Substrate Drying Fluid Circulation With Solvent Condensation Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods consume high amounts of treatment solutions and drying fluids, with inefficiencies in separating these fluids, leading to wastage and potential re-contamination of substrates.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus and method that incorporate a fluid circulation unit with a separator to efficiently separate treatment solutions and drying fluids from a mixed fluid, allowing for the reuse of treatment solutions and the recycling of drying fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If drying gas is continuously supplied to the process chamber to reduce organic solvent concentration, then substrate re-contamination is prevented, but drying gas consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes organic solvents from the process chamber atmosphere using a condenser that condenses the solvents from the gas phase. This allows the drying gas to be reused without continuous supply, resolving the contradiction between preventing re-contamination and reducing gas consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention recovers the drying gas after it has served its purpose by condensing out the organic solvents. The recovered drying gas is then reused in subsequent drying cycles, eliminating the need for continuous supply while maintaining substrate protection against re-contamination.
2Loss of substance
If treatment solution and drying fluid are separated from mixed fluid, then fluid reuse and recycling become possible, but system complexity increases due to separation equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses phase transition (condensation) to separate organic solvents from the drying gas. The condenser transforms the solvent vapor into liquid form, enabling easy separation and reuse of both the drying gas and treatment solution without complex separation equipment.
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 proposed solution minimizes the consumption and wastage of treatment solutions and drying fluids, effectively recycles these fluids, and reduces the risk of substrate re-contamination.
Implementation Method 1
a separator for separating the treatment fluid and the drying fluid from a mixed fluid in which the treatment fluid and the drying fluid exhausted from the processing space are mixed
Implementation Method 2
a supercritical drying process has been utilized in which the residual rinse solution on the substrate is replaced with an organic solvent, such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), which has a low surface tension, by supplying the organic solvent on the substrate and the substrate is then supplied with supercritical drying gas (for example, carbon dioxide) to remove the residual organic solvent from the substrate
Implementation Method 3
Both the temperature and the pressure of the drying gas rise to the critical point or above, and the drying gas undergoes a phase change to the supercritical state
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus including: a body providing a processing space; a supply line for supplying a drying fluid that removes a treatment fluid on a substrate supported in the processing space; an exhaust line for exhausting an atmosphere of the processing space; and a fluid circulation unit connected with the exhaust line and the supply line, in which the fluid circulation unit includes: a separator for separating the treatment fluid and the drying fluid from a mixed fluid in which the treatment fluid and the drying fluid exhausted from the processing space are mixed; and a liquid reuse line connected to the separator, and for withdrawing, from the separator, the treatment fluid separated from the separator.