CN117497448A

CN117497448A - Substrate processing apparatus, supply system, substrate processing method, and supply method

Info

Publication number: CN117497448A
Application number: CN202310888429.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 八谷洋介; 菅野至; 中森光则; 竹口博史
Original assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Current assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-02
Filing date: 2023-07-19
Publication date: 2024-02-02

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a supply system, a substrate processing method, and a supply method, and a high-purity rinse solution or a drying solution is recovered. The substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure includes a holding unit, a processing cup, a first supply unit, a second supply unit, a discharge unit, and a first measurement unit. The holding portion holds the substrate. The treatment cup is disposed around the holding portion. The first supply unit is configured to supply a chemical solution to the substrate held by the holding unit. The second supply unit is configured to supply a rinse liquid or a drying liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The discharge part is arranged at the bottom of the processing cup and is connected with the discharge line and the recovery line through the line switching part. The first measuring unit is provided in the discharge unit and measures the purity of the rinse liquid or the dry liquid.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus, supply system, substrate processing method, and supply method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a supply system, a substrate processing method, and a supply method.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses one of the following techniques: in a single-wafer chemical processing apparatus for performing chemical solution processing and pure water processing on a substrate, a liquid discharge system during chemical solution processing is separated from a liquid discharge system during pure water processing, thereby efficiently recovering liquid discharge.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-294531

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present disclosure provides a technique for recovering a high purity rinse solution or dry solution.

Solution for solving the problem

The substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a holding unit, a processing cup, a first supply unit, a second supply unit, a discharge unit, and a first measurement unit. The holding portion holds the substrate. The treatment cup is disposed around the holding portion. The first supply unit is configured to supply a chemical solution to the substrate held by the holding unit. The second supply unit is configured to supply a rinse liquid or a drying liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The discharge part is arranged at the bottom of the processing cup and is connected with the discharge line and the recovery line through the line switching part. The first measuring unit is provided in the discharge unit and measures the purity of the rinse liquid or the dry liquid.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present disclosure, a high-purity rinse solution or a dry solution can be recovered.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a processing unit according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process executed by the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the pure water recovery process performed by the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of the pure water recovery process performed by the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the pure water supply system according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a processing unit according to a modification of the first embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to a modification of the first embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of a supply system according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a processing unit according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of control processing executed by the supply system according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of a processing unit according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of the drying liquid recovery process performed by the substrate processing system according to the third embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of the drying liquid recovery process performed by the substrate processing system according to the third embodiment.

Detailed Description

A mode (hereinafter, referred to as an "embodiment") for implementing the substrate processing apparatus, the supply system, the substrate processing method, and the supply method of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, the present disclosure is not limited by this embodiment. The embodiments can be appropriately combined within a range where the processing contents are not contradictory. In the following embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof is omitted.

In the embodiments described below, expressions such as "fixed", "orthogonal", "perpendicular" or "parallel" are sometimes used, but these expressions need not be strictly "fixed", "orthogonal", "perpendicular" or "parallel". That is, the above expressions allow for variations in manufacturing accuracy, setting accuracy, and the like, for example.

In the drawings referred to below, an orthogonal coordinate system defining an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis direction orthogonal to each other and having a vertical upward direction as a positive Z-axis direction may be shown. In addition, a rotation direction about a vertical axis as a rotation center is sometimes referred to as a θ direction.

Patent document 1 discloses one of the following techniques: in a single-wafer chemical processing apparatus for performing chemical solution processing and pure water processing on a substrate, a liquid discharge system during chemical solution processing is separated from a liquid discharge system during pure water processing, thereby efficiently recovering liquid discharge. However, in the method described in patent document 1, there is a risk of recovering a low-purity rinse solution or a dry solution mixed with a chemical solution adhering to a substrate, and there is room for further improvement.

Therefore, a technique for recovering a high-purity rinse solution or a drying solution is desired.

(first embodiment)

< summary of substrate processing System >

First, a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline configuration of a substrate processing system 1 according to a first embodiment. The substrate processing system 1 is an example of a substrate processing apparatus.

As shown in fig. 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a carry-in/out station 2 and a processing station 3. The carry-in/carry-out station 2 is provided adjacent to the processing station 3.

The carry-in/out station 2 includes a front opening unified pod mounting part 11 and a carrying part 12. A plurality of front opening unified pods F are placed on the front opening unified pod placement unit 11, and the front opening unified pods F accommodate a plurality of substrates, in the first embodiment, semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as wafers w.), in a horizontal state.

The transfer section 12 is provided adjacent to the front opening unified pod mounting section 11, and includes a substrate transfer device 13 and a delivery section 14 inside the transfer section 12. The substrate transfer apparatus 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds a wafer W. The substrate transfer device 13 is movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the front opening unified pod F and the transfer section 14 by using a wafer holding mechanism.

The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the conveying section 12. The processing station 3 includes a conveying section 15 and a plurality of processing units 16. The plurality of processing units 16 are disposed on both sides of the conveying section 15 in a row.

The conveying section 15 includes a substrate conveying device 17 therein. The substrate transfer apparatus 17 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 17 is movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the transfer section 14 and the processing unit 16 using a wafer holding mechanism.

The processing unit 16 performs predetermined substrate processing on the wafer W conveyed by the substrate conveyance device 17.

The substrate processing system 1 further includes a control device 4. The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. The memory unit 19 stores programs for controlling various processes performed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 18 reads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 19 to control the operation of the substrate processing system 1.

The program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium, and the program may be installed in the storage unit 19 of the control device 4 from the storage medium. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a Hard Disk (HD), a Flexible Disk (FD), an optical disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

In the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above, first, the substrate transfer device 13 of the carry-in/out station 2 takes out the wafer W from the front opening unified pod F placed on the front opening unified pod placement unit 11, and places the taken-out wafer W on the transfer unit 14. The wafer W placed on the transfer section 14 is taken out from the transfer section 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 of the processing station 3, and is carried into the processing unit 16.

After the liquid processing by the processing unit 16, the wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 is carried out from the processing unit 16 by the substrate carrying device 17 and placed on the transfer section 14. Then, the processed wafer W placed on the transfer section 14 is returned to the front opening unified pod F of the front opening unified pod placement section 11 by the substrate transfer apparatus 13.

< Structure of processing Unit >

Next, the configuration of the processing unit 16 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the processing unit 16 according to the first embodiment. As shown in fig. 2, the processing unit 16 includes a chamber 20, a substrate processing section 30, a first supply section 40, a second supply section 50, and a recovery cup 60.

In fig. 2, the recovery cup 60 in which 2 cups are provided in a multi-layer manner is illustrated, but the number of cups is not limited to 2. This point will be described later.

The chamber 20 accommodates a substrate processing unit 30, a first supply unit 40, a second supply unit 50, and a recovery cup 60. At the top of the chamber 20 there is provided an FFU 21. The FFU 21 is used to create a downward flow within the chamber 20.

The substrate processing section 30 includes a holding section 31, a support section 32, and a driving section 33, and performs liquid processing on the wafer W placed thereon. The holding portion 31 holds the wafer W horizontally. The support column 32 is a member extending in the vertical direction, and a base end portion of the support column 32 is rotatably supported by the driving portion 33, and the holding portion 31 is horizontally supported at a front end portion of the support column 32. The driving unit 33 rotates the pillar 32 about the vertical axis.

