Coater/developer, coating/developing method, and storage medium

• US 7,591,601 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Katsuhiro, Matsuoka, Nobuaki, Hayashida, Yasushi, Hayashi, Shinichi, Hashimoto, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mathews; Alan A
• Application Number:
  US12/107,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 396/571, 396/611, 430/325, 355/27, 118/66, 118/69
• US Class Current: 396/611
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/32 Projection printing apparatus, e.g. enlarger, copying camera
• 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

Abstract

A coater/developer is disclosed that includes a heating module having a pair of rotary bodies configured to rotate about respective horizontal axles, the rotary bodies being spaced apart from each other in a direction along the conveyance path of a substrate so that the rotational axles thereof are parallel to each other; a conveyance path member engaged with and extended between the rotary bodies so as to move along an orbit, the conveyance path member forming a part of the conveyance path of the substrate placed on the conveyance path member; a first transfer part provided at the upstream end of the conveyance path; a second transfer part provided at the downstream end of the conveyance path; and a heating part provided between the upstream end and the downstream end of the conveyance path and configured to heat the substrate.

Claims

1. A coater/developer forming a coating film on a substrate in a first unit block provided at a stage subsequent to a carrier block into which the substrate has been carried with a carrier;

thereafter conveying the substrate to an exposure unit through an interface block provided at a stage subsequent to the first unit block; and

performing development in a second unit block on the substrate subjected to exposure in the exposure unit and returned therefrom through the interface block, and transferring the substrate to the carrier block, the second unit block being stacked on the first unit block and having a conveyance path of the substrate from the interface block to the carrier block, wherein;

the second unit block includes a development module configured to perform the development on the substrate, a heating module configured to heat the substrate before and after the development, a cooling module configured to cool the substrate after the heating, and a substrate conveyance part configured to transfer the substrate to and receive the substrate from the modules, and

the heating module includes

a pair of rotary bodies configured to rotate about respective horizontal axles, the rotary bodies being spaced apart from each other in a direction along the conveyance path of the substrate so that the rotational axles thereof are parallel to each other;

a conveyance path member engaged with and extended between the rotary bodies so as to move along an orbit, the conveyance path member forming a part of the conveyance path of the substrate placed on the conveyance path member;

a first transfer part provided at an upstream end of the conveyance path and configured to transfer the substrate between the substrate conveyance part and the conveyance path member;

a second transfer part provided at a downstream end of the conveyance path and configured to transfer the substrate between the substrate conveyance part and the conveyance path member; and

a heating part provided between the upstream end and the downstream end of the conveyance path and configured to heat the substrate.

2. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyance path member comprises:

a plurality of rod-shaped conveyance members on which the substrate is placed, the conveyance members extending parallel to the rotational axles of the rotary bodies; and

a pair of timing belts connected to ends of the conveyance members so as to move along the orbit.

3. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a motor configured to rotate at least one of the rotary bodies so as to cause the timing belts to move along the orbit.

4. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the heating part comprises:

a first heat plate provided below the conveyance path member so as to heat the substrate from a lower side thereof; and

a second heat plate provided to face the first heat plate so as to heat the substrate from an upper side thereof.

5. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the substrate conveyance part comprises:

a first substrate conveyance part configured to transfer the substrate to the first transfer part; and

a second substrate conveyance part configured to receive the substrate from the second transfer part.

6. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second unit block comprises a shelf unit including the heating module, a plurality of pre-processing modules configured to process the substrate before the development, and a plurality of post-processing modules configured to process the substrate after the development,

the shelf unit is provided so that the shelf unit faces the development module across the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and the heating module is provided so that the part of the conveyance path of the substrate formed by the conveyance path member of the heating module is along the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and that the first transfer part and the second transfer part are positioned on a side of the interface block and a side of the carrier block, respectively.

7. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a motor magnet for causing the timing belts of the conveyance path member to move along the orbit, the motor magnet having north and south poles alternately arranged and having a polarity thereof switched,

wherein the timing belts have electromagnets provided on at least exterior surfaces thereof, the electromagnets having north and south poles alternately arranged.

8. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the heating part comprises:

a first heat plate provided below the conveyance path member so as to heat the substrate from a lower side thereof; and

a second heat plate provided to face the first heat plate so as to heat the substrate from an upper side thereof.

9. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

a gas ejection part provided on one of lateral sides of the conveyance path member in a moving direction thereof and configured to form gas flow wide enough to cover a width of the substrate by ejecting gas into a space between the first heat plate and the second heat plate; and

a suction exhaust part provided on another one of the lateral sides of the conveyance path member in the moving direction thereof so as to be wide enough to cover the width of the substrate and configured to suction the gas from the space between the first heat plate and the second heat plate.

10. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the substrate conveyance part comprises:

a first substrate conveyance part configured to transfer the substrate to the first transfer part; and

a second substrate conveyance part configured to receive the substrate from the second transfer part.

11. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second unit block comprises a shelf unit including the heating module, a plurality of pre-processing modules configured to process the substrate before the development, and a plurality of post-processing modules configured to process the substrate after the development,

the shelf unit is provided so that the shelf unit faces the development module across the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and the heating module is provided so that the part of the conveyance path of the substrate formed by the conveyance path member of the heating module is along the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and that the first transfer part and the second transfer part are positioned on a side of the interface block and a side of the carrier block, respectively.

12. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a motor configured to rotate at least one of the rotary bodies so as to cause the timing belts to move along the orbit.

13. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a motor magnet for causing the timing belts of the conveyance path member to move along the orbit, the motor magnet having north and south poles alternately arranged and having a polarity thereof switched,

wherein the timing belts have electromagnets provided on at least exterior surfaces thereof, the electromagnets having north and south poles alternately arranged.

14. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating part comprises:

a first heat plate provided below the conveyance path member so as to heat the substrate from a lower side thereof; and

a second heat plate provided to face the first heat plate so as to heat the substrate from an upper side thereof.

15. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a gas ejection part provided on one of lateral sides of the conveyance path member in a moving direction thereof and configured to form gas flow wide enough to cover a width of the substrate by ejecting gas into a space between the first heat plate and the second heat plate; and

a suction exhaust part provided on another one of the lateral sides of the conveyance path member in the moving direction thereof so as to be wide enough to cover the width of the substrate and configured to suction the gas from the space between the first heat plate and the second heat plate.

16. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate conveyance part comprises:

a first substrate conveyance part configured to transfer the substrate to the first transfer part; and

a second substrate conveyance part configured to receive the substrate from the second transfer part.

17. The coater/developer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second unit block comprises a shelf unit including the heating module, a plurality of pre-processing modules configured to process the substrate before the development, and a plurality of post-processing modules configured to process the substrate after the development,

the shelf unit is provided so that the shelf unit faces the development module across the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and the heating module is provided so that the part of the conveyance path of the substrate formed by the conveyance path member of the heating module is along the conveyance path of the substrate of the second unit block, and that the first transfer part and the second transfer part are positioned on a side of the interface block and a side of the carrier block, respectively.

18. A coating and developing method forming a coating film on a substrate in a first unit block provided at a stage subsequent to a carrier block into which the substrate has been carried with a carrier;

thereafter conveying the substrate to an exposure unit through an interface block provided at a stage subsequent to the first unit block;

performing development in a second unit block on the substrate subjected to exposure in the exposure unit and returned therefrom through the interface block, and transferring the substrate to the carrier block, the second unit block being stacked on the first unit block and having a conveyance path of the substrate from the interface block to the carrier block, wherein;

the second unit block includes a development module configured to perform the development on the substrate, a heating module configured to heat the substrate before and after the development, a cooling module configured to cool the substrate after the heating, and a substrate conveyance part configured to transfer the substrate to and receive the substrate from the modules,

the heating module includes a pair of rotary bodies configured to rotate about respective horizontal axles, the rotary bodies being spaced apart from each other in a direction along the conveyance path of the substrate so that the rotational axles thereof are parallel to each other; and

a conveyance path member engaged with and extended between the rotary bodies so as to move along an orbit, the conveyance path member forming a part of the conveyance path of the substrate placed on the conveyance path member, and

the coating and developing method comprises the steps of;

transferring the substrate from the substrate conveyance part onto the conveyance path member through a first transfer part provided at an upstream end of the conveyance path;

heating the substrate while moving the substrate to a downstream side with the conveyance path member;

moving the substrate to a second transfer part provided at a downstream end of the conveyance path and transferring the substrate from the conveyance path member to the substrate conveyance part; and

causing the conveyance path member without the substrate placed thereon to move along the orbit to return from the second transfer part to the first transfer part.

19. The coating and developing method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the substrate conveyance part comprises a first substrate conveyance part and a second substrate conveyance part;

and transfers the substrate from the first substrate conveyance part to the conveyance path member in the first transfer part, and transfers the substrate from the conveyance path member to the second substrate conveyance part in the second transfer part.

20. A storage medium storing a computer program used in a coater/developer forming a coating film on a substrate received from a carrier block and performing development on the substrate after exposure, wherein the program contains a group of steps so as to execute the coating and developing method as set forth in claim 18.