JP2001261151A - Treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent outward leak of a treatment gas when carrying a substrate into an internal space of a treatment chamber where the substrate, i.e., treated object, is treated, or when carrying the substrate out of the treatment chamber. SOLUTION: In this treatment apparatus, the treatment gas is filled in the treatment chamber, and the treated object is treated by the treatment gas. The treatment apparatus includes a shutoff means having a liquid shutting off the inside of the treatment chamber from the outside of the treatment chamber.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a processing apparatus,
More specifically, for example, various kinds of workpieces such as various electronic component substrates having a flat shape such as a semiconductor wafer and a magnetic disk, and various electronic components mounted on various electronic devices. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for performing processing using a processing gas.

[0002] In this specification, the "surface to be processed by a processing gas (processed surface)" is simply referred to as a "surface". Is simply referred to as “processing” as appropriate.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 has been known as a processing apparatus for processing a flat-shaped substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a magnetic disk. ing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural explanatory view showing a part of a conventional processing apparatus in a cutaway manner. This conventional processing apparatus includes a processing chamber 110 having an internal space 110a, and a processing chamber 110. The processing object support member 116 fixedly disposed in the internal space 110a of the substrate 110, and the processing gas described later, which is disposed so as to face the substrate 100 as the processing object supported by the processing object support member 116. And a replacement gas supply nozzle 113 that injects a replacement gas described later.

Here, an exhaust duct 116 having an exhaust port 114 is provided at the bottom 110 d of the processing chamber 110, and a suction device (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port 114, and The gas (gas) or the like filled in the internal space 110a is sucked out of the processing chamber 110 by the suction device via the exhaust duct 116.

Further, a loading / unloading port 110c is formed in the side wall portion 110b of the processing chamber 110, and
An opening / closing door 112 is provided at 0c via a seal / packing. By opening the opening / closing door 112, the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 communicates with the outside of the processing chamber 110, and by closing the opening / closing door 112, the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 and the outside of the processing chamber 110 are shut off. As a result, the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 is sealed.

The processing gas supply nozzle 118 includes:
A processing gas is supplied from a gas tank (not shown) filled with a gas (gas) such as an inert gas used for substrate processing, and the processing gas is injected. Is supplied with a replacement gas from a gas tank (not shown) filled with a gas (gas) of a type different from the processing gas, and the replacement gas is supplied to the processing chamber 1.
10 will be injected into the internal space 110a.

In order to process the substrate 100 as an object to be processed using the above-described conventional processing apparatus, the substrate 100
First, in a predetermined process that requires the processing of
2 to open the processing chamber 1 from the loading / unloading port 110c.
10 into the internal space 110a, and the workpiece support member 1
The substrate 100 is disposed in the internal space 110 a of the processing chamber 110 such that the surface 100 a of the substrate 100 faces the processing gas supply nozzle 118 by 16.

Then, the opening / closing door 112 is closed and the processing chamber 1 is closed.
The processing gas is injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 118 in a state in which the internal space 110a of 10 is closed. Thus, the processing of the surface 100a of the substrate 100 is performed in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 filled with the injected processing gas.

When the above processing is completed, the door 112 is opened, and the processed substrate 100 is carried out of the processing apparatus from the loading / unloading port 110c.

The internal space 110 of the processing chamber 110
The processing gas injected into the a by the processing gas supply nozzle 118 may be harmful to the human body, or may be one that corrodes components of the processing apparatus. .

When a processing gas that has a bad effect on the human body or the components of the processing apparatus is used, the opening and closing door 112 is opened after the processing of the substrate 100 is completed, and the substrate 100 is moved to the processing chamber. At the time of unloading from the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110, the processing gas filled in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 is transferred from the processing chamber 1 through the loading / unloading port 110c.
If the processing gas leaks out of the apparatus 10, the leaked processing gas may adversely affect a human body or a component of the processing apparatus.

For this reason, in the conventional processing apparatus, after the processing of the substrate 100 is completed, before the opening and closing door 112 is opened and the substrate 100 is carried out from the internal space 110 a of the processing chamber 110, the replacement gas supply nozzle 113 is used. Processing room 110
For replacement (gas that does not have a bad effect on the human body or components of the processing apparatus) in the internal space 110a
To replace the processing gas injected by the processing gas supply nozzle 118 filled in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 when the processing of the substrate 100 is completed. It is replaced by a gas for use.

By doing so, the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 after the processing of the substrate 100 is completed is filled not with the processing gas but with the replacement gas injected by the replacement gas supply nozzle 113. Therefore, when the opening / closing door 112 is opened and the substrate 100 is carried out from the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110, the processing gas flows into and out of the loading / unloading port 110.
Leakage from c to the outside of the processing chamber 110 is avoided.

However, in the conventional processing apparatus,
In order to replace the processing gas filled in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 with the replacement gas ejected from the replacement gas supply nozzle 113, time is spent in the replacement process,
There has been a problem that the loading and unloading of the substrate 100 in the processing apparatus cannot be performed efficiently, and the processing efficiency of the processing of the substrate 100 decreases.

Furthermore, in the conventional processing apparatus, after the processing gas filled in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 is replaced with the replacement gas injected from the replacement gas supply nozzle 113 as described above, When processing the substrate 100 in this processing apparatus, the processing chamber 1
Since it is necessary to refill the internal space 110a with the processing gas, there is a problem that the amount of the processing gas consumed becomes enormous.

In addition, in the conventional processing apparatus, since the door 112 is provided at the loading / unloading port 110c via a seal packing, if the seal packing is deteriorated, the door 112 is closed. The sealed state of the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 is no longer maintained, and the processing gas filled in the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 may leak out of the processing chamber 110 from the loading / unloading port 10c. There was a problem.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned various problems of the prior art, and has as its object to process substrates to be processed. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus capable of preventing a processing gas from leaking outside when a substrate is carried into an internal space of a processing chamber to be performed or when a substrate is carried out of the processing chamber. It is.

