Substrate Batch Rearrangement for Narrower Face-to-Face Pitch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods face challenges in further narrowing the arrangement pitch of substrates for efficient batch processing, particularly when arranging substrates face-to-face to prevent device surface contamination, as conventional methods limit the pitch to half the original due to rotational alignment requirements.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method involving a substrate group acquisition, disassembly, half-rotation, and rearrangement process to alternately arrange substrates in opposite directions, allowing for a narrower pitch without generating extra substrates, and ensuring consistent orientation and efficient processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If substrates are arranged by inserting substrates from a second carrier into gaps of substrates from a first carrier, then the arrangement pitch is halved, but the pitch cannot be narrowed further and the process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate group is divided into multiple individual substrates that can be independently positioned at first and second positions. This segmentation allows each substrate to be placed at predetermined intervals that divide the original pitch into three, enabling pitch narrowing to 1/3 rather than just 1/2 of the original pitch.
Solution Approach 2:
Different substrates within the same substrate group are assigned different positions (first position or second position) based on their individual characteristics and processing requirements. This local differentiation allows for optimized arrangement where substrates facing each other form different sets, enabling face-to-face arrangement with narrowed pitch while maintaining processing efficiency.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If substrates are arranged face-to-face to prevent contamination, then device surface contamination is prevented, but the arrangement pitch is limited to half the original pitch
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate group is segmented into substrates positioned at first positions and substrates positioned at second positions. This segmentation enables face-to-face arrangement of substrates from the same substrate group, achieving both contamination prevention and pitch narrowing to 1/3 of the original pitch.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from the conventional two-carrier approach (requiring 180-degree rotation) to a single substrate group approach where substrates are arranged at two different positions along the same carrier. This dimensional change allows face-to-face arrangement without requiring substrates from different carriers, achieving pitch narrowing while maintaining contamination prevention.
3Ease of operation
If substrates from two carriers are combined and rotated halfway, then face-to-face arrangement is achieved, but extra substrates are generated and pitch narrowing is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple substrates from the same substrate group are merged into a face-to-face arrangement configuration by positioning them at first and second positions. This merging approach achieves face-to-face arrangement without requiring substrates from different carriers, preventing the generation of extra substrates while enabling pitch narrowing to 1/3 of the original pitch.
4Productivity
If the arrangement pitch is narrowed to increase batch processing efficiency, then processing efficiency is improved, but substrate orientation control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The substrates are preliminarily arranged in a substrate group at predetermined intervals before being positioned at first and second positions for face-to-face arrangement. This preliminary organization maintains clear orientation control while enabling pitch narrowing, as the predetermined interval structure is preserved even when the overall pitch is reduced to 1/3 of the original.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method including: a disassembly process of disassembling a temporary batch lot by dividing substrates into a first set and a second set such that two substrates facing each other among substrates constituting the temporary batch lot form different sets and moving the first set and the second set relative to each other in a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the substrates; a half-rotation process of orienting the substrates constituting the second set in a direction opposite to the one direction by half-rotating the second set; and a rearrangement process of combining the first set and the second set to generate a batch lot such that the substrates oriented in the one direction and the substrates oriented in the opposite direction are alternately arranged.