JP3259227B2 - Heat treatment method and heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus for heating a workpiece and then cooling the workpiece to a predetermined temperature to adjust the temperature of the workpiece.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a circuit pattern is reduced on a surface of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) by using a photolithography technique and transferred to a photoresist. Is developed.

In this photolithography process,
First, the surface of the wafer is cleaned to remove dust and dirt on the unprocessed wafer, and thereafter, heat-drying is performed. Immediately after cooling, the wafer is conveyed to a resist coating apparatus, and a resist film is coated and formed on the wafer surface by, for example, a spin coating method. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to a heating device and subjected to a pre-bake process at a predetermined temperature (around 80 ° C.) for a predetermined time to evaporate the solvent from the resist film. After that, the substrate is cooled to, for example, room temperature (23 ° C.), transported to an exposure device, and subjected to exposure processing. The wafer after the exposure processing is transferred to a heating device and subjected to a baking process (pre-development baking process) at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. The wafer after the completion of the baking process is transferred to a developing device, where the wafer is subjected to a developing process, and then transferred again to a heating device, where the wafer is post-baked at a predetermined temperature (50 to 180 ° C.) for a predetermined time (after development). (Bake treatment), and a developer or the like remaining in the photoresist after development is heated and evaporated. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to a cooling device, cooled to room temperature (23 ° C.), that is, the temperature is adjusted, and then transferred to the next step.

As described above, in the photolithography process, the wafer to be processed is heated to a predetermined temperature before and after the resist coating and before and after the development process, and is cooled to room temperature before being transferred to the subsequent process. Since it is necessary to perform a treatment, heat treatment of heating and cooling is an important step.

In a conventional photolithography process of this type, a heating device and a cooling device are arranged at different positions, and the wafer after the heat treatment is transferred to the cooling device by a transfer means such as a robot. At times, the temperature of the wafer changes due to the effects of self-radiation and cooling by the surrounding airflow, and the in-plane temperature distribution becomes non-uniform, resulting in non-uniform resist film thickness, uneven development, etc., resulting in a low product yield. There was the problem of causing a decline.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-2920 discloses a means for preventing the influence of self-radiation during wafer transfer and cooling by airflow.
The technology described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3 is known. This Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
The technology described in Japanese Patent No. 29203 discloses a heater installed in an upper part in a bake unit and heating the wafer from above in a non-contact manner, a cooling plate installed in a lower part in the bake unit and cooling the wafer, a bake unit The heat treatment apparatus includes an elevating pin that moves up and down while horizontally supporting a wafer inside, and an adiabatic shutter that is installed between a heater and a cooling plate and that divides a sealed space in a bake unit into two vertically.

[0007]

However, in the conventional heat treatment apparatus of this type, the wafer is heated by a heater installed at a non-contact position above the wafer, so that the wafer is heated at a high temperature of, for example, 180 ° C. There is a problem that it takes a lot of time to heat to a temperature and a lot of heat energy, and it is difficult to make the in-plane temperature distribution of the wafer uniform. Also,
Since the heater and the cooling plate are installed in the same unit, there is a problem that both the heater and the cooling plate are thermally affected. This problem is solved when the adiabatic shutter is closed, but when the adiabatic shutter is open,
It is inevitable that both the heater and the cooling plate will be adversely affected by heat. Further, since the heat insulating shutter is pulled out of the state housed in the shutter winding device and moves into the bake unit, particles are generated in a sliding portion between the heat insulating shutter and the bake unit, and the particles adhere to the wafer. However, there is a problem that the product yield is reduced.

