Lifter Touch Position Setting for Rotary Substrate Stages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses require manual and time-consuming processes for setting control positions of lifters, which can be prone to errors and inefficiencies, especially when handling multiple substrates on a rotary table.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a controller that automatically sets control positions for the lifter by repeatedly raising it by a first pitch to detect contact with the substrate and then by a shorter second pitch to calculate precise touch positions, allowing for automated and efficient positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual setting of control positions is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but productivity is reduced and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic control position setting without requiring manual intervention. The lifter automatically moves to predetermined positions, detects substrates using the imaging device, and determines control positions based on detection results, enabling the system to set its own control positions autonomously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated system combining the lifter mechanism and imaging device. The imaging device captures images to detect substrate positions, and the controller processes this visual information to automatically determine control positions, substituting human visual inspection and manual adjustment with automated optical detection and computational processing
2Measurement precision
If repeated raising by first pitch is used for detection, then measurement precision is improved, but time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The detection process is divided into two distinct stages: a coarse detection phase using larger first pitch movements to quickly locate the substrate vicinity, and a fine detection phase using smaller second pitch movements to precisely determine the touch position. This segmentation allows the system to balance speed and precision by applying different detection strategies at different phases
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the pitch size based on the detection phase. During coarse detection, larger pitch values are used to cover greater distances quickly. When approaching the substrate and transitioning to fine detection, the pitch is reduced to smaller values for precise positioning. This dynamic adjustment of movement parameters optimizes both detection speed and accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum container, a rotary table, a stage, a lifter, and a controller that controls an operation of the lifter. The controller automatically sets a control position in the operation of the lifter. The controller, in (A), repeatedly raises the lifter by a first pitch and then determines whether or not the lifter has come into contact with a substrate, thereby bring the lifter to come into contact with the substrate to set a next position. The controller, in (B), repeatedly raises the lifter from the next position by a second pitch shorter than the first pitch and then determines whether or not the lifter has come into contact with the substrate, thereby detecting a touch position and calculating the control position based on the touch position.