KR102057836B1 - Substrate treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus including a step of applying a chemical liquid to a surface of a substrate to be processed, wherein the substrate is held by an edge of the substrate to be gripped by a first holding member and the substrate is floated. A chemical liquid applying unit provided with a chemical liquid nozzle for applying a chemical liquid to a surface of the substrate to be processed while moving in a floating state by a stage; A third holding member is transferred to the to-be-processed substrate discharged in a state in which the chemical liquid is applied from the chemical-coating unit in an injured state, and the third holding member and the third holding member are caused to float by the floating stage; A heating drying unit for drying the chemical liquid by heating the substrate to be processed to a multi-step temperature while moving together; It is configured to include, and by drying the chemical liquid by heating the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed in a multi-step temperature, it is possible to remove the solvent in the chemical liquid step by step, even without a conventional vacuum vacuum drying process The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing stains due to solvents or bubbles in the inside, and drying the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be processed without stains without having a vacuum vacuum drying unit.

Description

Substrate Processing Unit {SUBSTRATE TREATING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to simplify the configuration by removing the robot handler for moving the substrate processing step, the mounting pins for mounting the substrate and the vacuum pressure drying unit, and to remove the alignment process of the substrate. It relates to a substrate processing apparatus that can improve the process efficiency by minimizing or minimizing.

In the process of manufacturing a flat panel display such as an LCD, a pattern required after cleaning a substrate to be processed, applying a chemical to the surface of the substrate, drying the applied chemical, and drying the chemical to produce a TFT substrate or the like. It is made while sequentially going through a process such as exposure.

Thus, the process of processing a to-be-processed substrate is performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1A. That is, when the to-be-processed board | substrate G which will perform a process process by the washing | cleaning unit U09 is cleaned with the washing | cleaning machine 10, the robot handler R1 will carry out the to-be-processed board | substrate G from the cleaning unit U09, and the chemical | medical agent application unit ( U01) move to the cradle.

The holder is provided with a plurality of mounting pins for temporarily mounting the substrate (G). The substrate G to be mounted on the mounting pin is aligned by an alignment unit (not shown) to the surface by the chemical liquid nozzle 25 that moves in a state where the substrate G is fixed to the substrate stage 21. The chemical liquid is applied, or the chemical liquid PR is applied to the surface by the chemical liquid nozzle which is fixed while moving in a state where the substrate G is floating as disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1081886.

Next, the robot handler R2 picks up and moves the substrate to be processed G to a vacuum decompression drying unit U02 which performs the next step. As disclosed in the 'Vacuum Pressure-Drying Drying Method and Apparatus Used Therein' disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-1077834 of the applicant, the vacuum pressure-drying apparatus includes a substrate G to be placed on a mounting pin 31. The chemical liquid applied to the surface of the to-be-processed substrate G is dried while decompressing in the airtight chamber 30 which blocks the outside air in the aligned state.

Next, the robot handler R3 picks up and moves the substrate G to be processed to a drying unit U03 provided with a hot plate dryer or a cold plate dryer 40 which performs the next step. Accordingly, the plate dryer 40 dries the chemical liquid PR applied to the surface of the substrate G by radiant heat while moving 44 with respect to the substrate G to be processed.

Next, although not shown in the drawings, the processing process is sequentially performed while passing through the exposure unit, the developing unit, the inspection unit, the oven, and the like by another robot handler.

However, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1A, the structure for transferring the substrate to be processed G in order to perform the processing process in each of the processing units U09, U01, and U02 includes a robot handler R1, According to the R2, R3), the robot handler takes a long time to approach and gently grip the substrate G to be processed. In addition to this, even after the robot handler transfers the processing target substrate to each of the processing units (U01, U02, ...) on the mounting pin, it takes a long time to align the posture or position of the processing substrate (G). In order to transfer the processing target substrate G to each processing unit U09, U01, U02, .. and start the processing process in each processing unit, there is a problem that the process efficiency is lowered.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1B, the robot handlers R1, R2, and R3 perform a process of transferring the substrate G to the processing units U09, U01, U02, .. of the substrate processing apparatus 2. It is also possible to transfer using roller Cv or a conveyor regardless of this. However, this method can reduce the time required to hold the substrate G to be processed compared to the robot handler, but transfers the substrate G to each processing unit U09, U01, U02, .. The accuracy is lowered, which essentially entails the process of aligning the substrate G on the mounting pin, so that the processing substrate G takes a long time to start the treatment process in each processing unit, thereby reducing the process efficiency. There was a problem.

In order to solve such a problem, according to patent application No. 10-2014-192299, which is not known before the present application but patented by the present applicant, the continuous transfer of the substrate (G) in the state of floating by the floating stage And forming a vacuum reduced pressure drying unit U02 on the floating stage. However, this configuration has a limitation in maintaining it at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure due to the gap between the floating stage and the closed chamber, so that the drying of the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed while the flow of ambient air occurs during the vacuum decompression drying process The nonuniformity caused a problem of staining. Accordingly, the robot arm and the lift pin are essential for transferring the processing target substrate to the vacuum reduced pressure drying unit U02 in the form shown in FIG. 1C or for transferring the processing target substrate G from the vacuum reduced pressure drying unit U02. The problem that followed came about.

Therefore, in order to continuously transfer a to-be-processed board | substrate and to raise process efficiency, the necessity of removing the vacuum pressure reduction drying unit U2 during a substrate processing process is urgently required. In other words, there is an urgent need for a method of improving the positional accuracy in each processing unit while improving the process efficiency of processing the substrate G to be processed, and more accurately and reliably.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, while improving the efficiency of the processing process is performed while the substrate to be processed through the various processing units, while increasing the position accuracy in each processing unit, the processing process more accurate An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can be reliably and reliably performed.

