Substrate Stage Heating and Center Cooling for Uniform Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing film-forming and film-processing apparatuses struggle to maintain uniform substrate temperature due to heat dissipation from the circumference, leading to non-uniform temperature profiles and affecting film properties.
Innovation Solution
A stage design with a gas-supplying tube in the shaft to cool the center portion of the supporting plate, combined with sheath heaters to heat the periphery, maintaining a balanced temperature profile by controlling heat input and dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heater is provided in the stage to heat the substrate, then the substrate temperature can be maintained, but heat dissipation from the circumference causes non-uniform temperature distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heating system into multiple independent heating regions: a first heater for the center region and a second heater for the peripheral region of the substrate. This allows different parts of the substrate to receive tailored heating, compensating for the natural heat dissipation at the circumference and achieving uniform temperature distribution across the entire substrate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating function is segmented into multiple independent heating zones with separate temperature control. The stage includes a first heating unit and a second heating unit that can be controlled independently, enabling precise temperature management in different regions to counteract non-uniform heat dissipation patterns.
2Ease of manufacture
If the stage structure is simplified, then manufacturing is easier, but temperature control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements localized heating zones with independent temperature control, allowing precise temperature management in specific regions without requiring a completely complex stage structure. This approach achieves high temperature control precision while maintaining reasonable manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a reflective plate as an intermediary component between the heating units and the substrate. This reflective plate helps distribute heat more uniformly and improves temperature control precision without adding significant structural complexity to the stage itself.
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
Achieves uniform substrate temperature control, ensuring consistent film quality by balancing heat input and dissipation, thereby enhancing the precision of film formation processes.
Implementation Method 1
heating the first stage with a heater arranged in a channel formed in the first supporting plate
Implementation Method 2
blowing a gas to the first supporting plate from a gas-supplying tube arranged in the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A stage includes a shaft, a first supporting plate over the shaft, a heater arranged in a trench formed in the first supporting plate, and a gas-supplying tube arranged in the shaft and configured to blow a gas to the first supporting plate. The first supporting plate may have a disk shape, and a cross section of the gas-supplying tube parallel to a surface of the first supporting plate may overlap a center of the disk shape. The first supporting plate may be configured to block the gas so that the gas is not released to a chamber in which the stage is arranged.