Tokyo Electron Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited

Toyko Electron Limited

Tel Kyushu Limited

Yuji Matsuyama

Junichi Kitano

Takahiro Kitano

Issei Ueda

Shuichi Nagamine

Akira Yonemizu

Naruaki Iida

Masami Akimoto

Shinichi Hayashi

Masatoshi Kaneda

Masatoshi Deguchi

Yoichi Deguchi

Kazuhiko Ito

Mitiaki Matsushita

Koichi Asaka

Yoshio Kimura

Hidetami Yaegashi

Shinji Nagashima

Eiichi Sekimoto

Yoji Mizutani

Kousuke Yoshihara

Kiyohisa Tateyama

Masami Yamashita

Satoshi Morita

Satoru Shimura

Norio Semba

Takayuki Katano

Hidefumi Matsui

Masahito Hamada

Keizo Hasebe

Yuji Yoshimoto

Hiroyuki Iwaki

Yutaka Yamahira

Masashi Moriyama

Yo Suzuki

Toru Aoyama

Tetsuro Nakahara

Hiroyuki Hara

The present invention relates to a method for heat processing of a substrate having the step of baking a substrate, on which a coating film is formed, at a predetermined high temperature, comprising a first step of increasing the substrate from a predetermined low temperature to a predetermined intermediate temperature lower than a predetermined reaction temperature at which the coating film reacts, a second step of maintaining the substrate at the predetermined intermediate temperature for a predetermined period of time, and a third step of increasing the temperature of the substrate to the predetermined high temperature higher than the predetermined reaction temperature. By temporarily increasing the temperature of the substrate to the intermediate temperature lower than the reaction temperature, maintaining the substrate at this intermediate temperature for the predetermined period of time, and thereafter increasing the temperature of the substrate to the high temperature higher than the reaction temperature when the temperature of the substrate is increased, the temperature within the surface of the substrate can be made uniform when the temperature of the substrate reaches the reaction temperature. Consequently, a chemical reaction due to heat processing of the coating film within the surface of the substrate is performed uniformly.

Method and apparatus for heat processing of substrate

On top of respective areas divided by partition plates, that is, a cassette station, a processing station, and an interface section in a coating and developing processing system, gas supply sections for supplying an inert gas into the respective areas are provided. Exhaust pipes for exhausting atmospheres in the respective areas are provided at the bottom of the respective areas. The atmospheres in the respective areas are maintained in a clean condition by supplying the inert gas not containing impurities such as oxygen and fine particles from the respective gas supply sections into the respective areas and exhausting the atmospheres in the respective areas from the exhaust pipes.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

The present invention is a coating unit for coating a substrate with a coating solution, comprising a coating solution discharge member for discharging the coating solution to the substrate which is positioned in a downward part. A lower surface of the coating solution discharge member is in a shape having a length longer, at least, than the radius of the substrate and having a narrow width. A coating solution discharge port is disposed in a portion of the coating solution discharge member, facing the center of the substrate, while a solvent mist discharge port for discharging a solvent mist of the coating solution is disposed in a portion facing a peripheral portion including an outer edge potion of the substrate, when the coating solution discharge member is positioned above the radius of the substrate.

Substrate coating unit and substrate coating method

When a substrate coated with a coating solution which oxidizes at high temperatures is heat-treated, an oxygen concentration of a treatment atmosphere is lowered when the temperature is low. Next, the substrate is heat-treated in the treatment atmosphere of which the oxygen concentration is lowered. Sequentially, the treatment atmosphere is returned to that with the original oxygen concentration after the passage of a predetermined time after completing the heat treatment. Thereby, the substrate can be heat-treated, with the oxidization of the coating solution being controlled.

Heat treatment method, heat treatment apparatus and treatment system

The present invention relates to a method for heat processing a substrate. After a coating film is formed on the substrate, the substrate is baked at a predetermined high temperature. The baking step is performed by first increasing the substrate temperature from a predetermined low temperature to a predetermined intermediate temperature that is lower than a predetermined reaction temperature at which the coating film reacts. Next, a second baking step maintains the substrate at the predetermined intermediate temperature for a predetermined period of time, and is followed by a third step of increasing the temperature of the substrate to the predetermined high temperature that is higher than the predetermined reaction temperature. This results in uniform temperature within the surface of the substrate when the temperature of the substrate reaches the reaction temperature. Consequently, a chemical reaction due to heat processing of the coating film within the surface of the substrate is performed uniformly.

Method for heat processing of substrate

A coating and developing treatment system for performing coating and developing treatment. A coating treatment unit is configured to form a resist film on a substrate. A developing treatment unit is configured to develop the substrate. A heating/cooling unit includes a heat plate configured to continuously heat and a cooling plate configured to continuously cool in one casing the substrate on which the resist film has been formed by the coating treatment unit. A gas nozzle is configured to supply a treatment gas to the resist film formed on the substrate to form a protective film on a surface of the resist film. The gas nozzle is disposed on a cooling plate side in the heating/cooling unit. The gas nozzle is configured to move to a position above the substrate on the cooling plate during cooling at the cooling plate, to supply the treatment gas.