It is another object of the present invention to improve the processing efficiency of processing a substrate in a processing apparatus by efficiently loading and unloading a substrate as an object to be processed in the processing apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus having the above configuration.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus capable of avoiding an enormous amount of processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to prevent the processing gas filled in the internal space of the processing chamber from leaking to the outside due to deterioration of a member for sealing the internal space of the processing chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus which can avoid the above.

[0022]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a processing chamber is filled with a processing gas and the processing target is processed with the processing gas. In the processing apparatus, there is provided a shut-off means including a liquid for shutting off the inside of the processing chamber and the outside of the processing chamber.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the inside of the processing chamber and the outside of the processing chamber are shut off by the shut-off means provided with the liquid, the processing of the object to be processed can be performed. It is possible to prevent the processing gas from leaking to the outside when the processing object is carried into the internal space of the processing chamber or when the processing object is carried out to the outside of the processing chamber.

Further, since the processing gas is not replaced with the replacement gas, the amount of the processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus can be prevented from becoming enormous, and the internal space of the processing chamber is sealed. It is not necessary to dispose a member for processing, so that the processing gas filled in the internal space of the processing chamber is prevented from leaking to the outside due to deterioration of the member for sealing the internal space of the processing chamber. it can.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the object to be processed is carried into the processing chamber, or when the object to be processed is transferred from the processing chamber. When unloading the processing object, the processing object may be conveyed through the liquid in the blocking unit.

In this way, when the processing object is carried in and out of the processing apparatus, the processing object can be simply carried in and out of the liquid of the shut-off means without opening and closing the opening / closing door. The discharge can be performed efficiently, and the processing efficiency of the object to be processed can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the shut-off means is provided when the workpiece is carried into the processing chamber. The liquid carrying the object and the liquid carrying the object when the object is carried out of the processing chamber may be separated from each other.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, as in the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first, second, and third cartridges housed in a carrier is provided. You may make it convey the said to-be-processed object with the said carrier, and in this way, it becomes possible to process several to-be-processed objects simultaneously in a processing chamber,
The processing efficiency of the substrate processing in the processing apparatus can be improved.

In the invention according to any one of the first, second and third aspects of the present invention, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the objects to be processed are each one. The objects may be sequentially transported. In this case, the objects to be processed can be processed one by one, so that effective processing can be performed.

According to the present invention as described in claim 6, in the invention according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, The blocking means may be a shower curtain for injecting a liquid.

Also, as in the invention according to claim 7 of the present invention, claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4,
In the invention described in any one of claims 5 and 6, at least one or more of the blocking means may be provided. In this case, by providing a plurality of blocking means, As compared with the case where only one blocking means is provided, the chance that the internal space of the processing chamber is shielded from the outside increases, and the internal space of the processing chamber can be more securely sealed.

[0032] In the invention according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, at least one of the liquids of the shut-off means is a processing gas filled in the processing chamber. In this case, if the shutoff means having a liquid level positioned outside the processing chamber has a processing gas decomposition effect, for example, when the processing gas is harmful, Means that the harmful processing gas is decomposed in the shutoff means, and the processing gas filled in the internal space of the processing chamber can be more reliably prevented from leaking to the outside, improving safety. can do.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, as in the ninth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the blocking means is a cleaning means for cleaning the object. In this case, the object to be processed can be cleaned by the cleaning means when the object to be processed is transported in the liquid of the shut-off means.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, as in the tenth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the liquids of the shut-off means may be a liquid in which the processing gas is not dissolved. Good.

[0035] In the invention according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, at least one liquid of the shutoff means is a liquid in which the processing gas is dissolved. Is also good.

Also, as in the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the seventh aspect of the present invention. In the invention according to any one of the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh aspects, a temperature control means for controlling a temperature of the shutoff means may be further provided. By controlling the temperature of the shut-off means by the temperature control means, when the temperature of the shut-off means is maintained at a high temperature, it is possible to pull up and dry the object to be processed,
Further, by controlling the temperature of the object to be conveyed in the liquid of the shutoff means, the object to be processed in the processing chamber can be more effectively processed.

Also, as in the invention of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and seventh aspects of the present invention. In the invention according to any one of the eighth, ninth, tenth, tenth, and eleventh aspects, the processing gas may be an ozone-containing gas.

Further, as in the invention of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the thirteenth aspect, means for wetting the ozone-containing gas may be provided.

Further, like the invention according to claim 15 of the present invention, in the invention according to claim 13, a means for mixing a mist liquid with the ozone-containing gas may be provided.

[0040]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural explanatory view of the processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which a part of the first embodiment is cut away, and FIG. 2 is the same as or equivalent to FIG. Regarding the configuration, the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 1 are used and the detailed description of the configuration and operation is omitted.

Here, the processing apparatus according to the present invention (the processing apparatuses 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 of the first to fifth embodiments described in detail below) and the "prior art" In comparison with the conventional processing apparatus described in the section, the conventional processing apparatus is different from the conventional processing apparatus.
By closing the opening / closing door 112 provided in the processing chamber 110, the internal space 110a of the processing chamber 110 is shut off from the outside and is sealed, whereas the processing apparatus 10 according to the present invention is closed.
1, 102, 103, 104, and 105 include a blocking liquid 200 stored in blocking tanks 14, 30, 32, and 34 described below,
The shut-off liquid 200 or the shower curtain nozzles 70 and 7 stored in the carry-in shut-off chamber 54 and the carry-out shut-off chamber 64.
This is different from the conventional processing apparatus in that the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the liquid called the shut-off liquid 200 injected from 2, 74, and 76 and is sealed.

In the first embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the processing apparatus 101 comprises a processing chamber 10 having an internal space 10a, and a column 12 standing upright from substantially the center of a bottom 10d of the processing chamber 10. A workpiece support member 16 fixedly disposed at the upper end of the support 12; and a workpiece support member 1
A processing gas supply nozzle 18 that is disposed so as to face the substrate 100 serving as a processing target placed on the processing chamber 6 and injects a processing gas; and a shutoff tank that extends from an edge 10 e of a bottom 10 d of the processing chamber 10. 14, and an exhaust pipe 24 that is disposed on the side wall 10 b of the processing chamber 10 and that reaches the exhaust scrubber 22.

