SUBSTRATE COOLING DEVICE

A substrate cooling device is provided and includes a device body and a conduit block. The device body has a housing space, and a discharge portion for receiving and discharging a substrate into and out of the housing space. The conduit block includes an outlet port arranged in the device body across the housing space from the discharge portion, and a gas flow passage which is connected to the outlet port and receives a cooling gas. The conduit block outputs the cooling gas from the outlet port across the housing space in one direction such that the cooling gas flows across an upper surface of the substrate in the one direction and across a lower surface of the substrate in the one direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(a) of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-52632 filed on Mar. 24, 2020 in the Japanese Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a substrate cooling device, and more particularly to a substrate cooling device for cooling a substrate by a cooling gas.

2. Description of Related Art

Various types of substrates such as a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate for flat-panel displays are typically cooled during manufacturing.

Generally, the presence of the difference in the progress of cooling between the surfaces of the substrate is likely to cause the occurrence of warpage in the substrate. Typically, a first surface of the substrate is cooled by a cooling plate, and a second surface opposite to the first surface is cooled by a cooling gas, so that it is possible to remove the difference in the progress of cooling between the first and second surfaces of the substrate, and uniformly cool the substrate. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of warpage in the substrate.

However, in the substrate cooled by respective different methods, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to control the different methods to remove the difference in the progress of cooling. Moreover, using multiple cooling methods requires the addition of components to implement multiple cooling methods resulting in an increase in structural complexity.

Another option is to use only a cooling gas. However, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to obtain even flow of the cooling gas over both surfaces of the substrate, resulting in difficulty in removing the difference in cooling between the two surfaces of the substrate and it is difficult to suppress the occurrence of warpage of the substrate.

Yet another option for cooling a semiconductor wafer after annealing includes introducing a cooling gas into a chamber housing plural substrates such that the cooling gas is supplied to flow between adjacent ones of the plurality of substrates. However, this method also does not take into account the difference in the progress of cooling between an upper side and an lower side of each of the substrates. Therefore, this method is also unable to uniformly cool the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, which is likely to raise the difference in the progress of cooling between the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, resulting in the occurrence of warpage in the substrate.

SUMMARY

It is an aspect to provide a substrate cooling device capable of uniformly cooling a substrate by a cooling gas.

According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a substrate cooling device comprising a device body having internally formed therein a housing space configured to house a substrate, the device body having a discharge portion formed therein; and a conduit block comprising a gas flow passage through which a cooling gas flows into the housing space, and an outlet port leading to the gas flow passage, the conduit block being configured to output the cooling gas such that the cooling gas flows along an upper surface of the substrate in one direction and along a lower surface of the substrate in the one direction, wherein the discharge portion is positioned across the substrate in opposed relation to the outlet port, and the cooling gas is discharged in the one direction from the housing space through the discharge portion.

According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a substrate cooling device comprising a device body having a housing space, and a discharge portion for receiving and discharging a substrate into and out of the housing space; a conduit block comprising an outlet port arranged in the device body across the housing space from the discharge portion, and a gas flow passage which is connected to the outlet port and configured to receive a cooling gas, wherein the conduit block outputs the cooling gas from the outlet port across the housing space in one direction such that the cooling gas flows across an upper surface of the substrate in the one direction and across a lower surface of the substrate in the one direction.

According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a substrate cooling device comprising a device body having a housing space including a support portion for supporting a substrate therein, the device body having an opening in a wall surface thereof; conduit block arranged in the device body across the housing space from the opening, the conduit block including a plurality of gas outlet ports and a gas flow passage in communication with the plurality of gas outlet ports, the gas flow passage configured to receive a cooling gas from outside of the substrate cooling device, wherein the cooling gas flows from the plurality of gas outlet ports, across the housing space, and out the opening in one direction such that the cooling gas flows in the one direction across an upper surface of the substrate when the substrate is supported by the support portion and in the one direction across a lower surface of the substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, the presence of a difference in the progress of cooling between an upper surface and a lower surface of a substrate is likely to cause the occurrence of warpage in the substrate. A related art substrate cooling device typically includes a cooling plate which is disposed inside a processing chamber for housing a substrate, and internally formed with a cooling water path for circulating cooling water therethrough, and an air supply nozzle for supplying a cooling gas toward the substrate housed in the processing chamber. Further, proximity balls may be disposed on a surface of the cooling plate, such that, when the substrate is placed on the proximity balls, a gap is formed between the surface of the cooling plate and the substrate. The substrate cooling device is thus configured to cool a first surface of the substrate by the cooling plate, and to cool a second surface opposite to the first surface by the cooling gas output from the air supply nozzle. The first surface and the second surface of the substrate are cooled, respectively, by the cooling plate and the cooling gas, so that it is possible to remove the difference in the progress of cooling between the first and second surfaces of the substrate, and uniformly cool the substrate. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of warpage in the substrate.

However, since first surface and the second surface of the substrate are cooled by respective different methods, there is a problem of difficulty in control for removing the difference in the progress of cooling between the first and second surfaces of the substrate. Moreover, both a structure of the cleaning plate and a structure for supplying the cooling gas are required, thus increasing structural complexity of the entire device.

The related art substrate cooling device may configured such that the cooling gas flows on each of a first surface side and a second surface side of the substrate such that the two surfaces of the substrate may be cooled only by the cooling gas. However, this substrate cooling device is configured such that the cooling gas flows to go around from the upper side to the lower side of the substrate. Thus, if it is attempted to cool the substrate only by the cooling gas, the cooling gas after drawing heat on the upper side of the substrate will flow on the lower side of the substrate. Therefore, the substrate cooling device using only cooling gas is unable to remove a difference in cooling between the upper side and the lower side of the substrate. That is, the substrate cooling device using only cooling gas is unable to suppress the occurrence of warpage of the substrate.

It is also possible to cool a semiconductor wafer after annealing. Another related art substrate processing apparatus may a structure configured such that a boat holding a plurality of substrates is housed in a processing chamber, and a cooling gas is supplied to flow between adjacent ones of the plurality of substrates. However, the substrate processing apparatus simply supplies the cooling gas from an outlet port of a cooling gas supply nozzle toward the plurality of substrates, without taking into account the difference in the progress of cooling between the upper side and the lower side of each of the substrates. Therefore, the related art substrate processing apparatus is unable to uniformly cool the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, which is likely to raise the difference in the progress of cooling between the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, resulting in the occurrence of warpage in the substrate.

In the substrate cooling device according to embodiment described herein, a cooling gas output from an outlet port toward the substrate housed in a housing space flows on each of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate in one direction, and is then discharged from a discharge portion in the one direction. That is, the cooling gas output from the outlet port is discharged from the discharge portion after flowing on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, in the one direction on a continuous basis. Thus, each of an upper surface side and a lower surface side of the substrate will be sequentially cooled from a region closer to the outlet port, so that it is possible to suppress a situation where a difference in the progress of cooling in the one direction occurs between the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the substrate. Therefore, it becomes possible to uniformly cool the substrate by the cooling gas.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A substrate cooling device10A according to a first embodiment, a substrate cooling device10B according to a second embodiment, and a substrate cooling device10C according to a third embodiment will be described.

Each of the substrate cooling devices10A,10B,10C according to the first to third embodiments is a device for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process or a flat-panel display manufacturing process, and used in a state in which it is incorporated in a substrate processing apparatus for applying given processing to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate.

As shown inFIG. 1, the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment is installed to a disposition portion2of a substrate processing apparatus1and thus incorporated in the substrate processing apparatus1. The substrate processing apparatus1in the first embodiment may be an ion implantation apparatus for subjecting a substrate S to ion implantation processing. The substrate S may be, for example, a semiconductor wafer. Further, in the description that follows, each of the substrate cooling devices10B,10C is used in a state in which the substrate cooling device10B,10C is installed to the disposition portion2of the substrate processing apparatus1, in the same manner as that for the after-mentioned substrate cooling device10A.

Here, the substrate processing apparatus1is not limited to an ion implantation apparatus, but may be any of various other substrate processing apparatuses such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus. Further, each of the substrate cooling devices10A,10B,10C is not limited to being incorporated in the substrate processing apparatus1, but may be used in a state in which it is placed, independently of the substrate processing apparatus1.

FIRST EMBODIMENT

The substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment will be described.FIG. 1is a perspective view showing the substrate cooling device10A in a state in which it is assembled to the substrate processing apparatus1. InFIG. 1, only a part of the substrate processing apparatus1is shown.

