Substrate processing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12422754-B2
Application number	US-202318186359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2023
Priority date	Sep 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber providing a processing space for processing a substrate and processing a substrate, a substrate support configured to support the substrate, a blocking plate below the substrate support and configured to prevent supercritical fluid from being directly sprayed onto the substrate, a first supply device configured to supply supercritical fluid under a first condition to the processing chamber, a second supply device configured to supply supercritical fluid under a second condition at a higher temperature than that of supercritical fluid under the first condition to the processing chamber, a discharge device configured to discharge supercritical fluid from the processing chamber, and a control device configured to control operations of the first supply device, the second supply device, and the discharge device. The control device is configured to direct the first supply device to supply supercritical fluid prior to the second supply device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method comprising:
receiving a substrate including an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist layer exposed to EUV and developer for developing the EUV photoresist layer into a processing chamber;
supplying supercritical fluid under a first condition to the processing chamber; and
supplying supercritical fluid under a second condition to the processing chamber,
wherein the supplying of supercritical fluid under the first condition is performed before the supplying of supercritical fluid under the second condition, and
wherein a temperature of supercritical fluid under the first condition is lower than that of supercritical fluid under the second condition,
the method further comprising unloading the substrate out of the processing chamber and preprocessing the processing chamber,
wherein the preprocessing is performed by supplying supercritical fluid at a temperature of about 70° C. to about 120° C. and with pressure of about 80 bar to about 150 bar to the processing chamber.

2. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein a temperature of the first condition is about 35° C. to about 70° C. and a temperature of the second condition is about 70° C. to about 120° C.

3. The substrate processing method of claim 2 ,
wherein pressure of the first condition is about 75 bar to about 90 bar and pressure of the second condition is about 80 bar to about 150.

4. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
further comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of pressurizing and depressurizing the processing chamber after the supplying of supercritical fluid under the second condition.

5. The substrate processing method of claim 4 ,
further comprising discharging supercritical fluid in the processing chamber and purging the processing chamber with a purge gas after the repeatedly performing of the cycle.

6. The substrate processing method of claim 5 ,
wherein the preprocessing is performed after the purging of the processing chamber.

7. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the preprocessing is performed by applying heat and/or light inside the processing chamber.

8. The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
before the receiving the substrate into the processing chamber, further comprising:
forming an EUV photoresist layer on a surface of the substrate;
exposing the EUV photoresist layer to EUV using a photo mask; and
providing developer onto the exposed EUV photoresist layer.

9. The substrate processing method of claim 8 ,
wherein the developer is an acetate-based developer.

10. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber providing a processing space for processing a substrate;
a substrate support configured to support the substrate loaded in the processing space;
a blocking plate provided below the substrate support and configured to prevent supercritical fluid from being directly sprayed onto the substrate;
a first supply device configured to supply supercritical fluid under a first condition to the processing chamber;
a second supply device configured to supply supercritical fluid under a second condition at a higher temperature than that of supercritical fluid under the first condition to the processing chamber;
a discharge device configured to discharge supercritical fluid from the processing chamber; and
a control device configured to control operations of the first supply device, the second supply device, and the discharge device,
wherein the control device is configured to have the first supply device supply supercritical fluid prior to the second supply device, and further comprising
a purge gas supply device configured to supply a purge gas to the processing chamber,
wherein the discharge device further comprises a concentration measuring device configured to measure concentration of developer in an exit of the processing chamber, and
wherein the control device is configured to control the purge gas supply device to supply the purge gas to the processing chamber when concentration of developer measured by the concentration measuring device is greater than an allowable value.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the control device is configured to perform a cycle of pressurizing and depressurizing the processing chamber 2 to 15 times.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the control device is configured to discharge supercritical fluid in the processing chamber through the discharge device after the cycle is terminated.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the pressurization and depressurization are performed in a range of a temperature of about 70° C. to about 120° C. and pressure of about 80 bar to about 150 bar.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 ,
wherein the pressurization and depressurization is configured to go back and forth between a first zone defined by a range of a temperature of about 35° C. to about 70° C. and pressure of about 75 bar to about 90 bar and a second zone defined by a range of a temperature of about 70° C. to about 120° C. and pressure of about 80 bar to about 150 bar.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 14 ,
wherein the control device is configured to supply supercritical fluid under the second condition to the processing chamber for the pressurization and to discharge supercritical fluid from the processing chamber for the depressurization.

16. A substrate processing method comprising:
forming a to-be-etched layer and an antireflection layer on a substrate;
forming an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist layer on the substrate;
exposing the EUV photoresist layer to EUV using a photo mask;
providing developer onto the exposed EUV photoresist layer and taking the substrate in a processing chamber;
supplying supercritical fluid under a first condition to the processing chamber;
supplying supercritical fluid under a second condition at a temperature higher than that of supercritical fluid under the first condition to the processing chamber;
forming a photoresist pattern by drying the substrate by supercritical fluid under the second condition; and
forming a pattern in the to-be-etched layer by performing etching using the photoresist pattern as an etching mask,
wherein a width of the pattern formed in the to-be-etched layer is about 5 nm to about 20 nm.

17. The substrate processing method of claim 16 ,
wherein a temperature of the first condition is about 35° C. to about 70° C. and a temperature of the second condition is about 70° C. to about 120° C.

18. The substrate processing method of claim 17 ,
wherein pressure of the first condition is about 75 bar to about 90 bar and pressure of the second condition is about 80 bar to about 150.

19. The substrate processing method of claim 16 ,
further comprising repeatedly performing a cycle of pressurizing and depressurizing the processing chamber after the supplying of supercritical fluid under the second condition.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Jihoon
• Kim Seohyun
• Kim Sukhoon
• Kim Younghoo
• Park Sangjine
• Lee Kuntack

Classifications

• G03F7/70033

  by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources · CPC title

• G03F7/427

  using plasma means only · CPC title

• G03F7/16 Primary

  Coating processes; Apparatus therefor (applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74) · CPC title

• G03F7/325 Primary

  Non-aqueous compositions · CPC title