KR102546381B1 - Reduced pressure drying apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and reduced pressure drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

(Problem) To provide a technology capable of adjusting the decompression speed with good precision even when the displacement is small.
(Solution) In this reduced pressure drying apparatus 1, an exhaust pipe portion 40 connecting the inside of the chamber 20 and the pump 30 is arranged in parallel between the chamber 20 and the pump 30. It has a large-diameter pipe (44) and a small-diameter pipe (45). The small-diameter pipe 45 has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter pipe 44 . The control unit 60 controls the small-diameter valve control mode in which the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted while fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 in the reduced pressure drying process, and the large-diameter valve which adjusts the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440. It is possible to switch to control mode. This makes it possible to adjust the passage area with good accuracy by adjusting the opening of the small-diameter valve when the depressurization displacement amount is small. When the decompression displacement is large, the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness by adjusting the opening of a large-diameter valve capable of greatly adjusting the passage area.

Description

Reduced pressure drying device, substrate processing device, and reduced pressure drying method

The present invention relates to a technique for drying a substrate to which a treatment liquid has adhered under reduced pressure.

Conventionally, semiconductor wafers, substrates for FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electroluminescence) displays, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, substrates for solar cells, and electronic paper In a manufacturing process of substrates for precision electronic devices such as substrates, a vacuum drying apparatus is used to dry a treatment liquid applied to a substrate. Such a reduced-pressure drying apparatus has a chamber accommodating a substrate and an exhaust device discharging gas in the chamber. About a conventional reduced-pressure drying apparatus, it describes, for example in patent document 1.

In the case where a thin film is formed by drying a treatment liquid such as photoresist applied to a substrate, bumping may occur if the pressure is rapidly reduced. Dolby occurs when a solvent component in a photoresist applied to a substrate surface rapidly evaporates. If bumps occur during the reduced-pressure drying treatment, a degassing phenomenon occurs in which small bubbles are formed on the surface of the photoresist. Therefore, in the reduced pressure drying treatment, it is necessary to reduce the pressure step by step without rapidly reducing the pressure in the chamber at the initial stage.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-261379

In order to change the pressure in the chamber stepwise, it is necessary to adjust the decompression rate. In the reduced pressure drying apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the pressure reduction rate is adjusted by supplying an inert gas into the chamber while exhausting the gas in the chamber during the reduced pressure treatment. Further, in order to appropriately adjust the depressurization rate, a valve capable of changing the opening degree in a plurality of stages is provided between the inert gas supply source and the chamber. In addition, as another method of adjusting the decompression rate in the chamber, a valve capable of changing the opening degree in a plurality of steps may be provided between the chamber and the exhaust device to adjust the exhaust amount from the chamber. In this case, the amount of exhaust from the chamber can be adjusted in stages.

When the amount of exhaust from the chamber is adjusted by changing the opening of the valve, the amount of exhaust is determined by the flow path area in the valve. Regardless of the size of the opening, the adjustment precision of the opening of the valve is almost constant. That is, the adjustment accuracy of the displacement is substantially constant between the case where the displacement is large due to the large opening and the case where the displacement is small due to the small opening. However, there is a demand for adjusting the decompression speed with particularly good accuracy when the exhaust amount is small, such as in the initial stage of the reduced pressure drying treatment.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of adjusting the decompression speed with good accuracy even when the exhaust amount is small in a vacuum drying apparatus having a valve capable of changing the opening degree.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a vacuum drying apparatus for drying a substrate adhered with a processing liquid under reduced pressure, comprising: a chamber accommodating the substrate and forming a processing space around the substrate; A pump for suctioning and exhausting gas inside the chamber, an exhaust pipe part connecting the inside of the chamber and the pump to a flow path, and a control part for controlling the operation of each part, wherein the exhaust pipe part includes a large-diameter pipe interposed with a large-diameter valve; A small-diameter pipe having a small-diameter valve having a smaller pipe diameter than a large-diameter valve is interposed therebetween, wherein the large-diameter valve and the small-diameter valve are each capable of changing a passage area in the pipe by changing an opening degree, wherein the large-diameter pipe and the small-diameter pipe , disposed in parallel between the chamber and the pump, wherein the controller comprises a small-diameter valve control mode for adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve while fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve in a reduced pressure drying process; It is possible to switch to the large-diameter valve control mode to adjust the opening degree.

The second invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the first invention, wherein the controller first executes the small-diameter valve control mode and then executes the large-diameter valve control mode in the reduced-pressure drying process.

The third invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the first or second invention, wherein the small-diameter valve control mode includes a first small-diameter valve control mode for closing the large-diameter valve.

The fourth invention of the present application is the reduced pressure drying device according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the small diameter valve control mode includes a second small diameter valve control mode in which the opening degree of the large diameter valve is fixed.

A fifth invention of the present application is the reduced pressure drying device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the exhaust pipe portion includes a plurality of chamber connection pipes having one end opened in the chamber, and the other of all the chamber connection pipes. It further includes a first common pipe that is directly or indirectly connected to the end, and an upstream end of the large-diameter pipe and an upstream end of the small-diameter pipe are connected to the first common pipe.

6th invention of this application is the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of any one of 1st - 5th invention, which has a plurality of said pumps, and the said exhaust pipe part is a 2nd common piping which is directly or indirectly connected to all the said pumps by flow Further, a downstream end of the large-diameter pipe and a downstream end of the small-diameter pipe are each connected to the second common pipe.

7th invention of this application is the vacuum drying apparatus of any one of 1st - 6th invention, The said large-diameter pipe which the said exhaust pipe part has is plural, and the said small-diameter pipe which the said exhaust pipe part has is one.

An eighth invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus for applying and developing a resist liquid to the substrate, comprising: a coating unit for applying the resist liquid to the substrate before exposure processing; It has the vacuum drying apparatus of any one of the 1st to 7th invention which carries out drying under reduced pressure, and the developing part which carries out the development process with respect to the said board|substrate on which the said exposure process was performed.

A ninth invention of the present application is a reduced pressure drying method for drying the substrate by sucking and exhausting gas from the chamber accommodating a substrate with a processing liquid attached thereto by means of a pump through an exhaust pipe portion, thereby reducing the pressure in the chamber and drying the substrate. The piping portion includes a large-diameter pipe interposed with a large-diameter valve and a small-diameter pipe interposed with a small-diameter valve having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter valve. while fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve and adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve, and b) adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve while performing suction and exhaust by the pump.

