Reticle Pod Drain Structure for Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reticle pods lack a drainage system for removing water during cleaning, leading to contamination risks and inefficiencies in maintaining cleanliness, and they fail to ensure stable retention of reticles due to unclear fastening mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A reticle pod with a drain structure featuring drain holes in the outer container and centrifugal force-assisted water removal, combined with supporters that press retainers on the inner container to securely fasten and stabilize the reticle, allowing for effective cleaning without disassembly and reducing contamination chances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional reticle pod structure is used without drain holes, then the structure remains simple and intact, but water remains in the pod after cleaning causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The outer container is segmented by adding multiple drain holes at different locations (bottom side and side walls) to enable comprehensive water drainage from various areas of the pod, ensuring complete removal of cleaning water to prevent contamination
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful element (water) is extracted from the pod through drain holes using centrifugal force generated by rotation, separating the water from the cleaning environment and preventing it from remaining in the pod to cause contamination
2Reliability
If double-layer container structure is used, then reticle isolation is improved, but the fastening mechanism becomes unclear and positioning status cannot be determined
Solution Approach 1:
A snap-fastening mechanism is implemented where the inner container's lower cover snaps onto supporters on the outer container's upper cover, providing audible and tactile feedback that confirms proper fastening and positioning of the reticle
Solution Approach 2:
Supporters act as intermediary elements between the inner and outer containers, providing structured attachment points that enable reliable fastening while allowing detection of positioning status through the snap-fastening action
3Productivity
If water removal requires disassembly of the pod, then complete water removal is achieved, but labor time and cleaning efficiency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pod structure itself provides the drainage function through integrated drain holes, enabling the system to remove water automatically through centrifugal force during rotation without requiring external disassembly or additional cleaning operations
Solution Approach 2:
Centrifugal force generated by rotation creates a hydraulic effect that moves water through the drain holes and out of the pod, enabling efficient water removal without mechanical disassembly
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
The solution enables efficient drainage of water and stabilization of reticles within the pod, reducing contamination risks and labor costs while ensuring safe and stable reticle handling during storage and transport.
Implementation Method 1
a technology that uses a double-layer container for isolating the reticle has been proposed in the prior art... During cleaning, the conventional pod has no design to drain the remained water in the bottom side
Data Source
AI summary
A reticle pod with drain structure comprises an outer container and an inner container, wherein an upper cover of inner container is disposed with a plurality of retainers, and a plurality of supporters disposed on the outer container are used to press the retainers for fastening and stabilizing the reticle in the inner container and thus ensuring safety and stability of the reticle in the reticle pod. Collision risks of the reticle in the reticle pod due to vacillation of reticle pod during transportation can be reduced. Cost of reticles also can be greatly decreased. Further, a plurality of drain holes is disposed on a lower cover of the outer container for draining the remained water in the outer container. It will be done without disassembling the lower cover of outer container for reducing the contamination opportunity in the pod and preventing from wasting of labor and time for disassembling.