The substrate cooling device10A is installed to the disposition portion2and thus incorporated in the substrate processing apparatus1which is an ion implantation apparatus, as mentioned above, and is a device configured to house a substrate S after being subjected to ion implantation processing, and cool the substrate S down to a target temperature. The substrate cooling device10A also has a function as a load lock device configured such that the inside thereof is switchable between a state under high vacuum pressure and a state under atmospheric pressure. In other words, the substrate cooling device10A may be regarded as a load lock device having a function of cooling the substrate S.

As shown inFIG. 1, the substrate cooling device10A comprises a device body31A internally formed with a housing space34for housing the substrate S, and a cover member30A closing an opening32(seeFIG. 2) formed in the device body31A. Both the device body31A and the cover member30A are formed of a metal material. The device body31A is configured such that the entire outline thereof is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by a plurality of walls11. The plurality of walls11consist of a front wall11a,a rear wall11bopposed to the front wall11a,a pair of lateral walls11ceach coupling the front wall11aand the rear wall11btogether, a bottom wall11dand a ceiling wall11e.

The front wall11ais formed with a discharge portion12extending to penetrate through the front wall11ain a thickness direction thereof and opened at both ends thereof. The discharge portion12is configured to discharge a cooling gas. In the substrate cooling device10A, the discharge portion12is also used to take the substrate S in and out between the inside and outside of the device body31A. More specifically, by a non-illustrated robot hand/arm, the substrate S may be transferred to pass through the discharge portion12, such that the substrate S is carried in to the housing space34or carried out of the housing space34.

It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the opening for taking the substrate S in and out may be formed at any position of the walls11, separately from the discharge portion12. Further, in some embodiments, an opening for carrying the substrate S in the housing space34and an opening for carrying the substrate S out of the housing space34may be provided separately.

The substrate cooling device10A further comprises a flap valve13disposed outside the front wall11athat is configured togas-tightly close the discharge portion12. Further, one of the lateral walls, for example a lateral wall11c,is formed with an evacuation hole14that penetrates the one of the lateral walls from the outside to the inside of the device body31A. An evacuation pipe connecting section14ais formed in an outer surface of the lateral wall11caround an open end of the evacuation hole14, and an evacuation pipe15leading to a vacuum pump16is connected to the evacuation pipe connecting section14a.The vacuum pump16is an evacuating pump used for vacuuming or evacuating the inside of the device body31. When the vacuum pump16is activated in a state in which the cover member30A is attached to the device body31A, and the flap valve13closes the exhaust portion12, and air inside the device body31A is evacuated to the outside of the device body31A via the evacuation pipe15, so that the inside of the device body31A may be placed under high vacuum.

Here, the evacuation hole14and the evacuation pipe connecting section14aare provided to allow the substrate cooling device10A to additionally fulfill the function of the load lock device. In other words, in some embodiments in which the substrate cooling device10A is configured with an aim only to house and cool the substrate S, it is not necessary to provide the evacuation hole14and the evacuation pipe connecting section14a.That is, in some embodiments, the evacuation hole14and the evacuation pipe connecting section14amay be omitted.

Further, one of the lateral walls, for example a lateral wall11c,may be formed with a gas introduction hole17A for allowing a cooling gas to flow therethrough, and a gas pipe connecting section18A may be formed in the outer surface of the lateral wall around an open end of the gas introduction hole17A. A gas pipe19leading to a gas source20for supplying the cooling gas is connected to the gas pipe connecting section18A. A valve21is interposed in the gas pipe19. Through a switching operation of the valve21, it is possible to control supply of the cooling gas to the inside of the device body31A.

Here, control of the supply of the cooling gas includes not only control of selectively starting and stopping the supply of the cooling gas, but also control of adjusting a flow volume and/or a flow velocity of the cooling gas. Further, such control may be performed automatically via a controller, or may be performed by an operator. In some embodiments, the cooling gas may be nitrogen gas. However, in other embodiments, the cooling gas may be an inert gas or dry air which does not exert any influence on various processings of the substrate S.

Further, it is not necessary that the cooling gas itself is cooled before being supplied to the inside of the device body31A, as long as the cooling gas may cool the substrate S down to the target temperature. That is, in some embodiments, the cooling gas may have a temperature lower than the target temperature at a time immediately after being supplied to the inside of the device body31A. When the target temperature is higher than normal temperature, the cooling gas may have normal temperature. For example, the normal temperature may be room temperature.

In the drawings and description that follows the assumption is that a horizontal plane is defined as an XY plane, and a vertical direction is defined as a Z-direction, wherein a direction along which the substrate S is taken in and out through the discharge portion12is aligned with the X-axis. As hereinafter used in this specification, the terms “front-rear (longitudinal) direction” and “right-left (lateral) direction” denote, respectively, a direction along the X-axis and a direction along the Y-axis, and the term “up-down (top-bottom) direction” denotes a direction along the Z-axis.

FIG. 2is a top view of the substrate cooling device10A in a state in which the cover member30A is detached therefrom.FIG. 3is a vertical sectional view of the substrate cooling device10A, taken along a line V1-V1inFIG. 2. It should be noted here that, inFIGS. 2 and 3, any component disposed on the outer side of the device body31A, such as the flap valve13, inFIG. 1, is omitted for conciseness. Further, whereas the cover member30A is omitted inFIG. 2, it is shown inFIG. 3without being omitted.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the device body31A of the substrate cooling device10A is internally formed with a housing space34for housing the substrate S. More specifically, the housing space34is a space defined by respective inner surfaces of the plurality of walls11disposed to surround the substrate S and making up the device body31A, i.e., the front wall11a,the rear wall11b,the pair of lateral walls11c,the bottom wall11d,and the ceiling wall11e,wherein as a result of attaching the cover member31A the device body31A, the housing space34is formed as a closed space with respect to the outside, except for the discharge portion12.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the ceiling wall11eis formed with a placement surface11ffor allowing the cover member31A to be placed thereon.

The substrate S may be formed in a circular disk shape as a whole, and may have an upper surface Sa, a lower surface Sb, and a side surface Sc. However, the substrate S is not particularly limited, and in some embodiments may take different shapes. Here, various processings such as ion implantation may be applied to the upper surface Sa of the substrate S.

As shown inFIG. 2, a bottom wall inner surface34awhich is the inner surface of the bottom wall11ddefining the housing space34is formed with a plurality of mounting bases35for allowing the substrate S to be placed thereon. For example, two mounting bases35may be provided as a pair of mounting bases35. The pair of mounting bases35may be formed to be spaced apart from each other in a right-left direction (Y-direction). As shown inFIG. 3, each of the mounting bases35may be formed to protrude upwardly from the bottom wall inner surface34a,and have an elongate rectangular shape in top view. Further, each of the mounting bases35may be formed such that a lengthwise direction thereof is aligned with a front-rear direction (X-direction), and each of the lengthwise opposite ends of each of the mounting bases35may be provided with a support portion36for supporting the substrate S, and a restriction wall37having a restriction surface37afor positioning the substrate S and restricting displacement of the substrate S. The pair of mounting bases35may form a gap between the lower surface Sb of the substrate S and the bottom wall inner surface34a,to allow the cooling gas to smoothly flow frontwardly.

The pair of mounting bases35are configured to support the substrate S housed in the housing space34, while forming a gap between the lower surface Sb of the substrate S and the bottom wall inner surface34ato allow the cooling gas to flow therethrough. That is, the substrate S is not limited to being directly placed on the mounting bases35, and in some embodiments, the substrate S may be placed on and supported by the support portions36provided on the mounting bases35.

Here, the pair of mounting bases35may be provided to support the substrate S while lifting up the substrate S from the bottom wall inner surface34a.Therefore, the mounting bases35may be provided by disposing separate members on the bottom wall inner surface34a,or in some embodiments, may be integrally formed with the bottom wall inner surface34aby subjecting the bottom wall inner surface34ato cutting or the like. While two mounting bases35are described, embodiments are not limited to two and, in some embodiments, three or more mounting bases35may be provided.

