Multi-Reactor Substrate Processing to Cut Standby Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor device manufacturing, substrate processing apparatuses with multiple reactors face inefficiencies due to varying processing times across reactors, leading to standby times and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A technique that optimizes reactor selection and processing by calculating the ratio of processing time for a specific process to the total processing time, allowing for efficient allocation of reactors and minimizing standby times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If consecutive processing is performed in multiple reactors with different processing times, then various substrate processing can be accomplished, but standby time increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically assigns substrates to reactors based on real-time reactor states and processing time characteristics. The control device continuously monitors which reactor can complete processing fastest and redirects substrates accordingly, making the system adaptive rather than static in its reactor utilization strategy.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device changes the operational parameters of reactors by adjusting which reactors are active for which substrate types based on processing time ratios. When a reactor's processing time becomes a bottleneck, the system reconfigures the assignment of substrate types to different reactors, effectively changing the operational parameters to optimize throughput.
2Ease of operation
If reactors are assigned fixed processing tasks, then process control is simplified, but standby time occurs when moving between reactors
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fixed assignments, the system dynamically determines which reactor processes which substrate type at any given moment based on current reactor availability and processing time characteristics. This dynamic reassignment eliminates standby time while the control device manages the complexity through automated calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device continuously monitors reactor states and uses this feedback to make real-time decisions about substrate assignment. The system receives information about which reactors are free and their processing capabilities, then adjusts assignments accordingly to minimize standby time while maintaining process control.
3Productivity
If the number of reactors is increased to reduce standby time, then throughput improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding more reactors than necessary, the system uses partial action by intelligently utilizing the existing subset of reactors. The control device calculates optimal assignments that fully exploit the capabilities of available reactors, achieving maximum throughput without the excessive complexity of expanding the reactor fleet.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves higher throughput with the same number of reactors by changing the operational parameters - specifically, by dynamically reassigning substrate types to different reactors based on their processing time characteristics. This parameter optimization eliminates the need for additional hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a technique that includes: receiving type information corresponding to substrate processing; reading the type information and processing time information corresponding to the type information from a memory; calculating a ratio of a processing time of a predetermined process to a total time of the processing time information; selecting one or more reactors according to the ratio; setting the one or more reactors to be capable of performing the predetermined process; transferring a substrate corresponding to the type information to the one or more reactors; and performing the predetermined process corresponding to the type information in the one or more reactors.