JP7630970B2 - Cooling device and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cooling device and a substrate processing apparatus having the cooling device.

For example, when cooling a substrate that is not disk-shaped, such as a rectangular substrate, cooling gas is used that flows in a circular pattern from the center of the underside of the substrate toward the outer periphery of the underside of the substrate.

JP 2016-162847 A

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a cooling device and a substrate processing apparatus having the cooling device that can easily cool the area of the object to be cooled that is close to and far from the cooling gas discharge portion.

According to an embodiment, the cooling device includes a block body on which an object to be cooled is disposed on an upper side, and a support portion that supports the object to be cooled from the lower side. The block body forms a first flow path that causes a cooling gas to flow from the lower side to the upper side toward a region to be cooled of the object to be cooled, and a second flow path that is continuous with the first flow path, spreads in an annular shape around the first flow path, and has an annular surface that causes the cooling gas to flow radially outward from the first flow path in the region to be cooled. The support portion is provided so as to surround the outside of the block body. The support portion forms a third flow path that is continuous with the outside of the second flow path, is narrower than the second flow path, and causes the cooling gas to flow outside the annular surface of the block body when the region to be cooled of the object to be cooled is disposed on the upper side. The support portion supports a region outside the inscribed circle or inscribed ellipse of the region to be cooled.

1 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a simulation result of a cooling gas velocity when the cooling gas is caused to flow between the cooling device of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the lower surface of the substrate; FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a temperature distribution of a quarter-cut substrate cooled by a cooling device of the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment. 4 is a graph showing the temperature between the center and corner of a substrate when the substrate is cooled using the cooling devices of the first to third embodiments and the comparative example. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on the substrate processing apparatus according to a first modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a substrate processing apparatus according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a substrate processing apparatus according to a third modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the temperature distribution of a quarter-cut substrate cooled by a cooling device of a comparative example. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a simulation result of a cooling gas velocity when the cooling gas is caused to flow between the cooling device of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 and the lower surface of the substrate. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a temperature distribution of a quarter-cut substrate cooled by a cooling device of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13, showing a state in which a substrate is placed on the substrate processing apparatus according to a first modified example of the second embodiment. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13, showing a state in which a substrate is placed on the substrate processing apparatus according to a second modified example of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view showing a state in which a substrate is placed on a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. Cross-sectional view taken along line XX-XX in Figure 19. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI in FIG. 19 . 13 is a schematic view showing a temperature distribution on a quarter-cut substrate cooled by a cooling device of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment; FIG.

First Embodiment
A substrate processing apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

Figure 1 shows a top view of the substrate processing apparatus 10. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the substrate processing apparatus 10 has a base 12 and a cooling device 14 provided on the base 12. The substrate 8, which is the object to be cooled (object to be cooled) in this embodiment, is a non-circular plate-like shape, such as a substantially rectangular shape. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the outer shape of the substrate 8 is described as being substantially square. In this embodiment, the lower surface of the substrate 8 is the area to be cooled. The lower surface of the substrate 8 has a virtual circle that can be set appropriately and an area outside the circle. In this embodiment, the virtual circle coincides with the inscribed circle of the lower surface of the substrate 8. The area inside the virtual circle of the substrate 8 is the center (inner area of the circle) 8a, and the area outside the virtual circle of the substrate 8 is the corner (outer area of the circle) 8b. The virtual circle may be set at an appropriate position of the substrate 8 inside the inscribed circle of the substrate 8.

The base 12 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and holds the outer periphery of the cooling device 14. In other words, the cooling device 14 is provided inside the base 12.

The cooling device 14 has a support portion 22 that supports the substrate 8 from below, a substantially cylindrical block body 24, and a number of guide portions 26. The support portion 22, the block body 24, and the guide portions 26 form a cooling gas flow path 40 for cooling the substrate 8. In this embodiment, the cooling gas flow path 40 includes a first flow path 42, a second flow path 44, a third flow path 46, and a fourth flow path 48.

The support part 22, the block body 24, and the guide part 26 are formed of resin materials such as ABS resin, PE, PI, PTFE, and PVDF, or metal materials such as copper and stainless steel. It is preferable that the support part 22, the block body 24, and the guide part 26 are formed by integral molding. In this case, the cooling gas flow path 40 is formed by integral molding. It is also preferable that the cooling gas flow path 40 is formed by removal processing after the support part 22, the block body 24, and the guide part 26 are formed by integral molding. It is also preferable that the cooling gas flow path 40 formed by the support part 22, the block body 24, and the guide part 26 is formed by performing removal processing on a cylindrical plate made of a resin material. It is not necessary that the support part 22, the block body 24, and the guide part 26 are formed by integral molding. For example, the support part 22 and the block body 24 may be formed from a resin material, and the guide part 26 may be formed from a metal material.

For example, a cooling gas source 28 is provided below the block body 24 of the cooling device 14. Although it depends on the object to be cooled, in this embodiment, the cooling gas used is nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas adjusted to a low temperature of, for example, about −120° C. In this embodiment, the cooling gas is sprayed at a flow rate of, for example, 150 L/min.

The support portion 22 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the outer shape of the support portion 22 is cylindrical, but it may be formed in an appropriate shape in relation to the shape of the base portion 12.

The block body 24 is formed inside the cylindrical support portion 22. The roughly cylindrical block body 24 has an upper surface 24a that faces the substrate 8 to be cooled when the substrate 8 is supported by the support portion 22, and an outer peripheral surface 24b. The upper surface 24a is an approximately donut-shaped annular surface. The diameter of the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is equal to or smaller than the diameter of an imaginary circle of the substrate 8, which is the object to be cooled. The lower limit of the diameter of the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 can be set appropriately. Since it is preferable to have the cooling gas reach close to the outer edge of the substrate 8, it is preferable that the lower limit of the diameter of the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is as large as possible.

The roughly cylindrical block body 24 has a through hole that penetrates along the central axis C of the block body 24. The through hole is formed as a first flow path 42 of cooling gas, which is part of the cooling gas flow path 40. The first flow path 42 flows the cooling gas that cools the substrate 8 from the cooling gas source 28 provided, for example, on the lower side of the block body 24, from the lower side to the upper side along the central axis C of the block body 24. Therefore, the first flow path 42 flows the cooling gas from the lower side to the upper side toward the center 8a of the lower surface (area to be cooled) of the substrate 8 arranged on the upper side of the block body 24.

The cooling gas source 28 may be provided, for example, outside the base 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10, instead of under the block body 24 of the cooling device 14. In this case, the cooling gas source 28 and the base 12 may be connected by piping or the like. For example, a hole may be provided on the underside of the base 12, and the cooling gas source 28 may be connected to the hole provided on the underside of the base 12 via piping made of the same material as the support portion 22, the block body 24, and the guide portion 26.

The upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is formed as an annular surface of the second flow path 44 of the cooling gas, which is a part of the flow path 40 of the cooling gas. In this embodiment, the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is formed as a plane from the end (cooling gas outlet) 42a, which is the opening edge of the first flow path 42, to the boundary between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the outer peripheral surface 24b. Therefore, the second flow path 44 is formed so as to be continuous with the first flow path 42 and to spread outward in the radial direction of the first flow path 42 in an annular shape relative to the end 42a of the first flow path 42. Therefore, when the substrate 8 is supported by the support part 22, the cooling gas that has flowed through the first flow path 42 flows outward in the radial direction of the second flow path 44. In addition, the height of the second flow path 44 is the same as the distance D1 between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the lower surface of the substrate 8.

Between the block body 24 and the support portion 22, a plurality of guide portions 26 are provided to guide the cooling gas that has passed through the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 toward the corners 8b of the substrate 8. The cooling device 14 of this embodiment is intended to cool, for example, a square substrate 8. The guide portions 26 are provided below the corners 8b of the substrate 8 when the substrate 8 is cooled by the cooling device 14. For this reason, the guide portions 26 are provided on the outside of the block body 24 at approximately 90° intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the central axis C of the block body 24. In this embodiment, the number of guide portions 26 of the cooling device 14 is four, which is the same as the number of corners 8b of the substrate 8.

The guide portion 26 faces the block body 24 with a gap therebetween, and extends from the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 to the underside of the corner 8b of the substrate 8. In this embodiment, the guide portion 26 is tapered as it moves away from the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24.

The guide portion 26 has an extension surface 26a that extends radially outward from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. The upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 are formed, for example, flush with each other.

In this embodiment, a fourth flow path 48 is formed between the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 and the guide portion 26, but the radial opening width of the fourth flow path 48 is narrower than the height (distance D1) of the second flow path 44. Therefore, the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 can be regarded as being continuous with the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. In addition, the distance between the boundary between the upper surface 24a and the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 at the position of the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 closest to the block body 24 is the same. In other words, the distance between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is the distance D1. Therefore, the guide portion 26 extends the second flow path 44 of the block body 24 to the outside of the block body 24. That is, the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 can be used as part of the second flow path 44 for the cooling gas that spreads radially in an annular shape from the first flow path 42.

A support portion 22 is formed on the outside of the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 and on the outside of the guide portion 26.

The support portion 22 has an upper surface 22a. The upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 is located above the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26. For ease of explanation, the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 is assumed to be parallel to the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26.

The support portion 22 has side surfaces 22b provided between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, and between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26. The side surfaces 22b are formed in a continuous state so that the portion facing the block body 24 is an arc, and the portion in contact with the guide portion 26 has the same shape as the outer shape of the guide portion 26. It is preferable that the side surfaces 22b of the support portion 22 are parallel to the central axis C. Between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26, the side surfaces 22b of the support portion 22 form a step between the support portion 22 and the guide portion 26.

In this embodiment, the boundary between the upper surface 22a and the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 is located inside the outer edge of the substrate 8 when the substrate processing apparatus 10 is viewed from above with the substrate 8 placed on the support portion 22.

The support portion 22 has a restricting portion 32 that restricts the movement of the substrate 8 in a direction away from the support portion 22 upward relative to the support portion 22. The restricting portions 32 are formed at four locations on the support portion 22. The restricting portions 32 each have a tapered upper end and have restricting pins 32a and 32b that restrict the movement of the substrate 8. The restricting pins 32a and 32b are provided so as to protrude from the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22. The corners 8b on the lower surface of the substrate 8 are restricted from moving upward away from the support portion 22 and in a direction around the central axis C by the four restricting portions 32 formed in pairs. When the restricting pins 32a and 32b support the corners 8b on the lower surface of the substrate 8, they form a gap between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the corners 8b on the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the regulating portion 32 positions the substrate 8 relative to the support portion 22, the block body 24, and the guide portion 26, and also defines the distance between the support portion 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. The gap between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is a third flow path 46, which is part of the cooling gas flow path 40. The height of the third flow path 46 is the same as the distance D0 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. The regulating pins 32a and 32b are spaced apart. The gap between the regulating pins 32a and 32b is used as part of the third flow path 46.

The side surface 22b of the support portion 22 is provided at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, narrowing the third flow path 46 relative to the second flow path 44.

In this embodiment, an annular fourth flow passage 48, which is, for example, a part of the cooling gas flow passage 40, is provided on the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24. The fourth flow passage 48 is provided between the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 and the guide portion 26, and between the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 and the side surface 22b of the support portion 22. The fourth flow passage 48 is formed narrower than the second flow passage 44. The fourth flow passage 48 is connected to the second flow passage 44.

The operation of the cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described.

Each corner 8b of the substrate 8, which is the object to be cooled, is supported by the regulating pins 32a, 32b of each regulating portion 32. When the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32, the distance D0 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is defined. When the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32, the distance D1 between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is defined. Therefore, the cooling gas flow path 40 including the first flow path 42, the second flow path 44, the third flow path 46, and the fourth flow path 48 is formed on the lower side of the substrate 8 when the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32.

The cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 injects cooling gas, adjusted to a temperature within a predetermined range, for example, near -120°C, from the cooling gas source 28 into the first flow path 42 at a predetermined flow rate, for example, 150 L/min. The first flow path 42 guides the cooling gas toward the center 8a of the underside of the substrate 8 placed on the upper side of the block body 24. That is, the cooling gas flows from the bottom to the top along the first flow path 42, and comes into contact with the center 8a of the underside of the substrate 8 through the end 42a of the first flow path 42, which is the opening edge of the upper surface 24a of the block body 24.

The cooling gas that has come into contact with the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 spreads from the center 8a to the radially outward direction of the second flow path 44 in an annular shape along the second flow path 44 between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. At this time, since the distance D1 of the second flow path 44 is greater than the distance D0 of the third flow path 46, pressure loss is prevented when the cooling gas flows along the second flow path 44, and the cooling gas spreads in an annular shape radially outward of the second flow path 44. Therefore, the area of the lower surface of the substrate 8 facing the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is cooled when the cooling gas flows along the second flow path 44. In other words, when the cooling gas spreads in an annular shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 from the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 along the lower surface of the substrate 8, the lower surface of the substrate 8 is cooled by the cooling gas.

The cooling gas flowing toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 hits the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 through the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. At this time, the cooling gas flowing toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 generates a flow toward the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8.

