KR100732806B1 - Heat-treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The heat treatment apparatus includes an enclosure provided such that a substrate to be processed is placed on or above it to surround a hot plate for heating the substrate and a heat treatment space for heating the substrate to be defined above the hot plate. Has a member, a sealing mechanism for substantially enclosing the circumference of the hot plate when surrounding the heat treatment space by the surrounding member, and air flow forming means for forming an air flow from the outer circumference to the center in the heat treatment space. do. According to such a structure, a resist sublimation etc. are hard to accumulate, the temperature distribution of a to-be-processed substrate can be prevented from becoming unstable, and the temperature of a to-be-processed substrate can be controlled with high precision.

Description

Heat Treatment Equipment {HEAT-TREATMENT APPARATUS}             

1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing processing system for an LCD substrate to which the present invention is applied;

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic view showing a state A-A section of the heat treatment apparatus according to FIG. 2 as viewed from above;

4 is a schematic view showing a state of the B-B section of the heat treatment apparatus according to FIG. 2 as viewed from above;

FIG. 5: is typical sectional drawing which shows the state which heat-processes the board | substrate G using the heat processing apparatus shown in FIG.

6 is a view showing a modified example of the sealing mechanism according to the present invention as the second embodiment;

7 is a diagram comparing the shape of the opening provided in the first rectifying plate, the shape of the second rectifying plate, and the shape of the hot plate;

8 is a schematic plan view of a hot plate;                 

FIG. 9 is a graph for comparing in-plane scattering of a heated state of a hot plate due to a difference in the direction of air flow passing through a substrate to be processed in the heat treatment apparatus, and FIG. 9 (b) is a graph in the case of the air flow toward the center from the outer circumference,

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a third embodiment;

11 is a schematic sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a fourth embodiment;

12 is a schematic plan view of a second rectifying plate of the heat treatment device shown in FIG. 11;

13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another second rectifying plate according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of another second rectifying plate according to the fourth embodiment, FIG. 14 (a) is a sectional view, and FIG. 14 (b) is a plan view;

15 is a schematic sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a fifth embodiment;

16 is a partially enlarged view near the exhaust portion of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment;

17 is a schematic view showing a cross section of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment as seen from above;

18 is a plan view showing an example where a guide member is disposed on a hot plate;

19 is a perspective view of the guide member shown in FIG. 18;

20 is an explanatory view of the operation of the guide member shown in FIG. 18.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

40: HP 41: hot plate

42: reflector 43: through hole                 

44: support pin 45: second engagement member

46: holding member 47: holding member lifting mechanism

48: shutter (without wrapping)

49: shutter lift mechanism (around member lift mechanism)

50: elastic member 51: first engagement member

53 opening 54 first rectifying plate

55: second rectifying plate 56: cylindrical member

56a: gap 57: cover member

57a: hole 58: exhaust

58a: exhaust pipe 59: external air inlet

60: case 61: first abutting member

63: second contact member 64: elastic member

66: duct member 66a: upper part

66b: bottom 71: liquid

75: projection 76: exhaust mechanism

155: second rectifying plate 253: plate

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to the heat processing apparatus which heats and processes board | substrates, such as an LCD substrate, for example.

In the manufacture of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography technique in which a photoresist solution is applied to a rectangular LCD substrate made of glass to form a resist film, the resist film is exposed to correspond to a circuit pattern, and the developer film is subjected to development. Is formed. Conventionally, a resist coating and developing system having a plurality of processing units for carrying out such a series of processes has been used.

In this resist coating and developing system, after a photoresist is applied to a substrate or before or after development, the substrate is subjected to heat treatment by a heat treatment unit. In such a heat treatment unit, a contact bake for directly placing a substrate on a hot plate or a proximity bake for heating by providing a slight gap between the hot plate and the substrate is employed. Of these, since the proximity baking process does not directly place the substrate on the hot plate, there is an advantage that product defects caused by charging of the substrate are avoided.

However, in the conventional heat treatment unit, there is a problem that the in-plane temperature of the substrate or the hot plate is difficult to be uniform in structure. In particular, in the case of the proximity bake, the uniformity of the in-plane temperature distribution tends to deteriorate. In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to use a heat treatment apparatus having a sealed hermetic structure with improved temperature distribution uniformity as a heat treatment unit. It is not practical because it tends to accumulate and volatile substances, and also makes maintenance of the apparatus difficult.

There, the heat processing apparatus which comprises the heat processing space formed between a hot plate and a ceiling part so that opening and closing is possible with a shutter, and exhausts in the state which provided some clearance between a shutter and a hot plate is used as a heat processing unit. In this heat treatment apparatus, a resist sublimation which exhausts air while introducing outside air from the gap between the shutter and the hot plate is prevented from accumulating in the heat treatment space, and furthermore, maintenance can be easily performed by an opening and closing enclosing member. It is configured to.

By the way, in the heat processing apparatus as mentioned above, there exists a problem that the outside air introduce | transduced in the clearance gap between a shutter and a hotplate takes away the heat of a hotplate or a board | substrate, and deteriorates these temperature uniformity. In particular, when such a heat treatment apparatus is used for heat treatment of an LCD substrate, the heat of the four edges of the hot plate or the substrate tends to cool down, and the substrate exhibits a characteristic temperature distribution with low temperature at the four edges, and thus the temperature uniformity is poor. Falls out.

In order to solve this problem, in the above heat treatment apparatus, a gap is further provided between the cover member and the shutter, and the exhaust gas is collected therefrom to reduce the amount of outside air flowing in from the gap between the hot plate and the shutter. Measures to do are established. However, if such countermeasures are taken, there is a problem in that the substrate is susceptible to the influence of the outside air (downflow) and the stability of the temperature distribution is deteriorated. In particular, in this case, individual differences between the plurality of heat treatment devices tend to be high.                         