Here, the column 12 is configured to be rotatable at an arbitrary rotational speed in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 2) by driving a motor (not shown).
The workpiece support member 16 and the workpiece support member 1 fixedly disposed on the upper end of the column 12 with the rotation of the workpiece 2
The substrate 100 placed on 6 rotates in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 2).

The processing gas is supplied from the gas tank (not shown) filled with the processing gas to the processing gas supply nozzle 18 through the processing gas supply pipe 26, and the processing gas is injected.

The shutoff tank 14 extends from an edge 10 e of the bottom 10 d of the processing chamber 10. The shutoff tank 20, which is a liquid such as pure water, is provided in the inside 14 a of the shutoff tank 14.
0 is stored, and the blocking liquid 200 is always replaceable with a new blocking liquid 200 by overflowing in the blocking tank 14.

The lower end 10f of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 is located in the interior 14a of the shutoff tank 14, and the liquid level 200a is higher than the lower end 10f of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10. , 200b are positioned so that a predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 fills the inside 14a of the blocking tank 14.

At this time, the liquid level 200a of the blocking liquid 200 on the outer side 10k of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 is located outside the processing chamber 10, and the liquid level 200 of the blocking liquid 200 on the inner side 10m of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 is formed. The liquid level 200b is located in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10.

As described above, when a predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 is stored in the inside 14a of the blocking tank 14, the lower end 10f of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 is immersed in the stored blocking liquid 200. Since it is located, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 does not directly communicate with the outside.

The blocking liquid 200 is a liquid having a composition such that the processing gas injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 does not dissolve, or a composition having a composition in which only a small amount of the processing gas is dissolved, if at all. A liquid can be used. For example, when the processing gas is an ozone-containing gas, hot water may be used as the blocking liquid 200.

The exhaust pipe 24 is connected to the side wall 1 of the processing chamber 10.
The exhaust gas scrubber 22 is connected to the exhaust pipe 24, and the processing gas or the like filled in the internal space 10 a of the processing chamber 10 is supplied to the exhaust pipe 24 by the suction force of the exhaust scrubber 22. The air is sucked to the outside of the processing chamber 10 through the processing chamber 10.

When the processing gas is exhausted to the outside of the processing chamber 10 by the exhaust scrubber 22, the exhaust pipe 2
4, the air is exhausted to the outside of the processing apparatus 101.

In the above configuration, the substrate 1 to be processed is
A case where the processing of the substrate 100 is performed using the processing apparatus 101 in a predetermined process requiring the processing of 00 will be described.

First, the substrate 100 is placed on the workpiece support member 16 such that the surface 100 a of the substrate 100 faces the processing gas supply nozzle 18.

Then, the processing gas is injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 to the surface 100a of the substrate 100, and the internal space 1 of the processing chamber 10 filled with the injected processing gas.
At 0a, the workpiece support member 16 rotates as the column 12 rotates in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 2) in response to the driving of a motor (not shown).

At this time, the surface 100a of the substrate 100 placed on the rotating workpiece support member 16 is processed by the processing gas.

When the above-mentioned processing is completed, the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 becomes:
After being suctioned to the outside of the processing chamber 10 through the exhaust pipe 24 by the suction force of the exhaust scrubber 22 and the processing in the exhaust scrubber 22 is performed, the processing apparatus 10
1 is exhausted to the outside.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the predetermined amount of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 14. It is not necessary to provide a seal and packing, and the interior space of the processing chamber 10 is deteriorated due to the deterioration of the seal and packing.
It is possible to prevent the processing gas filled in a from leaking to the outside.

Next, FIG. 3 is a schematic structural explanatory view showing a part of a second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention in a cutaway manner. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1 and 2, and detailed description of the configuration and operation is omitted.

Here, comparing the processing apparatus 102 according to the second embodiment of the present invention with the processing apparatus 101 according to the above-described first embodiment of the present invention, In the processing apparatus 101, one blocking tank 14 is provided, whereas in the processing apparatus of the second embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of blocking tanks 14, 30, 32 are provided. This is different from the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

That is, in the second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the processing apparatus 102 includes the shutoff tank 30 disposed adjacent to the shutoff tank 14 and the shutoff tank 30 disposed adjacent to the shutoff tank 30. And a lower end 10h projecting from the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 and projecting from the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10, and a lower end 10h projecting from the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10. The part 10j has a side wall part 10i located in the inside 32a of the shutoff tank 32.

The shut-off tanks 30 and 32 are disposed adjacent to the shut-off tank 14, and the shut-off tanks 3
In the insides 30a and 32a of the 0 and 32, for example, a blocking liquid 200 which is a liquid such as pure water is stored.
Numeral 0 indicates that the liquid can always be replaced with a new one by overflowing in the shutoff tanks 30 and 32.

Then, the inside 30 of the shutoff tanks 30 and 32 is
a and 32a are the side walls 10g and 10g of the processing chamber 10, respectively.
i are located at the lower ends 10h, 10j, and the lower ends 10h, 10j of the side walls 10g, 10i of the processing chamber 10.
A predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 such that the liquid level 200c is located above j is filled in the blocking tanks 30 and 32.

At this time, the liquid level 200a of the blocking liquid 200 on the outer side 10q of the side wall 10i of the processing chamber 10 is located outside the processing chamber 10, and the level of the blocking liquid 200 on the inner side 10m of the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10 is increased. The liquid level 200b is located in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10.

As described above, when a predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 is stored in the insides 14a, 30a, 32a of the blocking tanks 14, 30, 32, the side wall of the processing chamber 10 is contained in the stored blocking liquid 200. Lower end 10 of parts 10b, 10g, 10i
Since f, 10h, and 10j are located, there is no direct communication between the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 and the outside.

Here, as the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 14 and the shut-off tank 30, a liquid having a composition that does not dissolve the processing gas injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 is used. As the blocking liquid 200 stored in the tank 32, a liquid having a composition having a decomposition effect of the processing gas injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 is used.

