U.S. patent application number 15/220461 was filed with the patent office on 2018-02-01 for processing apparatus and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Hai-Ching Chen, Kai-Fang Cheng, Shao-Kuan Lee.
Application Number | 20180033653 15/220461 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61011664 |
Filed Date | 2018-02-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180033653 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cheng; Kai-Fang ; et
al. |
February 1, 2018 |
PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
A processing apparatus includes a spin coating chamber, an
ultraviolet curing chamber, a transfer module and an enclosure. The
transfer module is assigned with a plurality transfer destinations,
in which two of the transfer destinations are respectively located
within the spin coating chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
The transfer module, the spin coating chamber and the ultraviolet
curing chamber are enclosed by the enclosure.
Inventors: |
Cheng; Kai-Fang; (Taoyuan
City, TW) ; Lee; Shao-Kuan; (Kaohsiung City, TW)
; Chen; Hai-Ching; (Hsinchu City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. |
Hsinchu |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
61011664 |
Appl. No.: |
15/220461 |
Filed: |
July 27, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/67115 20130101;
H01L 21/6715 20130101; H01L 21/67207 20130101; H01L 21/67161
20130101; H01L 21/6719 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 21/67 20060101
H01L021/67; H01L 21/683 20060101 H01L021/683; H01L 21/677 20060101
H01L021/677 |
Claims
1. A processing apparatus, comprising: a spin coating chamber ; an
ultraviolet curing chamber; a transfer module assigned with a
plurality transfer destinations, wherein two of the transfer
destinations are respectively located within the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber, the transfer module
comprising a robot movable from the spin coating chamber to the
ultraviolet curing chamber; an enclosure enclosing the transfer
module, the spin coating chamber and the ultraviolet curing
chamber; and a load port closer to the robot than to the
ultraviolet curing chamber.
2. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an
ultraviolet blocking structure present between the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
3. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a fluid
isolating structure present between the spin coating chamber and
the ultraviolet curing chamber.
4. The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enclosure
comprises a plurality of spatially separated internal regions that
are respectively occupied by the spin coating chamber and the
ultraviolet curing chamber.
5. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a
baking chamber within which another of the transfer destinations
assigned to the transfer module is located, the baking chamber
being enclosed by the enclosure.
6. The processing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a
controller configured to control the transfer module to move to the
transfer destinations located within the spin coating chamber, the
baking chamber, and the ultraviolet curing chamber in sequence.
7. The processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the enclosure
comprises a plurality of spatially separated internal regions that
are respectively occupied by the baking chamber, the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
8. The processing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a
thermal insulation structure present between the ultraviolet curing
chamber and the baking chamber.
9. The processing apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: an
ultraviolet blocking structure present between the ultraviolet
curing chamber and the baking chamber.
10. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a
transfer chamber within which at least a portion of the transfer
module is located, wherein the transfer chamber is capable of being
communicated with the spin coating chamber and the ultraviolet
curing chamber.
11. The processing apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: an
ultraviolet blocking structure present between the transfer chamber
and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
12. The processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the enclosure
comprises a plurality of spatially separated internal regions that
are respectively occupied by the transfer chamber, the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
13. A processing apparatus, comprising: a spin coating chamber; an
ultraviolet curing chamber; a robot assembly having a range of
motion sufficient to transfer a substrate to the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber; at least one enclosure
having an interior space within which the spin coating chamber, the
ultraviolet curing chamber and the robot assembly are located; and
a baking chamber between the spin coating chamber and the
ultraviolet curing chamber.
14. The processing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: an
ultraviolet blocking wall interposed between the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber.
15. The processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the robot
assembly has the range of motion sufficient to transfer the
substrate to the baking chamber; and an ultraviolet blocking wall
interposed between the baking chamber and the ultraviolet curing
chamber.
16. The processing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a
transfer chamber within which at least a portion of the robot
assembly is located; and an ultraviolet blocking wall interposed
between the transfer chamber and the ultraviolet curing
chamber.
17. The processing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: at
least one load port present between the interior space and an
exterior external to the enclosure.
18-20. (canceled)
21. A processing apparatus, comprising: an enclosure having an
interior space; a spin coating chamber in the interior space of the
enclosure, the spin coating chamber having a wall opaque to
ultraviolet radiation; an ultraviolet curing chamber in the
interior space of the enclosure; a robot having a range of motion
sufficient to transfer a substrate from the spin coating chamber to
the ultraviolet curing chamber; and a load port capable of
spatially isolating the interior space of the enclosure and an
exterior external to the enclosure.
22. (canceled)
23. The processing apparatus of claim 21, further comprising: a
baking chamber in the interior space of the enclosure, wherein a
wall of the baking chamber is opaque to ultraviolet radiation.
24. The processing apparatus of claim 21, wherein the load port is
closer to the robot than to the ultraviolet curing chamber.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The process of forming electronic devices is commonly done
in a processing apparatus that has the capability to sequentially
process substrates, (e.g., semiconductor wafers) in a controlled
processing environment. For example, a spin coating chamber may be
included in the processing apparatus to perform a spin coating
process to a substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from
the following detailed description when read with the accompanying
figures. It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice
in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact,
the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased
or reduced for clarity of discussion.
[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the processing apparatus shown in
FIG. 1.
[0005] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of an exemplary
ultraviolet curing chamber in accordance with some embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a processing apparatus in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a processing method in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] The following disclosure provides many different
embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of
the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and
arrangements are described below to simplify the present
disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not
intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first
feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows
may include embodiments in which the first and second features are
formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which
additional features may be formed between the first and second
features, such that the first and second features may not be in
direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat
reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This
repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does
not in itself dictate a relationship between the various
embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
[0009] Further, spatially relative terms, such as "beneath,"
"below," "lower," "above," "upper" and the like, may be used herein
for ease of description to describe one element or feature's
relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in
the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass
different orientations of the device in use or operation in
addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus
may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other
orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein
may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2
is a plan view of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. As
shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the processing apparatus, which may be
referred to as a cluster tool as well, includes one or more load
ports 110, a transfer module 120, a processing rack 130 and an
enclosure 140. The processing rack 130 includes a spin coating
chamber 150 and an ultraviolet (UV) curing chamber 160. The one or
more load ports 110 can be configured to accept one or more
cassettes 115 that may contain one or more substrates W, or wafers,
which are to be processed in the processing apparatus. The transfer
module 120 is assigned with a plurality of transfer destinations,
in which one transfer destination is located within the spin
coating chamber 150, and another transfer destination is located
within the ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In other words, the
transfer module 120 may be a robot assembly having a range of
motion sufficient to transfer the substrate W to the spin coating
chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160. For example,
the transfer module 120 may include a front end robot 122 that is
adapted to access the spin coating chamber 150, the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160 and the load ports 110. Therefore, the front end
robot 122 is capable of transferring the substrate W between the
cassette 115 placed on the load port 110 and the spin coating
chamber 150, and the front end robot 122 is capable of transferring
the substrate W between the cassette 115 placed on the load port
110 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 as well. In some
embodiments, the transfer module 120 may further include a shuttle
robot 124 that is adapted to transfer the substrate W between the
spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160
retained in the processing rack 130. In some other embodiments, the
transferring the substrate W can be achieved by the front end robot
122 as well, and in such cases, the shuttle robot 124 may be
omitted.
[0011] The transfer module 120, the spin coating chamber 150 and
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 are enclosed by the enclosure
140. In other words, the enclosure 1450 has an interior space S,
and the transfer module 120, the spin coating chamber 1530 and the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160 are located within the interior
space S of the enclosure 140. The load port 110 is present between
the interior space S and an exterior external to the enclosure 140.
In other words, the interior space S and the exterior external to
the enclosure 140 can be spatially isolated by the load port 110
when a door (not shown) of the load port 110 is closed. By using
such a configuration, transportation of the substrate W between the
spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 can
be confined in the interior space S of the enclosure 140, and
contamination to the substrate W during the transportation can be
reduced because the transportation can be confined in the interior
space S of the enclosure 140. Furthermore, the transportation
duration of the substrate W can be reduced as well. Therefore, the
processing apparatus can be widely applied to manufacturing
processes that include a spin coating process and an ultraviolet
curing process. For example, in an exemplary low-k dielectric layer
formation process, a solution containing a low-k dielectric
material can be formed on the substrate W using the spin coating
process that is performed in the spin coating chamber 150.
Thereafter, the spin-coated substrate W can be transferred to the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160 via the transfer module 120, and the
low-k dielectric material on the spin-coated substrate W can be
cured using ultraviolet radiation generated in the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160. In some embodiments, the spin-coated substrate
W can be baked using, for example, a soft bake process, before the
curing, so as to benefit to evaporate the solvent of the solution.
In an exemplary pore seal layer formation process, a solution
containing a pore seal material can be formed on the substrate W
using the spin coating process that is performed in the spin
coating chamber 150. Thereafter, the spin-coated substrate W can be
transferred to the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 via the transfer
module 120, and the pore seal material on the spin-coated substrate
W can be cured using ultraviolet radiation generated in the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some embodiments, the
spin-coated substrate W can be baked using, for example, a soft
bake process, before the curing, so as to benefit to evaporate the
solvent of the solution. Moreover, a substrate having a metal hard
mask (MHM) thereon may undergo ultraviolet radiation generated in
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160, and such an ultraviolet
treatment to the metal hard mask can improve an etching selectivity
of the metal hard mask.
[0012] In some embodiments, the enclosure 140 includes a transfer
enclosure 142 that is adapted to control the environment around the
transfer module 120 and between the load ports 110 and the
processing rack 130. In some embodiments, the transfer module 120
can be enclosed in the transfer enclosure 142. In some embodiments,
the enclosure 140 includes a processing rack enclosure 144. The
processing rack enclosure 144 is adapted to control the environment
around the spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing
chamber 160. In some embodiments, the spin coating chamber 150 and
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 can be enclosed in the
processing rack enclosure 144. In some embodiments, an interior
space of the transfer enclosure 142 and that of the processing rack
enclosure 144 are communicated, and they can cooperatively serve as
the interior space S of the enclosure 140.
[0013] In some embodiments, the spin coating chamber 150 includes a
gas flow distribution system 152, a cup 153, a spin chuck 154 and a
fluid dispense system 155. There is a chamber enclosure 151 within
which the gas flow distribution system 152, the cup 153, a spin
chuck 154 and a fluid dispense system 155 are enclosed. The chamber
enclosure 151 may include a plurality of walls, and one of the
walls may be the wall 1511 that is interposed between the spin
coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some
embodiments, the wall 1511 between the spin coating chamber 150 and
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may be made of a material that
is able to block ultraviolet radiation, so that it can serve as an
ultraviolet blocking structure which can block the ultraviolet
radiation generated in the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 from
irradiating the spin coating chamber 150. For example, the wall
1511 may be made of a plastic material opaque to ultraviolet
radiation, such as, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),
polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene propylene
(FEP) or polyether ether ketone (PEEK). As such, influence on the
substrate W retained in the spin coating chamber 150 caused by the
ultraviolet radiation can be reduced. In some embodiments, the wall
1511 between the spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160 may be made of a material that is able to
isolate fluid, so that it can serve as a fluid isolating structure
which can isolate the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 from the fluid
or liquid used in the spin coating chamber 150. In some
embodiments, the wall 1511 between the spin coating chamber 150 and
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may be made of an UV-opaque and
waterproof plastic material, such as, for example,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),
fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or polyether ether ketone
(PEEK).
[0014] The cup 153 surrounds the spin chuck 154. The spin chuck 154
may be attached to a rotation motor 156 through a rotation shaft
(not shown), so that the rotation motor 156 can actuate the spin
chuck 154 to spin. The spin chuck 154 may include a sealing surface
1541 that is adapted to hold the substrate W when the substrate W
is being rotated. The substrate W may be held to the sealing
surface 1541 by use of a vacuum generated by a vacuum source 157.
The cup 153 may be made of a material, such as, a plastic material
(e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA),
polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), etc), a ceramic
material, a metal coated with a plastic material (e.g., aluminum
coated with either PVDF), or other materials that is compatible
with the processing fluid delivered from the fluid dispense system
155. The spin chuck 154 may be coupled to a lift assembly (not
shown), which may include an actuator, such as an air cylinder or
servomotor, and a guide, such as a linear ball bearing slide, which
are adapted to raise and lower the rotatable spin chuck 154 to a
predetermined position. The lift assembly is thus adapted to
position the substrate W held on the rotatable spin chuck 154 in
the cup 153 during the spin coating process and also to lift the
substrate W to above a top of the cup 153 to exchange the substrate
W with an external robot (e.g., the front end robot 122 or the
shuttle robot 124) positioned outside the chamber enclosure 151. A
robot blade or an end effector of the external robot can enter the
chamber enclosure 151 through an access port formed in a wall of
the chamber enclosure 151.
[0015] In some embodiments, the chamber enclosure 151 placed around
the spin chuck 154 can control the environment around the surface
of the substrate W to improve the thickness uniformity control for
larger substrate sizes. The improved uniformity control is due to
the control of the vaporization of the solvent, since the chamber
enclosure 151 placed around the substrate W tends to prevent of gas
flow across the surface of the substrate W, and thus allows the
coated material to spread out before an appreciable amount of
solvent has evaporated from the coated material. In some other
embodiments, thickness uniformity control in the spin-on type
coating process may also rely on the control of the rotation speed
of the spin chuck 154 and exhaust flow rate to control the
vaporization of the uniformity of the final coated layer.
