TWI748445B - Substrate drying chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate drying chamber according to the present invention includes an upper housing, a lower housing, a substrate placement plate, an upper supply port configured to provide a supply path of a supercritical fluid for drying, an integrated supply and discharge port configured to provide a supply path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of a mixed fluid in which an organic solvent is dissolved in a supercritical fluid after drying by supply of the supercritical fluid for drying, a stirrer configured to stir the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying, and a heating member which is operated when the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization is supplied and the mixed fluid is discharged and heats the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the mixed fluid.

Description

Substrate drying chamber

The present invention relates to a substrate drying chamber, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a substrate drying chamber in which the output of substrate is increased by increasing the mixing speed of a supercritical fluid and an organic solvent, and by guiding the supercritical fluid The critical fluid maintains a temperature at a critical point or greater to ensure the uniformity of a drying process. The solution is due to the process of introducing (initial pressurization) a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization into a drying chamber During this period, a pressure drop causes a cooling phenomenon to liquefy or vaporize the supercritical fluid used for initial pressurization, which causes particle contamination on a substrate, which solves the problem of dissolving isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in the discharge (decompression) When a mixed fluid in a supercritical fluid for drying, the phase separation of the mixed fluid is due to a cooling effect that causes particle contamination on the substrate or due to a surface tension of the mixed fluid to form on the substrate The above pattern collapse is a problem, and the drying efficiency of the substrate is improved by guiding the supercritical fluid to flow symmetrically and by supplying and discharging the supercritical fluid evenly dispersed in a cavity, and after completing a drying process When the cavity is opened, particles are prevented from being introduced onto the substrate inside the cavity.

A manufacturing process of a semiconductor device includes various processes, such as a lithography process, an etching process, an ion implantation process, and the like. After each process is completed and before the next process starts, a cleaning process and a drying process are performed, in which impurities or residues remaining on a surface of a wafer are removed to clean the surface of the wafer.

For example, in a cleaning process of a wafer after an etching process, a cleaning chemical solution is supplied to a surface of the wafer and then deionized water (DIW) is supplied to the surface of the wafer to perform a cleaning process . After the cleaning process is performed, a drying process is performed in which DIW remaining on the surface of the wafer is removed to dry the wafer.

A technique for drying a wafer by replacing the DIW on a wafer with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is called, for example, a method of performing a drying process.

However, according to the conventional drying technology, as shown in FIG. 1, when the drying is performed, a problem occurs that a pattern formed on a wafer collapses due to the surface tension of the liquid IPA.

In order to solve the above problems, a supercritical drying technology in which the surface tension becomes zero has been proposed.

According to the supercritical drying technology, the IPA on the wafer is dissolved in a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) In the fluid. _{Thereafter, the supercritical carbon dioxide (CO 2} ) fluid in which the IPA is dissolved is gradually discharged from the cavity, so that the wafer can be dried and the pattern does not collapse.

At the same time, there are the following problems: a supercritical fluid is stored at a high pressure in a supercritical fluid generator set outside a drying chamber, a cooling phenomenon can be introduced through a pipe and a valve (initial addition) During a process in the drying chamber, a pressure drop occurs at a connecting portion of the valve and the pipe, and the supercritical fluid can be liquefied or vaporized during the above-mentioned introduction process to thereby cause particle contamination on a substrate. Specifically, when a pressurization speed is increased, there is a problem that it is impossible to sufficiently transfer heat to the supercritical fluid by only maintaining the temperature of one of the tubes using a simple heat exchanger.

In addition, in the drying chamber, when a mixed fluid in which IPA is dissolved in a supercritical fluid for drying is discharged (depressurized), the phase separation of the mixed fluid can be attributed to a cooling effect that causes particle contamination on the substrate Or a pattern formed on the substrate collapses due to the surface tension of a mixed fluid. Specifically, there is the following problem: when a temperature and a pressure are lowered to a critical point or less due to rapid adiabatic expansion in a high pressure region greater than or equal to a critical point, the phase separation can be a single-phase mixture The fluid causes drying defects (such as particle contamination) on the substrate and also causes the pattern of the substrate to collapse.

FIG. 2 shows a substrate processing chamber disclosed in Korean Patent Publication Application No. 10-2017-0137243, which is related to a related technology of a substrate processing apparatus using this supercritical fluid.

Referring to FIG. 2, in a process of removing IPA during a supercritical drying process, IPA can be introduced onto a coupling surface that contacts the upper body 430 and the lower body 420 that constitute a high-pressure cavity 410. The IPA introduced on the coupling surface of the upper body 430 and the lower body 420 becomes particles and the particles are accumulated around the coupling surface of the upper body 430 and the lower body 420.

After the supercritical drying process is completed, the cavity is opened to unload a processed substrate to the outside. In this case, the particles around the coupling surfaces of the upper body 430 and the lower body 420 can be introduced into the cavity due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the cavity.

