TW202335139A - Heat treatment device and heat treatment method capable of maintaining the cleanliness inside a chamber and improving the quality of work-pieces without reducing productivity - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat treatment device and a heat treatment method, which can maintain the cleanliness inside a chamber and improve the quality of work-pieces without reducing productivity. The heat treatment device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber (10) capable of maintaining an atmosphere lower than the atmospheric pressure; an exhaust part (40) connected to the chamber (10) for exhausting the inside of the chamber (10); a support part (30) for supporting the work-piece (W) accommodated in the chamber (10); a heating part (50) for performing a first heating to heat the work-piece (W) while the work-piece (W) is supported by the support part (30), and performing a second heating to heat the inside of the chamber (10) at a temperature increase rate faster than that of the first heating while the work-piece (W) is not supported by the support part (30); and a gas supply part (60) for performing cooling by supplying gas into the chamber after the first heating and after the second heating.

Description

Heat treatment device and heat treatment method

The present invention relates to a heat treatment device and a heat treatment method.

In the production of flat panel displays (FPD) or semiconductor elements, a workpiece coated with a solution containing an organic material and a solvent is dried to form a desired film on the workpiece. As a device for drying, for example, a heat treatment device including a chamber capable of maintaining an environment at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and a heater for heating a workpiece provided inside the chamber is used. In addition to forming a film on the surface of the workpiece, this type of heat treatment device is also used to treat the surface of the workpiece.

When the workpiece is repeatedly heat treated, sublimates are generated in the chamber originating from substances contained on the surface of the workpiece. For example, when a workpiece is heated, a substance contained on the surface of the workpiece vaporizes, and may become solid and adhere to the inner wall of a chamber whose temperature is lower than that of the heated workpiece. When the substance adhered to the inner wall peels off from the inner wall of the chamber, it becomes particles and adheres to the surface of the workpiece, thereby causing a deterioration in the quality of the workpiece.

Furthermore, when the workpiece is heated, the temperature inside the chamber becomes high, so the members in the chamber expand due to heat. Furthermore, when cooling is performed after heating, the components in the chamber will shrink. As the components repeatedly expand and contract, the components rub against each other creating particles. Such particles may adhere to the workpiece during heat treatment, or the particles adhered to the inner wall of the chamber may peel off and adhere to the workpiece, thereby causing a decrease in the quality of the workpiece.

In order to cope with this situation, maintenance is required to remove particles adhered to the inner wall of the chamber, etc. periodically or based on the amount of particles adhered, the degree of quality degradation, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019/117250

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

During maintenance as described above, heat treatment of the workpiece cannot be performed. Therefore, if maintenance takes a long time or occurs frequently, productivity will drop significantly.

Embodiments of the present invention are made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment method that ensure cleanliness in a chamber and improve the quality of workpieces without reducing productivity. [Means to solve the problem]

The heat treatment device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber capable of maintaining an environment at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; an exhaust unit connected to the chamber for exhausting the chamber; and a support unit that supports the housing accommodated therein. The workpiece in the chamber; the heating unit performs first heating for heating the workpiece while the workpiece is supported on the support unit, and performs heating when the workpiece is not supported on the support unit. a second heating that heats the chamber at a faster temperature rise rate than the first heating; and a gas supply unit that supplies gas into the chamber after the first heating and after the second heating. , thereby cooling.

The heat treatment method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a first heat treatment in which a heating unit heats the workpiece while the workpiece is supported on a support portion in a depressurized chamber, and the gas supply unit supplies gas to cool the workpiece. ; Workpiece discharge processing, after the first heat treatment, the workpiece is discharged from the chamber; and second heat treatment, in a state where the workpiece is not supported by the support part, the heating part passes After the chamber is heated at a temperature rise rate faster than that of the first heat treatment, the gas supply part supplies the gas for cooling, and the exhaust part exhausts the chamber. [Effects of the invention]

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat treatment device and a heat treatment method that ensure the cleanliness in the chamber and improve the quality of the workpiece without reducing productivity.

The heat treatment apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] [summary] As shown in FIG. 1 , the heat treatment device 1 of the first embodiment is a device that heats a workpiece W in an environment at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure to form an organic film on the surface of the workpiece W. The workpiece W before heat treatment is a substrate with a solution coated on the surface. The substrate is, for example, a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer. A solution is a solvent containing organic materials. For example, a varnish containing polyamic acid can be used as a solution.

When the workpiece W is heat-treated in the heat treatment apparatus 1, the polyimide in the solution is imidized, and a polyimide film is formed on the surface of the substrate. In addition, before being carried into the heat treatment apparatus 1, the workpiece W is carried into a temporary baking apparatus (not shown) in an upstream step, and the solution is temporarily baked into a semi-solidified state. In the temporary calcination, a part of the solvent is evaporated from the solution in advance by leaving it in a pressure environment of 90° C. or lower and about 100 Pa for three minutes or more.

In addition, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction in each figure represent three directions that are orthogonal to each other. In this embodiment, the X direction is the left-right direction, the Y-direction is the front-rear direction, and the Z-direction is the up-down direction. However, these directions do not limit the installation direction of the heat treatment apparatus 1 .

[structure] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the heat treatment apparatus 1 has a chamber 10 , a cassette 20 , a support part 30 , an exhaust part 40 , a heating part 50 , a gas supply part 60 and a control device 70 .

(Chamber) The chamber 10 is a box-shaped container and has a structure that can be made airtight so that an environment at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure can be maintained. Openings 10a and 10b are provided at the front and rear of the chamber 10, and flanges 10d and 10e provided with sealing materials 10c such as О-rings are formed in the openings 10a and 10b, respectively.

With respect to the front opening 10a, an opening and closing door 11 driven by an opening and closing mechanism (not shown) is provided so as to be slidable in the up and down direction between an open position and a closed position. When the opening and closing door 11 is set to the open position, the front side of the opening 10a is opened, and the workpiece W can be loaded and unloaded.

Furthermore, the opening and closing mechanism switches the sealed state and the open state of the chamber 10 by moving the opening and closing door 11 in the front-rear direction. The sealed state is a state in which the opening and closing door 11 is pressed to the opening 10 a via the sealing material 10 c of the opening 10 a, and the inside of the chamber 10 is hermetically sealed. The open state is a state in which a gap is created between the opening and closing door 11 and the sealing material 10 c of the opening 10 a, and the inside of the chamber 10 is open to the atmosphere.

The lid 15 is attached to the flange 10e of the rear opening 10b via the sealing material 10c using a fastening member such as a screw (not shown), thereby airtightly sealing the inside of the chamber 10. By removing the cover 15 from the chamber 10, the cassette 20 described later can be put in and out through the opening 10b for maintenance.

(box) In this embodiment, the workpiece W is supported in the chamber 10 via the cassette 20 . That is, the workpiece W is carried in and out into the inside of the cassette 20 supported in the chamber 10 in the horizontal direction. The cassette 20 is arranged in multiple stages in the up-down direction in the chamber 10 . Each cartridge 20 is detachably arranged relative to the chamber 10 so that it can be taken out of the chamber 10 and maintained separately.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the cassette 20 is a box-shaped body having an opening 20 a at the front for loading and unloading the workpiece W. The cassette 20 is surrounded by four upper, lower, left, and right surfaces and a surface facing the opening 20 a to surround the workpiece supported inside. W. In addition, in FIG. 4 , for convenience of explanation, the vapor chamber 22 provided on the upper surface of the cassette 20 and the surface facing the opening 20 a is not shown.

