COOLING APPARATUS AND HEATING APPARATUS

Abstract

The present invention provides a cooling apparatus capable of improving a cooling efficiency and realizing a high speed cooling process. The present invention also provides a heating apparatus capable of improving a heating efficiency of a substrate and heating the substrate at high speed. A cooling apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber; a substrate carrier for holding a substrate 1 to be carried into a stop position in the chamber from a carry-in port of the chamber, and to be further carried out from a carry-out port of the chamber; a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate respectively provided on both sides of the substrate carrier carried in to the stop position in the chamber; a gas supply opening, provided in at least one of the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate, for supplying gas to the substrate, gas supply means for supplying gas to the gas supply opening and moving means for moving the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate so as to be close to the substrate carrier.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus and a heating apparatus for a substrate for use in a magnetic recording medium manufacturing process.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a manufacturing process of a magnetic recording medium, a substrate is transported in vacuum, and various processes such as deposition, heating, cooling and the like are performed. In order to increase the throughput of the apparatus, it is requested to reduce a processing time (tact time) required for the processing in each chamber. In order to improve the cooling efficiency while reducing the tact time as described above, the cooling apparatus configured so that a cooling plate is brought close to the substrate has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-537356).

In recent years, the deposition processing is performed by heating the substrate to high temperatures in order to deposit high density magnetic film. On the other hand, the tact time is reduced to increase the throughput of the apparatus. Therefore, a cooling apparatus capable of cooling at high speed in short time has been demanded. However, according to the conventional cooling apparatus, since a sufficient cooling efficiency cannot be ensured, such problem that the throughput is reduced occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling apparatus capable of improving a cooling efficiency and realizing a high speed cooling process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heating apparatus capable of improving a heating efficiency of a substrate and heating the substrate at high speed.

First aspect of the present invention is a cooling apparatus, comprising: a chamber; first cooling means provided in the chamber and configured to cool a substrate; second cooling means provided opposite to the first cooling means in the chamber and configured to cool the substrate; placement means configured to place a substrate holding section holding the substrate in a placement area between the first cooling means and the second cooling means; a gas supply opening provided in at least one of the first cooling means and the second cooling means and configured to supply gas that contributes to cooling of the substrate; gas supply means configured to supply the gas to the gas supply opening; and moving means configured to move the first cooling means and the second cooling means so that the first cooling means and the second cooling means come close to the substrate holding section placed in the placement area.

Second aspect of the present invention is a heating apparatus, comprising: a chamber; first heating means provided in the chamber and configured to heat a substrate; second heating means provided opposite to the first heating means in the chamber and configured to heat the substrate; placement means configured to place a substrate holding member holding the substrate in a placement area between the first heating means and the second heating means; a gas supply opening provided in at least one of the first heating means and the second heating means and configured to supply gas that contributes to heating of the substrate; gas supply means configured to supply the gas to the gas supply opening; and moving means configured to move the first heating means and the second heating means so that the first heating means and the second heating means come close to the substrate holding section placed in the placement area.

According to the cooling apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve a cooling efficiency and realize a high speed cooling process while improving a throughput.

According to the heating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to improve a heating efficiency of a substrate and realize a high speed process of heating the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an entire configuration of a magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view illustrating an internal configuration of a cooling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view illustrating an internal configuration of the cooling apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a cooling plate according to the first embodiment of this invention as viewed from a section taken along the line A-A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a modification of shapes of a first enclosure and a second enclosure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional side view illustrating an internal configuration of a cooling apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is front view of a cooling section according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the cooling section according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the cooling section when seen from the opposite side of the substrate according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an entire configuration of a magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Note that in this specification, the term “magnetic recording medium” is not limited to a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or a floppy (registered trademark) disk using only magnetism when recording and reading information. The term “magnetic recording medium” includes, for example, a magneto optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto Optical) disk using both magnetism and light, or a thermally assisted recording medium using both magnetism and heat.

