JP2002324739A - Treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain radiation of heat from heating treatment equipment to the outside of a casing. SOLUTION: Ducts 35 and 36 are disposed on both side surfaces of an X direction side of a casing 30 of third treatment equipment G3 on which a prebaking part 34 is mounted. The ducts 35 and 36 are disposed so as to cover the whole surfaces of both of the side surfaces of the casing 30. To the ducts 35 and 36, fans for generating air flow in the ducts 35 and 36 are installed. In the ducts 35 and 36, cooling plates 41-44 which are in contact with the air flow and cool the air flow are disposed. Heat generated from the prebaking part 34 is conducted to the ducts 35 and 36. The heat conducted to the ducts 35 and 36 is transferred by the air flow flowing in the ducts 35 and 36. The air flow is cooled with the cooling plates 41-44. As a result, natural radiation of heat from the prebaking part 34 to the outside of the casing 30 is restrained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a photolithography step in a semiconductor device manufacturing process is performed in a coating and developing system. The coating and developing processing system includes a resist coating processing section for forming a resist film on the wafer surface, a developing processing section for developing the exposed wafer, and a heat treatment for the wafer before the coating processing, before and after the exposure processing, and after the developing processing. And a heat treatment unit, a cooling treatment unit, and the like.
Each of these processing units is integrated in a processing station of a coating and developing processing system so that, for example, a series of photolithography processes can be continuously and efficiently performed, and a central portion of the processing station has access to each processing unit. A transfer device capable of transferring a wafer is provided.

Further, each processing unit is controlled to a temperature suitable for each processing. For example, in a heating processing unit, a hot plate for heating a wafer is maintained at a high temperature, and in a cooling processing unit, the wafer is cooled. The cooling plate for cooling is maintained at a low temperature.

[0004]

However, the above-described processing station is often provided with a plurality of heat treatment sections, and the radiant heat emitted from the heat treatment section raises the ambient temperature in the processing station. I do. When the transfer of the wafer by the transfer device is performed in the atmosphere, the temperature of the wafer increases due to the atmosphere whose temperature has been increased during the transfer. Such a rise in the temperature of the wafer may be caused by, for example, cooling the wafer to a predetermined temperature in the cooling processing unit and stopping the chemical reaction of the coating film on the wafer, but the reaction of the coating film starts again due to the rise in the temperature. And other adverse effects. Therefore, an increase in the temperature in the processing station causes an increase in the temperature of the wafer, which affects the line width of the circuit pattern finally formed on the wafer, which causes a reduction in yield.

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 processing apparatus which suppresses, for example, an increase in an ambient temperature in a processing station due to radiant heat from a heat processing section. I do.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the heat processing section is provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and performs a heat processing on the substrate. And provided on the side of the casing,
And a heat transfer unit for transferring heat stored in the heat blocking member to the outside of the processing device. A processing device is provided.

According to the first aspect, the heat from the heat treatment section is blocked by the heat blocking member, and the heat stored in the heat blocking member can be transferred to the outside of the processing apparatus by the heat transfer means. The heat generated in the processing section is released to the outside of the casing, and the temperature of the atmosphere outside the casing can be prevented from rising. Therefore, even when the substrate is transported outside the casing, the substrate is not affected by the heat from the heat treatment unit, and the appropriate temperature can be maintained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the heat processing section is provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and heats the substrate.
There is provided a processing apparatus comprising: a duct provided on a side portion of the casing; and an airflow generating mechanism for generating an airflow flowing in the duct.

As described above, by providing the duct on the casing side of the processing apparatus and providing the airflow generating mechanism for generating the airflow flowing through the duct, the heat conducted from the heat processing unit to the duct can be transferred to the airflow flowing through the duct. Can discharge heat to a predetermined place. Thus, the heat from the heat treatment section is prevented from being dissipated to the outside of the casing, and the rise in the ambient temperature outside the casing can be suppressed.

[0010] In the invention of claim 2, claim 3
As described above, the airflow generating mechanism may form an upward airflow in the duct. As described above, by transferring the heat conducted into the duct by the ascending airflow, the heat can be smoothly discharged without opposing the ascending airflow due to the original heat. In addition, when the heat treatment section is disposed above the processing apparatus, the heat can be appropriately discharged without thermally affecting other lower processing sections.

In the second or third aspect of the present invention, as in the fourth aspect, the duct may be provided with a heat absorbing member for absorbing the heat of the airflow. By providing the heat absorbing member in this way, it is possible to positively absorb the heat from the heat treatment section and exhaust the absorbed heat by the airflow in the duct. Thereby, the heat in the heat treatment section can be effectively exhausted, so that the heat in the heat treatment section is released to the outside of the casing and the temperature outside the casing can be prevented from rising.

