JP2000124099A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus, capable of accurately comprehending the change of exhausted quantity from a treating part, even if the mist of a treating liq. deposits in exhaust pipelines. SOLUTION: An exhaust port 18 of a cup 6 which covers a substrate holder 2 is connected to an exhaust fan 11 via a main exhaust pipeline 8a having a first damper 16, manual damper 9 and main exhaust pipeline 8b. The main exhaust pipeline 8a has a bypass exhaust pipeline 12 which branches from the upstream of the first damper 16 and joins at the downstream of the first damper 16. The bypass exhaust pipeline 12 has a second damper 13 and a Pitot tube 14. At measurement, the first damper 16 is closed and the second damper 13 is opened. The Pitot tube 14 and manometer 15 measure the total pressure and the static pressure in the bypass exhaust pipeline 12, to obtain the dynamic pressure from the total pressure and static pressure, and obtain the exhaust quantity from the dynamic pressure. The first damper 16 is normally opened, and the second damper 13 is normally closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate using a processing liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate processing apparatus is used to perform various processes on substrates such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, and a glass substrate for an optical disk. For example, a rotary coating device is used to apply a processing liquid such as a resist to the surface of a substrate.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional rotary coating apparatus. As shown in FIG. 3, the coating device 31 includes a substrate holding unit 2 that sucks and holds the substrate 100. The substrate holding unit 2 is driven to rotate by a motor 3. A nozzle 4 for discharging the processing liquid is disposed above the substrate holding unit 2.

[0004] Except above the substrate holder 2, the substrate holder 2 is covered by a cup 32. Above the cup 32, a blowing means 5 for blowing clean air into the cup 32 is provided.

The bottom surface of the cup 32 is provided with a plurality of exhaust ports 34. Each exhaust port 34 is connected to an exhaust fan 36 via an exhaust pipe 35.

[0006] One end of a measuring pipe 37 is inserted into the exhaust pipe 35, and a manometer 38 is attached to the other end of the measuring pipe 37. Thus, the static pressure in the exhaust pipe 35 can be measured using the manometer 38. A manual damper 39 for adjusting the amount of exhaust is provided in the exhaust pipe 35 on the upstream side of the exhaust fan 36.

In the coating apparatus 31 shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 100 held by the substrate holder 2 is rotated by the motor 3, and the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 4 to the center of the substrate 100 is rotated by the rotation of the substrate 100. With the accompanying centrifugal force, the substrate 10
0 is spread from the center to the periphery. Thereby,
A film having a thickness corresponding to the rotation speed and the viscosity of the processing solution is formed on the substrate 10.
0.

At this time, the excess processing liquid scatters from the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 and mist (liquid fine particles)
Floating as. If the mist adheres to the surface of the substrate 100, the applied surface is contaminated. In order to prevent this, clean air is blown into the cup 32 from the blower means 5 and the exhaust fan 34 is operated to operate the exhaust port 34.
The air in the cup 32 is sucked through the exhaust pipe 35 and discharged to the outside.

[0009] If the exhaust volume is too small, the mist is wound up, and the surface of the substrate 100 may be contaminated. The film thickness distribution of the processing liquid may be disturbed.

Therefore, the static pressure in the exhaust pipe 35 is measured by the manometer 38, and the opening of the manual damper 39 is adjusted so that the exhaust amount is controlled to be appropriate.

[0011]

However, since the air in the exhaust pipe 35 contains a large amount of mist of the processing liquid, the mist accumulates in the exhaust pipe 35 during a long-term operation. As a result, the passage cross section of the air in the exhaust pipe 35 may be narrowed.

When mist accumulates in the exhaust pipe 35 on the upstream side of the manometer 38 and the cross section of the air passing through the exhaust pipe 35 becomes narrow, the exhaust efficiency in the cup 32 decreases, and the amount of exhaust from the cup 32 decreases. Decrease. On the other hand, the static pressure in the exhaust pipe 35 obtained from the manometer 38 decreases. Therefore, when the opening of the manual damper 39 is reduced to return the static pressure in the exhaust pipe 35 to the original value, the amount of exhaust from the cup 32 further decreases.