In particular, in the case of forming a chemically amplified resist film, after performing a pre-development bake treatment after the exposure treatment,
If the cooling process is not performed within a short time, there is a problem that the amplification reaction proceeds and adversely affects the line width formed on the wafer surface. Furthermore, after performing the above-mentioned baking process,
If the time until the cooling process is not constant, there is a problem that the line width varies for each wafer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims at shortening the time required for heating / cooling processing of an object to be processed, uniforming the in-plane temperature distribution of the object to be processed, and improving the product yield. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment method, comprising: placing a plate-shaped object on a heating means and performing a heat treatment to a predetermined temperature;
After the heat treatment, the step of moving the object to be processed to a position above the heating means, and the cooling temperature adjusting means which moves toward the object to be heat- treated include a treatment on the heating means.
A step that receive the object to be processed over the front and back surfaces of the physical body, the upper
Replacing the object to be processed, which has been subjected to the heat treatment , with an inert gas atmosphere or a clean air atmosphere;
Cooling the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature by the cooling temperature adjusting means for covering the front and back surfaces of the physical body .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a mounting table having a heating element for mounting a plate-shaped object to be heated to a predetermined temperature; and covering the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed on the mounting table. Cooling temperature adjusting means for receiving the object to be processed and cooling the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature, wherein the cooling temperature adjusting means includes a cooling piece for covering the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed.
And a gas supply means for supplying a replacement inert gas or purified air to the object to be processed.

A heat treatment apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is a heat treatment apparatus comprising:
A mounting having a heating element for mounting a body and heating to a predetermined temperature
The table and the object to be processed are placed so as to be separated from each other on the mounting table described above.
A support member that moves relative to the table;
When the object to be processed is received while covering the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed,
Cooling means for cooling the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature
Wherein the cooling temperature adjusting means comprises:
A cooling piece that covers the front and back surfaces of the body
Supply inert gas or purifying air for replacement
Body supply means, and the cooling temperature adjustment means
When moving in the direction of the object supported by the support member
A slit that does not interfere with the support
In the area other than the slit, the mounting table and the object
It is characterized by being formed so that it can be
You .

[0013] In the present invention, the cooling temperature adjusting means comprises an upper cooling member for cooling the surface of the object, and a lower cooling piece to cool the back surface of the object to be processed, the upper cooling member or / and Write adjustably forming a gap between the lower cooling member and the object to be processed is preferably (claim 4). Also,
It is preferable to provide a gas supply means on at least the lower surface side of the upper cooling piece of the lower surface side of the upper cooling piece and the upper surface side of the lower cooling piece (Claim 5 ).

Further, the cooling temperature adjustment means, a retractable moving toward the workpiece which is supported by the support member, and as long as it receives a workpiece, the upper or lower surface of the workpiece It may be in the form of a plate close to the substrate, but it is preferably a sandwich type that covers the upper and lower surfaces (front and rear surfaces) of the object to be processed, and it is better to provide a coolant at least below. In this case, as the refrigerant,
For example, a Peltier device or a system for circulating constant temperature water can be used.

The gas supply means may be of any type as long as it is provided in the cooling temperature adjusting means and supplies inert gas or purified air to the object to be processed. For example, a method of supplying an inert gas or air like a shower toward the upper surface side or the lower surface side of the object to be processed can be used. In this case, for example, nitrogen (N2) gas or the like can be used as the inert gas.

According to this invention, after the plate-shaped object to be processed is placed on the heating means (mounting table) and heated to a predetermined temperature, the cooling temperature adjusting means sets the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed on the mounting table. Can be received over . In this case, the object to be processed is moved (separated) to a position above the heating means with the support member, and in this state, the cooling temperature adjusting means (cooling temperature adjusting body) is moved toward the object to be processed, and Can be cooled to a predetermined temperature.

Further, by supplying an inert gas or purified air from the gas supply means to the object to be processed, the heat-treated object is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere or purified air . After being placed in the atmosphere, it can be cooled and adjusted to a predetermined temperature.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the case where the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is incorporated in a semiconductor wafer coating / developing processing system will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafer coating / developing processing system 1 has a plurality of cassettes 2 each of which accommodates, for example, a large number of semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter, referred to as wafers) as an object to be processed. A carrier arm 3 is provided at the center of the carrier station 3 for loading / unloading the wafer W and positioning the wafer W. In addition, a process station 6 is arranged on the side of the carrier station 3 side of the coating / developing processing system 1. Further, a main arm 5 is provided movably in the length direction at the center thereof and as a transfer means for transferring the wafer W from the auxiliary arm 4. This main arm 5 is, as shown in FIG.
The wafer W is formed in a substantially horseshoe shape so as to hold a peripheral portion thereof. Various processing mechanisms are disposed on both sides of the transfer path of the main arm 5. Specifically, as these processing mechanisms, for example, a brush scrubber 7 for brush cleaning the wafer W and a high-pressure jet cleaning machine 7A for performing cleaning with high-pressure jet water are provided side by side. And two developing devices 8 are arranged side by side on the opposite side of the transfer path of the main arm 5.