[0016] The gas flow distribution system 152 is adapted to deliver a
substantially uniform flow of a gas through the chamber enclosure
151 and cup 153 to an exhaust system (not shown). In some
embodiments, the gas flow distribution system 152 may be a HEPA
filter assembly which may include a HEPA filter and a filter
enclosure (not shown). The HEPA filter and filter enclosure can
form a plenum that allows the gas entering from the gas source to
substantially uniformly flow through the HEPA filter, the chamber
enclosure 151, the cup 153 and the spin chuck 154. In some
embodiments, the gas source is adapted to deliver a gas (e.g., air)
at a predetermined temperature and humidity to the spin chuck 154,
so as to control the environment in the chamber enclosure 151.
[0017] The fluid dispense system 155 may include one or more fluid
source assemblies which deliver a solution containing the coating
material to the surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck
154. The fluid source assembly may exemplarily include a discharge
nozzle 1551 and a dispense arm 1552. The discharge nozzle 1551 and
the dispense arm 1552 can be moved to a predetermined position so
that a processing fluid or solution can be dispensed from the
discharge nozzle 1551 onto a predetermined position on the surface
of the substrate W. For example, the dispense arm 1552 may be
movable and/or rotatable by actuation of an actuator (not shown),
and the discharge nozzle 1551 is located on the dispense arm 1552,
so that the discharge nozzle 1551 can be moved to a predetermined
position above the sealing surface 1541 of the spin chuck 154 by
movement and/or rotation of the dispense arm 1552. The processing
fluid may be delivered to the discharge nozzle 1551 by use of a
pump (not shown). For example, the pump can remove a processing
fluid from a fluid source (not shown) and discharges the processing
fluid through the discharge nozzle 1551 and onto the surface of the
substrate W. The processing solution discharged from the discharge
nozzle 1551 may be dispensed onto the substrate W when it is
rotated by the spin chuck 154. In some embodiments, a suck back
valve (not shown) may be adapted to draw back an amount of solution
from the discharge nozzle 1551 after predetermined amount of
processing fluid is dispensed on the substrate W to prevent
dripping of unwanted material on the surface of the substrate W
held on the spin chuck 154. The dispensed processing solution is
spun off the edge of the substrate W, collected by inner walls of
the cup 153 and diverted to a drain and ultimately a waste
collection system (not shown).
[0018] In some embodiments, to assure a uniform and repeatable
coating process, the temperature during the spin coating process
may be accurately controlled since the properties and process
results may be affected by the temperature. The optimum dispense
temperature may vary from one material to another. Therefore, the
spin coating chamber 150 may include multiple fluid dispense
systems 155 to run different process recipes containing different
materials, the temperature of different fluid dispense systems 155
may be independently and individually controlled to benefit
predetermined process results can be achieved.
[0019] In some embodiments, the processing apparatus further
includes a transfer chamber 170. At least a portion of the transfer
module 120 is located within the transfer chamber 170. The transfer
chamber 170 is enclosed in the enclosure 140. In some embodiments,
the enclosure 140 includes a plurality of spatially separated
internal regions R1, R2 and R3 within the interior space S. The
internal regions R1, R2 and R3 are respectively occupied by the
transfer chamber 170, the spin coating chamber 150 and the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In other words, transportation of
the substrate W can be confined in the interior space S of the
enclosure 140, and contamination to the substrate W during the
transportation can be reduced because the transportation can be
confined in the interior space S of the enclosure 140. Furthermore,
the transportation duration of the substrate W can be reduced as
well. The transfer chamber 170 is capable of being communicated
with the spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing
chamber 160, so that at least one of the front end robot 122 and
the shuttle robot 124 can move into the spin coating chamber 150
and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 for allowing the
transportation of the substrate W. In some embodiments, there is a
wall 172 interposed between the transfer chamber 170 and the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some embodiments, the wall 172
between the transfer chamber 170 and the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 may be made of a material that is able to block ultraviolet
radiation, so that it can serve as an ultraviolet blocking
structure which can block the ultraviolet radiation generated in
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 from irradiating the transfer
chamber 170. For example, the wall 172 may be made of a plastic
material opaque to ultraviolet radiation, such as, for example,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),
Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or Polyether ether ketone
(PEEK). As such, influence on the substrate W retained in the
transfer chamber 170 caused by the ultraviolet radiation can be
reduced.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of an exemplary
ultraviolet curing chamber 160 in accordance with some embodiments
of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160 may include a body 200 and a lid 202 that can be
hinged to the body 200. A housing 204 may be coupled to the lid
202. The housing 204 covers an ultraviolet lamp bulb 302 disposed
above a process region 300 defined within the body 200. The body
200 may include a door (not shown) that can be opened for
exchanging the substrate W within the process region 300 with an
external robot (e.g., the front end robot 122 or the shuttle robot
124) positioned outside the body 200. The process region 300
includes a heating pedestal 306 for supporting a substrate W within
the process region 300. The heating pedestal 306 may be made of
ceramic or metal such as aluminum. In some embodiments, the heating
pedestal 306 can be heated to between about 150.degree. C. to about
400.degree. C. for benefiting the curing process. In some
embodiments, the pedestal 306 couples to a stem 310 that extends
through a bottom of the body 200 and are operated by a drive system
312 to move the heating pedestal 306 in the processing region 300
toward or away from the UV lamp bulb 302. The drive system 312 can
also rotate and/or translate the pedestal 306 during curing to
further enhance uniformity of substrate illumination. Adjustable
positioning of the pedestal 306 enables control of volatile cure
by-product and purge and clean gas flow patterns and residence
times in addition to potential fine tuning of incident UV
irradiance levels on the substrate W depending on the nature of the
light delivery system design considerations, such as focal
length.
