Substrate treatment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022310417-A1
Application number	US-202217704135-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2022
Priority date	Mar 29, 2021
Publication date	Sep 29, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate treatment device includes a placement platform rotating a substrate, a cooling part supplying a cooling gas to a space between the placement platform and the substrate, a liquid supplier supplying a liquid to a surface of the substrate opposite to the placement platform side, a detector that is above the surface of the substrate and detects a freezing start of the liquid, and a controller controlling the substrate rotation, the cooling gas supply, and the liquid supply. The controller controls at least one of the substrate rotation, the cooling gas flow rate, or the liquid supply rate, and causes the liquid on the substrate surface to reach a supercooled state; and when determining based on a signal from the detector that the freezing of the supercooled liquid has started, the controller starts thawing the frozen liquid after a prescribed interval has elapsed from the freezing start of the liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate treatment device, comprising:
a placement platform configured to rotate a substrate; a cooling part configured to supply a cooling gas to a space between the placement platform and the substrate; a liquid supplier configured to supply a liquid to a surface of the substrate opposite to the placement platform side; a detector above the surface of the substrate, the detector being configured to detect a start of freezing of the liquid; and a controller configured to control a rotation of the substrate, a supply of the cooling gas, and a supply of the liquid, the controller controlling at least one of the rotation of the substrate, a flow rate of the cooling gas, or a supply rate of the liquid to cause the liquid on the surface of the substrate to reach a supercooled state, when the controller determines based on a signal from the detector that freezing of the liquid in the supercooled state has started, the controller starts thawing the frozen liquid after a prescribed interval has elapsed from the start of the freezing of the liquid.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller determines the start of the freezing of the liquid by using:
at least one of a temperature of a film of the liquid detected by the detector, a thickness of the film of the liquid detected by the detector, or a surface state of the film of the liquid detected by the detector, or
at least one of a temperature of a film of a mixture of the liquid and the frozen liquid detected by the detector, a thickness of the film of the mixture of the liquid and the frozen liquid detected by the detector, or a surface state of the film of the mixture of the liquid and the frozen liquid detected by the detector.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector detects a temperature of a surface of the liquid in the supercooled state at a prescribed time interval, and the controller determines that the freezing of the liquid has started when
the temperature of the liquid increases, and
a difference between one of the detected temperatures and the temperature detected directly before the one of the detected temperatures exceeds a prescribed threshold, and/or a rate of the temperature increase exceeds a prescribed threshold.

4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector detects a surface position of the liquid in the supercooled state at a prescribed time interval, and the controller determines that the freezing of the liquid has started when a difference between one of the detected surface positions and the surface position detected directly before the one of the detected surface positions exceeds a prescribed threshold, and/or a rate of a change of the surface position exceeds a prescribed threshold.

5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector detects a thickness of the liquid in the supercooled state at a prescribed time interval, and the controller determines that the freezing of the liquid has started when a difference between one of the detected thicknesses and the thickness detected directly before the one of the detected thicknesses exceeds a prescribed threshold, and/or a rate of a change of the thickness exceeds a prescribed threshold.

6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector detects a reflectance of a surface of the liquid in the supercooled state at a prescribed time interval, and the controller determines that the freezing of the liquid has started when a difference between one of the detected reflectances and the reflectance detected directly before the one of the detected reflectances exceeds a prescribed threshold, and/or a rate of a change of the reflectance exceeds a prescribed threshold.

7 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector acquires images by imaging a surface state of the liquid in the supercooled state at a prescribed time interval, and the controller determines that the freezing of the liquid has started when a difference between the surface state of one of the acquired images and the surface state of the image acquired directly before the one of the acquired images exceeds a prescribed threshold, and/or a rate of a change of the surface state exceeds a prescribed threshold.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the prescribed interval is predetermined, and the prescribed interval is an interval from an instant at which the freezing of the liquid in the supercooled state starts until a temperature of a surface of the frozen liquid reaches a temperature of not less than 5° C. and not more than 10° C. greater than a temperature at which a crack occurs in the frozen liquid.

9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector further detects a temperature of a surface of the frozen liquid, and even before the prescribed interval has elapsed, the controller starts to thaw the frozen liquid when the temperature detected by the detector reaches a temperature of not less than 5° C. and not more than 10° C. greater than a predetermined temperature at which a crack occurs in the frozen liquid.

10 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller suppresses an occurrence of a crack in the frozen liquid to be thawed by setting the prescribed interval to a first interval, the controller causes a crack to occur in the frozen liquid to be thawed by setting the prescribed interval to a second interval, and the second interval is greater than the first interval.

11 . The device according to claim 10 , wherein
the first interval is predetermined, and the first interval is not less than 10 seconds and not more than 30 seconds shorter than an interval from an instant at which the freezing of the liquid in the supercooled state starts until the crack occurs.

12 . The device according to claim 10 , wherein
the first interval is predetermined, and the first interval is not less than 70% and not more than 90% of an interval from an instant at which the freezing of the liquid in the supercooled state starts until the crack occurs.

13 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller repeatedly performs a set of processes a predetermined number of times, and the set of processes includes:
causing the liquid to reach a supercooled state;
freezing the liquid in the supercooled state; and
starting a thawing of the frozen liquid after a prescribed interval has elapsed from the start of the freezing of the liquid.

14 . The device according to claim 13 , wherein
the controller performs a formation process of a liquid film before causing the liquid to reach the supercooled state, and the formation process of the liquid film includes forming a film of the liquid having a prescribed thickness.

15 . The device according to claim 14 , wherein
the controller performs a preliminary process before the formation process of the liquid film, and the preliminary process performs a preliminary cooling of the substrate.

16 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein
the controller sets a flow rate of the cooling gas in the formation process of the liquid film to be equal to a flow rate of the cooling gas in the preliminary process.

17 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector is at least one of a radiation thermometer, a thermo-viewer, a thermocouple, a resistance thermometer bulb, a laser displacement meter, an ultrasonic displacement meter, an optical sensor, or an image sensor.

Assignees

• Shibaura Mechatronics Corp

Inventors

• Nakamura Minami
• Demura Kensuke

Classifications

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• H10P72/0414 Primary

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