Supercritical CO2 Drying Endpoint Detection for Substrate Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in semiconductor substrate processing is the inefficiency and lack of control in the supercritical carbon dioxide drying process, leading to increased production costs and defects due to unclear drying process conditions, making it difficult to determine when to stop the drying process effectively.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus and method that includes a controller to monitor and control the supply and discharge of supercritical drying fluid using a sampling unit and detector to analyze the fluid, stopping the process when the concentration of volatile organic compounds reaches a set value or a predetermined number of supply cycles is reached, ensuring optimal drying efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If carbon dioxide is continuously supplied to remove and dry the cleaning and developing fluid from the substrate, then the drying effect is improved, but production costs and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a feedback control mechanism where a detector monitors the concentration of cleaning and developing fluid in the discharged carbon dioxide. The controller adjusts the supply and discharge of carbon dioxide based on this feedback signal, stopping the process when the fluid concentration falls below a predetermined threshold. This prevents over-drying while ensuring complete removal of contaminants, thereby reducing unnecessary processing time and costs while maintaining reliable drying效果.
2Productivity
If the drying process is stopped early to reduce processing time, then production efficiency is improved, but cleaning or developing defects occur due to insufficient drying
Solution Approach 1:
The detector continuously monitors the concentration of cleaning and developing fluid in the discharged carbon dioxide and provides real-time feedback to the controller. The process is stopped only when the feedback signal confirms that the fluid concentration has dropped below the predetermined threshold, ensuring complete drying. This feedback mechanism guarantees drying completeness while avoiding unnecessary extended processing time.
3Device complexity
If the concentration of cleaning and developing fluid is not monitored, then the device complexity is reduced, but it becomes difficult to control the supply amount and discharge amount of fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a detector that monitors the concentration of cleaning and developing fluid in the discharged carbon dioxide and provides feedback to the controller. This feedback signal enables automatic adjustment of the supply and discharge rates of carbon dioxide, simplifying fluid control operations. The system automatically maintains optimal drying conditions without requiring complex manual monitoring or adjustment procedures.
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 improves the efficiency of the supercritical drying process by optimizing the detection of the end point, reducing production costs and preventing defects by accurately determining when to stop the drying process, thereby enhancing yield and quality.
Implementation Method 1
a detector arranged in the sampling line and configured to analyze the sampling fluid
Implementation Method 2
a body having a processing space configured to pressurize a drying process fluid at a supercritical pressure therein
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a body having a processing space configured to pressurize a drying process fluid at a supercritical pressure therein, a fluid supply unit configured to supply the drying process fluid to the processing space, and a discharge unit configured to discharge the drying process fluid from inside the processing space, wherein the discharge unit includes a discharge line coupled to the body, and a sampling unit including a sampling line branched from a rear end area of the discharge line and configured to extract a sampling fluid, and a detector arranged in the sampling line and configured to analyze the sampling fluid.