CN117253817A

CN117253817A - Method and apparatus for processing substrate

Info

Publication number: CN117253817A
Application number: CN202210657317.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 姜基文; 朴炫九; 梁孝源
Original assignee: Semes Co Ltd
Current assignee: Semes Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-10
Filing date: 2022-06-10
Publication date: 2023-12-19

Abstract

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a high pressure chamber configured to form a processing space for performing a supercritical processing process therein; a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate at a processing space; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a process fluid to the process space; and a discharge unit configured to discharge an atmosphere of the processing space, and wherein the fluid supply unit includes a cover plate that is opposite to the processing surface of the substrate supported by the substrate support unit and has a supply hole for supplying the processing fluid to the processing surface.

Description

Method and apparatus for processing substrate

Technical Field

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method to perform a supercritical process.

Background

Generally, a semiconductor device is manufactured from a substrate (such as a wafer). Specifically, the semiconductor device is manufactured by performing a deposition process, a photolithography process, an etching process, or the like, thereby forming a fine circuit pattern on the top surface of the substrate.

During these processes, various foreign matters are attached to the top surface of the substrate on which the circuit pattern is formed, and thus a cleaning process for removing the foreign matters on the substrate may be performed between these processes.

Generally, the cleaning process includes: a chemical process for removing foreign substances on a substrate by supplying chemicals to the substrate, a rinse process for removing chemicals remaining on the substrate by supplying deionized water, and a dry process for removing deionized water remaining on the substrate.

Supercritical fluid is used to dry the substrate. According to an embodiment, deionized water on a substrate is replaced with an organic solvent, and then a supercritical fluid is supplied to a top surface of the substrate in a high pressure chamber, thereby dissolving the organic solvent remaining on the substrate in the supercritical fluid to remove the organic solvent. When isopropyl alcohol (isopropyl alcohol, hereinafter referred to as IPA) is used as the organic solvent, carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) As a supercritical fluid, the carbon dioxide has a relatively low critical temperature and critical pressure, and is well dissolved in IPA.

Fig. 15 shows a conventional substrate processing apparatus using a supercritical fluid.

As shown in fig. 15, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus 1 using a supercritical fluid, the supercritical fluid supplied through the top injection line 3 may be liquefied in a state where the internal pressure of the chamber 2 is low at the start of the process. Therefore, at the beginning of the supercritical drying process, the supercritical fluid supplied to the top of the substrate S may be liquefied and may drop onto the substrate S due to gravity, thereby damaging the substrate. Further, the supercritical fluid is discharged through the discharge port 4 below the substrate, and there is a problem in that impurities including IPA residues and particles and the like existing in the process may contaminate the bottom injection line 5.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of preventing a supercritical fluid from directly contacting a substrate in an initial injection stage.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of separating and supplying a gas according to a pressure of a chamber.

Technical objects of the inventive concept are not limited to the above technical objects, and other technical objects not mentioned will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a high pressure chamber configured to form a processing space for performing a supercritical processing process therein; a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate in a processing space; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a process fluid to the process space; and a discharge unit configured to discharge an atmosphere of the processing space, and wherein the fluid supply unit includes: and a cover plate opposing the processing surface of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit, the cover plate having a supply hole for supplying the processing fluid to the processing surface.

In embodiments, the radius of the cover plate is approximately equal to or greater than the radius of the base plate.

In an embodiment, the supply aperture is opposite the center of the treatment surface.

In an embodiment, the fluid supply unit comprises: a first injection line located at the high pressure chamber at a top surface opposite the top surface of the cover plate, and configured to supply a processing fluid to the top surface of the cover plate; and a second injection line configured to supply the processing fluid to the supply hole.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a control unit for controlling the fluid supply unit, and wherein the control unit controls the fluid supply unit to supply the processing fluid through the first injection line until the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure, and to supply the processing fluid through the second injection line after the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure.

In an embodiment, the plurality of first injection lines are positioned radially based on the second injection lines.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a high pressure chamber configured to form a processing space for performing a supercritical processing process therein; a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate in a processing space; a fluid supply unit configured to supply a process fluid to the process space; and a discharge unit configured to discharge an atmosphere of the processing space, and wherein the fluid supply unit includes: a first injection line and a second injection line disposed at a top surface of the high pressure chamber; and a cover plate located between the top surface of the high pressure chamber and the substrate supporting unit, the cover plate blocking the process fluid supplied from the first injection line from being directly injected in a direction of the process surface of the substrate, and having a supply hole connected to the second injection line and configured to directly supply the process fluid to the process surface of the substrate.

