Substrate heating device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate heating apparatus. The uniformity of the film thickness of a film formed on a substrate is improved when the substrate is heated by the substrate heating apparatus. The substrate heating apparatus is used to heat a substrate in a housing in which a heating plate on which the substrate is placed and heated and a cooling plate on which the substrate is placed and cooled are arranged side by side, and has a gas nozzle that forms a one-way gas flow above the heating plate toward one end of the housing on the heating plate side along the direction in which the plates are arranged side by side, and a gate that is movable up and down in the housing and that partitions a transport space of the substrate between at least the heating plate and the cooling plate, the discharge portion of the gas nozzle being disposed between the gate and the heating plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a substrate heating device. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate heating apparatus comprising: a heating plate for holding and heating a substrate; a cooling plate disposed adjacent to the heating plate in a front-rear direction for holding a substrate fed in from the outside before heat treatment and cooling the substrate after heat treatment by the heating plate; a substrate conveying mechanism for conveying the substrate between the cooling plate and the heating plate; a heat insulation plate extending from the lower side of the heating plate to the lower side of the cooling plate; and a cooling mechanism for cooling the heat insulation plate. The substrate heating apparatus further comprises a low-oxygen atmosphere forming section for making the atmosphere for heat-treated substrate a low-oxygen atmosphere. The substrate conveying mechanism comprises: a substrate holding section for holding the substrate; and a moving mechanism disposed below the heat insulation plate to move the substrate holding section in a front-rear direction.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-182263 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0005] The present invention discloses a technique for improving the uniformity of film thickness of a film formed on a substrate when the substrate is heated by a substrate heating device.

[0006] Solution for solving the problem

[0007] A substrate heating device disclosed herein is used to heat a substrate within a housing. A heating plate for holding and heating the substrate and a cooling plate for holding and cooling the substrate are arranged side-by-side within the housing. The substrate heating device includes: a gas nozzle that forms a unidirectional airflow along the direction of the side-by-side arrangement of the heating plate above the heating plate and towards the housing at one end near the heating plate; and a gate that can move vertically within the housing and divides the transport space of the substrate between at least the heating plate and the cooling plate. The ejection portion of the gas nozzle is disposed between the gate and the heating plate.

[0008] The effects of the invention

[0009] According to this disclosure, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate when the substrate is heated by the substrate heating device. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a side view of the general structure of the substrate heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a schematic representation. Figure 1 A top cross-sectional view illustrating the general structure of the substrate heating device.

[0012] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a side view of the general structure of the substrate heating device according to the second embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a schematic representation. Figure 3 A top cross-sectional view illustrating the general structure of the substrate heating device.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the gas nozzle used in the substrate heating device of the second embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 This is an exploded perspective view of the gas nozzle used in the substrate heating device of the second embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a side view of the gas nozzle used in the substrate heating device of the second embodiment.

[0017] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the gas flow path that can be used in the substrate heating device of the second embodiment.

[0018] Figure 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the gas flow path that can be used in the substrate heating device of the second embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0019] For example, as an etching mask, or thin film, used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, there are known coating films such as those called SOC (Spin On Carbon) films. This coating film is obtained by applying a processing liquid containing the precursor of the coating film onto a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"), using a spin coating method, followed by heating and curing it using a crosslinking reaction.

[0020] Based on the above objectives, the substrate heating apparatus of Patent Document 1, which heats a substrate, is configured to uniformly heat the heated substrate in a low-oxygen atmosphere by supplying a purge gas, such as nitrogen, from one side of a hot plate to the heated substrate, thereby forming a unidirectional airflow on the substrate and improving the uniformity of the film thickness.

[0021] In this regard, various new technologies, such as coating solutions for forming coated films, have recently been developed, and higher levels of film thickness uniformity are required. From this perspective, there is a need for technologies that further improve the uniformity of film thickness during heating compared to previous methods.