10th invention of this application is a vacuum drying method of 9th invention, The said process a) is implemented at the beginning of the said reduced pressure treatment, and the said process b) is implemented after that.

According to the 1st to 10th inventions of this application, in the small-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of a small-diameter valve, it is possible to adjust the flow path area with good precision and bring it close to the desired pressure reduction speed. On the other hand, in the large-diameter valve control mode, the pressure reduction speed can be adjusted with good response by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve whose flow path area can be adjusted in a large range.

In particular, according to the second invention and the tenth invention of the present application, in the initial stage of the pressure reduction treatment, by adjusting the opening of the small-diameter valve, the flow path area can be adjusted with good precision and brought close to the desired pressure reduction speed. On the other hand, in the final stage of the pressure reduction process, the pressure reduction speed can be adjusted with good response by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve that can greatly adjust the passage area.

In particular, according to the fifth invention of the present application, when there are a plurality of openings, the first common pipe is connected to all the openings, so that the suction and exhaust forces from all the openings can be made uniform.

In particular, according to the sixth invention of the present application, when there are a plurality of pumps, the suction and exhaust pressures on the downstream side of all the large-diameter pipes and small-diameter pipes can be made uniform by connecting the second common pipe to all the pumps.

In particular, according to the seventh invention of the present application, when the capacity of the chamber is large, the maximum flow path area in the exhaust pipe portion can be increased without lowering the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area in the small diameter pipe.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vacuum drying device according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional configuration of a piping portion of the vacuum drying device according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of the vacuum drying treatment according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of a large-diameter valve and a small-diameter valve in each control mode according to the first embodiment.
6 is a diagram showing an example of a target decompression waveform according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional configuration of a piping portion of a vacuum drying device according to a modified example.
Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion of a vacuum drying device according to another modified example.
Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion of a vacuum drying device according to another modified example.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described, referring drawings.

<1. 1st Embodiment>

<1-1. Configuration of Substrate Processing Equipment>

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 9 provided with a vacuum drying apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 9 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for applying a resist liquid to a glass substrate G for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter referred to as the substrate G), exposure, and post-exposure development.

The substrate processing apparatus 9 includes a plurality of processing units, including a carrying unit 90, a washing unit 91, a dehydration bake unit 92, an application unit 93, and a vacuum drying unit 1 as a vacuum drying unit. , a pre-baking section 94, an exposure section 95, a developing section 96, a rinsing section 97, a post-baking section 98 and a carrying out section 99. Each processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus 9 is disposed adjacent to each other in the above order. The board|substrate G is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism (not shown) to each processing part in the said order according to the progress of a process, as indicated by the broken-line arrow.

The carrying unit 90 carries the substrate G to be processed in the substrate processing apparatus 9 into the substrate processing apparatus 9 . The cleaning unit 91 cleans the substrate G carried into the carrying unit 90 to remove fine particles, organic contamination, metal contamination, grease, natural oxide film, and the like. The dehydration bake section 92 heats the substrate G and vaporizes the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate G in the cleaning section 91 to dry the substrate G.

The application unit 93 applies a treatment liquid to the surface of the substrate G after the drying process has been performed in the dehydration bake unit 92 . In the applicator 93 of the present embodiment, a photoresist liquid having photosensitivity (hereinafter simply referred to as a resist liquid) is applied to the surface of the substrate G. Then, the vacuum drying apparatus 1 evaporates the solvent of the resist liquid applied on the surface of the substrate G under reduced pressure to dry the substrate G. The prebake section 94 heats the substrate G subjected to the reduced pressure drying treatment in the reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 to solidify the resist component on the surface of the substrate G. Thus, a thin film of the processing liquid, that is, a resist film is formed on the surface of the substrate G.

Next, the exposure part 95 performs an exposure process with respect to the surface of the board|substrate G on which the resist film was formed. The exposure unit 95 irradiates far ultraviolet rays through a mask on which a circuit pattern is drawn, and transfers the pattern to a resist film. The developing unit 96 immerses the substrate G, the pattern of which has been exposed in the exposure unit 95, into a developing solution to perform a development process.

The rinse unit 97 rinses the substrate G developed in the developing unit 96 with a rinse liquid. This stops the progress of the developing process. The post-bake section 98 dries the substrate G by heating the substrate G and vaporizing the rinse liquid adhering to the substrate G in the rinse section 97 . The board|substrate G processed in each processing part of the substrate processing apparatus 9 is conveyed to the carrying out part 99. And the board|substrate G is carried out of the substrate processing apparatus 9 from the carrying out part 99.

In addition, although the substrate processing apparatus 9 of this embodiment has the exposure part 95, in the substrate processing apparatus of this invention, the exposure part may be omitted. In that case, the substrate processing apparatus may be used in combination with a separate exposure apparatus.

<1-2. Configuration of vacuum drying device>

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. 3 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional configuration of the piping portion 40. As shown in FIG. As described above, the vacuum drying apparatus 1 is an apparatus for drying the substrate G coated with a treatment liquid such as a resist liquid under reduced pressure. As shown in FIG. 2 , the vacuum drying apparatus 1 has a chamber 20, a pump 30, a piping part 40, an inert gas supply part 50, a control part 60, and an input part 70.

The chamber 20 is a mechanism for accommodating the substrate G and forming a processing space shielded from the outside around the substrate G. The chamber 20 has a base part 21 and a cover part 22 . The base portion 21 is a plate-shaped member that extends substantially horizontally. The lid portion 22 is a tubular member with a lid covering the upper portion of the base portion 21 . The board|substrate G is accommodated in the inside of the casing comprised by the base part 21 and the cover part 22. In addition, a sealing material 221 is provided at the lower end of the lid portion 22 . Thus, communication between the inside and outside of the chamber 20 is blocked at the contact point between the base part 21 and the cover part 22 .

An exhaust port 23 is formed in the base portion 21 . A piping part 40 is connected to the exhaust port 23 . Thereby, the gas in the chamber 20 can be discharged out of the chamber 20 from the exhaust port 23 through the piping part 40. Four exhaust ports 23 are formed in the chamber 20 of this embodiment. However, the number of exhaust ports 23 formed in the chamber 20 may be 1 to 3, or may be 5 or more. In addition, in this embodiment, the exhaust port 23 is formed in the base portion 21, but the exhaust port 23 may be formed in the cover portion 22.

