Wafer Pocket Centering Using Blind Hand-Off Edge Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manually positioning substrates, such as silicon wafers, inside a chamber is difficult due to limited space and prone to errors, leading to unpredictable shifts and suboptimal processing results.
Innovation Solution
A substrate positioning apparatus adjusts the substrate's position using incremental movements, with real-time measurement and variance analysis to detect edge collisions, allowing precise placement in the center of the chamber pocket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual substrate placement is used, then operation simplicity is maintained, but positioning precision deteriorates due to limited space and human error
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-positioning by automatically detecting edge collisions and calculating corrections without human intervention. The substrate positioning apparatus autonomously adjusts positions based on variance calculations between expected and actual locations, eliminating the need for manual adjustment while achieving high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated system that uses measurement devices to detect substrate position and a computing device to calculate corrections. This substitution of mechanical human operation with measurement and computation systems resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and positioning precision.
2Area of stationary object
If substrate is placed close to chamber edge to maximize space utilization, then chamber capacity is improved, but positioning reliability deteriorates due to risk of edge collision
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors substrate position during processing and provides feedback to the positioning apparatus. When edge collision is detected through measurement devices, the system calculates variance and automatically adjusts the substrate position, ensuring reliable placement even when operating close to chamber edges to maximize space utilization.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual position correction is attempted, then positioning accuracy may be improved, but stability deteriorates due to unpredictable substrate shifts from overcorrection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual correction attempts with an automated computation system that calculates precise correction amounts based on measured variance. This eliminates the unpredictable human judgment and overcorrection issues, providing both high accuracy and stable substrate positioning through algorithmic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts positioning parameters based on real-time measurement data. By changing the correction amount as a calculated parameter rather than a manual estimate, the system achieves both high accuracy and stability, preventing the substrate shifts that occur with manual overcorrection.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices for automatically adjusting the position of substrates are provided herein. Embodiments include using a substrate positioning apparatus to adjust a position of a substrate inside a chamber, wherein the adjusting comprises moving the substrate a specified distance in a specified direction. Embodiments further include receiving, from one or more measurement devices, a measured position of the substrate. Embodiments further include calculating a variance between the measured position of the substrate and an expected position of the substrate based on adjustments to the position of the substrate. Embodiments further include detecting that the substrate has reached an edge of a pocket inside the chamber based on the variance exceeding a threshold. Embodiments further include determining, based on the detecting, a configuration for the positioning apparatus that causes the positioning apparatus to place the substrate in a central point of the pocket.