As described above, when the mist of the processing liquid accumulates in the exhaust pipe 35, the change in the static pressure in the exhaust pipe 35 is not accurately linked to the change in the exhaust amount in the cup 32. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately grasp the change in the displacement from the cup 32 by the method of measuring the static pressure using a manometer or the like.

On the other hand, in the method of directly measuring the wind speed in the exhaust pipe 35 and obtaining the displacement from the wind speed, an expensive anemometer must be used, and the measurement accuracy of the anemometer is maintained in an environment containing mist. Is difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of accurately grasping a change in the amount of exhaust from a processing section even when mist of a processing solution accumulates in an exhaust pipe.

[0016]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention A substrate processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate. A processing unit for performing predetermined processing, an exhaust pipe connected to an exhaust port of the processing unit, an exhaust unit that exhausts gas in the processing unit from the exhaust port through the exhaust pipe, and an exhaust pipe in the exhaust pipe. Measuring means for measuring the total pressure and the static pressure.

In the substrate processing apparatus according to the first invention, a predetermined processing is performed on the substrate by the processing unit using the processing liquid. The gas in the processing section including the mist of the processing liquid is exhausted from the exhaust port through the exhaust pipe by the exhaust means.
At this time, the measuring means measures the total pressure and the static pressure of the gas in the exhaust pipe.

In this case, the dynamic pressure is obtained by subtracting the static pressure from the total pressure, and the flow velocity of the gas is obtained from the conditions such as the dynamic pressure and the density of the gas in the exhaust pipe. Further, the exhaust amount can be obtained from the conditions such as the flow velocity and the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe. Since the conditions other than the dynamic pressure are always substantially constant, the dynamic pressure becomes a variable of the displacement, and the dynamic pressure changes according to the change in the displacement. Therefore, by measuring the total pressure and the static pressure and obtaining the dynamic pressure, even when mist of the processing liquid accumulates in the exhaust pipe, it is possible to accurately grasp the change in the exhaust amount from the processing unit and In addition, the clogging of the exhaust pipe due to the mist of the processing liquid can be monitored.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the exhaust pipe comprises:
A main exhaust pipe connected between the exhaust port of the processing unit and the exhaust means, and a bypass exhaust pipe provided to bypass a partial range of the main exhaust pipe; It measures the total pressure and the static pressure in the exhaust pipe.

In this case, the gas in the processing section containing the mist of the processing liquid is exhausted from the exhaust port through the main exhaust pipe to the exhaust equipment by the exhaust means. At this time, a part of the gas is diverted to the bypass exhaust pipe, and the total pressure and the static pressure of the diverted gas are measured by the measuring means. Since the amount of the mist flowing through the bypass exhaust pipe is smaller than the total amount of the mist discharged from the exhaust port of the processing section, the contamination of the measuring means by the mist of the processing liquid is suppressed. As a result, a decrease in measurement accuracy due to contamination of the measurement means is suppressed, a change in the amount of exhaust gas from the processing unit can be grasped more accurately, and clogging of the exhaust pipe can be accurately monitored over a long period of time. it can.

The substrate processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein: a first opening / closing means for opening and closing the main exhaust line in a partial area of the main exhaust line; Second opening / closing means for opening / closing the bypass exhaust pipe upstream of the measuring means, and normally opening the first opening / closing means and closing the second opening / closing means, and opening the second opening / closing means during measurement by the measuring means And control means.

