Heating device and heating method

Abstract

This invention provides a heating device and a heating method that can heat a substrate using light from a light-emitting element, even when using a power supply with low output power. The heating device for heating the substrate includes: a support portion supporting the substrate; and a light irradiation unit that heats the substrate supported on the support portion by irradiating light. The light irradiation unit is configured with multiple blocks, and light is irradiated onto different portions of one side of the substrate supported on the support portion according to each block. When heating is performed by the light irradiation unit, the blocks used among the multiple blocks are considered as a subset and are sequentially switched.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to heating devices and heating methods. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a load locking device for transporting a substrate between a vacuum chamber maintained at a vacuum and an atmospheric atmosphere. The load locking device includes: a container capable of changing the pressure between the pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber and atmospheric pressure; a first opening / closing mechanism configured to open and close between the container and the vacuum chamber; and a second opening / closing mechanism configured to open and close between the container and the atmospheric atmosphere. Furthermore, the load locking device includes a pressure regulating mechanism that regulates the pressure inside the container to a pressure corresponding to the vacuum level when the first opening / closing mechanism is opened and the container is in communication with the vacuum chamber, and regulates the pressure inside the container to atmospheric pressure when the second opening / closing mechanism is opened and the container is in communication with the atmospheric atmosphere. In addition, the load locking device includes a substrate mounting stage disposed within the container and a heating mechanism for heating the substrate disposed on the mounting stage, the heating mechanism having a heating source equipped with a solid-state light-emitting element.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-76705 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] The technology of this invention can heat the substrate with light from the light-emitting element even when using a power supply with low output power.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a heating device for heating a substrate, comprising: a support portion supporting the substrate; and a light irradiation unit that heats the substrate supported on the support portion by irradiating light. The light irradiation unit is configured with a plurality of blocks, and irradiates different portions of one side of the substrate supported on the support portion according to each of the blocks. When heating is performed by the light irradiation unit, the blocks used among the plurality of blocks are a portion and are switched sequentially.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] According to the present invention, even when using a power supply with low output power, the substrate can be heated by light from the light-emitting element. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the outline structure of a wafer processing system, which includes a heating device according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the load locking device.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the heating element.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a top view illustrating the way the light-illuminating unit is divided into blocks.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a top view illustrating how the areas are divided.

[0017] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the switching method for heating blocks.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the load locking device of the heating device as a second embodiment.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a top view showing the general structure of the insulation board.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a top view illustrating another example of the block division of a light-illuminating unit.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a top view that shows an overview of the area group.

[0022] Figure 11 This is another example of how the blocks of a light-illuminating unit are divided.

[0023] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0024] 12, 13 Load locking device

[0025] 120 support pin

[0026] R region

[0027] U-light irradiation unit

[0028] W chip

[0029] Block Z. Detailed Implementation

[0030] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer") is heated.

[0031] As a method of heating the substrate, as in Patent Document 1, there is a method that uses a heating source consisting of an array of multiple solid-state light-emitting elements mounted on a support. In Patent Document 1, the substrate, which is the object to be heated, is heated by absorbing electromagnetic waves (light) generated by the solid-state light-emitting elements.

[0032] As in Patent Document 1, when using a heating source composed of multiple solid-state light-emitting element arrays, for example, all of the multiple solid-state light-emitting element arrays are used simultaneously to heat the substrate. However, when using all of the multiple solid-state light-emitting element arrays simultaneously, a power supply with high output power is required to supply power to the heating source. Power supplies with high output power are both expensive and large.

[0033] Therefore, the technology of the present invention can heat the substrate with light from the light-emitting element even when using a power supply with low output power.

[0034] Hereinafter, the heating apparatus and heating method of this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in this specification and the accompanying drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0035] (First Implementation)

[0036] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the outline structure of a wafer processing system 1, which includes a substrate processing system comprising the heating device of the first embodiment. The wafer processing system 1 performs prescribed processes on a wafer W, which serves as a substrate, such as film formation, diffusion, and etching, under reduced pressure.

