Tiltable Substrate Stage for Recess Processing Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor devices become highly integrated and miniaturized, the recesses on substrates become deeper and have higher aspect ratios, leading to noticeable imbalances in the processing status on the side surfaces during substrate processing such as film formation or etching, which existing techniques fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing method and apparatus where the stage is tilted by a drive mechanism so that its central axis forms an angle with respect to a vertical reference axis, allowing the stage to rotate while maintaining this angle, thereby improving the processing status imbalance on the side surfaces of recesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the stage is kept horizontal during substrate processing, then the apparatus structure is simple and easy to operate, but the processing status on the side surfaces of deep recesses becomes imbalanced
Solution Approach 1:
The stage is designed to be dynamically tiltable and rotatable rather than fixed horizontal. The drive mechanism enables the stage to change its orientation dynamically during processing, allowing the central axis to form an angle with the vertical reference axis while rotating around it, thereby achieving balanced processing on recess side surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution introduces angular dimension by tilting the stage so its central axis forms an angle with the vertical reference axis. This angular adjustment adds a new degree of freedom, transforming the processing geometry to achieve uniform coverage on vertical recess surfaces that cannot be achieved with simple horizontal positioning.
2Manufacturing precision
If the stage is tilted to improve processing uniformity on recess side surfaces, then the in-plane uniformity improves, but the device complexity increases due to the drive mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The drive mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions: tilting the stage to form an angle with the vertical reference axis, rotating the stage around the reference axis, and maintaining positional control. This multi-functional design achieves in-plane uniformity while consolidating control capabilities into a single integrated system.
3Manufacturing precision
If the stage rotates around the vertical reference axis while tilted, then the processing status balance improves, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback control to monitor and adjust the stage's angular position and rotation around the vertical reference axis. This feedback mechanism ensures that the central axis maintains the correct angle relationship with the reference axis while rotating, achieving processing balance without excessive operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method includes: a substrate processing process performing a substrate processing on a substrate in a state in which a stage is tilted by a drive mechanism so that a central axis of the stage, which passes through a center of a mounting surface mounted with the substrate and extends in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface, forms a first angle other than 0° with respect to a predetermined reference axis of a shower plate, which extends in a vertical direction, while changing a position of the stage by the drive mechanism so that the central axis rotates around the reference axis while maintaining the first angle with respect to the reference axis.