Substrate Carrier Fluidic Barrier Seal for Clean Wafer Transport
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate carriers used in semiconductor manufacturing are not hermetically sealed, leading to contamination of substrates due to exposure to uncontrolled environments and moisture, which is undesirable for processes requiring clean conditions.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transport system with a carrier that maintains a controlled environment using a housing with a fluid reservoir forming a fluidic barrier seal, featuring redundant seals and a passive door lock to prevent contamination, allowing for direct transfer between tools without exposing substrates to ambient conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional carriers are used for substrate transport, then the carrier structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the substrates are exposed to contamination from uncontrolled environments and moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into separate functional components: a hermetically sealed housing that maintains controlled atmosphere, a door assembly with redundant seals for access, and a fluid reservoir system for environmental control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while collectively solving the contamination problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier incorporates redundant sealing mechanisms and a fluid reservoir that maintains controlled environment conditions in advance. The passive door lock and multiple seals are pre-configured to prevent contamination before it can occur during transport or access operations.
2Reliability
If hermetically sealed carriers are used to prevent contamination, then substrate protection is improved, but the carrier complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier housing is designed to maintain a controlled, inert atmosphere environment for substrate transport. The hermetic sealing and fluid reservoir system work together to create and sustain this protected environment, preventing moisture and contaminant ingress while using conventional manufacturing techniques for the housing components.
Solution Approach 2:
A fluid reservoir acts as an intermediary system between the external environment and the substrate storage space. This reservoir maintains controlled environmental conditions (humidity, temperature, atmosphere composition) and buffers the substrates from direct exposure to external environmental variations, simplifying the sealing requirements.
3Reliability
If redundant seals and passive door locks are added to prevent contamination, then sealing reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door lock mechanism is designed as a passive system that maintains sealing through its inherent mechanical structure rather than requiring active control systems. The redundant seals are configured to maintain contact and sealing pressure through the door's natural positioning, eliminating the need for powered actuators or complex control logic while ensuring reliable contamination prevention.
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 system effectively maintains a clean and controlled environment for substrates during transport, reducing contamination risks and ensuring compatibility with various processing tools and environments.
Implementation Method 1
a housing with a fluid reservoir forming a fluidic barrier seal
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transport system includes a carrier having a housing forming an interior environment having an opening for holding at least one substrate and a door for sealing the opening from an outside atmosphere where when sealed the interior environment is configured to maintain an interior atmosphere therein, the housing including a fluid reservoir exterior to the interior environment and configured to contain a fluid, forming a different atmosphere in the fluid reservoir than the interior atmosphere, to form a fluidic barrier seal that seals the interior environment from an environment exterior to the carrier.