[0037] The wafer processing system 1 has a structure that connects a carrier station 10 and a processing station 11 into one unit. The carrier station 10 feeds and outputs a carrier C capable of accommodating multiple wafers W. The processing station 11 includes various processing devices that perform prescribed processing on the multiple wafers W under reduced pressure. The carrier station 10 and the processing station 11 are connected via two load locking devices 12 and 13.

[0038] Load locking devices 12 and 13 have housings forming load locking chambers 12a and 13a, which are configured to switch between atmospheric pressure and vacuum conditions. Load locking devices 12 and 13 are configured to connect the atmospheric pressure conveying device 20 (described later) and the vacuum conveying device 30. Load locking device 12, as described later, has a heating unit and functions as a heating device for heating the wafer W in this embodiment; specifically, it functions as a heating device for heating the wafer W before it is conveyed to the processing devices 40-43. Load locking device 13 is similarly configured. The detailed structure of load locking device 12 will be described later.

[0039] The carrier station 10 includes an atmospheric pressure conveying device 20 and a carrier mounting stage 21. Furthermore, the carrier station 10 may also be equipped with an alignment device (not shown) for adjusting the orientation of the wafer W.

[0040] The atmospheric pressure conveying device 20 has a housing that forms an atmospheric conveying chamber 22 under atmospheric pressure. The atmospheric conveying chamber 22 is connected to the load locking chambers 12a and 13a of the load locking devices 12 and 13 via gate valves G1 and G2. A conveying mechanism 23 is provided inside the atmospheric conveying chamber 22 to convey the wafer W between itself and the load locking chambers 12a and 13a under atmospheric pressure.

[0041] The transport mechanism 23 has two transport arms 23a and 23b. The transport arms 23a and 23b are multi-jointed arms with a wafer holding portion provided at the front end as a substrate holding portion for holding the wafer W. Moreover, the transport mechanism 23 is configured to transport the wafer W while holding it with either the transport arms 23a or 23b.

[0042] The carrier stage 21 is located on the side opposite to the load locking devices 12 and 13 in the atmospheric pressure conveying device 20. In the illustrated example, the carrier stage 21 can hold multiple (e.g., three) carriers C. The wafer W placed in the carrier C of the carrier stage 21 is fed into and out of the atmospheric conveying chamber 22 by the conveying arms 23a and 23b of the conveying mechanism 23 of the atmospheric pressure conveying device 20.

[0043] The processing station 11 has a vacuum conveying device 30 and processing devices 40 to 43.

[0044] The vacuum transport device 30 has a housing of a vacuum transport chamber 31, which is maintained in a depressurized state (vacuum state) within the chamber. This housing is configured to be sealable, for example, formed in a generally polygonal shape when viewed from above (hexagonal in the illustrated example). The vacuum transport chamber 31 is connected to the load locking chambers 12a and 13a of the load locking devices 12 and 13 via gates G3 and G4. A transport mechanism 32 is provided inside the vacuum transport chamber 31 for transporting the wafer W between the wafer and the vacuum processing chambers 44 to 47 of the processing devices 40 to 43 (described later).

[0045] The transport mechanism 32 has two transport arms 32a and 32b and a base 32c. The transport arms 32a and 32b are each composed of a multi-jointed arm with transport pick-up devices 32d and 32e at their front ends for holding the wafer W. The base 32c provides axial support to the root ends of each of the transport arms 32a and 32b. Furthermore, the transport mechanism 32 is configured such that either the transport arms 32a or 32b holds the wafer W while transporting it.

[0046] Outside the housing of the vacuum conveying chamber 31 forming the vacuum conveying device 30, processing devices 40-43 and load locking devices 12 and 13 are arranged to surround the housing. For example, the load locking device 12, processing devices 40-43 and load locking device 13 are arranged in a clockwise direction when viewed from above, starting from the load locking device 12, and are respectively opposite to the side of the housing forming the vacuum conveying chamber 31.

