Adjustable Substrate Handler Joint for End Effector Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate handling mechanisms in gas-phase reactors, such as Bernoulli wands and paddle systems, suffer from particulate contamination and substrate damage due to deflection at high temperatures, which compromises precision and integrity during substrate transfer.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable joint system is integrated into the substrate handling device, allowing for precise alignment and adjustment of the pitch and roll of links to maintain the end effector's orientation, while ensuring the end effector is spaced away from gearing to reduce contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If substrate transfer mechanisms use moving parts (links, joints, gearing) to enable substrate handling, then substrate transfer capability is achieved, but particulate contamination is generated from the moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the end effector and its associated moving parts (links, joints, gearing) from the high-temperature reaction chamber environment. The substrate transfer mechanism is extracted so that only the stationary reaction chamber remains in the hot zone, while transfer operations occur externally or at the chamber boundary, eliminating the source of particulate contamination during substrate processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a stationary reaction chamber as an intermediary barrier between the substrate processing environment and the moving transfer mechanism. The chamber acts as a boundary that isolates the substrate from particulate contamination generated by external transfer mechanisms, allowing moving parts to operate outside the controlled processing zone
2Temperature
If reaction temperatures within the reactor are increased to improve processing capability, then substrate processing performance is enhanced, but link deflection (drooping) occurs causing substrate position deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the substrate transfer mechanism from the high-temperature reaction zone, removing the links and joints that would otherwise be subjected to thermal deflection. By performing transfer operations externally or at the chamber boundary, the mechanism is not exposed to temperatures that cause drooping and position deviations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical link-and-joint system with a stationary reaction chamber configuration. Instead of using movable mechanical components within the hot zone that are susceptible to thermal deflection, the system uses a fixed chamber structure that maintains geometric stability at high temperatures, with transfer operations occurring externally
3Manufacturing precision
If adjustable joints are added to correct link deflection and maintain end effector orientation, then substrate position precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the entire adjustable joint system and link mechanism from the high-temperature reaction chamber. By extracting the transfer mechanism from the hot zone, the need for complex temperature-compensation joints is eliminated, as the chamber itself remains stationary and geometrically stable at operating temperatures
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the transfer mechanism within the chamber adjustable and complex to compensate for thermal effects, the patent inverts the approach by making the reaction chamber itself the stable reference frame. The chamber is designed to be stationary and thermally stable, with all adjustability and movement occurring externally where temperature effects are negligible
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable joint for insertion into a linkage of a substrate handler utilized for substrate processing. The adjustable joint allows for adjusting the pitch and roll of an attached link. Such adjustment may permit aligning a pickup surface of an end effector to a desired plane. Once adjusted, the joint may be fixed to maintain the desired orientation of the attached link. The adjustable joint allows for correcting deflection of a pickup surface of an end effector relative to a desired pickup plane due to, for example, drooping caused by high temperature usage, mechanical tolerances and/or installation errors.