According to Korean Patent Publication Application No. 10-2017-0137243, since the substrate is positioned at a level lower than the coupling surface of the upper body 430 and the lower body 420, it is likely that the upper body 430 and the lower body 420 are In the process of introducing particles around the coupling surface into the cavity, some particles are introduced onto the substrate due to gravity.

As described above, the particles introduced onto the substrate cause defects in the process. Therefore, in order to prevent the introduction of particles, it is necessary to additionally provide a barrier film around the coupling surface of the upper body 430 and the lower body 420. Therefore, there is a problem that the overall structure of the device becomes complicated.

In addition, according to the related technology including Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0137243, one of the lower supply ports 422 is used to supply a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and one of the lower supply ports is used to discharge a supercritical fluid after drying. The discharge port 426 is not positioned in the middle of the lower body 420, so when the supercritical fluid is supplied and discharged, the supercritical fluid flows asymmetrically, and it is therefore difficult to uniformly disperse the supercritical fluid inside the cavity for supply and discharge. Therefore, there is a problem of reduced drying efficiency.

At the same time, the mixing speed of the supercritical fluid and IPA supplied during the drying process using the supercritical fluid is an important factor affecting the wafer yield.

According to related technologies including Korean Patent Publication Application No. 10-2017-0137243, although supercritical fluid has high solubility and a fast diffusion rate, there is a problem of increased drying time and decreased yield because of the difference between supercritical fluid and IPA The mixing speed cannot be increased sufficiently.

In addition, there is a problem that the uniformity of the drying process cannot be advantageously ensured, because such a low mixing speed makes it difficult to maintain a temperature of the supercritical fluid at a critical point or greater.

[Related technical documents] [Patent Document] Korean Patent Publication Application No. 10-2017-0137243 (published on December 13, 2017, title: SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD)

technical problem

The present invention aims to provide a technique in which the yield of substrates is increased by increasing the mixing speed of a supercritical fluid and an organic solvent, and the temperature of one of the supercritical fluids is maintained at a critical point or greater by guiding the supercritical fluid Ensure the uniformity of a drying process.

The present invention also aims to provide a technology for solving the following problems: in which a supercritical fluid is introduced (initial pressurization) to the drying from a supercritical fluid generator arranged outside a drying chamber through a tube and a valve During a process in the cavity, the supercritical fluid is liquefied or vaporized by a pressure drop occurring at a connecting part of the valve and the pipe, thereby causing particle contamination on a substrate.

The present invention also aims to provide a technology for solving the following problems: in a drying chamber, when a mixed fluid in which isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is dissolved in a supercritical fluid for drying is discharged (reduced pressure), The phase separation of the mixed fluid is due to a cooling effect that causes particle contamination on a substrate or due to a surface tension of the mixed fluid that causes a pattern formed on the substrate to collapse.

The present invention also aims to provide a technology in which a single integrated supply and discharge port provides a supply path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a supercritical fluid dissolved in an organic solvent formed on a substrate after drying. One of the fluid discharge paths allows the supercritical fluid to be guided to flow symmetrically and to be supplied and discharged to be evenly dispersed in a cavity to increase the drying efficiency of the substrate.

The present invention also aims to provide a technique in which particles re-introduced when opening a cavity after completing a drying process are blocked by a substrate placement plate (which is necessary for placing a substrate) to prevent a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization Flow directly toward a surface of the substrate at the beginning of the drying process to prevent a pattern formed on the substrate from collapsing, prevent particles that can be contained in the supercritical fluid for initial pressure from accumulating on the substrate or reduce the accumulation of particles. Because a volume is occupied by the substrate placement plate, a working volume of the cavity is reduced, and a drying process time is shortened.

The present invention also aims to provide a technique in which a substrate is placed on a substrate placement board to be positioned at a level higher than a coupling surface of an upper housing and a lower housing, so that when a drying process is completed and then a When the cavity is used, the particles arranged around a sealing part on the coupling surface of the upper casing and the lower casing are prevented from being introduced onto the substrate due to gravity caused by a height difference between the substrate and the coupling surface. Solution of the problem

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate drying chamber, which includes: an upper shell; a lower shell coupled to the upper shell to open or close; a substrate placement plate coupled to one of the lower shells On the bottom surface, a substrate is placed on the substrate, and an organic solvent is formed on the substrate; an upper supply port is formed on the upper shell to face the substrate placement plate and provide a supply path of a supercritical fluid for drying; an integration Type supply and discharge port, which is configured to provide a supply path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of a mixed fluid, wherein after drying by supplying the supercritical fluid for drying, the The organic solvent is dissolved in one of the supercritical fluid including the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying; a stirrer configured to stir the initial feed supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port The supercritical fluid for pressure and the supercritical fluid for drying supplied through the upper supply port; and a heating member, which is arranged in the substrate placement plate, and supplies the supercritical fluid for initial pressure and discharges the mixed fluid Operate at time, and heat the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the mixed fluid.

