JPH11111666A - Substrate-drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely remove, droplets at a rear part on an upstream side in transporting direction of a substrate for drying the substrate, while restraining the increase running cost. SOLUTION: A substrate-drying device 3 is a device such that air is blown to the surface of a substrate W on which a cleaning liquid is sticking, the cleaning liquid is blown out from the surface of the substrate W for drying the substrate W, and a transporting mechanism, a first air injection mechanism 30, and a second air injection mechanism 40 are provided. The transporting mechanism 10 transports the substrate W on which the washing liquid is sticking. The first air injection mechanism 30 is extended along a direction across the transporting direction of the substrate W and blowing an air to the surface of the substrate W, on which the cleaning liquid sticks. The second air injection mechanism 40 blows air to the rear part on the up stream side in the transporting direction of the substrate W, after the air has been blown on the entire surface of the substrate W by the first air injection mechanism 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying various substrates, and more particularly to an FPD (Flat PDP) for a substrate for a liquid crystal display.
The present invention relates to a substrate drying apparatus for removing a processing liquid attached to a substrate for an anel display, a photomask substrate, a printed circuit board, and a semiconductor substrate and drying the substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display, a color filter, a photomask and the like, various wet surface treatments such as a substrate cleaning treatment are performed. Then, after these substrates are processed, an operation of removing and drying the droplets attached to the surface of the substrate is performed. 2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional substrate drying apparatus, for example, an apparatus including a transport roller and an air knife is known. Here, a substrate having a processing liquid such as a cleaning liquid adhered to the surface is transported in a predetermined direction while being supported substantially horizontally by a plurality of transport rollers. Then, a layered gas is blown onto the surface of the substrate from a slit-shaped discharge port provided in an air knife (means for blowing gas) whose longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the direction of transport of the substrate. Then, the blown gas moves the processing liquid adhering to the substrate to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate, and the processing liquid is blown away from the rear end edge of the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate to the rear of the substrate. Thereby, the processing liquid is removed from the surface of the substrate, and the substrate is dried.

[0003]

In the removal of droplets by the substrate drying apparatus as described above, the droplets often remain at the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. For this reason, the drying of the substrate becomes insufficient, and the droplets form a local thin film on the substrate, and peel off in a later process to cause particles, and there is a problem in that an element is formed on the substrate. Or become.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a state in which droplets remain at the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. The space where the gas is blown by the air knife 100 is moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
Is transported. The processing liquid (hatched portion) adhering to the substrate W is moved to the upstream side in the transport direction, and from the rear end of the substrate W in the transport direction upstream to the rear of the substrate W (right side in FIG. 9).
Blown away. However, the rear of the substrate W, especially the substrate W
Droplets often remain in the region shown in FIG.

[0005] In order to reduce such residual droplets,
Measures may be taken to deploy multiple air knives or increase the amount of gas blown. However, when such measures are taken, the air flow and exhaust volume increase,
There is a demerit that it leads to an increase in manufacturing costs, especially running costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for drying a substrate, and more particularly, for removing a droplet at a rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of a substrate, while suppressing an increase in running cost.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for drying a substrate, wherein the processing liquid is blown off from the surface of the substrate by blowing a gas onto the surface of the substrate to which the processing liquid is adhered. Means, a first drying means, and a second drying means. The transport unit transports the substrate to which the processing liquid has adhered. The first drying unit extends along a direction intersecting with the substrate transport direction, and blows a gas onto the surface of the substrate to which the processing liquid has adhered. The second drying unit blows the gas to the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate after the first drying unit blows the gas on the entire surface of the substrate.

[0007] Here, the first drying means first blows gas onto the entire surface of the substrate being conveyed by the conveying means. Then, the processing liquid adhering to the surface of the substrate is flushed to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. Then, the processing liquid is mainly blown off from the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. Next, the second drying unit blows a gas to the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. As a result, the processing liquid remaining at the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate without being removed by blowing the gas by the first drying means is blown off. When the gas is blown by the second drying unit, the transfer of the substrate may be temporarily stopped, the transfer speed of the substrate may be reduced, or the transfer speed of the substrate may be maintained. .

As described above, the processing liquid which cannot be removed by blowing gas by the first drying means and remains partially is blown off by the second drying means specialized in drying the part. In addition, the substrate can be more reliably dried while suppressing the cost of the apparatus and the running cost. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for drying a substrate according to the first aspect, the first drying means has a first gas discharge port. Further, the second drying means has a gas blowing nozzle and a nozzle moving means. The first gas discharge port extends along a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate transport direction. A second gas discharge port is formed at the tip of the gas blowing nozzle and extends substantially along the substrate transport direction. The nozzle moving means moves the gas blowing nozzle in a direction orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction.

Here, since the first gas discharge port extends along a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the substrate is transported, it is easy to blow the gas over the entire surface of the substrate being transported. Further, since the second gas discharge port extends substantially along the substrate transfer direction, the direction of gas flow from the second gas discharge port is different from the direction of gas flow from the first gas discharge port. For this reason, when the gas is blown by the second drying means, the remaining processing liquid at the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate after the gas is blown by the first drying means is supplied with gas from a direction different from that at the time of the gas blowing by the first drying means. Will be sprayed. Therefore, the effect of removing the processing liquid attached to the substrate is improved. Further, by moving the gas blowing nozzle of the second drying means in a direction substantially orthogonal to the substrate transport direction, gas is blown from one side end to the other side over the entire rear part on the upstream side in the substrate transport direction.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a substrate drying apparatus.
In the apparatus described in (1), the direction of the flow of the gas blown out from the second gas discharge port is inclined upstream in the transport direction with respect to a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate. Here, the second
By setting the direction of the flow of the gas blown out from the gas discharge port, the processing liquid at the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate is blown outward (upstream side in the transport direction) from the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. ing. This makes it possible to more reliably remove the processing liquid remaining in the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate drying apparatus.
The second drying means has a gas blowing nozzle and a nozzle moving means. A second gas discharge port and a gas suction port are formed in the gas blowing nozzle. The nozzle moving means includes a gas blowing nozzle,
The substrate is moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate. Here, the processing liquid blown off from the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate by the gas blown out from the second gas discharge port is sucked into the gas suction port. For this reason, the blown processing liquid is suppressed from re-adhering to another part of the substrate or another substrate. In addition, since the gas is sucked in addition to the gas, the effect of removing the processing liquid attached to the substrate by the second drying unit is enhanced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate drying apparatus.
In the apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4, the blowing of the gas by the second drying unit is performed on a rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate where the transport is temporarily stopped. Here, since the substrate is temporarily stopped, the movement of the gas blowing nozzle of the second drying unit can be made one-dimensional, and the nozzle moving unit can be made simple and low-cost.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate drying apparatus.
In the apparatus described in any one of Items 1 to 4, the blowing of the gas by the second drying unit is performed on a rear portion of the substrate being transported on the upstream side in the transport direction. The nozzle moving means moves the gas blowing nozzle in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction and at the same speed as the substrate transport speed in the substrate transport direction.

Here, the movement of the gas blowing nozzle of the second drying means becomes two-dimensional, and the gas blowing nozzle moves obliquely with respect to the transport direction. Thereby, the processing liquid in the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate can be blown off without stopping the transport of the substrate. Therefore, productivity is improved.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a substrate drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This substrate drying apparatus is provided inside a drying chamber 2 arranged adjacent to the cleaning chamber 1 and adheres to the cleaned rectangular substrate W by spraying pure water or the like in the cleaning chamber 1. This is for removing droplets. On the side wall of the cleaning chamber 1 opposite to the drying chamber 2, there is provided an inlet 1 a for charging the substrate W, and on the partition wall between the cleaning chamber 1 and the drying chamber 2, the substrate W is transferred from the cleaning chamber 1 to the drying chamber. The drying chamber 2 is provided with an introduction port 2a for guiding the substrate W to the drying chamber 2 and an outlet 2b for unloading the substrate W. The transfer path of the substrate W is configured such that the substrate W input from the input port 1a is carried out to the outlet 2b via the inlet 2a.

