JP2001121066A - Coating film formation apparatus and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent formation of a protruded part in the rotation center when a slurry is coated by rotating coating apparatus. SOLUTION: A mechanism is installed to shift the center of a substrate on which a slurry is dropwise titrated from the rotation center of a coating film formation apparatus and when the coating film formation apparatus is rotated in order to apply the slurry, centrifugal force is entirely evenly applied to the slurry on the substrate to form a uniform coating film.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved coating film forming apparatus for uniformly applying a slurry containing a photoresist or a phosphor in a photolithography process to a substrate, and to a coating method therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of forming a thin-film electrode pattern, an etching pattern, and the like on a substrate, for example, a photo-etching method is known. In this photo-etching method, after a film material layer is formed on a substrate, a photoresist (hereinafter, described as a typical example of the application of a photoresist) is applied, and a photolithography process of baking a mask pattern is performed to an exposure process. Will be migrated. Then, for example, the exposed portions of the photoresist are removed by etching or the like, and after removing the film material that is to be partially exposed in this step, the photoresist is removed to form a thin film. .

FIG. 6 shows an outline of a conventional coating film forming apparatus for coating a photoresist on a substrate. As shown in this figure, a substrate 3 is fixed to a substrate folder 1 of a rotary slurry coating apparatus (spin coater) 10 by a vacuum chuck, and a liquid slurry 4 is supplied from a slurry dropping nozzle 5 to a rotation center 2 of the substrate 3. After dripping on the surface, the substrate 3 was rotated at high speed by rotation of a motor, and the liquid slurry 4 dropped by centrifugal force was spread uniformly on the substrate 3 (about 1 μm in thickness).

[0004]

When a coating film of the photoresist 3 is formed on the substrate 3 by centrifugal force, for example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. In the vicinity of the center position, the raised portion 4a is formed. The cause of the formation of the raised portion 4a is as follows.
This is because almost no centrifugal force acts near the center of rotation, and as a result, there is a problem that the coating film having a diameter of about 10 mm protrudes from the coating film portion at the periphery and becomes a thick film. .

[0005] For this reason, the conventional solutions are as follows:
As shown schematically in FIG. 8, by tilting the rotation axis of the coating film forming apparatus and tilting and rotating the substrate 3 on the substrate folder 1, the coating material raised on the rotation center axis by gravity. Is moved to the outer periphery so as to make the thickness of the raised portion 4a at the center part uniform with the thickness of the peripheral part.

However, in the coating film forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 8, the rotating shaft 2 of the substrate folder 1 has to be tilted, so that the mechanism of the coating film forming apparatus becomes complicated, large, and installation space is increased. Therefore, there was a problem in terms of cost.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. The present invention is directed to a method of moving a substrate with respect to the center of rotation of a substrate folder so that the substrate rotates eccentrically. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for preventing a ridge of a photoresist from being formed in a central portion of a substrate.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating film forming apparatus for uniformly applying a slurry on a substrate, comprising: a rotary table; a substrate folder on the rotary table; a substrate folder supporting the substrate; This is a coating film forming apparatus provided with a moving mechanism for moving the rotation center of the substrate folder from the rotation center of the turntable of the coating film forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a coating film forming apparatus for uniformly applying a slurry onto a substrate, the slurry is applied to a central position on a substrate folder supporting the substrate mounted on a turntable. A method for forming a coating film, comprising: a step of dropping, a step of moving a center position of the substrate on which the slur has been dropped from the center of rotation of the rotary table, and a step of rotating the center of the substrate while being eccentric from the center of rotation.

The invention according to claims 3 and 4 is an invention of a moving mechanism, comprising a motor and a shaft which is rotated by the motor,
It has a substrate folder that is moved in the opposite direction simultaneously with the counterweight by rotation of the shaft, and by centrifugal force,
It consists of a substrate folder which is moved simultaneously with the counterweight and in the opposite direction.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic view conceptually showing a configuration of a coating film forming apparatus of the present invention. The following description specifies the material of the coating film because the present invention can be applied to coating of a photoresist and a phosphor. A description will be given of a slurry coating apparatus without the above.

Referring to FIG. 1, a slurry application apparatus includes a substrate holder 101, a substrate rotation center axis 102, a substrate 10
3, a substrate 103 is fixed on a rotating substrate folder 101, and a slurry is dropped onto the center of the substrate at a position 1
After dropping on the substrate 04, the substrate folder 101 is rotated.
In the case of the present invention, the substrate 103 is moved while the substrate folder 101 is rotating.
By shifting the slurry dropping position 104 from the rotation center axis 102 so as to move the slurry, the centrifugal force also acts on the coating film remaining as a raised portion on the rotation center 102 as described above. As a result, the substrate 10
3, so that a uniform coating film can be obtained over the entire surface.

For example, when the diameter of the substrate folder 101 is about 600 mm, it depends on the rotation speed (80).
0-1000 rpm), and the moving distance of the substrate is 10-20.
With a thickness of about mm, the film thickness at the center of the substrate and the film thickness at the periphery can be formed uniformly.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, 5 are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively, showing two specific configurations of the apparatus for moving the substrate folder. If the center of gravity of the object is eccentric from the rotation center axis 102, the apparatus may be broken. As a mechanism for preventing this, a balance weight is provided symmetrically in accordance with the deviation of the center of gravity due to the movement of the substrate. FIG.

FIGS. 2 and 3, which are the first embodiment, show that the substrate moving mechanism 100 uses the rotational force of a motor to rotate a driving screw having a screw of a wrong hand at both ends of the moving mechanism, and to rotate the substrate folder. And the balance weight are respectively displaced.

