Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Process – By centrifugal force
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-17
2001-08-07
Wilson, Pamela (Department: 3749)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Process
By centrifugal force
C034S318000, C034S058000, C034S186000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269552
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, such as semiconductor wafers and LCD (liquid crystal display) glass substrates etc., and a method of drying the substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a manufacturing process for producing semiconductor devices, there is a widely adopted cleaning method where the substrates to be processed, such as semiconductor wafers and LCD glass substrates etc. (referred to “substrates” hereinafter), are successively immersed in a process bath filled up with the chemicals, the rinsing liquids or the like. In a cleaning apparatus realizing the above method, a drying method of dehydrating moisture sticking on the surfaces of the substrates after cleaning and sequentially drying them is widely adopted. Therefore, the cleaning apparatus is equipped with a drying apparatus for realizing the above-mentioned drying method.
In general, as one of the drying apparatuses of this sort, there has been used a so-called “spin dryer” where the moisture sticking on the substrates is eliminated by rotating the plural substrates, which are held so as to stand in a row, round a rotating center parallel with central axes of the substrates.
As the conventional drying apparatuses of this kind, there is known one apparatus employing a structure where the moisture sticking on the surfaces of the substrates is eliminated by rotating a rotor which is disposed in e.g. a drying chamber and to which the plural substrates have been delivered from a transfer arm for holding the substrate standing in a row (see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication Nos. 6-9129 and 6-17230) and another apparatus employing a structure where a substrate holder is detachably installed to the rotor in the drying chamber and also constructed so as to elevate by elevating means arranged below the rotor (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 5-283392, 6-112186 and 7-22378).
However, the former drying apparatus has problems of not only taking up too much space for its establishment since the apparatus requires to ensure the large volume of the drying chamber for allowing the transfer arm to be inserted into the drying chamber, but lowering the drying efficiency due to a increased clearance between the drying chamber and the rotor.
On the other hand, the latter apparatus has problems that not only the drying chamber is complicated and the apparatus is large-sized, but the opportunities of sticking particles on the substrates are increased with the increased number of times for delivering the substrates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a substrate drying apparatus and a substrate drying method, by which it is possible to reduce a capacity of the drying chamber for the compact drying apparatus as possible and improve the drying efficiency. Further, it is an additional object of the present invention to provide a substrate drying apparatus which can reduce the number of times to deliver the substrates, whereby it is possible to reduce opportunities of sticking the particles on the substrates.
In order to attain the above-mentioned object of the present invention, there is provided a drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, including: a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which the substrates are unloaded and loaded; a substrate holder which retains the substrates in a manner that the substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction; a rotor disposed in the drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, the rotor being engageable with the substrate holder; and a substrate holder transporting device arranged outside the drying chamber, the substrate holder transporting device being capable of moving the substrate holder between a delivery position outside the drying chamber, allowing the substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside the drying chamber, allowing the substrate holder to engage with the rotor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, including: a drying chamber provided with an unloading and loading port; a substrate holder which retains the substrates in a manner that the substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction; a rotor disposed in the drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, the rotor being engageable with the substrate holder; a transporting device for transporting the substrate holder, arranged outside the drying chamber and engageable with the substrate holder, the transporting device being capable of moving the substrate holder between a delivery position outside the drying chamber, allowing the substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside the drying chamber, allowing the substrate holder to engage with the rotor; and a substrate transporting device for transporting the substrates, which has been conveyed to the drying apparatus from outside thereof, to the delivery position.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a drying method of drying substrates to be processed, the method including the steps of: delivering the substrates, which are retained in a manner that the substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction by a substrate transporting device, from the substrate transporting device to a substrate holder retained in a transporting device while maintaining a posture of the substrates retained by the substrate transporting device; moving the substrate holder by the transporting device to engage the substrate holder with a rotor in a drying chamber; releasing the substrate holder from the transporting device and withdrawing the transporting device upward; closing the drying chamber with a lid body; and rotating the rotor to eliminate a liquid from respective surfaces of the substrates.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5232328 (1993-08-01), Owczarz et al.
patent: 5339539 (1994-08-01), Shiraishi et al.
patent: 5727332 (1998-03-01), Thrasher et al.
patent: 5873177 (1999-02-01), Honda et al.
patent: 5960562 (1999-10-01), Nishida et al.
patent: 5-283392 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 6-9129 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 6-17230 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 6-112186 (1994-04-01), None
patent: 7-22378 (1995-01-01), None
Honda Yoshiyuki
Koguchi Akira
Masuda Eiji
Mattera Michelle A
Tokyo Electron Limited
Wilson Pamela
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