Substrate heating device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate heating device, and provides a technology for suppressing the influence of the heat of the heating plate on the driving system provided in the heating device in a heating device that heats the wafer by placing it on a heating plate. The structure is such that the wafer that has been heated by the heating plate is transported to the cooling plate by a wafer transport mechanism, and a moving mechanism such as a belt driving mechanism constituting the wafer transport mechanism is provided on the lower side of a water-cooled plate that is continuously arranged from the lower side of the heating plate to the lower side of the cooling plate. Therefore, even if the temperature of the heating plate is as high as 600°C, since the radiant heat of the heating plate is shielded by the water-cooled plate, the heat resistance of the moving mechanism becomes greater.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for performing heat treatment by placing a substrate on a heating plate. Background Art

[0002] As a thin film that becomes an etching mask used in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor manufacturing device, a coating film such as a SOC (Spin On carbon) film is known. The coating film is obtained by spin-coating a chemical solution including a precursor of the coating film onto, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a "wafer") and then heating the solution to harden the chemical solution through a cross-linking reaction. The etching resistance of the coating film is increased by increasing the density of the coating film, and thus, the etching resistance is increased by increasing the heating temperature during the cross-linking reaction.

[0003] As the semiconductor elements become thinner, the etching mask is required to have a higher etching resistance, so it is inevitable that the coating film will be heated to a high temperature. Patent document 1 describes a substrate heating device as follows: a wafer is placed on a heating plate, and after the heating treatment, the wafer is transferred to a dedicated arm with a cooling water pipe to cool the wafer while moving the wafer to a transfer position relative to an external transfer arm.

[0004] However, when the heating temperature of the heating unit becomes high, the cooling arm is heated when the cooling arm receives the wafer placed on the heating unit. Furthermore, when the cooling arm stops above the heating unit, the cooling arm may be exposed to high temperature for a long time. As a result, there is a risk that the cooling water used to cool the cooling arm boils, or there is a concern that the maintenance cycle will be shortened due to consumption caused by the heat load.

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes a structure in which an arm is provided for transferring wafers W between a cooling plate and a heating unit, but does not describe a countermeasure against heat when the heating temperature of the wafers by the heating plate exceeds 500° C.

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-294753 (Paragraphs 0003 to 0005, Fig.18 )

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 5220505 Summary of the invention

[0008] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing the influence of heat from a heating plate on a drive system provided in a substrate heating device that heats a substrate by placing the substrate on a heating plate.

[0010] Solutions for solving problems

[0011] The substrate heating device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises: a heating plate, which carries a substrate and heats the substrate; a cooling plate, which is arranged adjacent to the heating plate in the front-to-back direction, the cooling plate being used to carry the substrate before heating treatment brought in from the outside and to cool the substrate after being heated by the heating plate; a substrate conveying mechanism, which is used to convey the substrate between the cooling plate and the heating plate; a heat insulating plate, which is continuously arranged from the lower side of the heating plate to the lower side of the cooling plate; a cooling mechanism, which is used to cool the heat insulating plate; and a low oxygen atmosphere forming part, which is used to set the atmosphere for heating treatment of the substrate to a low oxygen atmosphere, wherein the substrate conveying mechanism comprises a substrate holding part for holding the substrate, and a moving mechanism which is arranged at a position lower than the heat insulating plate and moves the substrate holding part in the front-to-back direction.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] The present invention is configured to use a substrate conveying mechanism to convey a substrate heated by a heating plate to a cooling plate, and a moving mechanism constituting a driving system of the substrate conveying mechanism is provided on the lower side of a water-cooling plate continuously arranged from the lower side of the heating plate to the lower side of the cooling plate. Therefore, the radiant heat from the heating plate to the moving mechanism is shielded by the heat insulating plate, so even if the temperature of the heating plate is increased, the heat resistance of the moving mechanism is large. Therefore, the present invention is a technology suitable for increasing the temperature of a substrate heating device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal sectional side view which shows the heating device which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a plan view showing the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing a water cooling plate.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing a cooling plate.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a cooling plate in the heating device.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the heating portion in the heating device.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing a wafer transfer mechanism.

[0021] Figure 8 It is a perspective view showing a coating and developing device provided with a heating device.

[0022] Fig. 9 It is a top view showing a coating and developing device provided with a heating device.

