Substrate Pattern Drying Using a Sublimable Solid-State Stiffener
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate drying methods face challenges in preventing pattern collapse of uneven patterns during the drying process, particularly due to the transition from a liquid to a gas state, which can cause surface tension issues.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method that replaces the liquid in recesses of an uneven pattern with a solid-state stiffener and subjects it to molecular weight reduction processing, reducing intermolecular bonds while maintaining the stiffener in a solid state, thereby preventing pattern collapse by facilitating a transition from liquid to solid to gas without the intermediate liquid phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a liquid is used to fill recesses of an uneven pattern during drying, then the liquid can be easily applied and removed, but pattern collapse occurs due to surface tension during the liquid-to-gas transition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the filling material from liquid to solid. By using a solid-state stiffener instead of liquid, the material maintains structural support without exhibiting surface tension effects that cause pattern collapse during drying. The solid stiffener can be subsequently removed through sublimation without passing through a liquid phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes a phase transition approach by selecting a solid-state material that can directly sublime from solid to gas phase. This bypasses the problematic liquid phase that causes surface tension and pattern collapse, enabling easy removal of the stiffener while maintaining pattern integrity throughout the process.
2Manufacturing precision
If a solid-state stiffener is used to prevent pattern collapse, then pattern integrity is maintained, but the stiffener must be removed without causing damage to the underlying pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs phase transition by utilizing the sublimation property of the solid-state stiffener material. The stiffener is designed to transition directly from solid to gas phase under controlled conditions, enabling complete removal without leaving residues or causing mechanical damage to the delicate underlying pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of having a solid material that needs removal into a benefit by selecting a material with sublimation properties. The very property that makes the material solid and structurally supportive also enables its clean removal through phase transition, turning a potential problem into a solution.
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 method effectively prevents pattern collapse by ensuring the stiffener is more susceptible to sublimation than the pattern itself, allowing for reliable removal of the stiffener while maintaining the pattern integrity, thus enhancing the stability and accuracy of the substrate processing.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the substrate to a molecular weight reduction processing that reduces the number of intermolecular bonds contained in the stiffener while maintaining the stiffener in a solid state
Implementation Method 2
facilitating a transition from liquid to solid to gas without the intermediate liquid phase
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus which are effective in preventing pattern collapse of an uneven pattern. The substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment includes replacing a liquid in a recess of a substrate having an uneven pattern of a negative type resist including a metal formed on a surface of the substrate with a solid-state stiffener, and subjecting the substrate to a molecular weight reduction processing that reduces the number of intermolecular bonds contained in the solid-state stiffener while maintaining the solid-state stiffener in a solid state.