Swingable Shield Members for Thin-Film Deposition Carrier Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
During the cleaning process of thin-film-deposition equipment, pollutants from the chamber can inadvertently pollute the substrate carrier, requiring a solution to prevent contamination.
Innovation Solution
A shielding device with two swingable shield members, driven by a motor, that can transition between an open and shielding state to cover the substrate carrier, preventing pollutant exposure while allowing deposition processes to proceed without collision or friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the substrate carrier is exposed during cleaning process, then the cleaning can be performed effectively, but the substrate carrier gets polluted by removed pollutant particles
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding device is divided into two separate shield members (first shield member and second shield member) that can independently swing into position. This segmentation allows the shields to be deployed only when needed during cleaning operations, protecting the substrate carrier from pollutant particles while maintaining exposure during normal deposition processes
Solution Approach 2:
The shield members act as intermediary protective barriers between the cleaning plasma/pollutants and the substrate carrier. When swung into position, these intermediate shields block the harmful cleaning byproducts from reaching the substrate carrier, effectively mediating the interaction between the cleaning process and the protected components
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield members are made to contact each other for complete coverage, then the shielding effectiveness is improved, but wear-off particles are generated causing further pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The design intentionally creates an asymmetric gap between the first and second shield members, preventing them from making contact. This asymmetric positioning achieves complete shielding coverage of the substrate carrier while eliminating the friction and wear that would occur if the symmetrically positioned shields touched each other during swinging motion
Solution Approach 2:
The shield members are positioned at different angular orientations and maintain a radial gap between them. This dimensional arrangement in the angular space allows both shields to swing independently without contact, yet still provide overlapping coverage that completely blocks pollutants from reaching the substrate carrier
3Device complexity
If the shield members are kept stationary for simplicity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to protect during cleaning and allow deposition is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The shield members are designed to be dynamically swingable rather than stationary, allowing them to transition between different operational states. The driving mechanism enables the shields to swing into position during cleaning operations and swing away during deposition processes, providing the necessary adaptability while maintaining a relatively simple mechanical structure
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a thin-film-deposition equipment with shielding device, which includes a reaction chamber, a carrier and a shielding device. The shielding device includes a first-carry arm, a second-carry arm, a first-shield member, a second-shield member and a driver. The driver interconnects the first-carry arm and the second first-carry arm, for driving and swinging the first-shield member and the second-shield member to move in opposite directions via the first-carry arm and the second first-carry arm. During a cleaning process, the driver swings the shield members toward each other into a shielding state for covering the carrier, such that to prevent polluting the carrier during the process of cleaning the thin-film-deposition equipment.