[0023] Fig.10 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Fig.11 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Fig.12 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Fig.13 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Fig.14 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0028] Fig.15 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Fig.16 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0030] Fig.17 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Fig.18 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Fig.19 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Fig. 20 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0034] Fig.21 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0035] Fig. 22 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0036] Fig.23 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0037] Fig.24 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0038] Fig.25 It is a longitudinal sectional front view which shows the heating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

[0039] Fig.26 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the second embodiment.

[0040] Fig. 27 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the second embodiment.

[0041] Fig.28 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the second embodiment.

[0042] Fig.29 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the second embodiment.

[0043] Fig.30 It is a longitudinal sectional front view which shows the heating device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

[0044] Fig.31 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the third embodiment.

[0045] Fig.32 It is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the heating device according to the third embodiment.

[0046] Fig.33 It is a contour map showing the film thickness distribution of the wafer in Examples 1 and 2.

[0047] Description of Reference Numerals

[0048] 1: Heating device; 2: Water-cooled plate; 3: Cooling plate; 4: Heating unit; 5: Wafer transport mechanism; 7: First gas supply unit; 8: Second gas supply unit; 9: Control unit; 10: Shell; 15: Exhaust unit; 40: Heating plate; 51A, 51B: Support member; 52A: Left holding member; 52B: Right holding member; W: Wafer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] [First embodiment]

[0050] The substrate heating device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a heating device 1. Figure 1 , 2The housing 10 is rectangular. The interior of the housing 10 is divided into upper and lower parts by a water-cooling plate 2 as a heat-insulating plate. When the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 is the front-back direction, for example, a loading / unloading port 11 for loading / unloading wafers W is formed at a position above the water-cooling plate 2 in the end surface on the front side of the housing 10. A baffle 12 for opening and closing the loading / unloading port 11 is provided at the loading / unloading port 11, and the baffle 12 is configured to be opened and closed by a baffle opening and closing mechanism 13 provided on the inner side of the housing 10 and below the water-cooling plate 2.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, the water-cooled plate 2 is formed of a rectangular metal plate, and a cooling flow path 22 for circulating, for example, cooling water is surrounded inside the water-cooled plate 2. The cooling flow path 22 is connected to a cooler 23 for circulating, for example, cooling water in the cooling flow path 22. In the left and right positions of the water-cooled plate 2, cutouts 21 are formed that penetrate the water-cooled plate 2 in the thickness direction and extend in the front-to-back direction. In addition, at the front position of the water-cooled plate 2, holes 24 are formed at three locations along the circumferential direction for raising and lowering the lifting pins 44 provided in the heating unit 4 described later. In addition, a leakage sensor 25 for detecting water leakage from the cooling flow path 22 is provided on the upper surface of the water-cooled plate 2.

[0052] return Figure 1 Above the water-cooling plate 2, a cooling plate for cooling the wafer W, that is, a cooling plate 3, and a heating unit 4 for heating the wafer W are arranged in sequence from the near front side (front side) toward the depth side (rear side) when viewed from the loading and unloading port 11, and the cooling plate 3 and the heating unit 4 are fixed to the upper surface of the water-cooling plate 2 via support members 38 and 48, respectively. Therefore, it can be said that the water-cooling plate 2 is continuously arranged from the lower side of the cooling plate 3 to the lower side of the heating plate 40 described later in the heating unit 4.

[0053] Also refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 To illustrate the cooling plate 3. Figure 4 As shown, the cooling plate 3 includes a circular metal plate 30, and a cooling flow path 31 is provided on the lower surface of the metal plate 30 in a manner surrounding the entire lower surface. Figure 1 , Figure 5 Only the metal plate 30 is described in FIG. The cooling flow path 31 is connected to a cooler 32 , and cooling water, for example, flows through the cooling flow path 31 , thereby cooling the wafer W placed on the metal plate 30 .

[0054] In addition, 15 gap pins 33, for example, are dispersedly arranged on the surface of the cooling plate 3 to keep the wafer W and the cooling plate 3 at a fixed distance, and a circular convex portion 34 surrounding the center of the cooling plate 3 is formed on the surface of the cooling plate 3. The convex portion 34 is provided so that the center of the warped wafer W can reliably contact the cooling plate 3. In addition, the convex portion 34 is configured in a circular ring shape to avoid local cooling of only the center of the wafer W.

[0055] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, through holes 35 penetrating the cooling plate 3 in the thickness direction are formed at three locations along the circumferential direction on the cooling plate 3, and lift pins 36 as lift members are respectively arranged in each of the through holes 35. The lift pins 36 are configured to be lifted and lowered by a lift mechanism 37 so as to protrude or retract from the surface of the cooling plate 3. In addition, the lift mechanism 37 is configured to be fixed to the water-cooled plate 2 so as to be cooled by the water-cooled plate 2.