In this case, normally, the first opening / closing means is opened and the second opening / closing means is closed. As a result, no gas flows into the bypass exhaust pipe. Therefore,
The measuring means is not contaminated by the mist of the processing liquid. Also,
At the time of measurement by the measuring means, the second opening / closing means is opened. As a result, gas flows from the main exhaust line into the bypass exhaust line, and the total pressure and the static pressure are measured by the measuring means. Accordingly, a decrease in measurement accuracy due to contamination of the measurement means is further suppressed, so that a change in the amount of exhaust gas from the processing section can be grasped more accurately, and clogging of the exhaust pipe due to mist of the processing liquid can be further increased. It is possible to monitor accurately over a period.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the control means includes:
The first opening / closing means is closed at the time of measurement by the measuring means.

In this case, at the time of measurement by the measuring means, the first
Is closed, the entire amount of gas flows into the bypass exhaust pipe from the main exhaust pipe. Thereby,
The total pressure and the static pressure of the exhaust pipe can be accurately measured by the measuring means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe is set to be smaller than the diameter of the main exhaust pipe. The first opening / closing means is partially opened at the time of measurement by the measuring means.

In this case, since the diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe is set smaller than the diameter of the main exhaust pipe, the flow velocity of the gas in the bypass exhaust pipe increases during measurement. Thereby,
Measurement accuracy is improved. In addition, since the flow velocity of the gas is high, mist contained in the gas hardly adheres to the measuring means, and contamination of the measuring means by the mist is suppressed.

Further, since the first opening / closing means is partially opened, the gas flows also in the main exhaust pipe. This prevents a change in the exhaust amount due to a decrease in the diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe. Thereby, the measurement accuracy is improved.

[0028]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A rotary type coating apparatus will be described below as an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a rotary coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 20a and an exhaust system 20b. The processing unit 20a includes a substrate holding unit 2 that sucks and holds the substrate 100.
Having. The substrate holding unit 2 is driven to rotate by a motor 3. Above the substrate holder 2, a processing liquid discharging nozzle 4 for discharging a processing liquid such as a resist is provided.

The substrate holder 2 is covered with a cup 6 except for the area above the substrate holder 2. Above the cup 6, a blowing means 5 for blowing clean air into the cup 6 is provided. A plurality of outlets 18 are provided on the bottom surface of the cup 6.

The exhaust system 20b has main exhaust lines 8a and 8b and a bypass exhaust line 12. In this embodiment, the diameter of the main exhaust pipe 8a and the diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe 12 are the same. The main exhaust pipes 8a and 8b and the bypass exhaust pipe 12 constitute an exhaust pipe.

The plurality of exhaust ports 18 of the cup 6 are connected to the exhaust fan 11 via the main exhaust pipes 8a and 8b. A first damper 16 for adjusting the amount of ventilation is provided in the middle of the main exhaust pipe 8a. A manual damper 9 is provided between the main exhaust pipe 8a and the main exhaust pipe 8b to adjust the air flow.

The main exhaust line 8a is provided with a bypass exhaust line 12 which branches off from the upstream side of the first damper 16 and joins on the downstream side of the first damper 16. A second damper 13 is provided in the bypass exhaust pipe 12. One end of a pitot tube 14 is inserted into the bypass exhaust line 12 downstream of the second damper 13 of the bypass exhaust line 12, and a manometer 15 is attached to the other end of the pitot tube 14. As the first damper 16 and the second damper 13, a shutter type valve in which a flat plate enters and exits in a pipeline, a butterfly valve, and the like can be used. The control unit 17 controls the first
The opening and closing of the damper 16 and the second damper 13 are controlled.

In this embodiment, the exhaust port 18 corresponds to the exhaust port, the processing section 20a corresponds to the processing section, the exhaust fan 11 corresponds to the exhaust means, and the main exhaust pipes 8a and 8b correspond to the main exhaust pipe. Path, the bypass exhaust pipe 12 corresponds to the bypass exhaust pipe, the pitot pipe 14 and the manometer 15 correspond to the measuring means, the first damper 16 corresponds to the first opening / closing means, and the second damper 13 Corresponds to the second opening / closing means, and the control unit 17 corresponds to the control means.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the pitot tube of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the pitot tube 14 is L
It is bent in the shape of a letter. The tip of the pitot tube 14 is arranged parallel to the flow of air in the bypass exhaust pipe 12.
Openings 14 are provided at the tip and side of the pitot tube 14, respectively.
a and 14b are provided.

