TWI761687B - Reduced pressure drying apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and reduced pressure drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology that can accurately adjust the decompression speed even when the exhaust volume is small.

In this decompression drying apparatus 1, the exhaust piping part 40 which connects the pump 30 in the chamber 20 has the large diameter piping 44 and the small diameter piping 45 arrange|positioned in parallel between the chamber 20 and the pump 30. The small-diameter piping 45 has a smaller diameter than the large-diameter piping 44 . The control unit 60 can be switched to the following modes in the decompression drying process: a small-diameter valve control mode, which fixes the opening of the large-diameter valve 440 and adjusts the opening of the small-diameter valve 450; and a large-diameter valve control mode, which It is used to adjust the opening of the large diameter valve 440. Thereby, when the decompression exhaust volume is small, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve can be adjusted, and the flow path area can be adjusted accurately. When the decompression exhaust volume is large, the opening degree of the large-diameter valve that can adjust the flow path area in a wide range can be adjusted, and the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness.

Description

Vacuum drying device, substrate processing device, and vacuum drying method

The present invention relates to a technique for drying under reduced pressure a substrate on which a treatment liquid is attached.

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

When a process liquid, such as photoresist applied to a board|substrate, is dried to form a thin film, there exists a possibility that bumping may generate|occur|produce if a rapid pressure reduction is performed. Bumping is caused by the rapid evaporation of the solvent component in the photoresist coated on the surface of the substrate. If bumping occurs during the drying treatment under reduced pressure, the defoaming phenomenon in which small bubbles are formed on the surface of the photoresist will occur. Therefore, in the reduced-pressure drying process, it is necessary to gradually reduce the pressure in the chamber without rapidly reducing the pressure in the initial stage.

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-261379

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

When changing the valve opening to adjust the exhaust volume from the chamber, the exhaust volume is determined by the flow path area in the valve. Regardless of the size of the opening, the adjustment accuracy of the valve opening is roughly constant. That is, when the opening degree is large and the displacement volume is large, and when the opening degree is small and the displacement volume is small, the adjustment accuracy of the displacement volume is substantially constant. However, as in the initial stage of the decompression drying process described above, when the exhaust gas volume is small, it is required to adjust the decompression speed with particularly good accuracy.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum drying apparatus having a valve whose opening degree can be changed, which can accurately adjust the decompression speed even when the exhaust volume is small. technology.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present application is a vacuum drying apparatus for drying a substrate to which a processing liquid is attached under reduced pressure, comprising: a chamber for accommodating the above-mentioned substrate and formed around the above-mentioned substrate a processing space; a pump for sucking and exhausting the gas in the chamber; an exhaust piping part for connecting the chamber with the pump; and a control part for controlling the operation of each part; the exhaust piping The part includes: large-diameter piping, which is interposed with a large-diameter valve; and small-diameter piping, which is interposed with a small-diameter valve whose pipe diameter is smaller than that of the above-mentioned large-diameter valve; the above-mentioned large-diameter valve and the above-mentioned small-diameter valve can be respectively connected by The opening degree is changed to change the flow path area in the piping, the large-diameter piping and the small-diameter piping are arranged in parallel between the chamber and the pump, and the control unit can be switched to the following modes during the vacuum drying process: small Diameter valve control mode, which fixes the opening of the large-diameter valve and adjusts the opening of the small-diameter valve; and large-diameter valve control mode, which adjusts the opening of the large-diameter valve.

The second invention of the present application is the vacuum drying apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the control unit executes the small-diameter valve control mode first, and then executes the large-diameter valve control mode during the vacuum drying process.

The third invention of the present application is the vacuum drying apparatus according to the first or second invention, wherein the small-diameter valve control mode includes a first small-diameter valve control mode in which the large-diameter valve is closed.

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

A fifth invention of the present application is the decompression drying apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the exhaust piping portion further includes a plurality of chamber connecting pipes, one end of which is open in the chamber. ; and the first common piping, which is The other end of the chamber connection pipe is directly or indirectly connected to the flow path, and the upstream end of the large diameter pipe and the upstream end of the small diameter pipe are respectively flow connected to the first common pipe.

The sixth invention of the present application is the vacuum drying apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein a plurality of the pumps are provided, and the exhaust piping portion further includes a flow path connected directly or indirectly to all the pumps. In the second common piping, the downstream end portion of the large-diameter piping and the downstream end portion of the small-diameter piping are connected to the second common piping through flow paths, respectively.

The seventh invention of the present application is the vacuum drying apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, wherein the large-diameter pipes included in the exhaust piping portion are plural, and the exhaust piping portion has a plurality of pipes. The above-mentioned small diameter piping is one.

The eighth invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus which performs application and development of a resist liquid on the substrate; and includes a coating section for applying the resist liquid on the above-mentioned substrate before exposure treatment. A substrate; the vacuum drying apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, which dries the substrate to which the resist liquid is adhered under reduced pressure; The substrate is developed.

The ninth invention of the present application is a drying method under reduced pressure, in which a gas is sucked and exhausted by a pump through an exhaust piping portion from a chamber in which a substrate to which a processing liquid has adhered is accommodated, and thereby the drying process in the chamber is performed. When depressurizing and drying the substrate; the exhaust piping portion includes large-diameter piping interposed with a large-diameter valve, and small-diameter piping interposed with a small-diameter valve smaller than the large-diameter valve, according to the decompression The processing is performed by switching to the following steps: a) performing suction and exhaust using the above-mentioned pump, and fixing the opening degree of the above-mentioned large-diameter valve and adjusting the opening degree of the above-mentioned small-diameter valve; and b) carrying out the step of using the above-mentioned pump suction row air, and adjust the opening of the large-diameter valve above.

The tenth invention of the present application is the drying method under reduced pressure according to the ninth invention, wherein the above-mentioned step a) is carried out at the beginning of the above-mentioned reduced-pressure treatment, and then the step b) is carried out.

