KR20090070666A - Support unit and method for treating substrate of the support unit, and bake apparatus with the support unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A support unit, a substrate processing method of the support unit and a bake device including the support unit are provided to improve the efficiency of a substrate process by loading and unloading the substrate. A plate has a support surface where a substrate is placed. Lift pins are installed to move up and down through a hole formed in the plate. A driving cylinder(130) drives the lift pins up and down. A lift pin(110) includes a first pin and a second pin. The first pin is lifted by the driving cylinder and supports the lower surface of the substrate. A second pin(114) is lifted with the first pin and supports the side of the substrate placed on the support surface.

Description

SUPPORT UNIT AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE OF THE SUPPORT UNIT, AND BAKE APPARATUS WITH THE SUPPORT UNIT}

The present invention relates to a support unit for supporting a substrate, a baking process apparatus for heating or cooling a substrate during a photo process, and a substrate processing method of the support unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Semiconductor manufacturing processes and flat panel display manufacturing processes include apparatus for performing various processing processes on substrates such as wafers and glass substrates. Such substrate processing apparatuses usually have a support unit for supporting a substrate, and perform a process on a substrate placed on and supported by the support unit.

The general support unit includes a plate having a support surface on which the substrate is placed, a plurality of lift pins installed to penetrate the plate up and down, and a plurality of guide pins to prevent the substrate placed on the plate from being separated from the support surface. The support unit seats the wafer on the lift pins during substrate loading and then lowers the lift pins to load the substrate onto the support surface of the plate. At this time, the guide pins support the side of the loaded substrate to prevent the substrate from being separated from the support surface.

However, in the above-described support unit, when the substrate mounted on the lift pins is loaded on the support surface of the plate, a part of the surface to be processed is covered on the upper part of the guide pin so that the substrate is not normally placed so that process efficiency is lowered. Is generated.

In addition, the support unit of the above-described structure is formed with a plurality of holes on the plate for the installation of the lift pins and the guide pins. Thus, the tolerance of the pins may lower the precision of substrate processing of the respective pins.

The present invention provides a support unit for effectively supporting a substrate to improve process efficiency, a substrate processing method of the support unit, and a baking apparatus including the support unit.

The present invention provides a support unit for effectively loading and unloading a substrate, a substrate processing method of the support unit, and a baking apparatus including the support unit.

The support unit according to the present invention includes a plate having a support surface on which a substrate is placed, lift pins installed to move in a vertical direction through holes formed in the plate, and a driving cylinder for driving the lift pins in a vertical direction, The lift pin is lifted by the drive cylinder and is provided to be lifted with the first pin and the first pin supporting the bottom surface of the substrate, and the second pin supporting the side of the substrate lying on the support surface. Has

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plate has a guide groove which is formed so that when the lift pin is lowered for loading of the substrate, the lowering of the lift pin stops at the position where the second pin protrudes from the support surface Is formed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second fin has a side support surface facing the side of the substrate and an inclined surface inclined away from the center of the substrate toward the top from the upper end of the side support surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first fin is spaced apart from the second fin in a direction toward the center of the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of the connecting portion is provided at the same height as the upper surface of the first pin.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second fin is disposed to protrude upward from an upper surface of the first fin.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the side support of the substrate is made only by the second pins.

The baking apparatus according to the present invention includes a chamber for performing a process of processing a substrate therein and a support unit having at least one plate for supporting the substrate in the chamber and cooling or heating the substrate during the process, wherein The support unit includes lift pins installed to move up and down through a hole formed in the plate, and a driving cylinder for driving the lift pins up and down, wherein the lift pins are elevated by the drive cylinders and And a first pin supporting a bottom surface and a second pin provided to be lifted with the first pin and supporting a side of the substrate placed on the support surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plate has a guide groove which is formed so that when the lift pin is lowered for loading of the substrate, the lowering of the lift pin stops at the position where the second pin protrudes from the support surface Is formed.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second fin has a side support surface that faces the side of the substrate and an inclined surface that is inclined away from the center of the substrate in an upward direction from an upper end of the side support surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first fin is spaced apart from the second fin in a direction toward the center of the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of the connecting portion is provided at the same height as the upper surface of the first pin.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second fin is disposed to protrude upward from an upper surface of the first fin.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the side support of the substrate is made only by the second pins.

