Multiplexed Optical Sensor Control for Precise Substrate Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic device manufacturing, robotic systems face challenges in accurately positioning substrates during transportation, leading to sub-standard product quality due to misplacement and non-uniform deposition, which existing optical sensing technologies struggle to address effectively due to high costs, inconsistency, and complexity in calibration and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An integrated optical sensing controller with a sensor circuit and logic circuit that includes a light source driver, demultiplexer, amplifier, and analog-to-digital converter, allowing for precise detection of substrate positioning and real-time software control, reducing the need for manual calibration and maintenance of separate amplifiers for each sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple separate amplifiers are used for each sensor, then each sensor can be independently controlled and calibrated, but the system cost increases and manual calibration and maintenance becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor amplifiers into a single shared amplifier that can be controlled via software. The demultiplexer routes the single amplifier's output to multiple sensors based on control signals, eliminating the need for separate hardware amplifiers for each sensor while maintaining individual sensor control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared amplifier is designed to serve multiple sensors universally. Through software control and demultiplexing, the same amplifier hardware can be dynamically assigned to different sensors as needed, making the amplifier multi-functional rather than dedicated to a single sensor.
2Reliability
If multiple separate amplifiers are used for each sensor, then each sensor has dedicated signal processing capability, but the system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple amplifier functions into a single shared amplifier hardware unit. This consolidation reduces the quantity of amplifier components needed, thereby reducing system cost while maintaining the ability to process signals from multiple sensors through time-multiplexed operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having multiple physical amplifier copies, the system uses software to create virtual copies of the amplifier function for each sensor. The demultiplexer enables the single physical amplifier to serve multiple sensors sequentially, effectively copying the amplifier's functional capability without duplicating the hardware.
3Measurement precision
If manual calibration is performed for each sensor amplifier, then measurement accuracy can be optimized, but the time and complexity of calibration increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service calibration through software control. The shared amplifier can be programmatically configured and calibrated via software commands, allowing automated calibration routines to adjust amplifier parameters for each sensor without requiring manual intervention for each individual amplifier, thus reducing calibration time and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes software to dynamically change amplifier parameters such as gain and offset for different sensors. This parameter adjustment capability allows the system to optimize measurement precision for each sensor through software-controlled parameter changes rather than requiring physical recalibration of each amplifier hardware component.
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 solution improves the accuracy and tunability of optical sensing, reducing system costs and enabling real-time correction of substrate positioning errors, thereby enhancing the quality and efficiency of substrate processing in manufacturing machines.
Implementation Method 1
a light source driver to generate a driving signal
Implementation Method 2
a sensor head including a light emitting diode and a photodetector
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations disclosed describe an integrated sensor controller comprising a sensor circuit and a logic circuit. The sensor circuit includes a light source driver to generate a driving signal, a demultiplexer to produce, using the driving signal, a plurality of output driving signals to be delivered to one of a plurality of sensors, and an amplifier to: receive a first signal from a first sensor, the first signal being associated with a first event representative of a position of a substrate within a device manufacturing machine, and generate a second signal. The sensor circuit further includes an analog-to-digital converter to receive the second signal and generate a third signal. The logic circuit includes a memory device and a processing device coupled to the memory device, the processing device to obtain based on the third signal, information about the position of the substrate.