Supercritical Fluid Drying Apparatus for Semiconductor Wafer Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing technologies face challenges in efficiently preparing and transporting high temperature and high pressure fluids for drying substrates, leading to increased facility costs and pressure variations, particularly when generating supercritical fluids for semiconductor wafer processing.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a processing chamber, a raw material accommodating unit, and a supplying unit that includes a sealable outer vessel with a heating mechanism and an inner vessel to slowly heat the raw material, reducing sudden pressure variations and facilitating the generation of high temperature and high pressure fluids for drying substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a liquid raw material is transported to a metallic vessel that is heated to supercritical temperature, then the vessel body undergoes vaporization and pressure rises, but this requires a high pressure pump or cooling mechanism, increasing facility cost
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel body is pre-heated to supercritical temperature before the liquid raw material is introduced. This preliminary heating action ensures that when the liquid material enters the vessel, it is already at the required temperature, preventing sudden vaporization and pressure spikes that would require additional cooling mechanisms or high pressure pumps.
2Stress or pressure
If the vessel body is heated to supercritical temperature before transporting liquid raw material, then the liquid raw material contacts the hot vessel body and vaporizes, raising inner pressure, but this requires additional cooling mechanisms or high pressure pumps
Solution Approach 1:
The vessel body undergoes pre-heating to supercritical temperature through circulation of a heat transfer fluid before the liquid raw material is introduced. This preliminary action ensures the vessel is already at the required temperature, allowing controlled phase change of the raw material without requiring additional cooling mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If a high pressure pump is used to transport liquid raw material to a heated vessel, then the liquid can be transported, but the facility cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical high pressure pump system is replaced with a thermal field-based transportation method. The liquid raw material is introduced into the pre-heated vessel where it undergoes phase change driven by the thermal energy already present in the vessel body, eliminating the need for mechanical pumping while maintaining operational effectiveness.
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 effectively suppresses sudden pressure variations and simplifies the transportation of liquid raw materials, enabling efficient and cost-effective preparation of supercritical fluids for substrate drying, thereby preventing pattern collapse during the semiconductor wafer processing.
Implementation Method 1
a heating mechanism 25 configured to heat the outer vessel 21
Implementation Method 2
a method for preparing a necessary amount of supercritical fluid for every wafer processing
Implementation Method 3
the liquid is substituted with a supercritical fluid, and then the supercritical fluid is changed to a gaseous state. As a result, the liquid can be dried without being influenced by a surface tension
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is substrate processing apparatus including processing chamber that dries substrate W using high temperature and high pressure fluid, raw material accommodating unit that accommodates raw material in liquid state, and supplying unit that supplies the high temperature and high pressure fluid to the processing chamber. The supplying unit includes sealable outer vessel connected to the processing chamber and the raw material accommodating unit, and inner vessel provided within the outer vessel and configured to receive the raw material. The inner vessel is provided with opened holes portions configured to drop down the raw material toward a portion of the outer vessel to be heated. After the raw material is accommodated in the inner vessel, the raw material is contacted with the portion to be heated and then heated. A high temperature and high pressure fluid is then obtained and supplied to the processing chamber.