The substrate processing section 30 rotates the support column section 32 by using the driving section 33, thereby rotating the holding section 31 supported by the support column section 32, and rotating the wafer W held by the holding section 31.

Further, a holding member 31a for holding the wafer W from the side surface is provided on the upper surface of the holding portion 31 provided in the substrate processing portion 30. The wafer W is horizontally held by the holding member 31a in a state slightly separated from the upper surface of the holding portion 31.

The first supply unit 40 supplies chemical liquid to the wafer W held by the holding unit 31. The first supply unit 40 includes a nozzle 41, an arm 42 horizontally supporting the nozzle 41, and a swing elevating mechanism 43 for swinging and elevating the arm 42.

The nozzle 41 is connected to a chemical liquid supply source 46 via a valve 44 and a flow regulator 45. The chemical supply source 46 is a tank for storing chemical. The liquid medicine is prepared from HF (hydrofluoric acid) or HF/HNO ₃ (hydrofluoric acid-nitric acid), HF/HNO ₃ /CH ₃ COOH (hydrofluoric acid-nitric acid-acetic acid mixed acid), SC1 (ammonia-hydrogen peroxide water mixed solution), TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), and the like.

Further, a thin film (for example, an oxide film, a nitride film, and a silicon film) that can be etched by the chemical solution is formed on the surface of the wafer W.

The second supply unit 50 supplies a rinse solution to the wafer W held by the holding unit 31, and performs a rinse process of the wafer W. The rinse liquid is, for example, pure water. The pure Water is, for example, DIW (DeIonized Water: deIonized Water). The second supply unit 50 includes a nozzle 51, an arm 52 horizontally supporting the nozzle 51, and a swing elevating mechanism 53 for swinging and elevating the arm 52.

The nozzle 51 is connected to a DIW supply source 56 via a valve 54 and a flow regulator 55. The DIW supply source 56 is a tank storing DIW.

The recovery cup 60 (an example of a processing cup) is provided around the holding portion 31, and captures liquid scattered from the wafer W due to rotation of the holding portion 31. The recovery cup 60 may have a multilayer structure arranged concentrically with the rotation center of the wafer W held and rotated by the substrate processing unit 30. Specifically, the recovery cup 60 includes a pure water recovery cup 60a (an example of the second processing cup) and a discharge recovery cup 60f (an example of the first processing cup).

The pure water collection cup 60a has a shape that surrounds the lower side and the outer periphery of the wafer W and opens the upper side of the wafer W. The pure water recovery cup 60a is provided outside the discharge recovery cup 60 f. The pure water recovery cup 60a forms a recovery port 60b outside the outer periphery of the wafer W, and forms a recovery space 60c communicating with the recovery port 60b below.

The pure water recovery cup 60a has a concentric annular partition wall 60h formed at the bottom of the recovery space 60c, and divides the bottom of the recovery space 60c into a concentric double annular pure water recovery portion 60d and a discharge portion 60e. The pure water recovery portion 60d is disposed outside the discharge portion 60e. The bottom of the recovery space 60c, in which the pure water recovery unit 60d is provided, is an example of "the bottom of the second processing cup". In addition, the bottom of the recovery space 60c, in which the discharge portion 60e is provided, is an example of "the bottom of the first processing cup".

A drain port 61a is formed in the pure water recovery portion 60 d. The discharge path from the liquid discharge port 61a is connected to the discharge line 65a and the recovery line 65b via a switching valve 67 (an example of a line switching portion). For example, when the control device 4 controls the switching valve 67 to set the inflow destination of the drain to the drain line 65a, the drain discharged from the drain port 61a flows to the drain line 65a through the valve 64 a. Similarly, for example, when the control device 4 controls the switching valve 67 to set the inflow destination of the drain to the recovery line 65b, the drain discharged from the drain port 61a flows to the recovery line 65b through the valve 64 b.

The pure water recovery unit 60d is provided with a measurement unit 62a (an example of a first measurement unit) for measuring the purity of pure water. The "purity of pure water" in the present specification means the purity of water (H ₂ O) is present. "pure water having high purity" means water (H ₂ O) is high, in other words, the proportion of components (impurities) other than the main component is small. The purity of pure water can be estimated, for example, from the conductivity, concentration, resistivity, pH, TOC (Total Organic Carbon: total organic carbon) and the like of pure water. Accordingly, for example, a conductivity meter, a concentration meter, a resistivity meter, a pH meter, a TOC meter, or the like can be used as the measurement unit 62 a. In addition, the resistivity Is the inverse of the conductivity.

A drain port 61b is formed in the drain portion 60 e. The discharge path from the liquid discharge port 61b is connected to the valve 64 c. The liquid discharged from the liquid discharge port 61b is discharged to the outside of the processing unit 16 through the valve 64 c. The valve 64c may be constituted by a plurality of valves, and the valves may be individually divided according to the properties of the chemical liquid such as acidity and alkalinity, and the discharge path may be branched. In the case where the chemical liquid is reusable, the chemical liquid discharged through the valve 64c may be recovered.

Further, the discharge portion 60e is provided with a discharge measurement portion 62b (an example of a second measurement portion) for measuring the purity of pure water. The discharge measuring unit 62b is, for example, a conductivity meter, a concentration meter, a resistivity meter, or the like.

A plurality of exhaust ports 66 are formed in the partition wall 60h of the pure water collection cup 60a at intervals along the circumferential direction of the partition wall 60h, and the exhaust ports 66 penetrate the partition wall 60h and open in the collection cup 60 at positions above the drain ports 61a and 61b. The discharge path from the exhaust port 66 is connected to a valve 66 a.

The discharge and recovery cup 60f is disposed immediately above the partition wall 60h with a predetermined interval therebetween, and is provided so as to be capable of being lifted and lowered. A lifting mechanism 70 (an example of a cup switching unit) for lifting and lowering the discharge recovery cup 60f is connected to the discharge recovery cup 60 f. The lifting mechanism 70 is controlled to be lifted by the control device 4.

The discharge recovery cup 60f has an inclined wall portion 60g at an upper end portion thereof, which is inclined upward toward the inside to the recovery port 60b of the pure water recovery cup 60 a. The inclined wall portion 60g extends in parallel along the inclined wall of the pure water recovery cup 60a to the recovery port 60b of the pure water recovery cup 60a, and the inclined wall portion 60g is close to the inclined wall of the pure water recovery cup 60 a.

When the discharge and recovery cup 60f is lowered by the lifting mechanism 70, a flow path is formed between the inclined wall of the pure water recovery cup 60a and the inclined wall portion 60g of the discharge and recovery cup 60f from the recovery port 60b to the drain port 61a in the recovery space 60 c.

When the discharge and collection cup 60f is lifted up by the lift mechanism 70, a flow path from the collection port 60b to the drain port 61b of the discharge portion 60e is formed inside the inclined wall portion 60g of the discharge and collection cup 60 f.

The processing unit 16 performs switching of the liquid discharge ports 61a and 61b by lifting and lowering the discharge and recovery cup 60f during substrate processing.