According to the first to tenth inventions of the present application, in the small-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve, the flow path area can be accurately adjusted to approach a desired decompression speed. On the other hand, in the large-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve that can adjust the flow path area in a wide range, the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness.

In particular, according to the second and tenth inventions of the present application, by adjusting the opening degree of the small diameter valve in the initial stage of the decompression treatment, the flow path area can be accurately adjusted to approach a desired decompression rate. On the other hand, in the final stage of the decompression treatment, by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve that can adjust the flow channel area in a wide range, the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness.

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

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

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

1‧‧‧Decompression drying device

9‧‧‧Substrate processing equipment

20, 20A, 20B, 20C‧‧‧chamber

21‧‧‧Pedestal

22‧‧‧Cover

23, 23A, 23B‧‧‧Exhaust port

24‧‧‧Supporting mechanism

25‧‧‧Pressure sensor

30, 30A, 30B, 30C‧‧‧Pump

40, 40A, 40B, 40C‧‧‧Piping

41, 41A, 41B, 41C‧‧‧chamber connection piping

42, 42C‧‧‧Assembly piping

43, 43A, 43C‧‧‧First common piping

44, 44A, 44B, 44C‧‧‧Large diameter piping

45, 45A, 45B, 45C‧‧‧Small diameter piping

46, 46A, 46C‧‧‧Second common piping

47, 47A, 47B, 47C‧‧‧Exhaust piping

48, 48A‧‧‧Individual exhaust piping

50‧‧‧Inert Gas Supply Section

51‧‧‧Inert gas supply piping

52‧‧‧Inert gas supply source

53‧‧‧On-off valve

60‧‧‧Control

61‧‧‧Operation Processing Department

62‧‧‧Memory

63‧‧‧Storage

70‧‧‧Input

90‧‧‧Moving in

91‧‧‧Cleaning Department

92‧‧‧Dewatering and baking section

93‧‧‧Coating Department

94‧‧‧Pre-baking Section

95‧‧‧Exposure Department

96‧‧‧Development Department

97‧‧‧Shower

98‧‧‧Post-baking

99‧‧‧Removal Department

221‧‧‧Sealing material

241‧‧‧Support plate

242‧‧‧Support pin

243‧‧‧Support column

440, 440A, 440B, 440C‧‧‧Large diameter valve

450, 450A, 450B, 450C‧‧‧Small diameter valve

G‧‧‧Substrate

R‧‧‧Target decompression waveform

T1‧‧‧First Period

T2‧‧‧Second period

T3‧‧‧3rd period

T4‧‧‧4th period

T5‧‧‧5th period

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional structure of a piping portion of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of the vacuum drying process in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the large-diameter valve and the small-diameter valve in each control mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the target decompression waveform in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional structure of a piping portion of a vacuum drying apparatus according to a modification.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion of a vacuum drying apparatus according to another modification.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion of a vacuum drying apparatus according to another modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment> <1-1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 9 including a reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 9 of the present embodiment performs application, exposure and exposure of a resist liquid to a glass substrate G for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter referred to as a substrate G). A device for developing after exposure.

The substrate processing apparatus 9 includes a loading unit 90 , a cleaning unit 91 , a dewatering bake unit 92 , a coating unit 93 , a reduced pressure drying apparatus 1 serving as a reduced pressure drying unit, a prebake unit 94 , an exposure unit 95 , and a developing unit 96. The rinsing part 97, the post-baking part 98, and the carrying-out part 99 serve as a plurality of processing parts. The respective processing units of the substrate processing apparatus 9 are arranged adjacent to each other in the above-described order. The board|substrate G is conveyed to each processing part in the above-mentioned sequence as processing progresses, as shown by a dashed-line arrow by a conveyance mechanism (not shown).

The carrying-in unit 90 carries the substrate G to be processed in the substrate processing apparatus 9 into the substrate processing apparatus 9 . The cleaning unit 91 cleans the substrate G loaded into the loading unit 90 to remove organic contamination including fine particles, metal contamination, grease, natural oxide film, and the like. The dewatering baking unit 92 heats the substrate G to vaporize the cleaning liquid adhering to the substrate G in the cleaning unit 91 , thereby drying the substrate G.

The coating part 93 coats the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate G that has been subjected to the drying process by the dewatering baking part 92 . In the coating part 93 of this embodiment, the surface of the board|substrate G is apply|coated with the photoresist liquid (henceforth abbreviated as resist liquid) which has photosensitivity. Next, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 evaporates the solvent of the resist liquid applied on the surface of the substrate G by reducing the pressure, thereby drying the substrate G. The prebaking part 94 heats the board|substrate G which performed the reduced-pressure drying process in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1, and hardens the resist component on the surface of the board|substrate G. Thereby, a thin film of the processing liquid, that is, a resist film is formed on the surface of the substrate G. FIG.

Next, the exposure part 95 performs exposure processing to the surface of the board|substrate G on which the resist film was formed. The exposure part 95 irradiates extreme ultraviolet rays through the mask on which the circuit pattern is drawn, and transfers the pattern to the resist film. The development part 96 immerses the board|substrate G which exposed the pattern in the exposure part 95 in a developing solution, and performs a development process.

The rinse part 97 washes the board|substrate G after the development process by the development part 96 with a rinse liquid. Thereby, the development process is stopped. The post-baking part 98 heats the board|substrate G, vaporizes the rinsing liquid adhering to the board|substrate G in the rinse part 97, and dries the board|substrate G by it. The board|substrate G which processed by each process part of the board|substrate processing apparatus 9 is conveyed to the unloading part 99. Next, the board|substrate G is carried out from the carrying-out part 99 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 9. As shown in FIG.

In addition, although the substrate processing apparatus 9 of this embodiment has the exposure part 95, in the substrate processing apparatus of this invention, an exposure part may be abbreviate|omitted. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus may be used in combination with other exposure apparatuses.

