Substrate heat treatment apparatus and coating developing apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a substrate heat treatment device and a coating and developing equipment. The substrate heat treatment device comprises a cavity, a hot plate arranged in the cavity and used for carrying and heat treating a substrate, and a temperature adjusting mechanism arranged below the hot plate and used for adjusting the temperature of the hot plate. A cavity is arranged between the hot plate and the temperature adjusting mechanism, and the cavity is used for slowing down heat transfer of the temperature adjusting mechanism to the hot plate. The application realizes the technical effects of improving the use efficiency of the substrate heat treatment device and preventing the hot plate from being broken.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, specifically to a substrate heat treatment apparatus and a coating and developing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] The substrate heat treatment unit is one of the key components within the coating and developing equipment. Its main function is to heat the substrate at high temperatures after coating or developing to remove solvents from the photoresist and harden it. Therefore, the substrate heat treatment unit is used extensively in coating and developing equipment. However, the required heat treatment temperature may differ depending on the type of photoresist. After a high-temperature heat treatment process, the hot plate needs to be cooled before a lower-temperature heat treatment process can be performed. Conversely, after a lower-temperature heat treatment process, the hot plate needs to be heated before a higher-temperature heat treatment process can be performed. Furthermore, for routine maintenance, to ensure operator safety, the hot plate inside the substrate heat treatment unit needs to be cooled from its high temperature (70℃~450℃) to room temperature (23℃~30℃) before any maintenance or repair can be performed. The higher the temperature of the hot plate, the longer the cooling time will be, leading to a decrease in equipment utilization.

[0003] Patent document with application number JP2008035082 discloses a substrate heat treatment apparatus, which includes: a heating plate for placing a substrate and heating it; a heating plate temperature regulating section located below the heating plate and in contact with the surface of the heating plate, which regulates the temperature of the heating plate by means of a temperature regulating medium in its internal flow path; a temperature regulating medium supply flow path for providing a temperature regulating medium (such as liquid or gas); a medium storage section for storing the temperature regulating medium; and a control section for supplying a high-temperature temperature regulating medium to the flow path of the heating plate temperature regulating section to raise the temperature of the heating plate, or supplying a low-temperature temperature regulating medium to the flow path of the heating plate temperature regulating section to lower the temperature of the heating plate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the purpose of this application is to improve the efficiency of the substrate heat treatment apparatus and prevent the hot plate from cracking during the temperature adjustment process.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a substrate heat treatment apparatus and a coating and developing device.

[0006] In some embodiments, the substrate heat treatment apparatus includes:

[0007] cavity;

[0008] A hot plate, disposed within the cavity, is used to support and heat-treat the substrate;

[0009] A temperature regulating mechanism is disposed below the hot plate and is used to regulate the temperature of the hot plate; wherein, a cavity is provided between the hot plate and the temperature regulating mechanism, the cavity being used to slow down the heat transfer from the temperature regulating mechanism to the hot plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the coating and developing apparatus includes the substrate heat treatment apparatus described in any of the preceding embodiments.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, this application improves the efficiency of the substrate heat treatment device by setting a temperature regulating mechanism below the hot plate to regulate the temperature of the hot plate, thereby accelerating the temperature regulation speed of the hot plate. Furthermore, by setting a cavity between the hot plate and the temperature regulating mechanism, the heat transfer from the temperature regulating mechanism to the hot plate is slowed down, preventing sudden temperature changes and uneven heating (local overheating or undercooling) of the hot plate caused by direct contact between the temperature regulating mechanism and the hot plate during the temperature regulation process, thus reducing the risk of the hot plate breaking. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The preferred embodiments will now be described in a clear and easy-to-understand manner, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, to further explain the above-mentioned characteristics, technical features, advantages, and implementation methods of this application.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a substrate heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a substrate heat treatment apparatus according to another embodiment of this application; and

[0015] Figure 3 This is a coating and developing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present application. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] To keep the drawings concise, each drawing only schematically shows the parts relevant to this application, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, in some drawings, only one of the components with the same structure or function is schematically shown, or only one is labeled. In this document, "one" not only means "only one," but can also mean "more than one."

[0018] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0019] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0020] like Figure 1 The illustration reveals a substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of this application, comprising: a cavity 110, a hot plate 120, and a temperature regulating mechanism 130. The hot plate 120 is disposed within the cavity 110 and is used to support and heat-treat a substrate 20. For example, a thermal resistor 121 is disposed inside the hot plate 120 to generate heat for heat treatment of the substrate 20. The temperature regulating mechanism 130 is disposed below the hot plate 120 and is used to regulate the temperature of the hot plate 120. A cavity 141 is provided between the hot plate 120 and the temperature regulating mechanism 130 to slow down heat transfer from the temperature regulating mechanism 130 to the hot plate 120.