In the above configuration, the description of the operation when processing the substrate 100 as an object to be processed by using the processing apparatus 102 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described in the first embodiment according to the present invention. Is the same as the description of the operation when processing the substrate 100 using the processing apparatus 101 of the embodiment.
The detailed description is omitted by using the description.

As described above, in the second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the shutoff tanks 14, 30,
The internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the predetermined amount of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in 32, and becomes a sealed state. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a seal packing, and the seal packing is not required. It is possible to prevent the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 from leaking outside due to the deterioration.

In the second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is externally provided by a plurality of shutoff tanks 14, 30, 32 storing a predetermined amount of shutoff liquid 200. Since it is shut off and becomes a closed state, the internal space 1 of the processing chamber 10 is smaller than when only one shutoff tank is provided (for example, see the shutoff tank 14 in FIG. 2).
The number of opportunities for blocking Oa from the outside increases, and the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 can be more securely sealed.

Further, in the second embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the shut-off liquid 200 having a composition having the effect of decomposing the processing gas is placed in the shut-off tank 32 whose liquid level 200 is located outside the processing chamber 10. Because we have to store, for example,
When the processing gas is harmful, for example, the harmful processing gas is decomposed by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 32, and the internal space 10 of the processing chamber 10
It is possible to more reliably prevent the processing gas filled in a from leaking to the outside, and it is possible to improve safety.

Next, FIG. 4 (a) shows a state in which a part of the processing apparatus 103 according to the third embodiment of the present invention in a state where the substrate 100 is disposed in a buffer chamber 42 described later is cut away. FIG. 4 (b) is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram shown.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a processing apparatus 103 according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a state where a substrate 100 is disposed in a processing chamber 10 described later. .

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIGS.
1 to 3 are the same as or equivalent to FIG.
By using the same reference numerals as those used in, the detailed description of the configuration and operation will be omitted.

Here, a comparison between the processing apparatus 103 according to the third embodiment of the present invention and the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the processing apparatus 101, the substrate 100 is disposed in the processing chamber 10 before the processing is started, whereas in the processing apparatus 103 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 100 is not processed. Before the start, the shut-off liquid 20 which is disposed in the buffer chamber 42 and stored in the shut-off tank 34 during processing is provided.
0 (see the broken arrow in FIG. 4A).
0, and when the processing is completed, the processing liquid is transported from the processing chamber 10 through the blocking liquid 200 stored in the blocking tank 34 (FIG. 4).
(Refer to (b) dashed arrow) The processing apparatus 101 is different from the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention in that it is disposed in the buffer chamber 42.

That is, in the third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the processing apparatus 103 includes a substantially concave-shaped main body 40 having a hollow inside, and a central concave portion 40a above the main body 40. A processing chamber 10 located on one side, a buffer chamber 42 located above the main body 40 on the opposite side of the processing chamber 10 of the central recess 40a and having a carry-in / out port 42c formed therein, and a buffer chamber 42 located below the main body 40. A blocking tank 34 for communicating the processing chamber 10 with the buffer chamber 42, a workpiece support member 16 movably disposed in the processing chamber 10, the buffer chamber 34 and the blocking tank 34, , A processing gas supply nozzle 18 that injects a processing gas, an exhaust pipe 24 that is disposed on the side wall 10 b of the processing chamber 10 and that reaches the exhaust scrubber 22, and that is disposed in the buffer chamber 42 and will be described later. It is configured to include a drying gas blowing nozzle 44 for injecting 燥 gas.

Here, a carrier 46 for accommodating the substrate 100 to be processed is placed on the workpiece support member 16. The carrier 46 accommodates a plurality of substrates 100 aligned vertically at predetermined intervals.

Then, the workpiece support member 16 moves from the buffer chamber 42 to the processing chamber 10 through the inside 34a of the shut-off tank 34 by driving a motor (not shown) while the carrier 46 is placed thereon ( (See FIG. 4 (a) dashed arrow)
At the same time, it is possible to move from the processing chamber 10 to the buffer chamber 42 through the inside 34a of the shut-off tank 34 (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 4B).

The shut-off tank 34 is located below the main body 40 and communicates the processing chamber 10 with the buffer chamber 42. The shut-off tank 34 has an internal portion 34a, for example, a shut-off liquid such as pure water. The liquid 200 is stored, and the blocking liquid 200 is
By causing overflow in the shut-off tank 34, a new shut-off liquid 200 can always be exchanged.

A predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 such that the liquid level 200 is located above the bottom surface 40b of the central concave portion 40a of the main body 40 is filled in the inside 34a of the blocking tank 34.

At this time, the liquid level 200 d of the blocking liquid 200 on the side surface 40 c side of the central concave portion 40 a is located outside the processing chamber 10 (inside the buffer chamber 42), and the liquid level of the blocking liquid 200 on the side surface 40 d of the central concave portion 40 a is set. The surface 200e is the processing chamber 10
Is located in the internal space 10a.

As described above, when a predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 is stored in the inside 34a of the blocking tank 34, the bottom surface 40b of the central concave portion 40a of the main body 40 is located in the stored blocking liquid 200. Therefore, there is no direct communication between the processing chamber 10 and the buffer chamber 42, that is, the processing chamber 10 and the outside that communicates with the buffer chamber 42 via the loading / unloading port 42 c.

The drying gas spray nozzle 44 has the substrate 1
The dry gas is supplied from a gas tank (not shown) filled with a dry gas used for drying of the substrate 100 through a dry gas supply pipe 48, and the dry gas is jetted onto the surface 100 a of the substrate 100. Will be.

In the above configuration, the substrate 1 as an object to be processed is
A case where the processing of the substrate 100 is performed using the processing apparatus 103 in a predetermined process requiring the processing of 00 will be described.

First, the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46 is loaded into the buffer chamber 42 from the loading / unloading port 42c of the buffer chamber 42, and the carrier 46 is placed on the workpiece support member 16 (FIG. 4 (a)). ))).

Then, the workpiece support member 16 on which the carrier 46 is mounted moves in response to the driving of a motor (not shown), and the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46 is stored in the blocking tank 34 from the buffer chamber 42. The liquid is conveyed through the blocking liquid 200 and transferred to the processing chamber 10 (see the dotted arrow in FIG. 4A).