The cassette 20 has a cassette frame 21 , a vapor chamber 22 , a workpiece support part 23 , and a cassette support part 24 . The cassette frame 21 is a skeleton structure including elongated members. The cassette frame 21 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped frame, and has a plurality of beams 21a extending in the front and rear directions along the X direction on the upper surface and the lower surface. The number of beams 21a is not particularly limited, but is set to four in this embodiment.

The vapor chamber 22 constitutes the surface of the cassette 20 surrounding the workpiece W, and suppresses the unevenness of the heat transmitted to the workpiece W. The vapor chamber 22 is, for example, a plate-shaped member made of a metal material with high thermal conductivity such as stainless steel. The vapor chamber 22 is provided on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the cassette frame 21 and on the surface facing the opening 20a, thereby constituting the box-shaped cassette 20.

More specifically, five vapor chambers 22 are provided at the top and bottom so as to be filled between the outer frame of the cassette frame 21 and the four beams 21 a. A uniform heat plate 22 is provided on the left and right sides of the box frame 21 respectively. Furthermore, one heat chamber 22 is provided on the surface of the cassette frame 21 facing the opening 20a. These vapor chambers 22 can be integrated into and out of the chamber 10 as the cassette 20, so maintenance is easier compared to conventional vapor chambers that need to be separately disassembled and installed. Moreover, a vapor chamber 22 is also provided inside the opening/closing door 11. When the opening/closing door 11 is moved to the closed position, the upper, lower and four sides of the workpiece W can be surrounded. In addition, the cassette frame 21 and the equalizing plate 22 are not strictly in close contact with each other, but have a gap for gas to pass through. Therefore, when the inside of the chamber 10 is exhausted through the exhaust part 40, the heat equalizing plate 22 is not in strict contact with the chamber 10. The area surrounded by the plate 22 supporting the workpiece W can also be vented.

The workpiece support part 23 supports the workpiece W. The workpiece support portion 23 is a rod-shaped body provided to protrude upward from the beam 21 a on the lower surface of the cassette frame 21 and supports the lower surface of the workpiece W at its front end. There is no particular limitation on the arrangement or the number of the workpiece support portions 23 . However, in this embodiment, four beams 21 a are provided at equal intervals. That is, 4×4 workpiece supporting portions 23 are provided in a grid shape on the lower surface of the cassette frame 21 . Furthermore, in order to avoid scratching the lower surface of the workpiece W, the front end of the workpiece support portion 23 is preferably formed into a hemispherical shape, for example.

The cassette support part 24 is a protruding part that protrudes laterally from the side surface of the cassette 20 and is supported by a support part 30 to be described later. The length of the cassette support portion 24 in the front-rear direction is, for example, the same as the length of the cassette 20 in the front-rear direction. The cassette support part 24 is supported by the support part 30 described later, so that the cassette 20 accommodated in the chamber 10 is supported in the chamber 10 .

(support part) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the support portion 30 supports the workpiece W accommodated in the chamber 10 . The support part 30 of this embodiment supports the workpiece W via the cassette 20 mentioned above. The support part 30 includes a frame 31 that is erected inside the chamber 10 and a support part 32 that is provided inside the frame 31 and supports the cassette 20 . The frame 31 is, for example, a skeleton structure composed of elongated members. The frame 31 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure and is provided with a plate-shaped inner wall on the side.

The support portion 32 is a pair of members provided on the inner wall of the frame 31 at the same height on the left and right so as to protrude inward. The pair of support portions 32 supports one cassette 20 by mounting the left and right cassette support portions 24 of the cassette 20 . Furthermore, the same number of a pair of support parts 32 as that of the cassette 20 is provided on the inner wall of the frame 31 in the up-down direction. The support portion 32 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped. The shape of the support portion 32 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped, and may have an L-shaped or U-shaped cross section. In the support part 32 , the protrusion direction of the cassette support part 24 and the length of the protrusion direction of the support part 32 are shorter than the cassette support part 24 . Furthermore, it is preferable that the length of the support portion 32 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the cassette support portion 24 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the length of the support portion 32 in the up-down direction is the length from the lower surface of the cassette support portion 24 to the lower surface of the cassette 20 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , six sets of a pair of support parts 32 are provided corresponding to the six cassettes 20 .

(exhaust part) The exhaust part 40 is a structural part that exhausts the inside of the chamber 10 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the exhaust part 40 includes a first exhaust part 41 , a second exhaust part 42 , and a third exhaust part 43 . The first exhaust part 41 is connected to the exhaust port 12 provided on the bottom surface of the chamber 10 , for example. The first exhaust part 41 exhausts the inside of the chamber 10 through the exhaust port 12 .

The first exhaust part 41 includes, for example, a pipe 41a, an exhaust pump 41b, and a pressure adjustment part 41c. The pipe 41 a is a gas flow path connected to the exhaust port 12 . The exhaust pump 41b is a pump that performs rough exhaust from atmospheric pressure to a first predetermined pressure. The exhaust volume of the exhaust pump 41b is larger than that of the exhaust pump 42b described later. As the exhaust pump 41b, for example, a dry vacuum pump can be used.

The pressure adjustment part 41c is provided between the exhaust port 12 and the exhaust pump 41b. The pressure regulator 41 c controls the internal pressure of the chamber 10 to the first predetermined pressure based on the output of a vacuum gauge (not shown) or the like that detects the internal pressure of the chamber 10 . As the pressure adjustment part 41c, for example, an automatic pressure controller (Auto Pressure Controller, APC) can be used.

The second exhaust part 42 is connected to the exhaust port 13 provided on the bottom surface of the chamber 10 , for example. The second exhaust part 42 exhausts the inside of the chamber 10 through the exhaust port 13 . The second exhaust part 42 includes, for example, a pipe 42a, an exhaust pump 42b, and a pressure adjustment part 42c. The pipe 42 a is a gas flow path connected to the exhaust port 13 . After the exhaust pump 41b performs rough exhaust, the exhaust pump 42b exhausts the air until it reaches a lower second predetermined pressure. The exhaust pump 42b has an exhaust capability capable of exhausting air to a high-vacuum molecular flow region, for example. As the exhaust pump 42b, for example, a turbo molecular pump (Turbo Molecular Pump, TMP) can be used.

The pressure adjustment part 42c is provided between the exhaust port 13 and the exhaust pump 42b. The pressure regulator 42 c controls the internal pressure of the chamber 10 to the second predetermined pressure based on the output of a vacuum gauge (not shown) or the like that detects the internal pressure of the chamber 10 . As the pressure regulator 42c, for example, APC can be used.

The third exhaust part 43 is connected, for example, between the exhaust port 14 provided on the ceiling surface of the chamber 10 and the exhaust system of the factory. The third exhaust part 43 has, for example, a pipe 43a and a valve 43b. The pipe 43a is a gas flow path connected to the exhaust port 14. The valve 43b is provided between the exhaust port 14 and the exhaust system of the factory.

When the cooling gas is supplied from the air supply part 60 into the chamber 10, the inside of the chamber 10 is cooled. However, once the pressure in the chamber 10 becomes equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure at this time, when the valve 43b is opened, the pressure inside the chamber 10 will be cooled. The supplied cooling gas is extruded from the exhaust port 14 to forcefully exhaust the inside of the chamber 10 .

