Track-Mounted Factory Interface Robot With Clean Load Port Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic device manufacturing systems face challenges in increasing the number of load ports on a factory interface while minimizing contamination from robots that move on tracks, which introduces additional moving parts and potential contaminants that can affect substrate quality during transfer.
Innovation Solution
A factory interface design with a robot that moves along a track, incorporating a ball screw assembly and gas recirculation system to minimize contamination, allowing the robot to reach multiple load ports and maintain a clean environment by filtering out particles and volatile organic compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robot moves on a track to access multiple load ports, then substrate throughput and storage capacity are increased, but contamination from moving parts and additional contaminants are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system is extracted from the vacuum environment by implementing a dual-robot architecture: a first robot operates in the vacuum chamber while a second robot operates in the atmosphere outside the chamber. The robots transfer substrates through a interface that separates the vacuum and atmospheric environments, thereby removing the moving robot components from the vacuum space and eliminating their contamination risk to substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
A substrate interface chamber serves as an intermediary between the vacuum environment and atmospheric environment. This intermediate chamber allows substrates to be transferred between the two environments through controlled ports while maintaining environmental separation. The interface chamber acts as a buffer zone that prevents direct exposure of substrates to atmospheric contaminants and robot moving parts.
2Quantity of substance
If the number of load ports is increased, then storage capacity is improved, but the complexity of the factory interface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The factory interface is designed with multiple load ports that can accommodate different types of substrates and processing tools. The standardized port design and universal robot end-effectors allow the same interface structure to serve multiple functions: storing different substrate types, interfacing with various processing chambers, and maintaining consistent environmental control across all ports, thereby managing complexity while increasing capacity.
3Productivity
If a robot arm reaches into FOUPs at multiple load ports, then substrate transfer efficiency is improved, but the risk of contamination from the robot arm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system is segmented into two independent robotic systems: a first robot confined to the vacuum environment and a second robot in the atmospheric environment. Each robot performs substrate transfer operations within its designated environment, eliminating cross-contamination risks. The segmentation allows efficient substrate transfer while maintaining environmental purity through the interface chamber separation.
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
The solution increases substrate throughput and storage capacity while reducing contaminants, enhancing the efficiency and quality of substrate transfer between the factory interface and load locks by effectively managing the movement of the robot and gas recirculation within the system.
Implementation Method 1
a ball screw assembly having a ball screw shaft coupled to a motor via a timing belt and a nut operatively coupled between the ball screw shaft and the robot. The ball screw assembly is to move the robot horizontally along the track
Implementation Method 2
incorporating a ball screw assembly and gas recirculation system to minimize contamination, including filters and ionizers to maintain a clean environment
Implementation Method 3
including filters and ionizers to maintain a clean environment
Data Source
AI summary
A factory interface includes a housing, a front surface of the housing having multiple load ports, a robot having an arm and an end effector, and a track attached to a floor within the housing. The robot is adapted to move horizontally along the track to multiple positions from which the arm can reach the end effector of the robot into a front opening unified pod attached to any of the multiple load ports.