[0022] This disclosure satisfies the requirement of further improving the uniformity of film thickness compared to the past. Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in this specification, elements having substantially the same functional structure are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0023] [First Implementation]

[0024] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the substrate heating device 1 of the embodiment includes a rectangular housing 10. The interior of the housing 10 is divided into upper and lower sections by a water-cooled plate 2, which serves as a heat insulation plate. Taking the length direction of the housing 10 as the front-rear direction, for example, a feed-in / feed-outlet 11 for feeding in and out of the wafer W is formed at a position above the water-cooled plate 2 on the front end face of the housing 10. A gate 12 for opening and closing the feed-in / feed-outlet 11 is provided at the feed-in / feed-outlet 11. The gate 12 is configured to be opened and closed by a gate opening and closing mechanism 13 located inside the housing 10 and below the water-cooled plate 2. The water-cooled plate 2 is formed of a rectangular metal plate, and a cooling flow path (not shown) for the flow of cooling water is provided inside it.

[0025] When viewed from the feed inlet / outlet 11, the cooling section 3 and heating section 4 used for cooling the wafer W are arranged in the order of cooling section 3 and heating section 4 from the front side (front side). Figure 1 (Right side) facing inward (rear side) Figure 1 The cooling plates 5 and 6 are arranged side-by-side on the upper surface of the water-cooled plate 2 (on the left side). The cooling section 3 has a cooling plate 5. The heating section 4 has a heating plate 6. The cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6 are fixed to the upper surface of the water-cooled plate 2 by means of support members 14. Therefore, the water-cooled plate 2 extends from the lower side of the cooling plate 5 to the lower side of the heating plate 6.

[0026] A cooling flow path (not shown) is provided on the lower surface of the cooling plate 5 in such a way that it surrounds the entire lower surface. The wafer W placed on the cooling plate 5 is cooled by circulating a cooling medium, such as cooling water, from a cooler (not shown).

[0027] The cooling plate 5 has three through holes 21 formed in the circumferential direction and extending through the thickness direction. A lifting pin 22, serving as a lifting component, is disposed in each through hole 21. The lifting pin 22 is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 23, and protrudes freely from the surface of the cooling plate 5. Furthermore, the lifting mechanism 23 is fixed to the water-cooled plate 2 and is cooled by the water-cooled plate 2.

[0028] The heating plate 6 of the heating section 4 is used to heat the placed wafer W, and the peripheral and bottom surfaces of the heating plate 6 are housed by the housing member 31. A top plate member 32 is provided above the heating plate 6. The top plate member 32 is configured to surround the left and right sides of the wafer W placed on the heating plate 6 and cover it from above, while leaving the wafer W placed on the heating plate 6 open in the front-back direction. A heat insulation panel 33 is provided on the upper side of the top plate member 32.

[0029] The heating plate 6 is configured as a flat cylindrical shape, and the insulating plate 6a, the plate-shaped heater 6b, and the surface member 6c such as silicon carbide are stacked in the order of insulating plate 6a, plate-shaped heater 6b, and surface member 6c from the lower layer side. For example, gap pins (not shown) are dispersedly provided on the upper surface of the heating plate 6 to support the wafer W at a certain distance from the surface of the heating plate 6.

[0030] Three through holes 34 extending through the thickness direction are formed at three positions in the circumferential direction on the heating plate 6 and the housing component 31, and a lifting pin 35 is respectively arranged in each through hole 34. The lifting pin 35 is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 36 located below the water-cooling plate 2, and protrudes freely from the upper surface of the heating plate 6.

[0031] The substrate heating apparatus 1 includes a substrate transport mechanism, namely a wafer transport mechanism 41, for transporting the wafer W between the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6. This wafer transport mechanism 41 has support portions 41a and 41b extending vertically and vertically respectively on the left and right sides of the cooling plate 5, respectively, in an opposing manner. Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the upper ends of the support portions 41a and 41b are formed such that their tops protrude toward the right and left sides, respectively. Furthermore, plate-shaped left-side retaining members 41c and 41d are provided on the upper surface of the tops of the support portions 41a and 41b. These plate-shaped left-side retaining members 41c and 41d are made of, for example, ceramic or quartz, and extend toward the heating plate 6 (towards the rear) when viewed from the cooling plate 5, respectively retaining the left and right peripheral portions of the lower surface of the wafer W.

