Multi-Zone Heating Plate Uniformity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In photolithography processes for semiconductor device fabrication, non-uniform heat application from heating members leads to variations in thin film thickness of photoresist layers, affecting the uniformity and quality of the semiconductor device.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a heating member having multiple zones, equipped with a temperature measuring system and a control unit that adjusts temperature using a PID controller to ensure uniform thin film thickness by identifying and correcting temperature discrepancies across heating zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the same heat capacity is applied to the heating plate, then the heating process is simple, but uniform heat is not applied to the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The heating plate is divided into multiple heating zones with independent temperature control. Each heating zone can be controlled separately to compensate for heat distribution non-uniformity, allowing precise control of substrate temperature across different regions to achieve uniform thin film thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heating zones are assigned different temperature settings based on their specific heat distribution characteristics. The control unit adjusts the temperature of each heating zone individually to compensate for local variations, ensuring uniform heat application to the substrate across the entire surface.
2Manufacturing precision
If the temperature of the heating member is controlled uniformly, then the control process is simple, but the thin film thickness becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature sensors are placed in each heating zone to detect the actual temperature. The control unit receives this feedback information and automatically adjusts the power supplied to each heating zone to maintain the target temperature, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and ensuring uniform thin film thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically adjusts the temperature parameters of different heating zones based on real-time temperature measurements and thin film thickness requirements. By changing the temperature parameters of individual heating zones, the system achieves uniform heat distribution and consistent thin film thickness across the substrate.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple heating zones are controlled independently, then the thin film thickness uniformity is improved, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple heating zones are integrated into a single heating plate structure, and their control is merged into one control unit that manages all zones simultaneously. This unified control approach reduces the need for separate control systems for each zone while maintaining the ability to independently adjust each heating zone's temperature for uniform thin film formation.
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 ensures uniform thin film thickness across the substrate by dynamically controlling the temperature of each heating zone, improving the consistency and quality of the photolithography process.
Implementation Method 1
a heating member provided inside the heating plate to heat the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for treating a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus for treating the substrate includes a housing having a treatment space inside the housing, a plate to support the substrate inside the housing, a heating member provided inside the plate to heat the substrate and including a plurality of heating zones, a temperature measuring member to measure a temperature of the substrate with respect to each of the plurality of heating zones of the heating member, and a control unit to control a temperature for the heating member in a dynamic section of a temperature change graph measured in the temperature measuring member. The control unit performs temperature control with respect to each of the plurality of heating zones of the heating member to uniformize the thickness of the thin film on the substrate.