JP2004343143A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus which shortens the transporting time of a substrate, improves the processing efficiency of the substrate, and suppresses thermal interference between units as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: A wafer W is transported among the unit of a coating process system, the unit of a heating processing system and the unit of a cooling processing system or the like by sheets by using first and second main transporting bodies 22 and 23. The multiple kinds of heating processings are executed to the wafer W by a multifunctional hot plate curing device (MHC). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for forming an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor wafer, for example.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, an interlayer insulating film is formed by, for example, a SOD (Spin on Dielectric) system. In this SOD system, a coating film is spin-coated on a wafer and subjected to a chemical treatment or a heating treatment to form an interlayer insulating film.

  For example, when an interlayer insulating film is formed by a sol-gel method, first, a colloid of an insulating film material, for example, TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) is dispersed in an organic solvent on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”). Supply the solution. Next, the wafer supplied with the solution is subjected to a gelling process, and then the solvent is replaced. Then, the wafer in which the solvent has been replaced is subjected to a heat treatment.

  Such a heating process includes a plurality of processes having different temperature conditions, such as a baking process for removing a solvent from a solvent on a wafer, a curing process for forming a film by a polymerization reaction, and a post-treatment process for generating a porous body. It involves a heat treatment step.

  In the conventional SOD system, wafers are carried between the heat treatment apparatuses in lot units, for example, by using individual heat treatment apparatuses set to temperatures and pressures corresponding to the respective heat treatment steps.

As a technique related to the invention of the present application, the following Patent Document 1 is cited.
JP-A-07-201724 (FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, in such a system configuration, the waiting time of the wafer is long, resulting in poor processing efficiency. Therefore, for example, a so-called sheet transporting unit which transports wafers one by one by a transport unit by integrating a unit and a unit of a coating device and a series of heat treatment devices necessary for the process of the SOD system and the like. A leaf-type device configuration is conceivable.

  However, such a device configuration has the following problems.

  First, since the wafer must be frequently transferred between the units, there is a problem that the total time required for the transfer becomes long and the processing efficiency is reduced. In addition, such a wafer transfer process often has an adverse effect such as a temperature control surface and particle adhesion.

  Secondly, since the processing temperature in the above-described heat processing unit reaches a considerably high temperature of, for example, about 800 ° C. at present, thermal interference between units including the coating unit is large, and the temperature is high. However, there is a problem that the coating process and the heating process cannot be performed.

  Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of shortening the substrate transfer time and improving the substrate processing efficiency.

  A second object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of minimizing thermal interference between units.

  In order to achieve the above object, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a partitioned first processing region and a second processing region, and an insulating film material is formed on a substrate in the first processing region. A coating unit for coating and a first transfer device for transferring a substrate in the region are arranged, and a predetermined processing is performed on the substrate on which the insulating film material is coated by the coating unit in the second processing region. Various types of single-wafer-type heat treatment units that perform a plurality of types of heat treatments according to the processing temperature and processing purpose are arranged in multiple stages, and a second transfer device that transfers a substrate to the various heat treatment units is arranged. It is characterized by the following.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the substrate transfer time can be shortened, and the processing efficiency of the substrate can be improved. Further, thermal interference between the units can be suppressed as much as possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 are views showing the overall configuration of an SOD system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a rear view.

  In the SOD system 1, a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, referred to as "wafers") W as substrates are loaded into the system from the outside or unloaded from the system in units of, for example, 25 wafer cassettes CR. A cassette block 10 for loading / unloading wafers W by hand and various single-wafer processing units for performing predetermined processing on the wafers W one by one in the SOD coating process are arranged in multiple stages at predetermined positions. A first processing block 11 as a first processing area and a second processing area as a second processing area in which various single-wafer processing units for similarly performing predetermined processing on a wafer W are arranged in multiple stages at predetermined positions. It has a configuration in which the processing block 12 is integrally connected.

  As will be described later, an SOD coating processing unit (SCT) is disposed in a first processing block 11 as a first processing area, and a heating processing system is provided in a second processing block 12 as a second processing area. A processing unit is arranged. As described above, the processing units of the heating processing system are intensively arranged in the second processing block 12, and the processing units of the coating processing system are arranged in the first processing block 11, which is a region different from this region. Thus, the processing unit of the heat treatment system is less likely to adversely affect the processing unit of the coating treatment system.