[0032] Each support portion 41a and 41b of the wafer transport mechanism 41 is inserted into the notches 42 and 43 formed on both sides of the water-cooled plate 2, and the base end of each support portion 41a and 41b is connected to a common moving mechanism 44 located below the water-cooled plate 2.

[0033] The moving mechanism 44 is configured to move below the water-cooled plate 2 along a guide rail 45 extending in the front-rear direction using, for example, a belt drive mechanism (not shown). By moving this moving mechanism 44 along the guide rail 45, the left retaining member 41c and the right retaining member 41d are moved... Figure 1 , Figure 2 The solid line in the image shows the position above the cooling plate 5 and... Figure 1 , Figure 2 The dotted line indicates the position above the heating plate 6. Thus, when the left holding member 41c and the right holding member 41d are positioned above the heating plate 6, the wafer W is transferred using the cooperation of the lifting pin 35 and the wafer transport mechanism 41, so that the wafer W can be placed on the heating plate 6 or removed from the heating plate 6.

[0034] Above the rear side (heating section 4 side) of the cooling plate 5, there is a gas nozzle 51 for forming a unidirectional flow of nitrogen, for example, an inactive gas, which is used to form a low-oxygen atmosphere on the surface of the heating plate 6.

[0035] The gas nozzle 51 has a shape extending in the left-right direction (a horizontal direction orthogonal to the parallel arrangement direction of the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6), and a plurality of ejection holes are formed along the length direction in the ejection portion 51a at the top end. This ejection portion 51a is arranged to be inclined downward relative to the main body portion 51b of the nozzle. Therefore, the inactive gas ejected from the ejection portion 51a is supplied to the surface of the wafer W on the heating plate 6 from an upward angle.

[0036] The gas nozzle 51 is connected to the inactive gas supply source 52 located outside the substrate heating device 1 via the flow adjustment device 53 and the valve 54.

[0037] Above the cooling plate 5, there is a gas supply section 61 that supplies low-oxygen gas, such as nitrogen as an inert gas, toward the cooling plate 5. The gas supply section 61 is configured as a flat rectangular tube and is configured as a perforated plate with a plurality of holes 62 formed on its lower surface. The gas supply section 61 is connected to the inert gas supply source 52 via a flow adjustment device 63 and a valve 64.

[0038] Furthermore, an exhaust section 15 is provided at the height of the surface of the heating plate 6 on the inner side of the housing 10. This exhaust section 15 has multiple exhaust holes 15a for discharging the atmosphere inside the housing 10, and is connected to the factory exhaust system. Therefore, by utilizing the exhaust from the exhaust section 15, which is positioned opposite the gas nozzle 51 across the heating plate 6, a unidirectional airflow formed by the inactive gas supplied from the gas nozzle 51 is uniformly formed on the heating plate 6. That is, along the direction in which the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6 are arranged side-by-side, a unidirectional airflow is formed above the heating plate 6 towards the end of the housing 10 closest to the heating plate 6.

[0039] Furthermore, a gate 71 is provided between the cooling section 3 and the heating section 4 within the housing 10, and below the aforementioned gas nozzle 51. For example... Figure 1As indicated by the reciprocating arrow, the gate 71 can move freely up and down using a drive mechanism (not shown) provided on both sides within, for example, the housing 10. Furthermore, the upper end 71a of the gate 71 has a shape that slopes downward toward the heating section 4, and when the gate 71 is raised, it is configured to approach the lower surface of the inclined ejection section 51a of the gas nozzle 51 to form a small gap.

[0040] In this embodiment, the lower surface of the ejection portion 51a of the gas nozzle 51 also serves as the opposing portion, and is shaped to match the upper end portion 71a, which is the top end portion of the gate 71.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the lower surface of the ejection portion 51a of the gas nozzle 51 is also used as the opposing portion, the gas nozzle 51 and the gate 71 overlap at least partially when viewed from above.

