Wafer Heating Assembly with Oxygen Cycling for LED Output Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Light-emitting heating elements used in wafer processing apparatuses degrade significantly when operated in inert atmospheres, leading to reduced light output and color changes, whereas operating them in normal atmospheres with oxygen helps mitigate this degradation.
Innovation Solution
A gas supply mechanism that alternates between an inert gas with less than 1% oxygen and a gas with at least 2% more oxygen than the inert gas is used to supply the light-emitting heating elements, allowing for the restoration of their light output by switching to the oxygen-rich gas when not processing wafers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If light-emitting heating elements are operated in an inert atmosphere to prevent fire or explosion, then safety is improved, but the light output of the heating elements degrades significantly over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system periodically switches between inert atmosphere (for safety) and oxygen-containing atmosphere (for LED maintenance) to achieve both safety and sustained light output. The gas supply mechanism alternates between supplying inert gas during processing and oxygen-containing gas during non-processing periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxygen content parameter of the atmosphere is changed between two states: low oxygen (<1%) during wafer processing for safety, and high oxygen (at least 2% more than inert gas) during non-processing periods to restore LED light output. This parameter switching resolves the contradiction between safety and performance.
2Illumination intensity
If light-emitting heating elements are operated in a normal atmosphere with oxygen, then light output is maintained, but the risk of fire or explosion increases when flammable liquids are present
Solution Approach 1:
The atmosphere composition is periodically changed based on processing state: inert atmosphere during flammable liquid processing to prevent fire/explosion, and oxygen-containing atmosphere during non-processing periods to maintain LED performance.
Solution Approach 2:
An inert atmosphere with oxygen content less than 1% is supplied during wafer processing when flammable liquids are present, eliminating fire and explosion risks while maintaining processing safety.
3Illumination intensity
If the gas supply mechanism frequently switches between inert and oxygen-rich gases, then LED degradation is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas supply mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions: supplying inert gas during processing, supplying oxygen-containing gas during non-processing periods, and controlling atmospheric composition based on operational state. This multi-functionality manages complexity while achieving LED maintenance.
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 approach partially restores the light output of degraded light-emitting heating elements and prevents significant degradation during processing, ensuring consistent performance and safety by controlling the oxygen levels around the heating elements.
Implementation Method 1
operating the array of LED heating elements in an inert atmosphere, for example an atmosphere of pure nitrogen
Implementation Method 2
an array of LED heating elements disposed below the wafer when the wafer is mounted in the rotatable chuck, and arranged to heat the wafer
Implementation Method 3
the array of LED heating elements is controlled to heat the wafer to cause evaporation of the liquid
Implementation Method 4
arranged to heat the wafer
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles, the apparatus comprising: a support configured to support a wafer-shaped article; a heating assembly comprising an array of light-emitting heating elements configured to heat a wafer-shaped article supported by the support; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply to the array of light-emitting heating elements: a first gas having an oxygen content of less than 1% by volume; and a second gas having an oxygen content that is at least 2% by volume higher than the first gas.