That is, the present invention removes the robot arm and the lift pins and removes the robot arm and the lift pins by excluding a vacuum reduced-pressure drying unit for drying a part of the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate to be vacuumed, thereby causing the substrate to be treated throughout the entire process. It is an object to improve the process efficiency by carrying out the application of the chemical liquid and the chemical liquid drying step while being transported in the state.

In addition, the present invention allows the substrate to be processed in each processing unit to be supplied in the correct posture and position even without performing the alignment process for each processing unit, thereby excluding the alignment mechanism and the alignment process in each processing unit. It aims at improving the process efficiency which can simplify a process and can perform a process immediately in a short time.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the step of drying in a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure by suppressing the remaining of the chemical component applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed by step-by-step, leaving the stain by the solvent component in the chemical liquid. .

In addition, the present invention, in the process of drying the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be treated by radiant heat by the heating plate, to suppress the heat transfer variation according to the distribution of the hot wire of the heating plate to suppress the generation of stains in the drying process of the chemical liquid It is done.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus including a step of applying a chemical liquid to a surface of a substrate, in order to achieve the object as described above, wherein the edge of the substrate to be treated as a first holding member; A chemical liquid application unit provided with a chemical liquid nozzle for holding and applying the chemical liquid to the surface of the substrate while moving the substrate to be floated; A third holding member is handed over to the to-be-processed substrate discharged in a state where the chemical solution is applied from the chemical-liquid application unit, and moved together with the third holding member while floating the to-be-processed substrate. A heating drying unit for drying the chemical liquid by heating the processing substrate to a multi-step temperature; It provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising a.

It is possible to remove the solvent in the chemical solution step by step by heating the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed to a multi-step temperature, so that the solvent or the solvent in the chemical liquid without the conventional vacuum vacuum drying process This is to prevent staining due to bubbles, so that the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be treated can be dried without staining without having a vacuum vacuum drying unit.

In this way, the robot arm and the lift pin for positioning the substrate to be processed in the hermetically sealed chamber, as the chemical liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed and immediately transferred to the heating drying unit without going through the vacuum decompression drying unit. In addition, the chemicals are applied to the surface of the substrate in a floating state and then transferred to the heat drying unit in a floating state immediately, thereby increasing the transfer efficiency of the processing substrate and the time required for the entire process. An advantageous effect of shortening can be obtained.

That is, a vacuum drying unit for drying the substrate to be processed at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure is not disposed between the chemical liquid applying unit and the heat drying unit.

Here, the heat drying unit is arranged in a form of gradually raising the heating temperature along the path of the substrate to be processed, thereby drying the solvent component contained in the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be gradually evaporated from the chemical liquid. This can solve the problem of staining caused by solvent components. At this time, while the substrate to be processed is transferred, the chemical liquid can be heat dried by receiving heat transfer from the heat drying unit.

In addition, the floating stage may float the substrate to be treated by the floating force by blowing air, and may also injure the substrate by the floating force generated from the diaphragm excited by ultrasonic waves.

On the other hand, in the heat drying unit, a plurality of heating plates for heating the substrate to be processed are disposed along a transfer path of the substrate, and at least two or more of the heating plates may be adjusted to different temperatures. In addition, the substrate to be treated may be heat-dried by receiving heat transfer in a stopped state in a heating region controlled to different temperatures in the heating drying unit.

That is, the heat drying unit is formed of two or more heating regions including a first heating region and a second heating region, which are adjusted to different temperatures along the moving direction of the substrate to be treated, so that the substrate is processed. The heating and drying may be performed for a predetermined time in a stationary state in the first heating region and the second heating region.

In addition, the first heating temperature of the first heating region, in which the substrate to be processed reaches first compared to the second heating region, is set lower than the second heating temperature of the second heating region.

The heating plate provided in any one of the heating zones preferably heats the substrate to be processed by radiant heat transfer. This is because when the substrate to be processed is heated by convective heat transfer, the flow of the chemical liquid is caused by the flow of air, and thus the staining is high.

At this time, the first heating region which is first heated after the chemical liquid applying unit is performed is determined by a temperature and a time for removing 5-30% by weight of the solvent in the chemical liquid, for example, the first heating region is 40 to 70 ℃ can be set. In the heating regions heated and dried after the first heating region, the heating regions may be set to 60 ° C. to 85 ° C., 70 ° C. to 105 ° C., and the like.

Here, in each heating zone (for example, the first heating zone), a plurality of heating plates are arranged along the transfer path of the substrate to be processed, and then a heating zone (for example, where a heat drying process is performed) The first-second heating plate at a position adjacent to the second heating region) may be controlled at a lower temperature than the first-first heating plate at a position not adjacent to the second heating region. Thereby, the temperature in the adjacent heating zone (e.g., the second heating zone) in which the heat drying process is then performed in the heating zone (e.g., the first heating zone) in which the heat drying process is currently performed Since the temperature is higher than the temperature, by adjusting the temperature of the 1-2 heating plate lower than that of the 1-1 heating plate, the amount of heat transfer transmitted to the substrate to be processed in the first heating region as a whole can be uniformly adjusted.

On the other hand, a blocking film that suppresses heat transfer is formed between the first heating region and the second heating region, it is possible to minimize the variation in the degree of heating at the boundary of the adjacent heating regions. For example, the barrier layer may be formed of an air curtain, or may be formed of a heat insulating material door that opens and closes in a sliding form.

First of all, the heating plate is arranged with a heating wire that generates heat, and an intermediate plate is interposed between the heating plate and the substrate to be heated to heat the substrate to be processed in a state in which a temperature gradient according to the position of the heating wire is reduced. Can be. In this way, by radiant heat transfer to the chemical liquid of the substrate to be processed while passing through the intermediate plate, drying can be eliminated by eliminating the variation in the amount of heat transfer due to the arrangement of the heat rays arranged on the heating plate.

