JP6487244B2 - Heat treatment apparatus and heat treatment method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature.

  Conventionally, semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for PDP, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic paper, etc. In the manufacturing process, a heat treatment apparatus for cooling or heating the substrate is used. The heat treatment apparatus is used, for example, in a process of solidifying a processing solution such as a photoresist applied to a substrate or a process of drying a substrate after cleaning.

  Conventional heat treatment apparatuses are described in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 describes a substrate temperature adjusting unit that adjusts the temperature of the substrate so that the temperature in the peripheral portion of the substrate is higher than the temperature in the central portion of the substrate (see claim 1 and the like). Patent Document 2 describes a substrate support assembly that controls the temperature of a substrate in a process chamber (see claim 1 and the like).

JP 2011-230051 A JP 2007-53382 A

  In the conventional heat treatment apparatus, the substrate is cooled or heated by placing the substrate on a heat-treated plate whose temperature is adjusted. However, the outer peripheral portion of the substrate has a large heat dissipation to the surroundings, whereas the central portion of the substrate has a small heat dissipation to the surroundings. For this reason, time until it reaches | attains target temperature differs by the outer peripheral part and center part of a board | substrate. Therefore, simply placing the substrate on the heat treatment plate set to the target temperature requires a long time to reach the target temperature on the entire surface including the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate. In that case, in order to match the tact time with the preceding and subsequent steps, it is necessary to provide a large number of heat treatment plates and heat the substrates in parallel.

  On the other hand, if the temperature of the heat treatment plate is set to an excessive temperature than the target temperature, the time until the substrate reaches the target temperature can be shortened. However, in that case, there is a possibility that the outer peripheral portion or the central portion of the substrate is subjected to excessive heat treatment. That is, in the conventional heat treatment apparatus, it has been difficult to achieve both the heat treatment of the substrate in a short time and the uniform heat treatment of the entire surface of the substrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method that can heat-treat the entire surface of the substrate uniformly and in a short time.

In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application is a heat treatment apparatus for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature, a heat treatment plate for placing the substrate, a temperature adjustment mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the heat treatment plate, A plurality of lift pins provided in the heat treatment plate, an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the plurality of lift pins, a central temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a central portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate , and the heat treatment plate An outer peripheral temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate placed thereon, and a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism based on the measurement results of the central temperature sensor and the outer peripheral temperature sensor , and a plurality of lift pins comprises a plurality of first lift pin for supporting the outer peripheral portion of the substrate, and located inside the plurality of first lift pins to support the central portion of the substrate It includes a plurality of second lift pin, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a first elevating mechanism configured to simultaneously lift a plurality of first lift pin and a second lifting mechanism for simultaneously lifting a plurality of second lift pin, and the temperature control mechanism, of the thermal processing plate, an outer peripheral area of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is placed, both the central area of the central portion of the substrate is placed, the excessive temperature than the target temperature The temperature is adjusted, and the control unit brings the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate into contact with the heat treatment plate, starts heat treatment , and then the temperature measured by the outer peripheral temperature sensor reaches the target temperature. , by operating the first lifting mechanism to raise the first lift pin, temperature measured by the central temperature sensor, upon reaching the target temperature, the operation of the second elevating mechanism Te raises the second lift pin.
A second invention of the present application is a heat treatment apparatus that cools or heats a substrate to a target temperature, and is provided in the heat treatment plate, a heat treatment plate on which the substrate is placed, a temperature control mechanism that regulates the temperature of the heat treatment plate, and the heat treatment plate. A plurality of lift pins, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the plurality of lift pins, a central temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a central portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate, and a substrate placed on the heat treatment plate An outer peripheral temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate, and a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism based on measurement results of the central temperature sensor and the outer peripheral temperature sensor, wherein the plurality of lift pins A plurality of first lift pins that support the outer peripheral portion, and a plurality of second lift pins that are located inside the plurality of first lift pins and support the central portion of the substrate, The temperature of the upper end portion of the first lift pin and the height of the upper end portion of the second lift pin are different from each other, and the temperature adjustment mechanism includes the outer peripheral portion of the substrate in the heat treatment plate. Both the outer peripheral area and the central area where the central portion of the substrate is disposed are temperature-controlled to an excessive temperature than the target temperature, and the control unit controls the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate. After the heat treatment is started by contacting the heat treatment plate, when the temperature measured by the outer peripheral temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, the lifting mechanism is operated, and the upper end portion of the first lift pin is moved to the heat treatment. When the temperature measured by the central temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, the elevating mechanism is operated and the upper end of the second lift pin is moved to the heat treatment. To protrude from the upper surface of the rate.