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is difficult to accumulate resist sublimates and the like in the apparatus, and it is possible to prevent the temperature distribution of the substrate to be processed from being unstable due to invasion of the outside air, and to precisely control the temperature of the substrate to be processed. An object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment device that can be controlled in a road.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to solve the said subject, according to the 1st viewpoint of this invention, the to-be-processed board | substrate is mounted and the heat processing which heat-processes the to-be-processed board | substrate prescribed | regulated above the said hotplate, and the heat board which heats the said to-be-processed board | substrate. A enclosing member provided to enclose the space, a sealing mechanism for substantially enclosing the circumference of the hot plate in the case of enclosing the heat treatment space by the enclosing member, and from the outer circumference to the center in the heat treatment space. A heat treatment apparatus is provided, comprising air flow forming means for forming a directed air flow.

According to this configuration, since the periphery of the hot plate is substantially sealed to prevent intrusion of outside air from the gap around the hot plate, undesired intrusion of air causes scattering at the temperature of the substrate to be processed or uneven temperature distribution. It can prevent that, and furthermore, since the air flow toward the center from the outer periphery is formed in the heat treatment space, the temperature of the substrate to be processed can be made uniform. Therefore, the substrate temperature can be controlled with high accuracy. In addition, it is possible to prevent the sublimation from accumulating due to the airflow formed.

The inventors of the present invention first propose a heat treatment apparatus which substantially closes the circumference of the hot plate to form an air flow directed from the center of the hot plate to the outer circumference, thereby making the temperature distribution of the substrate to be processed uniform and stable, At the same time, it is said that the substrate temperature can be increased with high accuracy. However, although some effect can be obtained by airflow from the center to the outer circumference, if airflow is formed from the center to the outer circumference, air easily flows in the center of the long direction of the substrate, and it is difficult to balance the exhaust. For this reason, it was found that a local temperature drop may occur in the central portion of the long side of the periphery of the substrate. Therefore, in the present invention, by forming an airflow from the outer circumference toward the center, it is easy to balance the exhaust gas, thereby preventing local temperature drop of the substrate and achieving high-precision temperature control.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a substrate is provided, and a surround is provided so as to enclose a hot plate for heating the target substrate and a heat treatment space for heat treating the target substrate defined above the hot plate. Is a member, a cover member covering an upper portion of the heat treatment space, and a space between the hot plate and the surrounding member, and the covering member and the surrounding member when the heating treatment space is surrounded by the surrounding member. A duct member provided with a sealing mechanism for preventing a gap between the air gap, a duct member provided at an outer central portion of the cover member, an outside air inlet for introducing outside air, and an exhaust for exhausting the heat treatment space, and the heat treatment space through the exhaust portion. An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gas, and a first well disposed at an upper portion of the heat treatment space so as to face the hot plate and having an opening formed at a center thereof. When the exhaust mechanism is operated to provide a plate, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet portion reaches the outer circumferential side of the heat treatment space along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and the lower surface of the first rectifying plate. A heat treatment apparatus is provided, which extends from the outside to the center of the heat treatment space and is exhausted from the exhaust portion of the duct member through the opening of the first rectifying plate.

According to this heat treatment apparatus, in a state where the heat treatment space is substantially sealed by a sealing mechanism, the heat treatment space is evacuated through the exhaust portion of the duct member and at the same time, outside air is introduced from the outside air inlet portion, and the lower surface of the first rectifying plate is Since the air flows toward the center from the outer circumference, the exhaust gas is easily balanced, and the atmosphere of the heat treatment space can be replaced with outside air without destabilizing the temperature distribution of the substrate to prevent the accumulation of resist sublimation. In addition, the temperature of the substrate can be made uniform, and the substrate temperature can be controlled with high accuracy.

(Example)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described with reference to an accompanying drawing.

1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing processing system for an LCD substrate to which the present invention is applied.

This coating and developing processing system comprises a cassette station 1 on which a cassette C containing a plurality of LCD substrates G is placed, and a series of treatments including resist coating and developing on the substrate G. A processing unit 2 having a plurality of processing units therefor, and an interface unit 3 for transferring the substrate G between the exposure apparatus (not shown), and is provided at both ends of the processing unit 2, respectively. The cassette station 1 and the interface unit 3 are arranged.

The cassette station 1 is equipped with the conveyance mechanism 10 for conveying an LCD substrate between the cassette C and the process part 2. Then, the cassette C is carried in and out of the cassette station 1. Moreover, the conveyance mechanism 10 is equipped with the conveyance arm 11 which can move on the conveyance path 10a provided along the arrangement direction of a cassette, and between this cassette arm and the processing part 2 by this conveyance arm 11 Conveyance of the substrate G is performed.

The processing part 2 is divided into the front end part 2a, the interruption part 2b, and the rear end part 2c, and has the conveyance paths 12, 13, and 14 in the center, respectively, and processes each on both sides of this conveyance path. The unit is installed in a batch. The relays 15 and 16 are provided between them.

The front end part 2a is equipped with the main conveying apparatus 17 which can move along the conveyance path 12, and two cleaning units (SCR) 21a, 21b are arrange | positioned at one side of the conveyance path 12. As shown in FIG. On the other side of the conveying path 12, a processing block 25 in which the ultraviolet irradiation unit UV and the cooling unit COL are stacked in two stages, and a processing block in which the heating treatment unit HP is stacked in two stages ( 26) and a processing block 27 in which the cooling unit COL is stacked in two stages is arranged.