[0056] When referring to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 The heating unit 4 includes a heating plate 40 for placing the wafer W, a lower member 41 for accommodating the heating plate 40 , and a top plate member 42 that surrounds the wafer W placed on the heating plate 40 on the left and right and above and is open in the front-rear direction.

[0057] The heating plate 40 is configured in a flat cylindrical shape, and is configured to have a heat insulating plate 40c, a plate-shaped heater 40b, and a surface member 40a such as silicon carbide stacked in sequence from the lower layer side. On the upper surface of the heating plate 40, gap pins, for example, not shown, are dispersedly provided for supporting the wafer W in a manner spaced a fixed distance from the surface of the heating plate. The lower member 41 is configured in, for example, a flat bottomed cylindrical shape. In addition, a flange 41a is formed at the upper end portion of the lower member 41 to restrict the flow of nitrogen gas through the surface of the heating plate 40. Through holes 43 that penetrate in the thickness direction are formed at three locations along the circumferential direction in the heating plate 40 and the lower member 41, and a lifting pin 44 is respectively arranged in each through hole 43.

[0058] The lifting pins 44 are respectively inserted into the holes 24 formed in the water-cooling plate 2, and are connected to a lifting mechanism 45 provided below the water-cooling plate 2 and on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the housing 10. The lifting pins 44 are configured to be lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 45, so as to protrude or retract from the upper surface of the heating plate 40. Figure 6 As shown, heat insulation panels 46 for suppressing heat dissipation of the heating unit 4 to the outside of the housing 10 are respectively provided on the left and right side walls of the heating unit 4 in the housing 10 and on the upper top surface of the top plate member 42 .

[0059] In addition, if Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , the heating device 1 includes a wafer transfer mechanism 5 which is a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer W between the cooling plate 3 and the heating unit 4 . Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 The wafer transfer mechanism 5 is described below. Figure 7 In FIG. 1 , a part of the water cooling plate 2 is shown in a simplified manner. Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the support parts 51A and 51B extending vertically are respectively arranged at the left and right sides of the cooling plate 3 in a manner facing each other. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the upper side ends of the support parts 51A and 51B are formed so that the front ends thereof protrude toward the right and left sides, respectively. In addition, a plate-shaped left holding member 52A and a right holding member 52B, for example, made of ceramic or quartz, are provided on the upper surfaces of the front ends of the support parts 51A and 51B. When viewed from the cooling plate 3, the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B extend toward the heating part 4 side (toward the rear) and respectively hold the left peripheral edge portion and the right peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of the wafer W.

[0060] like Figure 7 As shown, the upper surfaces of the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are provided with gap pins 57 for placing the wafer W, and anti-flying pins 56 provided before and after the holding position of the wafer W in order to restrict the flying out of the held wafer W. In this example, the supporting parts 51A, 51B and the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B constitute a substrate holding part.

[0061] like Figure 7 As shown, the supporting parts 51A and 51B of the wafer transfer mechanism 5 are respectively inserted into the cutouts 21 formed in the water cooling plate 2. Figure 1 , Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the base end side of each support portion 51A, 51B is connected to a common moving mechanism 54 provided below the water-cooling plate 2. The moving mechanism 54 is configured to be moved along a guide rail 55 extending in the front-rear direction below the water-cooling plate 2 by, for example, a belt drive mechanism (not shown). In addition, FIG. 14 is a table for adjusting the height of the guide rail 55. By moving the moving mechanism 54 along the guide rail 55, the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are moved in a certain direction. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The upper position of the cooling plate 3 shown by the solid line in FIG. Figure 1 , Figure 2 At this time, when the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are located above the heating plate 40, as shown in the dotted line in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are inserted between the top plate member 42 and the heating plate 40 , and the wafer W is transferred by the cooperation of the lift pins 44 and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 .

[0062] return Figure 1 A first gas supply part 7 for forming a unidirectional flow of, for example, an inert gas, such as nitrogen (N2) gas, is provided above the rear side (heating part 4 side) of the cooling plate 3. The inert gas, such as nitrogen (N2) gas, is used to form a low-oxygen atmosphere on the surface of the heating plate 40.