Further, as shown inFIG. 2, the gas introduction hole17A for allowing the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20to flow therethrough is formed to penetrate through the inside of the rear wall11bconstituting the device body31A. More specifically, the gas introduction hole17A is formed to extend from the gas pipe connecting section18A formed in the outer surface of the lateral wall11c,while being branched in mid-course at a plurality of branch points17B, and lead to a plurality of open ends formed in the inner surface11gof the rear wall11b.For example, the gas introduction hole17A may be found to branch in mid-course into four branch points17B, and lead to five open ends formed in the inner surface11gof the rear wall11b.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate cooling device10A further comprises a conduit block40A detachably disposed on the inner surface11gof the rear wall11band configured to direct the cooling gas through the housing space34. The conduit block40A comprises a plurality of outlet ports42A for outputting the cooling gas toward the substrate S housed in the housing space34; and a plurality of gas flow passages41A each formed to penetrate through the inside of the conduit block40A in the front-rear direction and lead to a respective one of the outlet ports42A and to allow the cooling gas to flow therethrough. For example, in some embodiments, five outlet ports42A may be provided and five gas flow passages41A may be provided. However, embodiments are not limited to five and in some embodiments more or fewer than five outlet ports and flow passages may be provided.

In the first embodiment, the conduit block40A is configured to be detachable or removable with respect to the rear wall11bamong the walls11. That is, in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, since the conduit block40A is configured to be detachable from the rear wall11b,the entire conduit block40A may be removed to the outside of the device body31A. Further, a disposition position of and an attaching method for the conduit block40A with respect to the housing space34are not particularly limited, as long as the conduit block40A is configured such that at least a part thereof is removable to the outside of the device body31A. That is, the conduit block40A may be composed of a plurality of constituent members, wherein the conduit block40A may be configured such that at least one of the constituent members is removable to the outside of the device body31A.

For example, in some embodiments, the conduit block40A may be configured to be detachable with respect to the inner surface of one of the lateral walls11cor the bottom wall11d.Further, in some embodiments, the conduit block40A may be attached while a sealing member such as packing is interposed between the conduit block40A and one of the walls11, or may be attached while a spacer member for adjusting the positions of the outlet ports42A with respect to the substrate S is interposed therebetween.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, each of the gas flow passages41A of the conduit block40A may formed to lead to a respective one of the open ends formed in the inner surface11gof the rear wall11band leading to the gas introduction hole17A. The outlet ports42A and the gas flow passages41A are configured such that a flow of the cooling gas output from the outlet ports42A is uniformly formed, i.e., the cooling gas output from the outlet ports42A are approximately fully uniform in terms of one or both of flow volume and flow velocity.

Here, when a path length and a number of the branch points17B passing through from the gas introduction hole17A to each of the outlet ports42A are not the same, a flow rate and/or a flow velocity of the cooling gas from each outlet port42A may be significantly different in some cases. In order to address this difference, in some embodiments, a configuration of the outlet ports42A and the gas flow passages41A may be modified to achieve uniformity in the flow of the cooling gas output from the outlet ports42A. For example, in some embodiments, a position and shape of the outlet ports42A and the gas flow passages41A may be modified, e.g., by modifying a length, a passage diameter or shape, or location within the conduit block40A of the gas flow passages41A, the gas introduction hole17A, and/or the branch points17B. For example, in some embodiments, an opening area of one or more of the outlet port42A may be adjusted with respect to each of the outlet ports42A.

As shown inFIG. 3, the outlet ports42A of the conduit block40A are configured to output the cooling gas toward the side surface Sc of the substrate S, i.e., frontwardly (X-direction), and positioned in opposed relation to the side surface Sc of the substrate S housed in the housing space34, at the same position as that of the substrate S in a thickness direction of the substrate S, i.e., in the up-down direction (Z-direction). As shown inFIG. 2, the outlet ports42A are formed to be arranged in line at even intervals in the right-left direction (Y-direction). Further, the discharge portion12for discharging the cooling gas from the housing space34is formed such that the opening of discharge portion12is positioned in opposed relation to the outlet ports42, across the substrate S. However, embodiments are not limited to this configuration and, in some embodiments, the outlet ports42A may be positioned at uneven intervals (i.e., an unequal/uneven pitch), or may be positioned such that some outlet ports42A are above the substrate S and some outlet ports42A are below the substrate in the Z-direction (e.g., in a checkerboard type pattern). Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more of the outlet ports42A may be closed.

Thus, the cooling gas output from the five outlet ports42A is formed as a flow as shown inFIG. 3. The flow may include a first flow F1and a second flow F2. The cooling gas is output from the outlet ports42A frontwardly (X-direction), and thereby the first flow F1, which is a flow of the cooling gas immediately after being output from the outlet ports42A, is generated. The first flow F1is branched into an upper-side flow Fa which flows along the upper surface Sa of the substrate S and a lower-side flow Fb which flows along the lower surface Sb of the substrate S. After each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb flows on and across a corresponding one of the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S frontwardly, the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb are discharged to the outside of the housing space34through the discharge portion12in the form of a second flow F2, while a flow direction of the entirety of the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow Fa, Fb is maintained in the front direction.

In this way, the cooling gas flows on each of the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the front direction (X-direction), i.e., in one direction, as shown by the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, and, in this process, draws heat from each of an upper surface Sa side and a lower surface Sb side of the substrate S to cool the substrate S. The cooling gas is kept flowing in the one direction, and discharged as the second flow F2. The side surface Sc of the substrate S is pushed by the first flow F1frontwardly (X-direction). However, in the substrate housing device10A according to the first embodiment, the displacement of the substrate S in the front direction is restricted by the restriction surface37aformed in the restriction wall37.

The operation of the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment will be described.

The substrate cooling device10A may be used in a state in which the substrate cooling device10A is incorporated in the substrate processing apparatus1which may be, for example, an ion implantation apparatus, and configured to cool the substrate S after the substrate S is subjected to ion implantation, and which serves as a load lock device. The substrate S is heated by a heating device (not-illustrated) equipped in the substrate processing apparatus1, and subjected to ion implantation processing by irradiation with an ion beam in a processing chamber (not-illustrated) whose inside is set in high vacuum. The substrate S is housed in the housing space34of the device body31A whose inside is set in high vacuum. The valve21is opened, and thereby the cooling gas starts to be supplied from the gas source20to the housing space34. In some embodiments, the cooling gas is first supplied in a reduced flow volume, and output from the outlet ports42A, so that the internal pressure of the housing space34is increased and then the valve21is further opened, and thereby the cooling gas is continuously introduced into the housing space34in a given flow volume or flow velocity set to sufficiently cool the substrate S.

As a result of the output of the cooling gas from the outlet ports42A in the front direction (X-direction), the first flow F1flowing frontwardly (X-direction) is generated. The first flow F1is branched into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, and each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb flows on a corresponding one of the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S frontwardly in one direction (e.g., in the X-direction), whereafter the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb are formed as the second flow F2and discharged frontwardly through the discharge portion12in the one direction (e.g., in the X-direction). The cooling gas is continuously supplied for a given time enough to cool the substrate S down to a desired temperature. The given time may be predetermined, or may be determined experimentally, and may be set different for different substrates S. After the elapse of the given time, the valve21is operated again to stop the supply of the cooling gas. Subsequently, the substrate S, which is now cooled, is carried outside the device body31A through the discharge portion12by a non-illustrated robot hand. The flap valve13is closed, and the inside of the housing space34is vacuumed or evacuated by the vacuum pump16to return to the vacuum state.

In the first embodiment, the flap valve13is configured to be pushed frontwardly and opened by the second flow F2while the cooling gas flows within the housing space34. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the flap valve13may be configured such that opening and closing are controlled by a driving device such as a motor, as long as the opening and closing of the flap valve13does not hinder the flow of the cooling gas in the one direction during cooling of the substrate S.