Moreover, the interruption | blocking part 2b is equipped with the main conveying apparatus 18 which can move along the conveyance path 13, The resist coating process unit (CT) 22 and the board | substrate (CT) of one side of the conveyance path 13 are carried out. The peripheral edge resist removal unit (ER) 23 which removes the resist of the peripheral edge part of G) is integrally provided, and the heat processing unit HP is overlapped in two stages on the other side of the conveyance path 13, The process block 28 which consists of the processing block 28 which consists of the heat processing unit HP and the cooling process unit COL which overlaps up and down, and the advice processing unit AD and the cooling unit COL which overlaps up and down The processing block 30 is arranged.

Moreover, the rear end part 2c is equipped with the main conveying apparatus 19 which can move along the conveyance path 14, The three developing process units 24a, 24b, 24c are provided in one side of the conveyance path 14; On the other side of the conveying path 14, a processing block 31 in which the heat treatment unit HP is stacked in two stages, and at the same time, the heat treatment unit HP and the cooling treatment unit COL are piled up and down. Processing blocks 32 and 33 are arranged.

That is, the processing part 2 arrange | positions only spinner type units, such as the washing process unit 21a, the resist process unit 22, and the developing process unit 24a, on one side with a conveyance path between them, and heat-processing on the other side. It has a structure in which only thermal processing units such as units and cooling processing units are arranged.

In addition, the chemical liquid supply unit 34 is disposed in the spinner system unit arrangement side portions of the relay units 15 and 16, and a space 35 for performing maintenance, which is a main transport device, is provided. have.

The main transport apparatuses 17, 18, and 19 each have an X-axis drive mechanism, a Y-axis drive mechanism, and a Z-axis drive mechanism in a vertical direction, respectively, in a horizontal plane, and rotate in rotation about the Z axis. A mechanism is provided, and each has arms 17a, 18a, and 19a supporting the substrate G.

The main conveying apparatus 17 transfers the substrate G between the arms 11 of the conveying mechanism 10, and carries the substrate G to each processing unit of the front end portion 2a. It has a function of carrying out the board | substrate G between carrying out or the relay part 15. FIG. Moreover, the main transport apparatus 18 transfers the board | substrate G between the relay parts 15, and carries in / out of the board | substrate G with respect to each processing unit of the interrupt part 2b, or a stop part. It has the function of transferring the board | substrate G between (16). In addition, the main transport apparatus 19 transfers the substrate G between the stop portions 16, and simultaneously loads and unloads the substrate G to each processing unit of the rear end portion 2c, or an interface portion. It has a function to transfer the board | substrate G between (3). In other words, the relay units 15 and 16 also function as cooling plates.

The interface unit 3 includes an extension 36 for temporarily holding a substrate when transferring the substrate between the processing units 2, two buffer stages 37 for arranging buffer cassettes provided on both sides thereof, and And a transport mechanism 38 for carrying in and out of the substrate G between the exposure apparatus and the exposure apparatus (not shown). The conveyance mechanism 38 is provided with the conveyance arm 39 which can move on the conveyance path 38a provided along the direction of the extension 36 and the buffer stage 37, and this conveyance arm 39 makes the process part 2 ) Is transported between the substrate and the exposure apparatus.

Thus, by integrating and integrating each processing unit, it is possible to improve space efficiency and processing efficiency.

In the resist coating and developing processing system configured as described above, the substrate G in the cassette C is conveyed to the processing unit 2, and in the processing unit 2, the processing block 25 of the front end part 2a is first used. The surface modification and cleaning treatment is performed in the ultraviolet irradiation unit (UV), cooled by the cooling processing unit (COL), and then scrubber cleaning is performed by the cleaning units (SCR) 21a, 21b, and the processing block 26 After heat-drying in either heat treatment unit HP, it is cooled in either cooling unit COL of the treatment block 27.

Subsequently, the substrate G is conveyed to the stop part 2b, and in order to increase the fixability of the resist, a hydrophobization treatment (HMDS treatment) is performed in the advancing treatment unit AD on the upper end of the processing block 30. After cooling in the lower cooling treatment unit (COL), the resist is applied in the resist coating unit (CT) 22, and in the peripheral edge resist removal unit (ER) 23, the excess of the peripheral edge of the substrate G is added. The resist of is removed. Thereafter, the substrate G is prebaked in the heat treatment unit HP in the stop portion 2b and cooled in the cooling unit COL at the lower end of the process block 29 or 30.

Then, the board | substrate G is conveyed from the relay part 16 to the exposure apparatus via the interface part 3 by the main transport apparatus 19, and a predetermined pattern is exposed here. Subsequently, the substrate G is brought in again via the interface unit 3, and if necessary, the post exposure bake process is performed in one of the heating units of the processing blocks 31, 32, and 33 of the rear end 2c. After implementation, development is carried out in either of the development processing units (DEVs) 24a, 24b, and 24c to form a predetermined circuit pattern. The developed substrate G is cooled by either of the cooling units COL after the post-baking treatment is carried out by one of the heat treatment units HP of the rear end 2c, and the main transport apparatus. (19, 18, 17) and the conveyance mechanism 10 are accommodated in a predetermined cassette on the cassette station 1.