[0021] In some embodiments, the housing 204 includes at least one
wall 2042, and the lid 202 comprises at least one wall 2022. At
least one of the walls 2022 and 2042 is present between the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160 and the spin coating chamber 150
(See FIG. 2). In some embodiments, at least one of the walls 2022
and 2042 between the spin coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160 may be made of a material that is able to block
ultraviolet radiation, so that it can serve as an ultraviolet
blocking structure which can block the ultraviolet radiation from
irradiating to the spin coating chamber 150. For example, at least
one of the walls 2022 and 2042 may be made of a plastic material
opaque to ultraviolet radiation, such as, for example,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),
fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or polyether ether ketone
(PEEK). As such, influence on the substrate W retained in the spin
coating chamber 150 caused by the ultraviolet radiation can be
reduced.
[0022] In some embodiments, a UV source, such as a mercury
microwave arc lamp, a pulsed xenon flash lamp or a high-efficiency
UV light emitting diode array, can be employed. In some
embodiments, a suitable UV source may be the Fusion.RTM. bulb
having output maxima at 260-270 nm, 320 nm and 360 nm ("H" bulb),
at 215-315 nm, and 365 nm ("H+" bulb), at 350-390 nm ("D" bulb) or
at 400-430 nm ("V" bulb). Combinations of these Fusion.RTM. bulbs
lamps may also be used. In some embodiments, the UV lamp bulb 302
may be sealed plasma bulb filled with one or more gases such as
helium (He), argon (Ar), nitrogen (N.sub.2), xenon (Xe), or mercury
(Hg) for excitation by a power source 214. In some embodiments, the
power source 214 may be a microwave generator that can include one
or more magnetrons (not shown) and one or more transformers (not
shown) to energize filaments of the magnetrons. In some embodiments
having the kilowatt microwave (MW) power source, the housing 204
includes an aperture 215 adjacent the power source 214 to receive
up to a predetermined microwave power from the power source 214 to
subsequently generate up to a predetermined power of UV light from
the UV lamp bulb 302. In some other embodiments, the UV lamp bulb
302 can include an electrode or filament therein such that the
power source 214 represents circuitry and/or current supplies, such
as direct current (DC) or pulsed DC, to the electrode.
[0023] In some embodiments, the power source 214 may include a
radio frequency (RF) energy source that is capable of excitation of
the gases within the UV lamp bulb 302. The configuration of the RF
excitation in the bulb can be capacitive or inductive. An
inductively coupled plasma (ICP) bulb can be used to efficiently
increase bulb brilliancy by generation of denser plasma than with
the capacitively coupled discharge. In addition, the ICP lamp
eliminates degradation in UV output due to electrode degradation
resulting in a longer-life bulb for enhanced system productivity.
Benefits of the power source 214 being the RF energy source include
an increase in efficiency.
[0024] In some embodiments, the UV lamp bulb 302 can emit light
across a broad band of wavelengths from 170 nm to 400 nm. The gases
selected for use within the UV lamp bulb 302 can determine the
wavelengths emitted. Since shorter wavelengths tend to generate
ozone when oxygen is present, UV light emitted by the UV lamp bulb
302 can be tuned to predominantly generate broadband UV light above
200 nm to avoid ozone generation during the UV cure process.
