Substrate Gripping Hand Roll Axis Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate transfer devices fail to accurately grip semiconductor wafers, leading to potential dropping due to inaccurate contact of pads with the wafer periphery.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transfer device equipped with a manipulator, a substrate gripping hand featuring a base member, engaging members, and a movable guiding member, along with an actuator and controller, which rotates the gripping hand about a roll axis and adjusts the position of the wafer to ensure the weight of the substrate acts on the base member, preventing dropping even if engaging members do not accurately contact the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pads contact with the periphery of the wafer to grip the substrate, then the substrate can be held, but inaccurate contact leads to dropping
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate gripping hand rotates about the roll axis before gripping to preliminarily position the substrate correctly. This preliminary rotation ensures that even if pad contact is not perfectly accurate initially, the substrate will be properly oriented and secured during the gripping process, preventing dropping.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate gripping hand is made dynamic by introducing rotation about the roll axis during the gripping operation. This dynamic adjustment allows the gripping hand to adapt to slight misalignments in pad contact position, ensuring reliable substrate gripping even when initial contact accuracy is imperfect.
2Reliability
If multiple engaging members are used to grip the substrate, then gripping reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate gripping hand is designed with multi-functionality by combining multiple engaging members (first, second, and third engaging members) that can operate in different configurations. These members serve multiple purposes: initial substrate acquisition, rotation about the roll axis, and final secure gripping, reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The first, second, and third engaging members are merged into a single integrated substrate gripping hand structure that performs multiple functions. This consolidation achieves reliable substrate gripping through coordinated action of multiple members while avoiding the complexity of separate independent gripping mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transfer device includes a manipulator, a substrate gripping hand, an actuator configured to rotate the substrate gripping hand about a roll axis, and a controller adapted to operate the manipulator to hold a substrate by a first engaging member and a second engaging member of the substrate gripping hand, then operate the actuator so that a first principal surface of the substrate is located above a base member, and a normal line of the first principal surface is oriented downward from a horizontal plane, and move a movable guiding member toward the tip-end part of the base member so that the second engaging member, a third engaging member, and the movable guiding member grip the substrate.