In an embodiment, the target pressure is a critical pressure of the treatment fluid.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate at a processing space of the chamber; a plate having a through hole formed therein and positioned opposite to the processing surface of the substrate; and a fluid supply unit for supplying a process fluid to the process space, and wherein the fluid supply unit comprises: a first injection line for supplying a process fluid to a top surface of the plate; and a second injection line for supplying a process fluid to the through holes of the plate.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a control unit for controlling the fluid supply unit, and wherein the control unit controls the fluid supply unit to supply the processing fluid first through the first injection line to prevent the processing fluid from directly contacting the substrate at an initial injection section of the processing fluid.

In an embodiment, the fluid supply unit first supplies the process fluid to the edge direction of the substrate through the first injection line, and directly supplies the process fluid to the top surface of the substrate through the second injection line when the pressure of the process space reaches the target pressure.

In an embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a detector for detecting a pressure of the processing space, and the control unit controls the supply of the processing fluid from the first and second injection lines according to a pressure value of the processing space received from the detector.

In an embodiment, the control unit supplies the treatment fluid through the second injection line when the internal pressure of the treatment space reaches the critical pressure.

The present inventive concept provides a substrate processing method. The substrate processing method includes: a step of introducing a substrate into a processing space of the chamber to be placed on the substrate supporting unit; a step of supplying a process fluid to the process space; a step of discharging the process fluid from the process space; and a step of taking out the substrate from the chamber, and wherein the step for supplying the process fluid includes: a first injection step for supplying a process fluid through a first injection line formed at a top surface of the chamber so as to supply the process fluid from an edge region of the substrate; and a second injection step for supplying the process fluid from the second injection line so as to supply the process fluid to the central region of the substrate.

In an embodiment, wherein in the first injection step, the first injection line supplies the process fluid to a top surface of the cover plate positioned opposite to the process surface of the substrate, and in the second injection step, the second injection line supplies the process fluid to a central region of the substrate through a through hole formed at the cover plate.

In an embodiment, the first injection step is performed before the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure, and the second injection step is performed after the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure.

According to embodiments of the inventive concept, damage to the substrate may be prevented by preventing the supercritical fluid from directly contacting the substrate in the initial injection section.

According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the supercritical fluid may be separately supplied according to the pressure of the housing.

The effects of the inventive concept are not limited to the above-described effects, and the effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the present specification and drawings.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects and features will be apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the phase transition of carbon dioxide.

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first process chamber of fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the second process chamber of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view describing a main portion of the fluid supply unit shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 to 10 illustrate a supercritical fluid supply process in the second process chamber.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart for describing a substrate processing method in the second process chamber.

Fig. 12 shows a modified embodiment of the second process chamber.

Fig. 13 and 14 are perspective views illustrating the cap plate illustrated in fig. 5.

Detailed Description

The inventive concept is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms and specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, embodiments according to the inventive concept are not intended to be limited to the specifically disclosed forms. The embodiments are provided to more fully illustrate the inventive concept to those having ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the form of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 may perform a supercritical process of processing the substrate S using a supercritical fluid as a process fluid.

Herein, the substrate S is a comprehensive concept including a semiconductor device, a flat panel display (flat panel display, FPD), and other substrates for manufacturing an object having a circuit pattern formed on a thin film. Examples of such a substrate S include various wafers (including silicon wafers), glass substrates, organic substrates, and the like.

Supercritical fluid refers to a fluid that reaches a supercritical state exceeding a critical temperature and critical pressure, and is in a phase having both gas and liquid properties. Supercritical fluids have a molecular density close to that of liquids and a viscosity close to that of gases, and thus facilitate chemical reactions due to excellent diffusion, penetration and dissolution forces. Moreover, the supercritical fluid does not exert interfacial tension on the microstructure because it has little surface tension.

The supercritical process is performed using such characteristics of the supercritical fluid, and representative embodiments of the supercritical process include a supercritical drying process and a supercritical etching process. Hereinafter, a supercritical process will be described based on a supercritical drying process. However, since this is for convenience of description only, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may perform a supercritical process other than the supercritical drying process.