At this time, the heating plate is disposed above the substrate to be processed, and can be easily installed in a sufficiently large space to accurately control the temperature at which the chemical liquid is heated.

On the other hand, the heating plate or the intermediate plate may be formed as a vibration plate of the floating stage. That is, as the heating plate or the intermediate plate is formed as the diaphragm of the floating stage, heating from the lower part of the chemical liquid while maintaining a very small distance from the substrate to be processed, thereby increasing the drying efficiency and eliminating the solvent inherent in the chemical liquid from the bottom. Can be.

As described above, when the chemical liquid of the substrate to be processed is dried by the heat drying unit, the ninth heating region located at the end of the heat drying unit is defined as a cooling plate that cools the surface of the substrate by radiant heat transfer. Can be done.

Then, the first holding member is transferred until just before the chemical liquid applying unit is performed and the heat drying process is started, and the substrate to be processed is transferred to the third holding member. Then, the first gripping member moves back to the beginning of the chemical liquid applying unit, and the chemical liquid applying step is performed while holding a new substrate to be treated.

Similarly, the third gripping member includes a 3-1 gripping member for holding the substrate to be processed when the first heating region is moved, and the third holding member when moving from the first heating region to the second heating region. 3-1 holding member, 3-2 holding member, 3-2 holding member, and 2-3, each time the heating area is changed. The substrate to be processed is handed over to the gripping member or the like, and each heating region can be conveyed in a state held by different gripping members.

In this way, each of the substrates to be treated by the chemical liquid applying process and the heating and drying process in each different processing unit is carried out while the first holding member grips and transports the substrate to be processed, and is transferred from the chemical liquid applying unit to the heating drying unit. The process of carrying out the heat drying process in the heating drying unit or the third holding member may be performed while the third holding member receives the to-be-processed substrate from the first holding member and grips and transports the other side of the to-be-processed substrate.

In particular, the substrate to be processed is transferred to a state in which the gripping member is held on only one side, and then the state of holding the substrate to be held by the other gripping member is transferred to the mounting pin. In addition, one side and the other side are alternately gripped and transported to the first and third gripping members, so that once the position and posture of the substrate to be processed are set only once, for example, the position and the posture of the chemical liquid applying unit are 1 When the turn is set, the substrate to be processed is transferred while being conveyed while being held, and is transferred again to maintain the position and posture of the substrate to be processed. From the heating and drying unit), even if there is no alignment process, the substrate to be processed is always in a state where the position and posture are aligned.

Therefore, there is an advantageous effect of shortening the time required for the substrate to be processed to perform the processing step in each processing unit to further increase the process efficiency. That is, according to the present invention, when the substrate to be processed is aligned once, the alignment process is no longer necessary. Therefore, the time required for the substrate to be processed in each processing unit can be shortened to increase the process efficiency. It has a beneficial effect.

Rather, as the present invention alternately grips and transports one side and the other side of the substrate, the time required for handing over and receiving the substrate can be performed within a very short time, thereby obtaining an advantage of improving substrate transfer efficiency. Can be. Further, even if the substrate to be processed passes through several processing units, the positional accuracy of the substrate to be processed in each processing unit can be increased, and thus an effect of performing the processing process more accurately and reliably can be obtained.

In addition, since the transfer is directly received from the first holding member which carries the substrate to be processed while carrying out the chemical liquid applying process to the third holding member which carries the substrate to be processed while carrying out the heating and drying process, the processing efficiency of the substrate is impaired. By eliminating the robot handler that moves to the processing unit and the mounting pins that hold the substrate, process efficiency can be improved while simplifying configuration.

Here, the floating stage is preferably configured to continuously apply the floating force at the bottom of the substrate to be processed, but is not necessarily limited to the continuously arranged floating stage, and includes applying the floating force intermittently. That is, it is sufficient that the substrate to be processed can receive the floating force without falling in the process of being carried by the holding member.

In addition, even if the substrate to be processed is held by only one side by the floating force applied by the floating stage, since the entire bottom surface of the substrate is supported by the floating force, the substrate is transferred without causing residual vibration. It is possible. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the substrate to be processed is gripped by the gripping member on one side, and the present invention is carried in the state in which the substrate to be gripped by the gripping members on both sides of the substrate, if necessary. At least a portion of the area may be included.

As described above, the holding members are each reciprocally moved in a predetermined area, and then alternately grips and transfers one side and the other side of the substrate to be supplied continuously, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the substrate. have.

The first gripping member may include a suction part for suction-fixing the substrate to be processed, and stably hold the substrate to be processed while moving along a moving rail of a predetermined path.

Meanwhile, the gripping member including the first gripping member and the third gripping member grips and transfers a substrate to be supplied along the floating stage while reciprocating a predetermined region. As described above, since the respective holding members move forward and forward to be processed while reciprocating only in a predetermined region, the processing step can be performed while supplying the substrate to be processed at a shorter time interval.

At this time, the first holding member and the third holding member is transported along a transfer rail extending in the longitudinal direction along one side and the other side of the floating stage. For example, the first gripping member and the third gripping member are configured to be precisely horizontally moved in an injured state by an air bearing, and are configured in various known linear movement forms such as the principle of a linear motor with respect to a transfer rail. I can move it.

As described above, the present invention can be dried while gradually removing the solvent in the chemical liquid by gradually heating the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed to a multi-stage temperature, so that it can be dried at atmospheric pressure. Even if the vacuum reduced pressure drying unit for drying a part of the chemical liquid at a low pressure state is excluded, an effect of preventing staining due to solvents or bubbles in the process of drying the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be treated can be obtained.