(heating section) The heating unit 50 performs first heating and second heating. The first heating is a process of heating the workpiece W while the workpiece W is supported by the support portion 30 . That is, in a state where the workpiece W is carried into the chamber 10 and supported by the support portion 30 , the workpiece W is heated by the first heating, thereby performing the drying process of the solution. In addition, in this embodiment, the drying process also includes the case where the polyamide acid in the solution is dehydrated and imidized.

The second heating is a process of heating the inside of the chamber 10 at a faster temperature rise rate than the first heating in a state where the workpiece W is not supported by the support portion 30 . By heating the inside of the chamber 10 at a faster temperature rise rate than the first heating, the components in the chamber 10 undergo temperature changes that are different from those during the first heating. The sublimate remaining in the chamber 10 is discharged to the outside of the chamber 10 through a temperature change different from that during the first heating. Furthermore, due to a different temperature change from that during the first heating, the members in the chamber 10 thermally expand and rub against each other, thereby generating particles. By causing the members in the chamber 10 to rub each other to generate particles, the generation of particles caused by the friction of the members in the chamber 10 during the first heating is suppressed. That is, by performing the second heating with the workpiece W unloaded from the chamber 10 , the temperature is raised faster than the first heating and the inside of the chamber 10 is heated, thereby suppressing the transfer of sublimates or particles to the workpiece W. of attachment. The second heating is different from the heating for drying the workpiece W in that it is heated in an empty state without placing the workpiece W in the chamber 10 . Therefore, it is also called empty heating. In addition, particles generated due to thermal expansion of the components in the chamber 10 are discharged to the outside of the chamber 10 through the third exhaust part 43 in the cooling after the second heating described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the heating unit 50 is provided above and below the cassette 20 inside the chamber 10 . The heating unit 50 heats the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece W supported inside the cassette 20 . The heating unit 50 provided between the upper cassette 20 and the lower cassette 20 heats the lower surface of the workpiece W in the upper cassette 20 and heats the upper surface of the workpiece W in the lower cassette 20 . The surface is heated.

The heating unit 50 has at least one heater 51 . The heating unit 50 of this embodiment has a plurality of heaters 51 . As the heater 51, for example, a sheath heater, a far-infrared heater, a far-infrared lamp, a ceramic heater, a cylindrical heater, etc. can be used. The heater 51 of this embodiment has a rod shape extending in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the plurality of heaters 51 are arranged in the front-rear direction so that the entire surface of the workpiece W is heated equally.

(Air supply department) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the air supply unit 60 includes pipes 61 , 62 , and nozzles 63 and 64 . In addition, in FIG. 2 , the piping 62 and the nozzle 64 are omitted from the illustration, and in FIG. 3 , the piping 61 and the nozzle 63 are omitted from the illustration. The piping 61 is provided along the left-right direction on the back side of each cassette 20 (the surface opposite to the front surface where the opening 20 a is provided, the left side of the paper in FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The piping 62 is arranged in the left-right direction behind each cassette 20 in the chamber 10 . Therefore, the pipes 61 and 62 are arranged in an adjacent state behind each cassette 20 in the chamber 10 . Furthermore, the piping 61 and the piping 62 are provided in multiple stages in the up-down direction. In addition, the piping 61 and the piping 62 are carried out together when the cassette 20 is carried out from the chamber 10 . That is, the pipe 61 and the pipe 62 are provided in the cassette 20 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , gas is supplied to the pipes 61 and 62 from the gas supply device 65 . The gas in this embodiment is cooling gas. The gas supply device 65 includes a gas source 65a and a gas control unit 65b provided outside the chamber 10. The gas source 65a can be, for example, a high-pressure gas bottle, a gas supply pipe in a factory, or the like. The gas control unit 65b is provided between the piping 61 and the piping 62 and the gas source 65a, and controls the supply, stop, flow rate, etc. of the cooling gas to the piping 61 and the piping 62.

As the cooling gas, a gas that is difficult to react with the heated workpiece W, such as nitrogen or a rare gas (argon, helium, etc.), is used. The temperature of the cooling gas is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, normal temperature or lower.

The gas supply device 65 is detachably connected to the pipe 61 provided in the cassette 20 via a connecting portion such as a joint (not shown). That is, the piping 61 is connected to the gas supply device 65 when the cassette 20 is inserted into the chamber 10 , and is disconnected from the gas supply device 65 when the cassette 20 is taken out of the chamber 10 . Furthermore, the gas supply device 65 is connected to the pipe 62 provided in the cassette 20 .

The nozzle 63 corresponds to the first nozzle and is a cooling gas ejection portion provided on the side surface of the pipe 61 . The nozzle 63 sprays the cooling gas between the lower surface of the workpiece W and the lower surface of the cassette 20 , for example. Thereby, the cooling gas discharged from the nozzle 63 flows along the lower surface of the workpiece W, thereby cooling the cassette 20 , the workpiece W, and the inside of the chamber 10 (see the dotted arrow in FIG. 2 ). Furthermore, the nozzle 63 sprays the cooling gas to the area where the workpiece W is processed during the cooling after the second heating. The workpiece W is processed in the area surrounded by the vapor chamber 22 . That is, the nozzle 63 can spray the cooling gas to the portion where the vapor chamber 22 and the member supporting the vapor chamber 22 come into contact.

The nozzle 64 corresponds to the second nozzle and is a cooling gas ejection portion provided on the side surface of the pipe 62 . The nozzle 64 injects the cooling gas toward the contact portion of the components in the chamber 10 , that is, toward a location where expansion and contraction due to heat are caused and friction between the components is likely to occur. The location where friction is likely to occur may be, for example, a portion where the vapor chamber 22 and a member supporting the vapor chamber 22 come into contact. In this embodiment, in order to avoid the complexity of the drawings, the nozzle 64 that sprays the cooling gas toward the contact portion of the cartridge support portion 24 and the support portion 30 is illustrated. The contact portion between the cassette support portion 24 and the support portion 30 is also a location where particles are easily generated due to friction.

In addition, in addition to the above, the nozzle 64 is provided so that the direction in which the cooling gas is ejected is directed toward the side of the chamber 10 on which the exhaust port 14 is provided. Furthermore, the nozzle 64 sprays the cooling gas toward the outside of the area where the workpiece W is processed. In this embodiment, since the exhaust port 14 is located on the ceiling of the chamber 10, the nozzle 64 faces obliquely upward. Furthermore, the nozzle 64 faces outside the area where the workpiece W is accommodated. In addition, the term "facing toward the side where the exhaust port 14 is provided" is not limited to the case of facing the exhaust port 14 , but also includes the case of facing obliquely with respect to the surface on which the exhaust port 14 is provided.

As a result, the cooling gas discharged from the nozzle 64 can blow up the particles generated due to friction due to thermal expansion and contraction of the two components at the contact position between the cartridge 20 and the support part 30 , and mix them with the exhaust gas toward the exhaust port 14 . The air is discharged together (refer to the dotted arrow in Figure 3). Furthermore, since the cooling gas from the nozzle 64 is blown toward the outside of the workpiece W even when the workpiece W is accommodated, adhesion of particles to the workpiece W is suppressed.

(control device) The control device 70 is a computer that controls each component of the heat treatment device 1 . The control device 70 has a processor that executes a program, a memory that stores various information such as programs and operating conditions, and a drive circuit that drives each element. In addition, the control device 70 is connected to an input device for inputting information and a display device for displaying information.

