JP2010232415A - Substrate heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate heat treatment apparatus facilitating the connection of a suction pipe with a heat treatment plate, maintaining heat uniformity within the surface of the heat treatment plate, and improving maintainability such as the inspection and exchange of the heat treatment plate. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate heat treatment apparatus is equipped with: a heat plate 70 where a semiconductor wafer W is placed and heat-treated; a plurality of suction openings 76 formed on the wafer mounting surface of the heat plate 70 to suck the wafer; and a suction pipe 78 that connects each suction opening 76 and a suction means. At one end of the suction pipe 78, a connecting member 77 made of thermally insulated and flexible synthetic rubber is equipped. Then, the connecting member 77 is closely attached to the lower surface of the heat plate 70, and the suction opening 76 and the suction pipe 78 are connected airtightly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate heat treatment apparatus such as a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel display substrate (FPD substrate).

  In general, in photolithography technology, a photoresist is applied to a substrate, a resist film formed thereby is exposed according to a predetermined circuit pattern, and a desired circuit pattern is formed on the resist film by developing this exposure pattern. It is performed by a series of steps to form.

  In such a photolithography technique, various heat treatments such as heat treatment after resist coating (pre-baking), heat treatment after exposure (post-exposure baking), heat treatment after development processing (post-baking) and the like are performed. Yes.

  This type of conventional heat treatment is usually performed by a heat treatment apparatus. In this heat treatment apparatus, a plurality of suction ports for sucking a substrate are provided on a substrate placement surface of a heat treatment plate for placing and heat-treating a substrate, a female screw portion is provided in each suction port, and a connector is provided on the female screw portion. Are connected to a suction pipe, and the suction pipe is connected to suction means such as a negative pressure generator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP2007-300047 (paragraphs 0051 and 0052, FIG. 8)

  However, in the heat treatment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the suction pipe is connected via a connector screwed into the suction port provided in the heat treatment plate, there is a concern that the heat uniformity within the surface of the heat treatment plate is impaired. In addition, there is a possibility that the heat conduction efficiency is lowered due to the looseness of the connector. In addition, since the suction pipes connected to the plurality of suction ports via the connectors are bundled and piped, the heat treatment plate is distorted, which may reduce the thermal uniformity. Furthermore, since the piping structure is complicated, it is difficult to assemble the piping portion to the heat treatment plate, and it is necessary to improve the maintainability such as inspection and replacement of the heat treatment plate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, can facilitate the connection of the suction pipe to the heat treatment plate, can maintain the thermal uniformity within the surface of the heat treatment plate, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate heat treatment apparatus that can improve maintenance such as inspection and replacement.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a heat treatment plate for placing a substrate and heat-treating the substrate, and a plurality of suction ports for sucking the substrate formed on the substrate placement surface of the heat treatment plate. And a suction tube connecting the suction port and the suction means, in the substrate heat treatment apparatus, a synthetic rubber connecting member having heat insulation and flexibility is attached to one end of the suction tube, The connection member is in close contact with the suction portion on the lower surface of the heat treatment plate, and the suction port and the suction pipe are communicated with each other. In this case, it is better to form at least the tip of the connecting member in a bellows shape (claim 2).

  By comprising in this way, a suction pipe can be pressed and closely_contact | adhered to the suction port provided in the heat processing board via the connection member which has heat insulation.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, a close-up piece having an outwardly tapered shape is formed at the tip of the connection member, and a back surface intermediate portion of the close-up piece. The bent corrugated portion is connected to the bent corrugated portion, and the thickness of the tip corrugated portion connected to the intimate piece of the bent corrugated portion is formed thinner than the thickness of the corrugated portion other than the tip corrugated portion. .

  By comprising in this way, the front end side of a close_contact | adherence piece is pressed and closely_contact | adhered by the negative pressure at the time of attraction | suction of a suction means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the substrate heat treatment apparatus is formed in a narrow taper shape downward toward the suction port side in the suction pipe. A flexible backflow suppressing member is provided, and the opening of the backflow suppressing member expands due to the negative pressure during suction of the suction means, and when the suction of the suction means stops, the opening is restored to reduce the diameter. It is characterized by being formed.

