Method of drying substrates and drying apparatus

• US 6,269,552 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Eiji, Honda, Yoshiyuki, Koguchi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Pamela
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mattera, Michelle A
• Application Number:
  US09/195,426
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 34/58, 341/86, 343/12, 343/17, 343/18, 134/902
• US Class Current: 34/317
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67034 for drying

Abstract

A substrate transporting device and method 19 transports a plurality of wafers W standing upright in a row, from a previous process, i.e., a cleaning process. A substrate holder 40 is carried by a transporting device 50 arranged outside a drying chamber 20. The substrate holder 40 receives the wafers W from the substrate transporting device 19 while maintaining a posture of the wafers W. The transporting device 50 lowers the substrate holder 40 and sequentially moves it into the drying chamber 20 through an unloading and loading port 21 above the drying chamber 20. Thereafter, the substrate holder 40 is fixed to a rotor 30. After closing the unloading and loading port 21 with a lid body 25, the rotor 30 is rotated. In this way, moisture sticking to surfaces of the wafers W is eliminated.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which said substrates are unloaded and loaded;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder; and

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor,

wherein said transporting device has an engagement part located outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said engagement part being capable of moving into said drying chamber and said engagement part located outside said drying chamber during drying operation.

8. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a fixing mechanism for fixing said substrate holder on said rotor, said fixing mechanism having;

an engagement member arranged on said rotor to be approachable to and separable from said substrate holder;

a receiving part arranged on said substrate holder, for engagement with said engagement member of said rotor; and

means for driving said engagement member to and from said receiving part of said substrate holder.

9. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate holder has a supporting part for supporting said substrates from underside thereof;

and

wherein said rotor includes substrate holding means for holding down said substrates from upside thereof, when said substrate holder is engaging with said rotor.

10. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said substrate holding means of said rotor comprises:

an arm attached to said rotor so as to pivot on a horizontal axis;

a holding member extending from a free end of said arm, for holding respective upper portions of said substrates; and

means for rotating said arm.

11. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising nozzles for ejecting a cleaning liquid against said rotor.

12. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said delivery position is located vertically above said engagement position.

2. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which said substrates are unloaded and loaded;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder; and

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder, arranged outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber, allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber, allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor,

wherein said substrate holder and said transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, and said engagement parts of said substrate holder and said transporting device are coated with synthetic resinous layers, respectively.

3. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which said substrates are unloaded and loaded;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder; and

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor,

wherein said substrate holder and said transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, said engagement part of said substrate holder having a constituent element, and engagement part of said transporting device having a constituent element, said constituent elements of said substrate holder and said transporting device being engageable with each other, and at least one of said constituent elements is coated with a synthetic resinous layer.

4. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which said substrates are unloaded and loaded;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about as horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder; and

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor,

wherein said substrate holder and said transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, said engagement parts of said substrate holder and said transporting device have respective engagement mechanism for engaging said substrate holder with said transporting device, and engagement parts of said substrate holder and said transporting device are respectively provided with discharging passages of which leading ends are opened at respective positions adjacent to said engagement mechanisms.

5. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided, on an upper part thereof, with an unloading and loading port through which said substrates are unloaded and loaded;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder; and

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor; and

a lid body which is capable of opening and closing said unloading and loading port of the drying chamber,

wherein said lid body has an inner face facing said drying chamber and inclining to a horizontal plane, said inner face having an edge located at a higher end thereof, said lid body having air inlet arranged in a position adjacent to said edge of said inner face for introducing air into said drying chamber, said drying chamber provided with an exhaust port for discharging the air introduced through said air inlet, and said edge of said inner face is positioned, with respect to a horizontal direction perpendicular to said axis of said rotor, outside peripheries of said substrates retained by said substrate holder engaging with said rotor.

6. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said inner face of said lid body is coated with a layer exhibiting corrosion resistance and water repellent characteristics.

7. The drying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a horizontal moving mechanism for moving said lid body in the horizontal direction; and

a closing mechanism for moving said lid body toward said unloading and loading port of said drying chamber to apply said lid body on said unloading and loading port tightly.

13. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided with an unloading and loading port;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder;

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor; and

a substrate transporting device for transporting said substrates, which has been conveyed to said drying apparatus from outside thereof, to said delivery position,

wherein said transporting device has an engagement part located outside said drying chamber and engageable with said substrate holder, said engagement part being capable of moving into said drying chamber, and said engagement part positioned outside said drying chamber during drying operation.

14. A method of drying substrates to be processed, said method comprising the steps of:

delivering said substrates, which are retained in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction by a substrate transporting device, from said substrate transporting device to a substrate holder retained by an engagement part of a substrate holder transporting device while maintaining a posture of said substrates retained by said substrate transporting device;

moving said substrate holder downward by said substrate holder transporting device whereby said substrate holder moves into a drying chamber;

engaging said substrate holder with a rotor in said drying chamber;

releasing said substrate holder from said engagement part of said substrate holder transporting device;

moving said engagement part of substrate transporting device upward thereby withdrawing said engagement part of said substrate transporting device from said drying chamber;

closing said drying chamber with a lid body; and

rotating said rotor to eliminate liquids from respective surfaces of said substrates when said engagement part of said substrate transporting device is positioned outside said drying chamber.

15. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided with an unloading and loading port;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder;

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder, arranged outside said drying chamber, said substrate holder transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor; and

a substrate transporting device for transporting said substrates, which has been conveyed to said drying apparatus from outside thereof, to said delivery position

wherein said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, and said engagement parts of said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device are coated with synthetic resinous layers, respectively.

16. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided with an unloading and loading port;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder;

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber, said substrate holder transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor; and

a substrate transporting device for transporting said substrates, which has been conveyed to said drying apparatus from outside thereof, to said delivery position,

wherein said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, said engagement part of said substrate holder having a constituent element, engagement part of said substrate holder transporting device having a constituent element, said constituent elements of said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device being engageable with each other, and at least one of said constituent elements is coated with a synthetic resinous layer.

17. A drying apparatus for drying substrates to be processed, comprising:

a drying chamber provided with an unloading and loading port;

a substrate holder which retains said substrates in a manner that said substrates stand upright and line up along a horizontal direction;

a rotor disposed in said drying chamber so as to rotate about a horizontal rotational axis as a center, said rotor being engageable with said substrate holder;

a substrate holder transporting device for transporting said substrate holder arranged outside said drying chamber, said transporting device being capable of moving said substrate holder between a delivery position outside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to accept and release the substrates, and an engagement position inside said drying chamber allowing said substrate holder to engage with said rotor; and

a substrate transporting device for transporting said substrates, which has been conveyed to said drying apparatus from outside thereof, to said delivery position,

wherein said substrate holder and said transporting device include respective engagement parts for engagement with each other, said engagement parts of said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device have respective engagement mechanism for engaging said substrate holder with said substrate holder transporting device, and engagement parts of said substrate holder and said substrate holder transporting device are respectively provided with discharging passages of which leading ends are opened at respective positions adjacent to said engagement mechanisms.