Automated Wet-Processing Dark Lab for 24/7 Semiconductor Research
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wet laboratories for scientific research are inefficient, unstable, costly, and pose safety hazards due to manual operations, with low data collection and analysis efficiency and difficult laboratory management.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated wet-processing dark laboratory system comprising a laboratory body, wet-processing equipment, transfer robot, sample and chemical supplying and storing apparatus, and control apparatus, enabling automated sample and chemical transfer, processing, and data analysis without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operations are used in wet laboratories, then flexibility in scientific research is maintained, but research efficiency is low and experimental results are unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the wet processing equipment, transfer robot, and control apparatus work autonomously to perform sample processing, chemical management, and data collection without human intervention, thereby improving research efficiency while maintaining experimental stability through consistent automated operations
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations are replaced with an automated control system that coordinates the transfer robot, wet processing equipment, and data analysis tools through electronic control, eliminating human error and improving both efficiency and result stability
2Object-affected harmful factors
If manual handling of chemicals is performed, then operational flexibility is maintained, but safety hazards for personnel increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts personnel from the chemical handling process entirely, placing them outside the clean space and eliminating direct exposure to harmful chemicals. The transfer robot and automated chemical management system handle all chemical operations remotely, ensuring personnel safety while maintaining operational capability through automated control
3Productivity
If single equipment automation is implemented, then some efficiency improvement is achieved, but full laboratory automation and resource utilization remain difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple previously separate automated functions into an integrated laboratory system where the transfer robot, wet processing equipment, chemical management system, and data analysis tools operate as a coordinated whole under unified control, achieving full laboratory automation and optimal resource utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer robot and control apparatus serve multiple functions including sample transfer, chemical tank replacement, equipment coordination, and data collection, allowing a single system to perform diverse operations that previously required multiple separate systems, thereby improving both efficiency and resource utilization
Data Source
AI summary
A wet-processing dark laboratory for scientific research includes a laboratory body, a wet-processing equipment, a transfer robot, a sample supplying and storing apparatus, a chemical supplying and storing apparatus, and a control apparatus. The laboratory body is configured to provide a clean space. The transfer robot includes a moving device, a mechanical arm device, at least one end effector, and an accompanying device. The accompanying device can move with the moving device and provide a temporary storage space. The mechanical arm device is mounted on the moving device. The at least one end effector is mounted on the mechanical arm device for grasping a semiconductor sample and/or a chemical tank. The above design enables 24/7 experiments conduction without the need for human presence, which forms a dark laboratory.