PEB Chamber Exhaust Layout for Uniform Resist Thermal Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal treatment processes for substrates with resist coating films suffer from contamination by sublimates and unevenness in thermal treatment uniformity, particularly during Post Exposure Bake (PEB) treatments in semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A thermal treatment apparatus with a chamber configuration that includes a hot plate, a gas discharger, a gas supplier, a central exhauster, and a peripheral exhauster, where the gas discharger and supplier continuously supply treatment gases, and the central exhauster enhances exhaust from the middle of the treatment, preventing sublimate contamination and ensuring uniformity by controlling gas flow patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a coating film of resist is thermally treated on a substrate, then the resist pattern is formed, but the substrate is contaminated by sublimates produced from the coating film
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust function is segmented into two independent exhaust ports: a central exhaust port positioned above the substrate center and a peripheral exhaust port positioned above the substrate periphery. This segmentation allows differential exhaust control, where the peripheral exhaust port operates continuously to prevent sublimate contamination, while the central exhaust port is activated only after treatment to remove accumulated sublimates without affecting thermal uniformity during the treatment process.
2Manufacturing precision
If thermal treatment is performed on the substrate, then the resist coating is processed, but the thermal treatment uniformity across the substrate is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust system operates dynamically with different exhaust ports activated at different stages. During the thermal treatment process, only the peripheral exhaust port operates to maintain thermal uniformity. After treatment, the central exhaust port is activated to enhance sublimate removal. This dynamic operation ensures both thermal treatment uniformity and treatment efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the treatment chamber have different exhaust characteristics. The peripheral region has continuous exhaust to prevent sublimate accumulation near the substrate edges, while the central region has exhaust activated only after treatment. This local quality differentiation ensures uniform thermal treatment while efficiently removing sublimates from both central and peripheral regions.
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 effectively suppresses sublimate contamination and improves thermal treatment uniformity on substrates, maintaining the integrity of resist patterns and reducing metal atom deposition on wafer surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a hot plate configured to support and heat the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a gas discharger provided at the ceiling and configured to discharge a treatment gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from above
Implementation Method 3
a gas supplier configured to supply gas toward the substrate on the hot plate from a lateral side of the substrate on the hot plate and a lower portion of the treatment space
Implementation Method 4
a central exhauster configured to exhaust the treatment space in the chamber from a position close to a center of the substrate on the hot plate in top view on the ceiling; a peripheral exhauster configured to exhaust the treatment space from a side closer to a peripheral edge portion of the substrate on the hot plate than the central exhauster
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal treatment apparatus for thermally treating a substrate on which a coating film of a resist is formed and subjected to an exposure treatment, includes: a hot plate supporting and heating the substrate; a chamber housing the hot plate, the chamber having a ceiling forming thereunder a treatment space for performing the thermal treatment; a gas discharger discharging a treatment gas toward the substrate; a gas supplier supplying gas toward the substrate; a central exhauster exhausting the treatment space from a position close to a center of the substrate; a peripheral exhauster exhausting the treatment space from a side closer to a peripheral edge portion of the substrate; and a controller conducting a control to continue the discharge, supply of gas, and exhaust by the peripheral exhauster during the thermal treatment and enhance the exhaust by the central exhauster from a middle of the thermal treatment.