Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for photolithographic...

Details Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for photolithographic... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for photolithographic...

2000-10-19

2002-09-24

Rutledge, Della J. (Department: 2851)

Photography

Fluid-treating apparatus

Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium

C414S940000, C134S902000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06454472

ABSTRACT:

This application relies for priority upon Korean Patent Application No. 1999-55236, filed on Dec. 6, 1999, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing device and, more particularly, to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process including a coating process and a developing process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A variety of steps are applied to a semiconductor manufacturing process, forming an electric circuit on a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, and a liquid crystal panel. Photolithography is classified into a coating process, an exposure process, and a developing process. In the coating process, a photoresist (PR) is conformally coated on a surface of the substrate. Light passes a circuit pattern drawn on a mask using a stepper, exposing the circuit pattern to the substrate on which a photoresist layer is formed, in the exposure process. A layer of a light-receiving portion is developed in the developing process.
FIGS. 1-2
schematically illustrate one and another example of a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process, respectively.
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
200
for a photolithographic process includes a port
210
where a substrate is loaded/unloaded, a spin coater (SCW)
220
for coating a photoresist onto the substrate, a spin developer (SDW)
230
for developing the substrate, a bake unit (BAKE)
240
for heating up the substrate, a wide expose edge wafer (WEEW)
250
for exposing unnecessary photoresist around a circumference of the substrate. The foregoing units are horizontally arranged according to process flow, and divided at both sides of a central path
260
. A robot
270
, placed in the path
260
, carries the substrate to the port
210
, an interface
280
, or each of the process units. The interface
280
is a port where an exposure system
150
and the substrate comes in and goes out.
Referring now to
FIG. 2
, similar to the apparatus
200
, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
300
includes a port
310
, a spin coater (SCW)
320
, a spin developer (SDW)
330
, a bake unit (BAKE)
340
, and a wide expose edge wafer (WEEW)
350
. The foregoing units are divided at both sides of central paths
360
and
380
. To increase operating ratio in comparison with the apparatus
200
, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
300
utilizes two robots
370
and
390
as a carrier for carrying a substrate. Units for a coating process and units for a developing process are horizontally arranged. A robot is arranged in the coating units and developing units, respectively. A first interface
400
is arranged therebetween. A robot
370
of a coating process region carries a substrate to the port
310
, the first interface
400
, or each process unit of the coating process region. A robot
390
of a developing process region carries the substrate to the first interface
400
, the second interface
410
, or each process unit of the developing process. The second interface
410
is a port where the exposure system
150
and the substrate come in and go out.
Technologies related to the foregoing semiconductor manufacturing apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,531, issued by Wu.
Increasing the operating ratio is subject to limitation. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus
200
and
300
, a coated substrate is carried to an exposure system and, thereafter, the substrate exposed in the exposure system is developed and outwardly carried. Based upon proceeding order of the photolithography, a substrate can sequentially be carried. If a process of one unit is stagnated, a process of others can be stagnated to drop the operating ratio. If only one specific process (e.g., developing process) requires performing, the operating ratio can also be dropped because other units should be carried through a path where they are arranged. Adding each of the units to the apparatus
300
shown in
FIG. 2
from the apparatus
200
shown in
FIG. 1
causes increase in an equipment area. This cannot achieve practical increase in the operating ratio. Merely, processing units are increased to raise the operating ratio.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process, which can maximize an operating ratio of equipment.
It is another object of the invention to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process, which can be installed with a relatively small area and easily apply a new process.
According to the invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process having a coating process and a developing process includes a first port, a second port, a coating unit, and a developing unit. In the first and second ports, a substrate comes in and goes out. There is a constant distance between the first and second substrates. The coating unit is installed to couple the first port to the second port, carry the substrate therebetween, and perform a coating process. The developing unit is opposite to the coating module to couple the first port to the second port, carry the substrate therebetween, and perform a developing operation.
The coating unit is composed of: a first path for coupling the first port to the second port; a coating module installed along one side of the first path; and a first carrier, moving between the first and the second ports through the first path, for carrying the substrate to the first port, the second port, or the coating module. The developing unit is composed of: a second path for coupling the first port to the second port; a developing module installed along one side of the second path; and a second carrier, moving therebetween through the second path, for carrying the substrate to the first port or the second port or the developing module. In this case, the coating module includes a coater arranged at one side of the first path and a bake unit arranged at the other. The developing module includes a developer arranged at one side of the second path and a bake unit arranged at the other. The bake unit includes at least one heating plate for heating up the substrate and at least one cooling plate for cooling down the heated substrate.
The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for a photolithographic process is coupled to an exposure system.
The coating unit and the developing unit are isolated from each other by an intermediate wall. The apparatus further includes an air-conditioning apparatus, installed at the intermediate wall, for removing particles created in the coating unit and the developing unit.
The coating process and the developing process are separately performed to scarcely cause process stagnation. In particular, it is possible to efficiently remove stagnation caused by carrying the substrate. Making the most use of the units is to create a stable operating ratio of equipment. The units are stacked, thereby reducing an installation area and easily applying a new or additional process.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5919529 (1999-07-01), Matsumura
patent: 5937223 (1999-08-01), Akimoto
patent: 5963753 (1999-10-01), Ohtani et al.

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