JPH11204417A - Heat treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out uniform heat treatment over an entire wafer, by heating lower side of a treated substrate to a predetermined or higher temperature by heating means, and then cooling heated gas above the treated substrate. SOLUTION: A treatment chamber 50 of a heat treatment unit is formed by both sidewalls 53 and a horizontal shielding plate 55, and a fixed thermal plate 58, which is discoidal heating means formed by forming a circular aperture 56 at a center part of the horizontal shielding plate 55 with a cavity provided inside the aperture 56 and hermetically sealing a heating medium on a supporting plate 76 in the cavity, is provided as a setting stage. A plurality of small protrusions are provided on a wafer setting part on the upper side of the thermal fixed plate 58, and the lower side of a wafer is set on the top parts of the small protrusions. The lower side of the wafer is heated to a predetermined or higher temperature by the heat-constant disk 58, and heated gas is cooled above the wafer by a jacket, which is a cooler provided near the periphery of an exhaust tube 70 of a cover member 68.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus such as a heating apparatus or a pre-heating apparatus incorporated in a semiconductor manufacturing system for manufacturing a semiconductor device by using, for example, photoengraving technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor manufacturing system using photoengraving technology, various processing units such as a resist coating unit, a drying unit, and a heating unit are incorporated in one system, and the various processing units are sequentially moved. A series of processing is performed while performing this.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of a typical heat treatment unit 100.

In this heat treatment unit 100, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) W is mounted on the upper surface of a hot platen 101, and this wafer W is subjected to heat treatment by the heat released from the hot platen 101. The heating plate 101 incorporates a heating mechanism (not shown), and the heating plate 101 is heated by the amount of heat supplied from the heating mechanism. Hot plate 1
A plurality of small projections (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the wafer W, and the wafer W is mounted on the tops of these small projections. It is designed to prevent scratches and dust from adhering. Therefore, a minute gap is formed between the lower surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the hot platen 101, and heat is supplied from the upper surface of the hot platen 101 to the lower surface of the wafer W via the air in the gap. Since the air heated by the hot platen 101 and the wafer W has a lower specific gravity than the surrounding cooler air, the heat treatment unit 10
1 and is gathered in a cover body 102 facing and disposed above a hot platen 101, and the top 10 of the cover body 102
The exhaust gas is exhausted through a pipe 104 connected to the exhaust pipe 3.

In the conventional heat treatment unit 100, heat is supplied via air as described above, so that the gas between the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 101 and the lower surface of the wafer W is sufficiently heated. Heat treatment board 1
01 needs to be heated to a temperature higher than the processing temperature of the wafer W.

[0006]

However, the transfer of heat from the heat-treating board 101 to the wafer W is not uniform, and the amount of heat supplied to the wafer W may vary, resulting in uneven heating. In particular, the flow of the heated gas is likely to be stagnant in the upper part of the center of the wafer W, and the heat stagnates there and the wafer W
In many cases, a higher temperature acts on the center of the area.

When high-temperature air acts on the center of the wafer W in an uneven manner, the heat treatment becomes non-uniform, and the quality of the semiconductor elements formed on the wafer W varies, so that the yield of the manufactured semiconductor elements decreases. Therefore, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor element increases. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of performing a uniform heat treatment over the entire wafer W.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of controlling the temperature at the time of heat treatment of a wafer W with high accuracy.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be processed, wherein the heating unit heats the lower surface of the substrate to a predetermined temperature or higher. Means for cooling the compressed gas above the substrate to be processed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be processed, a unit for exhausting gas heated by the heating means from above the substrate to be processed, and Means for detecting a temperature acting on the processing substrate, and means for cooling a gas passing through an upper portion of the processing target substrate based on the detected temperature are provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus comprising: a hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; and a cover disposed on the hot plate for collecting gas heated by the hot plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to an exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, and the hot platen and the cooler so that heat uniformly acts on the substrate to be processed. And a control device for controlling

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a heating plate on which a substrate to be processed is mounted; and a cover member disposed above the heating plate and collecting gas heated by the heating plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to the exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, a sensor for detecting the temperature of gas around the exhaust port, A control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler based on the control information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus comprising: a hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; and a cover disposed on the hot plate for collecting gas heated by the hot plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to an exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, a sensor for detecting a temperature of the substrate to be processed, and a temperature based on the detected temperature. A control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler,
Is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention, wherein a heat plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, and a cover member disposed on the heat plate and collecting gas heated by the heat plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to the exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, and a sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, based on the detected temperature, A control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention, wherein a heat plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, and a cover member disposed above the heat plate and collecting gas heated by the heat plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to an exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, A second sensor for detecting a temperature of the hot plate; and a control device for controlling the hot plate and the cooler based on the detected temperature of the gas and the temperature of the hot plate.

The heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that a heat plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, and a cover body disposed on the heat plate and collecting gas heated by the heat plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to an exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, A second sensor that detects the temperature of the processing substrate, and based on the detected temperature of the gas and the temperature of the substrate to be processed,
A control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler.

A heat treatment apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is a heat plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, and a cover member disposed above the heat plate and collecting gas heated by the heat plate. When,
An exhaust system connected to an exhaust port at the center of the cover body, a cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, A second sensor for detecting the temperature of the processing substrate, a third sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, and a temperature of the detected gas, a temperature of the substrate to be processed, and a temperature of the hot platen. And a control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus,
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9,
The cooler is a cooler arranged spirally.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention according to claim 11 is
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9,
The cooler is a plurality of donut-shaped coolers arranged concentrically.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus comprising:
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 9,
The cooler is a fan-shaped cooler forming a plurality of concentric circles.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment apparatus comprising:
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the heating plate is a heating platen maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heating medium vapor circulating in the heating plate.

In the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, the lower surface of the substrate to be processed is heated, while the gas heated to a predetermined temperature or higher by the heating means is cooled at the upper portion of the substrate to be processed. The high temperature gas does not stay in the upper part of the substrate, and uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, a means for detecting a temperature acting on the substrate to be processed is provided. Provided, based on the temperature acting on the substrate to be processed detected by the detecting means,
Since the gas passing through the upper part of the substrate to be processed is cooled, the temperature control at the time of heat treatment of the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

In the heat treatment apparatus of the third aspect, the lower surface of the substrate to be processed is heated by the hot plate, and the gas heated by the hot plate is cooled by the cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body. With this configuration, the high-temperature gas does not stay in the space between the target substrate and the cover body, and uniform heat treatment can be performed on the entire target substrate.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed. A temperature sensor is provided, and the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port detected by the sensor. Can be performed with high accuracy. In the heat treatment apparatus according to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, a sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed is provided. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the detected temperature of the substrate to be processed, the temperature control at the time of heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the sixth aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, a sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot plate is provided. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperature of the hot platen detected by the sensor, the temperature control when heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

[0027] In the heat treatment apparatus according to the seventh aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, it is possible to perform a uniform heat treatment over the entire substrate to be processed. And a second sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, based on the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port and the temperature of the hot plate detected by these sensors, the hot platen and the cooler Is controlled, the temperature control at the time of heat treatment of the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform a uniform heat treatment over the entire substrate to be processed. And a second sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed, and based on the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port detected by these sensors and the temperature of the substrate to be processed, the hot platen and Since the cooler is controlled, the temperature control at the time of performing the heat treatment on the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

In the heat treatment apparatus of the ninth aspect, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, and a first method for detecting the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port. , A second sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed, and a third sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperatures of the substrate and the hot platen, the temperature control when heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

[0030] In the heat treatment apparatus of claim 10, claims 4 to
9. In the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of 9, the helical cooling device is employed as the cooling device.
Although the structure is simple, cooling can be performed efficiently and uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed.

[0031] In the heat treatment apparatus of claim 11, the heat treatment apparatus of claims 4 to
9. In the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of items 9, a plurality of donut-shaped coolers arranged concentrically are employed as the coolers, and each of the coolers can be operated independently and independently. The cooling capacity can be appropriately adjusted according to the heating state of the gas above the substrate, and the temperature control when heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

[0032] In the heat treatment apparatus of claim 12, the heat treatment apparatus of claims 4 to
9. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of 9, wherein a fan-shaped cooler that forms a plurality of concentric circles is employed as the cooler, and a space between the lower surface of the cover body and the substrate to be processed is formed in a radial direction of the lower surface of the cover body. Since the cooling capacity can be finely adjusted according to the heating state of each part, the temperature control when the substrate to be processed is heat-treated can be performed with higher accuracy. In a heat treatment apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the third to twelfth aspects, a heat platen maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heat medium vapor circulating in the heat plate is employed as the heat plate. Therefore, the temperature of the entire heat platen can be maintained at a uniform temperature with a simple structure, so that a uniform heat treatment can be performed on the entire substrate to be processed. In addition, since the temperature of the heat platen as a heat source of the heated gas can be maintained at a uniform temperature, the temperature control at the time of heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with higher accuracy.

