CN112640058A

CN112640058A - Substrate processing apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN112640058A
Application number: CN201980057260.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 大桥弘尭; 横山俊夫; 长井瑞树; 宫本龙
Original assignee: Ebara Corp
Current assignee: Ebara Corp
Priority date: 2018-09-06
Filing date: 2019-08-20
Publication date: 2021-04-09
Also published as: TWI835839B; KR20210053941A; TW202011471A; JP2020043333A; JP7291030B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment includes: a support part having a placing surface for placing the substrate in a horizontal posture; a processing tank for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to process the substrate; an elevating unit that elevates the support unit to lower and raise the substrate into and from the processing bath; a holding part which is above the processing tank, holds the outer periphery of the substrate supported by the support part and receives the substrate from the support part; and a first nozzle that sprays gas to the substrate held by the holding portion to dry the substrate.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing liquid.

Background

As a method for forming wiring and bumps on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a plating method which is relatively inexpensive and requires a short processing time is widely used. In the plating process, a substrate supplied from an upstream process is placed on a substrate holder and transported to a processing bath to be plated. After the plating treatment is completed, the substrate holder is removed from the treatment tank and transported to the substrate mounting/dismounting position, and the substrate is removed from the substrate holder. This series of steps is performed by driving the robot arm and the conveying mechanism.

In addition, the substrate taken out of the substrate holder after the plating treatment needs to be cleaned and dried. In the case where the processing substrate is a circular substrate, Spin cleaning and drying based on an SRD (Spin Rice Dryer) are performed. However, the substrate shape may also vary depending on the use of the article. In recent years, it has also been required to perform plating treatment on large rectangular substrates. Therefore, an apparatus has been proposed which employs a roller-based horizontal conveyance mechanism instead of the SRD, and in which the horizontal posture of the substrate is maintained and the cleaning and drying processes are performed (for example, patent document 1).

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2018-6404.

However, large and particularly thin substrates are prone to deflection and deformation. Therefore, in the cleaning and drying process before or after plating, if a horizontal conveyance mechanism using rollers is used, the substrate may interfere with structures such as rollers during the conveyance process, and may interfere with normal conveyance. Such a problem is not limited to the rectangular substrate, but occurs similarly in the case of using a thin substrate. The present invention is not limited to the cleaning and drying processes, and may be similarly applied to an apparatus for processing a thin substrate with a processing liquid.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which stably processes even a thin substrate.

One embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a support part having a placing surface for placing the substrate in a horizontal posture; a processing tank for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to process the substrate; an elevating unit that elevates the support unit to lower and raise the substrate into and from the processing bath; a holding part which is above the processing tank, holds the outer periphery of the substrate supported by the support part and receives the substrate from the support part; and a first nozzle that sprays gas to the substrate held by the holding portion to dry the substrate.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, even a thin substrate can be stably processed.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a plating apparatus according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the cleaning unit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the cleaning unit.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the clamping mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the support mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the structure and operation of the clamping mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the structure and operation of the clamping mechanism.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a state during the drying process.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pre-cleaning process.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a control method in the pre-cleaning step.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a control method in the pre-cleaning step.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a clip structure according to a modification.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the structure of the cleaning unit of the second embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing an operation in cleaning of the cleaning unit.

Detailed Description

One embodiment of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate with a processing liquid. In this process, the substrate may be immersed in the processing liquid. Specifically, the substrate may be immersed in a cleaning solution to perform a cleaning process. The plating treatment may be performed by immersing the substrate in a plating solution. The substrate may be subjected to a cooling treatment by immersing the substrate in cooling water. Alternatively, the treatment liquid may be sprayed onto the surface of the substrate. After the treatment with the treatment liquid, the substrate is dried. The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing bath for a series of processes, a processing liquid supply unit, a processing liquid discharge unit, a support unit, a grip unit, an elevating unit, and a first nozzle.

The processing liquid supply unit supplies a processing liquid to the processing bath. When a substrate is immersed in a treatment solution to be treated, an overflow tank for overflowing the treatment solution from the treatment tank may be provided to keep the treatment solution clean. The overflowing treatment liquid can also be directly discarded. Alternatively, a circulation mechanism may be provided for purifying the overflowing treatment liquid by a filter or the like and returning the purified treatment liquid to the treatment tank. When the treatment is completed, the supply of the treatment liquid is stopped, and the treatment liquid discharge unit discharges the treatment liquid from the treatment tank. When a treatment liquid is ejected onto a substrate to perform a treatment, a treatment liquid ejection nozzle for ejecting the treatment liquid onto a surface of the substrate is provided in a treatment tank.

In the present embodiment, since the substrate needs to be replaced during a series of processes, the substrate is transferred between the support portion and the grip portion. The support portion supports the substrate during processing by the processing liquid, and the grip portion supports the substrate during drying processing. The support portion receives the substrate above the processing bath.

The support portion has a mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted in a horizontal posture. The support portion includes a plurality of clamping portions (first clamping mechanisms) for stably holding the mounting state of the thin substrate. The first clamping mechanism clamps the peripheral edge of the substrate between the substrate and the carrying surface. The substrate may be tensioned in the peripheral direction (outward) by the plurality of first clamping mechanisms. Thus, even a thin substrate is not bent and can be stably held

When the substrate is processed, the support part on which the substrate is placed is lowered by the raising and lowering part. When the substrate is immersed in the treatment liquid and treated, the treatment liquid may be stored in advance in the treatment tank and the substrate may be lowered toward the treatment liquid. In addition, the liquid may be splashed, and the treatment liquid may adhere to another structure, thereby causing a negative effect. Therefore, it is preferable to supply the processing liquid after the lowering of the substrate. Preferably, the processing liquid is supplied from below the lower surface of the substrate. In this way, bubbles can be efficiently removed by the flow of the treatment liquid during the rise of the liquid surface. The possibility of generating liquid splashes is low. The substrate may be processed by a plurality of kinds of processing liquids. In this case, the substrate may be held in the processing bath, and the supply and discharge of the processing liquids may be performed sequentially.

When the treatment by the treatment liquid is completed, the support portion is raised by the raising and lowering portion. Then, the substrate is transferred from the support portion to the holding portion. This is because it is difficult to dry the lower surface of the substrate in a state where the substrate is placed on the support portion. The holding part holds the outer periphery of the substrate and opens the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate. The holding portion may include a plurality of sandwiching portions (second sandwiching mechanism). A peripheral (outward) tension may be applied to the substrate by the plurality of second clamping mechanisms. The first nozzle sprays gas to the substrate horizontally held by the holding part to dry the substrate.