Inside the chamber 20, a support mechanism 24 is formed. The support mechanism 24 has a support plate 241 , a plurality of support pins 242 and a support pillar 243 . The support plate 241 is a plate-like member that extends substantially horizontally. A plurality of support pins 242 are formed on the support plate 241 . Each of the support pins 242 extends upward from the support plate 241 . As for the some support pin 242, the board|substrate G is mounted on the upper end, and supports the board|substrate G from the back surface. The plurality of support pins 242 are distributed and arranged in the horizontal direction. In this way, the substrate G is stably supported. The support pillar 243 is a member that supports the support plate 241 . The lower end of the support pillar 243 is fixed to the base part 21 . Further, the lower end of the support pillar 243 may be fixed to another member such as an elevating device.

In addition, a pressure sensor 25 for measuring the pressure in the chamber 20 is formed in the chamber 20 . Although the pressure sensor 25 of this embodiment is formed in the base part 21, the pressure sensor may be formed in the chamber connection pipe 41 or the collective pipe 42 of the pipe part 40.

The pump 30 is an exhaust device for discharging the gas in the chamber 20 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pump 30 is connected to the internal space of the chamber 20 via the pipe part 40 . For this reason, when the pump 30 is driven, the gas in the chamber 20 is discharged to the outside of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 via the piping part 40. This pump 30 suctions and exhausts the gas in the chamber 20 by driving it with a constant output. In this way, the inside of the chamber 20 is depressurized. Adjustment of the exhaust rate from the chamber 20 is performed by valves 440 and 450 described later.

The pipe portion 40 is an exhaust pipe portion that connects the inside of the chamber 20 and the pump 30 to a flow path. The piping section 40 includes four chamber connecting pipes 41, two collective pipes 42, a first common pipe 43, two large-diameter pipes 44, a small-diameter pipe 45, and a second common pipe. (46), two exhaust pipes (47) and four individual exhaust pipes (48).

Each of the chamber connecting pipes 41 has an upstream end (one end) opened in the chamber 20 . That is, the upstream side end of the four chamber connection piping 41 becomes the four exhaust ports 23 in the chamber 20, respectively. The downstream end (other end) of the two chamber connecting piping 41 is connected to the upstream end of one collective piping 42 by a flow path. The downstream end of the other two chamber connecting piping 41 is connected to the upstream end of the other one collective piping 42 and flow path.

In FIG. 2 , for convenience, the upstream side of the chamber connecting pipe 41 is thick and the downstream side is thin. However, as shown in Fig. 3, the actual chamber connecting pipe 41 has a substantially constant thickness from the upstream side to the downstream side.

The downstream end of one collective piping 42 is connected to one end of the first common piping 43 by a flow path. The downstream end of the other collective piping 42 is connected to the other end of the first common piping 43 by a flow path. Thereby, the 1st common piping 43 is indirectly connected to the other end of all the chamber connection piping 41 by a flow path. That is, all the exhaust ports 23 are indirectly connected to the first common piping 43 by flow paths. As a result, when the pump 30 is driven, the suction and exhaust forces from all the exhaust ports 23 can be made uniform.

One end of the two large-diameter pipes 44 connects one end of the first common pipe 43 and one end of the second common pipe 46 to a flow path. The other of the two large-diameter pipes 44 connects the other end of the first common pipe 43 and the other end of the second common pipe 46 to a flow path. The small-diameter pipe 45 connects the central portion of the first common pipe 43 and the central portion of the second common pipe 46 to flow passages. That is, the first common pipe 43 and the second common pipe 46 are flow-connected by two large-diameter pipes 44 and one small-diameter pipe 45 . Specifically, the two large-diameter pipes 44 and the one small-diameter pipe 45 are arranged in parallel between the first common pipe 43 and the second common pipe 46 .

A large-diameter valve 440 is interposed between the two large-diameter pipes 44, respectively. The large-diameter valve 440 can change the passage area (opening area of the passage) in the large-diameter pipe 44 by changing the opening degree. In this embodiment, the two large-diameter valves 440 operate with the same opening degree. That is, when the control unit 60 sets the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 to 20%, both the opening degrees of the two large-diameter valves 440 are adjusted to 20%.

A small-diameter valve 450 is interposed in the small-diameter pipe 45 . The small-diameter valve 450 can change the passage area (opening area of the passage) in the small-diameter pipe 45 by changing the opening degree. The small-diameter valve 450 has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve 440 . That is, the flow path area at the time of maximum opening of the small-diameter valve 450 is smaller than the flow path area at the time of maximum opening of the large-diameter valve 440 .

For the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 of this embodiment, for example, a butterfly valve whose opening is adjusted by changing the angle of the valve is used. In addition, the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 may be valves capable of adjusting the flow rate of the pressure reduction exhaust by their opening. Therefore, instead of the butterfly valve, a globe valve (jape valve) or other valves may be used.

In this way, the large-diameter pipe 44 and the small-diameter pipe are arranged in parallel between the chamber 20 and the pump 30 . In this reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1, the flow path area of the piping part 40 is changed by changing the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450, and the exhaust amount is adjusted. Since the valve diameters of the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 are different, the accuracy of the flow path area that can be adjusted is different depending on the valve opening. Specifically, the small-diameter valve 450 can adjust the passage area more precisely than the large-diameter valve 440 . For this reason, in this vacuum drying apparatus 1, by using the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 separately, the large-diameter valve 440 roughly adjusts the exhaust amount, and the small-diameter valve 450 The displacement can be finely tuned.

Each of the two exhaust pipes 47 has an upstream end connected to a second common pipe 46 as a flow path. The upstream end of two of the four individual exhaust pipes 48 is connected to the downstream end of one exhaust pipe 47 by a flow path. The upstream end of the other two individual exhaust pipes 48 is connected to the downstream end of the other one exhaust pipe 47 by a flow path. The downstream ends of the four exhaust pipes 47 are connected to the pump 30, respectively. Thereby, all the pumps 30 are indirectly connected to the second common piping 46. As a result, even when there is a variation in suction/exhaust power of the pump 30, since the pressure becomes uniform in the second common pipe 46, the downstream end of the two large-diameter pipes 44 and the small-diameter pipe 45 ) can make the suction/exhaust force at the downstream end of the uniform.