In this embodiment, the substrate is formed in a disk shape with an opening at the center, and films are to be formed on both surfaces thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus 200, a load lock chamber 81 for loading a substrate 1 (FIG. 2) to a carrier 2, an unload lock chamber 82 for unloading the substrate 1 from the carrier 2, and a plurality of chambers 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217 and 218 are arranged along a square-shaped outline thereof. Also, a transport path 220 is formed along the load lock chamber 81, chambers 201 to 218, and the unload lock chamber 82. Carriers 2 which can carry the substrate are provided on the transport path so that each of carriers 2 can be moved on the transport path. In each chamber, a processing time (tact time) required for the processing is predetermined. When this processing time (tact time) has elapsed, the carriers 2 are sequentially transported to the next chamber.

For the magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus to process about 1,000 substrates per hour, the tact time in one chamber is about 5 sec or less, preferably, about 3.6 sec or less.

Each of the load lock chamber 81, unload lock chamber 82, and chambers 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217 and 218 is a vacuum chamber that can be evacuated by a dedicated or shared evacuating system. Gate valves (not shown) are provided in the boundary portions between the load lock chamber 81, unload lock chamber 82, and chambers 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217 and 218, i.e., and at a carry-out port and a carry-in port of the carrier 2.

More specifically, the chamber 201 of the magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus 200 forms a first soft magnetic layer on the substrate 1. The direction change chamber 202 changes the transport direction of the carrier 2. The chamber 203 forms a spacer layer on the first soft magnetic layer. The chamber 204 forms a second soft magnetic layer on the spacer layer. The chamber 205 forms a seed layer on the second soft magnetic layer. The direction change chamber 206 changes the transport direction of the carrier 2. The magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus 200 also includes the chamber 207 (first heating chamber) and the chamber 208 (second heating chamber) for preheating the substrate 1. Furthermore, the chamber 209 can form the seed layer.

The chamber 210 can function as a sputtering apparatus to form a magnetic layer on the seed layer. The cooling chamber (cooling apparatus) 211 cools the substrate 1 having the magnetic layer formed thereon. The direction change chamber 212 changes the direction of the carrier 2. The cooling chamber (cooling apparatus) 213 cools the substrate 1 located at the stop position in the chamber. The chamber 214 forms an exchange coupling control layer on the magnetic layer. The chamber 215 forms a third soft magnetic layer on the exchange coupling control layer. The direction change chamber 216 changes the direction of the carrier 2. The chambers 217 and 218 form a protective layer.

Note that the magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus 200 is provided with control means (for example, computer) for collectively managing a transportation process of the substrate carrier 2, an evacuation operation of each chamber, a deposition process and the like.

First Embodiment

Next, an internal configuration of the cooling apparatus 211 as a characteristic part of this invention will be described referring to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a sectional side view for illustrating the internal configuration of the cooling apparatus 211.

The cooling apparatus 211 includes the chamber 11, the substrate carrier 2 having a substrate holding section for holding the substrate 1, and a transport path 220 for transporting the substrate carrier 2 in the cooling apparatus 211. The substrate carrier 2 is configured so as to be carried-in to the stop position inside the chamber 11 through the carry-in port of the chamber and to be further carried-out through the carry-out port of the chamber 11. Moreover, the cooling apparatus 211 includes a first cooling plate 3a and a second cooling plate 3b placed on both sides of the substrate carrier 2 carried-in to the stop position in the chamber, respectively. The first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are disposed in the chamber 11 so as to be opposite to each another. The substrate carrier 2 moves along the transport path 220 and stops at the above stop position so that the substrate support section of the substrate carrier 2 is located in an area (placement area) between the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b disposed so as to be opposite to each another. Namely, the movement and stop of the substrate carrier 2 are controlled so that the substrate 1 is located in the area (substrate placement area) where the substrate 1 should be located when being cooled. According to this embodiment, the transport mechanism (not shown) which is provided in the substrate carrier 2 and stops and moves the substrate carrier 2 along the transport path under the control of the control means, and the transport path 220 serve as placement means for placing the substrate holding section in the above placement area.

