JP2000077318A - Heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat treatment apparatus for uniformly treating a substrate by heat without generating static electricity. SOLUTION: A heating mounting state 42 is composed of a mounting stage body 51 for providing heat to an LCD substrate (G) and a surface member 52 for mounting the LCD substrate (G). The surface member 52 made of granite or glass is thinner than the mount stage body 51. The surface of the surface member 52 is roughened, and the LCD substrate (G) is mounted thereon. Then, a contact area between the LCD substrate (G) and the surface member 52 is made small, to prevent static electricity that is caused by abrasion between the LCD substrate (G) and the surface member 52. In this case, the roughened surface of the surface member 52 has a roughness of 3 to 100S, so that the deflection in the LCD substrate (G) can be prevented and uniform heat treatment can be realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a substrate such as an LCD substrate on a mounting table.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device (LCD), for example, an ITO
In order to form a thin film (Indium Tin Oxide) and an electrode pattern, a photolithography technique is used as in the case of the semiconductor manufacturing process. This photolithography technology includes various processing steps such as a resist coating step of applying a resist solution on the surface of an LCD substrate and an exposure processing step of exposing a circuit pattern to a formed resist film. The solvent remaining in the resist film is evaporated between the
A heat treatment step is performed to improve the adhesion between the D substrate and the resist film.

As shown in FIG. 11, a heat treatment apparatus used in this heat treatment step includes a mounting table 100 on which an LCD substrate G is mounted, and elevating pins 101 which can protrude from the surface of the mounting table 100. Provided. With this configuration, the LCD substrate G carried into the heat treatment device is supported by the elevating pins 101, and then descends together with the elevating pins 101 to be mounted on the mounting table 100. And LC
Heat treatment is performed in a state where the entire surface of the D substrate G and the mounting table 100 are in contact with each other. For this reason, the mounting table 100 is mounted on the LCD substrate G.
And the heat from the LCD substrate G is evenly distributed, so that the LCD substrate G can be uniformly heated.

However, when the LCD substrate G mounted on the mounting table 100 is lifted by the lifting pins 101,
There is a concern that the LCD substrate G will be charged due to the separation charging that occurs when the CD substrate G is separated from the mounting table 100. When the LCD substrate G is mounted on the mounting table 100,
When the LCD substrate G is thermally expanded by the heat treatment,
The friction generated between the substrate G and the mounting table 100 generates static electricity, and the LCD substrate G may be charged.

Therefore, conventionally, a proximity pin 102 is provided on the surface of the mounting table 100 as shown in FIG.
In many cases, a heat treatment apparatus 103 for performing heat treatment with the CD substrate G supported on the proximity pins 102 is used. According to the heat treatment apparatus 103, since the contact area between the LCD substrate G and the proximity pins 102 is reduced, it is possible to prevent the generation of the static electricity.

[0006]

However, in the heat treatment apparatus 103 using the proximity pins 102, since a gap is formed between the mounting table 100 and the LCD substrate G, the LCD substrate G is bent by its own weight. May occur. In this case, the LCD substrate G and the mounting table 10
Since the interval from 0 is not maintained at an equal interval, this L
The radiant heat from the mounting table 100 does not uniformly spread to the CD substrate G. As a result, a uniform heat treatment may not be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new heat treatment apparatus capable of performing uniform heat treatment on a substrate without charging the substrate with static electricity.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a substrate mounted on a mounting table with heat transmitted from a surface of the mounting table. In the heat treatment apparatus, the surface of the mounting table is roughened. In this case, the rough surface may be formed with a roughness of 3S to 100S.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the first and second aspects, since the substrate is mounted on the rough surface, the contact area between the substrate and the mounting table becomes smaller than before. Therefore, generation of static electricity due to friction between the substrate and the mounting table can be prevented.
Further, since the substrate placed on the rough surface does not bend, the intervals between the substrate and the mounting table are maintained at equal intervals. as a result,
The substrate can be uniformly heated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus of the first or second aspect, the rough surface is formed by a sand blast method.