Further, on the side of the process station 6, an adhesion processing apparatus 10 is provided as another process station 6A via a connection unit 9, for example, for applying a hydrophobic treatment to a wafer W before applying a photoresist to the wafer W. Is provided below the cooling device 1.
1 is arranged. On the side portions of these devices 10 and 11, another heat treatment device 20 is stacked and arranged two by two in two rows.

On the opposite side of the heat treatment apparatus 20 and the adhesion processing apparatus 10 across the transfer path of the main arm 5, two resist coating apparatuses 12 for applying a photoresist liquid to the wafer W are arranged in parallel. . An exposure device 14 for exposing a predetermined fine pattern to the resist film via the interface unit 13 is provided on a side portion of the resist coating device 12.

Next, the heat treatment apparatus will be described in detail. First Embodiment FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a heat treatment apparatus 20 according to the present invention.

The heat treatment apparatus 20 heats the wafer W conveyed by the main arm 5 to a predetermined temperature, and heats the wafer W after the heat treatment in the heat treatment section 21. A standby unit 22 of a cooling temperature adjusting body 40 as cooling temperature adjusting means which receives from the processing unit 21 and cools (cooling temperature adjustment) to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature (about 23 ° C.).

The heating section 21 has a heating element 23 as a heating means for mounting the wafer W thereon and heating the wafer W to a predetermined temperature.
(Heater) is embedded in the mounting table 24 and the holding member 25
Is held at On the outer peripheral side of the mounting table 24, a cylindrical shutter 26 is disposed so as to be able to move up and down by an elevating cylinder 27 so as to surround the peripheral portion of the mounting table 24, and above the mounting table 24, A cover 2 having an exhaust port 28a connected to an exhaust device (not shown) at the upper center.
8 are provided.

In this case, an inward flange 26a is provided at the lower end of the shutter 26,
When the shutter 26 is moved upward by the drive of the shutter 26, the shutter 26 surrounds the mounting table 24 in a state where the inward flange 26a is in close contact with the seal packing 29 mounted on the lower surface of the mounting table holding member 25, and the processing chamber 30 together with the cover 28. Is formed, and the shutter 26 descends, so that the shutter 26
The standby portion 22 passes through a gap between the upper end portion and the lower portion of the cover 28.
The wafer W can be carried into and out of the mounting table 24 from other locations. When the processing chamber 30 is formed, about 1 inch is provided between the upper end of the shutter 26 and the cover 28.
A gap 31 of about mm is provided, and air flowing into the processing chamber 30 from the gap 31 is exhausted from the exhaust port 28a. As described above, the air flowing into the processing chamber 30 from the upper periphery of the wafer W is supplied to the upper exhaust port 28.
By exhausting from a, the inflowing air can be prevented from directly touching the wafer W, so that the heating temperature of the heating process of the wafer W can be made uniform, and the heating process of the wafer W can be made uniform. .

Below the mounting table 24, the wafer W is supported and moved to a position above the mounting table 24 and above the mounting table 24. That is, the wafer W is separated from the mounting table 24 in which the heater 23 is embedded. The three support pins 32 as first support members which move relative to the mounting table 24 in order to
3 is provided so as to stand up concentrically. The support pins 32 are formed of a heat-insulating member such as ceramics, fluororesin, or synthetic rubber.
3 is configured to be able to move up and down above the mounting table 24 through a through hole 24a provided in the mounting table 24 by driving a lifting mechanism 34 including a ball screw mechanism connected to the mounting table 3.

