Substrate Holder Below Surface for Wafer Scrubbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods face challenges in effectively removing foreign matters from the entire upper surface of wafers, leading to potential short circuits, malfunctions, and patterning errors due to incomplete cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus and holding apparatus that includes a scrubber with a rotating mechanism and a hydrostatic support system, allowing the scrubber to scrub the entire upper surface without contacting the substrate holder, ensuring thorough removal of foreign matters and preventing damage to microdevices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional scrubbing process is used, then the structure is simple, but foreign matters cannot be removed from the entire upper surface of the wafer
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holder is repositioned from a conventional side-held configuration to a bottom-held configuration disposed below the upper surface of the substrate. This dimensional change allows the scrubbing mechanism to access and clean the entire upper surface including edge portions without structural interference, achieving complete cleaning coverage while maintaining reasonable apparatus complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate holder is designed with multiple independent chuck members arranged at equal intervals around the rotation center. Each chuck member can independently contact and hold the substrate, allowing the holder to accommodate substrates of different sizes and shapes while maintaining the benefit of being disposed below the upper surface
2Manufacturing precision
If the substrate holder projects above the upper surface, then it is easy to hold the substrate, but the scrubber cannot process the entire upper surface
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holder is repositioned to operate from the bottom dimension rather than projecting from the side. By being disposed below the upper surface, it provides substrate support and holding functionality without occupying the vertical space needed for complete upper surface access by the scrubber
Solution Approach 2:
A substrate push-up mechanism acts as an intermediary between the substrate holder and the upper surface. It temporarily pushes the substrate upward to allow the scrubber to process the entire upper surface, then releases it back to the holder, enabling both complete cleaning and secure holding
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple scrubbing processes are used to clean the entire surface, then cleaning coverage is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holder positioned below the upper surface enables a single scrubbing process to access and clean the entire upper surface in one continuous operation, eliminating the need for multiple sequential scrubbing processes and reducing total processing time
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate rotating mechanism enables continuous rotation of the substrate during the scrubbing process, allowing the scrubber to systematically cover the entire upper surface in one continuous motion without stopping or repositioning for additional passes
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus which can remove foreign matters attached to the entire upper surface of a substrate such as a wafer is disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate holding apparatus; and a processing head configured to scrub an upper surface of a substrate. The substrate holding apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate; and a substrate rotating mechanism configured to rotate the substrate held by the substrate holder. The substrate holder is disposed below the upper surface of the substrate so as not to project above the upper surface of the substrate in a state where the substrate is held by the substrate holder.