[0047] Processing apparatuses 40-43 perform prescribed processes on wafer W under reduced pressure, such as film deposition, diffusion, and etching. Furthermore, each of processing apparatuses 40-43 has a housing for a vacuum processing chamber 44-47 formed within a chamber under reduced pressure to perform the aforementioned prescribed processes on the wafer W. Vacuum processing chambers 44-47 are connected to the vacuum transport chamber 31 of the vacuum transport device 30 via gates G5-G8, which serve as isolation valves.

[0048] Furthermore, the processing devices 40 to 43 can be arbitrarily selected to perform processing corresponding to the purpose of wafer processing.

[0049] The above-described wafer processing system 1 includes a control device 50. The control device 50 is, for example, a computer including a CPU, memory, etc., and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores programs that control wafer processing in the wafer processing system 1. Specifically, the program storage unit stores programs that determine the transport arrangement of each wafer W, programs that determine the processing arrangements of each of the processing devices 40-43, etc. These programs can be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from that storage medium H into the control device 50.

[0050] Next, use Figures 2-6 The load locking device 12 will be described below. Figure 2 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the load locking device 12. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the heating section, which will be described later. Figure 4 This is a top view illustrating the block division method of the light illumination unit U, which will be described later. Figure 5 This is a top view illustrating how the areas are divided. Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the switching method of the heating blocks, which will be described later. Furthermore, since the structure of the load locking device 13 is the same as that of the load locking device 12, its description is omitted.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the load locking device 12 has a housing 100 configured to depressurize internally.

[0052] Feed outlets 101a and 101b are formed on the opposite sidewalls of the housing 100, and gates G1 and G3 are respectively provided on the feed outlets 101a and 101b.

[0053] An exhaust port 102 is formed on the bottom wall of the housing 100 for reducing the internal atmosphere of the housing 100 to a specified vacuum level. An exhaust mechanism 110, including a vacuum pump, is connected to the exhaust port 102.

[0054] Additionally, a gas supply port 103 is formed on the bottom wall of the housing 100 to restore the interior of the housing 100 to atmospheric pressure. A gas supply mechanism 111 for supplying inert gases such as N2 gas is connected to the gas supply port 103.

[0055] Additionally, inside the housing 100, a plurality of rod-shaped support pins 120 are provided as support portions for the supporting wafer W. Each support pin 120 is configured to extend from the bottom wall to the top.

[0056] Additionally, an opening 104 is formed in the top wall of the housing 100, and an optical window 105 is provided to block the opening 104. The optical window 105 is formed of a material that allows light from the LED described later to pass through.

[0057] Above the optical window 105 located on the outer side of the frame 100, a heating section 130 is provided to heat the wafer W supported on the support pin 120 by means of light. The heating section 130 is arranged opposite to the support pin 120 through the optical window 105.

[0058] like Figure 3 As shown, the heating unit 130 has a light irradiation unit U. The light irradiation unit U heats the wafer W supported on the support pin 120 by irradiating light. The light irradiation unit U has a shape corresponding to the wafer W when viewed from above, for example, it is formed to be circular when viewed from above.

[0059] The light illumination unit U has, for example, multiple LEDs 131 facing the wafer W as light-emitting elements. Specifically, the light illumination unit U has multiple unit cells T, which are formed by unitizing multiple LEDs 131. In each unit cell T, the multiple LEDs 131 are connected in series. Alternatively, solid-state light-emitting elements other than LEDs can also be used as light-emitting elements.

[0060] Each LED 131 illuminates the chip W. Each LED 131 emits light capable of heating the Si-made chip W, such as near-infrared light or ultraviolet light. The light emitted from the LED 131 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "LED light") passes through the optical window 105 and is incident on the chip W supported by the support pin 120.

[0061] The light irradiation unit U is configured to irradiate the entire surface of the chip W supported on the support pin 120 with LED light using the entire light irradiation unit U.

[0062] Additionally, the heating unit 130 has a base 132 on which the light irradiation unit U is mounted. The base 132 is formed into a circular plate with a diameter slightly larger than that of the optical window 105 when viewed from above, and is supported on the portion of the housing 100 surrounding the optical window 105. Furthermore, the base 132 has, for example, a recess 132a formed on its lower surface, in which the unit unit T of the light irradiation unit U is mounted.

