Removable Processing Chamber for Faster Plasma Tool Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plasma processing apparatuses face challenges in maintaining the processing chamber, which hinders efficient maintenance and prolongs downtime due to complex and cumbersome procedures for accessing and removing components.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a movable part and a separable second chamber that can be easily released and transported outside the first chamber via a clamp and release mechanism, allowing for simplified maintenance and reduced downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the second chamber is made separable and transportable for easy maintenance, then ease of repair is improved, but device complexity increases due to the clamp and release mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The processing chamber is divided into a first chamber and a second chamber that can be separated. The second chamber is made as a modular, separable unit that can be independently removed for maintenance, allowing repair without dismantling the entire apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp is designed to be movable between a clamping position (fixing the second chamber) and a released position (allowing removal). The lift mechanism enables vertical movement of the movable part, creating a dynamic system that transitions between operational and maintenance states.
2Ease of repair
If the second chamber is removed for maintenance, then ease of repair is improved, but loss of time increases due to the maintenance procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp and lift mechanism are pre-configured to enable quick release and removal of the second chamber. The movable part can be vertically displaced to automatically disengage the clamp, allowing maintenance personnel to rapidly remove the chamber without complex manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The second chamber is extracted as a separate, transportable unit from the first chamber. This extraction is facilitated by the separable design and the release mechanism, allowing the chamber to be removed for maintenance while the rest of the system remains intact and can be quickly reassembled.
3Reliability
If the clamp fixes the second chamber securely, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation worsens due to the need for release mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The manual or complex mechanical release system is replaced with a lift mechanism that uses vertical displacement of the movable part to automatically disengage the clamp. This substitution simplifies the release operation while maintaining secure fixing during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp system is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to transition from a fixed, secure state during operation to a released state during maintenance. The lift mechanism provides controlled movement that reliably engages and disengages the clamp as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus comprise: a first chamber including a sidewall providing an opening, the first chamber further including a movable part movable upward and downward within the first chamber; a substrate support disposed within the first chamber; a second chamber disposed within the first chamber and defining, together with the substrate support, a processing space in which a substrate mounted on the substrate support is processed, the second chamber being separable from the first chamber and transportable between an inner space of the first chamber and the outside of the first chamber via the opening; a clamp releasably fixing the second chamber to the movable part extending above the second chamber; a release mechanism configured to release the fixing of the second chamber by the clamp; and a lift mechanism configured to move the movable part upward and downward.