Etching Piping Thermal Management for Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods face challenges in maintaining consistent etching temperatures during continuous processing, leading to variations in etching rates between substrates due to heat accumulation in processing liquid piping, which is not effectively mitigated by current cooling methods.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method and apparatus that includes a piping heating step to raise the pipe wall temperature before initial etching, followed by high-temperature liquid discharge steps, without subsequent cooling, maintaining a stable etching liquid temperature by heat accumulation during processing, and optionally includes a piping cooling step after the last etching process to reset the temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous etching processing is performed for multiple substrates, then productivity is improved, but the pipe wall temperature rises due to heat accumulation, causing etching liquid temperature variation and etching rate inconsistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing a piping heating step before the initial etching process to raise the pipe wall temperature in advance. This pre-heating ensures that when continuous etching processing begins, the piping system is already at an elevated temperature, preventing heat accumulation from causing temperature variations during subsequent etching operations, thereby maintaining consistent etching rates across multiple substrates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of heat accumulation into a beneficial outcome. Instead of viewing the heat generated during continuous etching as a problem to be eliminated, the method utilizes this heat by omitting cooling steps between etching processes. The heat accumulation is transformed into a sustained thermal environment that maintains stable etching liquid temperature, ensuring consistent etching rates while enabling continuous processing
2Temperature
If coolant is supplied to cool the processing liquid piping after each etching process, then pipe wall temperature is reduced, but it is difficult to completely eliminate heat accumulation, and temperature variations persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the conventional temperature control approach. Instead of cooling the piping after each etching process to remove heat, the method inverts the strategy by deliberately maintaining and allowing heat accumulation through omitted cooling steps. This inverted approach of not cooling transforms the thermal management strategy, creating a stable thermal environment that improves etching liquid temperature consistency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the thermal parameters of the processing system. The method changes the temperature control parameter from active cooling to passive heat maintenance, and adjusts the piping temperature to a higher level that stabilizes the etching liquid temperature. This parameter change from cooling to heating/maintaining eliminates temperature fluctuations and ensures stable etching conditions
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 approach ensures a consistent etching rate across multiple substrates by maintaining the etching liquid at a stable temperature, reducing variations and improving processing stability, while also optimizing throughput by minimizing temperature adjustment cycles.
Implementation Method 1
heat derived from the heated liquid is accumulated on a pipe wall of the processing liquid piping
Implementation Method 2
heat derived from the heated liquid is accumulated on a pipe wall of the processing liquid piping
Implementation Method 3
heat derived from the heated liquid is accumulated on a pipe wall of the processing liquid piping
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method is a substrate processing method which applies sequentially common etching processing which is common to each of a plurality of substrates. The common etching processing has an etching step and a high-temperature liquid discharge step. The substrate processing method further includes a piping heating step in which, of the plurality of common etching processings applied to the plurality of substrates, before the initial common etching processing, the pipe wall of the common piping is raised in temperature up to a predetermined second liquid temperature higher than a first liquid temperature and in each of the common etching processings, after each of high-temperature liquid discharge steps and before each of next etching steps, there is not performed a step in which the pipe wall of the common piping is lowered in temperature.