It is to be noted that in this embodiment, the substrate 1 is held by the substrate carrier which serves both as the substrate holding section and the moving mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the substrate 1 may be held by the substrate holder that functions as the substrate holding section. In this case, for example, the substrate holder may be placed in the placement area so that the substrate 1 held by the substrate holder is located in the substrate placement area by a transport robot having arms capable of rotating, extending and shrinking as the placement means.

The cooling apparatus 211 further includes a gas supply opening 4 formed at least in one of the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b, for supplying cooling gas to the substrate 1, and a moving mechanism 10 as moving means capable of moving the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b so as to be close to the substrate carrier 2 located at the stop position. Furthermore, although not shown, a plurality of (three for example) holding claws for holding the substrate is formed on the substrate carrier 2.

Incidentally, the moving mechanism 10 is provided for each of the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b. In FIG. 2, however, the moving mechanism 10 for driving the first cooling plate 3a is omitted for sake of convenience to schematically show the supply of the cooling gas from a cooling gas supply source 40 to the gas supply opening 4.

The first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are members for cooling the substrate, and are made up of, for example, copper plates having high thermal conductivity. In the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b, ducts are provided for circulating therein cooling water. The ducts are connected to a cooling water supply source (not shown). In this embodiment, the control means controls the cooling water supply source, and whereby cooling water flows in the ducts provided in the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b. The first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are cooled by the circulation of the cooling water, and the substrate 1 can be cooled by transmitting heat from the substrate 1 located in the substrate placement area to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b.

The moving mechanism 10 has a driving source (motor) for moving the cooling plates (the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b) so as to be close to the substrate carrier 2 carried-in from the carry-in port of the chamber 11 to the stop position in the chamber via support members (support members 9a and 9b). Openings are formed respectively in the opposing side walls of the chamber 11, and the support members 9a and 9b are inserted in the chamber 11 through the openings. The moving mechanism 10 (not shown in FIG. 2) is connected to the inserted support member 9a outside the chamber 11, while the base member 8a is connected to the support member 9a inside the chamber 11. Similarly, the moving mechanism 10 is connected to the inserted support member 9b outside the chamber 11, while the base member 8b is connected to the support member 9b inside the chamber 11. With this configuration, the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b can be moved in a direction of an arrow P by driving the moving mechanism 10 under the control of the control means.

According to this embodiment, the first cooling plate 3a is attached to the base member 8a, and the gas supply opening 4 is formed in the first cooling plate 3a, and the gas supply opening 4 is connected to a gas supply path 4a that serves as the path for introducing cooling gas supplied from the cooling gas supply source 40 as the gas supply means. As described above, according to this embodiment, the cooling gas supplied from the cooling gas supply source 40 is supplied from the gas supply opening 4 via the gas supply path 4a. In this embodiment, the gas supply paths 4a are provided respectively in the support member 9a, the base member 8a, and the first cooling plate 3a. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the moving mechanism of the cooling plate and the introduction path of the cooling gas separately. As a result, it is possible to move the cooling plate, and introduce the cooling gas into a space where the cooling plate and the substrate are provided in the vicinity by means of the same structure. Therefore, it is possible to supply the cooling gas to the vicinity of the substrate 1 without drawing around the cooling gas supply path.

Moreover, an enclosure 5a, that surrounds the first cooling plate 3a, is mounted to the base member 8a on which the first cooling plate 3a is provided. Similarly, an enclosure 5b, that surrounds the second cooling section 3b, is mounted to the base member 8b on which the second cooling plate 3b is provided.

FIG. 3 shows the state where the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are placed in the vicinity of the substrate carrier 2 (for example, the distance between the cooling plate and the substrate is within 2 mm). The moving mechanism 10 is driven based on a control command from the control means, and with this driving, the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are moved in the direction of arrow Q shown in FIG. 3 to be placed together near the substrate 1 located in the substrate placement area. Although not shown in FIG. 3, a notch (indicated by the reference numeral 7 in FIG. 4) is formed in the enclosure 5a for avoiding the holding claws for holding the substrate 1.

The gas supply opening 4 is formed in the first cooling plate 3a for supplying the cooling gas (for example, helium or hydrogen) from the cooling gas supply source 40 to the substrate 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the gas supply opening 4 is formed at the center of the first cooling plate 3a for supplying gas to the central opening of the substrate 1. In the cylindrical enclosure 5a, notches 7 are formed at three positions corresponding to respective holding claws so as not to come in contact with the holding claws for the substrate carrier 2.

In this embodiment, the gas supply opening 4 is formed only in the first cooling plate 3a. However, the gas supply opening 4 may be formed also in the second cooling plate 3b.

Moreover, a first cylindrical enclosure 5a that extends from the base member 8a to the second cooling plate 3b is provided around the first cooling plate 3a in the base member 8a as the member for mounting the first cooling plate 3a. A second cylindrical enclosure 5b that extends from the base member 8b to the second cooling plate 3b is provided around the second cooling plate 3b in the base member 8b as the member for mounting the second cooling plate 3b. Namely, the first enclosure 5a is configured so as to surround around the first cooling plate 3a supported by the base member 8a to which the first enclosure 5a is mounted, and to extend toward the second cooling plate 3b provided opposite to the first cooling plate 3a. Similarly, the second enclosure 5b is configured so as to surround around the second cooling plate 3b supported by the base member 8b to which the second enclosure 5b is mounted, and to extend toward the first cooling plate 3a provided opposite to the second cooling plate 3b. In addition, in the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b, openings are formed respectively to allow the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b to communicate with each other.

More specifically, the first enclosure 5a is mounted to the base member 8a so as to surround at least a part of the space between a first surface 8c whereon the first cooling plate 3a of the base member 8a is formed, and a second surface 8d whereon the second cooling plate 3b of the base member 8b is formed. Similarly, the second enclosure 5b is mounted to the base member 8b so as to surround at least a part of the space between the first surface 8c and the second surface 8d.

Incidentally, in this specification, the wording “cylindrical” indicates a substantially cylindrical shape, including a partially notched cylindrical shape.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first enclosure 5a is formed longer than the second enclosure 5b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Namely, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, it is important to cover the space between the first surface 8c and the second surface 8d with the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b in the state where the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b are placed so as to be close to the substrate 1 (in the state of actually carrying out the cooling process). The respective lengths of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure are not particularly limited as long as the above covering can be realized. Namely, if the length of the enclosure is not longer than the distance between the first surface 8c of the first cooling plate 3a when carrying out the cooling process of the substrate 1 and the second surface 8d of the second cooling plate 3b when carrying out the cooling process of the substrate, it is possible to surround at least a part of the space between the first surface 8c and the second surface 8d when carrying out the cooling process. Therefore, with the enclosures, it is possible to suppress the cooling gas supplied to the vicinity of the substrate 1 from being leaked from the space where the substrate 1 is placed to the outside as will be described later.

According to this embodiment, both the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are formed concentrically about the center of the substrate surface. However, the first enclosure 5a has a smaller diameter than that of the second enclosure 5b. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, when the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b come close to the substrate carrier 2, the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are placed so as to be alternated with each other without contact, so that the gap between them forms a Labyrinth shape. As a result, the closed space that encloses therein the substrate 1 can be formed, which can make it hard for the cooling gas to leak out. Hence, it is possible to improve the cooling efficiency of the substrate 1.

In this embodiment, the closed loops of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b have concentric circular shapes. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In this embodiment, in order to prevent or prevent as much as possible the cooling gas supplied to around the substrate 1 from leaking out from the space near the substrate 1 when the substrate 1, the first cooling plate 3a, and the second cooling plate 3b are placed in the vicinity (namely, when the cooling operation is to be performed), the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are provided. Therefore, as long as the foregoing function can be ensured, the respective shapes of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are not particularly limited, and, for example, polygon such as quadrangle, pentagon, and hexagon, closed-looped shape may be adopted.

Each of the foregoing operations in the cooling apparatus is performed under the control of the control means. The control means is configured so that the moving mechanism 10 is driven to move the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b to come close to the substrate carrier 2 (state shown in FIG. 3), and then the cooling gas supply source 40 is controlled to supply the cooling gas to the supply path 4a, and the cooling water supply source is controlled to supply the cooling water to the inside of the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b. As a result, the cooling gas can be efficiently introduced into the closed space surrounding the substrate 1, and the cooling efficiency can be improved not only by the cooling function by the first cooling plate 3a and second cooling plate 3b but also by the cooling function with the cooling gas.

In this specification, “cooling gas” is a gas that contributes to the cooling of the substrate. As long as the substrate can be consequently cooled with the cooling gas, such cooling gas is included in the cooling gas of the present invention even if its function of cooling the substrate is different.

For example, as described above, when using helium or hydrogen as a cooling gas, because the helium or hydrogen exists in the space between the first surface and the second surface, the heat transfer from the substrate 1 to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b can be promoted. Namely, since helium or hydrogen functions as a medium for the heat transfer, the heat can be more efficiently transferred from the substrate 1 to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b. Therefore, a gas such as helium or hydrogen that functions as a heat transfer medium is included in the cooling gas of the present invention.

Moreover, the low temperature gas (for example, the gas whose temperature is lower than that of the substrate 1) may be used as cooling gas. In this case, the low temperature gas may be generated by the cooling gas supply source 40, to be supplied therefrom to the gas supply opening 4 through the supply path 4a. In this case, since the gas whose temperature is lower than that of the substrate 1 is blown onto the substrate 1, the substrate 1 can be cooled not only by the heat transfer from the substrate 1 to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b but also by the gas itself.

As described, according to the present invention, the cooling gas includes both the gas that is indirectly functioned to cool the substrate 1 and the gas that is directly functioned to cool the substrate 1, and any gas that can be used for cooling the substrate falls under the cooling gas of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the cooling of the substrate 1 is performed in the state where both the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate are brought close to the substrate 1, it is possible to carry out the cooling by means of the cooling plates, i.e., the heat transfer from the substrate 1 to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b in an efficient manner.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the gas supply opening 4 configured to supply the cooling gas is provided in at least one of the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b that serve as the receiving plates for the heat from the substrate 1. Therefore, it is possible to supply the cooling gas to the substrate 1 from the position near the substrate 1. As a result, the substrate 1 can be cooled in more efficient manner.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the first enclosure 5a is mounted to the base member 8a whereon the first cooling plate 3a is provided, and the second enclosure 5b is mounted to the base member 8b whereon the second cooling plate 3b is provided. Therefore, by placing the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b so that they come close to the substrate 1 when carrying out the cooling process, the space surrounding the substrate 1, the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b, is automatically formed. Therefore, it can be reduced that the cooling gas supplied from the gas supply opening 4 formed in the first cooling plate 3a escapes in the outside of the surrounding space, thereby realizing a still improved cooling efficiency.

Moreover, the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are provided, and the gas supply opening 4 is formed in at least one of the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b that are placed in the vicinity of the substrate 1 in the cooling operation. Thus, when carrying out the cooling operation, the cooling gas can be supplied into the space (the surrounding space) partitioned by the first enclosure 5a, the second enclosure 5b, the base member 8a, and the base member 8b. It is therefore possible to make the cooling gas acting on cooling of the substrate be present in a limited manner at necessary portions (within the partitioned space). Namely, according to the present embodiment, when the cooling process of the substrate is carried out, it is possible to form automatically the space defined by partitions formed so as to surround the substrate 1 in the state where the substrate 1 is brought close to the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b, and to supply the cooling gas into the space locally.

