Load Lock Chamber Stage Gap Adjustment for Substrate Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate processing devices with rotary tables in load lock chambers face challenges of increased chamber size due to dead space for collision avoidance and high-cost, long-stroke driving structures required for transferring multiple substrates.
Innovation Solution
The substrate processing device incorporates a load lock chamber with moving and rotating mechanisms that adjust stage gaps and position substrates around an axis, allowing for simultaneous loading and sequential unloading without pre-defined dead space, thus reducing chamber size and eliminating the need for high-strength driving structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rotary table is provided in a load lock chamber to sequentially approach multiple substrates to a transfer arm, then substrates can be smoothly unloaded one by one, but dead space must be provided between stages and sidewalls to avoid collision, causing the load lock chamber to be large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the stage positions adjustable rather than fixed. The moving mechanism allows stages to dynamically change their positions along the rotational axis, enabling the system to adapt between two operational states: a first position for collision-free rotation and a second position for minimized gaps. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the chamber to be compact while avoiding collision through real-time position control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of stage position along the rotational axis. By moving stages between a first position (where gaps prevent collision during rotation) and a second position (where gaps are minimized for compact chamber design), the system resolves the contradiction between smooth operation and chamber size. The parameter change enables the same physical space to serve dual purposes at different operational phases.
2Productivity
If multiple substrates are arranged in the depth direction of the load lock chamber, then simultaneous loading is enabled, but the transfer arm requires a long driving stroke and high-strength driving structure, increasing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the stages to move dynamically between different positions. When substrates are arranged in the depth direction for simultaneous loading, the moving mechanism adjusts stage positions to accommodate this configuration. The rotational movement then brings substrates sequentially to the transfer arm position, eliminating the need for a long-stroke, high-strength driving structure while maintaining simultaneous loading capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the contradiction by utilizing the rotational dimension around the axial line. Instead of requiring a long linear stroke in the depth direction, the system uses rotational movement to bring substrates arranged in the depth direction sequentially to the transfer arm. This dimensionality change transforms a linear positioning problem into a rotational sequencing problem, reducing driving structure complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a load lock chamber including: a plurality of stages on which a plurality of first substrates that are loaded at once by means of a second transfer mechanism are respectively mounted; a moving mechanism which, in a state in which the plurality of first substrates are respectively mounted on the plurality of stages, moves the plurality of stages to narrow the interval between the plurality of stages; and a rotating mechanism which, when the plurality of first substrates are unloaded one by one by means of a first transfer mechanism, rotates the plurality of stages with the narrowed interval about an axis, and causes the plurality of first substrates successively to become closer to the first transfer mechanism around the axis.