In the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, after the cooling gas is output from the outlet ports42toward the substrate S housed in the housing space34, the cooling gas flows on each of the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the one direction, and is discharged from the discharge portion12in the one direction. That is, the cooling gas is discharged from the discharge portion12after flowing on the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S, in the one direction on a continuous basis, without going around from one surface side to the other surface side of the substrate and vice versa in a circular flow. In other words, the cooling gas flows straight from the outlet ports42to the discharge portion12in the one direction without forming a circular flow around the substrate S. Thus, each of the upper surface Sa side and the lower surface Sb side of the substrate S will be cooled from a region closer to the outlet ports42A to a region farther from the outlet ports42A, i.e., from the rear end to the front end of the substrate S in the X direction (seeFIG. 3). This cooling makes it possible to suppress a situation where there is a top-down flow of cooling gas which creates a difference in the progress of cooling in between the upper surface Sa side and the lower surface Sb side of the substrate S. By cooling the substrate S from the rear end to the front end of the substrate S in the X direction according to the embodiment, it is possible to minimize a temperature difference between the upper surface Sa side and the lower surface Sb side of the substrate at any point on the wafer, thereby uniformly cooling the substrate with respect to the upper surface Sa side and the lower surface Sb side. Accordingly, no difference in the progress of cooling occurs between the upper surface Sa side and the lower surface Sb side in the Z direction, and thus the occurrence of warpage in the substrate S is suppressed. In other words, when the substrate S is cooled by a top-down flow in which the cooling gas is directed toward the center of the upper surface Sa side of the substrate S in the Z direction as in the related art, the cooling gas must flow around the ends of the substrate S to the lower surface Sb side of the substrate S, which creates a large temperature difference between the front side (facing the cooling gas) and back side of the substrate S and the substrate S cracks easily. A substrate S such as a wafer is typically a thin plate, and if there is some temperature difference between the front side and the back side of the wafer, the amount of shrinkage in the horizontal direction (X direction) on the front side and the back side will be different. This temperature difference easily causes warpage and cracking. Moreover, when the cooling gas is directed top-down toward a center of the upper surface Sa side of the substrate S, the cooling gas that has taken heat from the substrate S becomes turbulent, particularly near the ends of the substrate S, making cooling control difficult. By contrast, when the substrate S is cooled by a cooling gas that flows in one direction (X direction) as in the embodiments disclosed herein, the temperature between the front side and back side of the substrate S is more uniform and warpage and cracking may be reduced.

The first flow F1, the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb express a flow (i.e., an entire flow) of the entire cooling gas output from the outlet ports42A. That is, each of the first flow F1, the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb may be formed as a flow spreading in the up-down direction or the right-left direction, or a turbulence flow, partly or microscopically, as long as the entire flow flows in the one direction as a whole.

In the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the plurality of outlet ports42A are aligned at approximately the same position in the thickness direction of the substrate S, so that the first flow F1is generated by the cooling gas output from the outlet ports42A at approximately the same position in the thickness direction (i.e., the Z-direction inFIG. 3) of the substrate S. Thus, it is easy to form the first flow F1uniformly in the right and left direction (Y-direction), i.e., in a direction orthogonal to the one direction (X-direction), on the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S. This confirmation makes it easy to form each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb uniformly in the right and left direction, i.e., in the direction orthogonal to the one direction, and thus form each of the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow uniformly in the orthogonal direction. That is, the occurrence of the difference in the progress of cooling may also be suppressed in the direction orthogonal to the one direction on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. In other words, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the difference in the progress of cooling, even in the right and left direction, i.e., in the direction orthogonal to the one direction on the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S, thereby more uniformly cooling the substrate S.

In the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the first flow F1may be branched into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb by the side surface Sc of the substrate S, so that it is not necessary to divide the gas flow passages41A formed in the conduit block40A, into a group of flow passages for generating the upper-side flow Fa, and a group of flow passages for generating the lower-side flow Fb. Thus, the conduit block40A may be formed with a simple structure.

Further, in the substrate cooling device10A, it is not necessary to additionally provide a configuration for branching the first flow F1into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb. Thus, the configuration of the inside of the device body31A may be simplified.

In the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the restriction wall37is provided to restrict the displacement of the substrate S in the one direction (X-direction). Thus, even when the side surface Sc of the substrate S is pushed by the first flow F1, the substrate S is prevented from being displaced beyond an allowable range.

In the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the conduit block40A is configured to be removable to the outside of the device body31A, so that the conduit block40A may be removed to the outside of the device body31A to perform maintenance work such as cleaning. Therefore, as comparted to a case where the conduit block40A is integrally formed with the device body31A, work efficiency during maintenance may be improved.

The conduit block40A is not limited to the configuration in which the entirety of the conduit block40A is removable to the outside of the device body31A, but may be configured such that the conduit block40A is composed of a plurality of members, wherein the members are partly removable to the outside of the device body31A or where a portion of the members are removable to the outside of the device body31A.

Further, suppose that the conduit block40A is configured to be integrally formed with the device body31A. In this case, for example, when it is desired to modify the outlet ports42A or the gas flow passages41A, it is necessary to replace the entire device body31A. By contrast, in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the entirety of or a part of the conduit block40A may be replaced with a new one formed with outlet ports or a gas flow passages subjected to a desired modification. Therefore, it is possible to easily modify the configuration of the outlet ports42A or the gas flow passages41A.

For example, when it is desired to move the position of each of the outlet ports42A closer to the substrate S, a conduit block produced such that each of the gas flow passages41A is extended in the front direction to move the formation position of each of the outlet ports42A closer to the substrate S may be used by swapping out the conduit block40A and used.

SECOND EMBODIMENT

Next, the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 4-6. InFIGS. 4 to 6, a common element or component with that in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment is assigned with the same reference sign as that in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, and a repeated description thereof will be omitted for conciseness. Further, since the usage of the substrate cooling device10B is identical to that of the substrate cooling device10A, a repeated description of the usage will be omitted for conciseness. Thus, the following description will be made about configurations unique to the substrate cooling device10B and functions/effects thereof

FIG. 4is an exploded perspective view showing the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment. As shown inFIG. 4, the substrate cooling device10B comprises a device body31B internally formed with a housing space34, and a cover member30B covering an opening32. Both the device body31B and the cover member30B may be formed of a metal material, and a conduit block40B may be disposed on a lower surface of the cover member30B and configured to flow out a cooling gas toward a substrate S housed in the housing space34. That is, the substrate cooling device10B is configured such that the conduit block40B is disposed inside the device body31A by attaching the cover member30B to the device body31A, and removed to the outside of the device body31A by detaching the cover member30B from the device body31A.

With regard to the device body31B and the cover member30B, the device body31B and the cover member30B differ from the device body31A and the cover member30A in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment in that a gas pipe connecting section18B leading to a gas source20, and a gas introduction hole17B for allowing the cooling gas to flow therethrough, are formed in the cover member30B. That is, the substrate cooling device10B is configured such that the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20is introduced from the gas pipe connecting section18B to the conduit block40B mounted to the cover member30B after passing through the gas introduction hole17B, and output into the housing space34from a plurality of outlet ports42B formed in the conduit block40B.

As shown inFIG. 4, the gas introduction hole17B is formed to penetrate through the cover member30B in a thickness direction of the cover member30B, and configured to lead to a gas flow passage41B formed inside the conduit block40B, in the state in which the conduit block40B is attached to the cover member30B.

The conduit block40B comprises a first body45aand a second body45b,and comprises the plurality of outlet ports42B, and the gas flow passage41B branched halfway to lead to the outlet ports42B. Each of the first body45aand the second body45bis formed with a groove or a through-hole which may be the gas flow passage41B, wherein the gas flow passage41B is created by combining the first body45aand the second body45btogether.

FIG. 5is a top view of the substrate cooling device10B in a state in which the cover member30B is detached therefrom.FIG. 6is a vertical sectional view of the substrate cooling device10B, taken along the line V2-V2inFIG. 5. Whereas the cover member30B is omitted inFIG. 5, the cover member30B is shown inFIG. 6. With regard to the conduit block40B illustrated inFIG. 6, hatching is omitted for the sake of easy understanding of the figure. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, in the second embodiment, the conduit block40B comprises the plurality of outlet ports42B for outputting the cooling gas, and the gas flow passage41B leading to the outlet ports42B and for allowing the cooling gas to flow therethrough, wherein the conduit block40B is disposed inside the housing space34in a state in which the conduit block40B is detachably fixed to the cover member30B. While five outlet ports42B are illustrated inFIGS. 4-6, this is only an example, and in other embodiments, fewer or more than five outlet ports42B may be provide. Further, the outlet ports42B are formed at the same position in the up-down direction (Z-direction), such that the outlet ports42B are opposed to a side surface Sc of the substrate S, and formed to be arranged in line in the right-left direction (Y-direction), as with the outlet ports42A in the first embodiment.

As shown inFIGS. 4 to 6, the substrate cooling device10B further comprises a branching member38that divides a first flow F1into an upper-side flow Fa and a lower-side flow Fb. The branching member38may be formed of a thin plate, and attached to support portions36or to mounting bases35such that the branching member38is positioned between the outlet ports42B and the substrate S housed in the housing space34. For example, in some embodiments, the branching member38may be a deflector plate which deflects the first flow F1into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb.