For example, when the chemical liquid is discharged onto the wafer W to process the wafer W, the control device 4 opens the valve 44 while controlling the driving unit 33 of the substrate processing unit 30 to rotate the holding unit 31 at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the chemical supplied from the chemical supply source 46 is ejected from the nozzle 41 toward the upper surface of the wafer W.

At this time, the control device 4 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to lift the discharge and collection cup 60f, thereby forming a flow path from the collection port 60b to the drain port 61b of the discharge portion 60e.

Accordingly, the chemical solution supplied to the wafer W is thrown out toward the outside of the outer periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is then recovered from the recovery port 60b to the discharge portion 60e. The chemical liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge port 61 b. In other words, the state in which the discharge and collection cup 60f is raised is a state in which liquid is received by the discharge and collection cup 60f (hereinafter, also referred to as a first state).

In addition, for example, when pure water is discharged to the wafer W to process the wafer W, the control device 4 similarly opens the valve 54 in a state where the driving unit 33 is controlled to rotate the holding unit 31 at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the DIW supplied from the DIW supply source 56 is ejected from the nozzle 51 toward the upper surface of the wafer W.

At this time, the control device 4 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to lower the discharge and recovery cup 60f, thereby forming a flow path from the recovery port 60b to the drain port 61a of the pure water recovery portion 60d.

Accordingly, the pure water supplied to the wafer W is thrown out toward the outside of the outer periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is then collected into the pure water collection portion 60d of the collection space 60c from the collection port 60b of the pure water collection cup 60 a. Further, pure water is discharged from the liquid discharge port 61 a. In other words, the state in which the discharge and collection cup 60f is lowered is a state in which the liquid is received by the pure water collection cup 60a (hereinafter, also referred to as a second state).

In the following, the switching of the liquid discharge ports 61a and 61b by lifting and lowering the discharge collection cup 60f is sometimes referred to as "cup switching".

< procedure of control treatment >

Next, the procedure of the control process according to the first embodiment and the modification will be described with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the control process executed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. Further, at the point in time when the flowchart of fig. 3 begins, the drain recovery cup 60f is raised to a first state in which liquid is received by the drain recovery cup 60 f.

In the control process according to the first embodiment, first, the control unit 18 holds the wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 by the holding unit 31 (step S101). Then, the control unit 18 controls the substrate processing unit 30 and the like to rotate the wafer W at a predetermined rotation speed (step S102).

Next, the control unit 18 controls the first supply unit 40 to supply the chemical solution onto the wafer W at a predetermined flow rate (step S103). Thereafter, the control unit 18 stops the supply of the chemical solution to the wafer W (step S104).

Next, the control unit 18 controls the second supply unit 50 to perform a rinsing process using pure water on the wafer W after the liquid process using the chemical liquid is completed (step S105). Specifically, the control unit 18 controls the second supply unit 50 to supply the rinse liquid to the wafer W at a predetermined flow rate. Thereafter, the control unit 18 stops the supply of the rinse liquid to the wafer W.

The control unit 18 performs pure water recovery processing during this flushing processing. Specifically, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the pure water using the measuring unit 62a, and determines whether or not the pure water can be recovered based on the measured purity of the pure water. When pure water can be recovered, the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 67 to switch the inflow destination of pure water from the discharge line 65a to the recovery line 65b. The detailed procedure of the pure water recovery process during the rinsing process will be described later with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

Next, the control unit 18 performs a drying process such as spin drying on the wafer W after the rinsing process (step S106). Then, the control unit 18 conveys the wafer W after the drying process out of the processing unit 16 (step S107), and ends a series of control processes.

Next, a procedure of pure water recovery processing according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the pure water recovery process performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. When the flushing process in step S105 of fig. 3 described above is started, the pure water recovery process of the present flowchart is started.

First, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the pure water flowing through the discharge unit 60e by using the discharge measurement unit 62b (step S201). Then, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the purity of the measured pure water is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, in other words, whether or not the pure water can be recovered (step S202). When the purity of the pure water is equal to or higher than the threshold value (yes in step S202), the control unit 18 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to switch from the first state in which the liquid is received by the discharge recovery cup 60f to the second state in which the liquid is received by the pure water recovery cup 60a (step S203). On the other hand, when the purity of pure water is less than the threshold value (no in step S202), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S201.

Next, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the pure water flowing through the pure water recovery unit 60d using the measurement unit 62a (step S204), and determines whether the measured purity of the pure water is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (step S205). The threshold in the present process is the same value as the threshold in step S202.

When the purity of the pure water is equal to or higher than the threshold value (yes in step S205), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 67 so that the pure water flows into the recovery line 65b (step S206). On the other hand, when the purity of pure water is smaller than the threshold value (no in step S205), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 67 so that pure water flows into the discharge line 65a (step S207). In this process, even when the chemical liquid is erroneously mixed in the pure water recovery process in the second state, pure water having a low purity in which the chemical liquid is mixed can be flowed into the discharge line 65a. Therefore, the inflow of pure water of low purity into the recovery line 65b can be suppressed, and only pure water of high purity can be recovered.

Next, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the flushing process is finished (step S208). When the flushing process is completed (yes in step S208), the control unit 18 ends the process of the present flowchart. After that, the control unit 18 performs the drying process in step S106 of fig. 3. On the other hand, when the flushing process is not completed (no in step S208), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S204. That is, the control unit 18 continues the process of switching the inflow destination of the pure water according to the purity of the pure water until the end of the flushing process.

As described above, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the purity of the pure water is measured by the discharge measurement unit 62b while the pure water is supplied from the second supply unit 50 to the wafer W in the first state in which the liquid is received by the discharge recovery cup 60 f. In the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment, when it is determined that pure water can be recovered based on the measured purity of pure water, the lifting mechanism 70 is controlled to switch from the first state to the second state in which the liquid is received by the pure water recovery cup 60 a.

If the chemical solution adheres to the pure water collection cup 60a, the chemical solution adhering to the pure water collection cup 60a may be mixed with the pure water to reduce the purity of the pure water when the pure water is to be collected. In contrast, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment, since the introduction of the chemical liquid into the pure water collection cup 60a is reduced by providing the substrate processing system with a multi-layered cup, the purity of the pure water can be prevented from being lowered. When the decrease in purity of pure water is suppressed, the amount of pure water that must be discarded until the purity reaches a desired purity that can be recovered is reduced, and therefore the recovery efficiency of pure water is improved.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of the pure water recovery process performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment.

In the pure water recovery process according to another example, first, the control unit 18 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the flushing process (step S301). Here, the predetermined time is a time required for the purity of the pure water to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined time is obtained by measuring a time from the start of the washing process to a time point when the purity of the pure water becomes equal to or higher than a threshold value, for example, a plurality of times, and calculating an average time. As an example, the change in the conductivity of pure water during the flushing process is measured by the measuring section 62a of the conductivity meter, and the time required until the measured conductivity becomes a predetermined value (for example, 15 μs/cm) or less is measured. This measurement is performed a plurality of times, and an average value of time required until the conductivity becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value is obtained. The average time thus obtained is registered in the process information as a predetermined time which is a time required for the purity of the pure water to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.

When determining that the predetermined time has elapsed (yes in step S301), the control unit 18 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to switch from the first state to the second state (step S302). The processing in steps S303 to S307 is the same as the processing in steps S204 to S208 in fig. 4, and therefore omitted.

