Substrate Ring Transfer Alignment Using Misalignment Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing systems fail to accurately recognize and correct position misalignment of rings during transfer, leading to potential damage and inefficiencies in the substrate processing process.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing system equipped with a controller that raises the lifter to space the ring from the substrate support, acquires an index of position misalignment, and determines whether to correct the position based on this index, using sensors and cameras to detect misalignment and implement corrective actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the ring is transferred by a transfer robot without position detection, then the transfer operation is simple and fast, but the position misalignment of the ring cannot be recognized or corrected
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs sensors and cameras to detect the ring's position on the substrate support, feeds this position information back to the controller, which then calculates misalignment and generates correction commands for the transfer robot to accurately reposition the ring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical transfer operations with an integrated system that incorporates optical detection (cameras), sensing mechanisms, and computational control to achieve precise position measurement and correction
2Reliability
If the ring position is not corrected during transfer, then the processing speed is maintained, but the ring may be damaged or misaligned affecting substrate processing quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs position detection and calculates misalignment during the transfer process, generating correction commands in advance before the ring is placed on the substrate support, ensuring accurate positioning without delaying the overall transfer operation
Solution Approach 2:
The transfer robot autonomously adjusts its positioning based on real-time feedback from sensors and cameras, correcting ring misalignment automatically during the transfer operation without requiring external intervention or separate correction steps
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing system includes: a processing module including a processing chamber, a substrate support configured to support a substrate and a ring disposed at a periphery of the substrate in the processing chamber, and a lifter configured to raise and lower the ring; a vacuum transfer module connected to the processing module and including a transfer robot configured to transfer the ring; and a controller. The controller performs: (A) raising the lifter to allow the ring to be spaced apart from a support surface of the substrate support; (B) after step (A), acquiring an index related to a position misalignment amount of the ring; and (C) determining whether to correct a position of the ring based on the index related to the position misalignment amount, which is acquired in step (B).