As indicated by the arrow A, the total pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 is guided to the manometer 15 from the opening 14a of the pitot tube 14 through the passage 14c. Further, as shown by an arrow B, the passage 14 extends from the opening 14 b of the pitot tube 14.
The static pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 is led to the manometer 15 through d. The dynamic pressure is obtained by subtracting the static pressure from the total pressure, and the wind speed (flow velocity) is obtained from the conditions such as the dynamic pressure and the density of the air in the bypass exhaust pipe 12. Further, the exhaust amount (flow rate) in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 can be obtained from conditions such as the wind speed and the inner diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe 12. Since conditions other than the dynamic pressure are always substantially constant, the dynamic pressure is a variable of the displacement in the bypass exhaust pipe 12. Therefore, the clogging of the main exhaust pipe 8a can be monitored by measuring the total pressure and the static pressure and monitoring the dynamic pressure.

Here, an example of the relationship between the displacement and the dynamic pressure will be described. The diameters of the main exhaust pipe 8a, the main exhaust pipe 8b, and the bypass exhaust pipe 12 are 65 mm, 100 mm, and 65 mm, respectively. When processing a substrate having a diameter of 12 inches in the processing section 20a, the appropriate displacement is 1500 L / m.
in. In this example, the dynamic pressure in the main exhaust path 8a is about 4 Pa. Therefore, detection and identification of the dynamic pressure in the pitot tube 14 are sufficiently possible.

Next, the operation of the rotary coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The substrate 100 held by the substrate holder 2 is rotated by the motor 3, and the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle 4 to the center of the substrate 100 is moved from the center of the substrate 100 to the periphery by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate 100. Can be spread over. Thereby, a coating film having a thickness corresponding to the rotation speed and the viscosity of the processing liquid is formed on the substrate 100.

At this time, the excess processing liquid scatters from the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 and temporarily floats in the cup 6 as a mist. The mist after the treatment flows into the main exhaust pipe 8a through the exhaust port 18 together with the clean air blown into the cup 6 from the blowing means 5.

Normally, the first damper 16 is opened and the second damper 13 is closed by the control unit 17. As a result, the air flowing into the main exhaust pipe 8a is
After passing through the manual damper 9 after passing through 6, the air is discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan 11 through the main exhaust pipe 8b.

At the time of measurement by the pitot tube 14, the control unit 1
7, the second damper 13 is opened and the first damper 16 is closed. As a result, the air that has flowed into the main exhaust pipe 8 a passes through the bypass exhaust pipe 12 while flowing around the pitot pipe 14. After passing through the manual damper 9, the air is discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan 11 through the main exhaust pipe 8 b.

The air in the bypass line 12 is
As it flows around, total and static pressures are measured. The dynamic pressure is obtained from the difference between the total pressure and the static pressure, and the displacement is obtained based on the dynamic pressure as described above. Then, the opening degree of the manual damper 9 is adjusted so that the displacement becomes appropriate.

When the adjustment of the displacement is completed, the first damper 16 is opened and the second damper 13 is closed by the control unit 17.

In this embodiment, since the diameters of the main exhaust pipe 8a and the bypass exhaust pipe 12 are the same, the flow resistance in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 and the flow resistance of the main exhaust pipe 8a are almost the same. . Therefore, even if the exhaust path is switched from the bypass exhaust line 12 to the main exhaust line 8a, the exhaust amount does not change.

At regular intervals, the second damper 13 is opened,
By closing the first damper 16 and measuring the amount of exhaust by the above-described method and adjusting the amount of exhaust, the amount of exhaust can always be kept within an appropriate range.

