JP2007200993A - Substrate-cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate-cooling device that has improved safety even if a substrate is large, and can improve throughput. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate-cooling device 25 comprises a rolling conveyance mechanism 5 as a conveyance path for conveying the substrate G in one direction, and a cooling mechanism 7 for bringing the substrate G being conveyed by the rolling conveyance mechanism 5 into contact with a cooling medium in a casing 6 for cooling. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate cooling apparatus that heat-treats a substrate such as a glass substrate for a flat panel display (FPD).

  In manufacturing an FPD, a photolithography technique is used to form a circuit pattern on a glass substrate for FPD. The circuit pattern is formed by photolithography by applying a resist solution on a glass substrate to form a resist film, exposing the resist film so as to correspond to the circuit pattern, and developing the resist film.

  Generally, in the photolithography technique, a glass substrate is subjected to heat treatment for the purpose of improving the fixability of the resist film before and after formation of the resist film or after development processing, and the glass substrate is cooled after the heat treatment. The glass substrate is cooled by a support unit that receives and supports the glass substrate held and transported by the transport arm, a cooling plate that is provided below the support unit and cools the glass substrate, and a support unit. A cooling device including a chamber that can be moved up and down to cover a supported substrate is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In order to improve the throughput, this cooling device introduced the cooling fluid into the chamber while covering the substrate supported by the support portion, rapidly cooled the substrate, and then raised the chamber to be supported by the support portion. The substrate is configured to be cooled by a cooling plate.

By the way, recently, an increase in the size of the FPD has been directed, and a huge glass substrate having a side of 2 m or more has appeared, and accordingly, the cooling device is also significantly increased in size. For this reason, when the glass substrate becomes large, the conventional cooling device described above has to raise and lower a remarkably heavy chamber, which poses a safety problem. In addition, since the handling of the glass substrate becomes worse as the size of the glass substrate increases, in this cooling device, when the glass substrate becomes large, there is a possibility that the glass substrate may be damaged due to an impact at the time of delivery between the transfer arm and the support portion. is there.
JP-A-10-229037

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cooling apparatus that is excellent in safety even when the substrate is large and can improve throughput.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a substrate cooling apparatus for cooling a substrate, wherein a cooling medium is brought into contact with a conveyance path that conveys the substrate in one direction and a substrate that is conveyed along the conveyance path. Provided is a substrate cooling apparatus comprising a cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the cooling medium includes a cooling fluid, and the cooling mechanism supplies the cooling fluid to the substrate to cool the substrate, and the conveyance path rotates a plurality of roller members arranged in one direction. It is preferable that at least a part of the plurality of roller members is cooled from the inside and functions as the cooling medium.

  Further, the present invention is a substrate cooling apparatus for cooling a substrate, a transport path for transporting the substrate in one direction, a casing provided to accommodate the substrate being transported in the transport path, and the casing And a cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate by supplying a cooling fluid to the substrate.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a substrate cooling apparatus for cooling a substrate, a transport path for transporting the substrate in one direction, a casing provided so as to accommodate a substrate transported through the transport path, and the casing There is provided a substrate cooling apparatus comprising: a cooling mechanism that supplies a cooling fluid to the substrate to cool the substrate; and a control mechanism that controls the cooling mechanism so that the substrate has a predetermined temperature. . In this case, the control mechanism, based on the temperature detection signal of the temperature detection unit provided in the casing, at least one of the flow rate and the temperature of the cooling fluid from the cooling mechanism so that the substrate has a predetermined temperature. Is preferably controlled.

  In the present invention described above, the cooling mechanism preferably has a nozzle for supplying a cooling fluid to the substrate. In this case, the nozzle preferably supplies the cooling fluid toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport path so as to intersect the main surface of the substrate, and the nozzle extends in the width direction of the transport path. Thus, it is provided in the inner wall part of the said casing facing the width direction of the said conveyance path, and it is preferable to have multiple cooling fluid supply ports in the width direction of the said conveyance path at intervals. Furthermore, in this case, it is preferable that a plurality of the nozzles are arranged in the transport direction of the transport path, and the positions of the supply ports in the width direction of the transport path differ between the adjacent nozzles. Further, in this case, the transport path rolls the substrate by rotating a plurality of roller members arranged in one direction, and at least some of the plurality of nozzles are respectively provided between the roller members. Preferably it is. Furthermore, in these cases, it is preferable that the nozzles are respectively provided on both sides of the substrate transported through the transport path.

  Alternatively, in the present invention described above, the cooling mechanism has a fan provided on the wall portion of the casing facing the main surface of the substrate conveyed through the conveyance path, and supplies a cooling fluid by the fan. Is preferred.

  According to the present invention, the substrate transported in one direction on the transport path is cooled by contacting the cooling medium with the cooling mechanism, so that a heavy object such as a chamber or the like does not move up and down like a conventional cooling device, and The substrate can be transported and cooled in parallel while preventing a large impact from being transported on the substrate. Therefore, even if the substrate is large, safety can be sufficiently ensured and throughput can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the formation of a resist film on an FPD glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) on which a substrate cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and development of the resist film after exposure processing. It is a schematic plan view of a resist coating / development processing system that performs processing.

  The resist coating / development processing system 100 includes a cassette station 1 on which a cassette C for housing a plurality of substrates G is placed, a processing station 2 that performs a series of processes including resist coating and development on the substrate G, and a substrate An interface station 4 that transfers the substrate G to and from an exposure apparatus 9 that performs an exposure process on G is provided. The cassette station 1 and the interface station 4 are disposed on both sides of the processing station 2, respectively. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the resist coating / development processing system 100 is the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction on the plane is the Y direction.

  The cassette station 1 includes a mounting table 12 on which the cassette C can be mounted in parallel in the Y direction, and a transfer device 11 that loads and unloads the substrate G between the processing station 2 and between the mounting table 12 and the outside. Then, the cassette C is transported. A transfer arm 11 a provided in the transfer device 11 can move along a guide 10 extending in the Y direction, and can move up and down, move back and forth, and rotate horizontally. A substrate between the cassette C and the processing station 2 can be moved. G is carried in and out.

  The processing station 2 has two parallel rows of substrate G transfer lines A and B extending in the X direction between the cassette station 1 and the interface station 4. The transport line A is configured to transport the substrate G from the cassette station 1 side to the interface station 4 side by so-called flat flow transport such as roller transport or belt transport, and the transport line B is roller transport or belt transport. The substrate G is transported from the interface station 4 side to the cassette station 1 side by so-called flat flow transport.

  On the transport line A, from the cassette station 1 side to the interface station 4 side, an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21, a scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22, a preheat unit (PH) 23, an adhesion unit (AD) 24, cooling unit (COL) 25, resist coating unit (CT) 26, reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27, heat treatment unit (HT) 28, and cooling unit (COL) 29 are arranged in this order.

  The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21 performs a removal process of organic substances contained in the substrate G, and the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22 performs a scrub cleaning process and a drying process of the substrate G. The preheating unit (PH) 23 heats the substrate G, the adhesion unit (AD) 24 performs hydrophobic treatment of the substrate G, and a cooling unit (COL) 25 described in detail later cools the substrate G. The resist coating unit (CT) 26 supplies a resist solution onto the substrate G to form a resist film, and the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27 evaporates volatile components contained in the resist film on the substrate G under reduced pressure. To dry the resist film. The heat treatment unit (HT) 28 heats the substrate G, and the cooling unit (COL) 29 described in detail later cools the substrate G in the same manner as the cooling unit (COL) 25.

  On the transport line B, a developing unit (DEV) 30, a heat treatment unit (HT) 31, and a cooling unit (COL) 32 are arranged in this order from the interface station 4 side to the cassette station 1 side. In addition, between the cooling unit (COL) 32 and the set station 1, an inspection device (IP) 35 for inspecting the substrate G subjected to a series of processes including resist coating and development is provided.

  The development unit (DEV) 30 sequentially performs the application of the developer onto the substrate G, the rinsing process of the substrate G, and the drying process of the substrate G. The heat treatment unit (HT) 31 heats the substrate G in the same manner as the heat treatment unit (HT) 28, and the cooling unit (COL) 32, which will be described in detail later, is similar to the cooling units (COL) 25 and 29. The substrate G is cooled.