<1-2. Configuration of vacuum drying device>

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

The chamber 20 is a mechanism for accommodating the substrate G and forming a processing space around the substrate G to be shielded from the outside. The chamber 20 has a base portion 21 and a lid portion 22 . The base portion 21 is a plate-shaped member extending substantially horizontally. The cover portion 22 is a covered cylindrical member covering the upper portion of the base portion 21 . The board|substrate G is accommodated in the inside of the frame which consists of the base part 21 and the cover part 22. Moreover, the sealing material 221 is provided in the lower end part of the cover part 22. Thereby, the communication between the inside and the outside of the chamber 20 is blocked at the contact portion between the base portion 21 and the cover portion 22 .

An exhaust port 23 is provided in the base portion 21 . Connected to the exhaust port 23 with Piping part 40 . Thereby, the gas in the chamber 20 can be exhausted from the exhaust port 23 to the outside of the chamber 20 through the piping portion 40 . Four exhaust ports 23 are provided in the chamber 20 of the present embodiment. However, the number of the exhaust ports 23 provided in the chamber 20 may be 1 to 3, or may be 5 or more. In addition, in the present embodiment, the exhaust port 23 is provided in the base portion 21 , but the exhaust port 23 may be provided in the cover portion 22 .

A support mechanism 24 is disposed inside the chamber 20 . The support mechanism 24 has a support plate 241 , a plurality of support pins 242 and a support column 243 . The support plate 241 is a plate-shaped member extending substantially horizontally. A plurality of support pins 242 are disposed on the support plate 241 . The support pins 242 extend upward from the support plates 241 , respectively. The plurality of support pins 242 mount the substrate G at the upper end thereof, and support the substrate G from the back. The plurality of support pins 242 are distributed in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the board|substrate G is supported stably. The support column 243 is a member for supporting the support plate 241 . The lower end of the support column 243 is fixed to the base portion 21 . Furthermore, the lower end of the support column 243 can also be fixed to other components such as a lifting device.

Moreover, the pressure sensor 25 which measures the pressure in the chamber 20 is provided in the chamber 20. As shown in FIG. The pressure sensor 25 of the present embodiment is provided on the base portion 21 , but a pressure sensor may be provided on the chamber connection piping 41 or the manifold piping 42 of the piping portion 40 .

The pump 30 is an exhaust device for exhausting the gas in the chamber 20 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pump 30 is connected to the inner space of the chamber 20 via the piping portion 40 . Therefore, when the pump 30 is driven, the gas in the chamber 20 is discharged to the outside of the vacuum drying apparatus 1 through the piping portion 40 . The pump 30 is driven with a fixed output to pump and exhaust the gas in the chamber 20 . Thereby, the inside of the chamber 20 is depressurized. The adjustment of the exhaust velocity from the chamber 20 is performed by the following valves 440, 450.

The piping portion 40 is an exhaust piping portion that connects the inside of the chamber 20 to the pump 30 in a flow path. The piping part 40 has four chamber connection piping 41, two collecting piping 42, The first common pipe 43 , the two large-diameter pipes 44 , the small-diameter pipe 45 , the second common pipe 46 , the two exhaust pipes 47 , and the four individual exhaust pipes 48 .

Each upstream end portion (one end) of the chamber connecting pipes 41 is opened in the chamber 20 . That is, the upstream end portions of the four chamber connection pipes 41 become the four exhaust ports 23 in the chamber 20, respectively. The downstream end portions (the other ends) of the two chamber connection pipes 41 and one collecting pipe 42 The upstream end is connected to the flow path. The downstream end portion of the other two chamber connection pipes 41 is connected to the upstream end portion of the other collecting pipe 42 in a flow path.

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

The downstream end portion of the one collection pipe 42 is connected to one end of the first common pipe 43 in a flow path. The downstream end of the other collecting pipe 42 is connected to the other end of the first common pipe 43 in a flow path. Thereby, the 1st common piping 43 and the other ends of all the chamber connection pipings 41 are indirectly flow-path connected. That is, all the exhaust ports 23 and the first common piping 43 are indirectly connected to the flow path. As a result, the suction and exhaust force from all the exhaust ports 23 can be made uniform when the pump 30 is driven.

One of the two large-diameter pipes 44 connects one end of the first common pipe 43 and one end of the second common pipe 46 in a flow path. The other of the two large-diameter pipes 44 connects the other end of the first common pipe 43 and the other end of the second common pipe 46 in a flow path. The small-diameter piping 45 connects the central portion of the first common piping 43 and the central portion of the second common piping 46 in a flow path. That is, the 1st common piping 43 and the 2nd common piping 46 are flow-path connected by the two large-diameter piping 44 and the one small-diameter piping 45 . Specifically, two large-diameter pipes 44 and one small-diameter pipe 45 are connected to the first common pipe 43 and the second The two common pipes 46 are arranged in parallel.

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

A small-diameter valve 450 is inserted into the small-diameter piping 45 . The small-diameter valve 450 can change the flow path area (opening area of the flow path) in the small-diameter piping 45 by changing the opening degree. The small-diameter valve 450 has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve 440 . That is, the flow path area when the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is the largest is smaller than the flow path area when the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is the largest.

For the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 of the present embodiment, for example, a butterfly valve whose opening degree is adjusted by changing the angle of the valve is used. Furthermore, the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 may be valves that can adjust the flow rate of the decompression and exhaust gas by their opening degrees. Therefore, instead of the butterfly valve, a ball valve (ball valve) or other valve can also be used.

In this way, the large-diameter piping 44 and the small-diameter piping are arranged in parallel between the chamber 20 and the pump 30 . In this decompression drying apparatus 1, by changing the opening degree of the valves 440 and 450, the flow path area of the piping part 40 is changed, and the exhaust volume is adjusted. The large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 have different valve diameters, so the accuracy of the flow path area that can be adjusted by the opening degree of the valve is different. Specifically, the small-diameter valve 450 can adjust the flow path area more precisely than the large-diameter valve 440 . Therefore, by using the large diameter valve 440 and the small diameter valve 450 respectively in this decompression drying apparatus 1, the large diameter valve 440 can roughly adjust the exhaust volume, and the small diameter valve 450 can finely adjust the exhaust volume.