As described above, the total pressure and the static pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 are measured using the pitot tube 14, and the dynamic pressure can be obtained by subtracting the static pressure from the total pressure.
Since the dynamic pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 changes in response to the change in the amount of exhaust from the cup 6, even if mist of the processing liquid accumulates in the main exhaust pipe 8a, the bypass exhaust pipe 1
By monitoring the change in the dynamic pressure in 2, it is possible to grasp the change in the exhaust amount from the cup 6. Also, by monitoring the dynamic pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe 12, clogging in the main exhaust pipe 8a due to mist of the processing liquid can be monitored.

In this case, since the pitot tube 14 is provided in the bypass exhaust line 12, the pitot tube 14 is isolated from air containing mist except during measurement. Therefore, contamination of the pitot tube 14 is suppressed, and measurement accuracy is maintained.

Further, the pitot tube 14 has a simpler structure and is less expensive than a hot wire anemometer or the like which directly measures the wind speed (flow velocity), and can maintain its performance even in an environment containing mist.

The diameter of the bypass exhaust pipe 12 may be set smaller than the diameter of the main exhaust pipe 8a. Thereby, the flow velocity of the air flowing around the pitot tube 14 is increased, and the measurement accuracy is improved. Also, the bypass exhaust pipe 12
Since the flow velocity of the air inside is high, the mist contained in the air is less likely to adhere to the pitot tube 14, and the contamination by the mist is suppressed.

At this time, the first damper 16 is partially opened by the control unit 17 so that the total exhaust amount from the cup 6 does not decrease. Thereby, the air passes through the first damper 16 and the second damper 13. In this case, the total exhaust amount can be obtained from the total pressure and the static pressure in the bypass exhaust line 12 by checking the ratio of the exhaust amount passing through the bypass exhaust line 12 to the total exhaust amount in advance.

Although the pitot pipe 14 is provided in the bypass exhaust pipe 12 in the above embodiment, the pitot pipe 14 may be provided in the main exhaust pipe 8a without providing the bypass exhaust pipe 12.

In this case, by monitoring the change in the dynamic pressure in the main exhaust line 8a, the change in the exhaust amount from the cup 6 can be grasped, and the main exhaust line 8a due to the mist of the processing liquid can be grasped. Can monitor for blockages.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a rotary type coating apparatus has been described.
The present invention can be applied to other substrate processing apparatuses such as a cleaning apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a rotary coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a pitot tube of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional rotary coating device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating apparatus 8a, 8b Main exhaust pipe 11 Exhaust fan 12 Bypass exhaust pipe 13 Second damper 14 Pitot tube 15 Manometer 16 First damper 17 Control part 18 Exhaust port 20a Processing part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate, comprising: a processing unit having an exhaust port for performing a predetermined process on the substrate using a processing liquid; and a processing unit connected to the exhaust port of the processing unit. Exhaust pipe, exhaust means for exhausting gas in the processing section from the exhaust port through the exhaust pipe, and measuring means for measuring a total pressure and a static pressure in the exhaust pipe. A substrate processing apparatus. 2. The exhaust pipe is provided so as to bypass a main exhaust pipe connected between the exhaust port of the processing unit and the exhaust means, and a partial range of the main exhaust pipe. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass exhaust pipe provided, wherein the measuring unit measures a total pressure and a static pressure in the bypass exhaust pipe. 3. 3. A first opening / closing means for opening / closing the main exhaust pipe in the partial area of the main exhaust pipe, and a second opening / closing means for opening / closing the bypass exhaust pipe upstream of the measuring means. Means, and control means for normally opening said first opening / closing means and closing said second opening / closing means, and opening said second opening / closing means at the time of measurement by said measuring means. Item 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to Item 2. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means closes said first opening / closing means at the time of measurement by said measuring means. 5. The diameter of the bypass exhaust line is set smaller than the diameter of the main exhaust line, and the control unit partially opens the first opening / closing unit at the time of measurement by the measuring unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: