Substrate Heating Apparatus for Coating Film Flatness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for forming a coating film on patterned semiconductor substrates struggle to achieve high in-plane uniformity and flatness, often requiring complex apparatuses like those using ultraviolet irradiation for organic film flattening.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method involving a coating step, film removing step, and curing step, where the film removing step is performed under controlled oxygen concentrations to gasify and reduce the coating film thickness, ensuring the average thickness of the cured film is not greater than 80% of its initial thickness, without the need for ultraviolet irradiation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ultraviolet irradiation is used to flatten the organic film, then the flatness of the coating film is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical system of ultraviolet irradiation with a thermal field-based heating system. The heating apparatus uses temperature control to gasify and remove portions of the organic film, achieving flatness improvement without requiring complex UV irradiation equipment. This substitution of physical fields simplifies the apparatus structure while maintaining the desired manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters from ultraviolet wavelength and irradiation intensity to temperature and heating time. By controlling the temperature to specific ranges, the organic film undergoes controlled gasification and removal, achieving the desired flatness. This parameter change allows the use of simpler heating equipment instead of complex UV irradiation systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If the coating film thickness is reduced by heating, then the flatness is improved, but the coating film may be cured prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the film thickness reduction action before the curing action. The heating process is carefully controlled to gasify and remove portions of the organic film to achieve the desired flatness, and only after this preliminary flatness improvement is achieved does the curing process begin. This sequential arrangement ensures that the film is flattened first, then cured, preventing premature curing that would interfere with the flatness improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic temperature control to selectively achieve different outcomes at different time points. By adjusting the temperature profile and heating duration, the system can control whether the organic film undergoes gasification (for flatness improvement) or crosslinking reaction (for curing). This dynamic control allows the process to transition from film removal to film curing in a controlled manner, ensuring reliability.
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
This approach simplifies the apparatus structure and achieves high in-plane uniformity and flatness of the coating film, reducing surface unevenness caused by patterns, while avoiding the complexity of ultraviolet-ray-based processes.
Implementation Method 1
a film removing step that heats the substrate to gasify components of the coating film thereby to reduce a thickness of the film
Implementation Method 2
a film curing step that is performed after or simultaneously with the film removing step and that heats the substrate to cure the coating film through crosslinking reaction
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method includes a coating step that applies a coating liquid to a substrate having a front surface on which a pattern is formed, thereby forming a coating film on the substrate, a film removing step that heats the substrate to gasify components of the coating film thereby to reduce a thickness of the film, and a film curing step that is performed after or simultaneously with the film removing step and that heats the substrate to cure the coating film through crosslinking reaction. The film removing step is performed under conditions ensuring that an average thickness of the cured coating film is not greater than 80% of an average thickness of the coating film before being subjected to the film removing step.