A third invention of the present application is the heat treatment apparatus of the first invention or the second invention , wherein a substrate having a temperature higher than an environmental temperature is cooled to the target temperature.

4th invention of this application is the heat processing apparatus of any one invention from 1st invention to 3rd invention, Comprising: The said target temperature is temperature of environmental temperature vicinity.

A fifth invention of the present application is the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the central temperature sensor measures the surface temperature of the substrate in a non-contact manner.

A sixth invention of the present application is a heat treatment method for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature, a) a step of starting temperature control of the heat treatment plate, and b) a step of placing the substrate on the upper surface of the heat treatment plate; C) a step of measuring the temperature of the central portion and the outer periphery of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate; d) a step of separating the substrate from the heat treatment plate based on the measurement result of the step c); In the step a), in the heat treatment plate, both the outer peripheral area in which the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is disposed and the central area in which at least the central portion of the substrate is disposed are more than the target temperature. controlled at excessive temperature, in the step b), using the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate into contact with said thermal processing plate, wherein the step d), the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the d-1) substrate, The target temperature A step of separating the outer peripheral portion of the substrate from the heat treatment plate, and d-2) when the temperature of the central portion of the substrate reaches the target temperature, the central portion of the substrate is moved to the heat treatment plate. with either a Ra引 can release step.

According to the first to sixth inventions of the present application, at least the central area of the heat treatment plate is temperature-controlled at a temperature excessive to the target temperature, and when the central portion of the substrate reaches the target temperature, the central portion of the substrate is heated to the heat treatment plate. Pull away from. Thus, the entire surface of the substrate can be heat-treated uniformly and in a short time with the central portion of the substrate as a reference.

In particular, according to the first invention of the present application, the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate are individually separated from the heat treatment plate when reaching the target temperature. Thereby, the entire surface of the substrate can be heat-treated more uniformly.

In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate are individually separated from the heat treatment plate when reaching the target temperature. Thereby, the entire surface of the substrate can be heat-treated more uniformly. Further, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of lifting mechanisms.

In particular, according to the fourth invention of the present application, the target temperature and the environmental temperature are close to each other, so that the substrate separated from the heat treatment plate can be maintained at the target temperature.

It is the schematic which showed the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic top view of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of a control system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the heat processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic top view of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram of a control system concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the heat processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on a modification.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1-1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 including a heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment performs application of resist solution, exposure, and development after exposure on a rectangular glass substrate 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate 9”) used in a liquid crystal display device. Device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes an indexer 10, a cleaning unit 11, a dehydrated bake unit 12, a coating unit 13, a vacuum drying unit 14, a prebake unit 15, an interface unit 16, an exposure unit 17, a developing unit 18, and a rinse. It has a part 19 and a post-bake part 20. These processing units 10 to 20 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 are arranged adjacent to each other in the above order. The substrate processing apparatus 100 sequentially processes the substrates 9 while transporting the substrates 9 between these processing units 10 to 20 as indicated by broken line arrows in FIG.

  The indexer 10 accommodates the substrates 9 before processing and supplies the substrates 9 to the cleaning unit 11 one by one. Further, the indexer 10 receives the processed substrate 9 from the post bake unit 20 and discharges it to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The cleaning unit 11 cleans the substrate 9 carried in from the indexer 10 and removes particles, organic contaminants, metal contaminants, oils and fats, natural oxide films and the like attached to the surface of the substrate 9.

  The dehydrated bake unit 12 includes a heating unit and a cooling unit. For example, the heating unit places the substrate 9 after cleaning on a heating plate maintained at a predetermined temperature higher than the environmental temperature. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated, the cleaning liquid adhering to the surface of the substrate 9 is vaporized, and the substrate 9 is dried. The cooling unit places the heated substrate 9 on a temperature-controlled cooling plate. Thereby, the temperature of the board | substrate 9 falls to target temperature.

  The application unit 13 applies a resist solution to the surface of the substrate 9 after drying. In the application unit 13, for example, a resist solution is discharged from the nozzle toward the surface of the substrate 9 while moving a nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port along the surface of the substrate 9 arranged horizontally. Thereby, a resist solution is applied to the surface of the substrate 9. The vacuum drying unit 14 dries the resist solution applied to the surface of the substrate 9. In the reduced-pressure drying unit 14, for example, the solvent component is vaporized from the resist solution applied to the surface of the substrate 9 by reducing the pressure around the substrate 9. Thereby, a resist film is formed on the surface of the substrate 9.

  The prebaking part 15 has a heating part and a cooling part. For example, the heating unit places the substrate 9 after drying under reduced pressure on a heating plate maintained at a predetermined temperature higher than the environmental temperature. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated, the solvent component remaining in the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate 9 is removed, and the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate 9 is solidified. The cooling unit places the heated substrate 9 on a temperature-controlled cooling plate. Thereby, the temperature of the board | substrate 9 falls to target temperature.

  The interface unit 16 delivers the substrate 9 among the pre-bake unit 15, the exposure unit 17, and the development unit 18. The exposure unit 17 exposes a predetermined circuit pattern onto the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate 9. The substrate 9 carried into the exposure unit 17 from the interface unit 16 is placed horizontally on the stage in the exposure unit 17. Then, light is irradiated on the surface of the substrate 9 from a light source in the exposure unit 17 through a photomask. Thereby, the pattern on the photomask is transferred to the resist film of the substrate 9.

  Thereafter, the substrate 9 is unloaded from the exposure unit 17 and conveyed to the developing unit 18 via the interface unit 16. The developing unit 18 performs development processing by immersing the exposed substrate 9 in a developer. As a result, a pattern is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 9. The rinsing unit 19 rinses the developer from the surface of the substrate 9 by rinsing the surface of the substrate 9 with the rinse liquid. This stops the development process.

  The post-bake part 20 has a heating part and a cooling part. For example, the heating unit places the substrate 9 after rinsing on a heating plate maintained at a predetermined temperature higher than the environmental temperature. As a result, the substrate 9 is heated, the rinsing liquid adhering to the surface of the substrate 9 is vaporized, and the substrate 9 is dried. The cooling unit places the heated substrate 9 on a temperature-controlled cooling plate. Thereby, the temperature of the board | substrate 9 falls to target temperature.

  Thereafter, the substrate 9 is transferred again from the post bake unit 20 to the indexer 10.

<1-2. Configuration of heat treatment equipment>
Next, the configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 1 that can be applied to each of the cooling unit in the dehydration bake unit 12, the cooling unit in the prebake unit 15, and the cooling unit in the post bake unit 20 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the heat treatment apparatus 1. The heat treatment apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus that cools the substrate 9 having a temperature higher than the environmental temperature to a target temperature near the environmental temperature. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a heat treatment plate 30, a temperature adjustment mechanism 40, a plurality of lift pins 50, an elevating mechanism 60, a temperature measurement unit 70, and a control unit 80.

  The heat treatment plate 30 is a plate-like substrate support that is disposed substantially horizontally. In the present embodiment, the shape of the heat treatment plate 30 in a top view is a rectangle that is slightly larger than the substrate 9. At least the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 is formed of a material having high thermal conductivity (for example, a metal such as aluminum). The substrate 9 carried into the heat treatment apparatus 1 is placed horizontally on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. Note that a minute protrusion may be provided on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 and the substrate 9 may be placed on the protrusion.

  In the present embodiment, a portion of the substrate 9 that is supported by a plurality of first lift pins 51 to be described later is referred to as an “outer peripheral portion 91”, and a portion that is supported by a plurality of second lift pins 52 to be described later is a “center portion 92. ". As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 has an outer peripheral area A <b> 1 where the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is disposed and a central area A <b> 2 where the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is disposed.

  The temperature adjustment mechanism 40 includes a heat medium flow path 401 provided inside the heat treatment plate 30 and a temperature adjustment source 402 for circulating the heat medium while adjusting the temperature. 2 and 3, the range where the flow path 401 in the heat treatment plate 30 is formed is indicated by a broken line. The flow path 401 is uniformly formed inside the heat treatment plate 30 from the vicinity of the center of the heat treatment plate 30 to the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion thereof. For example, water is used as the heat medium. The upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 is temperature-controlled by a heat medium flowing in the flow path 401. The temperature adjustment source 402 collects the heat medium discharged from the flow path 401 in the heat treatment plate 30, cools the heat medium, and supplies it again to the flow path 401 in the heat treatment plate 30.

  In the present embodiment, one continuous flow path 401 is formed inside the heat treatment plate 30. Then, a heat medium is fed from the single temperature control source 402 to the flow path 401. As a result, the entire upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 including the outer peripheral area A1 and the central area A2 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the target temperature (a temperature excessive to the target temperature). When the high-temperature substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat-treated plate 30 that has been temperature-controlled, the substrate 9 is cooled toward the target temperature.