When the pump 30 is driven with both the two large-diameter valves 440 and the one small-diameter valve 450 closed, the second common pipe 46, the exhaust pipe 47 and the individual exhaust pipe 48 Internal gas is discharged from the pump 30 to the outside of the piping portion 40 . As a result, the air pressure inside the second common pipe 46, the exhaust pipe 47, and the individual exhaust pipe 48 is lowered.

When at least one of the two large-diameter valves 440 and the one small-diameter valve 450 is opened, the first common pipe 43 and the second common pipe 43 pass through the pipes 44 and 45 having the open valves 440 and 450. The pipe 46 communicates with it. For this reason, when at least one of the two large-diameter valves 440 and the one small-diameter valve 450 is opened while the pump 30 is driven, the gas in the chamber 20 flows from the exhaust port 23 to the chamber connecting pipe 41 ), the common pipe 42, the first common pipe 43, the large diameter pipe 44 and the small diameter pipe 45 having open valves 440 and 450, the second common pipe 46, and the exhaust pipe ( 47) and the individual exhaust pipe 48 from the pump 30 to the outside of the pipe part 40.

The inert gas supply unit 50 supplies an inert gas into the chamber 20 . The inert gas supply unit 50 has an inert gas supply pipe 51 , an inert gas supply source 52 and an on/off valve 53 . As for the inert gas supply pipe 51, one end is connected to the internal space of the chamber 20, and the other end is connected to the inert gas supply source 52. The inert gas supply source 52 of the present embodiment supplies dried nitrogen gas as an inert gas. The on-off valve 53 is interposed in the inert gas supply pipe 51 . For this reason, when the on-off valve 53 is opened, an inert gas is supplied into the chamber 20 from the inert gas supply source 52 . Moreover, when the on-off valve 53 is closed, supply of the inert gas from the inert gas supply source 52 to the chamber 20 is stopped.

In addition, the inert gas supply part 50 may supply another dried inert gas, such as argon gas, instead of nitrogen gas. Moreover, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 may have an air supply part which supplies air instead of the inert gas supply part 50.

The control part 60 controls each part of the vacuum drying apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 60 is constituted by a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 61 such as a CPU, a memory 62 such as RAM, and a storage unit 63 such as a hard disk drive. . In addition, the control unit 60 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 25, the four pumps 30, the two large-diameter valves 440, the small-diameter valve 450, the on-off valve 53 and the input unit 70, respectively. has been

Control unit 60 temporarily reads out computer programs and data stored in storage unit 63 to memory 62, and based on the computer program and data, arithmetic processing unit 61 performs calculation processing. By doing so, the operation of each part in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 is controlled. Thereby, the vacuum drying process in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 is performed. In addition, the controller 60 may control only the reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 or may control the entire substrate processing apparatus 9 .

The input unit 70 is an input means for a user to input a target pressure value and a target reaching time. The input unit 70 of the present embodiment is an input panel provided in the substrate processing apparatus 9, but the input unit 70 may be any other form of input means (for example, a keyboard or a mouse). When the target pressure value and the target reaching time are input to the input unit 70, the data is accepted by the control unit 60.

<1-3. Arrangement of piping section>

Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 3 , the arrangement of the piping portion 40 of the present embodiment will be described more specifically. As shown in FIG. 3 , below, the vertical direction is the vertical direction, the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is the horizontal direction, and among the horizontal directions, the directions in which the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 extend are the front-back direction and the horizontal direction. Directions orthogonal to the front and rear directions are referred to as left and right directions, respectively.

In this embodiment, the pump 30 is disposed on the lower side and the rear side with respect to the chamber 20 . After extending downward from the exhaust port 23, the chamber connecting pipe 41 is bent in the front-back direction. The downstream end of the chamber connecting pipe 41 connects to the downstream end of another chamber connecting pipe 41 arranged in the front-back direction. And the upstream side end of the collective piping 42 is also connected to the connection point of the two chamber connecting piping 41 by a flow path.

Each of the collective piping 42 extends in the left-right direction from the upstream end, and then bends and extends backward. The downstream end of the collective pipe 42 and the upstream end of the large-diameter pipe 44 are connected to the flow path so that the flow path is straight. And one of the two ends of the 1st common pipe 43 is additionally connected to the flow path at the connection point of the collective pipe 42 and the large-diameter pipe 44. Thus, by making the connection point of the collective piping 42 and the large-diameter piping 44 into a linear shape, flow path resistance at the time of gas|gas from the collective piping 42 to the large-diameter piping 44 can be reduced. This makes it easy to suck in the gas in the chamber 20 when decompression exhaust is performed using the large-diameter pipe 44 .

One end of the large-diameter pipe 44 connects one end of the first common pipe 43 and one end of the second common pipe 46 to a flow path. The other end of the large-diameter pipe 44 connects the other end of the first common pipe 43 and the other end of the second common pipe 46 to a flow path. On the other hand, the small-diameter pipe 45 connects the central part of the first common pipe 43 and the central part of the second common pipe 46 to flow passages. For this reason, the small-diameter pipe 45 is located equidistant from the downstream end of the two collective pipes 42 . Therefore, when decompression exhaust is performed using the small diameter pipe 45, the pressure reduction exhaust force of the two collective pipes 42 resulting from the exhaust from the small diameter pipe 45 can be made uniform.

The upstream side ends of the two exhaust pipes 47 are each connected to a flow path at a position at a certain distance from the end of the second common pipe 46 . In addition, the upstream end of the two individual exhaust pipes 48 is connected to the downstream end of each exhaust pipe 47 . Each of the individual exhaust pipes 48 extends in the front-back direction and then downward. Then, the downstream end of each individual exhaust pipe 48 is connected to the pump 30 .

As described above, the piping portion 40 of the present embodiment is symmetrically arranged in the left-right direction. Thereby, it is possible to uniformly suction and exhaust air through the four exhaust ports 23 .

In addition, the direction in which each piping extends can be changed appropriately by balancing with the position of the other mechanism in the vacuum drying apparatus 1.

Each piping diameter of the piping part 40 is as follows when an example is given. The pipe diameters of the chamber connection pipe 41 and the individual exhaust pipe 48 are each 150 mm. The piping diameter of the collective piping 42, the 1st common piping 43, the large-diameter piping 44, the 2nd common piping 46, and the exhaust pipe 47 is 200 mm, respectively. In addition, the pipe diameter of the small-diameter pipe 45 is 50 mm.