[0063] A cooling flow path 132b is formed on the upper side of the base 132 compared to the recess 132a, for the flow of refrigerant to cool the LED 131. Cooling water can be used as the refrigerant, for example. The base 132 is formed of a metallic material such as Al.

[0064] Additionally, the heating unit 130 includes a control board 133 for controlling the illumination of the LED 131. The control board 133, including components such as a processor and memory, is mounted on the upper surface of the base 132. Furthermore, the control board 133 is connected to a power supply (not shown) that supplies power to the light irradiation unit U. A current sensor 134 is also provided on the control board 133, which detects the current value of the power supplied to the light irradiation unit U. The detection result of the current sensor 134 is output to the control device 50, for example.

[0065] In the heating section 130, such as Figure 4 As shown, the light irradiation unit U is divided into multiple blocks (four in the example shown). In other words, for the light irradiation unit U, multiple blocks Z (Z1 to Z4) are provided (four in the example shown). In this example, the multiple blocks Z (Z1 to Z4) are arranged along the circumferential direction of the light irradiation unit U, which is consistent with the circumferential direction of the wafer W (specifically, the circumferential direction centered on the central axis of the light irradiation unit U, which is consistent with the central axis of the wafer W supported by the support pin 120). When viewed from above, the shape of each block Z is, for example, a shape formed by dividing the light irradiation unit U into multiple blocks at equal intervals along its circumference, which is a quarter circle in the example shown. Furthermore, hereafter, "circumferential direction" refers to "the circumferential direction of the light irradiation unit U".

[0066] Furthermore, although the light irradiation unit U irradiates the entire upper surface of the wafer W supported on the support pin 120 with LED light using all of the plurality of blocks Z, it is also possible to irradiate different portions of the upper surface of the wafer W with LED light according to each block Z. For example, each block Z in the light irradiation unit U irradiates light on the portion of the upper surface of the wafer W opposite to that block Z to heat it.

[0067] like Figure 5As shown, each block Z is divided into multiple regions (14 in the example). In other words, for each block Z, multiple regions R (14 in the example) are defined. Each region R has a unit cell T as described above. The top-view shape of each region R can be as follows... Figure 5 The results shown are different from each other.

[0068] In the heating section 130, when the wafer W supported on the support pin 120 is heated, under the control of the control substrate 133, the heating block Z in the light irradiation unit U is a portion of multiple blocks Z and is switched sequentially. For example, under the control of the control substrate 133, such as Figure 6 As shown, the heating block Z (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "heating block") in the light irradiation unit U is one, and it switches clockwise in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the heating block Z switches in the order of Z1 block → Z2 block → Z3 block → Z4 block → Z1 block. That is, under the control of the control board 133, the heating block Z is switched by rotating. The switching timing of the heating block Z is, for example, every predetermined time interval.

[0069] Furthermore, the on / off state of the LED light and the intensity of the LED light (i.e., the light output of LED 131) can be controlled by the control board 133 according to each unit T. Therefore, the light irradiation unit U can use each block Z to irradiate LED light only to any area of ​​the wafer W supported by the support pin 120, or to make the intensity of the irradiated light different between any area and other areas. Therefore, the light irradiation unit U can locally change the heating method of the wafer W supported by the support pin 120.

[0070] Furthermore, regarding the heating unit 130, the lighting control of the LED 131 in the light irradiation unit U is performed. The current value of the power supplied to the light irradiation unit U at this time is detected using the current sensor 134. Based on this detection result, a break in the unit cell T is detected. Specifically, the lighting control of the LED 131 is performed simultaneously only on a portion of the multiple blocks Z in the light irradiation unit U (one in the following example). Based on the detection result of the current sensor 134 at this time, a break in the unit cell T belonging to the block Z that has undergone the aforementioned lighting control is detected. Furthermore, "lighting control of the LED 131" refers to controlling the LED 131 to light up with a specified light output.

