Recirculation Purging System for Semiconductor Substrate Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high consumption of purge gas in semiconductor substrate containers due to non-hermetically sealed carriers and contamination from humidity and organic solvents poses a challenge in maintaining a clean environment while reducing gas usage.
Innovation Solution
A recirculation purging system that filters and purifies the purge gas, allowing it to be reused within the container, with moisture sensors regulating humidity levels to minimize fresh gas addition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If high purge flow is used to maintain cleanliness in non-hermetically sealed carriers, then the cleanliness environment is improved, but the consumption of purge gas increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and recycles the purge gas that exits the carrier container back into the system. The purged gas is captured, filtered to remove contaminants, and then reused as purge gas, thereby significantly reducing the consumption of fresh purge gas while maintaining the cleanliness environment inside the carrier
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a moisture sensor as an intermediary device to monitor the humidity level inside the carrier. Based on the sensor feedback, the system intelligently controls the purge gas flow, adding fresh gas only when necessary to maintain the required dryness level, thus optimizing purge gas consumption
2Volume of stationary object
If larger volume containers are used for 450 mm substrates, then the substrate storage capacity is improved, but the amount of purge gas required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation system captures the large volume of purge gas that would otherwise be wasted in large containers, filters it, and recycles it back into the container. This is particularly beneficial for large 450 mm substrate containers where the absolute amount of gas consumption would be very high without recirculation
3Ease of operation
If carriers are not constructed to be hermetically sealed for safety and handling, then the ease of operation is improved, but the humidity and oxygen content increase over time
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture sensor acts as an intermediary monitoring device that continuously tracks the humidity level inside the non-hermetically sealed carrier. When the humidity reaches a predetermined threshold, the system automatically responds by introducing additional fresh purge gas, thus maintaining the required dryness level while preserving the ease of handling benefits of non-hermetic sealing
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
Significantly reduces the consumption of purge gas while maintaining a clean environment by recycling and purifying the gas within the container, ensuring dryness and cleanliness.
Implementation Method 1
The purifier thus may capture contaminants and moisture from the return flow from the container
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Methods and systems to reduce the consumption of purge gas for semiconductor substrate containers. The recirculation purging system recycles purge gas back to substrate containers by filtering and purifying gas flow from substrate containers, receiving gas flow from load port, or including a recirculation tank.