The following examples include the first prescribed pressure and the second prescribed pressure, the first prescribed temperature to the third prescribed temperature, the prescribed temperature rising rate, the first prescribed time to the fourth prescribed time, the first prescribed number of times and the second prescribed number of times, and the prescribed timing. The desired value is input in advance to the control device 70 through the input device for specifying the reference time and the like. The entered desired value is stored in memory. Input devices and output devices include interfaces for sending and receiving various signals to and from external devices. For example, the input device includes a receiving unit that receives a signal notifying the arrival of the workpiece W from an upstream device, and the output device includes a transmitting unit that sends a signal notifying that the workpiece W can be accommodated to the upstream device.

The control device 70 of this embodiment includes an opening and closing control unit 71 , an exhaust control unit 72 , a first heat treatment unit 73 , a second heat treatment unit 74 , and an interruption processing unit 75 . The opening and closing control unit 71 controls the opening and closing mechanism of the opening and closing door 11 . That is, the opening and closing control unit 71 performs control to move the opening and closing door 11 to the open position and the closed position, or to switch the closed state and the open state.

The opening and closing control unit 71 controls the opening and closing mechanism to open the opening and closing door 11 and move it to the open position. After loading the workpiece W into the chamber 10, the opening and closing door 11 moves to the closed position and sets it in a sealed state. When unloading the workpiece W, after setting the inside of the chamber 10 to atmospheric pressure, the opening and closing mechanism is controlled to open the opening and closing door 11 and move it to the open position. After unloading the workpiece W from the chamber 10, the opening and closing door 11 is moved. to the closed position and set to a sealed state.

The exhaust control part 72 controls the pressure adjustment part 41c, the pressure adjustment part 42c, the valve 43b, etc. of the exhaust part 40, and controls the pressure in the chamber 10. The first heat treatment unit 73 controls the exhaust unit 40 , the heating unit 50 , and the air supply unit 60 to perform the first heat treatment including first heating and cooling on the workpiece W. The first heat treatment in this embodiment is drying treatment. The temperature control by the first heat treatment unit 73 is performed by controlling the amount of electric power supplied to the heater 51 based on the detection value of a thermometer (not shown) provided in the chamber 10 .

In the first heat treatment, the first heating and cooling are performed in a state where exhaust is performed and the pressure is reduced. As shown by the one-dot chain line in the graph of FIG. 5 , the first heating is performed in two steps: a first temperature increasing step and a first temperature maintaining step, a second temperature increasing step, and a second temperature maintaining step. In the first temperature increasing step, the workpiece W is raised to a first predetermined temperature, and in the first temperature maintaining step, the heat treatment is performed for a first predetermined time while maintaining the first predetermined temperature. The first predetermined temperature can be a temperature at which water or solvent contained in the solution is discharged, for example, 100°C to 200°C. The first predetermined time can be set to 15 minutes to 60 minutes, for example.

In the second temperature increasing step, the workpiece W is raised from the first predetermined temperature in the first temperature increasing step to a higher second predetermined temperature, and in the second temperature maintaining step, the second predetermined temperature is maintained while maintaining the second predetermined temperature. Time of heat treatment. The second predetermined temperature can be a temperature that causes imidization, for example, 300°C to 500°C. The second predetermined time can be set to 15 minutes to 60 minutes, for example. In order to obtain an organic film with a high filling degree of molecular chains, it is better to maintain 500°C for 15 minutes. In addition, both the first temperature rising step and the second temperature rising step may set the temperature rising rate to, for example, 5° C./min.

Furthermore, the cooling is performed by controlling the gas supply unit 60 through the first heat treatment unit 73, thereby supplying cooling gas from the gas supply device 65 and ejecting the cooling gas from the nozzles 63 and 64, thereby cooling the inside of the chamber 10 to the third predetermined temperature. The cooling steps up to this point set the chamber 10 in a standby state. The third predetermined temperature may be, for example, 50°C to 140°C.

For example, after the first heat treatment, if the temperature of the workpiece W to be carried out is normal temperature, the workpiece W can be easily carried out. However, in the heat treatment apparatus 1, the workpiece W is continuously subjected to heat treatment. Furthermore, a second heat treatment may be performed after the first heat treatment. Therefore, if the temperature of the workpiece W is brought to normal temperature each time the workpiece W is unloaded, the time required to raise the temperature of the next workpiece W and the temperature rise time of the second heating will become longer, and productivity may decrease. Therefore, it is preferable to set the third predetermined temperature for cooling as above.

In addition, if the opening and closing door 11 is opened before the temperature is lowered to the third predetermined temperature, the oxygen flowing into the inside of the chamber 10 through the opening 10 a will react with the components of the film coated on the substrate of the workpiece W, so that There is a possibility that the workpiece W having the desired film quality cannot be obtained. Therefore, the third stipulated temperature is lower than the temperature at which such reaction occurs.

The second heat treatment unit 74 controls the exhaust unit 40 , the heating unit 50 , and the air supply unit 60 to perform the second heat treatment including exhaust, second heating, and cooling without the workpiece W. The second heat treatment in this embodiment includes second heating, that is, air heating. The second heat treatment performed by the second heat treatment unit 74 is performed at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing is, for example, when a third predetermined time has elapsed from a predetermined reference time, when the number of times of the first heat treatment reaches the first predetermined number of times, when an operator inputs an instruction from the input device, and the like. The predetermined reference time is, for example, when a signal notifying that the workpiece W can be accepted is sent to the upstream device.

In the second heat treatment, as shown by the solid line in the graph of FIG. 6 , the temperature increasing step including the second heating is performed in one step. In the temperature raising step, the inside of the chamber 10 is heated to the second predetermined temperature that is the same as the first heating. However, the temperature rise rate in the second heating is faster than that in the first heating. For example, in the second heating, the temperature is raised to 300°C to 500°C at a rate of 10°C/min.

Moreover, the second heating is performed in a state in which the pressure is reduced by the first exhaust part 41 and the second exhaust part 42, similarly to the first heating. This is because if the temperature is raised in a state where oxygen exists, such as atmospheric pressure or low vacuum, the substances in the chamber may be oxidized. In addition, in the first heating and the second heating, although the temperature increase rates are different, the second predetermined temperature, which is the highest temperature of heating, and the pressure during pressure reduction are the same.

In addition, the second heat treatment is not intended to dry the workpiece W, but is used to heat the parts in the chamber 10 to expand and contract. Therefore, unlike the first heat treatment, once the second predetermined temperature is reached, a cooling step of cooling is immediately performed. That is, in the second heat treatment, it is not necessary to maintain the maximum temperature for a long time. By performing heating and cooling at such a high speed, the time of the second heat treatment can be shortened.

In the cooling step, the gas supply device 65 supplies cooling gas, and the cooling gas is sprayed from the nozzles 63 and 64 of the gas supply part 60, thereby cooling the inside of the chamber 10 to the third predetermined temperature. The third prescribed temperature may be set to 50°C to 140°C. In the temperature lowering step, when the air pressure in the chamber 10 reaches the atmospheric pressure or higher due to the ejection of the cooling gas, the valve 43 b is opened to exhaust gas from the third exhaust part 43 . Thereby, the particles generated by friction due to thermal expansion and contraction are discharged toward the exhaust port 14 and out of the chamber 10 together with the cooling gas ejected to the contact position between the cassette 20 and the support part 30 . In order to promote the movement of the particles and facilitate their discharge, the ejection amount of the cooling gas from the nozzles 63 and 64 (the ejection amount per unit time) is set to be larger than the ejection amount of the cooling gas during cooling after the first heating.