[0033]

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

FIG. 1 shows a semiconductor wafer provided with a resist coating unit (COT) according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as a semiconductor wafer).
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the entire coating and developing processing system 1 of “wafer”).

In the coating and developing processing system 1, a plurality of wafers W as objects to be processed are loaded into and unloaded from the system in units of, for example, 25 wafers, eg, 25 wafers. A cassette station 10 for loading and unloading, a processing station 11 in which various single-wafer processing units for performing predetermined processing on the wafers W one by one in a coating and developing process are arranged at predetermined positions in multiple stages, and An interface unit 12 for transferring a wafer W to and from an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 11 is integrally connected. In this cassette station 10,
At the position of the positioning projection 20a on the cassette mounting table 20,
A plurality of, for example, up to four wafer cassettes CR are placed in a line in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) with their respective wafer entrances facing the processing station 11 side. The wafer carrier 21 that can move in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers W stored in the wafer CR selectively accesses each wafer cassette CR.

The wafer transfer body 21 is rotatable in the θ direction, and the wafer transfer body 21
Access to the processing unit group G ₃ of the multi-stage unit section disposed in the alignment unit (ALIM) and an extension unit (EXT).

The processing station 11 is provided with a vertical transfer type main wafer transfer mechanism 22 having a wafer transfer device, around which all the processing units are arranged in one or more sets in multiple stages. ing.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing system 1.

In the first processing unit group G ₁ , the cup C
Two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit (DEV), which perform a predetermined process by placing the wafer W on the spin chuck in the P, are stacked in two stages from the bottom. In the second processing unit group G _2, two spinner-type processing units, for example, the resist coating unit (COT) and a developing unit (D
EV) are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom. These resist coating units (COT) are preferably arranged in the lower stage as described above because drainage of the resist solution is troublesome both mechanically and in terms of maintenance. However, it is of course possible to appropriately arrange the upper stage as needed.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing system 1.

In the main wafer transfer mechanism 22, the cylindrical support 4
9, the wafer transfer device 46 is moved vertically (in the Z direction).
It can be moved up and down freely. The cylindrical support 49 is connected to a rotation shaft of a motor (not shown), and is rotated integrally with the wafer transfer device 46 about the rotation shaft by the rotation driving force of the motor, whereby the wafer transfer is performed. The device 46 is rotatable in the θ direction. Note that the cylindrical support 49 may be configured to be connected to another rotating shaft (not shown) rotated by the motor. The wafer transfer device 46 is provided with a plurality of holding members 48 movable in the front-rear direction of the transfer base 47, and these holding members 48 enable the transfer of the wafer W between the processing units. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the coating and developing processing system 1, five processing unit groups G ₁ , G ₂ , G
₃ , G ₄ , G ₅ can be arranged, and the multi-stage units of the first and second processing unit groups G ₁ , G ₂ are arranged on the system front (front side in FIG. 1) side, and the third processing unit multistage unit group G ₃ are cassette station 10
, And the multi-stage unit of the _fourth processing unit group G ₄ is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 12,
Multistage unit of the fifth processing unit group G ₅ is capable of being disposed on the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the third processing unit group G ₃ , an oven-type processing unit for performing a predetermined process by placing the wafer W on a holding table (not shown), for example, a cooling system for performing a cooling process Unit (COL), adhesion unit (AD) for performing so-called hydrophobic treatment for improving the fixability of resist, alignment unit (ALIM) for positioning, extension unit (EXT), heat treatment before exposure processing Prebaking unit (PREBAKE) for performing the heating process and post baking unit (Post Exposure) for performing the heating process after the exposure process
Bake, hereinafter referred to as “PEB”) are stacked in, for example, eight stages from the bottom. Even the fourth processing unit group G _4, oven-type processing units, for example, a cooling unit (COL), an extension and cooling unit (EXTCOL), extension unit (EX
T), a cooling unit (COL), a pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), and a post-baking unit (PEB) are stacked, for example, in eight stages from the bottom.