When the pipe diameter of the collective pipe 42 is larger than that of the chamber connecting pipe 41, the gas flowing from the chamber connecting pipe 41 to the collective pipe 42 can be exhausted with good efficiency. In addition, by making the collective piping 42, the large-diameter piping 44, and the second common piping 46 continuous pipes of the same diameter, flow resistance at the connection point between the piping is reduced. In this way, when the large-diameter valve 440 is opened to exhaust a large flow of gas, the gas flowing from the common pipe 42 through the large-diameter pipe 44 to the second common pipe 46 can be exhausted with good efficiency. there is.

In this embodiment, the pipe diameter of the small-diameter pipe 45 is 25% of the pipe diameter of the large-diameter pipe 44. That is, the passage area of the small-diameter pipe 45 is 6.25% of the passage area of the large-diameter pipe 44 . For this reason, for example, if valves of the same type are used for the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450, the flow path area at the maximum opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 interposed in the small-diameter pipe 45 is , the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 can be selected so that they are less than 10% of the passage area at the maximum opening of the large-diameter valve 440. In this way, it becomes possible to make the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area of the small diameter valve 450 ten times or more of the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area of the large diameter valve 440 .

In addition, the ratio of the pipe diameters of the large-diameter pipe 44 and the small-diameter pipe 45 is not limited to the above example. It is preferable that the passage area of the small diameter pipe 45 is 50% or less of the passage area of the large diameter pipe 44 . In this way, since the adjustment precision of the passage area of the small diameter valve 450 is better than the adjustment precision of the passage area of the large diameter valve 440, highly accurate control by the small diameter valve 450 can be performed. .

<1-4. Flow of vacuum drying treatment>

Subsequently, the reduced pressure drying process in this reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 is demonstrated, referring FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of the vacuum drying treatment in the vacuum drying apparatus 1. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of a large-diameter valve and a small-diameter valve in each control mode. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a target decompression waveform.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 first performs a learning process (step ST101). In the learning process, the reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 acquires decompression curve data indicating a pressure change in the chamber 20 due to decompression exhaust for each predetermined opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 .

In the learning process of step ST101, after setting the pressure in the chamber 20 to atmospheric pressure of 100,000 [Pa] by atmospheric release, the pump 30 is driven and the valves 440 and 450 are opened at a predetermined opening degree. do. Then, the pressure change in the chamber 20 is measured by the pressure sensor 25 until a predetermined time elapses after the valves 440 and 450 are opened. In this way, the control unit 60 acquires the decompression curve data. By performing such a pressure measurement for each predetermined opening degree, decompression curve data are acquired for each of a plurality of opening degrees. The decompression curve data is held in the storage unit 63 as table data showing a corresponding relationship between the elapsed time and the pressure value for each opening degree of the valves 440 and 450, for example.

As shown in FIG. 5 , this vacuum drying apparatus 1 has a small diameter valve control mode in which the opening degree of the small diameter valve 450 is adjusted while the opening degree of the large diameter valve 440 is fixed, and a large diameter valve in which the opening degree of the large diameter valve is adjusted. It is possible to switch to valve control mode. Also in the learning process of step ST101, decompression curve data are acquired for a plurality of modes.

More specifically, the small-diameter valve control mode includes a first small-diameter valve control mode and a second small-diameter valve control mode. In the first small-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted while the large-diameter valve 440 is closed. In the second small-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted while the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is fixed. In the second small-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted while fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 to, for example, greater than 0% and 30% or less. In this way, the passage area can be controlled with high accuracy by the small-diameter valve 450 while ensuring a certain amount of decompression displacement or more.

Further, the large-diameter valve control mode includes a first large-diameter valve control mode, a second large-diameter valve control mode, and a third large-diameter valve control mode. In the first large-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted while the small-diameter valve 450 is closed. In the second large-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted while the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is fixed at the maximum opening degree. In the third large-diameter valve control mode, the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 are simultaneously adjusted to the same opening degree. The large-diameter valve control mode may also include a mode in which the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted while the small-diameter valve 450 is fixed at an opening degree greater than 0% and smaller than the maximum opening degree.

In the small-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450, it is possible to adjust the passage area with good accuracy and bring it close to the desired pressure reduction speed. On the other hand, in the large-diameter valve control mode, the pressure reduction speed can be adjusted with good response by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 whose flow path area can be adjusted in a large range.

In this embodiment, in the learning process of step ST101 and the vacuum drying process of step ST105 described later, the first small-diameter valve control mode, the second large-diameter valve control mode, and the third large-diameter valve control mode are executed. In the present invention, at least one of the small-diameter valve control modes and one of the large-diameter valve control modes need only be executable in the reduced pressure drying step.

In the learning process of the present embodiment, as the first small-diameter valve control mode, for example, the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is 0%, and the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is 5%, 7%, 8%, or 10%. Decompression curve data are obtained for the cases of %, 12%, 15%, 20%, 50% and 100%, respectively. Further, as the second large-diameter valve control mode, for example, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is 100%, and the opening degree of the two large-diameter valves 440 is 5%, 7%, 8%, 10%, 12% , 15%, 20%, 50% and 100%, decompression curve data are obtained, respectively. And, as the third large-diameter valve control mode, for example, all opening degrees of the two large-diameter valves 440 and small-diameter valves 450 are 5%, 7%, 8%, 10%, 12%, 15%, and 20% , 50% and 100% respectively, decompression curve data are obtained.

In this embodiment, after performing the learning process of step ST101, the reduced-pressure drying process of the board|substrate G advances. First, a target pressure value and a target reaching time are input to the input unit 70 (step ST102). In the present embodiment, a plurality of sets of a target pressure value and a target reaching time that is a time period until reaching the target pressure value are input to the input unit 70 . An example of the target pressure reduction waveform R constituted by the plurality of sets of target pressure values and target reaching times is shown in FIG. 6 .

