Substrate drying apparatus and drying method using supercritical fluid

Abstract

The present invention discloses a drying apparatus and method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. The drying apparatus includes an upper chamber, a lower chamber, a substrate tray, a lifting mechanism, a connecting assembly, and a locking mechanism. The lower chamber is disposed below the upper chamber. A substrate tray is disposed on the lower chamber and is used to transport substrates. A lifting mechanism is disposed below the lower chamber and is used to drive the lower chamber to move vertically, thereby bringing the lower chamber into full contact with the upper chamber. A connecting assembly is connected to the upper and lower chambers. A locking mechanism is used to lock or loosen the connecting assembly when the lower chamber is in full contact with the upper chamber. After the locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly and the lifting mechanism retracts from the lower chamber, the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly automatically come into contact due to the gravity of the chambers, closing the upper and lower chambers to form a sealed chamber. The present invention has the advantage of increasing the pressure resistance of the sealed chamber.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to a drying apparatus and a drying method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of integrated circuits, wet processing of wafers and other substrates is a critical step that affects product yield. In current wet processes, wafers that require wet etching or cleaning are generally fixed to a wafer chuck, and the wafer is rotated by the drive of the wafer chuck. The surface of the wafer is treated by spraying it with a wet chemical solution. After the wet etching and cleaning steps are completed, the substrate must be dried.

[0003] It is known that a substrate can be dried using a supercritical fluid, which has a surface tension of zero. For example, a substrate covered with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is transferred from a cleaning chamber to a drying chamber. In this case, the upper and lower chambers of the drying chamber are closed to form a sealed chamber, and a supercritical fluid is supplied to the sealed chamber. The IPA on the surface of the substrate is dissolved in the supercritical fluid, and the IPA is removed from the upper surface of the substrate. The supercritical fluid is then vaporized and discharged. After the pressure in the sealed chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure, the sealed chamber is opened, and finally the dried substrate is taken out.

[0004] The substrate drying process described above must be carried out in a high-pressure, high-temperature environment, and therefore the pressure resistance of the sealed chamber must be ensured. Drying chambers generally only use bolts that pass horizontally through the side walls of the upper chamber and clamp the side walls of the lower chamber to lock the sealed chamber. However, the bolts are easily damaged by vertical shear forces. Therefore, the pressure resistance of the sealed chamber formed by the current drying chamber is low. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to solve the problem of low pressure resistance of the sealed chamber of the drying room in the prior art. Thus, the present invention provides a drying apparatus and method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid that has the advantage of increasing the pressure resistance of the sealed chamber.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the present invention provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, the drying apparatus having the following configuration. An upper chamber and a lower chamber, the lower chamber being disposed below the upper chamber. a substrate tray disposed above the lower chamber and used to transport the substrate; an elevating mechanism disposed below the lower chamber for vertically moving the lower chamber; A coupling assembly is coupled to the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and a locking mechanism is used to lock or loosen the coupling assembly. When the lifting mechanism lifts up the lower chamber and the lower chamber and the upper chamber come into complete contact, the locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly horizontally, forming a vertical gap between the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly, and when the lifting mechanism is retracted from the lower chamber, the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly automatically come into vertical contact, closing the upper chamber and the lower chamber to form a sealed chamber. When the sealed chamber is opened, the lifting mechanism first lifts and raises the lower chamber, forming a vertical gap between the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly, the locking mechanism loosens the connecting assembly horizontally, and the lifting mechanism lifts and moves the lower chamber downward.

[0007] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, which is configured as follows. An upper chamber and a lower chamber, the lower chamber being disposed below the upper chamber, the lower chamber being movable relative to the upper chamber in a vertical direction and being closed to form a sealed chamber. A substrate tray is placed above the lower chamber and is used to transport substrates. a uniform flow assembly disposed in the upper chamber, the uniform flow assembly comprising: an annular gas guide plate and a porous plate, the annular gas guide plate having a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other and a gas guide groove penetrating the first side surface and the second side surface, the porous plate being fixed to the first side surface of the annular gas guide plate, the porous plate having a porous structure, and the supercritical fluid being sequentially distributed onto the upper surface of the substrate by the gas guide groove and the porous plate.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention provides an assembly tool for assembling a connecting assembly of a drying device, wherein a connecting member of the connecting assembly is a threaded rod and a marking portion is provided on the connecting member in advance. The assembly tool is configured as follows: a tool body secured to the upper chamber and having an assembly opening corresponding to the through holes in the upper and lower chambers; A positioning portion movably provided on the tool body. After the connecting member penetrates the upper chamber and the lower chamber through the assembly opening and the through hole, the positioning portion is moved to align the marking portion of the connecting member with the positioning portion, and to align the axis of the connecting member with the axis of the through hole.

[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, comprising the following steps: Step S1: A substrate to be dried is placed on a substrate tray, and the lower chamber and the upper chamber are moved relatively in the vertical direction and sealed in a pressure-resistant sealed chamber. Step S2: A supercritical fluid is supplied from the first fluid inlet above the sealed chamber through the first fluid supply pipe, and after the fluid bypasses the spoiler below the first fluid inlet and reaches the upper surface of the substrate from the side of the substrate, and the pressure value in the sealed chamber reaches a set pressure value, the supply of the supercritical fluid from above the sealed chamber is stopped. Step S3: A supercritical fluid is supplied from the second fluid inlet on the first side wall of the sealed chamber through the second fluid supply pipe to dry the substrate, and the supercritical fluid is discharged from the fluid outlet on the second side wall of the sealed chamber. Step S4: After the drying process is completed, the second fluid inlet and fluid outlet are closed, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber is reduced, and after the supercritical fluid turns into gas, the gas bypasses the spoiler and is discharged from the top of the sealed chamber through the first fluid inlet at a predetermined speed. Step S5: After the internal pressure of the sealed chamber reaches atmospheric pressure, the sealed chamber is opened and the substrate is removed.

[0010] As described above, the present invention has the following advantages.

[0011] The present invention provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, which employs a connecting assembly that vertically connects an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The dryer employs a locking mechanism that locks the linkage assembly in the horizontal direction when the lower chamber is in full contact with the upper chamber in the vertical direction. After the lifting mechanism is retracted from the lower chamber, the locking mechanism and the coupling assembly automatically come into vertical contact, and the locking mechanism also comes into full contact with the upper chamber. During the drying process of the substrate, the locking mechanism and the coupling assembly are not easily broken by vertical shear forces, thereby improving the strength and pressure resistance of the sealed chamber.

[0012] The present invention provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, the drying apparatus employing a uniform flow assembly disposed within an upper chamber. The uniform flow assembly includes a porous plate for passing the supercritical fluid therethrough so as to provide a more uniform fluid distribution in the supercritical fluid inlet region.

[0013] The assembly tool of the present invention includes a tool body and a positioning portion for assembling a connecting assembly of a drying device. Here, the connecting assembly includes a plurality of connecting members and a plurality of fixing members, and the tool body is fixed to the upper chamber of the drying device and includes an assembly opening. When the connecting member passes through the upper and lower chambers of the drying apparatus through the multiple assembly openings, the positioning portion aligns with the connecting member to achieve accurate positioning of the connecting member, thereby achieving alignment between the fixing member and the bottom of the lower chamber. Therefore, after the fixing member and the connecting member are clamped, the fixing member and the connecting member can be accurately fixed at the corresponding positions on the bottom of the lower chamber.

[0014] The present invention provides a method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, which is an improvement over the prior art method of converting the supercritical fluid into a gas and then discharging the supercritical fluid from a fluid outlet. After the drying process of the substrate is completed, the gas bypasses the spoilers and is discharged from the top of the sealed chamber through the first fluid inlet at a predetermined speed, preventing the high-speed gas flow from causing pattern collapse of the pattern structures on the substrate, particularly the pattern structures at the edge positions of the substrate.