In addition, the present invention can remove the robot arm and the lift pins, which are essential for transferring the substrate to the sealed chamber and transferring the substrate from the sealed chamber, thereby applying and drying the chemical liquid on the substrate. An advantageous effect of increasing the process efficiency to make it can be obtained.

Through this, the present invention, since the chemical liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed in a floating state and then immediately transferred to the heating and drying unit in a floating state, the transfer efficiency of the processing substrate is increased and the time required for the entire process is increased. An advantageous effect of shortening can be obtained.

And, in the present invention, in each of the plurality of processing units that the substrate to be processed, each one of the substrates sequentially go through each processing process, any one holding the one side of the substrate to be subjected to any one processing unit When the member is conveyed to a predetermined position in the state of suction gripping, as the other gripping member is conveyed in the form of suction gripping and conveying the other side of the substrate, the one side and the other side of the substrate to be treated are alternately sucked and conveyed, Once the position and posture of the substrate to be processed are set only once, the substrate to be processed thereafter is transferred to the suction gripping state alternately with one side and the other side, and the position and posture of the substrate to be processed are maintained in a fixed state. If the processing substrate is aligned once, then the alignment process is not performed every time for the processing in each processing unit. By maintaining a predetermined posture and position, it is possible to shorten the time required for the alignment process and obtain an advantageous effect of achieving higher process efficiency.

In addition, according to the present invention, by transferring the suction and gripping one side and the other side of the substrate to be processed alternately, the time required to pass and receive the substrate can be performed within a very short time, thereby improving the substrate transfer efficiency. You can get the benefits.

In addition, the present invention, in the process of drying the chemical liquid of the substrate to be processed through the radiant heat transfer from the heating plate, by interposing a medium plate excellent in thermal conductivity between the heating plate and the substrate, the heating wire is arranged in the heating plate In spite of the heat transfer variation according to the temperature difference between the region and the region where no heat wire is not arranged, heat is transferred to the substrate to be processed with the heat distribution uniformly induced by each plate, thereby uniformly dispensing the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be processed. The effect of suppressing the occurrence of spots can be obtained by heat drying.

1A and 1B show the structure of a conventional substrate processing apparatus;
Fig. 1C is a view showing a configuration in which a conventional substrate processing apparatus is improved;
2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 shows an example of the cleaning unit of FIG. 2;
4 is a view showing an example of the chemical liquid applying unit of FIG.
5 is a view showing an example of the heating and drying unit of FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line VI-VI of FIG. 2;
7A to 7C are detailed views of the first heating region of FIG. 5.

Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the present invention, a detailed description of known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 9 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes processing units U9, U1, U3; U in which a plurality of processing steps are performed on the substrate G to be processed. And floating to apply the floating force to the substrate G in the plurality of processing units U9, U1, and U3 to hold the substrate G in a horizontal state even when one side of the substrate G is gripped. The substrates G, which are transferred along the stages 1000 and 2000, the transfer rails R1 and R2 arranged along both sides of the floating stages 1000 and 2000, and the transfer rails R1 and R2, are transferred. It consists of holding | gripping tools H9, H1, and H3.

The processing unit U is a step of forming a panel for manufacturing a display device, and the cleaning step, the chemical liquid coating step, the drying step, the exposure step, the developing step, the inspection step, and the curing of the processing target substrate G are performed. Process, and the like. In the embodiment shown in the figure, it is a cleaning unit in which a cleaning process is performed in the ninth processing unit U9, a chemical liquid applying unit in which a chemical liquid applying process is performed in the first processing unit U1, and a third processing unit U3. It demonstrates by the structure which is a heat drying unit in which a heat drying process is performed.

In the ninth processing unit U9 in which the cleaning process is performed as the ninth processing step in the processing unit U, as shown in FIG. 3, when the substrate G for manufacturing the display device is supplied, the cleaning liquid is supplied. While the cleaning liquid 900a is injected at a high pressure from the nozzle 900, the surface of the substrate G to be processed is cleaned. The to-be-processed substrate G subjected to the cleaning process is transferred to the upper side of the floating stage 1000 by the rotation of the transfer roller 910. As shown in FIG. 2, before being gripped by the ninth gripping member H9, the cleaning member U9 moves the alignment member 920 formed in a '-' shape toward the processing target substrate G ( 920d) to align the posture and the position of the substrate G to the predetermined posture and position. Then, the ninth gripping member H9 grips the substrate G to be processed and transports it 99.

The chemical liquid applying unit U1 in which the chemical liquid applying step is performed as the chemical liquid applying step in the processing unit U is, as shown in FIG. 4, of the substrate G to be transferred by the first holding member H1. The chemical liquid PR is discharged from the chemical liquid nozzle 100 to the surface so that the chemical liquid PR is applied to a predetermined region of the substrate G to be processed. Here, the region to which the chemical liquid is applied may be the entire surface of the substrate G, or may be a portion divided into a plurality of cell regions.

The chemical liquid applying unit U1 moves the processing target substrate G received from the ninth processing unit U9 along the second transfer rail R2 by the first holding member H1, and the processing target substrate G When () passes below the chemical liquid nozzle 100, the chemical liquid PR is applied to the surface of the substrate G to be processed. Here, since the floating height of the processing target substrate G needs to be precisely controlled while the processing target substrate G is applied with the chemical liquid PR from the chemical liquid nozzle 100, the chemical processing region CA is more precise. The flotation force is controlled. To this end, the floating stage 1000 in the chemical liquid application region CA is formed smaller than the size of the vibration plate excited by the ultrasonic wave, so that precise vibration control is performed. If necessary, when the floating stage 1000 is formed by the air injection method, the spacing of the air injection holes is more densely arranged in the chemical liquid application region CA.