[0071] The reason for making the block Z that controls the lighting of LED 131 one of the multiple blocks Z of the light irradiation unit U when performing the disconnection detection of unit T is as follows.

[0072] That is, when the LED 131 is controlled to illuminate all multiple blocks Z (in other words, all unit cells of the light illumination unit U), the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to the disconnection of one unit cell T is very small. For example, when there are 4 blocks Z and 14 unit cells T are provided in one block Z, with a total of 56 unit cells T, the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to the disconnection of one unit cell T is as small as about 1.8%. Thus, when the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to the disconnection of unit cell T is small, it is difficult to accurately detect the disconnection based on the detection result of the current sensor 134.

[0073] In contrast, when only one of the multiple blocks Z is controlled to illuminate LED 131, the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to a broken wire in a single unit T belonging to that block Z is significant. For example, similarly, when a block Z has 14 unit Ts, the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to a broken wire in one unit T is as large as approximately 7%. Thus, when the change in the detection result of the current sensor 134 due to a broken wire in a unit T is significant, the broken wire can be accurately detected based on the detection result of the current sensor 134.

[0074] In addition, the detection of the broken wire in the unit cell T based on the detection result of the current sensor 134 is performed, for example, by the control device 50.

[0075] The following describes an example of wafer processing performed using a wafer processing system 1 configured as described above.

[0076] First, the conveying arm 23a of the conveying mechanism 23 is inserted into the carrier C to hold a wafer W. Next, the conveying arm 23a is pulled out from the carrier C and the gate G1 is opened. Then, the conveying arm 23a is inserted from the atmospheric pressure conveying device 20 into the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, and the wafer W is transferred from the conveying arm 23a to the support pin 120.

[0077] Next, the conveying arm 23a is pulled out from the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, and the gate G1 is closed to seal the housing 100 of the load locking device 12 and reduce pressure. Heating begins simultaneously with or after the start of pressure reduction by the light irradiation unit U of the heating unit 130.

[0078] During the heating process by the light irradiation unit U, the heating block Z is switched circumferentially under the control of the control board 133, as previously described. Furthermore, during the heating process by the light irradiation unit U, the intensity of the LED light in the unit cell T belonging to the heating block Z is controlled by feedback based on the measurement results of a thermometer (not shown), so that the portion of the chip W irradiated by the LED light reaches the target temperature.

[0079] Furthermore, during heating, the control device 50 detects a break in the unit cell T belonging to the heating block Z based on the detection result of the current sensor 134. The control device 50 detects whether the break has occurred, for example, based on whether the difference between the detection result of the current sensor 134 and the normal state (when no break in unit cell T occurs). Moreover, this break detection is typically performed, for example, in the initial stage of heating by the light irradiation unit U, and not thereafter. This is because, due to the feedback control as described above, in the initial stage of heating of the light irradiation unit U, the light output of each LED 131 is fixed at its maximum output, but when the temperature of the chip W approaches the target temperature, the light output of each LED 131 becomes different, and even if no break occurs, the detection result of the current sensor 134 will change.

[0080] In addition, the detection result (current value) of the current sensor 134 under normal conditions and the aforementioned threshold are pre-stored in a memory (not shown) of, for example, the control board 133.

[0081] When the time comes for the wafer W to be delivered from the load locking device 12, the heating performed by the light irradiation unit U is stopped, and the gate G3 is opened, connecting the load locking device 12 to the vacuum transport device 30. Then, the transport pickup 32d of the transport mechanism 32 is inserted into the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, receiving and holding the wafer W from the support pin 120. Next, the transport pickup 32d is withdrawn from the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, thereby transporting the wafer W from the load locking device 12 to the vacuum transport device 30.

[0082] Next, after closing gate G3, gate G5 corresponding to the processing device (processing device 40) for the purpose of processing is opened. Then, the transport pick-up device 32d holding the wafer W is inserted into the vacuum processing chamber 44 of the depressurized processing device 40, and the wafer W is transferred to the stage (not shown) in the vacuum processing chamber 44.

