Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-21
2003-12-09
Mathews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
C118S052000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06659661
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photolithography process, for example, in semiconductor device fabrication processes is performed in a coating and developing treatment system. The coating and developing treatment system includes a resist coating unit for forming a resist film on a wafer surface, a developing unit for performing development for the wafer after exposure processing, a heat treatment unit for performing a thermal treatment for the wafer before the coating treatment, before and after the exposure processing and after the developing treatment, a cooling unit and the like. The processing units are placed together in a particular area which is referred to as a processing station in the coating and developing treatment system so as to perform efficiently, for example, a series of photolithography processes in sequence. A carrier unit which can access to each processing unit and carries the wafer is provided at the center part of the processing station.
Each processing unit is controlled to a temperature suitable for each processing. For example, a heating plate for heating the wafer is maintained at a high temperature in the heat treatment unit, and a cooling plate for cooling the wafer is maintained at a low temperature.
However, a plurality of heat treatment units are often provided in the above-described processing station, and thus the temperature of an atmosphere in the processing station increases due to radiation heat discharged from the heat treatment units. If the wafer is carried by the aforementioned carrier in the atmosphere having thus increased temperature, the wafer increases in temperature during the carriage due to the atmosphere having the increased temperature. This may produce adverse effects that, for example, even though the wafer is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the cooling unit to stop the chemical reaction of a coating film on the wafer, the increase in temperature causes the reaction of the coating film to occur again and the like.
As a result, an increase in temperature in the processing station increases the wafer temperature to exert influence finally on a line width of a circuit pattern which is formed on the wafer, causing a reduction in yields.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in view of the above point, and it is an object of the invention to provide a processing apparatus for preventing an increase in temperature, for example, of an atmosphere in a processing station due to radiation heat from a heat treatment unit.
In order to achieve the object, a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing of a substrate of the present invention includes: a heat treatment unit which is provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and in which a heat treatment of the substrate is performed; a heat insulating member provided on a side part of the casing for preventing heat from the heat treatment unit from conducting to an outside of the casing; and a heat transporter for transporting heat stored in the heat insulating member to an outside of the processing apparatus.
According to another aspect, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a heat treatment unit which is provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and in which a heat treatment of the substrate is performed; a duct provided on a side part of the casing; and an air current generating mechanism for generating an air current flowing in the duct.
According to still another aspect, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing of a substrate including: a heat treatment unit provided in a casing of the processing apparatus and having a heating section in which a heat treatment of the substrate is performed; a duct provided on a side part on the heating section side of the casing; and a cooling flow passage provided in the duct for allowing a cooling fluid to flow therethrough.
According to the present invention, it is possible to insulate the heat from the heat treatment unit by the heat insulating member and to transport the heat stored in the heat insulating member to the outside of the processing apparatus by the heat transporter. This makes it possible to prevent an increase in temperature of the atmosphere outside the casing due to the heat generated in the heat treatment unit being discharged to the outside of the casing. Therefore, even if carriage of the substrate or the like is performed outside the casing, the substrate is not influenced by the heat from the heat treatment unit but can keep an appropriate temperature.
Further, according to the present invention, by providing the duct on the side part of the casing of the processing apparatus and providing the air current generating mechanism for generating the air current flowing in the duct, the heat conducted from the heat treatment unit to the duct can be exhausted to a predetermined place by the air current flowing in the duct. This prevents the heat from the heat treatment unit from being discharged to the outside of the casing, so as to prevent an increase in temperature of the atmosphere outside the casing.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the cooling flow passage provided in the duct for allowing the cooling fluid to flow therethrough is provided, heat is absorbed by the cooling fluid. This further prevents the heat from the heat treatment unit from being discharged to the outside of the casing so as to prevent an increase in temperature of the atmosphere outside the casing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6215545 (2001-04-01), Matsuyama
patent: 6287025 (2001-09-01), Matsuyama
patent: 6379056 (2002-04-01), Ueda
patent: 6402400 (2002-06-01), Ueda et al.
patent: 6402401 (2002-06-01), Ueda et al.
Deguchi Masatoshi
Sekimoto Eiichi
Mathews Alan A.
Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustad, P.C.
Tokyo Electron Limited
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