  The interface station 4 receives a rotary stage (RS) 44, which is a transfer section of the substrate G, in which a buffer cassette capable of accommodating the substrate G is arranged, and a rotary stage (RS) that receives the substrate G transferred on the transfer line A. And a transfer arm 43 for transferring to the transfer unit 44. The transfer arm 43 can move up and down, move back and forth, and rotate horizontally. The transfer arm 43 is provided adjacent to the exposure arm 9 adjacent to the transfer arm 43, and adjacent to the transfer arm 43 and the developing unit (DEV) 30. An external device block 90 having a peripheral exposure device (EE) and a titler (TITLER) is also accessible.

  The resist coating / developing apparatus 100 is configured to be connected to and controlled by a process controller 101 having a CPU. On the process controller 101, the process manager visualizes and displays the operation status of each part or each unit, a keyboard for performing a command input operation or the like for managing each part or each unit of the resist coating / developing apparatus 100. Stored is a recipe in which a control program and processing condition data for realizing various processes executed by the resist application / development processing apparatus 100 under the control of the process controller 101 are stored. A storage unit 103 is connected.

  If necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 103 in accordance with an instruction from the user interface 102 and is executed by the process controller 101, so that the resist coating / developing apparatus 100 is controlled under the control of the process controller 101. The desired process is performed. Also, recipes such as control programs and processing condition data may be stored in computer-readable storage media such as CD-ROMs, hard disks, flexible disks, flash memories, etc., or other devices For example, it is possible to transmit the data as needed via a dedicated line and use it online.

  In the resist coating and developing apparatus 100 configured as described above, first, the substrate G in the cassette C placed on the mounting table 12 of the cassette station 1 is transported to the processing station 2 by the transport arm 11 a of the transport apparatus 11. It is transported to the upstream end of the line A, and further transported on the transport line A, and the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21 removes organic substances contained in the substrate G. The substrate G that has been subjected to the organic substance removal processing in the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 21 is transported on the transport line A, and scrub cleaning processing and drying processing are performed in the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22. .

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the scrub cleaning process and the drying process in the scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 22 is transported on the transport line A, subjected to a heat treatment in the preheat unit (PH) 23, and dehydrated. The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the preheat unit (PH) 23 is transported on the transport line A and subjected to a hydrophobic treatment in the adhesion unit (AD) 24. The substrate G that has been subjected to the hydrophobization process in the adhesion unit (AD) 24 is transported on the transport line A and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 25. The substrate G is cooled while being transported on the transport line A by a roller transport mechanism 5 described later.

  The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 25 is transported on the transport line A, and a resist film is formed by the resist coating unit (CT) 26. The resist film is formed in the resist coating unit (CT) 26 by supplying a resist solution onto the substrate G while the substrate G is being transported on the transport line A.

  The substrate G on which the resist film is formed by the resist coating unit (CT) 26 is transported on the transport line A and exposed to a reduced pressure atmosphere by the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27, whereby the resist film is dried. Is done.

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the drying process of the resist film by the reduced pressure drying unit (DP) 27 is transported on the transport line A, and is subjected to the heating process by the heat processing unit (HT) 28, and the solvent contained in the resist film. Is removed. The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit (HT) 28 is transported on the transport line A and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 29. The substrate G is cooled while being transported on the transport line A by a roller transport mechanism 5 described later.

  The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 29 is transported on the transport line A to the downstream end, and then transported to the rotary stage (RS) 44 by the transport arm 43 of the interface station 4. Next, the substrate G is transferred by the transfer arm 43 to the peripheral exposure apparatus (EE) of the external apparatus block 90, and the peripheral exposure apparatus (EE) removes the outer peripheral portion (unnecessary portion) of the resist film. Is given. Subsequently, the substrate G is transported to the exposure apparatus 9 by the transport arm 43, and a predetermined pattern of exposure processing is performed on the resist film. The substrate G may be transported to the exposure apparatus 9 after being temporarily stored in a buffer cassette on the rotary stage (RS) 44. The substrate G that has been subjected to the exposure processing is transported to the titler (TITLER) of the external device block 90 by the transport arm 43, and predetermined information is written in the titler (TITLER).

  The substrate G on which the predetermined information is written by the titler (TITLER) is transported on the transport line B, and the developing unit (DEV) 30 sequentially performs a developer coating process, a rinsing process, and a drying process. In the developing solution coating process, the rinsing process, and the drying process, for example, while the substrate G is transported on the transport line B, the developer is deposited on the substrate G, and then the transport is temporarily stopped so that the substrate G The developer flows down at a predetermined angle, and in this state, the rinsing liquid is supplied onto the substrate G to wash away the developer, and then the substrate G returns to the horizontal posture and is transported again, while the dry gas is applied to the substrate G. It is performed by the procedure of spraying.

