JP2000114152A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely remove unnecessary processing solution remaining on the backside of a wafer and to enable film thickness adjustment by surely supplying temperature-control solution to the regions where the temperature control is needed. SOLUTION: A nozzle moving mechanism 72 is provided, facing the backside surface of a wafer W, which moves an ejecting nozzle 70 for ejecting cleaning/ temperature-control solution onto the backside surface of the wafer W during or after resist solution is ejected onto the front-side surface of the wafer. When the backside surface of the wafer W is to be cleaned or when the film thickness on the front-side surface of the wafer is to be adjusted, the ejecting nozzle 70 for the cleaning/temperature-controlling solution is moved along the backside surface of the wafer W, ejecting the cleaning/temperature-control solution onto the backside surface of the wafer W.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a liquid to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate to process the substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as "wafer") as an object to be processed.
A circuit pattern is formed by so-called photolithography, in which a photoresist is applied to the substrate, the photoresist is exposed corresponding to the circuit pattern, and the photoresist is developed.

In the photoresist coating process among these processes, a resist liquid is supplied from a nozzle provided above the wafer to a central portion of the surface thereof while the wafer is held on a spin chuck and rotated. The resist solution is diffused. Thus, the resist film is applied to the entire surface of the wafer.

In such a coating process, after a resist solution is applied to the front surface of the wafer, an unnecessary resist solution may adhere to the back surface of the wafer. Therefore, a cleaning liquid discharge nozzle for discharging a cleaning liquid (solvent, for example, thinner) is provided on the back surface side of the wafer, and after the resist liquid is applied,
The cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge nozzle to the back surface of the wafer to clean the back surface of the wafer and remove unnecessary resist liquid.

Further, when applying the resist solution, the temperature of the resist solution is adjusted so that the resist solution is uniformly applied to the entire wafer surface. Since it is not always possible to apply the liquid uniformly over the entire surface, a temperature control liquid discharge nozzle for discharging a temperature control liquid (solvent, for example, a thinner) adjusted to a predetermined temperature is provided on the back side of the wafer, thereby providing a resist liquid. During the application, a temperature control liquid is discharged to the back surface of the wafer, whereby the temperature of the resist liquid applied to the surface of the wafer is adjusted to adjust the film thickness on the wafer surface.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned coating step, when cleaning the back surface of the wafer with the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge nozzle, the cleaning liquid discharge nozzle is positioned at a predetermined position on the back side of the wafer. Since it is fixed, the cleaning liquid can be discharged only to a limited area on the back surface of the wafer, and the cleaning area on the back surface of the wafer may be limited. Therefore, for example, an unnecessary resist solution is likely to adhere to the center of the back surface of the wafer where the wafer is vacuum-sucked by the chuck mechanism. However, such a portion may not be sufficiently cleaned and the resist solution may remain. is there.

Also, when the temperature control liquid is discharged from the nozzle to the back surface of the wafer to adjust the film thickness on the front surface of the wafer, the nozzle is fixed at a predetermined position on the back surface of the wafer. Can only partially discharge on the back side,
The adjustment of the film thickness on the wafer surface can be performed only partially. For this reason, there is a case where the temperature-adjusted liquid cannot be supplied to a portion requiring temperature adjustment.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reliably removing unnecessary processing liquid on the back surface of a substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of adjusting the film thickness of a substrate by reliably supplying a temperature control liquid to a portion requiring temperature adjustment.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a substrate and performing processing on the substrate. A processing liquid discharge nozzle that discharges a liquid, a liquid discharge nozzle that discharges a liquid during or after discharge of the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate, and a liquid discharge nozzle that discharges the liquid on the back surface of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism that moves.

According to the present invention, a moving mechanism for moving a liquid discharge nozzle for discharging a liquid to the back surface of the substrate during or after discharge of the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate is provided on the back surface side of the substrate. In either case of cleaning the back surface of the substrate or adjusting the film thickness of the front surface of the substrate, the liquid can be discharged onto the back surface of the substrate while moving the liquid discharge nozzle along the back surface of the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to clean almost the entire back surface of the substrate without limiting the cleaning area on the back surface of the substrate and regardless of the diameter of the substrate, and it is possible to reliably remove unnecessary processing liquid. In addition, when the film thickness on the substrate surface becomes uneven, the liquid can be reliably discharged to the back surface of the portion where the temperature adjustment is required to make the film thickness uniform.