[0042] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, the substrate heating apparatus 1 includes a control unit C for controlling the substrate heating apparatus 1. The control unit C contains a program stored on a storage medium such as an optical disc, hard disk, MO (magneto-optical disk), or memory card. The installed program is programmed with commands (steps) to send control signals to various parts of the substrate heating apparatus 1 to control its operation.

[0043] The substrate heating apparatus 1 of the embodiment has the above structure. When a wafer W coated with, for example, a SOC film is received by a transport arm (not shown) from outside the substrate heating apparatus 1, the gate 12 of the housing 10 is opened and the gate 71 is lowered. In this state, the wafer transport mechanism 41 is temporarily moved toward the heating section 4. Then, the wafer W is received by the lifting pin 22 on the cooling plate 5 side, and then the transport arm is retracted away from the substrate heating apparatus 1, and the gate 12 is closed.

[0044] Then, nitrogen gas is sprayed from the gas nozzle 51 toward the heating plate 6, and exhaust gas is also started from the exhaust section 15. Simultaneously, nitrogen gas is also sprayed from the gas supply section 61. As a result, the housing 10 is filled with nitrogen gas, and the atmosphere in which the wafer W is placed becomes a low-oxygen atmosphere. Next, the wafer transport mechanism 41 is moved toward the cooling plate 5, transferring the wafer W to the wafer transport mechanism 41.

[0045] Next, the wafer transport mechanism 41, which holds the left and right edges of the wafer W, is moved towards the heating section 4, and the lifting pin 35 of the heating plate 6 receives the wafer W. Then, the wafer transport mechanism 41 is moved upwards towards the cooling plate 5, and the lifting pin 35 is lowered to place the wafer W on the heating plate 6, thereby heating the wafer W. However, when the wafer transport mechanism 41 is moved upwards towards the cooling plate 5, the gate 71 immediately rises, thus separating the transport space of the wafer W between the heating plate 6 and the cooling plate 5. In this state, the wafer W placed on the heating plate 6 is heated.

[0046] During the heating of wafer W, a unidirectional airflow is formed above wafer W by nitrogen gas ejected from the ejection portion 51a of the gas nozzle 51. However, since the ejection portion 51a is positioned between the gate 71 and the heating plate 6, the atmosphere from the cooling section 3 side is substantially blocked by the gate 71, thus suppressing the flow of atmosphere from the cooling section 3 into the heating section 4. Therefore, compared to the past, the influence of external interference on the unidirectional airflow formed on the heating plate 6 can be suppressed. As a result, depending on the type of coating film on wafer W, the tendency for unilateral increase in film thickness, i.e., the tendency for film thickness to increase near the exhaust portion 15, which is sometimes observed in the past, can also be suppressed, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating film on wafer W.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper end 71a of the gate 71 has a shape that slopes downwards towards the heating section 4. When the gate 71 is closed and raised, it approaches the lower surface of the inclined ejection portion 51a of the gas nozzle 51 to form a small gap. However, this gap is small, and because the gap is formed at an angle, the pressure loss is large, which can suppress the flow of atmosphere from the cooling section 3 into the heating section 4. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing atmosphere from flowing in, it is preferable that the upper end 71a of the gate 71 and the lower surface of the ejection portion 51a of the gas nozzle 51 are in close contact when the gate 71 is closed. However, if this is done, dust will be generated due to the contact between the two components, which is not preferred.

[0048] Furthermore, the gas nozzle 51 and the gate 71 overlap at least partially when viewed from above. Therefore, when the gas nozzle 51 and the gate 71 are installed inside the housing 10, space saving can be achieved within the housing 10, especially in the front-to-back direction (the direction in which the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6 are arranged side by side).

[0049] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown by the dotted line, if a partition wall 73 is provided to separate the spaces below the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate 6, the flow of cold air from the space below the cooling plate 5 into the heating section 4 can be suppressed, and the influence of external interference on the atmosphere inside the heating section 4 can be further suppressed, which helps to improve the uniformity of the film thickness.