[0021] In the above embodiment, if the hot plate 120 needs to be reduced from a higher heat treatment temperature to a lower heat treatment temperature, the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can be lowered to cool the hot plate 120. Compared to natural heat dissipation, cooling the hot plate 120 by the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can accelerate the cooling rate of the hot plate 120, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the hot plate 120. Furthermore, by providing a cavity 141 between the hot plate 120 and the temperature regulating mechanism 130, direct contact between the low-temperature temperature regulating mechanism 130 and the high-temperature hot plate 120 can be prevented, thus avoiding sudden temperature changes in the hot plate 120 and concentrated cooling areas, which would increase the risk of the hot plate 120 breaking.

[0022] If the hot plate 120 needs to be heated from a lower heat treatment temperature to a higher heat treatment temperature, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can be raised to assist in heating the hot plate 120 while the hot plate 120 itself heats up. Compared to the heating method where the hot plate 120 heats up by itself alone, the simultaneous heating by the temperature regulating mechanism 130 and the hot plate 120 accelerates the heating rate and improves the efficiency of the hot plate 120. Furthermore, by providing a cavity 141 between the hot plate 120 and the temperature regulating mechanism 130, direct contact between the high-temperature temperature regulating mechanism 130 and the low-temperature hot plate 120 is prevented, thus avoiding sudden temperature changes and concentrated heating of the hot plate 120, which would increase the risk of the hot plate 120 breaking.

[0023] Furthermore, during the heat treatment of the substrate 20 by the hot plate 120, in order to prevent the heat generated by the hot plate 120 from damaging the components below the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10, the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can be lowered to isolate the heat generated by the hot plate 120 from downward transfer. It should be noted that when using the temperature regulating mechanism 130 to isolate the heat of the hot plate 120, in order to avoid the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130 being too low and affecting the heat treatment temperature of the hot plate 120, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can be maintained at room temperature or slightly below room temperature.

[0024] In one embodiment of this application, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 includes a plate member 138 disposed below the cavity 141. The plate member 138 has an internal medium channel 1381 for conveying a temperature regulating medium to regulate the temperature of the hot plate. It should be noted that the temperature regulating medium includes at least one of a temperature regulating liquid or a temperature regulating gas, and the temperature regulating mechanism 130 can regulate the temperature solely using the temperature regulating liquid or the temperature regulating gas.

[0025] In one embodiment of this application, the medium channel 1381 includes a first medium channel 1321, which is used to transport a temperature-regulating liquid to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

[0026] In one embodiment of this application, the plate member 138 includes a first plate body 132. The first plate body 132 is spaced below the hot plate 120, and the interior of the first plate body 132 has a first medium channel 1321.

[0027] In the above embodiments, if the hot plate 120 needs to be reduced from a higher heat treatment temperature to a lower heat treatment temperature, a low-temperature temperature regulating medium can be supplied to the first medium channel 1321 to reduce the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130, thereby cooling the hot plate 120. If the hot plate 120 needs to be increased from a lower heat treatment temperature to a higher heat treatment temperature, a high-temperature temperature regulating medium can be supplied to the first medium channel 1321 while the hot plate 120 itself heats up, thereby increasing the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130, which then assists in heating the hot plate 120.

[0028] In one embodiment of this application, the first plate 132 includes a first plate body 1322 and a sealing plate 1323. A plurality of sequentially connected fluid grooves 1324 are formed on the lower surface of the first plate body 1322. The sealing plate 1323 is disposed on the lower surface of the first plate body 1322 and is used to seal the fluid grooves 1324 to form a first medium channel 1321. The temperature regulating mechanism 130 also includes a liquid supply unit 137. The liquid supply unit 137 is used to provide temperature regulating liquid to the first medium channel 1321.

[0029] In one embodiment of this application, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 further includes a heat insulation plate 133. The heat insulation plate 133 is disposed below the first plate 132 and is used to insulate the heat generated by the hot plate 120 during heat treatment of the substrate 20, preventing damage to components below the heat insulation plate 133 from the heat generated by the hot plate 120. Furthermore, if the temperature of the hot plate 120 is high, the liquid supply unit 137 supplies low-temperature regulating liquid to the first medium channel 1321 to work with the heat insulation plate 133 to insulate the heat generated by the hot plate 120. If the temperature of the hot plate 120 is low, the liquid supply unit 137 stops supplying low-temperature regulating liquid to the first medium channel 1321, and only the heat insulation plate 133 insulates the heat generated by the hot plate 120, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the temperature regulating medium.

[0030] In one embodiment of this application, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a support body 144. The support body 144 is disposed in the cavity 110 and has an annular structure with an opening 1441 at the top. The opening 1441 cooperates with the edge of the hot plate 120 to fix and support the hot plate 120, so that the hot plate 120 and the temperature adjustment mechanism 130 are spaced apart to form a cavity 141.