[0063] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the first gas supply unit 7 includes a cylindrical portion 70 configured to be cylindrical and extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of ejection holes 70a for ejecting gas toward the surface of the heating plate 40 are formed on the side of the cylindrical portion 70 along the length direction of the cylindrical portion 70. Figure 1 As shown, the cylindrical portion 70 is connected to one end of a gas supply path 71, and the other end of the gas supply path 71 is connected to a N2 gas supply source 72 storing, for example, N2 gas. Figure 1 M71 and V71 are flow adjustment parts and valves.

[0064] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, a second gas supply unit 8 for supplying a low-oxygen gas, such as an inert gas, namely, N2 gas, toward the cooling plate 3 is provided above the cooling plate 3. The second gas supply unit 8 is configured as a flat square cylinder, and its lower surface is configured by a punching plate having a plurality of holes 80 formed therein. The second gas supply unit 8 is connected to one end of a gas supply path 81, and the other end of the gas supply path 81 is connected to the N2 gas supply source 72 described above. In addition, Figure 1 M81 and V81 are flow adjustment parts and valves.

[0065] In addition, if Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, an exhaust unit 15 for exhausting the atmosphere in the housing 10 is provided at a height position of the surface of the heating plate 40 on the side surface on the deep side of the housing 10 , and the exhaust unit 15 is connected to the factory exhaust.

[0066] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, the heating device 1 includes a control unit 9 for controlling the heating device 1. A program stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk, a hard disk, an MO (magneto-optical disk), and a memory card is installed in the control unit 9. The installed program is programmed with commands (various steps) so that control signals are sent to various parts of the heating device 1 to control the operation of the heating device 1 as described in the following description of the operation.

[0067] Next, the overall structure of a substrate processing device, that is, a coating and developing device, in which the above-mentioned heating device 1 is assembled will be briefly described. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the coating and developing device is configured to linearly connect the carrier block B1, the processing block B2, and the interface block B3. The interface block B3 is also connected to the exposure station B4.

[0068] The carrier block B1 has the function of moving substrates in and out between a carrier C (e.g., FOUP), which is a conveying container for accommodating substrates for multiple products, e.g., wafers W with a diameter of 300 mm, and the device, and is equipped with a mounting table 101 of the carrier C, a door 102, and a conveying arm 103 for conveying wafers W from the carrier C.

[0069] The processing block B2 is formed by stacking first to sixth unit blocks D1 to D6 for performing liquid processing on the wafer W in order from bottom to top. The unit blocks D1 to D6 have substantially the same structure except that they include coating units for coating, for example, different coating liquids or developing solutions.

[0070] When Fig. 9 When the structure of the unit block D3 is representatively shown in FIG, the unit block D3 is provided with a transfer arm A3 that moves in a linear transfer area R3 from the carrier block B1 side toward the interface block B3, and a coating unit 110 having a cup module 111, for example, for coating a SOC film on a wafer W. In addition, the heating device 1 of the present invention is stacked in the shelf units U1 to U6.

[0071] A shelf unit U7 composed of a plurality of stacked modules is provided on the carrier block B1 side of the transfer region R3 . The wafer W is transferred between the transfer arm 103 and the transfer arm A3 via the transfer module of the shelf unit U7 and the transfer arm 104 .

[0072] The interface block B3 is used to transfer wafers W between the processing block B2 and the exposure station B4, and has a plurality of stacked processing modules in the form of rack units U8, U9, and U10. In addition, 105 and 106 in the figure are respectively used for transferring wafers W between the rack units U8 and U9 and between the rack units U9 and U10, and 107 in the figure is used for transferring wafers W between the rack unit U10 and the exposure station B4.

[0073] The transport path of the wafer W of the system including the coating, developing device and exposure station B4 is briefly described. The wafer W flows in the order of carrier C → transport arm 103 → handover module of rack unit U7 → transport arm 104 → handover module of rack unit U7 → unit block D1 (D2) → unit block D3 (D4) → interface block B3 → exposure station B4 → interface block B3 → unit block D5 (D6) → handover module TRS of rack unit U7 → transport arm 103 → carrier C.

[0074] Next, use Figure 10 to Figure 24 The schematic diagram of FIG. 1 is used to illustrate the function of the heating device involved in the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.10 As shown, the wafer W coated with the SOC film by the coating unit 110 is taken out from the coating unit 110 by the transfer arm A3 and held. At this time, the heating plate 40 of the heating unit 4 is heated to 600° C., for example, and cooling water flows through the cooling plate 3. Figure 10 to Figure 24 In the embodiment, cooling water flows through the water cooling plate 2 , but the illustration is omitted. In addition, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 stands by at a position above the cooling plate 3 .

