Exhaust Plasma Treatment for Substrate Processing Polymer Deposits
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing, unreacted monomers in the exhaust gas can polymerize and form deposits in the exhaust path, leading to pressure maintenance issues and increased downtime due to the need for heating and periodic cleaning of traps, which results in apparatus size and power consumption increases.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a plasma generation device in the exhaust path that reduces the molecular weight of unreacted monomers, preventing polymerization and extending cleaning cycles by forming the exhaust gas into a plasma, thereby suppressing polymer deposits on valves and devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the entire exhaust path is heated to prevent polymerization, then polymer deposits are suppressed, but apparatus size increases due to heating member arrangement and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies heating locally only to critical components in the exhaust path (pressure adjustment valve, exhaust pump) rather than heating the entire exhaust path. This localized heating approach prevents polymer deposits on these specific components while avoiding the excessive power consumption and apparatus size increase that would result from heating the whole exhaust path.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a trap is disposed in the exhaust path to capture unreacted monomer, then polymerization in the exhaust path is prevented, but the exhaust mechanism must be periodically stopped for trap maintenance, prolonging downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of critical exhaust path components to above the polymerization temperature of unreacted monomers. By maintaining these components at elevated temperatures, polymerization is suppressed without requiring a trap that would need periodic maintenance and shutdown. This parameter change eliminates the downtime associated with trap maintenance while still preventing polymer deposits.
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
The solution effectively suppresses polymer deposits on pressure control valves and exhaust devices, maintaining apparatus performance and reducing downtime by preventing polymerization in the exhaust path and extending cleaning cycles.
Implementation Method 1
an energy supply device configured to supply an energy with respect to a gas flowing through the first exhaust pipe so as to cause an unreacted component of at least one of the first monomer and the second monomer contained in the gas exhausted from the chamber to be reduced in a molecular weight
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a chamber in which a target substrate is accommodated; a first gas supply part configured to supply a gas containing a first monomer, and a gas containing a second monomer, which forms a polymer through a polymerization reaction with the first monomer, into the chamber so as to form a film of the polymer on the target substrate; an exhaust device configured to exhaust a gas inside the chamber; a first exhaust pipe configured to connect the chamber and the exhaust device; and an energy supply device configured to supply an energy with respect to a gas flowing through the first exhaust pipe so as to cause an unreacted component of at least one of the first monomer and the second monomer contained in the gas exhausted from the chamber to be reduced in a molecular weight.