Substrate Drying Using Heated Inert Gas and Unheated DI Water
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drying methods for magnetic disk substrates using hot de-ionized water are inefficient, costly, and introduce contamination or equipment damage due to the aggressive nature of hot water, and traditional lifting mechanisms can cause drying marks.
Innovation Solution
The method employs unheated de-ionized water and a heated inert gas, such as nitrogen, for rinsing and drying, respectively, and utilizes a two-stage holder system to prevent contact between the wet disk and the holder, ensuring efficient and contamination-free drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If hot de-ionized water is used for rinsing and drying, then drying efficiency is improved, but stains and impurities are introduced on the disk surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the rinsing water from hot to room temperature, eliminating the staining and impurity problems while maintaining acceptable drying efficiency through the subsequent inert gas drying step. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by decoupling the rinsing and drying functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an inert gas (such as nitrogen) as an intermediary drying agent between the rinsing water and the disk surface. This intermediary enables efficient drying without direct contact between hot water and the disk, thereby preventing stains and impurities while maintaining drying efficiency.
2Speed
If hot de-ionized water is used for drying, then evaporation speed is improved, but bacterial build-up and equipment deterioration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inert gas serves as a mediator that transfers heat to the disk surface for drying without causing bacterial build-up or equipment deterioration. The gas contacts the disk surface directly for drying while the water remains separate, eliminating the harmful effects of hot water drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the liquid-based hot water drying system with a gas-based inert gas drying system. This substitution eliminates the problems of bacterial growth and equipment corrosion associated with hot liquid water while maintaining effective drying through gas-phase heat transfer.
3Ease of operation
If a holder arm contacts the disk during lifting from DI water, then the disk is supported, but contamination or drying marks occur at the contact point
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the holder arm from the drying environment by positioning it below the liquid surface during the critical drying phase. The holder supports the disk during immersion and transfer but does not contact the disk surface when the disk is exposed to air or inert gas, thereby preventing contamination and drying marks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial dimension of holder-disk interaction by moving the holder contact point from the disk edge (where it would be visible and cause marks) to the disk center opening area, and by controlling the timing so contact occurs only when the disk is submerged or when marks are not visible.
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 approach reduces energy consumption, minimizes equipment damage, and eliminates drying marks by using unheated DI water and heated inert gas for efficient drying, while the second dry holder system ensures the disk is lifted without contact with a wet surface.
Implementation Method 1
The heated inert gas, such as nitrogen provides for efficient drying of the disk
Implementation Method 2
The unheated DI water addresses a number of the problems listed above, namely saving the energy consumed to heat the water
Data Source
AI summary
A method for drying a workpiece using an apparatus comprising a liquid bath for immersing said workpiece, a deionized water supply for supplying deionized water to said bath, a partially enclosed volume of heated inert gas located above said liquid bath and a heated inert gas supply for supplying heated inert gas. A first holder is used for holding said workpiece in said liquid bath with a vertical orientation between the first holder and said liquid bath and a second holder, comprising a horizontal member, that is able to hold said at least one workpiece in such a way as to substantially prevent said workpiece from sliding along said horizontal member.