[0015] It will be understood that other features and corresponding advantages of the present invention will be described and explained hereinafter, and that at least some of the advantages will be apparent from the description of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the lifting mechanism and the support member according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a lower chamber fixed to a six-degree-of-freedom robot platform according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4a is a schematic structural diagram of the gear screw transmission mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4b is a schematic structural diagram showing the gear screw transmission mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from another perspective. [Figure 5] 5a is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are open, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5b is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure in which first ends of a plurality of connecting members are fixed to the lower chamber, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5c is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure of a connecting member, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5d is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure of a connecting member, a first lock block, a second lock block, and a U-shaped clip, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the structure of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are open, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying substrates using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are in full contact with each other and the locking mechanism does not lock the connecting assembly provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Fig. 8a is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are in complete contact with each other and a locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8b is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of an eddy current displacement sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8c is a schematic diagram showing the side structure of an eddy current displacement sensor provided in the drying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a structure in which the upper and lower chambers of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid are in complete contact with each other and a locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the structure of the drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, with the lifting mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention retracted from the lower chamber. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of a drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper chamber and a lower chamber are sealed to form a sealed chamber, and a substrate is dried using a supercritical fluid. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged view of portion B of FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper chamber and a lower chamber are sealed to form a sealed chamber, and which dries a substrate using a supercritical fluid. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic top view showing the structure of a drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper chamber and a lower chamber are sealed to form a sealed chamber, and which dries a substrate using a supercritical fluid. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the operating principle when the concentration of a target substance discharged from a sealed chamber is detected by the analysis devices according to the first and third embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the upper chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a partial enlarged view of portion C in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a uniform flow assembly and a plurality of wedge blocks according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20]20A and 20B are schematic diagrams showing the three-dimensional structure of wedge blocks provided on both ends of the uniform flow assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the annular gas guide plate and the porous plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a partially enlarged view of the sintered mesh according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a partial enlarged view of portion D in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a partially enlarged view showing the porous structure of the porous plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the seal piece according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the upper chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the upper chamber taken along the EE' direction in FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a partially enlarged view of portion F in FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view showing a state in which the first body of the upper chamber and the lower chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention is nested within the second body. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the upper chamber first body according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the upper chamber second body according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the first body of the lower chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the lower chamber second body according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 34]FIG. 34 is a schematic bottom view of an upper chamber first body nested within an upper chamber second body according to another embodiment of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a schematic top view of a first body of a lower chamber nested within a second body of an upper chamber according to another embodiment of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a schematic front view showing the structure in which the first body and second body of the upper chamber and lower chamber provided in the first embodiment of the present invention are integrated. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper and lower chambers are open and which dries a substrate using a supercritical fluid. [Figure 38] Figure 38 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying substrates using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are in complete contact and the locking mechanism does not lock the connecting assembly provided in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 39] Figure 39 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying substrates using a supercritical fluid, in which the upper and lower chambers are in complete contact and a locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly provided in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure in which first ends of a plurality of connecting members are fixed to a lower chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, in which an upper chamber and a lower chamber are sealed to form a sealed chamber according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 42] FIG. 42 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, in which an upper chamber and a lower chamber are sealed to form a sealed chamber according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 43] FIG. 43 is a partially enlarged view of portion G in FIG. [Figure 44]FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing the detection of oxygen concentration in the method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 45] [Figure 46] 45 and 46 are flowcharts showing the detection of the concentration of isopropyl alcohol in the method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 47] 47a and 47b are diagrams showing how the pressure in a sealed chamber according to the third embodiment of the present invention changes over time. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure in which an assembly tool is fixed to an upper chamber according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a partial enlarged view of a plurality of alignment portions of an assembly tool before alignment with a plurality of connecting members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 50] FIG. 50 is a partial enlarged view of a plurality of alignment portions of an assembly tool after alignment with a plurality of connecting members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51] FIG. 51 is a schematic diagram showing a three-dimensional structure in which an assembly tool is fixed to an upper chamber according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, viewed from another perspective. [Figure 52] FIG. 52 is a schematic top view showing a structure before an assembly tool positions a plurality of connecting members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 53] FIG. 53 is a schematic top view of the structure after an assembly tool has positioned a plurality of connecting members according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Although embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to specific embodiments, other benefits and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this is not intended to imply that the features of the present invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of the description in connection with the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications that may be extended under the scope of the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, numerous specific details are included in the following description. The invention may be practiced without these details. Moreover, some specific details are omitted in order to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other unless they are inconsistent.

[0018] It should be noted that in this specification like numbers and letters refer to like items in the following drawings. Thus, once an item is defined in one drawing, there is no need to further define and explain that item in subsequent drawings.

[0019] The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments that can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] In describing the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inside," and "outside" are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. Additionally, this terminology is for convenience and simplicity of description of the present invention and does not indicate or imply that the referred to device or element must have a particular orientation or be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Therefore, this term should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood to denote or imply relative importance.

[0021] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless expressly specified and defined otherwise, the terms "attached," "connected," and "joined" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, to mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. Alternatively, the connection may be mechanical or electrical. The connection may be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or an internal connection between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0022] To clarify the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] [First embodiment] Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, the drying apparatus comprising an upper chamber 100, a lower chamber 200, a lifting mechanism 300, a substrate tray 230 (see the substrate tray 230 in FIG. 3), a plurality of coupling assemblies, and a locking mechanism 123. The lower chamber 200 is disposed below the upper chamber 100, and the lifting mechanism 300 is disposed below the lower chamber 200 and is used to drive the lower chamber 200 to move in the vertical direction H. The substrate tray 230 is disposed in the lower chamber 200 and is used to transport substrates. A coupling assembly is coupled to the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200, and a locking mechanism 123 is used to lock or loosen the coupling assembly.

[0024] When the lifting mechanism 300 lifts and raises the lower chamber 200, the lower chamber 200 and the upper chamber 100 come into complete contact with each other. The locking mechanism 123 locks the connecting assembly in the horizontal direction L, and a gap is formed between the locking mechanism 123 and the connecting assembly in the vertical direction H. When the lifting mechanism 300 moves away from the lower chamber 200, the locking mechanism 123 and the connecting assembly automatically come into contact with each other in the vertical direction H without any gap. The upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are sealed to form a sealed chamber 120 (see sealed chamber 120 in FIG. 12). In this embodiment, the upper chamber 100 is fixed to the frame 400 and remains fixed without moving, and the lower chamber 200 rises in the vertical direction H and comes into complete contact with the upper chamber 100 .

[0025] When the sealed chamber 120 needs to be opened, the lifting mechanism 300 first lifts the lower chamber 200 upward. At this time, the gap described above is again formed in the vertical direction H between the locking mechanism 123 and the connecting assembly. The locking mechanism 123 slides in the horizontal direction L to loosen the coupling assembly, and then the lifting mechanism 300 lifts the lower chamber 200 and moves it downward.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, the lifting mechanism 300 includes a lifting platform 310 and a transmission and driving device 320 . The lifting platform 310 is disposed below the lower chamber 200 and is used to lift the lower chamber 200 . A plurality of guide shafts 240 (see the guide shafts 240 in FIG. 51) are provided at the bottom of the lower chamber 200, and a plurality of flexible pads 311 and a plurality of linear bearings 312 are provided on the lifting platform 310. The linear bearing 312 is linked to the guide shaft 240 to prevent the lower chamber 200 from shifting position during the movement of the lifting mechanism 300 that lifts the lower chamber 200 . The flexible pad 311 may be made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) material, and the flexible pad 311 is in contact with the lower chamber 200 to fine-tune the parallelism of the lower chamber 200 when the lower chamber 200 and the upper chamber 100 are closed. In other embodiments, the flexible pad 311 may be replaced by a cardan shaft. The transmission device includes a threaded rod 330, a timing pulley, and a timing belt 340. The drive device 320 may be a servo motor. Specifically, the output end of the servo motor is connected to a timing pulley, which is connected to a timing pulley at one end of the threaded rod 330 via a timing belt 340 . The servo motor drives the threaded rod 330 for linear movement via a timing pulley and timing belt 340 . The servo motor uses a plurality of linear guide rails 350 as guides to lift and lower the lifting platform 310 .

[0027] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 300 comprises a six-degree-of-freedom robotic platform, a gear screw transmission, a servo-hydraulic system, and electric or pneumatic cylinders.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 3, the lifting mechanism 300 is, for example, a six-degree-of-freedom robotic platform including an upper platform 361, a lower platform 362, a telescopic cylinder 363, and a hook hinge 364. The lower chamber 200 is mounted on the upper platform 361 of a six-degree-of-freedom robotic platform. A guide shaft 240 may be provided at the bottom of the lower chamber 200 , and a plurality of linear bearings (not shown) that match the guide shaft 240 may be provided on the upper platform 361 . The upper platform 361 and the lower platform 362 are connected by six telescopic cylinders 363 and hook hinges 364, and the hook hinges 364 are provided at the connection positions of the telescopic cylinders 363 that connect the upper platform 361 and the lower platform 362. The lower chamber 200 moves up and down vertically through the coordinated action of six telescopic cylinders 363 . During the process of raising and lowering the lower chamber 200 by the six-DOF robot platform, the coordinated action of the six telescopic cylinders 363 ensures the parallelism of the upper platform 361 and the lower platform 362, thereby ensuring the parallelism of the lower chamber 200.

[0029] 4a and 4b, the lifting mechanism 300 is, for example, a gear screw transmission mechanism including a jack base 371, a drive motor 372, a drive wheel 373, a driven wheel 374, a screw pole 375, a screw nut 376, an outer support ring 377, and a base 378. The working principle of the gear screw transmission mechanism for lifting the lower chamber 200 is as follows. The lower chamber 200 is mounted on a jack stand 371 which has a plurality of flexible cushions 379 for contacting the lower chamber 200 . The flexible cushion 379 may be made of a PTFE material, and the bottom of the lower chamber 200 may be provided with a guide shaft 240 . A linear bearing (not shown) may be provided on the jack stand 371 to mate with the guide shaft 240, and a drive motor 372 drives a drive wheel 373 to rotate. The drive wheel 373 rotates the driven wheel 374 by meshing action, and rotates the screw pole 375 . The screw nut 376 is converted into linear motion as the screw pole 375 rotates. The jack base 371 is connected to the screw nut 376 via an outer support ring 377 to achieve corresponding linear movement, and the lower chamber 200 moves linearly with the jack base 371.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, the drying apparatus further includes a plurality of support members 500 for supporting a substrate w (see substrate w in FIG. 12) and loading or unloading the substrate w onto or from the substrate tray 230.

