JP2003340347A - Trapping device, trapping method and vacuum treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load of maintenance work in trapping a component to be trapped in a gas flowing through a flow passage. <P>SOLUTION: The trapping device for trapping a solvent component in the gas flowing through an evacuation pipe (a flow passage) is interposed in the evacuation pipe connecting a closed container for vacuum-drying a wafer to a vacuum pump. In addition, the trapping device houses a plurality of trapping parts arranged in the peripheral direction of the trapping device, and either of the trapping parts is moved to an installation space formed by dividing the evacuation pipe by the operation of a movement means and communicates with the evacuation pipe. The trapping part cools the vapor of the solvent component when communicates with the evacuation pipe, as the trapping part is already cooled prior to the vacuum-drying process of the wafer, and after cooling, the vapor is liquefied and recovered. With the completion of processing a specified number of the wafers, the movement means changes the position of each of trapping materials so as to trap the solvent component by the unused trapping part in lieu of the used trapping part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a trapping apparatus and a method used for depressurizing a substrate in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, and a depressurizing apparatus to which the trapping apparatus is applied.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) may be processed under a reduced pressure atmosphere. For example, as one of the methods for forming an insulating film or an interlayer insulating film on the wafer surface, a coating solution containing a precursor of a silicon oxide film is applied to the wafer surface, and then the solvent is volatilized from the coating solution. There is a method of performing a drying process. As a device for performing such a reduced-pressure drying process, a reduced-pressure drying device 11 shown in FIG. 12, for example, has been conventionally known, which will be briefly described below.

In the figure, reference numeral 12 is a closed container composed of a lid 13 and a mounting portion 14, and an opening 13a is formed in the ceiling of the lid 13. This opening 13a is the exhaust pipe 1
The inside of the hermetically sealed container 12 can be depressurized by communicating with the depressurization pump 16 provided outside the coating film forming apparatus via the valve 5. In such a device,
First, the wafer W whose surface is coated with the coating liquid is placed on the placing portion 14, and the wafer W is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by a temperature adjusting means (not shown), for example, heated and the inside of the hermetic container 12 is reduced by the decompression pump 16. By depressurizing, the solvent component remaining on the surface of the wafer W is volatilized (dried) and sucked toward the decompression pump 16 side, and only the coating film component remains on the surface of the wafer W.

[0004]

However, the decompression pump 16 used in the decompression / drying apparatus 11 is provided on the clean room side outside the coating film forming apparatus. Therefore, the decompression pump 16 volatilizes during decompression / drying and the decompression pump 16 side. The solvent sucked in may be affected by the atmosphere on the clean room side, which is maintained at, for example, about 23 ° C. in the middle of the exhaust pipe 15. For example, depending on the type of the insulating film, the boiling point is 30 ° C. to 40 ° C. in an atmosphere of atmospheric pressure of 133 Pa.
In some cases, a high boiling point thinner is used, and in such a case, the solvent vapor easily condenses in the exhaust pipe 15. Since the exhaust gas flow rate in the decompression pump 16 is kept constant, when solvent vapor is condensed in the exhaust pipe 15,
The exhaust flow rate changes according to the amount of dew condensation, resulting in variations in product quality. Further, when the amount of dew condensation gradually increases, the time required for drying also increases according to this increased amount.

Therefore, as one of measures for avoiding such a problem, it is considered to provide a trap (collecting device) for collecting the solvent vapor in the middle of the exhaust pipe 15. In this case, in order to remove the solvent collected from the trap, it is necessary to frequently remove the trap from the exhaust pipe 15 and replace it with a new trap, or to wash and reattach the removed trap for maintenance. It takes a lot of labor and the total time for which the operation of the apparatus is stopped becomes long, which causes a decrease in throughput. If the trap replacement timing is mistaken, the solvent vapor that could not be trapped in the trap may flow toward the downstream side of the trap in the exhaust pipe 15, resulting in dew condensation as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reduce the burden of maintenance work in collecting a trapped component in a gas flowing in a flow path. An object of the present invention is to provide a collection device, a collection method, and a decompression treatment device.

[0007]

A collection device according to the present invention is a collection device for collecting a target component in a gas flowing in a flow path in a collection part by dividing the flow path. The installation space of the formed collection unit, the support unit that supports the plurality of collection units along the movement path that crosses the installation space, and the plurality of collection units supported by the support unit are sequentially installed in the installation space. A moving unit for moving the collecting unit and the flow path in an airtight manner, and a connecting unit for releasing the connection when moving the collecting unit. Characterize.