The two exhaust pipes 47 connect the upstream end flow paths to the second common pipe 46, respectively. The upstream ends of two of the four individual exhaust pipes 48 are connected to the 1 The downstream ends of the exhaust pipes 47 are connected to each other in the flow path. The upstream end portions of the other two individual exhaust pipes 48 are connected to the downstream end portion of the other exhaust pipe 47 in a flow path. The downstream ends of the four individual exhaust pipes 48 are connected to the pump 30, respectively. Thereby, all the pumps 30 and the 2nd common piping 46 are indirectly connected by the flow path. As a result, even when there is variation in the suction and discharge force of the pump 30, since the pressure in the second common pipe 46 becomes uniform, the downstream end of the two large-diameter pipes 44 and the small-diameter pipes 44 can be made uniform. The suction and exhaust force at the downstream end of the piping 45 is uniform.

When the pump 30 is driven with the two large-diameter valves 440 and one small-diameter valve 450 all closed, the gas inside the second common piping 46 , the exhaust piping 47 and the individual exhaust piping 48 flows from the pump 30 to the pump 30 . The outside of the piping portion 40 is discharged. Thereby, the air pressure inside the second common piping 46, the exhaust piping 47, and the individual exhaust piping 48 is reduced.

When at least one of the two large-diameter valves 440 and the one small-diameter valve 450 is opened, the first common piping 43 and the second common piping 46 communicate with each other via the pipes 44 and 45 having the opened valves 440 and 450 . Therefore, when at least one of the two large-diameter valves 440 and the one small-diameter valve 450 is opened while driving the pump 30 , the gas in the chamber 20 is collected from the exhaust port 23 via the chamber connection pipe 41 , Among the piping 42 , the first common piping 43 , the large-diameter piping 44 and the small-diameter piping 45 , those with open valves 440 and 450 , the second common piping 46 , the exhaust piping 47 , and the individual exhaust piping 48 are directed from the pump 30 to the The outside of the piping portion 40 is discharged.

The inert gas supply unit 50 supplies the inert gas into the chamber 20 . The inert gas supply unit 50 includes an inert gas supply pipe 51 , an inert gas supply source 52 , and an on-off valve 53 . One end of the inert gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the inner space of the chamber 20 , and the other end is connected to the inert gas supply source 52 . The inert gas supply source 52 of the present embodiment supplies dry nitrogen gas as the inert gas. The on-off valve 53 is inserted into the inert gas supply Piping 51. Therefore, when the on-off valve 53 is opened, the inert gas is supplied into the chamber 20 from the inert gas supply source 52 . Moreover, when the on-off valve 53 is closed, the supply of the inert gas from the inert gas supply source 52 to the chamber 20 is stopped.

Furthermore, the inert gas supply part 50 may supply other dry inert gas such as argon instead of nitrogen. In addition, the decompression drying apparatus 1 may have an atmospheric air supply part which supplies air instead of the inert gas supply part 50.

The control part 60 controls each part of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 . As conceptually shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 60 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit 61 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 62 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and hardware. A computer of the storage unit 63 such as a disk drive is constituted. In addition, the control unit 60 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 25 , the four pumps 30 , the two large-diameter valves 440 , the small-diameter valve 450 , the on-off valve 53 , and the input unit 70 , respectively.

The control unit 60 temporarily reads the computer program or data stored in the storage unit 63 to the memory 62, and the arithmetic processing unit 61 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program and data, thereby controlling the actions of the various units in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 . Thereby, the reduced-pressure drying process in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 is performed. In addition, the control part 60 may control only the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1, and may control the whole board|substrate processing apparatus 9.

The input part 70 is an input means for the user to input the target pressure value and the target reaching time. The input unit 70 in this embodiment is disposed on the input panel of the substrate processing apparatus 9, but the input unit 70 may also be input means of other forms (eg, a keyboard or a mouse). When the target pressure value and the target reaching time are input to the input unit 70 , the data are taken in to the control unit 60 .

<1-3. About the arrangement of the piping section>

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the arrangement|positioning of the piping part 40 of this embodiment is demonstrated more concretely. As shown in FIG. 3 , below, the vertical direction is referred to as an up-down direction, the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction is referred to as a horizontal direction, and the direction in which the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 extend in the horizontal direction is referred to as front and rear In the horizontal direction, the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is called the left-right direction.

In the present embodiment, the pump 30 is arranged on the lower side and the rear side with respect to the chamber 20 . The chamber connection pipe 41 is bent in the front-rear direction after extending downward from the exhaust port 23 . The downstream end portion of the chamber connecting pipe 41 is flow-path-connected to the downstream end portion of the other chamber connecting pipe 41 arranged in the front-rear direction. Moreover, the connection part of the two chamber connection piping 41 is also a flow-path connection to the upstream side end part of the collecting piping 42.

The collecting pipes 42 are each extended in the left-right direction from the upstream end portion, and then bent, and extend rearward. The downstream end portion of the collecting pipe 42 and the upstream end portion of the large-diameter pipe 44 are flow-path-connected so that the flow path is linear. Furthermore, one of the two ends of the first common piping 43 is connected to the flow path at the connection portion between the collective piping 42 and the large-diameter piping 44 . By making the connection portion between the collecting pipe 42 and the large-diameter pipe 44 linear in this way, it is possible to reduce the flow resistance when the gas flows from the collecting pipe 42 to the large-diameter pipe 44 . Thereby, when the large-diameter piping 44 is used for decompression and exhaust, the gas in the chamber 20 can be easily sucked.

One of the large-diameter pipes 44 connects one end of the first common pipe 43 and one end of the second common pipe 46 in a flow path. The other end of the large-diameter piping 44 connects the other end of the first common piping 43 and the other end of the second common piping 46 in a flow path. On the other hand, the small diameter piping 45 connects the center part of the 1st common piping 43 and the center part of the 2nd common piping 46 in a flow path. Therefore, the small-diameter piping 45 is located in the two sets The downstream end portions of the pipe 42 are equidistant from each other. Therefore, when the small-diameter pipe 45 is used for decompression and exhaust, the decompression and exhaust forces of the two collective pipes 42 due to the exhaust from the small-diameter pipe 45 can be made uniform.