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the developer coating process, the rinsing process, and the drying process in the development unit (DEV) 30 is transported on the transport line B, and is subjected to the heat process in the heat processing unit (HT) 31 to be resist The solvent and moisture contained in the film are removed. Note that an i-line UV irradiation unit that performs a decoloring process of the developer may be provided between the development unit (DEV) 30 and the heat treatment unit (HT) 31. The substrate G that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the heat treatment unit (HT) 31 is transported on the transport line B and cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 32. The substrate G is cooled while being transported on the transport line B by a roller transport mechanism 5 described later.

  The substrate G cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 32 is transported on the transport line B and inspected by the inspection unit (IP) 35. The substrate G that has passed the inspection is accommodated in a predetermined cassette C mounted on the mounting table 12 by the transfer arm 11a of the transfer device 11 provided in the cassette station 1.

Next, the cooling unit (COL) 25 will be described in detail. The cooling units (COL) 29 and 32 also have the same structure as the cooling unit (COL) 25.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the plane direction showing the cooling unit (COL) 25 (substrate cooling device), and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the side surface direction.

  The cooling unit (COL) 25 is provided so as to surround or accommodate the roller transport mechanism 5 that transports the substrate G toward one side in the X direction, and the substrate transport mechanism 5 and the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5. And a cooling mechanism 7 that cools the substrate G that is roller transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 in the casing 6.

  The roller transport mechanism 5 has a roller member 50a (roller member in a pre-cooling chamber 65a described later) and 50b (roller member in a main cooling chamber 65b described later) having a rotating shaft extending in the Y direction spaced in the X direction. Have more than one. In each roller member 50a, 50b, the rotation shaft 59 is directly or indirectly connected to a drive source such as a motor (not shown) and is rotated by the drive of the drive source, whereby the substrate G moves on the roller members 50a, 50b. It is conveyed toward one side in the X direction. Each roller member 50a, 50b is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the Y direction so as to be in contact with the entire width (Y direction) of the substrate G. In the roller transport mechanism 5, the transport path or the transport surface forms part of the transport line A. In the cooling unit (COL) 29, like the cooling unit (COL) 25, the transport path or transport surface of the roller transport mechanism 5 forms part of the transport line A, and in the cooling unit (COL) 32, The transport path or transport surface of the roller transport mechanism 5 constitutes a part of the transport line B.

  The casing 6 is formed in a thin box shape so as to accommodate the substrate G, and is disposed along the transfer line A. The substrate G on the transfer line A can pass through the side wall portions facing each other in the X direction. It has a slit-like carry-in port 61 and a carry-out port 62 extending in the Y direction. The roller members 50 a and 50 b of the roller transport mechanism 5 are disposed in the casing 6 such that the rotation shaft 59 is rotatably supported by a bearing 60 provided on a side wall portion facing the Y direction of the casing 6. A partition wall 64 having a passage port 63 through which the substrate G transported on the transport line A can pass is provided in the middle portion of the casing 6 in the X direction. As a result, the inside of the casing 6 sandwiches the partition wall 64. It is divided into a preliminary cooling chamber 65a on the upstream side in the X direction and a main cooling chamber 65b on the downstream side in the X direction.

  The cooling mechanism 7 is provided outside the casing 6 and is provided on the wall of the preliminary cooling chamber 65a and an air supply source 73a for supplying a cooling fluid, for example, room temperature air, into the preliminary cooling chamber 65a. 73a, a nozzle 71a for guiding the air from the air supply source 73a into the preliminary cooling chamber 65a, and a cooling fluid, for example, air adjusted to a predetermined temperature, provided outside the casing 6 and adjusted in the main cooling chamber 65b. A temperature-controlled air supply source 73b for supply and a wall portion of the main cooling chamber 65b are connected to the temperature-controlled air supply source 73b and guide air from the temperature-controlled air supply source 73b into the main cooling chamber 65b. A nozzle 71b and a supply ring 71c are provided. The preliminary cooling chamber 65a, the nozzle 71a and the air supply source 73a constitute a preliminary cooling unit 7a, and the main cooling chamber 65b, the nozzle 71b, the supply ring 71c and the temperature control air supply source 73b constitute a main cooling unit 7b.