  With this configuration, the opening of the backflow suppressing member expands due to the negative pressure during suction of the suction means, and the opening is restored and contracted when suction of the suction means is stopped. The backflow of the attracted particles such as the sublimate immediately after the heat treatment plate can be suppressed.

  Further, the invention according to claim 5 is the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the particle shape contained in the gas flowing in the suction tube is collected on the tip side in the suction tube. It is characterized by being fitted with a filter.

  With this configuration, the substrate is adsorbed and held on the heat treatment plate, and at the same time, sucked particles such as sublimates contained in the gas flowing in the suction pipe can be removed by the mesh filter.

  In addition, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any of the first to fifth aspects, the suction tube is formed of a straight tube member, and the lower end of each suction tube is sucked. The suction pipe is connected to the base member, each suction pipe is connected to a flow path provided in the suction base member, and a communication port connected to the flow path provided in the suction base member is connected to the suction means. It is characterized by that.

  By comprising in this way, a some suction tube can be closely_contact | adhered to the same press state simultaneously with the some suction port provided in the heat processing board.

  According to this invention, since it is configured as described above, the following remarkable effects can be obtained.

  (1) According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the suction pipe can be pressed and brought into intimate contact with the suction port provided in the heat treatment plate via the heat insulating connecting member. Assembling of the suction pipe can be facilitated, and inspection / exchange of the heat treatment plate can be facilitated. Moreover, the in-plane heat uniformity of the heat treatment plate can be maintained by pressing the suction tube close to the heat treatment plate via a connecting member having heat insulation properties. Furthermore, since the suction pipe can be formed of a thick pipe member, there is no concern about clogging during suction, and the adsorption and holding of the substrate can be stabilized.

  (2) According to the invention described in claim 3, since the tip end side of the contact piece is pressed and brought into close contact with the heat treatment plate due to the negative pressure at the time of suction by the suction means, in addition to the above (1), The closeness with the suction tube can be improved.

  (3) According to the invention described in claim 4, since the backflow of sucked particles such as sublimate immediately after the suction of the suction means to the heat treatment plate can be suppressed, the above (1), (2 In addition, the adhesion of particles to the substrate to be further heat-treated can be suppressed.

  (4) According to the invention described in claim 5, the substrate is adsorbed and held on the heat treatment plate, and at the same time, sucked particles such as sublimates contained in the gas flowing in the suction pipe are removed by the mesh filter. Therefore, in addition to the above (1) to (3), the adhesion of particles to the substrate to be further heat-treated can be suppressed.

  (5) According to the invention described in claim 6, since a plurality of suction pipes can be brought into close contact with the plurality of suction ports provided in the heat treatment plate simultaneously and in the same pressing state, the above (1) to (4) In addition, it is possible to facilitate the assembly of the suction pipe to the heat treatment plate, and to facilitate the inspection and replacement of the heat treatment plate.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a resist coating / development processing apparatus to which a substrate heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a schematic front view of the resist coating / developing apparatus. It is a schematic rear view of the resist coating / developing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the substrate heat processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the said substrate heat processing apparatus. They are the side view (a) which shows the principal part of the said board | substrate heat processing apparatus, the I section expanded sectional view (b) of (a), and the II section expanded sectional view (c) of (a). It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the said substrate heat processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the backflow suppression member in the suction pipe in this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the modification of the connection member in this invention. It is an expanded sectional view showing the state where a filter was inserted in the suction pipe in this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a case where the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer resist coating / development processing apparatus will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the resist coating / development processing system 1 carries, for example, 25 wafers W in the cassette unit from the outside to the resist coating / development processing system 1 and also transfers wafers to the cassette C. A cassette station 2 for loading and unloading W; a processing station 3 provided adjacent to the cassette station 2 and arranged in a multi-stage with various processing units for performing predetermined processing in a single-wafer type in the coating and developing process; The interface unit 4 for transferring the wafer W to and from an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 3 is integrally connected.