Further, in the invention of the second or third aspect, as in the fifth aspect, a cooling device for cooling the airflow may be provided in the duct. in this way,
By providing a cooling device for cooling the airflow flowing in the duct, it is possible to receive the heat from the heat treatment unit and cool the airflow whose temperature has increased. As a result, a large amount of heat-carrying gas flows along the duct as it is,
It is possible to prevent the processing section and the like arranged in the downstream area from being thermally affected. In addition, since the temperature of the airflow can be suppressed from becoming high, even if the airflow is released into the clean room where the processing apparatus is installed, the temperature in the clean room can be maintained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect,
The cooling device has a cooling plate as described above,
It may have a pipeline for flowing a fluid as a refrigerant. Thus, by providing the cooling plate in the duct, the contact area with the gas in the duct is increased by that amount, and the gas in the duct can be cooled effectively.
In addition, by flowing a fluid as a cooling medium through the cooling plate, the heat conducted to the cooling plate can be appropriately exhausted, and the airflow can be appropriately cooled by the cooling plate.

Further, in claim 6, claim 7
A fin may be attached to the cooling plate as described above. By attaching the fins in this manner, the contact area between the airflow in the duct and the cooling plate is further increased, and the airflow in the duct can be more effectively cooled.

According to the sixth or seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling unit for cooling the substrate as in the eighth aspect,
As the fluid, a refrigerant used at the time of the cooling processing of the cooling processing unit may be used. As described above, by using the refrigerant used in the cooling processing unit as the fluid flowing through the cooling plate, there is no need to newly provide a mechanism for supplying the refrigerant or a temperature control mechanism.
Since the existing mechanism can be used, it is possible to prevent the overall configuration of the processing apparatus from becoming complicated, and from increasing the manufacturing cost of the apparatus and the cost of the consumed refrigerant.

In each of the processing apparatuses according to the second to eighth aspects, a mist supply mechanism for supplying a mist of cooling water into the duct may be provided as in the ninth aspect. According to claim 9, a mist of cooling water is supplied into the duct,
By the latent heat when the mist evaporates, the heat of the airflow in the duct is taken away, and the airflow in the duct can be cooled. As a result, it is possible to prevent the gas having a large amount of heat from flowing along the duct as it is, thereby preventing the processing section and the like disposed downstream from being thermally affected.

Further, in each of the processing apparatuses according to claims 2 to 9, the heating processing section has a heating section for heating the substrate and a cooling section for cooling the substrate in parallel, as in claim 10.
The duct may be provided on a side of the casing closer to the heating unit. As described above, since the heat processing unit has both the heating unit and the cooling unit, for example, a heated substrate can be immediately cooled. Thereby, the heat history given to the substrate by the heating can be made uniform between the substrates. In this case, by providing the duct only on the heating section side, unnecessary installation on the cooling section side can be omitted, and heat can be efficiently discharged from the heat treatment section.

According to the eleventh aspect, there is provided a processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the heating processing section having a heating section provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and performing a heating process on the substrate; A processing apparatus is provided, comprising: a duct provided on a side portion of a casing; and a cooling passage provided in the duct and through which a cooling fluid flows. According to such a processing apparatus, heat is insulated by the airflow flowing in the duct, so that heat radiation from the casing is suppressed. In addition, since the heat is absorbed by the cooling fluid flowing through the cooling passage, the heat radiation is further suppressed. In this case, if the cooling flow path is provided on the outer side of the duct, as described above, the heat is once insulated by the air flow in the duct, and the heat does not suddenly move from the casing to the cooling flow path. The heat treatment in the casing can be stably performed. And since there is no rapid heat transfer,
The power for compensating for the temperature drop can be kept extremely low, and the required power can be saved as a whole.

Furthermore, a heat shielding panel having a wiring accommodating portion for accommodating at least the electric wiring and having a flow path through which the cooling fluid flows is disposed between the wiring accommodating portion and the heating portion. You may do so. For example, a control system cable or the like may be stored in the wiring housing. Thereby, disturbance due to heat on the control system is suppressed, and stable and accurate control can be performed.

A cooling section for cooling the substrate is added to the heat processing section, and the cooling fluid used after the cooling processing of the cooling section is used as the cooling fluid. The supply source of the refrigerant is unnecessary.

If the duct is divided into a plurality of channels,
The flow path can be set according to the amount of exhaust gas, and the rating of the exhaust pump and the like can be appropriately set accordingly.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a coating and developing processing system 1 having a processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing processing system 1, and FIG. 3 is a processing apparatus according to the present invention. The perspective view of FIG.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the coating and developing processing system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the coating and developing system 1 carries 25 wafers W into and out of the coating and developing system 1 from the outside in units of cassettes and carries wafers W into and out of the cassette C. A cassette station 2 for unloading, a processing station 3 in which various processing units for performing predetermined processing in a single-wafer manner in a coating and developing processing step are arranged in multiple stages, and provided adjacent to the processing station 3. An interface unit 4 for transferring a wafer W to and from an exposure apparatus (not shown) is integrally connected.

