Substrate processing method, manufacturing method, and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

A substrate processing method includes a substrate loading operation of loading a substrate into a processing space provided by a body; a heating operation of placing the substrate loaded in the processing space on a heating tray and heating the substrate; and an atmosphere changing operation that changes an atmosphere of the processing space, in which the atmosphere changing operation includes: a gas discharging operation that injects an atmosphere changing gas in a state in which the substrate is positioned closer to the baffle plate than the heating operation, in which the baffle plate is disposed on a top side of the heating tray to face the heating tray and inject the atmosphere changing gas; and a substrate lowering operation that maintains injection of the atmosphere changing gas while lowering and placing the substrate on the heating tray.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0106627 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 16, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The invention relates to a substrate processing method, a manufacturing method and substrate processing equipment. Background Art

[0004] In order to manufacture semiconductor devices, various processes such as cleaning, deposition, lithography, etching and ion implantation need to be performed. Among these processes, the lithography process may include a coating process of coating a photosensitive liquid on a substrate such as a wafer, an exposure process of irradiating a protective film with light to change the characteristics of a portion corresponding to a pattern, and a development process of selectively removing an irradiated portion or a non-irradiated portion.

[0005] The lithography process may also include a baking process for heating the substrate to stabilize the photosensitive film formed on the substrate. The baking process may be performed before or after the exposure process, and after the development process. Soft baking is performed before the exposure process to remove the solvent contained in the photosensitive film. Post-exposure baking (PEB) is performed after the exposure process to flatten the photosensitive film and reduce the standing wave on the surface of the photosensitive film. Hard baking is performed after the development process to remove the solvent and development residue of the photosensitive film formed on the substrate. The baking process is performed in a baking chamber, which provides a space for processing the substrate.

[0006] Figure 1 Flow chart of a typical baking process. In a typical baking process, a substrate is placed in a baking chamber (S1), the substrate is heated in the baking chamber (S2), and when the heating of the substrate is completed, the substrate is removed (S3).

[0007] In recent years, the lithography process has adopted the ultraviolet photolithography technology, using inorganic photoresist as the photosensitive liquid applied to the substrate. Compared with general photoresist, inorganic photoresist is more easily affected by the atmosphere in the baking chamber during the baking process. Therefore, when using inorganic photoresist, a technology for switching the atmosphere in the baking chamber is performed during the baking process, and there is a need for a technology for quickly switching the atmosphere, a technology for uniformly processing the substrate, etc. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a substrate processing method, a manufacturing method and a substrate processing device capable of efficiently processing a substrate.

[0009] The present invention also aims to provide a substrate processing method, a manufacturing method and a substrate processing device capable of quickly changing the atmosphere of a processing space where baking treatment is performed during baking treatment.

[0010] The present invention also aims to provide a substrate processing method, a manufacturing method, and a substrate processing apparatus capable of minimizing the occurrence of processing deviations performed according to regions of the substrate when the atmosphere of a processing space in which a baking process is performed changes.

[0011] The purpose of the present invention is not limited to the above contents, and a person skilled in the art can understand other purposes of the present invention through the following description.

[0012] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing method, which includes: a substrate loading operation, which loads a substrate into a processing space provided by a body; a heating operation, which places the substrate loaded into the processing space onto a heating disk and heats the substrate; and an atmosphere changing operation, which changes the atmosphere of the processing space, wherein the atmosphere changing operation includes: a gas exhaust operation, which injects an atmosphere changing gas when the substrate is in a state closer to a baffle than in the heating operation, wherein the baffle is configured on the top side of the heating disk to face the heating disk and inject the atmosphere changing gas; and a substrate lowering operation, which maintains the injection of the atmosphere changing gas while lowering and placing the substrate on the heating disk.

[0013] According to example embodiments, the substrate lowering operation may include lowering the substrate at a speed at which a concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in a region above the substrate is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment, the substrate lowering operation may include lowering the substrate at a first speed when the atmosphere changing gas is supplied at a first flow rate, and lowering the substrate at a second speed greater than the first speed when the atmosphere changing gas is supplied at a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, the atmosphere changing operation may further include a substrate lifting operation of lifting the substrate so that a gap between the substrate and the baffle is a set gap.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the set gap may be a gap selected from the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, the atmosphere changing gas may be a gas selected from humid air, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment, the substrate processing method may further include a substrate unloading operation of unloading the substrate from the processing space, wherein a plurality of atmosphere changing operations are performed between the substrate loading operation and the substrate unloading operation,

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, the substrate processing method may further include a substrate unloading operation of unloading the substrate from the processing space, wherein a plurality of heating operations are performed between the substrate loading operation and the substrate unloading operation.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment, the heating operation may include a first heating operation performed before the atmosphere changing operation and a second heating operation performed after the atmosphere changing operation, and the first heating operation and the second heating operation heat the substrate at different temperatures.

[0021] According to example embodiments, a baking process including a heating operation and an atmosphere changing operation may be performed after an exposure process of emitting light onto a photosensitive film applied to a substrate.

[0022] According to example embodiments, the photosensitive film may be formed of an inorganic photoresist.

[0023] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a manufacturing method, which includes: an exposure process, which emits light onto a photosensitive film formed on a wafer; a baking process, which heats the wafer after the exposure process; and a cooling process, which cools the wafer after the baking process, wherein the baking process includes: a loading operation, which loads the wafer into a processing space provided by a main body; a heating operation, which places the wafer loaded into the processing space onto a heating plate and heats the wafer; and an atmosphere changing operation, which changes the atmosphere of the processing space when the processing space is closed.

[0024] According to an exemplary embodiment, the atmosphere changing operation may include a gas exhaust operation of injecting atmosphere changing gas while the wafer is closer to the baffle than the heating operation, wherein the baffle is configured on the top side of the heating plate to face the heating plate and inject the atmosphere changing gas.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment, the atmosphere changing operation may include a descending operation of maintaining injection of the atmosphere changing gas while descending and placing the wafer on the heating plate.

[0026] According to example embodiments, the lowering operation may include lowering the wafer at a speed at which a concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in a region between the wafer and the baffle is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

[0027] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing device, which includes: a body, which provides a processing space; a heating disk, which is used to support and heat the substrate in the processing space; a gas supply unit, which is used to supply gas to the processing space; a baffle, which is located above the heating disk and is used to distribute the gas supplied by the gas supply unit; and a controller, wherein the heating disk includes: a heating plate, which is configured with a heater to heat the substrate; and a lifting pin module, which is used to lift the substrate, and when the lifting pin module is in a state of supporting the substrate so that the gap between the substrate and the baffle is a set gap, the controller controls the lifting pin module and the gas supply unit so that the gas supply unit discharges the atmosphere changing gas into the processing space to change the atmosphere of the processing space.

