Substrate Transfer Mechanism with Stacked Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate transfer mechanisms in semiconductor manufacturing face challenges in efficiently transferring substrates between different layouts and modules, leading to increased installation area requirements and reduced throughput due to the need for horizontal arrangement and subsequent re-arrangement of substrates in load-lock modules.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transfer mechanism featuring a rotating support body with vertically extended rotary shafts and arms that can switch between horizontal and stacked substrate support configurations, allowing for flexible substrate positioning and collective transfer between load-lock and processing modules, thereby optimizing substrate layout and throughput without increasing apparatus size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If substrates are arranged horizontally in a 2×2 matrix shape for transfer, then the substrate transfer mechanism can handle multiple substrates simultaneously, but the installation area increases and throughput decreases due to required re-arrangement in load-lock modules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions substrate arrangement from a two-dimensional horizontal matrix to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. The support body vertically stacks substrates at multiple levels, eliminating the need for horizontal re-arrangement in load-lock modules and reducing installation area while maintaining high throughput
Solution Approach 2:
The support body is designed with rotational capability around a vertical axis, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of substrate positions. This rotation enables the same horizontal layout to serve multiple processing modules without requiring additional load-lock space, thereby improving throughput while minimizing installation area
2Device complexity
If substrates are transferred horizontally between modules, then the transfer mechanism is simple in structure, but extensive load-lock module space is required and particle generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By stacking substrates vertically on the support body, the patent reduces the horizontal travel distance and number of transfer operations required. This three-dimensional arrangement minimizes substrate handling steps, reducing particle generation while keeping the transfer mechanism relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple substrate transfer operations into a single rotational movement of the support body. By rotating the vertically-stacked substrates into position, multiple transfers are merged into one operation, reducing particle generation risk while maintaining mechanism simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transfer mechanism includes a moving body, a support body supported by the moving body, first and second rotary shafts at the support body, first and second arms respectively extending from first and second rotary shafts and having first and second substrate support regions. The first arm and the second arm are disposed at different height positions. The mechanism includes a third rotary shaft rotating the support body with respect to the moving body, and a switching mechanism switching a first rotation operation of rotating the support body such that a distance in a right-left direction between the first and second substrate support region is maintained and a second rotation operation of rotating the support body together with rotation of at least one of the first and second rotary shaft such that the distance is changed between a first distance and a second distance shorter than the first distance.