IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,610,776
Granted Patent B2
US 12,610,776 · App. 18/407,631 · Granted Apr 21, 2026

Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

Inventors: Sangjine Park (Suwon-si, KR); Jihwan Park (Suwon si, KR); Kuntack Lee (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
H10P72/0474G03F7/70033H10P72/0408H10P72/0411H10P72/0448H10P76/2041
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,610,776
App. No.
18/407,631
Granted
Apr 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including an index module including a load port in which a substrate is accommodated, a first transfer module and a second transfer module for loading and unloading the substrate, and a processing module that is connected to the index module and includes a plurality of process chambers that process the substrate, wherein one of the plurality of process chambers includes a light processing chamber configured to irradiate light to a photoresist pattern of the substrate, the first transfer module transfers the substrate between the index module and the processing module, the second transfer module transfers the substrate between the plurality of process chambers in the processing module, the first transfer module includes a first hand unit and a second hand unit, and the second transfer module includes a third hand unit and a fourth hand unit.

Claims (87)

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a load port on which a container in which a substrate is accommodated is placed;

a first transfer module and a second transfer module for loading and unloading the substrate; and

a processing module that is connected to the load port and includes a plurality of process chambers that process the substrate, wherein:

one of the plurality of process chambers includes a light processing chamber configured to radiate light to a photoresist pattern of the substrate to cure the photoresist pattern, and

the first transfer module is configured to transfer the substrate between the load port and the processing module, and the second transfer module is configured to transfer the substrate between the plurality of process chambers in the processing module, wherein

one of the plurality of process chambers includes a first process chamber configured to form the photoresist pattern from a photoresist membrane on the substrate by supplying a developer to the substrate to perform a developing process and a replacement process, and

the replacement process includes, after performing the developing process, replacing the developer with a nonpolar solvent.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light processing chamber comprises:

a light source unit configured to radiate light to the substrate;

a reflective plate arranged on an upper portion of the light source unit and configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source unit;

a substrate support configured to support the substrate in an inner space of the light processing chamber;

a focusing lens arranged between the light source unit and the substrate support and condensing the light radiated from the light source unit toward the substrate;

a light filter formed under the focusing lens and filtering the light; and

a circulation unit configured to circulate air in the light processing chamber.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the light source unit comprises a plurality of light sources, wherein each of the plurality of light sources comprises any one of a laser, an extreme ultraviolet lamp, a flash lamp, an infrared lamp, and an ultraviolet lamp, and is formed in any one of a cylindrical shape, a circular shape, and a rectangular shape.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the light processing chamber comprises:

a cooling line placed adjacent to the light source unit; and

a refrigerant supply source for supplying cooling liquid to the cooling line, wherein

the cooling line is configured to cool a temperature of the light source unit.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the circulation unit comprises:

a suction unit for sucking external air into the light processing chamber; and

an exhaust unit for exhausting internal air of the light processing chamber, and

wherein the circulation unit adjusts temperature of the light processing chamber by using the suction unit and the exhaust unit.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of process chambers include the first process chamber, a second process chamber, a third process chamber, a fourth process chamber, a fifth process chamber, and a sixth process chamber, wherein:

the first process chamber is configured to form the photoresist pattern from the photoresist membrane of the substrate by supplying the developer to the substrate to perform the developing process and the replacement process,

the second process chamber is configured to perform a drying process using a supercritical fluid,

the third process chamber is configured to perform a cleaning process using a rinse solution on the photoresist pattern on the substrate,

the fourth process chamber is configured to perform a baking process of curing the substrate,

the fifth process chamber is the light processing chamber, and

the sixth process chamber is configured to perform a cooling process of cooling the substrate processed in the fifth process chamber.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein;

the first transfer module includes a first hand unit and a second hand unit, and the second transfer module includes a third hand unit and a fourth hand unit, and

the second transfer module transfers, loads, and unloads the substrate by using the third hand unit of the second transfer module when the substrate is transferred from the fourth process chamber to the sixth process chamber.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second transfer module transfers, loads, and unloads the substrate by using the fourth hand unit of the second transfer module when the substrate is transferred from the first process chamber to the third process chamber.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second transfer module is configured to transfer the substrate to the first process chamber and the second process chamber, and to transfer, to the third process chamber, the substrate on which the drying process has been performed in the second process chamber, and

the third process chamber primarily supplies the rinse solution to an edge area of the substrate on the photoresist pattern of the substrate on which the drying process has been performed, and secondarily supplies the rinse solution to a rear area of the substrate.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first transfer module includes a first hand unit and a second hand unit, and the second transfer module includes a third hand unit and a fourth hand unit, and wherein the processing module comprises a buffer chamber, and the first transfer module transfers the substrate from the load port to the buffer chamber by using the first hand unit or the second hand unit of the first transfer module.