In the substrate processing method of the support unit according to the present invention, the substrate is loaded on the plate using a lift pin which is moved in the vertical direction, and the side of the substrate is prevented from being separated laterally from the plate using the lift pin. Support.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lift pin has a first pin for supporting a lower surface of the substrate and a second pin disposed at a position higher than the first pin for supporting a side surface of the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a portion of the second pin is provided to protrude from the plate when the substrate is loaded on the plate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the side support of the substrate is made only by the second pins.

The support unit, the substrate processing method of the support unit, and the baking apparatus provided with the support unit according to the present invention effectively support the substrate on the plate to improve the substrate processing process efficiency.

The support unit, the substrate processing method of the support unit, and the baking apparatus provided with the support unit according to the present invention effectively perform substrate loading and unloading to improve substrate processing process efficiency.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiment of the present invention may be modified in various forms, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. This embodiment is provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, that is, to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape of elements in the figures is exaggerated to emphasize clear explanation.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention will be described taking a baking apparatus for performing a semiconductor baking process as an example. However, the present invention may be applicable to any apparatus for processing a process by supporting a substrate on a predetermined support unit.

1 is a view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing a cross section taken along the line AA 'shown in FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lift pin shown in FIG. 1.

1 to 3, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention performs a process of processing a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) W. FIG. The substrate processing process may be a bake process for heating and cooling the wafer W in the semiconductor photolithography process.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 has a chamber body 10, support units 20 and 30, and a transfer unit 40.

The chamber body 10 provides a space for performing a baking process therein. The chamber body 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. One side of the chamber body 10 is formed with an entrance 12 for the entrance and exit of the wafer (W).

The support units 20 and 30 support the wafer W in the chamber body 10 during the process. In one embodiment, the support unit comprises a cooling unit 20 for cooling the wafer W to a predetermined temperature and a heating unit 30 for heating the wafer W to a predetermined temperature. Include. Each of the cooling unit 20 and the heating unit 30 has a plate having support surfaces 22a and 32a for supporting the wafer W during the baking process. For example, the cooling unit 20 has a cooling plate 22, and the heating unit 30 has a heating plate 32. The cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32 are arranged side by side inside the chamber body 10. Here, a plurality of ceramic protrusions (not shown) may be provided on the support surfaces 22a and 32a of the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32. The ceramic protrusion allows the target surface of the wafer W placed on the plates 22 and 32 to be spaced apart from the supporting surfaces 22a and 32a during the baking process. This is to prevent the wafer W from being damaged due to rapid cooling or heating of the wafer W when the surface to be processed of the wafer W directly contacts the support surfaces 22a and 32a. Each of the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32 is provided with a support member 100. Detailed description of the support member 100 will be described later.

The transfer unit 40 transfers the wafer W between the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32. The transfer unit 40 includes a guide rail 41, a first transfer arm 42, a second transfer arm 44, and a driving motor 46. And a timing belt 48.

The first transfer arm 42 and the second transfer arm 44 have a first arm 42a and a second arm 44a. The first and second arms 42a and 44a have long bar shapes that are generally horizontally arranged on top of the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32. The first and second arms 42a and 44a have a top surface on which the wafer W is placed. The first and second arms 42a and 44a are linearly reciprocated along the first and second directions X1 and X2 by the timing belt 48. The first and second arms 42a and 44a are linearly reciprocated in the first and second directions X1 and X2 along the guide rail 41. Thus, the first and second arms 42a and 44a are linearly reciprocated along the first and second directions X1 and X2, so that the first and second arms 42a and 44a are cooled plates 42 and The wafers W are alternately loaded / unloaded on the heating plate 42.