[0083] Next, the transport pickup 32d is extracted from the vacuum processing chamber 44, and the gate G5 is closed to seal the vacuum processing chamber 44. Then, within the vacuum processing chamber 44, the wafer W undergoes a prescribed process at a processing temperature higher than room temperature. This temperature higher than room temperature is, for example, 80°C or higher. Because the technology of this invention utilizes light from a solid-state light-emitting element, i.e., LED 131, for heating and can rapidly heat to the target temperature, it can be applied even when the processing temperature in the processing apparatus 40 is 700°C or higher.

[0084] After the prescribed processing is completed, the gate G5 is opened. Then, the transport pickup 32d is inserted into the vacuum processing chamber 44 to receive and hold the wafer W. Next, the transport pickup 32d is withdrawn from the vacuum processing chamber 44, thereby sending the wafer W from the vacuum processing chamber 44 to the vacuum processing apparatus 30. Afterward, the gate G5 is closed.

[0085] Next, the gate G3 is opened. Then, the transport pickup 32d is inserted into the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, and the wafer W is transferred from the transport pickup 32d to the support pin 120. Next, the transport pickup 32d is withdrawn from the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, and the gate G3 is closed. Afterward, the pressure inside the housing 100 is brought to atmospheric pressure.

[0086] Next, after closing the gate G1, the conveying arm 23a of the conveying mechanism 23 is inserted into the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, receiving and holding the wafer W from the support pin 120. Then, the conveying arm 23a is withdrawn from the housing 100 of the load locking device 12, closing the gate G1. Next, the conveying arm 23a is inserted into the carrier C, the wafer W is transferred and stored in the carrier C, and then the conveying arm 23a is withdrawn from the carrier C. This completes a series of wafer processing steps in the wafer processing system 1.

[0087] The above series of processes are performed on, for example, all the wafers W housed in the carrier C.

[0088] As described above, in this embodiment, the load locking devices 12 and 13, which also function as heating devices, include a light irradiation unit U. This light irradiation unit U is configured with multiple blocks Z, and light is irradiated onto different portions of the upper surface of the wafer W supported on the support pin 120 according to each block Z. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when heating is performed by the light irradiation unit U, only one block Z is used at a time, and these blocks are switched sequentially. Therefore, without using all of the multiple blocks Z simultaneously, i.e., without using all the LEDs 131 mounted on the light irradiation unit U at the same time, the entire wafer W supported on the support pin 120 can be heated. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if a low-power supply is used for the light irradiation unit U, the entire wafer W can be heated using light from the LEDs 131. As a result, the load locking devices 12 and 13, which also function as heating devices, can be reduced in cost and miniaturized.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the disconnection of a unit cell T belonging to a portion of the multiple blocks Z is detected based on the detection result of the current sensor 134 when controlling the lighting of the LED 131 in a portion of the multiple blocks Z. Therefore, even if there is only one current sensor 134, it is possible to simultaneously and accurately detect whether a disconnection has occurred in multiple unit cells T. That is, it is not necessary to provide multiple current sensors 134 to detect whether a disconnection has occurred in multiple unit cells T. Therefore, even when the installation space for the current sensor 134 is limited, it is possible to simultaneously and accurately detect whether a disconnection has occurred in multiple unit cells T.

[0090] Furthermore, this detection method can detect wire breakage in unit cell T while the heating blocks Z are sequentially switched between the light irradiation unit U and the wafer W for heating. Therefore, it is also possible to detect wire breakage in unit cell T during heating.

[0091] In addition, the detection of broken wires in unit cell T using the above method can be performed during chip W replacement or maintenance.

[0092] In the above example, the disconnection of unit unit T is detected according to each region Z in the light-illuminating unit U. Alternatively, multiple (e.g., four) unit units T selected independently of region Z can be simultaneously controlled to illuminate LED 131, and the disconnection of the unit unit T under the above illumination control can be detected based on the detection result of the current sensor 134 at this time.

