Lithography Conveyance Position Diagnosis for Floor Shift Abnormalities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face abnormalities in the relative position between conveyance units and members due to factors like secular changes in driving shafts and sunken floors, leading to potential interference and damage.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the measurement of relative positions at multiple points before and after a time interval to identify changes, determining the presence or absence of abnormalities in the conveyance unit and floor using sensors, and correcting the positions accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the coordinates of the conveyance unit are obtained at a specific position and compared with reference coordinates, then the abnormality in the conveyance unit position can be detected, but the location of cause of the abnormality (conveyance unit or floor) cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the measurement task into multiple measurement positions (first measurement position and second measurement position) and performs separate measurements at each position. By segmenting the measurement locations, the system can compare measurement results across different positions to determine whether the abnormality originates from the conveyance unit or the floor, thus identifying the cause location while maintaining position detection accuracy.
2Loss of information
If measurements are performed at multiple measurement positions, then the cause of abnormality can be identified, but the measurement time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs measurements at multiple predetermined measurement positions in advance, before the actual substrate processing operation. By conducting these measurements beforehand, the system establishes baseline data that enables rapid determination of abnormality causes during operation, reducing the time required for diagnosis and correction during actual production.
Data Source
AI summary
A determination method includes measuring first relative positions as a first measurement, measuring second relative positions as a second measurement, and determining presence or absence of an abnormality. The first relative positions are relative positions between members corresponding to a plurality of respective measurement positions and a conveyance unit when the conveyance unit moves to the plurality of respective measurement positions. The second relative positions are the relative positions between the members corresponding to the plurality of respective measurement positions and the conveyance unit when the conveyance unit moves to the plurality of respective measurement positions after the first measurement. Presence or absence of an abnormality in the conveyance unit and presence or absence of an abnormality in a floor at one measurement position of the plurality of respective measurement positions is determined based on measurement results of the first and second measurements.