On the other hand, the cooling temperature adjuster 40 provided in the standby section 22 is mounted on the mounting table 24 by the support pins 32.
The upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42 arranged in a sandwich shape to cover the upper and lower surfaces, that is, the front and back surfaces of the wafer W moved to the upper position, and the connecting piece 43 connecting one end of these cooling pieces 41 and 42. Is formed in a substantially U-shape. By forming the U-shape in this manner, the thickness in the up-down direction can be reduced, and can be configured to be cantilevered by the connecting piece 43, which is convenient for movement.
The configuration can be simplified. Further, a Peltier element 44 as a coolant is embedded in the upper cooling piece 41 or the lower cooling piece 42 or both, and a heat sink 4 is provided behind the Peltier element 44.
The lower side of the upper cooling piece 41 and the upper side of the lower cooling piece 42 absorb heat by power supply from a power source (not shown), and the temperature is lowered, and the wafer W is cooled to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature (about 23 ° C.). It is configured so that it can be cooled.

Instead of the Peltier element 44, as shown in FIG. 3, a tubular flow path 44A is built in, and cooling is performed by circulating constant temperature water, gas or the like cooled to a predetermined temperature. Can also.

The cooling temperature adjuster 4 configured as described above
Numeral 0 is formed so as to supply a normal temperature or a cooled inert gas, for example, from the gas supply means toward the wafer W and replace the wafer W before cooling temperature adjustment with an inert gas atmosphere. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, an N2 gas supply passage 70 connected to a supply source of an inert gas (not shown) such as nitrogen (N2) gas is formed on the lower surface side of the upper cooling piece 41 of the cooling temperature regulator 40. By providing a large number of nozzles 71 at appropriate intervals in the N2 gas supply passage 70, the N2 gas flowing from the N2 gas supply source into the N2 gas supply passage 70 is directed toward the wafer W before the cooling temperature is controlled. It is formed so as to be supplied in the form of a shower. Note that N
The two gas supply sources and the N2 gas supply passage 70 provided with the injection port 71 constitute a gas supply means.

The cooling temperature adjusting member 40 is connected to an air cylinder 46 for horizontal movement via a rod 46a connected to the connecting piece 43.
Is driven so that the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 can move forward and backward toward the wafer W located above the mounting table 24. The air cylinder 46 is formed so as to be movable in a vertical direction (Z direction) by a lifting mechanism (not shown). In this case, the lower cooling piece 4 of the cooling temperature adjusting body 40
As shown in FIG. 4, slits 47 are provided in 2 to avoid interference with the three support pins 32 and allow the support pins 32 to advance and retreat. Thus, the slit 47
Is provided, the mounting table 24 is supported by the support pins 32.
When the cooling temperature adjuster 40 is moved toward the wafer W moved to a position above the wafer W and the upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42 are brought close to the upper and lower surfaces (front and back) of the wafer W, the area other than the slit 47 is formed. Thus, the mounting table 24 and the wafer W are shut off, and in this state, the cooling temperature of the wafer W can be adjusted.
At this time, the wafer W is placed on the mounting table 24 by the lower cooling piece 42.
And there is no danger of being affected by the heat from the mounting table 24.

With the above-described configuration, before the temperature of the heated wafer W is adjusted to the cooling temperature, the wafer W
A gas can be supplied to replace the high temperature atmosphere with a low temperature inert gas atmosphere. Therefore, the temperature of the surface of the wafer W that has been subjected to the heat treatment can be previously cooled under the same low-temperature atmosphere, so that the in-plane temperature distribution of the wafer W can be made uniform. Further, the wafer W can be cooled at a high speed by the N2 gas discharge airflow, and the processing time to the target cooling temperature can be shortened.

In the first embodiment, the case where the N 2 gas supply passage 70 and the injection port 71 are provided in the upper cooling piece 41 of the cooling temperature adjuster 40 to supply the N 2 gas to the upper surface of the wafer W has been described. Alternatively, an N2 gas supply passage 70 and a nozzle 71 may be similarly provided on the upper surface side of the lower cooling piece 42 to supply the N2 gas also to the lower surface of the wafer W. Further, purified air or other inert gas may be supplied instead of the N2 gas.

