Seismic event displacement mitigation
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChen Hao Liao, Chih-Tsung Lee, Ming-Yi Lin, Cheng-Lung Wu, Jiun-Rong Pai
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Abstract
An apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an equipment support structure configured to support a semiconductor fabrication component. The apparatus includes a damper assembly configured to resist a lateral force induced by a seismic event to the equipment support structure. The damper assembly includes a gear rack coupled to the equipment support structure. The damper assembly includes a first flywheel assembly including a first mass damper flywheel and a first gear meshed with the gear rack and selectively engaged with the first mass damper flywheel.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- an equipment support structure configured to support a semiconductor fabrication component, wherein the equipment support structure comprises a first plate;
- and
- a damper assembly configured to convert a lateral force induced by a seismic event to a vertical movement of the equipment support structure, wherein:
- the damper assembly comprises:
- a base plate underlying the equipment support structure;
- a first damper body between the equipment support structure and the base plate;
- and
- a second damper body between the first plate and the base plate;
- the first damper body and the second damper body are in contact with a first surface of the base plate and a first surface of the first plate;
- the first surface of the first plate is planar;
- and
- the first surface of the base plate is curved such that interaction between the first damper body and the second damper body with the first surface of the base plate translates the lateral force induced by the seismic event to the vertical movement of the equipment support structure.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an equipment support structure configured to support a semiconductor fabrication component, wherein the equipment support structure comprises:
- a first plate;
- a second plate;
- and
- a body extending between the first plate and the second plate and fixedly coupled to the first plate and the second plate;
- and
- a damper assembly configured to resist a lateral force induced by a seismic event to the equipment support structure, wherein the damper assembly comprises:
- a gear rack coupled to the body of the equipment support structure;
- and
- a first flywheel assembly comprising:
- a first mass damper flywheel;
- and
- a first gear meshed with the gear rack and selectively engaged with the first mass damper flywheel;
- a base plate underlying the first plate and the second plate;
- and
- a first damper body between the first plate and the base plate, wherein:
- the first damper body is in contact with a first surface of the base plate and a first surface of the first plate, and
- the first surface of the first plate is planar.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an equipment support structure configured to support a semiconductor fabrication component;
- and
- a damper assembly configured to mitigate lateral displacement of the equipment support structure during a seismic event, wherein:
- the damper assembly comprises:
- a gear rack coupled to the equipment support structure;
- and
- a first flywheel assembly comprising:
- a first mass damper flywheel;
- and
- a first gear meshed with the gear rack and selectively engaged with the first mass damper flywheel;
- a base plate underlying the equipment support structure;
- a first damper body between the equipment support structure and the base plate;
- and
- a second damper body between the equipment support structure and the base plate, wherein:
- the first damper body and the second damper body are in contact with a first surface of the base plate, and
- a thickness of the base plate, measured from the first surface to a second surface of the base plate diametrically opposite the first surface of the base plate, is smallest at a lateral midpoint of the base plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.