Substrate heat treatment apparatus

1. A substrate heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate, comprising:

a bake plate for supporting the substrate;

a cover disposed above said bake plate and temperature-controlled for securing a heat-treating atmosphere of said bake plate;

an adjusting device for adjusting a space between said cover and said bake plate; and

a control device for adjusting the space, through said adjusting device, successively to a transport space for allowing transport of the substrate, a transitional space smaller than said transport space and close to said bake plate, and a steady space smaller than said transport space and larger than said transitional space;

wherein said control device is arranged to make adjustments successively to said transitional space and to said steady space after a start of heat treatment according to time intervals based on a predetermined treating procedure.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said adjusting device includes a motor having a vertical rotary shaft, and a screw shaft interlocked to said rotary shaft and meshed with a mounting bracket attached to said cover.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said adjusting device includes a motor having a vertical rotary shaft, and a screw shaft interlocked to said rotary shaft and meshed with a mounting bracket attached to said cover.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said cover has a punching board attached to a lower surface thereof.

5. A substrate heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate, comprising:

a bake plate for supporting the substrate;

a cover disposed above said bake plate and temperature-controlled for securing a heat-treating atmosphere of said bake plate;

an adjusting device for adjusting a space between said cover and said bake plate; and

a control device for adjusting the space, through said adjusting device, successively to a transport space for allowing transport of the substrate, a transitional space smaller than said transport space and close to said bake plate, and a steady space smaller than said transport space and larger than said transitional space;

wherein said control device is arranged to make an adjustment to said transitional space when a large difference exists between a target temperature and a current temperature after a start of heat treatment, and make an adjustment to said steady space when said difference is reduced to a predetermined value.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 or claim 5 , wherein said adjusting device provides, as said transitional space, a space between a lower surface of said cover and an upper surface of said substrate preset to be 0.5 to 4 mm.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein said adjusting device provides, as said steady space, a space between the lower surface of said cover and the upper surface of said substrate preset to be 5 to 20 mm.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 , or claim 5 , wherein said adjusting device provides, as said steady space, a space between a lower surface of said cover and an upper surface of said substrate preset to be 5 to 20 mm.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein said adjusting device includes a motor having a vertical rotary shaft, and a screw shaft interlocked to said rotary shaft and meshed with a mounting bracket attached to said cover.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein said adjusting device includes a motor having a vertical rotary shaft, and a screw shaft interlocked to said rotary shaft and meshed with a mounting bracket attached to said cover.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein said cover has a punching board attached to a lower surface thereof.