where multiple cleanspaces are hierarchically organized within a larger facility. Smaller, highly controlled cleanspaces are nested within larger facilities that have lower overall cleanliness requirements. This allows versatile processing capabilities in compact, cost-effective environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal expansion of large cleanrooms to vertical integration of multiple cleanspaces. By stacking processing functions across different cleanliness levels in a vertical arrangement, the system achieves high processing capacity without proportionally increasing the volume of high-cost cleanspace.
3Reliability
If different facilities are used for high cleanliness processing steps and assembly steps, then each facility can be optimized for its specific needs, but the need for rapid processing of all steps is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple processing functions across different cleanliness levels into a single integrated facility with interconnected cleanspaces. This allows seamless transfer of substrates between high-cleanliness fabrication zones and lower-cleanliness assembly zones without requiring external handling, dramatically reducing processing time while maintaining optimal conditions for each step.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides various aspects for processing multiple types of substrates within cleanspace fabricators or for processing multiple or single types of substrates in multiple types of cleanspace environments particularly to form hardware based encryption devices and hardware based encryption equipped communication devices and multi-chip modules such as chiplets. In some embodiments, a collocated composite cleanspace fabricator may be capable of processing semiconductor devices into integrated circuits and then performing assembly operations to result in product in packaged form. Customized smart devices, smart phones and touchscreen devices may be fabricated in examples of a cleanspace fabricator. The assembly processing may include steps to form hardware based encryption.