[0031] In one embodiment of this application, a stepped structure 1443 is provided on the inner side of the sidewall 1442 of the support body 144. The substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 also includes a washer 143, which cooperates with the stepped structure 1443 to support the hot plate 120. The sidewall 1442 of the support body 144 mates with the inner surface of the cavity 110. The sidewall 1442 is provided with a plurality of exhaust holes 1444, which are connected to a gas supply pipe 1445. The gas supply pipe 1445 is connected to a gas supply unit 134 for conveying purging gas.

[0032] When the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 is in the loading or unloading state of the substrate 20, the substrate conveying port 111 is opened, and the air supply pipe 1445 delivers purge gas to the exhaust port 1444. The purge gas is sprayed upward from the exhaust port 1444 to form an air curtain at the substrate conveying port 111, preventing impurity gas outside the substrate conveying port 111 from entering the interior of the cavity 110, thereby reducing the impact of impurity gas outside the cavity 110 on the heat treatment of the substrate 20 and reducing surface defects of the substrate 20.

[0033] When the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 is in the heat treatment state, the substrate conveying port 111 is closed, the air supply pipe 1445 delivers purging gas to the exhaust port 1444, and exhausts gas through the central exhaust channel 1131 and the peripheral exhaust channel 1132 (see below) to discharge the sublimation generated during the heat treatment of the substrate 20.

[0034] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The illustration is merely an example and is not intended to limit the location and structure of the exhaust port. In other embodiments of this application, there is a gap between the outer surface of the support (not shown) and the inner surface of the cavity 110, and the exhaust port is provided on the surface of the air supply pipe 1445. When the gas supply unit 134 supplies purge gas to the air supply pipe 1445, the purge gas is ejected upward through the exhaust port via the aforementioned gap.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment of this application, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a tank 142. The tank 142 is disposed within the cavity 110, and the top of the tank 142 has an opening 1421 that engages with the edge of the hot plate 120 to fix the hot plate 120. A predetermined distance is provided between the inner bottom surface of the tank 142 and the hot plate 120 to form a cavity 141.

[0036] In one embodiment of this application, a stepped structure 1423 is provided on the inner side of the sidewall 1422 of the tank 142, and the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 also includes a washer 143, which cooperates with the stepped structure 1423 to support the hot plate 120.

[0037] In one embodiment of this application, the medium channel 1381 includes a second medium channel 1311 for conveying temperature regulating gas to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

[0038] In one embodiment of this application, the plate member 138 includes a second plate body 131. The second plate body 131 is disposed below the groove 142 and has a predetermined gap with the outer bottom surface of the groove 142 to form a second medium channel 1311. It should be noted that in other embodiments of this application, the second plate body 131 can be replaced by a first plate body 1322, that is, the first plate body 1322 has a predetermined gap with the outer bottom surface of the groove 142 to form the second medium channel 1311. In addition, Figure 2 The illustration is merely an example and is not intended to limit the configuration of the second medium channel 1311. In other embodiments of this application, the second medium channel 1311 may be constructed in a similar manner to the first medium channel 1321, i.e., by constructing sequentially connected fluid channels (not shown in the figure) inside the second plate 131 to form the second medium channel 1311.

[0039] In the above embodiments, if the hot plate 120 needs to be reduced from a higher heat treatment temperature to a lower heat treatment temperature, a low-temperature temperature regulating medium can be supplied to the first medium channel 1321 and / or the second medium channel 1311 to reduce the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130, thereby cooling the hot plate 120. If the hot plate 120 needs to be increased from a lower heat treatment temperature to a higher heat treatment temperature, a high-temperature temperature regulating medium can be supplied to the first medium channel 1321 and / or the second medium channel 1311 while the hot plate 120 itself heats up, thereby increasing the temperature of the temperature regulating mechanism 130, thereby assisting in heating the hot plate 120.

[0040] In one embodiment of this application, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 further includes a gas supply unit 134. The gas supply unit 134 is used to supply temperature regulating gas to the second medium channel 1311.

[0041] In one embodiment of this application, the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 further includes a plurality of exhaust holes 1424, which are distributed on the outer periphery of the hot plate 120 and are connected to the second medium channel 1311 for conveying the temperature regulating gas into the cavity 110.

[0042] In one embodiment of this application, the sidewall 1422 of the tank 142 mates with the inner surface of the cavity 110, and a plurality of exhaust holes 1424 are provided on the sidewall 1422. The exhaust holes 1424 are used to connect the second medium channel 1311 with the upper part of the sidewall 1422, and are used to discharge temperature regulating gas to replace the purging gas. Thus, the second medium channel 1311 is not only used to regulate the temperature of the hot plate 120, but can also serve as a gas supply pipe 1445 to supply purging gas to the exhaust holes 1424.

