Substrate Transfer Control for Sensor Failure Override
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Substrate processing apparatuses and transport devices face issues where processing is halted due to sensor malfunctions, leading to potential substrate deterioration and inefficiencies, even when the substrate or object is properly positioned.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a first holding mechanism, a second holding mechanism, a first sensor for position detection, and a controller that accepts a predetermined external input to allow processing or transport to continue despite sensor detection failures, ensuring proper handling and minimizing substrate deterioration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is used to detect substrate positioning, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates when the sensor malfunctions causing processing to stop
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by providing multiple detection mechanisms (first sensor, second sensor, and third sensor positioned at different locations) before processing continues. This redundancy ensures that if one sensor fails, other sensors can still detect substrate positioning, preventing processing interruption and maintaining reliability while preserving measurement precision through multiple detection points.
2Manufacturing precision
If processing is stopped when sensor detection fails, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity deteriorates due to processing interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes preliminary detection capabilities using multiple sensors (first sensor, second sensor, and third sensor at different positions) before processing begins. This allows the system to maintain manufacturing precision through redundant detection while improving productivity by preventing processing interruptions when one sensor fails, as other sensors can continue to verify substrate positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sensors are positioned at different locations (first sensor near first holding mechanism, second sensor near second holding mechanism, third sensor at another position) to detect substrate positioning from multiple local perspectives. This local quality distribution ensures that manufacturing precision is maintained through localized detection while productivity is improved because failure of one local sensor does not halt overall processing.
3Reliability
If multiple sensors are deployed for substrate detection, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements preliminary detection using multiple sensors positioned at different locations (first sensor, second sensor, and third sensor) before processing continues. This preliminary multi-point detection approach improves reliability by ensuring that substrate positioning can be verified from multiple perspectives, while the systematic arrangement of sensors keeps device complexity manageable through structured placement rather than random distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention proposes a substrate processing apparatus, a transport device, and the like capable of properly implementing processing even when a malfunction occurs in a sensor for detecting that an object such as a substrate is properly positioned. The substrate processing apparatus is equipped with a controller configured to accept a predetermined external input if a first sensor does not detect that a substrate is properly positioned in a first holding mechanism when the substrate is transferred from a second holding mechanism to the first holding mechanism and to allow the substrate to be processed or transported using the first holding mechanism based on the predetermined external input being performed regardless of the detection by the first sensor.