Apparatus and method for thermally processing a substrate with a heated liquid
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorMichael A. Carcasi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for heating a substrate in a bath containing a heated liquid inside a vessel of a thermal processing system. The liquid in the bath is heated and the substrate is brought into contact with the liquid in the bath. The substrate is heated to a process temperature by transferring heat energy from the heated liquid in the bath to the substrate. The substrate is removed from the heated liquid and dried before subsequent processing steps.
Claims10
A thermal processing apparatus for heating a layer on a substrate in a bath of a heated liquid, the thermal processing apparatus comprising:
- a vessel including a base and a lid movable relative to said base between opened and closed positions, said vessel adapted to be partially filled by the bath of the heated liquid so that a headspace is defined between the bath and said lid as an unfilled volume;
- a substrate support in said vessel, said substrate support moveable relative to said vessel for transporting the substrate between a first position in which the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and a second position in which the substrate has a non-contacting relationship with the heated liquid in the bath;
- and
- a compressed gas source communicating with said vessel, said compressed gas source adapted to communicate compressed gas to the headspace for pressurizing the headspace to a pressure effective to elevate a boiling point of the liquid in the bath,
- wherein a backside of the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and the layer on the substrate does not contact the liquid when the substrate is in the first position.
A thermal processing apparatus for heating a layer on a substrate in a bath of a heated liquid in a system, the thermal processing apparatus comprising:
- a vessel adapted to be partially filled by the bath of the heated liquid;
- and
- a substrate support in said vessel, said substrate support configured to move relative to said vessel for transporting the substrate between a first position in which the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and a second position in which the substrate has a non-contacting relationship with the heated liquid in the bath, and said substrate support configured to rotate relative to said vessel when said substrate support is in said second position for removing residual liquid from said substrate,
- wherein a backside of the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and the layer on the substrate does not contact the liquid when the substrate is in the first position.
A thermal processing apparatus for heating a layer on a substrate in a bath of a heated liquid in a system, the thermal processing apparatus comprising:
- a vessel adapted to be partially filled by the bath of the heated liquid;
- and
- a substrate support in said vessel, said substrate support configured to move relative to said vessel for transporting the substrate between a first position in which the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and a second position in which the substrate has a non-contacting relationship with the heated liquid in the bath,
- wherein said vessel is configured to rotate when said substrate support is in said second position for removing residual liquid from said substrate,
- wherein a backside of the substrate contacts the heated liquid in the bath and the layer on the substrate does not contact the liquid when the substrate is in the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.