[0043] In one embodiment of this application, the temperature regulating mechanism 130 further includes a temperature regulating section 135. The temperature regulating section 135 is connected to the gas supply section 134 and is used to regulate the temperature of the temperature regulating gas. In other embodiments of this application, the flow rate of the temperature regulating medium can be changed by adjusting the valve 136, thereby adjusting the rate of temperature regulation of the hot plate 120.

[0044] In one embodiment of this application, the cavity 110 includes a bottom groove 112, a cover plate 113, a seal 114, and a lifting mechanism 115. The bottom groove 112 accommodates the hot plate 120 and the tank 142. The cover plate 113 is located above the bottom groove 112, forming a substrate delivery port 111 between the cover plate 113 and the bottom groove 112. The seal 114 is movably disposed outside the substrate delivery port 111 to seal the substrate delivery port 111. The lifting mechanism 115 drives the seal 114 to move, thereby closing the substrate delivery port 111 during heat treatment of the substrate 20 and opening the substrate delivery port 111 during loading or unloading of the substrate 20. In another embodiment of this application, the bottom groove 112 and the tank 142 are an integral structure.

[0045] In one embodiment of this application, the cover plate 113 includes a central exhaust channel 1131 and a peripheral exhaust channel 1132. The central exhaust channel 1131 is connected to the exhaust end 118 via a first exhaust pipe 116 for discharging gas from the central region inside the cavity 110. The peripheral exhaust channel 1132 is connected to the exhaust end 118 via a second exhaust pipe 117 for discharging gas from the edge region inside the cavity 110. The bottom groove 112 includes a push rod mechanism 1425 for rising above the upper surface of the hot plate 120 during loading or unloading of the substrate 20, lifting the substrate 20 so that a robot (not shown) can pick up or place the substrate 20.

[0046] like Figure 3The diagram illustrates a coating and developing apparatus 30 according to an embodiment of this application, comprising a front-end module 31, a process station 32, and an interface station 33 connected in sequence. The front-end module 31 loads a substrate 20 to be processed and outputs the processed substrate 20. The process station 32 performs coating, developing, and heat treatment on the substrate 20. The interface station 33 interfaces with a lithography machine. The process station 32 includes a coating unit 100, a developing unit 200, and a heat treatment unit 300. The coating unit 100 performs coating on the substrate 20, the developing unit 200 performs developing on the substrate 20, and the heat treatment unit 300 performs heat treatment on the substrate 20. The heat treatment unit 300 includes the substrate heat treatment apparatus 10 described in any of the above embodiments, and is used to perform heat treatment on the substrate 20 before coating, on the substrate 20 after coating and before exposure, and on the substrate 20 after developing.

[0047] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A substrate heat treatment apparatus, characterized in that, include: cavity; A hot plate, disposed within the cavity, is used to support and heat-treat the substrate; as well as A temperature regulating mechanism is located below the hot plate and is used to regulate the temperature of the hot plate; A cavity is provided between the hot plate and the temperature regulating mechanism to slow down the heat transfer from the temperature regulating mechanism to the hot plate.

2. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature regulating mechanism includes: A plate component is disposed below the cavity. The plate component has an internal medium channel for conveying a temperature regulating medium to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

3. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The medium channel includes a first medium channel for conveying a temperature-regulating liquid to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

4. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the medium channel includes a second medium channel for conveying temperature regulating gas to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

5. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 further includes a plurality of exhaust holes, the plurality of exhaust holes being distributed on the outer periphery of the hot plate, and the plurality of exhaust holes being in communication with the second medium channel for conveying the temperature regulating gas into the cavity.

6. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The temperature regulating mechanism further includes: A heat insulation plate is disposed below the plate component to insulate the heat generated by the heat plate.

7. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, include: A groove is disposed within the cavity. The top of the groove has an opening that mates with the edge of the hot plate to fix the hot plate. A preset distance is provided between the inner bottom surface of the groove and the hot plate to form the cavity.

8. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, There is a preset gap between the outer bottom surface of the tank and the temperature regulating mechanism to form a second medium channel. The second medium channel is used to transport temperature regulating gas to regulate the temperature of the hot plate.

9. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a plurality of exhaust holes, which are distributed on the outer periphery of the hot plate and are connected to the second medium channel for supplying the temperature regulating gas into the cavity.

10. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cavity includes: A bottom groove is used to accommodate the hot plate and the groove body; A cover plate is located above the bottom groove, forming a substrate conveying port between the cover plate and the bottom groove; A sealing element, movably disposed on the outside of the substrate conveying port, is used to seal the substrate conveying port; and A lifting mechanism is used to drive the seal to move so as to close the substrate delivery port during heat treatment of the substrate and open the substrate delivery port during loading or unloading of the substrate.

11. The substrate heat treatment apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The bottom groove and the groove body are an integral structure.

12. A coating and developing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the substrate heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1-11.

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