Furthermore, in the second heat treatment, the second heating and cooling cycle is performed a second predetermined number of times, whereby expansion and contraction of the parts in the chamber 10 are repeated to generate particles. The second predetermined number of times is two or more times. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , it is preferably performed three times. After the second heat treatment, the chamber 10 is in a standby state. In addition, the second heating and cooling cycle may not be set to the standby state until a signal notifying the arrival of the next workpiece W is received.

When receiving a signal notifying the arrival of the workpiece W in the temperature rising step in the second heating, the interruption processing unit 75 interrupts the second heating. As described above, the workpiece W is brought into a semi-solidified state by temporarily calcining the solution by a device further upstream of the heat treatment device 1, such as a temporary calcining device. When the interruption processing unit 75 receives a signal notifying the arrival of the workpiece W from such an upstream device before reaching the maximum temperature in the second heating, the interruption processing unit 75 stops the heating by the heating unit 50 and ejects the cooling gas from the nozzles 63 and 64 It is cooled to the third predetermined temperature, thereby setting the standby state. In addition, even if a signal is received in the cooling step, when the workpiece W is received, cooling must be performed until the workpiece W reaches the standby state, so the cooling step is continued.

[action] In addition to the above-described FIGS. 1 to 6 , the operation flow of the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 . First, the cassette 20 is inserted into the position of each support portion 30 in the chamber 10 with the opening 20 a facing forward, and is supported by the support portion 32 . In this embodiment, six cassettes 20 are accommodated by being supported on each support portion 32 . In addition, the workpiece W is not supported in the cassette 20 .

In this state, the opening and closing control unit 71 controls the opening and closing mechanism to bring the opening and closing door 11 into the open state and move it upward to the open position (step S01 ). Next, the workpiece W is loaded in by a robot arm (not shown) in order from the upper cassette 20 to the lower cassette 20 in the chamber 10 (step S02 ). The loaded workpiece W is supported by the workpiece support portion 23 provided inside the cassette 20 .

When the loading operation of the workpiece W is completed, the opening and closing control unit 71 controls the opening and closing mechanism, thereby moving the opening and closing door 11 downward to the closed position, and then moves it to press the opening 10 a, thereby closing the chamber 10 The inside of is set to a sealed state (step S03).

Furthermore, the exhaust control unit 72 controls the exhaust unit 40 to depressurize the inside of the chamber 10 (step S04 ). The pressure reduction is first performed by using the exhaust pump 41b of the first exhaust part 41 to perform rough exhaust from atmospheric pressure to the first predetermined pressure with the valve 43b of the third exhaust part 43 closed. Next, exhaust is performed by the exhaust pump 42b of the second exhaust unit 42 up to a second predetermined pressure lower than the first predetermined pressure. Thereby, the pressure is reduced to a pressure of about 1×10 ^-2 Pa to 100 Pa, for example.

When the internal space of the chamber 10 is depressurized to the second predetermined pressure, the first heat treatment unit 73 applies power to the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 to start the first heat treatment (step S05 ). In the first heat treatment, as shown in FIG. 5 , a first temperature increasing step (step S06 ) is performed to increase the temperature of the workpiece W to a first predetermined temperature. Next, a first temperature maintenance step of maintaining the first predetermined temperature reached by the temperature increase for a first predetermined time is performed (step S07 ). Thereby, moisture, gas, etc. contained in the solution of the workpiece W are discharged.

Next, the first heat treatment unit 73 controls the application of electric power to the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 to perform a second temperature increase up to a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature in the first temperature increase step. step (step S08). Next, a second temperature maintenance step of maintaining the second predetermined temperature reached by the temperature increase for a second predetermined time is performed (step S09 ). This heating forms an organic film on the surface of the substrate of the workpiece W through imidization.

When the second predetermined time has elapsed, the first heat treatment unit 73 stops the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 and performs a cooling step to cool the workpiece W on which the organic film is formed to a third predetermined temperature (step S10 ). That is, exhaust by the exhaust unit 40 is stopped, and the cooling gas from the gas supply device 65 is supplied by the gas supply unit 60 . Thereby, the inside of the chamber 10 gradually approaches atmospheric pressure, and the workpiece W is cooled.

When the inside of the chamber 10 reaches atmospheric pressure, the exhaust control unit 72 opens the valve 43 b and discharges the cooling gas to the outside of the chamber 10 through the third exhaust unit 43 . When the inside of the chamber 10 is cooled to the third predetermined temperature at which the workpiece W can be unloaded, the supply of the cooling gas by the air supply unit 60 is stopped and the system enters a standby state (step S11 ).

Next, the opening and closing control unit 71 controls the opening and closing mechanism of the opening and closing door 11 to bring the inside of the chamber 10 into an open state, and further moves the opening and closing door 11 to the open position to open the opening 10 a (step S12 ). Next, the workpiece W is sequentially carried out from the lower cassette 20 by a robot arm (not shown) (step S13).

When all the workpieces W are carried out from the chamber 10 , the opening and closing control unit 71 moves the opening and closing door 11 to the closed position through the opening and closing mechanism of the opening and closing door 11 , and moves the opening and closing door 11 to press the opening 10 a to establish a sealed state. (Step S14). Next, the control device 70 sends a signal notifying that the workpiece W can be accommodated to the upstream device (step S15 ). In addition, when the stop instruction of the heat treatment apparatus 1 is input (YES in step S16), the process is terminated.

When the heat treatment device 1 continues to operate (No in step S16), the second heat treatment unit 74 receives a signal notifying the arrival of the next workpiece W from the upstream device (Yes in step S17), and when the next workpiece W arrives, performs the above-mentioned Processing after step S01. On the other hand, after the signal notifying that the workpiece W can be accepted is output, that is, from the predetermined reference time, the signal notifying the arrival of the next workpiece W is not received (NO in step S17), and the third predetermined time has elapsed. In this case (YES in step S18), the second heat treatment is started (step S19). That is, if the workpiece W does not arrive within a predetermined time (third predetermined time) from the end of the first heat treatment, it is considered that the next first heat treatment cannot be performed, so this time is used to perform idle heating. For example, if some problem occurs in the upstream device and the workpiece W does not arrive at the heat treatment device 1 for a long time, empty heating can be performed.

First, the second heat treatment unit 74 controls the exhaust unit 40 through the exhaust control unit 72 to depressurize the inside of the chamber 10 (step S20 ). The pressure reduction is similar to the pressure reduction in the first heat treatment. The valve 43b is closed, rough exhaust is performed by the exhaust pump 41b, and then exhaust is performed by the exhaust pump 42b until the second predetermined pressure is reached. Thereby, the pressure is reduced to a pressure of about 1×10 ^-2 Pa to 100 Pa, for example.

When the internal space of the chamber 10 is depressurized to the second predetermined pressure, electric power is applied to the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 to perform a temperature raising step to raise the inside of the chamber 10 to the second predetermined temperature (step S21 ). As a result, components in the chamber 10 such as the cassette 20 and the support portion 30 undergo thermal expansion.

