Reduced-pressure drying apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10615378-B2
Application number	US-201715719166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A reduced-pressure drying apparatus, for drying solution on a substrate in a chamber in a depressurized state, includes a solvent collecting unit that is a net-shaped plate configured to temporarily collect a solvent in the solution vaporized from the substrate. The solvent collecting unit is provided to face the substrate in the chamber, and the net-shaped plate has an opening ratio of 60% to 80% and a thermal capacity of 850 J/K or less per 1 m 2 .

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reduced-pressure drying apparatus for drying solution on a substrate in a chamber in a depressurized state, the apparatus comprising:
a solvent collecting unit comprising a net-shaped plate configured to temporarily collect a solvent in the solution vaporized from the substrate, and
another solvent collecting unit, coupled to a gas exhaust unit configured to depressurize the chamber, disposed in a space between the solvent collecting unit and the gas exhaust unit,
wherein the solvent collecting unit is configured to face the substrate in the chamber,
wherein when a pressure in the chamber is decreased to a level lower than or equal to a vapor pressure of the solvent at a temperature of the substrate, a temperature of the solvent collecting unit is decreased to a level lower than or equal to a dew point of the solvent at the pressure in the chamber by a gas in the chamber which is adiabatically expanded by depressurization,
wherein the temperature of the solvent collecting unit is maintained at the level lower than or equal to the dew point of the solvent at the pressure in the chamber until vaporization of the solvent of the solution on the substrate is completed, and
wherein the other solvent collecting unit is maintained at a temperature lower than a temperature of the solvent collecting unit, and the other solvent collecting unit is configured to temporarily collect the solvent which is vaporized after being temporarily collected in the solvent collecting unit.

2. A reduced-pressure drying apparatus for drying solution on a substrate in a chamber in a depressurized state, the apparatus comprising:
a solvent collecting unit comprising a net-shaped plate configured to temporarily collect a solvent in the solution vaporized from the substrate, and
another solvent collecting unit, coupled to a gas exhaust unit configured to set the chamber in a depressurized state, disposed in a space between the solvent collecting unit and the gas exhaust unit,
wherein the solvent collecting unit is positioned to face the substrate in the chamber,
wherein further the net-shaped plate has an opening ratio of 60% to 80% and a thermal capacity of 850 J/K or less per 1 m 2 , and
wherein the other solvent collecting unit is maintained at a temperature lower than a temperature of the solvent collecting unit, and the other solvent collecting unit is configured to temporarily collect the solvent which is vaporized after being temporarily collected in the solvent collecting unit.

3. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the net-shaped plate has a thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm.

4. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the net-shaped plate is an expanded metal manufactured by slitting and expanding a metal plate.

5. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the net-shaped plate is made of stainless steel.

6. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a distance from the substrate to the solvent collecting unit is in the range of 40% to 60% of a distance from the substrate to a top plate of the chamber.

7. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 2 further comprising an infrared ray emitter disposed in the chamber.

8. A reduced-pressure drying apparatus configured to dry solution on a substrate in a chamber in a depressurized state, the apparatus comprising:
a solvent collecting unit that is a net-shaped plate configured to temporarily collect a solvent in the solution vaporized from the substrate, and
another solvent collecting unit coupled to a gas exhaust unit configured to depressurize the chamber, the other solvent collecting unit disposed in a space between the solvent collecting unit and the gas exhaust unit,
wherein the solvent collecting unit is disposed to face the substrate in the chamber,
wherein a distance from the substrate to the solvent collecting unit is in the range of 40% to 60% of a distance from the substrate to a structure above the solvent collecting unit, and
wherein the other solvent collecting unit is maintained at a temperature lower than a temperature of the solvent collecting unit, and the other solvent collecting unit is configured to temporarily collect the solvent which is vaporized after being temporarily collected in the solvent collecting unit.

9. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the net-shaped plate has a thickness in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm.

10. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the net-shaped plate is an expanded metal manufactured by slitting and expanding a metal plate.

11. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the net-shaped plate is made of stainless steel.

12. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 8 further comprising an infrared ray emitter disposed in the chamber.

13. A reduced-pressure drying apparatus for drying solution on a substrate in a chamber by using a gas exhaust unit for depressurizing the chamber, the apparatus comprising:
a solvent collecting unit positioned to face the substrate in the chamber and configured to temporarily collect a solvent in the solution vaporized from the substrate; and
another solvent collecting unit disposed in a space between the solvent collecting unit and the gas exhaust unit,
wherein the other solvent collecting unit is maintained at a temperature lower than a temperature of the solvent collecting unit, and the other solvent collecting unit is configured to temporarily collect the solvent which is vaporized after being temporarily collected in the solvent collecting unit.

14. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the other solvent collecting unit comprises a cooling mechanism configured to cool the other solvent collecting unit.

15. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the other solvent collecting unit comprises a heating mechanism configured to heat the other solvent collecting unit.

16. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the gas exhaust unit comprises a turbo molecular pump and the other solvent collecting unit is configured to be heated by radiant heat from the turbo molecular pump.

17. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a shield member for opening or closing a gap between a space where the solvent collecting unit is provided and a space where the gas exhaust unit is disposed,
wherein the other solvent collecting unit is disposed at a downstream side of the shield member.

18. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the shield member is an adaptive pressure valve and is disposed in a gas exhaust line coupling the chamber and the gas exhaust unit.

19. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a mounting table configured to mount thereon the substrate is disposed at a central portion on a bottom plate in the chamber, and
wherein the shield member has a shutter configured to open/close a gap between the mounting table and a sidewall of the chamber.

20. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus of claim 17 , wherein a mounting table configured to mount thereon the substrate is disposed at a central portion on a bottom plate in the chamber, and
wherein the shield member comprises a shutter configured to open/close a gap between the mounting table and a top plate of the chamber.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Shimamura Akinori
• Hayashi Teruyuki

Classifications

• B41J11/002 Primary

  Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating · CPC title

• F26B5/042

  for drying articles or discrete batches of material in a continuous or semi-continuous operation, e.g. with locks or other air tight arrangements for charging/discharging · CPC title

• F26B9/06

  in stationary drums or chambers · CPC title

• F26B5/04

  by evaporation or sublimation of moisture under reduced pressure, e.g. in a vacuum {(F26B11/049 and F26B17/128 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01L51/56 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic