Cover Unit Intermittent Motion for Seal Member Peeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing apparatuses, the seal member often sticks to the processing container due to temperature variations, leading to it coming off when the boat is carried out, causing vibration and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a controller that controls the cover unit to perform an intermittent operation of alternating movement and stopping when opening the processing container, ensuring the seal member is gradually peeled off and preventing it from coming off during boat removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the boat is carried out of the processing container at high speed, then productivity is improved, but the seal member comes off due to vibration, worsening reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism operates in periodic cycles: lifting the cover unit and boat together, separating the seal member during the lifting phase, then lowering the boat while the seal member remains attached to the cover unit. This periodic action allows high-speed operation while preventing seal member detachment during critical phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The movement is segmented into distinct phases: (1) lifting phase where seal member separates from processing container, (2) transport phase where boat is moved, and (3) lowering phase where seal member remains on cover unit. This segmentation allows optimization of each phase independently, maintaining reliability while improving overall productivity.
2Reliability
If the cover unit is lowered slowly to prevent seal member detachment, then reliability is improved, but the processing time increases, worsening productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic lifting and lowering cycles where the cover unit is lifted to separate the seal member, then lowered to transport the boat. The seal member remains attached to the cover unit during lowering, allowing faster operation while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The operating speed is dynamically adjusted based on the phase: fast lifting to separate seal member, controlled lowering to prevent detachment, then fast transport. This dynamic speed adjustment optimizes both reliability and productivity by matching speed to operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate holding unit configured to hold a substrate; a processing container configured to accommodate the substrate holding unit; a cover unit configured to load the substrate holding unit therein and to open or close an opening provided in one end of the processing container; a seal member configured to seal a gap between the end of the processing container and the cover unit; a driving mechanism configured to move the cover unit; and a controller configured to control an operation of the driving mechanism. The controller controls the operation of the driving mechanism such that the cover unit performs an intermittent operation of alternately repeating moving and stopping when opening the opening in the processing container.