Process Gas Storage Temperature Cycling for Uniform Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods face challenges in maintaining consistent temperature and process gas supply, leading to variations that affect the quality and consistency of semiconductor device manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A technique involving a cycle of storing a first process gas at a specific temperature, supplying it to a substrate, and then adjusting the storage temperature, while maintaining the substrate processing apparatus within a predetermined temperature range, to minimize temperature variations and improve process consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If process gas is stored in a storage and supplied to substrate multiple times, then productivity is improved, but temperature variation increases leading to manufacturing precision degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic temperature adjustment cycles where the storage temperature is reset to a predetermined value after each process gas supply cycle. This periodic intervention prevents cumulative temperature drift that would otherwise occur with repeated gas supply operations, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling high productivity through multiple processing cycles.
2Productivity
If process gas is supplied repeatedly to substrate, then productivity increases, but temperature stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature detection and control mechanisms that monitor the storage temperature and automatically adjust it back to a predetermined value when deviations occur. This feedback loop ensures temperature stability is maintained across multiple processing cycles, allowing the system to achieve high productivity without sacrificing thermal stability.
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 effectively suppresses temperature variations and enhances the consistency of the substrate processing, improving the quality and reliability of semiconductor device manufacturing by maintaining a stable process environment.
Implementation Method 1
supplying the first process gas from the storage at a first temperature to a substrate after (a) to change a temperature of the storage to a second temperature lower than the first temperature
Implementation Method 2
changing the temperature of the storage after supplying the first process gas to a third temperature after (b), wherein the third temperature is kept within a predetermined temperature range
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a technique capable of suppressing a variation within a substrate processing. There is provided a technique that includes performing a cycle a plurality of times, the cycle including: (a) storing a first process gas in a storage; (b) supplying the first process gas from the storage at a first temperature to a substrate after (a) to change a temperature of the storage to a second temperature lower than the first temperature; and (c) changing the temperature of the storage after supplying the first process gas to a third temperature after (b), wherein (a), (b) and (c) are sequentially performed in the cycle, and wherein the third temperature is kept within a predetermined temperature range while the cycle is performed the plurality of times.