Heated Backside Polishing for Flat EUV Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate polishing devices face challenges in achieving efficient polishing of the back face of substrates due to poor flatness, leading to defocus issues in extreme ultraviolet exposure devices, particularly due to scratches, which require longer treatment times and inefficient methods.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a polishing unit that includes a holding rotator and a polisher with a resin body containing abrasive grains, which performs chemo-mechanical grinding on the back face of the substrate while heating it, combined with a coating unit for applying resist on the front face, to enhance polishing rate and achieve sufficient flatness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional polishing methods are used to remove scratches and improve substrate flatness, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to excessively long polishing times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by heating the substrate to elevated temperatures during polishing. This temperature parameter change activates chemical reactions between the abrasive grains and substrate material, transforming the polishing mechanism from purely mechanical to chemo-mechanical, thereby dramatically increasing the polishing rate while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials in the form of abrasive grains combined with chemical agents that react with the substrate material at elevated temperatures. This composite approach enables simultaneous mechanical removal and chemical dissolution of material, achieving high polishing rates with improved efficiency
2Manufacturing precision
If polishing treatment is extended to achieve sufficient flatness for EUV exposure, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the temperature parameter during polishing, the patent accelerates the material removal process. The heated substrate undergoes enhanced chemical reactions with abrasive grains, enabling rapid achievement of required flatness specifications without excessive time loss
Solution Approach 2:
The patent partially replaces the mechanical polishing system with a chemo-mechanical system. Chemical reactions between heated substrate and abrasive agents supplement mechanical abrasion, reducing reliance on prolonged mechanical contact and thereby reducing time loss while achieving precision flatness
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 apparatus significantly shortens the polishing time and improves substrate flatness, effectively addressing defocus issues by integrating a heating mechanism and a chemo-mechanical grinding process with a resist coating, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the substrate treatment process.
Implementation Method 1
a heating member configured to heat the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a polisher having a resin body where abrasive grains are distributed and configured to perform polishing to the back face of the substrate in a chemo-mechanical grinding manner
Data Source
AI summary
In a substrate treating apparatus, an indexer block, a polishing block, a coating block, and an interface block are arranged horizontally and linearly in this order. The coating block includes a coating unit PR-configured to coat a front face of a substrate with a resist. The polishing unit includes a polishing unit configured to polish a back face of the substrate. The polishing unit includes a holding rotator configured to rotate the substrate while holding the substrate in a horizontal posture, a heating member configured to heat the substrate, and a polisher having a resin body where abrasive grains are distributed and configured to polish the back face of the substrate in a chemo-mechanical grinding manner by contacting against the back face of the substrate that is rotated while being heated.