Bake Chamber Atmosphere Switching for Uniform Substrate Heating

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Solution Overview

Problem

The use of inorganic photoresist in semiconductor manufacturing requires a technology that can quickly and uniformly change the atmosphere in the bake chamber during the bake process, while minimizing deviations in processing by region of the substrate.

Innovation Solution

A substrate processing method and apparatus that includes a loading operation, a heating operation, and an atmosphere changing operation. The atmosphere changing operation involves injecting atmosphere changing gas while the substrate is lowered onto a heating chuck, maintaining a set concentration of gas above the substrate, and adjusting the lowering speed based on the gas flow rate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the substrate is heated in a bake chamber with conventional atmosphere control, then the heating process can be completed, but the atmosphere cannot be quickly or uniformly changed, causing processing deviations by region

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveatmosphere changing speedVSAvoidprocessing uniformity by region

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The bake chamber is divided into multiple gas injection zones with separate gas injection holes distributed across the chamber. This segmentation allows different regions to receive atmosphere changing gas independently and simultaneously, enabling quick and uniform atmosphere transition throughout the entire chamber without processing deviations by region

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Gas injection holes are strategically positioned at different locations including near the substrate center and edge regions. Each location receives atmosphere changing gas with appropriate flow rates to ensure uniform atmosphere distribution, addressing the specific needs of different chamber regions to prevent processing deviations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of time

If the substrate is lowered quickly onto the heating chuck, then the overall processing time is reduced, but the atmosphere cannot be uniformly maintained above the substrate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing timeVSAvoidatmosphere uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The atmosphere changing gas is injected continuously throughout the substrate lowering process. The gas injection starts before the substrate reaches its final position and continues during the lowering operation, ensuring that the atmosphere above the substrate is maintained uniformly at all times without interruption, thus achieving both quick processing and atmosphere uniformity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system monitors the substrate position and gas flow rate dynamically during the lowering process. Based on real-time feedback, the gas injection parameters are adjusted to maintain optimal atmosphere conditions above the substrate throughout the lowering operation, preventing atmosphere deviations while minimizing processing time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method allows for rapid and uniform atmosphere changes in the processing space, improving the uniformity of the film applied to the substrate and minimizing deviations in processing, thereby enhancing the efficiency and consistency of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Implementation Method 1

a heating operation of placing the substrate, which has been loaded into the processing space, on a heating chuck and heating the substrate

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

a gas discharging operation of injecting atmosphere changing gas in a state where the substrate is located closer to a baffle than in the heating operation, in which the baffle is provided on a top side of the heating chuck to face the heating chuck and injects the atmosphere changing gas

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas flow: Convection

Data Source

PatentUS20250062125A1Substrate processing method, manufacturing method, and substrate processing apparatus

Publication Date: 2025.02.20 SYSTEM ENGINEERING MEGA SOLUTION CO LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is a substrate processing method including: a substrate loading operation of loading a substrate into a processing space provided by a body; a heating operation of placing the substrate, which has been loaded into the processing space, on a heating chuck and heating the substrate; and an atmosphere changing operation of changing an atmosphere of the processing space, in which the atmosphere changing operation includes: a gas discharging operation of injecting atmosphere changing gas in a state where the substrate is located closer to a baffle than in the heating operation, in which the baffle is provided on a top side of the heating chuck to face the heating chuck and injects the atmosphere changing gas; and a substrate lowering operation of lowering and placing the substrate onto the heating chuck while maintaining the injection of the atmosphere changing gas.