  Further, between the first processing block 11 as the first processing area and the second processing block 12 as the second processing area, a heat insulating wall 51 as a heat insulating member made of, for example, a vacuum layer is provided. ing. As described above, in addition to arranging the processing unit of the heat treatment system and the processing unit of the coating treatment system in separate areas separated from each other, arranging such a heat insulating wall 51 between these areas. Thus, the thermal processing system processing unit is less likely to adversely affect the coating processing system processing unit.

  Further, an inert gas such as a nitrogen gas is introduced into the second processing block 12, which is a second processing area, above the second processing block 12, so that the second processing block 12, An inert gas introduction unit 52 for controlling the atmosphere in the processing block 12 by the inert gas is provided, and the second processing block 12 serving as a second processing area is provided below the second processing block 12. An exhaust unit 53 for exhausting air is provided. By controlling the atmosphere in the second processing block 12, which is the second processing region, with the inert gas in this way, it is possible to prevent oxidation during the heat treatment and transfer of the wafer W described later. In particular, since the units of the heat treatment system are intensively arranged in the second processing block 12, such atmosphere control can be performed efficiently.

  In the cassette block 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of wafer cassettes CR, for example, up to four wafer cassettes are provided at the positions of the projections 20 a on the cassette mounting table 20 with their respective wafer entrances facing the first processing block 11. A wafer carrier 21 which is placed in a row in the direction and is movable in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z vertical direction) of the wafers stored in the wafer cassette CR is selectively provided in each wafer cassette CR. Is to be accessed. Further, the wafer transfer body 21 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and as will be described later, a transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the multi-stage unit section of the fourth set G4 on the first processing block 11 side. Is also accessible.

  In the first processing block 11, as shown in FIG. 1, a first main transport body 22 of a vertical transport type is provided at the center, and all the processing units are arranged in one or a plurality of sets around the first main transport body 22. Are arranged in multiple stages. In this example, a multi-stage arrangement of five sets G1, G2, G3, G4, G5 is provided, and the multi-stage units of the first and second sets G1, G2 are juxtaposed on the front side of the system (in FIG. 1). The multi-stage units of the fourth set G4 are arranged adjacent to the cassette block 10, and the multi-stage units of the third set G3 are arranged adjacent to the second processing block 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the first set G1 and the second set G2, the wafer W is placed on a spin chuck in the cup CP to supply the insulating film material, and the wafer is rotated to rotate the wafer W. SOD coating processing unit (SCT) for coating an insulative film, and a wafer W placed on a spin chuck in a cup CP to supply exchange chemicals such as HMDS and heptane, and a solvent in the insulative film applied on the wafer And a solvent exchange processing unit (DSE) for performing a process of replacing the solvent with another solvent before the drying step.

  In the second set G2, the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) is arranged in the upper stage. Note that an SOD coating processing unit (SCT), a solvent exchange processing unit (DSE), and the like can be disposed below the second set G2 as needed.

  In the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) and the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE), a solvent is coated on the wafer W by a spin coating method. For example, a nozzle for discharging a solvent such as an insulating film material or a chemical solution for exchange is used. Of course, a so-called scan coating method in which a solvent is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W by, for example, scanning in the XY directions on the wafer W may be used. By using such a scan coating method, it is possible to minimize waste of the solvent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the third set G3, a delivery / cooling plate (TCP), two cooling processing units (CPL), and a transition unit (TRS) are arranged in multiple stages in order from the bottom.

  In the fourth set G4, a delivery / cooling plate (TCP), three cooling processing units (CPL), a transition unit (TRS), and a cooling processing unit (CPL) are arranged in multiple stages.

  The transfer / cooling plate (TCP) has a two-stage structure having a cooling plate for cooling the wafer W in a lower stage and a transfer table in an upper stage, and transfers the wafer W between the cassette block 10 and the first processing block 11. . Similarly, the transition unit (TRS) transfers the wafer W between the cassette block 10 and the first processing block 11. The cooling processing unit (CPL) has a cooling plate on which the wafer W is placed, and cools the wafer W.