According to this aspect, the substrate can be lifted and lowered while maintaining the horizontal posture by placing the substrate on the placing surface, and the processing by the processing liquid can be performed. Even if the substrate is transferred during the drying process, the substrate is placed on the placing surface, and therefore the placing surface can be stably switched to the gripping surface. Therefore, the substrate does not flex during a series of processes without interfering with other structures. That is, even a thin substrate can be stably processed.

The support portion may include a frame. The plurality of projections may be provided on the upper surface of the housing, and the mounting surface may be formed by the upper surfaces of the projections. The "frame body" may have a shape having only an outer frame, or may have a lattice shape. In the latter case, one or more bridge portions are provided that span the outer frame of the frame. The presence or absence and the number of the bridge portions can be appropriately set according to the size of the substrate to be supported. The protrusion may be disposed so as to be matched with a contactable area (a non-assembly area such as a circuit) of the substrate. With this configuration, most of the lower surface of the substrate can be opened to the processing liquid, and the processing liquid can be distributed over the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus includes a control unit for controlling driving of each unit (each mechanism). The control unit lowers the support unit after the substrate is transferred from the support unit to the grip unit, and dries the substrate by the first nozzle. In this case, even if the support portion does not reach the descent setting position, the first nozzle may be driven in a stage of descending to a position where the support portion does not interfere with the grip portion. This can improve the overall processing efficiency.

The treatment liquid may be discharged from the treatment tank before or after the support portion is raised. Further, after the substrate is transferred from the support portion to the grip portion, the support portion may be lowered into the processing bath. This allows the support portion to be retracted by the empty space of the processing bath. By discharging the used processing liquid in advance in the processing tank, the mounting surface can be kept clean when the support section is retracted.

The second nozzle may be provided independently of the first nozzle, and the mounting surface of the support portion may be dried. Further, the drying process (first drying process) of the substrate by the first nozzle and the drying process (second drying process) of the mounting surface by the second nozzle may be performed together. By performing the two drying processes together, the influence of the liquid splash caused by each drying process can be mutually suppressed. For example, it is possible to suppress the adverse effect that the liquid from the substrate splashes and wets the mounting surface to be subjected to the second drying process, or the like, due to the first drying process. This is particularly effective when drying is performed by air blowing.

The first drying process may be started while the support portion is being lowered, and the second drying process may be started after the support portion is lowered. That is, since the drying of the substrate is important as compared with the mounting surface, the first drying process may require a longer process time than the second drying process. In such a case, by starting the first drying process before the second drying process, the overall processing time can be shortened, and efficiency can be improved.

The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate conveying unit. The substrate transfer unit has a support surface for supporting an upper surface of the substrate. The substrate transport unit holds the substrate in a horizontal posture, transfers the substrate to the mounting surface of the support unit, and receives the substrate from the mounting surface. The "support surface" may be a "suction surface" capable of sucking the upper surface of the substrate in a non-contact state. Alternatively, the substrate may be a "suction surface" which can be brought into contact with and sucked onto the upper surface of the substrate. From the viewpoint of maintaining the cleanness of the substrate strictly, the support surface is preferably of a non-contact type.

The control unit raises the support unit after the drying process, and delivers the substrate from the grip unit to the support unit. At this time, the substrate is again placed on the placement surface, and thereby the horizontal posture is maintained. Then, the substrate supported on the mounting surface is received by the substrate transfer unit. With this configuration, the substrate can be transferred without using a transport roller or the like.

Hereinafter, an example embodying the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments and modifications thereof, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted as appropriate.

[ first embodiment ]

The plating apparatus 1 includes a substrate mounting/demounting section 2, a plating processing section 4, and a control section 6. The plating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a bump plating apparatus for forming a protruding electrode (bump) on a substrate. A substrate transfer table 8 is provided in front of the substrate mounting/demounting section 2, and a front cleaning section 10 and a rear cleaning section 12 are provided adjacent to the substrate transfer table 8. Further, a device for delivering the substrate processed in the upstream step to the substrate delivery table 8 is provided in front of the plating device 1, but the description thereof is omitted.

The substrate transfer table 8 is used to place a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer in a horizontal posture. In the present embodiment, the substrate W is a relatively large thin substrate and is easily bent. In the present embodiment, a rectangular substrate having a thickness of about 1mm is used as the substrate W, but the size, thickness and shape are not limited to these. The substrate W is a structure in which a seed layer of copper is provided on the upper surface of a wafer, and a pattern of a resist layer is formed thereon. If bubbles are present in the openings of the resist layer during plating of the substrate W, normal plating cannot be performed. In addition, if an organic substance or the like adheres to the seed layer, normal plating may not be performed.

The front cleaning unit 10 has a cleaning device 14, and performs front cleaning for removing organic substances and the like adhering to the surface of the substrate W before the plating process. The post-cleaning unit 12 has a cleaning device 16, and cleans the substrate W removed from the substrate holder 24 after the plating process. A holder conveyance mechanism 18 is provided in a range from the substrate mounting and demounting section 2 to the plating processing section 4. The control unit 6 controls the operations of the respective units.

The substrate mounting/demounting section 2 includes a mounting/demounting mechanism 20, a substrate transfer robot 22, and a moving mechanism 23. The substrate transfer robot 22 has a hand 22 a. The substrate transfer robot 22 functions as a "substrate transfer unit" and transfers the substrate W to and from the substrate transfer table 8 and to and from each mechanism. The robot 22a has a noncontact chuck for holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture. In the present embodiment, a Bernoulli Type (Bernoulli Type) is used as the non-contact chuck, but a Cyclone Type (Cyclone Type) may be used. When the substrate W is kept clean, a contact type suction pad (vacuum pad) may be used.

The moving mechanism 23 moves the substrate transfer robot 22 in accordance with the delivery position of the substrate W. The substrate transfer robot 22 moves to the vicinity of the front cleaning unit 10 in the front cleaning process and moves to the vicinity of the rear cleaning unit 12 in the rear cleaning process.

