UV-Cured Caulking Layer Filling High-Aspect-Ratio Trenches
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional oxide films struggle to seal gaps in high-aspect-ratio trenches during integrated circuit manufacturing due to breakage and damage, leading to voids and seams that affect the reliability and quality of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
A method using a flowable, curable sealant is applied in patterned recesses on a substrate, which is then solidified using ultraviolet irradiation or heating, eliminating the need for traditional oxidation treatments and enhancing gap-filling capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oxide film is used to seal trenches, then traditional sealing method is simple, but the oxide film breaks and damages in high-aspect-ratio trenches causing voids and seams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the sealant material from traditional oxide film to a curable organic polymer material with different properties (flowable state at deposition, cross-linked solid after curing). This parameter change enables the material to adapt to high-aspect-ratio trenches while maintaining sealing reliability and eliminating voids and seams.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material approach by combining organic polymer materials with photoinitiators or thermal curing agents to create a curable sealant that exhibits both flowable characteristics for filling and solid characteristics for sealing. This composite material resolves the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing precision.
2Productivity
If traditional oxidation treatment is used, then process is conventional, but processing time is long and gap-filling capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional thermal oxidation process with a chemical curing process (photopolymerization or thermal curing) that occurs more rapidly. This substitution reduces processing time while improving gap-filling quality by enabling complete filling before curing sets the material in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by depositing the curable sealant in a flowable state that allows it to completely fill the trench gaps before curing. This preliminary filling action ensures complete gap coverage, and then the curing process locks this quality in place, resolving the contradiction between productivity and manufacturing precision.
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 improves the uniformity of film deposition, reduces processing time, and enhances the electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices by avoiding voids and seams in high-aspect-ratio trenches.
Implementation Method 1
The caulking layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or heated to solidify the caulking layer in the patterned recess
Implementation Method 2
The caulking layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or heated to solidify the caulking layer in the patterned recess
Data Source
AI summary
A processing device for forming a caulking layer is provided. The processing device includes a processing chamber and an ultraviolet illumination device. The processing chamber includes a carrying platform and a caulking device. The carrying platform is configured to carry a substrate, and the substrate has a patterned recess. The caulking device is configured to inject or deposit a flowable sealant into the patterned recess to form a caulking layer. The ultraviolet illumination device is configured to irradiate ultraviolet rays on the caulking layer to solidify the caulking layer in the patterned recess.