[0050] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the flow of atmosphere from the cooling section 3 side to the heating section 4 side, for example, as... Figure 1As shown by the dashed line, a partition plate 74 can also be provided on the side of the gate 71 closest to the cooling plate 5. This partition plate 74 covers the gap between the upper end 71a of the gate 71 and the lower surface of the ejection portion 5a of the gas nozzle 51, which is the opposite part, when the gate 71 is closed and raised on the cooling section 3 side. This further reduces the pressure loss of the inflow path through the gap between the upper end 71a of the gate 71 and the lower surface of the ejection portion 5a of the gas nozzle 51, and further suppresses the inflow of atmosphere from the cooling section 3 side to the heating section 4 side. Furthermore, the lower end of the partition plate 74 is positioned so as not to obstruct the transport of the wafer W when the gate 71 is open. This wafer W is transported between the heating plate 6 and the cooling plate 5 using the aforementioned wafer transport mechanism 41.

[0051] [Second Implementation]

[0052] Next, based on Figure 3 The following figures will describe the second embodiment. Furthermore, in Figure 3 , Figure 4 The substrate heating device 101 of the second embodiment shown uses the same reference numerals as the substrate heating device 1 of the first embodiment for components and elements that have the same function and structure as the substrate heating device 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, the description focuses on the structure and function that are different from the substrate heating device 1 of the first embodiment, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0053] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, in the substrate heating device 101 of this second embodiment, the gas nozzle 110 is provided at the end of the heating plate 6 near the cooling plate 5. Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, the gas nozzle 110 has the following structure: multiple layers stacked, for example in Figure 6 In the example, three nozzle components 111, 112, and 113 are stacked, and a flow straightening component 114, which serves as the ejection section, is provided above the uppermost nozzle component 113.

[0054] The lower side of the nozzle member 111 is connected to the inlet member 115 for introducing gas. Furthermore, the gas introduced from the inlet member 115 is branched into two by a branched flow path (not shown) formed within the nozzle member 111 and ejected from two outlets 111a. The second-layer nozzle member 112 independently introduces gas from the two outlets 111a, further branching into two within each nozzle member 112 and ejected from four outlets 112a on its upper surface. The third-layer nozzle member 113 independently introduces gas from the four outlets 112a, further branching into two within each nozzle member 113 and ejected from eight outlets 113a on its upper surface.

[0055] Furthermore, the gas ejected from the nozzle member 113's outlet 113a comes into contact with the lower surface of the rectifier member 114 and is ejected horizontally by means of the rectifier portion 114a that protrudes horizontally from the rectifier member 114. Thus, a predetermined gas can be ejected unidirectionally and uniformly from the gas nozzle 110 to the top of the wafer W on the heating plate 6.

[0056] like Figure 5 As shown, the inlet member 115 is connected to the gas flow path 121 provided along the outer periphery of the heating plate 6, supplying inactive gas from the inactive gas supply source 52 to the gas nozzle 110. That is, the inlet flow path 122 toward the gas flow path 121 is connected to the inactive gas supply source 52 provided outside the substrate heating device 101 via the flow adjustment device 53 and the valve 54. In addition, the outlet flow path 123 from the gas flow path 121 is connected to the inlet member 115 of the gas nozzle 110.

[0057] Therefore, the inactive gas from the inactive gas supply source 52 is introduced into the inlet member 115 through the inlet flow path 122, the gas flow path 121, and the outlet flow path 123, and dispersed through the aforementioned nozzle members 111, 112, and 113, and is horizontally ejected from the rectifier member 114.

[0058] Furthermore, the gas flow path 121 runs along the outer periphery of the heating plate 6, more specifically as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it is arranged around the heating plate 6 at the position corresponding to the heater 6b. Therefore, when the inactive gas from the inactive gas supply source 52 flows in this gas flow path 121, it is heated by the heat from the heating plate 6, and after being heated, it is ejected from the gas nozzle 110 onto the wafer W.

[0059] Furthermore, regarding the substrate heating device 101 of this second embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, a gate 131 is provided between the cooling section 3 and the heating section 4 within the housing 10. This gate 131 separates the transport space for transporting the wafer W using the wafer transport mechanism 41. Below the gate 131, a partition wall 132 is provided, and at the upper end of the partition wall 132, a corresponding portion 133 is provided. The longitudinal section of the corresponding portion 133 is concave, having a shape and size that accommodates the lower end portion 131a of the gate 131 within the concave space, ensuring a small gap. Of course, in the design of the device, the partition wall 132 can also be independent of the corresponding portion 133, such as... Figure 3 As shown by the dashed line, the partition wall 135 is positioned to appropriately separate the space below the heating plate 6 and the space below the cooling plate 5.