In this case, by moving the liquid discharge nozzle from substantially the center to the periphery of the substrate by the moving mechanism, for example, the back surface of the substrate can be cleaned corresponding to the diameter of the substrate, Further, the thickness of the substrate surface can be adjusted.

Further, by moving the liquid discharge nozzle in accordance with the speed of the substrate rotated by the substrate holding / rotating means by the moving mechanism, for example, when the rotation speed of the substrate is low, the liquid discharge nozzle is moved. The nozzle can be positioned substantially at the center of the substrate, and the liquid discharge nozzle can be moved from substantially the center of the substrate to the periphery as the rotation speed of the substrate increases.

Further, the liquid discharge nozzle discharges a cleaning liquid as a liquid to the back surface of the substrate so as to clean the processing liquid adhered to the back surface of the substrate. In this method, substantially the entire back surface of the substrate can be cleaned without limiting the cleaning area on the back surface of the substrate, and the unnecessary processing liquid can be reliably removed.

Further, the liquid discharge nozzle discharges a temperature-adjusted liquid adjusted to a predetermined temperature as a liquid to the back surface of the substrate so as to adjust the film thickness on the surface of the substrate. In the coating treatment apparatus, when the film thickness on the substrate surface is not uniform, it is possible to reliably discharge the temperature control liquid to the back surface of the portion where the temperature adjustment is required to make the film thickness uniform.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 are views showing the overall configuration of a coating and developing system 1 for a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer”) to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a plan view and FIG. 3 shows the front, and FIG. 3 shows the back.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating / developing processing system 1 stores a wafer W in a wafer cassette CR by, for example, 2 wafers.
A cassette station 10 for loading and unloading wafers W into and out of the system, and loading and unloading wafers W from and into the wafer cassette CR in units of five wafers; A processing station 11 in which various single-wafer processing units for performing predetermined processing on a wafer W are arranged at predetermined positions in multiple stages, and an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 11 It has a configuration in which an interface unit 12 for transferring a wafer W is integrally connected.

In the cassette station 10, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
At a position 0a, a plurality of wafer cassettes CR, for example, up to four wafer cassettes CR are placed in a line in the X direction with their respective wafer entrances facing the processing station 11 side. A wafer carrier 21 that can move in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction: vertical direction) of the wafers stored in the cassette selectively accesses each wafer cassette CR.

Further, the wafer transfer body 21 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and as will be described later, an alignment unit (ALIM) and an extension unit (ALIM) belonging to a third processing unit group G3 on the processing station 11 side. EXT).

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing station 11 is provided with a vertical transfer type main wafer transfer mechanism 22 having a wafer transfer device, and all the processing units are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer mechanism 22. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 is provided with a wafer transfer device 46 inside a tubular support 49 so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). The cylindrical support 49 is connected to a rotation shaft of a motor (not shown), and is rotated integrally with the wafer transfer device 46 about the rotation shaft by the rotation driving force of the motor, whereby the wafer transfer is performed. The device 46 is rotatable in the θ direction.

The wafer transfer device 46 includes a plurality of holding members 48 that are movable in the front-rear direction of the transfer base 47, and the transfer of the wafer W between the processing units is performed by these holding members 48.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this example, five processing unit groups G in which the processing units are arranged in multiple stages are provided.
1, G2, G3, G4, G5 can be arranged,
The first and second processing unit groups G1 and G2 are arranged on the front side (in FIG. 1) of the system, the third processing unit group G3 is arranged adjacent to the cassette station 10, and the fourth processing unit The group G4 is arranged adjacent to the interface unit 12. Further, the fifth processing unit group G5 can be arranged on the back side.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first processing unit group G1, two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) for performing a predetermined processing by placing a wafer W on a spin chuck in a cup CP. ) And the development processing unit (DEV) are stacked in two stages from the bottom. Also in the second processing unit group G2, two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (CO
T) and the development processing unit (DEV) are 2
It is piled up on the steps.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the third processing unit group G3, an oven-type processing unit for performing a predetermined process by mounting the wafer W on the mounting table SP, for example, a cooling unit (COL) for performing a cooling process, An adhesion unit (AD) for performing a so-called hydrophobizing process for improving the fixability of the resist, an alignment unit (ALIM) for performing alignment, and an extension unit (EX)
T), a pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) for performing a heating process before the exposure process, and a post-exposure baking unit (PO) for performing a heating process after the exposure process.
BAKE) are stacked, for example, in eight stages from the bottom. Also in the fourth processing unit group G4, an oven-type processing unit such as a cooling unit (COL), an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL),
Extension unit (EXT), cooling unit (COL), pre-baking unit (PREBA)
KE) and the post-exposure baking unit (POBAKE) are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in eight stages.