In the target pressure reduction waveform R of the example of FIG. 6 , in the first period T1, the initial pressure value is atmospheric pressure of 100,000 Pa, the target pressure value is 10,000 Pa, and the target reaching time is 20 sec. In the second period T2, the target pressure value is 1,000 Pa and the target reaching time is 10 sec. In the third period T3, the target pressure value is 400 Pa and the target reaching time is 10 sec. Also, in the fourth period T4, the target pressure value is 20 Pa and the target reaching time is 5 sec. Then, after reaching the target pressure value in the fourth period T4, the pressure in the chamber 20 is returned to atmospheric pressure by inert gas purging in the fifth period T5. As in the target pressure reduction waveform R of the example of FIG. 6 , by reducing the pressure in stages, the treatment liquid applied to the surface of the substrate G is suppressed from splashing.

Next, the substrate G is loaded into the chamber 20 (step ST103). At this time, in a state where the valves 440 and 450 and the on-off valve 53 are closed, the lid portion 22 of the chamber 20 is raised by a chamber opening-closing mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the chamber 20 is opened. Then, the substrate G coated with the treatment liquid is carried into the chamber 20 and placed on the support pins 242 . After that, the lid part 22 is lowered by the chamber opening and closing mechanism. Thus, the chamber 20 is closed, and the substrate G is accommodated in the chamber 20 .

In this embodiment, although the carrying-in process of the board|substrate G of step ST103 is performed after the input process of step ST102, the order of step ST102 and step ST103 may be reversed.

Subsequently, based on the target pressure value and target reaching time input in step ST102, the opening degrees of valves 440 and 450 in the reduced pressure drying step are set (step ST104). In the reduced-pressure drying process of step ST105 described later, the substrate G with the processing liquid is dried by reducing the pressure in the chamber 20 . In the opening degree setting process of step ST104, the control unit 60 selects the control mode for each period based on the target pressure reduction waveform R constituted by the target pressure value and the target reaching time, and sets the target pressure reduction waveform R Decompression curve data that approximates the waveform according to each period of is selected. And the control part 60 sets the opening degree of the valve 440, 450 in each period based on the opening degree of the valve 440, 450 in the selected decompression curve data.

At this time, as a method of setting the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450, the opening degree of the most approximate decompression curve data may be set as it is, for example, and the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 may be set, or two approximate decompression curves With reference to the opening degree of the data, the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 may be calculated in consideration of the weight. Moreover, you may set the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 by other methods.

Here, the mode selection in the reduced-pressure drying process is demonstrated. In the first period (T1) in which the pressure reduction from the atmospheric pressure is started, the pressure reduction is easy to perform, but the pressure reduction speed greatly changes with a slight change in flow passage area. Also, in the first period (T1), which is the earliest stage in the reduced pressure drying treatment, bumps are most likely to occur. For this reason, it is calculated|required to control the decompression rate with good precision. For this reason, in the said period, reduced-pressure exhaust is performed by the small-diameter valve control mode with high adjustment precision of a flow path area. Thus, in the first period T1, when the pressure reduction rate is difficult to stabilize, by adjusting the opening of the small-diameter valve 450, the passage area can be adjusted with good precision and brought closer to the desired pressure reduction rate. Further, in the fourth period (T4) when the target pressure value is the lowest in the final stage of the reduced pressure drying process, since the reduced pressure exhaust power needs to be increased, reduced pressure exhaust is performed in the large-diameter valve control mode. In this way, by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 whose flow path area can be adjusted in a large range, the decompression rate can be adjusted with good response and brought close to the desired decompression rate.

In the present embodiment, the first small-diameter valve control mode is first selected in the first period T1 in which the pressure is reduced from atmospheric pressure. Next, in the second period (T2) in which the starting pressure value is 10,000 Pa and the target pressure value is 1,000 Pa, and in the third period (T3) in which the starting pressure value is 1,000 Pa and the target pressure value is 400 Pa, the third Select the large-diameter valve control mode. Then, in the fourth period T4 in which the target pressure value becomes the lowest 20 Pa, the second large-diameter valve control mode is selected.

That is, in the first period T1, the control unit 60 sets the large-diameter valve 440 to be closed based on the decompression curve data of the first small-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning process of step ST101, and closes the small-diameter valve ( 450) is selected. Similarly, in the second period (T2) and the third period (T3), the control unit 60 controls the large-diameter valve 440 based on the decompression curve data of the third large-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning process of step ST101. and the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is selected. Further, in the fourth period (T4), the controller 60 sets the small-diameter valve 450 to the maximum opening based on the decompression curve data of the second large-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning process of step ST101, and sets the large-diameter valve to the maximum opening. Select the opening degree of (440).

After selecting and setting the opening degree of each valve 440, 450 in each period (T1-T4), control part 60 performs a reduced-pressure drying process using the set opening degree (step ST105). At this time, in the present embodiment, the opening degrees of the respective valves 440 and 450 are feedback-controlled with reference to the pressure in the chamber 20 measured by the pressure sensor 25 while using the preset opening degrees as a reference. In addition, you may perform a reduced-pressure drying process, without changing the set opening degree.

Further, in the present embodiment, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in each period (T1 to T4) are set before all the periods (T1 to T5), but the present invention is not limited to this. Immediately before each start of each period (T1 to T4), the pressure in the chamber 20 measured by the pressure sensor 25 may be set as an initial pressure value, and the opening degree in each period may be set. In this way, even if the final pressure value in the immediately preceding period is different from the target pressure value, appropriate control can be performed in the next period.

In the reduced-pressure drying process of step ST105, in the first period (T1) to the fourth period (T4), the control unit 60 controls each valve 440, 450 by the opening degree and feedback control set as described above. control the opening Then, after the end of the fourth period T4, the controller 60 closes all the valves 440 and 450 to stop the exhaust from the inside of the chamber 20. Then, the on-off valve 53 is opened to purge the inert gas from the inert gas supply source 52 into the chamber 20 . As a result, the atmospheric pressure in the chamber 20 is raised to atmospheric pressure. When the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes atmospheric pressure, the on-off valve 53 is closed. This completes the drying process under reduced pressure.

After that, the substrate G is carried out from the chamber 20 (step ST106). In step ST106, similarly to step ST103, in a state where the valves 440 and 450 and the on/off valve 53 are closed, the cover portion 22 of the chamber 20 is raised by the chamber opening/closing mechanism. Thereby, the chamber 20 is opened. Then, the substrate G subjected to the vacuum drying treatment is taken out of the chamber 20 .

