Substrate Processing Cycles to Prevent Holder Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
During the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, substrates often become fixed to substrate holders due to formed films, making it impossible to separate them without damaging the substrate or the holder.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus is designed with a substrate holder, a substrate transferrer, a process container, a film-forming gas supply system, and a controller that interrupts the film forming process to allow for substrate separation at least once before achieving the desired film thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a film forming process is continuously executed to form a film of desired thickness on the substrate, then the film thickness can be increased, but the substrate becomes fixed to the substrate holder and cannot be separated
Solution Approach 1:
The film forming process is executed in multiple cycles with periodic interruptions. Between cycles, a separation process is performed to remove the substrate from the substrate holder. This periodic alternation between film forming and separation allows continuous film thickness increase while preventing permanent adhesion, resolving the contradiction between achieving desired film thickness and maintaining substrate separability.
2Ease of operation
If the film forming process is interrupted to separate the substrate, then the substrate can be successfully unloaded, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separation process is performed at specific intervals during film formation rather than continuously. By applying separation action only when necessary (when adhesion becomes problematic) and not throughout the entire process, the manufacturing time is minimized while still achieving successful substrate unloading. This partial application of separation action resolves the contradiction between ensuring substrate separability and minimizing manufacturing time.
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 prevents substrates from becoming fixed to substrate holders, allowing for successful unloading and reducing the risk of damage, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of semiconductor device manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
a film-forming gas supply system configured to supply a film-forming gas to the substrate in the process container
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a technique that includes: a substrate holder provided with a substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted; a substrate transferrer configured to load or unload the substrate onto or from the substrate mounting table; a process container configured to accommodate the substrate holder holding the substrate; a film-forming gas supply system configured to supply a film-forming gas to the substrate in the process container; and a controller configured to be capable of controlling the substrate transferrer and the film-forming gas supply system to interrupt execution of a film forming process for supplying the film-forming gas to the substrate and perform a process for separating the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table at least once until a film having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate after the film forming process is started.