Substrate Drying and Bake Chambers for Impurity-Free Solvent Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate treating apparatuses fail to effectively remove volatile organic chemicals like isopropyl alcohol from semiconductor wafers or glass substrates, leading to impurities adhering to the surface due to scaling-down of critical dimensions, which affects the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus and method that includes a drying chamber using supercritical fluids to remove organic solvents and a bake chamber that thermally decomposes impurities, with a controller to heat the substrate above the thermal decomposition temperature of the impurities, typically 600°C or more, to ensure complete removal of impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a drying process is performed on a substrate having an organic solvent remaining on its surface, then the organic solvent is removed, but impurities such as particles adhere to the solidified organic chemical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the organic solvent by controlling temperature and pressure to achieve supercritical state. The solvent is supplied in a supercritical state (temperature above critical temperature and pressure above critical pressure) to the substrate, enabling effective removal while preventing impurity adhesion. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by transforming the solvent's properties to achieve both complete removal and clean surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of the organic solvent between liquid, vapor, and supercritical states. The solvent is heated to its critical temperature and pressurized to its critical pressure to enter the supercritical phase, which then penetrates and removes impurities effectively. The subsequent phase transition back to liquid or vapor ensures complete removal without residue, solving the problem of impurity adhesion during drying.
2Manufacturing precision
If the critical dimension of a pattern on the substrate is scaled down, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the organic chemical fails to be removed after the drying process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the organic solvent into a supercritical state through controlled temperature and pressure adjustments. This supercritical state enables the solvent to penetrate and remove organic chemicals from scaled-down patterns effectively, resolving the contradiction between achieving smaller critical dimensions and complete chemical removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical or thermal drying methods with a supercritical fluid-based removal system. Instead of using traditional heating or mechanical means that fail to remove chemicals from sub-micron features, the system uses supercritical fluid dynamics to penetrate and dissolve organic chemicals, achieving effective removal from scaled-down patterns.
3Device complexity
If a single chamber is used for both drying and heating, then device complexity is reduced, but the efficiency of impurity removal is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processing system into distinct functional chambers: a drying chamber for removing organic solvents and a separate heating chamber for thermal decomposition of impurities. This segmentation allows each chamber to be optimized for its specific function, with the drying chamber controlling solvent removal parameters and the heating chamber controlling thermal processing parameters, thereby achieving high impurity removal efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to the processing system by using separate chambers arranged in series. The substrate is sequentially processed through the drying chamber and then the heating chamber, creating a multi-stage processing flow. This dimensional separation enables independent optimization of each processing stage, achieving superior impurity removal efficiency without excessive complexity.
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 efficiently removes impurities adhering to the substrate after the drying process, minimizing re-adhesion and enhancing the overall treatment efficiency by utilizing a separate bake chamber for thermal decomposition, thereby improving the cleaning and etching processes.
Implementation Method 1
The drying chamber may treat the substrate by supplying a supercritical fluid to the substrate
Implementation Method 2
The drying chamber may treat the substrate by supplying a supercritical fluid to the substrate
Implementation Method 3
the heating member may be configured to heat the substrate to thermally decompose an impurity adhering to the substrate
Implementation Method 4
the heating member may be configured to heat the substrate above a thermal decomposition temperature of the impurity
Data Source
AI summary
A method for treating a substrate, including a solvent processing step of supplying an organic solvent onto the substrate to treat the substrate, a drying step of drying the substrate to remove the organic solvent on the substrate, and a bake step of heating the substrate to thermally decompose an impurity adhering to the substrate, where the drying step and the bake step are performed in different chambers.