[0031] With reference to Figures 5a to 5d, the connection assembly comprises a plurality of connection members 111 and a fixing member. The upper chamber 100 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 1001, and the lower chamber 200 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 2001. The connecting member 111 penetrates the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 via a through-hole 1001 in the upper chamber 100 and a through-hole 2001 in the lower chamber 200 . The first end 1101 of the connecting member 111 is fixed to the lower chamber 200 by a fixing member, and the second portion 1102 of the connecting member 111 and the locking mechanism 123 automatically come into contact with each other in the vertical direction H or form a gap with each other.

[0032] The locking mechanism 123 is provided in the upper chamber 100, and includes a plurality of first drive parts 121 provided on both sides of the connecting member, a first lock block 131, a second drive part 122 and a second lock block 132. The first driving unit 121 drives the first lock block 131, and the second driving unit 122 drives the second lock block 132, causing the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 to move relative to each other or move backward in the horizontal direction L1, thereby locking or loosening the connecting assembly. In this embodiment, the first lock block 131 has the same structure as the second lock block 132 . The first locking block 131 has a self-locking surface 1303 and the second locking block 132 has a self-locking surface 1304 . The first driving portion 121 and the second driving portion 122 may both be cylinders.

[0033] Specifically, the connecting member 111 is a threaded rod, and the fixing member is clamped at a first end 1101 of the threaded rod and fixed to the bottom of the lower chamber 200 . Specifically, the fixing member comprises a plurality of U-shaped clips 112 and screws 113, and each threaded rod has two opposing clamp slots 1111 at its first end 1101. After the first end 1101 of the threaded rod passes through the bottom of the lower chamber 200, the U-shaped clip 112 is clamped into the two clamp slots 1111, with the opening of the U-shaped clip 112 facing outwards. The U-shaped clip 112 has a threaded hole through which a screw 113 passes to secure the U-shaped clip 112 to the bottom of the lower chamber 200 . The first end 1101 of the threaded rod is secured to the lower chamber 200 by a U-shaped clip 112 and a screw 113 . The connection mode of fixing the threaded rod to the lower chamber 200 has a reliable structure, and the first end 1101 of the threaded rod can withstand large local stresses, so that the fatigue life of the threaded rod is long. The second portion 1102 of the threaded rod is a screw cap, the bottom of which is provided with a self-locking surface 1103 respectively. When the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed to form the sealed chamber 120, the self-locking surface 1103 of the threaded rod is in complete contact with the self-locking surfaces (1303, 1304) of the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 in the vertical direction H without any gaps.

[0034] In this embodiment, four connection assemblies are provided, which are arranged at the four corners of the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200, respectively. In other embodiments, the number of linking assemblies may be six, and the present invention does not limit the number of linking assemblies.

[0035] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 5a to 10, the substrate w is placed on a support member 500 in the I direction. After placing the substrate w on the substrate tray 230 , the support member 500 exits the lower chamber 200 . The upper chamber 100 is fixed to the frame 400 without moving, and the drive unit 320 drives the lifting platform 310 to lift the lower chamber 200 upward, causing the lower chamber 200 to rise in the vertical direction H until the lower chamber 200 is in complete contact with the upper chamber 100 (as shown in Figure 7). Then, the first driving unit 121 and the second driving unit 122 on either side of the threaded rod drive the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132, respectively, to move them relatively in the horizontal direction L1 on the upper wall surface of the upper chamber 100, thereby locking the threaded rod (as shown in Figures 8A and 9). At this time, a gap is formed between the self-locking surfaces (1303, 1304) of the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 and the self-locking surface 1103 of the threaded rod. When the lifting platform 310 moves down away from the bottom 201 of the lower chamber 200 (as shown in FIG. 10), the downward deformation or gravity of the lower chamber 200 and the action of the elastic seal between the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 cause the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 to rebound. The self-locking surfaces (1303, 1304) of the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 come into complete contact with the self-locking surface 1103 of the threaded rod without any gap (i.e., the locking mechanism 123 and the connecting assembly automatically come into vertical contact), and the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed to form the sealed chamber 120. At this time, the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 are in close contact with the threaded rod, ensuring the pressure resistance and airtightness of the sealed chamber 120.

[0036] Similarly, when the sealed chamber 120 is opened, the driving device 320 drives the lifting platform 310 to rise. When the lifting platform 310 comes into contact with the lower chamber 200 and lifts the lower chamber 200 upward, the lower chamber 200 and the upper chamber 100 come into complete contact with each other again. At this time, a gap is again formed between the self-locking surfaces (1303, 1304) of the first locking block 131 and the second locking block 132 and the self-locking surface 1103 of the threaded rod, allowing the first locking block 131 and the second locking block 132 to slide smoothly. Next, the first driving unit 121 and the second driving unit 122 drive the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132, respectively, to move them in the horizontal direction L1 of the upper wall of the upper chamber 100 away from the threaded rod, thereby loosening the threaded rod. Thereafter, the driving device 320 drives the lifting platform 310 to lift the lower chamber 200 so that the lower chamber 200 moves downward, and the sealed chamber 120 is opened.

[0037] In this embodiment, the horizontal direction L1 in which the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 lock the threaded rod is parallel to the longitudinal direction L2 of the two clamp slots 1111. In yet another embodiment, the horizontal direction L1 in which the first locking block 131 and the second locking block 132 lock the threaded rod is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L2 of the two clamping slots 1111. In these two embodiments, when a substrate drying process is performed in the drying apparatus, the magnitude of the stress at the positions corresponding to the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 on the threaded rod is essentially the same as the magnitude of the stress at the position corresponding to the U-shaped clip 112.

[0038] In this embodiment, the horizontal direction L1 is the longitudinal direction of the upper chamber 100. The horizontal direction in which the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 lock the threaded rod is the same as the longitudinal direction of the upper chamber 100 . In yet another embodiment, the horizontal direction in which the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 lock the threaded rod may be the diagonal direction of the upper chamber 100. For example, the first driving unit 121 and the second driving unit 122 on both sides of the threaded rod drive the first locking block 131 and the second locking block 132, respectively, to move the upper wall of the upper chamber 100 relatively or backward in the diagonal direction of the upper chamber 100, thereby locking or loosening the threaded rod. Accordingly, the longitudinal direction L2 of the two clamping slots 1111 can be adaptively adjusted.

[0039] As shown in Figures 8a to 9, the drying device further includes a sensor 290 configured to determine whether the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed (in complete contact) by detecting the distance between them. As shown in FIG. 8 b, in this embodiment, the sensor 290 is an eddy current displacement sensor, and the eddy current displacement sensor includes a probe 291 and a measurement object 292 . The measurement object 292 is a metal conductor, and the probe 291 is fixed to one side wall of the lower chamber 200 . The measurement object 292 is fixed to one side wall of the upper chamber 100, and the measurement object 292 and the probe 291 correspond to each other in the vertical direction. As the driving device 320 drives the lifting platform 310 to continue to lift the lower chamber 200, the eddy current displacement sensor accurately measures the distance between the object to be measured 292 and the end face of the probe 291 based on the principle of the eddy current effect, and the distance between the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 can be determined. Additionally, it can be determined whether or not a resilient seal member (such as inner seal ring 210 in FIG. 11) between upper chamber 100 and lower chamber 200 is compressed. If the elastic seal member is pressed, it means that the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed (in complete contact). Then, the first driving portion 121 and the second driving portion 122 drive the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 respectively to lock the connecting member 111 . If not, it means that the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are not closed, and the driving device 320 continues to drive the lifting platform 310 to lift and raise the lower chamber 200.

[0040] 11 to 13, the elastic seal members are specifically an inner seal ring 210 and an outer seal ring 220. As shown in FIG. The inner seal ring 210 and the outer seal ring 220 are sequentially arranged around the substrate tray 230 and are used to seal the sealed chamber 120 when the lower chamber 200 and the upper chamber 100 are closed to form the sealed chamber 120 by relative movement.

[0041] Here, the vertical cross section of the inner seal ring 210 is U-shaped, and a spring 211 is provided inside the inner seal ring 210 . When the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed, the inner spring 211 causes the inner seal ring 210 to tightly contact the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200, thereby pre-sealing the chamber. Once the sealed chamber 120 is detected as leak-free and sealed, the supercritical fluid is introduced, causing the high-pressure gas within the sealed chamber 120 to enter and pressurize the inside of the U-shaped openings of the multiple inner seal rings 210 . Therefore, the upper and lower ends of the U-shaped opening of the inner seal ring 210 are pressed against at least one of the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 and are deformed. An inner seal ring 210 is further fitted to the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 . Even if the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are slightly deformed, the inner seal ring 210 and the outer seal ring 220 have elasticity, so that the sealed chamber 120 can have good sealing performance.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 13, the inner seal ring 210 comprises a front portion 2101 and a rear portion 2102 . A front portion 2101 of the inner seal ring 210 is made from PTFE, and a rear portion 2102 of the inner seal ring 210 is made from PEEK (polyetheretherketone). The rear portion 2102 has a higher hardness and can withstand more pressure.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 11, when the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 are closed to form the sealed chamber 120, a cavity (not shown) is formed between the inner seal ring 210 and the outer seal ring 220. The vacuum exhaust pipe 140 is connected to the cavity via a vacuum exhaust port 104 provided in the top wall of the upper chamber 100, and is adapted to evacuate the cavity. The vacuum exhaust pipe 140 is provided with a pressure detector 141, which is, for example, a pressure sensor. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches the target pressure, sealing is completed. At this time, the supercritical fluid may be supplied into the sealed chamber 120 .