A buffer box 25 for storing the substrate holder 24 is provided below the attachment/detachment mechanism 20. The mounting and demounting mechanism 20 mounts and demounts the substrate W to and from the substrate holder 24. The holder conveying mechanism 18 includes: a gripping mechanism 26 for gripping the substrate holder 24, and a conveying mechanism 28 for conveying the substrate holder 24 to each tank of the plating section 4. The attachment/detachment mechanism 20 also attaches/detaches the substrate holder 24 to/from the gripping mechanism 26.

The plating section 4 includes, in order from the substrate mounting/demounting section 2 side, a pre-wetting tank 30, a pre-immersion tank 32, a rinsing tank 34, a blowing tank 36, a rinsing tank 38, and an overflow tank 40. A plurality of plating tanks 42 are provided inside the overflow tank 40. The pre-wetting tank 30 can be filled with degassed water also in the resist opening on the substrate surface by immersing the substrate W in degassed water to wet the substrate W. The pre-dip tank 32 etches and removes the oxide film formed on the surface of the substrate W with the chemical solution.

The rinse

tanks

34 and 38 rinse the surface of the substrate W with deionized water. The rinsing tank 34 is washed with water before the plating treatment, and the rinsing tank 38 is washed with water after the plating treatment. The blowing tank 36 discharges water from the cleaned substrate W. The plating bath 42 stores a plating solution. The plating can be performed by immersing the substrate W in the plating tank 42, overflowing the plating solution into the overflow tank 40, and circulating the solution. The plating process is generally performed for a longer time than the cleaning, drying, and other processes. Therefore, a plurality of plating tanks 42 can be provided, and a plurality of substrates W can be collectively subjected to plating treatment.

The conveyance mechanism 28 is, for example, a linear motor type mechanism, and conveys the substrate holder 24 to each tank of the plating section 4. The conveyance mechanism 28 conveys the substrate holders 24 one by using the Time Lag (Time Lag) of the process in each plating tank 42.

The control unit 6 is constituted by a microcomputer, and includes: a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a ROM that stores control programs and the like, a RAM that is used as a work area for data storage and program execution, a nonvolatile memory that holds memory contents even after power is turned off, an input/output interface, and a timer for timing. In the present embodiment, the control unit 6 controls the driving of each mechanism, but may be provided for each mechanism. In this case, an overall control unit for controlling the respective mechanisms may be provided.

With the above configuration, the plating apparatus 1 roughly performs the following operations.

First, the substrate transfer robot 22 takes out a substrate W to be plated from the substrate transfer table 8 and places the substrate W in the cleaning device 14. The cleaning device 14 performs a pre-cleaning process for removing organic substances and the like when receiving the substrate W. The details of the cleaning process will be described later. When the pre-cleaning is completed, the substrate transfer robot 22 receives the substrate W from the cleaning device 14 and delivers the substrate W to the loading and unloading mechanism 20. The mounting and demounting mechanism 20 places the substrate W on the substrate holder 24 and is attached to the gripping mechanism 26.

The conveyance mechanism 28 lifts the holding mechanism 26 to convey the substrate holders 24, and immerses the substrates W in the pre-wetting tank 30 together with the substrate holders 24. Thereby, a pre-wetting treatment by deaerated water is performed. In the present embodiment, the pre-wetting tank 30 stores degassed water, but the pre-wetting treatment is not limited to this as long as the pre-wetting treatment can be performed in which the inside of the resist opening on the substrate surface is filled with liquid by replacing the degassed water with air.

As will be described later, the pre-wetting tank 30 may not be provided as long as the pre-wetting treatment in the cleaning apparatus 14 is sufficient.

The conveyance mechanism 28 continues to take out the substrate holder 24 from the pre-wetting tank 30 and convey it, and immerse it in the pre-dipping tank 32. The chemical solution such as sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid is stored in the preliminary dip tank 32. When an oxide film is formed on the seed layer (conductive layer) of the substrate W, the oxide film is removed by performing a pre-dip treatment with the chemical solution. This can expose the clean metal surface of the seed layer.

The transfer mechanism 28 continues to take out the substrate holder 24 from the pre-dip tank 32 and transfer it, and immerses it in the rinse tank 34. Thereby, the chemical solution adhering to the substrate W is washed away by the deionized water. The transfer mechanism 28 continues to immerse the substrate W in the empty plating tank 42. In the present embodiment, copper plating is performed in the plating treatment, but nickel, gold plating, and other plating may be performed by changing the plating solution supplied to the plating tank 42.

The substrate W thus plated is cleaned in the rinse tank 38 and then drained in the blowing tank 36. Then, the sheet is conveyed to the mounting/dismounting mechanism 20. The mounting and demounting mechanism 20 removes the substrate holder 24 from the gripping mechanism 26, and takes out the substrate W from the substrate holder 24. The substrate transfer robot 22 receives the substrate W from the loading/unloading mechanism 20 and places the substrate W in the cleaning device 16. The cleaning device 16 receives the substrate W, and performs a post-cleaning process.

Next, the structure and operation of the cleaning device 14 will be described in detail.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the cleaning device 14.

The cleaning device 14 includes: a flat plate-shaped base 50, a cleaning unit 52 mounted on the base 50, a support mechanism 54 for supporting the substrate W above the cleaning unit 52, and a drying mechanism 56 for drying the substrate W above the cleaning unit 52. The support mechanism 54 is a mechanism for supporting the substrate W during the drying process, and functions as a "grip portion". The drying mechanism 56 is a mechanism for drying the substrate W.

The base 50 is provided with support columns 58 standing at four corners thereof, and a pair of

guide members

60a and 60b (collectively referred to as "guide members 60" unless otherwise specified) are provided so as to straddle the left and right support columns 58. The

guide members

60a, 60b extend horizontally and are parallel to each other. The support mechanism 54 includes a pair of

gripping units

62a and 62b (collectively referred to as "gripping units 62" when they are not particularly distinguished) for horizontally holding the substrate W during the drying process. The gripping unit 62a is suspended and held by the guide member 60a, and the gripping unit 62b is suspended and held by the guide member 60 b.

The gripping unit 62 includes: a support base 64 extending parallel to the guide member 60, and a pair of sandwiching mechanisms 66 disposed in the extending direction of the support base 64. The substrate W can be held horizontally by a total of 4 holding mechanisms 66 of the pair of gripping units 62 from above and below. The details of the clamping mechanism 66 will be described later.