The substrate S may be dried by dissolving the organic solvent remaining on the circuit pattern of the substrate S with the supercritical fluid to perform a supercritical drying process, and the supercritical drying process may have excellent drying efficiency and may prevent a collapse phenomenon. As the supercritical fluid used in the supercritical drying process, a material having miscibility with an organic solvent may be used. For example, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO) ₂ ) Can be used as supercritical fluid.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of the phase change of carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide has the advantage of a relatively low critical temperature of 31.1 ℃ and a relatively low critical pressure of 7.38Mpa, making it easy for carbon dioxide to become supercritical and for the phase change to be controlled by controlling the temperature and pressure. Moreover, carbon dioxide has a low price. In addition, carbon dioxide is harmless to the human body because it is non-toxic. Also, carbon dioxide has incombustibility and inertness properties, and the diffusion coefficient of supercritical carbon dioxide is 10 to 100 times that of water or other organic solvents, so supercritical carbon dioxide rapidly permeates and thus rapidly replaces organic solvents, and drying of the substrate S having fine circuit patterns is facilitated because supercritical carbon dioxide has little surface tension. In addition, carbon dioxide may be recovered from substances produced as by-products of various chemical reactions and used simultaneously in a supercritical drying process, and then converted into a gas and separated from an organic solvent for reuse. Therefore, it is less burdened in terms of environmental pollution.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the inventive concept will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the inventive concept may include a supercritical drying process to perform a cleaning process.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus 100, and fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus 100.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes an index module 1000 and a process module 2000.

The index module 1000 may receive the substrate S from the outside and transfer the substrate S to the process module 2000, and the process module 2000 may perform a supercritical drying process.

The index module 1000 is a equipment front end module (equipment front end module, EFEM) and includes a load port 1100 and a transfer frame 1200.

A container C in which the substrate S is stored is placed on the load port 1100. As the container C, a front opening unified pod (Front Opening Unified Pod, FOUP) may be used. Containers C may be delivered to the load port 1100 from the outside by overhead transport (overhead transfer, OHT), or may be removed from the load port 1100 to the outside.

The transfer frame 1200 transfers the substrate S between the container C placed at the load port 1100 and the process module 2000. The transfer frame 1200 includes an index robot 1210 and an index track 1220. The index robot 1210 may move along the index rail 1220 and may transfer the substrate S.

The process module 2000 is a module that actually performs a process, and includes a buffer chamber 2100, a transfer chamber 2200, a first process chamber 3000, and a second process chamber 4000.

The buffer chamber 2100 provides a space where the substrate S transferred between the index module 1000 and the process module 2000 is temporarily reserved. A buffer tank may be provided at the buffer chamber 2100, on which the substrate S is placed. For example, the index robot 1210 may take out the substrate S from the container C and place the substrate in the buffer tank, and the transfer robot 2210 of the transfer chamber 2200 may take out the substrate S placed on the buffer tank and transfer the substrate to the first process chamber 3000 or the second process chamber 4000. A plurality of buffer tanks are provided, and may be provided at the buffer chamber 2100 to place a plurality of substrates S thereon.

The transfer chamber 2200 transfers the substrate S between the buffer chamber 2100, the first process chamber 3000, and the second process chamber 4000, which are disposed around the transfer chamber 2200. The transfer chamber 2200 may include a transfer robot 2210 and a transfer rail 2220. The transfer robot 2210 may move along the transfer rail 2220 and may transfer the substrate S.

The first process chamber 3000 and the second process chamber 4000 may perform a cleaning process. In this case, a cleaning process may be sequentially performed in the first process chamber 3000 and the second process chamber 4000. For example, in the first process chamber 3000, a chemical process, a rinsing process, and an organic solvent process may be performed during a cleaning process, and then a supercritical drying process may be performed in the second process chamber 4000.

The first process chamber 3000 and the second process chamber 4000 are disposed on sides of the transfer chamber 2200. For example, the first and second process chambers 3000 and 4000 may be disposed to face each other at other sides of the transfer chamber 2200.

In addition, a plurality of first and second process chambers 3000 and 4000 may be provided at the process module 2000. The plurality of first and second process chambers 3000 and 4000 may be disposed in a direction at a side of the transfer chamber 2200, may be stacked in a vertical direction, or may be disposed in combination.

Of course, the arrangement of the first and second process chambers 3000 and 4000 is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be appropriately changed in consideration of various factors such as the floor area of the substrate processing apparatus 100 or the process efficiency.

Hereinafter, the first process chamber 3000 will be described.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first process chamber 3000 of fig. 2.

The first process chamber 3000 may perform a chemical process, a rinsing process, and an organic solvent process. Of course, the first process chamber 3000 may selectively perform only some of these processes. Herein, the chemical process is a process of removing foreign matters on the substrate S by supplying a cleaning agent onto the substrate S, the rinsing process is a process of supplying a rinsing agent onto the substrate S to remove the cleaning agent remaining on the substrate, and the organic solvent process is a process of replacing the rinsing agent remaining between circuit patterns of the substrate S with an organic solvent having a low surface tension.

