Vacuum Transfer Substrate Accommodating Unit Footprint Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate transfer apparatus with consecutively arranged vacuum transfer units and adjacent substrate accommodating units has a large footprint due to the need for gate valves to prevent pressure changes and vaporized components from affecting other units, which increases the overall size of the processing system.
Innovation Solution
The substrate accommodating unit is designed with a hollow housing, a vertically movable partition member, and a driving mechanism to airtightly separate internal spaces, allowing for the elimination of gate valves between vacuum transfer units and accommodating units, thereby reducing the system's footprint and enabling efficient substrate transfer and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gate valves are installed between vacuum transfer units and substrate accommodating units to prevent pressure changes and vaporized components from affecting other units, then the reliability and isolation between units is improved, but the device complexity and footprint area increase
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member is integrated into the housing structure of the substrate accommodating unit, merging the isolation function with the housing itself. This eliminates the need for separate gate valves while maintaining pressure isolation between adjacent vacuum transfer units.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition member serves multiple functions: it acts as both a structural component of the housing and a pressure isolation barrier. This multi-functionality reduces the total number of components needed, simplifying the device while maintaining reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If gate valves are installed between vacuum transfer units and substrate accommodating units, then vaporized components are prevented from affecting adjacent units, but the area of the processing system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member is integrated into the housing structure, combining the vaporized component isolation function with the existing housing geometry. This eliminates the need for additional space-consuming gate valve assemblies while maintaining effective isolation between units.
3Area of stationary object
If a partition member is introduced to separate internal spaces within the substrate accommodating unit, then the need for gate valves is eliminated and footprint is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to the vertically movable partition mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member is designed to be vertically movable rather than fixed, allowing it to adapt its position based on operational requirements. This dynamic design enables the same structure to serve both as a space separator and a functional component in substrate handling, reducing the need for additional fixed structures.
4Ease of repair
If maintenance requires opening vacuum transfer units, then accessibility for maintenance is improved, but pressure changes may affect other units, increasing the need for isolation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple isolated spaces by the partition member, allowing individual spaces to be opened for maintenance without affecting other spaces. This segmentation enables selective access to specific components while maintaining pressure stability in adjacent units.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate accommodating unit is disposed adjacent to each of consecutively arranged vacuum transfer units. The substrate accommodating unit includes a hollow housing having, on one sidewall in an arrangement direction of the vacuum transfer units, a loading/unloading port for loading/unloading a substrate into/from the adjacent vacuum transfer unit, a vertically movable partition member disposed in the housing, and a driving mechanism for vertically moving the partition member. When an inner space of the housing is divided horizontally into a first space on a loading/unloading port side and a second space on an opposite side of the loading/unloading port side, the partition member is vertically moved from a state where the first space and the second space communicate with each other to thereby airtightly separate the first space and the second space with the partition member.