The drying mechanism 56 is supported to be movable along a pair of guide members 60. A linear motor 68 for driving the drying mechanism 56 is provided on the upper surface of the guide member 60 a. A guide rail 70 for guiding the driving of the drying mechanism 56 is provided on the upper surface of the guide member 60 b. The drying mechanism 56 has: a support base 72 suspended and held by the pair of guide members 60, and a pair of upper and

lower blowers

74a, 74b (collectively referred to as "blowers 74" unless otherwise specified) supported by the support base 72. The

air blowers

74a and 74b function as "first nozzles" for ejecting air from the top and bottom of the horizontally held substrate W during the drying process.

Fig. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the structure of the cleaning unit 52. These figures show a state where the cleaning unit 52 of fig. 2 is extracted and the substrate W is removed. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the support mechanism of the cleaning unit 52 is raised, and fig. 4 shows a state in which it is lowered.

As shown in fig. 3, the cleaning unit 52 includes: a casing 80 for housing the internal mechanism, a processing bath 82 disposed in the casing 80, a supply mechanism 84 for supplying a cleaning liquid to the processing bath 82, a discharge mechanism 86 for discharging the cleaning liquid from the processing bath 82, a support mechanism 88 capable of supporting the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and an elevating mechanism 90 for elevating and lowering the support mechanism 88. The supply mechanism 84 functions as a "treatment liquid supply unit", and the discharge mechanism 86 functions as a "treatment liquid discharge unit". The support mechanism 88 functions as a "support portion", and the lift mechanism 90 functions as a "lift portion".

The treatment tank 82 includes: a cleaning tank 92 for supplying a cleaning liquid, and an overflow tank 94 for overflowing the cleaning liquid. A supply port 96 for the cleaning liquid is provided in a side wall of the cleaning tank 92 on the side opposite to the overflow tank 94. In the present embodiment, 3 horizontally long supply ports 96 are provided. These supply ports 96 are positioned lower than the lower surface of the substrate W when a support member 104 described later is lowered.

The supply mechanism 84 includes: a supply pipe 98 communicating with the supply port 96, and a control valve (a supply valve and a switching valve) (not shown) provided on the upstream side of the supply pipe 98. The switching valve switches which of a plurality of kinds of cleaning liquids is supplied. In this example, 3 kinds of degassed water, ozonated water, and deionized water (DIW) were prepared as cleaning liquids. The treatment liquid having the supply path opened by the switching valve is supplied to the supply pipe 98, and is supplied to the cleaning tank 92 when the supply valve is opened.

A discharge port 100 is provided at the center of the bottom of the cleaning tank 92. The discharge mechanism 86 includes: a drain pipe communicating with the discharge port 100, and a control valve (discharge valve) (not shown) provided in the drain pipe. The treatment liquid in the cleaning tank 92 is discharged by opening the discharge valve.

The lifting mechanism 90 includes: a lifting shaft 102 provided at four corners around the processing bath 82, and an air cylinder (not shown) for lifting the lifting shaft 102. The support mechanism 88 includes: a rectangular plate-shaped support member 104, and clamping mechanisms 106 arranged at four corners of the periphery of the support member 104. The support member 104 and the clamping mechanism 106 are lifted and lowered integrally by the lifting and lowering shaft 102. The 4 chucking mechanisms 106 fix the substrate W to the support member 104 during the cleaning process. So that the position of the substrate W is not deviated by the water pressure of the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning tank 92.

The 4 gripping mechanisms 106 are supported by the 4 lifting shafts 102, respectively. The support member 104 supports four corners of the 4 elevating shafts 102 to maintain a horizontal posture. Specifically, L-shaped suspension holding members 105 are fixed to the top of each of the elevating shafts 102, and 4 suspension holding members 105 are connected to four corners of the support member 104.

A plurality of protrusions 108 are provided on the upper surface of the support member 104 along the lattice shape thereof. The substrate W is placed on these protrusions 108. The details of the support member 104 and the clamping mechanism 106 will be described later.

As shown in fig. 4, a drying mechanism 110 is provided around the cleaning tank 92. The drying mechanism 110 is a mechanism for drying the mounting surface (the projection 108) of the support member 104. In addition, in the present embodiment, the drying of the substrate W (first drying process) and the drying process of the support member 104 (second drying process) are performed independently of each other. By detaching the substrate W from the support member 104, the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W are efficiently dried. Since the substrate W is again placed on the support member 104 after being dried, the placing surface (the projection 108) is dried first.

Drying mechanism 110 includes air nozzles 112 arranged in 3 rows in the front and rear sides of cleaning tank 92. The air nozzle 112 functions as a "second nozzle". When the support member 104 is in the lowered state as shown in the drawing, air can be uniformly sprayed from the 6 air nozzles 112 toward the plurality of projections 108 (see the two-dot chain line), and moisture on the upper surface thereof can be removed. Thus adjusting the angle of each air nozzle 112.

The support member 104 may be dried by blowing air from above by a blower. However, if the support member 104 is a frame and the projections 108 arranged in a scattered manner in the frame are to be dried, it is not necessary to eject air in a layer shape, and it can be said that the efficiency is not high. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the drying mechanism 110, the air nozzle 112 is employed. The details of the drying mechanism 110 will be described later.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of the cleaning device 14, and corresponds to a section in the direction of the arrow a-a in fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the structure and operation of the clamping mechanism 66. Fig. 6(a) shows an unclamped state, and fig. 6(b) shows a clamped state.

As shown in fig. 5, drain pipe 114 is provided so as to communicate with discharge port 100 of cleaning tank 92. The processing liquid of the cleaning tank 92 is discharged through the drain pipe 114. In addition, a drain 116 and a drain 118 are provided at the bottom of the overflow tank 94. The treatment liquid overflowing from the cleaning tank 92 is discharged through a drain pipe 118.

The blower 74 has a slit-shaped nozzle, and discharges compressed air in a thin layer. The nozzle of the air knife 74a opens obliquely downward, and the nozzle of the air knife 74b opens obliquely upward. The inclination angles of both are substantially the same angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

The clamping mechanism 66 includes: a base 120 fixed to the support base 64, a pair of upper and lower gripping portions 122 supported by the base 120, and an air cylinder 124 for driving the gripping portions 122. The grip portion 122 includes: a T-shaped arm 126, and a clamp member 128 fixed to the tip end of the arm 126. The base end of the arm 126 is rotatably connected to the base 120. The holding member 128 is a rod-shaped member. The arm 126 has a U-shaped distal end portion, and a clamp member 128 is provided so as to straddle both ends thereof. A plurality of O-rings 130 (seal rings) are provided along the longitudinal direction of the clamp member 128.