In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be mounted in a row in the X direction (up and down direction in FIG. 1) at predetermined positions on a cassette mounting table 5 serving as a mounting portion. Then, the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z
(A vertical direction) is provided movably along a transfer path 8 so that each cassette C can be selectively accessed.

The wafer carrier 7 has an alignment function for positioning the wafer W. The wafer carrier 7 is configured so as to be able to access an extension unit 33 belonging to the third processing apparatus G3 on the processing station 3 side as described later.

In the processing station 3, a main transfer unit 13 is provided at the center thereof, and various processing units are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer unit 13 to constitute a processing unit. In the coating and developing system 1, four processing units G1, G2, G3 and G4 are arranged, and the first and second processing units G1 and G2 are arranged on the front side of the coating and developing system 1, The third processing device G3 as a processing device is
The fourth processing unit G4 is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2, and is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 4. Further, a fifth processing device G5 shown by a broken line as an option can be separately arranged on the back side. The main transfer device 13 includes these processing devices G1, G2, G3,
The wafer W can be loaded and unloaded to and from various processing units described below disposed in G4 and G5. Note that the number and arrangement of the processing apparatuses differ depending on the type of processing performed on the wafer W, and the number of processing apparatuses can be arbitrarily selected as long as it is one or more.

In the first processing apparatus G1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating section 17 for supplying a resist solution to the wafer W to form a resist film, and a wafer W
Are arranged in two stages from the bottom in order from the bottom. Similarly, in the case of the processing apparatus G2, the resist coating processing section 19 and the developing processing section 20 are stacked in two stages from the bottom in the same manner.

The third processing unit G3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 30 as shown in FIG. A plurality of horizontal plates 30a that divide the inside of the casing 30 into a plurality of rooms are provided in the casing 30, so that a plurality of processing units can be arranged in multiple stages. The casing 30
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a cooling unit 31 for cooling the wafer W, an adhesion unit 32 for improving the fixability between the resist solution and the wafer W, an extension unit 33 for waiting the wafer W, a resist solution Prebaking unit 34 as a heat treatment unit for drying the solvent therein
Are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in four layers.

On both sides of the casing 30 on the X direction side,
As shown in FIG. 3, ducts 35 and 36 are provided in contact with the entire surface of the side surface and as heat blocking members for flowing gas in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the configuration of the ducts 35 and 36 will be described using the duct 35 as an example.

The duct 35 has an opening 37 at one end at the upper end of the casing 30, and the other end of the duct 35 is opened from below the casing 30, for example, outside the coating and developing system 1. As a material of the side portion 38 of the duct 35 on the casing 30 side, a material having excellent heat conductivity, for example, aluminum is used, and the side portion 3 on the opposite side of the side portion 38 is used.
9, that is, a material having low thermal conductivity, for example, a porous ceramic, is used for the outer side portion 39 of the casing 30. Thereby, the heat radiated from the pre-baking portion 34 in the casing 30 is easily conducted into the duct 35, and the heat conducted into the duct 35 leaks from the side portion 39 of the duct 35 to the outside of the casing 30. Not to be. The entire duct 35 may be made of a material having excellent heat conductivity or a material having low heat conductivity. Further, a resin material having a predetermined thickness may be provided on a member constituting the side portion 39, or a sponge-like heat insulating member may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, a fan 40 as an airflow generating mechanism is provided in the duct 35 to form a downward airflow in the duct 35, and the atmosphere in the processing station 3 is changed to the opening of the duct 35. Inflow from duct 37
5 can be discharged from below. Incidentally, the heat transfer means according to claim 1 is, in this embodiment,
It is composed of a fan 40 and an airflow formed by the fan 40.

In the duct 35, cooling plates 41, 42, 43 and 44 each having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape for contacting the airflow in the duct 35 and cooling the airflow are provided vertically. I have. The cooling plates 41 to 44 are made of a material having excellent heat conductivity, for example, aluminum.

Each of the cooling plates 41 to 44 is provided with a plurality of fins 45 on its surface as shown in FIG. 6, so that the contact area with the airflow in the duct 35 is increased. ing. Pipes 46 to 49 for circulating cooling water as a coolant are provided in the cooling plates 41 to 44, respectively, and exhaust heat conducted to the cooling plates 41 to 44 from the airflow in the duct 35. Heating, each cooling plate 41-
44 can be maintained at a low temperature. For example, the conduit 46 includes a space 46a provided inside the cooling plate 41,
Inflow part 46 leading from the upper part of cooling plate 41 to space part 46a
b, and an outflow portion 46c communicating from the space portion 46a to the lower portion of the cooling plate 41. Cooling water flowing into the cooling plate 41 from a coolant supply source (not shown) is temporarily stored in the space portion 46a, where it is stored. The heat of the cooling plate 41 is sufficiently conducted to the cooling water. In addition, each cooling plate 41-44 is
It may be directly attached to the side portion 38 of the duct 35 corresponding to the heat treatment portion, for example, the pre-baking portion 34, on the casing 30 side.

