Wet Substrate Transfer Layout to Prevent Pattern Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current substrate treating apparatuses face the challenge of substrates drying out during transportation from batch treatment regions to single-wafer treatment regions, leading to pattern collapse.
Innovation Solution
A substrate treating apparatus is designed with a carrier mount shelf, a transferring block, and a treating block that includes a first posture turning mechanism to change the substrate posture from horizontal to vertical, and a belt conveyor mechanism with a liquid supplying unit to maintain substrates in a wet state during transport, preventing drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If substrates are transported from batch treatment region to single-wafer treatment region using conventional methods, then substrate transport is achieved, but substrates dry out causing pattern collapse
Solution Approach 1:
A liquid supply unit is introduced as an intermediary between the batch treatment region and single-wafer treatment region. This unit supplies liquid to the substrates during transport, acting as a mediator to prevent drying while maintaining substrate integrity throughout the transfer process.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid supply unit performs preliminary wetting action on substrates before they complete the transport to the single-wafer treatment region. By applying liquid in advance during the transport process, the substrates are pre-prepared to prevent pattern collapse upon arrival at the destination.
2Reliability
If a wet transportation region with liquid supply is introduced, then substrate drying is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid supply unit is designed to serve multiple functions: it supplies liquid to prevent drying during transport, and can be integrated with existing transport mechanisms. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wet transportation region is merged with the existing batch and single-wafer treatment regions to form an integrated substrate processing system. By combining these regions and sharing common infrastructure (such as transport paths and liquid supply systems), the overall structural complexity is minimized while achieving the desired functionality.
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 prevents substrate drying during transportation, enhancing the flexibility of the treatment region arrangement and achieving enhanced throughput by maintaining substrates in a wet state, thus preventing pattern collapse.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid supplying unit configured to supply a liquid for wetting the substrates, transported by the belt conveyor mechanism, with the liquid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus provided with a treating block. The treating block includes a wet transportation region adjoining a batch treatment region and a single-wafer transportation region. The wet transportation region contains a second posture turning mechanism provided on an extension line of a line of six batch process tanks and configured to turn a posture of substrates, on which immersion treatment is performed, from vertical to horizontal, a belt conveyor mechanism configured to receive the substrates in a horizontal posture one by one from the second posture turning mechanism and transport the substrates to the single-wafer transportation region, and a liquid supplying unit configured to supply a liquid to wet the substrates, transported by the belt conveyor mechanism, with the liquid.