When the workpiece supporting member 16 on which the carrier 46 is placed is disposed in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 (the state shown in FIG. 4B), the processing gas supply nozzle 18 supplies the processing gas. Is injected, and in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 filled with the injected processing gas, the surface 100a of the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46
Is performed.

When the above-described processing is completed, the workpiece supporting member 16 on which the carrier 46 is placed moves in response to the driving of a motor (not shown), and the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46 is removed from the processing chamber 10. The liquid is conveyed in the blocking liquid 200 stored in the blocking tank 34 and transferred to the buffer chamber 42 (see the broken arrow in FIG. 4B).

When the carrier 46 containing the substrate 100 thus processed is placed in the buffer chamber 42 (the state shown in FIG. 4A), the drying gas spray nozzle 4
4, a dry gas is ejected from the surface 4 of the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46 by the injected dry gas.
The barrier liquid 200 remaining at 00a is removed and drying is performed.

Then, the substrate 100 stored in the carrier 46 and subjected to the drying and drying is transferred to the loading / unloading port 4.
2c is carried out of the processing device 103.

On the other hand, the processing gas filled in the internal space 10 a of the processing chamber 10 is sucked to the outside of the processing chamber 10 through the exhaust pipe 24 by the suction force of the exhaust scrubber 22, and After the processing is performed, the air is exhausted outside the processing apparatus 103.

As described above, in the third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the loading of the substrate 100 into or out of the processing apparatus 103 is performed in the buffer chamber 42. Then, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 34 to be in a sealed state, and the substrate 100 is transported in the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 34. The substrate 10 in the processing chamber 10
When loading or unloading 0, the processing gas filled in the processing chamber 10 can be prevented from leaking out of the processing chamber 10.

Further, in the third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, there is no need to perform a replacement process for replacing the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 with a replacement gas. Substrate 100 in processing apparatus 103
When loading and unloading, the substrate 100 can be simply loaded and unloaded in the shut-off liquid 200 without opening and closing the opening / closing door, so that loading and unloading can be performed efficiently. Since a plurality of substrates 100 can be accommodated, a plurality of substrates 100 can be simultaneously processed in the processing chamber 10, and the processing efficiency of the substrate processing in the processing apparatus 103 can be improved.

Further, the third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention
In the embodiment, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is
There is no need for a replacement process for replacing the processing gas filled in the processing gas with a replacement gas, so that the amount of the processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus can be prevented from becoming enormous.

In the third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is sealed off from the outside by a predetermined amount of the blocking liquid 200 stored in the blocking tank 34. In a sealed state.
There is no need to provide a packing, and it is possible to prevent the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 from leaking out due to the deterioration of the seal / packing.

In the above-described third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 34 includes, for example, a liquid heater or a liquid heater. A heater or the like may be provided.

When the temperature of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 34 is maintained at a high temperature by the temperature control means, the substrate 100 processed in the processing chamber 10 is removed from the processing chamber 10 by the high-temperature shut-off liquid. The substrate 100 is pulled up and dried when it is transported through the inside 200 and is pulled up from the high-temperature blocking liquid 200 and placed in the buffer chamber 42.

After the substrate 100 is pulled up and dried, a small amount of water droplets of the blocking liquid 200 remaining on the substrate 100 is removed in the buffer chamber 42 by the dry gas sprayed from the dry gas spray nozzle 44. ,
Drying of the substrate 100 in the processing apparatus 103 can be performed more reliably, and the processing efficiency of drying the substrate 100 can be improved.

In the above-described third embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, a jet nozzle may be provided in the blocking liquid 200 stored in the blocking tank 34.

The jet nozzle generates a water flow in the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off liquid 200. When the substrate 100 is transported in the shut-off liquid 200 in which the water flow is generated, the substrate 100 in the shut-off liquid 200 is removed. During transport,
The substrate 100 can be cleaned.

Next, FIG. 5 is a schematic structural explanatory view showing a part of a fourth embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention, which is cut away, and FIG. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1 to 4, and detailed description of the configuration and operation is omitted.

Here, a comparison between the processing apparatus 104 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention and the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the processing apparatus 101, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 14 and is sealed, whereas the fourth embodiment of the present invention The processing apparatus 104 of the present invention is characterized in that the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is sealed off from the outside by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the loading-side shut-off chamber 54 and the unloading-side shut-off chamber 64, and is sealed. Is different from the processing apparatus 101 of the first embodiment.

That is, in the fourth embodiment 104 of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the transport rollers 50 arranged in a row and the loading side sequentially arranged along the rows of the transport rollers 50 are arranged. Buffer room 52 and carry-in side shut-off room 54
, The processing chamber 10, the unloading-side shut-off chamber 64, and the unloading-side buffer chamber 62.

Then, the transport rollers 50 which are arranged in a row
Transports the substrate 100 as an object to be processed by the rotation of the transport roller 50, and the substrates 100 transported by the transport roller 50 are sequentially transferred to the loading port formed in the side wall 52 a of the loading buffer chamber 52. The transfer chamber 52 is transferred to the load-side buffer chamber 52, the transfer chamber 52 is transferred to the transfer-side cut-off chamber 54 through the cut-off chamber transfer port 54b formed in the side wall 54a of the transfer-side cut-off chamber 54, and is formed in the side wall 10b of the processing chamber 10. Transferred to the processing chamber 10 from the processing chamber loading port 10n
Processing chamber carry-out port 1 pierced in side wall 10b of processing chamber 10
0p to the unloading-side shut-off chamber 64,
4 is transferred to the unloading-side buffer chamber 62 from the shut-off chamber unloading port 64b formed in the side wall 64a of the unloading-side buffer chamber 6.
It is carried out of the processing apparatus 104 from the carry-out port 62b formed in the second side wall 62a.

Here, the transport roller 5 is provided in the processing chamber 10.
The processing gas supply nozzle 18 which is disposed so as to face the substrate 100 mounted on the substrate 0 and injects the processing gas is disposed.
An air knife 60 used for drying is provided.