In this second heat treatment, if the second predetermined temperature is not reached during the temperature rise (No in step S22) and if a signal notifying the arrival of the next workpiece W is not received from the upstream device (No in step S23), the process continues. heat up. When the second heat treatment unit 74 reaches the second predetermined temperature (YES in step S22), the second heat treatment unit 74 performs a temperature reduction step (step S24).

That is, in the cooling step, the second heat treatment unit 74 stops the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 and causes the gas supply device 65 to supply the cooling gas, thereby causing the cooling gas to be ejected from the nozzles 63 and 64 of the gas supply unit 60 . Once the inside of the chamber 10 reaches atmospheric pressure, the valve 43b is opened and exhaust is performed through the third exhaust portion 43 . The supply of cooling gas is also continued at this time. As a result, the inside of the chamber 10 is cooled, so that components in the chamber 10 such as the cassette 20 and the support portion 30 shrink. The cooling gas from the nozzle 64 is blown upward to the contact portion of the cartridge 20 and the support part 30 , so the particles generated due to the thermal expansion and contraction of the cartridge 20 and the support part 30 are expelled together with the exhaust gas toward the exhaust port 14 discharge.

In particular, it is preferable that the length of the support portion 32 of the support portion 30 in the protruding direction is shorter than the length of the cassette support portion 24 in the protruding direction. At this time, the cooling gas sprayed from the nozzle 64 is sprayed to the portion where the cassette support portion 24 and the support portion 32 are in contact. Therefore, particles can be further discharged. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the length of the support portion 32 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the cassette support portion 24 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the length of the support portion 32 in the up-down direction is the length from the lower surface of the cassette support portion 24 to the lower surface of the cassette 20 . Therefore, the support portion 32 has a role of guiding the cooling gas from the nozzle 64 .

The cooling gas from the nozzle 64 flows in the front-rear direction along the support portion 32 . As a result, the cooling gas flows to the portion where the cartridge support portion 24 and the support portion 32 are in contact near the opening 20 a of the cartridge 20 . That is, the cooling gas is blown to the part where the cassette support part 24 and the support part 32 contact in the front-back direction. Therefore, particles can be further discharged. When the second heat treatment unit 74 is cooled to the third predetermined temperature, the supply of the cooling gas by the air supply unit 60 is stopped.

If the cycle of heating and cooling in the second heat treatment does not reach the second predetermined number of times (NO in step S25 ), the temperature increasing step and the temperature decreasing step are performed again after the pressure is reduced (steps S20 to S24 ) as described above. If the number of times of heating and cooling in the second heat treatment has reached the second predetermined number (YES in step S25 ), the chamber 10 is in a standby state, and when the next workpiece W arrives, the processing after step S01 is performed.

In addition, in the second heating, if a signal indicating the arrival of the next workpiece W is received from the upstream device in the temperature rising step (Yes in step S23 ), the interruption processing unit 75 stops the heating by the heating unit 50 and continues the process with the above-mentioned heating unit 50 . The temperature lowering step (step S26) is performed similarly. Then, the temperature reaches the third predetermined temperature in the standby state, and the supply of the cooling gas by the air supply unit 60 is stopped, and then the processing after step S01 is performed.

[Effect] (1) The heat treatment device 1 of this embodiment includes: a chamber 10 capable of maintaining an environment at a reduced pressure than atmospheric pressure; an exhaust part 40 connected to the chamber 10 to exhaust the inside of the chamber 10; and a support part 30 that supports The heating unit 50 performs first heating for heating the workpiece W accommodated in the chamber 10 while the workpiece W is supported by the support unit 30 , and performs first heating when the workpiece W is not supported by the support unit 30 . A second heating that heats the inside of the chamber 10 at a faster temperature rise rate than the first heating; and a gas supply part 60 that supplies gas into the chamber after the first heating and after the second heating. , thereby cooling.

Furthermore, the heat treatment apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a control device 70 that controls the exhaust part 40, the heating part 50, and the air supply part 60. The control device 70 has a first heat treatment part 73 that controls the heating part 50 and the air supply part. 60 performs the first heat treatment of performing first heating and cooling; and the second heat treatment part 74 makes the heating part 50 , the air supply part 60 and the exhaust part 40 A second heat treatment of second heating, cooling, and exhaust is performed.

Furthermore, the heat treatment method of this embodiment includes: a first heat treatment, in which the heating unit 50 heats the workpiece W while the workpiece W is supported by the support portion 30 in the depressurized chamber 10, and then the gas supply unit 60 The gas is supplied for cooling; the workpiece discharge process is to discharge the workpiece W from the chamber 10 after the first heat treatment; and the second heat treatment is to pass the heating part 50 through the heating part 50 in a state where the workpiece W is not supported by the support part 30. After heating the inside of the chamber 10 at a fast temperature rise rate during heat treatment, the air supply part 60 supplies gas for cooling, and the exhaust part 40 exhausts the inside of the chamber 10 .

Therefore, by performing the second heating and cooling while the first heating of the workpiece W is not being performed, particles generated due to expansion and contraction of the components inside the chamber 10 or sublimates that are easily discharged due to heating and softening can be removed from each other. The exhaust gas from the exhaust part 40 is discharged to the outside of the chamber 10 together, thereby maintaining the cleanliness in the chamber 10 . Therefore, quality deterioration caused by particles adhering to the surface of the workpiece W can be reduced, and the yield can also be improved. In particular, in the second heating, the temperature rise rate is faster than that in the first heating, so friction between members due to thermal expansion is likely to occur, so that particles that may be generated can be removed.

Furthermore, since sublimates and particles are removed by the exhaust gas, the frequency of maintenance for stopping the heat treatment apparatus 1 for cleaning can be reduced, thereby suppressing a decrease in productivity. Furthermore, since deposits in the chamber 10 can be reduced, the time required for maintenance can be shortened, thereby improving production efficiency. In addition, performing the second heating also maintains the temperature in the chamber 10 until the arrival of the next workpiece W, so the energy efficiency is also good.

(2) In the heat treatment apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the heating unit 50 and the air supply unit 60 perform the second heating and cooling multiple times. Therefore, the expansion and contraction of the member in the chamber 10 are repeated to generate and remove particles, so that the particles generated in the chamber 10 can be reduced in subsequent processing.

(3) The heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a nozzle 63 connected to the gas supply unit 60 for ejecting gas toward the lower surface of the workpiece W. Therefore, the gas can be blown into the area surrounded by the vapor chamber 22 where the workpiece W is processed. As a result, the gas can be blown to the portion where the vapor chamber 22 and the member supporting the vapor chamber 22 are in contact, and the particles can be removed together with the exhaust gas.

(4) The heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a nozzle 64 connected to the gas supply unit 60 for blowing gas to the contact portion of the components in the chamber 10 . Therefore, the gas can be blown to the location where particles are likely to be generated, and the gas can be removed together with the exhaust gas.

(5) The chamber 10 is provided with an exhaust port 14 for performing exhaust via the exhaust unit 40 , and the nozzle 64 injects gas toward the side of the chamber 10 on which the exhaust port 14 is provided. Therefore, it is possible to generate an airflow toward the exhaust gas and easily discharge particles.

(6) The amount of gas ejected from the nozzle 63 is larger in the cooling after the second heating than in the cooling after the first heating. Therefore, the flow rate of the blowing gas toward the contact portion and the flow rate of the exhaust gas increase, so that the particles are easily discharged. In order to cool the lower surface of the workpiece W, the nozzle 63 has an ejection port facing obliquely upward. In order to blow gas to the vapor chamber 22 attached to the lower surface of the cassette 20 , it is necessary to blow gas to the vapor chamber 22 attached to the upper surface of the cassette 20 . By increasing the amount of gas ejected from the nozzle 63, the flow rate of the gas ejected onto the vapor chamber 22 provided on the lower surface of the cassette 20 increases, thereby further ejecting particles.

