Resin Substrate Support with Etched Projections for Uniform Heat Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat treatment apparatuses for substrates suffer from uneven heat distribution due to metal projections causing variations in heat history across the substrate surface, leading to inconsistent temperature uniformity during photolithography processes.
Innovation Solution
A substrate support structure featuring a resin sheet with etched projections and a ring-like lip for contacting the substrate, combined with a heat treatment apparatus that allows for controlled gas exhaustion to maintain uniform pressure and prevent substrate movement, ensuring consistent heat transfer across the substrate surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal projections are used for substrate support, then substrate suction and positioning are achieved, but heat transfer variations occur between contact and non-contact areas
Solution Approach 1:
A resin layer is introduced as an intermediary material between the metal projection and the substrate. The resin layer has lower thermal conductivity than metal, which reduces the heat transfer rate at contact points and thereby minimizes heat transfer variations between contact and non-contact areas, achieving more uniform heat distribution across the substrate surface
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductivity parameter of the contact interface is changed by using resin instead of direct metal-to-substrate contact. This parameter change reduces the heat transfer rate at projection contact points, eliminating the heat concentration effect and achieving uniform heat distribution across the substrate surface
2Temperature
If resin sheet with etched projections is used, then heat transfer uniformity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resin sheet contains etched projections that create a porous or patterned structure. This porous structure allows the resin to be formed with precise geometric features while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standard etching processes, achieving both heat transfer uniformity and ease of manufacture
3Manufacturing precision
If gas exhaustion is controlled to prevent substrate movement, then positioning precision is maintained, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the existing suction force from the projection structure to automatically maintain substrate positioning during gas exhaustion. The substrate self-adjusts to the projection contact points under suction, eliminating the need for complex active control mechanisms and achieving positioning precision through passive self-alignment
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 effectively reduces heat transfer variations between contact and non-contact areas, achieving more uniform heat treatment and preventing substrate movement during processing, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of photolithography processes.
Implementation Method 1
heat is transferred mainly through the projections to the substrate supported by the substrate support structure
Implementation Method 2
Gas is exhausted from this space through the exhaust bores, thereby to apply suction to the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A heat treatment apparatus includes a support sheet placed on an upper surface of a heat-treating plate. The support sheet has, formed on an upper surface thereof, projections for contacting and supporting a substrate, and a lip for contacting edge regions of the substrate. The support sheet is formed by an etching process, and therefore areas of the sheet around the projections are recessed, rather than being perforated as in the case of laser processing. These heat-treating plate and support sheet constitute a substrate support structure capable of supporting the substrate properly.