The cleaning chamber 1 is provided with a plurality of cleaning nozzles 1b which are vertically arranged opposite to each other across the substrate W to be conveyed. The cleaning liquid such as pure water supplied from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to each of the nozzles 1b. It is configured to spray unnecessary objects and the like attached to the surface of the substrate W by spraying the liquid onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W transferred from the substrate W. The washing room 1
A discharge port 1c for discharging unnecessary substances removed from the substrate W together with the cleaning liquid is provided at a lower portion of the substrate. Similarly, a discharge port 2c for discharging the cleaning liquid removed from the surface of the substrate W by the substrate drying device 3 described below is provided in a lower portion of the drying chamber 2. Further, the transport mechanism for horizontally transporting the substrate W along the above transport path is the same as that of the drying chamber 2 described later, and the description is omitted here.

Next, the structure of the substrate drying apparatus provided inside the drying chamber 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The substrate drying apparatus 3 mainly includes a transport mechanism (transport unit) 10
And a first gas injection mechanism (first drying means) 30 and a second gas injection mechanism (second drying means) 40.

The transport mechanism 10 is a mechanism for transporting the substrate W in the horizontal direction. The transport mechanism 10 mainly includes first and second idler rollers 11 and 12 on which the substrate W is placed, and drive rollers 13 to 16.
It is composed of The drive rollers 13 to 16 extend in a horizontal state in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the substrate W, and both ends thereof are supported by both body frames 50 via bearings. A pair of stepped intermediate rollers 13a to 16a are mounted facing each other near both ends of the drive rollers 13 to 16, and the edge of the substrate W is located between the steps of the pair of intermediate rollers 13a to 16a. Is placed. Rollers 13b to 16b are mounted at the center of the drive rollers 13 to 16. With these rollers 13b to 16b, drooping of the central portion of the substrate W during transport is suppressed. The drive rollers 13 to 16 are connected to a motor via a chain or the like (not shown), and transport the substrate W cleaned in the cleaning chamber 1 in a horizontal state and carry it out of the outlet 2b to the outside. As shown in FIG. 1, additional rollers 17 to 20 for driving the substrate W while pressing the substrate W against the drive rollers 13 to 16 are provided above the drive rollers 13 to 16. Since both edges of the substrate W are sandwiched between the additional rollers 17 to 20 and the driving rollers 13 to 16, slippage during the transport of the substrate W is suppressed.

The first gas injection mechanism 30 includes a drive roller 13
And a pair of air knives disposed between the first and second drive rollers 14 so as to intersect with the direction in which the substrate W is transported. 31 are provided. Each of the upper and lower air knives 31 is formed by laminating plate members each having a tapered tip so as to face each other, and has a slit-shaped first injection port (first gas discharge port) 31a. ing. The air knife 31 blows out a gas (air) formed by stripping high-pressure air supplied from a gas supply source (not shown). First injection port 31a
Extends longer than the width of the substrate W in a direction intersecting with the transport direction of the substrate W, and blows air substantially uniformly over the entire width direction of the substrate W. Here, the first injection port 31a
Are slightly inclined with respect to the direction orthogonal to the direction of transport of the substrate W, but the first injection port 31a does not necessarily have to be inclined.

The second gas injection mechanism 40 includes a drive roller 15
A nozzle slide mechanism (nozzle moving means) 43 that is disposed between the motor and the drive roller 16 and includes a pair of gas blowing nozzles 41, a nozzle support member 42, a motor, wires, and the like (not shown), and a slide rail 44. It is composed of The pair of gas blowing nozzles 41 are arranged facing upward and downward with the substrate W interposed therebetween. A second injection port (second gas discharge port) 41 a extending in the transport direction of the substrate W is provided at the tip of the gas blowing nozzle 41 on the substrate W side.
Are formed. The width of the second injection port 41a is long enough to blow air to the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, but is shorter than the width of the first injection port 31a (see FIG. 2). . The second ejection port 41a is configured to transfer the substrate W while being inclined with respect to the transport direction of the substrate W such that the direction of the air blown out from the second ejection port 41a is inclined toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. Extending in the direction. As described above, since the second ejection port 41a extends in the transport direction of the substrate W, the direction of the air flow from the second ejection port 41a and the direction of the air flow from the first ejection port 31a are different. It will be different. The gas blowing nozzle 41
Is supplied with air by a high-pressure air hose (not shown) connected to a gas supply source.