[0025] UV light emitted from the UV lamp bulb 302 enters the
processing region 300 by passing through window 314 located in the
aperture in the lid 202. The window 314 may be made of an OH free
synthetic quartz glass and has sufficient thickness to maintain
vacuum without cracking. Further, the window 314 may be fused
silica that transmits UV light down to approximately 150 nm. Since
the lid 202 is sealed to the body 200 and the window 314 is sealed
to the lid 202, the processing region 300 provide volumes capable
of maintaining pressures from approximately 0.1 Torr to
approximately 10 Torr for benefiting the curing process. Processing
or cleaning gases 317 enter the process region 300 via an inlet
passage 316. The processing or cleaning gases 317 then exit the
process region 300 via an outlet port 318. Moreover, cooling air
can be supplied to the interior of the housing 204 to circulate
past the UV lamp bulb 302, and the cooling air may be isolated from
the process region 300 by the window 314.
[0026] In some embodiments, the housing 204 includes an interior
parabolic surface defined by a cast quartz lining 304 coated with a
dichroic film. The quartz lining 304 reflects UV light emitted from
the UV lamp bulb 302 and is shaped to suit the cure process as well
as the chamber clean process based on the pattern of UV light
directed by the quartz lining 304 into the process region 300. In
some embodiments, the quartz lining 304 adjusts to better suit the
cure process as well as the chamber clean process by moving and
changing the shape of the interior parabolic surface. In some
embodiments, the quartz lining 304 may transmit infrared light and
reflect ultraviolet light emitted by the UV lamp bulb 302 due to
the dichroic film. The dichroic film may constitute a periodic
multilayer film composed of diverse dielectric materials having
alternating high and low refractive index. Since the dichroic film
is non-metallic, microwave radiation from the power source 214 that
is downwardly incident on the backside of the cast quartz lining
304 does not significantly interact with, or get absorbed by, the
dichroic film and is readily transmitted for ionizing the gas in
the UV lamp bulb 302.
[0027] In some embodiments, rotating or otherwise periodically
translating the quartz lining 304 during curing and/or cleaning
enhances the uniformity of illumination in the substrate plane. In
some other embodiments, the housing 204 rotates or translates
periodically over the substrate W on the pedestal 306 when the
quartz lining 304 is stationary with respect to the UV lamp bulb
302. In still some other embodiments, rotation or periodic
translation of the substrate W via the pedestal 306 provides the
relative motion between the substrate W and the UV lamp bulb 302 to
enhance illumination and curing uniformity.
[0028] Reference can be made back to FIG. 2. In some embodiments,
the processing apparatus may include a controller 180. The
controller 180 is configured to or programmable to assign transfer
destinations to the transfer module 120 and to control the transfer
module 120 to move to the transfer destinations located within spin
coating chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 in
sequence. Therefore, a substrate W can be spin-coated in the spin
coating chamber 150 in advance. Thereafter, the spin-coated
substrate W can be transferred to the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 and be cured using ultraviolet radiation generated in the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160. Since ultraviolet blocking features
or structures are presented between the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 and the spin coating chamber 150 and between the ultraviolet
curing chamber 160 and the transfer chamber 170 respectively, the
ultraviolet radiation generated in the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 may be blocked from the spin coating chamber 150 and the
transfer chamber 170, so as to reduce influence on the substrates W
located in the spin coating chamber 150 and the transfer chamber
170 caused by the ultraviolet radiation.
[0029] In some embodiments, the controller 180 may be a
microprocessor-based controller, and such a controller 180 can be
adapted to receive inputs from a user and/or various sensors in at
least one of the processing chambers (e.g., the spin coating
chamber 150 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160) and
appropriately control the processing chamber components in
accordance with the various inputs and software instructions
retained in the controller's memory. The controller 180 may include
memory and a CPU (not shown) which are utilized by the controller
180 to retain various programs, process the programs, and execute
the programs. The memory (not shown) is connected to the CPU, and
may be one or more of a readily available memory, such as random
access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard
disk, or any other form of digital storage, local or remote.
Software instructions and data can be coded and stored within the
memory for instructing the CPU. Support circuits (not shown) are
also connected to the CPU for supporting the processor. The support
circuits may include cache, power supplies, clock circuits,
input/output circuitry, subsystems, or the like. A program (or
computer instructions) readable by the controller 180 determines
which process or task is performable in the processing chamber(s).
