Substrate Filler Pad Structure for Stable Supercritical Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
The swinging of fillers inside a substrate processing vessel during supercritical fluid processing can cause metal defects due to scratching of the vessel interior, leading to metal particle generation on the substrate.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus is designed with a pad below the filler to prevent its swinging, featuring grooves of varying widths and fixing holes to secure the filler in place, along with a vent hole and supply hole aligned with vessel ports, ensuring the filler remains stable under high pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the supercritical fluid is supplied into the vessel at high pressure, then the drying effectiveness is improved, but the filler swings and scratches the vessel interior generating metal particles
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is installed in advance at the bottom of the accommodation space to create a protective barrier before the high-pressure supercritical fluid is supplied. This preliminary protective measure prevents the filler from directly contacting and scratching the vessel interior during the high-pressure drying process, thus eliminating metal particle generation while maintaining drying effectiveness.
2Ease of manufacture
If the filler is made loose to facilitate cleaning, then the cleaning ease is improved, but the filler swings and causes metal defects on the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The filler is divided into multiple detachable filler bodies that can be easily removed and cleaned separately. Each filler body can be individually accessed and cleaned without disassembling the entire vessel, maintaining cleaning ease while the pad prevents swinging and metal particle generation during operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the pad is designed with multiple fixing holes and grooves to securely fix the filler, then the filler stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pad incorporates multiple fixing holes and grooves that automatically engage with corresponding features on the filler bodies during assembly. This self-aligning and self-fixing mechanism provides stable filler positioning without requiring complex external fixing systems or additional adjustment mechanisms, thus maintaining simplicity while ensuring stability.
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 solution effectively prevents filler movement, minimizing metal defects by preventing vessel scratching and reducing particle generation, thus enhancing substrate quality.
Implementation Method 1
the supercritical fluid readily penetrates a pattern on the substrate, and the supercritical fluid readily dissolves residual rinsing liquid (e.g., organic solvent)
Implementation Method 2
the supercritical fluid readily dissolves residual rinsing liquid (e.g., organic solvent)
Implementation Method 3
the pad includes a plurality of fixing holes that fix the plurality of legs
Implementation Method 4
the accommodation space includes a first groove having a first width, and a second groove having a second width smaller than the first width below the first groove
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes an upper vessel; a lower vessel including an accommodation space; a filler in the accommodation space and configured to support a substrate; and a pad below the filler to prevent the filler from changing position, in which the accommodation space includes a first groove having a first width, and a second groove having a second width smaller than the first width below the first groove, the filler includes a filler body that supports the substrate, and a plurality of legs on a lower surface of the filler body, the pad includes a plurality of fixing holes which are fixed to the second groove which fix the plurality of legs, and a first distance from the pad to a bottom surface of the first groove is greater than a second distance from the pad to a bottom surface of the second groove.