Rotating Substrate Mounting Unit for Uniform CVD Film Thickness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The CVD method faces challenges in achieving even in-plane film thickness during substrate processing, which is crucial for semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus and method that includes a processing chamber, gas supply and exhaust units, a rotational drive unit for horizontal substrate rotation, and a coolant supply/discharge system with a connecting unit outside the processing chamber, ensuring even gas distribution and film formation by opposing gas supply and exhaust ports and utilizing a coolant circulation path within the substrate mounting unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the substrate mounting unit is horizontally rotated during CVD processing, then the in-plane film thickness uniformity is improved, but the risk of coolant leakage into the processing chamber increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coolant supply system is segmented into two independent paths: a first coolant supply path connected to the rotating substrate mounting unit, and a second coolant supply path connected to a stationary coolant supply/discharge unit. This segmentation allows the rotating and stationary components to be decoupled, enabling rotation for uniformity while preventing leakage through the stationary path.
Solution Approach 2:
A stationary connecting unit acts as an intermediary between the rotating substrate mounting unit and the stationary coolant supply/discharge unit. This intermediary component transfers coolant through a stationary interface, preventing direct connection between rotating and stationary systems and thereby eliminating the leakage risk while maintaining the benefits of substrate rotation.
2Reliability
If a stationary coolant supply/discharge unit is used with a rotating substrate mounting unit, then coolant leakage is prevented, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stationary connecting unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a mechanical connection point, a coolant transfer interface, and a rotation isolation barrier. By consolidating these functions into a single stationary component, the system achieves reliable coolant supply without leakage while avoiding the complexity of rotating seals or multiple separate systems.
3Reliability
If the connecting unit is provided outside the processing chamber, then coolant leakage into the vacuum chamber is prevented, but the connection length and system footprint increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting unit is extracted from the processing chamber environment and positioned outside the vacuum chamber. This extraction removes the potential leakage point from the vacuum environment, preventing coolant contamination while the connection length is managed as an acceptable trade-off for the reliability gain.
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
This configuration enables the formation of films with enhanced evenness in in-plane film thickness, preventing coolant leakage into the vacuum chamber and accommodating various processing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant circulation path in the substrate mounting unit
Implementation Method 2
a coolant circulation path in the substrate mounting unit
Implementation Method 3
a rotational drive unit for horizontally rotating the substrate mounting unit
Implementation Method 4
an exciting unit for exciting supplied processing gas
Data Source
AI summary
Substrate processing of a substrate is performed in a processing chamber and the evenness in in-plane film thickness is enhanced. An exhaust unit exhausts the atmosphere in the processing chamber and a processing gas is supplied that is excited by an exciting unit. A rotational drive unit horizontally rotates a support unit that supports a mounting substrate on which the substrate is mounted; and a coolant supply/discharge unit is connected to the lower end of the support unit through a connecting unit. The substrate mounting unit has a coolant circulation path therein. The support unit includes a first coolant flow path for passing coolant through the coolant circulation path. The coolant supply/discharge unit includes a second coolant flow path. The connecting unit connects the first coolant flow path and the second coolant flow path together and is provided outside the processing chamber.