The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 10, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 05, 1996
Mitsuhiro Nanbu, Kumamoto, JP;
Naruaki Iida, Kumamoto, JP;
Hideaki Gotou, Kumamoto, JP;
Masanori Tateyama, Kumamoto, JP;
Yuji Yoshimoto, Kumamoto, JP;
Tomoko Ishimoto, Kumamoto, JP;
Hidetami Yaegashi, Tokyo, JP;
Yasunori Kawakami, Kikuchi, JP;
Takahide Fukuda, Kumamoto, JP;
Akihiro Fujimoto, Kumamoto-ken, JP;
Takashi Takekuma, Yamaga, JP;
Hiroyuki Matsukawa, Kumamoto, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited, Tosu, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus for subjecting a plurality of wafers to coating and heating treatments, including a coating section for subjecting the wafers to a coating treatment one by one, a heating section for subjecting wafers which have undergone the coating treatment to a heating treatment all together, and an interface section arranged between the coating section and the heating section. The wafers are heat-treated in the heat treatment section while the wafers are stacked at intervals in a vertical direction in a boat. The wafers which have undergone the coating treatment are loaded into the boat by a conveying member in the interface section. The conveying member and the boat are surrounded by a surrounding space formed by a casing at the interface section. A circulation line is combined with an air supply and exhaust system, for circulating air in the surrounding space. A dehumidifier is arranged on the circulation line for dehumidifying air in the circulation line to provide localized dehumidification of the surrounding space formed by the casing.