Wafer Storage Chamber Purge Flow for Uniform Fume Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer storage containers face challenges in evenly injecting purge gases into storage chambers, leading to incomplete fume removal and humidity control, and allowing external gases to enter, which can contaminate wafers.
Innovation Solution
The wafer storage container is designed with a storage chamber divided into multiple regions, each with dedicated gas supply and exhaust parts, ensuring even injection and exhaust of purge gases, and blocking external gases through a specific flow of purge gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gases are introduced into simple gas injection chambers and injected through holes in the chamber walls, then the structure is simple, but the injection force is uneven between upper and lower regions leading to incomplete fume removal
Solution Approach 1:
The gas injection chamber is divided into multiple independent injection units, each with its own gas inlet hole and injection holes. This segmentation allows independent control of gas injection at different locations, enabling uniform injection force distribution across upper and lower regions while maintaining structural simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the gas injection chamber are equipped with injection holes of different sizes or numbers tailored to local requirements. The lower region, which previously received insufficient injection force, is provided with additional or larger injection holes to balance the injection force distribution across the chamber, achieving uniform fume removal without complicating the overall structure.
2Volume of stationary object
If a large volume gas injection chamber is used with small diameter gas inlet holes, then the chamber can accommodate more gas, but the flow rate through the inlet holes is insufficient leading to weak injection force
Solution Approach 1:
The single large-volume chamber is divided into multiple smaller injection chambers or zones, each with its own gas inlet hole. This segmentation increases the total number of inlet holes, thereby increasing the overall gas flow rate into the chamber while maintaining manageable chamber volumes that can be effectively purged.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on a single large inlet hole, the system transitions to multiple inlet holes distributed across different surfaces of the chamber. This dimensional distribution of inlet openings increases the total flow capacity while maintaining the chamber's volumetric capacity for effective purging.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If purge gas is injected into the storage chamber, then fumes can be removed, but external gas can flow into the chamber through the front opening causing humidity control issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes a preliminary protective measure by creating a positive pressure environment inside the storage chamber through continuous purge gas injection. This positive pressure acts as a barrier that prevents external gas from flowing into the chamber through the front opening, thereby preventing humidity control issues and external contamination while maintaining effective fume removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage chamber is maintained with an inert purge gas atmosphere that serves dual purposes: removing fumes from stored items and creating a protective environment that prevents external gas infiltration. The inert atmosphere ensures that even if small amounts of external gas enter, the overall environment remains controlled and free from harmful contaminants.
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 design achieves uniform purging and humidity control across the wafer surface, minimizes dead areas, and effectively prevents external gas contamination, enhancing the reliability and quality of wafers.
Implementation Method 1
a flow of a purge gas inside a storage chamber to block an external gas from flowing into the storage chamber
Implementation Method 2
purge gas inside the storage chamber is exhausted through the right hole
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a wafer storage container that supplies a purge gas to wafers stored in a storage chamber to remove fumes from the wafers or control humidity of the wafers. More particularly, proposed is a wafer storage container that generates a flow of a purge gas inside a storage chamber to block an external gas from flowing into the storage chamber and minimize dead areas on a wafer, thereby effectively achieving humidity control and fume removal for the wafer.