The substrate moving mechanism 100 includes a substrate folder 101 on which substrates can be placed and fixed, a substrate 103,
Linear guide shaft 105 serving as a guide when moving the substrate folder, counterweight 106, counterweight 106
Linear guide 107, which serves as a guide hole when moving
Substrate folder support member 108, right-hand drive screw portion 10
9. From the linear guide 114 having a linear opening engaged with the linear guide shaft 105 to support and guide the movement of the left-hand drive thread portion 110, the motor 111, and the substrate folder 101. It is configured.

In order to form a coating film on a substrate using the substrate moving mechanism 100, first, as shown in FIG. 1, a slurry is fixed on a substrate folder 101 from a slurry dropping nozzle (not shown). The substrate 103 is moved while the substrate folder is rotated at a high speed, as shown by the arrow shown in FIG. 1, and the slurry dripping position 104 is eccentric from the rotation center 102 as shown by the arrow shown in FIG. With such an operation, the slurry is uniformly applied to the substrate 103.

Two examples of the substrate moving mechanism at this time are shown in FIGS. The examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 move a substrate folder and a substrate by rotating a screw by a motor, and the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 move a substrate folder and a substrate using centrifugal force. It is to let.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the turntable 100 of the coating film forming apparatus of the first embodiment includes a motor 111,
The right-hand driving screw portion 109 of the shaft rotated by the rotation of the shaft 11 is engaged with the left-hand driving screw portion 110 of the left-hand thread, and the right-hand driving screw portion 109 of the shaft. A substrate folder supporting member 108 which moves to the left and right by the rotation of the portion 109; a substrate folder 101 attached to the substrate folder supporting member 108 supporting the substrate 101;
A counterweight (balance weight) 106 that moves in the left-right direction in a direction opposite to the substrate folder 101 by rotation of the driving left-hand screw portion 110, and a linear opening for supporting the substrate folder 101 and guiding its movement. , And a linear guide 107 having a guide hole formed for guiding the movement of the counterweight 106.

With the above configuration, the substrate 101 is placed on the turntable 100 of the coating film forming apparatus.
1 and fixed by a vacuum chuck or the like. When the rotation center position 102 of the turntable 100 is set, the center of gravity position 112 of the substrate 103 and the substrate folder 101 and the center of gravity position 113 of the counterweight 106 are set to have a positional relationship as shown in FIG. When the substrate folder 101 is moved after the slurry is dropped, the counterweight 106 moves in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the folder, eliminating the displacement of the center of gravity of the turntable 100, and destructing the apparatus by high-speed rotation. Preventing.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a turntable 100 of the coating film forming apparatus of the second embodiment includes a substrate folder 101, a spring 120 for elastically supporting the substrate folder 101 and the counterweight 119, and a substrate 120. The rack 115 connected to the folder 101, the counterweight 119, the rack 117 connected to the counterweight 119, the pinions 118 of the racks 115 and 117, the linear guide 116 serving as a guide hole for moving the substrate folder 101, and the counterweight 119. It is composed of a linear guide 120 serving as a guide hole when moving.

With the above configuration, the substrate 101 is fixed to the substrate holder 104 on the turntable 100 of the coating film forming apparatus by a vacuum chuck or the like (not shown).
With respect to the rotation center position 114 of the turntable 100, the substrate 10
1, the center of gravity 112 of the substrate folder 101, and the center of gravity 113 of the counterweight 119 have a positional relationship as shown in FIG. 3. When the turntable 100 is rotated after the slurry is dropped, the substrate folder 101 is moved by the spring 12 by centrifugal force.
0, the counterweight 119 moves in the opposite direction to the folder movement direction via the pinion 118 in conjunction with the movement of the substrate folder 101, and the displacement of the center of gravity of the turntable is shifted. This prevents the device from being damaged by high-speed rotation.

Although the two embodiments have been described as to the mechanism for moving the rotary folder from the center position, other examples include a cylinder device driven by fluid pressure, a planetary gear mechanism, and a mechanism for moving the center of rotation by inertia and rotation. And so on.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the slurry can be uniformly applied to the substrate on the same scale as the conventional apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of a substrate folder moving mechanism according to the present invention.
The top view of an example.

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of a substrate folder moving mechanism according to the present invention.
Sectional drawing of an Example.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the substrate folder moving mechanism according to the present invention.
The top view of an example.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the substrate folder moving mechanism according to the present invention.
Sectional drawing of an Example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a conventional example of a coating film forming apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a slurry coating film formed by a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a conventional example of another coating film forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

100: rotating table of the coating film forming apparatus, 101: substrate folder, 102: rotation axis of the rotating table, 103: substrate, 10
4: slurry dropping position, 105: linear guide shaft, 10
6: counterweight, 112: position of the center of gravity of the board and the substrate folder, 113: position of the center of gravity of the counterweight

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A coating film forming apparatus for uniformly applying a slurry onto a substrate, wherein a rotating table, a substrate folder on the rotating table, a substrate folder supporting the substrate, and a rotation center of the substrate folder are set to the rotation table. A coating film forming apparatus, comprising: a moving mechanism for moving the rotary table of the coating film forming apparatus from a rotation center. 2. A coating film forming apparatus for uniformly applying a slurry onto a substrate, wherein the step of dropping the slurry at a central position on a substrate folder supporting a substrate mounted on a turntable, A coating method comprising: a step of moving the center position of the dropped substrate from the rotation center of the rotary table; and a step of rotating the substrate while the center of the substrate is eccentric from the rotation center. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism comprises a shaft rotated by a motor, and a substrate folder which moves the counterweight by rotation of the shaft and is moved in a direction opposite to the counterweight. Item 2. The coating film forming apparatus according to Item 1. 4. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism includes a substrate folder that moves the counterweight by centrifugal force and is moved in a direction opposite to the counterweight. .