(First Modification)

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a first modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

In this modification, both of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are enclosures formed concentrically about the center of the substrate surface, in which the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b have the same diameter. Namely, as shown in FIG. 5, when the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b come close to the substrate carrier 2, the leading end of the first enclosure 5a and the leading end of the second enclosure 5b come in contact with each other.

(Second Modification)

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a second modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure. In this modification, both of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are inserted in the openings of the substrate carrier 2. In order to avoid the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b as inserted from striking against the holding claws of the substrate 2, notches (not shown) are formed for avoiding the holding claws of the substrate carrier 2 both in the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b. The gap between the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b is formed in a Labyrinth shape. Thus, the leakage of the cooling gas introduced in the space surrounding the substrate 1 is less likely to occur.

(Third Modification)

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a third modification of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

In this modification, other than the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b, an end member 6 having a first concave part and a second concave part formed on both sides is formed on the side of holding the substrate of the substrate carrier 2. As shown in FIG. 7, when the cooling plate 3 comes close to the substrate, the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are inserted in the first concave part and the second concave part respectively. As a result, the first enclosure 5a and the first concave part, and the second enclosure 5b and the second concave part form Labyrinth shapes respectively.

(Fourth Modification)

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a fourth embodiment of shapes of the first enclosure and the second enclosure.

In this modification, other than the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b, an end member 6 is formed on the side of holding the substrate of the substrate carrier 2 so as to be projected toward the first cooling plate 3a and the second cooling plate 3b. As in the case of the above-described modifications, the gap between the first enclosure 5a and the end member 6, and the gap between the second enclosure 5b and the end member 6 form a labyrinth shape respectively.

(Other Modifications)

In the Examples shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, both the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b are provided. However, the structure wherein either one of the first enclosure 5a and the second enclosure 5b is provided may be adopted.

In the above embodiments, the cooling plate 3 is adopted as cooling means for cooling the substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a heating plate provided with a heater or the like as the heating means for heating the substrate may be used. Moreover, the apparatus provided with the heating plate may be adopted as the first heating chamber 207 or the second heating chamber 208 in FIG. 1. Here, when the apparatus is used as the heating apparatus, the gas to be supplied from the gas supply opening 4 is the heating gas. Thus, in this case, a heating gas supply source is provided in place of the cooling gas supply source 40.

In the present specification, “the heating gas” indicates the gas that contributes to heating the substrate, and any heat gas that eventually heats the substrate falls under the “the heating gas” even if the function of heating the substrate is different.

For the heating gas, for example, gas that functions as a heat transfer medium such as helium, hydrogen or the like, or gas having a higher temperature than that of the substrate may be used. As described, in the present invention, the heating gas includes both gas that is indirectly functioned to heat the substrate 1 and gas that is directly functioned to heat the substrate 1, and any gas that can be used for heating the substrate falls under the heating gas of the present invention.

Incidentally, the cooling apparatus and the heating apparatus of the present invention can be realized by any combinations of the features described in each modification.

Second Embodiment

A cooling apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG. 9 is a sectional side view illustrating an entire configuration of the cooling apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, elements identical with those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof may be omitted as appropriate. In the cooling apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a duct is provided as cooling means for circulating cooling water in the cooling plate 3. In contrast, according to the cooling apparatus of this embodiment, a Peltier device 31 is provided as cooling means for cooling the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 9, a cooling apparatus 211 is provided on the vacuum side via a chamber wall 11, and a moving mechanism 10 as the moving means and the power introducing means (not shown) are provided on the atmospheric side. The moving mechanism 10 changes a rotational force of a motor into a rectilinear motion with a ball screw to move a base member 12 back and forth. As a result, the Peltier device 31 can be brought close to the substrate via a shaft 38.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the cooling apparatus.