The cooling gas that hits the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 through the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and flows toward the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8 becomes a collision flow that collides with the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8, and passes between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8. In other words, the cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. At this time, the cooling gas comes into contact with the vicinity of the outer edge of the substrate 8, so that the vicinity of the outer edge of the substrate 8 is cooled.

At this time, not all of the cooling gas that flows toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. A portion of the cooling gas that collides with the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 flows along the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 toward the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. After hitting the center portion 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8, the cooling gas also flows between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the lower surface of the substrate 8, and toward the area between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, an appropriate amount of cooling gas flows between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the corner portion 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8.

The extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 can be regarded as being continuous with the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, so flow resistance is suppressed when the cooling gas flows from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 to the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. Therefore, an appropriate amount of cooling gas flows from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 along the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26.

The extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 tapers away from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. Therefore, the second flow path 44 narrows away from the block body 24. Therefore, the cooling gas is guided toward the region of the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 that is away from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, and the flow rate increases.

The regulating pins 32a and 32b form a third flow path 46 between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. As shown in FIG. 4, when the cooling gas is applied to the side surface 22b of the support 22 through the second flow path 44 between the extension surface 26a of the guide 26 and the center portion 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8, a flow of cooling gas is generated from near the boundary between the side surface 22b and the upper surface 22a of the support 22 toward the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. The cooling gas that hits the side surface 22b of the support 22 through the extension surface 26a of the guide 26 and flows toward the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 becomes a collision flow that hits the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8, and passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8.

The distance D0 between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 in the third flow path 46 is narrower than the distance D1 between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 in the second flow path 44. Therefore, the flow rate of the cooling gas passing between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is faster than the flow rate of the cooling gas passing between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. The cooling gas passes through the third flow path 46 between the regulating pins 32a and 32b, and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is cooled by the cooling gas. The cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. The cooling gas that flows from the center 8a toward the corner 8b comes into contact with the outer edge of the corner 8b of the substrate 8, so that the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is cooled.

In this manner, the cooling device 14 according to this embodiment cools the center 8a of the substrate 8, which is close to the first flow path 42, which is the outlet for the cooling gas, and the corner 8b, which is far from the first flow path 42, with the cooling gas.

When the cooling gas hits the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 through the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, a flow toward the fourth flow path 48 also occurs. Therefore, part of the cooling gas does not flow from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 to the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 or the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 in the second flow path 44, but flows into the fourth flow path 48. The fourth flow path 48 causes part of the cooling gas to flow along the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24. Therefore, the cooling gas flows into the fourth flow path 48, and the block body 24 is cooled.

In this embodiment, the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26 form a second flow path 44 with an appropriate distance D1 (>D0) between them and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the cooling device 14 flows an appropriate amount of cooling gas toward the space between the lower corner 8b of the substrate 8 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26 while suppressing obstruction of the flow of the cooling gas.

1, the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 tapers away from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, and the second flow path 44 narrows away from the block body 24. Therefore, the flow rate of the cooling gas is increased as it is guided toward the region of the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 that is farther away from the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. The distance D0 between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 is smaller than the distance D1 between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. Therefore, in the cross section shown in FIG. 3, the third flow path 46 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is narrower than the second flow path 44 between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, near the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, the volume of the third flow path 46 is smaller than the volume of the second flow path 44. And, since the flow rate of the fluid passing through the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46 is the same, the pressure of the cooling gas is higher in the third flow path 46 than in the second flow path 44. Therefore, at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, the flow rate of the cooling gas is faster on the third flow path 46 side than in the second flow path 44. Therefore, at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, a flow of the cooling gas toward the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is created. In this way, at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, a flow of the cooling gas toward the corner 8b of the substrate 8 can be created, so that the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is cooled by the passage of the cooling gas through the lower surface of the substrate 8.

Figure 5 shows the temperature distribution of a 1/4 cut of the substrate 8, including the center 8a and corner 8b of the substrate 8, cooled using the cooling device 14 according to the first embodiment. One side of the substrate 8 is, for example, approximately 0.15 m. Therefore, the radius of the imaginary circle is approximately 0.075 m, and the distance from the central axis C of the substrate 8 to the corner of the corner 8b, which is the furthest away, is approximately 0.11 m.

The temperature of the substrate 8 is, for example, higher than 0°C, and the cooling performance of the cooling gas decreases as it flows from the center 8a of the substrate 8 radially outward in the second flow path 44. The example in FIG. 5 shows the temperature distribution at a predetermined time after the start of cooling the substrate 8 with the cooling gas. As shown in FIG. 6, the temperature of the substrate 8 increases as it moves away from the central axis C of the substrate 8 toward the corner 8b. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the center 8a of the substrate 8 (the region up to approximately 0.075 m from the central axis C) has a temperature between -110°C and -70°C, and the corner 8b away from the center 8a has a temperature between -70°C and -45°C.

If the outer shape of the substrate 8 is not a square but a regular polygon such as a regular pentagon or regular hexagon, the guide portion 26 can be formed on the outside of the block body 24 according to the position of the outer corner 8b of the imaginary circle (inscribed circle) of the substrate 8.

When the substrate 8 is rectangular, for example, the area including the intersection of the inner minor axis and major axis of the inscribed ellipse as an imaginary circle is defined as the center 8a, and the area outside the inscribed ellipse, which is the imaginary circle of the substrate 8, is defined as the corner 8b. As in the case where the block body 24 described above is approximately cylindrical, it is sufficient that the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 is formed on the outside of the elliptical upper surface 24a of the approximately elliptical cylindrical block body 24.

The side surface 22b of the support portion 22 shown in FIG. 3 is a surface parallel to the central axis C. The side surface 22b does not have to be a surface parallel to the central axis C. It is also preferable that the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 is formed as an inclined surface in which the distance from the bottom surface of the substrate 8 gradually decreases from the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 toward the corner portion 8b of the substrate 8 until it reaches distance D0. In this case, too, the cooling gas that has passed through the first flow path 42 and the second flow path 44 can be guided to the third flow path 46 to cool the corner portion 8b of the substrate 8.

The extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 shown in FIG. 3 is flush with the upper surface 24a of the block body 24, but the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 does not have to be flush with the upper surface 24a of the block body 24. It is also preferable that the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 is formed as an inclined surface in which the distance from the lower surface of the substrate 8 gradually decreases to distance D0 as it moves from the boundary between the upper surface 24a and the outer peripheral surface 24b of the block body 24 to the boundary between the upper surface 22a and the side surface 22b of the support portion 22. In this case, too, the cooling gas that has passed through the first flow path 42 and the second flow path 44 can be guided to the third flow path 46 to cool the corner portion 8b of the substrate 8.

The distal portion of the guide portion 26 relative to the block body 24 is formed at an acute angle in FIG. 1. The distal portion of the guide portion 26 relative to the block body 24 may be formed at a right angle or an obtuse angle.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fourth flow path 48 does not have to be provided. It is also preferable that the distal portion of the guide portion 26 relative to the block body 24 is formed, for example, as a curved surface.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the guide portion 26 is divided into a plurality of parts on the outside of the block body 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, the guide portion 26 may not be divided into a plurality of parts on the outside of the block body 24, and one guide portion 26 may surround the block body 24. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 8, the annular surface of the second flow path 44 is formed by the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26. In the example shown in FIG. 9, when the radial width of the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 is smaller than the radial width of the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26, for example, 1/10 or less, the annular surface of the second flow path 44 can be regarded as being formed only by the extending surface 26a of the guide portion 26.

In the cooling device 14 of this embodiment, the cooling object is a substrate 8, for example. The object to be cooled by the cooling device 14 of this embodiment is not limited to a substrate 8, and various objects can be cooled. Furthermore, the area to be cooled of the object to be cooled is not limited to a flat surface, and surfaces of various shapes, such as uneven surfaces and curved surfaces, can be cooled.

If the object to be cooled does not move when the cooling gas comes into contact with the object to be cooled at an appropriate flow rate per unit time, the restricting portion 32 of the cooling device 14 is not necessary. In this case, a spacer may be provided on the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 to form a third flow path 46 through which the cooling gas passes between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the object to be cooled.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a cooling device 14 and a substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14 that can easily cool the area to be cooled (the underside of the substrate 8) close to the cooling gas discharge portion (first flow path 42) (the central portion 8a of the underside of the substrate 8) and the area far from the cooling gas discharge portion (the corner portion 8b of the underside of the substrate 8).

(Comparative Example)
Here, the cooling device 114 of the substrate processing apparatus 110 of the comparative example will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 12. In the cooling device 114 of the comparative example, the same components as those of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the cooling device 114 of the comparative example has a support portion 22 and a block body 24. The cooling device 114 does not have the guide portion 26 of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment.

In addition, in the comparative cooling device 114, the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 are flush with each other. The distance D2 between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 of the comparative cooling device 114 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is formed to be approximately the same length as the distance D0 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the distance D2 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 of the comparative cooling device 114 and the lower surface of the substrate 8 is smaller than the distance D1 between the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the second flow path 144 of the comparative example is narrower than the second flow path 44 of the first embodiment.

(Comparison between the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment and the cooling device 114 of the comparative example)
The cooling device 14 of the first embodiment will be compared with the cooling device 114 of the comparative example. It is assumed that the size of the block body 24 and the size of the substrate 8 of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment and the cooling device 114 of the comparative example are the same.

In the comparative cooling device 114, the cooling gas that flows through the first flow path 42 and hits the central portion 8a of the underside of the substrate 8 spreads outward in a circular ring shape in the radial direction of the second flow path 144. At this time, the central portion 8a of the underside of the substrate 8 is cooled along the second flow path 144.

With the exception of a portion of the cooling gas, the cooling gas is discharged between the outer edge (four sides of the substrate 8) of the substrate 8 close to the center 8a of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support 22. In addition, some of the cooling gas is discharged between the corners 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support 22. The area between the outer edge of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support 22 is closer to the central axis C of the center 8a than the area between the corners 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support 22, and the flow resistance is smaller, so the cooling gas flows more easily. For this reason, the corners 8b of the substrate 8 are more difficult to cool than the vicinity of the outer edge close to the center 8a of the substrate 8.

Figure 12 shows the temperature distribution of a quarter cut including the center 8a and corner 8b of the substrate 8 when the substrate 8 is cooled using the comparative cooling device 114. The example in Figure 12 shows the temperature distribution at a predetermined time after cooling of the substrate 8 by cooling gas begins. As shown in Figure 6, the center 8a of the substrate 8 has a temperature between -110°C and -60°C, and the corner 8b has a temperature between -60°C and -30°C.

The cooling gas passing through the first flow path 42 has substantially the same temperature and flow rate in the first embodiment and the comparative example. The temperature of the substrate 8 is also substantially the same immediately before being cooled by the cooling gas. For this reason, when comparing the temperatures of the central axis C of the center 8a of the substrate 8 and the corner of the corner 8b furthest from the central axis C, it can be said that the cooling performance is higher when there is less variation in the temperature distribution of the central axis C of the center 8a and the corner of the corner 8b. In other words, it can be said that the cooling performance is higher when the temperature difference between the central axis C of the center 8a and the corner of the corner 8b furthest from the central axis C is smaller.

The temperature of the center 8a of the substrate 8 in the first embodiment is -110°C to -70°C, while the temperature of the center 8a of the substrate 8 in the comparative example is -110°C to -60°C. Therefore, the temperature of the center 8a of the substrate 8 is almost the same when comparing the first embodiment and the comparative example. However, the temperature (-30°C) of the corner of the corner 8b furthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 in the comparative example is higher than the temperature (-45°C) of the corner of the corner 8b furthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 in the first embodiment. In other words, the cooling performance of the corner 8b is better in the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment than in the cooling device 114 of the comparative example.

In the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment, the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 is flush with the upper surface 24a of the block body 24 and faces the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. This increases the amount of cooling gas to the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. This makes it easier to flow the cooling gas into the third flow path 46 below the corner 8b of the substrate 8. Therefore, in the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment, the presence of the guide portion 26 allows efficient cooling even at the corner 8b of the substrate 8.

As described above, when comparing the temperature at the central axis C of the center portion 8a of the substrate 8 with the temperature at the corner of the corner portion 8b that is the furthest from the central axis C, the smaller the temperature difference, the higher the cooling performance. The improvement rate of the cooling performance of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment compared to the cooling device 114 of the comparative example is expressed as follows: Improvement rate (%)=100-(T _F1 -T _C1 )/(T _F0 -T _C0 )×100
Here, _TF1 is the temperature of the corner of the corner portion 8b that is the furthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment, and _TC1 is the temperature on the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment. _TF0 is the temperature of the corner of the corner portion 8b that is the furthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 114 of the comparative example, and _TC0 is the temperature on the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 114 of the comparative example.
As shown in FIG. 6, when T _F1 =-45°C, T _C1 =-110°C, T _F0 =-30°C, and T _C0 =-110°C, the improvement rate of the cooling performance of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment compared to the cooling device 114 of the comparative example was 18.8%.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a cooling device 14 and a substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14 that can easily cool the area (the underside of the substrate 8) close to the cooling gas discharge portion (the first flow path 42) and the area far from the cooling gas discharge portion (the corners 8b of the underside of the substrate 8) of the cooling object to be cooled (the underside of the substrate 8). Therefore, by using the cooling device 14 and the substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14, it is possible to cool the area near the center and the area near the outer edge of a non-circular cooling object, such as a rectangular substrate.