The nozzle support member 42 includes two fixing portions 42a to which one ends of the upper and lower gas blowing nozzles 41 are fixed, a sliding portion 42c that slides on a slide rail 44 described later, the two fixing portions 42a and the sliding portion. And a connecting portion 42b connecting the two portions 42c. The nozzle slide mechanism 43 is a mechanism that moves the gas blowing nozzle 41 along the rear end of the substrate W in the transport direction by moving the nozzle support member 42 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W. The nozzle slide mechanism 43 includes a slide rail 44 and a drive system including a motor and wires. The slide rail 44 is a rail that holds the slide portion 42c of the nozzle support member 42 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the slide rail 44, and has two body frames 50 at both ends as shown in FIGS. It is fixed to. A drive system such as a motor and a wire moves the gas blowing nozzle 41 and the nozzle support member 42. Here, the drive system is constituted by a motor and wires, but a belt and a pulley may be employed, or an electric ball screw may be employed.

The sliding portion 4 of the nozzle support member 42
A slide rail cover is provided so as to cover the slide rail 44 in order to suppress dust generation due to sliding between the slide rail 2c and the slide rail 44. Further, the nozzle support member 42
A purge pipe (not shown) is provided to purge dust generated by sliding between the slide portion 42c and the slide rail 44.

Next, the operation and advantageous effects of the substrate drying apparatus 3 will be described. The substrate W cleaned in the cleaning chamber 1 is
The substrate W is conveyed at a certain interval into a space on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the substrate W between the driving roller 13 and the superposing roller 17 to which the air is blown by the first gas injection mechanism 30. Then, in accordance with the movement of the substrate W, the cleaning liquid attached to the surface of the substrate W is flushed to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, and is mainly blown backward from the rear end of the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. When the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W passes through the space where the above-described air is blown, the cleaning liquid on the surface of the substrate W is almost removed, but the rear side on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W is removed. Some cleaning liquid droplets remain at the end.

When the rear end of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction is transported between the two gas blowing nozzles 41 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport mechanism 10 is stopped by a command from a control unit (not shown). As a result, the transfer of the substrate W is temporarily stopped. Then, the gas blowing nozzle 41 of the second gas injection mechanism 40 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 2 on one side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. To the other end (lower side in FIG. 2) of the rear end of the substrate W
Along the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction. At this time,
Air is blown from the second spray ports 41a of both gas blowing nozzles 41 to the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. As a result, droplets remaining at the rear end of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction are blown off without being removed by the blowing of air by the first gas injection mechanism 30.

Here, since the direction of the air flow from the second injection port 41a is different from the direction of the air flow from the first injection port 31a, the substrate W after the air blowing by the first gas injection mechanism 30 is discharged. Air is blown to the remaining cleaning liquid at the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction from a direction different from that when air is blown by the first gas spraying mechanism 30. Therefore, the effect of removing the cleaning liquid attached to the substrate W is enhanced.

Further, since the direction of the air blown out from the second injection port 41a is inclined toward the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, the cleaning liquid at the rear of the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W is moved upstream in the transport direction of the substrate W. From the rear end to the upstream side in the transport direction. Thus, the cleaning liquid remaining on the rear portion of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction is more reliably removed. Second gas injection mechanism 4
When the zero gas blowing nozzle 41 has moved to the other end (lower side in FIG. 2) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W,
The transport of the substrate W is restarted by the transport mechanism 10, and the gas blowing nozzle 41 is returned to the original position.

As described above, in the present embodiment, instead of merely increasing the amount of air, the partial remaining cleaning liquid that cannot be removed by blowing air by the first gas injection mechanism 30 is removed. It is blown off by the second gas injection mechanism 40 specialized in the function of drying. For this reason, while drying of the substrate W becomes more reliable,
The increase in the running cost of the substrate drying device 3 is suppressed.

