Enclosure System with Wire Mesh and Membrane Panels for Semiconductor Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor wafer processing equipment faces challenges in protecting personnel and equipment from injuries and damages caused by projectiles and hazardous gas leaks due to vacuum pump or abatement equipment failures, where existing solutions either compromise process chemistry or incur high capital costs.
Innovation Solution
An enclosure system with a structural frame, featuring panels composed of a mesh layer and a thin, non-porous membrane, which allows for easy access and reduces the risk of injury by containing projectiles and dissipating pressure waves, thereby minimizing the egress of hazardous gases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thin gauge sheet metal panels are used for the enclosure, then ease of access and serviceability are improved, but protection against projectiles and pressure waves deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is segmented into multiple layers: a thin gauge sheet metal outer layer for structural integrity and ease of access, a mesh layer for projectile containment, and a membrane layer for gas sealing. Each layer performs a specific function, resolving the contradiction between thin material and protective capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel uses a composite structure combining thin gauge sheet metal, mesh, and membrane materials. This composite approach provides projectile containment and gas sealing equivalent to thick steel while maintaining ease of access and serviceability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thick high gauge steel is used for the enclosure, then protection against projectiles and pressure waves is improved, but ease of access and serviceability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is segmented across multiple thin layers (sheet metal, mesh, membrane) rather than relying on a single thick steel layer. This allows the enclosure to maintain protective capability while using thinner, more accessible materials.
Solution Approach 2:
A composite panel structure replaces thick high gauge steel with a combination of thin gauge sheet metal, mesh, and membrane materials, achieving equivalent protection with improved ease of access and reduced weight.
3Reliability
If reactive gases are added to the foreline to prevent explosive deposits, then safety against explosions is improved, but process chemistry stability deteriorates due to back-migration
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh and membrane layers act as intermediary barriers between the foreline and the process chamber, allowing reactive gases to be added for safety while preventing their back-migration into the process chemistry, thus resolving the contradiction between safety and stability.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If thick steel enclosures are used to contain projectiles, then protection against damage is improved, but capital cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite panel structure using thin gauge sheet metal, mesh, and membrane materials provides equivalent projectile containment and damage protection to thick steel enclosures at lower capital cost and manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The enclosure effectively contains and dissipates projectiles and pressure waves, reducing the risk of injury and damage while maintaining the ability to extract hazardous gases, thus providing a cost-effective and accessible solution for semiconductor processing environments.
Implementation Method 1
the wire mesh is configured to contain projectiles formed upon catastrophic failure of equipment housed within the enclosure
Implementation Method 2
a pressure internal to the enclosure, lower than that experienced external to the enclosure, can be maintained thereby inhibiting inadvertent egress of any hazardous gases present in the enclosure
Implementation Method 3
the panels are configured to dissipate any pressure waves generated upon catastrophic failure of equipment housed within the enclosure
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure system may be formed of a lightweight panel with a thin non-porous membrane that enables the extraction and leak detection of hazardous gases from housing equipment such as vacuum pumps, valves, abatement equipment and the like. Additionally, the enclosure system includes a one or multiple layers of wire mesh which prevent projectiles with a high kinetic energy from escaping from the housing equipment thereby minimising the risk of an explosion causing parts or panels to be ejected from the enclosure system.