According to this configuration, a rough surface having an appropriate height can be easily and inexpensively formed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus of the first, second, or third aspect, the mounting table includes a mounting table main body capable of supplying heat to the substrate, and the mounting table main body. And a surface member arranged on the surface.

According to this configuration, the surface member on which the substrate is placed can be formed of an appropriate material. Therefore, it becomes easier to form a rough surface on the surface member. Also,
Since the mounting table is composed of the mounting table main body and the surface member, the surface member can be easily replaced.

The surface member may be formed of a mineral such as granite or marble.
It may be formed of glass as shown in FIG.

In particular, since granite and glass mainly contain silicon oxide, when the substrate is a glass substrate, it is possible to more reliably prevent the generation of static electricity due to friction between the substrate and the surface member. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate mounted on a mounting table with heat transmitted from a surface of the mounting table. And a net arranged on the surface of the mounting table main body.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 7,
The contact area between the substrate and the net is reduced due to the gap formed in the net. Therefore, the friction between the substrate and the net is reduced, and the static electricity generated by such friction can be more reliably prevented. In addition, unevenness can be formed uniformly and regularly by the net, and uniform heat conduction to the substrate can be performed.

The present invention according to claim 8 is a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate mounted on a mounting table with heat propagated from the surface of the mounting table. And a cotton-like member or a cloth-like member arranged on the surface of the mounting table main body.

According to this configuration, since the cotton-like member and the cloth-like member are in contact with the substrate in a dispersed state, the contact area with the substrate is reduced. Therefore, since the friction is reduced, it is possible to prevent the generation of static electricity as in the case of the seventh aspect. Further, when the cotton-like member or the cloth-like member is not fixed to the surface of the mounting table, the cotton-like member or the cloth-like member thermally expands and contracts similarly to the substrate.
Therefore, the friction generated between the substrate and the cotton-like member or the cloth-like member can be further suppressed, and the generation of static electricity can be more reliably prevented. Further, when the cotton-like member or the cloth-like member does not function properly due to abrasion or the like, it is possible to easily replace them.

[0020]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment is embodied as a heat treatment device incorporated in a coating and developing treatment device. 1 is a perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the coating and developing apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating and developing apparatus 1 includes a loader unit 2 for loading and unloading a rectangular LCD substrate G, a first processing unit 3 for processing the LCD substrate G, and a first processing unit 3 for processing the LCD substrate G. A second processing unit 5 connected via a first processing unit 3 and an interface unit 4, and an LCD substrate G is exchanged between the second processing unit 5 and, for example, an exposure apparatus (not shown). And an interface unit 7 for performing the operation.

A cassette mounting table 10 is provided in the loader section 2. The cassette mounting table 10 stores, for example, cassettes 11 for storing unprocessed LCD substrates G and a processed LCD substrate G. Cassettes 12, 12
Can be mounted in a line with the entrance of the LCD substrate G facing the first processing unit 3 side. The loader unit 2 is provided with a sub-transport device 13 that can transport the LCD substrate.

The sub-transport device 13 is provided with a direction (Y direction) along the transport rail 13a and an LCD in each of the cassettes 11 and 12.
It is movable in the storage direction (Z direction) of the substrate G, and θ
It is configured to be rotatable in any direction. The sub-transport device 13 is configured to be able to access the transfer table 14 on which the LCD substrate G can be placed.

In the first processing section 3, various processing apparatuses for performing predetermined processing on the LCD substrate G are arranged on both sides of the transport rail 16 of the main transport apparatus 15. That is,
On one side of the transport rail 16, a scrubber cleaning device 17 for cleaning the LCD substrate G taken out of each of the cassettes 11, 11 and a developing device 18 for performing a developing process on the LCD substrate G are arranged side by side. On the other side of the transport rail 16, an ultraviolet / ozone cleaning device 19, cooling devices 20 and 21 for cooling the LCD substrate G, and a heat processing device 22 for heating the LCD substrate G are appropriately arranged in multiple stages. I have. The loading and unloading of the LCD substrate G to and from these various processing apparatuses is performed by a transfer arm 15a provided in the main transfer device 15. The interface unit 4 formed between the first processing unit 3 and a second processing unit 5 described later has a transfer table 23 on which the LCD substrate G can be placed.
Is provided.