If the same nozzle as the air knife 31 of the first gas injection mechanism 30 is used for the second gas injection mechanism 40, air will be blown onto the already dried surface of the substrate W. In addition, static electricity is easily generated on the substrate W. On the other hand, here, since air is partially blown to the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W by the gas blowing nozzle 41 of the second gas injection mechanism 40, generation of static electricity can be suppressed.

In place of the second gas injection mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 2, the second gas injection mechanism 140 shown in FIG.
Use of a gas injection mechanism having a plurality of gas blowing nozzles, such as the second gas injection mechanism 240 shown in FIG. The second gas ejection mechanism 140 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes gas spray nozzles 141a and 141b that are respectively left and right from the nozzle support member 142 in the transport direction of the substrate W.
Is extended. By using the second gas injection mechanism 140, the next substrate can be processed without returning the gas blowing nozzles 141a and 141b to their original positions,
The processing tact can be improved. Which of the gas blowing nozzles 141a and 141b blows out the air may be selected by switching the air supply flow path by the switching valve. Further, if the gas blowing nozzles 141a and 141b are reciprocated with respect to the same substrate, droplets can be more reliably removed.

The second gas injection mechanism 240 shown in FIG.
Two pairs of gas blowing nozzles 2 from the nozzle support member 242
41a and 241b extend in parallel. If this second gas injection mechanism 240 is used, it is possible to more reliably remove the liquid droplets only by sliding the gas blowing nozzles 241a and 241b once. [Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the second gas injection mechanism 4 having the second injection port 41a extending in the transport direction of the substrate W is used.
However, in the present embodiment, a second gas injection mechanism 60 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is used instead of the second gas injection mechanism 40.

In the following description, the same or similar members as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The second gas injection mechanism 60 is disposed between the drive roller 15 and the drive roller 16 and includes a nozzle 61 and a nozzle slide mechanism 63 including a motor, wires, and the like (not shown) and a slide rail 64. I have.

The nozzle 61 is formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 61a provided with a groove, a connecting portion 61f extending downward from the lower surface of the main body portion 61a, and a slide portion 61g sliding on a slide rail 64. ing. The connecting portion 61f connects the main body portion 61a and the sliding portion 61g. A groove is provided in the main body 61a in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W, and the side of the substrate W
First surface 61 facing the upper surface of the rear part on the upstream side in the conveyance direction
b, a second surface 61c facing the lower surface of the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W on the side surface of the groove, and a third surface 61d which is the bottom surface of the groove are formed (see FIG. 6). Third surface 61
A hole (gas suction port) 61e is opened at the center of d, and is connected to an exhaust hose 74 for exhaust. First surface 6
1b has three injection pipes 7 extending toward the hole 61e.
1 are mounted, and three injection pipes 72 extending toward the hole 61e are mounted on the second surface 61c. Air is supplied to the injection pipes 71 and 72 from a high-pressure air hose 73 for supplying air.
1, 72 injects air toward the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W as shown in FIG. Injection pipes 71, 7
The direction of the air injected from 2 is inclined to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W.

The nozzle slide mechanism 63 is a mechanism for moving the nozzle 61 along the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W by moving the nozzle 61 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W. This nozzle slide mechanism 63
Is composed of a slide rail 64 and a drive system including a motor and wires. The slide rail 64 is a rail that holds the slide portion 61g of the nozzle 61 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the slide rail 64, and both ends are fixed to both body frames 50. A drive system such as a motor and a wire moves the nozzle 61.

The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the rear end of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction is the first surface 61b of the nozzle 61 as shown in FIGS.
When the wafer W is transported to a position facing the second surface 61c, the transport mechanism 10 is stopped by a command from the control unit, and the transport of the substrate W is temporarily stopped. Then, the nozzle 61 of the second gas ejection mechanism 60 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 5 on one side (upper side in FIG. 5) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W to the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W The substrate W moves along the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W to the other end (the lower side in FIG. 5) of the rear end. At this time, the injection pipes 71, 72 of the nozzle 61
At the same time, air is blown toward the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, and at the same time, an exhaust fan (not shown) is operated to start suction of air from the hole 61e. This allows
The droplets remaining at the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W are blown off without being removed by the blowing of air by the first gas injection mechanism 30. Here, the injection pipes 71, 7
The droplets blown off from the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W by the air blown out from 2 are sucked into the holes 61e. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the blown droplets from re-adhering to another portion of the substrate W or another substrate W.
Further, since the suction of air is performed in addition to the blowing of air, the effect of removing the cleaning liquid attached to the substrate W is high.

