DEVICE FOR COATING THE OUTER EDGE OF A SUBSTRATE DURING MICROELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING

• US 20100012024A1
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cost Effective Equipment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brewer Science Inc.
• Inventors: Brand, Gary J., Allen, Philip H., Trichur, Ramachandran K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/300
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 11/08 Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence

Abstract

New baffles and methods of using these baffles are provided. The baffles comprise a body having an edge wall configured to direct the flow of a composition against a substrate (e.g., silicon wafer) edge. The edge wall comprises a vertical surface, a curved sidewall coupled to the vertical surface, and a lip coupled to the curved sidewall. A preferred baffle is annular in shape and formed from a synthetic resinous composition. Even more preferably, the baffle is not formed of a metal. The inventive methods comprise positioning the baffle adjacent a substrate during a spin coating process so that the edge wall causes the composition to cover the edges of the substrate and preferably a portion of the back side of the substrate.

Claims

1. In a baffle for affecting the flow of a composition during application of the composition to a substrate having an edge, the improvement being that said baffle comprises a body having an edge wall configured to direct the flow of the composition to the substrate edge, said edge wall of the body comprising:

a vertical surface;

a curved sidewall coupled with said vertical surface; and

a lip coupled with said curved sidewall, said baffle comprising a synthetic resin composition.

2. The baffle of claim 1, wherein said synthetic resin composition is selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, polypropylene polyphenylene sulfide, acetals, polyether ether ketone, and mixture of the foregoing.

3. The baffle of claim 1, wherein said lip presents upper and lower surfaces, and said upper surface slopes towards said lower surface along a direction away from the curved sidewall.

4. The baffle of claim 3, wherein said slope is a slope of from about 1-15°

from a vertical position.

5. The baffle of claim 1, wherein said baffle comprises less than about 5% by weight metal, based upon the total weight of the baffle taken as 100% by weight.

6. The baffle of claim 1, wherein:

said curved sidewall has an apex, said sidewall having a thickness “

l”

defined as the distance from the apex to a line taken along the same plane as the vertical surface; and

said lip extends away from the apex and presents an end, said lip having a length “

L”

defined as the distance from the line taken along the vertical surface plane to said lip end, wherein the length “

L”

is from about 1.5-4 times greater than the length “

l”

.

7. The baffle of claim 1, wherein said body and said edge wall are annular in shape.

8. In a baffle for affecting the flow of a composition during application of the composition to a substrate having an edge, the improvement being that said baffle comprises a body having an edge wall configured to direct the flow of the composition to the substrate edge, said edge wall of the body comprising:

a vertical surface;

a curved sidewall coupled with said vertical surface; and

a lip coupled with said curved sidewall, said baffle comprising less than about 5% by weight metal, based upon the total weight of the baffle taken as 100% by weight.

9. The baffle of claim 8, wherein said baffle comprises about 0% by weight metal, based upon the total weight of the baffle taken as 100% by weight.

10. The baffle of claim 8, wherein said lip presents upper and lower surfaces, and said upper surface slopes towards said lower surface along a direction away from the curved sidewall.

11. The baffle of claim 10, wherein said slope is a slope of from about 1-15°

from a vertical position.

12. The baffle of claim 8, wherein:

said curved sidewall has an apex, said sidewall having a thickness “

l”

defined as the distance from the apex to a line taken along the same plane as the vertical surface; and

said lip extends away from the apex and presents an end, said lip having a length “

L”

defined as the distance from the line taken along the vertical surface plane to said lip end, wherein the length “

L”

is from about 1.5-4 times greater than the length “

l.”

13. The baffle of claim 8, wherein said body and said edge wall are annular in shape.

14. In a baffle for affecting the flow of a composition during application of the composition to a substrate having an edge, the improvement being that said baffle comprises a body having an edge wall configured to direct the flow of the composition to the substrate edge, said edge wall of the body comprising:

a vertical surface;

a curved sidewall coupled with said vertical surface and having an apex, said sidewall having a thickness “

l”

defined as the distance from the apex to a line taken along the same plane as the vertical surface; and

a lip coupled with said curved sidewall, extending away from the apex, and presenting an end, said lip having a length “

L”

defined as the distance from the line taken along the vertical surface plane to said lip end, wherein the length “

L”

is from about 1.5-4 times greater than the length “

l.”

15. The baffle of claim 14, wherein said lip presents upper and lower surfaces, and said upper surface slopes towards said lower surface along a direction away from the curved sidewall.

16. The baffle of claim 15, wherein said slope is a slope of from about 1-15°

from a vertical position.

17. The baffle of claim 14, wherein said body and said edge wall are annular in shape.

18. In a baffle comprising a body having an edge for affecting the flow of a composition during application of the composition to a substrate, the improvement being that said body comprises an outer margin comprising a leveling device for changing the position of the baffle relative to the substrate.

19. The baffle of claim 18, wherein said outer margin comprises a flange extending from said body, and said leveling device comprises a protrusion coupled to said flange.

20. The baffle of claim 19, said protrusion including structure defining an opening, and said opening being configured to receive an adjustable fastener.

21. The combination of:

a baffle comprising a body having an edge wall comprising;

a vertical surface;

a curved sidewall coupled with said vertical surface; and

a lip coupled with said curved sidewall; and

a substrate positioned adjacent said curved sidewall but not in contact with said baffle.

22. The combination of claim 21, wherein said body and said edge wall are annular in shape.

23. The combination of claim 22, said edge wall defining an opening, and said substrate being positioned within said opening.

24. The combination of claim 21, said baffle comprising a synthetic resin composition.

25. The combination of claim 21, said substrate being a microelectronic substrate.

26. The combination of claim 25, said substrate being selected from the group consisting of silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum gallium arsenide, aluminum indium gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, indium gallium phosphide, indium gallium nitride, indium gallium arsenide, aluminum oxide, glass, quartz, polycarbonates, polyesters, acrylics, polyurethanes, papers, ceramics, and metal substrates.