As described above, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment, the second supply unit 50 is controlled to start the supply of pure water to the substrate in the first state in which the liquid is received by the discharge and recovery cup 60f, and after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the supply of pure water, the lifting mechanism 70 is controlled to switch from the first state to the second state. Then, the purity of the pure water is measured by the measuring unit 62a, and when it is determined that the pure water can be recovered based on the measured purity of the pure water, the switching valve 67 is controlled to switch the inflow destination of the pure water from the discharge line 65a to the recovery line 65b. According to this process, high-purity pure water can be recovered with a small number of structures without using the discharge measuring section 62b in the discharge section 60 e.

< Structure of pure Water recovery System >

Next, a configuration example of the supply system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the supply system 100 according to the first embodiment.

The supply system 100 according to the first embodiment includes the substrate processing system 1, the regeneration system 200, the generation system 300, and the raw water processing system 400 described above. The substrate processing system 1 measures the purity of pure water during the rinsing process of the substrate, and recovers pure water determined to be recoverable. Specifically, the control unit 18 of the substrate processing system 1 controls the switching valve 67 to allow the pure water determined to be recoverable to flow into the recovery line 65b.

The regeneration system 200 is connected to the recovery line 65b of the substrate processing system 1, and performs a regeneration process on the pure water recovered from the recovery line 65 b. The regeneration treatment is, for example, an activated carbon filtration treatment, an ion exchange treatment, an ultraviolet irradiation treatment, or the like.

The generation system 300 is connected to the regeneration system 200, and generates new pure water from pure water after the regeneration process performed by the regeneration system 200 and raw water supplied from a raw water treatment system 400 described later. Thereafter, the generated new pure water is supplied to the second supply portion 50 of the substrate processing system 1. The generation system 300 generates new pure water by performing, for example, vacuum degassing treatment, ion exchange treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, and the like on the raw water and the pure water subjected to the regeneration treatment.

The raw water treatment system 400 is connected to the generation system 300, and supplies raw water treatment water from which suspended substances and organic substances contained in raw water such as municipal water and industrial water are removed to the generation system 300.

According to the supply system 100 of the embodiment, the high-purity pure water recovered by the substrate processing system 1 can be reused, and the cost for producing pure water can be reduced. In the supply system 100 according to the embodiment, the regeneration system 200 is not necessarily configured, and the generation system 300 may be connected to the recovery line 65b of the substrate processing system 1 without passing through the regeneration system 200. In addition, the supply system 100 does not necessarily have to be provided with the raw water treatment system 400.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus (for example, the substrate processing system 1) according to the embodiment includes the holding portion (for example, the holding portion 31), the first supply portion (for example, the first supply portion 40), the second supply portion (for example, the second supply portion 50), the first processing cup (for example, the discharge recovery cup 60 f), the second processing cup (for example, the pure water recovery cup 60 a), the discharge portion (for example, the discharge portion 60 e), the recovery portion (for example, the pure water recovery portion 60 d), and the measurement portion (for example, the measurement portion 62 a). The holding portion holds the substrate. The first supply unit is configured to supply a chemical solution to the substrate held by the holding unit. The second supply unit is configured to supply the rinse liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The first processing cup is disposed around the holding portion. The second processing cup is disposed inside or outside the first processing cup and receives the rinse liquid supplied to the substrate. The discharge portion is disposed at the bottom of the first processing cup. The recovery unit is provided at the bottom of the second processing cup, and is connected to the discharge line (for example, the discharge line 65 a) and the recovery line (for example, the recovery line 65 b) via a line switching unit (for example, the switching valve 67). The measuring unit is provided in the collecting unit and measures the purity of the rinse solution.

If the chemical solution adheres to the pure water collection cup 60a, the chemical solution adhering to the pure water collection cup 60a may be mixed with the pure water to reduce the purity of the pure water when the pure water is to be collected. In contrast, the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment is configured as a multi-layered cup, and thus, the introduction of chemical liquid into the pure water collection cup 60a is reduced, and therefore, the purity of pure water can be prevented from decreasing. When the decrease in purity of pure water is suppressed, the amount of pure water that must be discarded until the purity reaches a desired purity that can be recovered is reduced, and therefore the recovery efficiency of pure water is improved.

(modification of the first embodiment)

In the first embodiment described above, the following examples are explained: the recovery cup is provided with two receiving liquid recovery cups, and the recovery cups are switched based on the time elapsed from the start of the supply of pure water, the purity of pure water, or the like, but the number of recovery cups is not limited to two. For example, the substrate processing apparatus may include three or more recovery cups. As an example, the substrate processing apparatus may include a recovery cup for receiving an acid-based chemical solution, a recovery cup for receiving an alkali-based chemical solution, and a recovery cup for receiving pure water. In this case, a drain portion may be provided at the bottom of the recovery cup for receiving pure water, and a measurement portion may be provided at the drain portion.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include a single recovery cup. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the processing unit 16 according to a modification of the first embodiment.

As shown in fig. 7, the processing unit 16 includes a recovery cup 60, and a discharge portion 60e is provided at the bottom of the recovery cup 60. The drain portion 60e is connected to the drain line 65a and the recovery line 65b via a switching valve 67 (an example of a line switching portion). The discharge portion 60e is provided with a measuring portion 62a for measuring the purity of pure water.

In the pure water recovery process in the case where the substrate processing apparatus includes one recovery cup, first, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the pure water flowing through the discharge unit 60e by using the measurement unit 62a during the rinsing process. Then, the control unit 18 determines whether the purity of the pure water is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, and when the purity of the pure water is equal to or higher than the threshold value, controls the switching valve 67 so that the pure water flows into the recovery line 65b. On the other hand, when the purity of pure water is less than the threshold value, the control section 18 controls the switching valve 67 so that pure water flows into the discharge line 65a.

As described above, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the first embodiment, while pure water is being supplied from the second supply unit 50 to the substrate, the purity of the pure water is measured by the measurement unit 62a, and when it is determined that pure water can be recovered based on the measured purity of the pure water, the switching valve 67 is controlled to switch the inflow destination of the pure water from the discharge line 65a to the recovery line 65b. According to this treatment, even if the treatment liquid adhering to the substrate and the recovery cup is mixed with pure water to lower the purity of pure water flowing to the discharge portion, the pure water can be prevented from flowing into the recovery line, and only pure water of high purity can be recovered.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus (for example, the substrate processing system 1) according to the first embodiment includes the holding portion (for example, the holding portion 31), the processing cup (for example, the collection cup 60), the first supply portion (for example, the first supply portion 40), the second supply portion (for example, the second supply portion 50), the discharge portion (for example, the discharge portion 60 e), and the measurement portion (for example, the measurement portion 62 a). The holding portion holds the substrate. The treatment cup is disposed around the holding portion. The first supply unit is configured to supply a chemical solution to the substrate held by the holding unit. The second supply unit is configured to supply the rinse liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The discharge portion is provided at the bottom of the processing cup, and is connected to a discharge line (for example, the discharge line 65 a) and a recovery line (for example, the recovery line 65 b) via a line switching portion (for example, the switching valve 67). The measuring unit is provided in the discharge unit and measures the purity of the rinse liquid.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, the measurement unit for measuring the purity of the pure water is provided in the discharge unit. According to this configuration, since the outflow destination can be switched between the high purity and the low purity, the flow of pure water of low purity into the recovery line can be suppressed, and only pure water of high purity can be made to flow into the recovery line. Thus, pure water of high purity can be recovered. Further, according to this configuration, the recovery process of pure water can be performed more easily with a smaller number of configurations than in the case where a plurality of processing cups are provided.

