Elastic Wafer Sensor Cover for High-Pressure Process Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wafer-type sensors are prone to damage and contamination in high-pressure process chambers, leading to inaccurate monitoring of the process environment due to differences in thermal capacity and shape with the actual substrate, which affects the precision of process recipe setting.
Innovation Solution
A substrate-type sensor with an elastic cover and flexible circuit board, made of materials like silicone, epoxy, or polyimide, that maintains the same thermal capacity and shape as the actual substrate, allowing precise monitoring of the process environment even in high-pressure conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the cover substrate is made thinner to reduce thermal capacity differences with the actual substrate, then temperature compatibility improves, but the cover substrate becomes vulnerable to damage from high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using a thin flexible film as the cover substrate that can withstand high pressure while maintaining thermal compatibility. The flexible material allows the cover to deform elastically under pressure rather than fracture, solving both the thermal capacity issue (thin cover) and pressure resistance issue (flexible material properties).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material construction for the cover substrate, combining materials with different properties to achieve both thinness for thermal compatibility and sufficient strength for pressure resistance. The composite structure allows optimization of each layer's function while working together as an integrated cover.
2Strength
If the cavity is filled with reinforcing material to prevent cover substrate damage, then pressure resistance improves, but thermal capacity increases causing temperature incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of filling the cavity with rigid reinforcing material, the patent uses a flexible film cover substrate that inherently resists pressure through its material properties. This eliminates the need for cavity filling that would increase thermal capacity, while still providing adequate pressure resistance through the flexible material's elastic deformation capability.
3Strength
If the cover substrate is made thicker to prevent damage, then pressure resistance improves, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to increased differences in shape and dimensions from the actual substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin flexible film cover substrate that maintains shape accuracy similar to the actual substrate while providing sufficient pressure resistance through its flexible material properties. The thin profile ensures minimal dimensional differences from the substrate being monitored, preserving manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible cover substrate dynamically adapts to pressure conditions through elastic deformation rather than maintaining a rigid fixed shape. This dynamic response allows the thin cover to withstand pressure without requiring increased thickness that would compromise shape accuracy and manufacturing precision.
4Reliability
If a rigid cover substrate is used to protect electronic components, then reliability improves, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inaccurate process environment monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible thin film cover that provides adequate protection for electronic components while maintaining close thermal contact with the process environment. This thin flexible structure allows accurate temperature and pressure sensing without the thermal mass interference that would occur with rigid thick covers, thus preserving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible cover substrate changes its physical parameters (thickness, flexibility) to optimize both protection and measurement accuracy. By adjusting these parameters to create a thin flexible structure, the cover provides sufficient mechanical protection while minimizing thermal inertia and maintaining accurate process environment monitoring.
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
Enables precise monitoring of the process environment, allowing for accurate setting of process recipes by minimizing differences in thermal capacity and shape with the actual substrate, thus ensuring effective substrate processing.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic cover for covering the electronic component, and changing in thickness from a first thickness to a second thickness smaller than the first thickness during monitoring of the process environment in the high pressure chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate-type sensor including: a base substrate; an electronic component positioned on a top side of the base substrate; and an elastic cover for covering the electronic component and the base substrate.