[0060] The substrate heating apparatus 101 of the embodiment has the above structure. In this substrate heating apparatus 101, the atmosphere from the cooling section 3 side is substantially blocked by the gate 131, thereby suppressing the flow of atmosphere from the cooling section 3 into the heating section 4. Therefore, compared to the conventional method, the influence of external interference on the unidirectional airflow formed on the heating plate 6 can be suppressed. Consequently, the uniformity of the coating film on the wafer W can be improved.

[0061] Furthermore, the gate 131 and the opposing portion 133 are recessed in shape and size to accommodate the lower end 131a of the gate 131 in a manner that ensures a small gap. Therefore, the pressure loss of this small gap is relatively large, which can further suppress the flow of air from the cooling portion 3 into the heating portion 4. In addition, a partition wall 132 is arranged on the lower side of the opposing portion, so the flow of cold air from the space below the cooling plate 5 into the heating portion 4 can also be suppressed. Moreover, in this embodiment, the partition wall 132 functions as a support member supporting the opposing portion 133. When viewed from above, the two members overlap, thus saving space in the front-back direction (the direction in which the cooling plate 5 and the heating plate are arranged side by side) within the housing 10.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the gas ejected from the gas nozzle 110 flows along the gas flow path 121 arranged along the outer periphery of the heating plate 6, it heats up due to the heat from the heating plate 6. Therefore, when the gas is ejected from the gas nozzle 110, the temperature of the heated wafer W will not decrease. Thus, the uniformity of the film thickness can also be improved from this point of view.

[0063] Furthermore, the gas flow path 121 described above is configured to surround the heating plate 6 once and around its entire circumference, but it can also have a structure that does not surround the heating plate 6 in this way. For example, as... Figure 8 As shown, the inlet flow path 122 can also be temporarily branched into two via the branch section 141, forming branch gas flow paths 121a and 121b that respectively surround half of the outer periphery of the heating plate 6, and then introduced into the aforementioned inlet member 115. This suppresses temperature deviations in the heating plate 6. Specifically, it suppresses the possibility of a difference in temperature distribution between the inlet flow path 122 side and the outlet flow path 123 side due to the temperature of the gas flowing in at room temperature.

[0064] Alternatively, from this perspective, the shape and configuration of the branch gas flow paths 121a and 121b can be set so that the gas that has just flowed in from the inlet flow path 122 does not immediately flow along the outer periphery of the heating plate 6, but rather... Figure 9 As shown, the film is positioned relatively far from the outer periphery of the heating plate 6 immediately after exiting the branch 141, and gradually moves closer to the outer periphery of the heating plate 6. This eliminates the main cause of uneven film thickness due to temperature distribution deviations in the heating plate 6, thus improving the uniformity of the film thickness.

[0065] In addition, the gas flow path 121 and the branch gas flow paths 121a and 121b are not limited to such a configuration. Gas flow paths 121 and branch gas flow paths 121a and 121b with a structure in which the inner diameter of the gas flow path 121 first decreases and then gradually increases can also be used.

[0066] It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above embodiments can be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways as long as they do not depart from the claims and their spirit.

[0067] In addition, the following structures also fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0068] (1) A substrate heating device for heating a substrate within a housing, wherein,

[0069] A heating plate for holding and heating a substrate and a cooling plate for holding and cooling the substrate are arranged side by side inside the housing.

[0070] The substrate heating device has the following features:

[0071] A gas nozzle, arranged in a parallel configuration, forms a unidirectional airflow at one end of the housing above the heating plate, facing the heating plate side; and

[0072] A gate, which is movable up and down within the housing, and divides the transport space of the substrate between at least the heating plate and the cooling plate.