According to this structure, the trapping portion is forcibly trapped by the trapped component in the flow channel, and is sequentially used when the trapping efficiency of the trapping portion is lowered. Since the collection unit can be switched, the collection efficiency can be maintained for a long time. For this reason, when liquefying and collecting the components to be collected, it is preferable to cool the collection part before collection so that the material to be collected is easily condensed. As the part, for example, a sealing member for closing the inlet side and the outlet side of the collection part and forming an airtight space inside thereof, a water supply means for supplying water into this airtight space, and this water supply In order to freeze the water supplied from the means, a reduced pressure exhaust means for reducing the atmosphere in the airtight space to a reduced pressure atmosphere can be used. Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferable that the connecting means includes a bellows body provided on the flow path side and a driving means for expanding and contracting the bellows body.

Furthermore, by providing a heating unit for heating the collecting unit that has collected the components to be collected and removing the components to be collected, for example, the collecting unit after heating is collected. It can be reused as is without being removed from the device. As the heating unit, a sealing member for closing the inlet side and the outlet side of the trapping unit where the trapping of the components to be trapped is completed, and a sealing member for forming an airtight space therein, and the state where the airtight space is formed, It is preferable to include a heating unit that heats the collecting unit and an exhaust unit that exhausts the atmosphere of the airtight space.

According to such a structure, for example, the collecting unit is cooled immediately before collecting the components to be collected in the cooling unit, the components to be collected are collected, and the components to be collected are collected in the heating unit. By performing the processing in such a manner as to remove the components to be collected from the collection unit immediately after collecting the minute portion, the collecting apparatus can be operated endlessly without stopping the collecting apparatus. Specifically, it is preferable that the moving path is formed as an endless moving path, and the moving unit is controlled by the control unit so as to move each collecting unit at a predetermined timing. Further, the moving path may be a linear moving path. Furthermore, the collection device according to the present invention can be applied to a depressurization processing device used in, for example, a semiconductor device manufacturing process.

In the collecting method according to the present invention, a collecting portion is located in an installation space formed by dividing the flow path to collect a component to be collected in a gas flowing in the flow path. In the collecting method, a step of sequentially moving a plurality of collection units arranged along a moving path that crosses the installation space so as to be located in the installation space, and a collection unit and a flow path located in the installation space are hermetically sealed. Connecting and releasing the connection when moving the collecting unit. In this method, a step of cooling the collection part before the collection part collects the collection component, and heating the collection part after collection of the collection component And a step of removing the collected components to be collected.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A vacuum processing apparatus to which a collector according to the present invention is applied will be described below by taking a vacuum drying apparatus used in a semiconductor device manufacturing process as an example.
First, prior to the description of the reduced pressure drying apparatus, the overall configuration of the coating film forming apparatus incorporating the reduced pressure drying apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, 21 is a cassette station, for example, 25 sheets. A cassette mounting portion 22 formed so that a plurality of cassettes C containing the wafers W, which are the substrates, can be mounted, and a transfer arm 23 for transferring the wafer W between the mounted cassettes C. And are provided. This transfer arm 23
A processing unit S1 surrounded by a housing 24 is connected to the inner side of the. A main transport means 25 is provided in the center of the processing section S1, and a plurality of coating units 3 are provided so as to surround the main transport means 25 on the right side, and a heating / cooling system is provided on the left side, front side, and back side. Shelving units U1, U2, U3, each of which is formed by stacking the above units in multiple stages, are arranged.

The shelf units U1, U2, U3 are constructed by combining various units for performing pretreatment and posttreatment of the coating unit 3, and the combination is, for example, as shown in the shelf unit U2 in FIG. The wafer W whose surface is coated with the coating liquid by the coating unit 3 is dried under a reduced pressure atmosphere, and the wafer W is heated (baked) under reduced pressure drying unit 4 for volatilizing the solvent contained in the coating liquid. Heating unit 26, cooling unit 2 for cooling the wafer W
7 etc. are included. A transfer unit 28 having a transfer table for transferring the wafer W is also incorporated in the shelf unit U2. In addition, the main transport means 2 described above
5 is configured to be movable up and down, moved back and forth, and rotatable about a vertical axis, and can transfer a wafer W between the coating unit 3 and each unit constituting the shelf units U1, U2, U3. It is configured.