Referring to fig. 4, the first process chamber 3000 includes a support member 3100, a nozzle member 3200, and a recollection member 3300.

The support member 3100 may support the substrate S and rotate the supported substrate S. The support member 3100 may include a support plate 3110, support pins 3111, chuck pins 3112, a rotation shaft 3120, and a rotation driver 3130.

The support plate 3110 has a top surface of the same or similar shape as the base plate S, and support pins 3111 and chuck pins 3112 are formed on the top surface of the support plate 3110. The support pins 3111 may support the substrate S, and the chuck pins 3112 may fix the supported substrate S.

The rotation shaft 3120 is connected to the bottom of the support plate 3110. The rotation shaft 3120 receives a rotation force from the rotation driver 3130 to rotate the support plate 3110. Thus, the substrate S mounted on the support plate 3110 may be rotated. In this case, the chuck pins 3112 may prevent the substrate S from deviating from the normal position.

The nozzle member 3200 sprays chemicals onto the substrate S. The nozzle member 3200 includes a nozzle 3210, a nozzle rod 3220, a nozzle shaft 3230, and a nozzle shaft driver 3240.

The nozzle 3210 sprays chemicals onto the substrate S mounted on the support plate 3110. The chemical may be a detergent, a rinse, or an organic solvent. Herein, as the cleaning agent, hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) Solutions or by bringing ammonia (NH) ₄ OH), hydrochloric acid (HCl) or sulfuric acid (H) ₂ SO ₄ ) A solution obtained by mixing with hydrogen peroxide, a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution, or the like. In addition, deionized water may be used as a rinse agent. Further, as the organic solvent, a solution or gas including isopropyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, 1-propanol, tetrahydrofuran (tetra hydraulic franc), 4-hydroxy group, 4-methyl group, 2-pentanone, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and dimethyl ether may be used.

The nozzle 3210 is formed on a bottom surface of an end of the nozzle rod 3220. The nozzle bar 3220 is coupled to the nozzle shaft 3230, and the nozzle shaft 3230 is provided to be lifted and rotated. The nozzle shaft driver 3240 may adjust the position of the nozzle 3210 by lifting or rotating the nozzle shaft 3230.

The recollection member 3300 recovers the solution supplied to the substrate S. When the solution is supplied to the substrate S through the nozzle member 3200, the support member 3100 may rotate the substrate S to uniformly supply the chemical to the entire area of the substrate S. As the substrate S is rotated, the chemicals are scattered from the substrate S, and the scattered chemicals may be recollected by the recollection member 3300.

The recollection member 3300 can include a recollection vessel 3310, a recollection line 3320, a lift/lower stem 3330, and a lift/lower drive 3340.

The recollection vessel 3310 is disposed about the support plate 3110 in an annular fashion. A plurality of the re-collection containers 3310 may be provided, the plurality of the re-collection containers 3310 being provided in a ring shape formed sequentially away from the support plate 3110 as viewed from above, and the further the re-collection container 3310 is from the support plate 3110, the higher the height of the re-collection container 3310 is. Accordingly, the re-collection ports 3311 are formed in the spaces between the re-collection containers 3310, and the chemicals scattered from the substrate S are introduced to the re-collection ports.

A re-collection line 3320 is formed on the bottom surface of the re-collection vessel 3310. The re-collection line 3320 supplies the chemicals re-collected to the re-collection vessel 3310 to a chemical regeneration system (not shown).

The lift/lower rod 3330 is connected to the recollection vessel 3310 to receive power from the lift/lower drive 3340 to move the recollection vessel 3310 upward and downward. When there are a plurality of the re-collection containers 3310, the lifting/lowering rod 3330 may be connected to the re-collection container 3310 disposed at the outermost side. The lift/lower driver 3340 may lift/lower the re-collection container 3310 by a lift/lower rod 3330 to adjust the re-collection ports 3311 of the plurality of re-collection ports 3311 into which the scattered chemicals are introduced.

Hereinafter, the second process chamber 400 will be described.

The second process chamber 4000 may perform a supercritical drying process using a supercritical fluid. Of course, as described above, the process performed in the second process chamber 4000 may be another supercritical process other than the supercritical drying process, and furthermore, the second process chamber 4000 may perform the process using another process fluid other than the supercritical fluid.

