Supercritical Substrate Drying with Corrected Chamber Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform temperature control during supercritical drying, leading to potential uneven drying and pattern collapse on substrates.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus equipped with a processing container, a fluid supplier for supercritical fluids, a heating mechanism, a temperature meter, and a controller that acquires and stores temperature data, determines necessary corrections to the set temperature, and adjusts the heating mechanism accordingly to ensure uniform temperature distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If temperature control is performed without correction for each substrate processing, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to temperature variations causing uneven drying and pattern collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs preliminary actions by acquiring temperature information during substrate processing, storing it as temperature-time data, and determining necessary corrections before the next processing cycle begins. This allows temperature uniformity to be improved without adding complex real-time control mechanisms during processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own temperature measurement capabilities to self-diagnose and self-correct temperature variations. The controller monitors temperature during processing, compares it with reference values, and automatically adjusts heating mechanism settings for subsequent cycles, eliminating the need for external complex control systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If temperature correction is performed for each substrate processing, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to data acquisition and correction operations
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature information is acquired and corrections are determined during idle periods between substrate loadings, not during the actual processing time. The controller uses this time to analyze temperature-time data and prepare correction values, so the correction operations do not extend the critical processing cycle time.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature-time data serves as an intermediary that bridges the measurement and correction phases. By storing temperature information as structured data with time associations, the system can efficiently process and analyze temperature variations without requiring continuous intervention during substrate processing, thus minimizing time loss.
3Manufacturing precision
If temperature information is acquired and stored for correction determination, then manufacturing precision is improved, but use of energy increases due to continuous measurement and data processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs temperature information acquisition and correction determination partially - only during periods when the processing container is not actively processing substrates. By acquiring temperature data at strategic points rather than continuously during all operations, the system achieves sufficient temperature uniformity control while minimizing energy consumption for measurement and processing.
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 promotes uniform temperature control during substrate processing, minimizing temperature variations and stabilizing the process performance, which helps maintain the integrity of substrate patterns.
Implementation Method 1
a heating mechanism configured to heat the interior of the processing container
Implementation Method 2
a temperature meter configured to measure a temperature of the interior of the processing container
Implementation Method 3
The supercritical fluid dries a liquid film formed on the substrate by transitioning directly from a supercritical state where there is no interface between gas and liquid to a vapor phase
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing container, a fluid supplier, a heating mechanism, a temperature meter, and a controller, and dries a substrate having a liquid film using a supercritical fluid. The controller acquires information on a temperature of an interior of the processing container measured by the temperature meter from when the substrate is loaded into the processing container until the substrate is unloaded therefrom, stores temperature-time data, extracts a temperature from the stored temperature-time data during a temperature adjustment target period, determines whether or not correction of a set temperature of the heating mechanism is necessary based on comparison between the temperature during the temperature adjustment target period and a reference temperature held in advance, and, when the correction of the set temperature is determined to be necessary, controls an output of the heating mechanism according to the corrected set temperature.