Here, the chemical liquid nozzle 100 is fixed to the cross bar 110 that connects the transfer unit 120 to move along the floating stage 1000 as needed during the chemical liquid application process, in a state of floating in one position The chemical | medical agent PR is apply | coated to the surface of the to-be-processed substrate G during a movement.

The heating drying unit U3 in which the heating drying step is performed in the processing unit U heats and dries the chemical liquid applied to the surface of the substrate G in the chemical liquid applying unit U1. To this end, the third gripping member H3 is moved from the first gripping member H1 which has transported the processing target substrate G during the chemical liquid applying process before entering the heating regions U31, U32, U33,... The substrate G is handed over and enters a plurality of heating regions U31, U32, U33 so that the chemical liquid PR of the substrate G is heated at each heating region U31, U32, U33. Gradually increase in temperature and allow to heat up in stages.

The third gripping member H3 may operate to allow one gripping member to sequentially pass through the plurality of heating regions U31, U32, and U33, but the third gripping member H3 may include a plurality of gripping members H3. -1, H3-2, H3-3, each time passing through the plurality of heating zones (U31, U32, U33) alternately to different holding members to grip and transfer the substrate (G) to be processed (92, 93, 94). As described above, a plurality of different holding members H3-1, H3-2, and H3-3 alternately hold and transfer the substrate G to be processed, thereby being introduced into the heating drying unit U3 at a short time interval. The heat-drying process can be performed with respect to the to-be-processed substrate G freely.

Above all, the heat drying unit U3 is arranged in such a manner as to gradually raise the heating temperature along the progress path of the substrate to be processed, thereby gradually evaporating the solvent component contained in the chemical liquid applied to the substrate to be processed from the chemical liquid. Since it can be dried while drying, the problem that the solvent component contained in the chemical liquid is suddenly dried while staining due to the flow of the chemical liquid can be solved.

Therefore, in order to remove some of the solvent in the chemical liquid in the related art by heating and drying the chemical liquid of the substrate to be processed G while the heating drying unit U3 increases the heating temperature in steps of three or more as illustrated in the drawing. It is possible to replace the vacuum vacuum drying process of drying in a vacuum state. This makes it possible to eliminate the process of removing some of the solvent in the chemical liquid by drying at a lower than atmospheric pressure in the closed chamber, thereby eliminating the robot arm and lift pins for placing the substrate to be processed in the closed chamber. In addition, since the chemical liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed in a floating state, it is immediately transferred to the heating and drying unit in a floating state, thereby increasing the transfer efficiency of the processing substrate and reducing the time required for the entire process. The effect can be obtained.

Here, in the heat drying unit U3, a plurality of heating plates 301, 302, and 303 for heating the substrate G are disposed along the transfer path of the substrate G, and different heating regions U31 are provided. , U32, U33 disposed for each heating plate (301, 302, 303) can be adjusted to different temperatures.

The substrate G is gradually moved by radiant heat transfer from the heating plates 301, 302, 303 while slowly moving the plurality of heating regions U31, U32, U33 of the heat drying unit U3 without stopping. It may be heated to an elevated heating temperature. According to a more preferred embodiment, the substrate G can be heated for a predetermined time at a constant heating temperature in a stopped state according to the heating temperature controlled in the different heating regions U31, U32, U33.

Here, the heating plate 302 of the second heating region U32 to be heated and dried next to the temperature of the heating plate 301 of the first heating region U31 to which the substrate G is first heated and dried. ) Is set higher, and then the temperature of the heating plate 303 of the third heating zone U33 to be heat dried is set higher. For example, in the first heating region U31 which is first heated after the chemical liquid applying process is performed in the chemical liquid applying unit U1, the temperature and time for removing 5 to 30% by weight of the solvent in the chemical liquid are determined. For example, the heating temperature of the first heating region U31 may be set to 40 ° C. to 70 ° C., and the heating time may be set to 20 seconds to 70 seconds. In addition, the heating temperatures of the second heating region U32 and the third heating region U33 heat-dried after the first heating region are set to 60 ° C. to 85 ° C., 70 ° C. to 105 ° C., respectively, and the heating time is The heating time in the first heating region U31 may be determined by a small time difference of about 10 seconds or the same heating time.

At this time, the heating temperature controlled in each heating zone must be kept constant so that the chemical liquid can be uniformly heated as a whole. However, since heat is transferred from adjacent heating zones at the boundaries of the heating zones U31, U32, and U33, heat is offset in the heating plates located at the edges of the heating zones U31, U32, and U33 to offset heat transferred from the adjacent heating zones. Adjustment is necessary.

To this end, referring to FIG. 7A, a plurality of heating plates 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, and 316 are disposed in the first heating region U31, and the heating temperature of the first heating region U31 is adjusted. When the temperature is to be maintained at 50 ° C, the heat plates 311 and 312 disposed at the inlet side into which the substrate G is introduced are more likely than the heat plates 313 and 314 at the center part because heat loss occurs in the outside air. Heated plates 315 and 316, which are controlled at a high temperature (eg, 53 ° C. to 57 ° C.) and disposed on the outlet side from which the substrate G is discharged, are transferred heat from the second heating region U32. Therefore, it can be adjusted to a lower temperature (for example, 43 ℃ to 46 ℃) compared to the central heating plate (313, 314). Here, the difference in temperature of the heating plate on the inlet side and the outlet side compared to the temperature to be heated is determined differently according to the heat insulation performance of the heating zone. As a result, the heat transfer amount reaching the substrate G positioned in the first heating region U31 becomes uniform as a whole, so that the chemical liquid applied to the substrate G is uniformly heated and dried.

This configuration may be similarly or similarly applied to the second heating region U32 and the third heating region U33.

