Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method for performing heat treatment on substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing, overbaking occurs due to variations in processing times, leading to retention of substrates in heating units, which affects linewidth uniformity and throughput, and existing solutions either suppress throughput or increase apparatus size and cost by providing dedicated cooling mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a transfer control system that reserves cooling treatment units in advance for immediate cooling after heat treatment, preventing overbaking without the need for dedicated cooling mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated cooling mechanism is provided in one-to-one correspondence with the heating unit, then overbaking is reliably prevented, but the apparatus size and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling units are designed to serve multiple purposes: they can perform immediate cooling after heat treatment to prevent overbaking, and also function as regular processing units in the circular transfer flow. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated cooling mechanisms while maintaining overbaking prevention capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing cooling units to provide the cooling function that would otherwise require dedicated mechanisms. The cooling units serve themselves by being reserved in advance for specific substrates, allowing the apparatus to prevent overbaking using its inherent resources rather than adding external dedicated components.
2Reliability
If a dedicated cooling mechanism is provided in one-to-one correspondence with the heating unit, then overbaking is reliably prevented, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Existing cooling units are made multi-functional to serve both as regular processing units and as overbaking prevention mechanisms. This eliminates the need to manufacture additional dedicated cooling mechanisms, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining reliable overbaking prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling function for overbaking prevention is merged with the existing cooling units rather than being separated into dedicated mechanisms. This consolidation reduces the total number of components that need to be manufactured, lowering manufacturing costs while achieving the same reliability in preventing overbaking.
3Reliability
If the heating unit is configured to take the longest processing time, then overbaking is prevented, but the throughput of the whole apparatus is suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit reserves cooling units in advance for substrates that have completed heat treatment. This preliminary reservation ensures that cooling capacity is immediately available when needed, allowing the heating unit to operate at optimal speed without waiting for cooling availability, thereby maintaining high throughput while preventing overbaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the processing state of substrates and the availability of cooling units, dynamically adjusting the transfer and cooling operations. This feedback mechanism ensures that cooling is provided exactly when and where needed, preventing overbaking without creating bottlenecks that would reduce overall apparatus throughput.
4Ease of operation
If substrates are transferred sequentially through processing units, then processing flow is maintained, but substrate retention in heating units causes overbaking
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit monitors substrate processing status and cooling unit availability in real-time, dynamically adjusting transfer operations to ensure substrates are moved to reserved cooling units immediately after heat treatment. This feedback control maintains smooth processing flow while reliably preventing substrate retention and overbaking.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling units are reserved in advance for substrates before they complete heat treatment. This preliminary reservation ensures that cooling capacity is immediately available when substrates finish heating, eliminating waiting time and preventing overbaking while maintaining continuous processing flow.
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 reliably prevents overbaking by ensuring immediate cooling post-heat treatment, maintaining linewidth uniformity, and enhancing throughput without increasing apparatus size or cost.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of cooling treatment parts for performing a cooling treatment on a substrate
Implementation Method 2
at least one heat treatment part for performing a heat treatment on a substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Each of substrates which are sequentially loaded into an apparatus is transferred to one of empty (available) cooling units, and the cooling unit is reserved as a unit to be used for performing a cooling treatment after a post-exposure bake process for the substrate and the reservation information is stored. After one of the cooling units is reserved in advance before the post-exposure bake process, the substrate is transferred from the cooling unit to one of heating units without being subjected to a cooling treatment and is subjected to a post-exposure bake process therein. After the post-exposure bake process, the substrate is transferred from the heating unit to the reserved cooling unit which is reserved in advance and subjected to a cooling treatment therein.