In the first embodiment, the processing chamber 30 is formed and the mounting table 24 is opened outward by moving the cylindrical shutter 26 up and down. Alternatively, the cover 28 and the mounting table 24 are moved up and down together with the up and down movement of the shutter 26, and the processing chamber 3 is similarly moved.
0 may be formed. Further, instead of the cylindrical shutter 26, an opening for loading / unloading a wafer may be provided on the side wall of the container accommodating the mounting table 24, and a shutter for opening and closing this opening may be used. In the first embodiment, the cooling temperature adjuster 40 is moved while the wafer W is supported by the support pins 32, and the wafer W and the cooling temperature adjuster 40 are moved.
The cooling temperature adjustment is performed in a non-contact state with the lower cooling piece 42 of the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG.
The cooling temperature can be controlled in the proximity state by supporting the wafer W by the spacer 48 provided on the upper surface of the wafer W.

Second Embodiment FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line VV of FIG.

In the second embodiment, when the cooling temperature of the wafer W after the heat treatment is adjusted, the heat from the mounting table 24 is more reliably prevented from affecting the cooling temperature adjuster 40. is there. That is, from the outside of the shutter 26, for example, the side opposite to the standby position of the cooling
Insulating plate 5 that moves forward and backward between the cooling element 4 and the cooling temperature adjusting body 40
0, and the heat insulating plate 50 closes the slits 47 provided in the lower cooling piece 42 of the cooling temperature regulator 40 when moving forward, leaving the three support pins 32 and other portions. Is formed. And
By inserting a heat insulating plate 50 between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 by a moving mechanism (not shown) and moving it forward and positioning the support pins 32 in the slits 47 a of the heat insulating plate 50, the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 is moved. In this case, the portion communicated by the presence of the slit 47 is made as narrow as possible to shut off the mounting table 24 and the wafer W whose cooling temperature is to be controlled. As described above, by providing the slits 47a in the heat insulating plate 50, the mounting table 24 is provided in an area other than the slits 47a.
And the wafer W, the slit 47 of the cooling temperature adjuster 40 and the slit 47a of the heat insulating plate 50 cooperate to minimize the communication between the mounting table 24 and the wafer W. 5 and 6).

As described above, by interposing the heat insulating plate 50 between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjusting body 40, the transmission of heat from the mounting table 24 to the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 can be reliably shut off. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the wafer W after the heat treatment from being affected by the heat from the mounting table 24 during the cooling temperature control.

In the second embodiment, the heat insulating plate 50 is used.
Is described at a position facing the standby position of the cooling temperature regulator 40, but the location of the heat insulating plate 50 does not necessarily have to face the standby position of the cooling temperature regulator 40. Any position may be used as long as a slit 47a that does not interfere with the support pin 32 at the time of movement is provided. For example, the slit 47a may be provided at a position orthogonal to the plane of FIG.
In the second embodiment, other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Third Embodiment FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of the third embodiment.

In the third embodiment, when the cooling temperature of the wafer W after the heat treatment is adjusted, the heat from the mounting table 24 is more reliably prevented from affecting the cooling temperature regulator 40. Is the case. That is, an air supply nozzle 60 (air supply means) connected to an air supply source (not shown) is provided at one of the positions facing the outside of the shutter 26 on a plane between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjuster 40. On the other side, an air suction pipe 61 connected to an exhaust device (not shown) is provided, and the room temperature or cooled air supplied from the air supply nozzle 60 to the space between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature regulator 40 is provided. The heat insulation air is sucked from the air suction pipe 61 and a sheet-like heat insulation air layer 62 is provided between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjusting body 40.
Is formed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the air supply nozzle 60 formed in a slit shape is used.
By forming the injection port 60a of the air suction pipe 61a and the suction port 61a of the air suction pipe 61 in an arc-shaped flat shape similar to the outer peripheral surface of the shutter 26, the heat insulating air layer 62 can be easily formed in a sheet shape.