Here, a positional relationship of the outlet ports42B with respect to the substrate S is identical to that of the outlet ports42A in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment. Further, the flow of the cooling gas generated from the outlet ports42B is also identical to that in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, except for the branching member38that helps the first flow F1branch into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, and therefore a repeated description of the flow will be omitted for conciseness. In some embodiments, the branching member38may be incorporated into the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment.

In the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment, the gas introduction hole17B may be formed by piercing the cover member30B in the thickness direction (Z-direction) thereof. Thus, the formation of the gas introduction hole17B is facilitated, as compared with a case where the gas introduction hole17A is formed in one of the walls11of the device body31A, as in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment.

On the other hand, although the formation of the gas introduction hole17B is facilitated as compared with the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, the structure of the gas flow passage41B formed inside the conduit block40B becomes more complex due to an increased number of branched portions, which may cause difficulty in formation of the conduit block40B. As a measure against this problem, the conduit block40B in the second embodiment may be configured such that the gas flow passage41B is created by combining the first body45aand the second body45btogether, after forming, in each of the first body45aand the second body45b,a groove or a through-hole which may be the gas flow passage41B for allowing the cooling gas to flow therethrough. Thus, By forming a groove or a through-hole which may be the gas flow passage41B, in each of the first body45aand the second body45b,it is possible to easily form the gas flow passage41B even when a final shape thereof is complicated.

In the second embodiment, the conduit block40B includes two bodies, and the gas flow passage41B is formed by combining the first body45aand the second body45btogether. However, this is only an example, and in some embodiments, the conduit block40B may include three or more bodies. Further, in some embodiments, a sealing member may be interposed between the bodies to provide enhanced gas-tightness.

The substrate cooling device10B is configured to branch the first flow F1into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb by the branching member38, so that the first flow F1may be branched into the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb such that the first flow F1does not push the substrate S in the front direction (X-direction), and therefore there is no possibility of the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S due to the first flow F1. Thus, without taking into account the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S, one or both of the flow velocity and flow volume of the first flow F1may be increased, thereby improving the efficiency of cooling of the substrate S. That is, it is possible to shorten a time period for cooling the substrate S down to a given temperature. As a result, in a substrate processing apparatus1using the substrate cooling device10B, the entire time period of processing for the substrate S may be shortened to provide improved throughput.

In the second embodiment, since there is no possibility of the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S, in some embodiments, the restriction wall37in the first embodiment may be omitted.

As shown inFIG. 6, the conduit block40B is disposed in the housing space34in a state in which a gap is formed between the conduit block40B and a bottom wall inner surface34a,and a gaps is formed between the conduit block40B and an inner surface11gof a rear wall11b.Thus, during the attachment of the cover member30B to the device body31B, the cover member30B having the conduit block40B fixed thereto may be moved downwardly and attached to the device body31B. In the attachment process, the conduit block40B less likely to contact the bottom wall inner surface34aand the inner surface11g.That is, damage or particle generation caused by contact of the conduit block40A with the bottom wall inner surface34aor the inner surface11gmay be suppressed.

THIRD EMBODIMENT

Next, the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment will be described.

InFIGS. 7 to 10, a common element or component with that in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment or the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment is assigned with the same reference sign as that in the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment and the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted for conciseness. Further, since the usage of the substrate cooling device10C is identical to that of the substrate cooling device10A, a repeated description of the usage will be omitted for conciseness. Thus, the following description will be made about configurations unique to the substrate cooling device10C and functions/effects thereof.

FIG. 7is an exploded perspective view showing the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment.

As shown inFIG. 7, the substrate cooling device10C comprises a device body31C, a cover member30C that is configured to be attached to the device body31C, a conduit block40C that direct a cooling gas through the housing space34, and a spacer member80disposed between the cover member30C and the conduit block40C. In some embodiments, each of the device body31C, the cover member30C, the conduit block40C and the spacer member80may be formed of a metal material.

The conduit block40C comprises an upper-side flow passage member50C, an intermediate member70and a lower-side flow passage member60C. Each of the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C may have a plate shape, wherein the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C are assembled such that the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C are stacked in the up-down direction (Z-direction), i.e., in a thickness direction thereof

The intermediate member70has a plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C for generating an upper-side flow Fa flowing on an upper surface Sa of a substrate S housed in a housing space34, and a plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C for generating a lower-side flow Fb flowing on a lower surface Sb of the substrate S. While seven upper-side outlet ports54C and seven lower-side outlet ports64C are illustrated inFIGS. 7-10, this is only an example and, in other embodiments, fewer or more than seven upper-side outlet ports54C and fewer or more than seven lower-side outlet ports64C may be provided. Each of the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C is formed of an opening whose periphery is closed, by combining the upper-side flow passage member50C and the lower-side flow passage member60C with the intermediate member70. In other words, the upper-side flow passage member50C closes the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side flow passage member60C closes the lower-side outlet ports64C.

In the third embodiment, the shape of each open end of the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C may be a rectangular shape. However, the shape is not limited to a rectangular shape, and in some embodiments, the shape may be any other suitable shape such as a round shape. Further, all the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C need not necessarily have the same shape and, in some embodiments, the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C may have different shapes.

In the third embodiment, the conduit block40C is configured to be removable to the outside of the device body31A by detaching the cover member30C from the device body31A. Alternatively, the conduit block40C may be configured such that any one of the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C may be removed from the device body31A, separately.

The substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment may comprise a single gas source20and a gas pipe19, as with the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment, but the gas pipe19may be branched halfway into an upper-side gas pipe19pand a lower-side gas pipe19q.Further, the cover member30C is formed with a first gas pipe connecting section18pand a second gas pipe connecting section18q,and a first gas introduction hole17pand a second gas introduction hole17qleading, respectively, to the first and second gas pipe connecting sections18p,18q.The first gas pipe connecting section18pleads to the gas source20via the upper-side gas pipe19p,and a valve21pcapable of adjusting the flow of cooling gas is interposed in the upper-side gas pipe19p.The second gas pipe connecting section18qleads to the gas source20via the lower-side gas pipe19q,and a valve21qcapable of adjusting the flow of cooling gas is interposed in the lower-side gas pipe19q.

The first gas introduction hole17pand the second gas introduction hole17qlead, respectively, to the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C of the conduit block40C. That is, the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the upper-side gas pipe19pis output from the upper-side outlet ports54C to generate the upper-side flow Fa, and the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the lower-side gas pipe19qis output from the lower-side outlet ports64C to generate the lower-side flow Fb. As above, the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment is configured such that the cooling gas for generating the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb is supplied from the single source20separately via the upper-side gas pipe19pand the lower-side gas pipe19q,respectively.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, two gas sources may be used. In such a configuration, one of the gas sources may be connected to the upper-side gas pipe19p,and the other gas source may be connected to the lower-side gas pipe19q.That is, different gas sources may supply the same cooling gas to flow through the two gas introduction holes Up,17qof cover member30C, respectively. In some embodiments, it may be possible alternatively to supply different gasses to the first gas introduction hole17pand the second gas introduction hole17q.

FIG. 8is an exploded perspective view of the conduit block40C.

As shown inFIG. 8, a lower surface50aof the upper-side flow passage member50C may be formed with an upper-side first groove portion55C for allowing the first cooling gas for generating the upper-side flow Fa to flow therethrough, as indicated by the broken lines. Further, an upper surface60aof the lower-side flow passage member60C may be formed with a lower-side first groove portion65C for allowing the second cooling gas for generating the lower-side flow Fb to flow therethrough.

An upper surface70aof the intermediate member70may be formed with an upper-side second groove portion71for allowing the first cooling gas for generating the upper-side flow Fa to flow therethrough, and a lower surface70bof the intermediate member70may be formed with a lower-side second groove portion72for allowing the second cooling gas for generating the lower-side flow Fb to flow therethrough, as indicated by the broken lines. Further, the upper-side outlet ports54C are formed in a region of a front side surface70cof the intermediate member70on the side of the upper surface70a,and the lower-side outlet ports64C are formed in a region of the front side surface70con the side of the lower surface70b.Each of the upper-side outlet ports54C and each of the lower-side outlet ports64C may be formed in a concave shape opened, respectively, toward the upper surface70aand the lower surface70b,in front view.