  A temperature sensor (temperature detector) 105 is provided in the vicinity of the transfer path of the substrate G by the roller transfer mechanism 5 in the main cooling chamber 65b, and the flow rate and temperature of the air from the temperature control air supply source 73b are required. It is configured to be controlled by a unit controller (control unit) 104 that has received a temperature detection signal from the temperature sensor 105 and a command from the process controller 101 in accordance with the temperature of the substrate G to be processed. It should be noted that only one of the air flow rate and temperature from the temperature control air supply source 73b may be controlled by the unit controller 104, and the air flow rate from the air supply source 73a may also be controlled by the unit controller 104. It may be configured to be controlled by the controller 104.

  The nozzles 71a and 71b are provided on the side walls of the preliminary cooling chamber 65a and the main cooling chamber 65b facing the Y direction so as to extend in the Y direction within the preliminary cooling chamber 65a and the main cooling chamber 65b, respectively. The nozzles 71a and 71b are provided on both sides of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5, and a plurality of nozzles 71a and 71b are arranged in the X direction. The nozzles 71a and 71b provided on the back side or the lower side of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 are provided between the roller members 50, respectively, thereby reducing the thickness of the casing 6. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, nozzles 71a and 71b provided on the front surface side and the back surface side of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 are respectively shown in FIG. 4 (the nozzle portions 71a and 71b portions provided in the substrate cooling device). The cooling fluid supply ports 72a and 72b are formed below and above the peripheral surface so as to supply the cooling fluid toward the front surface and the back surface (main surface) of the substrate G. The supply ports 72a and 72b are formed on the peripheral surfaces of the nozzles 71a and 71b so as to be inclined toward the upstream side in the X direction, more preferably at an angle of 30 to 40 °. That is, the nozzles 71a and 71b supply air from the supply ports 72a and 72b toward the upstream side in the X direction against the transport direction of the substrate G so as to intersect the main surface of the substrate G. Thereby, the air sent from the supply sources 73a and 73b can be efficiently brought into contact with the substrate G, and the contact time of the air per unit amount with the substrate G can be kept short. It is possible to prevent the substrate G from being warmed by contact with the substrate G and to cool the substrate G effectively. Each of the supply ports 72a and 72b may be formed in a slit shape extending in the Y direction, or a large number of meshes may be formed.

  Further, a plurality of supply ports 72a and 72b are formed on the peripheral surfaces of the nozzles 71a and 71b at intervals in the Y direction, and between the nozzles 71a adjacent to each other in the X direction, between 71b, and between 71a and 71b. Then, it is formed so that the positions in the Y width direction are different. Thereby, the board | substrate G conveyed by the roller conveyance mechanism 5 can be cooled uniformly over substantially the whole surface.

  The supply ring 71c is formed in a mesh shape having a large number of air supply holes, for example, and is provided on the upper wall portion of the main cooling chamber 65b. Further, the supply ring 71c uses the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 so that the air sent from the temperature control air supply source 73b spreads throughout the main cooling chamber 65b. It is provided at the upstream end in the direction. In the main cooling chamber 65b, when the cooling effect of the substrate G can be sufficiently obtained only by supplying air from the nozzle 71b, the supply ring 71c need not be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the roller members 50b disposed in the main cooling chamber 65b are respectively shown in FIG. 5 (FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a cooling mode of the roller members 50b provided in the substrate cooling device), and in the Y direction (axis In the pipe 52, which has a flow path (not shown) penetrating in the direction), and both ends in the Y direction are connected to a pipe 52 having a chiller 51 through a rotary joint, and adjusted to a predetermined temperature by the chiller 51. The cooling fluid, for example, cooling water, is configured to circulate inside. Thereby, each of the roller members 50b is cooled to a predetermined temperature, and is configured to function as a part of the cooling mechanism 7 that cools the substrate G when it contacts the substrate G. Moreover, between the roller members 50b adjacent to each other in the X direction, the flow direction of the cooling water is reversed (see arrows), and thereby the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 is uniformly cooled over the entire width. be able to. In addition, the code | symbols 53 and 54 in a figure are the valves for adjusting the flow volume of the cooling water sent from the inside of the piping 52 to the roller member 50b, respectively, and the pump for circulating cooling water in the piping 52 and the roller member 50b. It is. The flow rate of the cooling water by the pump 53 and the valve 54 and the cooling temperature of the cooling water by the chiller 51, that is, the temperature of the roller member 50b are configured to be controlled by the unit controller 104 according to the required temperature of the substrate G. ing.