  The cassette station 2 can mount a plurality of cassettes C at a predetermined position on the cassette mounting table 5 in a row in the horizontal X direction. Further, the cassette station 2 is provided with a wafer transfer arm 7 that can move on the transfer path 6 along the X direction. The wafer transfer arm 7 is also movable in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers W accommodated in the cassette C, and is selective to the wafers W in each cassette C arranged in the X direction. Is configured to be accessible.

  Further, the wafer transfer arm 7 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction around the Z axis, and as will be described later, with respect to the transition device (TRS) 31 belonging to the third processing unit group G3 on the processing station 3 side. Even it is configured to be accessible.

  The processing station 3 includes, for example, five processing unit groups G1 to G5 in which a plurality of processing units are arranged in multiple stages. As shown in FIG. 1, on the front side of the processing station 3, a first processing unit group G1 and a second processing unit group G2 are sequentially arranged from the cassette station 2 side. Further, on the back side of the processing station 3, a third processing unit group G3, a fourth processing unit group G4, and a fifth processing unit group G5 are sequentially arranged from the cassette station 2 side. A first transport mechanism 110 is provided between the third processing unit group G3 and the fourth processing unit group G4. The first transport mechanism 110 is configured to selectively access the first processing unit group G1, the third processing unit group G3, and the fourth processing unit group G4 to transport the wafer W. A second transport mechanism 120 is provided between the fourth processing unit group G4 and the fifth processing unit group G5. The second transfer mechanism 120 is configured to selectively access the second processing unit group G2, the fourth processing unit group G4, and the fifth processing unit group G5 to transfer the wafer W.

  In the first processing unit group G1, as shown in FIG. 2, a liquid processing unit for supplying a predetermined processing liquid to the wafer W for processing, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) for applying a resist liquid to the wafer W 10, 11, 12 and bottom coating units (BARC) 13, 14 forming an antireflection film for preventing reflection of light at the time of exposure are stacked in five stages in order from the bottom. In the second processing unit group G2, liquid processing units, for example, development processing units (DEV) 20 to 24 that perform development processing on the wafer W are stacked in five stages in order from the bottom. Further, at the bottom of the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2, a chemical chamber (CHM) for supplying various processing liquids to the liquid processing units in the processing unit groups G1 and G2. 25 and 26 are provided, respectively.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the third processing unit group G3 includes, in order from the bottom, a temperature control unit (TCP) 30, a transition device (TRS) 31 for delivering the wafer W, and a highly accurate temperature. Heat treatment units (ULHP) 32 to 38 that heat-treat the wafer W under management are stacked in nine stages.

  In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, a high-precision temperature control unit (CPL) 40, pre-baking units (PAB) 41 to 44 for heat-treating the resist-coated wafer W, and the wafer W after development processing are heat-treated. Post baking units (POST) 45 to 49 are stacked in 10 stages in order from the bottom.

