Heater Cooling Ring Design for Substrate Temperature Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor device manufacturing, achieving uniform temperature distribution across large substrates is challenging due to temperature gradients in heaters, leading to non-uniform deposition layers and potential mechanical and electrical issues.
Innovation Solution
A cooling ring with spaced gas passages around the heater allows selective refrigerant flow to adjust temperature distribution, minimizing local temperature deviations and maintaining uniform heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heater is used to heat the substrate, then the substrate temperature can be raised to enable thermal processing, but temperature gradients form across the substrate leading to non-uniform heating
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling ring is divided into multiple independent cooling zones, each capable of selective cooling. This allows different regions of the heater to be cooled according to their specific temperature requirements, creating local quality variations that compensate for the heater's inherent temperature gradients and achieve uniform overall temperature distribution across the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling ring acts as an intermediary component between the heater and the substrate. It receives cooling fluid through multiple gas passages and distributes cooling effects to specific high-temperature regions of the heater, thereby mediating the temperature distribution and reducing temperature gradients that would otherwise be transmitted to the substrate.
2Manufacturing precision
If a cooling ring with multiple gas passages is installed around the heater, then temperature distribution can be adjusted by selective refrigerant flow, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling ring is segmented into multiple independent cooling zones with separate gas passages. Each zone can be controlled independently through individual valves, allowing selective cooling of different heater regions. This segmentation enables precise temperature distribution control while maintaining modular simplicity in the overall system design.
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 cooling ring improves temperature uniformity across the substrate, enhancing the quality and uniformity of deposited layers by reducing temperature gradients and maintaining consistent heating performance.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling ring disposed around the heater, the cooling ring having a plurality of gas passages spaced apart at a predetermined distance around the heater to allow a refrigerant supplied from the outside to selectively flow therein
Implementation Method 2
The susceptor is generally heated at a temperature of about 400° C. to about 1,250° C. by resistance heating
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a main chamber having a process space in which a process with respect to a substrate is performed, a heater disposed in the process space to heat the substrate placed on an upper portion thereof, and a cooling ring around the heater, the cooling ring having a plurality of cooling gas passages spaced apart at a predetermined distance around the heater to allow a refrigerant supplied from the outside to selectively flow therein.