JP2011058656A - Reduced-pressure drying device and reduced-pressure drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reduced-pressure drying device and a reduced-pressure drying method capable of shortening a drying time of treatment liquid to a plurality of treated substrates of different treatment conditions, and properly forming a film. <P>SOLUTION: This reduced-pressure drying device includes a chamber 9, 10 receiving the treated substrate G and forming a treatment space, a holding section 11 disposed in the chamber and holding the treated substrate, a first elevating means 25 for moving the holding section up and down, straightening means 20, 21 disposed at a lower part of the holding section, a second elevating means 26 for moving the straightening means up and down, an exhaust opening 13 formed in the chamber, and an exhausting means 15 for exhausting atmospheric air in the chamber from the exhaust opening. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reduced-pressure drying apparatus and a reduced-pressure drying method for performing a drying process in a reduced-pressure environment on a substrate to be processed to which a processing liquid is applied.

For example, in the manufacture of an FPD (flat panel display), after a predetermined film is formed on a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate, a photoresist (hereinafter referred to as a resist) as a processing liquid is applied to form a resist film. The circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography process in which the resist film is exposed in accordance with the circuit pattern and developed.
In the resist film forming step, after applying the resist to the substrate, a reduced pressure drying process is performed in which the applied film is dried under reduced pressure.
Conventionally, as an apparatus for performing such a vacuum drying treatment, for example, a vacuum drying unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 shown in FIG. 9 is known.

The reduced-pressure drying processing unit 50 shown in FIG. 9 is configured such that a processing space is formed inside the lower chamber 51 by closing the upper chamber 52. In the processing space, a stage 53 for placing a substrate to be processed is provided. The stage 53 is provided with a plurality of fixing pins 54 on which the substrate G is placed.
In this reduced-pressure drying processing unit 50, when the substrate G coated with resist on the surface to be processed is carried in, the substrate G is placed on the stage 53 via the fixing pins 54.
Next, by closing the upper chamber 52 with respect to the lower chamber 51, the substrate G is placed in an airtight processing space.

  Next, the atmosphere in the processing space is exhausted from the exhaust port 55 to obtain a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere. By maintaining this reduced pressure state for a predetermined time, the solvent such as thinner in the resist solution is evaporated to some extent, the solvent in the resist solution is gradually released, and the drying of the resist is promoted without adversely affecting the resist. The

JP 2000-181079 A

By the way, in recent years, glass substrates used for FPDs and the like have become larger, and chambers for accommodating glass substrates have also become larger in vacuum drying processing units.
For this reason, the volume in the chamber is increased, and it takes time to reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure. Furthermore, since the amount of the resist solution applied on the substrate increases, it takes a long time until the resist solution is uniformly dried over the entire surface of the substrate, resulting in a problem that the production efficiency is lowered.

  In response to such a problem, the applicant of the present application can form a flow of air flowing in one direction near the upper surface of the substrate by providing a rectifying member in the chamber, and can perform a drying process on the substrate processing surface in a shorter time. A vacuum drying apparatus and a vacuum drying method have been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-172834).

However, since the drying time and the occurrence of dry spots differ depending on the processing conditions such as the type of resist solution and the film thickness, when multiple types of processing conditions are executed in one chamber, it is not always possible to perform all of the substrates in a short time. It was not possible to form a good film.
That is, in order to perform good film formation (drying process) on all substrates having different processing conditions, it is necessary to change the height of the substrate disposed in the chamber according to at least the processing conditions. Even if the height was changed, it was insufficient to cope with all the processing conditions with the same rectifying member.