The structure of the coating unit 3 will be briefly described below. The coating unit 3 holds the wafer W by suction from the back surface side thereof, and a mounting table 31 configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and the mounting table 31. A nozzle 32 that can move above the wafer W placed on 31 is provided. Then, the wafer W is rotated as shown in the drawing,
By moving the nozzle 32 in the radial direction from above the central portion of the wafer W while the chemical liquid is being discharged, the coating liquid can be spirally applied to the surface of the wafer W in a so-called one-stroke manner. As the coating liquid, a mixed solution in which polyimide as an insulating film component is dissolved in a so-called high boiling thinner such as NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone) is used.

Next, the structure of the vacuum drying device incorporated in the vacuum drying unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 41 in the drawing denotes a mounting portion on which the wafer W is mounted, and a lid 42 is provided on the mounting portion. The lid 42 is movable up and down by the function of the lifting mechanism 43. When the lid 42 descends, the peripheral edge of the mounting portion 41 and the O-ring 4 serving as a sealing material.
A hermetically sealed container 40 is formed by hermetically bonding the wafers W through 4 to make the atmosphere in which the wafer W is placed a hermetically sealed atmosphere. Placement part 41
A heater 45 constituted by a temperature adjusting means such as a resistance heating body for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W to a predetermined temperature at the time of drying under reduced pressure is embedded near the surface of the. On the other hand, an opening 46 is formed in the ceiling 42 a of the lid 42 so that the atmosphere in the closed container 40 can be sucked and exhausted.

An exhaust pipe 5 which is made of, for example, stainless steel and forms a flow path is connected to the opening 46.
The other end of the exhaust pipe 5 is connected to a decompression pump 50, which constitutes a decompression exhaust means provided in a clean room, for example, and a valve V
1 is connected. The exhaust flow rate in the exhaust pipe 5 can be adjusted by, for example, a flow rate adjusting means (not shown) provided on the upstream side of the valve V1.

The exhaust pipe 5 is provided with a collecting device 6 for collecting a solvent component (collected component) that flows as vapor in the exhaust pipe 5 when performing the vacuum drying process. There is. The collecting device 6 has a plurality of, for example, six collecting units 60, and each collecting unit 60 has, for example, a tubular body 61a having a flow path of the same pipe diameter as the exhaust pipe 5, and the tubular body 61a. And a capturing means 61b for capturing the vapor of the solvent component (see the lower right of FIG. 5). As the capturing means 61b, for example, a stack of a plurality of metal meshes, porous ceramic, metal wool, stainless wool, a small-sized metal ball and / or a bag having a size matching the cavity of the tubular body 61a, and / or Packed with ceramic balls or PTF
It is possible to use a cylindrical cartridge or the like in which E (polytetrafluoroethylene) membranes are stacked in several layers.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, these collecting portions 60 are supported by a disc-shaped supporting portion 6A at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and the collecting portions 60 are arranged in this supporting portion 6A. At the center of the position, for example, a rotation shaft 62 is provided so that the support portion 6A can be rotated around a horizontal axis. Further, the support portion 6A is housed in the case body 6B shown in FIG. 6, and only the rotating shaft 62 described above projects outside the case body 6B. Therefore, the rotating unit 66 that is a moving unit (see FIGS. 4 and 5)
When the rotating shaft 62 is rotated by the action of the
Does not move, only the support portion 6A rotates, and the position of each collection portion 60 changes accordingly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a case body 6B
There are three pairs of openings 63 (63a, 63b), 64 (64
a, 64b) and 65 (65a, 65b) are formed. Each of these openings has, for example, the same size as the pipe diameter of the flow path in the collection unit 60, and is arranged corresponding to the arrangement interval of the collection unit 60.

Here, assuming that the direction in which the rotating portion 66 rotates the rotating shaft 62 is counterclockwise when viewed from the downstream side, for example, the reason will be described later, but at the position of the openings 64 (64a, 64b). The exhaust pipe 5 is provided in the collecting portion 60, and the opening portion 63 (6
3a, 63b) has a cooling unit 7 at the collecting unit 60.
However, the heating unit 8 can be hermetically connected to each of the collection units 60 located at the positions of the openings 65 (65a, 65b). The respective connection parts will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in detail with reference to (a part of FIG. 4).

