Grooved Linear Heater Structure for Uniform Substrate Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heating devices for substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, often result in non-uniform temperature distributions across the substrate due to the arrangement pattern of the heater, leading to inconsistent processing results.
Innovation Solution
A heating device with a linear heater fixed inside a groove on a base, where the groove has a contact portion for the heater and a non-contact portion to prevent direct heat transfer from the heater's upper portion to the substrate, thereby improving temperature uniformity without increasing the device's thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heater is arranged in a pattern on the base, then the substrate can be heated, but the heater's arrangement pattern is transferred to the substrate's temperature distribution, resulting in non-uniform temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure acts as an intermediary between the heater and the substrate. By positioning the heater within the groove, the direct thermal coupling between the heater pattern and substrate is interrupted. The groove walls provide thermal isolation, allowing heat to be transferred more uniformly to the substrate without the heater's arrangement pattern being directly imprinted on the temperature distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove creates localized thermal zones with different heat transfer characteristics. The contact portion allows thermal coupling while the non-contact portion provides thermal isolation. This local differentiation of thermal properties enables uniform overall heating while managing local heat transfer paths to prevent pattern transfer.
2Temperature
If the base thickness is increased to improve heating uniformity, then temperature distribution improves, but the device becomes thicker, causing responsiveness and handling issues
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of solving the heating uniformity problem by increasing thickness in the vertical dimension, the invention introduces a groove structure that utilizes horizontal dimensionality. The groove creates lateral thermal isolation zones that achieve uniform heating without requiring increased base thickness, thus maintaining device responsiveness and handling characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The base surface is segmented into contact portions and non-contact portions by the groove structure. This segmentation creates distinct thermal zones that work together to achieve uniform heating. The groove divides the thermal path into multiple zones with different coupling characteristics, enabling uniform temperature distribution without increasing overall thickness.
3Temperature
If the groove depth is increased to improve thermal isolation, then heating uniformity improves, but the linear heater becomes harder to position and fix accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The groove dimensions are optimized to achieve the right balance between thermal isolation and manufacturing feasibility. The depth and width parameters are selected to provide sufficient thermal isolation for uniform heating while maintaining a geometry that is easy to manufacture and allows accurate heater positioning. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between thermal performance and manufacturing ease.
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 achieves improved in-plane heating uniformity of the substrate, preventing the heater's arrangement pattern from being transferred to the substrate's temperature distribution or processing results, while maintaining a thin device structure to avoid responsiveness and handling issues.
Implementation Method 1
a linear heater
Implementation Method 2
The groove has a contact portion provided on a front side of the groove so as to come into contact with the linear heater
Implementation Method 3
a non-contact portion provided on a back side of the groove so as not to come into contact with the linear heater
Data Source
AI summary
A heating device for heating a substrate directly on the heating device or indirectly placed on the heating device via another member, includes a linear heater and a base having a groove depressed from a side opposite the substrate toward the substrate, the linear heater being fixed inside the groove. The groove has a contact portion provided on a front side of the groove so as to come into contact with the linear heater and a non-contact portion provided on a back side of the groove so as not to come into contact with the linear heater.