The carry-in shut-off chamber 54 and the carry-out shut-off chamber 64 are provided with shut-off liquid supply ports 56, 66, respectively. Is to supply.

At this time, as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 5, the shut-off liquid 200 supplied to the load-side shut-off chamber 54 through the shut-off liquid supply port 56 flows into the load-side buffer chamber 52 from the shut-off chamber transfer inlet 54b. At the same time, the shut-off liquid 200 supplied to the discharge side shut-off chamber 64 through the shut-off liquid supply port 66 flows into the discharge side buffer chamber 62 from the shut-off chamber discharge port 64b. At the same time, it flows into the processing chamber 10 from the processing chamber loading / unloading port 10p.

The processing chamber 10 and the loading-side buffer chamber 5
2 and the shut-off liquid 20 flowing into the unloading side buffer chamber 62
0 is drained to the outside of the processing device 104 from a drain port (not shown), and the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the carry-in shut-off chamber 54 and the carry-out shut-off chamber 64 is always a new shut-off liquid 2.
00 has been exchanged.

As a result, the blocking liquid 200 is supplied to the blocking liquid supply port 5
6 and 66, the liquid level 200f of the shut-off liquid 200 is located above the processing chamber carry-in port 10n in the carry-in side shut-off chamber 54, and the liquid level of the shut-off liquid 200 is The surface 200g is the processing chamber exit 10
p, and the loading-side buffer chamber 52
, The liquid level 200h of the shut-off liquid 200 is located below the carry-in port 52b, and the liquid level 200i of the shut-off liquid 200 in the process chamber 10 is changed to the process chamber carry-in port 10n and the process chamber carry-out port 10p.
, The liquid level 200j of the shut-off liquid 200 in the discharge-side buffer chamber 62 is positioned lower than the discharge port 62b.

In this way, the loading buffer room 52
When the shut-off liquid 200 is stored in the carry-in shut-off chamber 54, the processing chamber 10, the discharge-side shut-off chamber 64, and the discharge-side buffer chamber 62, respectively, the internal space 10a and the outside of the process chamber 10 Through the chamber entrance 10n, the shut-off room entrance 54b and the entrance 52b, or the treatment room exit 1
0p, there is no direct communication through the shut-off port 64b and the outlet 62b.

In the above configuration, the substrate 1 to be processed is
A case where the processing of the substrate 100 is performed using the processing apparatus 104 in a predetermined process requiring the processing of 00 will be described.

First, the shut-off liquid 200 is supplied at a predetermined flow rate from the shut-off liquid supply ports 56 and 66, and the shut-off liquid 200 is stored in the loading-side shut-off chamber 54 and the discharge-side shut-off chamber 64, while the substrate 100 is transferred. Loading entrance 5 by roller 50
2b, it is transferred to the loading-side buffer chamber 52, and further transferred to the loading-side blocking chamber 54 from the blocking chamber loading port 54b.

Then, the substrate 100 is filled with the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the load-side shut-off chamber 54 in the load-side shut-off chamber 54.
It is conveyed inside and transferred to the processing chamber 10 from the processing chamber entrance 10n.

When the substrate 100 is disposed in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10, the processing gas is injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18, and the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 filled with the injected processing gas is injected. In, processing of the surface 100a of the substrate 100 placed on the transport roller 50 is performed.

When the above-described processing is completed, the processed substrate 100 is transferred from the processing chamber carry-out port 10p to the carry-out side shut-off chamber 64 by the transfer roller 50, and is stored in the carry-out side shut-off chamber 64. It is conveyed in the liquid 200 and is transferred from the shut-off chamber discharge port 64b to the discharge buffer chamber 62.

When the substrate 100 thus processed is placed in the unloading buffer chamber 62, the air knife 6
0, the blocking liquid 2 remaining on the surface 100a of the substrate 100
00 is removed and drying is performed, and the substrate 100 on which the processing and the drying are performed is carried out of the processing device 104 from the carry-out port 62b by the transport roller 50.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the loading of the substrate 100 into the processing apparatus 104 is performed in the loading-side buffer chamber 52 and at the same time, the processing is performed outside the processing apparatus 104. The unloading of the substrate 100 is performed in the unloading-side buffer chamber 62, and the internal space 10 a of the processing chamber 10 is sealed off from the outside by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the unloading-side shut-off chamber 54 and the unloading-side shut-off chamber 64 and is sealed. Since the substrate 100 is transported in the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the load-side shut-off chamber 54 and the discharge-side shut-off chamber 64, the substrate 1 in the processing chamber 10
When loading or unloading 00, the processing gas filled in the processing chamber 10 can be prevented from leaking out of the processing chamber 10.

Further, in the fourth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, there is no need for the replacement process for replacing the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 with the replacement gas, and the processing is not performed. Substrate 100 in device 104
When loading and unloading, the substrate 100 may be simply loaded and unloaded in the shut-off liquid 200 without opening and closing the opening / closing door, so that loading and unloading can be performed efficiently. The processing efficiency of the substrate processing can be improved, and the amount of processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus can be prevented from becoming enormous.

Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, a predetermined amount of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the carry-in shut-off chamber 54 and the carry-out shut-off chamber 64 is used.
Since the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside and becomes a sealed state, there is no need to provide a seal and packing, and the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is filled with the deterioration of the seal and packing. It is possible to prevent the processed gas from leaking to the outside.

Furthermore, the fourth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention
In the embodiment, the transport roller 50
Since the substrates 100 are sequentially transported one by one, the substrates 100 can be processed for each sheet, and effective processing can be performed.

In the processing apparatus 103 of the third embodiment (see FIG. 4), the loading and unloading of the substrate 100 into and from the processing chamber 10 is performed in the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the same shut-off tank 34. In the above-described fourth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the loading and unloading chambers 54 and 64 for loading and unloading the substrate 100 into and from the processing chamber 10 are different. Stored barrier fluid 200
For example, a liquid heater or a heater for liquid heating may be provided as temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the carry-in side shut-off chamber 54.