Each of the cooling plates 41 to 41 vertically adjacent to each other
The pipes 46 to 49 are connected by connecting pipes 50, and the cooling water flowing from the uppermost cooling plate 41 passes through the respective cooling plates 41 to 44 in order, and the lowermost cooling plate 44 is connected thereto. It is to be leaked from. The above-described cooling water is supplied from, for example, a coolant supply source (not shown). The cooling water that has passed through the cooling plates 41 to 44 is returned to the coolant supply source again so that the temperature is adjusted. It is configured. Note that the configuration of the duct 36 and the inside of the duct 36 are the same as those of the duct 35, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pre-baking section 34 has a disk-shaped and thick hot plate 55 for mounting and heating the wafer W at the center, for example, as shown in FIG. By mounting the wafer W on the heated plate 55 for a predetermined time, the wafer W can be heated. Further, the transfer of the wafer W to the pre-baking unit 34 can be performed from the side surface on the Y direction side where the ducts 35 and 36 are not provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fourth processing unit G4 has a substantially rectangular casing 60 and ducts 61 and 62 on both sides in the X direction, as in the third processing unit G3. . In the casing 60, for example, as shown in FIG.
6, an extension section 67, a post-exposure baking section 68 for performing a heat treatment after exposure, and a post-baking section 69 for performing a heat treatment after development processing are, for example, stacked in five stages from the bottom. The other configuration is the same as that of the third processing device G3, and the description is omitted.

At the center of the interface section 4, a wafer carrier 70 is provided. The wafer carrier 70 is configured to freely move in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), the Z direction (vertical direction), and rotate in the θ direction (rotational direction around the Z axis). , The extension cooling unit 66, the extension unit 67, the peripheral exposure unit 71, and the exposure unit (not shown) belonging to the fourth processing unit G4, and the wafer W can be transferred to each of them. .

Next, the operation of the third processing unit G3 in the coating and developing system 1 configured as described above will be described together with the photolithography process.

First, before the processing of the wafer W is started,
The hot plate 55 of the pre-baking unit 34 in the third processing apparatus G3 is heated and maintained at the heating temperature of the wafer W, for example, 140 ° C. At this time, the fans 40 of the ducts 35 and 36 are operated, the atmosphere in the processing station 3 flows into the ducts 35 and 36 from the opening 37, and a downdraft is formed in the ducts 35 and 36. Further, low-temperature cooling water starts to be supplied from a refrigerant supply source (not shown), and the cooling plates 41 to 44 are maintained at a low temperature. As a result, the heat generated by the hot plate 55 of the pre-baking section 34 is transferred to the duct 3
5 and 36 and are transported by the airflow flowing therethrough. Then, the heat moves to the cooling plates 41 to 44 when the airflow contacts the cooling plates 41 to 44, and the airflow in the ducts 35 and 36 is cooled. Further, the heat transferred to the cooling plates 41 to 44 is transferred to the cooling water and discharged. Further, the cooled airflow is supplied to the ducts 35 and 3.
6 is discharged from below into a clean room where the coating and developing system 1 is installed, for example.

Then, when the processing of the wafer W is started,
First, the wafer carrier 7 takes out one unprocessed wafer W from the cassette C and carries it into the adhesion unit 32 belonging to the third processing apparatus G3. Next, the adhesion section 3
2, the wafer W coated with an adhesion enhancer such as HMDS for improving the adhesion to the resist solution is applied to the main transfer device 1
By 3, for example, it is conveyed to the cooling unit 31 and cooled to a predetermined temperature.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating unit 17 or 19, where the resist coating process is performed.
Then, the wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the pre-baking unit 34. The wafer W transferred to the peri-baking unit 34 is placed on the hot plate 55 and is heated for a predetermined time. Then, the wafer W after the heat treatment is completed.
Is transported to the extension cooling section 66.

Next, the wafer W is taken out of the extension cooling section 66 by the wafer carrier 70 and carried to the peripheral exposure device 71, where the peripheral portion of the wafer W is exposed. The wafer W for which the peripheral exposure has been completed is again held by the wafer carrier 70 and carried to an exposure device (not shown). Then, the wafer W having been subjected to the exposure processing is transferred to the extension section 67 by the wafer transfer body 70, and then transferred to the post-exposure baking section 68 and the cooling section 65 by the main transfer device 13 in order to be subjected to predetermined processing. You.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transported to the developing section 18 or 20, where it is developed. Then, the developed wafer W is transferred to the post-baking unit 69 and heated, and then transferred to the cooling unit 31 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. Then, the wafer is transferred to the extension unit 33, from which it is returned to the cassette C of the cassette station 2 by the wafer transfer body 7. Through the above steps, a series of photolithography steps is completed.

