Vertical Substrate Transport Layout for Clean High-Throughput Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate treating apparatuses face limitations in throughput due to the need for multiple transporting steps and the challenge of reducing the number of main transport mechanisms, which increases the footprint and complexity of the apparatus.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus is designed with multiple substrate treatment lines arranged vertically, each equipped with main transport mechanisms and treating units, allowing for parallel processing and efficient substrate transfer between adjacent lines without increasing the footprint, along with gas supply and exhaust systems to maintain cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple main transport mechanisms are employed to improve throughput, then productivity increases, but device complexity and footprint enlarge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a horizontal arrangement of multiple transport mechanisms to a vertical arrangement of treatment lines. Each treatment line includes its own transport mechanism, and the lines are stacked vertically to perform parallel processing. This dimensional change allows multiple substrates to be treated simultaneously without requiring proportional horizontal space, thus improving throughput while controlling footprint and complexity.
2Productivity
If the number of transporting steps is reduced to improve throughput, then productivity increases, but the single main transport mechanism cannot accommodate more treatments per substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the substrate treatment system into multiple independent treatment lines, each capable of performing a complete series of treatments. Each line has its own transport mechanism and treating units, allowing substrates to be processed in parallel. This segmentation enables the system to handle multiple substrates simultaneously without requiring a single complex transport mechanism to perform all treatments sequentially.
3Productivity
If multiple substrate treatment lines are arranged vertically to improve throughput, then productivity increases, but gas contamination may affect processing cleanliness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces gas supply openings and gas exhaust openings as intermediary elements between the vertically arranged treatment lines. Gas supply openings introduce clean gas into the transporting spaces, while gas exhaust openings remove contaminated gas. These intermediaries act as mediators that maintain processing cleanliness by controlling the gas environment, allowing multiple treatment lines to operate in parallel without cross-contamination.
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 configuration significantly enhances throughput while maintaining a compact footprint and simplifying the apparatus construction, improving operational efficiency and cleanliness of the processing areas.
Implementation Method 1
gas supply openings for supplying a gas into transporting spaces where the main transport mechanisms are installed
Implementation Method 2
gas exhaust openings for exhausting the gas from the transporting spaces
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treating apparatus includes a treating block including a plurality of cells arranged one over another. Each cell has treating units for treating substrates and a single main transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to the treating units. Each cell also has a blowout unit for supplying a clean gas into a transporting space of the main transport mechanism and an exhaust unit for exhausting gas from the transporting space. The blowout unit and the exhaust unit are arranged one over the other in the transporting space to separate the transporting space of each cell from that of another cell.