  Further, in the SOD system 1, as described above, the multi-stage unit of the fifth processing unit group G5 shown by the broken line can be arranged also on the back side of the first main transport body. The multi-stage units of the processing unit group G5 are configured so as to be able to shift sideways as viewed from the first main transport body 22 along the guide rail 25. Therefore, even when the multi-stage units of the fifth processing unit group G5 are provided as shown in the drawing, the space is secured by sliding along the guide rails 25. On the other hand, maintenance work can be easily performed from behind. Note that the multi-stage unit of the fifth processing unit group G5 is not limited to such a linear slide shift along the guide rail 25, but may be a system as shown by a reciprocating rotation arrow of a dashed line in FIG. Even if it is configured to rotate outward, it is easy to secure a space for maintenance work on the first main transport body.

  In the second processing block 12, as described above, the sixth set G6 to which the unit for performing the heating process on the wafer W belongs is disposed on the front side of the system, and the second group to which the unit for performing the heating process to the wafer W similarly belongs. A set G7 of 7 is arranged on the back side of the system. Between the sixth set G6 and the seventh set G7, a second main transfer unit that accesses the fourth set G4, the sixth set G6, and the seventh set G7 and transfers the wafer W. The second main carrier 23 has a vertical conveyance type configuration similar to that of the first main carrier 22.

  The SOD system 1 is disposed, for example, in a clean room. For example, the atmosphere on the first main transfer mechanism 22 is set to an atmosphere at a higher pressure than that of the clean room set to the atmospheric pressure. The particles generated from the body 22 are discharged to the outside of the SOD system 1, while the particles in the clean room are prevented from entering the SOD system 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the sixth set G6, a multi-functional hot plate curing apparatus (MHC) irradiates a microwave or an electron beam to irradiate the film at, for example, about 300 ° C. to 500 ° C. A microwave processing unit (MW) for heating and reforming, for example, an electron beam processing unit (EB) having a processing temperature of about 300 ° C. to 500 ° C. is provided in one stage and in order from the bottom. On the other hand, in a seventh group G7, an aging processing unit (DAC), two low-temperature heating processing units (LHP) for performing a heating process at a low temperature of, for example, about 80 ° C. to 250 ° C., and a film is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to, for example, a room temperature. An ultraviolet processing unit (UV) for heating and reforming at about 100 ° C. is provided in order from the bottom. The aging processing unit (DAC) introduces NH 3 + H 2 O into a process chamber capable of being sealed at a temperature of, for example, about 15 ° C. to 80 ° C., to perform aging processing on the wafer W, and to wet-gel the insulating film material film on the wafer W.

  4 and 5 are a perspective view and a sectional view of the multifunctional hot plate curing device (MHC).

  The multi-functional hot plate curing device (MHC) has a heating processing chamber 151 and a temperature control processing chamber 152 provided adjacent thereto. The heating processing chamber 151 is formed to be hermetically closed by a mechanism of a gate valve 174 that can be opened and closed to transfer the wafer W to and from the temperature control processing chamber 152.

  A heating plate 156 for heating the wafer W is disposed substantially in the center of the heating processing chamber 151. In the hot plate 156, for example, a heater (not shown) is embedded, and its set temperature can be set to, for example, 80 to 250 ° C. Further, a plurality of, for example, three holes 157 penetrate vertically through the hot plate 156 in a concentric manner, and support pins 158a for supporting the wafer W are inserted in these holes 157 in a vertically movable manner. . These support pins 158a are connected to and integrated with a communication member 159 on the back surface of the hot plate 156, and the communication member 159 is raised and lowered by a lifting cylinder 160 disposed below the communication member 159. Then, the support pins 158a protrude or sink from the surface of the hot plate 156 by the lifting operation of the lifting cylinder 160.

  A plurality of proximity pins 161 are arranged on the surface of the hot plate 156 so that the wafer W does not directly contact the hot plate 156 when the wafer W is heated. This prevents the wafer W from being charged with static electricity during the heating process.

  Further, the heat treatment chamber 151 is provided with a nitrogen supply mechanism 162 for supplying an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen gas, into the heat treatment chamber 151, and a control unit 167 is provided through a nitrogen supply port 182 formed at an upper portion. Is supplied with nitrogen to the room. On the other hand, an oxygen supply mechanism 180 for supplying a reactive gas, for example, oxygen, is provided in the heat treatment chamber 151, and oxygen is supplied to the room from an oxygen supply port 183 formed in the upper part by a command of the control unit 167. Supply. This oxygen supply control is performed based on the measurement result of the oxygen sensor 172a provided in the heat treatment chamber 151 for measuring the oxygen concentration.