[0028] According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller can lower the substrate in a direction toward the heating plate while maintaining the discharge of the atmosphere changing gas, wherein the lowering speed of the substrate is set to a speed at which the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in the area between the substrate and the baffle is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment, the set gap may be a gap selected from the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment, the gas supply unit may include at least one of a first gas supply source supplying humid air, a second gas supply source supplying carbon dioxide, and a third gas supply source supplying an inert gas.

[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment, the body may include an upper body, and a lower body combined with the upper body to define a processing space, the substrate processing equipment includes a lifting mechanism for lifting the upper body to open or close the processing space; and a controller controls the lifting mechanism and the gas supply unit so that the atmosphere changing gas is discharged when the processing space is closed.

[0032] According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the uniformity of a film coated on a substrate may be controlled.

[0033] Further, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, gas may be uniformly supplied onto the substrate during the heating process.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the gas supplied to the substrate during the heating process may be uniformly exhausted.

[0035] Still further, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to minimize an increase in an area occupied by a heating unit that performs a heating process on a substrate.

[0036] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the aforementioned effects, and the effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by ordinary technicians in this field through this specification and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 Figure 1 is a flow chart of a typical baking process.

[0038] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 3 To show Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a coating block or a developing block of a substrate processing device.

[0040] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A top plan view of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0041] Figure 5 To show Figure 4 A diagram of an example of a hand of a transfer robot.

[0042] Figure 6 To show Figure 4 A schematic top view of an example of a heat treatment chamber.

[0043] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Front view of the heat treatment chamber.

[0044] Figure 8 To show Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a heating unit.

[0045] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Fig.10 To show Fig. 9 Flowchart of the operations of the baking process.

[0047] Fig.11 To show Fig.10 A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S10.

[0048] Fig.12 To show Fig.10 A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S20.

[0049] Fig.13 To show Fig.10 A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S30.

[0050] Fig.14 To show Fig.10A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S40.

[0051] Fig.15 To show Fig.10 A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S50.

[0052] Fig.16 To show Fig.10 A diagram of a heating unit performing operation S60.

[0053] Fig.17 In order to show the time required to change the atmosphere in each region of the substrate, examples of the present invention and comparative examples are shown.

[0054] Fig.18 To illustrate the time it takes for the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas to reach a set concentration in the region above the substrate, examples of the present invention and comparative examples are illustrated.

[0055] Fig.19 To show the standard deviation of the gas concentration in the region above the substrate by changing the atmosphere in the substrate region, examples of the present invention and comparative examples are shown.

[0056] Fig. 20 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a baking process according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Fig.21 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a baking process according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating a heating unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] The various features and advantages of the non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present specification will become apparent upon reviewing the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Unless expressly stated, the accompanying drawings are not to be considered drawn to scale. For clarity, the various dimensions in the drawings may be exaggerated.

[0060]

Explanation of symbols

[0061] 10: substrate processing equipment; 20: index module; 22: loading port; 24: index frame; 30: processing module; 30a: coating block; 30b: developing block; 50: interface module; 60: controller; 70: exposure device; 2100: index chamber; 2200: index robot; 2300: guide rail; 3200: heat treatment chamber; 3210: housing; 3220: cooling unit; 3222: cooling plate; 3224: cooling channel; 3240: transfer plate; 3242: guide groove; 3244: transfer plate; 3246: driver; 3249: guide rail; 3400: transfer chamber; 3420: transfer delivery manipulator; 3422: hand; 3428: base; 3429: supporting protrusion; 3430: guide rail; 3600: liquid treatment chamber; 3602: front liquid treatment chamber; 3604: rear heat treatment chamber; 3802: front buffer zone; 3804: rear buffer zone; 3812: front buffer manipulator; 3814: rear buffer manipulator; 4000: front heat treatment chamber; 4100: body; 4102: processing space; 4110: upper body; 4120: lower body; 4130: sealing member; 4200: heating chuck; 4210: heating plate; 4212: heater; 4213: supporting pin; 4220: supporting Supporting member; 4230: lifting pin module; 4231: lifting pin; 4232: lifting plate; 4233: lifting shaft; 4234: lifting drive; 4300: baffle assembly; 4310: upper baffle; 4311: first hole; 4320: lower baffle; 4321: second hole; 4330: baffle supporting member; 4400: gas unit; 4410: gas block; 4411: inner body; 4412: outer body; 4420: gas supply pipe; 4430: gas exhaust pipe; 4440: gas supply unit; 4441: first gas supply source; 4442: second gas supply source; 4443: third gas Supply source; 4444: cooling gas supply source; 4450: gas exhaust part; 4500: lifting mechanism; 5100: interface frame; 5200: additional process chamber; 5400: interface buffer; 5600: conveying member; 5602: first robot; 5606: second robot; S1, S2, S3: steps; x: first direction; y: second direction; z: third direction; C: container; V1, V2, V3, V4: valve; W: substrate; P1: exposure process; P2: baking process; P3: cooling process; S10, S20, S30, S40, S50, S60, S70: operation; D: gap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments are provided so that the present invention will convey a more comprehensive and complete concept to those of ordinary skill in the art. Examples such as specific components, devices, and methods set forth many specific details to provide a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, and example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. In some example embodiments, known processes, known device structures, and known technologies will not be described in detail.

[0063] The terms used herein are used only to describe specific example embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" used herein are intended to include the plural forms as well. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "including", and "having" are inclusive, thereby indicating the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, components, and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, and / or combinations thereof. Unless specifically identified as an order of execution, the methods, processes, and operations described herein should not be interpreted as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or described. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be adopted.

[0064] When a component or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another component or layer, the component or layer may be directly on, directly engaged to, directly connected to, directly coupled to the other component or layer, or intervening components or layers may be present. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another component or layer, no intervening components or layers may be present. Other words used to describe the relationship between components should be interpreted in the same manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0065] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used to describe multiple components, parts, regions, layers and / or parts in this article, these components, parts, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish a component, component, region, layer or part from another region, layer or part. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second" and other digital terms are not intended to indicate order or sequence when used in this article. Therefore, the first component, component, region, layer or part can be referred to as the second component, component, region, layer or part without departing from the teaching of the exemplary embodiment.

[0066] Spatially relative terms, such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, are used herein to facilitate describing the relationship of one component or feature relative to another component or feature shown in the accompanying drawings. Spatially relative terms can be intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings. For example, if a device in a drawing is described as being "below" or "beneath" other components or features, the components would now be oriented "above" the other components or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can include not only an above positioning but also a below orientation. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatially relative terms used herein to describe the device will be interpreted accordingly.

[0067] Although the terms "same" or "identical" are used in the description of the exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that some imprecision may exist. Therefore, when one component or value is referred to as being the same as another component or value, it should be understood that the component or value is the same as the other component or value within an expected manufacturing or operating tolerance range (e.g., ±10%).

