Modified SOG coater's hot plate to improve SOG film quality

Abstract

A heating assembly for use in semiconductor fabrication processes to evaporate solvent contained in a liquefied spin-on-glass (SOG) layer so as cause the SOG layer to solidify. The heating assembly contains: (a) a hot plate and a loader robot to transport a semiconductor wafer to a surface of the hot plate; (b) a plurality of through holes formed in the hot plate; (c) a plurality of movable support columns traveling through the through holes to support the semiconductor wafer and allow the semiconductor wafer to descend in a controlled manner; and (d) a controller to control a descending speed of the plurality of movable support columns. By carefully controlling the descending speed of the liquefied SOG-containing wafer, the formation of micro-cracks can be eliminated, thus resulting in improved yield rate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.