Sublimable Treatment Liquid for Substrate Drying Without Pattern Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate treating methods often fail to dry substrates appropriately, leading to pattern collapse, especially for fine patterns, due to inadequate selection of sublimable substances, solvents, and surfactants in the treatment liquid.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating method using a treatment liquid with a sublimable substance, solvent, and surfactant, where the surfactant has an octanol-water partition coefficient of −1 or more and 1 or less, and vapor pressure at room temperature is 0.9 to 3 times that of the solvent, ensuring suitable affinity and evaporation, forming a solidified film that can be properly sublimated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional treatment liquid is used for drying substrates, then the drying process can be completed, but pattern collapse occurs especially for fine patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the treatment liquid by specifying that the surfactant's vapor pressure must be 0.9 times or more of the solvent's vapor pressure, and the surfactant must have an octanol-water partition coefficient of -1 or more and 1 or less. These parameter changes ensure the treatment liquid provides both drying capability and pattern protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite treatment liquid containing multiple components (solvent, sublimable substance, and surfactant) working together. The surfactant acts as a protective coating material that forms a solidified film on the substrate, preventing pattern collapse during drying while allowing complete drying to occur.
2Speed
If surfactant with high vapor pressure is used, then evaporation is enhanced, but surfactant evaporates too quickly before forming protective film
Solution Approach 1:
The invention precisely controls the vapor pressure parameter of the surfactant by requiring it to be 0.9 times or more of the solvent's vapor pressure. This parameter setting ensures the surfactant evaporates at a controlled rate that allows sufficient time to form a protective solidified film on the substrate before complete evaporation occurs.
3Reliability
If surfactant with low vapor pressure is used, then protective film can be formed, but evaporation is insufficient and drying is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the surfactant's vapor pressure parameter to be 0.9 times or more of the solvent's vapor pressure, ensuring sufficient evaporation capability for complete drying. Combined with the octanol-water partition coefficient constraint (-1 or more and 1 or less), this parameter setting achieves both protective film formation and complete drying efficiency.
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 effectively prevents pattern collapse by ensuring the treatment liquid has suitable affinity and evaporation properties, allowing for proper drying of substrates while protecting patterns.
Implementation Method 1
the solvent evaporates
Implementation Method 2
the solidified film sublimates. The solidified film changes into gas without being a liquid
Implementation Method 3
the solvent and the surfactant evaporate from the treatment liquid on the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a substrate treating method and a treatment liquid. The substrate treating method includes a treatment liquid supplying step, a solidified film forming step, and a sublimation step. In the treatment liquid supplying step, a treatment liquid is supplied to a substrate. The treatment liquid contains a sublimable substance, a solvent, and a surfactant. In the solidified film forming step, the solvent and the surfactant evaporate from the treatment liquid on the substrate. In the solidified film forming step, a solidified film containing the sublimable substance is formed on the substrate. In the sublimation step, the solidified film sublimates. The surfactant has an octanol-water partition coefficient LOGPow of −1 or more and 1 or less. Vapor pressure Pc of the surfactant at room temperature is 0.9 times or more and 3 times or less vapor pressure Pb of the solvent at room temperature.