Next, a heat treatment unit HP to which the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is used, which is used in the process blocks 26, 28, 31, 32, 33 of the coating and developing treatment system, will be described. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a heat treatment unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a cross-sectional view of the A-A cross section of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a cross-sectional view of the B-B cross section of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the heat treatment unit HP mainly faces the conveying path 12, 13, or 14 side of the coating and developing system to have an opening 60 a ( 60, a hot plate 41 for heating the substrate G accommodated in the case 60, a cover member 57 arranged to cover the upper part of the case 60, a cover member 57 and a hot plate ( The shutter (enclosing member) 48 which can surround the heat processing space 65 formed between 41, and 1st arrange | positioned above the heat processing space 65 facing the hot plate 41, To the rectifying plate 54 and the second rectifying plate 55, the duct member 66 having the outside air inlet 59 and the exhaust 58, and the exhaust pipe 58a connected to the exhaust 58. It has an exhaust mechanism 76 provided. Among these, the airflow forming means which forms the airflow mentioned later by the external air inlet part 59, the exhaust part 58, the exhaust mechanism 76, the 1st rectifying plate 54, and the 2nd rectifying plate 55 is comprised. Doing. That is, the second rectifying plate 55 prevents the disturbance from occurring in the airflow in the vicinity of the opening 53, and the opening 53 adversely affects the temperature distribution of the substrate G or the hot plate 41. In order to prevent this, it is provided auxiliary and is not essential in order to form the airflow mentioned later.

The hot plate 41 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, and has an upper surface formed in a rectangular shape in accordance with the shape of the substrate G. A heater and a temperature sensor not shown in the figure are embedded in the rear surface of the hot plate 41, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is transmitted to a control unit not shown in the figure, and the amount of heat generated by the heater is adjusted accordingly. The temperature of the hot plate 41 is maintained at a predetermined temperature of, for example, 120 to 150 ° C.

Nine through holes 43 are provided in the hot plate 41, for example. In each of the through holes 43, support pins 44 for supporting the substrate G are penetrated and inserted. The support pin 44 is held by the holding member 46 provided below the hot plate 41. The holding member 46 is connected to the holding member elevating mechanism 47. Therefore, by raising and lowering the holding member 46 by the holding member elevating mechanism 47, the support pin 44 can be projected and immersed with respect to the surface of the hot plate 41. As shown in FIG.

And when carrying out the transfer of the board | substrate G between this heat processing unit HP apparatus and arms 17a, 18a, and 19a, the holding member 46 is raised by the holding member elevating mechanism 47, and is supported. With the pin 44 protruding from the surface of the hot plate 41, the substrate G is transferred between the arms 17a, 18a, 19a and the support pin 44.

When carrying out heat processing after receiving the board | substrate G, the holding member elevating mechanism 47 lowers the holding member 46 only a predetermined distance, and makes the board | substrate G into a predetermined position. For example, in the case of the contact bake which heats in a state where the hot plate 41 is in contact with the substrate G, the support pin 44 is immersed completely from the surface of the hot plate 41, What is necessary is just to heat-process so that the hotplate 41 may be directly mounted on the board | substrate G. Moreover, in the case of the proximity baking which heats in the state in which the hot plate 41 is supported above and not in contact with the board | substrate G, the support pin 44 protrudes only a predetermined length from the surface of the hot plate 41. The heat treatment may be performed in one state, or the heat treatment may be performed by securing a distance between the substrate G and the hot plate 41 by a spacer (not shown).

Below the hot plate 41, a reflecting plate 42 for reflecting heat from the hot plate 41 is disposed. The reflecting plate 42 covers not only the lower surface of the hot plate 41 but also the side surfaces thereof, that is, the reflecting plate 42 is shaped like a thin container for storing the hot plate 41. The reflecting plate 42 and the hot plate 41 are arranged at predetermined intervals by spacers not shown in the figure, and the sealing member 42a which prevents intrusion of outside air from below the hot plate between the reflecting plate 42 and the hot plate 41. ) Is arranged. The shape of the reflecting plate 42 and the positional relationship between the reflecting plate 42 and the hot plate 41 are appropriately determined according to the heating pattern of the heater disposed on the hot plate 41 or the temperature pattern required for the hot plate 41. . As the sealing member 42a, silicone rubber can be used, for example.

The first rectifying plate 54 described above is provided above the heat treatment space 65 so as to face the hot plate 41, and an opening 53 is provided at a position corresponding to the center of the hot plate 41. It is. The 1st rectifying plate 54 is formed in the rectangle according to the shape of the hot plate 41 and the board | substrate G. As shown in FIG. When surface finish with high reflectivity such as mirror surface treatment or plating is applied to the surface on the side of the hot plate 41 of the first rectifying plate 54, the heat radiated from the hot plate 41 is transferred to the first rectifying plate 54. It is preferable because it reflects from and can efficiently heat the board | substrate G from both surfaces.

The second rectifying plate 55 described above is disposed between the first rectifying plate 54 and the hot plate 41 so as to face the opening 53 provided in the first rectifying plate 54. It is a little larger than (53). The second rectifying plate 55 is formed in a rectangular shape according to the shape of the hot plate 41, and is similar to the shape of the second rectifying plate 55 and the shape of the hot plate 41 as shown in FIG. Heat processing can be performed uniformly in surface with respect to the board | substrate G. In addition, the shape of the opening 53 is formed in a rectangle similar to that of the second rectifying plate 55. Moreover, when the reflectance of the 2nd rectifying plate 55 is made high, since the temperature of the board | substrate G may be raised locally by the heat which the 2nd rectifying plate 55 reflected, the 2nd rectifying plate It is preferable to give surface finish which lowers reflectivity, such as making a surface black, to the surface by the side of the hotplate 41 of 55.