In a state in which the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C are stacked and assembled into the conduit block40C, the upper-side first groove portion55C of the upper-side flow passage member50C and the upper-side second groove portion71of the intermediate member70are joined together and closed mutually to create an upper-side flow passage53C for allowing the first cooling gas for generating the upper-side flow Fa to flow therethrough. Similarly, the lower-side first groove portion65C of the lower-side flow passage member60C and the lower-side second groove portion72of the intermediate member70are joined together and closed mutually to create a lower-side flow passage63C for allowing the second cooling gas for generating the lower-side flow Fb to flow therethrough. Here, the upper-side flow passage53C and the lower-side flow passage63C are formed without intersecting each other in the inside of the conduit block40C.

The upper ends of the upper-side outlet ports54C of the intermediate member70are closed by the lower surface50aof the upper-side flow passage member50C. Thus, the periphery of each of the upper-side outlet ports54C is closed in the front-rear direction, so that it becomes possible for the first cooling gas to flow frontwardly. Similarly, the lower ends of the lower-side outlet ports64C of the intermediate member70are closed by the upper surface60aof the lower-side flow passage member60C. Thus, the periphery of each of the lower-side outlet ports64C is closed in the front-rear direction, so that it becomes possible for the second cooling gas to flow frontwardly (X-direction).

In the third embodiment, the upper-side flow passage member50C and the lower-side flow passage member60C are formed with the upper-side first groove portion55C and the lower-side first groove portion65C, respectively. However, in some embodiments, the upper-side first groove portion55C and the lower-side first groove portion65C may be omitted. That is, each of the lower surface50aof the upper-side flow passage member50C and the upper surface60aof the lower-side flow passage member60C may be formed in a flat shape, and configured to simply close a corresponding one of the upper-side second groove portion71and the lower-side second groove portion72each formed in the intermediate member70. That is, each of the upper-side flow passage member50C and the lower-side flow passage member60C needs not necessarily be formed with a flow passage, but may be configured to make up a part of a corresponding one of the upper-side flow passage53C and the lower-side flow passage63C when the conduit block40C is assembled.

The conduit block40C may be regarded as being configured to create the upper-side flow passage53C and the lower-side flow passage63C by combining the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C together. That is, in the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment, the upper-side flow passage53C and the lower-side flow passage63C may be created by combining t the upper-side flow passage member50C, the intermediate member70and the lower-side flow passage member60C together, so that it becomes possible to facilitate the formation of the gas flow passage, and form a more complicated gas flow passage.

As shown inFIG. 7, the spacer member80may be formed with a first through-hole80pand a second through-hole80qpenetrating therethrough in the thickness direction (Z-direction) and leading, respectively, to the first gas introduction hole17pand the second gas introduction hole17q.

Further, as shown inFIG. 8, the upper-side flow passage member50C may be formed with a first through-hole22pand a second through-hole22qleading, respectively, to the first gas introduction hole17pand the second gas introduction hole17q.Further, the intermediate member70may be formed with a through-hole22rleading to the second through-hole19qand the second gas introduction hole17q.

In a state in which the conduit block40C is attached to the cover member30C, the first gas introduction hole17pleads to the upper-side flow passage53C via the first through-hole80pand the first through-hole22p.Further, the second gas introduction hole17qleads to the lower-side flow passage63C via the second through-hole80q,the second through-hole22qand the through-hole22r.

FIG. 9is a top view of the substrate cooling device30C in a state in which the cover member30C is detached therefrom and in which the spacer member80is omitted.FIG. 10is a vertical sectional view of the substrate cooling device30C, taken along the line V3-V3inFIG. 9. Whereas the cover member30C is omitted inFIG. 9, it is shown inFIG. 10. As shown inFIG. 9, the upper-side outlet ports54C of the conduit block40C are arranged at even intervals in the right-left direction (Y-direction), and configured to uniformly output the cooling gas over the entire region of the upper surface Sa of the substrate S in the right-left direction. Further, as shown inFIGS. 7 and 8, the lower-side outlet ports64C are arranged at the same positions as respective ones of the upper-side outlet ports54C in the right-left direction (Y-direction), and configured to uniformly output the second cooling gas over the entire region of the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the right-left direction.

As shown inFIG. 10, the set of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of lower-side outlet ports64C are positioned to be spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction (Z-direction) of the substitute S, i.e., in the up-down direction, by a given distance across the substrate S. The upper-side outlet ports54C output the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the upper-side gas pipe19p,frontwardly (X-direction) toward the upper surface Sa of the substrate S housed in the housing space34, to generate the upper-side flow Fa flowing on the upper surface Sa. Further, the lower-side outlet ports64C output the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the lower-side gas pipe19q,frontwardly (X-direction) toward the lower surface Sb of the substrate S housed in the housing space34, to generate the lower-side flow Fb flowing on the lower surface Sb.

Differently from the substrate cooling device10A according to the first embodiment and the substrate cooling device10B according to the second embodiment, the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment is configured such that each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb generated frontwardly (X-direction) from a corresponding one of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C in one direction flows on a corresponding one of an upper surface Sa side and a rear surface Sb side of the substrate S in the one direction without any branching. That is, by positioning the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C to be spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction (Z-direction) by a given distance across the substrate S, it becomes possible to generate, directly from the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C, the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb each flowing on a corresponding one of the upper surface Sa and the rear surface Sb of the substrate S in one direction without being branched by a side surface Sc of the substrate S.

In the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment, it is possible to generate each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb from a corresponding one of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C, independently. Further, each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be supplied to the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be supplied to the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be controlled independently by controlling a corresponding one of the valve21pand the valve21qinterposed respectively in the upper-side gas pipe19pand the lower-side gas pipe19q,independently, so that it is possible to control each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the upper-side flow Fa and the flow volume or flow velocity of the lower-side flow Fb, independently. Thus, by adjusting the flow of the cooling gas to each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and to the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C, independently, it becomes possible to adjust each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, independently, and thus more uniformly cool the substrate S.

Moreover, in addition to adjusting the flow via the valves21p,21q,each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be adjusted independently to suppress the occurrence of a difference in the progress of cooling between the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the one direction (X-direction), such as adjusting each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C, independently, and/or each of the upper-side outlet ports54C and the lower-side outlet ports64C independently, in terms of the shape and/or area of the outlet ports54C,64C, and/or changing an output direction of the cooling gas being output from the outlet ports54C and64C.

Particularly in the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment, the upper-side flow passage53C and the lower-side flow passage63C are formed without intersecting each other. Thus, each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be supplied to the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the flow volume or flow velocity of the second cooling gas to be supplied to the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be controlled independently by controlling each of the valve21pand the valve21qrespectively interposed in the upper-side gas pipe19pand the lower-side gas pipe19q,independently. Therefore, each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the first cooling gas to be output from the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the flow volume or flow velocity of the second cooling gas to be output from the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be controlled independently, so that it is possible to adjust each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the upper-side flow Fa and the flow volume or flow velocity of the lower-side flow Fb, independently. Accordingly, with regard to each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, one or both of the flow velocity and flow volume may be adjusted. This configuration makes it possible to more reliably adjust each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, independently, and thus more reliably suppress the occurrence of the difference in the progress of cooling between the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the one direction, thereby more uniformly cooling the substrate S.

The plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be arranged alternately in the right-left direction (Y-direction). Further, at least one of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be configured to output the cooling gas toward the substrate S in a direction inclined in the up-down direction (Z-direction) with respect to the right-left direction (Y-direction). Further, the position of each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C in the up-down direction (Z-direction) with respect to the substrate S may be changed by changing the thicknesses of the spacer member80and the intermediate member70.

It should be noted that the spacer member80is used to adjust an up-down directional position of each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C with respect to the substrate S, and in some embodiments, the spacer member80may be omitted.

As shown inFIG. 8, the intermediate member70of the conduit block40C is formed with an upper-side restriction surface56C continuing to the upper-side outlet ports54C. As shown inFIGS. 8 and 10, the upper-side restriction surface56C is formed as a bottom surface of the upper-side flow passage53C continuing to the upper-side outlet ports54C. Similarly, as shown inFIG. 8, the intermediate member70of the conduit block40C is formed with a lower-side restriction surface66C continuing to the lower-side outlet ports64C. As shown inFIGS. 8 and 10, the lower-side restriction surface66C is formed as a top surface of the lower-side flow passage63C continuing to the lower-side outlet ports64C.

The upper-side restriction surface56C is configured to restrict the occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas output from the upper-side outlet ports54C collides with the side surface Sc of the substrate S, thereby guiding the cooling gas to reliably flow toward the upper surface Sa side of the substrate S. Similarly, the lower-side restriction surface66C is configured to restrict the occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas output from the lower-side outlet ports64C collides with the side surface Sc of the substrate S, thereby guiding the cooling gas to reliably flow toward the lower surface Sb side of the substrate S.

