Tube Gap Inert Gas Pressurization for Wafer Process Gas Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in efficiently managing gas pressures within the processing chamber, leading to inefficiencies in the distribution and concentration of process gases during semiconductor device manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The method involves disposing a wafer in a tube, injecting an inert gas into the gap region between the wafer and the tube's inner side wall, and then injecting a process gas into the wafer region, with the pressure of the gap region being higher than the pressure at the edge of the wafer region during gas injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If process gas is injected into the wafer region, then the process gas volume available to the wafer increases, but process gas flows into the gap region causing concentration distribution deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
Inert gas is injected into the gap region before process gas injection begins. This preliminary action creates a high-pressure barrier in the gap region that prevents process gas from flowing into the gap, thereby maintaining process gas concentration distribution in the wafer region while allowing sufficient process gas volume to be supplied.
Solution Approach 2:
Inert gas acts as an intermediary substance between the process gas supply system and the gap region. By introducing this intermediary inert gas into the gap region, the system prevents direct mixing of process gas into the gap, thus maintaining process gas concentration distribution while still allowing process gas to reach the wafer region in sufficient quantities.
2Quantity of substance
If gas pressure in the chamber is increased to improve process gas delivery, then process gas volume to wafer increases, but gas pressure management becomes inefficient and process gas may leak into gap region
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is segmented into two distinct pressure zones: the wafer region (where process gas should be) and the gap region (where inert gas creates a high-pressure barrier). This segmentation allows independent pressure control in each zone, enabling efficient process gas delivery to the wafer without uncontrolled pressure management throughout the entire chamber, and preventing process gas leakage into the gap region.
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 reduces the phenomenon of process gas flowing into the gap region, thereby increasing the volume of process gas provided to the wafer region and improving the concentration distribution of the process gas.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure of the gap region of the tube is higher than a pressure at an edge of the wafer region of the tube during the injection of the inert gas and the process gas
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing method includes: disposing a wafer in a wafer region of a tube; injecting an inert gas into a gap region, of the tube, between an inner side wall of the tube and the wafer disposed in the wafer region; and injecting a process gas into the wafer region of the tube, wherein a pressure of the gap region of the tube is higher than a pressure at an edge of the wafer region of the tube during the injection of the inert gas and the process gas.