[0075] Then, if Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , the shutter 12 is opened and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved toward the heating unit 4. Fig.12 As shown, after the transfer arm A3 holding the wafer W enters the heating device 1, the lifting pins 36 on the cooling plate 3 side are raised, so that the wafer W held by the transfer arm A3 is received by the lifting pins 36. Thereafter, the transfer arm A3 is retracted outside the heating device 1, and the shutter 12 is closed.

[0076] Then, if Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , N2 gas is ejected from the first gas supply unit 7 and the second gas supply unit 8, and exhaust is started from the exhaust unit 15. Figures 14 to 18 The ejection of N2 gas from the first gas supply unit 7 and the second gas supply unit 8 and the exhaust from the exhaust unit 15 are also continued in the above description, but the description of the first gas supply unit 7, the second gas supply unit 8 and the exhaust unit 15 is omitted. Therefore, the housing 10 is filled with N2 gas, so that the atmosphere in which the wafer W is placed becomes a low-oxygen atmosphere. Fig.14 As shown, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved toward the cooling plate 3 , and the lift pins 36 of the cooling plate 3 are lowered, so that the wafer W is delivered to the wafer transfer mechanism 5 .

[0077] Afterwards, if Fig.15 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wafer transfer mechanism 5 holding the left and right edges of the wafer W is moved toward the heating unit 4. Fig.16As shown in FIG. 1 , the wafer W is lifted and received by the lifting pins 44 of the heating unit 4, and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the top of the cooling plate 3. Fig.17 As shown, the lift pins 44 are lowered to place the wafer W on the heating plate 40 , and the wafer W is heated for, for example, 60 seconds.

[0078] Next, when the heating of the wafer W is completed, as shown in FIG. Fig.18 As shown, the wafer W is lifted up by the lift pins 44 provided in the heating unit 4 , and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the heating unit 4 side, so that the wafer W is delivered to the wafer transfer mechanism 5 by the cooperation of the lift pins 44 and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 .

[0079] Next, if Fig.19 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wafer transfer mechanism 5 holding the wafer W is moved to above the cooling plate 3. Fig. 20 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wafer W is lifted by the lifting pins 36 on the cooling plate 3 side, and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the heating unit 4 side. Fig.21 As shown, the lifting pins 36 are lowered to place the wafer W on the cooling plate 3. In addition, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 moves to the heating unit 4 side and quickly moves to the upper side of the cooling plate 3 after the wafer W is placed on the cooling plate 3. Then, the wafer W is cooled for 70 seconds, for example. Thus, the wafer W is cooled to 110°C.

[0080] When the cooling of the wafer W is completed, Fig. 22 As shown, the supply of N2 gas from the first gas supply unit 7 and the second gas supply unit 8 is stopped, and the exhaust of the exhaust unit 15 is stopped. Fig.23 As shown, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the heating unit 4 side, and the lifting pins 36 are raised to lift the wafer W placed on the cooling plate 3. Fig.24 As shown, the shutter 12 is opened to allow the transfer arm A3 to enter the heating device 1, and the wafer W is transferred to the transfer arm A3 by the cooperative action of the lift pins 36 and the transfer arm A3.

[0081] After that, the wafer W is carried out of the heating device 1 by the transfer arm A3, the lift pins 36 are lowered, and the shutter 12 is closed. Then, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the cooling plate 3 side and waits.

[0082] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the wafer W heated by the heating plate 40 is transported to the cooling plate 3 by the wafer transport mechanism 5, and a moving mechanism 54 including, for example, a belt driving mechanism, for transporting the wafer W is provided on the lower side of the water-cooling plate 2 which is continuously arranged from the lower side of the heating plate 40 to the lower side of the cooling plate 3. In addition, the moving mechanism 54 and the guide rail 55 of the wafer transport mechanism 5 are arranged to avoid the lower part of the heating unit 4 as much as possible. Therefore, even if the temperature of the heating plate 40 is as high as 600°C, since the radiant heat of the heating plate 40 is blocked by the water-cooling plate 2, the heat resistance of the moving mechanism 54 becomes greater.

[0083] Furthermore, since the lifting mechanism 45 of the lifting pins 44 provided in the heating unit 4 is disposed below the water cooling plate 2 , the radiation heat generated by the heating unit 4 is prevented from reaching the lifting mechanism 45 .