When the nozzle 61 of the second gas injection mechanism 60 has finished moving to the other end (lower side in FIG. 5) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, the transport mechanism 10 starts transporting the substrate W. At the same time, the nozzle 61 is returned to the original position. [Third Embodiment] In the first and second embodiments, the slide rails 44, 6 extending in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the substrate W is conveyed.
Although the second gas injection mechanisms 40, 60 having the second gas injection mechanisms 40, 60 are employed in the present embodiment,
The second gas injection mechanism 80 shown in FIG.

In the following description, the same or similar members as those in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The substrate drying device 3 mainly includes
It comprises a transport mechanism 10, a first gas injection mechanism 30, and a second gas injection mechanism 80. The transport mechanism 10 includes first and second idle rollers 11 and 12, a driving roller 13,
14, 16, and 91. Drive roller 1
3, 14, 16 extend horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the substrate W, and both ends thereof are supported by both body frames 50 via bearings. The drive roller 91 is
Each is supported by both body frames 50 in a cantilevered state (see FIG. 7). Drive rollers 13, 14, 16, 9
Reference numeral 1 is connected to the motor via a chain or the like (not shown). Above the driving rollers 13, 14, 16, 91, additional rollers are provided, respectively.

The second gas injection mechanism 80 includes the drive roller 14
And the drive roller 16, the nozzle 81
And a nozzle slide mechanism 83 including a motor, wires and the like (not shown) and a slide rail 84. The nozzle 81 is, as shown in FIG.
, A connecting portion 81f, and a slide portion (not shown). The main body 61a has a first surface 61b, a second surface 61c, and a third surface 61d. Third surface 6
A hole (gas suction port) 61e is formed in the center of 1d, and is connected to an exhaust hose 74 for exhaust. First surface 6
1b has three injection pipes 7 extending toward the hole 61e.
1 are mounted, and three injection pipes 72 extending toward the hole 61e are mounted on the second surface 61c. Air is supplied to these injection pipes 71 and 72 from a high-pressure air hose 73 for supplying air. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the main body 61 a
This is arranged so that air from above blows on the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. On the other hand, the connecting portion 81f and the sliding portion are arranged corresponding to a slide rail 84 described later. For this reason, the connecting portion 81f is
It is joined obliquely to 1a.

The nozzle slide mechanism 83 moves the nozzle 81 in a direction orthogonal to the substrate W transfer direction, that is, while moving the nozzle 81 in a direction orthogonal to the substrate W transfer direction. This mechanism moves the nozzle 81 along the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W being transported. The nozzle slide mechanism 83 includes a slide rail 84 and a drive system including a motor, a wire, and the like. The slide rail 84 is a rail for holding the slide portion of the nozzle 81 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the slide rail 84, and both ends are fixed to both body frames 50. The longitudinal direction of the slide rail 84 is inclined with respect to the transport direction of the substrate W. One end of the slide rail 84 is fixed near the lower part of the drive roller 14, and the other end of the slide rail 84 is fixed near the lower part of the drive roller 16. A drive system such as a motor and a wire moves the nozzle 81.

The other structure is the same as that of the first or second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the substrate W
When the rear end on the upstream side in the conveyance direction is conveyed to a position facing the first surface 61b and the second surface 61c of the nozzle 81 as shown in FIGS.
The transfer speed of the substrate W by the transfer mechanism 10 and the moving speed of the nozzle by the nozzle slide mechanism 83 are simultaneously controlled. In this control, while keeping the distance between the rear end of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction and the third surface 61d of the nozzle 81 constant at a distance as shown in FIG. The substrate W is moved from the position shown in FIG. 7 on one side (upper side in FIG. 7) to the other side end (lower side in FIG. 7) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W. At this time, the nozzle 8
Air is blown from one of the injection pipes 71 and 72 to the rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, and at the same time, air is sucked from the hole 61e. Accordingly, the droplets remaining at the rear end of the substrate W on the upstream side in the transport direction without being removed by the blowing of the air by the first gas injection mechanism 30 are blown off, and the air blown out from the injection pipes 71 and 72 is used. The droplets blown off from the rear part on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W are sucked into the holes 61e.