[0073] The ejection portion of the gas nozzle is disposed between the gate and the heating plate.

[0074] (2) According to the substrate heating device of (1), the gas nozzle and the gate overlap at least partially when viewed from above.

[0075] (3) The substrate heating device according to (1) or (2) has a recess in the top part of the opposite part that is close to and opposite to the top part of the gate, which can accommodate the top part of the gate when the gate is closed.

[0076] (4) According to the substrate heating device of (1) or (2), the top end of the gate is shaped to be inclined when viewed from the side along a direction orthogonal to the direction of the parallel arrangement, and the top end of the opposite part that is close to and opposite to the top end of the gate is shaped to be inclined to match the top end of the gate when the gate is closed.

[0077] (5) The substrate heating device according to any one of (1) to (4) has a partition plate on the side closer to the cooling plate than the gate, the partition plate covering the portion of the top end of the gate close to the top end of the opposite portion when the gate is closed, the top end of the partition plate being located at a position that does not obstruct the transport of the substrate between the heating plate and the cooling plate when the gate is open.

[0078] (6) The substrate heating apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), the substrate heating apparatus having a partition wall that separates the space below the heating plate and the space below the cooling plate.

[0079] (7) The substrate heating apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6) wherein the gas ejected from the ejection portion of the gas nozzle is heated in the housing by the heat from the heating plate before being ejected.

[0080] (8) According to the substrate heating device of (7), the gas flow path until the gas supplied to the gas nozzle is ejected from the ejection section is arranged along the outer periphery of the heating plate.

Claims

1. A substrate heating apparatus for heating a substrate in a housing, wherein a heating plate that supports and heats a substrate and a cooling plate that supports and cools a substrate are arranged side by side in the housing, the substrate heating apparatus has: a gas nozzle that forms a one-way gas flow above the heating plate toward one end of the housing on the heating plate side along the direction in which the plates are arranged side by side; and a gate that is movable up and down in the housing and that partitions a conveyance space of the substrate between at least the heating plate and the cooling plate, an outlet portion of the gas nozzle is disposed between the gate and the heating plate, the gas nozzle and the gate overlap at least in part when viewed from above, a top end portion of an opposing portion that is close to and opposes the top end portion of the gate has a recess that can accommodate the top end portion of the gate when the gate is closed, and a gap is formed between the top end portion of the gate and the top end portion of the opposing portion when the gate is closed.

2. A substrate heating apparatus for heating a substrate in a housing, wherein a heating plate that supports and heats a substrate and a cooling plate that supports and cools a substrate are arranged side by side in the housing, the substrate heating apparatus has: a gas nozzle that forms a one-way gas flow above the heating plate toward one end of the housing on the heating plate side along the direction in which the plates are arranged side by side; and a gate that is movable up and down in the housing and that partitions a conveyance space of the substrate between at least the heating plate and the cooling plate, an outlet portion of the gas nozzle is disposed between the gate and the heating plate, the gas nozzle and the gate overlap at least in part when viewed from above, the top end portion of the gate is shaped so as to have an inclined shape when viewed from the side in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the plates are arranged side by side, a top end portion of an opposing portion that is close to and opposes the top end portion of the gate is shaped so as to have an inclined shape that matches the top end portion of the gate when the gate is closed, and a gap is formed between the top end portion of the gate and the top end portion of the opposing portion when the gate is closed.

3. The substrate heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a partition plate is provided on the cooling plate side of the gate, the partition plate covering a portion where the top end portion of the gate and the top end portion of the opposing portion are close to each other when the gate is closed, and a top end portion of the partition plate is positioned so as not to interfere with conveyance of a substrate between the heating plate and the cooling plate when the gate is open.

4. The substrate heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate heating apparatus has a partition wall that partitions a space below the heating plate and a space below the cooling plate.

5. The substrate heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein gas that is emitted from an outlet portion of the gas nozzle is warmed by heat from the heating plate before being emitted in the housing.

6. The substrate heating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a gas flow path until gas supplied to the gas nozzle is emitted from the outlet portion is disposed so as to follow the outer periphery of the heating plate. ​ ​ ​ ​

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