  Each of the roller members 50a disposed in the preliminary cooling chamber 65a is formed of a low thermal conductivity material such as a resin so that at least the outer peripheral surface does not affect the substrate G.

  The upper wall portion and the bottom wall portion of the casing 6 have a double wall structure including an inner wall 66 and an outer wall 67 provided with a space therebetween. The inner wall 66 is provided with a plurality of, for example, mesh-shaped exhaust ports 68a extending in the Y direction at intervals in the X direction, and the outer wall 67 is provided with exhaust ports 68b. An exhaust path 68c that communicates the plurality of exhaust ports 68a and the exhaust ports 68b is provided in the space between them. The exhaust port 68a, the exhaust port 68b, and the exhaust path 68c constitute an exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the casing 6. When a sufficient exhaust effect can be obtained only with the exhaust part provided on the bottom wall part, the exhaust part does not have to be provided on the upper wall part, and when the exhaust part is provided on the upper wall part, In order to enhance the effect, it is preferable to connect an exhaust source 68d such as a ventilation fan.

Next, the cooling process of the board | substrate G in the cooling unit (COL) 25 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a substrate cooling process in the substrate cooling apparatus.

  In the cooling unit (COL) 25, the adhesion unit (AD) 24 (in the cooling units (COL) 29 and 32, respectively, the heating processing units (HT) 28 and 31) are respectively heated by the transport mechanism. When the substrate G passes through the carry-in entrance 61, it is delivered to the roller transport mechanism 5 and is cooled by the cooling mechanism 7 in the casing 6 while being transported by the roller transport mechanism 5. Therefore, since the substrate is transported and cooled in parallel, the processing time can be shortened.

  At this time, the substrate G is first cooled to about room temperature by the supply of room temperature air from the nozzle 71a in the preliminary cooling chamber 65a to remove the coarse heat (see FIG. 6A). Thereafter, the substrate G passes through the passage port 63 and is brought to a predetermined temperature by contact with the air from the nozzle 71b and the supply ring 71c and the roller member 50b, whose flow rate and temperature are controlled by the unit controller 104 in the main cooling chamber 65b. It is cooled (see FIG. 6B). Therefore, precise cooling can be performed while preventing the distortion of the substrate G. Moreover, since the board | substrate G is cooled from both surfaces by the nozzles 71a and 71b, the supply ring 71c, and the roller member 50b, generation | occurrence | production of curvature is also prevented.

  When the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5 passes through the transport outlet 62, the resist coating unit (CT) 26 (the interface station 4 and the inspection unit (IP) 35 in the cooling units (COL) 29 and 32, respectively)). It is transferred to the transport mechanism on the side, and transported on the transport line A (B) by this transport mechanism. Therefore, it is safe to transport the substrate G at the time of cooling and before and after the cooling only by the so-called flat flow method by the roller transport mechanism 5 or the like.

Next, a modified example of the preliminary cooling unit 7a and the main cooling unit 7b will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the preliminary cooling unit 7a and the main cooling unit 7b provided in the substrate cooling apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the preliminary cooling unit 7a is a fan filter unit having a fan 75a and a filter 75b provided on the upper wall of the preliminary cooling chamber 65a instead of the air supply source 73a and the nozzle 71a. 75 may be provided. When the fan 75 a rotates, the fan filter unit 75 takes in, for example, room temperature air outside the casing 6, purifies it with the filter 75 b, and supplies the air toward the surface of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5. Since the fan filter unit 75 is usually thin and does not require an external air supply source 73a, the casing 6 can be thinned and the footprint of the entire apparatus can be kept small. For example, a plurality of fan filter units 75 are arranged in the X direction and the Y direction according to the size of the substrate G so that air can be supplied over the entire surface of the substrate G in the preliminary cooling chamber 65a.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the main cooling unit 7b is provided with a duct 76 provided on the upper wall portion of the main cooling chamber 65b connected to the temperature-controlled air supply source 73b instead of the nozzle 71b and the supply ring 71c. It may be provided. The duct 76 is formed so that the diameter of the opening 76a gradually increases so that air can be supplied over the entire surface of the substrate G in the main cooling chamber 65b. Further, in this case, the duct 76 is provided with a diffusion plate 76b having a large number of supply holes, a filter or a fan filter unit (none of which is not shown), etc., so that air can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate G. It is preferable to arrange in the opening 76a.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, the nozzles 71 a and 71 b may be provided only on one side of the substrate G transported by the roller transport mechanism 5, and the cooling fluid is supplied to the substrate G by the nozzle 71 a and the fan filter unit 75, or the nozzle 71 b and the duct 76. You may comprise.

