Substrate Spin-Coating Chamber With Concurrent Photoresist Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate treating apparatuses in semiconductor manufacturing processes face inefficiencies in the photolithography process, particularly in the coating and drying of photoresist films, which affect the film thickness distribution and overall process time.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus with a gas supply unit, spin coater, chemical liquid supply unit, and heater, controlled by a controller, is designed to create a low-humidity environment and efficiently dry photoresist films by overlapping the heating process with the spin coating operation, minimizing process time and improving film thickness uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the substrate is heated after spin coating to dry the photoresist film, then the photoresist film drying efficiency is improved, but the total process time increases due to sequential operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heating function and spin coating function into a single integrated apparatus that operates simultaneously. The heating unit is positioned to heat the substrate while the spin coater rotates the substrate, allowing both drying and coating processes to occur at the same time rather than sequentially, thereby reducing total process time while maintaining drying efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If a highly viscous photoresist solution is used to form a thick photoresist film, then the film thickness is improved, but the drying time increases due to higher viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary heating to the substrate before and during the spin coating process. By pre-heating the substrate to a controlled temperature (e.g., 50-150°C), the viscosity of the photoresist solution is reduced during coating, enabling better flow and thickness uniformity. The concurrent heating during drying accelerates solvent evaporation from high-viscosity films, reducing drying time while maintaining the desired thick film formation.
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
The apparatus achieves efficient drying of photoresist films with minimized process time and improved thickness distribution, even for high viscosity films, by integrating a heater that heats the substrate during spin coating, thus enhancing overall process efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heater between the substrate and the gas supply unit and configured to heat the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a spin coater in a lower portion of the chamber and including a spin chuck configured to support and rotate the substrate on an upper surface thereof
Implementation Method 3
a gas supply unit in an upper portion of the chamber and configured to supply gas into the chamber
Implementation Method 4
efficiently dry photoresist films by overlapping the heating process with the spin coating operation
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate treating apparatus includes a chamber having a gate through which a substrate is loaded into the chamber and unloaded from the chamber, a gas supply unit in an upper portion in the chamber and configured to supply gas into the chamber, a spin coater in a lower portion in the chamber and including a spin chuck configured to support and rotate the substrate on an upper surface thereof and a cup portion extending around the substrate and configured to collect and discharge a chemical liquid from the substrate, a chemical liquid supply unit configured to supply a chemical liquid onto the substrate, and a heater between the substrate and the gas supply unit and configured to heat the substrate.