As shown in FIG. 1, the interface section 12 has the same dimensions as the processing station 11 in the depth direction (X direction), but is set smaller in the width direction. A portable pickup cassette CR and a stationary buffer cassette BR are provided in front of the interface section 12.
On the other hand, a peripheral exposing device 23 is arranged on the back side, and a wafer carrier 24 is provided on the central part. The wafer carrier 24 moves in the X and Z directions to move the cassettes CR and BR and the peripheral exposure device 2.
3 is accessed. The wafer transfer body 24 is configured to be rotatable also in the θ direction, and includes an extension unit (EXT) belonging to a multi-stage unit of the fourth processing unit group G4 on the processing station 11 side, and further, The wafer delivery table (not shown) on the adjacent exposure apparatus side can also be accessed.

In the coating and developing system 1,
As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-stage unit of the fifth processing unit group G5 shown by a broken line can be arranged on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 as described.
The multi-stage unit of the processing unit group G5 of FIG.
When viewed from the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 along the line 5, it can be shifted to the side. Therefore, this fifth
Even if the multi-stage unit of the processing unit group G5 is provided as shown in the figure, the space is secured by sliding along the guide rail 25, so that maintenance work can be performed from behind on the main wafer transfer mechanism 22. It is easy to do.

Next, a resist solution coating unit (C) to be mounted on the coating and developing system according to the present embodiment.
OT) will be described. 4 and 5 are a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic plan view, respectively, showing the overall configuration of a resist liquid coating unit (COT).

This resist coating unit (COT)
An annular cup CP is arranged at the center of the
A spin chuck 51 (substrate holding / rotating means) is arranged inside the box. The spin chuck 51 is rotated by a drive motor 52 while holding the wafer W by vacuum suction, and the drive motor 52 is fixed to a flange 53 that is raised and lowered by an air cylinder 54.

A resist solution discharge nozzle 55 for supplying a resist solution to the surface of the wafer W is provided with a resist supply pipe 56.
To a resist supply unit (not shown).
The resist solution discharge nozzle 55 is detachably attached to the tip of the resist solution discharge nozzle scan arm 57 via a nozzle holder 58. The resist solution discharge nozzle scan arm 57 is attached to the upper end of a vertical support member 60 that can move horizontally on a guide rail 59 laid in one direction (Y direction).
The directional drive mechanism moves in the Y direction integrally with the vertical support member 60.

The resist liquid discharge nozzle scan arm 57 can also be moved in the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction in order to selectively mount the resist liquid discharge nozzle 55 in the resist liquid discharge nozzle standby section 66, not shown. It also moves in the X direction by an X direction drive mechanism.

Further, a thinner nozzle 62 for supplying a liquid material, eg, a thinner, for wetting the wafer surface on the wafer surface prior to the supply of the resist solution to the wafer surface is attached to the tip of the resist liquid discharge nozzle scan arm 27. ing.

Further, on the guide rail 59, a vertical support member 64 that supports the rinse nozzle scan arm 63 and is movable in the Y direction is also provided. A rinsing nozzle 65 for side rinsing is attached to the tip of the rinsing nozzle scan arm 63. The rinsing nozzle scan arm 63 and the rinsing nozzle 65 translate or linearly move between a rinsing nozzle standby position (solid line position) and a rinsing liquid discharge position (dotted line position) set immediately above the periphery of the wafer W. It is supposed to. Reference numeral 70 denotes a cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle, and 61 denotes a cover that covers the moving mechanism and the like. Details of these will be described later.

In the thus configured resist liquid coating unit (COT), the holding member 48 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 first moves the wafer W right above the cup CP in the resist coating unit (COT). The wafer W is conveyed and vacuum-adsorbed by, for example, the spin chuck 51 raised by the air cylinder 54.
The main wafer transfer mechanism 22 holds the wafer W on the spin chuck 51.
Then, the holding member 48 is pulled back from the inside of the resist coating unit (COT), and the delivery of the wafer W to the resist coating unit (COT) is completed.