  The plurality of lift pins 50 are support members for supporting the substrate 9 above the heat treatment plate 30. The heat treatment plate 30 is provided with a plurality of through holes 32 extending perpendicularly to the upper surface 31. The plurality of lift pins 50 have a state in which each upper end portion is disposed in the through hole 32 (retracted state) and a state in which each upper end portion protrudes above the heat treatment plate 30 from the through hole 32 (protruded state). It can be moved up and down.

  The plurality of lift pins 50 according to the present embodiment include a plurality of first lift pins 51 and a plurality of second lift pins 52. The plurality of first lift pins 51 are disposed in the through holes 32 provided in the outer peripheral area A <b> 1 of the heat treatment plate 30. In addition, the lower ends of the plurality of first lift pins 51 are connected to each other by a first frame 510 located below the heat treatment plate 30. Accordingly, the plurality of first lift pins 51 move up and down as a unit.

  The plurality of second lift pins 52 are located inside the plurality of first lift pins 51. The plurality of second lift pins 52 are disposed in the through hole 32 provided in the central area A <b> 2 of the heat treatment plate 30. The lower ends of each of the plurality of second lift pins 52 are connected to each other by a second frame 520 different from the first frame 510 located below the heat treatment plate 30. Accordingly, the plurality of second lift pins 52 move up and down as a unit.

  The elevating mechanism 60 is a mechanism for elevating the plurality of lift pins 50. The lifting mechanism 60 of the present embodiment includes a first lifting mechanism 61 and a second lifting mechanism 62. The 1st raising / lowering mechanism 61 raises / lowers the 1st frame 510 up and down using motive power, such as a motor and an air cylinder. Accordingly, the first lift pins 51 are moved up and down simultaneously with the first frame 510. The second elevating mechanism 62 moves the second frame body 520 up and down using power such as a motor and an air cylinder. Thereby, the 2nd lift pin 52 goes up and down simultaneously with the 2nd frame 520. FIG. That is, the lifting mechanism 60 can lift and lower the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52 individually with respect to the heat treatment plate 30.

  When the plurality of first lift pins 51 are raised, the upper ends of the plurality of first lift pins 51 protrude upward from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. The outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is supported by the upper ends of the plurality of first lift pins 51. Further, when the plurality of second lift pins 52 are raised, the upper ends of the plurality of second lift pins 52 protrude upward from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. The central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is supported by the upper ends of the plurality of second lift pins 52. On the other hand, when the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52 are lowered, the entire substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  The temperature measuring unit 70 is a mechanism for measuring the temperature of the substrate 9 placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. The temperature measurement unit 70 of the present embodiment includes an outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and a central temperature sensor 72. For example, an infrared radiation thermometer is used for the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and the central temperature sensor 72. The outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 is disposed above the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 and measures the surface temperature of the outer peripheral portion 91 in a non-contact manner. The central temperature sensor 72 is disposed above the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 and measures the surface temperature of the central portion 92 in a non-contact manner. In addition, the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and the central temperature sensor 72 transmit a measurement signal indicating the obtained measurement result to the control unit 80.

  A thermometer other than the radiation thermometer may be used for the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and the central temperature sensor 72. For example, a contact-type thermometer may be used as long as the probe can be brought into contact with the substrate 9. Further, the temperature measuring unit 70 may include a plurality of outer peripheral temperature sensors 71 and central temperature sensors 72.

  The control unit 80 is means for controlling the operation of each unit in the heat treatment apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 80 includes a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 81 such as a CPU, a memory 82 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 83 such as a hard disk drive. A computer program P for performing a heat treatment on the substrate 9 is installed in the storage unit 83.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a connection configuration between the control unit 80 and each unit in the heat treatment apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 80 is electrically connected to the temperature control mechanism 40, the first lifting mechanism 61, the second lifting mechanism 62, the outer temperature sensor 71, and the central temperature sensor 72 described above. Yes. The control unit 80 temporarily reads the computer program P stored in the storage unit 83 into the memory 82, and the arithmetic processing unit 81 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program P, thereby controlling the operation of each unit described above. (See FIG. 2). Thereby, the heat treatment for the substrate 9 proceeds.

<1-3. Operation of heat treatment equipment>
Subsequently, the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for cooling the substrate 9 to the target temperature using the heat treatment apparatus 1.

  When cooling the substrate 9, first, temperature control of the heat treatment plate 30 is started (step S11). That is, the temperature control mechanism 40 is operated to supply the heat medium to the flow path 401 in the heat treatment plate 30. As a result, the entire upper surface 31 including the outer peripheral area A1 and the central area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the target temperature. For example, when the target temperature is 23 ° C. and the allowable error range is ± 1 ° C., the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 is set to 20 ° C., which is slightly lower than 22 ° C., which is the lowest allowable error range.

