Cover Extending Member for Liquid-Tight Substrate Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in preventing liquid scattering and exposure during substrate transfer between chambers, leading to contamination and increased apparatus size due to the need for larger designs to accommodate corrosive or flammable liquids.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a cover portion and extending member that allows the hand to move horizontally, connecting the internal space of the cover portion with the chamber, ensuring the substrate remains covered during transfer, and isolating the cover portion from the chamber when not in use to prevent interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the entire transfer robot is housed in the cover, then liquid scattering is prevented, but the apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover portion is divided into a cover main body and a movable extending member. The extending member can be retracted into the cover main body, creating a compact configuration when not in use, and extended when substrate transfer is needed. This segmentation allows the liquid-tight cover to be small in idle state while still providing full coverage during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The extending member is designed to move dynamically between extended and retracted positions. When extended, it provides liquid-tight coverage during substrate transfer; when retracted, it allows the cover portion to occupy minimal space. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between coverage and compactness.
2Ease of operation
If a gap is provided for transfer robot movement, then the robot can access chambers, but the substrate is temporarily exposed during delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The extending member acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the cover main body and the chamber. When extended, it forms a continuous liquid-tight barrier that allows the substrate to be transferred through the cover portion without exposure. This intermediary structure enables both chamber access and continuous protection.
3Productivity
If the hand moves forward to transfer substrate, then substrate delivery is enabled, but liquid may scatter during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cover portion including the extending member forms a flexible yet liquid-tight enclosure that moves with the hand during substrate transfer. This shell-like structure maintains liquid containment while allowing the necessary movement for efficient substrate delivery between chambers.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a base portion 1541 that is disposed in a manner of being adjacent to a chamber; a hand 155 that holds a substrate S; an arm 1542 that is attached to the base portion 1541, supports the hand, and moves the hand forward and rearward by horizontally moving the hand with respect to the base portion; and a cover portion 156 that accommodates the hand in an internal space. The cover portion has a cover main body 1561 forming the internal space and an extending member 1562 having a hollow structure which penetrates the cover portion in a horizontal direction and of which one end serves as an opening 1562a and being engaged with the cover main body in a state of being movable in the horizontal direction while the opening communicates with the internal space.