  In the fifth processing unit group G5, a plurality of heat treatment units that heat-treat the wafer W, for example, high-precision temperature control units (CPL) 50 to 53, post-exposure baking units (PEB) 54 to heat-treat the exposed wafer W, 59 are stacked in 10 steps from the bottom.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of processing units are arranged on the positive side in the X direction of the first transfer mechanism 110. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the wafer W is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. Adhesion units (AD) 80 and 81 and heating units (HP) 82 and 83 for heating the wafer W are stacked in four stages in order from the bottom. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a peripheral exposure unit (WEE) 84 that selectively exposes only the edge portion of the wafer W is disposed on the back side of the second transfer mechanism 120.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, an air conditioning unit 90 for air conditioning the inside of each block is provided above the blocks of the cassette station 2, the processing station 3, and the interface unit 4. With the air conditioning unit 90, the cassette station 2, the processing station 3, and the interface unit 4 can be adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, a predetermined gas is supplied to each device in the third processing unit group G3, the fourth processing unit group G4, and the fifth processing unit group G5 in the upper part of the processing station 3. For example, gas supply units 91 that are gas supply means such as FFU (fan filter unit) to be supplied are provided. The gas supply unit 91 can blow the gas at a predetermined flow rate after removing impurities from the gas adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the interface unit 4 includes a first interface unit 100 and a second interface unit 101 in order from the processing station 3 side. In the first interface unit 100, a wafer transfer arm 102 is disposed at a position corresponding to the fifth processing unit group G5. For example, buffer cassettes 103 (on the back side in FIG. 1) and 104 (on the front side in FIG. 1) are installed on both sides of the wafer transfer arm 102 in the X direction. The wafer transfer arm 102 can access the heat treatment apparatus and the buffer cassettes 103 and 104 in the fifth processing unit group G5. The second interface unit 101 is provided with a wafer transfer arm 106 that moves on a transfer path 105 provided in the X direction. The wafer transfer arm 106 is movable in the Z direction and rotatable in the θ direction, and can access the buffer cassette 104 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) adjacent to the second interface unit 101. . Therefore, the wafer W in the processing station 3 can be transferred to the exposure apparatus via the wafer transfer arm 102, the buffer cassette 104, and the wafer transfer arm 106, and the wafer W after the exposure processing is transferred to the wafer transfer arm 106 and the buffer. It can be transferred into the processing station 3 via the cassette 104 and the wafer transfer arm 102.

  Next, the wafer W processing process performed in the resist coating / development processing system 1 configured as described above will be briefly described. First, when a cassette C containing a plurality of unprocessed wafers W is placed on the mounting table 6, one wafer W is taken out from the cassette C, and a third processing unit group G 3 is taken by the wafer transfer arm 7. It is conveyed to the temperature control unit (TCP) 30. The wafer W transferred to the temperature control unit (TCP) 30 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, and then transferred to the bottom coating unit (BARC) 13 by the first transfer mechanism 110 to form an antireflection film on the surface. The The wafer W on which the antireflection film is formed is transferred by the first transfer mechanism 110 into the heat treatment units 32 to 38 (hereinafter represented by the heat treatment unit 32).

  The wafer W heat-treated by the heat treatment unit 32 is taken out from the heat treatment apparatus 32 by the first wafer transfer mechanism 110 and then transferred to the resist coating unit 10 to be subjected to resist coating processing. The resist-processed wafer W is transferred to a pre-baking unit (PAB) 41 and subjected to heat processing.

  The wafer W that has been subjected to the heat treatment in the pre-baking unit (PAB) 41 is transported to the peripheral exposure device 84 by the second transport mechanism 120, subjected to the peripheral exposure processing, and then transported to the high-precision temperature control unit (CPL) 53. Is done. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the buffer cassette 104 by the wafer transfer body 102 of the first interface unit 100 and then transferred to an exposure apparatus (not shown) by the wafer transfer arm 106 of the second interface unit 101. The wafer W after the exposure processing is transferred to the buffer cassette 103 via the buffer cassette 104 by the wafer transfer arm 106 and the wafer transfer arm 102. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer arm 102 to, for example, a post-exposure baking unit (PEB) 54 (hereinafter referred to as a heat treatment apparatus 54).

  The wafer W transferred into the housing 60 of the heat treatment apparatus (PEB) 54 is transferred from the wafer transfer arm 102 to a transfer arm 61 having a cooling function, and the wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm 61 to a heat treatment plate 70 (described later). (Hereinafter referred to as a hot plate 70). Then, the lid 63 is lowered by the driving of the opening / closing drive mechanism 62 described later, and the wafer W is heated to, for example, 100 to 350 ° C. with the wafer W placed in the processing chamber 64.

