Transportable Storage for Substrate Processing Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing apparatus often occupy excessive floorspace and volume due to the location of supporting equipment, which is not optimally utilized, leading to increased costs and reduced compactness of manufacturing systems.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a transportable storage system that fits beneath the load port, allowing equipment such as power supplies and controllers to be removably connected and housed in a modular design, enabling flexible placement and minimizing space requirements while maintaining system performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If supporting equipment is located in conventional positions, then system performance is maintained, but floorspace and volume requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates supporting equipment from conventional horizontal floor space to the vertical dimension by placing equipment in the plenum space above the substrate processing chamber. This dimensional transition allows equipment to be positioned in previously unused three-dimensional space, reducing floorspace requirements while maintaining accessibility and performance through vertical arrangement and connection pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests supporting equipment within the existing substrate processing apparatus structure by utilizing the plenum space that is already part of the chamber assembly. The equipment is integrated into the vertical stack of the processor, with connections routed through existing structural elements, allowing multiple functional components to occupy overlapping or adjacent spatial zones without interfering with substrate processing operations.
2Volume of stationary object
If supporting equipment is located in conventional positions, then system performance is maintained, but volume requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redistributes equipment volume from horizontal occupation to vertical arrangement by placing supporting equipment in the plenum space above the chamber. This vertical stacking approach consolidates volume usage within the existing processor envelope, reducing the overall volume footprint while maintaining system performance through strategic positioning and connection routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The plenum space, which traditionally serves only as a structural or thermal management component, is repurposed to also house supporting equipment. This multi-functional utilization of space allows the same physical volume to serve multiple purposes: structural support, thermal management, and equipment housing, thereby reducing total volume requirements without compromising any single function.
3Area of stationary object
If equipment is placed in underutilized spaces, then space requirements are minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the supporting equipment into modular units that can be independently positioned and connected within the plenum space. This segmentation allows equipment to be installed and maintained as discrete modules rather than a monolithic assembly, reducing the complexity of integration while enabling flexible placement in the three-dimensional space above the chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary connection structures and routing pathways that facilitate links between the vertically positioned equipment and the substrate processing chamber below. These intermediaries manage the complexity of connections by providing organized pathways for electrical, mechanical, and thermal interfaces, thereby simplifying the overall system integration despite the non-conventional equipment placement.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus has a frame and a load port connected to the frame and adapted to mate a substrate transport container to the frame. The apparatus has transportable storage that is adapted to be removably connected to the frame and fit beneath the load port. The storage may be an enclosure housing electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical devices of the substrate processing apparatus.