The second processing section 5 includes, on one side of the main transfer device 25 with the transfer rail 26 interposed therebetween, the coating / peripheral portion removal device 2.
7 is disposed, and on the other side of the transfer rail 26,
Hydrophobizing device 28 for performing hydrophobizing treatment on LCD substrate G
And a cooling processing device 29 for cooling the LCD substrate G, and heating processing devices 30, 30 according to the present embodiment are arranged in multiple stages. The main transfer device 25 is provided with a transfer arm 25a for transferring the LCD substrate G into and out of various processing devices belonging to the second processing unit 5.

In order to adjust the tact time between the coating and developing apparatus 1 and an exposure apparatus (not shown), the interface section 7 has cassettes 31 for temporarily storing and waiting the LCD substrate G, and an LCD substrate. A transfer table 32 on which G can be placed, and a sub-transfer device 33 that can transfer the LCD substrate G to each of the cassettes 31, 31, the transfer table 32, and an exposure device (not shown) are provided.

The coating and developing apparatus 1 is configured as described above. Next, the heat treatment device 30 incorporated in the coating and developing treatment device 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the heat treatment device 30
A processing chamber 40 for heating the CD substrate G is formed, and the processing chamber 40 is provided with a heating stage 42 described later and a shutter 43 surrounding the heating stage 42.

The shutter 43 is vertically movable by an elevating cylinder 44. When the shutter 43 is raised, the shutter 43 comes into contact with a stopper 47 which is suspended from a cover 46 having an exhaust port 45 at the upper center. Thus, the processing chamber 40 is formed. Stopper 47
Is provided with an air supply port (not shown), and the air flowing into the processing chamber 40 from the air supply port (not shown) is exhausted from the exhaust port 45. Further, in the processing chamber 40, an elevating pin 48 capable of supporting the LCD substrate G is provided, and the elevating pin 48 is formed so as to be vertically movable by driving a motor 49.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heating mounting table 42 has a rectangular mounting table main body 51 made of a material such as aluminum and has a heating element 50 therein, and is disposed above the mounting table main body 51. And the surface member 52 formed. The surface member 52 is made of, for example, a material such as a mineral such as granite or marble or glass.
It is formed thinner than the mounting table main body 51 so that heat from 1 is transmitted to the LCD substrate G well. The surface member 52 is formed so as to be attachable to the mounting table main body 51.

Further, the surface of the surface member 52 is formed by, for example, a sandblasting process so as to have a roughness of 3S to 100S. LCD substrate G is a surface member 52
When the LCD substrate G is placed on the surface member 5,
2 is in contact with this rough surface.

The heat treatment apparatus 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. Next, the operation and effect of the heat treatment device 30 will be described.

When the cassette 11 accommodating the unprocessed LCD substrate G is mounted on the cassette mounting table 10, the sub-transport device 13 accesses the cassette 11 and removes the LCD substrate G by one.
Remove the sheets. Next, the sub-transport device 13 transports the LCD substrate G to the transfer table 14 provided in the loader unit 2 and transfers the LCD substrate G to the transfer table 14.

Next, the LCD substrate G is mounted on the main transfer device 1
The organic contaminants adhered to the LCD substrate G are transported to the ultraviolet / ozone cleaning device 19 while being held by the transport arm 15a. After that, the ozone cleaning is completed.
The CD substrate G is transferred to the scrubber cleaning device 17 by the main transfer device 15 and subjected to scrub cleaning processing, and then transferred to the transfer table 23 while being held by the transfer arm 15a again.