As described above, the cooling unit (COL) and the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) each having a low processing temperature are arranged in the lower stage, and the prebaking unit (PREBAKE), the postbaking unit (PEB), and the heating unit each having a high processing temperature. By arranging the John units (AD) in the upper stage, thermal mutual interference between the units can be reduced. Of course, a random multi-stage arrangement may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the interface unit 12
In the depth direction (X direction), the processing station 11
But has a smaller size in the width direction (Y direction). A portable pickup cassette CR and a stationary buffer cassette BR are arranged in two stages at the front of the interface unit 12, while a peripheral exposure device 23 is arranged at the rear, and a central exposure unit is further arranged at the center. Is provided with a wafer carrier 24. This wafer carrier 24
Moves in the X and Z directions to access both cassettes CR and BR and the peripheral exposure device 23.

The wafer transfer body 24 is also rotatable in the θ direction, and includes an extension unit (EXT) provided in the multi-stage unit of the fourth processing unit group G ₄ on the processing station 11 side and an adjacent exposure unit. The wafer delivery table (not shown) on the apparatus side can also be accessed.

In the coating and developing system 1, the multi-stage unit of the _fifth processing unit group G5 shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 can be arranged on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 as described above. The multi-stage unit of the _fifth processing unit group G ₅ is movable in the Y direction along the guide rail 25.
Therefore, even when provided as a multi-stage unit of the fifth processing unit group G ₅ shown, by moving along the guide rail 25, the space portion can be secured, to the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 Maintenance work can be easily performed from behind.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the baking unit (PREBA) included in the multistage units of the third and fourth sets G ₃ and G _{4 at} the processing station 11 will be described.
KE), (PEB), cooling unit (COL),
The configuration and operation of a heat treatment unit such as (EXTCOL) will be described.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are a plan view and a sectional view showing the structure of the heat treatment unit according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the horizontal shielding plate 55 is omitted for illustration. The processing chamber 50 of this heat treatment unit has both side walls 53.
And a horizontal shielding plate 55, and the front side (the main wafer transfer mechanism 24 side) and the rear side of the processing chamber 50 are formed with openings 50A and 50B, respectively. A circular opening 56 is formed at the center of the shielding plate 55, and a cavity is provided inside the opening 56, and a disk-shaped heat platen 58 in which a heat medium is sealed and sealed is provided as a mounting table SP. Can be

The heat platen 58 is provided with, for example, three holes 60, and a support pin 62 is inserted in each hole 60 in a loosely fitted state. When the semiconductor wafer W is loaded and unloaded, each of the indicating pins 62 is provided. Project or rise above the surface of the heat platen 58 to transfer the wafer W to and from the holding member 48 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22.

On the outer periphery of the heat platen 58, there is provided a shutter 66 made of a ring-shaped band plate having a large number of ventilation holes 64 formed at intervals of 2 ° in the circumferential direction. The shutter 66 is normally retracted to a position below the heat platen 58, but rises to a position higher than the upper surface of the heat platen 58 as shown in FIG. A ring-shaped side wall is formed between the cover and the cover body 68, so that a downflow inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas, supplied from a gas supply system (not shown), flows uniformly in the circumferential direction from the vent hole 64. ing.

An exhaust port 6 for exhausting gas generated from the surface of the wafer W during the heating process is provided at the center of the cover 68.
8a is provided, and an exhaust pipe 70 is connected to the exhaust port 68a. The exhaust pipe 70 communicates with a duct 53 (or 54) on the front side of the apparatus (on the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 side) or a duct (not shown).

Below the shielding plate 55, a machine room 74 is formed by the shielding plate 55, both side walls 53, and the bottom plate 72, and a heat platen support plate 76, a shutter arm 78,
Support pin arm 80) A shutter arm elevating drive cylinder 82 and a support pin arm elevating drive cylinder 84 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of, for example, four wafer W guide support projections 86 are provided on the surface of the thermal platen 58 on which the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W is to be placed.

A plurality of small protrusions (not shown) are provided on the wafer W mounting portion on the upper surface of the heat platen 58.
Is placed on top of these small projections. Therefore, a small gap is formed between the lower surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the thermal platen 58, and the lower surface of the wafer W is prevented from directly contacting the upper surface of the thermal platen 58. Is not soiled or damaged.

