Method and arrangement for heat treatment of substrates

Abstract

To provide a method and an arrangement for heat treatment of substrates which allow continuously adjustable cooling rates over a wide temperature range with simultaneously largely homogeneous temperature distribution over the area of the heating/cooling plate, a cooling/heating plate is provided containing a multiplicity of cooling/heating pipes running parallel to one another. Each cooling/heating pipe comprises an outer pipe, an inner pipe which can carry a flow, and an interspace between them which can carry a flow. Each inner pipe is connected to a supply line for water and each interspace is connected to a supply line for air, with water and air being routed simultaneously though the cooling/heating plate.

1 . Method for thermal treatment of substrates by a cooling/heating plate, wherein two media of different thermal conductivity are simultaneously passed through the cooling/heating plate so that a first medium of higher thermal conductivity is fully enclosed by at least a second medium of lower thermal conductivity during flow through the cooling/heating plate. 
   
   
       2 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein flow rate and direction of both media through the cooling/heating plate are adjustable independently of each other. 
   
   
       3 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein a liquid is used as the first medium of higher thermal conductivity. 
   
   
       4 . Method according to  claim 3 , wherein water is used as the first medium. 
   
   
       5 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein a gas is used as the second medium of lower thermal conductivity. 
   
   
       6 . Method according to  claim 5 , wherein air is used as the second medium. 
   
   
       7 . Method according  claim 1 , wherein the first medium is cooled or heated for introduction to the cooling/heating plate. 
   
   
       8 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein cooling or heating power of the cooling/heating plate is controlled in stepless fashion from a minimum to an attainable maximum by volume control of the second medium. 
   
   
       9 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first medium is passed through the cooling/heating plate continuously or in pulsed fashion. 
   
   
       10 . Method according to  claim 1 , wherein the second medium is at least temporarily replaced by the first medium. 
   
   
       11 . Device for thermal treatment of substrates by a cooling/heating plate, comprising a number of cooling/heating tubes arranged parallel to each other within the cooling/heating plate, each cooling/heating tube comprising an outer tube, a traversable inner tube and a traversable intermediate space, and wherein each inner tube is connected to a feed for a medium of a first thermal conductivity and each intermediate space is connected to a feed for a medium of a second thermal conductivity. 
   
   
       12 . Device according to  claim 11 , wherein the feeds for each medium comprises a distributor device with medium feed so that the media are distributed uniformly over all parallel cooling/heating tubes. 
   
   
       13 . Device according to  claim 12 , wherein the distributor device has a trapezoidal inner space in which a trapezoidal volume element with smaller dimensions is arranged. 
   
   
       14 . Device according to  claim 11 , wherein the inner tube is connected to a water feed as the medium of a first thermal conductivity and the intermediate space is connected to an air feed as the medium of second thermal conductivity.