Method and system for coating and developing

A system for performing a coating and developing treatment for a substrate. The system includes a processing zone having a coating treatment unit, a developing treatment unit, and a heat treatment unit. An interface section carries the substrate between the processing zone and an aligner not included in the system for performing an exposure processing for the substrate. A unit measures the density of impurities at least inside the processing zone or the interface section, and a reduced-pressure impurity removing unit has a chamber which can be closed airtightly for reducing the pressure inside the chamber to a predetermined pressure before the substrate undergoes the exposure processing to remove the impurities adhering to the coating layer on the substrate inside the chamber for a predetermined time. A reduced-pressure control unit controls at least the predetermined pressure or predetermined time based on the value measured by the density measuring unit.

Thermal processing unit sections each with ten tiers and coating processing unit sections each with five tiers are disposed around a first main wafer transfer section and a second main wafer transfer section, and in the thermal processing unit section, the influence of the time required for substrate temperature regulation processing on a drop in throughput can be reduced greatly by transferring the wafer W while the temperature of the wafer W is being regulated by a temperature regulation and transfer device.

A substrate transfer system comprising a cassette table for mounting a cassette which has an opening portion for loading and unloading a substrate and a cover detachably provided to the opening portion, process portion for processing the substrate housed in a cassette on the cassette table, a transfer arm mechanism for taking out the substrate from the cassette table, transferring it to process units G to G and returning a processed substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, partition members provided between the transfer arm mechanism and the cassette table, for separating an atmosphere on the side of the transfer arm mechanism from that on the side of the cassette table, a passage formed in the partition member so as to face the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table, for passing the substrate taken out from the cassette on the cassette table by the transfer arm mechanism and returning the substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, cassette moving mechanisms for moving the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table closer to the passage or to be farther from the passage, and a cover removing mechanism for detaching the cover from the opening portion or attaching the cover to the opening portion of the cassette.

Substrate treatment system, substrate transfer system, and substrate transfer method

A controller controls the temperature of a hot plate and the degree of vacuum in a tightly closed space to a temperature and a pressure at levels at which a thinner contained in a resist applied to a wafer volatilizes and an acid generator, a quencher, and a polymer chain protecting group practically remain in the resist, for example, during heat processing. More specifically, the controller controls the temperature of the hot plate and the degree of vacuum in the tightly closed space to bring the temperature of the hot plate to about 40&deg; C., and the degree of vacuum in the tightly closed space to approximately 5 Torr. Thereby, the heat processing can be performed for the wafer so that the acid generator is uniformly dispersed in the resist, or the quencher is uniformly formed on the front face of the resist without breakage of the polymer chain protecting group.

In a coating apparatus for supplying a mixed solution of a resist solution and a thinner onto a wafer from a nozzle, the nozzle is connected to a mixed solution supply pipe, and the resist solution and the thinner are supplied to the mixed solution supply pipe from a resist solution supply pipe and a thinner supply pipe respectively through a junction pipe. The diameter of the junction pipe is set smaller than those of other supply pipes, whereby the resist solution and the thinner can be mixed efficiently in the junction pipe, and as a result the wafer is coated with the mixed solution so that a uniform film thickness can be obtained within the surface of the wafer.

Coating apparatus and mixing apparatus

A developing processing apparatus for supplying a developing solution to a wafer on which a photoresist film has been formed to thereby perform developing processing includes a wafer holding portion for horizontally holding the wafer, a linear nozzle held above the wafer holding portion for supplying the developing solution onto the wafer while moving in a predetermined horizontal direction, and a resistance bar for imparting discharge resistance to the developing solution discharged from the linear nozzle. This allows all discharge ports to discharge the developing solution uniformly, especially even when discharge pressure for the developing solution to be supplied is low in development of a scan method using a linear nozzle or a slit nozzle.

Solution processing apparatus

System and method for coating and developing

An upper side of a cup provided around a wafer is formed in a rectangular shape and a lower side thereof is formed in a cylindrical shape. The cup is formed such that, when seen from above, the portion forming the cylindrical shape is positioned within the portion forming the rectangular shape. The cup has a raising and lowering mechanism and is controlled by a control section. The upper side of the cup is placed by the side of the wafer during a scan by a supply nozzle. The lower side of the cup is placed over an upper level and a lower level of the wafer while a rinse liquid and a developing solution are shaken off. The scan by the supply nozzle is performed with the supply nozzle positioned in the upper cup portion.

Solution processing apparatus and method

Growing community of inventors

Kikuchi-gun, Japan

Yuji Matsuyama