The drive motor 46 drives the timing belt 48 so that the first transfer arm 42 and the second transfer arm 44 load / load the wafer W onto the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32. Unload (load / unload). That is, when the driving motor 46 is rotated during the process, a pulley 47 wound by the timing belt 48 is rotated, and the first and second transfer arms 42 coupled to the timing belt 48 are rotated. , 44 is moved along the guide rail 41, so that each of the first and second arms 42a, 44a is moved in the first direction X1 or the second direction X2. At this time, the first arm 42a and the second arm 44a are moved in opposite directions. That is, when the first arm 42a is moved in the first direction X1, the second arm 44a is moved in the second direction X2, and the first arm 42a is moved in the second direction X2. When moved, the second arm 44a is moved in the first direction X1.

Subsequently, the supporting member 100 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the support member 100 according to the present invention supports the wafer W placed on the cooling unit 22 and the heating unit 32 during the process. In addition, the support member 100 supports the wafers W at the time of loading / unloading the cooling unit 22 and the heating unit 32 of the wafer W, and the support surfaces 22a of the cooling unit 22 and the heating unit 32. , 32a or spaced apart from the support surfaces 22a and 32a of the cooling unit 22 and the heating unit 32.

The support member 100 has a support pin 110, a lifting plate 120, and a driving cylinder 130. The lift pins 110 are provided along three edges of the supporting surfaces 22a and 32a of the cooling plate 22 and the heating plate 32, respectively. The lift pin 110 may include a first pin 112, a second pin 114, and a connecting member connecting the first pin 112 and the second pin 114 to each other. Has 116.

The first pin 112 has a pin shape that is generally vertically up and down. The first fin 112 is installed to vertically penetrate the holes 22b formed in the cooling and heating plates 22 and 32. The first fin 112 has an upper surface 112a which is in contact with the lower surface (to-be-processed surface) of the wafer W when the wafer W is normally placed on the lift pins 110.

The second pin 114 is disposed outside the first pin 112 with respect to the center of the support surfaces 22a and 32a. For example, the second fin 114 is installed so that a part of the second fin 114 is inserted into the groove 22c formed in the support surface 22a on the cooling plate 22. The second fin 114 has a side support surface 114a that supports the side surface W1 of the wafer W to prevent the wafer W from being separated. That is, during the process, the wafer W supports the side surface W1 of the wafer W placed on the cooling plate 22 so that the wafer W is laterally released from the predetermined position on the cooling plate 22. prevent. Here, the groove 22c formed in the plate 22 is supported by the side support surface 114a of the second pin 114 when the lift pin 110 loads the wafer W onto the plate 22. It is formed to have a depth enough to protrude from the surfaces 22a and 32a so as to face the side surface W1 of the wafer W. Accordingly, during the process, the groove 22c is positioned at the height lower than the height of the support surfaces 22a and 32a when the lift pin 110 is lowered for loading the wafer W. At the same time, the second pin 114 may function as a stopper for stopping the lowering of the lift pin 110 at a position to protrude from the support surfaces 22a and 32a.

In addition, the second pin 114 is placed on the wafer W such that when the wafer W is placed on the lift pin 110, it is placed in a position between the side supporting surfaces 114a of each lift pin 110. It has an inclined surface 114b for guiding it. The inclined surface 114b is inclined away from the center of the supporting surfaces 22a and 32a in an upward direction from the upper end of the side support surface 114a. Therefore, if a part of the edge of the wafer W is placed on the inclined surface 114b of the second fin 114 during the process, a part of the edge of the wafer W placed on the inclined surface 114b is moved downward along the inclined surface 114b. After sliding, the side surface W 114 of the wafer W is supported by the side support surface 114a.

