Indirect Injection Nozzle for Substrate Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor wafers with larger diameters and finer patterns are processed, existing single-wafer cleaning and drying apparatuses often fail to fully remove deionized water, leading to poor drying due to external environmental influences during the cleaning and drying process.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a substrate support unit, a bottom chamber, and a top chamber that seals the substrate from external air, utilizing an indirect injection nozzle to inject drying fluid upwardly, creating a sealed space for efficient drying while maintaining laminar airflow and uniform fluid distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a wafer is cleaned and dried while being exposed to the air, then the cleaning and drying process can be performed with simple apparatus structure, but external environment causes poor drying of the wafer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sealed chamber that creates an isolated environment for substrate cleaning and drying. The chamber is filled with inert gas (nitrogen) to replace air, preventing external environmental factors from affecting the drying process. This ensures complete water removal while maintaining a controlled atmosphere that protects the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a seal member that forms a tight seal between the chamber and the substrate processing area. This flexible sealing mechanism isolates the internal chamber environment from the external air, creating a controlled space where inert gas can effectively dry the substrate without contamination or moisture from external sources.
2Quantity of substance
If DI water is used for rinsing larger diameter wafers, then the rinsing process can be performed, but DI water may not be fully removed leading to poor drying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a sealed chamber filled with inert gas to create an environment where water can be completely removed from large diameter wafers. The inert gas atmosphere prevents re-contamination and ensures that all DI water is evaporated and removed, achieving complete drying even for larger substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transition of water from liquid to vapor through heating within the sealed chamber. The inert gas environment facilitates complete evaporation of DI water from the wafer surface, and the vapor is then removed from the chamber, ensuring no water residue remains on large diameter wafers.
3Device complexity
If direct injection of drying fluid is used, then the drying process is simple, but fluid distribution may be uneven and cause contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediate chamber that serves as a mediator between the drying fluid source and the substrate. The chamber allows the drying fluid to be distributed uniformly across the substrate surface through controlled flow paths, preventing direct injection issues while maintaining simple process operation. The seal member acts as an additional intermediary to control fluid delivery.
4Device complexity
If the substrate is exposed to external air during drying, then the drying apparatus can have an open structure, but external environment causes contamination and poor drying
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a sealed chamber that is filled with inert gas to replace external air. This inert atmosphere prevents harmful external environmental factors from affecting the substrate during drying, while the chamber structure remains relatively simple. The inert gas flow ensures continuous removal of water vapor and prevents contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a seal member that creates a flexible yet effective barrier between the internal chamber environment and external air. This sealing mechanism allows the chamber to maintain isolation from external environmental factors while keeping the overall apparatus structure compact and manageable.
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 ensures fast and efficient drying of substrates by isolating them from external environments, preventing contamination, and maintaining uniform fluid distribution, thereby enhancing drying efficiency and preventing water residue on the substrate surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
drying the chemically treated substrate, while a top chamber seals the open top of the bottom chamber, using drying fluid indirectly injected from an indirect injection nozzle installed at the top chamber
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is provided for supplying a plurality of chemicals or gases to the surface of a substrate to clean and dry the substrate. The apparatus includes a substrate support unit with a chuck on which a substrate is loaded, a bottom chamber having an open top and configured to surround the circumference of the chuck, a top chamber configured to open or close the top of the bottom chamber such that a drying treatment for the substrate is performed while the substrate is isolated from the outside, and an indirect injection nozzle installed at the edge of the top chamber and configured to inject drying fluid toward the center of the top chamber such that the drying fluid is indirectly injected to the substrate. According to the apparatus, it is possible to enhance a substrate drying efficiency, suppress external contamination, and prevent the formation of an oxide layer.