In the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment, the conduit block40C comprises the upper-side restriction surface56C and the lower-side restriction surface66C, so that it is possible to restrict the occurrence of the situation where the cooling gas immediately after being output from each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C collides with the side surface Sc of the substrate S. Thus, even when the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be output from each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C is increased, there is no possibility of the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S which may be caused by a phenomenon that the side surface Sc of the substrate S is pushed by the cooling gas. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the flow volume or flow velocity of each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, without taking into account the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S, thereby shortening a time period for cooling the substrate S down to a given temperature.

Here, each of the upper-side restriction surface56C and the lower-side restriction surface66C needs not to necessarily be capable of completely preventing the cooling gas from colliding with the side surface Sc of the substrate S, but may suppress the collision to the extent that no displacement of the substrate S occurs.

In the substrate cooling device10C according to the third embodiment, the flows output from the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C may be more spread out since the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54C and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64C of the conduit block40C are set closer to the side surface Sc of the substrate S. In this case, it is possible to allow the cooling gas to flow on the upper surface Sa and the lower surface Sb of the substrate S without colliding with the side surface of the substrate S, thereby improving cooling efficiency. In other words, the cooling efficiency may be improved by replacing the conduit block40C with another conduit block40C having a different position of each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports set closer to the side surface Sc of the substrate S.

A conduit block40D as a modification of the conduit block40C in the third embodiment will be described. The conduit block40D is configured to be replaceable with the aforementioned conduit block40C and used in the substrate cooling device10C. Since the usage of conduit block40D is identical to that of the conduit block40C, a repeated description of the usage will be omitted for conciseness. Thus, the following description will be made about a configurations unique to the conduit block40D and functions/effects thereof

FIG. 11is a perspective view showing the conduit block40D.

The conduit block40D may be used in a state in which the conduit block40D is attached to the cover member30C, and constructed by assembling an upper-side flow passage member50D and a lower-side flow passage member60D such that the upper-side flow passage member50D and the lower-side flow passage member60D are stacked in the up-down direction. The upper-side flow passage member50D has a plurality of upper-side outlet ports54D for generating the upper-side flow Fa flowing on the upper surface Sa of the substrate S housed in the housing space34. The lower-side flow passage member60D has a plurality of lower-side outlet ports64D for generating the lower-side flow Fb flowing on the lower surface Sb of the substrate S housed in the housing space34. While seven upper-side outlet ports54D and seven lower-side outlet ports64D are illustrated inFIG. 11, this is only an example and, in some embodiments, fewer or more than seven upper-side outlet ports54D may be provided and fewer or more than seven lower-side outlet ports64D may be provided. In this modification, the shape of each open end of the upper-side outlet ports54D and the lower-side outlet ports64D may be a round shape. However, the shape is not limited to round shape, and, in some embodiments, the shape may be any other suitable shape such as a rectangular shape.

The conduit block40D is configured such that, in the state in which the conduit block40D is attached to the cover member30C, the upper-side outlet ports54D of the upper-side flow passage member50D lead to the first gas introduction hole17pof the cover member30C, and similarly the lower-side outlet ports64D of the lower-side flow passage member60D lead to the second gas introduction hole17qof the cover member30C. That is, the conduit block40D is also configured such that the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb are generated by the cooling gas supplied such that gas from the single gas source20is branched halfway.

FIG. 12is an exploded perspective view of the conduit block40D.

As shown inFIG. 12, the upper-side flow passage member50D comprises an upper-side body portion51D and an upper-side lid portion52D. The upper-side body portion MD is formed with an upper-side flow passage53D for allowing the cooling gas for generating the upper-side flow Fa to flow therethrough, wherein the upper-side flow passage53D is formed from a groove and a through-hole leading to the outlet ports54D. The upper-side lid portion52D closes an open end of the upper-side body portion MD. The upper-side flow passage53D is created as a flow passage after a groove formed in the upper-side body portion51D is closed by the upper-side lid portion52D. The lower-side flow passage member60D comprises a lower-side body portion61D and a lower-side lid portion52D. The lower-side body portion61D is formed with a lower-side flow passage63D for allowing the cooling gas for generating the lower-side flow Fb to flow therethrough, wherein the lower-side flow passage63D is formed from a groove and a through-hole leading to the outlet ports64D. The lower-side lid portion62D closes an open end of the lower-side body portion61D. The lower-side flow passage63D is created as a flow passage after a groove formed in the lower-side body portion61D is closed by the lower-side lid portion62D. The upper-side flow passage53D and the lower-side flow passage63D may be formed without intersecting each other.

The upper-side flow passage member50D may be regarded as being configured to create the upper-side flow passage53B by combining the upper-side body portion51D and the upper-side lid portion52D together. Similarly, the lower-side flow passage member60D may be regarded as being configured to create the lower-side flow passage53D by combining the lower-side body portion61D and the lower-side lid portion62D together.

Further, the conduit block40D may be regarded as being configured to create a gas flow passage for allowing the cooling gas to flow therethrough, by combining the upper-side flow passage member50D and the lower-side flow passage member60D together. The conduit block40D may also be regarded as being configured to create a gas flow passage for allowing the cooling gas to flow therethrough, by combining the upper-side body portion51D, the upper-side lid portion52D, the lower-side body portion61D and the lower-side lid portion62D together.

In some embodiments, a sealing member may be provided. The upper-side body portion51D, the upper-side lid portion52D, the lower-side body portion61D and the lower-side lid portion62D may be assembled together while the sealing member such as packing is interposed between adjacent thereof. Further, any one or each of the upper-side body portion51D, the upper-side lid portion52D, the lower-side body portion61D and the lower-side lid portion62D may be composed of a plurality of bodies.

As shown inFIG. 12, the upper-side lid portion52D is formed with a first through-hole22sand a second through-hole22teach leading to a corresponding one of the first gas introduction hole17pand the second gas introduction hole17q.Further, the upper-side body portion MD and the lower-side lid portion62D are formed, respectively, with a through-hole22uand a through-hole22veach leading to the second through-hole22tand the second gas introduction hole17q.In the state in which the conduit block40D is attached to the cover member30D, the first gas introduction hole17pleads to the upper-side flow passage53D via the first through-hole22s.Further, the second gas introduction hole17qleads to the lower-side flow passage63D via the second through-hole22t,the through-hole22u,and the through-hole22v.

As shown inFIGS. 11-12, the upper-side outlet ports54D of the conduit block40D are arranged at even intervals in the right-left direction (Y-direction), and configured to uniformly output the cooling gas over the entire region of the upper surface Sa of the substrate S in the right-left direction. Further, as shown inFIGS. 11-12, the lower-side outlet ports64D are arranged at the same positions as respective ones of the upper-side outlet ports54D in the right-left direction (Y-direction), and configured to uniformly output the cooling gas over the entire region of the lower surface Sb of the substrate S in the right-left direction.

FIG. 13is a sectional view of the substrate cooling device30C using the conduit block40D. Here, a cutting position of the cross-section inFIG. 13is the same as that in the cross-sectional view ofFIG. 10.

As shown inFIG. 13, the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54D and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64D are positioned to be spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction (Z-direction) of the substitute S, i.e., in the up-down direction, by a given distance across the substrate S. The upper-side outlet ports54D output the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the upper-side gas pipe19p,toward the upper surface Sa of the substrate S housed in the housing space34, to generate the upper-side flow Fa flowing on the upper surface Sa. Further, the lower-side outlet ports64D output the cooling gas supplied from the gas source20via the lower-side gas pipe19q,toward the lower surface Sb of the substrate S housed in the housing space34, to generate the lower-side flow Fb flowing on the lower surface Sb.

As shown inFIGS. 11 and 13, the lower-side lid portion62D has an upper-side restriction surface56D for restricting the occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas immediately after being output from the upper-side outlet ports54D collides with the side surface Sc of the substrate S, and a lower-side restriction surface66D for restricting the occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas immediately after being output from the lower-side outlet ports64D collides with the side surface Sc of the substrate S. The upper-side restriction surface56D and the lower-side restriction surface66D are formed to serve, respectively, as an upper surface and a rear surface of the lower-side lid portion62D. Each of the upper-side restriction surface56D and the lower-side restriction surface66D may be formed to extend frontwardly (X-direction) beyond the upper-side outlet ports54D and the lower-side outlet ports64D.

