Horizontal Substrate Reversing Chuck for Compact In-Liquid Turning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional in-liquid posture turning apparatuses face challenges in downsizing and reducing the load on the rotating mechanism, leading to inefficiencies in substrate processing, particularly in maintaining uniform processing across the substrate plane due to the vertical rotation of the entire in-tank carrier and the complexity of the rotating mechanism.
Innovation Solution
An in-liquid posture turning apparatus with a reversing chuck and a rotating drive mechanism that turns substrates horizontally within an immersion tank, utilizing a lifting drive mechanism to move the chuck up and down and a rotating drive mechanism to pivot the substrates around a horizontal axis, reducing the size of the immersion tank and the load on the rotating mechanism, and incorporating a transmission mechanism with a timing belt and bevel gears to minimize weight and transmission loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the entire in-tank carrier is rotated vertically to turn substrates from vertical to horizontal posture, then the substrate posture turning function is achieved, but the immersion tank size increases significantly in the vertical direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the rotation function into two independent segments: (1) the in-tank carrier moves vertically to submerge/raise substrates, and (2) the substrates rotate horizontally around a horizontal axis while submerged. This segmentation allows the tank to remain compact vertically while achieving complete posture turning through coordinated vertical movement and horizontal rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the rotation axis from vertical to horizontal, and introduces vertical movement as a separate dimension for substrate immersion. By rotating substrates around a horizontal axis (rather than vertical), the tank's vertical dimension can be minimized while still achieving the required posture change from vertical to horizontal orientation.
2Ease of operation
If the entire in-tank carrier is rotated vertically, then substrate posture turning is achieved, but the load on the rotating mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the heavy lifting function (vertical movement of carrier) from the rotation function (horizontal axis rotation). The rotating mechanism only needs to provide the torque for horizontal rotation of substrates around a horizontal axis, not the full vertical rotation load, significantly reducing the mechanical burden on the rotating components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary horizontal rotation axis that acts as a mediator between the vertical carrier movement and the final substrate orientation. This horizontal axis allows substrates to be rotated with minimal torque while the carrier's vertical movement handles the bulk of the positioning work.
3Ease of operation
If substrates are turned to horizontal posture for each in-tank carrier, then complete posture conversion is achieved, but the complexity of the rotating mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of rotating the entire carrier vertically on a vertical axis, the patent inverts the approach by rotating substrates horizontally around a horizontal axis while the carrier moves vertically. This inversion simplifies the rotating mechanism to only handle horizontal rotation, eliminating the need for complex vertical rotation mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An in-liquid posture turning apparatus for turning a posture of a plurality of substrates, the apparatus including: an immersion tank; a reversing chuck; an opening/closing drive mechanism; a rotating drive mechanism; and a lifting drive mechanism that moves the reversing chuck up and down between a transfer position above the immersion tank and a turning position in the immersion tank, in which in a state where the reversing chuck is moved up to the transfer position, the reversing chuck, which has been set to an open position, is made to receive a plurality of substrates, and after the inversion chuck is set to a holding position, in a state where the inversion chuck is moved down to the turning position, the reversing chuck is driven around a horizontal axis.