The connection part 116 connects the first pin 112 and the second pin 114. At this time, the connecting portion 116 is such that the first fin 112 and the second fin 114 are disposed on a straight line extending radially from the center of the supporting surfaces 22a and 32a of the cooling and heating plates 22 and 32. The first pin 112 and the second pin 114 are connected. Therefore, the first fin 112 is disposed closer to the center of the wafer W than the second fin 114. The upper surface 116a of the connecting portion 116 has the same height as the upper surface 112a of the first pin 112. The upper surface 116a of the connecting portion 116 is in contact with the lower surface (surface to be processed) of the wafer W when the wafer W is normally placed on the lift pin 110.

The elevating plate 120 is provided to adjust the height of each lift pin 110. The elevating plate 120 is installed to be capable of raising and lowering up and down at the bottom of the cooling and heating plates 22 and 32. The driving cylinder 130 raises and lowers the lifting plate 120 up and down. When the driving cylinder 130 moves up and down the lifting plate 120 up and down, the height of the lift pins 110 is adjusted by the up and down movement of the lifting plate 120.

In the present exemplary embodiment, three lift pins 110 are disposed in each of the cooling unit 22 and the heating unit 32, but the number and arrangement of the lift pins 110 may be variously changed. have.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the lift pin 110 having the first pin 112 and the second pin 114, and the connecting portion 116 connecting them has been described as an example. Various changes and modifications can be made. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the lift pin 110a according to another embodiment of the present invention has an upper surface 112a, a side support surface 114a, and an inclined surface 114b formed on one pin. It can have a structure.

Hereinafter, a process of supporting the wafer by the support unit 110 according to the present invention will be described in detail. 5a and 5b are views for showing a substrate support process of the support unit according to the present invention.

When the baking process is started, the wafer W is loaded into the chamber body 10 through the entrance 12 and then placed in the cooling unit 20 or the heating unit 30. In this embodiment, a case in which the cooling unit 20 is placed will be described as an example.

The wafer W placed on the cooling unit 20 is placed on the lift pins 110 of the support unit 100. That is, referring to FIG. 5A, when the wafer W is loaded, the driving cylinder 130 of the support unit 100 raises and lowers the lifting plate 120 so that the upper surface 112a of the first fins 112 is cooled on the cooling plate. Protruding upward from the support surface 22a of (22). Thus, the loaded wafer W is placed on the top surface 112a of each of the first fins 112 and the top surface 116a of the connection 116. When the wafer W is placed on the top surfaces 112a and 116a of each lift pin 110, the side support surface 114a of each second pin 114 is the side surface W1 of the wafer W. By supporting the above, the wafer W is prevented from being separated horizontally from the support surface 22a. If a portion of the surface to be processed of the wafer W is placed on the inclined surface 114b when the wafer W is loaded, a portion of the wafer W placed on the inclined surface 114b is slid along the inclined surface 114b to form a first pin ( The wafer W is seated on the lift pins 110 by falling onto the upper surface 112b of the 112.

When the wafer W is placed on the top surface 1112a of each first fin 112, the support unit 100 rests the wafer W on the top surface 22a of the cooling plate 22. That is, referring to FIG. 5B, the driving cylinder 130 lowers the lifting plate 120 so that the wafer W placed on the lift pins 110 is placed on the support surface 22a of the cooling plate 22. Settle down. At this time, the processing surface of the wafer W placed on the support surface 22a may be in non-contact with the support surface 22a by a ceramic protrusion (not shown) projecting from the support surface 22a. When the wafer W is placed on the cooling plate 22, the wafer W is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cooling plate 22. Thereafter, the wafer W cooled to a predetermined temperature is removed from the unit body 10 through the entrance 12 and then transferred to a facility where a subsequent process is performed.

As described above, the present invention includes a lift pin that performs both a function of supporting the bottom surface of the substrate and a function of supporting the side of the substrate seated on the plate, thereby effectively loading and unloading the wafer (W). . In particular, in the present invention, when the wafer W is placed on the plates 22 and 32 during loading and unloading of the wafer W, the wafer W is placed on a guide pin that prevents the wafer W from moving horizontally. To prevent the wafer W from being abnormally placed.