  Next, the substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 (step S12). In step S <b> 12, first, the lifting mechanism 60 is operated to cause the plurality of lift pins 50 (the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52) to protrude from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. And the board | substrate 9 heated in the heating part is mounted on the several lift pin 50 with a predetermined | prescribed conveyance robot. Thereafter, the lifting mechanism 60 is operated again to lower the plurality of lift pins 50. When the upper end portions of the plurality of lift pins 50 are housed in the through holes 32, the substrate 9 is placed in a horizontal posture on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  When the high-temperature substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat-treated plate 30 that has been temperature-controlled, cooling of the substrate 9 is started. That is, the temperature of the substrate 9 starts to decrease toward the target temperature. Thereafter, the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and the central temperature sensor 72 measure the temperatures of the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9, respectively (step S13). Then, the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 and the central temperature sensor 72 transmit a signal indicating the measurement result to the control unit 80.

  The outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 are cooled by heat absorption to the heat treatment plate 30 and heat dissipation to the surroundings, respectively. However, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 has a greater heat dissipation effect than the central portion 92. For this reason, the temperature of the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 decreases faster than the temperature of the central portion 92.

  First, the control unit 80 monitors whether or not the measurement result of the outer periphery temperature sensor 71 has decreased to the target temperature (step S14). And if the measurement result of the outer periphery temperature sensor 71 falls to target temperature, the 1st raising / lowering mechanism 61 will be operated and the some 1st lift pin 51 will be raised (step S15). Accordingly, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is bent upward, and the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is pulled away from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. At the time of step S15, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is kept in contact with the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  Subsequently, the control unit 80 monitors whether or not the measurement result of the central temperature sensor 72 has decreased to the target temperature (step S16). And if the measurement result of the center temperature sensor 72 falls to target temperature, the 2nd raising / lowering mechanism 62 will be operated and the several 2nd lift pin 52 will be raised (step S17). As a result, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is pulled away from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  Thus, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the entire upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the target temperature. Thereby, the temperature of the board | substrate 9 can be reduced in a short time. Further, when the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 reach the target temperature, the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 are individually separated from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 from being excessively cooled and to cool the entire surface of the substrate 9 uniformly.

  In the present embodiment, the target temperature is a temperature near the environmental temperature. Therefore, after the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is separated from the heat treatment plate 30, the temperature of the outer peripheral portion 91 that has been separated first is maintained at the target temperature until the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is separated from the heat treatment plate 30. be able to.

<2. Second Embodiment>
<2-1. Configuration of heat treatment equipment>
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment also has a cooling unit in the dehydrated bake unit 12, a cooling unit in the prebake unit 15, and a post bake unit 20 of the substrate processing apparatus 100, similarly to the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. It can be applied to each of the cooling parts within.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of the heat treatment apparatus 1. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a heat treatment plate 30, a temperature adjustment mechanism 40, a plurality of lift pins 50, an elevating mechanism 60, a temperature measurement unit 70, and a control unit 80. Below, it demonstrates centering around difference with 1st Embodiment, and duplication description is abbreviate | omitted about the part which is common in 1st Embodiment.

  The temperature adjustment mechanism 40 of the present embodiment includes a first temperature adjustment mechanism 41 and a second temperature adjustment mechanism 42. The first temperature adjustment mechanism 41 has a first flow path 411 of a heat medium provided inside the heat treatment plate 30 and a first temperature adjustment source 412 that circulates the heat medium while adjusting the temperature. The first flow path 411 is provided below the outer peripheral area A1 of the heat treatment plate 30. That is, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9, the outer peripheral area A1 of the heat treatment plate 30, and the first flow path 411 are arranged at positions that overlap each other in plan view.

  On the other hand, the second temperature adjustment mechanism 42 has a second flow path 421 for the heat medium provided inside the heat treatment plate 30 and a second temperature adjustment source 422 for circulating the heat medium while adjusting the temperature. The second flow path 421 is provided below the central area A <b> 2 of the heat treatment plate 30. That is, in the present embodiment, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9, the central area A <b> 2 of the heat treatment plate 30, and the second flow path 421 are arranged at positions that overlap each other in plan view.