As will be described later, a cavity is provided inside the heat platen 58, and the heat medium vapor generated by heating the heat medium in the cavity is circulated in the cavity to form a heat platen. 58 is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the cover body 68 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the cover body 68 viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 6, a conical concave portion 68b is formed on the lower surface side of the cover body 68, and an exhaust port 68a is provided at a portion corresponding to the apex of the cone, and an exhaust pipe is provided in the exhaust port 68a. The lower end of 70 is connected. The other end of the exhaust pipe 70 is connected to an exhaust system (not shown), and the heated gas (nitrogen gas) heated by the heat platen 58 and collected by the conical concave portion 68b is collected by the exhaust port 68a. The air is exhausted through the pipe 70.

The through hole 6 is formed at the center of the conical recess 68b.
A gas cooling jacket (hereinafter simply referred to as “jacket”) 9 is provided in the through hole 68c.
0 is attached.

The jacket 90 is a cooler for cooling the heated gas (nitrogen gas) heated by the heat platen 58 and rising in the space between the heat platen 58 and the cover 68. The jacket 90 has a disk-shaped appearance in which an exhaust port 68a is opened at the center, the upper surface thereof is flat, and the lower surface thereof is formed with a conical recess 68b. The size of the radius is almost equal to the through hole 68c of the cover body 68,
It is designed to fit into this through hole 68c.

The jacket 90 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, a light alloy such as aluminum or copper, and has a circulation path 91 formed therein for circulating a refrigerant.

In the jacket 90 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the circulation path 91 has a helical shape formed around the exhaust port 68a. The pipes 92 and 93 for taking in and out are connected. The other ends of the pipes 92 and 93 are connected to a refrigerant supply device 94 so that the refrigerant cooled to a predetermined temperature by the refrigerant supply device 94 circulates in the circulation path 91 via the pipes 92 and 93. It has become.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the structure of the heat platen 58 according to the present embodiment and its surroundings. As shown in FIG. 8, the interior of the heat platen 58 is a closed cavity 58.
The heating medium reservoir 58b is formed at a part of the bottom thereof so as to have a V-shaped cross section. A heater 93 made of a nichrome wire or the like is disposed in the heat medium reservoir 58b in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 8, and a power supply device 95 controlled by a controller (not shown) is provided in the heater 93. , Power is supplied.

The electric power from the electric power supply 95 is supplied to the heater 93.
Is supplied to the heater 93, the heater 93 starts generating heat, and the heat medium condensed and stored in the heat medium reservoir 58b is heated by the heater 93. The heated heat medium is vaporized and evaporated to form a cavity 5
8a. When the heat medium vapor comes into contact with the cooled portion in the cavity 58a, the heat medium vapor condenses and liquefies while applying heat to the cooled portion. At this time, the amount of heat given from the heat medium to the heat platen 58 is the heat of vaporization of the heat medium and is a value determined by the type of the heat medium. Therefore, if a series of cycles from the evaporation of the heat medium to the condensation thereof stably reaches a steady state, the temperature of the heat platen can be maintained at a substantially constant temperature.

When a gas (nitrogen gas) at room temperature is sent from the side of the heat platen 58 kept at a constant temperature through the vent hole 101, the gas is heated on the surface of the heat platen 58 and becomes a heated gas. When the gas hits the wafer W placed on the heat platen 58, heat is supplied to the wafer W.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the heat treatment unit according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, in the heat treatment unit according to the present embodiment, the heat platen 5
A power supply device 95 and a refrigerant supply device 94 for supplying power to the power supply 8 are connected to the control device 96. This control device 9
Further, a sensor S1 for detecting the temperature of the gas (nitrogen gas) near the center of the lower surface of the jacket 90 and a sensor S2 for detecting the temperature of the wafer W placed on the heat platen 58 are connected to 6. The control device 96 has these sensors S1,
The heat platen 58 and the jacket 90 are controlled based on the temperature of the heated gas and the temperature of the wafer W detected in S2.

Various known temperature sensors can be used as appropriate for the sensors S1 and S2. However, in order to detect the temperature of the wafer W, a sensor capable of detecting the temperature in a non-contact state is
For example, it is preferable to use a sensor having a mechanism for detecting temperature from emitted infrared rays or the like. The temperature of the heat platen 58 is also the same as that of the jacket 90 and the wafer W.
Although it is possible to provide a sensor to directly detect the temperature and send the detected temperature to the control device 96, the temperature of the heat platen 58 can be determined from the heating medium temperature and the supply power of the power supply device 95. It is also possible to manage.

Next, a method of controlling the heat treatment unit according to this embodiment will be described.

The heat platen 58 is controlled to maintain a constant temperature slightly higher than the heat treatment temperature of the wafer W.

