Ultrapure Water Supply Redundancy for Stable Semiconductor Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrapure water supply systems for semiconductor fabrication lines face challenges in maintaining a stable flow rate and quality, particularly when equipment malfunctions, leading to potential substrate damage and production disruptions.
Innovation Solution
The ultrapure water supply apparatus includes dual supply devices with reserved supply systems and filtering parts, connected through controllers that monitor flow rates and bypass mechanisms to ensure continuous and constant ultrapure water delivery, even during equipment failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single ultrapure water supply system is used for multiple fabrication lines, then the system structure is simple, but the flow rate stability and reliability deteriorate when equipment malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply system is divided into multiple independent supply devices (first supply device, second supply device), each capable of independently supplying ultrapure water to different fabrication lines. This segmentation allows one supply device to take over when another fails, maintaining flow rate stability and reliability without requiring an overly complex integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters by switching between different supply devices based on their operational status. When a supply device malfunctions, the system changes the operational state of other devices (increasing their output or activating them) to compensate and maintain the required flow rate to fabrication lines.
2Productivity
If ultrapure water is supplied to multiple fabrication lines simultaneously, then production efficiency increases, but the difficulty of maintaining constant water quality increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the water supply into multiple independent supply devices, each responsible for specific fabrication lines. This segmentation allows independent control and monitoring of water quality for each line, making it easier to maintain constant quality parameters even when serving multiple lines simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements monitoring and control mechanisms that track water quality parameters (such as resistivity and particle count) for each supply device. When quality deviations are detected, the system provides feedback to adjust filtration or purification processes in real-time, ensuring constant water quality across all fabrication lines.
3Ease of repair
If equipment troubleshooting is performed on water supply systems, then equipment maintenance is possible, but production disruption occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The water supply system is segmented into multiple independent supply devices and fabrication line connections. This allows maintenance personnel to isolate and troubleshoot a single supply device without affecting others. The reserved supply devices can take over during maintenance, enabling equipment repair while maintaining continuous production.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes reserved supply devices that are pre-configured and ready to take over immediately when a primary supply device requires maintenance. This preliminary preparation of backup systems allows maintenance activities to proceed without causing production disruption, as the reserved devices are already in position to assume the load.
4Reliability
If reserved supply devices are added to provide backup, then system reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reserved supply devices are integrated into the existing system architecture, sharing common filtration components, control systems, and distribution networks with the primary supply devices. This merging approach allows the backup functionality to be added without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as many components are shared between primary and reserved devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply devices are designed with universal characteristics where reserved devices can serve multiple fabrication lines and primary devices can function as backups for other devices. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated backup systems for each line, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability.
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 setup stabilizes ultrapure water supply to multiple fabrication lines, maintains high water quality, and allows for equipment troubleshooting without disrupting production, minimizing substrate damage and ensuring reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
a first rear-side filtering part that is configured to filter fluid that passes through the first front-side filtering part
Implementation Method 2
a second rear-side filtering part that is configured to filter fluid that passes through the second front-side filtering part
Data Source
AI summary
Ultrapure water supply apparatuses, substrate processing systems, and substrate processing methods are provided. An ultrapure water supply apparatus includes: a first supply device that produces first ultrapure water; a second supply device that produces second ultrapure water; a first reserved supply device that provides the second supply device with a portion of fluid in the first supply device; and a second reserved supply device that provides the first supply device with a portion of fluid in the second supply device. The first supply device includes a first front-side filtering part, a first rear-side filtering part, and a first connection part. The second supply device includes a second front-side filtering part, a second rear-side filtering part, and a second connection part. Each of the first and second reserved supply devices connects the first connection part and the second connection part to each other.