Substrate Heat Treatment Cooling Between Wafers to Prevent Warpage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The heat treatment process using electromagnetic waves can cause substrates to warp or crack due to non-uniform temperature distribution, which is a challenge in high-density and miniaturized semiconductor device manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus that includes a process chamber for multiple substrates, an electromagnetic wave generator for heating, and a gas supplier that provides a cooling gas through gas supply ports between substrates to maintain temperature uniformity and prevent warping or cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heat treatment process using electromagnetic wave is performed to modify high density substrate, then modification effectiveness is improved, but substrate warping or cracking occurs due to non-uniform temperature distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cooling gas supply ports positioned between adjacent substrates to create localized cooling zones. This allows different regions of the substrate stack to experience different thermal conditions, with inter-substrate regions receiving active cooling to prevent excessive heat accumulation and temperature non-uniformity that causes warping and cracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling gas acts as an intermediary substance introduced into the system. It mediates the thermal interaction between the electromagnetic wave heating process and the substrates by absorbing and removing excess heat from critical regions, thereby preventing direct thermal damage to the substrates while maintaining the overall heating effect needed for modification.
2Productivity
If multiple substrates are processed simultaneously in high density arrangement, then productivity is improved, but temperature uniformity deteriorates leading to warping and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heating and cooling functions by introducing dedicated cooling gas supply ports positioned between individual substrates. This segmentation allows each substrate or small group of substrates to be thermally managed independently, maintaining temperature uniformity even when multiple substrates are processed simultaneously in high-density arrangement.
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 effectively prevents substrate warping and cracking by ensuring uniform temperature distribution during heat treatment, improving processing quality and allowing for higher substrate density processing.
Implementation Method 1
an annealing process may be performed by heating a substrate in a process chamber by using a heater... a heat treatment process using an electromagnetic wave
Implementation Method 2
a gas supplier configured to supply a cooling gas is supplied to between adjacent substrates among the plurality of substrates
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the present disclosure, there is provided a technique capable of preventing a substrate from being warped or cracked due to a heat treatment process. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber in which a plurality of substrates accommodated in a substrate retainer are processed; an electromagnetic wave generator configured to supply an electromagnetic wave into the process chamber; and a gas supplier configured to supply a cooling gas is supplied to between adjacent substrates among the plurality of substrates via a plurality of gas supply ports provided so as to correspond to an interval of the plurality of substrates accommodated in the substrate retainer.