Chemical Solvent Water Removal from Semiconductor Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor manufacturing, insufficient removal of water from semiconductor substrates can degrade the performance of semiconductor devices, as water adsorption or bonding can occur during processes like atomic layer deposition (ALD), leading to negative effects.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the application of a chemical solvent, such as alcohols, ethers, or amines, to the semiconductor substrate surface at controlled temperatures and pressures to effectively remove adsorbed or bonded water, followed by purging with inert gases to ensure complete solvent and water removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a purging process is used to remove water from the semiconductor substrate, then the process is simple and fast, but water is not sufficiently removed from the substrate surface
Solution Approach 1:
A chemical solvent is introduced as an intermediary substance to facilitate water removal. The solvent applies an attractive force to water molecules on the substrate surface, enabling more effective removal compared to direct purging. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by achieving superior water removal effectiveness while maintaining reasonable process efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical and physical parameters of the removal process by introducing a chemical solvent with specific properties (attractive force to water, volatility). This parameter change enables more effective water removal from the substrate surface, addressing the insufficiency of conventional purging methods.
2Reliability
If water is not sufficiently removed from the semiconductor substrate, then the manufacturing process is faster, but the performance of the semiconductor device is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical solvent serves as a mediator that enhances water removal effectiveness, ensuring high semiconductor device performance. The solvent's attractive force to water molecules enables thorough removal without requiring excessively complex processing steps, thus maintaining reliability while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the purely mechanical/physical purging process with a chemical-based removal mechanism. By using the chemical attractive force between the solvent and water molecules, the process achieves better water removal effectiveness, thereby improving device performance without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Reliability
If a chemical solvent is applied to remove water from the substrate, then water removal effectiveness is improved, but additional steps and process complexity are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical solvent is used as an intermediary to achieve effective water removal. While this adds a step to the process, the solvent's strong attractive force to water molecules enables thorough removal that simple purging cannot achieve, justifying the additional step through superior effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of chemical solvents changes the fundamental parameter of water removal from physical purging to chemical attraction. This parameter change improves removal effectiveness but necessarily adds process steps, representing a trade-off that the invention accepts to achieve the desired water removal quality.
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 method ensures high-performance atomic layer deposition by thoroughly removing water from semiconductor substrates, thereby preventing performance degradation and ensuring reliable semiconductor device operation.
Implementation Method 1
The attractive force between the chemical solvent and the water may be greater than the bonding force or the adsorption force between the semiconductor substrate and water
Implementation Method 2
The removal of the chemical solvent may be performed at an absolute pressure that is lower than atmospheric pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are methods of removing water adsorbed or bonded to a surface of a semiconductor substrate, and methods of depositing an atomic layer using the method of removing water described herein. The method of removing water includes applying a chemical solvent to the surface of a semiconductor substrate, and removing the chemical solvent from the surface of the semiconductor substrate.