By the temperature control means, the carry-in side shut-off chamber 5
By controlling the temperature of the blocking liquid 200 stored in the processing liquid 4, the temperature of the substrate 100 transported in the blocking liquid 200 can be controlled. By setting the temperature at the optimum temperature, the processing of the substrate 100 in the processing apparatus 104 can be performed more effectively.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural explanatory view of a processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, which is partially cut away, and FIG. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1 to 5, and detailed description of the configuration and operation is omitted.

Here, a comparison between the processing apparatus 105 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention and the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the processing apparatus 101, the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shut off from the outside by the shut-off liquid 200 stored in the shut-off tank 14 and becomes hermetically closed. In the processing apparatus 105, the inner space 1 of the processing chamber 10 is controlled by the shut-off liquid 200 sprayed from the shower / curtain nozzles 70, 72, 74, 76.
The processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is different from the processing apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment in that Oa is shut off from the outside and becomes a sealed state.

When the processing device 104 according to the fourth embodiment is compared with the processing device 105 according to the fifth embodiment, the processing device 105 according to the fifth embodiment has a loading-side shutoff. The shut-off liquid supply ports 56 and 66 are not provided in the chamber 54 and the discharge-side shut-off chamber 64, respectively. A shower / curtain nozzle 70 is disposed near the shut-off chamber transfer port 54b in the load-side buffer chamber 52. A shower is provided in the vicinity of the processing chamber entrance 10n in the entrance-side shut-off chamber 54.
A curtain nozzle 72 is provided, and a shower / curtain nozzle 74 is provided near the processing chamber outlet 10p in the unloading side shut-off chamber 64. A shower curtain nozzle is provided near the shut-off chamber outlet 64b in the unloading side buffer chamber 62. The point that the nozzle 76 is provided is different from the processing apparatus 104 of the above-described fourth embodiment.

Here, the shower / curtain nozzle 7
0, 72, 74, and 76 respectively indicate the shut-in
b, the processing chamber carry-in port 10n, the processing chamber carry-out port 10p, and the shut-off room carry-out port 64b
Cut-off liquid 2 from curtain nozzles 70, 72, 74, 76
00 to form a shower curtain of the shut-off liquid 200, and the shower curtain causes the shut-off room entrance 54.
b, the processing chamber carry-in port 10n, the processing chamber carry-out port 10p, and the shut-off chamber carry-out port 64b.

In the above configuration, the substrate 1 to be processed is
A case where the processing of the substrate 100 is performed using the processing apparatus 105 in a predetermined process requiring the processing of 00 will be described.

First, the shower / curtain nozzle 70,
The shut-off liquid 200 is injected from 72, 74, and 76, and the shut-off chamber carrying-in port 54 is formed by the shower curtain of the shut-off liquid 200.
b, the processing chamber carry-in port 10n, the processing chamber carry-out port 10p, and the shut-off chamber carry-out port 64b are shut off, respectively.
00 is transferred from the carry-in entrance 52b to the carry-in side buffer chamber 52 by the carry roller 50.

Then, the substrate 100 disposed in the loading-side buffer chamber 52 passes through the shower curtain of the blocking liquid 200 formed by the shower-curtain nozzle 70, and passes through the blocking-room loading port 54b to the loading-side blocking chamber. The transfer liquid passes through the shower curtain of the blocking liquid 200 formed by the shower curtain nozzle 72 and is transferred to the processing chamber 10 from the processing chamber carrying-in port 10n.

When the substrate 100 is disposed in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10, the processing gas is injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 and the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 filled with the injected processing gas. In, processing of the surface 100a of the substrate 100 placed on the transport roller 50 is performed.

When the above-described processing is completed, the processed substrate 100 passes through the shower curtain of the shut-off liquid 200 formed by the shower curtain nozzle 74 by the transport roller 50 and is taken out of the processing chamber. From 10p, it is transferred to the unloading side shut-off chamber 64,
After passing through the shower curtain of the blocking liquid 200 formed by the shower curtain nozzle 76, it is transferred from the blocking chamber discharge port 64 b to the discharge buffer chamber 62.

When the substrate 100 thus processed is placed in the unloading buffer chamber 62, the air knife 6
0, the blocking liquid 2 remaining on the surface 100a of the substrate 100
00 is removed and drying is performed, and the substrate 100 on which the processing and the drying have been performed is carried out of the processing apparatus 105 from the carry-out port 62b by the transport roller 50.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the loading of the substrate 100 into the processing apparatus 105 is performed in the loading-side buffer chamber 52 and the processing apparatus 104 is loaded outside the processing apparatus 104. The unloading of the substrate 100 is performed in the unloading buffer chamber 62, and the inner space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is provided with the nozzles 70, 7
The shower / curtain nozzles 70 and 7 are shut off from the outside by the shower / curtain of the shut-off liquid 200 formed by 2, 74 and 76 and become sealed.
Since the substrate 100 is transported through the shower curtain of the blocking liquid 200 formed by 2, 74, and 76, the processing gas leaks out of the processing chamber 10 when the substrate 100 is loaded or unloaded in the processing chamber 10. That can be avoided.

In the fifth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, there is no need to perform a replacement process for replacing the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 with a replacement gas. The processing efficiency of the substrate processing in the apparatus 104 can be improved, and the amount of processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus can be prevented from becoming enormous.

Further, in the fifth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the shower curtain nozzle 7
Blocking liquid 200 formed by 0, 72, 74, 76
, The interior space 10a of the processing chamber 10 is shielded from the outside and becomes a hermetically closed state, so that it is not necessary to provide a seal packing, and the processing chamber 10 is deteriorated due to the deterioration of the seal packing. Interior space 10
It is possible to prevent the processing gas filled in a from leaking to the outside.

Furthermore, the fifth embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention
In the embodiment, the substrates 100 are sequentially transported one by one by the transport roller 50, so that the substrates 100 can be processed for each sheet, so that effective processing can be performed. Become.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate 100 is used as an object to be processed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and electronic components and the like may be used as an object to be processed. In that case, it is preferable to use the workpiece support member 16 and the carrier 46 corresponding to the shape of the workpiece.

In the above embodiment, the surface 100a of the substrate 100 to be processed is processed by the processing gas to perform the surface processing. However, the present invention is not limited to the surface processing. What is necessary is just to make it to process a processed material with a processing gas.

