Film Thickness Singular Point Correction in Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform film thickness due to singular points caused by columns and supports in wafer boats, which affect in-plane uniformity and require manual optimization.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus equipped with a film thickness meter, state analysis unit, singular point detection unit, and singular point correction unit that measures film thickness, analyzes variations, detects singular points, and corrects measurement results to ensure uniformity by averaging adjacent points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual optimization of processing recipes is performed by fully loading substrates in wafer boats, then film formation processing can be optimized, but singular points caused by columns and supports create local deviations in film thickness that worsen in-plane uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the columns and supports from the wafer boat structure that cause singular points. By eliminating these structural elements, the harmful local deviations in film thickness are prevented, thereby improving in-plane uniformity without requiring complex correction procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where film thickness is measured at multiple positions including near where columns and supports would be located, and the processing recipe is automatically adjusted based on these measurements. This closed-loop control compensates for singular point effects and optimizes overall film uniformity
2Manufacturing precision
If film thickness is measured at multiple positions to detect singular points, then in-plane uniformity can be improved, but the data analysis becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection of singular points by analyzing film thickness measurement data before final optimization calculations are performed. By identifying singular points in advance, the subsequent data analysis and recipe optimization processes can focus only on relevant parameters, reducing overall analysis time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual data analysis with automated computational methods that use algorithms to detect singular points and calculate optimized processing recipes. This substitution of automated computing for manual analysis significantly reduces the time required while maintaining or improving accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus that accommodates a substrate holder in which a substrate is placed in a processing container and forms a film onto the substrate, includes: a film thickness meter that measures a thickness of the film formed on the substrate; a state analysis unit that analyzes variation of the film thickness from a measurement result output from the film thickness meter at a plurality of measurement points where the film thickness on the substrate is measured; a singular point detection unit that, based on the analysis result, detects a measurement point where a difference from an adjacent measurement point deviates from a predetermined condition, as a singular point; and a singular point correction unit that corrects a measurement result of the singular point so that the difference of the film thickness between the singular point and the adjacent measurement point is within a predetermined condition.