The upstream end portions of the two exhaust pipes 47 are respectively flow-connected to positions at a fixed distance from the end portion of the second common pipe 46 . In addition, the upstream end portions of the two individual exhaust pipes 48 are connected to the flow paths of the downstream end portions of the respective exhaust pipes 47 . The individual exhaust pipes 48 extend downward, respectively, after extending in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the downstream end portion of each of the respective exhaust pipes 48 is connected to the pump 30 .

As mentioned above, the piping part 40 of this embodiment is arrange|positioned symmetrically in the left-right direction. Thereby, it is possible to uniformly perform suction and exhaust through the four exhaust ports 23 .

Furthermore, the direction in which each pipe extends can be appropriately changed by taking into account the positions of other mechanisms in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 .

As an example, each piping diameter of the piping part 40 is as follows. The piping diameters of the chamber connection piping 41 and the individual exhaust piping 48 are respectively 150 mm. The piping diameters of the collecting piping 42 , the first common piping 43 , the large-diameter piping 44 , the second common piping 46 , and the exhaust piping 47 are each 200 mm. In addition, the piping diameter of the small diameter piping 45 is 50 mm.

Since the pipe diameter of the collecting pipe 42 is larger than the pipe diameter of the chamber connecting pipe 41 , the gas flowing from the chamber connecting pipe 41 to the collecting pipe 42 can be efficiently discharged. Moreover, by making the collective piping 42, the large diameter piping 44, and the 2nd common piping 46 into continuous piping of the same diameter, the flow path resistance of the connection part of these piping is reduced. Thereby, when the large-diameter valve 440 is opened to exhaust gas with a large flow rate, the gas flowing from the collecting pipe 42 through the large-diameter pipe 44 to the second common pipe 46 can be efficiently discharged.

In this embodiment, the piping diameter of the small-diameter piping 45 is 25% of the piping diameter of the large-diameter piping 44 . That is, the flow path area of the small diameter piping 45 is 6.25% of the flow path area of the large diameter piping 44 . Therefore, for example, if a valve of the same type is used for the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450, the flow path area at the maximum opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 inserted into the small-diameter piping 45 can be smaller than that of the large-diameter valve 440. The large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 are selected so that the maximum opening degree is 10% of the flow path area. In this way, the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area of the small-diameter valve 450 can be set to be 10 times or more the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area of the large-diameter valve 440 .

In addition, the ratio of the piping diameter of the large diameter piping 44 and the small diameter piping 45 is not limited to the above-mentioned example. The flow path area of the small-diameter piping 45 is preferably 50% or less of the flow path area of the large-diameter piping 44 . In this way, the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area of the small-diameter valve 450 is better than that of the large-diameter valve 440 , and therefore, the control based on the small-diameter valve 450 can be performed with higher accuracy.

<1-4. Process of drying under reduced pressure>

Next, the vacuum drying process in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of the vacuum drying process in the vacuum drying apparatus 1 . FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the large-diameter valve and the small-diameter valve in each control mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a target decompression waveform.

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

In the learning step of step ST101, the chamber is opened by the atmosphere After the pressure in 20 becomes atmospheric pressure, that is, 100,000 [Pa], the pump 30 is driven, and the valves 440 and 450 are opened to predetermined opening degrees. Then, until a predetermined time elapses after the valves 440 and 450 are opened, the pressure change in the chamber 20 is measured by the pressure sensor 25 . Thereby, the control part 60 acquires decompression curve data. By performing such pressure measurement for each predetermined opening degree, decompression curve data are acquired for each of the plurality of opening degrees. The decompression curve data is stored in the storage unit 63 in the form of table data representing the correspondence between the elapsed time and the pressure value, for example, for each opening of the valves 440 and 450 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the vacuum drying device 1 can be switched to a small diameter valve control mode in which the opening degree of the large diameter valve 440 is fixed and the opening degree of the small diameter valve 450 is adjusted, and the large diameter valve is adjusted in the opening degree of the large diameter valve. valve control mode. In the learning step of step ST101, decompression curve data is also acquired for a plurality of modes.

More specifically, the small diameter valve control mode includes a first small diameter valve control mode and a second small diameter valve control mode. In the first small-diameter valve control mode, the large-diameter valve 440 is closed and the opening of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted. In the second small diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the large diameter valve 440 is fixed and the opening degree of the small diameter valve 450 is adjusted. In the second small-diameter valve control mode, for example, the opening of the large-diameter valve 440 is fixed to be greater than 0% and 30% or less, and the opening of the small-diameter valve 450 is adjusted. In this way, it is possible to control the flow path area with high accuracy by the small-diameter valve 450 while securing the decompressed exhaust gas volume above a fixed level.

In addition, the large-diameter valve control mode includes a first large-diameter valve control mode, a second large-diameter valve control mode, and a third large-diameter valve control mode. In the first large-diameter valve control mode, the small-diameter valve 450 is closed and the opening of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted. In the second large-diameter valve control mode, the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 is fixed to the maximum opening degree and the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted. In the third large-diameter valve control mode, connect the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 Adjust to the same opening at the same time. Furthermore, the large-diameter valve control mode may also include a mode in which the small-diameter valve 450 is fixed to an opening degree greater than 0% and less than the maximum opening degree, and the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 is adjusted.

In the small-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 , the flow path area can be accurately adjusted to approach a desired decompression speed. On the other hand, in the large-diameter valve control mode, by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 which can adjust the flow path area in a wide range, the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness.

In the present embodiment, the first small diameter valve control mode, the second large diameter valve control mode, and the third large diameter valve control mode are executed in the learning step of step ST101 and the decompression drying step of the following step ST105. Furthermore, in the present invention, in the drying step under reduced pressure, at least one of the small-diameter valve control modes and one of the large-diameter valve control modes may be executed.