In the above-described embodiment, the shut-off liquid 200 is a liquid having a composition such that the processing gas injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 does not dissolve, or
Although a liquid having a composition in which only a small amount of the processing gas is dissolved is used, it is needless to say that the processing gas supply nozzle 1 is not limited to this.
A liquid having a composition in which the processing gas injected from 8 is easily dissolved may be used as the blocking liquid.

At this time, when a liquid having a composition in which the processing gas is easily dissolved is used as the blocking liquid, the processing gas is dissolved in the blocking liquid in advance to make a saturated solution, and a blocking solution that is a saturated solution of the processing gas is used. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the concentration of the processing gas filled in the internal space 10a of the processing chamber 10 from decreasing due to the processing gas being dissolved in the blocking liquid.

In the above-described embodiment, when the processing gas injected from the processing gas supply nozzle 18 is an ozone-containing gas, as a means for wetting the ozone-containing gas, for example, bubbling or the ozone-containing gas may be used. As means for mixing the atomized liquid with the ozone-containing gas, for example, a sprayer or a two-fluid nozzle may be provided, and the wet ozone-containing gas or the ozone-containing gas mixed with the atomized liquid is supplied to the processing gas supply nozzle. It may be made to be injected from 18.

[0140]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the present invention is applicable when a substrate is carried into an internal space of a processing chamber in which a substrate to be processed is processed, or when the substrate is moved outside the processing chamber. This has an excellent effect that it is possible to prevent the processing gas from leaking to the outside when carrying out.

Further, the present invention has an excellent effect that the processing efficiency of the substrate processing in the processing apparatus can be improved by efficiently loading and unloading the substrate as the processing object in the processing apparatus. To play.

Further, the present invention has an excellent effect that it is possible to avoid an enormous amount of processing gas consumed in the processing apparatus.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the processing gas filled in the internal space of the processing chamber from leaking outside due to deterioration of the member for sealing the internal space of the processing chamber. It has an excellent effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a conventional processing apparatus in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of the first embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, which is cut away.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a second embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 4A is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a state in which a substrate is located in a buffer chamber, and FIG. )
Is a processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a state where a substrate is located in a processing chamber.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a fourth embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration explanatory view showing a part of a fifth embodiment of a processing apparatus according to the present invention, which is cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 110 Processing chamber 10a, 110a Internal space 10a 10b, 10g, 10i, 110b Side wall 10c, 42c, 110c Loading / unloading port 10d, 110d Bottom 10e Edge 10f, 10h, 10j Lower end 10k, 10q Outer 10m Inner 10n Room carry-in port 10p Processing chamber carry-out port 12 Column 12a Upper end portion 14, 30, 32, 34 Shut-off tank 14a, 30a, 32a, 34a Inside 16, 116 Workpiece support member 18, 118 Process gas supply nozzle 22 Exhaust scrubber 24 Exhaust Piping 26 Process gas supply pipe 40 Main body 40a Central recess 40b Bottom surface 40c, 40d Side 42 Buffer chamber 44 Dry gas spray nozzle 46 Carrier 48 Dry gas supply pipe 50 Transport roller 52 Loading buffer chamber 52a, 54a, 62a, 64a side Wall 52b Carry-in port 54 Carry-in side shut-off chamber 54b Shut-off room carry-in port 56, 66 Shut-off liquid supply port 60 Air knife 62 Outlet-side buffer room 62b Outlet 64 Outlet-side shut-off room 64b Shut-off room carry-out port 70, 72, 74, 76 Nozzle for shower / curtain 100 Substrate 100a Surface 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 Processing device 112 Opening / closing door 113 Replacement gas supply nozzle 114 Exhaust port 116 Exhaust duct 200 Blocking liquid

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/205 H01L 21/205 21/68 21/68 A (72) Inventor Tetsushi Oishi Achi Shimada-shi, Shizuoka 25, Kagaya, Shimada Rika Kogyo Co., Ltd. 2-3-2, Mitsui Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Seiji Noda 2-3-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-3-2 Mitsui Electric Inc. 2-3 No.3 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (72) Inventor Masaki Kuzumoto 2-3-3 Marunouchi 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) 4 G075 AA22 AA30 BA06 BD03 BD14 CA62 DA02 EB01 EE40 FC13 4K057 DA01 DB06 DE20 DM36 DM40 DN01 WN01 5F031 CA02 DA08 FA01 FA07 FA12 GA53 MA28 NA08 5F045 BB20 DP23 DQ15 EB08 EB10 EG08 EN04 HA25

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus that fills a processing chamber with a processing gas and performs processing of an object to be processed with the processing gas, wherein a shutoff unit including a liquid that shuts off the inside of the processing chamber and the outside of the processing chamber. A processing device having: 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the object to be processed is carried into the processing chamber or when the object is carried out of the processing chamber, the liquid in the shut-off means is in the liquid. Processing equipment that transports 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shut-off unit is configured to transfer the object to be processed when the object to be processed is carried into the processing chamber and the processing object to be processed from the processing chamber. A processing apparatus in which the object is separated from the liquid to be conveyed when the object is carried out. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the objects to be processed stored in a carrier is transported together with the carrier. apparatus. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing objects are sequentially conveyed one by one. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said shut-off means is a shower curtain for jetting liquid. A processing device. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one or more of said blocking means are provided. Processing device. 8. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one liquid in the shut-off means decomposes a processing gas filled in the processing chamber. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the blocking units has a cleaning unit that cleans the workpiece. 10. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one liquid of said blocking means is a liquid in which said processing gas is not dissolved. 11. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one liquid of the shutoff means is a liquid in which the processing gas is dissolved. 12. The method of claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, or claim 11. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature control unit that controls a temperature of the blocking unit. 13. The claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, claim 8, claim 9, claim 10, claim 11, or claim Item 13. The processing apparatus according to any one of Items 12, wherein the processing gas is an ozone-containing gas. 14. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising means for wetting the ozone-containing gas. 15. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising means for mixing a mist liquid with the ozone-containing gas.