[0068] When the terms "about" or "substantially" are used in conjunction with a numerical value, it is intended that the associated numerical value include a manufacturing or operating tolerance (e.g., ±10%) around the numerical value. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "about" and "substantially" are used in conjunction with a geometric shape, it is intended that the geometric shape is not required to be precise, and the latitude of the shape is within the scope of the present invention.

[0069] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It should be further understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technical language and not as an ideal or overly formal meaning, unless so explicitly defined herein.

[0070] Figure 2 is a perspective schematic diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 To show Figure 2A cross-sectional view of a coating block or a developing block of a substrate processing device, and Figure 4 for Figure 2 A top plan view of a substrate processing apparatus.

[0071] Reference Figures 2 to 4 , the substrate processing device 10 includes an index module 20, a processing module 30, and an interface module 50. According to an exemplary embodiment, the index module 20, the processing module 30, and the interface module 50 are arranged in a row in sequence. Hereinafter, the direction in which the index module 20, the processing module 30, and the interface module 50 are arranged is referred to as a first direction x, and when viewed from above, the direction perpendicular to the first direction x is referred to as a second direction y, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction x and the second direction y is referred to as a third direction z.

[0072] The index module 20 transfers the substrate W from the container C containing the substrate W to the processing module 30, and contains the substrate W completely processed in the processing module 30 in the container C. The longitudinal direction of the index module 20 is arranged in the second direction y. The index module 20 includes a loading port 22 and an index frame 24. The loading port 22 is located at the opposite side of the processing module 30 with reference to the index frame 24. The container C containing the substrate W is placed on the loading port 22. A plurality of loading ports 22 may be provided, and the plurality of loading ports may be provided along the second direction y.

[0073] A closed container C such as a front open unified pod (FOUP) may be used as the container C. The container C is placed on the load port 22 by a transfer device (not shown) such as an overhead transfer, an overhead conveyor belt, or an automatic guided vehicle, or by an operator.

[0074] The index frame 24 includes an index cavity 2100. In the index cavity 2100, an index robot 2200 is provided. A guide rail 2300 is provided in the index frame 24, and its longitudinal direction is provided in the second direction y, and the index robot 2200 can be movably provided on the guide rail 2300. The index robot 2200 includes a plurality of hands 2220, on which the substrate W is placed, and the hands 2220 can be provided to move forward or backward, rotate around the third direction z, and move along the third direction z.

[0075] The processing module 30 performs a coating process and a developing process on the substrate W. The processing module 30 includes a coating block 30a and a developing block 30b.

[0076] The coating block 30a performs a coating process on the substrate W, and the developing block 30b performs a developing process on the substrate W. A plurality of coating blocks 30a are provided, and are arranged to be stacked on each other. A plurality of developing blocks 30b are provided, and the developing blocks 30b are arranged to be stacked on each other. Figure 2 In an exemplary embodiment, two coating blocks 30a and two developing blocks 30b are provided. The coating block 30a can be provided below the developing block 30b. In one example, the two coating blocks 30a can perform the same process and have the same structure as each other. In addition, the two developing blocks 30b can perform the same process and have the same structure as each other.

[0077] The coating block 30 a may include a heat treatment chamber 3200 , a transfer chamber 3400 , a liquid treatment chamber 3600 , and a buffer chamber 3800 .

[0078] The heat treatment chamber 3200 is configured to perform a cooling process or a baking process on the substrate W. A plurality of heat treatment chambers 3200 are provided. The heat treatment chambers 3200 are arranged to be aligned along the first direction x. Some of the heat treatment chambers 3200 may be arranged to be stacked on top of each other. The heat treatment chamber 3200 is located on one side of the transfer chamber 3400. More details of the heat treatment chamber 3200 will be described in more detail later.

[0079] The transfer chamber 3400 may be configured to transfer the substrate W between the thermal treatment chamber 3200 , the liquid treatment chamber 3600 , and the buffer chamber 3800 in the coating block 30 a .

[0080] The transfer chamber 3400 is configured such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction x. The transfer robot 3420 is disposed in the transfer chamber 3400. The transfer robot 3420 transfers the substrate between the heat treatment chamber 3200, the liquid treatment chamber 3600, and the buffer chamber 3800. In one example, the transfer robot 3420 includes a hand 3422 for placing the substrate W, and the hand 3422 can be configured to move forward or backward, rotate around a third direction z, and move along the third direction z. A guide rail 3430 is disposed in the transfer chamber 3400, the longitudinal direction of the guide rail 3430 is configured to be parallel to the first direction x, and the transfer robot 3420 can be movably disposed on the guide rail 3430.

[0081] Figure 5 To show Figure 4 Figure 1 shows an example of a hand of a transfer robot. Figure 5 , the hand 3422 includes a base 3428 and a supporting protrusion 3429. The base 3428 may have an annular shape in which a portion of the circumference is cut away. The base 3428 has an inner diameter greater than the diameter of the substrate W. The supporting protrusion 3429 extends inwardly from the base 3428. A plurality of supporting protrusions 3429 are provided, and support an edge region of the substrate W. In one example, four supporting protrusions 3429 may be provided at equal intervals.

[0082] Reference Figures 2 to 4, a plurality of liquid processing chambers 3600 are provided. Some of the liquid processing chambers 3600 may be arranged to be stacked on top of each other. The liquid processing chambers 3600 are arranged on opposite sides of the transfer chamber 3400. The liquid processing chambers 3600 are arranged side by side along the first direction x. Some of the liquid processing chambers 3600 are arranged at positions adjacent to the index module 20. Hereinafter, the liquid processing chamber refers to the front liquid processing chamber. Other liquid processing chambers 3600 are arranged at positions adjacent to the index module 20. Hereinafter, the liquid processing chamber refers to the rear liquid processing chamber.

[0083] The front liquid treatment chamber 3602 is coated with a first liquid on the substrate W, and the rear heat treatment chamber 3604 is coated with a second liquid on the substrate W. The first liquid and the second liquid can be liquids of different types. In an exemplary embodiment, the first liquid is an anti-reflection film, and the second liquid is an inorganic photoresist. The inorganic photoresist can be applied to the substrate W to which the anti-reflection film has been applied. Alternatively, the first liquid can be an inorganic photoresist, and the second liquid can be an anti-reflection film. In this case, the anti-reflection film can be applied to the substrate W to which the inorganic photoresist has been applied. Alternatively, the first liquid and the second liquid can be liquids of the same type, and they can both be inorganic photoresists.

