Substrate processing unit

• US 20020148566A1
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shinji, Sugimoto, Shinichi, Kitano, Takahiro, Fukutomi, Akira, Ishizaka, Nobukazu, Hirakawa, Naoya
• Granted Patent: US 6,773,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.51
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/162 Coating on a rotating support, e.g. using a whirler or a spinner
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/3021 from a wafer supported on a rotating chuck
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67178 vertical arrangement

Abstract

The present invention relates to a processing unit for processing a substrate, which comprises a chamber for housing the substrate and forming a hermetically closeable processing room, and an exhauster for exhausting an atmosphere in the processing room from an upper portion of the chamber to reduce a pressure in the processing room. The processing unit of the present invention includes a current plate for controlling an atmospheric current formed in the processing room when the pressure is reduced, and the chamber has a mounting table for mounting the substrate thereon, an almost cylindrical lid body with its lower face open for covering the substrate on the mounting plate from above and forming the processing room integrally with the mounting table, and a supporting member for supporting the current plate so that the current plate is parallel to the mounting plate. According to the present invention, the speed of an atmospheric current flowing between the current plate and the substrate becomes uniform within the surface of the substrate, and consequently when a coating film on the substrate is dried, the film is planarized to have a uniform thickness.

Claims

1. A processing unit for processing a substrate, comprising:

a chamber for housing the substrate and forming a hermetically closeable processing room;

an exhauster for exhausting an atmosphere in the processing room from an upper portion of the chamber to reduce a pressure in the processing room; and

a current plate for controlling an atmospheric current formed in the processing room when the pressure is reduced,

wherein said chamber includes a mounting table for mounting the substrate thereon, an almost cylindrical lid body with its lower face open for covering the substrate on the mounting plate from above and forming the processing room integrally with the mounting table, and a supporting member for supporting said current plate in such a manner that said current plate is parallel to the mounting plate.

2. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein three or more supporting members are attached to said current plate, and

wherein said current plate is positioned above the mounting table with the supporting members therebetween.

3. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said current plate has a disk shape with almost the same diameter as an inner diameter of the lid body,

wherein said current plate is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes on the same circumference;

and

wherein the ventilation holes are positioned outside the substrate on the mounting table in plan view.

4. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a raising and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the lid body is provided,

wherein a projecting portion is provided on an inner side portion of the lid body, and

wherein an outer edge portion of said current plate is allowed to be supported on the projecting portion.

5. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a raising and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the lid body is provided,

wherein a hanging supporting member for hanging said current plate from the lid body is attached to an upper face of said current plate;

wherein the hanging supporting member is provided with an engaging portion; and

wherein the lid body is provided with an engaged portion with which the engaging portion engages.

6. A processing unit as set forth in claim 5,

wherein the engaging portion has a convex shape projecting in a horizontal direction,

wherein an opening in which the engaging portion is vertically movable is provided in the lid body,

wherein the engaged portion has a convex shape projecting horizontally into the opening, and

wherein the hanging supporting member is formed so that engagement of the engaging portion with the engaged portion is released when the lid body is lowered and the processing room is formed.

7. A processing unit as set forth in claim 5,

wherein an exhaust pipe for exhausting an atmosphere in the opening is provided.

8. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a recessed portion for accommodating a lower portion of the supporting member is provided in the mounting table.

9. A processing unit as set forth in claim 8,

wherein an exhaust pipe for exhausting an atmosphere in the recessed portion is provided.

10. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the supporting member is freely detachable from said current plate.

11. A processing unit as set forth in claim 10,

wherein said current plate has a closed bottom hole into which the supporting member is freely inserted,

wherein the closed bottom hole has a stopper urged into the closed bottom hole from an inner peripheral face of the closed bottom hole,

wherein the stopper has a spherical portion at at least a part thereof, and

wherein an annular and almost V-shaped groove in which the spherical portion of the stopper is put is provided in an outer periphery of the supporting member.

12. A processing unit as set forth in claim 11,

wherein an elastic member for pressing said current plate in a direction from top to bottom is provided on the lid body.

13. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a hole for moving a raising and lowering pin for raising and lowering the substrate therethrough is provided in the mounting table, and

wherein the hole is provided at a position corresponding to an outer edge portion of the substrate on the mounting table.

14. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a material for said current plate is a high-density polyethylene or quartz.

15. A processing unit as set forth in claim 1,

wherein a material for said current plate is a material having porosity.

16. A processing unit as set forth in claim 15,

wherein said current plate has a shape in which a central portion thereof is thick and a peripheral edge portion thereof is thin.

17. A processing unit as set forth in claim 13,

wherein an arm portion for supporting the outer edge portion of the substrate is provided, and

wherein the arm portion is provided with a notch so as not to interfere with the raising and lowering pin.

18. A processing unit as set forth in claim 15,

wherein said current plate is rotatable.