According to the above embodiment, the heat generated from the pre-baking section 34 is transferred by the airflow flowing through the ducts 35 and 36 before being discharged into the processing station 3. Temperature rise can be suppressed. Therefore, when the wafer W is transported between the processing units, it is possible to suppress the temperature of the wafer W from being increased by the atmosphere of the processing station 3.

Further, the air flow in the ducts 35 and 36 which received the heat from the pre-baking section 34 is changed to the cooling plates 41 to 44.
Cooling, the airflow flows while retaining a large amount of heat, and is disposed downstream, for example, in the cooling unit 3.
It is possible to suppress a thermal influence on 1 or the like. In addition, it is possible to directly exhaust air into a temperature-controlled clean room.

Since the space 46a is provided in the conduit 46 in the cooling plate 41, the cooling water is temporarily stored in the space 46a, and the heat transferred from the airflow in the duct 35 to the cooling plate 41 is cooled. Because it has enough time to be transmitted to
The heat exchange can be performed effectively.

Since the fins 45 are attached to the cooling plates 41 to 44, the surface area of the cooling plates 41 to 44 is increased, and the contact area with the air flow is increased, so that the air flow can be effectively cooled. it can.

In the above embodiment, the ducts 35 and 3
6 is mounted on the two sides on the X direction side of the casing 30 of the third processing apparatus G3, but may be provided on only one of the side surfaces of the casing 30, or may be provided on three surfaces including the side surface on the Y direction side. Good. In particular, if it is provided on three sides, the third
The heat generated from the processing device G3 is more blocked, and the amount of heat released into the processing station 3 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the fan 40
Thus, a downward airflow is formed in the ducts 35 and 36, but an upward airflow may be formed. By doing so, it is possible to suitably form an air flow without opposing the gas to be heated and going to rise. In addition, by flowing a gas holding a large amount of heat to an upper side of the cooling unit 31 or the like where there is no concern about a thermal effect on the processing unit, the influence on the processing unit can be suppressed to a minimum.

Further, the pipe 46 having the space portion 46a is provided in the above-mentioned cooling plate 41, but another pattern, for example, the pipe 80 meanders in the cooling plate 41 as shown in FIG. It may be provided as follows. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the pipe 90 may be provided in a meandering manner with the pipe 90 exposed. Note that fins may be directly attached to the conduit 90 to increase the surface area.

Further, as the cooling water for cooling the cooling plates 41 to 44, other cooling processing units, for example, cooling water as a refrigerant used in the cooling unit 31 as the cooling processing unit may be used. . For example, as shown in FIG.
As shown at 0, a cooling plate 100 for mounting and cooling the wafer W is provided. The cooling plate 100 is provided with a Peltier device 101, and the cooling plate 100 can be maintained at a predetermined temperature by the Peltier device 101. In the cooling plate 100,
A pipe 102 is provided for flowing cooling water for discharging heat generated by the Peltier element 101 to the outside of the cooling unit 31. The pipe 102 has a return path 104 for returning the cooling water to the refrigerant supply device 103 having a temperature control function, and a supply path 105 for supplying the cooling water from the refrigerant supply device 103 to the cooling plate 100. Is formed.

The supply path 105 is provided with a duct supply path 106 that branches off from the supply path 105 and supplies cooling water to the uppermost cooling plate 41 of the ducts 35 and 36. The return path 104 is provided with a duct return path 107 for returning the cooling water from the lowermost cooling plate 44 to the return path 104. With this configuration, the cooling plate 100
Is supplied to the cooling plates 41 of the ducts 35 and 36, the cooling water is used as cooling water for the cooling plates 41 to 44, and then returned to the refrigerant supply device 103. Accordingly, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for supplying the cooling water to the cooling plates 41 to 44, and the cooling water can be supplied to the cooling plates 41 to 44 using the existing circulation path. The cooling water for the cooling plates 41 to 44 may be supplied from the supply passage 105 to the lowermost cooling plate 44, and returned from the uppermost cooling plate 41 to the return passage 104.

In the above embodiment, the ducts 35 and 3
Although the cooling plates 41 to 44 are provided to cool the air flow in 6, the mist supply mechanism for supplying pure water mist as cooling water is provided in the ducts 35 and 36 to cool the air flow. You may. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG.
Supply nozzle 1 for jetting mist into ducts 35 and 36
10 is provided. The supply nozzle 110 is connected to a mist supply source (not shown) by a supply pipe 111.
The supply pipe 111 has a valve 11 that can change the supply amount of mist.
2 are provided. The valve 112 includes a controller 113
The opening / closing degree of the mist is controlled by the controller 113, so that the mist ejection timing and the ejection amount can be controlled by the controller 113. Then, for example, mist is intermittently ejected after the processing of the wafer W is started,
The latent heat of the mist removes heat from the airflow in the ducts 35 and 36 to cool the airflow. By doing so, the airflow in the ducts 35 and 36 is cooled, and it is possible to suppress the thermal effect on the processing section in the downstream area.