Even if a plurality of reduced-pressure drying apparatuses 1 manufactured according to the same design are subjected to reduced-pressure drying processing at the same opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 due to manufacturing errors or the like, the chamber in each reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 ( 20), there is a variation in the decompression rate within. Moreover, if the installation environment of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 is different, even if the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 is the same, the decompression rate in the chamber 20 will respectively differ. Therefore, depending on the installation environment of the reduced pressure drying apparatus 1, there is a possibility that a discrepancy may occur between the desired decompression rate and the actual decompression rate.

In this embodiment, the learning process of step ST101 is implemented before the reduced-pressure drying process of the board|substrate G performed by step ST102 - step ST106. In this way, the reduced pressure curve data is acquired under the same installation environment as when the reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 performs the reduced pressure drying treatment of the substrate G. By performing the reduced pressure drying treatment based on the decompression curve data, it is possible to suppress occurrence of a discrepancy between the desired decompression rate and the actual decompression rate. That is, the decompression treatment can be performed at a decompression rate close to the desired decompression rate, regardless of individual differences in devices or installation environments.

In addition, the learning process of step ST101 does not have to be performed for every reduced-pressure drying process of the board|substrate G performed by step ST102 - step ST106. The said learning process may be performed at the time of installation or relocation of the vacuum drying apparatus 1, or may be performed at the time of periodic maintenance.

In the present embodiment, the opening degree in each period (T1 to T4) is set in advance by the learning process of step ST101 and the opening degree setting process of step ST104. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The learning process of step ST101 is omitted, and the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450 in the reduced pressure drying process is selected based on the initial pressure value and target pressure value in each period of the target reduced pressure waveform R. , may be determined by feedback control based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 25.

<2. Modified example>

As mentioned above, although one embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, For example, you may carry out a modification as follows.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional configuration of a piping portion 40A of a vacuum drying device according to a modified example. This piping part 40A has four chamber connecting pipes 41A, a first common pipe 43A, two large-diameter pipes 44A interposed with a large-diameter valve 440A, and a small-diameter valve 450A interposed therebetween. 45A of small-diameter piping, 46A of 2nd common piping, 2 exhaust piping 47A, and 4 individual exhaust piping 48A.

In the example of Fig. 7, as in the above embodiment, the pump 30A is arranged on the lower side and the rear side with respect to the chamber 20A. After extending downward from the exhaust port 23, the chamber connecting pipe 41A is bent in the front-back direction. Then, two downstream end portions of the chamber connecting pipe 41A are flow-connected to one end portion of the first common pipe 43A extending in the left-right direction. In addition, the other two downstream end portions of the chamber connecting pipe 41A are flow-connected to the other end portion of the first common pipe 43A.

On the side of the first common piping 43A, the upstream ends of the two large-diameter piping 44A and the small-diameter piping 45A are connected to flow channels. The downstream side ends of the two large-diameter pipes 44A are flow-connected to two ends of the second common pipe 46A extending in the left-right direction, respectively. The downstream end of the small-diameter pipe 45A is flow-connected to the central portion of the second common pipe 46A.

The upstream end of the exhaust pipe 47A is connected to a connection point between one of the large-diameter pipes 44A and the second common pipe 46A. The upstream end of two individual exhaust pipes 48A is connected to the downstream end of each exhaust pipe 47A. Each of the individual exhaust pipes 48A extends in the front-rear direction and then downward. And the downstream end of each individual exhaust pipe 48A is connected to pump 30A.

In the above embodiment, the chamber connection pipe 41 is connected to the first common pipe 43 via the collective pipe 42 . However, like the example of Fig. 7, the chamber connecting pipe 41A may be directly connected to the first common pipe 43A. Moreover, the piping part 40 in the said embodiment differs from the piping part 40A of the example of FIG. 7 in the connection point of piping. However, the piping part 40A of the example of FIG. 7 is also symmetrically arranged in the left-right direction, and suction and exhaust can be equally performed in the four exhaust ports 23A. In this way, the point of connection between the pipes can be appropriately changed.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion 40B of a vacuum drying device according to another modified example. This piping portion 40B includes one chamber connecting pipe 41B, one large-diameter pipe 44B interposed with a large-diameter valve 440B, and one small-diameter pipe 45B interposed with a small-diameter valve 450B. and one exhaust pipe 47B. The small-diameter valve 450B has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve 440B.

The upstream end of the chamber connecting pipe 41B is opened in the chamber 20B. The downstream end of the exhaust pipe 47B is connected to the pump 30B. The upstream ends of the large-diameter piping 44B and the small-diameter piping 45B are each connected to the downstream end of the chamber connection piping 41B. Further, the downstream ends of the large-diameter pipe 44B and the small-diameter pipe 45B are flow-connected to the upstream end of the exhaust pipe 47B. That is, the large-diameter pipe 44B and the small-diameter pipe 45B are disposed in parallel between the chamber 20B and the pump 30B.

As in the example of FIG. 8 , there may be one exhaust port 23B connecting the inside of the chamber and the piping portion 40B. Also, depending on the shape and size of the chamber, the number and arrangement of the exhaust ports 23B can be appropriately changed. In the above embodiment, the exhaust port 23B is formed on the bottom surface of the chamber 20B, but the present invention is not limited to this. The exhaust port 23B may be formed on a side wall or upper surface of the chamber 20B.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion 40C of a vacuum drying device according to another modified example. This piping portion 40C includes three large-diameter pipes 44C interposed with eight chamber connecting pipes 41C, two collective pipes 42C, a first common pipe 43C, and a large-diameter valve 440C, It has two small-diameter pipes 45C, a second common pipe 46C, and two exhaust pipes 47C through which a small-diameter valve 450C is interposed. The small-diameter valve 450C has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve 440C.

The chamber connecting pipe 41C has an upstream side end opened in the chamber 20C. To the upstream end of the collective piping 42C, the downstream end of each of the four chamber connection piping 41C is connected to a flow path. The downstream end of all the collective piping 42C and the upstream end of all the large-diameter piping 44C and all the small-diameter piping 45C are connected to the first common piping 43C. To the second common piping 46, the downstream ends of all the large-diameter pipes 44C and all the small-diameter pipes 45C and the upstream ends of all the exhaust pipes 47C are flow-connected. The downstream end of the exhaust pipe 47C is connected to the pump 30C, respectively.

