Substrate Temperature Buffering for Accurate Stage Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
In substrate processing for semiconductor and liquid crystal display manufacturing, the temperature of substrates fluctuates during waiting periods due to ambient temperature influences, leading to variations that affect alignment and overlay accuracy, and existing techniques struggle to maintain consistent temperature control across multiple substrates with varying processing times.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a control unit that manages the conveyance of substrates to maintain temperature consistency by adjusting the timing of substrate transfer from a temperature control mechanism to a substrate stage, ensuring that substrates are conveyed only when the waiting time does not exceed a predetermined upper limit, thereby minimizing temperature fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the succeeding substrate is made to wait in the substrate exchange position to improve throughput, then substrate exchange time is reduced, but the substrate temperature fluctuates due to ambient temperature influence
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is pre-heated or pre-cooled in the temperature control unit before being transferred to the substrate exchange position. This preliminary temperature adjustment ensures that the substrate reaches the desired temperature range before waiting, minimizing temperature fluctuations during the waiting period and maintaining temperature consistency despite the extended wait time required for throughput improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
A temperature control unit acts as an intermediary between the substrate supply and the substrate exchange position. This intermediate device maintains the substrate at the required temperature during the waiting period, decoupling the temperature control function from the conveyance system and allowing the substrate to wait without significant temperature drift.
2Temperature
If the waiting time for substrate conveyance is extended to synchronize with substrate stage processing, then temperature control is improved, but throughput is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature adjustment is performed in advance in the temperature control unit before the substrate needs to be exchanged. By completing the temperature control action preliminarily, the substrate can then wait in the exchange position without significant temperature change, allowing synchronization with substrate stage processing without sacrificing throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the waiting time parameter based on the processing time of the substrate stage. The control unit calculates the optimal waiting time to synchronize substrate arrival with substrate stage readiness, ensuring temperature stability is maintained while minimizing delays to throughput.
3Manufacturing precision
If temperature control is performed strictly for each substrate, then alignment accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the control system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature control unit is designed as a universal device that handles temperature control for all substrates in the batch. Rather than having individual temperature control mechanisms for each substrate position, a single multi-functional unit serves all substrates, maintaining alignment accuracy through centralized control while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature control unit autonomously adjusts the temperature of each substrate based on its specific requirements and the timing of its transfer. The system includes self-regulating features that automatically compensate for temperature variations without requiring complex external control interventions for each individual substrate, simplifying the overall control architecture.
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 reduces temperature variations of substrates upon supply to the substrate stage, enhancing alignment and overlay accuracy while maintaining throughput by ensuring consistent temperature control across all substrates in a batch.
Implementation Method 1
a temperature control mechanism configured to hold a substrate to be conveyed to the substrate stage and perform temperature control to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of the succeeding substrate fluctuates mainly due to the influence of the ambient temperature in the substrate exchange position
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus for performing a process of a substrate, including a substrate stage configured to hold a substrate when the process is performed, a temperature control mechanism configured to hold a substrate to be conveyed to the substrate stage and perform temperature control to a predetermined temperature, a conveyance mechanism configured to convey a substrate in the apparatus, and a control unit configured to control conveyance of a substrate in the apparatus, wherein when a waiting time until the substrate conveyed to a supply position is supplied to the substrate stage exceeds an upper limit time set in advance, the control unit conveys the substrate from the supply position to the temperature control mechanism by the conveyance mechanism.