Supercritical Substrate Drying Flow Guide to Prevent Pattern Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate drying processes using supercritical fluids can cause pattern damage and vortex formation, which are detrimental to substrates with high aspect ratio patterns.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a housing, support unit, fluid supply and discharge units, and an airflow guide unit, including guide plates and blocking plates, is designed to prevent direct fluid injection onto the substrate and guide fluid flow to minimize pattern damage and vortex generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fluid is supplied from the lower part of the chamber toward the lower surface of the substrate, then the substrate is protected from direct fluid injection damage, but vortex formation occurs that damages patterns
Solution Approach 1:
A blocking unit is introduced as an intermediary element between the fluid supply and the substrate. This blocking unit redirects the fluid flow path, preventing direct injection onto the substrate while guiding the fluid to flow along the sidewalls and across the upper surface, thereby eliminating vortex formation that would damage patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid flow is redirected from a vertical downward path to a horizontal path along the sidewalls and across the upper surface of the substrate. This dimensional change in flow trajectory prevents vortex formation while maintaining effective cleaning and drying of the substrate surface.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a blocking unit is used to redirect fluid flow, then direct fluid injection damage is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking unit serves multiple functions simultaneously: it blocks direct fluid injection onto the substrate, redirects fluid flow along sidewalls, guides fluid across the upper surface, and prevents vortex formation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device 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 effectively prevents pattern damage and vortex formation during substrate drying, ensuring efficient and reliable treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
the airflow guide unit may include a guide plate positioned on an outer surface of the substrate in a state where the substrate may be supported by the support unit
Implementation Method 2
It also provides a blocking unit on the path of the supplied fluid so that the fluid is not injected directly to the substrate but is injected by detour
Implementation Method 3
the drying process is carried out by supplying a fluid containing carbon dioxide (CO2) in a supercritical state, or by supplying the fluid in a gaseous state and then changing the phase to a supercritical state to remove the volatile organic compound remaining on the substrate
Implementation Method 4
supplying the fluid in a gaseous state and then changing the phase to a supercritical state
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus of processing a substrate by using a supercritical fluid. The substrate treating apparatus includes: a housing for providing a treatment space for treating a substrate; a support unit for supporting a substrate in the treatment space; a fluid supply unit for supplying a fluid into the treatment space; a discharge unit for discharging the fluid in the treatment space; and an airflow guide unit provided in the treatment space, in which the airflow guide unit includes a guide plate positioned on an outer surface of the substrate in a state where the substrate is supported by the support unit. According to the exemplary embodiment, a pattern lining phenomenon may be prevented by preventing the generation of vortex in the process chamber.