  According to the present invention, it is suitable particularly when the substrate is large, such as an FPD glass substrate, but is not limited to the glass substrate and can be widely applied to heat treatment of other substrates such as a semiconductor wafer. .

1 is a schematic plan view of a resist coating / development processing system for forming a resist film on a glass substrate for FPD and developing a resist film after exposure processing, in which a substrate cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. is there. It is sectional drawing of the planar direction of a substrate cooling device. It is sectional drawing of the side surface direction of a substrate cooling device. It is sectional drawing of the side surface direction of the nozzle part provided in the board | substrate cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the cooling aspect of the roller member provided in the board | substrate cooling device. It is a figure for demonstrating the cooling process of the board | substrate with a board | substrate cooling device. It is a figure which shows the example of a change of the preliminary cooling part and main cooling part which were provided in the board | substrate cooling device.

Explanation of symbols

25, 29, 32 ... Cooling unit (substrate cooling device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Roller conveyance mechanism 6 ... Casing 7 ... Cooling mechanism 50a, 50b ... Roller member 71a, 71b ... Nozzle 72a, 72b ... Supply port 73a ... Air supply source 73b ... Temperature control air supply source 75a ... Fan 104 ... Unit controller (control) Part)
105 ... Temperature sensor (temperature detector)
G ... Board

Claims (13)

A substrate cooling device for cooling a substrate,
A transport path for transporting the substrate in one direction;
A substrate cooling apparatus comprising: a cooling mechanism that cools the substrate by bringing a cooling medium into contact with the substrate being conveyed through the conveyance path. The cooling medium includes a cooling fluid;
The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling mechanism supplies a cooling fluid to the substrate to cool the substrate. The transport path roller transports the substrate by rotating a plurality of roller members arranged in one direction,
3. The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the plurality of roller members is cooled from the inside thereof and functions as the cooling medium. A substrate cooling device for cooling a substrate,
A transport path for transporting the substrate in one direction;
A casing provided to accommodate the substrate being transported through the transport path;
A substrate cooling apparatus comprising: a cooling mechanism that supplies a cooling fluid to the substrate in the casing to cool the substrate. A substrate cooling device for cooling a substrate,
A transport path for transporting the substrate in one direction;
A casing provided to accommodate the substrate being transported through the transport path;
A cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate by supplying a cooling fluid to the substrate in the casing;
A substrate cooling apparatus comprising: a control mechanism that controls the cooling mechanism so that the substrate has a predetermined temperature.   The control mechanism controls at least one of a flow rate and a temperature of the cooling fluid from the cooling mechanism based on a temperature detection signal of a temperature detection unit provided in the casing so that the substrate has a predetermined temperature. The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 5.   The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooling mechanism includes a nozzle that supplies a cooling fluid to the substrate.   The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the nozzle supplies the cooling fluid toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport path so as to intersect the main surface of the substrate.   The nozzle is provided in an inner wall portion of the casing facing the width direction of the transport path so as to extend in the width direction of the transport path, and a cooling fluid supply port is spaced in the width direction of the transport path. 9. The substrate cooling device according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of the substrate cooling devices are provided. A plurality of the nozzles are arranged in the transport direction of the transport path,
The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the positions of the supply ports in the width direction of the transport path are different between the adjacent nozzles. The transport path roller transports the substrate by rotating a plurality of roller members arranged in one direction,
The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least some of the plurality of nozzles are respectively provided between the roller members.   12. The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the nozzles are provided on both sides of the substrate transported through the transport path. 13.   The cooling mechanism includes a fan provided on a wall portion of the casing facing a main surface of a substrate conveyed through the conveyance path, and supplies a cooling fluid by the fan. The substrate cooling apparatus according to claim 6.

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