As a specific example, depending on the type and film thickness of the resist solution, when the space below the substrate in the chamber is narrow, a transfer mark due to a member below the substrate tends to occur on the resist film.
In order to prevent the occurrence of such transfer marks, it is preferable to raise the position of the substrate in the chamber and separate it from the bottom surface of the chamber.
However, if the substrate is pulled away from the bottom surface of the chamber, the rectifying member provided in the chamber does not function sufficiently, a gap is formed on the back side of the substrate, and a sufficient airflow cannot be formed on the substrate, so that the drying process can be performed in a short time. Could not do. In addition, there is a problem in that dry spots are likely to occur in the resist film due to the airflow passing through the back side of the substrate (the gap between the substrate and the rectifying member).

  The present invention has been made under the circumstances as described above, and is a reduced-pressure drying apparatus that forms a coating film by performing a drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be treated coated with the treatment liquid, Provided are a reduced pressure drying apparatus and a reduced pressure drying method capable of shortening the drying time of a processing solution and forming a good film on a plurality of substrates to be processed having different processing conditions.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to the present invention is a reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying process of the processing liquid on a substrate to be processed applied with a processing liquid to form a coating film. A chamber that accommodates the substrate to be processed and forms a processing space, a holding unit that is provided in the chamber and holds the substrate to be processed, a first lifting unit that moves the holding unit up and down, and the holding Rectifying means provided below the part, second elevating means for moving the rectifying means up and down, an exhaust port formed in the chamber, and an exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber from the exhaust port It is characterized by comprising.
According to such a configuration, the airflow formed in the chamber is controlled by changing the height of the holding unit that holds the substrate to be processed and the height of the rectifying means during the vacuum drying process. be able to.
As a result, even if the processing conditions such as the type and thickness of the resist solution differ depending on the substrate to be processed, it is possible to perform a suitable drying process according to each processing condition, shortening the drying time of the resist solution, and good Film formation can be performed.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the reduced-pressure drying method according to the present invention is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on the substrate to be treated on which the treatment liquid is applied, and forms a coating film. A method of drying under reduced pressure, the step of holding a substrate to be processed in the holding portion, the holding portion being raised by the first elevating means, and the substrate to be processed held in the holding portion being placed in the chamber And a step of reducing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means, and after the elapse of a predetermined time, the rectifying means is moved up by the second elevating means and is held by the holding portion. And a step of bringing the rectifying means close to the processed substrate.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the reduced-pressure drying method according to the present invention is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on the substrate to be treated on which the treatment liquid is applied, and forms a coating film. A reduced-pressure drying method to be formed, the step of holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit, the step of moving the holding unit downward by the first lifting and lowering unit, and bringing the substrate to be processed close to the rectifying unit; Reducing the processing space in the chamber by the evacuating means, and after the elapse of a predetermined time, the holding portion that holds the substrate to be processed and the rectifying member are maintained in a state where the distance between them is maintained. And a step of moving up and down by a first raising / lowering means and a second raising / lowering means and stopping at a predetermined position in the chamber.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the reduced-pressure drying method according to the present invention is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on the substrate to be treated on which the treatment liquid is applied, and forms a coating film. A method of drying under reduced pressure, the step of holding a substrate to be processed in the holding portion, the holding portion being raised by the first elevating means, and the substrate to be processed held in the holding portion being placed in the chamber And a step of reducing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means, and after the elapse of a predetermined time, the rectifying means is moved up by the second elevating means and is held by the holding portion. And a step of supplying an inert gas into the chamber by the air supply means while the rectifying means is brought close to the processed substrate.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the reduced-pressure drying method according to the present invention is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on the substrate to be treated on which the treatment liquid is applied, and forms a coating film. A reduced-pressure drying method to be formed, the step of holding a substrate to be processed in the holding unit, the step of reducing the pressure of the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust unit, and the first lifting unit after a predetermined time has elapsed Lowering the holding unit to bring the substrate to be processed close to the rectifying unit, and supplying an inert gas into the chamber by the air supply unit; and after elapse of a predetermined time, The holding part to be held and the holding part are moved up by the first lifting means and the second lifting means while maintaining a distance from each other, and stopped at a predetermined position in the chamber. Characterized in that to perform the steps.

Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the reduced-pressure drying method according to the present invention is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on the substrate to be treated on which the treatment liquid is applied, and forms a coating film. A reduced-pressure drying method to be formed, the step of holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit, the step of moving the holding unit downward by the first lifting and lowering unit, and bringing the substrate to be processed close to the rectifying unit; A step of depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust unit, a step of supplying an inert gas into the chamber by the air supply unit, and the holding of the substrate to be processed after a predetermined time has elapsed. And a step of causing the first and second elevating means and the second elevating means to move up and stop at a predetermined position in the chamber while maintaining a distance between each other and the rectifying member Characterized in that the run.
By carrying out such a method, even if the processing conditions such as the type and film thickness of the resist solution differ depending on the substrate to be processed, a suitable drying process according to each processing condition can be performed. Time can be shortened and good film formation can be performed.

  According to the present invention, it is a reduced-pressure drying apparatus that forms a coating film by performing a drying process on the substrate to be processed to which the processing liquid has been applied, and a plurality of substrates to be processed having different processing conditions. It is possible to obtain a reduced pressure drying apparatus and a reduced pressure drying method that can shorten the drying time of the treatment liquid and perform good film formation.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a coating process section provided with a vacuum drying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the coating process section of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flow showing the flow of operation of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the state transition of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the state transition of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional vacuum drying unit.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a reduced-pressure drying unit in a coating process unit that forms a resist film on a substrate to be processed in a photolithography process.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating process unit 1 includes a resist coating unit 4 having a nozzle 3 and a vacuum drying unit 5 arranged in a horizontal row on a support base 2 in accordance with the order of processing steps. Yes. A pair of guide rails 6 are laid on both sides of the support base 2, so that the substrate G can be transported from the resist coating unit 4 to the vacuum drying unit 5 by a pair of transport arms 7 moving in parallel along the guide rails 6. Has been made.

  The resist coating unit 4 has the nozzle 3 as described above, and this nozzle 3 is fixed in a suspended state from a gate 8 fixed on the support base 2. The nozzle 3 is supplied with a resist solution R, which is a processing solution, from a resist solution supply means (not shown). The resist solution R is supplied from one end to the other end of the substrate G that moves under the gate 8 by the transfer arm 7. It is made to apply.

The reduced-pressure drying unit 5 includes a shallow bottom container-type lower chamber 9 whose upper surface is open, and a lid-shaped upper chamber 10 configured to be airtightly attached to the upper surface of the lower chamber 9. Yes.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower chamber 9 has a substantially rectangular shape, and a plate-like stage 11 (holding portion) for horizontally holding and holding the substrate G is disposed at the center. The upper chamber 10 is disposed so as to be movable up and down above the stage 11 by an upper chamber moving means 12, and the upper chamber 10 descends and closes in close contact with the lower chamber 9 during the reduced-pressure drying process. 11, the substrate G placed on the substrate 11 is accommodated in the processing space.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the stage 11 can be moved up and down by an elevating device 25 (first elevating means) composed of, for example, a ball screw mechanism using a motor as a drive source.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an exhaust port 13 is provided on the side of the substrate G. More specifically, the exhaust ports 13 are provided at two locations near one side of the bottom surface of the lower chamber 9. An exhaust pipe 14 is connected to each exhaust port 13, and each exhaust pipe 14 communicates with a vacuum pump 15 (exhaust means). The processing space in the chamber can be depressurized to a predetermined vacuum level by the vacuum pump 15 with the lower chamber 9 covered with the upper chamber 10.