The LCD substrate G transferred to the transfer table 23 is transferred to the hydrophobizing device 28 while being held by the transfer arm 25a of the main transfer device 25. Then, the LCD substrate G that has been subjected to the hydrophobizing process is again transferred to the transfer arm 25
While being held at a, it is transported to the coating / peripheral part removing device 27. The resist liquid is applied by the coating / periphery removing device 27, and the unnecessary resist film on the peripheral portion is removed.
The D substrate G is transferred to the heat treatment device 30 by the transfer arm 25a.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the LCD board G is moved from above the lowered shutter 43 to the transfer arm 25a.
At the same time, it enters the processing chamber 40 and is supported on the ascending and descending pins 48 indicated by the dashed line. And the transfer arm 25
After retracting a from the processing chamber 40, the shutter 43 is raised to make the processing chamber 40 airtight. Thereafter, the LCD substrate G is lowered from the position shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6 to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Perform processing.

After the completion of the heating process, the lift pins 48 are raised and the shutter 43 is lowered. Next, the transfer arm 25a enters the processing chamber 40 and receives the LCD substrate G from the elevating pins 48, and then exits from the processing chamber 40 while holding the LCD substrate G. Heat treatment device 30
The LCD substrate G carried out from the
It is transferred to the upper side, and is then transferred to the exposure device (not shown) by the sub-transport device 33.

In the heat treatment apparatus 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the surface member 52 on which the LCD substrate G is mounted is formed so as to be rough. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the contact area between the LCD substrate G and the surface member 52 is smaller than in the conventional case. As a result, even when the LCD substrate G is peeled off from the surface member 52 by the lifting pins 48, the friction between the LCD substrate G and the surface member 52 is reduced, and the generation of static electricity due to this friction can be prevented. .

The rough surface is formed to have a roughness of 3S to 100S, and when the LCD substrate G is mounted on the front surface member 52, the back surface of the LCD substrate G contacts the rough surface over the entire surface. It is in a state where it has been done. Therefore, the LCD substrate G placed on the rough surface does not bend under its own weight.
The distance between the CD substrate G and the surface member 52 is maintained at an equal distance over the entire surface of the LCD substrate G. As a result, this L
The heat from the mounting table main body 51 is uniformly supplied to the CD substrate G, so that a uniform heat treatment can be performed.

Since the surface member 52 can be freely attached to the mounting table main body 51, the replacement of the surface member 52 is easy. The rough surface of the surface member 52 can be more easily formed by forming the surface member 52 with a material such as granite or glass that is more easily surface-treated than aluminum or the like that forms the heating mounting table 42. Become.

The above granite or glass is used for LCD.
Since it is composed of the same silicon oxide as the main component of the substrate G, it is possible to more reliably prevent static electricity generated by friction between the surface member 52 and the LCD substrate G.

In the above embodiment, the heating table 4
2 has been described with an example in which the mounting table main body 51 and the surface member 52 are formed and a rough surface is formed on the surface of the surface member 52, but in the present invention, the mounting table main body 51 and the surface member 52 are integrated. A rough surface may be formed on the surface of the heating stage, that is, a conventional heating stage, and the rough surface may be formed to have a roughness of 3S to 100S. Further, the surface member 52 may be formed of, for example, a metal or the like in addition to the granite or the glass.

Further, in the present invention, it is possible to propose a heating table 56 provided with a net 55 instead of the surface member 52. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the mounting table body 51 of the heating mounting table 56 is covered with a net 55, and the LCD substrate G is configured to be heated while being mounted on the net 55. I have.

According to this configuration, the contact area between the LCD substrate G and the screen 55 is reduced due to the gap of the screen 55. Therefore, since the friction between the LCD substrate G and the screen 55 is reduced, the generation of static electricity can be more reliably prevented.
Also in this case, since the LCD substrate G placed on the net 55 does not bend, the interval between the LCD substrate G and the net 55 is maintained at an equal interval. Therefore, a uniform heat treatment can be performed on the LCD substrate G.

Since the contact area between the LCD substrate G and the screen 55 becomes small due to the gap formed in the screen 55,
No special surface treatment such as a sandblasting step is required.
Note that the net 55 does not necessarily need to cover the upper surface of the mounting table main body 51, and it is sufficient that the net 55 is arranged at least at the contact portion between the entire LCD substrate G and the net 55.

