Microwave Batch Curing Chamber with Angled Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional furnace curing processes are slower and less efficient in handling large volumes of semiconductor wafers compared to microwave curing, despite microwave curing being faster and more energy-efficient, due to limitations in throughput and uniformity in microwave batch curing chambers.
Innovation Solution
A microwave batch curing process chamber design featuring an annular body with angled surfaces, radially extending lips, and strategically placed openings for uniform microwave distribution and vacuum maintenance, allowing for stacked configurations to increase substrate capacity and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional furnace curing is used to handle large volumes of semiconductor wafers, then throughput is high, but curing time is long (more than 6 hours) and temperature is high (greater than 220 degrees Celsius)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal conduction-based furnace curing with microwave-based dielectric heating. The microwave system uses electromagnetic fields to directly heat the polymer material through dielectric loss, eliminating the need for slow thermal conduction through air or contact with heated surfaces. This substitution enables rapid curing (under 1 hour) while maintaining the ability to process large batches of wafers, thus resolving the contradiction between high throughput and long curing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental heating parameter from thermal conduction (furnace) to dielectric heating (microwave). By operating at microwave frequencies and controlling the electromagnetic field distribution within the batch chamber, the system achieves uniform and rapid heating at lower temperatures (less than 200 degrees Celsius) compared to conventional curing (greater than 220 degrees Celsius), while maintaining high productivity.
2Loss of time
If microwave curing is used to reduce curing time and temperature, then curing speed increases, but throughput is limited due to chamber volume constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a batch chamber design that can be segmented into multiple levels or tiers, allowing simultaneous processing of multiple wafer substrates. The chamber includes a support structure with multiple tiers that can hold different quantities of substrates, effectively increasing the processing capacity without requiring a proportionally larger single-volume chamber. This segmentation enables the microwave system to maintain rapid curing speeds while achieving throughput comparable to conventional furnaces.
3Temperature
If microwave energy is applied to cure polymer materials, then curing temperature is reduced (less than 200 degrees Celsius), but uniformity of curing within the batch is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a rotating mechanism that dynamically adjusts the position of wafer substrates during microwave curing. The rotation ensures that all substrates are exposed to relatively uniform microwave energy distribution throughout the curing cycle, preventing hot spots and ensuring consistent curing across the entire batch. This dynamic movement compensates for the non-uniform energy distribution that would otherwise occur in a static microwave field, maintaining curing uniformity at reduced temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes sensors and control mechanisms that monitor the curing process in real-time, allowing for feedback control of microwave power delivery and chamber conditions. This feedback ensures uniform energy distribution and consistent curing results across all substrates in the batch, maintaining manufacturing precision while operating at lower temperatures than conventional furnaces.
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 enhances microwave energy distribution and vacuum conditions within the chamber, ensuring uniform curing and increased throughput without compromising curing uniformity, effectively matching the efficiency of conventional curing processes.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of second openings fluidly coupled to the first volume, wherein the plurality of second openings are configured to expose the first volume to microwave energy
Implementation Method 2
microwave batch curing process
Implementation Method 3
an exhaust disposed between the first lip and the second lip and fluidly coupled to the first volume, wherein the exhaust comprises a plurality of first openings
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, a process chamber for a microwave batch curing process includes: an annular body having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a central opening of the annular body, wherein the inner surface comprises a plurality of angled surfaces defining a first volume; a first lip extending radially outward from the outer surface of the annular body proximate a first end of the annular body; a second lip extending radially outward from the outer surface of the annular body proximate a second end of the annular body; an exhaust disposed between the first lip and the second lip and fluidly coupled to the first volume, wherein the exhaust comprises a plurality of first openings; a plurality of second openings fluidly coupled to the first volume, wherein the plurality of second openings are configured to expose the first volume to microwave energy; and one or more ports fluidly coupled to the first volume.