Rotatable Wafer Boat Handling Device for Compact Furnace Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer boat handling devices require multiple support surfaces and complex designs to manage processing, cooling, and transferring wafers efficiently, leading to increased size and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A wafer boat handling device with a rotatable table featuring only two support surfaces, capable of rotating to three positions: load/receive, cooldown, and transfer, allowing simultaneous processing and cooling of wafers, reducing the device's diameter and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wafer boat support surfaces are used to manage processing, cooling, and transferring wafers, then the device can perform all required functions, but the device size and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each wafer boat support surface is designed to perform multiple functions sequentially: loading/receiving wafer boats from the process chamber, cooling down the wafer boats, and transferring wafers to and from the wafer boats. The rotatable table with two support surfaces cycles through these three positions (load/receive, cooldown, transfer) to achieve all required functions with minimal components
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable table dynamically repositions the two wafer boat support surfaces through rotation to access three different functional positions. This dynamic movement allows the same physical surfaces to serve different purposes at different times, eliminating the need for separate static surfaces for each function
2Productivity
If three wafer boat support surfaces are used on the rotatable table, then all functions can be performed simultaneously, but the device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
While one wafer boat is being processed in the process chamber, the other wafer boat support surface continuously performs cooling and transferring operations. This continuous utilization of both support surfaces across three rotational positions ensures no idle time and maintains high productivity without requiring three surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling down of wafer boats is performed in advance during the processing time of other wafers. By positioning one wafer boat for cooling while another is being processed, the system prepares cooled wafer boats ready for transfer before they are needed, maintaining continuous productivity
Data Source
AI summary
Wafer boat handling device, configured to be positioned under a process chamber of a vertical batch furnace, and comprising a rotatable table comprising a first and a second wafer boat support surface. Each wafer boat support surface is configured for supporting a wafer boat. The rotatable table is rotatable by an actuator to rotate both the first and the second wafer support surfaces to a load/receive position in which the wafer boat handling device is configured to load a wafer boat vertically from the rotatable table into the process chamber and to receive the wafer boat from the process chamber onto the rotatable table, a cooldown position in which the wafer boat handling device is configured to cool down a wafer boat, and a transfer position for transferring wafers to and/or from the wafer boat.