As described above, the temperature of the heat platen 58 is controlled by a temperature sensor (not shown) provided exclusively or a power supply 95.
Is controlled on the basis of the supplied power.

The temperature acting on the wafer W to be actually heat-treated is detected by the sensor S2.

Gas heated by heat platen 58 (nitrogen gas)
Rises and gathers near the bottom of the exhaust port 68a of the jacket 90, and the temperature of the heated gas is detected by the sensor S1 disposed near this.

When the temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the temperature of the heat platen 58 is adjusted, and the refrigerant supply device 94 is operated to circulate the cold refrigerant through the jacket 90.
The overheated gas (inert gas such as air or nitrogen gas) is cooled. The cooled gas has a higher specific gravity,
Since the wafer W descends and hits the vicinity of the center of the wafer W which is easily overheated, overheating of this portion is prevented.

On the other hand, if the temperature of the wafer W is likely to fall below the temperature required for the heat treatment temperature, the coolant supply device 94 is stopped or its output is reduced to prevent overcooling. Further, by adjusting the temperature of the heat platen 58 as needed, a decrease in the temperature acting on the wafer W is prevented.

In general, when the jacket 90 is operated with the temperature of the heat platen 58 set to a temperature slightly higher than the temperature required for the heat treatment of the wafer W, the temperature acting on the wafer W is the most suitable temperature for the heat treatment. Is known to be
Based on the actually measured data, the temperatures of the heat platen 58 and the jacket 90 are adjusted so as to be stabilized at this temperature.

More specifically, the target value of the heat treatment temperature of the wafer W is T _W , the temperature of the heat platen 58 is T _H ,
Assuming that the temperature of 0 (average temperature) is T _L , these T _W , T
_L, a relationship of T _L <T _W <T _H between the T _H. FIG. 9 illustrates this relationship.

As shown in FIG. 10, the temperature T _{H of the} hot plate
Is kept constant, the heat treatment temperature the temperature acting on the wafer W by keeping the temperature of the jacket 90 to the heat treatment temperature target value T _W than throne predetermined temperature T _L of the wafer W target value T _W
Can be maintained at a value close to. Temperature T _H of the hot plate
And the value of the temperature _TL to be maintained in the jacket 90 are obtained based on the actually measured data.

The temperature T at which the jacket 90 should be maintained T
_L may be controlled based on the temperature of the heat platen 58 detected by a temperature sensor (not shown), or the heat medium temperature or the power supplied to the heat medium supply device. Further, the jacket 9 is formed based on both the temperature of the wafer W and the temperature of the heat platen 58.
The temperature of 0 may be controlled.

In this embodiment, the spiral circulation path 91
In addition to the above, a jacket 90 having a plurality of cooling units that are formed concentrically and can be cooled to different temperatures by electric power, and the concentric cooling units are further radially arranged. By using a cooler having a plurality of divided fan-shaped cooling units, each of which can be cooled independently, a specific effect can be obtained.

For example, when thermal uneven distribution occurs in the horizontal direction from the center of the thermal surface plate 58 to the peripheral portion, the fan-shaped cooling portions are cooled so as to cancel the thermal unevenness on the thermal surface plate 58. This makes it possible to uniformly heat-treat the wafer W.

In other words, when the temperature near the center of the heat platen 58 is low and there is a heat gradient that rises toward the peripheral edge, the fan-shaped cooling part on the outer peripheral side is strongly cooled, while the cooling part near the center is weakly cooled. Then, the cooling section between them is cooled at an intermediate temperature.

On the other hand, when the temperature near the center of the heat platen 58 is high and there is a heat gradient that decreases toward the peripheral edge, the cooling portion near the center of the cover 68 is strongly cooled while the peripheral edge is cooled. Is cooled slightly, while the cooling section in between is cooled to an intermediate temperature. In the case where the temperature near the center and the periphery of the heat platen 58 is low and the temperature in the middle of the center and the periphery is high, only the cooling portion located directly above the portion where the temperature tends to be high is strongly cooled. The other cooling units should be cooled only weakly or not.

When a high or low temperature portion is formed in a part of the heat platen 58, some of the cooling units are cooled to a temperature different from those of the other cooling units so as to cancel out thermal uneven distribution in that portion. You can also.

Next, this heat treatment unit is combined with a baking unit (PREBAKE) and a cooling unit (C
The operation when using as (OL) will be described below.

