Solvent Vapor Generator Temperature Control for Concentration Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
In photolithography, the unevenness of the resist pattern surface can affect line width uniformity during etching, and existing solvent vapor sources face issues with temperature variations that lead to unstable solvent vapor concentration.
Innovation Solution
A processing gas generating apparatus that bubbles a raw material liquid with a carrier gas, featuring temperature adjustments for both the liquid-phase and vapor-phase portions to maintain a stable vapor concentration, preventing re-liquefaction and ensuring consistent solvent vapor supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the solvent vapor is cooled by nitrogen gas to a lower temperature than the liquid solvent, then the solvent vapor generation efficiency is improved, but the solvent in the vapor turns back to liquid causing variation of the concentration of the solvent vapor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by independently controlling the temperature of the liquid phase and vapor phase. The liquid phase is maintained at a first temperature while the vapor phase is maintained at a second temperature higher than the first temperature. This temperature parameter differentiation prevents the vapor phase from cooling below the liquid phase temperature, thereby preventing solvent re-liquefaction and maintaining stable solvent vapor concentration while still enabling efficient vapor generation.
2Reliability
If the temperature of the vapor-phase portion is made higher than the liquid-phase portion, then the solvent vapor concentration stability is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the temperature control into two independent systems: a liquid-phase temperature control unit and a vapor-phase temperature control unit. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently - the liquid phase is heated to facilitate vaporization while the vapor phase is separately heated to prevent condensation. Although this increases overall energy consumption, it enables the system to maintain stable solvent vapor concentration, which is critical for consistent pattern processing.
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 provides a stable amount of processing gas, improving the uniformity of the resist pattern surface by maintaining a consistent solvent vapor concentration and preventing re-liquefaction, thus enhancing the smoothing processing in photolithography.
Implementation Method 1
a processing gas generating apparatus that generates a processing gas by bubbling a raw material liquid with a carrier gas
Implementation Method 2
a first temperature adjusting unit configured to perform a temperature adjustment of the liquid-phase portion
Implementation Method 3
a second temperature adjusting unit configured to perform a temperature adjustment of the vapor-phase portion such that the temperature of the vapor-phase portion is higher than the temperature of the liquid-phase portion
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an apparatus for generating a processing gas by bubbling a raw material liquid with a carrier gas. The processing gas generated by the bubbling is taken out from a vapor-phase portion above a liquid-phase portion of the raw material liquid through a taking-out unit. A first temperature adjusting unit performs a temperature adjustment of the liquid-phase portion and a second temperature adjusting unit performs a temperature adjustment of the vapor-phase portion such that the temperature of the vapor-phase portion is higher than the temperature of the liquid-phase portion.