  Of the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30, the outer peripheral area A <b> 1 is temperature-controlled by the heat medium flowing through the first flow path 411 of the first temperature adjustment mechanism 41. On the other hand, in the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30, the center area A <b> 2 is temperature-controlled by the heat medium flowing through the second flow path 421 of the second temperature adjustment mechanism 42. In the present embodiment, the set temperature of the second temperature adjustment mechanism 42 is set to a lower temperature than the set temperature of the first temperature adjustment mechanism 41. Thereby, the outer peripheral area A1 of the heat treatment plate 30 is temperature-controlled to a temperature near the target temperature, and the center area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 is temperature-controlled to a temperature lower than the target temperature (excess temperature than the target temperature). .

  The plurality of lift pins 50 according to the present embodiment include a plurality of first lift pins 51 and a plurality of second lift pins 52. The plurality of first lift pins 51 are disposed in the through holes 32 provided in the outer peripheral area A <b> 1 of the heat treatment plate 30. The plurality of second lift pins 52 are disposed in the through hole 32 provided in the central area A <b> 2 of the heat treatment plate 30. However, in the present embodiment, the lower end portions of all the lift pins 50 are connected to each other by a common frame body 500 positioned below the heat treatment plate 30. Accordingly, the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52 are moved up and down as a whole.

  The elevating mechanism 60 of the present embodiment elevates and lowers the frame body 500 using power such as a motor or an air cylinder. Thereby, the several lift pin 50 raises / lowers with the frame 500 simultaneously. That is, the lifting mechanism 60 of the present embodiment lifts and lowers the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52 simultaneously with respect to the heat treatment plate 30.

  When the plurality of lift pins 50 are raised, the upper end portions of the plurality of lift pins 50 protrude upward from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. The entire substrate 9 is supported by the upper ends of the plurality of lift pins 50. On the other hand, when the plurality of lift pins 50 are lowered, the entire substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  The temperature measurement unit 70 of this embodiment has only the central temperature sensor 72. The central temperature sensor 72 is disposed above the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 and measures the surface temperature of the central portion 92 in a non-contact manner. In addition, the central temperature sensor 72 transmits a measurement signal indicating the obtained measurement result to the control unit 80.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a connection configuration between the control unit 80 of the present embodiment and each unit in the heat treatment apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 80 is electrically connected to the first temperature adjustment mechanism 41, the second temperature adjustment mechanism 42, the elevating mechanism 60, and the central temperature sensor 72 described above. The control unit 80 temporarily reads the computer program P stored in the storage unit 83 into the memory 82, and the arithmetic processing unit 81 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program P, thereby controlling the operation of each unit described above. To do. Thereby, the heat treatment for the substrate 9 proceeds.

<2-2. Operation of heat treatment equipment>
Subsequently, the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for cooling the substrate 9 to the target temperature using the heat treatment apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment.

  When cooling the substrate 9, first, temperature control of the heat treatment plate 30 is started (step S21). That is, the first temperature adjustment mechanism 41 is operated to supply the heat medium to the first flow path 411 in the heat treatment plate 30. Thereby, the outer peripheral area A1 of the heat treatment plate 30 is adjusted to a temperature near the target temperature. Further, the second temperature adjustment mechanism 42 is operated to supply the heat medium to the second flow path 421 of the heat treatment plate 30. Thereby, the central area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the target temperature. For example, when the target temperature is 23 ° C. and the allowable error range is ± 1 ° C., the outer peripheral area A1 is adjusted to 23 ° C., and the central area A2 is adjusted to 20 ° C.

  Next, the substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30 (step S22). When the high-temperature substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 31 of the heat-treated plate 30 that has been temperature-controlled, cooling of the substrate 9 is started. That is, the temperature of the substrate 9 starts to decrease toward the target temperature. Thereafter, the central temperature sensor 72 measures the temperature of the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 (step S23). Then, the central temperature sensor 72 transmits a signal indicating the measurement result to the control unit 80.

  The outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 are cooled by heat absorption to the heat treatment plate 30 and heat dissipation to the surroundings, respectively. However, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 has a greater heat dissipation effect than the central portion 92. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the temperature of the central area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 is set lower than the temperature of the outer peripheral area A1. As a result, the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 are cooled at substantially the same speed.

  The controller 80 monitors whether or not the measurement result of the central temperature sensor 72 has decreased to the target temperature (step S24). And if the measurement result of the center temperature sensor 72 falls to target temperature, the raising / lowering mechanism 60 will be operated and both the 1st lift pin 51 and the 2nd lift pin 52 will be raised (step S25). As a result, the entire substrate 9 is pulled away from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  Thus, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the temperature of the central area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 is adjusted to a temperature lower than the target temperature. Thereby, the temperature of the center part 92 of the board | substrate 9 can be reduced in a short time. Further, by adjusting the outer peripheral area A1 and the central area A2 of the heat treatment plate 30 to different temperatures, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 having a large heat dissipation effect, and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 having a small heat dissipation effect, Can be cooled at substantially the same speed. Then, when the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 reaches the target temperature, the entire substrate 9 is separated from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. Thereby, the whole surface of the substrate 9 can be cooled uniformly and in a short time.