  On the other hand, an evacuation port 168 for reducing pressure is provided at a lower portion of the heat treatment chamber 151, and the evacuation port 168 is connected to, for example, a vacuum pump 170. Can be set to a low pressure, for example, about 0.1 torr.

  Further, a temperature sensor 172b for measuring the indoor temperature is attached to the heat treatment chamber 151. The measurement result by the temperature sensor 172b is transmitted to the control unit 167, and the control unit 167 adjusts the heating temperature of the hot plate 156 based on the measurement result.

  The temperature control processing chamber 152 is provided with a window 181 through which the wafer W is loaded and unloaded from the second main transfer body 23, and the window 181 is configured to be opened and closed by a shutter 164. I have.

  In the temperature control processing chamber 152, a transfer temperature control plate 176 for mounting the wafer W thereon and adjusting the temperature of the wafer W is configured to be movable in a horizontal direction by a moving mechanism 177b along a guide plate 177a. Have been. The set temperature of the transfer temperature control plate 176 is, for example, 15 to 250 ° C., and the applicable temperature range of the wafer W to be temperature controlled is, for example, 200 to 800 ° C. The transfer temperature control plate 176 can enter the heat treatment chamber 151 via the gate valve 174, and receives the wafer W heated by the hot plate 156 in the heat treatment chamber 151 via the support pins 158a. The wafer W is carried into the temperature control processing chamber 152 to control the temperature of the wafer W.

  Below the transfer temperature control plate 176, a support pin 158b having the same configuration as the support pin 158a in the heat treatment chamber 151 is provided so as to be able to move up and down. These support pins 158b are connected to and integrated with a support member 159 on the rear surface of the transfer temperature control plate 176, and the support member 159 is raised and lowered by a lifting cylinder 160 disposed below the support member 159.

  The vacuum pump 170 and gas cylinders of the gas supply mechanisms 162 and 180 are disposed in a chemical chamber 30 disposed below a multi-functional hot plate curing device (MHC), as shown in FIGS. It is established.

  Next, processing steps of the SOD system 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flow shown in FIG.

  First, in the cassette block 10, the wafer W before processing is transferred from the wafer cassette CR via the wafer carrier 21 to the transfer table or the transfer unit (TCP) in the transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the third set G3 on the processing block 11 side. TRS).

  The wafer W transferred to the transfer table in the transfer / cooling plate (TCP) is transferred to the cooling processing unit (CPL) via the first main transfer body 22. Then, in the cooling processing unit (CPL), the wafer W is cooled to a temperature suitable for processing in the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) (step 1).

  The wafer W cooled by the cooling processing unit (CPL) is transferred to the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) via the first main transfer body 22. Then, in the SOD coating unit (SCT), the wafer W is subjected to the SOD coating process (Step 2).

  The wafer W on which the SOD coating processing has been performed by the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) is transferred to the first main carrier 22, a transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the fourth set G4, or a transition unit (TRS). Is transferred to the aging processing unit (DAC) via the second main transfer body 23 and subjected to aging processing, and the insulating film material on the wafer W is gelled (step 3).

  The wafer W that has been subjected to aging processing by the aging processing unit (DAC) is transferred to the second main transfer body 23, a transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the fourth set G4, or a transition unit (TRS). It is transferred to the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE) via the main transfer body 22. Then, in the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE), an exchange chemical is supplied to the wafer W, and the solvent in the insulating film applied on the wafer W is replaced with another solvent (step 4).

  The wafer W having undergone the replacement processing in the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE) is a first main transfer body 22, a transfer table in a transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the fourth set G4, or a transition unit (TRS). It is transported to the low-temperature heat treatment unit (LHP) via the second main transport body 23. Then, the wafer W is subjected to a low-temperature heat treatment in the low-temperature heat treatment unit (LHP) (step 5).

  The wafer W that has been subjected to the low-temperature heat treatment in the low-temperature heat treatment unit (LHP) is transferred to the ultraviolet processing unit (UV) via the second main transfer body 23. Then, in the ultraviolet processing unit (UV), the wafer W is processed with ultraviolet light having a wavelength of about 172 nm (step 6). In the process using ultraviolet rays, a nitrogen gas is blown out, and the inside of an ultraviolet ray processing unit (UV) is set to a nitrogen gas atmosphere.

