Substrate Carrier Eccentric Drive for Uniform Vacuum Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate carriers for coating small, high-precision components in cleanroom conditions and vacuum environments face high risks of blockage and failure due to numerous rotating and meshing components, leading to uneven drive torque and imbalances.
Innovation Solution
The substrate carrier employs eccentrics that drive a drive element in a rotating manner about an eccentric axis radially to the carrier axis, with at least one driver wobbling about the carrier axis, reducing the number of moving parts and incorporating bevel gears or cam disks to convert rotation into radial motion, while maintaining uniform drive torque through balanced wobbling motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a kinematic chain of stacked and meshing gears is used to drive substrate holders, then the substrate holders can be driven, but the number of rotating components increases leading to high risk of blockage and failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the intermediate gear components from the drive system. Instead of using a kinematic chain with multiple meshing gears, the invention directly couples the drive shaft to the substrate holder drive elements, removing unnecessary rotating components that increase blockage risk while maintaining the driving function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional gear-driven approach by using a direct drive mechanism where the drive shaft directly rotates the substrate holders without intermediate gear stages. This reversal of the driving mechanism eliminates the complexity and reliability issues associated with multiple meshing gears.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple differently and/or counter-rotating drive elements are used, then coating uniformity can be improved, but drive torque uniformity deteriorates due to uneven torque from eccentrics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies counterbalancing principles by using counter-rotating drive elements that offset each other's torque fluctuations. The eccentrics on counter-rotating shafts are positioned and dimensioned to compensate for uneven torque peaks, creating a balanced system where the combined drive torque remains more uniform while still achieving multiple rotation directions for uniform coating.
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
This design reduces the risk of blockage and failure, ensures uniform coating by minimizing imbalances, and maintains consistent drive torque, enhancing the reliability and precision of coating processes.
Implementation Method 1
eccentrics that drive the drive element in a rotating manner about an eccentric axis extending radially to the carrier axis
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate carrier (4) with a vertically extending support axis (8) and a tubular shell (9) arranged around the support axis (8), substrate holders (12) for each holding a substrate (13), which are rotatably mounted in the shell (9) about a substrate axis (14) extending from the shell (9), and a drive element (15) that is rotatable about the support axis (8) relative to the substrate holders (12). A drive method for such a substrate holder (12) is also disclosed. To reduce the number of rotating components, it is proposed according to the invention to provide eccentrics (19) which drive the drive element (15) in a rotating manner about an eccentric axis (24) extending radially to the support axis (8) and at least one driver (30) which the eccentrics (19) drive in a wobbling manner about the support axis (8), and which drives the substrate holders (12) in a rotating manner about the respective substrate axis (14) synchronously with the eccentrics (19).