The heating part can be operated within an initial pressurization time of the supercritical fluid for the initial pressurization, and the temperature of one of the supercritical fluids for the initial pressurization can be adjusted to a critical point or greater.

The heating element can operate within a discharge time of discharging the mixed fluid and compensate for a temperature drop caused by adiabatic expansion due to a pressure drop that occurs when the mixed fluid is discharged, so that the mixed fluid contained in the The temperature of one of the supercritical fluids for drying can be adjusted to a critical point or greater.

The agitator can be used to increase a mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for drying.

The agitator may include: a shaft member inserted into a cavity through an insertion hole formed in a central area of the upper casing; a stirring blade coupled to both ends of the shaft member and positioned in the cavity One end of the inner; a drive unit coupled to the other end of the shaft positioned outside the cavity among the two ends of the shaft and provides a rotational driving force to the shaft.

The substrate drying chamber may further include an axial coupling member coupled to an outer surface of the upper casing to axially couple the shaft member constituting the agitator. A plurality of through holes may be formed in the axial coupling part to be spaced apart from a center point of the axial coupling part, and the upper supply port may have a plurality of supply holes formed in the upper housing to be connected to the The plurality of through holes in the axial coupling part are aligned.

The plurality of through holes formed in the axial coupling member may be symmetrically arranged with each other.

The integrated supply and discharge port may be formed to extend from one side surface of the lower housing to the other side surface and face the substrate placement plate in an intermediate area between the one side surface and the other side surface.

The integrated supply and discharge port may include: a first pipeline formed to extend from the side surface of the lower housing to the middle area; a common port portion formed to communicate with the middle area in the middle area A first pipeline communicates and faces the substrate placement plate; and a second pipeline is formed to communicate with the common port portion and the first pipeline in the intermediate area and extends to the other side surface of the lower housing.

The first pipeline and the common port portion can provide the supply path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization, and the common port portion and the second pipeline can provide the discharge path of the supercritical fluid in which the organic solvent is dissolved .

The substrate drying chamber may further include a sealing part disposed on a coupling surface of the lower casing and the upper casing. The substrate can be placed on the substrate placement board to be positioned higher than a level of the coupling surface of the lower casing and the upper casing, and when a drying process is completed and then the lower casing and the upper casing are opened, The particles around the sealing portion provided on the coupling surface can be prevented from being introduced onto the substrate due to gravity caused by a height difference between the substrate and the coupling surface.

The initial pressurizing supercritical fluid supplied through the first pipeline and the common port portion can be blocked by the substrate placement plate to prevent direct spraying on the substrate.

The substrate drying chamber may further include a substrate placement board support member, which has one end coupled to the bottom surface of the lower housing and the other end coupled to the substrate placement board, and separates the substrate placement board and the substrate placement board when supporting the substrate placement board. The bottom surface of the lower shell.

A first separation space existing between the bottom surface of the lower housing and the substrate placement plate due to the substrate placement plate support can be used to guide the initial pressurization supercharger supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port The critical fluid moves along a lower surface of the substrate placement plate and gradually diffuses into a processing area in which the substrate is placed.

The substrate drying chamber may further include a substrate support, which has one end coupled to an upper surface of the substrate placement plate and the other end is coupled to the substrate and separates the substrate from the upper surface of the substrate placement plate when supporting the substrate. surface.

A second separation space existing between the upper surface of the substrate placement plate and the substrate due to the substrate support can be used to expose a lower surface of the substrate to the supply through the integrated supply and discharge port The supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying supplied through the upper supply port can shorten a drying process time. Beneficial invention effect

According to the present invention, the substrate yield can be increased by increasing a mixing speed of a supercritical fluid and an organic solvent, and a temperature can be ensured by guiding the supercritical fluid to maintain a temperature at a critical point or greater. Uniformity of the drying process.

According to the present invention, the following problem can be solved: during a process in which a supercritical fluid is introduced (initial pressurization) into the drying chamber from a supercritical fluid generator arranged outside a drying chamber through a pipe and a valve The supercritical fluid is liquefied or vaporized by a pressure drop occurring at a connecting part of the valve and the pipe, thereby causing particle contamination on a substrate.

In addition, the following problem can be solved: in a drying chamber, when a mixed fluid in which isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is dissolved in a supercritical fluid for drying is discharged (decompressed), the phase separation of the mixed fluid is due to A cooling effect causes particle contamination on a substrate or a pattern formed on the substrate collapses due to a surface tension of the mixed fluid.

In addition, a single integrated supply and discharge port can provide a supply path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of a supercritical fluid that is dissolved in an organic solvent and formed on a substrate after drying, so that The supercritical fluid can be guided to flow symmetrically and can be supplied and discharged to be evenly dispersed in a cavity to increase the drying efficiency of the substrate.