  Here, instead of or after the ultraviolet treatment, the electron beam processing by the electron beam processing unit (EB) belonging to the sixth set G6 and the microwave processing by the microwave processing unit (MW) are performed appropriately. Is also good.

  Next, the wafer W that has been processed by the ultraviolet light is transferred to the second main transfer member 23, the transfer table in the transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the fourth set G4, or the transition unit (TRS), and the first main transfer member. It is conveyed via the body 22 to the cooling processing unit (CPL) belonging to the fourth set G4. Then, the wafer W is cooled in the cooling processing unit (CPL) (Step 7).

  The wafer W that has been cooled by the cooling processing unit (CPL) is transferred again to the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) via the first main transfer body 22. Then, in the SOD coating processing unit (SCT), the wafer W is subjected to the second SOD coating processing (step 8). At this time, since the surface of the insulating film material already applied on the wafer W has been modified so as to have a low contact angle by the above-described treatment with ultraviolet light, even if the insulating film material is further applied thereon, No irregularities occur on the surface.

  The wafer W that has been subjected to the SOD coating processing in the SOD coating processing unit (SCT) is transferred to the aging processing unit (DAC) via the first main transfer body 22 and is subjected to the aging processing. It is gelled (step 9).

  The wafer W that has been aged by the aging processing unit (DAC) is transferred to the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE) via the first main transfer body 22. Then, in the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE), an exchange chemical is supplied to the wafer W, and a process of replacing the solvent in the insulating film applied on the wafer with another solvent is performed (step 10).

  The wafer W having undergone the replacement processing in the solvent exchange processing unit (DSE) is a first main transfer body 22, a transfer table in a transfer / cooling plate (TCP) belonging to the fourth set G4, or a transition unit (TRS). It is transported to the low-temperature heat treatment unit (LHP) via the second main transport body 23. Then, the wafer W is subjected to a low-temperature heating process in the low-temperature heating unit (LHP) (step 11).

  The wafer W that has been subjected to the low-temperature heat treatment by the low-temperature heat treatment unit (LHP) is transferred to the multi-functional hot plate curing apparatus (MHC) via the second main transfer member 23, and is subjected to the high-temperature heat treatment at a predetermined low oxygen concentration. , And a temperature control process are performed (step 12).

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second main transfer body 23 moves the wafer W into the room from the window 181 of the temperature control processing chamber 152, and transfers the wafer W via the support pins 158b. Placed on Then, the gate valve 174 is opened and the wafer W is conveyed into the heat treatment chamber 151 while controlling the temperature, and the wafer W is transferred to the support pins 158a with the support pins 158a protruding from the surface of the hot plate 156. In this way, by transporting the wafer W before heating while controlling the temperature, it contributes to uniform heat history.

  When the wafer W is transferred to the hot plate, the transfer temperature control plate 176 returns to the original position, and a closed space is formed in the heat treatment chamber 151 by closing the gate valve 174. Then, the supply of nitrogen gas into the heat treatment chamber 151 is started by the nitrogen supply mechanism 162, the pressure in the room is started by the vacuum pump 170, and the heat treatment by the hot plate 156 is started.

  When the heat treatment for a predetermined time is completed, supply of nitrogen gas into the heat treatment chamber 151 by the nitrogen supply mechanism 162 is started again, and nitrogen gas is ejected until the inside of the heat treatment chamber 151 becomes atmospheric pressure. Then, the support pins 158 rise and protrude from the surface of the hot plate 156, and the gate valve 174 opens. At this time, the supply of the nitrogen gas into the heat treatment chamber 151 is continued to make the heat treatment chamber 151 a positive pressure with respect to the temperature control processing chamber 152, so that the heat treatment chamber 152 Particles can be prevented from entering the inside.

  Then, the wafer W is transferred and taken out by the transfer temperature control plate 176, transferred to the temperature control processing chamber 152 while controlling the temperature at, for example, 23 ° C., and received by the second main transfer body 23 via the support pins 158b. Passed.

  Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to a cooling plate in a delivery / cooling plate (TCP). Then, the wafer W is cooled in the cooling plate of the transfer / cooling plate (TCP) (step 13).