In FIG. 7, the collecting section 60 is provided with an opening 64 (64).
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the said opening part 64 vicinity when it moved to the position corresponding to (a, 64b). Here, regarding the exhaust pipe 5, when the upstream side of the case body 6B is referred to as the exhaust pipe 5a and the downstream side is referred to as the exhaust pipe 5b, the exhaust pipe 5a and the exhaust pipe 5 are referred to.
Each tip of b is expandable by a bellows body 51, and movable plates 67 (67a, 67b) provided near the tip of the bellows body 51 are connected. The movable plate 67 (67a, 67b) is connected to a drive means 68 (68a, 68b) shown in FIG. 4, which is composed of, for example, an air cylinder, and the movable plate 67 (67a, 67b) is connected by the drive means 68 (68a, 68b). ) Each case body 6B
When it is moved to the side, the exhaust pipe 5 (5a, 5b) and the collecting unit 60 (the tubular body 61) through the opening 64 (64a, 64b).
The end portion 61c of a is in close contact with the exhaust pipe 5a and the collecting portion 60.
And the exhaust pipe 5b communicate with each other in an airtight manner. Reference numeral 52 in FIG. 7 denotes a ring-shaped seal member for enhancing airtightness when the exhaust pipe 5 (5a, 5b) and the case body 6B are in close contact with each other.

Here, in order to make a match with the wording described in the claims, the movable plate 67 in the present embodiment will be described.
(67a, 67b), drive means 68 (68a, 68)
The b), the seal member 52, and the bellows body 51 correspond to the "connecting means" in the claims. Further, each of the rotating unit 66 and the driving unit 68 is drive-controlled by the control unit 53.

Then, the upper and lower openings 63 (6
3a, 63b) and 64 (64a, 64b), respectively, will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
Although details will be described later, the present invention has described here the respective steps of cooling the collection unit 60, collecting the solvent component by the collection unit 60, and volatilizing the collection component collected by the collection unit 60. The present embodiment is characterized in that the operation is performed in order. Therefore, in the present embodiment in which the direction of rotating the position of the collection unit 60 is counterclockwise when viewed from the downstream side, the upper portion of the opening 64 (63a, 64b) is Side (pre-process) performs cooling, and lower side (post-process)
It is necessary to volatilize the solvent component collected in. Therefore, outside the opening 63 (63a, 63b), the cooling unit 7 for cooling the collecting unit 60 at that position is provided.
A heating unit 8 for volatilizing the trapped components collected by the trapping unit 60 is provided outside each of the Nos. 4 and 4, and these configurations will be described in detail below.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the cooling unit 7, and 71 (71a, 71b) is an opening 63 (63a, 6).
3b) is a pair of sealing members that form an airtight space inside by being in close contact with the end portion 61c of the collection unit 60. Each of the sealing members 71a and 71b is, for example, in a shape that is recessed outward when viewed from the case body 6B, and when a hermetic space is formed, a constant space S is formed between the sealing members 71a and 71b and the openings at both ends of the tubular body 61a. You can do it. The sealing member 71 (71a, 71b) is a movable plate 6 as shown in the figure.
7 (67a, 67b) and the exhaust pipe 5 (5) by the operation of the drive means 68 (68a, 68b).
a, 5b) are synchronized with each other. Reference numeral 72 in the figure denotes a seal member, which plays a role similar to that of the seal member 52 described above.

Further, for example, each of the sealing members 71a and 71b is connected to a water supply pipe 73 which is a water supply means for supplying a small amount of water into the airtight space, for example, in the form of mist. The water supply pipe 73 is connected to a water supply unit (not shown) via a valve V2, and as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 53 controls the opening and closing of the valve V2 to cut off water and adjust the flow rate. It is like this. Sealing member 7
A suction pipe 74 branching from the middle of the exhaust pipe 5b is connected to the 1b via a valve V3, and the tip end of the suction pipe 74 is, for example, bellows-shaped so as not to prevent the sealing member 71b from moving back and forth. It is formed on the (bellows portion 75). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the suction pipe 74 has, for example, a valve V3.
A branch path 76 is connected between the and the bellows part 75, and a valve V4 is provided in the middle thereof. The valve V
Opening / closing control of V3 and V4 is performed by the control unit 53.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing the heating section 8. In the figure, 81 (81a, 81b) is a sealing member, and like the movable member 67 (67a, 67b) in the cooling unit.
b) integrally formed with the opening 65 (65a, 65b) through the seal member 82 by the action of the driving means 68.
It is in close contact with the end portion 61c of the collecting portion 60 at the position of, and forms an airtight space inside the collecting portion 60 together with the collecting portion 60.
Inside the sealing members 81a and 81b, a heater 83 made of, for example, a resistance heating element for heating the airtight space is provided.
And a temperature sensor, such as a thermocouple (not shown), used when controlling the heating temperature. The temperature of the heater 83 is controlled by the control unit 53 via the power supply unit 54 (see FIG. 4). For example, the heater 83 can be set to an arbitrary temperature according to the boiling point of the solvent. It has become. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the sealing member 81b has a suction pipe 84 branched from the exhaust pipe 5.
Are connected via a valve V5. The tip of the suction pipe 84 is a bellows portion 85 like the suction pipe 74, and the opening / closing control of the valve V5 is performed by the control unit 53.

