Heating Apparatus Uniform Temperature Transition Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, the heating treatment of substrates, such as wafers, results in non-uniform line widths of resist patterns due to variations in thermal history across and between wafers, despite individual control of heaters on a mounting table, as temperature transition profiles and total heat amounts can differ significantly.
Innovation Solution
A heating apparatus with independently controlled heaters, temperature detection units, and temperature control units that calculate and apply correction values to ensure uniform temperature transition profiles and total heat amounts across all heating target regions, using offset values to synchronize heat delivery and achieve consistent processing temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If individual heater control is implemented for each division region, then temperature control flexibility is improved, but temperature transition profile uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement of temperature transition profiles for each heater before actual processing. Based on these measurements, correction values are calculated in advance to compensate for individual heater characteristics. This preliminary characterization allows the system to predict and correct temperature variations, ensuring uniform temperature transition profiles across all division regions while maintaining individual heater control flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If target temperature is set uniformly for all heating target regions, then control simplicity is improved, but total heat amount uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system measures the actual temperature transition profile for each heater and uses this feedback information to calculate individual correction values. These correction values are then applied to the uniform target temperature setting, allowing the system to maintain simple uniform target temperature control while achieving uniform total heat amount delivery through compensatory adjustments based on measured performance.
3Measurement precision
If temperature measurement at multiple points is performed, then temperature distribution awareness is improved, but control complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating target region is divided into multiple division regions, each associated with a specific heater and temperature measurement point. This segmentation allows the system to independently characterize and control each region's temperature transition profile. By processing each division region separately with its own correction value, the system achieves comprehensive temperature distribution awareness while managing control complexity through modular, region-specific correction rather than complex global control.
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
This approach ensures high uniformity in the heating treatment within a single substrate and between multiple substrates, improving the consistency of resist pattern line widths by aligning temperature rise curves and total heat amounts across all regions.
Implementation Method 1
multiple heaters which heat a substrate to be processed and mount the heated substrate on the mounting table
Implementation Method 2
temperature detection units each configured to detect a temperature of heating target region heated by the corresponding heater
Data Source
AI summary
Time periods required for a wafer W to reach a reference temperature are made to be uniform between heating modules 2 and between heating target regions in a temperature rising time period after the wafer W is placed on a heating plate 23, and temperature rise curves of temperature transition profiles in a temperature rise transition time period are made to be same. Therefore, the temperature transition profiles of the heating target regions are all same, and total heat amounts in the temperature rise transition time period are uniform within a surface of the wafer W and between the heating modules 2, so that a line width of a pattern formed on the wafer W becomes uniform. Thus, it is possible to perform a heating treatment with high uniformity within the surface of the wafer W and between the wafers W processed in the different heating modules 2.