Liquid Supply Filter Gas Collection and Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The quality of liquids delivered to wafer processing equipment in semiconductor manufacturing is affected by trapped gas, leading to manufacturing defects and reduced yield due to gas bubbles in the liquid, which existing systems struggle to effectively eliminate or reduce.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supply system with a filter that collects and vents gas from the liquid, allowing the collected gas to be reused in the tank instead of being wasted, thereby reducing the amount of usable liquid lost during venting operations and improving product quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If gas is vented from the filter to reduce gas bubbles in the liquid, then the quality of the liquid is improved, but liquid is wasted along with the gas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the gas component from the liquid-gas mixture in the filter's gas collection space, while preventing the liquid from being vented. This is achieved by providing a selective vent path that allows gas to escape while retaining liquid in the filter, thereby improving liquid quality without wasting the liquid material.
2Reliability
If gas is collected and vented frequently to maintain liquid quality, then manufacturing defects are reduced, but system downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by continuously collecting gas in the filter's gas collection space during normal operation, and only venting when a predetermined gas amount is reached. This prevents gas bubbles from accumulating to problematic levels, maintaining liquid quality without requiring frequent system stoppages for manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a feedback mechanism where the system monitors the amount of gas collected in the gas collection space and automatically triggers venting only when the gas amount reaches a predetermined threshold. This controlled feedback approach maintains liquid quality while minimizing unnecessary venting operations and associated downtime.
3Manufacturing precision
If a filter is used to remove gas from liquid, then liquid quality is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the filter multi-functional by equipping it with both filtration capability and integrated gas collection/venting functionality. The filter serves dual purposes: removing particulate contaminants through filtration and collecting/venting gas bubbles through the integrated gas collection space and vent mechanism, thereby improving liquid quality without adding separate gas removal equipment.
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
This approach enhances the quality and yield of manufactured products by minimizing gas bubbles in the liquid dispensed onto wafers, reducing waste, and allowing for more controlled venting operations focused on maintaining product quality rather than minimizing liquid loss.
Implementation Method 1
The filter has a first gas collection space configured to collect gas accompanying the liquid
Implementation Method 2
a pump configured to move the liquid from the tank to the filter
Implementation Method 3
The tank is controllably coupled to the first gas collection space of the filter to vent the collected gas from the filter to the tank
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid supply system includes a container containing a liquid, a tank coupled to the container to receive the liquid from the container, and a dispensing mechanism coupled to the tank to receive the liquid to be dispensed. The dispensing mechanism comprises a filter configured to filter the liquid before dispensing. The filter comprises a first gas collection space configured to collect gas accompanying the liquid. The tank is controllably coupled to the first gas collection space of the filter to vent the collected gas from the filter to the tank.