Substrate Flattening System for Epoxy Mold Compound Warpage Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Epoxy mold compounds used in substrate packaging warp and bow due to inhomogeneous heating and cooling, resulting in non-uniform expansion and contraction rates, leading to substrate deformities beyond acceptable levels during thermal processes.
Innovation Solution
A substrate flattening system and method involving a first process chamber with a non-chucking substrate support and heaters for heating the substrate, followed by cooling in a second process chamber with heat transfer channels to planarize the substrate, utilizing a controlled heating and cooling process to correct deformities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional thermal processes with directional heat transfer are used, then heating and cooling can be performed efficiently, but non-uniform expansion and contraction rates cause substrate warpage beyond acceptable levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the substrate processing into two separate chambers: a heating chamber for uniform heating and a cooling chamber for controlled cooling. This segmentation allows each chamber to optimize its thermal process independently, preventing warpage caused by simultaneous directional heating and cooling in a single chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary transfer chamber between the heating and cooling chambers. This intermediate chamber allows the substrate to be transferred without direct exposure to conflicting thermal fields, enabling uniform heating followed by controlled cooling to maintain substrate flatness.
2Productivity
If rapid cooling is applied to warped substrates, then productivity increases, but non-uniform cooling rates exacerbate substrate deformity
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling chamber employs a distributed array of cooling nozzles that provide uniform local cooling across the entire substrate surface. This local quality approach ensures that all regions of the substrate cool at the same rate, preventing differential contraction and maintaining flatness while achieving rapid cooling for high productivity.
3Device complexity
If a single chamber performs both heating and cooling, then device complexity is reduced, but anisotropic expansion and contraction cause substrate warping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the thermal processing functions into separate chambers: a heating chamber with uniform heating sources and a cooling chamber with distributed cooling nozzles. This segmentation eliminates the anisotropic effects that would occur in a single chamber attempting to perform both functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the dimension of spatial separation by using multiple chambers arranged in sequence. This dimensional change from a single-location process to a multi-location process allows uniform thermal fields to be established in each chamber independently, preventing warpage.
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
Effectively planarizes warped substrates by heating them to a predetermined temperature and then cooling them through heat transfer channels, reducing warpage and ensuring the substrate remains flat, thereby addressing the issue of substrate deformities caused by thermal processes.
Implementation Method 1
heating the warped substrate to a first predetermined temperature; holding the warped substrate at the first predetermined temperature for a first time period to deform the warped substrate into a planarized substrate
Implementation Method 2
a second heater configured to heat a process gas flowing through the first showerhead into a first processing volume of the first process chamber
Implementation Method 3
cooling the planarized substrate to a second predetermined temperature less than the first predetermined temperature; cooling the planarized substrate to a third predetermined temperature less than the second predetermined temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of methods and apparatus for correcting substrate deformity are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate flattening system includes: a first process chamber having a first substrate support and a first showerhead, wherein the first substrate support does not include a chucking mechanism; a first heater disposed in the first substrate support to heat a substrate placed on a first support surface of the first substrate support; a second heater configured to heat a process gas flowing through the first showerhead into a first processing volume of the first process chamber; and a second process chamber having a second substrate support, wherein the second substrate support is not heated, and wherein the first process chamber and the cooling chamber are both non-vacuum chambers.