Semiconductor Dummy Substrate Back Face Inorganic Film
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor substrate heat treatment using batch type devices, the presence of a dummy substrate can lead to uneven exposure of product substrates to atmospheric gases, resulting in differences in electrical characteristics due to consumption of gases over the dummy substrate's back face, causing variations in the electrical properties of substrates beneath it.
Innovation Solution
Forming an inorganic film of sufficient thickness on both the dummy substrate and semiconductor substrates to prevent gas consumption over the back faces, ensuring uniform exposure to oxidation or reducing gases during thermal treatment, thereby maintaining consistent electrical characteristics across all substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a dummy substrate is used to fill space and improve heat distribution uniformity, then heat distribution uniformity is improved, but atmospheric gas consumption becomes uneven causing electrical characteristic variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming an inorganic film specifically on the back face of the dummy substrate where gas consumption occurs, while leaving the front face and other areas unaffected. This localized treatment prevents atmospheric gas consumption at the back face, eliminating the source of electrical characteristic variations while maintaining the heat distribution function of the dummy substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The inorganic film acts as an intermediary layer between the atmospheric gas and the back face of the dummy substrate. This intermediate layer prevents direct interaction between the atmospheric gas and the substrate material, thereby preventing gas consumption and by-product generation that would otherwise cause electrical characteristic variations in adjacent product substrates.
2Manufacturing precision
If thermal oxidation is performed on product substrates with inorganic films, then film formation is achieved, but gas consumption over dummy substrate back face causes different electrical characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively forming an inorganic film only on the back face of the dummy substrate, not on the front face or on the product substrates themselves. This localized treatment addresses the specific problem of gas consumption at the back face while maintaining the intended film formation process on the product substrates' front faces.
Solution Approach 2:
The inorganic film on the dummy substrate back face serves as an intermediary barrier that prevents atmospheric gas from being consumed during thermal oxidation. This intermediary layer ensures that the atmospheric gas composition remains consistent for all product substrates, thereby maintaining uniform electrical characteristics across all devices.
3Productivity
If dummy substrate back face is exposed to atmospheric gas, then space filling function is achieved, but gas consumption creates harmful by-products affecting adjacent substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of atmospheric gas consumption into a beneficial outcome by applying an inorganic film to the dummy substrate back face. This film prevents gas consumption and by-product generation, transforming the dummy substrate from a source of harmful effects into a harmless space-filling element that maintains batch processing efficiency without affecting adjacent substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
The inorganic film acts as an intermediary barrier on the dummy substrate back face that prevents direct interaction between atmospheric gas and the substrate material. This intermediary layer eliminates harmful by-product generation while allowing the dummy substrate to continue serving its productivity-enhancing function of filling space in the batch processing configuration.
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 method ensures uniform gas consumption and electrical characteristics among semiconductor substrates by forming an inorganic film on the back faces of both dummy and product substrates, reducing distribution deviations and enhancing the consistency of semiconductor device performance.
Implementation Method 1
there is formed, on a back face of the dummy substrate and back faces of the semiconductor substrates, an inorganic film having such a thickness as to be resistant to a temperature of a thermal oxidizing treatment or a heat treatment and to sufficiently decrease an amount of oxidation or reducing gaseous species to reach the back faces
Implementation Method 2
a thermal oxidizing treatment or post annealing is carried out over the surfaces of the semiconductor substrates in an oxidation gas atmosphere
Implementation Method 3
a thermal oxidizing treatment or a heat treatment
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes the steps of (b) forming, on a back face of a dummy substrate and back faces of a plurality of semiconductor substrates, inorganic films having such thicknesses as to be resistant to a temperature of a thermal oxidizing treatment or a heat treatment and to sufficiently decrease an amount of oxidation or reducing gaseous species to reach the back faces of the dummy substrate and the plurality of semiconductor substrates, (c) disposing the dummy substrate and the plurality of semiconductor substrates in a lamination with surfaces turned in the same direction at an interval from each other, and (d) carrying out a thermal oxidizing treatment or post annealing over the surfaces of the semiconductor substrates in an oxidation gas atmosphere or a reducing gas atmosphere after the steps (b) and (c).