[0084] A plurality of buffer chambers 3800 are provided. Some of the buffer chambers 3800 are provided between the index module 20 and the transfer chamber 3400. Hereinafter, the buffer chambers described above refer to the front buffer chamber 3802. A plurality of front buffer chambers 3802 are provided and stacked one on top of another in the vertical direction. Other buffer chambers (3802 and 3804) are provided between the transfer chamber 3400 and the interface module 50. Hereinafter, the aforementioned buffer chambers are referred to as the rear buffer chamber 3804. A plurality of rear buffer chambers 3804 are provided and stacked one on top of another in the vertical direction. The front buffer chamber 3802 and the rear buffer chamber 3804 temporarily store a plurality of substrates W.

[0085] The front buffer robot 3812 is configured to transfer the substrate W between the front buffers. The rear buffer robot 3814 is configured to transfer the substrate W between the rear buffers. The front buffer robot 3812 includes a hand installed on one side of the front buffer 3802 and is configured to be movable along the third direction z. Similarly, the rear buffer robot 3814 includes a hand installed on one side of the rear buffer 3804 and is configured to be movable along the third direction z.

[0086] The substrates W stored in the front buffer 3802 are loaded or unloaded by the index robot 2200 and the transfer robot 3420 . The substrates W stored in the rear buffer 3804 are loaded or unloaded by the transfer robot 3420 and the first robot 5602 .

[0087] The developing block 30b includes a heat treatment chamber 3200, a transfer chamber 3400, and a liquid treatment chamber 3600. The heat treatment chamber 3200, the transfer chamber 3400, and the liquid treatment chamber 3600 of the developing block 30b are arranged in substantially the same structure and arrangement as the heat treatment chamber 3200, the transfer chamber 3400, and the liquid treatment chamber 3600 of the coating block 30a, and will not be described in detail here. However, in the developing block 30b, all the liquid treatment chambers 3600 supply developer to the liquid treatment chamber 3600, and develop the substrate in the same manner.

[0088] The interface module 50 connects the processing module 30 to the external exposure device 70. The interface module 50 includes an interface frame 5100, an additional process chamber 5200, an interface buffer 5400, and a transfer member 5600. The external exposure device 70 may be a device that performs an exposure process by irradiating EUV to the substrate W formed with a photosensitive film.

[0089] A fan filter unit may be disposed at the top of the interface frame 5100 to form a downward airflow therein. The additional process chamber 5200 , the interface buffer 5400 , and the transfer member 5600 are disposed inside the interface frame 5100 .

[0090] The additional process chamber 5200 may perform a predetermined additional process before the substrate W completely processed in the coating block 30a is loaded into the exposure device 70. Alternatively, the additional process chamber 5200 performs a predetermined additional process before the substrate W completely processed in the exposure device 70 is loaded into the developing block 30b.

[0091] According to one example, the additional process may be an edge exposure process of exposing an edge region of the substrate W, a surface cleaning process of cleaning a surface of the substrate W, or a bottom surface cleaning process of cleaning a bottom surface of the substrate W.

[0092] A plurality of additional process chambers 5200 are provided and can be arranged in a stacked manner. All of the additional process chambers 5200 can be arranged to perform the same process. Alternatively, some of the additional process chambers 5200 can be arranged to perform different processes.

[0093] The interface buffer 5400 provides a space for the substrate W to temporarily stay during the transfer between the coating block 30a, the additional process chamber 5200, the exposure device 70 and the developing block 30b. A plurality of interface buffers 5400 are provided, and the plurality of interface buffers 5400 can be arranged to be stacked on each other.

[0094] According to an example, the additional process chamber 5200 may be disposed at one side of the transfer chamber 3400 based on an extension line in a longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 3400 , and the interface buffer 5400 may be disposed at the other side of the transfer chamber 3400 .

[0095] The transfer member 5600 provides the substrate W between the coating block 30a, the additional process chamber 5200, the exposure device 70, and the developing block 30b. The transfer member 5600 may be provided as one robot or a plurality of robots.

[0096] According to one example, the transfer member 5600 includes a first robot 5602 and a second robot 5606. The first robot 5602 may be configured to transfer the substrate W between the coating block 30a, the additional process chamber 5200, and the interface buffer 5400, the interface robot 4606 may be configured to transfer the substrate W between the interface buffer 5400 and the exposure device 70, and the second robot 5606 may be configured to transfer the substrate W between the interface buffer 5400 and the developing block 30b.

[0097] Each of the first robot 5602 and the second robot 5606 includes a hand for placing the substrate W, and the hand can be configured to move forward or backward, rotate around the third direction z, and move along the third direction z.

[0098] The hands of the index robot 2200, the first robot 5602, and the second robot 5606 can all be configured to have the same shape as the hands 3422 of the transfer robots 3420 and 3424. Alternatively, the hand of the robot that directly exchanges the substrate W with the transfer plate 3240 of the heat treatment chamber can be configured to have the same shape as the hands 3422 of the transfer robots 3420 and 3424, while the hands of the remaining robots can be configured to have shapes different from the hand 3422.

[0099] According to an exemplary embodiment, the index robot 2200 is provided to exchange the substrate W with the heat treatment chamber 3200 of the front heat treatment chamber 4000 directly provided in the coating block 30 a.

[0100] In addition, the transfer robot 3420 disposed in the coating block 30 a and the developing block 30 b may be configured to directly exchange the substrate W with the transfer plate 3240 located in the thermal processing chamber 3200 .

[0101] The controller 60 may control the substrate processing apparatus 10. The controller 60 may control the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

[0102] In addition, the controller may include: a process controller formed by a microprocessor (computer) that performs control of the substrate processing equipment 10; a user interface, which is a keyboard for an operator to perform command input operations, etc. in order to manage the substrate processing equipment 10; a display and the like, which are used to visualize and display the operation of the substrate processing equipment 10; and a storage unit, which stores a control program for executing a process performed in the substrate processing equipment 10 under the control of the process controller, and various data and programs (i.e., process recipes) for performing various processes in each component according to the processing conditions. In addition, the user interface and the storage unit may be connected to the process controller. The process recipe may be stored in a storage medium in the storage unit, and the storage medium may be a hard disk, and may also be a portable disk such as a CD-ROM or a DVD, or a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

[0103] Hereinafter, the heat treatment chamber 3200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0104] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A front view of the heat treatment chamber, and Figure 8 To show Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a heating unit.

[0105] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 The heat treatment chamber 3200 includes a shell 3210 , a cooling unit 3220 , a heating unit 4000 , and a transfer plate 3240 .

[0106] The housing 3210 is arranged in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The substrate W is formed on the side wall of the housing 3210 with an entrance (not shown) for introduction or withdrawal. The entrance can be maintained open. Optionally, the opening can be provided with a door (not shown) to open or close the entrance opening. The cooling unit 3220, the heating unit 4000 and the conveying plate 3240 are arranged in the housing 3210. The cooling unit 3220 and the heating unit 4000 are arranged side by side along the second direction y. According to an example, the cooling unit 3220 can be located closer to the conveying chamber 3400 than the heating unit 4000.