  Further, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the substrate 9 can be pulled away from the heat treatment plate 30 in a horizontal posture without providing a plurality of lifting mechanisms 60 and without bending the substrate 9.

<3. Modification>
The first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus 1 according to a modification. Hereinafter, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of FIG. 10 will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the plurality of lift pins 50 include a plurality of first lift pins 51 and a plurality of second lift pins 52. The plurality of first lift pins 51 are disposed in the through holes 32 provided in the outer peripheral area A <b> 1 of the heat treatment plate 30. The plurality of second lift pins 52 are disposed in the through hole 32 provided in the central area A <b> 2 of the heat treatment plate 30. However, in the present embodiment, the lower end portions of all the lift pins 50 are connected to each other by a common frame body 500 positioned below the heat treatment plate 30. Accordingly, the plurality of first lift pins 51 and the plurality of second lift pins 52 are moved up and down as a whole.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the height of the upper end portion of the first lift pin 51 and the height of the upper end portion of the second lift pin 52 are different from each other. Specifically, the height of the upper end portion of the first lift pin 51 is higher than the height of the upper end portion of the second lift pin 52.

  When the measurement result of the outer peripheral temperature sensor 71 decreases to the target temperature after the start of the heat treatment, the control unit 80 operates the lifting mechanism 60 to raise the plurality of lift pins 50. Thereby, the upper ends of the plurality of first lift pins 51 are projected from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. Then, the outer peripheral portion 91 of the substrate 9 is pulled away from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. However, at this time, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is in contact with the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. For this reason, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is continuously cooled by the heat treatment plate 30.

  Subsequently, when the measurement result of the central temperature sensor 72 decreases to the target temperature, the control unit 80 operates the lifting mechanism 60 to further raise the plurality of lift pins 50. As a result, the upper ends of the plurality of second lift pins 52 are projected from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30. Then, the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 is separated from the upper surface 31 of the heat treatment plate 30.

  As described above, in the example of FIG. 10, the heights of the upper ends of the first lift pin 51 and the second lift pin 52 are made different. Therefore, the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 of the substrate 9 can be individually separated from the heat treatment plate 30 when each reaches the target temperature without providing a plurality of lifting mechanisms. Therefore, the entire surface of the substrate 9 can be uniformly heat-treated.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the substrate 9 is heat-treated by being divided into two regions of the outer peripheral portion 91 and the central portion 92 has been described. However, the substrate 9 may be divided into three or more regions and each region may be heat treated. That is, three or more lifting mechanisms and temperature control mechanisms may be provided so as to correspond to each region of the substrate 9. The temperature measurement unit may also have three or more temperature sensors.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the cooling process is performed is described as an example of the heat treatment. However, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be an apparatus that performs heat treatment. In the case of heat treatment, the temperature of at least the central area of the heat treatment plate may be adjusted to a temperature higher than the target temperature (a temperature excessive to the target temperature). And a control part should just operate a raising / lowering mechanism and raise a 2nd lift pin, if the measurement result of a center temperature sensor rises to target temperature after the start of a heat processing.

  Further, the processing space of the heat treatment apparatus may be an atmospheric pressure environment or a reduced pressure environment.

  Further, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the above embodiment is a part of the substrate processing apparatus 100. However, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be an independent apparatus that is not installed together with other processing units.

  Moreover, the heat processing apparatus of said embodiment made the glass substrate for liquid crystal display devices a process target. However, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention treats other precision electronic device substrates such as PDP glass substrates, semiconductor wafers, photomask glass substrates, color filter substrates, recording disk substrates, solar cell substrates, and the like. You may do. Further, the shape of the substrate may be a disk shape.