Then, the spin chuck 51 moves the wafer W down to a fixed position in the cup CP, and the driving motor 52 starts rotating the spin chuck 51. Thereafter, the movement of the nozzle holder 58 from the resist liquid discharge nozzle standby unit 61 is started. The movement of the nozzle holder 58 is performed along the Y direction. When the discharge port of the thinner nozzle 32 reaches the center of the spin chuck 51 (the center of the wafer W), the thinner is supplied to the surface of the rotating wafer W. The solvent supplied to the wafer surface spreads uniformly from the center of the wafer to the entire area around the wafer due to centrifugal force.

Subsequently, the nozzle holder 58 is moved in the Y direction until the discharge port of the resist liquid discharge nozzle 55 reaches the center of the spin chuck 51 (the center of the wafer W). The resist liquid is dropped from the outlet to the center of the surface of the rotating wafer W, and the resist liquid is applied to the wafer surface.

Next, the back surface cleaning (back rinsing) and the film thickness adjustment of the wafer W will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram and a block diagram of a resist liquid application processing unit equipped with a cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle.

As shown in FIG. 6, a cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle 70 for discharging a solvent such as thinner as a cleaning liquid or a temperature control liquid is provided on the back side of the wafer W. An elevating mechanism 71 for raising and lowering the nozzle is provided below the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70, and the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 is disposed below the elevating mechanism 71 in the horizontal direction. A nozzle moving mechanism 72 for moving is provided. Thus, at the time of cleaning the back surface of the wafer W and adjusting the film thickness, a solvent such as a thinner can be discharged to the back surface of the wafer W while moving the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 on the back surface side of the wafer W. The nozzle moving mechanism 72 is mounted on the variable mounting mechanism 75, and the vertical position of the nozzle moving mechanism 72 itself can be adjusted. In this case, if the positioning is automatically performed by a lifting cylinder or the like, the positioning can be easily performed. By allowing the nozzle 70 to move vertically by the lifting mechanism 71 and the variable mounting mechanism 75,
For example, when it is desired to reduce the discharge amount of the cleaning liquid, the nozzle 70
When it is desired to increase the cleaning liquid discharge amount and increase the cleaning effect, it is possible to perform an adjustment such as lowering the nozzle 70 in order to reduce the force for pushing up the wafer W. A cover 61 that covers a drive system such as a nozzle moving mechanism 72 is provided below the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 to prevent liquid scattered on the wafer W from adhering to these drive systems. It is supposed to. The cover 61 is configured to be extendable and contractable so as to follow the movement of the nozzle 70.

The cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 includes:
A cleaning / temperature control liquid supply mechanism 73 for supplying a solvent such as thinner as a cleaning liquid or a temperature control liquid is connected. Thus, at the time of cleaning the back surface of the wafer W, a solvent such as a thinner is supplied as a cleaning liquid from the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid supply mechanism 73 to the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 and is discharged onto the back surface of the wafer W. In addition, when adjusting the film thickness of the surface of the wafer W, a solvent such as thinner adjusted to a predetermined temperature is used as a temperature control liquid from the cleaning / temperature control liquid supply mechanism 73 to the cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle 70. It is supplied and discharged onto the back surface of the wafer W.

Further, the nozzle moving mechanism 72 and the cleaning /
The temperature control liquid supply mechanism 73 is controlled by a coating processing unit controller 74. The coating processing unit controller 74 sends to the nozzle moving mechanism 72 a control signal such as a timing for moving the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70, a moving time, and a moving path. Further, the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 may be configured to be moved based on a sequence according to a predetermined recipe.

For example, the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 may be moved from substantially the center to the periphery of the wafer W on which the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed by the spin chuck 51.
As a result, cleaning and cleaning can be performed for various diameters of the wafer W.
The temperature control liquid discharge nozzle 70 can be moved. Further, the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 may be moved in accordance with the rotation speed of the wafer W rotated by the spin chuck 51. When the rotation speed of the wafer W is low,
The cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 is positioned substantially at the center of the wafer W, and as the rotation speed of the wafer W increases,
The temperature adjustment liquid discharge nozzle 70 can be moved from substantially the center of the wafer W to the periphery.