[0107] The cooling unit 3220 includes a cooling plate 3222. The cooling plate 3222 may have a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. A cooling channel 3224 is formed in the cooling plate 3222. A cooling liquid may flow in the cooling channel 3224.

[0108] The transfer plate 3240 is provided in a substantially disk shape and has a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the substrate W. A notch 3244 is formed in the edge of the transfer plate 3240. The notch 3244 may have a shape corresponding to the support protrusion 3429 formed on the hand 3422 of the transfer robot 3420. In addition, the notch 3244 is provided in a number corresponding to the number of the support protrusions 3429 formed in the hand 3422, and may be formed at a position corresponding to the support protrusion 3429.

[0109] When the hand 3422 and the transfer plate 3240 are aligned in the up-down direction, the substrate W is transferred between the hand 3422 and the transfer plate 3240 while the up-down positions of the hand 3422 and the transfer plate 3240 are changed. The transfer plate 3240 is installed on the guide rail 3249, and the substrate W can be transferred between the cooling unit 3220 and the heating unit 4000 along the guide rail 3249 by the driver 3246.

[0110] A plurality of guide grooves 3242 are provided in the transfer plate 3240 in the shape of slits. The guide grooves 3242 extend from the end portion of the transfer plate 3240 to the inner portion of the transfer plate 3240. The longitudinal direction of the guide grooves 3242 is provided in the second direction y, and the guide grooves 3242 are positioned to be spaced apart from each other in the first direction x. When the substrate W is transferred between the transfer plate 3240 and the heating unit 4000, the guide grooves 3242 prevent interference between the transfer plate 3240 and the lift pins 4231.

[0111] The heating unit 4000 is configured as a device for heating the substrate to a temperature higher than room temperature. The heating unit 4000 may perform a soft bake process on the substrate W before performing an exposure process on the substrate W, perform a post-exposure bake process (PEB) on the substrate W after performing an exposure process on the substrate W, or perform a hard bake process of heating the substrate W after performing a development process on the substrate W.

[0112] Figure 8 To show Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of a heating unit.

[0113] Reference Figure 8 The heating unit 4000 may include a body 4100 , a heating chuck 4200 , a baffle assembly 4300 , a gas unit 4400 and a lifting mechanism 4500 .

[0114] The body 4100 may provide a processing space 4102. The body 4100 may include an upper body 4110, a lower body 4120, and a sealing member 4130. The lower body 4120 may have a barrel shape with an open top. The upper body 4110 may have a cover shape covering the top of the lower body 4120. The upper body 4110 may have a barrel shape with an open bottom. The upper body 4110 and the lower body 4120 may be combined with each other to define a processing space 4102, which is a space for processing a substrate W (which may be a chip).

[0115] Either the upper body 4110 or the lower body 4120 may be configured to be movable relative to each other. For example, the upper body 4110 may be configured to be movable in the up-down direction by the lifting mechanism 4500, which may be a driving device including a motor, a cylinder, etc. By arranging the upper body 4110 to be movable in the up-down direction, the processing space 4102 may be opened or closed.

[0116] When the substrate W is introduced into the processing space 4102 , the upper body 4110 may rise to open the processing space 4102 , and when a baking process is performed on the substrate W, the upper body 4110 may descend to close the processing space 4102 .

[0117] The sealing member 4130 may be an O-ring that can fill the gap created between the upper body 4110 and the lower body 4120. The sealing member 4130 may have a substantially circular ring shape. The sealing member 4130 may be made of engineering plastics that have a certain elasticity and can withstand damage from an external environment such as heat or moisture.

[0118] The heating chuck 4200 may heat the substrate W. The heating chuck may support the substrate W. The heating chuck 4200 may include a heating plate 4210 , a support member 4220 , and a lift pin module 4230 .

[0119] The heating plate 4210 may heat the substrate W. The heating plate 4210 may be made of a material having good thermal conductivity. For example, the heating plate 4210 may be formed of a metal material such as aluminum. When viewed from top to bottom, the heating plate 4210 may have a substantially disk-like shape. The heating plate 4210 may be provided in a disk-like shape and have a diameter equal to or greater than that of the substrate W.

[0120] Heater 4212 can be mounted on heating plate 4210. Heater 4212 is installed by being buried inside heating plate 4210. Alternatively, heater 4212 can be installed by being attached to the bottom surface of heating plate 4210. Heater 4212 can be a heating component that receives energy from the outside to generate heat. For example, heater 4212 can be a resistive heating component.

[0121] In addition, support pins 4213 may be mounted on the top surface of the heating plate 4210. Support pins 4213 may be provided in a plurality. Support pins 4213 may prevent the top surface of the heating plate and the bottom surface of the substrate W from directly contacting. When the bottom surface of the substrate W directly contacts the heating plate 4210, the bottom surface of the substrate W may be scratched. In some cases, when the bottom surface of the substrate W directly contacts the heating plate 4210, particles may also be generated on the bottom surface of the substrate W. Support pins 4213 are configured to prevent the bottom surface of the substrate W from directly contacting the top surface of the heating plate 4210, but allow a very narrow gap between the bottom surface of the substrate W and the top surface of the heating plate 4210.

[0122] The support member 4220 may support the heating plate 4210. The support member 4220 may have a substantially cylindrical shape having an open top portion and an open bottom portion.

[0123] The lift pin module 4230 may move the substrate W in the up and down directions. The lift pin module 4230 may include a plurality of lift pins 4231 , a lift plate 4232 , a lift shaft 4233 , and a lift driver 4234 .

[0124] The lifting pins 4231 may have a pin shape extending in the up-down direction and may be respectively inserted into pin holes formed in the heating plate 4210. The lifting pins 4231 may be installed on the top surface of the lifting plate 4232. The lifting plate 4232 may have a plate shape. The lifting driver 4234 may be a motor or a pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder. The lifting driver 4234 may move the lifting shaft 4233, which is connected to the lower part of the lifting plate 4232 in the up-down direction. The lifting plate 4232 may move the lifting pins 4231 by the movement of the lifting shaft 4233 in the up-down direction.

[0125] The baffle assembly 4300 allows gas supplied by a gas unit 4400 described later to be uniformly distributed throughout the processing space 4102. The baffle assembly 4300 may include an upper baffle 4310, a lower baffle 4320, and a baffle supporting member 4330.

[0126] The first hole 4311 may be formed in the upper baffle plate 4310, and the second hole 4321 may be formed in the lower baffle plate 4320. When viewed from above, the first hole 4311 and the second hole 4321 may be formed so as not to overlap each other. The upper baffle plate 4310 may be installed above the lower baffle plate 4320. The baffle support member 4330 may have a cylindrical shape having an open lower portion and an open upper central area.