In addition, the present invention minimizes the number of holes to be plated to three for the installation of the pins, thereby preventing the precision of the lift pin support and loading / unloading functions of the lift pins from degrading.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present invention. In addition, the foregoing description merely shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in this specification, the scope equivalent to the disclosed contents, and / or the skill or knowledge in the art. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the best state in carrying out the present invention, the use of other inventions such as the present invention in other state known in the art, and the specific fields of application and uses of the present invention. Various changes are also possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments. Also, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments.

1 is a view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 1.

3 is a perspective view showing the lift pin shown in FIG.

4 is a view for explaining a lift pin according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5a and 5b are views for showing a substrate support process of the support unit according to the present invention.

* Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

1: substrate processing apparatus

10: housing

20: support unit

110: lift pin

112: first pin

114: second pin

116: connection

120: lifting plate

130: driving cylinder

Claims (18)

A plate having a support surface on which the substrate is placed, Lift pins are installed to move in the vertical direction through the hole formed in the plate, and Including a drive cylinder for driving the lift pins in the vertical direction, The lift pin, A first pin lifted by the drive cylinder and supporting a lower surface of the substrate; And a second pin provided to be lifted with the first pin and supporting a side surface of the substrate placed on the support surface. The method of claim 1, In the plate, When the lift pin is lowered for loading the substrate, the support unit is characterized in that the guide groove is formed so that the lowering of the lift pin stops at the position where the second pin protrudes from the support surface. The method of claim 1, The second pin, And a side surface facing the side of the substrate and an inclined surface inclined away from the center of the substrate toward an upward direction from an upper end of the side surface. The method of claim 3, wherein The first pin, The support unit, characterized in that spaced apart from the second pin in the direction toward the center of the substrate. The method of claim 4, wherein The upper surface of the connection portion, And a support unit provided at the same height as the upper surface of the first pin. The method of claim 1, The second pin, And a support unit arranged to protrude upward from an upper surface of the first pin. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Side support of the substrate, The support unit, characterized in that only made by the second pins. In the apparatus for performing a semiconductor baking process, A chamber for performing a process of treating a substrate therein; A support unit having at least one plate for supporting a substrate in the chamber during the process and for cooling or heating the substrate, The support unit, Lift pins are installed to move in the vertical direction through the hole formed in the plate, A driving cylinder for driving the lift pins in a vertical direction; The lift pin, A first pin lifted by the drive cylinder and supporting a lower surface of the substrate; And a second pin provided to be lifted with the first pin and supporting a side of the substrate placed on the support surface. The method of claim 8, In the plate, When the lift pin is lowered for loading the substrate, the baking device characterized in that the guide groove is formed to stop the falling of the lift pin in the position where the second pin protrudes from the support surface. The method of claim 8, The second pin, And a side surface facing the side of the substrate and an inclined surface inclined away from the center of the substrate toward an upward direction from an upper end of the side surface. The method of claim 10, The first pin, Baking apparatus, characterized in that spaced apart from the second pin in the direction toward the center of the substrate. The method of claim 11, The upper surface of the connection portion, A baking device, characterized in that provided at the same height as the upper surface of the first pin. The method of claim 8, The second pin, The baking device, characterized in that arranged to protrude upward from the upper surface of the first pin. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, Side support of the substrate, A baking device, characterized in that only made by the second pins. A substrate processing method comprising loading a substrate to a plate by using a lift pin moved in an up and down direction, and supporting the side of the substrate so that the substrate does not deviate laterally from the plate using the lift pin. The method of claim 15, The lift pin, A first pin supporting a lower surface of the substrate; And a second pin disposed at a position higher than the first pin and supporting a side surface of the substrate. The method of claim 16, A part of the second pin, And a substrate is provided to protrude from the plate when the substrate is loaded on the plate. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, Side support of the substrate, And the second fins only.

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