First, the wafer W is taken out from the wafer cassette CR set on the mounting table 20 by the wafer carrier 21, and then the wafer W is delivered from the wafer carrier 21 to the main wafer carrier 22. The main wafer transfer mechanism 22 transfers the received wafer W to a resist coating unit (C
The wafer W is transferred and set in the OT), and the resist is applied to the wafer W here. Next, the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 takes out the wafer W from the inside of the resist coating unit (COT), transfers the wafer W to the inside of the heat treatment unit, and sets the wafer W on the thermal platen 58.

On the other hand, the heat medium supply device 95 and the circulation system of the heat surface plate 58 start operating simultaneously with the power supply to the heat treatment unit, and after a predetermined time, the heat surface plate 58 is heated to a predetermined temperature, that is, heat treatment of the wafer W. The temperature is maintained slightly higher than the temperature target value. Similarly, the power is supplied to the refrigerant supply device 94 of the jacket 90 disposed at the center of the cover body 68 to start cooling. In the heat platen 58 according to the present embodiment, the temperature tends to be high near the center and the temperature tends to be low at the outer peripheral edge.
The temperature is controlled so that the heated gas (nitrogen gas) passing near the center is cooled by the jacket 90 arranged near the center.

As described above, in the heat treatment unit according to this embodiment, when the wafer W is set between the cover 68 and the heat platen 58 whose heating amount is controlled as described above, the heat platen 58 The gas heated above the heat treatment temperature of the wafer W tends to stay below the center of the cover 68, but a jacket 90 is provided at the center of the cover 68 and passes through this portion. When the temperature of the gas (nitrogen gas) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the refrigerant circulates through the jacket 90 to cool the overheated gas passing below the jacket 90.
The cooled gas collides near the center of the wafer W, and prevents a temperature rise in this portion, so that a uniform amount of heat is always supplied to the wafer W set and heat-treated therebetween.
A uniform heat treatment is performed over the entire wafer W.

Further, according to the heat treatment unit according to the present embodiment, since the temperature control is performed while detecting the temperature of the wafer W with the sensor, it is possible to finely adjust the temperature, and it is possible to perform the temperature control when the heat treatment of the wafer W is performed. Temperature control can be performed with high accuracy.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the apparatus for heating the wafer W using the heat platen which is uniformly heated by circulating the heat medium vapor inside has been described. A hot plate that controls the temperature with a temperature sensor or the like may be used.

In the above embodiment, the coating and developing system 1 for the wafer W has been described as an example. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other processing apparatuses, for example, an LCD substrate processing apparatus. No.

[0091]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, while heating the lower surface of the substrate to be processed, the gas heated to a predetermined temperature or higher by the heating means is applied to the substrate to be processed. Since cooling is performed at the upper portion, high-temperature gas does not stay at the upper portion of the substrate to be processed, and uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, the temperature acting on the substrate to be processed is detected. Means for cooling the gas passing through the upper portion of the substrate to be processed based on the temperature acting on the substrate to be detected detected by the detecting means. Control can be performed with high accuracy. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the lower surface of the substrate to be processed is heated by the hot plate, and the gas heated by the hot plate is cooled by the cooler disposed around the exhaust port of the cover body. With this configuration, the high-temperature gas does not stay in the space between the target substrate and the cover body, and uniform heat treatment can be performed on the entire target substrate. According to the present invention described in claim 4, uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed.
In addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, a sensor is provided around the exhaust port of the cover body to detect the temperature of the gas in this portion, and based on the gas temperature in the portion around the exhaust port detected by this sensor. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled, the temperature control at the time of heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, it is possible to perform a uniform heat treatment over the entire substrate to be processed, and to detect the temperature of the substrate to be processed. Is provided, and the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperature of the substrate to be processed detected by this sensor, so that the temperature control when the substrate to be processed is heat-treated can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, a sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen is provided. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperature of the hot platen detected by this sensor, the temperature control when heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port is detected. A first sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, and a second sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen. In addition, since the cooler is controlled, the temperature of the substrate to be processed can be controlled with high accuracy when the substrate is heat-treated.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port is detected. A first sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed, and a second sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed. Based on the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port detected by these sensors and the temperature of the substrate to be processed, Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled, it is possible to control the temperature at the time of heat-treating the substrate to be processed with high accuracy.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the first aspect, a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed, the temperature of the gas around the exhaust port is detected. A first sensor, a second sensor for detecting the temperature of the substrate to be processed, and a third sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, and the gas around the exhaust port detected by these sensors is provided. Since the hot platen and the cooler are controlled based on the temperatures of the substrate to be processed and the hot platen, the temperature control when heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects, a helically arranged cooler is employed as the cooler. However, the cooling can be efficiently performed while being simple, and a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects, a plurality of concentrically arranged donut-type coolers are used as the coolers. Since each of the coolers can be operated independently, the cooling capacity can be appropriately adjusted according to the heating state of the gas above the non-processed substrate, and the temperature control when heat-treating the processed substrate can be improved. Can be done with precision.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects, a fan-shaped cooler forming a plurality of concentric circles is employed as the cooler. The space between the lower surface of the body and the substrate to be processed is divided into both the radial direction and the circumferential direction of the lower surface of the cover body, and the cooling capacity can be finely adjusted according to the heating state of each part. Temperature control during the heat treatment can be performed with higher precision.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the third to twelfth aspects, the heat plate is maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heat medium vapor circulating inside. Since the plate is employed, the entire heat platen can be maintained at a uniform temperature while having a simple structure, whereby a uniform heat treatment can be performed over the entire substrate to be processed. In addition, since the temperature of the heat platen as a heat source of the heated gas can be maintained at a uniform temperature, the temperature control at the time of heat-treating the substrate to be processed can be performed with higher accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a coating and developing processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a heat treatment unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a cover according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state where the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from below.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a structure around a heat platen according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the heat treatment unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship among a heat treatment board temperature, a wafer W temperature, and a jacket temperature of the heat treatment unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional heat treatment unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W wafer 58 heat platen 90 jacket 70 exhaust pipe S1, S2 sensor 95 power supply device 96 control device 68 cover body

