Substrate Transfer Door Horizontal Rotation Reduces Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate transfer devices in semiconductor manufacturing processes face challenges in reducing the height required to open and close the door, which limits the efficiency of wafer arrangement status checking and increases the footprint of the carrier block and coating and developing apparatus, while also allowing particles to enter the wafer transfer region.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transfer device with a door that rotates around a horizontal axis, allowing it to move between positions without needing to be raised or lowered, combined with a reciprocating unit to move the door between closed and open positions, and a rotating unit to deviate from the door's path, reducing the vertical space required and preventing particle introduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is moved up and down to open and close the wafer transfer opening, then the door can be opened and closed, but the height of the loading port is relatively increased
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening/closing operation is changed from vertical movement (up and down) to horizontal movement (back and forth). The door moves horizontally away from and toward the wafer transfer opening, transforming the motion from one dimension (vertical) to another dimension (horizontal), thereby reducing the vertical height requirement while maintaining operational functionality.
2Reliability
If multiple loading ports are arranged transversely to prevent carrier collision, then carrier collision is prevented, but the footprint of the carrier block and coating and developing apparatus is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The door movement is changed from vertical displacement to horizontal displacement. By moving the door back and forth horizontally rather than up and down vertically, the loading port height is reduced, allowing multiple loading ports to be arranged vertically instead of transversely. This dimensional change enables a different spatial arrangement that reduces the horizontal footprint while maintaining carrier collision prevention through vertical separation.
3Ease of operation
If a long vertical slit is formed in the partition member to move the connection member, then the connection member can be moved, but particles generated at the driving unit are introduced into the wafer transfer region
Solution Approach 1:
The door movement is changed from vertical to horizontal direction. Since the door moves horizontally back and forth rather than vertically up and down, the connection member's movement path is also transformed to horizontal motion. This eliminates the need for a long vertical slit in the partition member, as the connection can be achieved through horizontal movement, thereby reducing particle introduction pathways while maintaining operational capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate by allowing a substrate opening formed on a front surface of a substrate transfer vessel to face an opening formed on a partition wall from one side of the partition wall and separating a cover body of the substrate transfer vessel from the other side of the partition wall includes a door configured to open and close the opening from the other side of the partition wall; a reciprocating unit configured to straightly move the door back and forth between a first position where the opening is closed and a second position away from the first position toward the other side of the partition wall; and a rotating unit configured to rotate the door around a rotation axis in a straightly moving direction of the door between the second position and a third position deviated from a region facing the opening.