[0127] The diameter of the outer surface of the baffle support member 4330 may be smaller than the diameter of the inner wall of the upper body 4110. Therefore, the space between the baffle support member 4330 and the upper body 4110 may function as an exhaust port which is exhausted via the gas discharge part 4450 described later.

[0128] The gas supply part 4440 is configured to supply gas to the processing space 4102 and exhaust the gas supplied to the processing space 4102 / the smoke generated in the processing space 4102 to the outside.

[0129] The gas unit 4400 may include a gas block 4410 , a gas supply pipe 4420 , a gas exhaust pipe 4430 , a gas supply part 4440 , and a gas exhaust part 4450 .

[0130] The gas unit 4400 may provide a path for supplying gas to the processing space 4102 and exhausting the atmosphere of the processing space 4102. The gas unit 4400 may include an inner body 4411 and an outer body 4412. The outer body 4412 may have a substantially cap-like shape and may be fixedly installed in the form of being inserted into the upper center area of ​​the upper body 4110. The inner body 4411 may be installed in an inner area of ​​the outer body 4412 and may have a substantially tubular shape.

[0131] The inner space of the inner body 4411 may be connected to the gas supply pipe 4420, and the space between the outer body 4412 and the inner body 4411 may be connected to the gas exhaust pipe 4430. Therefore, the inner space of the inner body 4411 may function as a gas supply path through which gas is supplied, and the space between the outer body 4412 and the inner body 4411 may function as a gas exhaust path through which gas is exhausted.

[0132] The gas supply pipe 4420 may receive gas from the gas unit 4400 .

[0133] The gas unit 4400 may be configured to allow supply of different kinds of gases to the gas unit 4400. The gas supplied by the gas unit 4400 may be an atmosphere changing gas suitable for changing the atmosphere of the processing space 4102. The gas unit 4400 may include a first gas supply source 4441 for supplying humid air, a second gas supply source 4442 for supplying carbon dioxide, and a third gas supply source 4443 for supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen.

[0134] The first valve V1 may be configured to selectively supply humid air to the gas supply pipe 4420 , or adjust the amount of humid air supplied to the gas supply pipe 4420 per unit time.

[0135] The second valve V2 may be configured to selectively supply carbon dioxide to the gas supply pipe 4420, or adjust the amount of carbon dioxide supplied per unit time to the gas supply pipe 4420. The second valve V2 may be an automatic valve, or may be a flow regulating valve.

[0136] The third valve V3 may be configured to selectively supply the inert gas to the gas supply pipe 4420, or to adjust the amount of the inert gas supplied to the gas supply pipe 4420 per unit time. The third valve V3 may be an automatic valve, or may be a flow regulating valve.

[0137] The gas exhaust part 4450 may be connected to the gas exhaust pipe 4430 to exhaust the gas supplied to the processing space 4102 and the smoke that may be generated in the processing space 4102 to the outside of the processing space 4102. The gas exhaust part 4450 may be a pump.

[0138] Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be a semiconductor device manufacturing method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. In addition, in order to perform the substrate processing method described herein, the controller 60 may control the composition of the substrate processing device 10.

[0139] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0140] The substrate processing method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an exposure process P1, a baking process P2, and a cooling process P3. The exposure process P1, the baking process P2, and the cooling process P3 may be performed in sequence. The exposure process P1 may be performed in the aforementioned exposure device 70. The baking process P2 may be performed in the aforementioned heating unit 4000. The cooling process P3 may be performed in the aforementioned cooling unit 3220.

[0141] The exposure process P1 may be a process of irradiating light to a photosensitive film formed on the substrate W. The light irradiated to the substrate W in the exposure process P1 may be light having a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light (EUV).

[0142] The baking process P2 may be a process for heating the substrate W, and the cooling process P3 may be a process for cooling the substrate W heated in the baking process P2.

[0143] In the aforementioned example, the substrate processing method is described as including the exposure process P1, the baking process P2, and the cooling process P3, but before performing the exposure process P1, an additional process may be performed in the liquid processing chamber 3600 to apply an inorganic photoresist. In addition, after performing the exposure process P1, a development process for developing the photosensitive film may be performed in the liquid processing chamber 3600.

[0144] Fig.10 To show Fig. 9 Flowchart of the operations of the baking process.

[0145] Reference Fig.10 , the baking process according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be sequentially performed from operation S10 to operation S70.

[0146] Fig.11 To show Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S10. Fig.10 and Fig.11 , in operation S10, the substrate W may be loaded into the processing space 4102. Operation S10 may be a substrate loading operation. In operation S10, the lifting mechanism 4500 may move the upper body 4110 in an upward direction to open the processing space 4102, and the lifting pins 4231 may be fixed. When the substrate W is loaded into the processing space 4102, the lifting mechanism 4500 may move the upper body 4110 in a downward direction to close the processing space 4102. Then the lifting pin module 4230 may lower the substrate W onto the heating chuck 4200 using the lifting pins 4231.

[0147] Fig.12 To show Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S20. Fig.10 and Fig.12 , in operation S20, the substrate W placed on the heating chuck 4200 may be heated. Operation S20 may be a first substrate heating operation, and in operation S20, the heating chuck 4200 may generate heat to heat the substrate W. For example, a heater 4212 provided in the heating chuck 4200 may generate heat, the temperature of the heating plate 4210 may rise, and the heating plate 4210 may transfer the heat H1 of the first temperature to the substrate W placed on the supporting pins 4213. In operation S20, the processing space 4102 may not be supplied with any special atmosphere changing gas. Therefore, the atmosphere in the processing space 4102 may be the same as the normal atmosphere condition.

[0148] Operation 20 may also be a pre-heating operation to increase the temperature of the substrate W to a set temperature before performing a second substrate heating operation to heat the substrate W after subsequently injecting the atmosphere changing gas into the processing space 4102 .

[0149] Hereinafter, the atmosphere changing operation will be described. Operation S30, operation S40, and operation S50 may be operations included in the atmosphere changing operation. The atmosphere changing operation may include changing the atmosphere in the processing space 4102. For example, the atmosphere changing operation may be an operation of changing the concentration ratio of the gas contained in the atmosphere of the processing space 4102.

[0150] Fig.13 To show Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S30. Fig.10 and Fig.13 In operation S30, the lift pin module 4230 may lift the substrate W to lift the substrate W to a position close to the baffle assembly 4300. Operation S30 may be a substrate lifting operation. Operation S30 includes reducing a gap between a top surface of the substrate W and a bottom surface of the lower baffle 4320 to set a gap D. The set gap may be a gap selected from a range of 1 mm to 5 mm. By reducing the gap between the top surface of the substrate W and the lower baffle 4320 in operation S30, the top surface of the substrate W may be reduced, and more specifically, the volume between the substrate W and the lower baffle 4320 may be reduced.