In the above embodiment, the duct 35
And 36 are provided with cooling plates 41 to 44 through which a refrigerant is passed. However, in ducts 35 and 36, heat absorbing members, such as aluminum plates, for merely absorbing the heat of the airflow in the ducts 35 and 36 are provided. You may. This also allows the heat generated from the pre-baking section 34 to be positively absorbed and exhausted by the airflow in the ducts 35 and 36, so that the temperature rise in the processing station 3 can be suppressed.

Further, instead of the pre-baking section 34 described above, a heating section having a heating section and a cooling section may be provided, and a duct may be provided only on the heating section side. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a heating plate 121 as a heating unit and a cooling plate 122 as a cooling unit are provided side by side in the heating processing unit 120. A duct 123 having the same configuration as the above-described duct 35 is provided on the side surface of the casing 30 on the side of the hot plate 121 so as to surround the hot plate 121. Thereby, the heat treatment unit 12
Even when 0 is used, the radiation of heat from the hot plate 121 side can be suppressed, and the temperature rise in the processing station 3 can be suppressed.

FIG. 13 shows another example of the heat treatment section. The heat processing section 130 has a heating section 132 and a cooling section 133 in a casing 131.
For example, when the third processing device G3 or the fourth processing device G4 is incorporated, this casing also serves as a casing of the entirety of the third processing device G3 and the fourth processing device G4. The heating unit 132 has a hot plate 134,
4 has a built-in heater. Therefore, hot plate 13
It is possible to perform a predetermined heating process on the wafer W on the wafer 4. The heating plate 134 is provided with three lifting pins 135 protruding from above the heating plate 134 when the wafer W is moved up and down. The elevating pin 135 is moved up and down by an appropriate driving device such as a motor.

Inside the casing 131, a cooling unit 133 is provided in addition to the heating unit 132 described above. The cooling unit 133 has a cooling plate 142 that moves along the moving rail 141 and moves up and down. The cooling plate 142 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape as a whole,
Inside, a constant temperature water supply source 14 installed outside is installed.
A cooling fluid at a predetermined temperature (for example, 23 ° C.), for example, water CW1 supplied from the inlet 3 of the cooling plate 142
From 42a, it goes around the flow path formed in the cooling plate 142 and exits from the outlet 142b of the cooling plate 142. Thereby, the wafer W placed on the cooling plate 142 is cooled.

At the end of the cooling plate 142 on the side of the heating section 132, two slits 144, 145 are provided.
Are formed. These slits 144, 145
When the cooling plate 142 moves to the heating unit 132 side and is positioned on the hot plate 134 to receive the wafer W supported by the lifting pins 135 on the hot plate 134, the lifting pins 135 do not become an obstacle. It is provided as follows. Therefore, the cooling plate 142 is
The wafer W can be transferred to the elevating pins 135 above the wafer W.

Heating section 1 outside casing 131
Ducts 151 and 152 are attached to both sides corresponding to 32. The duct 151 is divided into a first duct 151a, a second duct 151b, and a third duct 151c through which air flows in the vertical direction. Duct 15
2, the first duct 152a, the second duct 152b, and the third duct 152 through which the air flows in the vertical direction.
c. First ducts 151a, 152a
Is, for example, a third processing device G3 or a fourth processing device G4
This is a flow path for exhausting the unit of the processing unit as various units mounted on the unit. For example, exhaust of the entire unit is exhausted to the outside of the processing apparatus through the first ducts 151a and 152a. Second duct 151b, 15
2b is, for example, a third processing device G3 or a fourth processing device G
4 is a flow path for performing high-temperature exhaust, for example, high-temperature exhaust generated from a unit having a hot plate, in a processing unit as various units mounted on the unit 4. The third ducts 151c and 152c are connected to the third processing device G, for example.
In a processing unit as various units mounted on the third or fourth processing apparatus G4, a solvent or various processing liquids, for example, HMDS (hexamethyl methyl methacrylate) used for performing an adhesion process on a wafer W during exhaustion. This is a flow path for exhausting the gas.

As shown in FIG. 14, the outer panel 1
53, 154, for example, when applied to the third processing apparatus, has a length in the vertical direction over the entire side surface of each of the heat treatment units 130 stacked in multiple stages. That is, the ducts 151 and 152 can exhaust air from each of the heat treatment units 130.

The first duct 151a, 152a, the second duct 151b, 152b, the third duct 151c, 1
52c can be set by changing the exhaust flow rate per unit time, and various types of exhaust can be performed with an optimum and minimum required exhaust amount according to the characteristics of the air to be exhausted. is there.