In the chamber, an air supply port 16 is provided on the side of the substrate opposite to the exhaust port 13 across the substrate G. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air supply port 16 is provided in the vicinity of the other side opposite to the one side where the exhaust port 13 is provided on the bottom surface of the substantially square lower chamber 9. An inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas) is supplied from the air supply port 16 into the chamber, and the atmosphere in the chamber is purged. As shown in FIG. 4, the air supply pipe 17 connected to the air supply port 16 is connected to an inert gas supply unit 18 (air supply means).
The supply of the inert gas from the air supply port 16 is started when the atmospheric pressure in the chamber reaches a predetermined value (for example, 400 Pa or less), or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the inside of the chamber was started to be depressurized. This is to maintain the air flow in the chamber where the flow rate decreases due to the reduced pressure, thereby contributing to shortening the time of the reduced pressure drying process.
In addition, in order to always maintain a stable air flow during the reduced pressure drying process, the supply of the inert gas may be started before the start of the pressure reduction in the chamber or at the same time.

In addition, a block member 20 is disposed as a rectifying unit below the edge of the substrate G on the air supply port 16 side. Further, a block member 21 is arranged between the air supply port 16 and the exhaust port 13 and below the edge portions on the left and right sides of the substrate G as rectifying means.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, most of these block members 20 and 21 can be accommodated in an accommodation groove 9 a formed on the bottom surface of the lower chamber 9.
The block members 20 and 21 can be moved up and down by, for example, an elevating device 26 (second elevating means) including a ball screw mechanism using a motor as a drive source.
That is, the block members 20 and 21 are moved up and down by the lifting device 26 and are arranged in a space in the chamber, thereby functioning as a rectifying means.
As described above, the block members 20 and 21 as the rectifying means may be provided separately or may be provided integrally (a U-shape).

Further, on both the left and right sides of the block members 20 and 21, side bar members 22 for forming walls on the left and right sides of the substrate G and suppressing the flow of inert gas to the sides of the substrate are provided. Yes.
The side bar member 22 is formed, for example, in a plate shape as shown in the figure, and is provided so that the upper end surface thereof is in contact with the upper chamber 10 so as to block the space on the left and right sides of the substrate G. Alternatively, the side bar member 22 may be provided such that the upper end surface thereof is not in contact with the upper chamber 10 and blocks the space on the left and right sides of the substrate G.
Further, the side bar member 22 is not limited to a plate shape, and may be provided in a shape that fills the space on the left and right sides of the substrate G.

Further, the length of the side bar member 22 in the airflow direction is longer than at least the lengths of the left and right sides of the substrate G in order to facilitate the formation of an airflow on the substrate G. As shown, the end 22a (especially the exhaust port 13 side) may be provided without contacting the chamber inner wall 9b. Even in this case, a part of the space on the left and right sides of the substrate G is blocked, and the flow of the inert gas to the side of the substrate can be sufficiently suppressed.
Further, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, and each side bar member 22 may be formed to have a length in which both end portions thereof are in contact with opposite chamber inner walls to block (fill) all the left and right side spaces of the substrate G. Good.

Next, the operation of the coating process unit 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, when the substrate G is loaded and placed on the transfer arm 7, the transfer arm 7 moves on the rail 6 and moves under the gate 8 of the resist coating unit 4. At that time, the resist solution R is discharged from the nozzle 3 fixed to the gate 8 to the substrate G moving under the nozzle 3, and the resist solution R is applied from one side of the substrate G to the other side (FIG. 6). Step S1).
When the resist solution is applied over the entire surface of the substrate G (application end position), the substrate G is in a state of being located below the upper chamber 10 of the reduced pressure drying unit 5.

  Next, the substrate G is placed on the stage 11 of the vacuum drying unit 5 and is covered by the upper chamber 10 that moves downward from above by the upper chamber moving means 12. Then, the substrate G is accommodated in a processing space formed by closing the upper chamber 10 with respect to the lower chamber 9 (step S2 in FIG. 6).

