Cooling Plate Nozzle Layout for Uniform Wafer Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor device manufacturing, substrate processing often results in temperature differences between the central and outer peripheral portions of a rotating substrate, leading to in-plane uniformity issues during cooling, which can cause warping or cracking.
Innovation Solution
A cooling plate with lift pins and nozzles that blow a combination of straight and swirling inert gas flows onto the substrate, with a higher density of nozzles in the central portion to enhance cooling efficiency and uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If gas is supplied from a lower surface of the substrate to improve in-plane uniformity, then temperature uniformity is improved, but cooling speed may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple nozzles arranged in specific patterns (e.g., radial and circumferential arrangements) to deliver gas to different regions of the substrate simultaneously. This segmentation allows uniform temperature distribution across the substrate surface while maintaining high cooling speed through parallel heat removal from multiple locations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate receive gas flow with locally optimized characteristics. The nozzle arrangement and gas flow parameters are tailored to specific zones (e.g., higher gas flow density at the center versus periphery) to achieve uniform temperature distribution while maximizing cooling efficiency in each local region.
2Device complexity
If a single gas flow pattern is used, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle system is divided into multiple independent nozzle units arranged in specific geometric patterns (radial, circumferential, or hybrid arrangements). Each nozzle can be independently controlled or designed with slightly different characteristics to target specific substrate regions, achieving uniform cooling without requiring complex centralized control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle arrangement employs asymmetric or non-uniform spacing patterns that are optimized for the specific thermal conditions of the substrate. Rather than uniform circular patterns, the nozzle positions and orientations are strategically varied to compensate for heat distribution characteristics, achieving superior cooling uniformity with a relatively simple overall structure.
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 faster and more uniform substrate cooling, reducing temperature unevenness and preventing warping or cracking, while improving throughput and transfer accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a nozzle disposed in the placing surface and configured to blow an inert gas in a combination of a straight flow and a swirling flow toward the substrate lifted from the placing surface by the lift pins
Implementation Method 2
a nozzle disposed in the placing surface and configured to blow an inert gas in a combination of a straight flow and a swirling flow toward the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a cooling plate comprising: lift pins configured to support a substrate; a placing surface capable of having the substrate placed thereon; and a nozzle disposed in the placing surface and configured to blow an inert gas in a combination of a straight flow and a swirling flow toward the substrate lifted from the placing surface by the lift pins.