Tokyo Electron Limited

Toyota Electron Limited

Hiroshi Shinya

Takahiro Kitano

Tomohide Minami

Hidetami Yaegashi

Junichi Kitano

Tsuyoshi Mizuno

Takayuki Katano

Shouichi Terada

Yuichi Sakai

Yukihiro Wakamoto

Shigeki Aoki

Mitsuo Yamashita

Masami Akimoto

Takayuki Toshima

Naruaki Iida

Eiichi Sekimoto

Yasunori Kawakami

Kazuyoshi Mizumoto

Eiji Yamaguchi

Yasutaka Souma

Fumihiko Kawano

Kazuhisa Hayashida

A heat processing apparatus includes a heating plate configured to heat the substrate; a cover configured to surround a space above the heating plate; an exhaust gas flow forming mechanism configured to exhaust gas inside the cover to form exhaust gas flows within the space above the heating plate; a downflow forming mechanism configured to form downflows uniformly supplied onto an upper surface of the substrate placed on the heating plate; and a control mechanism configured to execute mode switching control between a mode arranged to heat the substrate while forming the downflows by the downflow forming mechanism and a mode arranged to heat the substrate while forming the exhaust gas flows by the exhaust gas flow forming mechanism.

Heat processing apparatus and heat processing method

In the present invention, a holding table incorporating a heater is provided, for example, in a treatment container of a planarization unit. A pressing plate having a lower surface formed flat is disposed above the holding table. The pressing plate is movable in the vertical direction and can lower to the holding table to press a resist film on the substrate from above. The pressing plate intermittently presses the upper surface of the resist film to planarize the upper surface while the heater is heating the substrate on the holding table at a predetermined temperature to dry the resist film. According to the present invention, a coating film applied on the substrate can be sufficiently planarized and dried.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

With respect to a substrate on which a resist solution is applied, the inplane uniformity of the quality of a resist film is improved in a heating processing carried out before exposure, and the yields of products are improved. A substrate on which a resist solution is applied is mounted on a heating plate in a processing vessel. Then, a purge gas is supplied into the processing vessel, and heating is started. Above the mounting position of the substrate, a thickness detecting sensor for monitoring the thickness of the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate is provided. When the thickness becomes a predetermined value or less, a control part cause a lift pin to upwardly move so as to increase the distance between the substrate and the heating plate. Thus, the heating value applied to the substrate decreases, and thereafter, only the solvent is volatilized without having a bad influence on a polymer in the resist film.

Substrate heating method, substrate heating system, and applying developing system

A substrate on which a resist solution is applied is mounted on a heating plate in a processing vessel. Then, a purge gas is supplied into the processing vessel, and heating is started. Above the mounting position of the substrate, a thickness detecting sensor for monitoring the thickness of the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate is provided. When the thickness becomes a predetermined value or less, a control part causes a lift pin to upwardly move so as to increase the distance between the substrate and the heating plate. Thus, the heating value applied to the substrate decreases, and thereafter, only the solvent is volatilized without having a bad influence on a polymer in the resist film.

A heat treatment apparatus configured to perform heat treatment on a wafer having a surface on which a coating film is formed, and includes: a holding member for holding the wafer almost horizontally; a chamber for housing the wafer held by the holding member; a hot plate having gas permeability and disposed above the wafer held by the holding member in the chamber so that the coating film formed on the wafer can be directly heated; and an exhaust port provided on the top face of the chamber and exhausting gas in the chamber. Gas generated from the coating film passes through the hot plate and is exhausted from the chamber. Accordingly, uniformity of a coating film is improved. As a result, CD uniformity may be improved, LER characteristics may be improved, and a smooth pattern side face may be obtained.

Thermal treatment equipment and thermal treatment method

A low-pressure dryer dries a substrate applied a coating solution thereon at low pressure. The dryer includes an airtight chamber installing a substrate table to place the substrate thereon; a diffuser plate, provided as facing the substrate placed on the substrate table with a gap, for discharging gas existing in the gap toward outside, the diffuser plate having a size almost the same as or larger than the substrate; a substrate-temperature adjuster, installed in the substrate table, for adjusting a temperature of the substrate; and a decompression mechanism for decompressing the airtight chamber. The diffuser plate has a temperature adjuster for making temperature adjustments to have a temperature difference between a first region and a second region of the diffuser plate, the first region facing a center region of the substrate, the second region being outside the first region and including a region facing an outer region of the substrate.

Low-pressure dryer and low-pressure drying method

A substrate coated with a coating solution is placed on a heating plate in a processing chamber in which an inert gas is circulating. The substrate is heated on the heating plate while the inert gas is circulating at an extremely small first circulating amount. The substrate is heated further on the heating plate while the inert gas is circulating at a second circulating amount larger than the first circulating amount. Detected is the density of the solvent in the processing chamber. The supply and exhaust amounts of the inert gas are controlled based on the density detected after the start of heating, so that an exhaust amount of the inert gas becomes a predetermined amount for a predetermined period until the solvent density reaches a predetermined density. A necessary control process is performed so that the solvent density reaches the predetermined density when the solvent density has not reached or exceeded the predetermined density after the predetermined period has elapsed. The two-time thermal-process or solvent-density control promotes evaporation of the resist solvent while restricting scattering of a photo-oxidizing agent included in the resist from being promoted beyond the wafer surface, thus achieving coated-film uniformity for the thermal process.

Apparatus and method of thermal processing and method of pattern formation

A processing apparatus comprises a plurality of process unit groups each including a plurality of process units for subjecting an object to a series of processes, the process units being arranged vertically in multiple stages, an object transfer space being defined among the process unit groups, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the object, the transfer mechanism having a transfer member vertically movable in the object transfer space, the transfer member being capable of transferring the object to each of the process units. The processing apparatus further comprises a mechanism for forming a downward air flow in the object transfer space, a mechanism for controlling the quantity of the downward air flow, and a mechanism for controlling the pressure in the object transfer space. Thus, a variation in condition of the object transfer space is reduced.

Vertical processing apparatus

The present invention provides a substrate treating system for successively treating a plurality of substrates W under an air-conditioned environment. The system comprises an outer casing provided with a cassette transfer port through which a cassette is transferred, a cassette section having a cassette table arranged within an inner space surrounded by the outer casing for supporting the cassette transferred through the cassette transfer port, a sub-arm mechanism for taking the substrates one by one from the cassette section, a process section positioned adjacent to the cassette section and having a plurality of treating units for treating the substrates arranged therein, a main arm mechanism arranged within the process section for receiving the substrates from the sub-arm mechanism arranged in the cassette section and, then, transferring the received substrates to each of the treating units while transferring the treated substrates out of the treating units, an air supply mechanism for supplying a clean air to form a down-stream within the space surrounded by the outer casing, and a partition plate for partitioning the inner space surrounded by the outer casing not to interfere the down-flow of the air formed by the air supply mechanism, the partition plate having a substrate transfer port through which the substrate is transferred from one of the partitioned spaces to the other partitioned space.

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Koshi-Machi, Japan

Hiroshi Shinya