The first duct 151a, 152a and the second duct 151 in each duct 151, 152
b, 152b, and the outer panels 153, 154, which form the third ducts 151c, 152c, and which are located outside these, can be made of, for example, aluminum. The cooling channels 153a and 153b are formed in the vertical direction, and the cooling channels 154a and 153b are formed in the outer panel 154 in the vertical direction.
a, 154b are formed.

The cooling channels 153a and 153b
The partition 51 is formed so as to be located just outside the partition plates 151d and 151e that divide the partition 51 into three. The cooling channels 154a and 154b are also formed so as to be located just outside the partition plates 152d and 152e that divide the duct 152 into three.

A cooling fluid, for example, water CW2 at a predetermined temperature (for example, 23 ° C.) supplied from a constant temperature water supply source 155 flows through the cooling channels 153a, 153b and the cooling channels 154a, 154b. For example, constant temperature water supply source 15
The water supplied from 5 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
From the top of the cooling channel 153 a of the outer panel 153, enter the outer panel 153, enter the cooling channel 153 b through the communication pipe at the lower part of the outer panel 153, exit from the top, and then cool the outer panel 154. From above 154b,
It enters the outer panel 154, enters the cooling channel 154a through the communication pipe 154c at the lower part of the outer panel 154, exits from the top, and returns to the constant temperature water supply source 155.

The heating section 132 in the casing 131
A wiring housing 161 is provided in the space on the back side of the device. Various wirings, electric devices, and the like are housed in the wiring housing 161. A heat shield panel 162 is arranged between the wiring housing 161 and the heating unit 132 so as to partition the wiring housing 161 and the heating unit 132. The heat shield panel 162 is made of, for example, aluminum.
Inside, a flow path 163 for allowing the cooling fluid to flow in the horizontal direction is formed in a vertically multi-stage manner.

As shown in FIG. 13, the cooling water flowing out of the outlet 142b of the cooling plate 142 flows through the flow path 163, and then exits the flow path 163 and returns to the constant temperature water supply source 143. It has become.

The periphery of the heat treatment section 130 has the above configuration. According to this example, ducts 151 and 152 through which air flows are provided on both sides of the casing 131 facing the heating section 132. The heating unit 13
2, the heat generated by the air suppresses the transmission of heat to the outside of the heat treatment section 130. Moreover, cooling channels 153a, 153b, 154a, 1 are provided inside the outer panels 153, 154 of the ducts 151, 152.
The outer panel 153, 154 functions as a cooling panel, and further suppresses the transmission of heat generated by the heating unit 132 to the outside, since the cooling panel 54b is provided therein and water as a cooling fluid flows therein. Can be.

When the casing 131 is directly cooled by the cooling fluid, the heat transfer from the heating section 132 to the casing 131 becomes rapid, and as a result, the stability of the heating in the heating section 132 is impaired. In order to compensate for the temperature drop accompanying the above, it is necessary to supply a large amount of power to the heater of the heating unit 132.

In this respect, in the above embodiment, the casing 1
On both sides corresponding to the heating section 132 in the duct 31, the heat is once insulated by the ducts 151 and 152, that is, by the air flow in the duct. Heating can be performed. In addition, since there is no rapid movement of heat, the power for compensating for the temperature drop can be kept extremely low, and the required power can be saved as a whole.

When the casing 131 is directly cooled by the cooling fluid, the heat transfer from the heating section 130 to the casing 131 becomes sharp, and as a result, the stability of the heating in the heating section 131 is impaired, and In order to compensate for the temperature drop accompanying the above, it is necessary to supply a large amount of power to the heater of the heating unit 130. In this regard, in the above embodiment,
On both sides of the casing 130 corresponding to the heating unit 130, the heat is temporarily insulated by the ducts 151 and 152, that is, by the airflow in the duct.
There is no rapid transfer of heat to the casing or outside, and stable heating can be performed. In addition, since there is no rapid movement of heat, the power for compensating for the temperature drop can be kept extremely low, and the required power can be saved as a whole.

The ducts 151 and 152 are respectively provided with first ducts 151a and 152a and second duct 151, respectively.
b, 152b, and third ducts 151c, 152c, and the high-temperature exhaust gas is divided into second ducts 151b, 15b.
2b, the cooling flow path 15
3a and 153b are located just outside the partition plates 151d and 151e that partition the duct 151 into three sections, and the cooling channels 154a and 154b also have partition plates 152d that partition the duct 152 into three sections. Since the second ducts 151b and 152b through which the hottest exhaust gas flows are located just outside of the cooling passages 152e, the cooling ducts 153a and 152b, respectively.
153b, located between the cooling channels 154a, 154b. Therefore, the heat itself of the exhaust gas flowing in the second ducts 151b and 152b is also affected by the cooling passages 153a and 153a.
The transmission to the outside is suppressed by the cooling fluid flowing through the cooling passage 53b and the cooling passages 154a, 154b.