Second Embodiment
A substrate processing apparatus 10 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13 to Fig. 16. The second embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment, and the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail.

The cooling device 14 has a support 22 that supports the substrate 8, and a block body 64. For example, a cooling gas source 28 (see FIG. 2) is provided below the block body 64. The support 22 and the block body 64, together with the substrate 8, form a flow path 40 for the cooling gas.

As with the relationship between the support part 22 and the block body 24 in the first embodiment, it is preferable that the support part 22 and the block body 64 are integrally molded. It is also preferable that the cooling gas flow path 40 is formed by removal processing after the support part 22 and the block body 64 are formed by integral molding. It is also preferable that the support part 22, the block body 64, and the cooling gas flow path 40 are formed by performing removal processing on a cylindrical plate made of a resin material.

The block body 64 is a substantially cylindrical member. The block body 64 has an annular outer edge 64a that faces the substrate 8 to be cooled when the substrate 8 is supported by the support portion 22, an outer peripheral surface 64b, and a recess 64c formed inside the outer edge 64a. The outer edge 64a is the outer edge of one end of the block body 64. One end of the block body 64 faces the substrate 8 when the substrate 8 is supported by the support portion 22. The other end of the block body 64 faces the cooling gas source 28 or the inner wall of the lower surface of the base portion 12. The central axis C passes through the center of one end of the block body 64 and the center of the other end. The distance between the central axis C of the block body 64 and the outer edge 64a, that is, the radius r1 of the block body 64, is smaller than the radius of the imaginary circle of the substrate 8, which is the object to be cooled. However, the radius r1 is longer than the shortest distance D3 between the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the corner of the corner portion 8b that is farthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8. The outer peripheral surface 64b is the side surface that connects one end of the block body 64 to the other end.

The block body 64 has a through hole that penetrates along the central axis C. The through hole is formed as a first flow path 42 for cooling gas. The first flow path 42 guides cooling gas from a cooling gas source 28 provided, for example, on the lower side of the block body 64, from the lower side to the upper side along the central axis C of the block body 64. Therefore, the first flow path 42 guides the cooling gas that cools the substrate 8 toward the center portion 8a of the substrate 8 fixed to the upper side of the block body 64.

A recess 64c is provided at one end of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14. The recess 64c is formed as a circular ring surface. The second flow path 44 is continuous with the first flow path 42 and is formed in a circular ring shape radially outward from the first flow path 42. The recess 64c has an appropriate distance D between it and the lower surface of the substrate 8. The recess 64c is a curved surface in which, when the lower surface of the substrate 8 or the upper surface 22a of the support part 22 is used as a reference, the closer to the central axis C, the greater the distance D in the direction along the central axis C, and the further away from the central axis C, the smaller the distance D in the direction along the central axis C. In other words, the recess 64c is formed as an inclined surface that reduces the distance between it and the lower surface of the substrate 8 as it moves away from the first flow path 42 along the second flow path 44. In this embodiment, the recess 64c of the block body 64 is formed as a curved surface that continues from the end 42a, which is the opening edge of the first flow path 42, to the boundary between the outer edge 64a and the outer peripheral surface 64b of the block body 64. In other words, the radius of the opening end of the recess 64c that faces the substrate 8 is the same as the radius r1 of the block body 64. Therefore, the radius of the opening end of the recess 64c that faces the substrate 8 is smaller than the radius of the imaginary circle of the substrate 8, but is longer than the shortest distance D3 connecting the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the corner of the corner 8b that is farthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8. The surface of the recess 64c is formed, for example, in the shape of a bell of a brass instrument. The recess 64c is continuous with the outer edge 64a. The recess 64c is formed as the second flow path 44 that communicates with the first flow path 42.

The end 42a of the first flow passage 42 is farther from the underside of the substrate 8 than the end 42a of the first flow passage 42 in the first embodiment. Therefore, when the cooling gas passes through the second flow passage 44 of the recess 64c, it spreads outward in the radial direction of the second flow passage 44 in an annular shape.

The operation of the cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described. The contents described in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

As described in the first embodiment, the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating pins 32a and 32b. When the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32, the distance D0 between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the substrate 8 is defined. When the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32, the distance D is defined between the recess 64c of the block body 64 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the cooling gas flow path 40 including the first flow path 42, the second flow path 44, the third flow path 46, and the fourth flow path 48 is formed on the lower side of the substrate 8 when the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating portion 32.

The cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 guides the cooling gas from the cooling gas source 28 to the first flow path 42. The cooling gas flows from the bottom to the top along the first flow path 42, and spreads in a circular ring shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 along the surface of the recess 64c through the end 42a of the recess 64c of the block body 64. A part of the cooling gas contacts the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and spreads in a circular ring shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 along the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the cooling gas spreads in a circular ring shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 between the recess 64c of the block body 64 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. At this time, the distance D between the vicinity of the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 of the second flow path 44 and the surface of the lower recess 64c along the central axis C is greater than the distance D0 of the third flow path 46, so that the cooling gas flows in a circular ring shape radially outward of the second flow path 44. Therefore, the area of the underside of the substrate 8 above the recess 64c of the block body 64 is cooled when the cooling gas flows along the second flow path 44. That is, when the cooling gas flows from the center 8a of the substrate 8 to the center 8a of the underside of the substrate 8 along the underside of the substrate 8 in a circular ring shape radially outward of the second flow path 44, the underside of the substrate 8 is cooled by the cooling gas.

As the second flow path 44 approaches the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 from the recess 64c of the block body 64, the distance from the bottom surface of the substrate 8 approaches distance D0, and the second flow path 44 becomes narrower. Therefore, the cooling gas is guided toward the region between the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the bottom surface of the substrate 8, and the flow rate increases.

The cooling gas that reaches the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 through the recess 64c of the block body 64 flows toward the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8. This cooling gas passes between the upper surface 22a of the support part 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8. In other words, the cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support part 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8.

The regulating pins 32a and 32b form a third flow path 46 between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. The cooling gas that reaches the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 through the recess 64c of the block body 64 maintains an appropriate flow rate and increases its flow rate. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, a flow of cooling gas is generated toward between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, the cooling gas passes through the third flow path 46 between the regulating pins 32a and 32b, and the corner 8b of the substrate 8, which is the third flow path 46 of the cooling gas, is cooled by the cooling gas. The cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8.

