Substrate Storage Purge Gas Control for Oxidation Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses fail to effectively manage oxygen concentration within substrate storage, leading to potential oxidation of substrates during transfer, which can result in natural oxide film formation and decreased productivity.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a substrate conveyance area and a substrate storage conveyance area separated by a partition wall, utilizing purge gas supply units and a controller to maintain oxygen concentration within the substrate storage below a predetermined threshold, ensuring the substrate is transferred when the oxygen concentration is safe, thereby preventing oxide film formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inert gas is supplied into substrate storage during conveyance, then substrate oxidation is suppressed, but carry-in/-out time increases due to additional gas filling steps
Solution Approach 1:
The inert gas is supplied into the substrate storage in advance, while the substrate is still on the temporary shelf, before the storage is conveyed to the processing area. This preliminary action ensures the storage is already filled with protective gas when needed, eliminating the need for gas filling during conveyance and reducing overall processing time
2Productivity
If substrate storage is kept in conveyance area with high oxygen concentration, then productivity is improved, but substrate oxidation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is divided into two distinct areas: a substrate storage conveyance area with higher oxygen concentration for productivity, and a substrate conveyance area with controlled low oxygen concentration for oxidation prevention. The partition wall creates this segmentation, allowing substrates to be stored and conveyed in different environmental conditions simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall acts as an intermediary barrier between the high oxygen concentration area and low oxygen concentration area. It allows the two areas to maintain different atmospheric conditions while still being part of the same processing apparatus, enabling substrates to transition between environments during processing
3Device complexity
If oxygen concentration is not monitored, then device complexity is reduced, but substrate quality deteriorates due to oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
An oxygen concentration detection device continuously monitors the oxygen level in the substrate conveyance area and provides feedback to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the inert gas supply based on this feedback, maintaining oxygen concentration below the threshold that causes oxidation, thereby ensuring substrate quality without requiring overly complex manual monitoring systems
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 solution allows for proper management of oxygen concentration within the substrate storage without compromising productivity, ensuring substrates are transferred safely and reducing the risk of oxide film formation during processing.
Implementation Method 1
a first purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the substrate storage stored on the substrate storage storing shelf; a second purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the substrate storage placed on the transfer and placement unit
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate conveyance area; a substrate storage conveyance area; a substrate storage storing shelf; a first purge gas supply unit that supplies a purge gas into the substrate storage on the substrate storage storing shelf; an integrated flow rate acquiring unit that acquires an integrated flow rate of the purge gas supplied into the substrate storage; a transfer and placement unit; a second purge gas supply unit that supplies a purge gas into the substrate storage placed on the transfer and placement unit; a substrate transfer unit that transfers the substrate into the substrate conveyance area when the substrate storage is opened; and a controller that calculates an oxygen concentration within the substrate storage based on the integrated flow rate of the purge gas, and transfers the substrate to the substrate conveyance area when the oxygen concentration is a threshold value or less.