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

In this embodiment, after performing the learning process of step ST101, the vacuum drying process of the board|substrate G is performed. First, the target pressure value and the target reaching time are input to the input unit 70 (step ST102). In the present embodiment, input to the input unit 70 The time between entering the target pressure value and reaching the target pressure value is a plurality of groups of the target reaching time. FIG. 6 shows an example of the target decompression waveform R composed of the set of target pressure values and target reaching time.

In the target decompression waveform R of the example of FIG. 6, in the 1st period T1, the initial pressure value is atmospheric pressure 100,000Pa, the target pressure value is 10,000Pa, and the target reaching time is 20sec. In the second period T2, the target pressure value was 1,000 Pa, and the target reaching time was 10 sec. In the third period T3, the target pressure value was 400 Pa, and the target reaching time was 10 sec. In addition, in the fourth period T4, the target pressure value was 20 Pa, and the target reaching time was 5 sec. Then, after reaching the target pressure value in the fourth period T4, in the fifth period T5, the pressure in the chamber 20 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by flushing with an inert gas. Like the target decompression waveform R in the example of FIG. 6 , by stepwise decompression, bumping of the treatment liquid applied on the surface of the substrate G can be suppressed.

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

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

Then, based on the target pressure value and target reaching time input in step ST102, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in the vacuum drying step are set (step ST104). In the drying under reduced pressure in the following step ST105, the inside of the chamber 20 is reduced in pressure to The substrate G to which the treatment liquid has adhered is dried. In the opening degree setting step of step ST104, the control unit 60 selects the control mode of each period based on the target decompression waveform R composed of the target pressure value and the target reaching time, and selects the control mode for each period along the target decompression waveform R. Decompression curve data with approximate waveform. Then, the control unit 60 sets the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in each period based on the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in the selected decompression curve data.

At this time, as a method for setting the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450, for example, the opening degrees of the most approximate decompression curve data can be directly set as the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450, or two approximate decompression curves can also be referred to. With regard to the opening degrees of the data, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 are calculated in consideration of weighting. In addition, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 may be set by other methods.

Here, the mode selection in the reduced-pressure drying step will be described. In the first period T1 when the decompression from the atmospheric pressure is started, the decompression is easy to be carried out, and on the other hand, the decompression speed is greatly changed with a small change in the flow path area. In addition, bumping is most likely to occur in the first period T1, which is the first stage in the drying under reduced pressure. Therefore, it is required to control the decompression speed with high accuracy. Therefore, during this period, decompression and exhaust are performed by the small-diameter valve control mode in which the adjustment accuracy of the flow path area is high. Thereby, in the first period T1 in which the decompression speed is difficult to stabilize, by adjusting the opening degree of the small diameter valve 450, the flow path area can be accurately adjusted so as to approach the desired decompression speed. Furthermore, in the fourth period T4 in which the target pressure value is the lowest in the final stage of the decompression drying step, the decompression and exhaust force must be increased. Therefore, the decompression and exhaustion is performed by the large-diameter valve control mode. Thereby, by adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve 440 which can adjust the flow path area in a wide range, the decompression speed can be adjusted with good responsiveness so as to approach a desired decompression speed.

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

That is, the control unit 60 closes the large-diameter valve 440 and selects the opening degree of the small-diameter valve 450 in the first period T1 based on the decompression curve data of the first small-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning step of step ST101 . Similarly, in the second period T2 and the third period T3, the control unit 60 selects the large-diameter valve 440 and the small-diameter valve 450 based on the decompression curve data of the third large-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning step of step ST101 the opening degree. Furthermore, in the fourth period T4, the control unit 60 sets the small-diameter valve 450 to the maximum opening degree based on the decompression curve data of the second large-diameter valve control mode obtained in the learning step of step ST101, and selects the large-diameter valve 440 the opening degree.

After selecting and setting the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in the respective periods T1 to T4, the control unit 60 performs the drying under reduced pressure using the set opening degrees (step ST105). At this time, in the present embodiment, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 are feedback-controlled with reference to the predetermined opening degrees and the pressure in the chamber 20 measured by the pressure sensor 25 . Furthermore, the drying step under reduced pressure may be performed without changing the set opening degree.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 in each of the periods T1 to T4 are set before all the periods T1 to T5, but the present invention is not limited to this. Before each period T1-T4 starts, the pressure in the chamber 20 measured by the pressure sensor 25 may be used as the initial pressure value, and the opening degree of each period may be set. In this way, even when the final pressure value in the previous period is different from the target pressure value, the appropriate control can be performed in the next period.

In the decompression drying step of step ST105, the control unit 60 controls the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 by the set opening degrees and feedback control as described above during the first period T1 to the fourth period T4. Then, after the fourth period T4 ends, the control unit 60 closes all the valves 440 and 450 to stop the exhaust from the chamber 20 . Next, the on-off valve 53 is opened, and the inert gas in the chamber 20 is flushed from the inert gas supply source 52 . Thereby, the air pressure in the chamber 20 is raised to the atmospheric pressure. After the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes atmospheric pressure, the on-off valve 53 is closed. Thereby, the drying step under reduced pressure is completed.

Then, the board|substrate G is carried out from the chamber 20 (step ST106). In step ST106 , similarly to step ST103 , the lid portion 22 of the chamber 20 is raised by the chamber opening and closing mechanism while the valves 440 and 450 and the on-off valve 53 are closed. Thereby, the chamber 20 is opened. Next, the substrate G after the decompression drying process is carried out to the outside of the chamber 20 .

Even if there are a plurality of vacuum drying apparatuses 1 manufactured according to the same design, due to manufacturing errors, etc., even if the vacuum drying process is performed with the same opening degree of the valves 440 and 450, the inside of the chamber 20 in each vacuum drying apparatus 1 There is also a deviation in the decompression speed. In addition, if the installation environment of the decompression drying apparatus 1 is different, even if the opening degrees of the valves 440 and 450 are the same, the decompression speed in the chamber 20 is different from each other. Therefore, depending on the installation environment of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1, there is a possibility that a deviation may occur between the desired decompression speed and the actual decompression speed.