[0044] The pressure sensor is communicatively coupled to a host computer (not shown) and transmits a signal of the detected pressure in the cavity between the inner seal ring 210 and the outer seal ring 220 to the host computer. If there is a large change in the pressure of the pressure sensor received by the host computer during the process of detection by the pressure sensor, the evacuation is stopped. After the evacuation is stopped, if the pressure received by the host computer from the pressure sensor rises slightly and becomes lower than atmospheric pressure, the host computer determines that the sealing performance of the outer seal ring 220 has failed. At this time, the drying process in the sealed chamber 120 is not affected, and the outer seal ring 220 can be maintained even after the current drying process is completed.

[0045] After the evacuation is stopped, if the pressure received by the host computer from the pressure sensor is greater than atmospheric pressure, the host computer determines that the inner seal ring 210 has failed. The leaked supercritical fluid is discharged through a one-way conduit 150 which includes a one-way valve 151 and a fluid discharge pipe 163 (see fluid discharge pipe 163 in FIG. 14). At this time, when the drying process is stopped and the pressure inside the sealed chamber 120 returns to atmospheric pressure, the inner seal ring 210 can be inspected and replaced. The one-way pipe 150 is connected to the vacuum exhaust port 104 and is connected in parallel to the vacuum exhaust pipe 140 . In this embodiment, the outlet of the one-way conduit 150 is combined with the outlet of the fluid discharge conduit 163 . Under normal circumstances, one-way valve 151 in one-way line 150 can prevent other exhausts, such as gas in fluid exhaust line 163 , from leaking into vacuum exhaust line 140 .

[0046] If the pressure received by the host computer from the pressure sensor after evacuation is stopped is greater than the operating pressure of the safety range of the pressure sensor, this means that there is a large amount of supercritical fluid leakage. The host computer then controls the air pressure valve 142 on the vacuum exhaust line 140 to close, thereby protecting the pressure sensor. At this time, when the drying process is stopped and the pressure inside the sealed chamber 120 returns to atmospheric pressure, the inner seal ring 210 can be inspected and replaced.

[0047] 11, 14 and 15, the drying device further includes a first fluid supply pipe 161, a second fluid supply pipe 162 and a fluid discharge pipe 163.

[0048] The first fluid supply pipe 161 is connected to the first fluid inlet 101 on the top wall of the upper chamber 100 and is used to supply a supercritical fluid into the sealed chamber 120 . As the supercritical fluid is continuously added, the pressure within the sealed chamber 120 continues to increase until the sealed chamber 120 raises the pressure above the critical pressure of the supercritical fluid and reaches a supercritical state.

[0049] 11, 12 and 14, a spoiler 170 is disposed below the first fluid inlet 101 between the first fluid inlet 101 and the substrate w, so that the supercritical fluid flowing in from the first fluid supply pipe 161 and the first fluid inlet 101 reaches the upper surface of the substrate w from the side of the substrate w after bypassing the spoiler 170, thereby effectively cushioning the impact force of the supercritical fluid. This prevents the supercritical fluid from being sprayed directly onto the upper surface of the substrate w at an excessively large flow rate, thereby preventing the IPA on the surface of the substrate w from being blown away.

[0050] The second fluid supply pipe 162 is connected to a second fluid inlet 102 (see the second fluid inlet 102 in Figure 26) provided on the first side wall of the upper chamber 100, and by supplying the supercritical fluid in a supercritical state into the inside of the sealed chamber 120, the supercritical fluid replaces the IPA covering the surface of the substrate w. The surface of the substrate w in the sealed chamber 120 is subjected to a drying process.

[0051] The fluid discharge pipe 163 is connected to a fluid discharge port 103 (see the fluid discharge port 103 in FIG. 26) provided in the second side wall of the upper chamber 100.

[0052] Here, when the first fluid supply pipe 161 is opened, the supercritical fluid is supplied and the gas and fluid in the sealed chamber 120 are discharged from the sealed chamber 120 through the fluid discharge pipe 163, and all the gas in the sealed chamber 120 is replaced with the fluid. Then, by continuously increasing the supply of supercritical fluid, the pressure inside the sealed chamber 120 is increased above the critical pressure. When the inside of the sealed chamber 120 reaches a supercritical state, the first fluid supply pipe 161 is closed, and the supply of the supercritical fluid from above the sealed chamber 120 is stopped.

[0053] When the second fluid supply pipe 162 is opened, the substrate w in the sealed chamber 120 is dried by the supercritical fluid, and at this time the fluid discharged from the fluid discharge pipe 163 becomes a supercritical fluid.

[0054] After the drying process is completed, the second fluid supply pipe 162 is closed and the fluid in the sealed chamber 120 is continuously discharged through the fluid discharge pipe 163, so that the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 can be reduced. Therefore, the supercritical fluid in the sealed chamber 120 becomes gas and is discharged to the outside of the sealed chamber 120 through the fluid discharge pipe 163 and the fluid discharge port 103 .

[0055] 14 to 16, the drying device further includes a residual gas sampling pipe 164, an analysis device 630, and a control device. The residual gas sampling pipe 164 and the fluid discharge pipe 163 are connected to the fluid discharge port 103 via a three-way valve. The analyzer 630 is connected to the residual gas sampling pipe 164 and detects the concentration of the target substance discharged from the sealed chamber 120 in real time. The controller is used to control a number of process parameters of the drying device in response to the concentration of the substance of interest detected by the analyzer 630 . The target substances are oxygen or isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

[0056] Specifically, the analytical device 630 is a residual gas analyzer (RGA), and the control device includes a process command system 640 and a process control system 650 . The supercritical fluid in the residual gas sampling tube 164 passes through the sampling system 610 and enters the vacuum chamber 620, and the temperature control system 611 controls the temperature of the sampling system 610 to keep the supercritical fluid in the sampling system 610 in a gaseous state and prevent liquefaction or condensation. The vacuum pumping system 622 then pumps the vacuum chamber 620 to maintain the set vacuum level, and can heat the vacuum chamber 620 . Temperature control system 621 controls the temperature of vacuum chamber 620 to maintain the supercritical fluid within vacuum chamber 620 in a gaseous state and prevent liquefaction or condensation. Next, the analyzer 630 performs qualitative and quantitative analysis of the components of the supercritical fluid sample in the vacuum chamber 620 to determine the concentration of the target substance. The analysis device 630 feeds back the analysis results to the processing command system 640 . The process command system 640 issues instructions to the process control system 650 to adjust the process parameters of the drying apparatus in a timely manner. For example, the process control system 650 may maintain, reduce, or increase the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 by controlling the supply or discharge of the supercritical fluid.

[0057] 17 to 20b, the drying apparatus further comprises a uniform flow assembly 700 disposed within the upper chamber 100. The uniform flow assembly 700 has a wedge block 800 at each end, and the wedge block 800 is fixed to the inside of the upper chamber 100 by a bolt 810 . The contact surfaces of the wedge block 800 and the uniform flow assembly 700 are inclined surfaces, and the inclined surface 801 of the wedge block 800 and the inclined surface of the uniform flow assembly 700 are linked to each other, so that the uniform flow assembly 700 is clamped inside the upper chamber 100 by the wedge block 800.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 21, the uniform flow assembly 700 comprises an annular gas guide plate 710 and a porous plate 720 . The annular gas guide plate 710 has a first side 701 and a second side 702 facing each other. The annular gas guide plate 710 also has a gas guide groove 712 that penetrates the first side surface 701 and the second side surface 702 . The distance d between both ends of the gas guide groove 712 is greater than the diameter of the substrate w. The porous plate 720 is joined to the first side surface 701 of the annular gas guide plate 710 by welding. The porous plate 720 has a porous structure 721 , and the center of the porous structure 721 coincides with the center of the gas guide groove 712 of the annular gas guide plate 710 . Here, the inclined surface 801 of the wedge block 800 and the inclined surface of the annular gas guide plate 710 of the uniform flow assembly 700 are linked to each other.

[0059] The porous plate 720 may be formed by tailor blank welding of the main body of the porous plate 720 and the sintered mesh (ie, the porous structure 721). The body of the porous plate 720 may be a stainless steel plate. The partial structure of the sintered mesh is shown in Figures 22 and 23. The sintered mesh uses the existing five-layer sintered mesh and has a five-layer structure. The sintered mesh is divided into five parts: a protective layer, a filtration control layer, a dispersion layer, a supporting framework layer, and a framework layer. The sintered mesh has uniform and stable filtration accuracy, high strength and rigidity.

[0060] The porous plate 720 may be integrally processed, that is, the body of the porous plate 720 and the porous structure 721 are integrally formed. The body of the porous plate 720 may be made of stainless steel. FIG.