[0151] At this time, the heater 4212 of the heating chuck 4200 may continue to heat. This is to prevent the heater 4212 from stopping heating and causing the temperature of the heating plate 4210 to drop. This is because after the heating plate 4210 cools down, when the substrate W is placed on the heating plate 4210, the photosensitive film formed on the substrate W may not be properly baked.

[0152] Fig.14 To show Fig.10 FIG. 5 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S40. Fig.10 and Fig.14 After the gap between the substrate W and the lower baffle plate 4320 reaches the set gap D, the gas unit 4400 may supply the atmosphere changing gas to the processing space 4102. Operation S40 may be an exhaust operation. The atmosphere changing gas may be any one of a plurality of gases that may be supplied by the gas unit 4200. For example, Fig.14 As shown in , the first valve V1 may be opened and the first gas supply source 4441 may supply humid air to the processing space 4102 .

[0153] In this case, the volume of the space above the substrate W is very small due to the lifting of the substrate W. Therefore, the atmosphere change in the space above the substrate W, and more specifically, the space between the substrate W and the lower baffle 4310, can occur quite quickly. Since the photosensitive film formed on the surface above the substrate W is strongly affected by the atmosphere of the space above the substrate W, and since the atmosphere change gas is supplied when the volume of the space above the substrate W is very small, the change of the space above the substrate W can be completed very quickly. When the concentration of the atmosphere change gas in the space above the substrate W reaches the set concentration, operation S40 can be performed.

[0154] Fig.15 To show Fig.10FIG. 5 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S50. Fig.10 and Fig.15 , when the substrate W is lifted, the substrate W may be lowered to perform a subsequent heating operation on the substrate W after the atmosphere changing gas is exhausted. Operation S50 may be a substrate lowering operation. During the substrate lowering operation, when the lowering speed of the substrate W is too fast, the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas supplied to the space above the substrate W may change. For example, when the lowering speed of the substrate W is too fast, the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas supplied to the space above the substrate W may decrease. When the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas decreases, the atmosphere in the processing space 4102 for processing the substrate W may not be maintained constant. This may interfere with the uniform processing of the substrate W.

[0155] Therefore, in the substrate lowering operation according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gas supply part 4440 may lower the substrate W onto the heating chuck 4200 while maintaining the supply of the atmosphere changing gas, but lower the substrate W at a predetermined set speed. In this case, the set speed may be a speed at which the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in the area above the substrate W is maintained above the set concentration. The set speed may be pre-stored in the controller 60 via previously performed experiments or simulations.

[0156] The set concentration may be changed depending on the recipe required for processing the substrate W. For example, the set concentration may be a concentration selected from the range of 0 to 100%. For example, when the substrate W is first loaded into the processing space 4102, the processing space 4102 may have an atmosphere of normal atmospheric conditions. Subsequently, in an atmosphere changing operation, an atmosphere changing gas such as nitrogen may be supplied so that the concentration of nitrogen is 100% in the processing space 4102.

[0157] In the substrate lowering operation, the descending speed of the substrate W may be changed depending on the flow rate of the atmosphere changing gas from the gas supply part 4440. For example, when the gas unit 4400 supplies the atmosphere changing gas at a first flow rate per unit time, the substrate W may descend at a first speed, and when the gas unit 4400 supplies the atmosphere changing gas at a second flow rate per unit time, the substrate W may descend at the first speed. The second flow rate may be a flow rate greater than the first flow rate, and the second speed may be a speed greater than the first speed.

[0158] The control set value for changing the atmosphere of the processing space 4102 to a set concentration, such as the supply flow rate of the gas per unit time and the descending speed of the substrate W, can be collected by default based on the processing data before processing the processed substrate W using a substrate-type sensor having a sensor for detecting gas concentration / humidity, etc.

[0159] Fig.16 To show Fig.10FIG. 5 is a diagram of a heating unit performing operation S60. Fig.10 and Fig.16 , after operation S50 is completed, the substrate W may be placed on the heating chuck 4200 once. The heating chuck 4200 may heat the substrate W. Operation S60 may be a second substrate heating operation. The heating chuck 4200 may heat the substrate W to a second temperature. The second temperature may be different from the first temperature, which is the temperature at which the substrate W is heated in the first substrate heating operation. In addition, operation S60 may be performed in a state where the atmosphere of the processing space 4102 of the substrate W is changed.

[0160] Operation S70 may include unloading the processed substrate W from the processing space 4102. Operation S70 may be a substrate unloading operation. In operation S70, the elevating mechanism 4500 may open the processing space 4102, and the elevating pin module 4230 may elevate the substrate W.

[0161] The aforementioned operations S20 to S60 may be continuously performed in a state where the processing space 4102 is continuously closed. Therefore, in the present invention, changing the atmosphere of the processing space 4102 does not cause the supply gas in the processing space 4102 to leak into the inner space of the housing 3210.

[0162] In addition, the height at which the lift pin module 4230 lifts the substrate W in operation S10 and operation S70 may be the same. However, the height at which the lift pin module 4230 lifts the substrate W in operation S10 and operation S70 may be different.

[0163] Hereinafter, the effect of the present invention will be described by comparing the embodiment of the present invention with the comparative example. The example may be a case where the substrate W is lifted during the atmosphere changing operation to reduce the gap between the substrate W and the lower baffle 4310. The comparative example may be a case where the substrate W is placed on the heating chuck 4200 during the atmosphere changing operation.

[0164] This embodiment Figures 17 to 19 In the accompanying drawings, it is represented by "movement". Figures 17 to 19 In the table, the comparative examples are indicated by "stay".

[0165] Fig.17 In order to show the time required to change the atmosphere in each region of the substrate, examples of the present invention and comparative examples are shown.

[0166] Reference Fig.17 The time required for atmosphere change (replacement time) may refer to the time required for the concentration of the atmosphere change gas in the space above the substrate W to reach a set concentration. Fig.17As shown, it can be seen that the time required for the embodiment is much less than that for the comparative example. In addition, it can be seen that the time required for the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas to reach the set concentration varies less in different areas of the substrate W. Therefore, it can be seen that according to the embodiment of the present invention, the time required for the atmosphere change can be shortened, and the uniformity of the processing of the processing area of ​​the substrate W can be improved.

[0167] Fig.18 The figure shows the time when the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas reaches the set concentration in the area above the substrate, and shows the embodiments of the present invention and the comparative examples. In the figure, the x-axis can be the time (seconds), and the y-axis can be the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas. Fig.18 As shown, the set concentration can be 0.1 (i.e., 10%). It can be seen that in this embodiment, the time for the minimum concentration in the space above the substrate W to reach the set concentration is shorter than that in the comparative example. In addition, the descent of the substrate W can occur after 1 second. Fig.18 As shown, it can be seen that even when the substrate W is lowered, the minimum concentration in the space above the substrate W is still maintained above 0.1.