[0093] (Second Embodiment)

[0094] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the load locking device of the heating device as a second embodiment. Figure 8This is a top view showing the general structure of the insulation board, which will be described later.

[0095] Figure 7 The load locking device 12, in addition to Figure 2 In addition to the constituent elements of the load locking device 12 shown, it also has a heat preservation plate 200 and a rotation mechanism 210 for rotating the heat preservation plate 200, wherein the heat preservation plate 200 suppresses the temperature drop of the portion of the wafer W supported by the support pin 120 that is not the object of heating of the light irradiation unit U.

[0096] The insulation plate 200 is formed into a plate shape, for example, from a metal material such as stainless steel that easily reflects heat from the wafer W. Furthermore, to reflect even more heat from the wafer W, at least the portion of the insulation plate 200 opposite to the wafer W may be mirror-finished.

[0097] For example, the insulation plate 200 is positioned between the wafer W supported by the support pin 120 and the light irradiation unit U. Figure 8 As shown, an opening 201 is formed for LED light to pass through. The opening 201 is formed to move circumferentially when the insulation plate 200 rotates around its central axis (i.e., the central axis of the wafer W supported by the support pin 120). Furthermore, the opening 201 has a shape corresponding to the block Z of the light irradiation unit U, which is a quarter circle in this example.

[0098] Teeth 202 that mesh with the pinion gear of the rotating mechanism 210 (described later) are formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of the insulation plate 200.

[0099] like Figure 7 As shown, the rotating mechanism 210 has a pinion 211 and a drive source 212.

[0100] The rotation of the pinion 211 causes the insulation plate 200, which has teeth 202 on its outer circumferential surface that mesh with the pinion 211, to rotate.

[0101] The drive source 212 has an actuator (not shown) such as a motor, which generates a driving force to rotate the pinion 211.

[0102] Additionally, the insulation plate 200 is supported from below by a support plate 220. The support plate 220 itself is supported by, for example, a support column 221 extending downward from the top wall of the housing 100. A guide protrusion (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the support plate 220 to guide the rotation of the insulation plate 200, and a recess (not shown) on the lower surface of the insulation plate 200 that receives the guide protrusion is formed in a ring shape when viewed from above.

[0103] In this embodiment, when heating is performed by the light irradiation unit U, the rotation mechanism 210 rotates the insulation plate 200 synchronously with the switching of the heating block Z. This ensures that the opening 201 of the insulation plate 200 is always opposite the heating block Z, and the closed portion of the insulation plate 200 covers the portion of the wafer W that is not heated by the light irradiation unit U. Therefore, when the heating blocks are switched circumferentially to heat the wafer W, heating of the wafer W can be performed efficiently.

[0104] In this example, the insulation plate 200 is disposed between the wafer W supported by the support pin 120 and the light irradiation unit U, i.e., on the upper side of the wafer W. Alternatively, or in addition, the insulation plate 200 may be disposed on the lower side of the wafer W, i.e., in the space between the wafer W and the light irradiation unit U. In this case, the rotation mechanism 210, the opening 201, and the teeth 202 are omitted, and a through hole for the support pin 120 to pass through is provided in the insulation plate 200.

[0105] Figure 9 This is a top view illustrating another example of the block division of the light-illuminating unit U. Figure 10 This is a top view showing an overview of the area group described later.

[0106] In the above example, the block division of the light illumination unit U is carried out by arranging the blocks Z circumferentially.

[0107] The partitioning of the light-illuminating unit U is not limited to this example. For example, such as Figure 9 As shown, for a light illumination unit U, multiple regions R can be set in a grid-like arrangement, and the multiple regions R are grouped into region groups G according to a specified range. Then, as... Figure 10 As shown, blocks can be divided according to each region group G, that is, multiple blocks Z can be set. Figure 10 In this example, there are four blocks Z1 to Z4. Then, the heating blocks Z can be switched according to each region group G in, for example, the order of block Z1 → block Z2 → block Z3 ​​→ Z4 → block Z1. In this case, the arrangement of multiple blocks Z can be the same between region groups G. By making them the same, it is possible to make the areas heated simultaneously uniform within the wafer surface.