The cover member 57 mentioned above is arrange | positioned so that the upper part of the heat processing space 65 may be covered above the 1st rectifying plate 54, The said duct member in the upper center of this cover member 57 (66) is provided. The duct member 66 has an upper portion 66a and a lower portion 66b, two exhaust portions 58 are provided at the upper portion 66a, and two outside air inlets 59 are provided at the lower portion 66b. It is installed. And the duct member 66 penetrates the lower part 66b from the bottom part of the upper part 66a to the center part, and the cylindrical member 56 which reaches the opening 53 of the 1st rectifying plate 54 is carried out. Has The two exhaust portions 58 are provided side by side on one side wall of the upper portion 66a, and the external air inlet portions 59 face each other with the cylindrical member 56 interposed between the lower portions 66b. It is installed toward.

The lower part of the cylindrical member 56 mentioned above is inserted in the hole 57a comprised larger than the cylindrical member 56 formed in the center of the cover member 57. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in the portion, a gap 56a is formed between the cover member 57 and the cylindrical member 56. Therefore, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet 59 reaches the heat treatment space 65 through the gap 56a, and the gap 56a functions as an outside air introduction path. On the other hand, the inside of the cylindrical member 56 is connected to the heat processing space 65 via the opening 53, and functions as an exhaust path.

An exhaust pipe 58a is connected to the exhaust unit 58, and the exhaust mechanism 76 is connected to the exhaust pipe 58a. Therefore, by activating the exhaust mechanism 76, the outside air reaches the heat treatment space 65 from the outside air inlet 59 through the gap 56a, and the inside of the cylindrical member 56 from the heat treatment space 65, It exhausts through the space in the upper part 66a and the exhaust part 58. FIG.

The above-mentioned shutter 48 is arrange | positioned so that raising and lowering may surround the hot plate 41 and the reflecting plate 42. A shutter elevating mechanism 49 is connected to the shutter 48, and the shutter 48 can be raised or lowered by driving the shutter elevating mechanism 49. When transferring the substrate G between the arms 17a, 18a, or 19a, the shutter 48 is lowered by the shutter elevating mechanism 49 to perform the operation, and when the substrate G is heated. The shutter 48 is lifted by the shutter elevating mechanism 49 to surround the heat treatment space 65 formed between the cover member 57 and the hot plate 41. When the shutter 48 is in the lowered state, maintenance of the apparatus can be easily performed.

Here, the first contact member 61 is provided on the upper end of the shutter 48, and the second contact member 63 is disposed on the outer circumferential side of the lower surface of the cover member 57, so that the second contact member 63 is disposed. An elastic member 64 is attached to the lower surface of the contact member 63. The first abutting member 61 and the second abutting member 63 are brought into contact with each other through the elastic member 64 when the shutter 48 is raised, and the shutter 48 and the cover member 57 Is sealed so that outside air does not enter between the shutter 48 and the cover member 57 during the heat treatment.

On the other hand, the inner side of the shutter 48 is arranged so that the first engagement member 51 protrudes toward the inner circumference, and the elastic member 50 is attached to the upper surface of the first engagement member 51. . Moreover, the 2nd engagement member 45 is arrange | positioned in the reflecting plate 42 so that it may protrude toward an outer periphery. The first engagement member and the second engagement member 45 are engaged with each other via the elastic member 50 when the shutter 48 is lifted up, so that the first engagement member and the second engagement member 45 are interposed between the shutter 48 and the reflector plate 42. It is comprised so that it may be sealed, and it does not let an external air invade between the shutter 48 and the reflecting plate 42 during heat processing.

Next, the processing operation | movement at the time of heat-processing the board | substrate G using the heat processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated based on FIG. First, in the situation where the shutter 48 is lowered, the support pin 44 protrudes from the surface of the hot plate 41. Subsequently, arms 17a, 18a, and 19a holding the substrate G enter the opening 60a to transfer the substrate G onto the support pins 44. Next, after the arms 17a, 18a, and 19a are removed from the opening 60a, the shutter 48 is lifted by the shutter lift mechanism 49 to seal the circumference of the hot plate 41 substantially. At the same time, the support pin 44 is immersed from the surface of the hot plate by a predetermined length to bring the substrate G to a predetermined position, and the exhaust mechanism 76 is operated to exhaust the substrate G by the hot plate 41. Heat treatment).

By operating the exhaust mechanism 76, the atmosphere of the heat treatment space 65 is exhausted from the exhaust portion 58, and outside air is introduced into the heat treatment space 65 from the outside air inlet 59. By introducing the outside air while exhausting in this way, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet 59 is covered with the first rectifying plate 54 and the cover from the gap 56a between the cylindrical member 56 and the cover member 57. Flows in between the members 57 and flows along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate 54 to the outer circumferential side of the heating treatment space 65, and then along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate 54. An air flow flowing from the outer circumference to the center and flowing to the opening 53 through the gap between the first rectifying plate 54 and the second rectifying plate 54 is formed. 5, this airflow is shown by the dotted line, and the arrow was attached to the direction through which airflow flows.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment, the heat treatment is performed in a substantially closed state around the hot plate 41 by raising the shutter 48 as described above. No outside air penetrates from the gap between the outside air and the outside air can be prevented from deteriorating or destabilizing the temperature distribution of the substrate G, and heat from the hot plate can be effectively used for heat treatment. In addition, as described above, the air flows from the outside to the center of the heat treatment space along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate 54 and forms an air flow from the outer circumference to the center, thereby increasing the temperature of the substrate G. Local inclination can be prevented from occurring, and the temperature of the substrate G and the hot plate 41 can be controlled with high accuracy. In addition, since the outside air can be introduced while exhausting, the heat treatment can be performed while replacing the atmosphere in the heat treatment space 65, whereby the heat treatment can be performed in a state where the resist sublimation is difficult to accumulate.