On the back side of a heat transfer section 30 having a heat transfer function made of ceramic or the like, the Peltier device 31 is provided so as to be sandwiched between a first metal member 35 and a second metal member 34. The Peltier device 31 is arranged such that a P-type semiconductor device and an N-type semiconductor device are provided alternately at equal intervals. The Peltier device 31 exhibits the cooling effect by flowing of current across the first metal member 35 and the second metal member 34 via a wiring 36 connected to the power introducing means. When the front surface side of the Peltier device 31 is cooled, heat is radiated from the back surface side of the Peltier device 31. In order to cool the resulting heat, an air duct 37 is provided on the back surface side of the Peltier device 31, for introducing the cooling air for cooling the Peltier device 31. To prevent the leakage of the cooling air in the vacuum space inside the chamber, the space between the Peltier device 31 and the heat transfer section 30 is sealed with an O-ring 33. Similarly, the space between the heat transfer section 30 and the base plate 32 is also sealed with an O-ring 33.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating the cooling section when seen from the side of the substrate. The Peltier device 31 in a disc shape is formed on the first metal member 35 in a disc shape having a larger diameter than the Peltier device 31 (not shown in FIG. 11). The disk-shaped first metal member 35 can be secured onto the heat transfer section 30 by means of screws via four holes 39 formed along the outside edge. At respective centers of the Peltier device 31 and the first metal member 35, openings are formed to be connected with the above-described gas supply opening 4.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the cooling section when seen from the opposite side of the substrate. As shown in the Figure, Peltier devices 31 are provided alternately at equal intervals. However, any design may be adopted without being limited to this.

As described above, in the cooling apparatus according to the second embodiment, unlike the case of the first embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the duct for introducing cooling water inside the cooling plate. Thus, a problem of leakage of water does not occur. Similarly, according to the cooling apparatus of this embodiment, since the duct for introducing the cooling water inside the cooling plate is not provided, a problem of condensation when venting the chamber does not occur.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus, comprising:

a chamber;

first cooling means provided in the chamber and configured to cool a substrate;

second cooling means provided opposite to the first cooling means in the chamber and configured to cool the substrate;

placement means configured to place a substrate holding section holding the substrate in a placement area between the first cooling means and the second cooling means;

a gas supply opening provided in at least one of the first cooling means and the second cooling means and configured to supply gas that contributes to cooling of the substrate;

gas supply means configured to supply the gas to the gas supply opening; and

moving means configured to move the first cooling means and the second cooling means so that the first cooling means and the second cooling means come close to the substrate holding section placed in the placement area.

2. A cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an enclosure mounted to at least one of a support section for supporting the first cooling means and a support section for supporting the second cooling means,

wherein the enclosure surrounds a cooling means supported by the support section to which the enclosure is mounted, and extends toward an opposing cooling means, and

the enclosure is opened so that the cooling means supported by the support member to which the enclosure is mounted, communicates with the opposing cooling means.

3. A cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first enclosure provided around the first cooling means so as to surround at least a part of a space between the first cooling means and the second cooling means; and

a second enclosure provided around the second cooling means so as to surround at least a part of a space between the second cooling means and the first cooling means,

wherein the first enclosure and the second enclosure are configured such that a region between the first enclosure and the second enclosure form a Labyrinth shape when the first cooling means and the second cooling means come close to the substrate holding section placed in the placement area by the moving means.

4. A cooling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

control means configured to control the moving means so as to move the first cooling means and the second cooling means toward the substrate holding section placed in the placement area, and to control the gas supply means so as to supply the gas to the gas supply opening.

5. A cooling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first cooling means and the second cooling means comprises a Peltier device.

6. A cooling apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an air duct configured to introduce air that cools the Peltier device.

7. A heating apparatus, comprising:

a chamber;

first heating means provided in the chamber and configured to heat a substrate;

second heating means provided opposite to the first heating means in the chamber and configured to heat the substrate;

placement means configured to place a substrate holding member holding the substrate in a placement area between the first heating means and the second heating means;

a gas supply opening provided in at least one of the first heating means and the second heating means and configured to supply gas that contributes to heating of the substrate;

gas supply means configured to supply the gas to the gas supply opening; and

moving means configured to move the first heating means and the second heating means so that the first heating means and the second heating means come close to the substrate holding section placed in the placement area.