External Particle Sensor for Load Lock Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate treating apparatuses face challenges in accurately measuring particle levels in load lock chambers with changing pressure environments, often resulting in contamination and reduced measurement precision due to the need for large sensors that occupy space and potentially introduce impurities through narrow apertures.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a measurement unit located outside the load lock chamber, utilizing a measurement passage and sensor to measure particle levels by controlling pressure changes and gas flow between chambers, allowing for precise measurement without occupying internal space and minimizing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is installed inside the load lock chamber to measure particle levels, then measurement capability is provided, but the sensor occupies larger portion of interior space and may cause measurement errors due to installation location
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement unit is extracted from the load lock chamber interior and relocated to the exterior. A measurement passage connects the external measurement unit to the load lock chamber interior, allowing particle level measurement without occupying valuable interior space. This extraction resolves the contradiction by providing measurement capability while eliminating space occupation issues.
2Measurement precision
If a sensor is installed inside the load lock chamber, then particle measurement is enabled, but narrow apertures may be formed and impurities may reside in the aperture
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement unit is extracted from the load lock chamber interior to the exterior, eliminating the need for narrow apertures within the chamber. The measurement passage provides a dedicated flow path that does not create contamination risks in the chamber interior, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement capability and contamination prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement passage acts as an intermediary channel between the load lock chamber interior and the external measurement unit. This mediator allows particle-laden gas to flow to the sensor without requiring the sensor or its aperture to be inside the chamber, preventing particle accumulation and contamination at the measurement interface.
3Productivity
If pressure changes are performed in the load lock chamber for substrate transfer, then substrate transfer efficiency is improved, but accurate particle measurement becomes difficult due to changing pressure environment
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement unit is extracted from the pressure-changing environment of the load lock chamber and placed in the stable pressure environment outside the chamber. The measurement passage allows it to sense particle levels inside the chamber while remaining protected from pressure fluctuations, thus resolving the contradiction between efficient substrate transfer and accurate particle measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement passage serves as an intermediary that transmits particle information from the pressure-changing load lock chamber to the pressure-stable external measurement unit. This mediator isolates the sensor from direct exposure to pressure variations while maintaining measurement capability, enabling both efficient substrate transfer and accurate particle monitoring.
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
Enhances measurement precision and reduces contamination risks by allowing for accurate particle level monitoring in load lock chambers with changing pressures, improving the efficiency and reliability of substrate treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
a measurement sensor that measures a level of particles of a fluid flowing in the measurement passage
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes a load lock chamber, of which a pressure of an interior space is changed between a first pressure and a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure, an index chamber connected to the load lock chamber, and a measurement unit that measures a level of particles in the interior space, and the measurement unit is located outside the load lock chamber.