Substrate Liquid Collection Guards for Wafer Bending Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate treating apparatuses face difficulties in effectively collecting treatment liquids from thinner and larger-diameter substrates due to increased bending and size-related issues.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a controller-driven system that adjusts the height of liquid inlets using movable guards to match the substrate's shape, ensuring appropriate liquid collection regardless of thickness, recess presence, or treatment liquid direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If substrates are made thinner and larger in diameter to improve device performance, then substrate processing capability is enhanced, but bending amount increases making liquid collection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guard position is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The controller moves the guard to a first position for thin substrates and a second position for thick substrates, adapting the liquid collection geometry to match the substrate bending characteristics. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by enabling reliable liquid collection across varying substrate thicknesses and bending amounts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameter of the guard (distance from substrate center) based on substrate thickness. For thin substrates with high bending, the guard is positioned closer (first position), while for thick substrates with low bending, the guard is positioned farther (second position). This parameter change adapts the collection geometry to the substrate's physical state, maintaining collection efficiency despite varying bending amounts.
2Device complexity
If a fixed guard position is used to simplify the apparatus structure, then device complexity is reduced, but liquid collection becomes inappropriate for substrates with different shapes and thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The guard is designed with movable capability along the radial direction, transitioning from a static to dynamic configuration. The controller actuates the guard between first and second positions based on substrate characteristics detected by the shape detector. This dynamic feature adds minimal structural complexity while dramatically improving adaptability to different substrate shapes and thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The shape detector provides feedback about substrate thickness and shape to the controller, which then adjusts the guard position accordingly. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically adapt to different substrate types without manual intervention, achieving high versatility through a relatively simple control mechanism that adds minimal overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treating apparatus and a substrate treating method. The substrate treating apparatus includes a treating unit and a controller. The treating unit includes a substrate holder, a rotation driving unit, a treatment liquid supplying unit, a liquid collecting unit, and a guard driving unit. The substrate holder holds a substrate in a horizontal posture. The rotation driving unit rotates the substrate holder. The liquid collecting unit includes a first guard, a second guard, and a liquid inlet. The first guard and the second guard are arranged so as to surround the substrate holder laterally. The liquid inlet is defined by the guards. The liquid inlet is open toward the substrate held by the substrate holder. The guard driving unit moves the second guard in a vertical direction. The controller controls the guard driving unit in accordance with the shape of the substrate held by the substrate holder, thereby changing a height position of an upper end of the liquid inlet.