In addition, particles re-introduced when opening a chamber after completing a drying process can be blocked by a substrate placement plate (which is necessary for placing a substrate), which prevents an initial pressurizing supercritical fluid from directly facing at the beginning of the drying process Flow on a surface of the substrate to prevent a pattern formed on the substrate from collapsing, to prevent particles contained in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization from accumulating on the substrate or to reduce the accumulation of particles, which can be attributed to a volume Occupying by the substrate placement plate reduces the working volume of one of the chambers, and can shorten a drying process time.

In addition, a substrate can be placed on a substrate placement board to be positioned at a level higher than a coupling surface of an upper housing and a lower housing, so that when a drying process is completed and a cavity is then opened, it can be prevented from being placed on The particles around a sealing portion on the coupling surfaces of the upper and lower housings are introduced onto the substrate due to gravity caused by a height difference between the substrate and the coupling surface.

The specific structure and function descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification are only used to describe the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to those described in this specification Examples.

Although the embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways and take various alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in this specification. It is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific forms disclosed. On the contrary, the present invention will cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the appended invention patent application.

It should be understood that although the terms “first”, “second” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, the elements are not limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish the elements from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element.

It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, the element can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there is no intervening element. Other terms used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in the same way (ie, "between" and "directly between", "adjacent" For "directly adjacent" and the like).

The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular form "one" and "the" are intended to also include the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms "including" and/or "including" used herein specifically refer to the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more Other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including scientific and technological terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of related technologies, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal meaning, unless This is clearly defined in this article.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a substrate drying chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view showing an axial coupling member coupled with a shaft member constituting a stirrer in an embodiment of the present invention A view of an exemplary upper surface. FIG. 5 shows a view of a diffusion path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 shows one of the embodiments of the present invention. A view of a diffusion path of a supercritical fluid for drying. FIG. 7 is a view of a discharge path of a mixed fluid in an embodiment of the present invention, in which an organic solvent is dissolved in a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization. A supercritical fluid and a supercritical fluid for drying are one of the supercritical fluids, and FIG. 8 is a view for describing a principle in an embodiment of the present invention, in which when a drying process is completed and then the housing and a When the upper shell is used, particles existing on and around a sealing part arranged on a coupling surface of the upper shell and the lower shell are prevented from being introduced onto a substrate.

3 to 8, a substrate drying chamber 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an upper housing 10, a lower housing 20, a sealing portion 30, a substrate placement plate 40, a heating component 45, an integrated supply and The discharge port 50, an upper supply port 60, a substrate placement plate support 70, a substrate support 80, a housing driver 90, a stirrer 100, and an axial coupling member 200.

The upper casing 10 and the lower casing 20 are coupled to each other to open or close and provide a space in which to perform a drying process. For example, the upper housing 10 and the lower housing 20 may have a cylindrical shape, but the invention is not limited thereto. As will be described below, the upper supply port 60 is formed in the upper housing 10 and the integrated supply and discharge port 50 is formed in the lower housing 20. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the upper supply port 60 will be described in detail in conjunction with the configuration of the agitator 100 and the axial coupling member 200.

The sealing portion 30 is disposed on a coupling surface C of the lower casing 20 and the upper casing 10 and maintains the airtightness of the coupling surface C of the lower casing 20 and the upper casing 10 to block an inner region and the outside of the cavity.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8 for describing the principle (wherein when the drying process is completed and the lower casing 20 and the upper casing 10 are opened, the coupling surface C provided on the upper casing 10 and the lower casing 20 is prevented from being present The particles on the sealing portion 30 and around the sealing portion 30 are introduced onto a substrate W), the substrate W is placed on the substrate placement plate 40 so as to be positioned at a level higher than the coupling surface C of the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 10 , And when the drying process is completed and then the lower casing 20 and the upper casing 10 are opened, the particles around the sealing portion 30 disposed on the coupling surface C can be prevented from being attributed to a height difference between the substrate W and the coupling surface C The gravity is introduced onto the substrate W.

The substrate placement plate 40 is coupled to a bottom surface 22 of the lower housing 20 and a component of the substrate W is placed thereon, and an organic solvent is formed on the substrate W. Hereinafter, an interaction between the substrate placement plate 40 and other components will be described.

The heating member 45 is provided in the substrate placement plate 40, operates when the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization is supplied and the mixed fluid is discharged, and is used to heat the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the mixed fluid.

For example, the heating element 45 can be implemented in the form of a resistance heating element or an oil-filled heater formed in the substrate placement plate 40, but the implementation form of the heating element 45 is not limited to this.

For example, 1) the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization can be supplied through the first pipeline 510 and the common port portion 520 constituting the integrated supply and discharge port 50 within a preset initial pressurization time; 2) the initial pressurization time elapses After that, the supply of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization can be prevented and the supercritical fluid for drying can be supplied through the upper supply port 60 during a drying time; and 3) after the drying time has elapsed, the supply of the supercritical fluid for drying can be prevented And a mixed fluid can be discharged through the common port portion 520 and the second pipeline 530 constituting the integrated supply and discharge port 50 during a discharge time. In this case, for example, the supply of the supercritical fluid for drying and the discharge of the mixed fluid can be repeated a preset number of times, that is, the supercritical fluid for drying and the mixed fluid can be flushed a preset number of times.