[0061] The use of the porous plate 720 can improve the uniformity of the flow rate of the supercritical fluid, reduce the turbulence of the fluid within the sealed chamber 120, and achieve the goal of allowing the supercritical fluid to flow uniformly over the upper surface of the substrate w. Therefore, a uniform flow assembly 700 can be provided in the upper chamber 100 to provide a more uniform distribution of the supercritical fluid.

[0062] 21 and 25, the uniform flow assembly 700 further includes a seal piece 730 disposed on the second side 702 of the annular gas guide plate 710 to seal between the annular gas guide plate 710 and the inner sidewall of the upper chamber 100. More specifically, the sealing piece 730 is disposed on the annular groove 713 in the second side surface 702 of the annular gas guide plate 710 . The seal piece 730 is provided with an annular opening 731 for passing the supercritical fluid, and the annular opening 731 extends along the longitudinal direction of the seal piece 730 . The use of the sealing piece 730 can improve the fit between the annular gas guide plate 710 and the inner side wall of the upper chamber 100, thereby achieving a sealing effect. The material of the seal piece 730 is PTFE.

[0063] 26 to 28, the supercritical fluid enters through the second fluid inlet 102 and passes sequentially through the plurality of feed through-holes 180 and the uniform flow assembly 700 to be uniformly distributed over the top surface of the substrate w. After flowing uniformly over the upper surface of the substrate w, the supercritical fluid is subsequently discharged from the sealed chamber 120 through the plurality of discharge through-holes 190 and the fluid discharge port 103 .

[0064] When the supercritical fluid passes through the uniform flow assembly 700, the supercritical fluid passes through the seal piece 730, the annular gas guide plate 710, and the porous plate 720 in sequence, and then is uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the substrate w.

[0065] A plurality of supply through holes 180 are disposed on the upper chamber 100 and are distributed horizontally. Each supply through hole 180 has a gas inlet and a gas outlet. The gas inlet of the feed through hole 180 is connected to the second fluid inlet 102 and the gas outlet of the feed through hole 180 is connected to the uniform flow assembly 700 . The second fluid inlet 102 is located at the center of the first side wall of the upper chamber 100, and the flow rate of the supercritical fluid at the location of the second fluid inlet 102 is at its maximum. In order to make the flow rate of the supercritical fluid uniform within the sealed chamber 120, the multiple supply through holes 180 are arranged offset from the center line of the first side wall. That is, by making the distance d1 between two adjacent supply through holes 180 close to the second fluid inlet 102 larger than the distance d2 between the supply through hole 180 farther from the second fluid inlet 102 and the supply through hole 180 adjacent to the second fluid inlet 102, the supercritical fluid can enter the sealed chamber 120 at a uniform flow rate. Here, the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas inlet of each supply through-hole 180 is equal to or greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas outlet. In this embodiment, the number of supply through-holes 180 is four, but in a practical design, the diameter of the supply through-holes 180 can be made as small as possible and the number can be increased.

[0066] Currently, the upper and lower chambers are typically made exclusively of nickel-based materials. In this embodiment, the portion that closes the upper and lower chambers to form a sealed chamber is made of stainless steel. The portion made of this stainless steel material is then subjected to electrolytic polishing. Stainless steel materials are more amenable to electropolishing than nickel-based materials.

[0067] In one embodiment, with reference to Figures 29-33, the upper chamber 100A and the lower chamber 200A each comprise a first body (1010A, 2010A) and a second body (1020A, 2020A). When the upper chamber 100A and the lower chamber 200A are closed, the first body 1010A of the upper chamber 100A and the first body 2010A of the lower chamber 200A form a sealed chamber 120A. Here, the first body (1010A, 2010A) is nested within the second body (1020A, 2020A). The first body (1010A, 2010A) is made of stainless steel, and the second body (1020A, 2020A) is made of nickel-based material.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 30, a first main body 1010A of the upper chamber 100A includes a plurality of supply through-holes, a plurality of discharge through-holes, a first fluid inlet 101A, and a vacuum exhaust port 104A. As shown in FIG. 31, the second body 1020A of the upper chamber 100A has an upper chamber receiving groove 1023A for receiving the first body 1010A, a passage 1024A for passing the first fluid inlet 101A, and a passage 1025A for passing the vacuum exhaust port 104A. The first body 1010A of the upper chamber 100A may be secured to the second body 1020A by a number of fasteners 1011A. The first body 1010A may include four fixing portions 1014A, each fixing portion 1014A including at least one first fixing hole 1012A. The second body 1020A has at least one second fixing hole 1022A at a position corresponding to the four fixing portions 1014A. The fastener 1011A fastens the first body 1010A to the second body 1020A via the first fixing hole 1012A and the second fixing hole 1022A. The first body 1010A of the upper chamber 100A may be secured to the second body 1020A by welding.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 32, the first body 2010A of the lower chamber 200A includes a substrate tray 230A and an inner annular groove 2014A and an outer annular groove 2015A for respectively positioning an inner seal ring and an outer seal ring (see inner seal ring 210 and outer seal ring 220 in FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 33, a second body 2020A of the lower chamber 200A is provided with a lower chamber receiving groove 2023A for receiving the first body 2010A. The method of fixing the first body 2010A and the second body 2020A of the lower chamber 200A is the same as the method of fixing the upper chamber 100A, and the first body 2010A of the lower chamber 200A may have two fixing portions 2012A arranged opposite each other.

[0070] With reference to Figures 34 and 35, another embodiment is provided in which the first bodies (1010B, 2010B) of the upper and lower chambers 100B, 200B are nested within the second bodies (1020B, 2020B). In this embodiment, the middle portions of the upper chamber 100B and the lower chamber 200B are replaced with stainless steel material, and the middle portions are basically the portions that come into contact with the supercritical fluid. The middle part of the upper chamber 100B is a first body 1010B, and the middle part of the lower chamber 200B is a first body 2010B. The first body (1010B, 2010B) is made of stainless steel, and the second body (1020B, 2020B) is made of a nickel-based material.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 34, the hatched portion represents the first body 1010B of the upper chamber 100B. As shown in FIG. 35, the hatched portion represents the first body 2010B of the lower chamber 200B.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 36, an embodiment is provided in which the first bodies (1010C, 2010C) of the upper and lower chambers 100C, 200C are integrally formed with the respective second bodies (1020C, 2020C). In this embodiment, both the upper chamber 100C and the lower chamber 200C have a two-layer structure. The first body (1010C, 2010C) is a stainless steel layer and the second body (1020C, 2020C) is a nickel-based layer. Explosive welding technology can be used between the first body (1010C, 2010C) and the second body (1020C, 2020C), and the two materials, nickel-based material and stainless steel material, are atomically bonded together by explosion.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will understand that in other embodiments, the first and second bodies of the upper and lower chambers, respectively, may be made of the same material, provided that the strength of the upper and lower chambers is ensured.

[0074] [Second embodiment] 37 to 40, the second embodiment further provides a drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following respects.

[0075] The connecting members 111' of the multiple connecting assemblies are bolts, which themselves have threads (not shown). The fixing member of the coupling assembly comprises a screw nut 112'. A first end of the bolt is threaded into the lower chamber 200 and passes through the bottom of the lower chamber 200 . A screw nut 112 ′ is threaded onto a first end of the bolt at the bottom of the lower chamber 200 .

[0076] Other arrangements and connection methods of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore repeated explanations will be omitted here.

[0077] [Third embodiment] 41 to 43, the third embodiment further provides another drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. The differences between the third embodiment and the first or second embodiment are as follows.

[0078] The drying apparatus further includes a gas exhaust pipe 165 and a flow meter 167 , and the gas exhaust pipe 165 and the first fluid supply pipe 161 are each independently connected to the first fluid inlet 101 in the top wall of the upper chamber 100 . The flow meter 167 is provided in the gas exhaust pipe 165 and detects the flow rate of the gas in the gas exhaust pipe 165 .

[0079] 16 and 41-47b, based on the drying apparatus described above, a third embodiment provides a method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. The drying method includes the following steps: Step S1: The substrate w to be dried is placed on the substrate tray 230 , and the lower chamber 200 and the upper chamber 100 are moved relative to each other in the vertical direction, and are then sealed in a pressure-resistant sealed chamber 120 . Step S2: The supercritical fluid is supplied from the first fluid inlet 101 above the sealed chamber 120 through the first fluid supply pipe 161 . After bypassing the spoiler 170 below the first fluid inlet 101, the fluid reaches the upper surface of the substrate w from the side of the substrate w, and the pressure value in the sealed chamber reaches the set pressure value. The supply of supercritical fluid from above the sealed chamber 120 is stopped. When the pressure value in the sealed chamber 120 reaches the set pressure value, it means that the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 exceeds the critical pressure of the supercritical fluid and reaches a supercritical state. Step S3: A supercritical fluid is supplied from the second fluid inlet 102 in the first side wall of the sealed chamber 120 through the second fluid supply pipe 162, and the supercritical fluid replaces the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) that has covered the surface of the substrate w. The surface of the substrate w in the sealed chamber 120 is dried, and the treated supercritical fluid is discharged through the fluid outlet 103 in the second side wall of the sealed chamber. Step S4: After the drying process is completed, the second fluid inlet 102 and the fluid outlet 103 are closed, and the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is reduced. After the supercritical fluid turns into a gas, the gas bypasses the spoiler 170 and exits the sealed chamber 120 from above the sealed chamber 120 through the first fluid inlet 101 at a predetermined uniform velocity. A gas exhaust pipe 165 is connected to the first fluid inlet 101 , and the gas is exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 165 . In FIG. 43, the dotted arrow indicates the direction in which the supercritical fluid in the sealed chamber 120 is discharged after the supercritical fluid has turned into a gas in this embodiment.