In some embodiments, the program is software readable by the
controller 180 and includes instructions to monitor and control the
process based on defined rules and input data.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a processing apparatus in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As
shown in FIG. 4, the processing apparatus further includes a baking
chamber 400. One of the transfer destinations of the transfer
module 120 is located within the baking chamber 400. In other
words, the range of motion is sufficient to transfer the substrate
W to the baking chamber 400. The baking chamber 400 is enclosed in
the enclosure 140. In some embodiments, the enclosure 140 includes
a plurality of spatially separated internal regions R1, R2, R3 and
R4 within the interior space S. The internal regions R1, R2, R3 and
R4 are respectively occupied by the transfer chamber 170, the spin
coating chamber 150, the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 and the
baking chamber 400. In other words, transportation of the substrate
W can be confined in the interior space S of the enclosure 140, and
contamination to the substrate W during the transportation can be
reduced because the transportation can be confined in the interior
space S of the enclosure 140. Furthermore, the transportation
duration of the substrate W can be reduced as well.
[0031] In some embodiments, the baking chamber 400 may exemplarily
include a baking plate 420 and a heat exchanging device 430. There
is a baking enclosure 410 within which the baking plate 420 and the
heat exchanging device 430 are enclosed. The baking enclosure 410
may include a plurality of walls, and one of the walls may be the
wall 412 that is interposed between the baking chamber 400 and the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some embodiments, the wall 412
between the baking chamber 400 and the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 may be made of a material that is able to block ultraviolet
radiation, so that it can serve as an ultraviolet blocking
structure which can block the ultraviolet radiation generated in
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 from irradiating the baking
chamber 400. For example, the wall 412 may be made of a plastic
material opaque to ultraviolet radiation, such as, for example,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),
fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or folyether ether ketone
(PEEK). As such, influence on the substrate W retained in the
baking chamber 400 caused by the ultraviolet radiation can be
reduced. In some embodiments, the wall 412 between the baking
chamber 400 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may be made of a
high thermal resistance material, so that it can serve as a thermal
insulation structure which can reduce heat transfer between the
baking chamber 400 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some
embodiments, the wall 412 between the baking chamber 400 and the
ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may be made of an UV-opaque and high
thermal resistance plastic material, such as, for example,
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),
fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) or polyether ether ketone
(PEEK).
[0032] The baking plate 420 is a thermally conductive plate that
can be heated by the heat exchanging device 430 to perform the
various bake processes, such as, for example, a soft bake process.
The baking plate 420 is thermally conductive to improve temperature
uniformity during processing. In some embodiments, the baking plate
420 may be made of aluminum, graphite, aluminum-nitride, or other
thermally conductive material. In some embodiments, an upper
surface of the baking plate 420 which is in contact with the
substrate W may coated with a Teflon impregnated anodized aluminum,
silicon carbide or other material that can minimize particle
generation on the backside of the substrate W as it comes in
contact with the baking plate 420. In some embodiments, the
substrate W rests on pins (not shown) embedded in the upper surface
of the baking plate 420 so that a small gap can be maintained
between the substrate W and the baking plate 420 to reduce particle
generation. In some embodiments, the heat exchanging device 430 is
a thermoelectric device that is adapted to heat the baking plate
420. In some embodiments, the heat exchanging device 430 includes a
plurality of channels (not shown) formed in a lower surface of the
baking plate 420, which are temperature controlled by use of a heat
exchanging fluid that continually flows through the channels. A
fluid temperature controller (not shown) is adapted to control the
heat exchanging fluid and thus control temperature of the baking
plate 420. The heat exchanging fluid may be, for example, a
perfluoropolyether (e.g., Galden.RTM.) that is temperature
controlled to a temperature between about 30.degree. C. and about
250.degree. C. The heat exchanging fluid may also be a temperature
controlled gas, such as argon or nitrogen. In some embodiments, the
baking plate 420 may rest on a plate that is made of a thermally
insulating material, such as a ceramic material (e.g., zirconia,
alumina, etc.), to reduce unwanted heat loss.
[0033] In some embodiments, a lift assembly (not shown) may adapted
to raise and lower the substrate W off an external robot (e.g. the
front end robot 122 or the shuttle robot 124) and place the
substrate W on the upper surface of the baking plate 420 once the
external robot has been retracted. The lift assembly can be
actuated by an actuator that may be an air cylinder or other
available means of raising and lowering the substrate W. The
external robot is adapted to enter the baking chamber 400 through
an access port formed in a wall of the baking enclosure 410.