In the above heat treatment apparatus, when the outside air is introduced from the air inlet 59, the outside air is introduced from the opening 53, and the air flow is formed in the opposite direction to the present invention. It is easy to generate a local low temperature part in the long side center part of the peripheral edge part of the hot plate 41, and it is difficult to control the temperature of the board | substrate G with high precision.

On the other hand, when the airflow is formed from the outer circumference toward the center as in the heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment, there is no local inclination at the temperature of the substrate G or the hot plate 41. This is because when the airflow from the center to the outer periphery is formed, it is difficult to balance the exhaust gas, so that the inclination is likely to occur in the airflow, so that the inclination of the airflow causes local temperature inclination. In the case of forming the airflow toward the center from the center, it is considered that it is easy to balance the exhaust gas and to form a uniform airflow, and that the local temperature is not inclined in the substrate or the hot plate.

8 and 9, in the plane of the heated state of the hot plate in the case of forming the airflow from the center to the outer periphery and in the case of forming the airflow from the outer periphery to the center in the heat treatment apparatus. The difference of scattering is demonstrated based on a measurement result. 8 shows a state in which the hot plate 41 is divided into nine regions 101 to 109. Fig. 9 shows the change in the elapsed time of the hot plate temperature for each of the regions 101 to 109 when the displacement is 1.37 m 3 / min, and Fig. 9 (a) shows the air flow from the center toward the outer circumference. The graph in the case of forming, and FIG.9 (b) are the graphs in the case of forming airflow toward the center from the outer periphery. 9 (a) and 9 (b), when the airflow is formed from the outer circumference toward the center as in the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the airflow is formed from the center toward the outer circumference. It is understood that the temperature scattering in the hot plate surface is less than that. Therefore, since the heating state of the heated substrate G is placed on the hot plate, and the heated state of the heated substrate G is almost similar to that of the hot plate, the substrate G is processed in the heat treatment apparatus in which the air flow from the outer circumference to the center is formed. In addition, the heat processing with little temperature scattering in surface inside can be performed to the board | substrate G.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment, by using the first rectifying plate 54 to form an air flow from the outer periphery of the heat treatment space toward the center as described above, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet 59. It is easy to disperse | distribute toward the whole outer periphery of the heat processing space 65, and can form the substantially uniform flow of air along the surface by the side of the hot plate 41 of the 1st rectifying plate 54, and the inclination of airflow The inclination of the local temperature of the board | substrate G and the hotplate 41 which generate | occur | produces by load can be prevented effectively.

In addition, by forming the airflow as described above using the first rectifying plate 54, the outside air warms up in the gap between the first rectifying plate 54 and the upper cover 57, and then reaches the hot plate 41 side. Therefore, the thermal effect which the outside air has on the board | substrate G and the hot plate 41 can be made small.

In addition, since the second rectifying plate 55 is disposed to face the opening 53 of the first rectifying plate 54, the shaking of the air flow in the vicinity of the opening 53 is prevented and the substrate G is prevented. And the temperature of the hot plate can be uniformly controlled at the same time. In addition, since the second rectifying plate 55 is disposed, the opening 53 is prevented from adversely affecting the temperature distribution of the substrate G or the hot plate 41.

That is, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, as a method of sealing between the shutter 48 and the reflecting plate 42 in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the liquid 71 is stored along the inner circumference of the shutter 48. When the shutter 48 is raised, the projection 75 provided on the outer circumference of the reflector plate 42 is immersed in the liquid 71, and the shutter 48 and the reflection plate are formed by the projection 75 and the liquid 71. 42) may be sealed. The sealing member for the shaft may be interposed between the through hole 43 and the support pin 44 provided in the hot plate 41 to seal the gap between the through hole 43 and the support pin 44. .

Moreover, as 3rd Embodiment, you may make it the structure which can vary an exhaust amount in a heat processing apparatus. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the second rectifying plate 55 is fixed, but as shown in FIG. 10, the second rectifying plate 55 is moved in the thickness direction of the substrate G. Thus, the displacement can be varied. That is, by moving the second rectifying plate 55 in the upward direction on the drawing, the displacement between the first rectifying plate 54 and the second rectifying plate 155 can be made smaller. Can be. By setting it as such a structure, exhaust volume can be gradually reduced or exhaust can be stopped gradually, for example, over time during heat processing. In such a process, the resist sublimation can be discharged out of the heat treatment space by the exhaust at the start of the heat treatment, and almost all of the resist sublimate is discharged out of the heat treatment space after a certain time has elapsed from the start of the heat treatment. At this time, by reducing or stopping the displacement, the substrate G can be efficiently heated without being affected by the airflow generated in the apparatus.

In addition, as a fourth embodiment, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, in addition to the structure shown in the first embodiment, on the surface of the first rectifying plate 54 side of the second rectifying plate 55, For example, eight plates 253 may be provided radially. By setting it as such a structure, the inclination of heat exhaust from the 2nd rectifying plate 55 to the exhaust part 58 can be reduced. Thereby, the thermal effect on the board | substrate surface and the 1st rectifying plate 54 which arises by the inclination of airflow can be reduced. As the plate provided in the second rectifying plate 55, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a plate 254 having a shape that gradually increases in height toward the center of the second rectifying plate 55 can be used. There is also. As shown in Fig. 14, for example, four plates 255 may be provided radially so as to intersect at the center.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 56 is located lower than the bottom part of the exhaust part 58, as 5th Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 356 is shown. May be positioned higher than the bottom of the exhaust section 58. In this case, it is preferable to design so that the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 356 may be located higher than the center part of the exhaust part 58.

