Spin Chuck Cup Cleaning via Substrate Rinsing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in efficiently cleaning the cup surrounding the spin chuck during substrate processing, leading to contamination and increased apparatus size due to the need for specialized cleaning tools and difficulty in initiating cup cleaning during ongoing lot processing.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a controller that selects between normal and special processing modes, allowing the rinsing liquid to be directed accurately to clean the cup without colliding with holding mechanisms, using adjustable rotation speed and supply amount, and enabling cup cleaning during ongoing substrate processing without additional cleaning tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rinsing liquid is supplied to the rotating spin base to fly off the rinsing liquid for cleaning, then the cup can be cleaned, but the rinsing liquid collides with chuck mechanisms and grasping the substrate, making it difficult to fly off the rinsing liquid appropriately
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of supplying rinsing liquid to the spin base as in conventional techniques, the patent supplies rinsing liquid to the substrate and utilizes the substrate's rotation to fly off the rinsing liquid toward the cup. This inversion of the liquid supply target eliminates the collision problem with chuck mechanisms while achieving cup cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate, which is already rotating for processing purposes, is utilized to fly off the rinsing liquid for cup cleaning. The substrate's rotation serves dual purposes: substrate processing and cup cleaning, eliminating the need for separate cleaning operations.
2Ease of manufacture
If a substrate processing apparatus includes a tool designed specifically for cup cleaning treatment, then the cup can be cleaned effectively, but the cleaning tool must be attached and detached for every cup cleaning treatment, resulting in decrease in throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate processing apparatus performs cup cleaning using the existing substrate processing components (substrate holder, rotation mechanism, liquid supply system) during normal substrate processing operations. This multi-functional use of existing components eliminates the need for separate cleaning tools and maintains continuous throughput.
3Ease of manufacture
If a substrate processing apparatus includes a tool designed specifically for cup cleaning treatment, then the cup can be cleaned effectively, but the substrate processing apparatus is increased in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the existing substrate processing components for cup cleaning operations, allowing one component system to serve multiple functions (substrate processing and cup cleaning). This eliminates the need for additional dedicated cleaning tools and maintains a compact apparatus size.
4Ease of manufacture
If cup cleaning treatment is performed during time interval between lots, then the cup can be cleaned, but it is difficult to start cup cleaning treatment before completion of lot processing when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables cup cleaning to be performed continuously during substrate processing operations by utilizing the substrate rotation and liquid supply system. This allows cup cleaning to occur in the middle of lot processing without interrupting the overall processing flow, providing flexible timing adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is configured to perform cup cleaning operations during substrate processing, allowing cleaning actions to be taken in advance or concurrently with substrate processing rather than requiring separate time intervals between lots.
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 solution effectively prevents contamination by ensuring accurate cup cleaning without increasing apparatus size, allowing for mid-process cup cleaning and maintaining throughput by utilizing existing components for both substrate and cup cleaning processes.
Implementation Method 1
thereafter rotates the substrate at a high speed to perform a spin-drying process. At this time, the greater part of such a processing liquid flying off to adhere to the inner wall of a cup surrounding a spin chuck
Implementation Method 2
The supplied rinsing liquid is flown off from the spin base to the cup and its surroundings by centrifugal force caused by the rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A special mode has a second rinsing process which supplies a rinsing liquid to a substrate while holding and rotating the substrate with a spin chuck under operating conditions different from those in a first rinsing process in a normal mode. In the second rinsing process, a processing cup is cleaned with the rinsing liquid flown off from the rotating substrate. In the second rinsing process in which the substrate is held by the spin chuck, the rinsing liquid flown off from the substrate is less prone to collide with chuck members. The provision of a mechanism designed specifically for the cleaning of the cup is not required in the special mode. The special mode is a mode executable when a substrate is present inside a chamber, and can be executed in the middle of lot processing.