Next, returning to FIG. 4 again, parts other than the collecting device 6 of the present embodiment will be described. On the upstream side of the collection device 6 in the exhaust pipe 5, a tape heater 55 that serves as a temperature adjusting means is provided. This is because, for example, the vapor of the solvent component flowing in the exhaust pipe 5 at the time of drying under reduced pressure causes the opening 4
6 for preventing dew condensation from reaching the collecting device 6, for example, the exhaust pipe 5a excluding the bellows body 51.
Is provided over the entire area. The temperature adjustment by the tape heater 55 is performed by adjusting the output amount of the power supply unit 54 from the control unit 53.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. First, when the cassette C is loaded into the cassette station 21, the transfer arm 23 takes out the wafer W. Then, the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 23 to the main transfer means 25 via the transfer unit 28 in the shelf unit U2, carried into the coating unit 3 and coated with the solvent on the entire surface as described above. A coating liquid in which the forming components are dissolved is applied.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the reduced pressure drying unit 4 by the main transfer means 25. When the wafer W is loaded into the reduced-pressure drying unit 4, first, the wafer transfer arm 100 of the main transfer means 25 is placed on the mounting portion 4 with the lid 42 raised.
1, the wafer W is transferred from the wafer transfer arm 100 to the mounting portion 41 by the function of a lift pin (not shown). Then, the lid 42 is lowered to form the closed container 40, and the heater 45 heats the wafer W to, for example, about 50 ° C., and the valve V1 is opened to reduce the pressure.
At 0, suction in the closed container 40 is started, and the atmosphere in which the wafer W is placed is set to a depressurized atmosphere having a pressure slightly higher than the boiling point of the solvent, for example, 350 Pa. As a result, the solvent in the coating liquid applied on the surface of the wafer W volatilizes violently,
The vaporized solvent vapor goes to the exhaust pipe 5 through the opening 46 together with the exhaust flow.

Here, for the sake of convenience, the six collecting portions 60 housed in the case body 6B are referred to as clockwise 60a to 60f as viewed from the downstream side, and the case body 6B is viewed from the downstream side. The operation of the collection device 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c). Collection device 6
First, prior to the above-described reduced-pressure drying process of the wafer W,
For example, the one collecting unit 60a is cooled. Specifically, in the rotating portion 66, the collecting portion 60a is opened by the opening portion 63 (63).
a, 63b) so as to come to the position corresponding to each collecting part 60
Is positioned (see FIG. 10 (a)), and the movable plate 67 (67a, 67b) is moved by the drive means 68 in the direction of pinching the case body 6B, whereby the sealing member 71 (71) is moved.
a, 71b) is in close contact with the end portion 61c of the collecting portion 60a via the seal member 72, and the tubular body 61a of the collecting portion 60a is
Together with it forms an airtight space.

Then, the valve V3 is closed and the valve V
4 is opened, the valve V2 is opened with the pressure of the airtight space in the cooling unit 7 set to, for example, about atmospheric pressure, and the collection unit 60a is opened.
A small amount of water is sprayed in a mist shape toward the capturing means 61b inside. After that, the valves V2 and V4 are closed and the valve V3 is opened to start decompression exhaustion by the suction pipe 74, and the exhaustion is continued until the moisture in the airtight space is frozen by the adiabatic expansion. When the water adhering to the collecting unit 60a (correctly, the trapping means 61b inside thereof) freezes, decompression exhaust is stopped, and the movable plate 67 (67a, 67b) is moved to the outside of the case body 6B in the opposite manner to the previous step. And the collection part 60a which has been cooled at the same time
The positions of the respective collecting parts 60 (60a to 60f) are rotated counterclockwise so that the positions of the respective collecting parts 60 (60a to 60f) come to the positions of the openings 64 (64a, 64b). As shown in. The collecting unit 60 (60a-
The same applies to the position change of 60f), but the case body 6B and the movable plate 67 (67a, 67b) at the time of this position change.
The separation distance from and is, for example, about 5 mm.

Then, again, the movable plates 67 (67a, 67a)
b) narrows the case body 6B to exhaust the exhaust pipe 5 and the collecting portion 60a.
When the and are communicated with each other, the reduced pressure drying process for the first wafer W is started in the sealed container 40 as described above, and the vaporized solvent vapor is directed to the exhaust pipe 5. The tape heater 55 heats the exhaust pipe 5a to such an extent that the solvent vapor does not condense, and the solvent vapor flowing from the closed container 40 goes to the collecting portion 60a without adhering to the pipe,
It is rapidly cooled in the collection unit 60a, liquefied and captured. Thus, in the closed container 40, for example, the processing of the wafers W is continuously performed until the collection capability of the collection unit 60a decreases to a certain level, and when a predetermined number of processes are completed, other collection units 60 (described later) The collection unit 60 to be used is switched to the collection unit 60b).

The number of wafers to be processed until one collector 60 is replaced with another is based on, for example, the result of a test conducted in advance, and the number of wafers W to be processed and the collecting ability of the collector are lowered. It is determined by the balance with the ratio. Also,
As a matter of course, even if the solvent component collecting ability in the collecting portion 60a does not decrease to a certain level, the replacement is appropriately performed, for example, when the solvent component is saturated.

At this time, the opening 63 corresponding to the cooling unit 7
Although the collection unit 60b is positioned at the position (63a, 63b) as shown in the figure, the sealing member 71 (71a, 71b) is the bellows body 51 of the exhaust pipe 5 as described above.
Together with the movable plate 67 (67a, 67b), when the collection part 60a communicates with the exhaust pipe 5, the collection part 60b also forms an airtight space together with the sealing member 71 (71a, 71b). This is performed while the collection unit 60b is cooled and the above-described predetermined number of wafers W are processed.

When the processing of the predetermined number of wafers W is completed, the positions of the collecting units 60a-60f in the collecting device 6 are changed again. That is, the collecting units 60a to 60f are rotated counterclockwise one step at a time, and the collecting unit 60a is located at a position corresponding to the opening 65 (65a, 65b) as shown in FIG. 10 (c). 60b is an opening 64 (64a, 64
At a position corresponding to (b), the collecting portion 60c has an opening 63 (6
3a, 63b), respectively. After that, when the reduced-pressure drying process for the wafer W is started again, the collecting unit 60a is heated by the heating unit 8 so as to volatilize the target substance composed of the solvent component, and the already-cooled collecting unit 60a is collected. The portion 60b collects the solvent component (vapor), and the collecting portion 60c that has not been cooled is cooled.

The collection section 60a is heated as follows. First, the collecting portion 60a is closed by the sealing member 81 (81a,
After forming an airtight space together with 81b), the valve V5 is opened to evacuate the airtight space under reduced pressure, and heating by the heater 83 is started to volatilize and remove the collected solvent components. The vaporized solvent component vapor is recovered, for example, through a gas-liquid separating means (not shown) provided in the suction pipe 84, and the collecting portion 60a from which the solvent has been removed moves each time a predetermined number of wafers W are processed. After repeating one cycle, the solvent vapor is collected again. In this way, the collecting unit 60a
~ F series of steps, namely cooling, solvent components (steam)
The steps of collecting and heating are repeatedly performed.

If the collecting device 6 is cyclically used in this way, theoretically, each collecting part 60 is connected to the case body 6.
Although it can be used semipermanently without taking it out from B, there are cases in which the capturing member 61b actually deteriorates or substances that cannot be removed by the heating unit 8 gradually adhere. For this reason, the apparatus is stopped when a predetermined time comes, for example, from the case body 6B to the collecting unit 60a.
After removing 60f, maintenance work of the entire collection device 6 such as cleaning or operation check is performed. The cleaning of the collection units 60a to 60f is performed by using a solution such as a thinner that dissolves adhered substances such as sublimates, and each collection unit 6a.
If 0a-60f itself is deteriorated, it is replaced.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the solvent component in the gas flowing in the exhaust pipe 5 can be forcibly collected by the collector 6 and the solvent component can be collected. Since it is possible to switch the collecting unit 60 to be used sequentially at a timing when the deterioration of the capacity is expected, it is possible to maintain a high collecting capacity for a long time as a whole of the collecting device 6. . In addition, a collecting unit 60 (60a to 60f) is provided along the endless moving path, and these are sequentially positioned in the exhaust pipe 5 and the used collecting unit 60 is used.
Since the collection capacity is recovered by heating and reused, the frequency of replacement work of the collection device 6 can be reduced, the burden on the worker can be reduced, and the total time of the operation stop can be shortened. Therefore, the throughput can be improved.