The heat shield panel 16 is provided between the wiring housing 161 in which various wirings are housed and the heating unit 132.
2 and a flow path 163 in the heat shield panel 162.
Since water flows as a coolant, the heat generated in the heating unit 132 is suppressed from being transmitted to the wiring housing unit 161. The various wirings housed in the wiring housing 161 include:
For example, there is a signal line from a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the hot plate 134 or the cooling plate 142, and the temperature of the hot plate 134 or the cooling plate 142 is controlled based on a signal from the temperature sensor. By suppressing the influence of the heat from the heating unit 132, it is possible to suppress disturbance and perform accurate and stable temperature control.

Further, since the water flowing through the flow path 163 is the water used for cooling the cooling plate 142, it is not necessary to receive the supply of the refrigerant from a special refrigerant supply source.

The heat processing section 130 having such a configuration can be installed in any of the third processing apparatus G3 and the fourth processing apparatus G4. The heat treatment section 130 has loading / unloading ports 130a, 130b having shutters that can be opened and closed on both sides.
Therefore, when installed in the third processing apparatus G3, both the wafer transfer body 7 and the main transfer apparatus 13 can transfer the wafer W to the cooling plate 142, and If the wafer carrier 70 and the main carrier 13 are both installed in the processing apparatus G4, the cooling plate 1
The transfer of the wafer W to and from the wafer 42 is possible.

In the above embodiment, the third processing unit G3 has been described, but the fourth processing unit G4 may of course have the same configuration.

Although the above-described embodiment is directed to a wafer processing apparatus in a photolithography step of a semiconductor wafer device manufacturing process, the present invention is also applicable to a substrate other than a semiconductor wafer, for example, an LCD processing apparatus. Can be applied.

[0077]

According to the present invention, an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere outside the casing can be suppressed, so that the temperature of the substrate does not increase when the substrate is transported or the like, and unexpected temperature fluctuations of the substrate are suppressed. Can be maintained at an appropriate temperature. As a result, strict temperature control of the substrate becomes possible, and the yield is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a coating and developing processing system having a third processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a third processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the coating and developing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a vertical section of a third processing apparatus schematically showing a configuration inside a duct.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing a configuration of a cooling plate in a duct.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a prebaking unit.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a longitudinal section showing another configuration example of a pipe passing through a cooling plate.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the pipeline through which the cooling water flows.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing a piping example of cooling water.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a third processing apparatus when mist is supplied into a duct.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a cross section schematically showing a configuration of a heating / cooling unit.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory cross-sectional view schematically illustrating another configuration of the heat treatment unit.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a processing apparatus having the heat processing section of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 coating / developing processing system 3 processing station 30 casing 31 cooling unit 34 prebaking unit 35, 36 duct 40 fan 41 to 44 cooling plate 55 hot plate G3 third processing device W wafer

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the processing apparatus being provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and performing a heating process on the substrate; A heat shut-off member for suppressing heat from the processing unit from being emitted to the outside of the casing; and a heat transfer unit for transferring heat stored in the heat shut-off member to the outside of the processing device. Processing equipment. 2. A processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a heating processing section provided in a casing of the processing apparatus for performing a heating process on the substrate; and a duct provided on a side of the casing. An airflow generating mechanism for generating an airflow flowing in the duct. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the airflow generating mechanism generates an upward airflow in the duct. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a heat absorbing member that absorbs heat of the airflow is provided in the duct. 5. A cooling device for cooling the airflow is provided in the duct.
Or the processing apparatus according to any one of 3. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cooling device has a cooling plate, and the cooling plate has a pipe for flowing a fluid as a refrigerant. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooling plate is provided with fins. 8. A cooling processing unit for cooling the substrate,
7. The refrigerant according to claim 6, wherein the fluid is a refrigerant used in the cooling process of the cooling unit.
Or the processing apparatus according to any one of 7. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a mist supply mechanism for supplying a mist of the cooling water into the duct. . 10. The heating unit has a heating unit for heating the substrate and a cooling unit for cooling the substrate in parallel, and the duct is provided on a side of the casing on the heating unit side. Claims 2, 3, 4, 5,
10. The processing apparatus according to any one of 6, 7, 8 and 9. 11. A processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the processing apparatus is provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and has a heating section having a heating section for performing a heating process on the substrate; A processing apparatus, comprising: a duct provided in the duct; and a cooling passage provided in the duct and through which a cooling fluid flows. 12. The cooling passage according to claim 1, wherein the cooling passage is provided on an outer side of the duct.
2. The processing device according to 1. 13. A heating apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising: a wiring housing for housing at least an electric wiring, wherein a wiring housing is provided between said wiring housing and said heating unit.
13. The processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a heat shield panel having a flow path through which a cooling fluid flows is formed. 14. The heat processing section has a cooling section for cooling a substrate, and the cooling fluid is a refrigerant that has been used in the cooling processing of the cooling section. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processing is performed. 15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said duct is divided into a plurality of flow paths.
5. The processing device according to 4.