As described above, the second process chamber 4000 may be disposed on a side of the transfer chamber 2200. When a plurality of second process chambers 4000 are provided, they may be provided in one direction, stacked one on top of another, or may be provided on a side surface of the transfer chamber 2200 by a combination thereof. In the substrate processing apparatus 100, the load port 1100, the transfer frame 1200, the buffer chamber 2100, and the transfer module 2200 may be sequentially disposed, and the second process chamber 4000 may be disposed in the same direction as the direction on the side of the transfer chamber 2200.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the second process chamber 4000 will be described.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the second process chamber 4000 of fig. 2, and fig. 6 is an enlarged view illustrating a main portion of the fluid supply unit.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the second process chamber 4000 may include a housing 4100, a support member 4300, a heating member 4400, a fluid supply unit 4500, and a fluid exhaust unit 4600.

The housing 4100 is a high pressure chamber that provides a space in which a supercritical drying process is performed. The housing 4100 provides a space in which a supercritical drying process is performed. The housing 4100 is made of a material capable of withstanding high pressures greater than or equal to the critical pressure. The housing 4100 has a top body 4110, a bottom body 4120, and the top body 4110 and the bottom body 4120 are combined with each other to provide the processing space 4130 described above. The top body 4110 is disposed above the bottom body 4120. The top body 4110 has a fixed position, and the bottom body 4120 can be lifted and lowered by a driving member 4190 such as a cylinder. Of course, unlike the above-described embodiment, the position of the bottom body 4120 in the housing 4100 may be fixed, and the top body 4110 may be provided in a structure that is lifted and lowered by a driving member 4190 such as a cylinder.

When the bottom body 4120 is spaced apart from the top body 4110, the processing space 4130 is opened, and at this time, the substrate S is put in or taken out. During the process, the bottom body 4120 is in close contact with the top body 4110 such that the process space 4130 is sealed from the outside. Herein, the substrate S may be introduced into the second process chamber 4000 in a state that the organic solvent remains on the substrate on which the organic solvent process has been performed in the first process chamber 3000.

Although not shown, according to another embodiment, an opening is provided on a surface of the case, and the substrate may be put into or taken out of the case through the opening.

The support member 4300 supports the substrate S in the processing space 4130 of the housing 4100. The support member 4300 may be installed at the bottom body 4120 to support the substrate S. The support member 4300 may have a form of lifting and supporting the substrate S. The support member 4300 may include a holder 4310 on which a base plate is placed, and lugs (lug) 4320 supporting the holder 4310 to be spaced apart from the bottom surface of the bottom body 4120. Alternatively, a support member may be installed at the top body 4110 to support the substrate S. In this case, the support member (not shown) may have a form of hanging and supporting the substrate S.

Herein, the top surface of the substrate S is a patterned surface as a processing surface, and may be disposed on the support member 4300 such that the bottom surface becomes a non-patterned surface.

The heating member 4400 heats the inside of the housing 4100. The heating member 4400 may heat the supercritical fluid supplied into the second process chamber 4000 to a critical temperature or higher, thereby maintaining the supercritical fluid in a supercritical state or becoming a supercritical fluid again if liquefied. The heating member 4400 may be buried and mounted in a wall of the housing 4100. For example, the heating member 4400 may be provided as a heater that generates heat by receiving power from the outside.

The fluid supply unit 4500 supplies a process fluid to the process space 4130 of the housing 4100. According to an embodiment, the process fluid may be supplied to the process space 4130 in a supercritical state. In contrast, the process fluid may be supplied to the process space 4130 in a gaseous state and may be phase-changed to a supercritical state in the process space 4130. Hereinafter, for convenience, the process fluid is defined as a supercritical fluid.

According to an embodiment, the fluid supply unit 4500 may include a first injection line 4510, a second injection line 4520, and a cap plate 4530.

Fig. 13 and 14 are perspective views showing the cover plate.

Referring to fig. 5, 13 and 14, a cover plate 4530 may be disposed to face a processing surface of a substrate supported by a support member 4300. The cover plate 4530 may be provided in the shape of a circular plate. The radius of the cover plate may be approximately or greater than the radius of the substrate S. The cover plate 4530 has a supply hole 4532 for supplying a supercritical fluid to a processing surface of the substrate. The radius of the cover plate 4530 may be approximately or greater than the radius of the base plate. The supply hole 4532 may be formed at a position facing the center of the processing surface. The cover plate 4530 may prevent the supercritical fluid supplied through the first injection line 4510 from being directly sprayed onto the processing surface of the substrate S.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, a first injection line 4510 and a second injection line 4520 supply a supercritical fluid to the process space 4130 of the second process chamber 4000. Each of the first injection line 4510 and the second injection line 4520 may be connected to a supply line 4550 for supplying a supercritical fluid. In this case, a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the supercritical fluid may be installed at the supply line 4550.