As in the above-described embodiment, when the uppermost portion of the cylindrical member 56 is located at a position lower than the bottom of the exhaust portion 58, that is, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the cylindrical member 56 is moved from the cylindrical member 56 in the arrow direction. Since airflow is generated directly toward the exhaust section 58, the temperature of this region rises and heat deflection may occur within the exhaust section. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, since the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 356 is located higher than the bottom of the exhaust part 58, since the exhaust gas which has passed through the cylindrical member 356 changes direction in the horizontal direction, The rise in temperature of the partial region as described above can be suppressed, and the heat deflection in the exhaust portion can be reduced. In addition, if the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 356 is positioned higher than the uppermost part of the exhaust part 58, the exhaust pressure loss increases, so that the uppermost part of the cylindrical member 356 is located lower than the uppermost part of the exhaust part 58. It is desirable to design.

In the above embodiment, the hot plate 41 having the following configuration may be used.

As shown in FIG. 18, on this hotplate 41, the guide member 181 for guiding the board | substrate G which should be heat-processed to the predetermined position on the hotplate 41 is provided. The guide member 181 is provided in two places, for example, eight places with respect to each side of the board | substrate G, for example.

As shown in FIG. 19, the guide member 181 is formed of a base 191 disposed at a predetermined position on the hot plate 41 and a base 191 provided at the base 191. The roller 192 is rotatable in the longitudinal direction.

And as shown in FIG. 20, when the board | substrate G does not exist in a predetermined position, one side of the board | substrate G rises on the roller 192 (dotted line part). In this state, the roller 192 rotates by the magnetic weight of the board | substrate G, and glass substrate G is arrange | positioned at a predetermined position (solid line part).

By providing the guide member 181 on the hot plate 41 as described above, the positional relationship between the substrate G, the rectifying plate 55, the opening 53, and the like can be more accurately matched, and the substrate G at the time of heat treatment is provided. Can improve the temperature distribution. Moreover, after positioning of the board | substrate G by the guide member 181, since the guide member 181 functions like a so-called stopper which prevents the board | substrate G from shifting in a horizontal direction, Furthermore, The temperature distribution can be improved. In particular, when the size of the substrate G increases, the substrate G tends to bend. For example, in a guide member having no roller as described above, for example, a guide member having a guide slope, the substrate G has such a slope. In many cases, the guide member having the roller as described above is quite effective as the positioning means.

In the said embodiment, although the example which applied this invention to the heat processing apparatus used for a resist coating and developing unit was shown, this invention is not limited to this, You may apply to another process. Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the case where an LCD substrate is used as the substrate has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the processing of other substrates.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the heat treatment is performed in a state where the hot plate is substantially sealed by the airtight mechanism, intrusion of outside air from the periphery of the hot plate during the heat treatment is prevented, By avoiding instability and actively forming airflow from the outer circumference to the center in the heat treatment space by the airflow forming means, it is easy to balance the exhaust gas and prevent the formation of a portion where the temperature decreases locally on the substrate. The temperature of the substrate to be processed can be made uniform. Therefore, it becomes possible to control board | substrate temperature with high precision. In addition, by forming such airflow, it is possible to prevent pooling of a resist sublimation or the like.

In this case, the airflow forming means guides the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet to the outer circumferential side along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and forms the airflow from the outer circumference toward the center along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate, By evacuating through the opening provided in the center of the 1st rectifying plate, airflow can be effectively formed from the outer periphery to the center in a heat processing space, and the pool of resist sublimation etc. in a heat processing space can be formed. Can be extremely effectively prevented. In addition, in such airflow forming means, when the second rectifying plate is disposed so as to face the opening of the first rectifying plate, the airflow can be stabilized in the vicinity of the opening, and the adverse influence of the opening on the substrate temperature can be prevented. .

In addition, in the above air flow forming means, the substrate is subjected to heat treatment with high reflectivity by subjecting the first rectifying plate to high surface reflectivity, and the second rectifying plate has, for example, a reflectance. By performing a low surface treatment, a difference is made in the surface state of the first and second rectifying plates, eliminating the temperature distribution displacement occurring between the center portion and the peripheral portion, and further improving the uniformity of the substrate temperature. Can be.

Claims (21)

