Substrate Processing Flow Using Supercritical Drying and Vacuum Dry-Cleaning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing methods face challenges in maintaining cleanliness and preventing pattern collapse during drying, particularly when using wet cleaning techniques, which decrease throughput and can lead to surface tension issues.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus comprising a liquid processing apparatus, a supercritical drying apparatus, a load-lock apparatus, and a dry-cleaning apparatus, where a liquid film is formed, replaced with a supercritical fluid, and the atmosphere is switched to decompressed pressure for dry-cleaning, avoiding liquid-gas interfaces and surface tension, thus preventing pattern collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If wet cleaning techniques are used to clean the substrate surface, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but throughput decreases and surface tension issues occur leading to pattern collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the cleaning medium from liquid to gas phase. By using gas cluster ion beam instead of liquid cleaning agents, the process eliminates surface tension effects while maintaining cleaning capability, thus preventing pattern collapse and improving throughput without sacrificing substrate cleanliness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical/chemical wet cleaning system with a gas-phase plasma-based cleaning system. The gas cluster ion beam provides cleaning action through physical and chemical mechanisms in the gas phase, avoiding the harmful surface tension effects of liquid-gas interfaces while maintaining effective contamination removal
2Manufacturing precision
If wet cleaning techniques are used to clean the substrate surface, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but pattern collapse occurs due to surface tension
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the cleaning medium from liquid to gas phase. By using gas cluster ion beam instead of liquid cleaning agents, the process eliminates surface tension effects while maintaining cleaning capability, thus preventing pattern collapse and improving throughput without sacrificing substrate cleanliness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical/chemical wet cleaning system with a gas-phase plasma-based cleaning system. The gas cluster ion beam provides cleaning action through physical and chemical mechanisms in the gas phase, avoiding the harmful surface tension effects of liquid-gas interfaces while maintaining effective contamination removal
3Ease of manufacture
If liquid film is used on substrate surface, then processing is simplified, but surface tension causes pattern collapse during drying
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the processing medium from liquid to gas phase. By using gas cluster ion beam directly on the substrate surface without requiring a liquid film, the process maintains simplicity while eliminating surface tension effects that cause pattern collapse during drying
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the liquid phase from the processing system. By using gas-phase cleaning directly on the substrate, the method removes the problematic liquid-gas interface and associated surface tension effects while maintaining effective contamination removal capability
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 enhances substrate cleanliness and throughput by suppressing surface tension and pattern collapse, allowing for efficient dry-cleaning without wetting the substrate, thereby maintaining the integrity of irregularity patterns.
Implementation Method 1
a supercritical drying apparatus (52) configured to dry the substrate by replacing the liquid film with a supercritical fluid
Implementation Method 2
The supercritical drying apparatus is configured to dry the substrate by replacing the liquid film with a supercritical fluid
Implementation Method 3
a first load-lock apparatus (53) configured to switch an atmosphere around the substrate from a first one of a normal pressure atmosphere and a decompressed pressure atmosphere to a second one of the normal pressure atmosphere and the decompressed pressure atmosphere
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid processing apparatus configured to form a liquid film on a surface of a substrate; a supercritical drying apparatus configured to dry the substrate by replacing the liquid film with a supercritical fluid; a first load-lock apparatus configured to switch an atmosphere around the substrate from a first one of a normal pressure atmosphere and a decompressed pressure atmosphere to a second one thereof on a transfer path of the substrate; a dry-cleaning apparatus configured to dry-clean the surface of the substrate under a decompressed pressure; and a control device configured to perform forming of the liquid film by the liquid processing apparatus, drying of the substrate by the supercritical drying apparatus, switching of the atmosphere around the substrate by the first load-lock apparatus, and dry-cleaning of the substrate by the dry-cleaning apparatus in this order.