  After the heat treatment, the lid 63 is lifted by driving the opening / closing drive mechanism 62, and subsequently or simultaneously, the support pins 66 are lifted by driving the lift drive mechanism 65 described later, and the wafer W is moved above the hot plate 70. Then, the wafer W is transferred onto the transfer arm 61 that has moved again above the hot plate 70. The transfer arm 61 that has received the wafer W cools the wafer W to, for example, about 23 ° C. while moving backward from above the hot plate 70.

  The wafers W that have been subjected to the heat treatment in the heat treatment apparatus (PEB) 54 are sequentially transferred to the high-precision temperature control unit (CPL) 51, the development processing unit (DEV) 20, and the post-baking unit (PEB) 45 by the second transfer mechanism 120. After being conveyed, each unit performs a predetermined process. The wafer W that has undergone the post-baking process is transferred to the transition device 31 by the first transfer mechanism 110 and then returned to the cassette C by the wafer transfer arm 7. In this way, a series of wafer processing in the resist coating / development processing system 1 is completed. In the resist coating / development processing system 1, the wafer processing as described above is continuously performed on a plurality of wafers W at the same time.

  Next, heat treatment apparatuses 54 to 59 (represented by reference numeral 54) to which the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the heat treatment apparatus 54 places the wafer W in a closable casing 60 and places the wafer W on a predetermined temperature, for example, 100 to 350 ° C., and the wafer W. And a delivery arm 61 that is cooled to a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C., and that can be moved relative to the hot plate 70. Further, an air supply port (not shown) is provided on the side of the air supply duct 92 of the housing 60, and the gas supplied from the air supply port is exhaust gas provided at the left and right facing positions of the housing 60. It flows to the exhaust duct 68 through the port 67.

  In addition, a loading / unloading port 60a for the wafer W is provided on both sides of the housing 60 on the delivery arm 61 side, and a shutter 60b is disposed at the loading / unloading port 60a so as to be opened and closed by an unillustrated opening / closing drive mechanism.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the delivery arm 61 is formed in a substantially square shape in which the heat plate 70 side is curved in an arc shape. In the delivery arm 61, for example, a cooling pipe (not shown) through which a refrigerant flows is incorporated, and the delivery arm 61 is maintained at a predetermined cooling temperature, for example, 23 ° C. by the cooling pipe. On the side of the delivery arm 61, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a rail 61a along the X direction is provided. The delivery arm 61 is configured to move on the rail 61 a by a driving means (not shown) and move relative to the hot plate 70.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the delivery arm 61 is formed with two slits 61b. The slit 61b is formed from the end on the heat plate 70 side of the transfer arm 61 to the vicinity of the center so that it does not collide with the support pin 66 when the transfer arm 61 moves on the heat plate 70. Below the slit 61b, as shown in FIG. 4, there are provided lift pins 61c that are lifted and lowered by a lift drive mechanism (not shown). The lift pins 61c lift and lower the wafer W on the delivery arm 61, The wafer W can be transferred between the transfer arm 61 and the second transfer mechanism 120 or the wafer transfer arm 102.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the hot plate 70 is held via a support ring 71 in the upper end opening of the hot plate containing portion 72 on the cup. A processing chamber 64 is formed in cooperation with the support ring 71 and a lid 63 that is movable up and down.

  The hot plate 70 has a thick disk shape, and a heater 73 that generates heat by power feeding is attached to the lower surface of the hot plate 70. Due to the heat generated by the heater 73, the hot plate 70 can be adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, 100 to 350 ° C.

  A plurality of proximity pins 74 that support the wafer W are provided on the wafer placement surface on the upper surface of the hot plate 70. By this proximity pin 74, a minute gap is formed between the wafer W and the hot plate 70, and the wafer W can be heated in a non-contact manner by radiant heat from the hot plate 70. A plurality of guide pins 75 that support the outer peripheral surface of the wafer W are provided on the outer edge of the wafer mounting surface of the hot plate 70. The guide pins 75 can guide the wafer W onto the proximity pins 74 to prevent the wafer W from being displaced.

