Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12451371-B2
Application number	US-202318495180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2023
Priority date	Nov 30, 2022
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed are a substrate processing apparatus that allow a chemical liquid to penetrate deeply into a gap between patterns of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes a housing having a processing space defined therein in which a substrate is processed; a substrate support installed in the processing space so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis and configured to support the substrate; a chemical liquid supply disposed on top of the substrate support and configured to spray a chemical liquid toward an upper surface of the substrate supported on the substrate support; and a controller configured to repeatedly apply a first rotation control signal and a second rotation control signal indicating different rotation speeds to the substrate support so as to generate an inertial behavior of the chemical liquid coated on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a housing having a processing space defined therein in which a substrate is processed;
a substrate support installed in the processing space so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis and configured to support the substrate;
a chemical liquid supply disposed on top of the substrate support and configured to spray a chemical liquid toward an upper surface of the substrate supported on the substrate support, the chemical liquid including a volatile component; and
a controller configured to control the chemical liquid supply to spray the chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate, and then repeatedly apply a first rotation control signal indicating a first rotation speed and a second rotation control signal indicating a second rotation speed to the substrate support in a process of coating the chemical liquid on the substrate, thereby volatilizing the volatile component in the chemical liquid to convert the chemical liquid into a solid film on the substrate,
wherein the first rotation speed is between 1500 rotations per minute (rpm) and 1800 rpm, and the second rotation speed is between 750 rpm and 1500 rpm and being 500 rpm to 750 rpm less than the first rotation speed.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
apply the first rotation control signal to the substrate support to allow the substrate support to rotate at the first rotation speed; and
apply the second rotation control signal to the substrate support while the rotation of the substrate support is not stopped to allow the substrate support to rotate at the second rotation speed.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to repeatedly apply the first rotation control signal and the second rotation control signal at a regular interval.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to apply the first rotation control signal for a first time, and then apply the second rotation control signal for a second time.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first time and the second time are equal to each other.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein each of the first time and the second time is in a range of 1 second to 5 seconds.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the chemical liquid supply is configured to spray an etchant toward the upper surface of the substrate,
the controller is configured to control the chemical liquid supply to spray the etchant toward the upper surface of the substrate to remove the solid film.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein
the chemical liquid supply is configured to spray a rinse liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate,
the controller is configured to control the chemical liquid supply to spray the rinse liquid toward the upper surface after the etchant has been sprayed.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the volatile component volatilizes during the second time.

10. A substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes:
a housing having a processing space defined therein in which a substrate is processed;
a substrate support installed in the processing space so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis and configured to support the substrate;
a chemical liquid supply disposed on top of the substrate support and configured to spray a chemical liquid toward an upper surface of the substrate supported on the substrate support, the chemical liquid including a volatile component; and
a controller configured to control the chemical liquid supply to spray the chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate, and then repeatedly apply a first rotation control signal indicating a first rotation speed and a second rotation control signal indicating a second rotation speed to the substrate support in a process of coating the chemical liquid on the substrate, thereby volatilizing the volatile component in the chemical liquid to convert the chemical liquid into a solid film on the substrate,
wherein the first rotation speed is between 1500 rotations per minute (rpm) and 1800 rpm, and the second rotation speed is between 750 rpm and 1500 rpm and being 500 rpm to 750 rpm less than the first rotation speed,
wherein the method comprises:
a substrate loading step in which the substrate is loaded onto and supported on the substrate support in the processing space of the housing; and
a chemical liquid coating step of spraying the chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate and coating the chemical liquid on the substrate by rotating the substrate while changing a rotation speed of the substrate between the first rotation speed and the second rotation speed.

11. The substrate processing method of claim 10 , wherein the chemical liquid coating step includes:
applying the first rotation control signal to the substrate support to allow the substrate support to rotate at the first rotation speed; and
applying the second rotation control signal to the substrate support while the rotation of the substrate support is not stopped to allow the substrate support to rotate at the second rotation speed.

12. The substrate processing method of claim 10 , wherein the chemical liquid coating step includes repeatedly applying the first rotation control signal and the second rotation control signal at a regular interval.

13. The substrate processing method of claim 10 , wherein the chemical liquid coating step includes applying the first rotation control signal for a first time, and then applying the second rotation control signal for a second time.

14. The substrate processing method of claim 13 , wherein the first time and the second time are equal to each other.

15. The substrate processing method of claim 13 , wherein each of the first time and the second time is in a range of 1 second to 5 seconds.

16. The substrate processing method of claim 10 , further comprising:
peeling off the solid film on the substrate to remove particles physically attached to an area of the substrate; and
cleaning the substrate from which the solid film has been peeled off, and drying the cleaned substrate.

17. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a housing having a processing space defined therein in which a substrate is processed;
a substrate support installed in the processing space so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis and configured to support the substrate;
a chemical liquid supply disposed on top of the substrate support and configured to spray a chemical liquid toward an upper surface of the substrate supported on the substrate support, the chemical liquid including a volatile component and a curable polymer, wherein volatilizing the volatile component converts the chemical liquid into a solid film; and
a controller configured to control the chemical liquid supply to spray the chemical liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate, and then repeatedly apply a first rotation control signal indicating a first rotation speed and a second rotation control signal indicating a second rotation speed to the substrate support in a process of coating the chemical liquid on the substrate, wherein the first rotation speed is between 1500 rotations per minute (rpm) and 1800 rpm, and the second rotation speed is between 750 rpm and 1500 rpm and being 500 rpm to 750 rpm less than the fi

Assignees

• Semes Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Kang Sul
• Kim Tae-Keun
• Choi Junhee
• Lee Kyeong Min
• Kim Yong Jun

Classifications

• H10P72/0414

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P72/0448 Primary

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0406 Primary

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title