[0080] Regarding the exhaust mode after the supercritical fluid becomes gas, generally, the gas is exhausted from the sealed chamber 120 through the fluid exhaust pipe 163 by the fluid exhaust port 103 in the second side wall of the upper chamber 100 . However, when the gas bypasses the surface of the substrate w and heads toward the fluid outlet 103, the gas is discharged horizontally, and the high-speed gas flow tends to cause pattern collapse of the pattern structure at the edge of the substrate w.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, after the supercritical fluid turns into gas and bypasses the end of the spoiler 170, the gas discharge mode is changed so that the supercritical fluid is discharged upward from the sealed chamber 120 at a predetermined uniform speed through the first fluid inlet 101 in the upper wall of the upper chamber 100 and the gas discharge pipe 165. When the high-speed gas flow reaches the edge position of the substrate w, the discharge direction of the high-speed gas flow changes from horizontal to upward, thereby preventing the pattern structure at the edge position of the substrate w from being destroyed to some extent by the high-speed gas flow flowing horizontally.

[0082] Step S5: When the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 reaches atmospheric pressure, the sealed chamber 120 is opened and the substrate w is taken out.

[0083] In this embodiment, the supercritical fluid is supercritical carbon dioxide.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 44, the following steps are further included before step S2. S201: The sealed chamber 120 is purged of oxygen. S202: The analyzer 630 detects the oxygen concentration in the sealed chamber 120 in real time via the residual gas sampling pipe 164 from the fluid outlet 103 provided on the second side wall of the sealed chamber 120 . S203: It is determined whether the oxygen concentration is lower than the oxygen concentration setpoint. If the answer is YES, the process proceeds to step S2, in which the process command system 640 issues an instruction to the process control system 650 to control the first fluid supply pipe 161 to supply the supercritical fluid into the sealed chamber 120. If not, the process returns to step S201.

[0085] By controlling the oxygen concentration before the drying step, corrosion of the substrate w in the subsequent steps is prevented.

[0086] In step S3, the concentration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is detected in real time, and the dryness state inside the sealed chamber 120 is grasped in real time. Therefore, step S3 further includes adjusting the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 according to the concentration of isopropyl alcohol detected in real time by the analytical device 630 from the fluid outlet 103 on the second side wall of the sealed chamber 120, so that the pressure difference between the maximum pressure value and the minimum pressure value of the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 remains constant or gradually increases.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 45, when the pressure reaches the set pressure value P1, the set pressure value P1 is maintained and a drying process is performed by flow-through. The analyzer 630 detects the IPA concentration in real time until the IPA concentration becomes less than the final set value Ax%, and the drying process is completed. The process command system 640 issues an instruction to the process control system 650 to adjust the process parameters of the drying device in a timely manner. For example, proceed to step S4 to reduce the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 and perform a pressure release process.

[0088] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 46, when the concentration of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) detected by the analyzer 630 is less than the initial concentration set value A1%, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is reduced to a set pressure value P2. If the concentration of IPA detected by the analyzer 630 is less than the concentration set value A2%, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is increased to a set pressure value P1. If the concentration of IPA detected by the analyzer 630 is less than the concentration set value A3%, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is reduced to a set pressure value P3. If the concentration of IPA detected by the analyzer 630 is less than the concentration set value A4%, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is increased to a set pressure value P1. If the concentration of IPA detected by the analyzer 630 is less than the concentration set value A5%, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 is reduced to a set pressure value P4. This cycle is then executed until the IPA concentration detected by the analyzer 630 becomes less than the final set value Ax %. When the drying process is completed, the process command system 640 issues an instruction to the process control system 650 to adjust the process parameters of the drying device in a timely manner. For example, proceed to step S4 to reduce the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 and perform a pressure release process.

[0089] Here, as shown in Figure 47a, set pressure value P2 = set pressure value P3 = set pressure value P4 =... = set pressure value Px, that is, the pressure difference between the maximum pressure value and the minimum pressure value of the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 is the same. Also, as shown in Figure 47b, there may be cases where the set pressure value P2 > set pressure value P3 > set pressure value P4 > ... > set pressure value Px, i.e., the pressure difference between the maximum pressure value and the minimum pressure value of the pressure in the sealed chamber 120 gradually increases. The set pressure value Px, i.e., the minimum pressure value, is not lower than the supercritical pressure of the supercritical fluid, and P1, P2, ..., Px are not lower than the supercritical pressure of the mixture of supercritical CO2 and IPA under the measurement conditions. The supercritical pressure of a mixture of supercritical CO2 and IPA is different from the supercritical pressure of supercritical CO2 and the supercritical pressure of IPA.

[0090] By adjusting the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 in the above steps, the pressure during the drying process varies, and the replacement of IPA with the supercritical fluid can be efficiently promoted. The process efficiency of the drying process for the substrate w can be improved.

[0091] [Fourth embodiment] 42 and 43, the fourth embodiment provides another method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid. The fourth embodiment differs from the third embodiment in the following respects.

[0092] Step S4: After the drying process is completed, when the supercritical fluid becomes a gas, the flow rate of the gas in the gas exhaust pipe 165 is detected by the flow meter 167 . The gas is exhausted from the sealed chamber 120 at a first rate and after a first predetermined time, the surface of the supercritical fluid reaches the underside of the spoiler 170 . At this time, in order to prevent the high-speed gas flow from causing pattern collapse of the pattern structure at the edge position of the substrate w, the gas discharge speed is slowed down and the gas is discharged from the sealed chamber 120 at a second speed. Then, after a second predetermined time, the surface of the supercritical fluid becomes lower than the upper surface of the pattern structure of the substrate w. At this time, the pattern structure on the substrate w is less likely to be destroyed by the high-speed gas flow, so the gas discharge speed can be increased and the gas is discharged from the sealed chamber 120 at a third speed. After the third predetermined time has elapsed, the internal pressure of the sealed chamber 120 becomes atmospheric pressure, completing the gas exhaust process.

[0093] In this embodiment, the first speed is greater than the second speed, and the third speed is greater than the second speed, and the first speed and the third speed may be the same or different. By setting different exhaust speeds depending on the position of the surface of the supercritical fluid, it is possible to avoid pattern collapse of the pattern structure at the edge position of the substrate w due to the high-speed gas flow, and also to ensure exhaust efficiency.

[0094] [Fifth embodiment] 48 to 51, the assembly tool provided in the fifth embodiment is used to assemble a plurality of connecting assemblies of the drying device in the first embodiment.

[0095] The assembly tool includes a tool body 910 and a plurality of positioning portions 920 . The tool body 910 is fixed to the upper chamber 100, and the tool body 910 has a plurality of assembly openings 914 that correspond vertically to the plurality of through holes 1001 in the upper chamber 100 and the plurality of through holes 2001 in the lower chamber 200 (see the through holes 2001 in Figure 5a of the first embodiment). The positioning portion 920 is provided movably on the tool body 910 . The number of assembly openings 914 is four, the number of assembly openings is the same as the number of connecting members 111 of the connecting assembly, and the size of the assembly openings 914 is suitable for the passage of the connecting members 111. The number of the positioning portions 920 is the same as the number of the assembly openings 914 .

[0096] After the connecting member 111 penetrates the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 through the assembly opening 914 and the through holes (1001, 2001), the positioning portion 920 is moved to align the positioning portion 920 with the marking portion 1112 of the connecting member 111. By aligning the positioning portion 920 with the marking portion 1112, the axis of the connecting member 111 coincides with the axes of the through holes of the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the connecting member 111 and facilitating the fixing of the fixing members of the connecting assembly, such as fixing the U-shaped clip and fixing the screw 113. This is equivalent to making the normal direction of the connecting member 111 parallel to the normal directions of the first lock block and the second lock block of the lock mechanism (see the first lock block 131 and the second lock block 132 in FIG. 8a of the first embodiment). Therefore, the first lock block and the second lock block are moved relatively between the upper wall surface of the upper chamber 100 and the self-locking surface of the connecting member 111 (see the self-locking surface 1103 of the connecting member 111 in Figure 5c of the first embodiment), thereby locking the connecting member 111.

[0097] The assembly tool also includes a plurality of guide rails 930 , a plurality of sliding mounting blocks 940 , and a plurality of limiting members 950 . The guide rails 930 are provided on the tool body 910 and extend toward the assembly opening 914 . In this embodiment, two guide rails 930 are provided, and both of the guide rails 930 are linear guide rails. The tool body 910 is provided with a plurality of linear grooves 931 for mounting guide rails 930 thereon. Both ends of each guide rail 930 extend toward the assembly opening 914 along the width direction L3 of the upper chamber 100. Each guide rail 930 is provided with two positioning portions 920, two sliding mounting blocks 940, and two limiting members 950. Each positioning portion 920 , sliding mounting block 940 , and restricting member 950 corresponds to each assembly opening 914 .

