Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing techniques face throughput reduction due to the inability to efficiently form a solidified body on the peripheral edge of substrates, as the liquid refrigerant does not spread to this area in time, leading to prolonged processing times.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus and method that utilize a combination of liquid and gas refrigerants to solidify the liquid film on substrates, with the liquid refrigerant applied to the center and gas refrigerant or a contact member with a low temperature applied to the peripheral edge, both during substrate rotation, allowing for parallel solidification at different radial positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the substrate is rotated at a high rotational frequency to prevent liquid refrigerant from flowing to the surface, then the liquid refrigerant remains on the underside of the substrate, but the liquid refrigerant does not spread to the peripheral edge part of the substrate, causing the liquid film on the peripheral edge to cannot be solidified in a short time, resulting in throughput reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the substrate into two regions: a central region cooled by liquid refrigerant supplied to the underside, and a peripheral edge region cooled by gas refrigerant supplied to the front surface. This segmentation allows different cooling methods to be applied to different areas simultaneously, enabling the peripheral edge to be solidified quickly without requiring the liquid refrigerant to spread there, thus resolving the contradiction between preventing liquid refrigerant flow to surface and achieving fast solidification.
2Reliability
If the substrate is rotated at a high rotational frequency, then the liquid refrigerant is prevented from flowing around to the surface, but the processing time is extended due to inability to solidify peripheral edge liquid film quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate processing is segmented into central region processing (using liquid refrigerant) and peripheral edge processing (using gas refrigerant). This allows the substrate to be rotated at high speed to prevent liquid refrigerant flow while simultaneously applying gas refrigerant to the peripheral edge for quick solidification, thereby reducing total processing time without compromising liquid refrigerant control.
Solution Approach 2:
A gas refrigerant is introduced as an intermediary cooling medium for the peripheral edge region. The gas refrigerant can quickly cool and solidify the liquid film at the peripheral edge without being affected by the substrate rotation, serving as a mediator that enables fast solidification while maintaining the high rotation speed necessary for liquid refrigerant 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
This approach enables efficient formation of a solidified body on the substrate surface in a short time, preventing contamination and reducing processing time by ensuring simultaneous solidification of both the central and peripheral areas.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid refrigerant is uniformly spread over the entire underside of the substrate. In this way, the entire substrate is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant in contact with the underside of the substrate and the liquid film formed on the surface of the substrate is frozen
Implementation Method 2
a gas refrigerant having a temperature lower than a solidification point of the liquid to be solidified is supplied toward a processing surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 3
bringing a contact member having a processing surface having a temperature lower than a solidification point of the liquid to be solidified into contact with the liquid to be solidified
Implementation Method 4
the substrate is rotated while a liquid refrigerant is supplied to a central part of the underside of the substrate, whereby the liquid refrigerant is uniformly spread over the entire underside of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus comprises: a first solidifier and a second solidifier. The first solidifier solidifies a liquid to be solidified adhering to a front surface of a substrate by supplying a liquid refrigerant to a back surface of the substrate at a first position. The second solidifier solidifies the liquid to be solidified by at least one of a first cooling mechanism and a second cooling mechanism. The first cooling mechanism cools the liquid to be solidified by supplying a gas refrigerant toward the substrate at a second position more distant from a center of rotation of the substrate in a radial direction than the first position. The second cooling mechanism cools the liquid to be solidified by bringing a processing surface into contact with the liquid to be solidified at the second position.