On the other hand, the plurality of heating regions U31, U32, and U33 constituting the heat drying unit U3 have a heat shielding film 399 for suppressing heat transfer between the heating regions in order to reduce the temperature variation due to the mutual heat transfer. Can be formed.

For example, the thermal barrier 399 may be formed by an air curtain. At this time, since the air flow in the heating zones U31, U32 and U33 must be precisely suppressed by the air curtain, the injection direction of the air is refrained from blowing from the upper side to the lower side, and blows from one side to the other side. It is advisable to form an air curtain to blow or blow high pressure air from the lower side to the upper side.

Alternatively, the thermal barrier 399 is formed of a sliding door having excellent thermal insulation performance, and the thermal barrier is kept closed while the heat drying process is performed in each of the heating regions U31, U32, and U33 to block heat exchange between them. In addition, the sliding door can be operated to open only when the heat-drying process is terminated in each of the heating regions U31, U32, U33 and the substrate G to be transferred to the next process.

In addition, the thermal barrier film 399 may be formed between various heating regions U31, U32, and U33 in various configurations for thermally blocking the two spaces in the horizontal direction by various known materials and means.

In this way, the thermal barrier film 399 is provided between the heating zones U31, U32, and U33 for heating and drying the chemical liquid of the substrate G in stages, thereby providing the heating zones U31, U32, and U33. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of staining while the chemical liquid is unevenly dried due to the heating deviation at the boundary portion.

On the other hand, in the case of heating by radiant heat transfer from the heating plates 301, 302, 303 to the processing target substrate G, the heating wire is mainly arranged on the heating plates 301, 302, 303. However, since the heating wires arranged on the heating plates 301, 302, and 303 are not uniformly arranged on the entire surface of the plate, the deviation of the radiant heat transfer amount from the region where the heating wires are arranged and the amount of radiant heat transfer from the region where the heating wires are not arranged is different. Will be created.

Therefore, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7B, the intermediate plate 320 having excellent thermal conductivity between the heating plates 311-316 and the substrate G to which the hot wire is disposed on the surface is processed. ) May be intervened. For example, the intermediate plate may be formed of a copper plate or an aluminum plate. And, the separation distance between the medium plate and the heating plate (311-316) may be determined in various ways from 1mm to 100mm. Preferably, when the distribution of the heating wires of the heating plates 311-316 is uniform, the separation distance may be set as small as 1 mm to 10 mm, and when the distribution of the heating wires of the heating plates 311-316 is biased, the separation distance is 10 mm to It is largely set to 100 mm. In some cases, the heating plates 311-316 and the intermediate plate 320 may be disposed in contact with each other, but this case may be applied to a case where the distribution of the hot wire is very dense and uniformly distributed.

Accordingly, the heat radiated in the areas where the heating wires and the heating wires are disposed and the regions where the heating wires are not disposed is spread evenly in the medium plate of a material having excellent conductivity, and thus the amount of heat transfer to the substrate to be treated ( Since Hav) becomes uniform, the chemical liquid of the to-be-processed substrate G can obtain the effect of uniformly heat drying as a whole.

Meanwhile, the heating plates 311-316 may be located above the substrate G as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, but the heating plates 311-316 may have a substrate as shown in FIG. 7C. It may be located below (G). Through this, since it can be heated from the lower side of the chemical liquid applied to the processing target substrate (G), it is possible to first heat the solvent located on the bottom of the chemical liquid to be discharged.

When the heating plates 311-316 are positioned below the substrate G, the ultrasonic vibration unit V may not exhibit the predetermined performance due to heat, and thus the heating plates 311-316 may be disposed on the upper surface of the ultrasonic vibration plate. It is preferably attached or formed integrally with the ultrasonic diaphragm. And since the floating height of the to-be-processed board | substrate G with respect to an ultrasonic diaphragm is very small, an intermediate plate can also be provided integrally with the heating plates 311-316.

As a result, the substrate to be processed can be heated in a state in which the temperature gradient according to the position of the heating wires of the heating plates 301, 302, and 303 is reduced. Occurrences can be eliminated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the floating stages 1000 and 2000 extend long along a path in which various steps of a processing process are performed on the substrate G to be processed. In the drawing, the configuration in which the floating stages 1000 and 2000 are broken in the middle is taken as an example, but the floating stage 1000 may be formed in one continuous form. That is, it is sufficient that the floating force 88d acts so that the substrate G can be transported in the injured state by the holding member H.

The transfer rails R1 and R2 extend in the longitudinal direction on one side and the other side of the floating stage 1000, respectively. Therefore, when the processing units U are arranged in a straight line, the transfer rails R1 and R2 are also arranged in a straight line, and when the processing units U are arranged in a curved or broken line form, the transfer rails R1. , R2) is also arranged in the form of curve or broken line.

The gripping member H applies suction pressure to one or both bottom surfaces of the substrate G to move along the transfer rails R1 and R2 in a state in which the substrate G is sucked and gripped. The substrate G to be processed is transferred. While the holding member H can be driven to move in various known forms, the conveying rails R1 and R2 control currents in which the permanent magnets of the N pole and the S pole are alternately arranged and applied to the holding member H1 coil. It can be driven by the principle of a linear motor capable of precise position control by.

The holding member H is transported while holding one side and the other side of the to-be-processed substrate G which is injured by the floating force 88d of the floating stage 1000 while holding the suction Hx alternately, so that the to-be-processed substrate G is It is desirable to move along the flotation stage 1000.

Hereinafter, the operation principle of the substrate processing apparatus 9 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail.

Step 1 : First, when the processing target substrate G is supplied to the cleaning unit U9, the high-pressure cleaning liquid 900a is sprayed from the cleaner 900 onto the surface of the processing target substrate G, thereby processing the processing target substrate G. Remove any foreign substances remaining on the surface of).