  Moreover, you may combine suitably each element which appeared in said embodiment and modification in the range which does not produce inconsistency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat processing apparatus 9 Substrate 10 Indexer 11 Cleaning part 12 Dehydration bake part 13 Application part 14 Depressurization drying part 15 Prebaking part 16 Interface part 17 Exposure part 18 Development part 19 Rinse part 20 Post bake part 30 Heat treatment plate 31 Upper surface 32 Through-hole 40 Temperature control Mechanism 41 First temperature adjustment mechanism 42 Second temperature adjustment mechanism 50 Lift pin 51 First lift pin 52 Second lift pin 60 Elevating mechanism 61 First elevating mechanism 62 Second elevating mechanism 70 Temperature measuring unit 71 Outer temperature sensor 72 Central temperature sensor 80 Control Part 91 Outer part 92 Center part 100 Substrate processing apparatus 401 Channel 402 Temperature control source 411 First channel 412 First temperature control source 421 Second channel 422 Second temperature control source 500 Frame 510 First frame 520 First 2 frames A1 Outer area A2 Central area P Computer Program

Claims (6)

A heat treatment apparatus for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature,
A heat treatment plate for mounting the substrate;
A temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the heat treatment plate;
A plurality of lift pins provided in the heat treatment plate;
A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the plurality of lift pins;
A central temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the central portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate;
An outer peripheral temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate;
Based on the measurement results of the central temperature sensor and the outer peripheral temperature sensor , a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism;
With
The plurality of lift pins are:
A plurality of first lift pin for supporting the outer peripheral portion of the substrate,
A plurality of second lift pins that are positioned inside the plurality of first lift pins and support the central portion of the substrate;
Including
The lifting mechanism is
A first lifting mechanism for simultaneously lifting and lowering the plurality of first lift pins;
A second lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the plurality of second lift pins simultaneously;
Including
The temperature control mechanism, of the thermal processing plate, an outer peripheral area of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is placed, both the central area of the central portion of the substrate is placed, the excessive temperature than the target temperature Temperature control,
The controller is
The outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate in contact with said thermal processing plate, after starting the heat treatment,
When the temperature measured by the outer temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, the first lifting mechanism is operated to raise the first lift pin,
When the temperature measured by the central temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, the heat treatment apparatus operates the second lifting mechanism to raise the second lift pin. A heat treatment apparatus for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature,
A heat treatment plate for mounting the substrate;
A temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the heat treatment plate;
A plurality of lift pins provided in the heat treatment plate;
A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the plurality of lift pins;
A central temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the central portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate;
An outer peripheral temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate;
Based on the measurement results of the central temperature sensor and the outer peripheral temperature sensor , a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism;
With
The plurality of lift pins are:
A plurality of first lift pin for supporting the outer peripheral portion of the substrate,
A plurality of second lift pins that are positioned inside the plurality of first lift pins and support the central portion of the substrate;
Including
The height of the upper end portion of the first lift pin is different from the height of the upper end portion of the second lift pin,
The temperature control mechanism, of the thermal processing plate, an outer peripheral area of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is placed, both the central area of the central portion of the substrate is placed, the excessive temperature than the target temperature Temperature control,
The controller is
The outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate in contact with said thermal processing plate, after starting the heat treatment,
When the temperature measured by the outer peripheral temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, the lifting mechanism is operated to project the upper end of the first lift pin from the upper surface of the heat treatment plate,
When the temperature measured by the central temperature sensor reaches the target temperature, a heat treatment apparatus that operates the lifting mechanism to project the upper end portion of the second lift pin from the upper surface of the heat treatment plate . The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A heat treatment apparatus for cooling a substrate having a temperature higher than an environmental temperature to the target temperature. It is the heat processing apparatus of any one of Claim 1- Claim 3 , Comprising:
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the target temperature is a temperature near the environmental temperature. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein
The central temperature sensor is a heat treatment apparatus that measures the surface temperature of the substrate in a non-contact manner. A heat treatment method for cooling or heating a substrate to a target temperature,
a) starting temperature control of the heat treatment plate;
b) placing a substrate on the upper surface of the heat treatment plate;
c) measuring the temperature of the central part and the outer peripheral part of the substrate placed on the heat treatment plate;
d) a step of separating the substrate from the heat treatment plate based on the measurement result of the step c);
Including
In the step a), of the thermal processing plate, an outer peripheral area of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is placed, both the central area of the central portion of the substrate is placed, the excessive temperature than the target temperature Temperature control,
In the step b), the outer peripheral portion and the central portion of the substrate are brought into contact with the heat treatment plate,
Said step d),
d-1) When the temperature of the outer peripheral portion of the substrate reaches the target temperature, the step of pulling the outer peripheral portion of the substrate away from the heat treatment plate;
temperature of the central portion of the d-2) substrate, upon reaching the target temperature, a step of releasing the central portion of the substrate, can the heat treatment plate or Ra引,
A heat treatment method comprising:

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