Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Processing feature prior to imaging
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-17
2002-04-09
Wu, Shean C. (Department: 1756)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Processing feature prior to imaging
C219S388000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06368776
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a treatment apparatus and a treatment method, for example, a baking unit for heating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a resist coating unit for coating the substrate with resist, a developing unit for developing the substrate, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In processes of semiconductor device fabrication, the photolithography process is conventionally performed to form a resist pattern on a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (referred to as “a wafer” hereinafter).
In the photolithography process, there are a resist coating process for coating a wafer with a resist, an exposing treatment process for exposing the resist-coated wafer, and a developing treatment process for developing the wafer. Before and/or after each treatment process, a heat treatment (bake) is suitably performed to the wafer as needed. More specifically, so-called a dehydrating-bake for drying the wafer, so-called a pre-bake for removing the resist solvent in the resist by heating, so-called a post-exposure-bake (referred to as “PEB” hereinafter) which is performed between the exposing treatment process and the developing treatment process, a post-bake which is performed after completing the developing treatment process, and the like.
Explaining these in order of treatment, first of all, the dehydrating-baked wafer is coated with a resist. Next, after the above wafer is pre-baked, the wafer is exposed by an exposing unit. Sequentially, after the exposed wafer is heat-treated by PEB, the wafer is treated with the predetermined development, thereafter the post-bake is performed.
In the aforesaid processes, where chemically-amplifying-type resist is used as a resist, acid is generated in the resist during the exposing treatment. The wafer is heat-treated by PEB, thereby catalytic reaction in the acid is activated, so that solubility or insolubility of chemically-amplifying-type resist to the developing solution is accelerated. In the heat treatment by PEB, however, only a mounting table is heated in a treatment chamber in the conventional art, therefore relative humidity lowers and an atmosphere is extremely dry in the treatment chamber. When the inside of the treatment chamber becomes dry, water is removed from the resist on the wafer, so that there arises a possibility that the required resist pattern can not be formed.
In the aforesaid resist coating process, the developing treatment process, or the like, since temperature or humidity of the atmosphere during the treatment affects on the film-thickness and uniformity in the resist and developing solution, the temperature and humidity need to be adjusted to predetermined values. Therefore, an atmospheric gas which is air-conditioned through, for example, a humidifying section where water is heated by a heater to evaporate and additionally a heating section to control temperature is sent through ducts into the treatment chambers in which resist-coating and developing treatment are performed. However, where the apparatus is stopped driving, immediately after the heater of the humidifying section is off, the water therein is still warm. Thus, a large amount of water vapor still evaporating from the humidifying section condenses into dew and remains on the inner wall of the duct. As a result, when the apparatus is resumed driving, the water in the duct evaporates, therefore it occasionally takes long time till humidity of the air sent into the treatment chamber becomes stable. Further, a temperature controller which forms the heating section and the humidifying section is generally provided outside the treatment chamber, thus the temperature on the outlet side of the temperature control section happens to be unstable depending on the outside atmosphere. Therefore, where the temperature control is performed, for example, based on the value of a temperature sensor attached on the outlet side of the temperature control section, the temperature of the atmospheric gas sent into the treatment chamber often becomes unstable.
In the coating and developing system for performing a series of processes as described above, for example, an atmospheric gas which is controlled in temperature and humidity is sent from one supply source to a plurality of treatment chambers for developing treatment. The coating and developing system, however, has a heat treatment unit in addition to the treatment chambers for performing developing treatment and resist-coating. Therefore, in the above treatment chamber disposed near the heat treatment unit or in the treatment chamber into which the atmospheric gas flows through a passage near the heat treatment unit, the atmospheric gas rises in temperature, thereby the atmosphere of each chamber varies in temperature among the treatment chambers. As a result, there is a problem that the thickness of coated-film differs among the treatment chambers and the treatment can not be uniformly carried out. It is conceivable to control the atmospheric gas in temperature and humidity individually for each treatment chamber, but this method requires high cost and a large space. Furthermore, for uniform treatment, it is also conceivable to control individually the rotational frequency of wafers at the time of coating in correspondence with the temperature and humidity of the atmospheric gas. This requires adjustment of treatment conditions or the like in each treatment chamber, making a disadvantage due to the complicated procedures. Another disadvantage is that the treatment becomes unstable because heat can not be uniformly received from the heat source.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatus and a treatment method capable of forming a required resist pattern, without water in resist being taken out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatus and a treatment method in which humidity of an atmospheric gas can be quickly stable at the time of resumption of driving the treatment apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatus and a treatment method in which temperature control of the atmospheric gas can be stably performed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a treatment apparatus and a treatment method capable of controlling temperature and humidity of the atmosphere respectively for a plurality of treatment chambers, thereby controlling atmospheres of all treatment chambers into the same and controlling atmospheres differently for each treatment chamber according to treatment matters in the respective treatment chambers.
To solve the above disadvantages, the first aspect of the present invention, in an apparatus to treat a substrate, includes a treatment chamber for treating the substrate and a humidifying mechanism for supplying humidified gas into the treatment chamber.
The second aspect of the present invention, in an apparatus to treat a substrate, includes a treatment chamber for treating the substrate, a gas supply passage for supplying an atmospheric gas into the treatment chamber, a heating section provided on the gas supply passage for heating the gas, a humidifying section provided on the gas supply passage for humidifying the gas, at least one blowing section for blowing gas in the gas supply passage, and a control section which stops the humidification of the gas performed by the humidifying section after completion of the substrate treatment in the treatment chamber, blows gas in the treatment chamber by the blowing section, and then stops blowing conducted by the blowing section.
The third aspect of the present invention, in an apparatus to treat a substrate, includes a treatment chamber for treating the substrate, a gas supply passage having a connecting section connected to the treatment chamber for supplying an atmospheric gas through the connecting section into the treatment chamber, a heating section having an outlet connected to the gas supply passage and
Akimoto Masami
Harada Koji
Jinnai Nobuyuki
Kaneda Masatoshi
Kawakami Yasunori
Tokyo Electron Limited
Wu Shean C.
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