In the first embodiment described above, an example in which the measurement unit 62a, the switching valve 67, the discharge line 65a, and the recovery line 65b are provided for each processing unit 16 has been described. The present invention is not limited thereto, and at least one of the measuring section 62a, the switching valve 67, the discharge line 65a, and the recovery line 65b may be provided in the entire substrate processing system. For example, as shown in fig. 8, a measurement unit 62a and a switching valve 67 (an example of a line switching unit) may be provided in a collective drain pipe (an example of a drain unit) through which the drain of the plurality of processing units 16 flows, and it may be determined whether or not to collect pure water based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 62 a. The switching valve 67 may be controlled to allow pure water to flow into the recovery line 65b if pure water can be recovered, and the switching valve 67 may be controlled to allow pure water to flow into the discharge line 65a if pure water cannot be recovered. According to this configuration, the number of measurement units is small, so that the recovery process of pure water can be performed more easily with a small number of configurations.

Fig. 8 shows an example in which the measurement unit 62a, the switching valve 67, the discharge line 65a, and the recovery line 65b are disposed inside the substrate processing system 1. The switching valve 67, the discharge line 65a, and the recovery line 65b may be disposed outside the substrate processing system 1.

In the first embodiment, the example was described in which the pure water collection cup 60a is provided outside the discharge collection cup 60f, but the pure water collection cup 60a may be provided inside the discharge collection cup 60 f.

(second embodiment)

Next, a configuration example of the supply system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of the supply system 100 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in fig. 9, the supply system 100 includes a processing unit 16, a regeneration system 200, and a supply path 202b connecting the processing unit 16 and the regeneration system 200. The processing unit 16 is not limited to the example of fig. 9, and may be the substrate processing system 1 (an example of a substrate processing apparatus).

The regeneration system 200 is connected to the recovery line 65b of the treatment unit 16, and performs a regeneration treatment on the pure water recovered from the recovery line 65 b. The regeneration system 200 includes a storage unit 201 and a circulation unit 202. The storage unit 201 stores the pure water recovered from the recovery line 65 b. The storage unit 201 includes a discharge unit 212 for discharging the pure water stored in the storage unit 201. Pure water stored in the storage unit 201 is discharged to the outside of the regeneration system 200 via the valve 212 a. The storage unit 201 may include a DIW supply unit 213 that supplies DIW from a DIW supply source 213a that stores DIW.

The circulation unit 202 returns the regenerated pure water sent from the storage unit 201 to the storage unit 201. The circulation unit 202 includes a circulation path 202a. The circulation path 202a is a circulation path from the reservoir 201 and returns to the reservoir 201. One end of the circulation path 202a is connected to an outflow port provided at, for example, the bottom of the reservoir 201, and the other end of the circulation path 202a is connected to an inflow port provided above, for example, the side surface of the reservoir 201. The circulation path 202a forms a circulation path flowing from the outflow port toward the inflow port.

The circulation path 202a includes, in order from the upstream side with respect to the reservoir 201 (the most upstream position), a pump 203, a filter 204, a temperature adjusting unit 205, a flow meter 206, a valve 207, a branching unit 208, a measuring unit 209 (an example of a third measuring unit), a valve 210, and a back pressure valve 211.

The pump 203 sends the regenerated pure water in the reservoir 201 to the circulation path 202a. The filter 204 removes solid impurities (particulates) from the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a. The temperature adjusting unit 205 adjusts the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a to a temperature suitable for the flushing process. For example, the temperature adjusting unit 205 adjusts the regenerative pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a to 25 ℃. The temperature of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a may be increased due to the influence of the pump 203 or the like, and the temperature adjustment unit 205 may be provided to prevent the temperature from being increased.

The flow meter 206 measures the flow rate of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202 a. The plurality of valves 207 and 210 open and close the circulation path 202 a. A supply path 202b for supplying the regeneration pure water subjected to the regeneration treatment by the regeneration system 200 to the treatment unit 16 is branched from the branching portion 208. That is, the supply path 202b is a branched path branched from the circulation path 202 a.

The measurement unit 209 measures the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202 a. The measurement unit 209 is, for example, a conductivity meter, a concentration meter, a resistivity meter, or the like. This allows the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a to be checked, and allows the liquid supply to the processing unit 16 and the liquid discharge from the storage unit 201 to be controlled. The back pressure valve 211 adjusts the pressure of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a to a desired pressure.

Next, the configuration of the processing unit 16 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the processing unit 16. In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the rinse treatment is performed on the front surface (upper surface) of the wafer W has been described, but the rinse treatment may be performed on the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W in the same manner as the front surface. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the back surface of the wafer W is rinsed with the regenerated pure water after the regeneration process by the regeneration system 200. In the following description, the front surface (upper surface) of the wafer W is referred to as a device surface, and the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W is referred to as a non-device surface.

The second supply unit 50 includes a first nozzle 51a and a second nozzle 51b. The first nozzle 51a supplies pure water to the surface of the wafer W held by the holding portion 31, as in the nozzle 51 of the first embodiment.

The second nozzle 51b supplies pure water to the back surface of the wafer W held by the holding portion 31. The second nozzle 51b is disposed in a through hole provided in the pillar portion 32. The second nozzle 51b is connected to the DIW supply source 56 or the supply path 202b via the switching valve 150. The switching valve 150 switches the flow of pure water into the second nozzle 51b between pure water supplied from the DIW supply source 56 and pure water supplied from the supply path 202 b. In other words, the switching valve 150 switches the connection destination of the second nozzle 51b between the DIW supply source 56 and the supply path 202 b.

In the following description, the pure water supplied from the DIW supply source 56 is referred to as "new liquid of pure water", and the pure water supplied from the supply path 202b is referred to as "regenerated pure water". In addition, in the case where the new liquid of pure water and the regenerated pure water are not distinguished, they are sometimes referred to as "pure water" only.

By reusing the regenerated pure water subjected to the regeneration treatment as described above for the rinsing treatment of the wafer W, the amount of pure water used can be reduced. In addition, by supplying the regenerated pure water only to the non-device surface of the wafer W, the cleanliness of the device surface of the wafer W can be maintained.

Next, the procedure of the control process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of control processing executed by the supply system 100 according to the second embodiment.

First, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a using the measurement unit 209 (step S401). Then, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the purity of the measured regenerative pure water is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, in other words, whether or not the regenerative pure water can be used for the rinsing process of the back surface of the wafer W (step S402). The threshold value in this process is, for example, the same value as the threshold value in step S202 and step S205 in fig. 4.

When the purity of the regenerated pure water is less than the threshold value (no in step S402), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 150 to switch the pure water supplied to the back surface of the wafer W to a new liquid of pure water (step S403). That is, the control unit 18 closes the supply path 202b for supplying the regeneration pure water from the regeneration system 200 to the processing unit 16.

