FOUP Mini-Environment Sealing for Oxygen and Humidity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to maintain and control oxygen and humidity levels inside Front Opening Unified Pods (FOUPs) during the extraction or retraction of samples, leading to potential oxidation of samples when the FOUP is open.
Innovation Solution
A mini-environment system comprising an enclosure with a flapper blade and floating plate, along with shutters and actuators, is integrated with the FOUP to create a sealed environment. This system controls oxygen and humidity levels by actuating the flapper blade and floating plate to align slots with sample slots, and opening/closing shutters as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the FOUP is opened to extract or retract samples, then sample handling can be performed, but oxygen and humidity levels inside the FOUP cannot be maintained and controlled, causing samples to be exposed to ambient air
Solution Approach 1:
The FOUP opening mechanism is segmented into multiple components: a load port door for opening the FOUP, a flapper blade that can close the load port opening, a floating plate with slots that can be positioned, and shutters that can close individual slots. This segmentation allows selective control of different levels of the FOUP opening, enabling sample handling while maintaining environmental control for remaining samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic components including a flapper actuator assembly to move the flapper blade between open and closed positions, a floating plate actuator assembly to adjust the floating plate position and align slots, and shutter actuators to open/close shutters. These dynamic elements allow the system to adapt between fully open (for sample handling) and sealed (for environmental control) states.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing purging methods are used before opening the load port door, then oxidation defects are minimized, but it is difficult to maintain and control oxygen and humidity levels inside the FOUP when open
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary purging of the FOUP before opening the load port door to establish a controlled atmosphere. Additionally, the flapper blade and shutters are positioned in advance to prepare for selective sealing, ensuring that when the door opens, the remaining samples are already protected by the sealed flapper blade structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flapper blade acts as an intermediary structure between the ambient environment and the FOUP interior. When the load port door opens, the flapper blade can close off the load port opening, creating an intermediate sealed chamber that allows sample handling while maintaining the controlled atmosphere for other samples. The shutters serve as secondary intermediaries to seal individual slots.
3Productivity
If the load port door is opened to access samples, then sample extraction is enabled, but remaining samples are exposed to ambient air
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by having the flapper blade close the load port opening immediately when the door opens, and shutter actuators ready to close shutters before samples are fully exposed. This preemptive sealing action prevents ambient air from entering the FOUP interior while still allowing the extraction mechanism to access samples through the sealed flapper blade structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A mini-environment apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus may include an enclosure including a frame with two or more openings. The frame may define an internal cavity within the enclosure. The apparatus may include a flapper blade coupled to a portion of the frame. The flapper blade may be configured to close at least one opening of the two or more openings of the frame to form a sealed enclosure when the flapper blade is in a closed position. The apparatus may include a floating plate coupled to a portion of the frame. The floating plate may include one or more slots. The apparatus may include one or more shutters coupled a portion of the floating plate to cover the one or more slots.