When the lower chamber 9 is closed by the upper chamber 10, as shown in FIG. 7A, the stage 11 is moved up to an upper position in the chamber by driving the lifting device 25, and the substrate G is moved to the chamber ceiling. It stops in the close state (step S3 in FIG. 6). At this time, the block members 20 and 21 are in contact with the bottom of the lower chamber 9.
In this state, the vacuum pump 15 is operated, and the air in the processing space is sucked from the exhaust port 13 through the exhaust pipe 14, and the pressure in the processing space is reduced to a predetermined vacuum state (step S4 in FIG. 6). ).
Here, the upper surface of the substrate G is close to the chamber ceiling, so that almost no atmosphere flows on the upper surface of the substrate G. As a result, the resist solution R formed on the substrate G is naturally dried (preliminary drying) under reduced pressure, and the occurrence of transfer marks, yuzu skin, bumping, and the like is suppressed.

When the atmospheric pressure in the chamber reaches a predetermined value (for example, 400 Pa or less), or when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of pressure reduction (step S5 in FIG. 6), the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 are raised or lowered as necessary. It is moved and stops at a predetermined position in the chamber.
Here, the height position of the substrate G in the chamber is determined based on processing conditions such as the type of resist solution, film thickness, and drying time. At least the block members 20 and 21 are located below the edge of the substrate G. In FIG. 6, the substrate is brought into a state of being close to the substrate G (step S6 in FIG. 6).
In the example shown in FIG. 7B, in this step S6, the position of the stage 11 does not change, and only the block members 20 and 21 are raised by the elevating device 26, and approach the bottom of the stationary substrate G. Arranged.

  Further, the inert gas supply unit 18 is driven to supply an inert gas at a predetermined flow rate into the chamber from the air supply port 16, and the main drying process is started (step S7 in FIG. 6). Note that the timing of starting the supply of the inert gas into the chamber is not limited to after the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 are moved up and down in step 6 as described above, but may be before the movement up and down. Or you may start supply of an inert gas in the middle of the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 moving up and down.

Here, since the side bar member 22 is provided on the side of the substrate G, there is almost no gap on the side of the substrate G. In addition, since the block members 20 and 21 are provided close to the lower side of the substrate G, the side surfaces of the block member 20 rectify the inert gas supplied from the air supply port 26 to the upper side of the substrate G. Functions as a means.
Therefore, the inert gas supplied from the air supply port 16 forms an air flow that flows in one direction above the substrate, and is further exhausted from the exhaust port 13.
As a result, the drying speed of the resist solution R applied to the upper surface of the substrate is improved, a reduced-pressure drying process is performed in a short time, and the dry state is improved without causing dry spots.
In this main drying process, when the reduced pressure drying process is completed after a predetermined time (step S8 in FIG. 6), the upper chamber 10 is moved up by the upper chamber moving means 12, and the substrate G is transferred from the reduced pressure drying unit 5 to the next process. It is carried out for the process.

In the flow of FIG. 6, the block members 20 and 21 are lifted by the lifting device 26 during the main drying process, and are brought close to the lower side of the substrate G (stage 11) to form an air flow on the upper surface of the substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to the form.
That is, the air flow formed in the chamber is controlled by moving and arranging the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 at appropriate height positions according to the processing conditions such as the type of resist solution R and the film thickness. be able to. To give a specific example, when it is desired to change the amount of airflow flowing on the upper surface of the substrate during the main drying process, for example, it can be realized by taking the following steps.

Note that the preliminary drying step of performing the vacuum drying in the state where the substrate G is close to the chamber ceiling portion is not necessarily required depending on the processing conditions, and thus the preliminary drying step is omitted in the following description.
When the substrate G coated with the resist solution is placed on the stage 11 of the vacuum drying unit 5, the processing space is closed by the upper chamber 10. Further, the stage 11 holding the substrate G is moved downward.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the block members 20 and 21 are accommodated in the accommodation groove 9 a, and the upper ends of the block members 20 and 21 are close to the peripheral edge of the substrate G held on the stage 11. State.
Further, air in the processing space is sucked from the exhaust port 13 and the pressure is reduced until the pressure in the processing space becomes a predetermined vacuum state. It should be noted that the timing of starting the decompression may be any time after the chamber is closed, before or after the stage 11 is moved downward as described above, or during the movement.