A hot plate on which the substrate to be processed is placed to heat the substrate; An enclosing member provided to enclose a heat treatment space for heating the substrate to be processed defined above the hot plate; A sealing mechanism for sealing the circumference of the hot plate when surrounding the heat treatment space by the surrounding member; And an air flow forming means for forming an air flow from the outer circumference toward the center in the heat treatment space. The surrounding member is arranged to be capable of lifting and lowering, and surrounds the heat treatment space when ascending. According to claim 1, wherein the air flow forming means, Is installed above the heat treatment space, the outdoor air inlet for introducing outside air into the heat treatment space, An exhaust unit disposed above the heat treatment space to exhaust the heat treatment space; An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the heat treatment space through the exhaust portion; A first rectifying plate disposed on an upper portion of the heat treatment space so as to face the hot plate, and having an opening formed at a center thereof; When the exhaust mechanism is operated, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet portion reaches the outer circumferential side of the heat treatment space along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and is heated along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate. And an exhaust gas from the exhaust portion through the opening of the first rectifying plate from the outer circumferential side of the processing space to the center. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a surface finish of mirroring or plating is applied to the surface of the first rectifying plate to increase the reflectance of the surface on the hot plate side. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the airflow forming means has a second rectifying plate disposed between the first rectifying plate and the hot plate so as to face an opening formed in the rectifying plate. . A hot plate on which the substrate to be processed is placed to heat the substrate; An enclosing member provided to enclose a heat treatment space for heating the substrate to be processed defined above the hot plate; A sealing mechanism for sealing the circumference of the hot plate when surrounding the heat treatment space by the surrounding member; And an air flow forming means for forming an air flow from the outer circumference toward the center in the heat treatment space. The air flow forming means, Is installed above the heat treatment space, the outdoor air inlet for introducing outside air into the heat treatment space, An exhaust unit disposed above the heat treatment space to exhaust the heat treatment space; An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the heat treatment space through the exhaust portion; A first rectifying plate disposed on an upper portion of the heat treatment space so as to face the hot plate, and having an opening formed at a center thereof; When the exhaust mechanism is operated, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet portion reaches the outer circumferential side of the heat treatment space along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and is heated along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate. From the outer peripheral side of the processing space to the center, and exhausted from the exhaust through the opening of the first rectifying plate, And said airflow forming means has a second rectifying plate disposed between said first rectifying plate and said hot plate to face an opening formed in said rectifying plate. 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a surface finish of mirroring or plating is applied to the surface of the first rectifying plate so as to increase the reflectance of the surface on the hot plate side. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the surface of the second rectifying plate is made black in order to lower the reflectance of the surface on the side of the hot plate. . The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a plurality of plates are provided radially on a surface of the second rectifying plate on the side of the first rectifying plate. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the second rectifying plate is movable in a thickness direction of the substrate to be processed. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the shape of the second rectifying plate is similar to that of the hot plate. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the shape of the second rectifying plate is similar to the shape of the opening. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the shape of the opening is similar to that of the hot plate. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cover member covering an upper portion of the heat treatment space, wherein the sealing mechanism includes a gap between the cover member and the surrounding member and a gap between the cover member and the surrounding member. Heating device characterized in that to close the gap. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a reflecting plate disposed to cover the lower surface and the side surface of the hot plate, the reflecting plate reflecting heat from the hot plate, wherein the sealing mechanism closes the gap between the reflecting plate and the surrounding member. Heat treatment device. The method of claim 14, wherein the closure mechanism, A pair of engaging members disposed below the outer circumferential side of the reflecting plate and the inner circumferential side of the enclosing member and engaged with each other when the enclosing member is raised; And a pair of abutting members disposed below the cover member and above the enclosing member and abutting each other when the enclosing member is raised. The elastic member is disposed at a position to engage with the other engagement member on at least one side of the pair of engagement members, and at least one side of the pair of engagement members. An elastic member is disposed at a position in contact with the contact member on the side. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is disposed and which heats the substrate; An enclosing member provided so as to surround a heat treatment space for heat-treating the target substrate to be defined above the hot plate; A cover member covering an upper portion of the heat treatment space; A sealing mechanism for preventing a gap between the hot plate and the surrounding member and a gap between the cover member and the surrounding member when surrounding the heat treatment space by the surrounding member; A duct member installed at an outer center portion of the cover member and having an outside air inlet for introducing outside air and an exhaust for exhausting the heat treatment space; An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the heat treatment space through the exhaust portion; A first rectifying plate disposed on the heat treatment space so as to face the hot plate, and having an opening formed in the center thereof; When the exhaust mechanism is operated, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet portion reaches the outer circumferential side of the heat treatment space along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and is heated along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate. From the outside of the processing space to the center, and exhausted from the exhaust of the duct member through the opening of the first rectifying plate, The surrounding member is arranged to be capable of lifting and lowering, and surrounds the heat treatment space when ascending. 17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a second rectifying plate disposed between the first rectifying plate and the hot plate so as to face an opening formed in the first rectifying plate, wherein the exhaust mechanism is operated. And the air from the heat treatment space flows into the opening of the first rectifying plate through a gap between the first rectifying plate and the second rectifying plate. A hot plate on which a substrate to be processed is disposed and which heats the substrate; An enclosing member provided so as to surround a heat treatment space for heat-treating the target substrate to be defined above the hot plate; A cover member covering an upper portion of the heat treatment space; A sealing mechanism for preventing a gap between the hot plate and the surrounding member and a gap between the cover member and the surrounding member when surrounding the heat treatment space by the surrounding member; A duct member installed at an outer center portion of the cover member and having an outside air inlet for introducing outside air and an exhaust for exhausting the heat treatment space; An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the heat treatment space through the exhaust portion; A first rectifying plate disposed on the heat treatment space so as to face the hot plate, and having an opening formed in the center thereof; When the exhaust mechanism is operated, the outside air introduced from the outside air inlet portion reaches the outer circumferential side of the heat treatment space along the upper surface of the first rectifying plate, and is heated along the lower surface of the first rectifying plate. From the outside of the processing space to the center, and exhausted from the exhaust of the duct member through the opening of the first rectifying plate, And further comprising a second rectifying plate disposed between the first rectifying plate and the hot plate so as to face an opening formed in the first rectifying plate, and operating the exhaust mechanism from the heat treatment space. Air flows through the gap between the first rectifying plate and the second rectifying plate to the opening of the first rectifying plate. The said duct member has the cylindrical member connected to the said heat processing space in the center, The air from the said heat processing space passes through the said cylindrical member, The said duct member is in any one of Claims 17-19. And the air introduced from the exhaust portion and introduced from the outside air inlet portion is supplied to the heat treatment space through the outside of the cylindrical member. 20. The flow path according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein a flow path is formed between the cover member and the first rectifying plate so that outside air introduced from the outside air inlet is introduced into the heat treatment space through the flow path. Heating treatment apparatus characterized in that.

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