As shown in fig. 6(a), in the non-driving state of the pinching mechanism 66, the rod of the air cylinder 124 moves in and out. Therefore, the upper arm 126a rotates clockwise in the drawing about the rotation shaft 132a, and the lower arm 126b rotates counterclockwise in the drawing about the rotation shaft 132 b. As a result, the clamping mechanism 66 is in an open state (unclamped state).

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 6(b), in the driving state of the pinching mechanism 66, the rod of the air cylinder 124 is retracted. Thus, the arm 126a rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, and the arm 126b rotates clockwise in the drawing. As a result, the substrate W can be clamped (clamped). In this clamped state, a plurality of pairs of upper and lower O-rings 130 clamp the outer peripheral portion of the substrate W.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the support mechanism 88. Fig. 7(a) shows a state where the substrate W is not mounted, and fig. 7(b) shows a state where the substrate W is mounted.

As shown in fig. 7(a), the support member 104 includes: the support member 104 is formed in a grid shape as a whole, and includes a rectangular outer frame 140, bridge portions 142 extending laterally across the outer frame 140, and two bridge portions 144 extending in the front-rear direction of the outer frame 140. The 6 empty regions surrounded by the outer frame 140 and the

bridge portions

142 and 144 have a relatively large area, and promote the flow of the processing liquid.

The plurality of protrusions 108 are provided on the upper surface of the support member 104 in a scattered manner. The protrusion 108 may have a prism shape, a cylindrical shape, or a hemispherical shape. That is, the plurality of protrusions 108a are provided along the peripheral edge of the outer frame 140, and the plurality of protrusions 108b are provided along the longitudinal direction of the

bridge portions

142 and 144. The protrusion 108b is smaller than the protrusion 108 a.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 7 b, a strip-shaped (grid-shaped) contactable area 148 is set on the lower surface of the substrate W so as to correspond to the arrangement of the plurality of protrusions 108. The contactable area 148 is an area where contact is permitted for substrate transfer or the like, and is an area where a circuit such as a wiring or a bump is not mounted, for example. The substrate W is placed on the plurality of protrusions 108 in the contactable area 148. That is, the assembled portion of the substrate W is floated from the surface of the support member 104, and the cleaning liquid can reliably flow over the entire surface.

In the present embodiment, the contactable area is also formed on the upper surface of the substrate W, which is the same as the lower surface. Even if one of both surfaces of the substrate W is placed on the support member 104, the substrate W can be cleaned and dried in the same manner.

Fig. 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating the structure and operation of the clamping mechanism 106. Fig. 8(a) shows an unclamped state, and fig. 8(b) shows a clamped state. Fig. 9(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the function and operation of the nip mechanism 106 during cleaning and drying. Fig. 9(B) is an enlarged view of a portion B of fig. 9 (a).

As shown in fig. 8(a), the clamping mechanism 106 includes: an actuator 150 provided at an upper portion of the lifting shaft 102, and an arm 152 driven by the actuator 150. The actuator 150 is constituted by an air cylinder, and has: cylinder block 154, support portion 156 provided to cylinder block 154, and piston rod 158 extending and protruding from cylinder block 154.

The arm 152 has an L-shaped body 160. The body 160 is connected to the piston rod 158 via an L-shaped coupling member 162. One end of the coupling member 162 is fixed to the main body 160, and is rotatably supported at the center thereof by the support portion 156. A slit 163 is provided at the other end of the coupling member 162, through which the tip of the piston rod 158 is slidably inserted.

When the piston rod 158 moves in and out by driving the actuator 150 in one direction, the coupling member 162 rotates clockwise in the drawing. Thereby, the arm 152 is moved in the pinching direction. As shown in fig. 8(b), the tip of the arm 152 approaches the upper surface of the substrate W supported by the support member 104. When the piston rod 158 is retracted by driving the actuator 150 in the other direction, the coupling member 162 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing. Thereby, as shown in fig. 8(a), the arm 152 moves in the unclamping direction.

As shown in fig. 9(a), a fluid passage 164 is formed in the main body 160 so as to extend from the front end to the rear end thereof. A pipe joint 166 is provided at the rear end of the main body 160. A pipe (not shown) is connected to the pipe joint 166, and dry air (CDA) or deionized water (DIW) can be supplied to the fluid passage 164.

In addition, although the arm 152 and the substrate W are not in contact with each other, since the fluid is discharged from the front end of the main body 160, the fluid pressure acts as a clamping force, and the substrate W can be clamped between the arm 152 and the support member 104. In the present embodiment, deionized water is supplied to the fluid passage 164 while the support member 104 is lowered to the cleaning tank 92 and the substrate W is immersed in the treatment liquid. On the other hand, during the raising and lowering of the support member 104 or at the raised position, dry air is supplied to the fluid passage 164. That is, any fluid is ejected to press the substrate W against the support member 104 except when the chucking mechanism 106 opens the substrate W. Thereby, the substrate W is supported.

As shown in fig. 9(b), an O-ring 168 (seal ring) is provided on the front end surface of the main body 160. Thus, even if the rotational momentum of the main body 160 is too large during the chucking operation, the leading end thereof can be prevented from being damaged by direct contact with the substrate W.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a state during the drying process.

When drying the substrate W, the drying mechanism 56 is driven with the substrate W supported by the chucking mechanism 66. At this time, the drying mechanism 56 moves along the guide rail 70 as illustrated, and the air is ejected toward the substrate W by the blower 74. In this drying process, the substrate W is positioned between the blower 74a and the blower 74 b. Therefore, the upper and lower surfaces thereof are efficiently dried by the two air wipers.

During this period, the support member 104 is retracted to the washing tank 92 where the draining is completed, and the drying is performed by the drying mechanism 110. The air ejected from the air nozzle 112 removes water droplets adhering to the protrusion 108. In this way, the first drying process by the drying mechanism 56 and the second drying process by the drying mechanism 110 are performed together.