Further, an inert gas is supplied into the chamber from the air supply port 16. Here, since a wide space is formed above the substrate as shown in the drawing, a large amount of inert gas flows in one direction near the upper surface of the substrate, and the main drying process is started.
The timing for starting the supply of the inert gas into the chamber is determined before, after, or during the movement of the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 up and down to the position where the substrate G is fully dried, depending on the processing conditions. It may be either.

When the drying process in the state shown in FIG. 8A elapses for a predetermined time, the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 maintain the distance from each other in the chamber as shown in FIG. 8B. At the same time, it rises and stops at a predetermined position.
Here, since the upper space of the substrate G becomes narrower as shown in the figure, the flow rate of the airflow flowing in the vicinity of the upper surface of the substrate G decreases, and the main drying process at a small flow rate is continued.
Note that the control for moving the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 up and down during the reduced-pressure drying process is not limited to the control mode described with reference to FIG. You may make it change arbitrarily according to. Further, it is preferable that the height positions of the stage 11 and the block members 20 and 21 in the chamber during the vacuum drying are set and controlled in detail according to the processing conditions.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the height of the stage 3 that holds the substrate G and the height of the block members 20 and 21 are changed during the reduced-pressure drying process. The airflow formed is controlled.
Thereby, even if the processing conditions such as the type and thickness of the resist solution R differ depending on the substrate to be processed, a suitable drying process according to each processing condition can be performed, and the drying time of the resist solution R can be shortened. And good film formation can be performed.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the air supply port 16 and the inert gas supply unit 18 are provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the air supply port 16 and the inert gas supply unit 18 are provided. The structure which does not comprise may be sufficient. In this case, the block member 20 as a rectifying member is provided in a space below the substrate edge on the opposite side across the substrate G held on the stage 11 with respect to the exhaust port 13.
That is, an air flow can be formed in the chamber in the main drying process only by the exhaust process from the exhaust port 13 without supplying air, and the resist solution R on the upper surface of the substrate is generated by the air stream flowing in one direction above the substrate. The drying speed can be improved, and the reduced-pressure drying treatment can be performed in a shorter time.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the two exhaust ports 13 were shown in the position below the board | substrate G as an exhaust port, the number and arrangement | sequence (layout) are not limited.
Moreover, although the example which formed the exhaust port 13 in the bottom face of the process space was shown, it is not limited to it, You may form in the chamber inner wall etc.
Furthermore, although the shape of the exhaust port 13 is a regular circle, it is not limited thereto, and may be another shape such as a long hole or a square.

Moreover, although the example in which the air inlet 16 was formed in the bottom face of the processing space was shown, it is not limited to this, For example, you may be provided in the inner wall part of the lower chamber 9, etc.
Furthermore, although the shape of the air supply port 16 has shown one horizontally long rectangular shape, it is not limited thereto, and may be other shapes such as a perfect circle shape and a long hole, and the number thereof is not limited. .
Alternatively, each of the exhaust port 13 and the air supply port 16 may be a nozzle-type port instead of a hole provided in the chamber.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the board | substrate G showed the example carried in / out by the conveyance arm 7 with respect to the decompression drying unit 5, it is not limited to it, The structure which carries in / out a board | substrate by roller conveyance is also shown. The vacuum drying apparatus of the present invention can be applied.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plate-shaped stage 11 was provided as a holding | maintenance part which hold | maintains the board | substrate G, it should just be the structure which can hold | maintain the board | substrate G horizontally within a chamber not only in the form. For example, it is good also as a structure which hold | maintains the board | substrate G with the support pin (lift pin) as a holding | maintenance part.