For example, the heating member 45 may be operated within an initial pressurization time of the supercritical fluid for the initial pressurization and the temperature of one of the supercritical fluids for the initial pressurization may be adjusted to a critical point or more.

The reasons and effects of the above configuration are as follows.

The supercritical fluid is stored in a supercritical fluid generator arranged outside the substrate drying chamber 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A cooling phenomenon can be achieved by introducing the supercritical fluid through a tube and a valve (initial pressurization) to During a process in the substrate drying chamber 1, a pressure drop occurs at a connecting part of the valve and the pipe, and the supercritical fluid can be liquefied or vaporized during the above-mentioned introduction process to thereby cause particle contamination on the substrate W. Therefore, it is important to maintain the temperature of the supercritical fluid at the critical point or greater, but the related technology cannot provide an effective technical measure. Specifically, when a pressurization speed is increased, there is a problem that it is impossible to sufficiently transfer heat to the supercritical fluid by only maintaining the temperature of one of the tubes using a simple heat exchanger.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the heating member 45 provided in the substrate placement plate 40 is used to solve the above-mentioned problem. That is, when the initial pressurization is performed using the heating member 45 provided in the substrate placement plate 40 in the cavity, in particular, when the initial pressurization is performed quickly, the initial pressurization used in the substrate drying chamber 1 can be minimized. Using a phase change of the supercritical fluid makes it possible to prevent particle contamination on the substrate W, and promote the formation or maintenance of the supercritical fluid, so that a processing speed can be increased.

In addition, for example, the heating member 45 may operate within a discharge time of the discharged mixed fluid and may compensate for a temperature drop caused by adiabatic expansion due to a pressure drop occurring when the mixed fluid is discharged, so as to be contained in the mixed fluid. The temperature of the supercritical fluid for drying can be adjusted to a critical point or greater.

The reasons and effects of the above configuration are as follows.

In the cavity, when a mixed fluid in which an organic solvent (such as IPA) is dissolved in the supercritical fluid for drying is discharged (depressurized), the phase separation of the mixed fluid can be attributed to a cooling effect on the substrate W The particle contamination may be attributed to a surface tension of the mixed fluid, which causes a pattern formed on the substrate W to collapse. Specifically, when a temperature and a pressure drop to a critical point or less due to rapid adiabatic expansion in a high-pressure region greater than or equal to a critical point, the mixed fluid can be separated into a single phase to cause Drying defects (such as particle contamination) on the substrate W also cause the pattern of the substrate W to collapse.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the heating member 45 provided in the substrate placement plate 40 is used to solve the above-mentioned problem. That is, considering a decompression rate in view of the phase change when the mixed fluid is discharged, the heating member 45 can be used to sufficiently transfer heat in view of the cooling effect to perform the decompression discharge operation, and therefore, drying defects can be prevented and a processing speed can be increased.

For example, a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization supplied through a first pipeline 510 and a common port portion 520 constituting an integrated supply and discharge port 50 can be blocked by the substrate placement plate 40 and prevent it from being directly sprayed on the substrate W.

More specifically, such as FIG. 5 showing the diffusion path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the discharge path of the mixed fluid (in which the organic solvent is dissolved in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying In the supercritical fluid) shown in Figure 7, the particles re-introduced when the cavity is opened after the completion of the drying process can be re-introduced by the substrate placement plate 40 (it is necessary for the placement of the substrate W, which is one of the objectives of the drying process) The barrier can prevent the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization from flowing directly toward a surface of the substrate W at the beginning of the drying process to prevent a pattern formed on the substrate W from collapsing, and can prevent the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization from being contained in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization. The accumulation of particles on the substrate W may reduce the accumulation of particles, which can be attributed to the fact that a volume occupied by the substrate placement plate 40 reduces the working volume of the cavity and shortens the drying process time.

The integrated supply and discharge port 50 is formed to extend from one side surface 24 of the lower housing 20 to the other side surface 26 and to face the substrate in an intermediate area 28 between the one side surface 24 and the other side surface 26 The plate 40 provides a supply path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of the mixed fluid (in which the organic solvent formed on the substrate W after drying is dissolved in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying Fluid) one of the components.

A single integrated supply and discharge port 50 can provide a supply path for the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path for the mixed fluid (wherein the organic solvent formed on the substrate W after drying is dissolved in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and In the superfluid for drying), the supercritical fluid can be guided to flow symmetrically and can be supplied and discharged to be evenly dispersed in the cavity to increase the drying efficiency of the substrate.

For example, the integrated supply and discharge port 50 may include: a first pipeline 510 formed to extend from a side surface 24 of the lower housing 20 to the middle region 28; a common port portion 520 formed to be in the middle region 28 It communicates with the first pipeline 510 and faces the substrate placement plate 40; and the second pipeline 530 is formed to communicate with the common port portion 520 and the first pipeline 510 in the intermediate region 28 and extends to the other side surface of the lower housing 20 26. The first pipeline 510 and the common port portion 520 can provide a supply path for the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization, and the common port portion 520 and the second pipeline 530 can provide a discharge path for the supercritical fluid in which the organic solvent is dissolved.

The upper supply port 60 is a component formed to face the substrate placement plate 40 in a central area of the upper casing 10 to provide a supply path for the supercritical fluid for drying.

For example, 1) the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization can be supplied through the first pipeline 510 and the common port portion 520 constituting the integrated supply and discharge port 50 within a preset initial pressurization time; 2) the initial pressurization time elapses After that, the supply of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization can be prevented and the supercritical fluid for drying can be supplied through the upper supply port 60 during a drying time; and 3) after the drying time has elapsed, the supply of the supercritical fluid for drying can be prevented And a mixed fluid can be discharged through the common port portion 520 and the second pipeline 530 constituting the integrated supply and discharge port 50 during a discharge time. In this case, for example, the supply of the supercritical fluid for drying and the discharge of the mixed fluid can be repeated a preset number of times, that is, the supercritical fluid for drying and the mixed fluid can be flushed a preset number of times.

The agitator 100 is a component that stirs the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port and the supercritical fluid for drying supplied through the upper supply port in the cavity. The agitator 100 can be configured to increase the mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for drying. This configuration can be used to increase substrate yield (which is a performance indicator of a supercritical drying process), and the drying process can be ensured by guiding the supercritical fluid to maintain a temperature at a critical point or greater Uniformity.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the agitator 100 may include a shaft 110, a mixing blade 120 and a driving unit 130.

The shaft 110 is inserted into a component in the cavity through an insertion hole formed in the central area of the upper housing. The shaft 110 can be used to rotate by a rotation driving force provided by the driving unit 130.

The stirring blade 120 is coupled to a component located at one end of the cavity among the two ends of the shaft 110. The stirring blade 120 may be used to stir the supercritical fluid by rotating in the cavity according to the rotation of the shaft 110.

The driving unit 130 is a component that is coupled to the other end of the two ends of the shaft 110 positioned at an outer side of the cavity and provides a rotational driving force to the shaft 110.

The axial coupling component 200 is coupled to an outer surface of the upper shell to axially couple a component constituting the shaft 110 of the agitator 100.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of through holes 210, 220, 230, and 240 may be formed symmetrically to each other in the axial coupling part 200 to be spaced apart from a center point of the axial coupling part 200, and the upper supply port There may be a plurality of supply holes 61, 62 formed in the upper housing to align with a plurality of through holes formed in the axial coupling part 200 in a vertical direction. Of course, a hole (which is formed in the insertion hole formed in the upper housing to be aligned in the vertical direction) may be formed in a central area of the axial coupling member 200, and the shaft member 110 may be formed through the formation of the agitator The hole in the central area of the axial coupling part 200 of 100 and the insertion hole formed in the upper housing are inserted into the cavity, and a bearing unit can be arranged in the axial coupling part 200 through which the shaft 110 passes.

The substrate placement board support 70 is a component that has one end coupled to the bottom surface 22 of the lower housing 20 and the other end is coupled to the substrate placement board 40 and separates the substrate placement board 40 and the bottom surface 22 of the lower housing 20 when supporting the substrate placement board 40 .

For example, a first separation space R1 existing between the bottom surface 22 of the lower housing 20 and the substrate placement plate 40 due to the substrate placement plate support 70 can be used to guide the initial pressurization supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port 50 The supercritical fluid is moved along a lower surface of the substrate placement plate 40 and gradually diffuses into a processing area in which the substrate W is placed.

The substrate support 80 is a component that has one end coupled to the upper surface of the substrate placement plate 40 and the other end is coupled to the substrate W, and separates the substrate W and the upper surface of the substrate placement plate 40 when supporting the substrate W.

For example, the second separation space R2 existing between the upper surface of the substrate placement plate 40 and the substrate W due to the substrate support 80 can be used to expose the lower surface of the substrate W to the supply through the integrated supply and discharge port 50 The supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying supplied through the upper supply port 60 can shorten a drying process time.

The housing driver 90 can be a unit for opening or closing a housing and can be used to open the cavity by driving the lower housing 20 to separate the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 10 after the drying process is completed, or can be used to open the cavity by starting the drying process The lower housing 20 is driven at time to couple the lower housing 20 to the upper housing 10 to close the cavity. In the drawing, the housing driver 90 is shown as driving the lower housing 20, but this is only an example, and the housing driver 90 can be configured to drive the upper housing 10.

