Rotating Substrate Holder Pin Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate holding devices experience premature wear of support pins, leading to reduced substrate release efficiency and increased maintenance frequency due to thermal expansion and brush scanning, which can cause substrate damage and transportation issues.
Innovation Solution
A substrate holding device with rotating holders that include a rotating base, position regulator, and pushing member, allowing for smooth substrate release even when worn, by switching between contact and release positions using a rotating mechanism, thereby minimizing contact area and reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the support pins continuously contact the substrate outer periphery edge during substrate holding and rotation, then the substrate can be securely held and positioned, but the contact portions of the support pins become worn, reducing the lifetime of the support pins
Solution Approach 1:
The support pin is divided into a fixed base and a rotatable position regulator. The position regulator can rotate around the longitudinal axis of the base, transitioning between contact and non-contact states with the substrate. This dynamic mechanism allows the support pin to adapt its contact state, reducing continuous wear while maintaining holding reliability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The position regulator performs periodic rotation to switch between contact and non-contact states with the substrate outer periphery edge. This periodic action reduces continuous friction and wear on the support pin contact portions, extending the support pin lifetime while maintaining substrate holding capability during treatment periods.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the substrate is held firmly by the support pins during treatment, then the substrate position is stable, but the outer periphery edge of the substrate cuts into the contact portions of the support pins, causing wear
Solution Approach 1:
The support pin structure differentiates between the fixed base that provides stable positioning and the rotatable position regulator that contacts the substrate. This local quality differentiation allows the stable base to maintain substrate position while the rotatable regulator minimizes wear through periodic non-contact, reducing the harmful cutting effect.
3Reliability
If the support pins are replaced frequently to maintain substrate release quality, then substrate transportation reliability is improved, but the maintenance time and operational downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable position regulator dynamically switches between contact and non-contact states, reducing wear accumulation. This extends the interval between required replacements, decreasing maintenance frequency and operational downtime while maintaining substrate release quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating mechanism proactively prevents excessive wear by periodically releasing contact between the support pin and substrate. This preliminary action avoids the need for frequent replacements, reducing maintenance time and keeping the apparatus operational longer.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate holding device includes a spin table, and three or more holders. The three or more holders each have a base and a position regulator, and are arranged on an outer periphery of the spin table while being spaced apart from one another. At least one of the holders includes a rotating base as the base that is rotatable around a longitudinal shaft axis, a rotating position regulator as the position regulator that regulates a horizontal position of the substrate on the spin table, a rotating mechanism configured to switch the rotating position regulator between a first condition and a second condition, and a pushing member that is spaced apart from the substrate when the rotating position regulator is under the first condition and pushes the substrate in a direction apart from the position regulator when the rotating position regulator is switched to the second condition.