Method of forming a thin film that eliminates air bubbles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9960034-B2
Application number	US-201615369000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A method, which forms an air-bubble-free thin film with a high-viscosity fluid resin, initially dispenses the fluid resin on an outer region of a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, and then dispenses the fluid resin onto the center of the semiconductor wafer after the semiconductor wafer has stopped spinning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a thin film in a processing station, the processing station having a wafer chuck and a supply line, the supply line having a tube dispensing opening, the method comprising:
dispensing a fluid resin from the tube dispensing opening onto a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, a center of the semiconductor wafer being free of the fluid resin while the semiconductor wafer is spinning and the fluid resin is dispensed;
then placing the semiconductor wafer in a stationary state; and
then dispensing the fluid resin from the tube dispensing opening onto the center of the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is stationary to form a puddle of resin at the center of the semiconductor wafer.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising maintaining the semiconductor wafer in the stationary state for a predetermined period of time after the fluid resin has been dispensed onto the center of the semiconductor wafer.

3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising spinning the semiconductor wafer after the predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluid resin is continuously dispensed from when the fluid resin is dispensed onto the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, until the puddle of resin has been formed at the center of the semiconductor wafer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluid resin extends continuously from a start region on a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to the center of the semiconductor wafer, the start region lying closer to an outer edge of the semiconductor wafer than to the center of the semiconductor wafer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tube dispensing opening has no nozzle.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the semiconductor wafer in the stationary state until a side surface of the dispensed fluid resin changes from a bulged side surface to a tapered side surface.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising spinning the semiconductor wafer to spread the fluid resin over the semiconductor wafer after the side surface changes to the tapered side surface.

9. A method of forming a film in a processing station, the processing station having a wafer chuck and a supply line, the supply line having a tube dispensing opening, the method comprising:
dispensing a fluid resin from the tube dispensing opening onto a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, a center of the semiconductor wafer being free of the fluid resin while the semiconductor wafer is spinning and the fluid resin is dispensed;
then decelerating the semiconductor wafer to a stop;
then dispensing the fluid resin from the tube dispensing opening onto the center of the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is stopped to form a puddle of resin at the center of the semiconductor wafer;
keeping the semiconductor wafer stopped until a side surface of the dispensed fluid resin changes from a bulged side surface to a tapered side surface; and
then spinning the semiconductor wafer to spread the fluid resin over the semiconductor wafer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluid resin is continuously dispensed from when the fluid resin is dispensed onto the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, until the puddle of resin has been formed at the center of the semiconductor wafer.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluid resin extends continuously from a start region on a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to the center of the semiconductor wafer, the start region lying closer to an outer edge of the semiconductor wafer than to the center of the semiconductor wafer.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the tube dispensing opening has no nozzle.

13. A method of forming a film comprising:
dispensing a fluid resin onto a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, a center of the semiconductor wafer being free of the fluid resin while the semiconductor wafer is spinning and the fluid resin is dispensed;
then decelerating the semiconductor wafer to a stop;
then continuing to dispense the fluid resin from the tube dispensing opening onto the center of the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is stopped to form a puddle of resin at the center of the semiconductor wafer;
keeping the semiconductor wafer stopped until a side surface of the dispensed fluid resin changes from a bulged side surface to a tapered side surface; and
then spinning the semiconductor wafer to spread the fluid resin over the semiconductor wafer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fluid resin is continuously dispensed from when the fluid resin is dispensed onto the semiconductor wafer while the semiconductor wafer is spinning, until the puddle of resin has been formed at the center of the semiconductor wafer.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fluid resin extends continuously from a start region on a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to the center of the semiconductor wafer, the start region lying closer to an outer edge of the semiconductor wafer than to the center of the semiconductor wafer.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Zheng Sandra
• Smiley Mark James
• Levack Douglas Jay
• Powell Ronald Dean

Classifications

• H10P76/204

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• H10P14/683

  carbon-based polymeric organic materials, e.g. polyimides, poly cyclobutene or PVC · CPC title

• H10P14/6342 Primary

  Liquid deposition, e.g. spin-coating, sol-gel techniques or spray coating · CPC title

• H10P76/20 Primary

  of masks comprising organic materials · CPC title

• H01L21/0273

  Electricity · mapped topic