[0098] The sliding mounting block 940 and the limiting member 950 are both disposed on the guide rail 930 , and the positioning portion 920 is rotatably mounted to the sliding mounting block 940 by a pin shaft 921 . The sliding mounting block 940 drives the positioning portion 920 to slide on the guide rail 930 . The restrictor member 950 is placed in position between the sliding mounting block 940 and the assembly opening 914 . Specifically, the end of the guide rail 930 is set at a predetermined position, and the restricting member 950 is fixed to the end of the guide rail 930 . When the sliding mounting block 940 slides to the position of the limiting member 950 , the sliding mounting block 940 abuts against the limiting member 950 and the positioning portion 920 precisely matches the marking portion 1112 of the connecting member 111 . The predetermined position may be set according to the actual process requirements, and the limiting member 950 may be a polyurethane positioning block.

[0099] In other embodiments, modular holes may be provided at locations corresponding to predetermined locations on the guide rail 930 . Protrusions corresponding to the modular holes may be provided on the sliding mounting block 940 . When the sliding mounting block 940 slides to a predetermined position on the guide rail 930 , the protrusions match the modular holes, that is, the positioning portions 920 match exactly with the marking portions 1112 of the connecting member 111 .

[0100] As shown in FIG. 48, the tool body 910 includes a top plate 911, a vertical plate 912, and a bottom plate 913, and the vertical plate 912 is connected to the top plate 911 and the bottom plate 913. Here, the top plate 911 and the bottom plate 913 are each perpendicular to the vertical plate 912 and parallel to each other. The bottom plate 913 is used to be fixed to the upper chamber 100 , and the assembly opening 914 and the positioning portion 920 are both provided in the top plate 911 . In this embodiment, a plurality of pin holes 9131 are provided in the bottom plate 913, and a corresponding plurality of pin holes are also provided in the upper chamber 100. The fasteners then pass through pin holes 9131 in the bottom plate 913 and pin holes in the upper chamber 100 to secure the bottom plate 913 to the top wall of the upper chamber 100 . The bottom plate 913 is also provided with an avoidance space 9132 for avoiding lines such as the first fluid supply pipe 161 and the vacuum exhaust pipe line 140 provided on the top wall of the upper chamber 100 . Furthermore, since the top plate 911 is elevated by the height set by the vertical plate 912, not only is space secured to avoid lines such as the first fluid supply pipe 161 and the vacuum exhaust pipe line 140 provided on the top surface of the upper chamber 100, but the height of the positioning portion 920 provided on the top plate 911 can be made to match the height of the marking portion 1112 provided on the connecting member 111.

[0101] Additionally, the top plate 911 of the tool body 910 is provided with a plurality of handles 960 for easy carrying. In this embodiment, two handles 960 are provided symmetrically on the left and right.

[0102] The assembly process of the assembly tool provided in this embodiment will be described below by taking the case where the connecting member 111 of the connecting assembly is a threaded rod and the fixing members of the connecting assembly are a U-shaped clip 112 and a screw 113 as an example.

[0103] The marking portion 1112 is pre-applied to the screw cap of the threaded rod. The marking portion 1112 may be a positioning groove. The positioning portion 920 of the assembly tool may be a pointer. The shape of the front end 9201 of the positioning portion 920 matches the shape of the positioning groove. The rear end 9202 of the locator 920 is rotatably mounted to a sliding mounting block 940 .

[0104] First, the assembly tool is fixed to the top wall of the upper chamber 100 by the bottom plate 913 . It should be noted that a locking mechanism (see locking mechanism 123 in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment) can be attached to the top wall of the upper chamber 100 before the assembly tool is fixed.

[0105] Next, threaded rods are loaded into the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200 from above the top plate 911 through the assembly opening 914, the through-holes of the upper chamber 100, and the through-holes of the lower chamber 200. FIG. 52 shows the state before the assembly tool positions the threaded rod.

[0106] The sliding mounting block 940 can then be pushed into position with the limiting member 950, and the pointer can be rotated as needed to ensure that the underside of the front end of the pointer is flush with the underside of the locating groove in the threaded rod. Therefore, the pointer coincides with the positioning groove of the threaded rod, i.e., the alignment between the pointer and the positioning groove is completed. At this time, not only does the axis of the threaded rod coincide with the axis of the through holes of the upper chamber 100 and the lower chamber 200, but the normal direction of the threaded rod is parallel to the normal direction of the first lock block and the second lock block of the locking mechanism. Once the threaded rod is accurately positioned, it is convenient to accurately fix the screw 113 to the corresponding position on the bottom of the lower chamber 200 through the threaded hole of the U-shaped clip 112. It is also convenient to lock the threaded rod by the relative movement of the first and second locking blocks between the upper wall surface of the upper chamber 100 and the self-locking surface of the threaded rod. FIG. 53 shows the assembly tool after positioning the threaded rod.

[0107] After the pointer is aligned with the positioning groove of the threaded rod, the U-shaped clip is clamped into the clamping groove of the threaded rod, and the screw 113 is used to pass accurately through the threaded hole of the U-shaped clip 112 and the corresponding threaded hole at the bottom of the lower chamber 200. The threaded rod is secured to the lower chamber 200, completing the threaded rod assembly.

[0108] After the threaded rod is accurately fixed in the lower chamber 200, the pointer can be lifted and rotated around the pin shaft 921 to disengage it from the positioning groove, or the sliding mounting block 940 can be pulled to disengage the pointer from the positioning groove.

[0109] Finally, the assembly tool for which the assembly work has been completed is removed from the upper wall of the upper chamber 100 and removed from the upper chamber 100 by the handle 960.

[0110] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical solutions. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions described in the above embodiments may be modified, and some or all of the technical features may be replaced with equivalents. However, these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, comprising: an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the lower chamber being disposed below the upper chamber; a substrate tray disposed on the lower chamber and used to transport the substrate; an elevator mechanism disposed below the lower chamber and used to drive the lower chamber to move vertically; a connecting assembly connecting the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and a locking mechanism used to lock or loosen the connecting assembly; when the lifting mechanism lifts up the lower chamber and the lower chamber come into complete contact with the upper chamber, a gap is formed between the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly in the vertical direction, and the locking mechanism locks the connecting assembly in the horizontal direction; when the lifting mechanism retracts from the lower chamber, the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly automatically come into contact with each other in the vertical direction, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber close to form a sealed chamber; When the sealed chamber is opened, the lifting mechanism first supports and moves the lower chamber upward, forming the gap between the locking mechanism and the connecting assembly in the vertical direction, the locking mechanism loosens the connecting assembly in the horizontal direction, and the lifting mechanism supports and moves the lower chamber downward.

2. The connecting assembly includes a connecting member and a fixing member, the upper chamber and the lower chamber each having a through-hole, the connecting member passing through the upper chamber and the lower chamber via a plurality of the through-holes, and a first end of the connecting member fixed to the lower chamber via the fixing member; 2. The drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is disposed in the upper chamber and includes a first drive unit, a first lock block, a second drive unit, and a second lock block disposed on both sides of the connecting member, wherein the first drive unit drives the first lock block and the second drive unit drives the second lock block, causing the first lock block and the second lock block to move relatively or rearwardly in the horizontal direction on the upper chamber to lock or loosen the connecting member.

3. the connecting member is a bolt, a first end of the bolt being threaded into the lower chamber; 3. The drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member is located at the bottom of the lower chamber, and the first end of the bolt is screwed into the fixing member.

4. The connecting member is a threaded rod, 3. The drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member is clamped to the first end of the threaded rod and fixed to the bottom of the lower chamber.

5. The lifting mechanism includes: a lifting platform disposed below the lower chamber and used to lift the lower chamber; 2. The drying device according to claim 1, further comprising: a driving device for moving the lifting platform upward or downward by a transmission device; and a transmission device.

6. 6. The drying device according to claim 5, wherein the drive device is a servo motor.

7. 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a six-degree-of-freedom robot platform, a gear screw transmission mechanism, a servo-hydraulic system, and an electric or pneumatic cylinder.

8. 10. The drying apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor configured to determine whether the upper chamber and the lower chamber are closed by detecting a distance between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

9. The substrate tray further includes an inner seal ring and an outer seal ring sequentially disposed on an outer periphery thereof, the inner seal ring and the outer seal ring being configured to form a cavity therebetween when the lower chamber and the upper chamber are moved relative to each other to be closed into the sealed chamber; 2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inner seal ring has a U-shaped longitudinal section, a spring is disposed inside the inner seal ring, and both the lower chamber and the upper chamber are fitted onto the inner seal ring.

10. a vacuum exhaust pipe line connected to the cavity via a vacuum exhaust port provided in an upper wall of the upper chamber, for evacuating the cavity; and a pressure detector provided in the vacuum exhaust pipe line, for detecting a pressure in the cavity. a host computer that receives the pressure signal detected by the pressure detector and is used to determine whether the inner seal ring and the outer seal ring have failed, and when the vacuum exhaust line stops evacuating the cavity, if the pressure detected by the pressure detector received by the host computer rises to or below atmospheric pressure, the host computer determines that the outer seal ring has failed; If the pressure received by the host computer from the pressure detector rises and becomes greater than atmospheric pressure, the host computer determines that the seal of the inner seal ring has failed; 10. The drying apparatus of claim 9, wherein if the pressure of the pressure detector received by the host computer is greater than the operating pressure of the pressure detector, the host computer controls the vacuum exhaust line to stop the vacuum exhaust.

