Substrate Carrier Drip Edge Design to Prevent Liquid Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor processing, liquid droplets often adhere to carrier surfaces and migrate to substrates during wet processing, causing contamination after the process is completed.
Innovation Solution
The carrier is configured with drainage areas and slanted surfaces or lines that direct liquid droplets away from the substrate area, preventing them from falling on the substrates and reducing contamination. This includes tilted lines and surfaces that lead droplets to the ground, avoiding accumulation points and splattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the carrier uses vertical or horizontal surfaces to support substrates, then the substrate support function is achieved, but liquid droplets accumulate on these surfaces and drop onto substrates causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional vertical or horizontal support surfaces into slanted surfaces that angle away from the substrate. This inversion changes the droplet migration path, causing liquid to drain away from the substrate rather than accumulate and drop onto it, thereby resolving the contamination issue while maintaining support functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful droplet accumulation function from the support surfaces by introducing slanted drainage surfaces. These slanted surfaces actively direct liquid away from the substrate area, separating the support function from the harmful droplet retention function, thus preventing contamination
2Ease of manufacture
If the carrier has simple rod structures with teeth to hold substrates, then the manufacturing is simple, but liquid droplets can migrate along the tooth surfaces and contaminate substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only the critical surfaces (those facing or near substrates) to have slanted drainage configurations, while other parts of the carrier structure can remain simple. This targeted modification prevents droplet migration on critical surfaces without requiring complete structural redesign, maintaining ease of manufacture while solving contamination
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional horizontal or vertical tooth surfaces into slanted surfaces that angle away from the substrate. This inversion changes the droplet migration path, causing liquid to drain away from the substrate rather than accumulate and drop onto it, thereby resolving the contamination issue while maintaining support functionality
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 effectively reduces or eliminates liquid contamination on substrates by ensuring that droplets fall outside the substrate area, minimizing the risk of contamination and maintaining substrate cleanliness.
Implementation Method 1
The drainage area can include tilted lines and surfaces toward the ground away from the substrates
Data Source
AI summary
Substrate carrier can have drainage area leading the liquid away from the substrates, so that liquid droplet can be channeled away from the substrate area. The drainage area can include tilted lines and surfaces toward the ground away from the substrates. The carrier can further have drainage area leading the liquid to an end of the carrier, which then can be channeled to the ground without being free fall to the ground.