Lift Assembly Homing for Overlap-Aware Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor substrate processing methods face inefficiencies and limitations, including long operations, high costs, and potential component collisions or damage, which hinder throughput and increase downtime, especially in complex batch epitaxial processing.
Innovation Solution
A lift assembly system that independently moves lift pins and substrate supports using motors and drive assemblies, with a controller executing operations to detect fault conditions and determine positions within overlapping movement ranges, allowing for precise retraction and movement of support frames to prevent collisions and optimize substrate transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If components are moved simultaneously during substrate transfer operations, then throughput is improved, but collision risk between components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary homing operations to establish known reference positions for all components before substrate transfer operations begin. This preliminary positioning allows the control system to plan and execute simultaneous movements with predetermined safe trajectories, enabling higher throughput while maintaining reliability through pre-established spatial awareness of all moving parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the actual positions of support frames and other components during movement operations, comparing real-time feedback against planned trajectories. This feedback mechanism allows the control system to detect and correct potential collision scenarios dynamically, enabling simultaneous component movements that improve throughput while maintaining safety through active position verification.
2Area of stationary object
If chamber dimensions are reduced to decrease footprint, then facility space utilization is improved, but movement limitations and collision risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs vertical movement of support frames along Z-axes to achieve substrate transfer operations that would otherwise require horizontal movement in constrained footprints. By utilizing the vertical dimension for component positioning and substrate manipulation, the system accommodates reduced chamber dimensions while maintaining operational capability and reducing collision risk through three-dimensional motion planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamically adjustable movement ranges for support frames, allowing the operational envelope to be flexibly defined based on real-time positions of other components. This dynamic approach enables efficient use of available space in reduced-footprint chambers while preventing movements that would cause collisions, as the system adapts movement boundaries based on the positions of lift pins, substrates, and other components.
3Ease of operation
If extraneous movement is performed during substrate transfer, then component positioning is achieved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary homing operations that position all support frames at known reference locations before substrate transfer begins. This preliminary positioning eliminates the need for extraneous movement adjustments during critical substrate handling operations, as all components start from predetermined positions that optimize transfer efficiency and reduce processing time while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous useful action by coordinating movements of multiple support frames to occur simultaneously rather than sequentially. By enabling parallel operations where multiple components move and position themselves at the same time, the system eliminates idle waiting periods and extraneous positioning movements, thereby reducing processing time while achieving accurate component positioning through coordinated multi-axis motion.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to homing methods for lift assemblies, and related apparatus and components, for processing chambers. In one or more embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium includes instructions that cause a plurality of operations to be conducted. The operations include detecting a fault condition, and determining a first position of a first support frame along a first movement range. The operations include determining a second position of a second support frame along a second movement range. The second movement range overlaps with the first movement range by an overlap range. The operations include determining if the first position is in an inside condition or an outside condition. The inside condition is within the overlap range, and the outside condition is outside of the overlap range. The operations include moving the first support frame and the second support frame respectively to a first retracted position and a second retracted position.