Material or article handling – Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-23
2001-05-08
Bueker, Richard (Department: 1763)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for charging a load holding or supporting element...
C165S080200, C414S935000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227786
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate treating apparatus for subjecting a substrate, such as an LCD substrate or semiconductor wafer, to a thermal treatment, such as a heating treatment, cooling treatment, or hydrophobic treatment, in a system for subjecting the substrate to, for example, coating of a resist liquid, and development of a resist film.
In a process of manufacturing, for example, LCDs or semiconductor devices, electric circuits are formed by means of a so-called lithography technique, in which an object to be processed, i.e., a substrate is coated with a photoresist, and then the photoresist is light-exposed in accordance with a circuit pattern and is developed.
Such resist coating and developing steps include heating treatments and cooling treatments thereafter, to perform a pre-baking treatment for stabilizing the resist, a post-exposure-baking treatment after the light-exposure, and a post-baking treatment after the development. These heating treatments and cooling treatments are respectively carried out in heating treatment apparatuses each having a heating plate and cooling treatment apparatuses each having a cooling plate. Further, in a hydrophobic treatment using HMDS, the substrate is heated by a heating plate similar to that used in the heating treatment apparatuses.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, such a heating, cooling, or hydrophobic treatment apparatus has a plate
101
for heating or cooling a substrate S, a plurality of lifter pins
103
inserted in holes
102
formed in the plate
101
, and a support member
104
supporting the lifter pins
103
. The support member
104
is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown) so that the lifter pins
103
are moved up and down by the support member
104
, when the substrate S is transferred between a transfer position and a process position.
In the heating treatment apparatus, however, when the temperature of the plate
101
is increased to heat the substrate S, the pitch of the holes
102
is shifted due to thermal expansion of the plate
101
. Similarly, in the cooling treatment apparatus, the pitch of the holes
102
is shifted due to thermal contraction of the plate
101
.
Conventionally, in order to accommodate the structure to the shift in the pitch of the holes caused due to thermal expansion or contraction of the plate
101
, the holes
102
are formed to have a larger diameter to widen a gap around the pin
103
in each hole
102
. In other words, the gap around the pin
103
in each hole
102
has a size large enough to allow the pin
103
to be moved up and down without a hitch even when the pitch of the holes
102
are shifted.
However, since the substrate S is not heated or cooled at portions where the holes
102
have such a large diameter, the temperature distribution on the substrate S becomes less uniform.
In order to solve this problem, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 8-313855 discloses a technique. In this technique, lifter pins
103
are provided with play at portions where the lifter pins
103
are attached to a support member
104
, so that the pins
103
can move to follow a shift in a hole pitch. With this arrangement, since the holes do not have to have a larger diameter, the temperature distribution on a substrate S is prevented from becoming less uniform.
However, in this technique, since the lifter pins do not swiftly follow the shift in the hole pitch, the pins are apt to be inclined. Besides, the pins require some rigidity, and thus should not be too thin. Accordingly, the diameter of the holes cannot be so small, thereby bringing about a limit in increasing uniformity in the temperature of the substrate with a high accuracy.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate treating apparatus, in which the temperature distribution on a substrate is prevented from becoming uneven when the substrate is heated or cooled by a plate, and lifter members, such as lifter pins, have a high follow-up ability.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate treating apparatus for subjecting a substrate to a treatment including a heating or cooling treatment, comprising:
a plate for heating or cooling the substrate, the plate having a plurality of holes formed therein and being arranged to be positioned under the substrate;
a plurality of lifter members for moving the substrate up and down, the lifter members being inserted in the holes, respectively, formed in the plate, and being incorporated with the plate to be movable up and down; and
a push-up mechanism for pushing up the lifter members, the push-up mechanism being arranged to be separable from the lifter members.
To summarize, in this arrangement, the lifter members for moving the substrate up and down are inserted in the holes, respectively, formed in the plate, and are incorporated with the plate to be movable up and down, and a push-up mechanism for pushing up the lifter members is arranged to be separable from the lifter members. As a result, the lifter members can be easily moved to follow a shift in the holes caused due to heating or cooling of the plate. It follows that the lifter members require no large gaps around them and can be thin without causing any problem, thereby effectively preventing the temperature distribution on the substrate from becoming uneven. Further, since the lifter members are incorporated with the plate, they have a high follow-up ability.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate treating apparatus for subjecting a substrate to a treatment including a heating or cooling treatment, comprising:
a plate for heating or cooling the substrate, the plate having a plurality of holes formed therein and being arranged to be positioned under the substrate;
a plurality of lifter pins for moving the substrate up and down, the lifter pins being inserted in the holes, respectively, formed in the plate, and being incorporated with the plate to be movable up and down;
spring means for biasing the lifter pins downward;
a push-up mechanism for pushing up the lifter pins while being in contact with bottom ends of the lifter pins, the push-up mechanism being arranged to be separable from the lifter pins; and
a driving mechanism for driving the push-up mechanism.
To summarize, in this arrangement, the lifter pins for moving the substrate up and down are inserted in the holes, respectively, formed in the plate, and are incorporated with the plate to be movable up and down, and a push-up mechanism for pushing up the lifter pins while being in contact with bottom ends of the lifter pins is arranged to be separable from the lifter pins. As a result, the lifter pins can be easily moved to follow a shift in the holes caused due to heating or cooling of the plate. It follows that the lifter pins require no large gaps around them and can be thin without causing any problem, thereby effectively preventing the temperature distribution on the substrate from becoming uneven. Further, since the lifter pins are incorporated with the plate, they have a high follow-up ability. Furthermore, since the lifter pins are biased downward by the spring means, they can be moved down to follow the push-up member being moved down by the driving mechanism.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinbefore.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4931135 (1990-06-01), Horiuchi et al.
patent: 5421893 (1995-06-01), Perlov
patent: 5665167 (1997-09-01), Deguchi et al.
patent: 5820685 (1998-10-01), Kurihara et al.
patent: 5985035 (1999-11-01), Tamura et al.
patent: 8-313855 (1996-11-01), None
Bueker Richard
Fieler Erin
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Tokyo Electron Limited
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