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A heating means for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be processed, and means for cooling a gas heated to a predetermined temperature or higher by the heating means at an upper part of the substrate to be processed. Heat treatment equipment. 2. A heating unit for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be processed, a unit for exhausting a gas heated by the heating unit from above the substrate to be processed, and a unit for detecting a temperature acting on the substrate to be processed. And a means for cooling a gas passing above the substrate to be processed based on the detected temperature. 3. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; a cover disposed on the hot plate for collecting gas heated by the hot plate; and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. A connected exhaust system, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, and a control device that controls the hot platen and the cooler so that heat is uniformly applied to the substrate to be processed. A heat treatment apparatus comprising: 4. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; a cover disposed on the hot plate, for collecting gas heated by the hot plate; and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. An exhaust system connected thereto, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, and the hot platen and cooling based on the detected temperature. And a control device for controlling the vessel. 5. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; a cover disposed above the hot plate, for collecting gas heated by the hot plate; and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. An exhaust system connected thereto, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a sensor for detecting a temperature of the substrate to be processed, and the hot platen and the cooler based on the detected temperature. A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a control device for controlling. 6. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, a cover disposed above the hot plate, for collecting gas heated by the hot plate, and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. A connected exhaust system, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a sensor for detecting a temperature of the hot platen, and controlling the hot platen and the cooler based on the detected temperature. A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: 7. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed; a cover disposed above the hot plate, for collecting gas heated by the hot plate; and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. A connected exhaust system, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, and a second sensor for detecting a temperature of the hot platen. And a control device for controlling the hot platen and the cooler based on the detected temperature of the gas and the temperature of the hot platen. 8. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is placed, a cover disposed above the hot plate, for collecting gas heated by the hot plate, and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. A connected exhaust system, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, and a first sensor for detecting a temperature of the substrate to be processed. A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a second sensor; and a controller that controls the hot platen and the cooler based on the detected temperature of the gas and the temperature of the substrate to be processed. 9. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is mounted; a cover disposed on the hot plate for collecting gas heated by the hot plate; and an exhaust port at the center of the cover. A connected exhaust system, a cooler disposed around an exhaust port of the cover body, a first sensor for detecting a temperature of gas around the exhaust port, and a first sensor for detecting a temperature of the substrate to be processed. 2, a third sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot platen, and the hot platen and the cooler based on the detected gas temperature, the temperature of the substrate to be processed, and the temperature of the hot platen. A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a control device for controlling. 10. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooler is a spirally arranged cooler. 11. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooler is a plurality of donut-shaped coolers arranged concentrically. 12. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooler is a fan-shaped cooler that forms a plurality of concentric circles. 13. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heating plate is a heating platen maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heating medium vapor circulating in the heating plate. Heat treatment equipment.