When the nozzle 81 of the second gas injection mechanism 80 has finished moving to the other end (lower side in FIG. 7) of the rear end on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W, the transport speed of the substrate W returns to the original speed. The nozzle 81 is returned to the original position by the nozzle slide mechanism 83. Here, the movement of the nozzle 81 of the second gas ejection mechanism 80 is two-dimensional, and the nozzle 81 moves obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the substrate W. Accordingly, the rear droplet on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate W can be blown off without stopping the transport of the substrate W, so that productivity is improved.

In the third embodiment, the nozzle 81
Instead of the gas blowing nozzle 41 shown in the first embodiment,
The gas blowing nozzles 141a and 141b or the gas blowing nozzles 241a and 241b may be used. In each of the above-described embodiments, the substrate W is transported in a horizontal state by the transport mechanism 10, but the present invention is not limited to this.
0, the substrate W is inclined leftward or rightward in the transport direction of the substrate W, or the substrate W is vertically transported so that the main surface of the substrate W is along the vertical direction. May be arranged.

[0042]

According to the present invention, the partially remaining treatment liquid that cannot be removed by blowing gas with the first drying means is blown off by the second drying means specialized in drying the part. Accordingly, the substrate can be more reliably dried while suppressing the cost and running cost of the apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a drying chamber and a cleaning chamber including a substrate drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate drying apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrows III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a substrate drying apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a substrate drying apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a nozzle according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a substrate drying apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a nozzle according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a state diagram of conventional substrate drying.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another second gas injection mechanism of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of still another second gas injection mechanism of the first embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 3 substrate drying device 10 transfer mechanism (conveyance means) 30 first gas ejection mechanism (first drying means) 31a first ejection port (first gas ejection port) 40, 60, 80, 140, 240 second gas ejection mechanism ( Second drying means) 41, 141a, 141b, 241a, 241b Gas blowing nozzles 43, 63, 83 Nozzle slide mechanism (nozzle moving means) 61, 81 Nozzle (gas blowing nozzle) 61e Hole (gas suction port) 71, 72 Injection Pipe (second gas discharge port)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A substrate drying apparatus for blowing a gas onto a surface of a substrate to which a processing liquid has adhered to blow off the processing liquid from the surface of the substrate to dry the substrate. A first drying unit that extends along a direction intersecting with the substrate transport direction and sprays a gas onto the surface of the substrate to which the processing liquid has adhered; A second drying unit for blowing gas to a rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first drying means has a first gas discharge port extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the substrate is transported. The nozzle according to claim 1, further comprising: a gas blowing nozzle having an extended second gas discharge port formed at a tip thereof; and a nozzle moving unit configured to move the gas blowing nozzle in a direction orthogonal to a substrate transport direction. Substrate drying device. 3. The substrate drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the direction of the flow of the gas blown out from said second gas discharge port is inclined upstream in the transport direction with respect to a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate. apparatus. 4. A second drying means, comprising: a gas blowing nozzle having a second gas discharge port and a gas suction port formed therein; and a nozzle moving means for moving the gas blowing nozzle in a direction orthogonal to a substrate transfer direction. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
3. The substrate drying apparatus according to item 1. 5. The substrate according to claim 2, wherein the blowing of the gas by the second drying unit is performed on a rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate on which the transport is temporarily stopped. Drying equipment. 6. The gas blowing by the second drying means is performed on a rear portion on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate being transported, and the nozzle moving means moves the gas blowing nozzle perpendicular to the substrate transport direction. The substrate drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the substrate drying apparatus moves the substrate in the substrate transport direction at substantially the same speed as the substrate transport speed while moving the substrate in the same direction.