The first injection line 4510 supplies a supercritical fluid toward a top surface of the cover plate 4530. The first injection line 4510 supplies supercritical fluid from a top surface of the top body 4100 facing a top surface of the cover plate, toward a top surface of the cover plate 4530. The first injection line 4510 may be radially disposed around the second injection line 4520. The second injection line 4520 supplies the supercritical fluid to the supply aperture 4532. According to an embodiment, a first injection line 4510 is coupled to the top body 4110. The second injection line 4520 may pass through the top body 4110 and may be connected to a supply hole 4532 of the cover plate 4530.

The second injection line 4520 may inject the supercritical fluid into the central region of the substrate S. The supply hole 4532 connected to the second injection line 4520 may be positioned vertically above the center of the substrate S supported by the support member 4300. Accordingly, the supercritical fluid injected from the second injection line 4520 may reach the central region of the substrate S and spread to the edge region, thereby being uniformly supplied to the entire region of the substrate S.

The control unit 4900 controls the fluid supply unit 4500. The control unit 4900 may control the fluid supply unit 4500 to supply the supercritical fluid through the first injection line 4510 until the pressure of the process space 4130 reaches the target pressure, and then to supply the supercritical fluid through the second injection line 4520 after the pressure of the process space 4130 reaches the target pressure. Pressure sensor 4920 is mounted within housing 4100. The data measured by the pressure sensor 4920 may be provided to the control unit 4900.

The control unit 4900 first supplies the supercritical fluid through the first injection line 4510, and then controls the fluid supply unit 4500 to supply the supercritical fluid to the second injection line 4520. Since the supercritical drying process may be initially performed in a state in which the inside of the second process chamber 4000 is less than the critical pressure, the supercritical fluid supplied into the second process chamber 4000 may be liquefied. Therefore, when the supercritical fluid is supplied to the second injection line 4520 at the start of the supercritical drying process, the supercritical fluid may be liquefied and dropped onto the processing surface of the substrate S due to gravity, thereby damaging the substrate S. Accordingly, the supercritical fluid may be supplied to the space between the cover plate 4530 and the top body 4110 through the first injection line 4510, and when the internal pressure of the second process chamber 4000 reaches the critical pressure, the supercritical fluid may be directly supplied to the processing surface of the substrate S to prevent the supplied supercritical fluid from being fluidized and dropping onto the substrate.

Further, when the supercritical fluid is supplied through the first injection line 4510 at the start of the supercritical drying process, the internal pressure of the housing 4100 is low, and thus the supplied supercritical fluid can be injected at a high speed. When the supercritical fluid sprayed at such a high velocity directly reaches the processing surface of the substrate, a portion of the supercritical fluid directly sprayed on the substrate S may be deformed due to the physical pressure of the supercritical fluid, thereby causing a tilting phenomenon. In addition, the substrate S is shaken by the jet force of the supercritical fluid, and thus the organic solvent remaining on the substrate S flows, resulting in damage of the circuit pattern of the substrate S. Accordingly, the cover plate 4530 disposed between the first injection line 4510 and the substrate may prevent damage to the substrate S by physical force of the supercritical fluid by preventing the supercritical fluid from being directly injected onto the substrate S.

The exhaust port 4600 exhausts supercritical fluid from the second process chamber 4000. The exhaust port 4600 may be connected to an exhaust line 4650 to exhaust supercritical fluid. In this case, a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the supercritical fluid discharged to the discharge line 4650 may be installed at the discharge port 4600. The supercritical fluid discharged through the discharge line 4650 may be discharged to the atmosphere or supplied to a supercritical fluid regeneration system (not shown) to regenerate the supercritical fluid.

The discharge port 4600 may be formed on the bottom wall of the housing 4100. At a later stage of the supercritical drying process, the supercritical fluid is discharged from the second process chamber 4000 and the internal pressure of the second process chamber is reduced to a critical pressure or less so that the supercritical fluid can be liquefied. The liquefied supercritical fluid may be discharged by gravity through a discharge port 4600 formed at the bottom wall of the housing 4100.

Although the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present inventive concept supplies the supercritical fluid to the substrate S to process the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present inventive concept is not limited to performing such a supercritical process. Accordingly, the second process chamber 4000 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may process the substrate S by supplying an additional process fluid other than the supercritical fluid to the supply port 4500. In this case, an organic solvent or other gases of various components, plasma gas, inert gas, or the like may be used as the process fluid in addition to the supercritical fluid.

Meanwhile, the controller 4900 may control components of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, the controller 4900 may control the heating member 4400 to adjust the internal temperature of the housing 4100. For another embodiment, the control unit 4900 may control valves mounted at the nozzle member 2320, the supply line 4550, or the exhaust line 4650 to regulate the flow of chemicals or supercritical fluids. The controller 4900 may be implemented as a computer or similar device using hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

For hardware, the control unit 4900 may be implemented by a dedicated circuit (application specific circuits, ASIC), a digital signal processor (digital signal processing devices, DSP), a digital signal processing device (digital signal processing devices, DSPD), a programmable logic device (programmable log devices, PLD), a field programmable processor (field programmable processors, FGA), or a processor, microcontroller, microprocessor, or electronic device that performs similar control functions as these.

Furthermore, for software, the control unit may be implemented by software code or a software application written in one or more programming languages. The software may be executed by a control unit implemented in hardware. In addition, the software may be installed by being transmitted from an external device (such as a server) to the above-described hardware configuration.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to the inventive concept will be described using the substrate processing apparatus 100 described above. However, since this is for illustration purposes only, other devices, which are the same as or similar to the substrate processing device, may be used to perform the substrate processing method in addition to the substrate processing device 100 described above. Further, the substrate processing method according to the present inventive concept may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a code or a program for executing the method.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart describing a method of processing a substrate in a second process chamber.

Referring to fig. 7 to 11, the substrate processing method includes: a step S100 of placing the substrate in a processing space of the housing to be placed on the supporting member; a step S200 of supplying a supercritical fluid to the process space; a step S300 of discharging the supercritical fluid from the process space; and a step S400 of taking out the substrate from the housing. Herein, the step S200 of supplying the supercritical fluid may include: a first injection step S210 of supplying a supercritical fluid through a first injection line; a step S220 of comparing whether the pressure of the process space 4130 has reached the target pressure; and a second injection step S230 of supplying a process fluid through the second injection line 4520 to supply the process fluid to the central region of the substrate.

In the supercritical fluid supply step S200, the fluid supply unit 4500 may first supply the supercritical fluid from the first injection line 4510. Thereafter, the second injection line 4520 may supply the supercritical fluid. The supercritical drying process may be initially performed in a state in which the inside of the second process chamber 4000 is less than a critical pressure. When the inside of the second process chamber 4000 does not reach the critical pressure, the supercritical fluid supplied to the inside may be liquefied. When the supercritical fluid is liquefied, the supercritical fluid may drop onto the substrate S due to gravity and damage the substrate S. Thus, the first injection line 4510 first supplies the supercritical fluid. The supercritical fluid supplied through the first injection line 4510 is blocked by the top surface of the cover plate 4530, thereby blocking direct contact with the processing surface of the substrate S. The supercritical fluid moves outside of the process space (the outer region of the substrate) in the space between the cover plate 4530 and the top surface of the top body 4110. That is, the cover plate 4530 prevents the supercritical fluid supplied from the first injection line 4510 from being directly sprayed onto the processing surface of the substrate S.

The supply of supercritical fluid through the first injection line 4510 is performed until the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure. When the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure (critical pressure), the control unit 4900 stops the supply of the supercritical fluid through the first injection line 4510, and the control unit supplies the supercritical fluid through the second injection line 4520. The supercritical fluid supplied through the second injection line 4520 is injected to the central region of the top of the substrate through the supply hole 4532 of the cover plate 4530, and the space between the cover plate 4530 and the processing surface of the substrate S is filled with the supercritical fluid. In this way, by supplying the supercritical fluid from the first injection line 4510 before the second injection line 4520, the supercritical fluid can be prevented from being fluidized and falling onto the substrate S.

Fig. 12 is a modified embodiment of the second process chamber of fig. 5.

Referring to fig. 12, the second process chamber 4000 according to the modified embodiment includes a housing 4100, a support member 4300a, a heating member 4400, a fluid supply unit 4500, and a fluid discharge unit 4600. They are provided with structures and functions that are generally similar to those of the second process chamber shown in fig. 5, and thus the differences of the modified embodiment from this embodiment will be mainly described.

In a modified embodiment, a support member 4300a may be installed at the cover plate 4530 to support the substrate S. In this case, the support member 4300a may be in the form of a hanging and supporting substrate. The support member 4300a may extend vertically upward from the bottom surface of the cover plate 4530 and may be horizontally curved at the top end of the support member. As another example, the support member 4300a may be provided in the form of a groove protruding from both side walls of the housing 4100.

The support member 4300a may support an edge region of the substrate S. For example, the support member 4300a may be provided in the shape of a plate having holes, the same or similar to the shape of the substrate S therein, smaller than the area of the substrate S. Alternatively, the support member 4300a may be provided in a groove shape that supports only an edge region of the substrate S. For this type of support member 4300a, most of the area of the top and bottom surfaces of the substrate S is disposed on the exposed support member 4300 a. Thus, during the supercritical drying process in the second process chamber 4000, the entire region of the substrate S may be exposed to the supercritical fluid and dried.