For example, the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and the supercritical fluid for drying may include carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and the organic solvent may include alcohol, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The alcohol may include methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol (IPA) and 1-butanol as a specific example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, according to the supercritical drying technology performed in the substrate drying chamber according to the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate W (the surface of which is wetted by an organic solvent such as alcohol) is supplied with supercritical carbon dioxide to the substrate W in the chamber. The alcohol above W is dissolved in a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid. Then, the substrate W can be dried without pattern collapse by gradually discharging the supercritical carbon dioxide fluid in which alcohol is dissolved from the cavity.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the following problem can be solved: in which a supercritical fluid is introduced (initial pressurization) from a supercritical fluid generator arranged outside a drying chamber through a tube and a valve to the drying During a process in the cavity, the supercritical fluid is liquefied or vaporized by a cooling phenomenon caused by a pressure drop that occurs at a connecting portion of the valve and the tube, thereby causing particle contamination on a substrate.

In addition, the following problem can be solved: in a drying chamber, when a mixed fluid in which isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is dissolved in a supercritical fluid for drying is discharged (decompressed), the phase separation of the mixed fluid is due to A cooling effect causes particle contamination on a substrate or a pattern formed on the substrate collapses due to a surface tension of the mixed fluid.

In addition, the substrate yield can be increased by increasing the mixing speed of the supercritical fluid and the organic solvent, and the uniformity of a drying process can be ensured by guiding the supercritical fluid to maintain one of its temperatures at a critical point or greater.

In addition, a single integrated supply and discharge port can provide a supply path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of the supercritical fluid of the organic solvent dissolved on the substrate after drying, so that the supercritical fluid can pass through It is guided to flow symmetrically and can be evenly dispersed in the cavity through supply and discharge to increase the drying efficiency of the substrate.

In addition, the particles reintroduced when opening the cavity after the completion of the drying process can be blocked by the substrate placement plate (which is necessary for placing the substrate), which prevents the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization from flowing directly toward the surface of the substrate at the beginning of the drying process. Prevents a pattern formed on the substrate from collapsing, prevents particles contained in the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization from accumulating on the substrate or reduces the accumulation of particles, which can be attributed to a volume occupied by the substrate placement plate The working volume of one of the chambers is reduced, and the time of a drying program can be shortened.

In addition, the substrate can be placed on the substrate placement board to be positioned at a level higher than the coupling surface of the upper shell and the lower shell, so that when the drying process is completed and the cavity is then opened, it can be prevented from being placed on the upper shell and the lower shell. The particles around the sealing portion on the coupling surface are introduced onto the substrate due to gravity caused by a height difference between the substrate and the coupling surface.

1: Substrate drying chamber 10: Upper shell 20: Lower shell 22: Bottom 24: One side surface 26: The other side surface 28: Middle area 30: Sealing part 40: substrate placement board 45: heating parts 50: Integrated supply and discharge port 60: Upper supply port 61, 62: supply hole 70: substrate placement board support 80: substrate support 90: Shell drive 100: agitator 110: Shaft 120: mixing blade 130: drive unit 200: Axial coupling part 210, 220, 230, 240: through hole 410: high pressure chamber 420: lower body 422: Down Supply Port 426: Exhaust Outlet 430: upper body 510: The first pipeline 520: Common Port 530: second pipeline C: Coupling surface R1: The first separation space R2: Second separation space W: substrate

FIG. 1 is a view showing a pattern collapse phenomenon that occurs during a process of drying a substrate according to a related art.

FIG. 2 shows a view of a conventional substrate drying chamber.

FIG. 3 is a view of a substrate drying chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view showing an exemplary upper surface of an axial coupling member coupled with a shaft member constituting a stirrer in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a diffusion path of a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a diffusion path of a supercritical fluid for drying in an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a view showing a discharge path of a mixed fluid in an embodiment of the present invention, in which an organic solvent is dissolved in a supercritical fluid including a supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a supercritical fluid for drying. Critical fluid.

FIG. 8 is a view for describing a principle in an embodiment of the present invention, in which when a drying process is completed and then the lower casing and an upper casing are opened, the coupling between one of the upper casing and the lower casing is prevented Particles on and around a sealing part on the surface are introduced onto a substrate.

1: Substrate drying chamber

10: Upper shell

20: Lower shell

22: Bottom

24: One side surface

26: The other side surface

28: Middle area

30: Sealing part

40: substrate placement board

45: heating parts

50: Integrated supply and discharge port

60: Upper supply port

61, 62: supply hole

70: substrate placement board support

80: substrate support

90: Shell drive

100: agitator

110: Shaft

120: mixing blade

130: drive unit

200: Axial coupling part

510: The first pipeline

520: Common Port

530: second pipeline

C: Coupling surface

R1: The first separation space

R2: Second separation space

W: substrate

Claims (14)

