Substrate Supply Interval Control for Non-Overlapping Wafer Transfers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing systems, processing delays in certain modules can cause overlapping substrate transfer periods, leading to inefficiencies and confusion in the transfer process, which existing systems attempt to address by setting waiting times within cycle units.
Innovation Solution
A control device calculates a substrate supply interval to prevent overlapping transfer periods and equalizes time intervals between these periods, ensuring they are separated, thereby minimizing delays and improving throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If substrates are transferred using fixed cycle time units, then uniform thermal history is achieved, but processing delays cause overlapping transfer periods and system confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic transfer timing control where the control device calculates and adjusts substrate transfer timing based on real-time process status. Instead of fixed cycle time units, the system dynamically determines when to transfer substrates to prevent overlapping transfer periods while maintaining uniform thermal history through adaptive timing adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device monitors the actual transfer timing and process status, then uses this feedback information to calculate optimal substrate supply intervals. The system adjusts future transfer timing based on detected delays or variations, creating a closed-loop control that prevents transfer period overlaps while preserving thermal uniformity.
2Reliability
If waiting time is added to cope with processing delays, then transfer timing conflicts are avoided, but overall productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device calculates the substrate supply interval in advance based on predicted transfer periods and process durations. By determining optimal timing beforehand and preparing the substrate supply schedule, the system avoids the need for reactive waiting times while preventing transfer conflicts, thus maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts substrate supply intervals based on real-time process conditions rather than using fixed waiting periods. This dynamic optimization allows the system to minimize idle time while ensuring transfer periods do not overlap, thereby maintaining both reliability and productivity.
3Reliability
If substrate transfer periods are separated to avoid overlapping, then transfer reliability improves, but time intervals become uneven affecting thermal uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The control device dynamically calculates substrate supply intervals that achieve both transfer period separation and thermal uniformity. By continuously adjusting timing based on process conditions, the system maintains adequate separation between transfers to prevent overlaps while keeping time intervals consistent enough to preserve uniform thermal history.
Solution Approach 2:
The system optimizes the substrate supply interval parameter to simultaneously satisfy multiple constraints: preventing transfer period overlaps and maintaining thermal uniformity. The control device adjusts this key parameter based on process characteristics, transfer speeds, and process module durations to achieve the optimal balance between separation and uniformity.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing system includes: one or more transfer modules configured to transfer substrates; a plurality of process modules configured to perform a substrate processing on the substrates transferred by the one or more transfer modules; and a control device configured to control the one or more transfer modules and the plurality of process modules, wherein the control device sequentially performs: calculating a substrate supply interval for supplying the substrates so that substrate transfer periods during which the substrates are transferred do not overlap with each other; and equalizing, based on the calculated substrate supply interval, a plurality of time intervals between the substrate transfer periods so that the substrate transfer periods are separated from each other.