Substrate Treating Apparatus Transport Mechanism Throughput Footprint

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing substrate treating apparatus faces challenges in achieving enhanced throughput and reducing its footprint while maintaining efficient operation.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus incorporates an indexer, multiple processing sections, and transport mechanisms with optimized mount tables and processing units, allowing for reduced access operations and increased transportation efficiency, with a controller managing the transport and treatment processes to enhance throughput and minimize installation area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple transport mechanisms are used to increase throughput, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovethroughputVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The substrate treatment process is divided into multiple processing sections (first processing section, second processing section, etc.), each handling different treatment operations. Transport mechanisms are segmented to serve specific processing sections, allowing parallel operations and improved throughput while managing complexity through functional division

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Mount tables are designed with multi-functionality, serving as transfer points for multiple transport mechanisms and processing sections. The mount tables can receive substrates from different sources and transfer to different destinations, reducing the need for dedicated transfer mechanisms for each processing step

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of manufacture

If processing sections are arranged linearly, then ease of manufacture is improved, but area of stationary object increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidfootprint

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Processing sections and mount tables are arranged in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional configuration rather than a simple linear arrangement. The mount table is positioned to overlap with processing sections in plan view, enabling vertical stacking or radial arrangement that reduces horizontal footprint while maintaining manufacturing feasibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The mount table is positioned such that it overlaps with processing sections in plan view, creating a nested spatial arrangement where transport paths and processing areas are interwoven. This nesting allows compact integration of multiple functional elements within a reduced footprint

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS11049749B2Substrate treating apparatus

Publication Date: 2021.06.29 SCREEN HOLDINGS CO LTD

AI summary

A substrate treating apparatus includes an indexer, a first processing section, a first transport mechanism, a second processing section, a second transport mechanism, a first mount table, a second mount table, and a controller. The first transport mechanism repeatedly performs a first cycle operation composed of three access operations (specifically, a first access operation, a second access operation, and a third access operation). The second transport mechanism repeatedly performs a second cycle operation composed of three access operations (specifically, a fourth access operation, a fifth access operation, and a sixth access operation).