[0168] Fig.19 To show the standard deviation of the gas concentration in the region above the substrate by changing the atmosphere in the substrate region, examples of the present invention and comparative examples are shown.

[0169] Reference Fig.19 , it can be seen that the standard deviation of the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in each region of the substrate W decreases faster in the present embodiment than in the comparative example. In other words, it can be seen that in the embodiment of the present invention, the atmosphere of the processing space 4102 changes rapidly, and the concentration deviation of each region of the substrate W stabilizes rapidly.

[0170] In the aforementioned embodiment, the case where the substrate W is first heated, then the substrate W is raised, and then the atmosphere changing gas is exhausted has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig. 20 As shown, when the substrate W is loaded into the processing space 4102, the substrate W is lifted by the lift pin module 4230 so that the atmosphere of the processing space 4102 can be changed from the ambient state to the set atmosphere operation after the substrate loading operation by immediately performing gas exhaust.

[0171] In the above example, the above description is made by taking the case of performing an atmosphere change action as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Fig.21 As shown, after the substrate heating operation is completed, the atmosphere changing operation may be performed a preset number of times.

[0172] In the aforementioned example, the case where the cooling process P3 is performed in the cooling unit 3220 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig. 22 As shown, the gas supply part 4440 may further include a cooling gas supply source 4444 and a fourth valve V4. Therefore, after the baking process P2 of the substrate W is completed in the processing space 4102, a cooling process P3 may be continuously performed in the processing space 4102. In addition, during the cooling process P3, the lifting pin module 4230 may supply cooling gas to the substrate W while lifting the substrate W. The cooling gas may be selected from a variety of gases, but may be CDA or an inert gas at room temperature.

[0173] In the examples shown or described above, the case where any one of the gases selected from the gases that can be supplied by the gas supply part 4440 is supplied in the atmosphere changing operation has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the atmosphere changing operation, the gas supply part 4440 may also supply two or more types of gases to the processing space 4102.

[0174] It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may have other variations. Even if not specifically shown or described, the various elements or features of a particular exemplary embodiment are generally not limited to the particular exemplary embodiment, but are interchangeable and can be used in the selected exemplary embodiment where applicable. These modifications should not be considered as departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications that are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included in the scope of the attached patent application.

Claims

1. A substrate processing method, the method comprising the following steps: a substrate loading operation of loading a substrate into a processing space provided by the body; a heating operation of placing the substrate loaded into the processing space onto a heating plate and heating the substrate; as well as an atmosphere changing operation, wherein the atmosphere changing operation changes the atmosphere of the processing space, Wherein, the atmosphere changing operation includes: a gas exhaust operation of injecting an atmosphere changing gas in a state where the substrate is closer to a baffle than in the heating operation, wherein the baffle is arranged on a top side of the heating disk to face the heating disk and inject the atmosphere changing gas; and A substrate lowering operation is performed to lower and place the substrate on the heating plate while maintaining the injection of the atmosphere changing gas.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate lowering operation includes lowering the substrate at a speed at which the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in a region above the substrate is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate lowering operation includes lowering the substrate at a first speed when the atmosphere changing gas is supplied at a first flow rate, and lowering the substrate at a second speed greater than the first speed when the atmosphere changing gas is supplied at a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The atmosphere changing operation further includes a substrate lifting operation of lifting the substrate so that a gap between the substrate and the baffle plate becomes a set gap.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 4, wherein: The set gap is a gap selected from the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The atmosphere changing gas is a gas selected from humid air, carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: a substrate unloading operation, wherein the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, Wherein, the atmosphere changing operation is performed multiple times between the substrate loading operation and the substrate unloading operation.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: a substrate unloading operation, wherein the substrate is unloaded from the processing space, The heating operation is performed multiple times between the substrate loading operation and the substrate unloading operation.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 8, wherein: The heating operation comprises: a first heating operation, the first heating operation being performed before the atmosphere changing operation; and a second heating operation, the second heating operation being performed after the atmosphere changing operation, and The first heating operation and the second heating operation heat the substrate at different temperatures.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: After an exposure process of emitting light onto the photosensitive film applied on the substrate, a baking process including the heating operation and the atmosphere changing operation is performed.

11. The substrate processing method according to claim 11, wherein: The photosensitive film is formed of inorganic photoresist.

12. A method for manufacturing a wafer, the method comprising the following steps: An exposure process of emitting light onto a photosensitive film formed on a wafer; a baking process, wherein the baking process heats the wafer after the exposure process; as well as a cooling process, wherein the cooling process cools the wafer after the baking process, Wherein, the baking process comprises: a loading operation of loading the wafer into a processing space provided by a body; a heating operation of placing the wafer loaded into the processing space onto a heating plate and heating the wafer; and An atmosphere changing operation of changing the atmosphere of the processing space in a state where the processing space is closed.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 12, wherein: The atmosphere changing operation includes a gas exhaust operation of injecting an atmosphere changing gas while the wafer is closer to a baffle than in the heating operation, wherein the baffle is arranged on a top side of the heating disk to face the heating disk and inject the atmosphere changing gas.

14. The manufacturing method according to claim 13, wherein: The atmosphere changing operation includes a descending operation of maintaining injection of the atmosphere changing gas while descending and placing the wafer on the heating plate.

15. The manufacturing method according to claim 14, wherein: The lowering operation includes lowering the wafer at a speed at which the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in a region between the wafer and the baffle is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

16. A substrate processing device, comprising: a body, the body providing a processing space; a heating plate for supporting and heating the substrate in the processing space; a gas supply unit, the gas supply unit being used to supply gas to the processing space; a baffle plate located above the heating plate and used to distribute the gas supplied by the gas supply unit; as well as Controller, Wherein, the heating plate comprises: a heating plate configured with a heater to heat the substrate; and a lifting pin module, the lifting pin module is used to lift the substrate, and When the lift pin module is in a state of supporting the substrate so that the gap between the substrate and the baffle is a set gap, the controller controls the lift pin module and the gas supply unit so that the gas supply unit discharges the atmosphere changing gas into the processing space to change the atmosphere of the processing space.

17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein: The controller maintains the exhaust of the atmosphere changing gas while lowering the substrate in a direction approaching the heating plate, wherein the lowering speed of the substrate is set to a speed at which the concentration of the atmosphere changing gas in the space between the substrate and the baffle is maintained at a set concentration or higher.

18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein: The set gap is a gap selected from the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

19. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein: The gas supply unit includes at least one of a first gas supply source supplying humid air, a second gas supply source supplying carbon dioxide, and a third gas supply source supplying an inert gas.

20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein: The body includes an upper body and a lower body combined with the upper body to define the processing space. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lifting mechanism for lifting the upper body to open or close the processing space; as well as The controller controls the lifting mechanism and the gas supply unit so that the atmosphere changing gas is discharged in a state where the processing space is closed.

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