The configuration of the trapping device in the present embodiment is not limited to the one described above, and for example, the heating part 8 may not be provided. In this case, use of the trapping device 6 may be stopped at the time when all the trapping portions 60 have finished trapping the solvent vapor (at the time when one round has been completed), or the processing of one wafer W ends. The collection unit 60 to be used may be switched every time, and the use of the collection device 6 may be stopped when the collection amount in all collection units reaches the limit after several rotations. In such an embodiment, the amount of solvent vapor generated per wafer is grasped in advance by a test, and the collection unit 60 is switched or maintenance of the entire collection device 6 is performed according to the number of processed wafers. It is preferable to determine the timing of.

The structure of the collecting device is not limited to the arrangement of the collecting parts in the circumferential direction as described above, and for example, the collecting parts are arranged in the straight line direction and the collecting parts are arranged in the case body. It may be moved by. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the collection device 9 according to the embodiment, and inside the case body 90, the collection portions 91 arranged in a vertical line (the collection portion 60 according to the above-described embodiment). For example, 5 pieces of the same) are stored. The position of each of the collecting portions 91 is fixed by a supporting portion 91a, and the position of each collecting portion 91 can be changed by moving the supporting portion 91a up and down by a driving portion 92 which is a moving means. ing.

The case body 90 has three pairs of upper and lower openings 93.
(93a, 93b), 94 (94a, 94b), 95
(95a, 95b) are formed, and these are the openings 63 (63a, 63b), 64 in the above-described embodiment.
This corresponds to (64a, 64b) and 65 (65a, 65b). Therefore, by the action of the drive unit 92, for example, the fixed body 91a
By sequentially sliding from top to bottom,
Is first cooled by the cooling unit 7, and then the exhaust pipe 5 (5
The vapor in (a, 5b) is collected, and finally, the collected matter (solvent component) is removed by heating by the heating unit 8. Then, for example, when the heating of the uppermost collecting section 91 is completed, the supporting section 91a is again raised to the highest position and the processing is continuously performed until a predetermined maintenance time is reached. The maintenance time here may be determined based on the experimental result acquired in advance, or may be determined by the number of processed wafers W as in the above-described embodiment. Good.

In the above description, the reduced pressure drying process has been described as an example, but the reduced pressure process is not limited to this, and for example, the reaction product is deposited on the substrate under reduced pressure using a reaction gas. CVD treatment or etching treatment may be used. Further, in the exhaust pipe on the upstream side of the collection device, the temperature adjusting means for preventing condensation of vapor is not limited to the tape heater, and the same effect can be obtained by adopting a method of flowing a temperature adjusted inert gas into the region. Can be obtained.

Further, the component to be collected is not limited to that which flows as vapor in the exhaust pipe, and may be, for example, a sublimation component or particles. Therefore, the collection device according to the present embodiment can be used instead of the particle filter or the water removal filter provided in the flow path for supplying the clean gas. Further, the moving means for moving each collecting portion is not limited to the device that can be automated, such as the rotating portion 66 and the driving portion 92 described above, and means to include a manual operation.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the collecting device 6 and the decompression pump 50 may be shared by a plurality of closed containers 40. In this case, it is preferable that a plurality of closed containers 40 be connected on the upstream side of the collection device 6 so that the closed containers 40 can be used alternately. Therefore, for example, when using two hermetically sealed containers 40, for example, unprocessed wafers are loaded into the other hermetically sealed container 40 while the reduced pressure drying processing is performed in one hermetically sealed container 40, and the one side is decompressed and dried. When the process is completed, the processed wafer is unloaded, and the reduced pressure drying process is started on the unprocessed wafer on the other side.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of maintenance work in collecting the components to be collected in the gas flowing in the flow path.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall structure of a coating film forming apparatus incorporating a reduced pressure processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the coating film forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing a coating unit incorporated in the coating film forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of a decompression processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a support unit incorporated in the above decompression processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a case body incorporated in the above decompression processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a connection portion between a collection device and an exhaust pipe.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a cooling unit which forms a part of the collection device.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a heating unit which is a part of the collection device.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view showing the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the collection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a decompression processing device according to a conventional invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