Next, the control unit 18 controls the discharge unit 212 to discharge the regenerated pure water stored in the storage unit 201 by a fixed amount (step S404).

Next, the control unit 18 uses the measurement unit 209 to measure again the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a (step S405). Then, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the purity of the measured regenerated pure water is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (step S406). The threshold value in this process is the same as that of step S402.

When the purity of the regenerated pure water is equal to or higher than the threshold value (yes in step S406), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 150 to switch the pure water supplied to the back surface of the wafer W to the regenerated pure water (step S407). That is, the control unit 18 opens the supply path 202b for supplying the regeneration pure water from the regeneration system 200 to the processing unit 16.

On the other hand, when the purity of the regenerated pure water is less than the threshold value (no in step S406), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S404. That is, the control unit 18 repeats the process of discharging the regenerated pure water from the storage unit 201 until the purity of the regenerated pure water becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value.

As described above, in the supply system 100 according to the second embodiment, the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a is measured by the measuring unit 209, and when the measured purity of the regenerated pure water is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the second supply unit 50 is controlled to discharge the regenerated pure water from the second nozzle 51b, and when the measured purity of the regenerated pure water is lower than the threshold value, the discharge unit 212 is controlled to discharge the regenerated pure water stored in the storage unit 201, and the second supply unit 50 is controlled to discharge the new liquid of the pure water from the second nozzle 51 b.

According to this process, when the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a is a purity that can be used for substrate processing, the pure water can be reused by being used for substrate processing. When the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202a is not a purity that can be used for substrate processing, the purity of the regenerated pure water can be improved by discharging a fixed amount of regenerated pure water from the storage unit 201 and circulating the regenerated pure water. When the processing unit 16 performs a rinse process using a new solution of pure water, the new solution of pure water supplied to the wafer W is recovered to the storage 201 via the recovery line 65 b. This can further improve the purity of the regenerated pure water flowing through the circulation path 202 a.

Here, the case where the threshold value in step S402 is the same as the threshold value for determining whether pure water in the processing unit 16 can be recovered (steps S202, S205 of fig. 4) is shown, but these threshold values may be different values. For example, the threshold value in step S402 may be a value larger than the threshold values in steps S202 and S205. The pure water recovered from the treatment unit 16 is circulated through the circulation path 202a to remove impurities, thereby improving purity. Therefore, even when the purity of the pure water recovered from the processing unit 16 is lower than the purity that can be used for the substrate processing, the pure water can be recycled to the substrate processing by circulating in the circulation path 202 a. Therefore, the recovery efficiency of pure water from the processing unit 16 can be further improved.

When the purity of the regenerated pure water is less than the threshold value (no in step S402), the control unit 18 may control the DIW supply unit 213 to supply a new liquid of pure water to the storage unit 201.

Here, an example of the case where the back surface of the wafer W is a non-device surface will be described. The non-device surface may be the surface of the wafer W, not limited to this. In this case, the surface of the wafer W may be supplied with the regenerative pure water during the rinsing process.

(third embodiment)

Next, a configuration of the processing unit 16 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the processing unit 16. While the spin drying is performed as the drying process in the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wafer W may be dried by spraying a drying liquid such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) onto the surface of the wafer W. In this case, IPA may be recovered during the drying process. In the third embodiment, an example will be described in which IPA is used in the drying process of the wafer W and the IPA is recovered during the drying process.

The second supply unit 50 supplies IPA to the wafer W held by the holding unit 31, and performs a drying process of the wafer W. IPA is an example of a drying liquid used in the drying process of the wafer W. The second supply unit 50 includes a nozzle 51, an arm 52 horizontally supporting the nozzle 51, and a swing elevating mechanism 53 for swinging and elevating the arm 52.

The nozzle 51 is connected to an IPA supply source 57 via a valve 58 and a flow regulator 59. The IPA supply source 57 is a tank storing IPA.

The recovery cup 60 (an example of a processing cup) is provided around the holding portion 31, and captures liquid scattered from the wafer W due to rotation of the holding portion 31. The recovery cup 60 may have a multilayer structure arranged concentrically with the rotation center of the wafer W held and rotated by the substrate processing unit 30. Specifically, the recovery cup 60 includes an IPA recovery cup 80a (an example of a second process cup) and a discharge recovery cup 60f (an example of a first process cup).

The IPA recovery cup 80a has a shape that surrounds the lower side and the outer periphery of the wafer W and opens the upper side of the wafer W. The IPA recovery cup 80a is disposed outside the discharge recovery cup 60 f. The IPA recovery cup 80a forms a recovery port 60b outside the outer periphery of the wafer W, and forms a recovery space 60c communicating with the recovery port 60b below.

The IPA recovery cup 80a has a concentric annular partition wall 60h formed at the bottom of the recovery space 60c, and divides the bottom of the recovery space 60c into a concentric double annular IPA recovery section 80d and a discharge section 60e. The IPA recovery unit 80d is disposed outside the discharge unit 60e. The bottom of the recovery space 60c, in which the IPA recovery unit 80d is provided, is an example of "the bottom of the second processing cup". In addition, the bottom of the recovery space 60c, in which the discharge portion 60e is provided, is an example of "the bottom of the first processing cup".

The liquid discharge port 81a is formed in the IPA recovery unit 80 d. The discharge path from the liquid discharge port 81a is connected to the discharge line 85a and the recovery line 85b via a switching valve 87 (an example of a line switching section). For example, when the control device 4 controls the switching valve 87 to set the inflow destination of the drain to the drain line 85a, the drain discharged from the drain port 81a flows to the drain line 85a through the valve 84 a. Similarly, for example, when the control device 4 controls the switching valve 87 to set the inflow destination of the drain to the recovery line 85b, the drain discharged from the drain port 81a flows to the recovery line 85b through the valve 84 b.

The IPA recovery unit 80d is provided with a measurement unit 82a (an example of a first measurement unit) for measuring the purity of IPA. The "purity of IPA" in the present specification means a proportion of IPA as a main component in IPA. "high purity of IPA" means that the proportion of IPA as a main component is high, in other words, that the proportion of components other than the main component is small. The purity of IPA can be estimated from the water content of IPA, for example. Therefore, for example, a moisture meter can be used as the measurement unit 62 a.

In addition, the discharge unit 60e is also provided with a discharge measurement unit 82b (an example of a second measurement unit) for measuring the purity of IPA. The emission measuring unit 82b is, for example, a moisture meter.

For example, when the chemical liquid is discharged to the wafer W to process the wafer W (step S104 in fig. 3), the control device 4 opens the valve 44 while controlling the driving portion 33 of the substrate processing portion 30 to rotate the holding portion 31 at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the chemical supplied from the chemical supply source 46 is ejected from the nozzle 41 toward the upper surface of the wafer W. When pure water is discharged to the wafer W to process the wafer W (step S105 in fig. 3), the control device 4 opens the valve 54 while controlling the driving unit 33 of the substrate processing unit 30 to rotate the holding unit 31 at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the DIW supplied from the DIW supply source 56 is ejected from the nozzle 51 toward the upper surface of the wafer W.

Accordingly, the chemical solution or pure water supplied to the wafer W is thrown out toward the outside of the outer periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is then recovered from the recovery port 60b to the discharge portion 60e. The chemical solution or pure water is discharged from the liquid outlet 61 b. In other words, the state in which the discharge and collection cup 60f is raised is a state in which the liquid is received by the discharge and collection cup 60f (hereinafter, also referred to as a third state).

When the wafer W is dried by, for example, ejecting IPA onto the wafer W (step S106 in fig. 3), the control device 4 opens the valve 58 while controlling the driving unit 33 to rotate the holding unit 31 at a predetermined rotation speed. Thereby, the IPA supplied from the IPA supply source 57 is ejected from the nozzle 51 toward the upper surface of the wafer W.

At this time, the control device 4 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to lower the discharge and recovery cup 60f, thereby forming a flow path from the recovery port 60b to the drain port 81a of the IPA recovery unit 80d.

Accordingly, the IPA supplied to the wafer W is thrown out toward the outside of the outer periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is then recovered from the recovery port 60b of the IPA recovery cup 80a to the IPA recovery portion 80d of the recovery space 60 c. The IPA is discharged from the liquid discharge port 81 a. In other words, the state in which the discharge collection cup 60f is lowered is a state in which liquid is received by the IPA collection cup 80a (hereinafter, also referred to as a fourth state).

Next, the procedure of the IPA recovery processing according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 13 and 14. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the IPA recovery processing performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment. When the drying process in step S106 of fig. 3 described above is started, the IPA recovery process of the present flowchart is started.

Further, at the point in time when the flowchart of fig. 13 starts, the drain recovery cup 60f is raised to be in the third state of receiving liquid through the drain recovery cup 60 f. That is, although the example in which the cup switching process is performed in the flushing process is described in the first embodiment, in the third embodiment, the cup switching process is not performed in the flushing process, and pure water is received by the discharge recovery cup 60f in the same manner as the chemical solution.

First, the control unit 18 measures the purity of the IPA flowing through the discharge unit 60e by using the discharge measurement unit 82b (step S501). Then, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the purity of the measured IPA is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, in other words, whether or not the recovery of IPA is possible (step S502). When the purity of the IPA is equal to or higher than the threshold value (yes in step S502), the control unit 18 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to switch from the third state in which the liquid is received by the discharge recovery cup 60f to the fourth state in which the liquid is received by the IPA recovery cup 80a (step S503). On the other hand, when the purity of IPA is smaller than the threshold value (no in step S502), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S501.

Next, the control unit 18 uses the measurement unit 82a to measure the purity of the IPA flowing through the IPA recovery unit 80d (step S504), and determines whether the measured purity of the IPA is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold (step S505). The threshold value in the present process is the same value as the threshold value in step S502.

When the purity of the IPA is equal to or higher than the threshold value (yes in step S505), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 87 so that the IPA flows into the recovery line 85b (step S506). On the other hand, when the purity of the IPA is smaller than the threshold value (no in step S505), the control unit 18 controls the switching valve 87 so that the IPA flows into the discharge line 85a (step S507). In this process, even when the chemical liquid is erroneously mixed in the second state during the recovery of the IPA, the low-purity IPA mixed with the chemical liquid can be flowed into the drain line 85a. Therefore, the flow of low-purity IPA into the recovery line 85b can be suppressed, and only high-purity IPA can be recovered.

Next, the control unit 18 records the time between the start of the drying process and step S503. Specifically, the control unit 18 records a time from when the supply of the IPA to the wafer W is started to when the purity of the IPA flowing through the discharge unit 60e becomes equal to or higher than a threshold value. This time is a time required for the purity of the IPA to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and can be used when determining whether or not to switch from the discharge recovery cup 60f to the IPA recovery cup 80 a. This will be described later using fig. 14.

Next, the control unit 18 determines whether the drying process is finished (step S509). When the drying process is completed (yes in step S509), the control unit 18 ends the process of the present flowchart. After that, the control unit 18 performs the carry-out process in step S107 of fig. 3. On the other hand, when the drying process is not completed (no in step S509), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S504. That is, the control unit 18 continues the process of switching the inflow destination of the IPA according to the purity of the IPA until the drying process is completed.

As described above, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment, the discharge measurement unit 82b is used to measure the purity of IPA while the second supply unit 50 supplies IPA to the wafer W in the first state in which the liquid is received by the discharge recovery cup 60 f. In the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment, when it is determined that the IPA can be recovered based on the detected purity of the IPA, the lifting mechanism 70 is controlled to switch from the third state to the fourth state in which the liquid is received by the IPA recovery cup 80 a.

If the chemical or pure water adheres to the IPA collection cup 80a, the chemical or pure water adheres to the IPA collection cup 80a to mix with the IPA to lower the purity of the IPA when the recovery of the IPA is desired. In contrast, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment, since the introduction of chemical solution or pure water into the IPA recovery cup 80a is reduced by providing the multi-layered cup, the purity of IPA can be prevented from decreasing. When the purity of IPA is suppressed from decreasing, the amount of IPA that must be discarded until the desired purity is achieved, and thus the recovery efficiency of IPA is improved.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of the IPA recovery processing performed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment.

In the IPA recovery processing according to another example, first, the control unit 18 determines whether or not, for example, a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the drying processing (step S601). Here, the predetermined time is a time required for the purity of IPA to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. For example, the predetermined time is obtained by measuring the time from the start of the drying process to the time point when the purity of IPA becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value as described above with reference to fig. 13, and calculating the average time. As an example, the change in the water content of the IPA during the drying process is measured by the measuring unit 82a of the moisture meter, and the time required until the measured water content becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 15%) is measured. This measurement is performed a plurality of times, and an average value of time required until the water content becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined value is obtained. The average time thus obtained is registered in the process information as a predetermined time which is a time required for the purity of the IPA to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.

When determining that the predetermined time has elapsed (yes in step S601), the control unit 18 controls the lifting mechanism 70 to switch from the first state to the second state (step S602). The processing of steps S603 to 607 is the same as that of steps S504 to S508 in fig. 13, and therefore omitted.

As described above, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the third embodiment, the second supply unit 50 is controlled to start the supply of the IPA to the substrate in the first state in which the liquid is received by the drain cup 60f, and after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the supply of the IPA, the lift mechanism 70 is controlled to switch from the first state to the second state. Then, the purity of the IPA is measured by the measuring unit 82a, and when it is determined that the IPA can be recovered based on the measured purity of the IPA, the switching valve 87 is controlled to switch the inflow destination of the IPA from the discharge line 85a to the recovery line 85b. According to this process, high-purity IPA can be recovered with a small number of structures without using the discharge measuring section 82b in the discharge section 60 e.

The presently disclosed embodiments are considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. In practice, the above-described embodiments can be embodied in various ways. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or altered in various ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims and their gist.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rinse liquid used in the rinsing process of the wafer W is pure water is shown, but the rinse liquid is not limited to this example. The rinse liquid may be pure water, for example, ammonia water, ozone water, or CO ₂ Water and other functional water. In the above embodiment, the drying process of the wafer W is shownThe drying liquid used is IPA, but the drying liquid is not limited to this example. The drying liquid may be an organic solvent other than IPA such as acetone and methanol.

Description of the reference numerals

W: a wafer (an example of a substrate); 1: a substrate processing system (an example of a substrate processing apparatus); 4: a control device; 16: a processing unit; 18: a control unit; 19: a storage unit; 31: a holding section; 40: a first supply unit; 41: a nozzle; 50: a second supply unit; 51: a nozzle; 60: a recovery cup; 60a; a pure water recovery cup (an example of the second treatment cup); 60d: a pure water recovery unit; 60e: a discharge section; 60f: discharge recovery cup (an example of a first processing cup); 62a: a measurement unit (an example of a first measurement unit); 62b: an emission measurement unit (an example of a second measurement unit); 65a: a discharge line; 65b: a recovery line; 67: a switching valve (an example of a line switching section); 70: lifting mechanism (an example of cup switching part); 80a: an IPA recovery cup (an example of a second processing cup); 80d: an IPA recovery unit; 82a: a measurement unit (an example of a first measurement unit); 82b: an emission measurement unit (an example of the second measurement unit).

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus is provided with:

a holding portion for holding a substrate;

a processing cup provided around the holding portion;

a first supply unit configured to supply a chemical solution to the substrate held by the holding unit;

a second supply unit configured to supply a rinse liquid or a dry liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit;

a discharge unit which is provided at the bottom of the processing cup and is connected to a discharge line and a recovery line via a line switching unit; and

and a first measurement unit provided in the drain unit and configured to measure the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the liquid-liquid separation apparatus further includes a control unit that measures the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid by using the first measurement unit while the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is supplied to the substrate by the second supply unit, and when it is determined that the rinse liquid or the drying liquid can be recovered based on the measured purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid, the control unit controls the line switching unit to switch the inflow destination of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid from the discharge line to the recovery line.

3. A substrate processing apparatus is provided with:

a holding portion for holding a substrate;

a first processing cup provided around the holding portion;

a second treatment cup disposed inside or outside the first treatment cup and receiving the rinse liquid or the drying liquid supplied to the substrate;

a discharge portion provided at a bottom of the first processing cup;

a recovery unit which is provided at the bottom of the second processing cup and is connected to a discharge line and a recovery line via a line switching unit; and

and a first measurement unit provided in the collection unit and configured to measure the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

the apparatus further includes a second measuring unit provided in the draining unit, and configured to measure the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

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

a cup switching unit configured to switch between a first state in which the liquid is received by the first processing cup and a second state in which the liquid is received by the second processing cup; and

a control unit that controls the second supply unit, the cup switching unit, and the line switching unit,

wherein the control unit controls the second supply unit in the first state to start supplying the rinse liquid or the drying liquid to the substrate, and controls the cup switching unit to switch from the first state to the second state after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of supplying the rinse liquid or the drying liquid,

the control unit measures the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid by using the first measurement unit, and when it is determined that the rinse liquid or the drying liquid can be collected based on the measured purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid, the control unit controls the line switching unit to switch the inflow destination of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid from the drain line to the collection line.

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

a control unit for controlling the cup switching unit,

the control unit measures the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid by using the second measurement unit while the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is being supplied to the substrate by the second supply unit in the first state, and controls the cup switching unit to switch from the first state to the second state when it is determined that the rinse liquid or the drying liquid can be collected based on the measured purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid.

8. A supply system is provided with:

a regeneration system connected to the recovery line of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 4, and performing a regeneration process on the rinse liquid recovered from the recovery line;

a generating system connected to the regeneration system, generating a new rinse solution from the regenerated rinse solution after the regeneration treatment and the raw water treatment water, and supplying the generated new rinse solution to the second supply unit of the substrate treatment apparatus; and

And a raw water treatment system connected to the generation system and configured to supply the raw water treatment water to the generation system.

9. A supply system is provided with:

a regeneration system connected to the recovery line of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 4, and performing a regeneration process on the rinse liquid recovered from the recovery line; and

a supply path connected to the regeneration system for supplying the regeneration rinse solution after the regeneration process to the second supply unit of the substrate processing apparatus,

the second supply section includes:

a first nozzle for supplying a rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the holding portion; and

and a second nozzle for supplying a rinse liquid to the back surface of the substrate held by the holding portion, wherein the second nozzle is connected to the supply path.

10. The supply system of claim 9, wherein the supply system comprises a plurality of supply units,

the regeneration system is provided with:

a storage unit that stores the rinse liquid recovered from the recovery line;

a circulation path for returning the regeneration rinse liquid sent from the storage unit to the storage unit; and

A third measuring unit provided in the circulation path and configured to measure the purity of the regenerated rinse solution,

wherein the supply path branches from the circulation path.

11. The supply system according to claim 10, comprising:

a discharge unit that discharges the regeneration rinse liquid from the storage unit; and

a control unit that controls the second supply unit and the discharge unit,

the second supply unit further includes a switching valve for switching a connection destination of the second nozzle between a supply source of the new rinse liquid and the supply path,

the control unit measures the purity of the regenerated rinse solution flowing through the circulation path using the third measurement unit,

when the measured purity of the regeneration rinse solution is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the control unit controls the second supply unit to discharge the regeneration rinse solution from the second nozzle,

when the measured purity of the regenerated rinse solution is less than the threshold value, the control unit controls the discharge unit to discharge the regenerated rinse solution stored in the storage unit, and controls the second supply unit to discharge new liquid of the rinse solution from the second nozzle.

12. A substrate processing method in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, the substrate processing method comprising:

supplying the rinse liquid or the drying liquid from the second supply unit to the substrate;

in the step of supplying, the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is measured using the first measuring unit; and

when it is determined that the rinse liquid or the drying liquid can be recovered based on the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid measured in the step of measuring, the line switching unit is controlled to switch the inflow destination of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid from the drain line to the recovery line.

13. A substrate processing method in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, the substrate processing method comprising:

controlling the second supply unit to start supplying the rinse liquid or the drying liquid to the substrate in a first state in which the liquid is received by the first processing cup;

after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the supply of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid, controlling a cup switching unit for switching between the first state and a second state in which the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is received by the second processing cup, and switching from the first state to the second state;

In the second state, the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is measured using the first measuring unit; and

14. A substrate processing method in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, the substrate processing method comprising:

supplying the rinse liquid or the drying liquid from the second supply unit to the substrate in a first state in which the liquid is received by the first processing cup;

in the step of supplying, the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid is measured using the second measuring unit; and

when it is determined that the rinse liquid or the drying liquid can be collected based on the purity of the rinse liquid or the drying liquid measured in the step of measuring, a cup switching unit for switching between the first state and the second state in which the liquid is received by the second treatment cup is controlled to switch from the first state to the second state.

15. A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

regenerating the rinse liquid recovered from the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 4; and

generating a new rinse solution from the regenerated rinse solution, and supplying the generated new rinse solution to the second supply unit of the substrate processing apparatus.

16. A supply method in the supply system according to claim 10, the supply method comprising the steps of:

measuring the purity of the regenerated rinse solution flowing through the circulation path using the third measuring unit; and

when the measured purity of the regeneration rinse solution is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the second supply unit is controlled to discharge the regeneration rinse solution from the second nozzle,

when the measured purity of the regenerated rinse solution is less than the threshold value, a discharge unit for discharging the regenerated rinse solution from the storage unit is controlled to discharge the regenerated rinse solution stored in the storage unit, and the second supply unit is controlled to discharge new liquid of the rinse solution from the second nozzle.