As described above, by forming the heat insulating air layer 62 between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjusting member 40, the heat of the mounting table 24 is transferred to the cooling temperature adjusting member 40. Can be prevented. Since the temperature of the mounting table 24 is reduced by the heat insulating air, when the next wafer W is heated, the next wafer W is placed on the mounting table 24 after the temperature of the mounting table 24 reaches a predetermined temperature. It is desirable to transport. In the third embodiment, other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of a main part of a fourth embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

In the fourth embodiment, the cooling process can be shortened. That is, the cooling temperature adjuster 40
Upper cooling piece 41 and / or lower cooling piece 42 and wafer W
This is a case in which the interval between them is narrowed to promote the cooling temperature control. In this case, in order to smoothly carry out the wafer W after the cooling temperature adjustment, in the present invention, the upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42 of the cooling temperature adjuster 40 are formed separately, and these cooling pieces are formed. An extendable cylinder device 80 is interposed between brackets 41a and 42a projecting from one ends of the upper and lower cooling pieces 4 by driving the cylinder device 80.
The distance between the first cooling piece 42 and the lower cooling piece 42 is adjustable.

With this configuration, the wafer W
When the cooling temperature is adjusted, as shown in FIG. 10A, the cylinder device 80 is contracted to reduce the distance between the upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42, that is, the distance between the wafer W and the cooling pieces 41 and 42. To perform cooling temperature control. Also,
After the cooling temperature control, as shown in FIG. 10B, the cylinder device 80 is extended to extend the interval between the wafer W and the cooling pieces 41 and 42, and the gap between the wafer W and the lower cooling piece 42 is increased. The wafer W supported by the support pins 32 can be transferred to the main arm 5.

Fifth Embodiment FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In the fifth embodiment, the cooling temperature of the wafer W can be adjusted at a position other than the position above the mounting table 24, and the wafer W after the cooling temperature adjustment is
In this case.

In this case, the standby unit 2 of the cooling temperature adjusting body 40
2, a support pin 3 disposed below the mounting table 24a.
2 (first support pin), a lifting plate 3 that moves up and down by a lifting mechanism 34a formed by a ball screw mechanism.
A transfer means comprising three second support pins 32a, which are second support members that stand up concentrically, is provided on 3.

As described above, the second support pins 32 for transferring the wafer W are provided in the standby portion 22 of the cooling temperature adjuster 40.
a so as to be able to move vertically,
After receiving the wafer W moved to a position above the mounting table 24 by the raising of the first support pins 32 after the heat treatment in step 1, the cooling temperature adjuster 40 moves the cooler temperature adjuster 40 to the standby unit 22. Thus, the cooling temperature of the wafer W can be controlled. At this time, if the cooling temperature adjustment is started while the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 is moved to the standby section 22, the time for the cooling temperature adjustment can be shortened. After the cooling temperature adjustment is completed, the lifting mechanism 34a is driven to move the second support pins 32a toward the cooling temperature adjuster 40, and the main arm is supported while the wafer W on the lower cooling piece 42 is supported. 5 can be delivered.

Therefore, according to the fifth embodiment, since the cooling temperature of the wafer W after the heat treatment is adjusted at a position distant from the position above the mounting table 24, the influence of the heat from the mounting table 24 can be reduced. Therefore, the uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution of the wafer W can be further improved. Further, the wafer W to be heated next can be immediately mounted on the mounting table 24 and the heating process can be started.

Next, the heat treatment method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Heat Treatment Method A The heat treatment method A is a method of heating and cooling the wafer W using the heat treatment apparatus of the first to fourth embodiments. Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described as a representative example. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, the wafer W is mounted on the mounting table 24 of the heat treatment unit 21 and is buried in the mounting table 24. The heated heater 23 is heated or heated in advance, and is heated for a predetermined time and at a predetermined temperature (50 to 18).
At 0 ° C.), the wafer W is subjected to a heat treatment (heating step).
At this time, the air flowing into the processing chamber 30 from the gap 31 between the shutter 26 and the cover 28 is exhausted from the exhaust port.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, the support pins 32 are raised to move (separate) the wafer W to a position above the mounting table 24 (moving step). At this time, the shutter 26
Is lowered to open the upper side of the mounting table 24. Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the cooling temperature adjuster 40 waiting in the standby section 22 is moved toward the wafer W supported by the support pins 32, and the upper cooling piece is moved. 4
1 and the lower cooling piece 42, cover the upper and lower surfaces (front and rear surfaces) of the wafer W, and before adjusting the cooling temperature, apply an inert gas such as N2 gas or cleaning air to the wafer W. To place the surface of the wafer W in an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere replaced with cleaning air. Thereafter, a Peltier element (not shown in FIG. 12) is energized or energized in advance, and the wafer W is cooled for a predetermined time until a predetermined temperature (room temperature: 23 ° C.) (cooling temperature adjustment step).