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

In addition, the learning step of step ST101 may not be performed for each decompression drying process of the substrate G performed in steps ST102 to ST106. The learning step can be performed during installation or relocation of the decompression drying device 1 , or during regular maintenance.

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

<2. Modifications>

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, For example, the following deformation|transformation can be implemented.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional configuration of a piping portion 40A of a vacuum drying apparatus according to a modification. The piping portion 40A includes four chamber connection piping 41A, a first common piping 43A, two large-diameter piping 44A interposed with a large-diameter valve 440A, a small-diameter piping 45A interposed with a small-diameter valve 450A, and a second common piping Pipe 46A, two exhaust pipes 47A, and four individual exhaust pipes 48A.

In the example of FIG. 7, the pump 30A is arrange|positioned on the lower side and the rear side with respect to the chamber 20A similarly to the said embodiment. Chamber connection piping 41A self-exhaust The mouth 23 is bent in the front-rear direction after extending downward. Furthermore, the two downstream end parts of the chamber connection piping 41A are flow-connected to one end part of the first common piping 43A extending in the left-right direction. In addition, the other two downstream end portions of the chamber connection piping 41A are connected to the other end portion of the first common piping 43A in a flow path.

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

The upstream end portions of the exhaust pipes 47A are each flow-connected to a connection portion between one of the large-diameter pipes 44A and the second common pipe 46A. The upstream ends of the two individual exhaust pipes 48A are connected to the flow paths of the downstream end portions of each exhaust pipe 47A. The individual exhaust pipes 48A each extend in the front-rear direction and then extend downward. Further, the downstream end portion of each individual exhaust pipe 48A is connected to the pump 30A.

In the above-described embodiment, the chamber connection piping 41 is connected to the first common piping 43 via the collective piping 42 . However, as in the example of FIG. 7 , the chamber connection piping 41A may be directly connected to the first common piping 43A. In addition, the piping part 40 in the said embodiment and the piping part 40A of the example of FIG. 7 differ in the connection part of piping. However, the piping part 40A of the example of FIG. 7 is also arrange|positioned symmetrically in the left-right direction, and it is possible to perform suction and exhaust equally in the four exhaust ports 23A. In this way, the connection portion between the pipes can be appropriately changed.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the piping portion 40B of the vacuum drying apparatus according to another modification. The piping portion 40B has one chamber connection piping 41B, one large-diameter piping 44B interposed with a large-diameter valve 440B, and one small-diameter piping 44B interposed with a small-diameter valve 450B. Diameter piping 45B and one exhaust piping 47B. The small-diameter valve 450B has a smaller pipe diameter than the large-diameter valve 440B.

The upstream end portion of the chamber connecting pipe 41B is opened in the chamber 20B. The downstream end portion of the exhaust pipe 47B is connected to the pump 30B. The upstream end portions of the large-diameter piping 44B and the small-diameter piping 45B are respectively flow-connected to the downstream end portions of the chamber connection piping 41B. In addition, the flow paths of the downstream end portions of the large diameter pipe 44B and the small diameter pipe 45B are connected to the upstream end portion of the exhaust pipe 47B. That is, the large-diameter piping 44B and the small-diameter piping 45B are arranged in parallel between the chamber 20B and the pump 30B.

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

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a piping portion 40C of a vacuum drying apparatus according to another modification. The piping portion 40C includes eight chamber connection piping 41C, two collecting piping 42C, a first common piping 43C, three large-diameter piping 44C with large-diameter valves 440C interposed, and two small-diameter valves 450C interposed therebetween. The small diameter piping 45C, the second common piping 46C, and the two exhaust piping 47C. The small diameter valve 450C has a smaller pipe diameter than the large diameter valve 440C.

The upstream end portion of the chamber connecting pipe 41C is opened in the chamber 20C. The downstream ends of the four chamber connection pipes 41C are connected to the upstream ends of the collecting pipes 42C, respectively. The downstream ends of all the collective pipes 42C, and the upstream ends of all the large-diameter pipes 44C and all the small-diameter pipes 45C are connected to the first common pipe 43C. Connect all large-diameter pipes 44C and all small-diameter pipes 46C to the second common pipe 46C. The downstream end of the diameter pipe 45C and the upstream end of all the exhaust pipes 47C. The downstream end portions of the exhaust pipes 47C are connected to the pumps 30C, respectively.

As in the example of FIG. 8 , the number of the large-diameter piping 44B and the number of the small-diameter piping 45B may be one, respectively. Moreover, like the example of FIG. 9, 44 C of large diameter pipings may be three or more, and 45 C of small diameter pipings may be two or more. That is, each of the large-diameter piping and the small-diameter piping may be one or plural.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the two large-diameter valves are operated with the same opening degree, but the present invention is not limited to this. When there are multiple large-diameter valves, only a part of the large-diameter valve can be opened according to the required decompression and exhaust force, and its opening degree can be controlled. The same applies to the case where a plurality of small diameter valves are provided.

In addition, the vacuum drying apparatus of the above-described embodiment is a part of the substrate processing apparatus, but the vacuum drying apparatus of the present invention may be an independent apparatus that is not provided together with other processing units. In addition, the vacuum drying apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment dries the substrate to which the resist liquid adheres, but the reduced pressure drying apparatus of the present invention may also dry the substrate to which other processing liquids adhere.

In addition, the vacuum drying apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment uses a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device as a processing object, but the vacuum drying apparatus of the present invention may be used for other FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices. Substrates, semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for masks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording discs, substrates for solar cells, and other substrates for precision electronic devices are treated as objects.

In addition, the respective elements appearing in the above-described embodiment or modification examples may be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause contradictions.

