Heat treatment apparatus and substrate processing system

An heat treatment apparatus comprising:

• a chamber;
• a hot plate for supporting and heating a substrate in the chamber;
• a first pipe having a single or a plurality of gas blow-out ports for supplying a gas along the substrate so as to cover the substrate placed on the hot plate in an upper space above the hot plate in the chamber;
• first and second exhaust ports facing both ends of the first pipe with the hot plate interposed therebetween;
• a second pipe interposed between the first and second exhaust ports;
• a third and fourth exhaust ports facing both ends of the second pipe with the hot plate interposed therebetween, the first pipe being arranged between the third and fourth exhaust ports;
• a gas supply system communicating with the first and second pipes for supplying a gas to each of the first and second pipes;
• an exhaust system communicating with the first, second, third, and fourth exhaust ports, for exhausting the gas through each of the exhaust ports;
• a first switching unit for selectively switching the communication between one of the first and second pipes and the gas supply system;
• a second switching unit for selectively switching the communication between either a pair of the first and second exhaust ports or a pair of the third and fourth exhaust ports, and the exhaust system;
• and
• a control section connected to the first and second switching units, for alternately switching a first connection state for flowing the gas from the first pipe to the first exhaust port with a second connection state for flowing the gas from the first pipe to the second exhaust port, and for alternately switching a third connection state for flowing the gas from the second pipe to the third exhaust port with a fourth connection state for flowing the gas from the second pipe to the fourth exhaust port, as well as for alternately switching a first and second connection state with the second switching means.

A heat treatment apparatus comprising:

• a chamber;
• a hot plate for supporting and heating a substrate in the chamber;
• gaseous stream formation means for supplying a gas along the substrate so as to cover the substrate placed on the hot plate and for exhausting the gas, thereby forming a gas flowing region in a triangle or trapezoid form in an upper space above the hot plate in the chamber, in a plan view;
• and
• gaseous stream switching means for switching a directions of gaseous streams formed by the gaseous stream formation means.

An heat treatment apparatus comprising:

• a chamber;
• a hot plate for supporting and heating a substrate in the chamber;
• an exhaust mechanism having a single or a plurality of exhaust ports for exhausting a gas in a direction substantially parallel to a main surface of the substrate placed on the hot plate;
• a gas supply mechanism facing the exhaust ports with the hot plate interposed therebetween and having gas blow-out ports whose total length involved in blowing out of the gas is greater than that of the exhaust ports;
• and
• an air board for guiding the gas blown out from the gas brow-out ports to the exhaust ports.

A substrate processing system comprising:

• a chamber;
• a hot plate for supporting and heating a substrate in the chamber;
• an exhaust mechanism having a single or a plurality of exhaust ports for exhausting a gas substantially in parallel with a main surface of the substrate placed on the hot plate;
• a gas supply mechanism facing the exhaust ports with the hot plate interposed therebetween and having a gas blow-out ports whose total length involved in blowing out of the gas is greater than that of the exhaust ports;
• a housing having triangular-prism corner assemblies each having a triangular bottom surface whose apex corresponds to the exhaust port and whose bottom line corresponds to the gas blow-out ports, for surrounding the hot plate;
• a plurality of heat treatment units symmetrically arranged in the housing;
• a main arm mechanism surrounded by the heat treatment units, for transporting the substrate to each of the heat treatment units;
• and
• control means for controlling the main arm mechanism and the heat treatment units, independently.