Free Access Floor Structure with Self-Aligning Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes require two separate steps for installing semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, increasing labor and time, especially in small-quantity production scenarios where frequent rearrangement of equipment is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A free access floor structure with apparatus-side and floor-side connectors allows for one-step installation of manufacturing apparatuses, utilizing positioning mechanisms like V-grooves and spherical bodies for precise alignment and connection of pipes and cables, and a carrier apparatus with a lift plate and wedge guide for efficient and safe handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is installed using conventional mounting and piping/wiring steps, then the apparatus can be properly installed with all connections, but the installation time and labor are inevitably increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mounting step and piping/wiring step into a single integrated installation operation. The floor-side connector is built into the floor structure with positioning features that guide the apparatus-side connector into automatic alignment, allowing both mechanical mounting and electrical/piping connections to be completed simultaneously in one lowering operation rather than sequentially in two separate steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor-side connector is pre-installed in the floor structure with positioning protrusions and connection interfaces prepared in advance. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site alignment and connection work during the actual apparatus installation, reducing installation time while ensuring proper connection reliability.
2Reliability
If semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is installed using conventional mounting and piping/wiring steps, then the apparatus can be properly installed with all connections, but the labor required is inevitably increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mounting step and piping/wiring step into a single integrated installation operation. The floor-side connector is built into the floor structure with positioning features that guide the apparatus-side connector into automatic alignment, allowing both mechanical mounting and electrical/piping connections to be completed simultaneously in one lowering operation rather than sequentially in two separate steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning protrusions on the floor-side connector and corresponding recesses on the apparatus-side connector enable self-alignment and self-connection during the lowering operation. The apparatus automatically positions itself correctly relative to the floor connector, eliminating the need for manual alignment work and reducing labor requirements while ensuring reliable connections.
3Ease of manufacture
If small-diameter semiconductor wafers are used to reduce manufacturing costs, then the unit cost of manufacturing chips is reduced, but the scale and construction/operation cost of manufacturing plant still swells due to large-scale manufacturing system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a movable floor structure that can be reconfigured to accommodate different numbers and arrangements of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses. This dynamic adaptability allows the manufacturing plant to adjust its scale and layout according to production volume requirements, enabling small-quantity production of wide variety without requiring a permanently large-scale facility, thus reducing construction and operation costs while maintaining the benefits of small-diameter wafer manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A free access floor structure to install a manufacturing apparatus such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, in a short time, and a manufacturing apparatus and a carrier apparatus adapted for the floor structure. An embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus includes an apparatus-side connector which is provided, facing downward, to a bottom plate of a manufacturing apparatus. A floor structure of an embodiment includes a floor plate to be worked into a floor surface. The floor structure includes a floor-side connector which is provided, facing upward, to the floor plate so as to be connected with the apparatus-side connector according to a lowering operation of the manufacturing apparatus. An installation step (mounting step, piping/wiring step) of the manufacturing apparatus may thereby be performed in one step. As a result, the labor and the time required to install the manufacturing apparatus may be saved.