Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2001-05-01
Matthews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
C414S935000, C414S937000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224274
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus and, more particularly, to a semiconductor processing apparatus capable of obtaining thermal stability.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a photo-resist process of semiconductor device fabrication, a resist solution is coated on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “a wafer” ) to form a resist film thereon. After a pattern is exposed, the wafer is supplied with a developing solution to be developed. A coating and developing apparatus has been conventionally used in performing a series of processing described above.
In the coating and developing apparatus, a heating apparatus for heating a wafer, a cooling apparatus for cooling the heat-treated wafer, a resist coating apparatus for coating the wafer with a resist solution to form a resist film thereon and a solution processing apparatus of a developing apparatus for supplying the wafer with a developing solution to perform predetermined development processing are individually provided.
The transfer of the wafer to/from these thermal processing apparatus and solution processing apparatus is performed by a transfer device. The transfer device is provided vertically with, for example, three pairs of tweezers which can carry the wafer into and out of each apparatus while holding the wafer. A pair of topmost tweezers out of the above tweezers is used exclusively for carrying the wafer out of the resist coating apparatus, and structured not to carry the wafer into and out of the heating apparatus having a high processing temperature. Namely, the pair of topmost tweezers is never warmed by the heating apparatus.
Thus, the wafer held by the topmost tweezers is hardly influenced by heat, and the heat-sensitive resist film never receives a thermal bad influence.
By the way, in a coating and developing apparatus of late years, in order to reduce an installation area, a heating apparatus, solution processing apparatus, and the like are more integratedly arranged as compared with the conventional apparatus. Consequently, there is a possibility that in the aforesaid coating and developing apparatus, heat generated by the heating apparatus exerts a bad influence on the solution processing apparatus.
Especially in the coating and developing apparatus of late years, a large-sized heating apparatus, solution processing apparatus, and the like corresponding to a wafer with a large area are used, whereby heat generated by the heating apparatus is increased in amount and in temperature. Accordingly, there is a possibility that in the aforesaid coating and developing apparatus, unintentional changes occur not only in the solution processing apparatus but also, for example, in the thickness of a resist film or a processing solution film.
Further, large-sized tweezers corresponding to the wafer with a large area are used in the recent coating and developing apparatus, thereby increasing the heat reserve capacity of the tweezers. Therefore, there is a possibility that in the recent coating and developing apparatus, heat is transmitted from the tweezers to the solution-processed wafer, for instance, the wafer on which a resist film has formed, thereby exerting a bad influence on the wafer. Also in this case, there is a possibility that unintentional changes occur in the thickness of a resist film or a processing solution film as described above.
Since the heating apparatus, solution processing apparatus, and the like are integrated and arranged in the aforesaid coating and developing apparatus, the maintenability for the heating apparatus and the solution processing apparatus is low, and hence improvement is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in view of the aforesaid disadvantages. A first object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus in which even a solution processing apparatus, a heating apparatus, and the like are integrated and arranged or a large-sized heating apparatus is used, a thermal bad influence on the solution processing apparatus is small.
A second object of the present invention is to provided a processing apparatus in which maintenance can be easily carried out even the solution apparatus, heating apparatus, and the like are integrated and arranged.
To attain the above objects, a processing apparatus in the present invention is a processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing for a substrate, including a plurality of solution processing apparatus for supplying the substrate with a processing solution to perform processing, a plurality of heating apparatus for heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature, a cooling apparatus for cooling the substrate to a predetermined temperature, and a first transfer device and a second transfer device each for transferring the substrate, the first transfer device and the second transfer device being arranged opposite each other with the cooling apparatus therebetween, the respective heating apparatus being arranged opposite each other with the first transfer device therebetween, the respective solution processing apparatus being arranged opposite each other with the second transfer device therebetween, and the first transfer device being capable of carrying the substrate into/out of the respective heating apparatus and the cooling apparatus, and the second transfer device being capable of carrying the substrate into/out of the respective solution processing apparatus and the cooling apparatus.
In the present invention, the second transfer device for transferring the substrate to the solution processing apparatus never transfers the hot substrate immediately after heating. Accordingly a holding member provided in the second transfer device for holding the substrate is not heated, thus preventing the thickness of a film on the substrate from changing by radiation heat generated from the holding member. Further, the respective transfer devices are arranged opposite each other with the cooling apparatus therebetween, the heating apparatus are arranged on both sides of the first transfer device, and the solution apparatus are arranged on both sides of the second transfer device. As a result, spaces are formed between the solution apparatus and the heating apparatus, thereby preventing the transmission of heat generated from the heating apparatus. Consequently, thermal influence exerted on solution processing apparatus is prevented, thus enabling predetermined solution treatment for the substrate. Furthermore, no other apparatus is disposed on the outsides of the first and the second transfer devices and spaces are formed on both sides of the cooling apparatus, thus facilitating the maintenance of the solution processing apparatus, heating apparatus, cooling apparatus, and the like.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5700127 (1997-12-01), Harada et al.
patent: 5762745 (1998-06-01), Hirose
patent: 5826129 (1998-10-01), Hasebe et al.
patent: 5844662 (1998-12-01), Akimoto et al.
patent: 5937223 (1999-08-01), Akimoto et al.
patent: 5963753 (1999-10-01), Ohtani et al.
patent: 8-321537 (1996-12-01), None
patent: 10-144763 (1998-05-01), None
Matthews Alan A.
Rader, Fishman & Grauer P.L.L.C.
Tokyo Electron Limited
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