Substrate Inspection Unit for Liquid Immersion Exposure Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing apparatuses face issues with uneven substrate surfaces causing liquid immersion failures and operational troubles in exposure devices, leading to processing defects and increased labor in restoring the devices.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a film formation unit, development unit, inspection/periphery exposure unit, and transport device that inspects the substrate surface condition and controls the transport path to prevent abnormal substrates from reaching the exposure device, ensuring the liquid is retained and reducing operational issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If liquid immersion method is used in exposure device, then exposure pattern fineness is improved, but liquid retention becomes problematic due to uneven substrate surface
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection unit detects substrate surface unevenness before the substrate enters the exposure device. This preliminary detection allows the system to identify problematic substrates in advance, preventing liquid immersion failures in the exposure device while maintaining the benefits of liquid immersion for high-resolution patterning.
2Reliability
If liquid flows outside substrate in exposure device, then operational reliability deteriorates, but restoring device requires significant time and labor
Solution Approach 1:
By inspecting substrate surface condition before exposure processing, the system prevents liquid flow issues before they occur. This preliminary inspection approach avoids operational failures and eliminates the need for time-consuming device restoration, maintaining both high reliability and efficient production.
3Measurement precision
If separate inspection device is added, then substrate surface condition detection is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection unit is integrated into the substrate processing apparatus, combining inspection functionality with the existing processing system. This merging approach enables precise surface condition detection without adding separate standalone inspection devices, thereby reducing overall system complexity and manufacturing costs while maintaining detection precision.
4Manufacturing precision
If complicated operations are performed for substrate collection, then processing defect management is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection unit identifies substrates with surface unevenness before they undergo exposure processing. By detecting problematic substrates in advance, the system enables straightforward sorting and handling operations, avoiding complicated post-processing defect management procedures and maintaining high productivity while ensuring quality control.
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
Prevents liquid flow issues and operational troubles in exposure devices, simplifies substrate collection, and maintains throughput by integrating inspection and transport processes, reducing the need for separate inspection devices and minimizing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
an area between a projection optical system and a substrate is filled with a liquid, resulting in a shorter wavelength of exposure light on a top surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a film formation unit arranged to form a photosensitive film on the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An edge exposure unit includes a projector, a projector holding unit, a substrate rotating unit, an outer edge detecting unit and a surface inspection processing unit. Each component of the projector holding unit operates to move the projector in an X direction and a Y direction. The projector irradiates a peripheral portion of a substrate with light transmitted from a light source for exposure through a light guide. Edge sampling processing is performed based on distribution of an amount of light received in a CCD line sensor of the outer edge detecting unit. Surface inspection processing is performed based on distribution of an amount of light received in a CCD line sensor of the surface inspection processing unit.