Substrate Guide Surface Segmentation for Wafer Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in reliably accepting substrates within the scoop opening while minimizing the height of guide portions, leading to increased airflow and re-contamination, and risk of substrate deformation or breakage due to high rotational speeds and pressing forces.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a guide surface configuration featuring a gentler second guide surface inclination, allowing a larger inner diameter of the scoop opening and reduced height of guide portions, along with multiple arms and a continuous ring-shaped substrate placing portion to distribute pressure evenly and prevent deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide portion height is reduced to minimize airflow, then re-contamination is reduced, but the substrate cannot be reliably accepted within the scoop opening
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surface is segmented into two distinct portions: a first guide surface with a steeper inclination angle for initial substrate acceptance, and a second guide surface with a gentler inclination angle for refined positioning. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its function independently, enabling reliable substrate acceptance while maintaining low guide portion height to minimize airflow and re-contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the guide surface are given different inclination angles tailored to their specific functions. The first guide surface has a steeper angle optimized for initial substrate capture, while the second guide surface has a gentler angle optimized for precise positioning. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing the guide portion to simultaneously achieve reliable acceptance and minimal height.
2Reliability
If the inner diameter of the scoop opening is increased to accept substrate reliably, then substrate acceptance reliability improves, but the guide portion height increases causing increased airflow and re-contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surface is divided into two portions with different inclination angles, allowing the scoop opening to maintain a smaller inner diameter while still achieving reliable substrate acceptance. The first guide surface's steeper angle compensates for the reduced diameter, ensuring substrates are captured effectively without increasing guide portion height.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclination angle parameter is changed between the two guide surface portions. The first portion uses a steeper angle to maximize substrate capture within a compact opening, while the second portion uses a gentler angle for precise positioning. This parameter variation allows reliable acceptance without increasing overall height.
3Productivity
If high rotational speed is used to scatter droplets and dry the substrate, then drying efficiency improves, but substrate deformation or breakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is preliminarily positioned and stabilized on the substrate placing portion before high-speed rotation begins. The guide surfaces ensure the substrate is correctly seated and secured, providing a stable base that can withstand the subsequent high rotational speeds used for drying without deforming or breaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate's own weight and the guide surface geometry work together to automatically position and secure the substrate before rotation. This self-positioning mechanism ensures proper placement without additional mechanical intervention, creating a stable starting condition that prevents deformation during high-speed drying.
4Reliability
If pressing force is increased to ensure substrate gripping, then gripping reliability improves, but substrate deformation or breakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide surfaces preliminarily position the substrate correctly on the substrate placing portion before the chuck claw engages. This preliminary positioning ensures the substrate is already stabilized and correctly oriented, allowing the gripping mechanism to secure it with minimal pressing force, thereby maintaining gripping reliability while preventing deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surface geometry enables the substrate to self-position and stabilize on the placing portion through its own weight. This self-service positioning reduces the burden on the gripping mechanism, allowing reliable gripping with lower pressing forces that do not deform or break the substrate.
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 solution ensures reliable substrate positioning within a smaller scoop opening, reduces re-contamination, and prevents substrate deformation or breakage by distributing pressure evenly, enhancing processing efficiency and throughput.
Implementation Method 1
a first guide surface 52a configured to guide the outer circumferential end surface of the substrate W which falls down by its own weight when the substrate is placed and held on the substrate placing portion
Implementation Method 2
the cleaned semiconductor wafer is rotated at a high speed to scatter droplets attached to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, thereby drying the semiconductor wafer
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus is used for a spin drying apparatus, a pencil-type scrubbing cleaning apparatus, an IPA drying apparatus and the like, which are used as semiconductor wafer processing apparatuses. The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate stage and a substrate chuck mechanism. The substrate chuck mechanism includes a chuck body having a substrate placing portion configured to place a peripheral portion of a substrate and a guide surface configured to guide an outer circumferential end surface of the substrate and to position the substrate when the substrate is placed on the substrate placing portion, and a chuck claw rotatably supported on the chuck body and configured to hold the peripheral portion of the substrate between the substrate placing portion and the chuck claw by turning the chuck claw inward in a closing direction. The guide surface comprises a first guide surface and a second guide surface which guide the outer circumferential end surface of the substrate and differ in inclinations from each other.