Claims (11)

A reduced-pressure drying apparatus that performs a reduced-pressure drying process of the processing liquid on a substrate to be processed coated with a processing liquid to form a coating film,
A chamber for accommodating a substrate to be processed and forming a processing space;
A holding unit provided in the chamber and holding the substrate to be processed;
First elevating means for moving the holding portion up and down;
Rectifying means provided below the holding portion;
Second elevating means for moving the rectifying means up and down;
An exhaust port formed in the chamber;
A vacuum drying apparatus comprising exhaust means for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber from the exhaust port. The holding portion and the rectifying means are arranged in the chamber by the first lifting means and the second lifting means,
The air flow path that flows in one direction on the upper surface of the substrate is formed by the exhausting operation of the exhausting unit in a state where the rectifying unit is in proximity to the substrate to be processed held by the holding unit. Item 2. The vacuum drying apparatus according to Item 1. The exhaust port is formed on a side of the substrate to be processed,
The said rectification | straightening means is provided in the downward space of the board | substrate edge part on the opposite side on both sides of the to-be-processed substrate hold | maintained at least by the said holding part with respect to the said exhaust port. The vacuum drying apparatus described.   The side bar member that fills or blocks at least part of the space on the left and right sides of the substrate is provided on both the left and right sides of the flow path formed on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 3. In the chamber, an air supply port formed on the side of the substrate opposite to the exhaust port across the substrate to be processed;
The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an air supply unit configured to supply an inert gas from the air supply port to a processing space in the chamber.   6. The side bar member that fills or blocks at least part of the space on the left and right sides of the substrate is provided on both left and right sides of the flow path formed on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed. The vacuum drying apparatus described. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a reduced-pressure drying method of forming a coating film by performing a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be processed coated with the treatment liquid. There,
Holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit;
Raising the holding part by the first elevating means and bringing the substrate to be processed held by the holding part close to the ceiling part of the chamber;
Depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means;
And a step of moving the rectifying means upward by the second elevating means and causing the rectifying means to approach the substrate to be processed held by the holding part after a predetermined time has elapsed. . The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a reduced-pressure drying method of forming a coating film by performing a reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be processed coated with the treatment liquid. There,
Holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit;
Lowering the holding portion by the first lifting and lowering means to bring the substrate to be processed close to the rectifying means;
Depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means;
After a predetermined time elapses, the holding portion for holding the substrate to be processed and the rectifying member are moved up and down by the first elevating means and the second elevating means in a state where the distance between them is maintained. And a step of stopping at a predetermined position. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a reduced-pressure drying method of forming a coating film by performing reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be treated coated with the treatment liquid,
Holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit;
Raising the holding part by the first elevating means and bringing the substrate to be processed held by the holding part close to the ceiling part of the chamber;
Depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means;
After a lapse of a predetermined time, the rectifying means is moved up by the second elevating means, the rectifying means is brought close to the substrate to be processed held by the holding portion, and inactive in the chamber by the air supply means. And a step of supplying a gas. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a reduced-pressure drying method of forming a coating film by performing reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be treated coated with the treatment liquid,
Holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit;
Depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means;
Lowering the holding unit by the first elevating unit, bringing the substrate to be processed in proximity to the rectifying unit, and supplying an inert gas into the chamber by the air supply unit;
After a predetermined time elapses, the holding portion for holding the substrate to be processed and the rectifying member are moved up and down by the first elevating means and the second elevating means in a state where the distance between them is maintained. And a step of stopping at a predetermined position. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a reduced-pressure drying method of forming a coating film by performing reduced-pressure drying treatment of the treatment liquid on a substrate to be treated coated with the treatment liquid,
Holding the substrate to be processed in the holding unit;
Lowering the holding portion by the first lifting and lowering means to bring the substrate to be processed close to the rectifying means;
Depressurizing the processing space in the chamber by the exhaust means;
Supplying an inert gas into the chamber by the air supply means;
After a predetermined time elapses, the holding portion for holding the substrate to be processed and the rectifying member are moved up and down by the first elevating means and the second elevating means in a state where the distance between them is maintained. And a step of stopping at a predetermined position.

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