Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Work support
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-21
2004-06-01
Mills, Gregory (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Work support
C156S345230, C156S345550, C134S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06743297
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rotary substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, such as semiconductor wafer, by using liquid, for example, chemical liquid, pure water, etc. Further, the invention also relates to a rotary substrate processing method for processing the substrate by using the above liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the rotary substrate processing apparatus of this kind, there is known a rotary substrate processing apparatus that includes a rotor capable of holding a plurality of disc-shaped substrates (e.g. semiconductor wafers) parallel with each other. In this rotary substrate processing apparatus, the rotor is provided with holding members for supporting the peripheral portions of the substrates, for example, a plurality of holding rods. Thus, the abutment of the holding rods against the peripheral portions of the substrates enables the rotor to retain them. Each of the holding rods is provided, at its positions in contact with the substrates, with a plurality of guide grooves at regular intervals, which allow the substrates to be retained in stability.
In the rotary substrate processing apparatus constructed above, by spraying liquid (e.g. chemical liquid, pure water, etc.) against the substrates while rotating the rotor at designated revolutions, it becomes possible to eliminate contaminants, such as particles and organic pollutant, resist films, oxidation films, etc. from the substrates uniformly. Additionally, since centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor causes the liquid to be blown off, it is possible to dry the substrates.
In the above rotary substrate processing apparatus, however, it cannot produce sufficient effect in accordance with a processing program because the substrates cannot rotate while following the rotor rotating at a high speed.
Additionally, the holding condition between the substrates and the holding rods becomes uneven due to the presence of dimensional errors among the substrates. Therefore, the substrates cannot be processed uniformly, so that there is the possibility of reducing the processing efficiency.
Furthermore, when the rotor begins to rotate or stops its rotation, there is produced, between each holding rod and the substrates, a slip which causes a great abrasion of the holding rods. Therefore, the holding rods have to be exchanged to new ones ahead of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Taking the above situation into consideration, an object of the present invention is to provide rotary substrate processing apparatus and method, both of which allow a plurality of substrates to follow the rotation of the rotor certainly thereby to improve the processing efficiency for the substrates and which reduce a slip between the holding member of the rotor and the substrates as possible, thereby to reduce abrasion of the holding member and increase their life spans.
The first feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a rotary substrate processing apparatus comprising a rotor having a holding member for holding a plurality of substrates at intervals and a motor for rotating the rotor, the motor being adjustable in its revolutions, wherein the holding member includes at least one open/close holding rod which moves to open or close the rotor in inserting the substrates into the rotor and a plurality of fixed holding rods for holding the substrates in cooperation with the open/close holding rod, and at least one of the fixed holding rods has a plurality of press members that are moved toward peripheral portions of the respective substrates by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor thereby to press the substrates.
According to the second feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the first feature, the press members have respective fitting holes into which a single support shaft is inserted in common, the press members being adapted so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction of the support shaft.
According to the third feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the first feature, the open/close holding rod includes a press body having a press piece capable of elastic deformation, the press piece being adapted so as to move toward peripheral portions of the respective substrates by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor thereby to press the substrates.
According to the fourth feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the first feature, the open/close holding rod is provided with elastically-deformable holding grooves which are swollen toward peripheral portions of the respective of the substrates by pressure of a fluid supplied to the open/close holding rod thereby to press the substrates.
According to the fifth feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the first feature, the press members have respective fitting holes into which a single support shaft is inserted in common and the press members each comprises a plate body rotatably fitted to the support shaft, the plate body having a press part formed on a circumferential face of the plate body, a weight embedded in the plate body in an eccentric position thereof and a guide groove formed in the plate body, for engagement with a rotation stopper shaft with play, the rotation stopper shaft being arranged to extend in parallel with the support shaft.
According to the sixth feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the fifth feature, each of the press members has at least one discharge groove formed on its surface perpendicular to the support shaft to extend from the center of the support shaft outward.
According to the seventh feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the fifth feature, the plate body is provided with a drain hole which communicates a sliding face of the plate body on the support shaft with the circumferential face of the plate body.
The eighth feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a rotary substrate processing apparatus comprising a rotor having a holding member for holding a plurality of substrates at intervals and a motor for rotating the rotor, the motor being adjustable in its revolutions, wherein the holding member includes at least one open/close holding rod which moves to open or close the rotor in inserting the substrates into the rotor and a plurality of fixed holding rods for holding the substrates in cooperation with the open/close holding rod and the at least one open/close holding rod and/or at least one of the fixed holding rods includes a press body having an elastically-deformable press piece adapted so as to move toward peripheral portions of the respective substrates by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor thereby to press the substrates.
According to the ninth feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the eighth feature, the open/close holding rod includes a press body having an elastically-deformable press piece adapted so as to move toward peripheral portions of the respective substrates by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor thereby to press the substrates.
According to the tenth feature of the present invention, in the rotary substrate processing apparatus of the eighth feature, at least one of the fixing holding rod is provided with elastically-deformable holding grooves which are swollen toward peripheral portions of the respective substrates by pressure of a fluid supplied to the fixing holding rod thereby to press the substrates.
The eleventh feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a rotary substrate processing apparatus comprising a rotor having a holding member for holding a plurality of substrates at intervals and a motor for rotating the rotor, the motor being adjustable in its revolutions, wherein the holding member includes at least
Egashira Koji
Fujishima Sadayuki
Kamikawa Yuji
MacArthur Sylvia R.
Mills Gregory
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
Tokyo Electron Limited
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