Nozzle Design for Uniform Droplet Atomization in Substrate Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional two-fluid nozzles used in substrate cleaning for semiconductor manufacturing fail to adequately atomize treatment liquids, resulting in uneven droplet dispersion and damage to substrate patterns due to large, uneven droplet sizes, which deteriorates cleaning efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A nozzle design featuring a body with a liquid discharge line surrounded by a gas discharge line, including multiple liquid discharge holes and a gas discharge hole, where the gas discharge line is inclined and has a wider cross-sectional area downwards, and a buffer to prevent gas bias, ensuring uniform droplet atomization and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single liquid discharge hole is used to form a liquid column, then the liquid can be discharged efficiently, but the droplets have large sizes and are not sufficiently atomized, damaging substrate patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The single liquid discharge hole is divided into multiple liquid discharge holes (first, second, third liquid discharge holes) arranged in different directions. This segmentation allows the liquid to be discharged through multiple smaller openings, creating more uniform and smaller droplets that are properly atomized by the gas flow, thereby preventing substrate pattern damage while maintaining discharge efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid discharge holes are asymmetrically arranged with different orientations (first hole in first direction, second hole in second direction, third hole in third direction). This asymmetric configuration ensures uniform droplet distribution in multiple directions, improving atomization effectiveness and preventing the formation of large droplets that would damage substrate patterns.
2Productivity
If gas is discharged to collide with liquid for atomization, then liquid can be dispersed, but the dispersion is unbalanced and droplet sizes are uneven, deteriorating cleaning efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The gas discharge hole is positioned specifically at a distance of 0.05 to 0.15 times the liquid column length from the liquid discharge holes, creating an optimized local interaction zone. This precise positioning ensures that the gas flow effectively atomizes the liquid from multiple discharge holes, producing uniform droplet sizes and balanced dispersion for improved cleaning efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes pneumatic principles by discharging gas through a dedicated gas discharge hole to collide with and atomize the liquid from multiple discharge holes. The controlled gas flow creates uniform droplet mist that ensures balanced dispersion and consistent cleaning performance across the substrate surface.
3Quantity of substance
If the liquid column is relatively thick, then liquid can be discharged in sufficient quantity, but the droplet sizes are different and uneven, causing unbalanced liquid dispersion
Solution Approach 1:
The thick liquid column from a single discharge hole is segmented into multiple smaller liquid columns through the first, second, and third liquid discharge holes. Each smaller hole produces thinner, more uniform liquid streams that are effectively atomized by the gas, resulting in consistent droplet sizes while maintaining sufficient total liquid discharge quantity for effective cleaning.
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 design reduces droplet dispersion, prevents pattern damage, and enhances cleaning efficiency by ensuring uniform droplet sizes and distribution, improving the overall cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid is not sufficiently atomized even though the gas discharged from the gas discharge hole 2000 collides with the gas
Data Source
AI summary
A nozzle for supplying a fluid to a substrate, the nozzle including a body having a liquid discharge line through which the liquid flows and a gas discharge line that surrounds the liquid discharge line and through which a gas flow, wherein the body includes a plurality of liquid discharge holes that discharge the liquid flowing through the liquid discharge line, and a gas discharge hole that discharges the gas flowing through the gas discharge line.