11 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a load port configured to receive a container in which a substrate is accommodated,

a first transfer module and a second transfer module for loading and unloading the substrate, and

a processing module that is connected to the load port and includes a plurality of process chambers that process the substrate, wherein:

the plurality of process chambers includes a first process chamber, a second process chamber, a third process chamber, a fourth process chamber, a fifth process chamber, and a sixth process chamber, wherein:

the first process chamber is configured to form a photoresist pattern from a photoresist membrane of the substrate by supplying a developer to the substrate to perform a developing process and a replacement process,

the second process chamber is configured to perform a drying process using a supercritical fluid,

the third process chamber is configured to perform a cleaning process in which a rinse process is performed,

the fourth process chamber is configured to perform a baking process of curing the substrate,

the fifth process chamber is configured to perform a light processing process of curing the photoresist pattern by radiating light to the substrate,

the sixth process chamber is configured to perform a cooling process of cooling the substrate processed in the fifth process chamber,

the first transfer module is configured to transfer the substrate between the load port and the processing module, the second transfer module is configured to transfer the substrate between the plurality of process chambers in the processing module, and

the first transfer module includes at least a first hand unit, and the second transfer module includes at least a second hand unit.

12 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the fifth process chamber comprises:

a plurality of light sources for radiating light to the substrate;

a reflective plate arranged on an upper portion of the plurality of light sources and configured to reflect the light emitted from the plurality of light sources;

a substrate support unit for supporting the substrate in an inner space of the fifth process chamber;

a focusing lens arranged between the plurality of light sources and the substrate support unit and condensing the light radiated from the plurality of light sources toward the substrate;

a light filter formed under the focusing lens and filtering the light; and

a circulation unit for circulating air in the fifth process chamber, wherein

the plurality of light sources comprise any one of a laser, an extreme ultraviolet lamp, a flash lamp, an infrared lamp, and an ultraviolet lamp, and are formed in any one of a cylindrical shape, a circular shape, and a rectangular shape.

13 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the fifth process chamber comprises:

a cooling line arranged adjacent to the plurality of light sources and cooling the plurality of light sources; and

a refrigerant supply source for supplying cooling liquid to the cooling line, wherein

the circulation unit comprises:

a suction unit for sucking external air into the fifth processing chamber; and

an exhaust unit for exhausting internal air of the fifth processing chamber, and

the circulation unit is configured to adjust temperature of the fifth processing chamber by using the suction unit and the exhaust unit.

14 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the light filter filters the light radiated from the plurality of light sources into any one wavelength band from among infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, and extreme ultraviolet rays.

15 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:

the substrate is transferred, loaded, and unloaded by using the second hand unit of the second transfer module when the substrate is transferred from the fourth process chamber to the sixth process chamber, and

the substrate is transferred, loaded, and unloaded by using a third hand unit of the second transfer module when the substrate is transferred from the first process chamber to the third process chamber.

16 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the third process chamber is configured to supply a rinse solution to the substrate, wherein:

the rinse solution comprises a mixture of at least one of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), propylene glycol methyl ether (PGME), n-butyl acetate (n-BA), 2-heptanone (MAK), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and ethyl pyruvate (EP) and at least one of acetic acid and HF.

17 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

transferring a substrate on which an exposure process has been performed to a buffer chamber of a processing module;

performing a developing process including loading the substrate from the buffer chamber to a first process chamber;

performing a drying process including loading the substrate in a second process chamber after the developing process;

performing a cleaning process including loading the substrate in a third process chamber after the drying process;

performing a light processing process including loading the substrate in a fifth process chamber after the cleaning process; and

performing a cooling process including loading the substrate in a sixth process chamber after the light processing process is performed, wherein:

the cleaning process cleans the substrate using a rinse solution on an edge area of the substrate and a rear area of the substrate.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:

the transfer of the substrate to the buffer chamber is performed by a first transfer module, and

the transfer of the substrate between the first process chamber and the sixth process chamber is performed by a second transfer module.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the first transfer module includes a first hand unit and a second hand unit, and the second transfer module includes a third hand unit and a fourth hand unit.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:

the performing of a developing process by loading the substrate from the buffer chamber to a first process chamber comprises, after performing a developing process of supplying a developer to the substrate, performing a replacement process of replacing the developer with a nonpolar solvent.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 28, 2024
From: PARK, SANGJINE; PARK, JIHWAN; LEE, KUNTACK
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066938/0891 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2023-0007459 · Jan 18, 2023 · national
KR 10-2023-0036157 · Mar 20, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240242985A1 · Jul 18, 2024
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