Wafer Storage Container Gas Purging Through Door-Side Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer storage containers, such as FOUPs, often have gaps between the shell and door, leading to inefficient gas replacement due to leakage, which is not accurately detectable, resulting in prolonged gas supply times and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A wafer storage container processing apparatus that positions the door on a disposition surface intersecting with the opening, using a gas supply port on this surface to efficiently replace gas, while collecting leaked gas through a separate channel to ensure complete replacement and minimize debris accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If gas replacement is performed through the bottom surface of the shell, then the gas replacement process can be simplified, but gas leakage through gaps between shell and door reduces replacement efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The gas supply system is segmented into multiple independent supply ports: one on the bottom surface and another on the intersecting surface. This segmentation allows each port to serve specific functions - the bottom port for general gas replacement and the intersecting surface port for sealing against leakage through gaps, thereby resolving the contradiction between process simplicity and replacement efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The intersecting surface acts as an intermediary location for gas supply, positioned strategically to address the leakage path through gaps. By supplying gas through this intermediate surface rather than solely through the bottom, the system compensates for leakage issues without requiring complex sealing mechanisms, thus maintaining simplicity while improving efficiency.
2Productivity
If the door is detached from the body for gas replacement, then gas leakage through gaps is eliminated, but the operation becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary gas supply through the intersecting surface before complete gas replacement is needed. This preliminary action creates positive pressure that prevents leakage through gaps during the gas replacement process, eliminating the need to detach the door while maintaining replacement efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses oxygen concentration sensors to provide feedback on the gas replacement status. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the gas supply strategy - using the intersecting surface port when gaps are detected and oxygen levels indicate leakage, thereby achieving efficient replacement without door detachment through intelligent control rather than mechanical complexity.
3Reliability
If gas supply time is extended to compensate for leakage, then complete gas replacement is achieved, but processing time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces extended mechanical gas supply time with an intelligent control system that uses oxygen sensors and a control unit to monitor and adjust gas supply dynamically. This substitution achieves complete replacement by detecting actual gas composition and adjusting supply accordingly, rather than relying on fixed extended time periods, thereby reducing both time and cost while maintaining 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
Efficient gas replacement is achieved with reduced leakage and improved measurement accuracy, allowing for timely completion and reduced processing time and costs.
Implementation Method 1
a gas supply that supplies an inert gas to the wafer storage container disposed on the stage
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a wafer storage container processing apparatus that processes a wafer storage container including a body having a storage space connected to an opening and a door detachable from the opening, includes a stage having a disposition surface on which the wafer storage container is disposed; and a gas supply configured to supply an inert gas to the wafer storage container disposed on the stage. The stage disposes the wafer storage container such that the door is disposed on the disposition surface in a state where the door is attached to the body, and the gas supply supplies the inert gas through a gas supply port provided on an intersecting surface of the body that intersects a surface having the opening.