As in the example of FIG. 8 , the number of the large-diameter pipe 44B and the small-diameter pipe 45B may be one each. Moreover, like the example of FIG. 9, 3 or more large diameter pipes 44C may be sufficient, and 2 or more small diameter pipes 45C may be sufficient as them. That is, one large-diameter pipe and one small-diameter pipe may be used, or a plurality of pipes may be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the two large-diameter valves are operated at the same opening degree, but the present invention is not limited to this. When a plurality of large-diameter valves are provided, only a part of the large-diameter valves may be opened and the opening degree thereof controlled according to the required pressure-reduction exhaust force. The same applies to the case where a plurality of small-diameter valves are provided.

Further, the reduced pressure drying apparatus of the above embodiment was a part of the substrate processing apparatus, but the reduced pressure drying apparatus of the present invention may be an independent apparatus not installed together with other processing units. Further, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the above embodiment is for drying a substrate adhered with a resist liquid, but the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the present invention may also be used for drying a substrate adhered with other treatment liquid.

Moreover, although the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the said embodiment made the glass substrate for liquid crystal display devices a process object, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of this invention is other FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates, such as an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display apparatus. , semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording disks, and substrates for other precision electronic devices such as substrates for solar cells may be processed.

Moreover, you may combine each element which appeared in the said embodiment or modified example suitably within the range which does not generate a contradiction.

1: Reduced pressure drying device
9: substrate processing device
20, 20A, 20B, 20C: chamber
23, 23A, 23B: Exhaust port
25: pressure sensor
30, 30A, 30B, 30C : Pump
40, 40A, 40B, 40C: piping
41, 41A, 41B, 41C: chamber connection piping
42, 42C: collective piping
43, 43A, 43C: 1st common pipe
44, 44A, 44B, 44C: Large-diameter piping
45, 45A, 45B, 45C: Small Diameter Piping
46, 46A, 46C: 2nd common pipe
47, 47A, 47B, 47C: exhaust piping
48, 48A: Individual exhaust piping
50: inert gas supply unit
60: control unit
70: input unit
93: applicator
96: development department
440, 440A, 440B, 440C: Large diameter valve
450, 450A, 450B, 450C: Small Diameter Valve
G: Substrate

Claims (10)

A vacuum drying device for drying a substrate with a treatment liquid under reduced pressure, comprising:
a chamber accommodating the substrate and forming a processing space around the substrate;
A plurality of pumps for suctioning and exhausting the gas in the chamber;
an exhaust pipe portion connecting the inside of the chamber and the pump to a flow path;
Has a control unit for controlling the operation of each unit,
The exhaust pipe part,
A plurality of large-diameter pipes in which large-diameter valves are interposed, respectively;
A small-diameter pipe in which a small-diameter valve having a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve is interposed,
Each of the large-diameter valve and the small-diameter valve can change the passage area in the pipe by changing the opening degree,
The plurality of large-diameter pipes and the small-diameter pipes are arranged in parallel between the chamber and the pump,
The controller, in the reduced pressure drying treatment,
a small-diameter valve control mode for adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve while fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve;
It is possible to switch to a large-diameter valve control mode for adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve,
The exhaust pipe part,
A plurality of chamber connection pipes, one end of which is opened in the chamber;
A first common pipe that is directly or indirectly connected to the other ends of all of the chamber connecting pipes,
Further comprising a second common pipe that is directly or indirectly connected to all of the pumps and flow passages;
An upstream end of the plurality of large-diameter pipes on the chamber side of the large-diameter valve and an upstream end of the small-diameter pipe on the chamber side of the small-diameter valve are respectively connected to the first common pipe, ,
A downstream end portion of the plurality of large-diameter pipes on the pump side from the large-diameter valve and a downstream end of the small-diameter pipe on the pump side from the small-diameter valve are respectively connected to the second common pipe, ,
the plurality of chamber connection piping are each connected to either end of the first common piping as a flow path;
The small-diameter piping is connected to a flow path at the center of the first common piping,
The reduced-pressure drying device wherein the small-diameter piping is connected to a flow path at the center of the second common piping. According to claim 1,
The reduced-pressure drying apparatus, wherein the controller first executes the small-diameter valve control mode and then executes the large-diameter valve control mode in the reduced-pressure drying process. According to claim 1,
The small diameter valve control mode,
and a first small-diameter valve control mode for closing the large-diameter valve. According to claim 1,
The small diameter valve control mode,
and a second small-diameter valve control mode for fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve. delete delete According to claim 1,
The reduced-pressure drying device, wherein the small-diameter pipe that the exhaust pipe portion has is one. A substrate processing apparatus for applying and developing a resist liquid to a substrate, comprising:
an application unit for applying the resist liquid to the substrate before exposure;
a vacuum drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 7 for drying the substrate with the resist liquid under reduced pressure;
A substrate processing apparatus having a developing unit that performs a developing process on the substrate on which the exposure process has been performed. A reduced-pressure drying method in which the inside of the chamber is reduced in pressure and the substrate is dried by sucking and exhausting gas from a chamber containing a substrate with a processing liquid attached thereto through an exhaust pipe portion by means of a plurality of pumps,
The exhaust pipe part,
A plurality of large-diameter pipes in which large-diameter valves are interposed, respectively;
A small-diameter pipe interposed with a small-diameter valve having a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve;
A plurality of chamber connection pipes, one end of which is opened in the chamber;
A first common pipe that is directly or indirectly connected to the other ends of all of the chamber connecting pipes,
a second common piping connected directly or indirectly to all of the pumps;
An upstream end of the plurality of large-diameter pipes on the chamber side of the large-diameter valve and an upstream end of the small-diameter pipe on the chamber side of the small-diameter valve are respectively connected to the first common pipe, ,
A downstream end portion of the plurality of large-diameter pipes on the pump side from the large-diameter valve and a downstream end of the small-diameter pipe on the pump side from the small-diameter valve are respectively connected to the second common pipe, ,
the plurality of chamber connection piping are each connected to either end of the first common piping as a flow path;
The small-diameter piping is connected to a flow path at the center of the first common piping,
The small-diameter piping is connected to a flow path at the central portion of the second common piping,
As the decompression treatment proceeds,
a) fixing the opening degree of the large-diameter valve and adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve while performing suction and exhaust by the pump;
b) The vacuum drying method in which the process of adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve is switched while performing suction and exhaust by the pump. According to claim 9,
The vacuum drying method in which the said process a) is implemented at the beginning of the said reduced pressure treatment, and the process b) is performed after that.

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