Calibration Substrate Securing Device for Semiconductor Robot Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Calibrating a substrate handling robot in semiconductor processing equipment is time-consuming and prone to inaccuracies due to shifts in equipment components during processing, leading to non-uniform processing conditions and prolonged downtime.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a securing device to restrain a calibration substrate within a predefined tolerance on a susceptor, subjecting it to actual processing conditions, and recording coordinates of the robot arm during transfer to accurately determine and record the centered process position, which compensates for shifts caused by changing environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional robot calibration methods are used without restraining the substrate, then the calibration process is simpler, but the substrate position accuracy deteriorates due to lateral movement and equipment shifts during processing
Solution Approach 1:
A securing device is introduced as an intermediary between the substrate and the processing equipment. This device restrains lateral movement of the substrate during processing while allowing vertical movement, thereby improving position accuracy without requiring complex recalibration procedures. The securing device acts as a mediator that compensates for equipment shifts and thermal expansion issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is secured in a centered position before processing begins. This preliminary action of restraining lateral movement prevents position drift during subsequent processing steps, ensuring accurate substrate placement without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms during the actual processing.
2Measurement precision
If traditional calibration without process condition simulation is used, then the calibration process is faster, but the calibration accuracy deteriorates due to equipment component shifts during actual processing
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration substrate is subjected to actual processing conditions (heat, pressure, vacuum) before the robot coordinates are recorded. This preliminary exposure to process conditions causes any equipment component shifts to occur during calibration rather than during production, ensuring that the recorded coordinates remain accurate throughout the actual processing cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration process incorporates changes in processing parameters (temperature, pressure, vacuum level) to simulate actual operating conditions. By varying these parameters during calibration, the system accounts for thermal expansion, mechanical shifts, and other condition-dependent variations, thereby improving calibration accuracy without requiring multiple separate calibration runs.
3Manufacturing precision
If the substrate is allowed to move freely on the susceptor, then the substrate handling is simpler, but the processing uniformity deteriorates due to non-centered positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The securing device serves as an intermediary that maintains the substrate in a centered position on the susceptor during processing. It restrains lateral movement while allowing vertical movement for proper substrate-to-susceptor contact, thereby ensuring processing uniformity without complicating the overall substrate handling procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The securing device applies restraint forces only in the lateral direction where positioning accuracy is needed, while leaving vertical movement freedom for proper substrate contact with the susceptor. This selective application of constraints maintains processing uniformity without overly complicating the substrate handling operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor processing and more particularly to placing a substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment for processing, and to apparatuses for placing the substrate in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In one aspect, a method of calibrating a process position of a semiconductor substrate in a process chamber comprises securing a calibration substrate on a susceptor in a processing chamber under an open chamber condition using a securing device, wherein securing comprises preventing the substrate from sliding laterally on the susceptor by more than a predefined tolerance from a centered position relative to a susceptor center. The method additionally comprises subjecting the calibration substrate under a process condition different from the open chamber condition. The method additionally comprises transferring the calibration substrate from the susceptor using a robot arm. The method further comprises detecting a position of the calibration substrate and recording coordinates of the robot arm corresponding to the detected position of the calibration substrate. Detection can be conducted on the fly. The securing device can be removed prior to processing substrates.