After the cooling temperature control of the wafer W, that is, the heat treatment, is completed, a main arm (not shown) is inserted below the wafer W supported by the support pins 32, and the main arm is moved by the main arm. Receive and transport to the next processing step.

The heat treatment method A is a case where the heat treatment method of the first embodiment is a representative, but when heat treatment is performed by the heat treatment apparatuses of the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the heat treatment method A A heat insulating plate 50 may be interposed between the mounting table 24 and the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 or a heat insulating air layer 62 may be provided.
To form In the case where the heat treatment is performed by the heat treatment apparatus of the fourth embodiment, the cylinder device 80 may be used during the cooling temperature control step.
To reduce the distance between the upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42, and after cooling temperature adjustment, extend the cylinder device 80 to increase the distance between the upper cooling piece 41 and the lower cooling piece 42, The main arm is inserted below the wafer W supported by the support pins 32 to receive the wafer W.

Heat Treatment Method B The heat treatment method B is a case where the wafer W is subjected to heat treatment using the heat treatment apparatus of the fifth embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. The wafer W conveyed in this state is mounted on the mounting table 24 of the heat processing unit 21 in the same manner as in the heat treatment method A. In this state, the heater 23 embedded in the mounting table 24 is caused to generate heat or heat is generated in advance, and a predetermined temperature (50 to 1) is applied for a predetermined time.
The wafer W is subjected to a heat treatment under a temperature of 80 ° C. (heating step).

Next, the first support pins 32 are raised to move (separate) the wafer W to a position above the mounting table 24 (moving step). At this time, the shutter 26 is lowered and the
4. Open the upper side of 4. Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the cooling temperature adjuster 40 waiting in the standby section 22 is moved toward the wafer W supported by the first support pins 32 to adjust the cooling temperature. The wafer W is received with the body 40 covering the upper and lower surfaces (front and rear surfaces) of the wafer W.
Next, before adjusting the cooling temperature, an inert gas such as N2 gas or cleaning air is supplied to the wafer W, and the surface of the wafer W is replaced with an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere replaced with the cleaning air.
Place . Then, as shown in FIG. 13, after moving the cooling temperature adjusting body 40 to the standby section 22, a Peltier element (not shown) is energized or energized in advance, and is then energized for a predetermined time and a predetermined temperature (room temperature: 23). C) (cooling temperature adjustment step).

After the cooling temperature control of the wafer W, that is, the heat treatment is completed, the second support pins 32a are raised to support the wafer W, and the main arm 5 is inserted below the wafer W to receive the wafer W. Then, the main arm 5 is retracted from the standby section 22 and transported to the next processing step (see FIG. 13).

★ Heat Treatment Method C Heat treatment method C is a case where the wafer W is heat-treated using the heat treatment apparatus of the fifth embodiment.
In the above, the upper and lower surfaces (front and back) of the wafer W subjected to the heat treatment
When the wafer is received by the cooling temperature adjuster 40 and moved to the standby section 22 so as to cover the wafer, the Peltier element (not shown) is energized or energized in advance, and the wafer W is cooled (cooling temperature adjustment). This is the case. In the heat treatment method C, the other heat treatment and the wafer transfer step are the same as those in the heat treatment method B, and thus description thereof is omitted.

Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the case where the heat treatment method and the apparatus of the present invention are applied to a semiconductor wafer coating / development processing system has been described. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to those that perform cooling temperature control. In addition, L other than the semiconductor wafer
The present invention can also be applied to heat treatment of a plate-shaped object such as a CD substrate and a CD.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

1) A plate-shaped object to be processed is heated by a heating means (mounting table).
After being placed on the substrate and heated to a predetermined temperature, the cooling temperature adjusting means can cover and receive the object to be processed on the mounting table. In this case, the object to be processed is moved (separated) to a position above the heating means, and the object to be processed is changed to an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere replaced with cleaning air by the cooling temperature adjusting means.
After placing , the object to be processed can be cooled to a predetermined temperature, so that the time for heating and cooling the object to be processed can be shortened, the temperature distribution in the surface of the object to be processed can be made uniform, and the product yield can be increased. Can be improved.

2) Since the cooling temperature adjusting means can adjust the gap between the upper cooling piece and the lower cooling piece, the gap between the upper cooling piece and / or the lower cooling piece and the object can be narrowed to cool the cooling object. Temperature control can be promoted, and the object to be processed after cooling temperature control can be smoothly carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor wafer coating / developing processing system to which a heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a first embodiment of a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a cooling temperature regulator according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting table and a cooling temperature adjusting body according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of arrows VV in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a third embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part of the first embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing an operation mode of a main part of a fourth embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing one example of a heat treatment method of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the heat treatment method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 main arm (transporting means) 21 heat treatment section 22 standby section 23 heater (heating element) 24 mounting table (heating means) 40 cooling temperature adjusting body (cooling temperature adjusting means) 41 upper cooling piece 42 lower cooling piece 44 Peltier element 60 Air supply nozzle (air supply means) 70 N2 gas supply passage (gas supply means) 71 Spout (gas supply means) W Semiconductor wafer (workpiece)

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Koji Harada, Inventor 2655 Tsukure, Kikuyo-cho, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Kumamoto Office (56) References JP-A-1-209722 (JP, A) JP-A-2-3910 (JP, A) JP-A-3-185806 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/027

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A step of placing a plate-shaped object to be processed on a heating means and performing a heat treatment to a predetermined temperature; a step of moving the object to a position above the heating means after the heat treatment; cooling temperature adjusting means for moving toward the heat-treated above the target object is covering the front and back surfaces of the object on the heating means
Te and steps that receive the object to be processed, a step of replacing the object to be treated the heat treatment in an inert gas or clean air atmosphere, after the replacement, the cooling temperature which covers the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed
A step of cooling the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature by a degree adjusting means . 2. A mounting table having a heating element for mounting a plate-shaped object to be processed and heating the object to a predetermined temperature, and receiving the object to be processed while covering the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed on the mounting table. Cooling temperature adjusting means for cooling the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature, wherein the cooling temperature adjusting means covers the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed.
A heat treatment apparatus comprising: a cooling piece ; and gas supply means for supplying a replacement inert gas or cleaning air to an object to be processed. 3. A plate-like object to be processed is placed and heated to a predetermined temperature.
A mounting table having a heating element to be heated, and a mounting table to separate the object to be processed on the mounting table.
A support member that moves relative to each other, and the object to be processed covering the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed on the mounting table.
And cooling the object to be cooled to a predetermined temperature
Temperature control means, wherein the cooling temperature control means covers the front and back surfaces of the object to be processed.
A cooling piece is provided, and a replacement piece is
Equipped with gas supply means for supplying active gas or clean air
And the cooling temperature adjusting means is supported by the support member.
When moving in the direction of the workpiece to be lifting, interference with the support member
A slit that does not interfere with the
Shape so that the mounting table and the object to be processed can be
A heat treatment apparatus characterized by being formed. 4. A thermal processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cooling temperature adjusting means comprises an upper cooling member for cooling the surface of the object, and a lower cooling piece to cool the back surface of the object to be processed And the upper cooling piece and / or the lower cooling piece and
A heat treatment apparatus characterized by being formed so as to be able to adjust the interval with the object to be processed . 5. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a gas supply means on at least the lower surface side of the upper cooling piece among the lower surface side of the upper cooling piece and the upper surface side of the lower cooling piece. Heat treatment equipment.