  The wafer W cooled by the cooling plate of the transfer / cooling plate (TCP) is transferred to the wafer cassette CR via the wafer transfer body 21 in the cassette block 10.

  As described above, in the SOD system according to the present embodiment, the unit of the coating processing system, the unit of the heating processing system, and the unit of the cooling processing system using the first and second main transporters 22 and 23 in a single-wafer manner. While a configuration is adopted in which the wafer W is transported to and from the heat treatment system, a plurality of types of heat processing are performed on the wafer W by a multi-functional hot plate curing apparatus (MHC). The transfer of the wafer W between the wafers can be minimized, and the transfer time can be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, the processing efficiency of the wafer W can be improved. Further, the number of heat treatment units can be reduced by employing a multi-functional hot plate curing device (MHC). As a result, the amount of heat generated in the entire system can be reduced, and as a result, thermal interference between units can be suppressed as much as possible.

  FIG. 7 shows a modified example of the present invention. In this example, a wall member 201 surrounding a second processing block 12, which is a second processing area, includes a second processing block in the second processing area. 12 is provided with a temperature control unit 202 for controlling the temperature of the inside. The temperature control unit 202 is specifically composed of, for example, a heater 203 and a cooling pipe 204 embedded in the wall member 201, and controls the power and cooling supplied to the heater 203 under the control of a control unit (not shown). The temperature and amount of the cooling water supplied to the pipe 204 are controlled. By having such a temperature control unit 202, the temperature management in the second processing block 12, which is the second processing area, can be performed more precisely. The upper and lower portions of the wall member 201 are divided into, for example, three regions R <b> 1 to R <b> 3, and the respective regions are separately managed by the temperature control unit 202. The airflow management in the second processing block 12, which is the processing area of, can also be performed. For example, the temperature of the upper region is higher than that of the lower region to intentionally generate an updraft, whereby sublimates and the like generated from the wafer W can be reliably discharged to the outside without adversely affecting the wafer W. It can be discharged. Therefore, in this case, it is more preferable to introduce nitrogen gas or the like from below and exhaust gas from above.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the insulating film material is applied twice is described as an example. However, it is needless to say that the material may be applied once or three times or more.

  In addition, the present invention can be naturally applied to other processing systems including a solution supply and a heat treatment such as a resist coating and a developing process in an exposure and development process.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the silicon wafer is described as an example of the substrate, but the present invention can be applied to other substrates such as a glass substrate.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of an SOD system to which a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a front view of the SOD system shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the SOD system shown in FIG. 1. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunctional hot plate curing device (MHC) according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the multi-functional hot plate curing device (MHC) shown in FIG. 4. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the SOD system by this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 SOD system 11 first processing block (first processing area)
12 Second processing block (second processing area)
51 Insulation wall 52 Inert gas introduction part DAC Aging processing unit EB Electron beam processing unit LHP Low temperature heating processing unit MHC Multi-functional hot plate curing device
MW Microwave processing unit SCT SOD coating processing unit UV Ultraviolet processing unit W Wafer

Claims (5)

Comprising a first processing area and a second processing area that are partitioned,
In the first processing region, a coating unit for coating an insulating film material on the substrate, and a first transfer device for transferring the substrate in the region are arranged,
In the second processing region, a single-wafer-type heat treatment unit that performs a plurality of heat treatments on the substrate on which the insulating film material is applied by the application unit according to a predetermined processing temperature and a processing purpose is provided. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising a plurality of stages, and a second transfer device for transferring a substrate to the various heat processing units. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of types of heat treatment in the single-wafer-type various heat treatment units include at least a heat treatment for baking the substrate and a heat treatment for curing the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
At least one of the single-wafer-type heat treatment units is at least one heat treatment unit.
A heat treatment chamber in which a hot plate for heating the substrate is arranged,
A transfer temperature control plate, which is provided adjacent to the heat treatment chamber, can transfer a substrate between the second transfer device and the hot plate, and can move a transfer temperature control plate capable of heating the substrate. And a temperature control processing chamber disposed therein. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A substrate processing apparatus further comprising: means for introducing an inert gas into the second processing region to control the atmosphere in the second processing region with the inert gas. In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising a heat insulating member disposed between the first processing area and the second processing area.

Images