Heat treatment apparatus

• US 6,450,803 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Sata, Nobuyuki, Shirakawa, Eiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US09/781,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 432/77, 432/173, 432/233, 118/724, 118/725, 118/715, 392/416, 392/418, 209/405, 209/411
• US Class Current: 432/77
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring

Abstract

A heat treatment table is divided into two or more regions, a heater is disposed for each region. On a predetermined portion of the heat treatment table, a plurality of sensors are disposed separately each other. A relation between temperatures of the respective portions on the heat treatment table and temperatures detected by the sensors is grasped in advance, thereby enables to surmise a temperature of the respective portion of the heat treatment table from the temperature detected by the sensors. In the case of an wafer being actually treated by placing on the heat treatment table, the temperatures detected by the sensors are observed, from these detected temperatures, the temperatures of the respective portions on the heat treatment table, that is, temperatures affecting the wafer, are surmised.

Claims

1. A heat treatment apparatus, which comprises:

a heating means for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be treated;

a means for evacuating a gas heated by the heating means from an upper portion of the substrate to be treated;

a means for detecting a temperature affecting the substrate to be treated; and

a means for cooling, based on the detected temperature, a gas passing through the above portion of the substrate to be treated;

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler so that heat affects uniformly on the substrate to be treated.

2. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1:

wherein the cooler is disposed in spiral.

3. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1:

wherein the cooler is composed of a plurality of doughnut shaped coolers disposed concentric.

4. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1:

wherein the cooler is a sector-shaped cooler formed in a plurality of concentric circles.

5. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1:

wherein the heating plate is a thermal sur face plate of which temperature is maintained to a predetermined temperature by a heating medium vapor circulating therein.

6. A heat treatment apparatus, which comprises:

a heating means for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be treated;

a means for evacuating a gas heated by the heating means from an upper portion of the substrate to be treated;

a means for detecting a temperature affecting the substrate to be treated; and

a means for cooling, based on the detected temperature, a gas passing through the above portion of the substrate to be treated;

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly, a sensor for detecting temperature of a gas in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler based on the detected temperature.

7. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 6:

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly, a first sensor detecting a temperature of a gas in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet, a second sensor detecting a temperature of the heating plate, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler based on the detected temperatures of the gas and heating plate.

8. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 6:

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly, a first sensor detecting a temperature of a gas in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet, a second sensor detecting a temperature of the substrate to be treated, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate, and the cooler based on the detected temperatures of the gas and substrate to be treated.

9. A heat treatment apparatus, which comprises:

a heating means for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be treated;

a means for evacuating a gas heated by the heating means from an upper portion of the substrate to be treated;

a means for evacuating a gas heated by the heating means from an upper portion of the substrate to be treated;

a means for detecting a temperature affecting the substrate to be treated; and

a means for cooling, based on the detected temperature, a gas passing through the above portion of the substrate to be treated;

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly, a sensor detecting a temperature of the substrate to be treated, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler based on the detected temperature.

10. The heat treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 9:

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet of the cover assembly, a first sensor detecting a temperature of a gas in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet, a second sensor detecting a temperature of the heating plate, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler based on the detected temperatures of the gas and heating plate.

11. A heat treatment apparatus, which comprises:

a heating means for heating a lower surface of a substrate to be treated;

a means for evacuating a gas heated by the heating means from an upper portion of the substrate to be treated;

a means for detecting a temperature affecting the substrate to be treated; and

a means for cooling, based on the detected temperature, a gas passing through the above portion of the substrate to be treated;

wherein the heating means is a heating plate and which comprises further a cover assembly disposed above the heating plate and collecting a gas heated by the heating plate;

the evacuating means is an exhausting system connected to an exhaust outlet at a center of the cover assembly; and

the cooling means comprises a cooler disposed in the neighborhood of the exhaust outlet at the center of the cover assembly, a sensor detecting a temperature of the heating plate, and a control unit for controlling the heating plate and the cooler based on the detected temperature.