  The hot plate 70 is provided with a plurality of, for example, three through holes 70a penetrating in the vertical direction. Support pins 66 are inserted into the through holes 70a so as to be movable up and down, and the support pins 66 are moved up and down by a lift drive mechanism 66b by holding members 66a that hold the lower ends of the support pins 66. The wafer W can be raised and lowered while being supported on the wafer mounting surface of the hot plate 70.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.4 and FIG.6, the several suction port 76 is provided in the hot plate 70 on the concentric circle penetrated to an up-down direction, for example. A suction pipe 78 communicates with each suction port 76 on the lower surface of the hot plate 70 through a connection member 77 made of synthetic rubber having heat insulation and flexibility. The suction pipe 78 is connected to suction means such as a vacuum pump 79. Instead of the vacuum pump 79, a negative pressure generator such as an ejector may be used.

  In this case, the suction pipe 78 is formed of, for example, a metal straight pipe member. A connecting member 77 made of synthetic rubber such as silicon rubber, fluorine rubber or Viton {trade name} having heat insulation and flexibility is mounted on the upper end of the suction pipe 78.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the connection member 77 has a bellows portion 77 a at least at the tip (upper end), and the tip opening 77 b of the connection member 77 sucks the lower surface of the hot plate 70 by the pressing force from below. The suction port 76 communicates with the suction pipe 78 in close contact with the peripheral suction portion of the port 76.

  The lower end of the suction pipe 78 is connected to, for example, a suction base member 78b via an O-ring 78a, and the suction pipe 78 and the flow path 78c of the suction base member 78b are communicated in an airtight state. In this case, the suction pipe 78 and the suction base member 78b are connected in an airtight state via the O-ring 78a, but instead of the O-ring 78a, the suction pipe 78 and the suction base member 78b are connected by a method such as welding or press-fitting. May be. A vacuum pump 79 is connected to a communication port 78d communicating with the flow path 78c of the suction base member 78b via a pipe 78e.

  The suction base member 78b is placed on a holding base 78f disposed at the bottom of the hot plate housing portion 72, and the hot plate 70 and the suction base member 78b, that is, the suction pipe 78 are fixed by a connecting member (not shown). As a result, the heat plate 70 and the suction base member 78 b, that is, the suction pipe 78 are pressed, and the connecting member 77 is elastically deformed and comes into close contact with the suction port 76 portion on the lower surface of the heat plate 70. As a result, the suction port 76 of the hot plate 70 and the suction pipe 78 communicate with each other in an airtight state.

  By configuring as described above, the suction pipe 78 can be pressed and brought into close contact with the suction port 76 provided in the hot plate 70 via the connecting member 77 having heat insulation properties. The assembly of the tube 78 can be facilitated. In addition, the inspection and replacement of the hot plate 70 can be facilitated. Further, by keeping the suction pipe 78 in close contact with the hot plate 70 through the heat insulating connecting member 77, the heat uniformity within the surface of the hot plate 70 can be maintained. Furthermore, since the suction pipe 78 can be formed of a thick pipe member, there is no fear of clogging during suction, and the adsorption and holding of the wafer W can be stabilized.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, synthetic rubber or synthetic material having a reversible flexibility formed in a narrow taper shape at an arbitrary position in the suction pipe 78, for example, two positions on the suction port side, downward. A resin backflow suppressing member 200 may be provided. In addition, although the case where the backflow suppressing member 200 is disposed at two places has been described here, the backflow suppressing member 200 may be disposed at one place or three or more places.

  With this configuration, the diameter of the opening 201 of the backflow suppressing member 200 is increased by the negative pressure when the vacuum pump 79 is sucked, and the opening 201 is restored and contracted when the suction of the vacuum pump 79 is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the backflow of the sucked particles such as sublimates immediately after the suction of the vacuum pump 79 to the hot plate 70 side, that is, the processing chamber 64 side.