[0084] Furthermore, the lower surfaces of the left and right peripheral portions of the wafer W are held by the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B extending in the front-rear direction on the support portions 51A and 51B extending from the left and right sides of the cooling plate 3, respectively. Therefore, the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B do not interfere with the lifting pins 36 provided on the cooling plate 3 and the lifting pins 44 provided on the heating plate in the plane. In addition, the through holes 35 for the lifting pins 36 are formed without providing a cutout in the cooling plate 3, so that the wafer W can be cooled quickly and with high uniformity.

[0085] In addition, when the wafer W is held on one side, it may be tilted due to the weight of the wafer W, so that the position of the wafer W may be greatly displaced. Therefore, by holding the left and right peripheral edges of the lower surface of the wafer W from both sides by the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B, the wafer W can be held in a stable posture.

[0086] In addition, when the wafer W is held from the left and right directions by the wafer transfer mechanism 5, a structure using two plate-shaped left holding members 52A and right holding members 52B is used. The left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are placed above the heating plate 40 with a high temperature, so it is preferable to use components such as ceramics and quartz, but these components are difficult to process and it is difficult to form a complex shape such as providing slits so that the lifting pins 36 and 44 and the wafer transfer mechanism 5 do not interfere with each other. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the left holding member 52A and the right holding member 52B are configured as two plates, so even components such as ceramics and quartz can be easily processed.

[0087] In addition, as described above, the higher the temperature of the heating device 1, the greater the heat load in the drive unit. Therefore, a large effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a heating device that heats at a high temperature, for example, a heating device that heats at a temperature of 450° C. or above.

[0088] In addition, when the wafer W is not loaded into the heating device 1, when the wafer W is heated, and when the wafer W is cooled, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is moved to the cooling plate 3 side. When the wafer transfer mechanism 5 is located on the heating unit 4 side, the wafer transfer mechanism 5 accumulates the heat radiated by the heating unit 4, which may cause a malfunction or shorten the maintenance cycle. Therefore, when the wafer W is not loaded into the heating device 1, when the wafer W is heated, and when the wafer W is cooled, it is preferable to move the wafer transfer mechanism 5 to the cooling plate 3 side.

[0089] In addition, the heating part 4 is not limited to a structure that forms a unidirectional flow on the surface of the wafer W. It can be a structure that takes in airflow from the periphery of the wafer W placed on the heating plate 40 and exhausts it from the center of the top plate part, or it can be a structure that supplies gas constituting a processing atmosphere from above the wafer W and exhausts it from the lower side around the wafer W.

[0090] However, when the N2 gas atmosphere is formed on the surface of the wafer W, a unidirectional flow is formed from one side to the other side on the surface of the wafer W, thereby suppressing the decrease in the in-plane uniformity of the temperature of the wafer W, avoiding the decrease in the ability to suppress the oxygen concentration on the surface of the wafer W, and avoiding the decrease in the ability to remove sublimates. In addition, the top plate member 42 facing the heating plate 40 can be formed in a single plate shape, so the maintainability is good and the processing is easy, so that it is easy to use the above-mentioned ceramics, quartz and other materials with high heat resistance.

[0091] The heating of the wafer W needs to be performed in a low oxygen concentration atmosphere having an oxygen concentration lower than that of the air atmosphere, for example, an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of 400 ppm or less, preferably 50 ppm or less. An example of a low oxygen concentration atmosphere is an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen.

[0092] [Second embodiment]

[0093] In addition, a rotation mechanism for rotating the cooling plate 3 about a vertical axis may be provided, so that the wafer W can be heated while changing the angle at which the wafer W is placed. Fig.25As shown, the cooling plate 3, the lifting pins 36 and the lifting mechanism 37 are provided on the rotating table 300, and the rotating table 300 is connected to the rotating mechanism 302 provided on the water-cooled plate 2 via the rotating shaft 301. As a result, the cooling plate 3, the lifting pins 36 and the lifting mechanism 37 rotate around the vertical axis as a whole. In addition, a program storage unit storing a program is provided in the control unit 9, and the program storage unit stores a program including a step group for executing the processing process shown in the operation of the heating device 1 described later.

[0094] Furthermore, since the cooling plate 3 is provided with the cooling channel 31 connected to the cooler 32 , the rotation angle of the cooling plate 3 is limited. However, the cooling channel 31 may be curved to allow the cooling plate 3 to rotate, for example, 90 degrees.

[0095] The operation of the heating device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 26 to Figure 29 In the figure, the notch N is recorded so that the loading angle of the wafer W can be understood.

