KR-102963029-B1 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

KR102963029B1KR 102963029 B1KR102963029 B1KR 102963029B1KR-102963029-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing device capable of reducing particles within a pipe during a cooling process, comprising: a housing having a passage for a substrate to enter and exit through an opening formed on one side; a support plate provided within the housing to support the substrate; a cooling medium supply unit formed at the bottom of the support plate to supply a cooling medium to cool the support plate; a cooling medium supply pipe connected to a part of the cooling medium supply unit and supplying the cooling medium to the cooling medium supply unit; a substrate transfer unit introduced into the housing to place the substrate on the support plate; and a cooling medium discharge pipe formed at the bottom of the substrate transfer unit to discharge particles remaining in the cooling medium supply pipe that supplies the cooling medium to the housing to the outside, wherein the cooling medium and particles supplied to the cooling medium supply unit through the cooling medium supply pipe move through a processing space inside the housing where the support plate is placed and are discharged to the outside.

Inventors

손영준
조수현
이승한
방제오

Assignees

세메스 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220401

Claims (10)

A housing having a passage for a substrate to enter and exit through an opening formed on one side; A support plate provided within the above housing and capable of supporting a substrate; A cooling medium supply unit formed at the lower part of the support plate to supply a cooling medium to cool the support plate; A cooling medium supply pipe connected to a part of the above cooling medium supply unit and supplying the cooling medium to the above cooling medium supply unit; A substrate transfer unit that is introduced into the housing to place the substrate on the support plate; and A cooling medium discharge pipe formed at the lower part of the substrate transfer unit, which causes the cooling medium and particles supplied to the cooling medium supply unit through the cooling medium supply pipe to move through the processing space inside the housing where the support plate is placed and discharge to the outside, in order to discharge particles remaining in the cooling medium supply pipe that supplies the cooling medium to the housing to the outside. Substrate processing device.
In Article 1, The above cooling medium discharge pipe is formed inside the substrate transfer section, and one end of the cooling medium discharge pipe is connected to an exhaust port for exhausting the cooling medium. Substrate processing device.
In Article 1, In order to move the cooling medium and particles to the cooling medium discharge pipe, a hole is formed in the lower part of the substrate transfer section. Substrate processing device.
In Paragraph 3, The diameter of the above hole is formed to be relatively larger than the diameter of the cooling medium discharge pipe, Substrate processing device.
In Article 1, The above cooling medium supply unit includes a nozzle capable of spraying the cooling medium from below to above in order to cool the support plate. Substrate processing device.
In Article 1, The above cooling medium supply unit includes a flow path to allow the cooling medium to move, Substrate processing device.
In Article 1, The above support plate includes a heater for heating the substrate, Substrate processing device.
A step in which a substrate transfer unit is introduced into a housing having an opening formed on one side to transfer the substrate; When the above-mentioned substrate transfer unit is positioned on a support plate provided within a housing, a step of spraying a cooling medium from a cooling medium supply unit located below the support plate into a space where the support plate is positioned; and The method comprises the step of supplying the cooling medium to the housing and allowing particles remaining in the cooling medium supply pipe connected to a part of the cooling medium supply unit to pass through the cooling medium supply unit, move through the processing space inside the housing where the support plate is placed, and be exhausted to the outside through the cooling medium discharge pipe formed at the bottom of the substrate transfer unit. Substrate processing method.
In Article 8, After the above exhaust step, A step comprising: when the support plate is controlled to a process temperature range, the supply of the cooling medium is stopped and the substrate is drawn into the housing and seated on the support plate; Substrate processing method.
In Article 9, The above-mentioned settling step is, A step of lifting the substrate seated on the substrate transfer unit as a lift pin provided on a part of the support plate rises; A step in which the substrate transfer unit is discharged out of the housing; and A step of seating the substrate on the support plate as the lift pin descends; comprising Substrate processing method.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more specifically, to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a cooling process and a heating process. Various substrate processing devices are used to perform diverse processes for the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. Among these semiconductor processes, the photolithography process is a process that forms a specific photoresist pattern on a substrate. This photolithography process may primarily include a coating process, a heat treatment process, an exposure process, and a development process, and is performed using multiple devices. Since this photolithography process determines the integration density of semiconductor devices, it is evaluated as a criterion for assessing semiconductor manufacturing process capability. Recently, to achieve high integration of semiconductor devices and improve productivity, coating, heat treatment, and development processes are being combined and automated into a single photo track device. Furthermore, as the exposure device is also positioned in-line with this photo track device to enable the aforementioned processes to be performed continuously, productivity has been significantly enhanced. Along with the increase in substrate diameter, processing efficiency is decreasing as robots transporting substrates for the coating process within the phototrack device and substrates for the development process interfere with each other. Accordingly, to reduce this interference, a multilayer phototrack facility is being developed that separates the coating process and the development process into layers. Meanwhile, a heat treatment device for performing cooling and heating processes performs the function of cooling a substrate by supplying a cooling medium into the device. When the cooling medium is sprayed, there was a problem in which particles remaining in the pipes supplying the cooling medium moved into the heat treatment device, causing defects in semiconductor devices. In particular, if the waiting time between stopping the cooling process and the next cooling process is prolonged, a large amount of impurity particles accumulate in the pipes. In this case, when the cooling medium is reintroduced into the pipes, the accumulated particles are moved into the heat treatment device by the flow of the cooling medium, causing a major problem of contaminating the wafer being processed. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing facility according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 to 6 are schematic diagrams showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, several preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified in various different forms, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more faithful and complete and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, the thickness or size of each layer in the drawings is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of explanation. The terms used herein are for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular form may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, "comprise" and/or "comprising" specify the presence of the mentioned features, numbers, steps, actions, parts, elements, and/or groups thereof, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, actions, parts, elements, and/or groups. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to drawings that schematically illustrate ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, variations of the illustrated shapes may be expected, for example, depending on manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the inventive concept should not be interpreted as being limited to specific shapes of the areas illustrated herein, but should include, for example, variations in shape resulting from manufacturing. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a substrate processing facility according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate processing facility (10) includes an index module (100) and a process processing module (200). The index module (100) includes a load port (120) and a transfer frame (