  Further, instead of the connection member 77, a connection member 77A that can firmly adhere to the heat plate 70 by a negative pressure during suction of the vacuum pump 79 may be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a contact piece 77c having an outwardly tapered shape is formed at the front end of the connection member 77A, and a bent waveform part 77d is connected to the back surface intermediate part of the contact piece 77c. The thickness of the tip corrugated portion 77d1 connected to the close piece 77c of the bent corrugated portion 77d may be formed thinner than the thickness of the corrugated portion 77d2 other than the tip corrugated portion 77d1. The connection member 77A is formed of a synthetic rubber member such as silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, or Viton {trade name} having heat insulating properties and flexibility, like the connection member 77.

  By forming in this way, the tip side of the contact piece 77c is pressed and brought into close contact with the hot plate 70 due to the negative pressure at the time of suction of the vacuum pump 79, so that the close contact between the hot plate 70 and the suction pipe 78 is further improved. Can be planned. In this case, the contact of the connecting member 77 </ b> A to the hot plate 70 may be slight, and the connecting member 77 </ b> A comes into close contact with the hot plate 70 by suction of the vacuum pump 79.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a mesh-like filter 300 that collects particles contained in the gas flowing in the suction pipe 78 may be inserted into the distal end side in the suction pipe 78. In this case, pressure loss is caused by inserting the filter 300 into the suction pipe 78, so that it is necessary to increase the suction force of the vacuum pump 79. However, the pressure loss can be reduced by using the connecting member 77A. it can.

  With the above configuration, the wafer W is adsorbed and held on the hot plate 70, and at the same time, sucked particles such as sublimates contained in the gas flowing in the suction pipe 78 are removed by the mesh filter 300. Therefore, adhesion of particles to the wafer W to be heat-treated can be suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a resist coating / development processing system for a semiconductor wafer has been described. Applicable.

W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)
70 Hot plate (heat treatment plate)
73 Heater 76 Suction port 77, 77A Connection member 77a Bellow part 77b Tip opening 77c Contact piece 77d Bending waveform part 77d1 Bending waveform part 77d2 Bending waveform part 78 other than tip bending waveform part Suction tube 78b Suction base member 78c Flow path 78d Communication port 79 Vacuum pump (suction means)

Claims (6)

A heat treatment plate for placing and heat-treating the substrate; a plurality of suction ports formed on the substrate placement surface of the heat treatment plate for sucking the substrate; and suction tubes for connecting the respective suction ports and the suction means; In a substrate heat treatment apparatus comprising:
A connection member made of synthetic rubber having heat insulation and flexibility is attached to one end of the suction tube, and the connection member is brought into close contact with the suction portion on the lower surface of the heat treatment plate so that the suction port and the suction tube are connected. Communicated,
A substrate heat treatment apparatus. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1,
At least the front-end | tip part of the said connection member is formed in bellows shape, The board | substrate heat processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
At the tip of the connection member, an outwardly tapering close contact piece is formed outward, and a bent corrugated portion is connected to the back surface intermediate portion of the close contact piece and connected to the close piece of the bent corrugated portion. The substrate heat treatment apparatus is characterized in that the tip corrugated portion is formed thinner than the corrugated portion other than the tip corrugated portion. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
On the suction port side in the suction pipe, a reversible and flexible backflow suppressing member formed in a narrow taper shape is provided downward, and the backflow is suppressed by the negative pressure during suction of the suction means. The substrate heat treatment apparatus is characterized in that the diameter of the opening of the member is increased, and the opening is restored so that the diameter can be reduced when suction of the suction means is stopped. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A substrate heat treatment apparatus, wherein a mesh-like filter that collects particles contained in a gas flowing in the suction tube is fitted into a distal end side of the suction tube. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The suction pipe is formed by a straight pipe member, and the lower end of each suction pipe is connected to the suction base member, and each suction pipe is communicated with a flow path provided in the suction base member to A substrate heat treatment apparatus, wherein a communication port communicating with the flow path provided in a base member is connected to the suction means.

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