[0096] In the heating device 1 according to the second embodiment, Fig.26 As shown in FIG. 1 , first, similarly to the first embodiment, the wafer W loaded into the heating device 1 is transferred to the heating unit 4 and placed on the heating plate 40. Then, after heating for 15 seconds, for example, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer transfer mechanism 5. Fig. 27 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wafer W is placed on the cooling plate 3 by the cooperation of the wafer transfer mechanism 5 and the lifting pins 36 of the cooling plate 3. Fig.28 As shown, the cooling plate 3 is rotated, for example, 90 degrees clockwise, and the wafer W is lifted up by the lifting pins 36 at this angle and transferred to the wafer transfer mechanism 5. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the heating section 4 by the wafer transfer mechanism 5, and the wafer W is placed on the heating section 4 by the cooperation of the wafer transfer mechanism 5 and the lifting pins 44. In addition, when the rotation angle of the cooling plate 3 is limited to 90 degrees, for example, after the wafer W is transferred from the cooling plate 3 to the wafer transfer mechanism 5, the cooling plate 3 can be rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise to return to the original position.

[0097] At this time, after the wafer W is temporarily heated, it is rotated by 90 degrees by the cooling plate 3 and then re-mounted on the heating plate 40. Fig.29As shown, wafer W is placed in a state rotated 90 degrees compared to the initial heating and is heated for 15 seconds. In this way, the process of placing wafer W on the heating plate 40 and heating it for 15 seconds, and the process of temporarily placing wafer W on the cooling plate 3 and rotating the angle by 90 degrees are repeated to heat wafer W. Moreover, for example, wafer W is rotated 90 degrees each time, so that wafer W is placed on the heating plate 40 at a total of four angles including before the rotation of wafer W and is heated for a total of 60 seconds. Afterwards, wafer W is transported to the cooling plate 3 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and wafer W is cooled to, for example, 110°C and carried out. In addition, when the cooling plate 3 is rotated to change the angle of wafer W, wafer W may be cooled by the cooling plate 3 or not. Here, for example, cooling is performed for 10 seconds each time.

[0098] When heating the wafer W, a difference in heating temperature occurs within the surface of the heating plate 40, which may cause a portion of the wafer W that is easily heated and a portion that is not easily heated. Furthermore, when the temperature within the surface of the wafer W is not uniform, the film thickness of the wafer W may be not uniform.

[0099] Therefore, when the wafer W is placed on the heating unit 4 and heated, the wafer W is heated while being placed at a different angle. This allows the in-plane temperature of the wafer W to be made uniform as described in the embodiments below, thereby improving the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W, for example.

[0100] [Third Embodiment]

[0101] The heating device according to the third embodiment is described. Fig.30 The heating device 1 shown in the first embodiment is configured similarly to the heating device 1 shown in the first embodiment except that the heating unit 400 shown is used instead of the heating unit 4 .

[0102] The top plate member 401 provided in the heating unit 400 includes four baffles 402A to 402D surrounding the wafer W on four sides (in Fig.30 Only baffles 402B and 402D arranged on the left and right of wafer W are recorded, and each baffle 402A~402D is configured to be opened and closed separately. In addition, an exhaust port 403 is formed in the central part of the top surface of the top plate member 401 covering the upper part of wafer W, and the exhaust port 403 is connected to the factory exhaust. In addition, regarding the lower member 401, its flange 410a is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. By closing each baffle 402A~402D, the lower surface of each baffle 402A~402D is located above the flange 410a, so that the side of wafer W is sealed. In addition, a program storage unit is provided in the control unit 9, and the program storage unit stores a program including a step group for executing the action shown in the function of the heating device 1 described later.

[0103] The operation of the heating device 1 according to the third embodiment will be described. In the heating device 1, when the wafer W is placed on the heating plate 40 for heating, Fig.31 As shown, the baffle 402A on the cooling plate 3 side is opened to transfer the wafer W to the heating unit 400, and then, with the baffle 402A open, gas is supplied into the housing 10 and exhaust is started from the exhaust port 403. Then, the lifting pins 44 are lowered to place the wafer W on the heating plate 40 for heating. Thus, a gas flow is formed in which the gas taken in from the baffle 402A side flows over the surface of the wafer W and is exhausted from the exhaust port 403. Then, as shown in FIG. Fig.32 As shown, in a state where the wafer W is heated, the shutter 402A is closed and the shutter 402B is opened. As a result, an air flow passing through the surface of the wafer W from the shutter 402B is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

[0104] As described above, when the wafer W is heated in the heating unit 400, exhaust is performed from above the wafer W, and the opening and closing of the baffles 402A to 402D surrounding the wafer W are sequentially switched, thereby sequentially switching the direction of gas intake. Therefore, when the wafer W is heated, the direction of gas flow on the surface of the wafer W is sequentially switched.