In this manner, the cooling device 14 according to this embodiment cools the center 8a of the substrate 8, which is close to the first flow path 42, which is the outlet for the cooling gas, and the corner 8b, which is far from the first flow path 42, with the cooling gas.

The distance D0 between the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support 22 is smaller than the distance D between the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the recess 64c of the block body 64. However, the cooling gas advances from the central axis C of the block body 64 to the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 while maintaining an appropriate flow rate. Therefore, even in the third flow path 46 which is narrower than the second flow path 44, the flow rate of the cooling gas is increased, and the cooling gas tends to flow to the corner 8b of the substrate 8. In this way, the cooling device 14 of this embodiment can create a flow of cooling gas in the third flow path 46 toward the corner 8b of the substrate 8, so that the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is cooled by the passage of the cooling gas through the lower surface of the corner 8b of the substrate 8.

In the second embodiment, a recess 64c is formed in the block body 64. By forming the recess 64c, the position close to the first flow path 42 of the substrate 8 is less in contact with the cooling gas than in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to suppress excessive cooling of the position close to the first flow path 42 of the substrate 8. In addition, by forming the recess 64c, a flow of cooling gas is formed that spreads in an annular shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 along the surface of the recess 64c. This flow contacts the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8, and compared to the flow of cooling gas that spreads in an annular shape radially outward of the second flow path 44 along the lower surface of the substrate 8, the distance to reach the outer periphery of the center 8a of the substrate 8 is shorter. In addition, there is less contact with the substrate 8. Therefore, the cooling gas can reach the outer periphery of the center 8a of the substrate 8 while maintaining a low temperature. Therefore, the cooling gas can cool the outer periphery of the center 8a of the substrate 8 more. Therefore, by forming the recess 64c in the block body 64, it is possible to prevent the position of the substrate 8 close to the first flow path 42 from being excessively cooled, and it is possible to cool the outer periphery of the center portion 8a of the substrate 8 more effectively. In other words, it is possible to reduce the variation in temperature distribution within the center portion 8a of the substrate 8.

In order to reduce the variation in temperature distribution within the center 8a of the substrate 8, it is preferable that the radius r1 of the block body 64 is close to the radius of an imaginary circle, and it is preferable that the radius r1 is longer than the shortest distance D3 connecting the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the corner of the corner 8b that is furthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8.

Figure 16 shows the temperature distribution of a quarter cut of a substrate 8, including the center 8a and corners 8b of the substrate 8, cooled using the cooling device 14 according to the second embodiment. The example in Figure 16 shows the temperature distribution at a predetermined time after cooling of the substrate 8 by cooling gas has begun. As shown in Figure 6, the center 8a of the substrate 8 has a temperature between -90°C and -80°C, and the corners 8b have a temperature between -80°C and -45°C.

As described above, it can be said that the smaller the temperature difference between the central axis C of the center portion 8a and the corner of the corner portion 8b farthest from the central axis C, the higher the cooling performance. The temperature of the corner of the corner portion 8b farthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment is T _F2 , and the temperature on the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment is T _C2 . As shown in FIG. 6, T _F2 = -45°C, T _C2 = -90°C. Therefore, the temperature difference between the temperature T _F2 and the temperature T _C2 is 45°C, which is smaller than the temperature difference between the temperature T _F0 and the temperature T _C02 of the comparative example, which is 80°C. If _{T F2} = -45°C, T _C2 = -90°C, the improvement rate of the cooling performance of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment relative to the cooling device 114 of the comparative example is 43.8%. That is, the cooling performance of the corner portion 8b is better in the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment than in the comparative example cooling device 114. Therefore, the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment efficiently cools even the corner portion 8b of the substrate 8.

The cooling device 14 according to the second embodiment has a block body 64 on which a substrate (object to be cooled) 8 is disposed, and a support portion 22 that supports the substrate 8 from below. The block body 64 forms a first flow path 42 that flows a cooling gas from the bottom to the top toward the bottom surface (area to be cooled) of the substrate (object to be cooled) 8, and a second flow path 44 that is continuous with the first flow path 42, spreads in an annular shape centered on the first flow path 42, and has a recess (annular surface) 64c that flows the cooling gas in a radial direction relative to the first flow path 42 on the bottom surface of the substrate 8. The support portion 22 is provided so as to surround the outside of the block body 64, and forms a third flow path 46 that is continuous with the outside of the second flow path 44, is narrower than the second flow path 44, and flows the cooling gas to the outside of the recess 64c of the block body 64 when the bottom surface of the substrate 8 is disposed on the top.
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to provide the cooling device 14 and the substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14, which can easily cool the area (the lower surface of the substrate 8) close to the cooling gas discharge portion (the first flow path 42) (the central portion 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8) and the area far from the cooling gas discharge portion (the corner portions 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8) of the cooling object. Therefore, by using the cooling device 14 and the substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14, it is possible to cool the vicinity of the central portion and the vicinity of the outer edge of a non-circular object to be cooled, such as a rectangular substrate.

(First Modification)
A first modification of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment will be described.

The cross section of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment is approximately sector-shaped, as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 shows the results of a simulation of the flow of cooling gas when the substrate 8 is cooled using the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment. The flow rate of cooling gas is high at positions on the surface of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment, close to the first flow path 42, and close to the outer edge 64a of the block body 64. However, the area on the surface of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment between the positions close to the first flow path 42 and the positions close to the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 has little contact with the cooling gas.

As shown in FIG. 17, the surface (inclined surface) of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment may be formed as a surface that follows the simulation results of the cooling gas. The radius of curvature of the surface of the recess 64c can be set appropriately. That is, the recess 64c shown in FIG. 17 is formed, for example, with a continuous surface having a plurality of radii of curvature. The position of the recess 64c near the end 42a of the first flow path 42 has a smaller rate of expansion of the diameter around the central axis C than the position of the recess 64c near the outer edge 64a.

(Second Modification)
A second modification of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment will be described.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 15, the flow rate of the cooling gas is high at positions on the surface of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment near the first flow path 42 and near the outer edge 64a of the block body 64. However, the area between the positions on the surface of the recess 64c of the block body 64 of the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment near the first flow path 42 and near the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 has little contact with the cooling gas.

As shown in FIG. 18, the inclined surface of the recess 64c is formed in a tapered shape that widens from the first flow path 42 toward the third flow path 46. Even if the inclined surface of the recess 64c is tapered in multiple stages, the portion of the recess 64c closer to the end 42a of the first flow path 42 has a smaller rate of expansion of the diameter around the central axis C than the portion of the recess 64c closer to the outer edge 64a. The second flow path 44 may be formed in this manner as long as the shape does not impede the diffusion of the cooling gas.