Next, the flow of the cleaning control will be explained.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the pre-cleaning process. Fig. 12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating a control method in the pre-cleaning step. In each figure, (a) to (d) show the processing procedure. For convenience, the supply valve 170, the discharge valve 172, and the switching valve 174 are shown only in fig. 12(a), and are omitted from the other drawings. Hereinafter, the description will be given with reference to fig. 12 and 13 as appropriate, based on fig. 11.

When the pre-cleaning process is started, the controller 6 drives the lift mechanism 90 and the substrate transfer robot 22 to load the substrate W on the cleaning device 14 (S10). As shown in fig. 12(a), the lifting mechanism 90 raises the support member 104 to the loading position. The substrate transfer robot 22 takes out the substrate W while holding it in a horizontal posture from the substrate transfer table 8, and places it on the support member 104. In the present embodiment, the robot 22a is located on the upper surface side of the substrate W to hold the substrate W. At this time, the dry air is also supplied through the fluid passage 164, and the substrate W is clamped by the clamping mechanism 106 (S12). At this point, cleaning tank 92 is empty.

Next, the control unit 6 drives the elevating mechanism 90 to lower the support member 104 to the cleaning tank 92 while maintaining the clamped state of the substrate W (S14). As shown in fig. 12(b), the substrate W is disposed in the cleaning tank 92. As shown in fig. 12 c, the controller 6 opens the supply valve 170 to supply deaerated water to the cleaning tank 92, and executes the pre-wetting process while overflowing the deaerated water (S16). At this time, deionized water is supplied through the fluid passage 164, and the clamping mechanism 106 maintains the clamped state of the substrate W. Thereby, the resist opening of the substrate W is filled with degassed water, and bubbles are removed. In this embodiment, the time for the pre-wet treatment is set to 60 seconds. When the pre-wet process is completed, the supply valve 170 is closed, and the discharge valve 172 is opened to perform water discharge (S18).

Subsequently, the controller 6 operates the switching valve 174 to switch the treatment liquid to the ozone water. Further, the drain valve 172 is closed, and the supply valve 170 is opened to supply the ozone water to the cleaning tank 92, and the cleaning process is performed while overflowing the ozone water (S20). Since the inside of the resist opening of the substrate W is already filled with the deaerated water, the deaerated water is replaced with ozone water, and organic substances and the like adhering to the surface of the substrate W are removed by the action of the ozone water, thereby improving hydrophilicity. In this embodiment, the time for the cleaning process is set to 60 seconds. When the cleaning process is completed, the supply valve 170 is closed and the discharge valve 172 is opened to perform the water discharge (S22).

Subsequently, the control unit 6 operates the switching valve 174 to switch the treatment liquid to deionized water (DIW). Further, the drain valve 172 opens the supply valve 170 to supply deionized water to the cleaning tank 92, and performs a rinsing process while overflowing the deionized water (S24). At this time, deionized water is also supplied through the fluid passage 164 of the pinching mechanism 106. In this embodiment, the time for the flushing process is set to 30 seconds. When the flushing processing is completed, the supply valve 170 is closed and the discharge valve 172 is opened to perform the water discharge (S26). The supply of deionized water through the fluid passage 164 is also stopped, and the supply is switched to the supply of dry air.

As shown in fig. 12 d, the controller 6 drives the elevating mechanism 90 together with the drain to raise the support member 104 to the drying position (S28). Then, the substrate W is delivered from the support mechanism 88 to the support mechanism 54 (S30). At this time, the clamping mechanism 66 clamps the substrate W and releases the clamping by the clamping mechanism 106. The supply of the dry air via the fluid passage 164 is stopped. When the transfer of the substrate W is completed, the support member 104 is lowered as shown in fig. 13 a (S32). In the present embodiment, the height of the support member 104 at this time is made to coincide with the height at the time of cleaning. In the modification, the heights may be different.

When the support member 104 is retracted into the cleaning tank 92, the control unit 6 drives the drying mechanism 56 and the drying mechanism 110 at the same time (S34). As shown in fig. 13(b), the blower 74 dries the substrate W, and the air nozzle 112 dries the support member 104 (the protrusion 108). At this time, air is also supplied through the fluid passage 164 of the sandwiching mechanism 106. In this way, by simultaneously performing the first and second drying processes, the influence of liquid splashing generated in each drying process can be mutually suppressed. In the present embodiment, the time for these drying treatments is set to 30 seconds.

The blower 74 does not reciprocate the substrate W, and finishes the drying process by one-directional operation. When the operation in one direction is finished, the air blowing is stopped and the operation returns to the original position. When the drying process is completed, the supply of air through the fluid passage 164 is stopped. As shown in fig. 13 c, the controller 6 drives the elevating mechanism 90 to raise the support member 104 to the loading position (S36). Then, the substrate W is delivered from the support mechanism 54 to the support mechanism 88 (S38). After the substrate W is again placed on the support member 104, the clamping by the clamping mechanism 66 is released.

As shown in fig. 13(d), the control unit 6 drives the substrate transfer robot 22 to unload the substrate W (S40). The substrate transfer robot 22 takes out the substrate W from the support member 104 and transfers the substrate W to the mounting/demounting mechanism 20. Then, the plating treatment described above is started.

After the completion of the plating process, the substrate W is conveyed to the cleaning apparatus 16, and post-cleaning processing is performed. The structure and operation of the cleaning device 16 are substantially the same as those of the cleaning device 14, but the treatment liquid supplied to the cleaning tank 92 is deionized water (DIW) only. In the post-cleaning process, components and particles of the plating liquid that cannot be completely removed in the rinse bath 38 are removed from the substrate W.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cleaning process can be performed by lifting and lowering the substrate W while maintaining the horizontal posture by placing the substrate W on the support member 104. Since the transfer of the substrate W during the drying process is also performed in a state where the substrate W is placed on the support member 104, the support method can be stably switched from the placement to the gripping. Therefore, the substrate W does not flex during a series of processes and does not interfere with other structures. That is, even if the substrate W is a large and thin substrate, the substrate can be stably processed.

Further, by providing a plurality of protrusions 108 in a scattered manner on the support member 104 and using the protrusions 108 as a placement surface, most of the lower surface of the substrate W can be opened to the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid can be distributed over the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W, thereby improving the cleaning effect.

Further, since the support member 104 is retracted to the cleaning tank 92 during drying of the substrate W, a space for retracting the support member 104 is not required. In addition, since the pre-wetting treatment by the deaerated water, the cleaning treatment by the ozone water, and the rinsing treatment by the deionized water are performed in the cleaning tank 92, it is not necessary to provide a treatment tank for each treatment. With this configuration, the entire cleaning apparatus 14 can be saved in space.

Further, since the drying of the substrate W and the drying of the support member 104 (the protrusion 108) are performed simultaneously, it is possible to suppress the trouble that the liquid from the substrate W splashes and wets the protrusion 108, in particular. Since support member 104 is dried in cleaning tank 92, the water droplets splashed at this time can stay in cleaning tank 92 and be directly discharged from discharge port 100. And the structure outside the cleaning tank 92 is not contaminated.

[ second embodiment ]

The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the cleaning unit is not of a type in which the substrate is immersed in the cleaning liquid, but of a type in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed toward the surface of the substrate (also referred to as "shower type"). The following description focuses on differences from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the same structure as that of the first embodiment can be applied unless otherwise mentioned.

In the cleaning unit 252 of the present embodiment, the casing 80 functions as a "treatment tank 82 (cleaning tank 92)". The supply mechanism 284, the lift mechanism 90, and the support mechanism 288 are disposed in the processing bath 82. The supply mechanism 284 includes a first supply mechanism 211 and a second supply mechanism 212. The first supply mechanism 211 includes a pair of

movable supply pipes

214a and 214b (collectively referred to as "supply pipe 214" without particularly distinguishing them). The

supply pipes

214a and 214b have vertical rotation axes at two corners of the processing bath 82. The axes of rotation are arranged to be separated along a diagonal of the processing tank 82.

The supply pipe 214 extends and protrudes in the horizontal direction from the rotation axis thereof. The supply pipe 214 is located at the upper portion of the processing bath 82. A plurality of nozzles 218 are provided on the lower surface of the supply pipe 214 along the extending direction thereof. The nozzle 218 functions as a "treatment liquid ejection nozzle". The cleaning liquid is supplied downward from the supply pipe 214. As shown in the drawing, the supply pipe 214b is located higher than the supply pipe 214a so that both the

supply pipes

214a and 214b do not interfere with each other when rotated.

The second supply mechanism 212 includes a plurality of supply pipes 224 arranged in parallel at the bottom of the processing bath 82. A plurality of nozzles 228 are provided on the upper surface of the supply pipe 224 along the extending direction thereof. The nozzle 228 functions as a "treatment liquid injection nozzle". The cleaning liquid is supplied upward from the supply pipe 224. A discharge port, not shown, is provided in the bottom surface of the treatment tank 82. The cleaning liquid supplied from the

supply pipes

214 and 224 flows through the bottom surface of the processing bath 82 after cleaning the substrate, and is discharged from the discharge port.

The support mechanism 288 includes: a rectangular plate-shaped support member 204, and clamping mechanisms 106 arranged at four corners of the periphery of the support member 204. The support member 204 is formed in a grid shape having 4 empty regions. A plurality of protrusions 208 are provided on the upper surface of the support member 204 along the lattice shape thereof. A rod-shaped reinforcing member 206 spanning the protrusion 208 is provided on the 2-side of the support member 204. A substrate is placed on these protrusions 208.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing an operation in cleaning by the cleaning unit 252.

When the cleaning unit 252 is driven with the substrate W placed on the placement surface (the projection 208) of the support member 204 and clamped by the clamping mechanism 106, the supply pipe 214 rotates and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the nozzle 218. The cleaning liquid is also simultaneously sprayed from the nozzles 228 of the supply pipe 224. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is ejected onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. At this time, the supply pipe 214 rotates by about 90 degrees and sprays the cleaning liquid so as to scan the upper surface of the substrate W (see the two-dot chain line arrow in the figure). Further, the supply pipe 214 may be repeatedly scanned to eject the cleaning liquid onto the substrate. In this case, since the cleaning liquid on the substrate is spread in one direction and discharged, it is preferable that the direction in which the supply pipe 214 scans is set as one direction. In order to improve the discharge of the cleaning liquid onto the substrate surface, it is preferable to perform the cleaning process while slightly inclining the support member 204 from the horizontal.

According to the present embodiment, although the cleaning method is different, the posture (horizontal posture) of the substrate W at the time of cleaning, the drying method, and the like are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a clip structure according to a modification. Fig. 14(a) shows a first modification, and fig. 14(b) shows a second modification.

In the chucking mechanism of the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 9(b), an O-ring 168 is provided at the tip of the arm 152 to cope with contact with the substrate W. In the first modification, the enlarged diameter portion 210 is provided at the tip of the arm 260 without providing an O-ring. This can increase the area of the substrate W on which the fluid pressure acts, and thus can increase the gripping force of the arm 260. In this case, it is preferable that at least the tip end portion of the arm 260 is made of a low hardness material.

In the second modification, the fluid passage is not provided in the arm 262, and the tip thereof is made spherical. In this modification, the supply of the dry air and the deionized water by the sandwiching means is not performed. The peripheral edge of the substrate W is held by the arm 262 and the support member 104. According to the present modification, since the arm 262 is brought into a point contact state with respect to the substrate W, the contact area is suppressed to be small, and therefore, damage to the substrate W can be suppressed, and contamination due to contact can be minimized. In this case, it is also preferable that at least the tip end portion of the arm 262 be made of a material having low hardness.

In the above embodiment, in the plating apparatus 1, the pre-cleaning section 10 and the plating section 4 are set in different regions. In a modification, the function of the pre-cleaning section 10 may be incorporated into the plating section. For example, in the plating section 4 shown in fig. 1, a pre-cleaning tank may be provided between the pre-wet tank 30 and the pre-dip tank 32 to perform ozone water cleaning and rinsing.

In the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 7 a, the support member 104 is divided into 6 frame regions in a grid shape (frame shape), and the number of frame regions is not limited to 6, and can be set as appropriate in accordance with the arrangement of the contactable area 148 set on the substrate W.

Although not described in the above embodiment, a plurality of kinds of replaceable support members may be prepared depending on the kind of substrate and may be detachably attached to the cleaning unit. It is considered that the layout of the assembly region is different from that of the non-assembly region depending on the kind of the substrate. The plurality of types of support members have a size and a shape corresponding to a non-assembly area (contactable area) of an arbitrary substrate, and a layout of the protruding portions. With this configuration, it is possible to accommodate substrates of various sizes and assembly layouts.