[0105] When a fixed-direction airflow is formed on the surface of the wafer W, a portion where the volatilization of the solvent is easily promoted and a portion where the volatilization is not easily promoted are formed on the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, when the wafer W is heated, the direction of the gas flow on the surface of the wafer is sequentially switched, and the in-plane uniformity of the volatilization amount of the solvent on the surface of the wafer W is improved. By using such a heating unit, the in-plane uniformity of the heat treatment of the wafer W can be further improved.

[0106] [Example]

[0107] In order to verify the effect of the embodiment of the present invention, an example of heating the wafer W coated by the heating method shown in the first embodiment is used as Example 1. In addition, the heating device shown in the second embodiment is used to temporarily heat the wafer W coated by the heating unit 4 for 15 seconds as shown in the second embodiment, and the heated wafer W is transferred to the cooling plate 3, and the cooling plate is rotated 90 degrees to rotate the angle of the wafer, and then the wafer W is returned to the heating unit 4 and heated for 15 seconds. The following example is used as Example 2: the process of rotating the wafer W and the process of heating for 15 seconds are repeated three times, and the heating process is performed four times, namely, heating the wafer W at the initial angle for 15 seconds, rotating the wafer W for 90 degrees for 15 seconds, rotating the wafer W for 180 seconds for 15 seconds, and rotating the wafer W for 270 degrees for 15 seconds.

[0108] The film thickness distribution was measured for each of Examples 1 and 2 to measure the difference between the maximum and minimum film thicknesses and 3σ of the film thickness distribution.

[0109] Fig.33 : is a contour map showing the film thickness distribution in each of Examples 1 and 2. In Example 1, the difference between the maximum and minimum film thickness is 8.07nm, and 3σ is 6.12nm. In Example 2, the difference between the maximum and minimum film thickness is 4.13nm, and 3σ is 3.08nm.

[0110] In Example 1, the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W also showed a good value. However, in Example 2, the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W was further improved and showed a good value.

[0111] Based on this result, it can be said that by using the heating device of the present invention, the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness can be improved, and by using the heating device involved in the second embodiment, the wafer W can be heated more uniformly, so that the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of the wafer W can be improved.

Claims

1. A substrate heating device, characterized in that: have: A heating plate that carries the substrate and heats the substrate; A cooling plate is disposed adjacent to the heating plate in the front-rear direction, and is used to place a substrate before heating treatment brought in from the outside and to cool the substrate after heating treatment by the heating plate; A substrate transport mechanism, used for transporting the substrate between the cooling plate and the heating plate; a heat insulation plate continuously provided from the lower side of the heating plate to the lower side of the cooling plate; a cooling mechanism for cooling the heat shield, and a low oxygen atmosphere forming unit for setting the atmosphere for heating the substrate to a low oxygen atmosphere, The substrate transport mechanism includes a substrate holding portion for holding the substrate, and a moving mechanism disposed below the heat insulating plate and moving the substrate holding portion in a front-rear direction. The substrate transport mechanism transports the substrate by holding the substrate on the substrate holding portion and moving the substrate holding portion between the cooling plate and the heating plate.

2. The substrate heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating plate is configured to heat the substrate to a temperature of 450° C. or higher.

3. The substrate heating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cooling mechanism is a flow path of a cooling medium provided along the heat insulation plate.

4. The substrate heating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The substrate holding portion comprises: a left holding portion, which extends upward from a position to the left of the cooling plate and bends to the right to hold the left edge of the substrate; and a right holding portion, which extends upward from a position to the right of the cooling plate and bends to the left to hold the right edge of the substrate.

5. The substrate heating device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The heat shield plate is formed with a left cutout portion and a right cutout portion for allowing the left holding portion and the right holding portion to move in a state of respectively penetrating therethrough.

6. The substrate heating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heating plate further comprises: a plurality of lifting members, the plurality of lifting members being arranged to penetrate the heating plate and freely protrude or retract relative to the surface of the heating plate; and a lifting mechanism, which is disposed on the lower side of the heat insulation board and is used to lift and lower the plurality of lifting members.

7. The substrate heating device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cooling plate is further provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the cooling plate around a vertical axis. The substrate heated by the heating plate is placed on a cooling plate, the cooling plate is rotated to change the angle of the substrate, and then the substrate is placed on a heating unit in a state where the angle of the substrate is changed to be heated.

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