A substrate drying chamber includes: an upper shell; a lower shell, which is coupled to the upper shell to open or close; a substrate placement plate, which is coupled to a bottom surface of the lower shell and a substrate is placed thereon, the An organic solvent is formed on the substrate; an upper supply port is formed on the upper casing to face the substrate placement plate and provide a supply path for a supercritical fluid for drying; an integrated supply and discharge port through Is formed to extend from one side surface of the lower housing to the other side surface, and is formed to point to the substrate placement plate in an intermediate region between the one side surface and the other side surface, and is configured to A supply path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a discharge path of a mixed fluid are provided, wherein after drying by supplying the supercritical fluid for drying, the organic solvent is dissolved in the supercritical fluid containing the initial pressurization. One of the critical fluid and the supercritical fluid for drying; an agitator configured to agitate the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port and through the upper supply port The supply of the supercritical fluid for drying; and a heating component, which is set in the substrate placement plate, operates when the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization is supplied and the mixed fluid is discharged, and heats the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization The critical fluid and the mixed fluid, wherein the integrated supply and discharge port includes: a first pipeline formed to extend from the side surface of the lower housing to the middle area; A common port portion formed to communicate with the first pipeline in the intermediate area and face the substrate placement plate; and a second pipeline formed to communicate with the common port portion and the second pipeline in the intermediate area A pipeline communicates and extends to the other side surface of the lower shell. The substrate drying chamber of claim 1, wherein the heating component is operated within an initial pressurization time of the supercritical fluid for the initial pressurization, and the temperature of one of the supercritical fluid for the initial pressurization is adjusted to a critical Points or greater. The substrate drying chamber of claim 1, wherein the heating element is operated within a discharge time of the mixed fluid, and compensates for a temperature caused by adiabatic expansion due to a pressure drop when the mixed fluid is discharged The temperature of one of the supercritical fluids for drying contained in the mixed fluid is adjusted to a critical point or greater. The substrate drying chamber of claim 1, wherein the agitator is used to increase a mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization and a mixing speed of the organic solvent and the supercritical fluid for drying. The substrate drying chamber of claim 4, wherein the agitator includes: a shaft member inserted into a cavity through an insertion hole formed in a central area of the upper casing; and a stirring blade coupled to The two ends of the shaft are positioned at one end of the cavity; and A driving unit is coupled to the other end of the shaft member positioned outside the cavity among the two ends of the shaft member, and provides a rotational driving force to the shaft member. For example, the substrate drying chamber of claim 5, further comprising an axial coupling member coupled to an outer surface of the upper housing to axially couple the shaft member constituting the agitator, wherein a plurality of through holes Is formed in the axial coupling part so as to be spaced apart from a center point of the axial coupling part, and the upper supply port has a plurality of supply holes formed in the upper housing so as to be identical to those formed in the axial direction. The plurality of through holes in the coupling part are aligned. Such as the substrate drying chamber of claim 6, wherein the plurality of through holes formed in the axial coupling member are symmetrically arranged with each other. The substrate drying chamber of claim 1, wherein: the first pipeline and the common port portion provide the supply path of the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization; and the common port portion and the second pipeline provide the organic solvent in which the organic solvent is dissolved The discharge path of the supercritical fluid. For example, the substrate drying chamber of claim 8, further comprising a sealing part disposed on a coupling surface of the lower casing and the upper casing, wherein the substrate is placed on the substrate placement plate to be positioned higher than the lower casing And a level of the coupling surface of the upper shell, and When a drying process is completed and then the lower casing and the upper casing are opened, the particles around the sealing portion disposed on the coupling surface are prevented from being attributed to a height difference between the substrate and the coupling surface Gravity is introduced onto the substrate. Such as the substrate drying chamber of claim 9, wherein the supercritical flow system for initial pressurization supplied through the first pipeline and the common port part is blocked by the substrate placement plate to prevent being directly sprayed on the substrate. For example, the substrate drying chamber of claim 1, further comprising a substrate placement board support, the substrate placement board support has one end coupled to the bottom surface of the lower housing and the other end is coupled to the substrate placement board, and supports the substrate When the board is placed, the substrate placement board and the bottom surface of the lower shell are separated. For example, the substrate drying chamber of claim 11, wherein a first separation space existing between the bottom surface of the lower housing and the substrate placing plate due to the substrate placing plate support is used for guiding through the integrated supply and The initial pressurizing supercritical fluid supplied from the discharge port moves along a lower surface of the substrate placement plate and gradually diffuses into a processing area in which the substrate is placed. For example, the substrate drying chamber of claim 1, further comprising a substrate support member having one end coupled to an upper surface of the substrate placement plate and the other end coupled to the substrate, and separating the substrate when supporting the substrate Place the upper surface of the board with the substrate. Such as the substrate drying chamber of claim 13, wherein a second separation space existing between the upper surface of the substrate placement plate and the substrate due to the substrate support is used for lowering one of the substrates The surface is exposed to the supercritical fluid for initial pressurization supplied through the integrated supply and discharge port and the supercritical fluid for drying supplied through the upper supply port, so as to shorten a drying process time.

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