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19 to Fig. 22. This embodiment is a modification of the first and second embodiments, and members having the same structure as those described in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 19 to 21, the cooling device 14 has a support portion 22 that supports the substrate 8, a block body 64, and a number of guide portions 26. That is, in the cooling device 14 of this embodiment, the approximately cylindrical block body 24 described in the first embodiment is changed to the block body 64 described in the second embodiment.

In addition, the cooling device 14 of this embodiment does not have the fourth flow path 48 described in the first and second embodiments.

The operation of the cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described. The contents described in the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

As described in the first embodiment, the substrate 8 is supported by the regulating pins 32a and 32b.

When the substrate 8 is supported by the restricting portion 32, a distance D0 is defined between the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 and the substrate 8. When the substrate 8 is attracted to the restricting portion 32, a distance D1 is defined between the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. When the substrate 8 is supported by the restricting portion 32, a distance D is defined between the recess 64c of the block body 64 and the lower surface of the substrate 8.

Therefore, the cooling gas flow path 40, including the first flow path 42, the second flow path 44, and the third flow path 46, is formed below the substrate 8 while the substrate 8 is supported by the restricting portion 32.

The cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 guides the cooling gas from the cooling gas source 28 to the first flow path 42. The cooling gas flows from the bottom to the top along the first flow path 42, and spreads radially along the surface of the recess 64c through the end 42a of the recess 64c of the block body 64. A part of the cooling gas contacts the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and spreads radially outward in an annular shape along the lower surface of the substrate 8 of the second flow path 44. Therefore, the cooling gas spreads radially outward in an annular shape of the second flow path 44 between the recess 64c of the block body 64 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. That is, the distance D (>D1) between the vicinity of the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the surface of the lower recess 64c along the central axis C has an appropriate size, so that the cooling gas spreads radially outward in an annular shape of the second flow path 44. Therefore, the area of the underside of the substrate 8 above the recess 64c of the block body 64 is cooled when the cooling gas flows along the second flow path 44. That is, when the cooling gas spreads radially outward of the second flow path 44 from the center 8a of the substrate 8 along the underside of the substrate 8, the underside of the substrate 8 is cooled by the cooling gas.

As the recess 64c of the block body 64 approaches the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the corner 8b of the substrate 8, the distance between the recess 64c and the bottom surface of the substrate 8 approaches distance D1 and becomes narrower. Therefore, the cooling gas is guided toward the region between the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the bottom surface of the substrate 8, and the flow rate increases.

The cooling gas flowing toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 hits the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 through the outer edge 64a of the block body 64. At this time, the cooling gas flowing toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 generates a flow toward the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8.

The cooling gas that hits the side surface 22b of the support 22 through the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and flows toward the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8 becomes a collision flow that collides with the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8, and passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8. In other words, the cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the edge of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. At this time, the cooling gas comes into contact with the vicinity of the outer edge of the substrate 8, so that the vicinity of the outer edge of the substrate 8 is cooled.

At this time, not all of the cooling gas that flows toward the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. A portion of the cooling gas that collides with the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 flows along the side surface 22b of the support portion 22 toward the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. After hitting the center portion 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8, the cooling gas also flows between the recess 64c of the block body 64 and the lower surface of the substrate 8, and toward the area between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8. Therefore, an appropriate amount of cooling gas flows between the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 and the lower surface of the substrate 8.

In addition, since the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 are flush with each other, the occurrence of flow resistance when the cooling gas flows from the outer edge 64a of the block body 64 to the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 is suppressed. Therefore, an appropriate amount of cooling gas flows along the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26.

The extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 tapers away from the outer edge 64a of the block body 64. Therefore, the second flow path 44 narrows away from the block body 64. Therefore, the cooling gas is guided toward the area of the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 that is farther away from the outer edge 64a of the block body 64, and the flow rate increases.

The regulating pins 32a and 32b form a third flow path 46 between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8. As described in the first embodiment, the cooling gas passes through the third flow path 46 between the regulating pins 32a and 32b, and the corner 8b of the substrate 8, which is the third flow path 46 of the cooling gas, is cooled by the cooling gas. The cooling gas that passes between the upper surface 22a of the support 22 and the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is discharged to the outside of the substrate 8. The cooling gas that flows from the center 8a along the corner 8b comes into contact with the vicinity of the outer edge of the corner 8b of the substrate 8, so that the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is cooled.

In this manner, the cooling device 14 according to this embodiment cools the substrate 8 from its center 8a to its corners 8b with cooling gas.

19, the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 tapers away from the recess 64c of the block body 64, and the second flow path 44 narrows away from the block body 64. Therefore, the flow rate of the cooling gas is increased as it is guided toward the region of the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 that is farther away from the recess 64c of the block body 64. The distance D0 between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 is smaller than the distance D1 between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. The distance D1 between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 is smaller than the distance D between the center 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the recess 64c of the block body 64. Therefore, in the second flow path 44, the flow rate of the cooling gas is faster between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26 than between the center portion 8a of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the recess 64c of the block body 64. Also, the flow rate of the cooling gas is faster between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the upper surface 22a of the support portion 22 than between the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 and the extension surface 26a of the guide portion 26. Therefore, at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, a flow of the cooling gas toward the corner 8b of the lower surface of the substrate 8 is created. In this way, at the boundary between the second flow path 44 and the third flow path 46, a flow of the cooling gas toward the corner 8b of the substrate 8 can be created, so that the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is cooled by the passage of the cooling gas through the lower surface of the substrate 8.

Figure 22 shows the temperature distribution of a quarter cut of a substrate 8, including the center 8a and corners 8b of the substrate 8, cooled using the cooling device 14 according to the third embodiment. The example in Figure 22 shows the temperature distribution at a predetermined time after cooling of the substrate 8 by cooling gas has begun. As shown in Figure 6, the center 8a of the substrate 8 has a temperature between -85°C and -80°C, and the corners 8b have a temperature between -80°C and -55°C.

As described above, it can be said that the smaller the temperature difference between the central axis C of the center 8a and the corner of the corner 8b farthest from the central axis C, the higher the cooling performance. The temperature of the corner of the corner 8b farthest from the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment is T _F3 , and the temperature on the central axis C of the substrate 8 cooled by the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment is T _C3 . As shown in FIG. 6, T _F3 =-55°C, T _C3 =-85°C. Therefore, the temperature difference between the temperature T _F3 and the temperature T _C3 is 30°C, which is smaller than the temperature difference between the temperature T _F0 and the temperature T _C0 of the comparative example, which is 80°C. If T _F3 =-55°C, T _C3 =-85°C, the improvement rate of the cooling performance of the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment compared to the cooling device 114 of the comparative example is 62.5%. That is, the cooling performance of the corner portion 8b is better in the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment than in the comparative example cooling device 114. Therefore, the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment efficiently cools even the corner portion 8b of the substrate 8.