(7) The amount of gas ejected from the nozzle 64 is larger in the cooling after the second heating than in the cooling after the first heating. Therefore, the flow rate of the blowing gas toward the contact portion and the flow rate of the exhaust gas increase, so that the particles are easily discharged.

(8) The maximum heating temperatures in the first heating and the second heating are the same. Therefore, particles that may be generated under the temperature conditions of the first heating can be removed in advance.

(9) When the second heat treatment unit 74 does not receive a signal notifying that the workpiece W has arrived in the chamber 10 from the predetermined reference time after the first heat treatment until the predetermined time has elapsed, the second heat treatment unit 74 causes the heating unit 50 and the supply unit 74 to operate. The gas part 60 and the exhaust part 40 perform the second heat treatment. Therefore, during idle time when the workpiece W has not arrived, it is possible to perform idle heating to discharge particles, and the production of the workpiece W is not hindered for the second heat treatment. Therefore, a decrease in productivity can be suppressed.

(10) The control device 70 has an interruption processing unit 75 that interrupts the second heating when a signal notifying the arrival of the workpiece W is received during the temperature rise process in the second heating. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the production of the workpiece W from being hindered and causing a decrease in production efficiency.

[Second Embodiment] The second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic structure of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, when the workpiece W does not arrive in the chamber 10 in the second heat treatment unit 74 from the predetermined reference time after the first heat treatment until the time required to perform the second heat treatment has elapsed, , causing the heating unit 50 , the air supply unit 60 and the exhaust unit 40 to perform the second heat treatment.

More specifically, in step S15 of the flowchart in the first embodiment, a signal notifying that the workpiece W can be accepted is sent to the upstream device. Next, a signal notifying a predetermined time of the arrival of the next workpiece W is transmitted from the upstream device that received the signal. In addition, the scheduled time for the arrival of the next workpiece W refers to a time interval of how much time is required before the next workpiece W arrives at the heat treatment apparatus 1 . Furthermore, the scheduled time for the arrival of the next workpiece W may be called t1. Once the signal sent from the upstream device is received, the scheduled time of arrival of the next workpiece W is compared with the time required to perform the second heat treatment. If the result of the comparison is that it is determined that the second heat treatment can be performed before the next workpiece W comes to the heat treatment apparatus 1, then the processing after step S19 is performed. However, if the predetermined time until the arrival of the next workpiece W is shorter than the time required to perform the second heat treatment, the chamber 10 is put into a standby state, and when the next workpiece W arrives, the processing from step S01 onward is performed. In addition, the time required to perform the second heat treatment may be referred to as t2.

t2 is, for example, the time required to perform one cycle of heating and cooling in the second heat treatment. Compare t1 and t2, and if t1≧t2, perform the second heat treatment. In addition, when the predetermined reference time is the time, t1 may be obtained based on the predetermined time when the next workpiece W comes to the heat treatment apparatus 1 and the predetermined reference time.

Furthermore, if t1≧t2, the number of repetitions of the second heat treatment is calculated. The number of repetitions is calculated by dividing t1 by t2 and discarding the calculated value after the decimal point. Here, if the obtained value of the number of repetitions is smaller than the value of the second predetermined number of times, the value of the second predetermined number of times is changed to the value of the number of repetitions. This makes it possible to perform idle heating to discharge particles during idle time before the arrival of the workpiece W. This prevents the second heat treatment from interfering with the production of the workpiece W. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in productivity.

[Modification] (1) The number of times of second heating and cooling in the second heat treatment is not limited to the number of times illustrated above. Furthermore, as illustrated in the second embodiment, if the time until the arrival of the next workpiece W is known in advance, the second heat treatment unit 74 may change the number of times based on this time. For example, if the time is relatively short, the number of reps can be reduced, and if the time is long, the number of reps can be increased. This time can be set based on the signal from the upstream device and the actual operation results.

(2) After cooling in the second heat treatment, specifically, after reaching the third predetermined temperature, the opening and closing door 11 may be moved to the open position and maintained in the open position during the fourth predetermined time. During the fourth predetermined time period, the cooling gas continues to be ejected from the nozzles 63 and 64 . Therefore, by setting the opening and closing door 11 to the open position during the fourth predetermined time period, the particles generated inside the chamber 10 can be discharged to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus 1 from the opening 10 a.

The cooling gas is discharged from the opening 10 a to the outside of the heat treatment device 1 , thereby changing the flow pattern of the cooling gas in the chamber 10 . Therefore, during cooling after the second heating, the gas also flows to the portion where the gas does not flow and becomes clogged. Therefore, particles are further discharged. Furthermore, the opening area of the opening 10 a is larger than the exhaust port 14 provided on the ceiling surface of the chamber 10 . Therefore, the conductance of the opening 10 a is smaller than the conductance of the exhaust port 14 . As a result, the amount of discharged gas increases, so particles are further discharged. Therefore, the particle discharge capability can be improved.

In addition, the fourth predetermined time can be appropriately determined by conducting simulations, experiments, or the like. The fourth predetermined time can be set to about 30 seconds to 10 minutes, for example. Furthermore, the difference time between the scheduled time of arrival of the next workpiece W and a predetermined reference time may be obtained. If the difference time is less than the time required to perform the second heat treatment, the opening and closing door 11 is moved to the open position. The cooling gas continues to be ejected from the nozzles 63 and 64 until the next workpiece W arrives. Furthermore, when the opening and closing door 11 is moved to the open position, the valve 43b provided in the exhaust port 14 may be closed or may remain open.

(3) The substrate and solution of the workpiece W are not limited to the substrate and solution illustrated above. The solution also includes a solution in which the liquid is temporarily burned and becomes a semi-solidified state (non-flowing state). The organic material is not particularly limited as long as it can be dissolved with a solvent. The workpiece W before heating may be only the substrate. Furthermore, it is also applicable to the heat treatment apparatus 1 which heats the workpiece W to form an inorganic film or the like on the surface of the workpiece W, or processes the surface of the workpiece W.

(4) By using the cassette 20, the plurality of vapor chambers 22 can be easily put in and out, so maintenance can be facilitated. However, in the heat treatment apparatus 1 of the present invention, the cassette 20 is not essential. That is, the support of the workpiece W by the support part 30 includes both the case where the workpiece W is directly supported and the case where the workpiece W is indirectly supported.

(5) The heater 51 of the heating unit 50 may be a heater for performing the first heat treatment and a heater for performing the second heat treatment as independent heaters. However, by using the common heater 51 as described above, it is possible to reduce power consumption, reduce manufacturing costs, save space, and the like. In addition, the heater 51 is not limited to the heater illustrated above as long as it can heat the workpiece W in an environment with a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.

(6) The gas control unit 65b is provided between the piping 61 and the piping 62 and the gas source 65a to control the supply, stop and flow rate of the cooling gas to the piping 61 and the piping 62. However, it may be provided separately in the piping 61 and the piping 62. The gas control unit thereby controls the ejection of the cooling gas from the nozzles 63 and 64 respectively. For example, the cooling gas may not be ejected from the nozzle 64 in the first heat treatment, and the cooling gas may be ejected from the nozzle 64 only in the temperature lowering step in the second heat treatment.

(7) The first heating is performed in two steps, but it is not limited to this. The process may be selected based on the type of the workpiece W or the composition or state of the solution applied to the surface of the workpiece W, and may be one step or three or more steps.

(8) The nozzle 64 is configured to eject the cooling gas toward the side of the chamber 10 where the exhaust port 14 is provided with respect to the parts in the chamber 10 where friction is likely to occur. However, the nozzle 64 is not limited to this. The nozzle 64 may have its ejection port ejecting the cooling gas toward the side opposite to the side where the exhaust port 14 is provided in the chamber 10 . Furthermore, the nozzle 64 injects the cooling gas toward the outside of the area where the workpiece W is processed, but is not limited to this. The nozzle 64 may also spray the cooling gas to the vapor chamber installed on the upper surface of the cassette 20 or the lower surface of the cassette 20 . Alternatively, the nozzle 64 may spray the cooling gas toward the vapor chamber installed on the side of the cassette 20 .

(9) The gas supply device 65 supplies cooling gas, but is not limited to this. The gas supply device 65 may have a plurality of gas sources 65 a so that the gas supplied to the chamber 10 can be changed according to the temperature in the chamber 10 . For example, once the temperature in the chamber 10 reaches 200° C. or lower, clean dry air (Clean Dry Air, CDA) may be supplied into the chamber 10 instead of the cooling gas. For example, after cooling in the second heat treatment, CDA may be supplied into the chamber 10 while the door 11 is open, that is, during the fourth predetermined time.

[Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes other embodiments shown below. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a combination of all or any of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments described below. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and modifications thereof are also included in the present invention.

1:Heat treatment device 10: Chamber 10a, 10b: opening 10c:Sealing material 10d, 10e: flange 11:Open and close the door 12, 13, 14: Exhaust port 15: cover 20:Box 20a: opening 21: Box frame 21a:Liang 22:Vapor chamber 23: Workpiece support part 24: Cassette support part 30: Support part 31:Frame 32:Support part 40:Exhaust part 41:First exhaust part 41a:Piping 41b:Exhaust pump 41c: Pressure adjustment part 42:Second exhaust part 42a:Piping 42b:Exhaust pump 42c: Pressure adjustment part 43:Third exhaust part 43a:Piping 43b: valve 50:Heating part 51:Heater 60:Air supply department 61, 62: Piping 63, 64, 65: Gas supply device 65a:Gas source 65b: Gas control department 70:Control device 71: Opening and closing control part 72: Exhaust control department 73:First heat treatment department 74:Second Heat Treatment Department 75: Interrupt processing department S01～S26: Steps W: workpiece

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a heat treatment apparatus illustrating the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat treatment device taken along arrow A-A in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat treatment device taken along arrow B-B in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the inside of the cassette and the piping and nozzle of the air supply unit. FIG. 5 is a graph showing temperature changes in the first heat treatment. FIG. 6 is a graph showing temperature changes in the second heat treatment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment.

1:Heat treatment device

10: Chamber

10a: Open your mouth

10c:Sealing material

10d: flange

11:Open and close the door

12, 13, 14: Exhaust port

20:Box

20a: opening

23: Workpiece support part

24: Cassette support part

30: Support part

31:Frame

32:Support part

40:Exhaust part

41:First exhaust part

41a:Piping

41b:Exhaust pump

41c: Pressure adjustment part

42:Second exhaust part

42a:Piping

42b:Exhaust pump

42c: Pressure adjustment part

43:Third exhaust part

43a:Piping

43b: valve

50:Heating part

51:Heater

60:Air supply department

61, 62: Piping

63, 64: Gas supply device

70:Control device

71: Opening and closing control part

72: Exhaust control department

73:First heat treatment department

74:Second Heat Treatment Department

75: Interrupt processing department

W: workpiece

Claims (14)

A heat treatment device including: Chamber, capable of maintaining an environment at reduced pressure than atmospheric pressure; An exhaust part, connected to the chamber, exhausts the chamber; a support part that supports the workpiece accommodated in the chamber; The heating unit performs first heating for heating the workpiece in a state where the workpiece is supported by the support unit, and performs heating at a temperature higher than the said workpiece when the workpiece is not supported by the support unit. The fast heating rate of the first heating is used to heat the second heating in the chamber; and The gas supply unit supplies gas into the chamber after the first heating and after the second heating, thereby cooling the chamber. The heat treatment device according to claim 1, wherein The heating part and the air supply part perform the second heating and the cooling after the second heating multiple times. The heat treatment device according to claim 1, wherein A first nozzle is provided, and the first nozzle is connected to the gas supply part and ejects the gas toward the lower surface of the workpiece. The heat treatment device according to claim 3, wherein A second nozzle is provided, and the second nozzle is connected to the gas supply part and blows the gas to the contact portion of the component in the chamber. The heat treatment device according to claim 4, wherein The chamber is provided with an exhaust port for performing exhaust via the exhaust portion, The second nozzle sprays the gas toward the side of the chamber where the exhaust port is provided. The heat treatment device according to claim 3, wherein The amount of gas ejected from the first nozzle is larger in the cooling after the second heating than in the cooling after the first heating. The heat treatment device according to claim 4, wherein The ejection amount of the gas from the second nozzle is larger in the cooling after the second heating than in the cooling after the first heating. The heat treatment device according to claim 1, wherein The highest heating temperatures in the first heating and the second heating are the same. The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The chamber is provided with an opening and has an opening and closing door. The opening and closing door moves to an open position and a closed position relative to the opening, thereby switching the closed state and the open state of the chamber, After the second heating and the cooling after the second heating are completed, the gas is continued to be ejected and the opening and closing door is moved to the open position. The heat treatment device as claimed in claim 1, having a control device for controlling the exhaust part, the heating part, and the air supply part, The control device has: a first heat treatment unit that causes the heating unit and the air supply unit to perform the first heat treatment of performing the first heating and cooling; and The second heat treatment part causes the heating part, the air supply part and the exhaust part to perform the second heating after the workpiece that has been subjected to the first heat treatment is discharged from the chamber. Cooling second heat treatment. The heat treatment device according to claim 10, wherein When the second heat treatment unit does not receive a signal notifying that the workpiece has arrived in the chamber from a predetermined reference time after the first heat treatment until a predetermined time has elapsed, the second heat treatment unit causes the heating The second heat treatment is performed on the air supply part and the exhaust part. The heat treatment device according to claim 10, wherein In the second heat treatment section, when the workpiece has not yet arrived in the chamber from a predetermined reference time after the first heat treatment until the time required to perform the second heat treatment has elapsed, The heating part, the air supply part, and the exhaust part are caused to perform the second heat treatment. The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein The control device includes an interruption processing unit that interrupts the second heating when a signal notifying the arrival of the workpiece is received during a temperature rise in the second heating. A heat treatment method including: In the first heat treatment, in a state where the workpiece is supported on the support part in the depressurized chamber, the heating part heats the workpiece, and the gas supply part supplies gas to cool it; a workpiece discharge process to discharge the workpiece from the chamber after the first heat treatment; and In the second heat treatment, in a state where the workpiece is not supported by the support part, the heating part heats the chamber at a faster temperature rise rate than the first heat treatment, and the air supply part supplies The gas is cooled, and the exhaust part exhausts the chamber.