Heated Functional Plate Wafer Cleaning for Low-Particle IPA Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of liquid isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in semiconductor wafer cleaning introduces significant particle contamination, necessitating a method to reduce this contamination during the cleaning process.
Innovation Solution
A wafer cleaning method and system that utilizes a heated functional plate to vaporize distilled IPA liquid into IPA vapor, followed by drying the semiconductor wafer with a clean gas, thereby minimizing particle contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If liquid IPA is used for wafer cleaning, then the wafer surface can be effectively cleaned and pattern collapse is prevented, but significant particle contamination is introduced onto the wafers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of IPA from liquid to vapor by controlling temperature parameters. The substrate is heated to a temperature range that promotes IPA vaporization, transforming the cleaning medium from liquid form (which causes particle contamination) to vapor form (which reduces particle contamination while maintaining cleaning effectiveness).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of IPA from liquid to vapor state. By heating the substrate, the IPA liquid applied to the wafer surface vaporizes, creating a vapor-phase cleaning environment that eliminates the particle contamination issues associated with liquid IPA while preserving the cleaning benefits.
2Reliability
If IPA liquid is used to displace deionized water, then pattern collapse risk is reduced, but particle contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter to induce phase transition. By maintaining the substrate at elevated temperatures during IPA application, the IPA remains in vapor phase or transitions quickly from liquid to vapor, providing the pattern stability benefits of IPA while avoiding the particle contamination associated with liquid IPA handling and application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs phase transition of IPA from liquid to vapor to resolve the contradiction. The vaporized IPA provides effective displacement of deionized water and pattern stabilization without introducing the particle contamination that occurs during liquid IPA dispensing and handling.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If heated functional plate is used to vaporize IPA, then particle contamination is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition of IPA from liquid to vapor, which occurs at relatively low temperatures compared to other phase changes. This allows effective vaporization with moderate heating energy input, reducing particle contamination while keeping energy consumption at acceptable levels for semiconductor manufacturing processes.
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
Reduces particle contamination by using vaporized IPA, enhancing the cleanliness and integrity of semiconductor wafers during processing.
Implementation Method 1
enabling one or more heating elements of one of the two plates to heat the one of the two plates to vaporize the distilled IPA liquid into IPA vapor
Implementation Method 2
dispensing a gas through the dispense nozzle of the wafer processing system into the processing space to dry the semiconductor wafer
Data Source
AI summary
A wafer processing method and system are provided. The wafer processing system includes a controller configured to control a dispense nozzle of the wafer processing system to dispense distilled IPA liquid onto a semiconductor wafer in a processing space between two plates of the wafer processing system. The controller is further configured to control one or more heating elements of one of the two plates to heat the one of the two plates to vaporize the distilled IPA liquid into IPA vapor, and control the dispense nozzle to dispense a gas into the processing space to dry the semiconductor wafer.