Method and apparatus for curing photoresist
US5766824A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 27, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jun 16, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 27, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/6875
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A substrate photolithography system includes a substrate handling robot that pivots about a fixed point and transfers substrates between photoresist coater, a developer, and a heating/cooling unit, all of which are clustered about the robot. The end effector of the robot is capable of both vertical and lateral movement so that individual modules of the heating/cooling unit may be stacked. For heating/cooling, the substrate is placed in the heating/cooling unit in close proximity to a hotplate/chillplate and a thermally conductive, non-reactive gas, such as helium, is introduced into the airspace between the substrate and the hotplate/chillplate. The thermally conductive, non-reactive gas, is preheated/precooled before introduction into the airspace between the substrate and the hotplate/chillplate when the gas passes through a bore in the hotplate/chillplate. Additionally, the substrate is automatically aligned in a milled recession in the hotplate surface for future handling.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.