[0108] Figure 11 This is another example of the block division of the light-illuminating unit U.

[0109] The above example illustrates heating a single wafer W using a single light irradiation unit U. There are also cases where a single light irradiation unit U can simultaneously heat multiple wafers W. In this case, the light irradiation unit U can be divided into blocks based on the wafer. For example, when heating two wafers W simultaneously, one wafer W could be assigned to block Z1, and the other wafer W to block Z2, as shown. Figure 11 As shown, heating blocks are switched alternately in blocks Z1 and Z2.

[0110] Furthermore, the term "one light irradiation unit U" used in the above description also corresponds to a group of two separate light irradiation units U that share a power supply. For example, the light irradiation unit U of the load locking device 12 and the light irradiation unit U of the load locking device 13 are separate, but if the power supply is shared, then the group of these light irradiation units U also corresponds to "one light irradiation unit U".

[0111] In addition, in the above example, load locking devices 12 and 13 constitute a heating device with light irradiation unit U. Alternatively, the heating device with light irradiation unit U can be separately installed from the load locking devices 12 and 13 and connected to the vacuum conveying device 30.

[0112] In addition, in the above example, in the heating section 130, the on / off state of the LED light and the intensity of the LED light are controlled by a unit unit T, which is a unit of multiple LEDs 131, but it can also be controlled by LEDs 131.

[0113] It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the appended claims and their spirit.

Claims

1. A heating device for heating a substrate, characterized in that, include: Support portion of the support substrate; An irradiation unit heats the substrate supported on the support portion by irradiating light; A heat insulation board is disposed between the substrate and the light irradiation unit, and has an opening for the light to pass through. The heat insulation board suppresses the temperature drop of the portion of the substrate that is not heated by the light irradiation unit. and It is configured as a rotating mechanism capable of rotating the insulation board. The light irradiation unit is configured with multiple blocks arranged circumferentially, and each block irradiates different portions of one side of the substrate supported by the support portion. When heating is performed by the light irradiation unit, the heating block used in the heating process is a portion of the plurality of blocks and is switched sequentially along the circumferential direction. The rotating mechanism rotates the insulation plate synchronously with the switching in such a way that the opening of the insulation plate is always opposite the heating block, and the portion of the insulation plate that does not form the opening covers the portion of the substrate that is not heated by the light irradiation unit.

2. The heating device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a current sensor that detects the current value supplied to the light irradiation unit to control the power output. The light irradiation unit has multiple unit units in each of the blocks, and each unit unit includes a light-emitting element that emits the light. Based on the detection result of the current sensor when controlling the lighting of the light-emitting element in a portion of the multiple blocks, a break in the unit within the block where the lighting control is performed is detected.

3. The heating device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The detection of a broken wire in the unit cell is performed during the heating process by the light irradiation unit.

4. The heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It is configured as a load locking device for transferring a substrate between a vacuum atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere.

5. A heating method for heating a substrate using a heating device, characterized in that: The heating device includes: Support portion of the support substrate; A light irradiation unit is configured with multiple blocks arranged circumferentially, and each block irradiates different portions of a surface of a substrate supported on the support portion with light. A heat-insulating plate, disposed between the substrate and the light irradiation unit, has an opening for the light to pass through, and the heat-insulating plate suppresses temperature drop in portions of the substrate not being heated by the light irradiation unit; and The heating method comprises a rotating mechanism capable of rotating the insulation board, and includes the step of heating a substrate supported on the support portion using the light irradiation unit. In the step of heating using the light irradiation unit, the heating block used in the heating is a portion of the plurality of blocks and is switched sequentially along the circumferential direction. Using the rotation mechanism, the insulation plate rotates synchronously with the switching in such a way that the opening of the insulation plate is always opposite to the heating block, and the portion of the insulation plate that does not form the opening covers the portion of the substrate that is not heated by the light irradiation unit.

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