Substrate Treating Apparatus Parallel Heat Treatment Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate treating apparatuses face limitations in improving throughput due to their construction, which restricts the efficient processing of a large number of substrates per unit time.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus is designed with a transporting space and multiple heat-treating sections aligned in a transverse direction, featuring multiple heat-treating units and transport mechanisms that allow for parallel processing and efficient access to substrates, reducing the footprint and installation space while maintaining efficient substrate handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple heat-treating units are arranged in the up-down direction (vertically), then the number of substrates that can be processed in parallel is limited, but the apparatus occupies less horizontal space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from vertical arrangement (up-down direction) to horizontal arrangement (longitudinal direction) of heat-treating units. This dimensional change allows multiple heat-treating units to be positioned side-by-side along the longitudinal axis, enabling parallel processing of more substrates while maintaining a compact horizontal footprint through the transporting space configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat-treating section is divided into multiple independent heat-treating units (first heat-treating units and second heat-treating units) that can operate simultaneously. Each unit processes one substrate at a time, and by arranging multiple units in the longitudinal direction, the system achieves higher parallel processing capacity without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint.
2Device complexity
If a single transport mechanism is used to access all heat-treating units, then the structure is simpler, but the throughput is limited due to sequential access
Solution Approach 1:
The transport system is segmented into two independent transport mechanisms: a first transport mechanism for accessing first heat-treating units and a second transport mechanism for accessing second heat-treating units. This segmentation allows simultaneous substrate transport to different heat-treating units, eliminating sequential access bottlenecks while keeping each individual transport mechanism relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dual-transport-mechanism configuration that operates in parallel along the longitudinal direction. Instead of one transport mechanism servicing all units sequentially, two transport mechanisms service different sets of units simultaneously, effectively utilizing the longitudinal dimension to increase throughput without dramatically complicating the overall system architecture.
3Productivity
If heat-treating units are arranged in the longitudinal direction with multiple units, then parallel processing capability increases, but the apparatus occupies more horizontal space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat-treating units (first and second heat-treating units) within a single heat-treating section that shares a common transporting space. This merging approach allows the units to be arranged along the longitudinal direction for parallel processing while sharing infrastructure resources, thereby increasing throughput without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The transporting space serves multiple functions: it provides access to both first and second heat-treating units, accommodates both transport mechanisms, and enables parallel substrate processing. This multi-functional design allows the apparatus to achieve high throughput through longitudinal arrangement of heat-treating units while maintaining space efficiency through shared infrastructure.
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 configuration significantly enhances throughput by enabling parallel processing of a large number of substrates, reduces the footprint and installation space, and ensures efficient substrate handling and treatment.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat-treating section for performing heat treatment on substrates; and a second heat-treating section for performing heat treatment on the substrates
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treating apparatus includes a transporting space, transport mechanisms, and heat-treating sections. The transport mechanisms are provided in the transporting space. The heat-treating section, transporting space, and heat-treating section are aligned in the stated order in a transverse direction. One heat-treating section includes a plurality of heat-treating units. The heat-treating units are arranged in a longitudinal direction. The other heat-treating section includes a plurality of heat-treating units. These heat-treating units are also arranged in the longitudinal direction. One transport mechanism transports substrates to the heat-treating units. The other transport mechanism also transports substrates to the heat-treating units.