W semiconductor wafer 3 coating unit 4 reduced pressure drying unit 40 airtight container 41 Placement section 45 heater 5 (5a, 5b) Exhaust pipe (flow path) 50 decompression pump 53 Control unit 6 Collection device 6A support 6B case body 60 (60a-60f) collection part 63, 64, 65 openings 66 Rotating part (moving means) 68 Drive means 7 Cooling unit 71 (71a, 71b) Sealing member 73 Water supply pipe (water supply means) 74 Suction tube 8 heating section 81 (81a, 81b) Sealing member 83 heater 84 Suction tube

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takahiro Kitano             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited F-term (reference) 4F042 AA02 AA07 AB00 BA06 BA13                       CC03 CC15 ED05

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A collection device for collecting a component to be collected in a gas flowing in a flow path at a collection part, the installation space of the collection part formed by dividing the flow path, and the installation space. A support unit that supports the plurality of collection units along a movement path that traverses the space; a moving unit that sequentially moves the plurality of collection units supported by the support units so as to be positioned in the installation space; A collecting device, comprising: a connecting unit that airtightly connects a collecting unit located in a space and a flow path, and disconnects the connection when the collecting unit is moved. 2. The collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means includes a bellows body provided on the flow path side and a driving means for expanding and contracting the bellows body. 3. The collecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling unit that cools the collecting unit before being moved to the installation space so as to collect the components to be collected. . 4. The cooling unit closes an inlet side and an outlet side of the collection unit and forms an airtight space inside thereof, and a water supply means for supplying water into the airtight space. , To freeze the water supplied from this water supply means,
4. The collection device according to claim 3, further comprising: a decompression exhaust unit that decompresses the atmosphere of the airtight space. 5. A heating unit for heating the collection unit that has collected the components to be collected and for removing the components that have been collected by the collection unit. The collection device as described in 1 or 4. 6. The heating part closes the inlet side and the outlet side of the trapping part where the trapped components have been trapped, and a sealing member for forming an airtight space inside the trapping part, and the airtight space is formed. The collection device according to claim 5, further comprising: a heating unit that heats the collection unit in the above state, and an exhaust unit that exhausts an atmosphere of the airtight space. 7. The collection device according to claim 1, wherein the moving path is an endless moving path. 8. The collection device according to claim 1, wherein the moving path is a linear moving path. 9. The control unit according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the moving means so as to sequentially position each collecting unit in the installation space at a predetermined timing. Collection device. 10. A reduced pressure processing apparatus for treating a substrate coated with a coating liquid prepared by mixing components of a coating film and a solvent in a reduced pressure state to volatilize the solvent in the coating liquid. An airtight container having a mounting portion to be placed inside, and a solvent connected to the airtight container via a flow path, and a reduced pressure atmosphere in the airtight container causes the solvent volatilized from the coating liquid on the substrate to flow path side. 9. A decompression exhausting means for directing the solvent and the flow path, which are provided in combination with each other to collect the solvent flowing in the flow path as a component to be collected.
And a collection device according to any one of 1. 11. A reduced pressure processing apparatus for treating a substrate coated with a coating liquid, which is a mixture of a coating film component and a solvent, under reduced pressure to volatilize the solvent in the coating liquid. An airtight container having a mounting portion to be placed inside, and a solvent connected to the airtight container via a flow path, and a reduced pressure atmosphere in the airtight container causes the solvent volatilized from the coating liquid on the substrate to flow path side. 10. A decompression exhausting means for directing the flow path, and the collection device according to claim 9, which is provided in combination with the flow path and collects the solvent flowing in the flow path as a component to be collected. Decompression processing device. 12. The decompression processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the timing of sequentially arranging each of the collection units in the installation space is when the number of processed substrates reaches a predetermined number. 13. A collection method in which a collection part is located in an installation space formed by dividing the flow path to collect a target component in a gas flowing in the flow path. A step of sequentially moving a plurality of collection units arranged along a traversing path so as to be located in the installation space, and air-tightly connecting the collection unit and the flow path located in the installation space to each other. And a step of releasing the connection when moving the collection method. 14. The collecting method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of pre-cooling the collecting unit before being moved to the installation space so as to collect the components to be collected. 15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of heating the trapping portion that has trapped the trapped component to remove the trapped component trapped in the trapping portion. 14. The collection method according to 14.