11. a first fluid supply pipe connected to a first fluid inlet arranged in an upper wall of the upper chamber, the first fluid supply pipe being used to supply a supercritical fluid into the sealed chamber to change the sealed chamber from an atmospheric pressure state to a supercritical state; a second fluid supply pipe connected to a second fluid inlet disposed on a first side wall of the upper chamber, the second fluid supply pipe being used to supply the supercritical fluid into the sealed chamber in a supercritical state and perform a drying process on the substrate in the sealed chamber; a fluid discharge pipe and a residual gas sampling pipe connected to a fluid discharge port disposed in a second side wall of the upper chamber; an analyzer connected to the residual gas sampling pipe for detecting the concentration of the target substance discharged from the sealed chamber in real time; The drying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a control device for controlling a plurality of process parameters of the drying apparatus in response to the concentration of the target substance detected by the analysis device.

12. The drying device according to claim 11, wherein the target substance is oxygen or isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

13. a gas discharge pipe connected to the first fluid inlet disposed in the upper wall of the upper chamber and discharging the gasified supercritical fluid; The drying apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: a flow meter disposed in the gas exhaust pipe and used to detect a flow rate of the gas in the gas exhaust pipe.

14. a uniform flow assembly disposed within the upper chamber, the uniform flow assembly comprising an annular gas guide plate and a porous plate, the annular gas guide plate having first and second opposing sides and guide grooves extending through the first and second sides, the porous plate being fixed to the first side of the annular gas guide plate and comprising a porous structure; 12. The drying apparatus of claim 11, wherein when the supercritical fluid is supplied into the sealed chamber from the second fluid supply pipe, the supercritical fluid passes through the gas guide groove and the porous plate sequentially, and is distributed onto the upper surface of the substrate.

15. The drying device of claim 14, wherein the porous plate further comprises a body, the body of the porous plate being joined to the porous structure or the body of the porous plate being integrally formed with the porous structure.

16. 15. The drying apparatus of claim 14, wherein the uniform flow assembly further comprises a seal piece disposed on a second side of the annular gas guide plate to form a seal between the annular gas guide plate and the inner wall of the upper chamber, the seal piece having an annular opening for passing the supercritical fluid therethrough, the annular opening extending along a longitudinal direction of the seal piece.

17. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the uniform flow assembly has wedge-shaped blocks at both ends, the wedge-shaped blocks are fixed to the upper chamber, and the uniform flow assembly is clamped within the upper chamber by the wedge-shaped blocks.

18. the upper chamber is further provided with a plurality of horizontally distributed supply holes, each of the supply holes having a gas inlet and a gas outlet, the gas inlets of the supply holes being connected to the second fluid inlet, and the gas outlets of the supply holes being connected to the uniform flow assembly; 15. The drying apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, among the plurality of supply through holes, a distance between two adjacent supply through holes closer to the second fluid inlet is greater than a distance between a supply through hole farther from the second fluid inlet and a supply through hole adjacent to the second fluid inlet.

19. 19. The drying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas inlet of each of the supply through-holes is equal to or greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas outlet.

20. the upper chamber and the lower chamber have a first body and a second body, respectively, and when the upper chamber and the lower chamber are closed, the first body of the upper chamber and the first body of the lower chamber are formed in the sealed chamber; 2. The drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bodies of the upper chamber and the lower chamber are nested within the respective second bodies or are integrally formed with the respective second bodies.

21. 21. The drying device of claim 20, wherein the first body is made of stainless steel material and the second body is made of nickel-based material.

22. A drying apparatus for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, comprising: an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the lower chamber being disposed below the upper chamber, the lower chamber being vertically movable relative to the upper chamber to close the upper chamber to form a sealed chamber; a substrate tray disposed on the lower chamber and used to transport the substrate; a uniform flow assembly disposed within the upper chamber, the uniform flow assembly including an annular gas guide plate and a porous plate, the annular gas guide plate having first and second side surfaces facing each other and gas guide grooves penetrating the first and second side surfaces, the porous plate being fixed to the first side surface of the annular gas guide plate and including a porous structure, and the supercritical fluid being sequentially distributed onto the upper surface of the substrate by the gas guide grooves and the porous plate.

23. The drying apparatus of claim 22, wherein the porous plate further comprises a body, the body of the porous plate being joined to the porous structure or the body of the porous plate being integrally formed with the porous structure.

24. 23. The drying apparatus of claim 22, wherein the uniform flow assembly further comprises a seal piece disposed on a second side of the annular gas guide plate to form a seal between the annular gas guide plate and the inner wall of the upper chamber, the seal piece having an annular opening for passing the supercritical fluid therethrough, the annular opening extending along a longitudinal direction of the seal piece.

25. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 22 to 24, characterized in that a wedge-shaped block is provided at each end of the uniform flow assembly, the wedge-shaped block is fixed to the upper chamber, and the uniform flow assembly is clamped within the upper chamber via the wedge-shaped block.

26. 5. An assembly tool used to assemble the connecting assembly of the drying device according to claim 4, wherein a marking portion is provided in advance on a connecting member of the connecting assembly, a tool body fixed to the upper chamber and having an assembly opening corresponding to the through holes of the upper chamber and the lower chamber; a positioning portion movably provided on the tool body, 5. An assembly tool for assembling the connecting assembly of a drying device as described in claim 4, characterized in that after the connecting member is inserted into the upper chamber and the lower chamber through the assembly opening and the through hole, the positioning portion is moved to align it with the marking portion of the connecting member, thereby aligning the axis of the connecting member with the axis of the through hole.

27. a guide rail disposed on the tool body and extending toward the assembly opening; 27. The assembly tool of claim 26, further comprising a sliding mounting block disposed on a guide rail, the positioning portion being rotatably mounted on the sliding mounting block, the sliding mounting block driving the positioning portion to slide on the guide rail.

28. 28. The assembly tool of claim 27, further comprising a limiting member disposed on the guide rail and positioned at a predetermined position between the sliding mounting block and the assembly opening.

29. 27. The assembly tool according to claim 26, wherein the tool body comprises a top plate, a vertical plate, and a bottom plate, the vertical plate is connected to the top plate and the bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate are respectively perpendicular to the vertical plate and parallel to each other, the bottom plate is fixed to the upper chamber, and the assembly opening and the positioning portion are both located on the top plate.

30. 30. The assembly tool of claim 29, further comprising a handle secured to the top plate of the tool body.

31. A method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, comprising: Step S1: The substrate to be dried is placed on a substrate tray, and the lower chamber and the upper chamber are moved relative to each other in the vertical direction to close the pressure-resistant sealed chamber; Step S2: supplying the supercritical fluid from a first fluid inlet above the sealed chamber via a first fluid supply pipe, the fluid bypassing a spoiler below the first fluid supply pipe and reaching the upper surface from the side of the substrate, and after the pressure value in the sealed chamber reaches a set pressure value, stopping the supply of the supercritical fluid from above the sealed chamber. Step S3: supplying the supercritical fluid through a second fluid inlet on the first side wall of the sealed chamber via a second fluid supply pipe, drying the substrate, and discharging the supercritical fluid through a fluid outlet on the second side wall of the sealed chamber; Step S4: After the drying process is completed, the second fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are closed, and the internal pressure of the sealed chamber is reduced. After the supercritical fluid turns into gas, the gas bypasses the spoiler and is discharged from the top of the sealed chamber through the first fluid inlet at a predetermined speed. Step S5: After the internal pressure of the sealed chamber has reached atmospheric pressure, the sealed chamber is opened and the substrate is removed. A method for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid, comprising the steps of:

32. 32. The drying method according to claim 31, wherein in step S4, after the supercritical fluid becomes gas, the gas bypasses the spoiler and is discharged from the top of the sealed chamber through the first fluid inlet at a uniform predetermined speed.

33. 32. The drying method of claim 31, wherein in the process of converting the supercritical fluid into gas in step S4, the gas is first discharged at a first speed, when the surface of the supercritical fluid reaches the lower surface of the spoiler, the gas is discharged at a second speed, when the surface of the supercritical fluid is lower than the upper surface of the pattern structure of the substrate, the gas is discharged at a third speed, and the first speed > the second speed and the third speed > the second speed until the internal pressure of the sealed chamber reaches atmospheric pressure.

34. Before step 2, Step S201: Purging the sealed chamber of oxygen; Step S202: Detecting the oxygen concentration in the sealed chamber in real time through the fluid outlet of the second side wall of the sealed chamber; Step S203: Determine whether the oxygen concentration is lower than an oxygen concentration set value. If the oxygen concentration is lower than the oxygen concentration set value, the process proceeds to step S2. The drying method according to any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein if the oxygen concentration is not lower than the oxygen concentration set value, the process returns to step S201.

35. The step S3 The drying method according to any one of claims 31 to 33, further comprising a step of adjusting the internal pressure of the sealed chamber according to the concentration of isopropyl alcohol detected in real time from the fluid outlet of the second side wall of the sealed chamber so that the pressure difference between the maximum pressure value and the minimum pressure value of the internal pressure of the sealed chamber is the same or gradually increases.

Images