The effects of the inventive concept are not limited to the above-described effects, and the effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the inventive concept pertains from the description and the drawings.

Although preferred embodiments of the inventive concept have been illustrated and described so far, the inventive concept is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, and it should be noted that one of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventive concept pertains may implement the inventive concept in various ways without departing from the essence of the inventive concept claimed in the claims and that modifications should not be construed separately from the technical spirit or prospect of the inventive concept.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a high pressure chamber configured to form a processing space for performing a supercritical processing process therein;

a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate in the processing space;

a fluid supply unit configured to supply a process fluid to the process space; and

a discharge unit configured to discharge an atmosphere of the processing space, an

Wherein the fluid supply unit includes: a cover plate opposing the processing surface of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit, and having a supply hole for supplying the processing fluid to the processing surface.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a radius of the cover plate is approximately equal to or greater than a radius of the substrate.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supply hole is opposite a center of the processing surface.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid supply unit comprises:

a first injection line located at a top surface of the high pressure chamber opposite a top surface of the cover plate, and configured to supply the processing fluid to the top surface of the cover plate; and

a second injection line configured to supply the processing fluid to the supply hole.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a control unit for controlling the fluid supply unit, and

wherein the control unit controls the fluid supply unit to supply the process fluid through the first injection line until the pressure of the process space reaches a target pressure, and to supply the process fluid through the second injection line after the pressure of the process space reaches the target pressure.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein a plurality of the first injection lines are positioned radially based on the second injection line.

7. A substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

Wherein the fluid supply unit includes:

a first injection line and a second injection line, the first injection line and the second injection line being disposed at a top surface of the high pressure chamber; and

a cover plate located between a top surface of the high pressure chamber and the substrate supporting unit, the cover plate blocking the process fluid supplied from the first injection line from being directly injected in a direction of a process surface of the substrate, and having a supply hole connected to the second injection line and configured to directly supply the process fluid to the process surface of the substrate.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a control unit for controlling the fluid supply unit, and

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the target pressure is a critical pressure of the processing fluid.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein a radius of the cover plate is approximately equal to or greater than a radius of the substrate.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the supply hole is opposite a center of the processing surface.

12. A substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate at a processing space of a chamber;

a plate having a through hole formed therein and positioned opposite to a processing surface of the substrate; and

A fluid supply unit for supplying a process fluid to the process space, an

Wherein the fluid supply unit includes: a first injection line for supplying the treatment fluid to a top surface of the plate; and a second injection line for supplying the process fluid to the through hole of the plate.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a control unit for controlling the fluid supply unit, and

wherein the control unit controls the fluid supply unit to supply the process fluid through the first injection line first, thereby preventing the process fluid from directly contacting the substrate at an initial injection section of the process fluid.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fluid supply unit first supplies the process fluid to an edge direction of the substrate through the first injection line, and directly supplies the process fluid to a top surface of the substrate through the second injection line when a pressure of the process space reaches a target pressure.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a detector for detecting a pressure of the processing space, and

the control unit controls the supply of the process fluid from the first and second injection lines in dependence on the pressure value of the process space received from the detector.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit supplies the processing fluid through the second injection line when an internal pressure of the processing space reaches a critical pressure.

17. A substrate processing method, the substrate processing method comprising:

a step of introducing a substrate into a processing space of the chamber to be placed on the substrate supporting unit;

a step of supplying a process fluid to the process space;

a step of discharging the process fluid from the process space; and

a step of taking out the substrate from the chamber, and

wherein the step for supplying the treatment fluid comprises:

a first injection step for supplying the process fluid through a first injection line formed at a top surface of the chamber so as to supply the process fluid from an edge region of the substrate; and

A second injection step for supplying the process fluid from a second injection line so as to supply the process fluid to a central region of the substrate.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17,

wherein, in the first injection step,

the first injection line supplies the process fluid to a top surface of a cover plate positioned opposite the process surface of the substrate, an

In the second implantation step of the process described above,

the second injection line supplies the process fluid to a central region of the substrate through a through hole formed at the cover plate.

19. The substrate processing method according to claim 18, wherein,

performing the first injection step before the pressure of the processing space reaches a target pressure, and

the second injection step is performed after the pressure of the processing space reaches the target pressure.

20. The substrate processing method of claim 19, wherein the target pressure is a critical pressure of the processing fluid.