Rotating Heated Stage Control for Substrate Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods suffer from degraded in-plane uniformity due to variations in the internal environment of the process container, leading to inconsistencies in temperature and gas flow distribution.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treatment method involving a stage with a heating element and a rotation mechanism, where the controller independently controls the heating element and rotation mechanism in multiple steps to correct deviations in gas flow and temperature distribution, ensuring uniformity by adjusting the temperature profile and rotation angle of the stage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a substrate is processed in a conventional process container, then the processing can be completed, but the in-plane uniformity of the substrate processing is degraded due to temperature deviations and gas flow asymmetry
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is divided into multiple independent heating regions (first through fourth regions) that can be controlled separately. This segmentation allows independent temperature control in different areas of the process container, enabling correction of temperature deviations and achievement of uniform substrate processing across the in-plane direction.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heating regions are controlled with different temperature profiles to create localized temperature corrections. The controller adjusts heating power distribution across regions based on detected temperature deviations, providing non-uniform heating control that compensates for specific local temperature variations and achieves overall uniformity.
2Temperature
If the heating element is controlled uniformly across all regions, then the control system is simple, but temperature deviations in different regions cannot be corrected
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is segmented into multiple independently controllable regions, allowing differentiated temperature control for each region. This enables the system to address local temperature deviations without requiring a completely complex control architecture, as each region can be adjusted independently based on its specific needs.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature detection means detect temperature deviations in different regions and provide feedback to the controller. The controller uses this feedback information to adjust the heating power distribution across regions, creating a closed-loop control system that automatically corrects temperature non-uniformity while maintaining manageable system complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If the stage is stationary during processing, then the gas flow pattern remains asymmetric, but the rotation mechanism adds operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The stage is made rotatable rather than stationary, allowing it to rotate during the film formation process. This dynamic operation changes the gas flow pattern from asymmetric to more uniform by continuously varying the relative positions of the substrate and gas supply/exhaust openings, thereby improving in-plane uniformity of film thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The stage performs periodic rotation during processing, creating a time-varying gas flow environment. This periodic motion averages out the asymmetric gas flow effects over time, resulting in more uniform film formation across the substrate surface while adding a relatively simple rotational operation to the process sequence.
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
Improves in-plane uniformity of substrate processing by correcting deviations in gas flow and temperature distribution, resulting in consistent film thickness and reaction rates across the substrate surface.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element provided on the stage
Implementation Method 2
a rotation mechanism that rotates the stage
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treatment method of a substrate treatment device, which includes a stage on which a substrate is mounted, a heating element provided on the stage, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the stage, includes: mounting the substrate on the stage; and performing a process on the substrate, wherein the performing the process on the substrate has a plurality of steps, and wherein each of the plurality of steps includes controlling the heating element and controlling the rotation mechanism.