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of rollers 910 supporting the substrate G are rotated 910a to advance the substrate G. Before the processing target substrate G is held by the ninth holding member H9, the alignment mechanism 920 having the 'A' shape approaches the diagonal direction 920a, and thus the position of the processing target substrate G and Align your posture with a fixed position and posture.

Then, while the suction pressure is applied to the ninth gripping member H9, the other side bottom surface of the substrate G is suction-held. At this time, since the bottom surface of the substrate G is supported by the floating force 88d of the floating stage 1000, deformation of one side of the substrate G to be bent downward does not occur.

Step 2 : Then, the ninth gripping member H9 is transferred 99 along the first transfer rail R1 together with the substrate G to reach the inlet of the chemical liquid applying unit U1 which is the chemical liquid applying unit. do. At this time, the first gripping member H1 receives the substrate G to be processed from the ninth gripping member H9 and grips it by suction.

More specifically, the ninth gripping member H9 is set to reciprocate the area indicated by X9, the first gripping member H1 is set to reciprocate the area indicated by X1, and these overlapping areas Xo Is set. Therefore, when the ninth gripping member H9 is transferred to the overlapping area Xo while holding the other side of the substrate G to be processed, the first gripping member H1 is moved from the processing area to the overlapping area Xo. While holding one side of G), the suction pressure applied to the other side of the substrate G by the ninth holding member H9 is removed. As a result, the substrate G is transferred from the ninth holding member H9 to the first holding member H1 in the overlapping area Xo.

As described above, once the position and posture of the substrate to be processed are set only once by the alignment mechanism 920 in the ninth processing unit U9, the substrate transfer mechanism for suctioning and holding the posture of the substrate G to be processed thereafter. Since it is maintained in the state defined by (U), even if the alignment process is not performed every time for the processing process in each processing unit (U), it maintains the predetermined posture and position, and shortens the time required for the alignment process, resulting in higher process efficiency. An advantageous effect can be obtained that can be achieved.

Then, the first holding member H1 moves 91 along the second transfer rail R2, and as shown in FIG. 4, the chemical liquid from the chemical liquid nozzle 100 to the surface of the substrate G to be processed. Allow PR to be applied.

Step 3 : Then, the first holding member H1 is transferred 91 along the second transfer rail R2 together with the substrate G to be treated to form the chemical liquid applying unit U1 and the heat drying unit U3. Reach the area in between. At this time, the 3-1st holding member H3-1 receives the processing target substrate G from the first holding member H1 and suction-holds it.

More specifically, the first gripping member H1 is set to reciprocate the area indicated by X1, and the 3-1 gripping member H3-1 is set to reciprocate the area indicated by X2, and these overlap The area Xo is set. Therefore, when the first holding member H1 is gripped to one side of the substrate G to be processed to the overlapping area Xo, as shown in FIG. 6, the 3-1 gripping is performed at the overlapping area Xo. The member H3-1 sucks and grips the other bottom surface of the substrate G, and thereafter, the suction pressure applied by the first holding member H1 to one side of the substrate G is removed. As a result, the processing target substrate G is transferred from the first holding member H1 to the third-first holding member H3 in the overlapping area Xo.

Subsequently, the substrate G is moved by the third holding members H3-1, H3-2, H3-3, and H3, and is heated in stages to heat and dry the chemical liquid.

More specifically, first, the 3-1 holding member H3-1 is transferred 92 along the first transport rail R1 along with the substrate G along the first transport rail R1 to be heated. In the first heating region U31 of the drying unit U3, primary heating is performed at a low temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) for about 45 seconds. In this process, about 20% by weight of the solvent contained in the chemical liquid PR applied to the processing target substrate G is discharged while being evaporated.

Then, the 3-1 holding member (H3-1) is moved along the first transfer rail (R1) between the first heating region (U31) and the second heating region (U32), the third-2 holding In the overlapping area Xo of the range X3 in which the member H3-2 moves, the substrate G is turned over to the third-2 holding member H3-2. Then, the 3-1st holding member H3-1 moves to the overlapping area Xo with the first holding member H1 again and hands over the substrate to be processed after the chemical liquid applying process is completed.

Next, the third-2 holding member H3-2 moves along the second transfer rail R2 to transfer the substrate G to be processed 93 to the second heating region U32. Then, the second heating is performed for about 47 seconds at a higher temperature (for example, 70 ° C.) than the first heating region U31 while being stopped in the second heating region U32. In this process, more than 50% by weight of the solvent contained in the chemical liquid PR applied to the substrate G to be processed is discharged.

Then, the third-2 holding member H3-2 moves along the second transfer rail R2 and is held between the second heating region U32 and the third heating region U33. In the overlapping area Xo of the range X4 in which the member H3-3 moves, the substrate G is turned over to the third-3 holding member H3-3. And the 3-2 holding member H3-2 moves to the overlap area Xo with the 3-1 holding member H3-1 again, and takes over the to-be-processed substrate which completed the 1st heat-drying process.

Next, the third to third gripping members H3-3 move along the first transfer rail R1 to transfer the substrate G to be processed 94 to the third heating region U33. Then, the substrate is heated at a higher temperature (for example, 85 ° C.) for about 45 seconds than the second heating region U32 while being stopped in the third heating region U33. In this process, the chemical liquid is dried while evaporating more than the reference value of the solvent contained in the chemical liquid PR applied to the substrate G to be processed.

In the drawings, the heat drying process of the chemical liquid is taken as an example, but the chemical liquid may be applied in two stages when the coating thickness of the chemical liquid is thin or the solvent content is low. If the content is large, the heat drying process may be carried out step by step over four or more steps.

