Substrate Cleaning Chamber Airflow for Oxidation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing technologies face challenges in preventing corrosion and substrate metal oxidation reactions caused by oxygen, while also requiring significant space to fill with inert gases and inefficiently removing foreign substances.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus that includes an airflow generator to create a rotating air current in a process chamber, using an inert gas to reduce corrosion and oxidation, and a propeller or showerhead to efficiently eliminate foreign substances, while reducing the volume of the process space filled with inert gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the process chamber is filled with inert gas to prevent corrosion and oxidation, then substrate protection is improved, but the space and time required for gas filling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating an inert gas environment specifically in the region where the substrate contacts the cleaning solution, rather than filling the entire process chamber. The inert gas supply unit directs gas locally to the substrate-cleaning solution interface, providing protection exactly where oxidation occurs while minimizing the volume of inert gas required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of inert gas protection from the entire chamber environment and concentrates it only where needed - at the substrate-cleaning solution contact region. This extraction allows the system to achieve oxidation prevention without the overhead of filling and maintaining inert gas in the entire process chamber.
2Reliability
If the entire process chamber is filled with inert gas to prevent oxidation, then substrate protection is improved, but the device complexity and space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inert gas environment is applied locally only to the substrate-cleaning solution contact region rather than the entire process chamber. The inert gas supply unit is positioned to deliver gas precisely where oxidation occurs during cleaning, reducing the volume of inert gas needed while maintaining protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the inert gas protection function from the global chamber environment and implements it only in the specific region where substrates contact cleaning solutions. This selective application reduces the required process chamber volume and inert gas consumption while maintaining substrate protection.
3Productivity
If cleaning solution is sprayed onto the substrate to remove foreign substances, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but corrosion and oxidation from oxygen in the solution worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces inert gas as an intermediary substance between the cleaning solution and the substrate. The inert gas bubbles through or flows over the cleaning solution at the contact point with the substrate, creating a protective atmosphere that prevents oxygen in the cleaning solution from causing oxidation or corrosion while allowing the cleaning chemicals to perform their function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a localized inert atmosphere at the substrate-cleaning solution interface by supplying inert gas directly to this region. This inert environment displaces oxygen from the immediate vicinity of the substrate surface, preventing oxidation reactions while the cleaning solution continues to remove foreign substances effectively.
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 corrosion and oxidation, promptly removes foreign substances, and reduces the time and space required for inert gas filling, enhancing the efficiency of substrate processing.
Implementation Method 1
an airflow generator between the stage and the gas supply unit and configured to generate a spiral-shaped rotating air current
Implementation Method 2
configured to supply a chamber with an inert gas during a cleaning procedure to reduce or prevent corrosion and substrate metal oxidation reactions caused by ambient oxygen and dissolved oxygen in a cleaning solution
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are substrate processing apparatuses and methods. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a first process chamber including a first process space, a stage in the first process space and being configured to support a substrate, a stage driving mechanism configured to drive the stage to rotate about a first axis, a cleaning nozzle arm configured to supply a cleaning solution onto the stage, a gas supply unit configured to provide an inert gas to the first process space, and an airflow generator between the stage and the gas supply unit and being configured to generate a spiral-shaped rotating air current.