In place of the surface member 52 and the net 55, FIG.
The LCD substrate G may be supported by a dense metal cotton 57 made of stainless steel, for example, as shown in FIG. According to such a configuration, since the contact portion between the metal cotton 57 and the LCD substrate G is dispersed, the contact area between the LCD substrate G and the metal cotton 57 is reduced. Therefore, generation of static electricity can be more reliably prevented. Also, as shown in FIG.
The D substrate G may be supported. In this case, unless the cotton-like member 60 or the cloth-like member 61 is fixed to the mounting table main body 51, the cotton-like member 60 or the cloth-like member 61 thermally expands and contracts similarly to the LCD substrate G. Therefore, the friction generated between the LCD substrate G and the cotton-like member 60 or between the LCD substrate G and the cloth-like member 61 can be further suppressed, and the generation of static electricity can be more reliably prevented. Become. Also,
It is also easy to replace the cotton-like member 60 or the cloth-like member 61 that has stopped functioning properly due to wear or the like.

In the above embodiment, the surface treatment by the sandblasting process has been described as an example. However, if the surface of the surface member 52 or the heating table 42 can be formed to have a roughness of 3S to 100S, the present invention is not limited thereto. Is not limited to such an example.

In the above embodiment, the heat treatment apparatus 30 for heating the LCD substrate G after applying the resist has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example.
The present invention can be applied not only to the heat treatment device 22 after the development process but also to, for example, the cooling treatment device 29. The substrate that can be used in the present invention is an LCD as in the above embodiment.
The present invention is not limited to the substrate G, and can be applied to, for example, a CD substrate and a semiconductor wafer.

[0049]

According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, since the contact area of the substrate is smaller than in the conventional case, the generation of static electricity can be prevented. Further, since the substrate does not bend, uniform heat treatment can be performed.

In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the formation of a rough surface is facilitated and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a rough surface is easily formed by forming the surface member from an appropriate material. Further, since the mounting table is composed of the mounting table main body and the surface member, replacement of the surface member is facilitated.

In particular, according to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, since the surface member is composed of the main component contained in the glass substrate, when the glass substrate is used as the substrate, the generation of static electricity is more reliable. Can be prevented.

In particular, according to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, a special surface treatment such as a sandblasting step is not required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a coating and developing treatment apparatus provided with a heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a heating table provided in the heat treatment apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an LCD substrate is carried into the heat treatment apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the LCD substrate is placed on a surface member from the state of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state where an LCD substrate is mounted on the surface member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a heating stage provided in a heat treatment apparatus according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the heating stage of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the heating stage of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an LCD substrate is mounted on a heating mounting table provided in a conventional heat treatment apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an LCD substrate is supported on proximity pins provided in a conventional heat treatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating / developing apparatus 30 Heating apparatus 42 Heating mounting table 51 Mounting table main body 52 Surface member 55 Net 57 Metal cotton G LCD board

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a substrate placed on a mounting table with heat propagated from the surface of the mounting table, wherein the surface of the mounting table is formed as a rough surface. apparatus. 2. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rough surface has a roughness of 3S to 100S. 3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rough surface is formed by a sand blast method. 4. The mounting table according to claim 1, further comprising: a mounting table main body capable of supplying heat to the substrate; and a surface member disposed on a surface of the mounting table main body. 4. The heat treatment apparatus according to 2 or 3. 5. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the surface member is formed of a mineral such as granite or marble. 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the surface member is formed of glass. 7. A heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate mounted on a mounting table with heat propagated from a surface of the mounting table, wherein the mounting table includes a mounting table main body capable of supplying heat to the substrate. And a net disposed on the surface of the mounting table main body. 8. A heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate mounted on a mounting table with heat transmitted from a surface of the mounting table, wherein the mounting table includes a mounting table main body capable of supplying heat to the substrate and A heat treatment apparatus comprising a cotton-like member or a cloth-like member disposed on the surface of the mounting table main body.