As needed, the 3-2 holding member H3-2 moves along the 1st conveyance rail R1, and makes the to-be-processed substrate G pass through the lower side of a cold plate (not shown), The chemical liquid PR applied to the processing target substrate G may be cooled by radiation cooling.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 9 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may gradually heat the chemical liquid PR applied to the processing target substrate G in multiple stages to heat-dry the chemical liquid, thereby drying the solvent in the chemical liquid. Since it can be dried while removing step by step, there is an effect of quality improvement that can prevent stains caused by solvents or bubbles during the chemical drying process, while excluding the vacuum vacuum drying unit that dries a part of the chemical liquid at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. .

In addition, the present invention, by excluding the conventional vacuum vacuum drying unit in the substrate processing process, it is possible to remove the robot arm and the lift pins that are necessary to transfer the substrate G to the closed chamber, It is possible to obtain the effect of constructing the whole plant at a lower cost.

In addition, the present invention, since the chemical liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate to be processed in a floating state, it is immediately transferred to the heat-drying unit in a floating state, thereby increasing the transfer efficiency of the processing substrate and the time required for the entire process. An advantageous effect of shortening the process time can be obtained.

In addition, in the present invention, in each of the plurality of processing units U through which the substrate G is subjected, each of the substrates G sequentially passes through each of the processing steps, and thus, any one processing unit is performed. When one side of the processing substrate G is transferred to a predetermined position in the state in which one of the holding members is suction-held, the other holding member is transferred in the form of suction gripping and transferring the other side of the substrate to be processed and one side of the processing substrate G. By alternately sucking and transferring the bottom of the other side and the suction side, once the position and posture of the processing target substrate G are set only once, the processing target substrate G thereafter alternates with the suction holding gripping one side and the other side. Since the position and posture of the substrate to be processed are maintained in a fixed state because the substrate G is aligned once, the substrate G is maintained in a constant posture and position in each processing unit. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect to achieve higher process efficiency by reducing the time required for the alignment process.

In the above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described by way of example, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the substrate G is heated in the heating drying unit U3 for a predetermined time in a state of being stopped in any one of the plurality of heating zones, and then moved to the next heating zone to heat and dry. Although the configuration is illustrated, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the substrate G includes a configuration in which the substrate G is heated and dried while slowly moving a plurality of heating regions.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **
100: substrate processing apparatus U9: cleaning unit
U1: chemical coating unit U3: heating drying unit
H1: first gripping member H3: third gripping member
900: washer 100: chemical liquid application mechanism
301, 302, 303: heating plate G: substrate to be processed

Claims (20)

A substrate processing apparatus in which a substrate processing step including a step of applying a chemical liquid to a surface of a substrate to be processed is performed.
A floating stage extending along a moving path in which the substrate processing step of the substrate is processed to apply the floating force to the substrate;
A chemical liquid application unit provided with a chemical liquid nozzle for holding the edge of the substrate to be treated with a first holding member and applying the chemical to the surface of the substrate while moving the substrate to a floating state;
A third holding member is handed over to the to-be-processed substrate discharged in a state where the chemical liquid is applied from the chemical-liquid application unit, and moved together with the third holding member while the to-be-processed substrate is floating. The first heating zone and the second heating zone are heated to different temperature stages so as to dry the chemical liquid by heating the processing substrate and gradually raising the heating temperature of the processing substrate along the moving direction of the substrate. A heat drying unit formed of two or more heating regions including a heat drying unit for heating and drying the substrate to be processed for a predetermined time in the first heating region and the second heating region;
3-1 gripping member for reciprocating on one side of the transfer rails arranged on both sides of the floating stage and holding the substrate to be processed during the heat drying process in the first heating region, and on both sides of the floating stage. Receiving the substrate to be reciprocated from the other side of the arranged transfer rails and completing the heating and drying step in the first heating zone from the 3-1 holding member to perform the heating and drying step in the second heating zone. The third gripping member including a third-2 gripping member that grips the substrate to be processed during the processing;
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate is transferred to the first heating region and the second heating region in a state of being gripped by the 3-1 holding member and the 3-2 holding member, respectively. .
The method of claim 1,
And a vacuum drying unit for drying the substrate to be processed at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure between the chemical liquid applying unit and the heat drying unit.
The method of claim 1,
The substrate to be processed is heat-dried in a stationary state in any one or more of the heating regions.
The method of claim 1,
A plurality of heating plates are disposed along the transfer path of the substrate to be processed in the first heating region, and the first-second heating plate at a position adjacent to the second heating region is disposed at a position spaced apart from the second heating region. Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that it is controlled to a lower temperature than 1-1 heating plate.
The method of claim 1,
And the first heating region which is first heated after the chemical liquid applying unit is performed is determined at a temperature for removing 5-30% by weight of the solvent in the chemical liquid.
The method of claim 1,
The floating stage is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the floating force for introducing the substrate to be processed by ultrasonic waves.
The method of claim 1,
And a blocking film for suppressing heat transfer is formed between the first heating region and the second heating region.
The method of claim 7, wherein
And said blocking film is an air curtain.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The blocking film is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the heat insulating door that opens and closes in the form of sliding.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A heating plate provided in any one of the heating zones heats the substrate to be processed by radiant heat transfer.
The method of claim 10,
The heating plate is disposed in the heating plate is heated, the intermediate plate is interposed between the heating plate and the target substrate to heat the substrate to be processed in a state in which the temperature gradient according to the position of the heating wire is reduced. Substrate processing apparatus.
The method of claim 11,
And the intermediate plate comprises at least one of copper and aluminum.
The method of claim 11,
And the intermediate plate is spaced apart from the heating plate.
The method of claim 10,
And the heating plate is disposed above the substrate to be processed.
The method of claim 10,
And the heating plate is formed of a diaphragm of the floating stage.


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