The coating processing unit controller 74
For example, control signals such as timing, supply time, supply amount, and temperature control for supplying a solvent such as thinner as a cleaning liquid or a temperature control liquid are transmitted to the cleaning / temperature control liquid supply mechanism 73.
Thus, for example, when adjusting the thickness of the surface of the wafer W, the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid supply mechanism 73 adjusts the temperature of the temperature-adjusting liquid such as thinner to a temperature corresponding to the adjustment amount of the film thickness of the resist film. In this way, the temperature control liquid such as a thinner adjusted to such a temperature instructed by the coating processing unit 74 is supplied to the cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle 70.

Further, an electromagnetic valve 76 is provided in a pipe extending from the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid supply mechanism 73 to the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70.
The opening of the electromagnetic valve 76 is controlled by the coating processing unit controller 74. By controlling the opening of the electromagnetic valve 76 in this manner, it is possible to control the discharge amount of the liquid to be discharged.

When cleaning the back surface of the wafer W by such a mechanism, the nozzle moving mechanism 72 moves the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 on the back surface side of the wafer W after or during the application of the resist solution. , A solvent such as a thinner from the cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle 70 is used as a cleaning liquid for the wafer W
On the back side of.

At this time, as the moving path, the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 is moved from the substantially center to the periphery of the wafer W on which the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed by the spin chuck 51. In this case, an unnecessary resist liquid easily adheres to the approximate center of the back surface of the wafer W on which the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed by the spin chuck 51, but the resist liquid adhering to such a portion can be sufficiently cleaned. Also, the wafer W
The cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 7
If 0 is moved in the radial direction as described above, the back surface of the wafer W can be cleaned corresponding to various diameters of the wafer W.

As another moving path, the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 is moved in accordance with the rotation speed of the wafer W rotated by the spin chuck 51.
When the rotational speed of the wafer W is low, the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 is positioned substantially at the center of the wafer W, and as the rotational speed of the wafer W increases, the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid
0 is moved from substantially the center of the wafer W to the periphery. In this case, the cleaning / temperature control discharge nozzle 70 can be moved in response to the unnecessary resist solution or cleaning liquid being swung radially outward from the rotating wafer W by centrifugal force. The back surface can be efficiently cleaned.

As the moving path of the cleaning / temperature adjusting liquid nozzle 70, various paths other than the above-mentioned path can be adopted according to the purpose.

Further, by controlling the discharge amount of the cleaning liquid by the electromagnetic valve 76, more appropriate cleaning can be performed. For example, by controlling the discharge amount of the cleaning liquid from the nozzle 70 at the peripheral portion of the wafer W so as to be smaller than that at the central portion of the wafer W, the cleaning liquid at the peripheral portion of the wafer W can be effectively prevented from scattering, and the central portion of the back surface can be reliably formed. Can be washed. Since the cleaning liquid is scattered in the direction along the rear surface of the wafer W at the center of the rear surface and not scattered upward, it is not necessary to reduce the discharge amount from the viewpoint of preventing the cleaning liquid from scattering.

As described above, in the present embodiment, substantially the entire back surface of the wafer W can be cleaned in the resist coating unit (COT) without limiting the cleaning area on the back surface of the wafer W. The resist solution can be reliably removed. In addition, since the unnecessary resist solution can be removed from the back surface of the wafer W, the peripheral exposure time can be reduced in the peripheral exposure step in the subsequent step.

When adjusting the film thickness on the surface of the wafer W,
During the application of the resist liquid, the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid supply mechanism 73 cleans the temperature-adjusting liquid such as thinner adjusted to a temperature corresponding to the adjustment amount of the thickness of the resist film from the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70.
The cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 is moved by the nozzle moving mechanism 72 on the back side of the wafer W, and a solvent such as a thinner is used as a temperature-adjusted liquid from the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 through the back surface of the wafer W. To be discharged.

As in the case of the cleaning, the moving path for the film thickness adjustment may be such that the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 may be moved from substantially the center of the wafer W to the periphery thereof. The cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 may be moved according to the rotation speed of the wafer W. When the cleaning / temperature-adjusted liquid discharge nozzle 70 is moved in the radial direction of the wafer W,
It is possible to adjust the film thickness at the approximate center of the wafer W where the film thickness tends to be particularly non-uniform.

In particular, in the case of adjusting the film thickness, the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid discharge nozzle 70 is moved on the back side of the wafer W, so that the thickness of the resist film becomes uneven on the surface of the wafer W. Even in such a case, a temperature control liquid such as a thinner can be locally discharged to the back surface of a portion where temperature control is required to make the film thickness uniform. Therefore, when the film thickness becomes uneven, the film thickness can be adjusted flexibly. As described above, in the present embodiment, the temperature control liquid can be discharged to substantially the entire area on the back surface of the wafer W, and the thickness of the resist film can be adjusted at an arbitrary position on the front surface of the wafer W.

In the case of adjusting the film thickness, as the moving path of the cleaning / temperature-adjusting liquid nozzle 70, various paths other than the above-mentioned paths can be adopted according to the purpose. Also, at the time of washing,
Cleaning and film thickness adjustment may be performed simultaneously by discharging a solvent such as a thinner whose temperature has been adjusted to the back surface of the wafer W.

Further, the temperature of the wafer W can be more appropriately adjusted by controlling the discharge amount of the temperature control liquid by the electromagnetic valve 76. For example, since the center of the back surface of the wafer W has more opportunities to come into contact with the temperature control liquid than the peripheral portion,
It is expected that the temperature of the wafer W will be more uniform by increasing the discharge amount of the temperature control liquid in the peripheral portion of the rear surface than in the central portion of the rear surface of the wafer W.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the resist liquid application processing unit has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, cleaning can be applied to a case where a developing liquid is discharged from a back surface of a substrate coated with a developing liquid in a developing processing unit to remove unnecessary developing liquid. Furthermore, although a semiconductor wafer is used as the substrate, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a glass substrate for LCD.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention,
On the back side of the substrate, a moving mechanism is provided for moving a liquid discharge nozzle that discharges a liquid to the back side of the substrate during or after discharge of the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate. In either case of adjusting the film thickness on the front surface, the liquid can be discharged on the back surface of the substrate while moving the liquid discharge nozzle along the back surface of the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to clean almost the entire back surface of the substrate without limiting the cleaning area on the back surface of the substrate and regardless of the diameter of the substrate, and it is possible to reliably remove unnecessary processing liquid. In addition, when the film thickness on the substrate surface becomes uneven, the liquid can be reliably discharged to the back surface of the portion where the temperature adjustment is required to make the film thickness uniform.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a semiconductor wafer coating and developing processing system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a resist coating apparatus mounted on the coating and developing system shown in FIG.

5 is a plan view of the resist coating device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram and a block diagram of a resist liquid application processing unit equipped with a cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 51; spin chuck (substrate holding and rotating means) 55; resist liquid discharge nozzle (treatment liquid discharge nozzle) 70; cleaning / temperature control liquid discharge nozzle (liquid discharge nozzle) 72; nozzle moving mechanism (moving mechanism) 73; cleaning / temperature Liquid supply mechanism 74; Coating unit controller COT; Resist liquid coating unit W; Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H025 AB16 AB17 EA05 3B201 AA03 AB23 AB34 AB47 BB22 BB55 BB82 BB95 CB01 CD42 CD43 5F046 CD01 CD05 JA02 JA09 JA15 JA22 JA24

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a substrate and performing processing on the substrate, comprising: a processing liquid discharge nozzle for discharging the processing liquid onto a surface of the substrate; and a processing liquid discharging the processing liquid onto the surface of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection nozzle for ejecting liquid on the back surface of the substrate during or after ejection of the liquid; and a moving mechanism for moving the liquid ejection nozzle on the back surface side of the substrate. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism moves the liquid discharge nozzle from substantially the center of the substrate toward the periphery. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate holding / rotating means for rotating the substrate while holding the substrate, wherein the moving mechanism moves the liquid discharge nozzle in accordance with a speed of the substrate rotated by the substrate holding / rotating means. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The liquid discharge nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the liquid discharge nozzle discharges a cleaning liquid as a liquid to the rear surface of the substrate so as to clean the processing liquid attached to the rear surface of the substrate. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The liquid ejection nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection nozzle ejects a temperature-adjusted liquid adjusted to a predetermined temperature as a liquid to the back surface of the substrate so as to adjust the film thickness on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3.