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, it is possible to provide a cooling device 14 and a substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14 that can easily cool the area (the underside of the substrate 8) of the object to be cooled that is close to the cooling gas discharge portion (the first flow path 42) (the center portion 8a of the underside of the substrate 8) and the area (the corner portion 8b of the underside of the substrate 8) that is far from the cooling gas discharge portion. Therefore, by using the cooling device 14 and the substrate processing apparatus 10 having the cooling device 14, it is possible to cool the area near the center and the area near the outer edge of a non-circular object to be cooled, such as a rectangular substrate.

The performance of the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the third embodiment will be compared. As described above, the improvement rate of the cooling performance of the cooling device 14 compared to the cooling device 114 of the comparative example was 18.8% for the first embodiment, 43.8% for the second embodiment, and 62.5% for the third embodiment. Therefore, the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment has improved cooling performance compared to the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment and the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment. That is, the temperature distribution between the center 8a and the corner 8b of the substrate 8 is improved by using the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment more than by using the cooling device 14 of the first embodiment, and is improved by using the cooling device 14 of the third embodiment more than by using the cooling device 14 of the second embodiment.

The cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the first to third embodiments has been described as an example of cooling a non-circular cooling object, such as a square substrate 8. In the case where the cooling object is a square substrate 8, the virtual circle may be set at an appropriate position on the substrate 8 inside the inscribed circle of the substrate 8, even if it does not coincide with the inscribed circle of the substrate 8. In this case, if the substrate 8 is disk-shaped, the virtual circle of the substrate 8 is formed inside the outer edge, and the area between the outside of the virtual circle and the outer edge of the circle becomes the outer area of the circle supported by the support part 22. Therefore, the cooling object that can be cooled by the cooling device 14 is not limited to an object whose cooling object area is non-circular, but may be a circular object. Therefore, when the cooling device 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 of the first to third embodiments is used, even if the cooling object area is a circular cooling object, such as a disk-shaped substrate, the cooling object area of the cooling object can be cooled.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a cooling device 14 and a substrate processing apparatus 10 having a cooling device 14 that can easily cool the area of the object to be cooled that is close to and far from the cooling gas discharge portion.

For example, the substrate processing apparatus 10 may have a rotation drive unit provided on the base 12 so that the base 12 and the cooling device 14 can rotate. If the cooling gas source 28 is provided outside the base 12, the piping connecting the cooling gas source 28 and the underside of the base 12 may be connected to the base 12 via a bearing or the like so that the central axis of the piping coincides with the rotation axis of the base 12. Pure water or an aqueous solution may also be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate 8. The pure water or aqueous solution supplied onto the substrate 8 may be frozen, or may be thawed after freezing.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.
The following claims are as of the time of filing of this application.
[Appendix 1]
A first flow path that allows a cooling gas to flow from the lower side to the upper side toward a region to be cooled of the object to be cooled; and
a second flow passage having an annular surface that is continuous with the first flow passage, spreads in an annular shape around the first flow passage, and causes the cooling gas to flow radially outward with respect to the first flow passage in the region to be cooled;
a block body on which the object to be cooled is disposed;
a support part that is provided so as to surround the outside of the block body, that is continuous with the outside of the second flow path, that forms a third flow path that is narrower than the second flow path and that causes the cooling gas to flow outside the annular surface of the block body in a state in which the cooling target area of the cooling object is disposed on an upper side, and that supports the cooling object from below;
A cooling device having
[Appendix 2]
2. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion provided between the block body and the support portion, the guide portion guiding the cooling gas to an outside of the annular surface and extending the second flow passage of the block body to an outside of the block body.
[Appendix 3]
3. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the cooling target area of the object to be cooled and the block body in the second flow path is greater than a distance between the cooling target area of the object to be cooled and the support part in the third flow path.
[Appendix 4]
4. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is provided at a boundary between the second flow path of the block body and the third flow path of the support portion, and has a side surface that narrows the third flow path relative to the second flow path.
[Appendix 5]
5. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the block body has an inclined surface that reduces a distance between the block body and the object to be cooled as the block body moves away from the first flow path along the second flow path.
[Appendix 6]
6. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion has a regulating portion that positions the object to be cooled relative to the support portion and determines the distance between the support portion and the cooling target area of the object to be cooled.
[Appendix 7]
7. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion supports an outer region of an inscribed circle of the cooling target region.
[Appendix 8]
8. A substrate processing apparatus comprising the cooling device according to claim 1.

8...substrate, 8a...center, 8b...corner, 10...substrate processing apparatus, 12...base, 14...cooling device, 22...support, 22a...upper surface, 22b...side surface, 24...block body, 24a...upper surface, 24b...outer periphery, 26...guide, 26a...extending surface, 28...cooling gas source, 32...regulating portion, 32a, 32b...regulating pin, 40...flow path, 42...first flow path, 44...second flow path, 46...third flow path, 48...fourth flow path.

Claims (7)

A first flow path that allows a cooling gas to flow from the lower side to the upper side toward a region to be cooled of the object to be cooled; and
a second flow passage having an annular surface that is continuous with the first flow passage, spreads in an annular shape around the first flow passage, and causes the cooling gas to flow radially outward with respect to the first flow passage in the region to be cooled;
a block body on which the object to be cooled is disposed;
a support portion that is provided so as to surround the outside of the block body, that is continuous with the outside of the second flow passage, that is narrower than the second flow passage and that causes the cooling gas to flow outside the annular surface of the block body in a state in which the cooling target area of the object to be cooled is disposed above, and that supports the object to be cooled from below ,
The support portion supports an outer region of an inscribed circle or an inscribed ellipse of the cooling target region.
Cooling system. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion provided between the block body and the support portion, which guides the cooling gas to the outside of the annular surface and extends the second flow path of the block body to the outside of the block body. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between the cooling target area of the object to be cooled and the block body in the second flow path is greater than the distance between the cooling target area of the object to be cooled and the support part in the third flow path. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support portion is provided at the boundary between the second flow path of the block body and the third flow path of the support portion, and has a side surface that narrows the third flow path relative to the second flow path. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the block body has an inclined surface that reduces the distance between the block body and the object to be cooled as the block body moves away from the first flow path along the second flow path. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the support portion has a restricting portion that positions the object to be cooled relative to the support portion and determines the distance between the support portion and the area to be cooled of the object to be cooled. A substrate processing apparatus comprising the cooling device according to claim 1 .