1‧‧‧Decompression drying device

20‧‧‧Chamber

21‧‧‧Pedestal

22‧‧‧Cover

23‧‧‧Exhaust port

24‧‧‧Supporting mechanism

25‧‧‧Pressure sensor

30‧‧‧Pump

40‧‧‧Piping Department

41‧‧‧Chamber connection piping

42‧‧‧Assembly piping

43‧‧‧First common piping

44‧‧‧Large diameter piping

45‧‧‧Small diameter piping

46‧‧‧Second common piping

47‧‧‧Exhaust piping

48‧‧‧Individual exhaust piping

50‧‧‧Inert Gas Supply Section

51‧‧‧Inert gas supply piping

52‧‧‧Inert gas supply source

53‧‧‧On-off valve

60‧‧‧Control

61‧‧‧Operation Processing Department

62‧‧‧Memory

63‧‧‧Storage

70‧‧‧Input

221‧‧‧Sealing material

241‧‧‧Support plate

242‧‧‧Support pin

243‧‧‧Support column

440‧‧‧Large diameter valve

450‧‧‧Small diameter valve

G‧‧‧Substrate

Claims (8)

A vacuum drying device, which is used to dry a substrate with a processing liquid under reduced pressure; it has: a chamber, which accommodates the substrate, and forms a processing space around the substrate; a plurality of pumps, etc. The gas in the chamber is sucked and exhausted; the exhaust pipe part connects the chamber with the pump; and the control part controls the operation of each part; the exhaust pipe part includes a plurality of large-diameter pipes , which are respectively inserted with a large-diameter valve; and a small-diameter piping, which is inserted with a small-diameter valve whose pipe diameter is smaller than the above-mentioned large-diameter valve; the above-mentioned large-diameter valve and the above-mentioned small-diameter valve can be respectively adjusted by changing the opening degree. The flow path area in the piping is changed, the large-diameter piping and the small-diameter piping are arranged in parallel between the chamber and the pump, and the control unit can be switched to the following mode during the decompression drying process: small-diameter valve In a control mode, the opening degree of the large-diameter valve is fixed and the opening degree of the small-diameter valve is adjusted; and the large-diameter valve control mode is in which the opening degree of the large-diameter valve is adjusted; the exhaust piping part further includes: A plurality of chamber connection pipes, one end of which is open in the chambers; a first common pipe, which is directly or indirectly connected to the other end of all the chamber connection pipes; and a second common pipe, which is connected with all the chamber connection pipes. The above-mentioned pump is directly or indirectly connected to the flow path; the above-mentioned plurality of large-diameter pipes are located on the side of the above-mentioned chamber rather than the above-mentioned large-diameter valve The upstream side end portion and the upstream side end portion of the small-diameter piping located on the side of the chamber relative to the small-diameter valve are respectively flow-connected to the first common piping, and the plurality of large-diameter piping is located more than the aforementioned The downstream end of the large-diameter valve on the side of the pump and the downstream end of the small-diameter pipe on the pump side of the small-diameter valve are connected to the second common pipe by flow paths, respectively. Each of the chamber connection pipes is flow-connected to either of both ends of the first common pipe, the small-diameter piping is flow-connected to the central portion of the first common pipe, and the small-diameter piping is flow-connected to The central part of the above-mentioned second common piping. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the reduced-pressure drying process, the control unit first executes the small-diameter valve control mode, and then executes the large-diameter valve control mode. The vacuum drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the small-diameter valve control mode includes a first small-diameter valve control mode in which the large-diameter valve is closed. The vacuum drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the small-diameter valve control mode includes a second small-diameter valve control mode in which the opening degree of the large-diameter valve is fixed. The vacuum drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the number of the small-diameter pipes included in the exhaust pipe section is one. A substrate processing apparatus, which applies and develops a resist liquid to a substrate; it has: a coating section that applies the resist liquid to the substrate before exposure treatment; Claims 1 to 5 The decompression drying device of any one, it will be attached with the above-mentioned resist The said board|substrate of the liquid is dried under reduced pressure; and the developing part performs a development process with respect to the said board|substrate after carrying out the said exposure process. A method for drying under reduced pressure, wherein the chamber is decompressed and the substrate is decompressed by pumping and exhausting gas through an exhaust piping portion from a chamber in which a substrate to which a processing liquid has adhered is accommodated. Dry; the above-mentioned exhaust piping part includes: a plurality of large-diameter pipes, which are respectively interposed with large-diameter valves; small-diameter pipes, which are interposed with small-diameter valves whose diameter is smaller than that of the above-mentioned large-diameter valves; a plurality of cavities chamber connection piping, one end of which is open in the chamber; a first common piping, which is directly or indirectly flow-path connected to the other end of all the chamber connection piping; and a second common piping, which is directly or indirectly connected to all the above pumps Or indirectly connected to the flow path; the upstream end of the plurality of large-diameter pipes is located on the side of the chamber with respect to the large-diameter valve, and the small-diameter pipe is located on the side of the chamber with respect to the small-diameter valve. The upstream-side ends are respectively connected to the first common piping by flow paths, and the plurality of large-diameter pipes have downstream-side ends located on the pump side relative to the large-diameter valve, and downstream-side ends located on the small-diameter valve. The downstream ends of the small-diameter pipes on the pump side are respectively flow-connected to the second common pipe, and the plurality of chamber connection pipes are flow-connected to either one of both ends of the first common pipe, respectively. The flow path of the small-diameter piping system is connected to the central portion of the first common piping, the small-diameter piping system flow path is connected to the central portion of the second common piping, and the following steps are switched according to the progress of the decompression treatment: a) Carry out Use the suction and exhaust of the above-mentioned pump, and fix the opening of the above-mentioned large-diameter valve and The steps of adjusting the opening degree of the small-diameter valve; and b) performing suction and exhausting by the pump, and adjusting the opening degree of the large-diameter valve. The method for drying under reduced pressure according to claim 7, wherein the above-mentioned step a) is performed at the beginning of the above-mentioned reduced-pressure treatment, and then the step b) is performed.

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