Although not described in the above embodiment, after the cleaning of the substrate W in the upstream process, the presence or absence of ozonated water cleaning in the pre-cleaning process may be determined in accordance with the time until the substrate W is transferred to the plating apparatus 1. Even if the substrate W is cleaned in the upstream process, organic substances may adhere again to the seed layer exposed in the resist opening of the substrate W with the passage of time. Specifically, the control unit (management unit) obtains time information for cleaning the substrate W in the upstream process for each substrate W, and calculates the elapsed time until the substrate W is placed on the substrate transfer table 8. The ozone cleaning may be performed if the elapsed time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, and the ozone cleaning may be omitted if the elapsed time is shorter than the predetermined time. That is, the presence or absence of ozonated water cleaning may be determined according to the estimated contamination level of the substrate W. Alternatively, the time for ozone cleaning may be changed according to the contamination level. Since excessive ozone cleaning may damage the seed layer (conductive layer), it is preferable to set the optimum cleaning conditions as described above.

Although not described in the first embodiment, the substrate W may be slightly tilted at least before the substrate W is immersed when the processing liquid is supplied to the cleaning tank 92. Specifically, in the state shown in fig. 5, the movement of the 4 elevating shafts 102 is adjusted so that the support member 104 is inclined at a slight angle (for example, about 1/1000 to 1/100) with respect to the horizontal plane. At this time, the overflow tank 94 side (right side) is lowered.

Thereby, the substrate W is gradually immersed in the processing liquid from the right side toward the left side. This means that the space between the lower surface of the substrate W and the liquid surface of the processing liquid gradually moves to the left side, i.e., the air moves to the side opposite to the overflow bath 94. This makes it possible to prevent air bubbles from flowing into the overflow tank 94. That is, it is possible to prevent or suppress the decrease in the overflow efficiency due to the accumulation of air bubbles in the overflow tank 94. In this case, the substrate W may be horizontally returned after being sufficiently immersed in the processing liquid. It is also possible to return horizontally after the degassed water cleaning has ended.

According to the substrate processing apparatus including such a chucking mechanism, the chucking section can be processed simultaneously with the processing of the substrate main body, and the efficiency of the entire substrate processing can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments and modifications. Further, some of the components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments and modifications.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is applicable to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate with a processing liquid.

Description of reference numerals

1 … plating equipment; 2 … substrate mounting/dismounting part; 4 … plating treatment section; 6 … control section; 8 … a substrate cross-connect station; 10 … front cleaning part; 12 … post-cleaning part; 14 … cleaning the device; 16 … cleaning the device; 18 … holder conveying mechanism; 20 … attachment and detachment mechanism; 22 … substrate transfer robot; 23 … moving mechanism; 24 … substrate holder; 28 … conveying mechanism; 30 … pre-wetting tank; 32 … prepreg tank; 34 … rinsing the tank; 36 … blowing slot; 38 … rinsing the tank; 40 … overflow launder; 42 … plating bath; 52 … cleaning unit; 54 … support mechanism; 56 … drying mechanism; 60 … guide member; 66 … clamp the mechanism; 74 … air brushes; 82 … treatment tank; 84 … supply mechanism; 86 … discharge mechanism; 88 … support means; 90 … lifting mechanism; 92, 92 … cleaning tank; 94 … overflow launder; 96 … supply port; 98 … supply tube; 100 … discharge port; 102 … lifting and lowering shaft; 104 … support members; 106 … clamping mechanism; 108 … protrusions; 110 … drying mechanism; 112 … air nozzle; 114 … drain tube; 116 … discharge port; 118 … drain tube; 122 … a grip portion; 124 … air cylinders; 126 … arms; 128 … holding the component; 130 … O-rings; 148 … may contact the area; 150 … actuator; 152 … arm; 164 … fluid pathway; 168 … O-rings; 170 … supply valve; 172 … discharge valve; 174 … switching the valve; 204 … support member; 208 … protrusions; 210 … diameter expanding part; 211 … first supply mechanism; 212 … second supply mechanism; 214 … supply tube; 218 … nozzle; 224 … supply tube; a 228 … nozzle; 252 … cleaning unit; 260 … arm; 262 … arm; 284 … supply mechanism; 288 … support mechanism; w … substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus includes:

a support part having a placing surface for placing the substrate in a horizontal posture;

a processing tank for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to process the substrate;

an elevating unit configured to elevate and lower the support unit so as to lower and raise the substrate into and from the processing tank;

a holding portion that holds an outer peripheral portion of the substrate supported by the support portion above the processing bath and receives the substrate from the support portion; and

and a first nozzle that sprays gas to the substrate held by the holding portion to dry the substrate.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the support portion includes:

a frame body; and

and a plurality of protrusions protruding from an upper surface of the housing and constituting the mounting surface.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,

the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a control unit,

the control unit controls the lifting unit to lower the support unit after the gripping unit grips the substrate.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a treatment liquid supply unit configured to supply a treatment liquid to the treatment tank; and

a treatment liquid discharge unit that discharges the treatment liquid from the treatment tank,

the control unit controls the treatment liquid discharge unit to discharge the treatment liquid in the treatment tank before or after the support unit is raised.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,

the gas drying device further includes a second nozzle that sprays gas onto the mounting surface of the support unit to dry the mounting surface.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5,

the second nozzle dries the mounting surface of the support portion which is lowered into the processing tank from which the processing liquid is discharged.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,

the substrate transfer apparatus includes a substrate transfer unit having a support surface for supporting an upper surface of a substrate, a mounting surface for transferring the substrate to the support portion while maintaining the substrate in a horizontal posture, and a receiving surface for receiving the substrate from the mounting surface,

the control unit controls the lifting unit to lift the support unit after the mounting surface is dried by the second nozzle, and to support the substrate held by the holding unit by the mounting surface of the support unit,

the substrate conveying unit receives the substrate supported by the mounting surface.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7,

the processing tank comprises a substrate cleaning tank,

the processing liquid supply unit sequentially supplies a plurality of types of cleaning liquids to the substrate cleaning tank.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the substrate processing apparatus further includes a processing liquid ejecting nozzle that ejects a processing liquid onto a surface of the substrate supported by the support portion in the processing bath.