Zigzag Nozzle Array for Substrate Treating Liquid Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing liquid supply units for semiconductor manufacturing face challenges in efficiently treating large-sized substrates due to the need for multiple nozzles, which increases the size of the nozzle member, making maintenance difficult and prone to interference with other components, and requires longer inspection times.
Innovation Solution
A liquid supply unit with a nozzle member that includes two rows of nozzles arranged in a zigzag pattern to prevent overlap, allowing for efficient movement and inspection, and an actuator to move the nozzle member in a way that minimizes space and interference, enabling the use of a single nozzle member to discharge photoresists with different characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of nozzles is increased to discharge photoresists with different characteristics and increase productivity for large-sized substrates, then the substrate treating efficiency and productivity are improved, but the size of the nozzle member becomes larger, making maintenance difficult and causing interference with other components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional single-row nozzle arrangement to a two-dimensional grid pattern arrangement. The nozzles are arranged in multiple rows and columns forming a grid, allowing the nozzle member to accommodate more nozzles without proportionally increasing its overall size. This dimensional reorganization enables higher substrate treating efficiency while controlling the nozzle member's footprint and maintaining ease of maintenance.
2Productivity
If the nozzle member is enlarged to accommodate more nozzles, then more photoresists can be discharged simultaneously improving productivity, but the space occupied by the nozzle member increases making maintenance difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle member is divided into multiple independent nozzle units arranged in a grid pattern, with each nozzle capable of being individually addressed and maintained. The body is configured to hold these segmented nozzle units in a structured array, allowing maintenance personnel to access and service specific nozzles without having to service the entire nozzle member, thus easing maintenance difficulty while maintaining high productivity.
3Productivity
If the nozzle member is enlarged to accommodate more nozzles, then substrate treating efficiency is improved, but interference with other components occurs when the nozzle moves
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging nozzles in a two-dimensional grid pattern rather than expanding in a single dimension, the patent reduces the overall footprint of the nozzle member. This compact two-dimensional arrangement minimizes the space the nozzle member occupies and the area it sweeps during movement, thereby reducing interference with other components in the substrate treating apparatus while maintaining the capability to treat large substrates efficiently.
4Ease of manufacture
If nozzles are arranged in a conventional manner, then the nozzle member can be constructed, but the entire image of the nozzle member cannot be acquired with a single shot during inspection, increasing inspection time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an asymmetric grid pattern arrangement where nozzles are positioned in a specific non-uniform pattern within the grid structure. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the grid layout, ensures that all nozzles fall within a field of view that can be captured in a single inspection shot, eliminating the need for multiple shots or complex inspection sequences and thereby reducing inspection time while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes a treating container having a treating space therein, a support unit supporting and rotate a substrate in the treating space, and a liquid supply unit supplying a treating liquid onto the substrate, wherein the liquid supply unit may include a nozzle member and an actuator for moving the nozzle member, wherein the nozzle member may include nozzles arranged along a first direction so that the nozzles form a first row and nozzles coupled to the body and arranged along the first direction so that the nozzles form a second row, wherein the first row and the second row may be spaced apart from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed from above. At this time, the nozzles constituting the nozzle member may be observed as a whole from the front.