Substrate Drying Apparatus Pressure Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate drying apparatuses face low throughput due to the inability to drain deionized water during decompression, and pressurization inside the chamber leads to residue formation from condensed isopropyl alcohol, preventing clean drying.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus that adjusts pressure inside and outside the chamber, using a buffer tank and control device to decompress the chamber and buffer tank to equal or lower pressures, allowing for efficient liquid discharge and eliminating the need for pressurization within the chamber, thereby improving throughput and ensuring clean drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If deionized water is discharged from the treating tank before chamber decompression, then drying treatment can proceed, but throughput is reduced due to sequential processing
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer tank is pre-decompressed to a pressure equal to or lower than the chamber pressure before water discharge begins. This preliminary preparation of the discharge path allows water to flow out during chamber decompression without pressure resistance, enabling parallel processing and improving throughput.
2Productivity
If the chamber is pressurized with inert gas to discharge water, then water can be drained, but isopropyl alcohol condenses and forms residues on substrates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of pressurizing the chamber to discharge water (which causes alcohol condensation), the invention inverts the approach by decompressing the buffer tank to create a pressure gradient that naturally draws water out during chamber decompression. This reverse pressure differential eliminates condensation while maintaining efficient water removal.
3Productivity
If water remains in the treating tank during decompression, then continuous processing is possible, but water adversely influences the drying treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful element (treating water) from the chamber environment during decompression by establishing a dedicated discharge path to the pre-decompressed buffer tank. This allows water to be continuously removed without interrupting the decompression process or contaminating the drying atmosphere, enabling continuous processing with clean drying.
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
Enables efficient discharge of treating liquids during decompression, enhancing substrate treatment throughput and ensuring clean drying without residue formation from isopropyl alcohol.
Implementation Method 1
a first decompressing device for decompressing the chamber
Implementation Method 2
a second decompressing device for decompressing the buffer tank
Implementation Method 3
a supply device for supplying vapor of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) into the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treating apparatus for drying substrates by moving the substrates out of a treating liquid into a solvent atmosphere. The apparatus includes a treating tank for storing the treating liquid, a chamber enclosing the treating tank, a holding mechanism for holding the substrates, the holding mechanism being vertically movable between a treating position in the treating tank and a drying position in the chamber and above the treating tank, a supply device for supplying vapor of a solvent into the chamber, a buffer tank disposed outside the chamber for collecting the treating liquid discharged from the treating tank, a first vacuum pump for decompressing the chamber, a second vacuum pump for decompressing the buffer tank, and a controller for operating the supply device to fill the chamber with the solvent atmosphere, operating the holding mechanism to move the substrates from the treating position to the drying position, operating the first vacuum pump to decompress the chamber to a first pressure, and operating the second vacuum pump to adjust a pressure in the buffer tank to a second pressure equal to or lower than the first pressure before the treating liquid in the treating tank is discharged into the buffer tank.