As shown inFIG. 13, the lower-side lid portion62D is disposed to be opposed to the side surface Sc of the substrate S at approximately the same position as the side surface Sc of the substrate S in the up-down direction (Z-direction). Thus, the cooling gas immediately after being output from the upper-side outlet ports54D is restricted in terms of flow direction by the upper-side restriction surface56D, and therefore collision with the side surface Sc of the substrate S is suppressed. Similarly, the cooling gas immediately after being output from the lower-side outlet ports64D is restricted in terms of flow direction by the lower-side restriction surface66D, and therefore collision with the side surface Sc of the substrate S is suppressed.

That is, in the conduit block40D, by providing the upper-side restriction surface56D, cooling gas is prevented from pushing the side surface Sc of the substrate S immediately after being output from the upper-side outlet ports54D. Further, by providing the lower-side restriction surface66D, the cooling gas is prevented form pushing the side surface Sc of the substrate S immediately after being output from the lower-side outlet ports64D. Thus, even when the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be output from each of the set of the plurality of upper-side outlet ports54D and the set of the plurality of lower-side outlet ports64D is increased, the phenomenon that the side surface Sc of the substrate S is pushed by the cooling gas is suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the flow volume or flow velocity of each of the upper-side flow Fa and the lower-side flow Fb, without taking into account the occurrence of displacement of the substrate S, thereby shortening a time period for cooling the substrate S down to a given temperature.

In this modification, the lower-side lid portion62D is configured to have the upper-side restriction surface56D and the lower-side restriction surface66D. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a plate member may be prepared separately from the lower-side lid portion62D, and the upper-side restriction surface56D the lower-side restriction surface66D may be formed in the plate member. In this case, the plate member is not limited to a single plate member, but may be composed of two plate members formed, respectively, with the upper-side restriction surface56D the lower-side restriction surface66D.

According to an aspect of one or more embodiments, there is provided a substrate cooling device which comprises a device body internally formed with a housing space for housing a substrate, wherein the substrate cooling device is configured to introduce a cooling gas into the housing space to cool the substrate housed in the housing space. The substrate cooling device is characterized in that it comprises a conduit block having a gas flow passage which allows the cooling gas to flow therethrough, and an outlet port leading to the gas flow passage and configured to output the cooling gas such that the cooling gas flows on an upper surface and a lower surface of the substrate in one direction; and a discharge portion positioned in opposed relation to the outlet port, across the substrate housed in the housing space, and configured to discharge the cooling gas from the housing space in the one direction, wherein the conduit block is configured such that at least a part of the conduit block is removable to an outside of the device body.

In the substrate cooling device having the above feature, the cooling gas output from the outlet port toward the substrate housed in the housing space flows on each of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate in the one direction, and is then discharged from the discharge portion in the one direction. That is, the cooling gas output from the outlet port is discharged from the discharge portion after flowing on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, in the one direction on a continuous basis. Thus, each of an upper surface side and a lower surface side of the substrate will be sequentially cooled from a region closer to the outlet port, so that it is possible to suppress a situation where a difference in the progress of cooling in the one direction occurs between the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the substrate. Therefore, it becomes possible to uniformly cool the substrate by the cooling gas.

In the substrate cooling device, the conduit block may be configured such that at least a part of the conduit block is removable to the outside of the device body, so that at least a part of a plurality of constituent members of the conduit block or the entirety of the conduit block may be removed to the outside of the device body to perform maintenance work such as cleaning. Therefore, as comparted to a case where the conduit block is integrally formed with the device body, work efficiency during maintenance is improved.

Further, in the case that the conduit block is configured to be integrally formed with the device body and it is desired to modify the shape of the outlet port or the gas flow passage, it is necessary to replace the entire device body. On the other hand, in the substrate cooling device having the above configuration, the entirety of or a part of the conduit block may be replaced with a new one formed with an outlet port or gas flow passage subjected to a desired modification. Therefore, it is possible to easily modify the configuration of the outlet port or the gas flow passage.

In the substrate cooling device, a first flow may be branched into an upper-side flow which flows on the upper surface and a lower-side flow which flows on the lower surface, wherein the first flow may be a flow of the cooling gas immediately after being output from the outlet port.

According to this configuration, the first flow of the cooling gas output from the outlet port is branched into the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow flowing on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, respectively. Thus, it is not necessary to divide the gas flow passage formed in the conduit block, into a flow passage for a cooling gas flowing along the upper surface side, and a flow passage for a cooling gas flowing along the lower surface side. That is, the conduit block may be formed with a simple configuration.

In the above substrate cooling device, the outlet port may be positioned in opposed relation to a side surface of the substrate housed in the housing space, wherein the first flow is branched into the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow by the side surface.

According to this configuration, the first flow may be branched into the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow by the side surface of the substrate housed in the housing space, so that it is not necessary to additionally provide a configuration for branching the first flow into the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow.

In the substrate cooling device, the conduit block may include a plurality of divided bodies, wherein the gas flow passage is formed by combining at least two of the divided bodies.

According to this configuration, the gas flow passage may be created by combining the divided bodies, so that it becomes possible to facilitate the formation of the gas flow passage, and form a more complicated gas flow passage.

In the substrate cooling device, the outlet port may include at least one upper-side outlet port for generating an upper-side flow which is a flow of the cooling gas flowing on the upper surface, and at least one lower-side outlet port for generating a lower-side flow which is a flow of the cooling gas flowing on the lower surface, wherein the upper-side outlet port and the lower-side outlet port are positioned, respectively, on an upper side and a lower side of the substrate with respect to a thickness direction of the substrate housed in the housing space.

According to this configuration, the upper-side outlet port for generating the upper-side flow and the lower-side outlet port for generating the lower-side flow are positioned, respectively, on the upper side and the lower side of the substrate with respect to the thickness direction of the substrate housed in the housing space, so that it is possible to generate each of the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow, independently. Thus, each of the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow may be adjusted independently, and thus it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of the difference in the progress of cooling between the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the substrate. Therefore, it becomes possible to more uniformly cool the substrate.

In the above substrate cooling device, the conduit block may have an upper-side restriction surface for restricting an occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas output from the upper-side outlet port collides with a side surface of the substrate, and a lower-side restriction surface for restricting an occurrence of a situation where the cooling gas output from the lower-side outlet port collides with the side surface of the substrate.

According to this configuration, the upper-side restriction surface is provided to restrict the occurrence of the situation where the cooling gas output from the upper-side outlet port collides with the side surface of the substrate. Further, the lower-side restriction surface is provided to restrict the occurrence of the situation where the cooling gas output from the lower-side outlet port collides with the side surface of the substrate. Thus, even when the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas output from each of the upper-side outlet port and the lower-side outlet port is increased, it is possible to suppress a situation where the side surface of the substrate is pushed by the cooling gas. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the flow volume or flow velocity of each of the upper-side flow and the lower-side flow, without taking into account the occurrence of displacement of the substrate, thereby shortening a time period for cooling the substrate down to a given temperature.

In the above substrate cooling device, the gas flow passage may include an upper-side flow passage leading to the upper-side outlet port, and a lower-side flow passage leading to the lower-side outlet port, wherein the conduit block may include a plurality of divided bodies, and wherein at least one of the upper-side flow passage and the lower-side flow passage is created by combining at least two of the divided bodies.

According to this configuration, at least one of the upper-side flow passage and the lower-side flow passage may be created by combining the divided bodies, so that it becomes possible to facilitate the formation of the gas flow passage, and form a more complicated gas flow passage.

In the above substrate cooling device, the gas flow passage may include an upper-side flow passage leading to the upper-side outlet port, and a lower-side flow passage leading to the lower-side outlet port, wherein the upper-side flow passage and the lower-side flow passage are formed without intersecting each other.

According to this configuration, the upper-side flow passage and the lower-side flow passage are formed without intersecting each other, so that each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas flowing through the upper-side flow passage and the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas flowing through the lower-side flow passage may be controlled independently. Therefore, by controlling each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be output from the upper-side flow passage and the flow volume or flow velocity of the cooling gas to be output from the lower-side flow passage independently, it becomes possible to adjust each of the flow volume or flow velocity of the upper-side flow and the flow volume or flow velocity of the lower-side flow, independently.

The substrate cooling device according to various embodiments discussed above may uniformly cool the substrate by the cooling gas.

While example embodiments have been illustrated and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be made without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims.