Low-Roughness Diaphragm Coating for Particle Control in Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing diaphragms in semiconductor manufacturing devices fail to effectively control the size of particles entering the process chamber due to neglecting surface roughness of the thin film layer, leading to contamination and reduced semiconductor yield.
Innovation Solution
A diaphragm with a metal thin plate and a thin film layer having a surface roughness of less than 0.1 μm is used, formed over the entirety of a concave surface, integrated into a valve device that opens and closes fluid passages, ensuring precise control of particle size by preventing particles larger than 0.1 μm from entering the process chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thin film layer is formed on a substrate to prevent particles from entering the process chamber, then particle prevention capability is improved, but surface roughness control is insufficient leading to inadequate particle size control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by specifying a maximum height Rmax of surface roughness of less than 0.1 μm for the thin film layer. This quantitative parameter control transforms the generic requirement of 'preventing particles' into a precise engineering specification that directly controls particle size, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional approach of relying on thin film formation alone with a more precise mechanism: controlling the surface roughness parameter Rmax. This substitution introduces a measurable and controllable physical parameter (surface roughness) that directly determines particle size control, overcoming the insufficiency of traditional thin film deposition methods.
2Ease of manufacture
If surface roughness of the thin film layer is not controlled, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but particle size control capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing the specific parameter Rmax (maximum height of surface roughness) with a threshold of less than 0.1 μm, the patent converts an abstract manufacturing challenge into a concrete, measurable parameter. This enables precise particle size control without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity, as the parameter can be controlled through standard thin film deposition processes with optimized conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A diaphragm includes: a metal thin plate; and a thin film layer formed over an entirety of a surface on one side of the thin plate.