Electric resistance heating devices – Heating devices – Vaporizer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-02-06
Paik, Sang (Department: 3742)
Electric resistance heating devices
Heating devices
Vaporizer
C219S444100, C118S715000, C118S7230VE, C118S724000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185370
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heating apparatus for heating an object to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a ‘target object’) such as a semiconductor wafer during a resist processing step, for example.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a process for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a photolithography technology is used. In the photolithography technology, a resist is coated upon a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a “wafer”), the coated resist is exposed to a predetermined pattern and then developed. Thus, a resist film with a predetermined pattern is formed upon the wafer. And then, a circuit with a predetermined pattern is formed by film-forming and etching treatment.
Conventionally, such series of resist processing is performed using a coating and developing system where a plurality of units such as a resist coating unit, a developing unit and a heating unit are disposed integrally.
The heating unit has a hot plate disposed in the center for heating a target object such as a semiconductor wafer. A plurality of support pins appear from and disappear into the hot plate for receiving and delivering the wafers. A shutter member, also appearing and disappearing, is disposed around the hot plate surrounding the hot plate. Conventionally, only the inside of the shutter member was exhausted.
However, there has been a problem that the volatilized solvent filling the closed space formed by the shutter member leaks outside when the shutter member descends after the heating process, giving ill influence to other processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problem. Its object is to provide a heating apparatus from which the volatilized solvent does not leak outside.
Another object of the invention is to provide a heating apparatus performing uniform exhaustion.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a heating apparatus wherein the volatilized solvent does not form a dew and fall upon the target object.
To solve the above-described problems, a main aspect of the present invention is a developing apparatus having a heating region, an exhaust cover and an exhausting means. The heating region has a first region for heating a mounted target object. The exhaust cover has an exhaust hole disposed facing the first region and a second region surrounding the first region. The exhausting means exhausts the first and the second regions through the exhaust hole. The heating apparatus also has a shutter member for closing up the space between a periphery of the first region and the exhaust cover while heating the target object.
Therefore, the solvent volatilized inside the first region is also exhausted in the second region, and will not leak outside the apparatus. A surrounding gas not including any solvent is taken from the second region into the exhaust cover. Thus, a density of the volatilized solvent inside the exhaust cover will decrease and the volatilized solvent will not form a dew, sticking inside the exhaust cover.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4940213 (1990-07-01), Ohmine et al.
patent: 5582866 (1996-12-01), White
patent: 5819683 (1998-10-01), Ikeda et al.
patent: 6007634 (1999-12-01), Weber et al.
patent: 4-147612 (1992-05-01), None
Sekimoto Eiichi
Tanoue Mitsuhiro
Paik Sang
Radar Fishman & Grauer
Tokyo Electron Limited
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