[0034] In some embodiments, the controller 180 is configured to or
programmable to control the transfer module 120 to move to the
transfer destinations located within spin coating chamber 150, the
baking chamber 400 and the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 in
sequence. Therefore, a substrate W can be spin-coated in the spin
coating chamber 150 in advance. Thereafter, the spin-coated
substrate W can be transferred to the baking chamber 400 and be
soft baked. After wards, the soft baked substrate W can be
transferred to the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 and be cured
using the ultraviolet radiation generated in the ultraviolet curing
chamber 160. Since ultraviolet blocking features or structures are
presented between the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 and the spin
coating chamber 150, between the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 and
the baking chamber 400 and between the ultraviolet curing chamber
160 and the transfer chamber 170 respectively, the ultraviolet
radiation generated in the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may be
blocked from the spin coating chamber 150, the baking chamber 400
and the transfer chamber 170, so as to reduce influence on the
substrates W located in the spin coating chamber 150, the baking
chamber 400 and the transfer chamber 170 caused by the ultraviolet
radiation.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a processing method in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In step
S1, a substrate W is loaded into the spin coating chamber 150
within the enclosure 140 from the load port 110 via the transfer
module 120. For example, the front end robot 122 of the transfer
module 120 can extract the substrate W in the cassette 115 placed
on the load port 110 and can transport the substrate W into the
enclosure 140.
[0036] In step S2, the substrate W is spin-coated using devices in
the spin coating chamber 150. For example, the substrate W can be
held by the spin chuck 154, the spin chuck 154 spins, and the fluid
dispense system 155 can dispense fluid or solution onto the
substrate W held by the spin chuck 154.
[0037] In step S3, the spin-coated substrate W can be transferred
to the baking chamber 400 via the transfer module 120. For example,
the front end robot 122 or the shuttle robot 124 of the transfer
module 120 can extract the spin-coated substrate W in the spin
coating chamber 150 and can transport the spin-coated substrate W
to the baking chamber 400. In some embodiments, during the
transferring the spin-coated substrate W, the enclosure 140 is kept
closed to prevent contamination to the spin-coated substrate W. For
example, the door (not shown) of the load port 110 is kept
closed.
[0038] In step S4, the spin-coated substrate W can be soft-baked
using devices in the baking chamber 400. For example, the
spin-coated substrate W can be placed on the baking plate 420, and
the heat exchanging device 430 may heat the baking plate 420 to a
predetermined temperature to perform the soft bake process.
[0039] In step S5, the soft-baked substrate W can be transferred to
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 via the transfer module 120. For
example, the front end robot 122 or the shuttle robot 124 of the
transfer module 120 can extract the soft-baked substrate W in the
baking chamber 400 and can transport the soft-baked substrate W to
the ultraviolet curing chamber 160. In some embodiments, during the
transferring the soft-baked substrate W, the enclosure 140 is kept
closed to prevent contamination to the soft-baked substrate W. For
example, the door (not shown) of the load port 110 is kept
closed.
[0040] In step S6, the soft-baked substrate W can be cured using
ultraviolet radiation generated in the ultraviolet curing chamber
160. For example, the soft-baked substrate W can be placed on the
pedestal 306 in the ultraviolet curing chamber 160, and the
ultraviolet lamp bulb 302 in the ultraviolet curing chamber 160 may
be excited to generate ultraviolet radiation to irradiate the
soft-baked substrate W, so that the soft-baked substrate W can be
cured by the ultraviolet radiation.
[0041] In some embodiments, since the spin coating chamber and the
ultraviolet curing chamber are enclosed in an enclosure,
contamination to the substrate during the transportation of the
substrate can be reduced because the transportation can be confined
in the enclosure. In other words, since the spin coating chamber
and the ultraviolet curing chamber are located within the interior
space of the enclosure, the contamination to the substrate during
the transportation of the substrate can be reduced.
[0042] According to some embodiments, a processing apparatus
includes a spin coating chamber, an ultraviolet curing chamber, a
transfer module and an enclosure. The transfer module is assigned
with a plurality transfer destinations, in which two of the
transfer destinations are respectively located within the spin
coating chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber. The transfer
module, the spin coating chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber
are enclosed by the enclosure.
[0043] According to some embodiments, a processing apparatus
includes a spin coating chamber, an ultraviolet curing chamber, a
robot assembly and an enclosure. The robot assembly has a range of
motion sufficient to transfer a substrate to the spin coating
chamber and the ultraviolet curing chamber. The enclosure has an
interior space within which the spin coating chamber, the
ultraviolet curing chamber and the robot assembly are located.
[0044] According to some embodiments, a processing method includes
loading a substrate into an enclosure, spin-coating the substrate
in a chamber within the enclosure, transferring the spin-coated
substrate to another chamber within the enclosure, and curing the
transferred substrate using ultraviolet radiation generated in the
another chamber within the enclosure.
[0045] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so
that those skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of
the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate
that they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis for
designing or modifying other processes and structures for carrying
out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the
embodiments introduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also
realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may make
various changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *