JP2002018368A - Substrate treating tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating tool which hardly entraps particles and by which generation of a mist due to the splashing of fluid is suppressed. SOLUTION: The treating tool is applied to the surface of a substrate W to surface-treat the substrate. In this case, a cleaning brush 7 is used as the treating tool, its working region 7c acting on the substrate W surface has a tapered inclined periphery B, and the periphery B is allowed to act on the substrate W surface while rotating the brush 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask,
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a substrate processing by rotating a processing tool on a surface of a substrate for an optical disk or the like (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate) while rotating the processing tool, and particularly relates to a structure of a processing tool for suppressing scattering of a processing liquid or the like. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional substrate processing apparatus, for example,
2. Description of the Related Art There is a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate by applying a cleaning tool to the surface of the substrate. As this type of substrate cleaning apparatus, for example, an apparatus as shown in FIG. 9 is exemplified.

[0003] This apparatus comprises a rotating support portion 100 for rotatably supporting a substrate W, a moving arm 120 for moving the cleaning brush 110 along the surface of the substrate W, and a cleaning brush for transmitting a rotational force by a timing belt. A rotation drive unit 140 that rotates the rotation of the rotation arm 110 around a vertical axis, and a rotation lifting mechanism 150 that rotates and moves the moving arm 120 up and down between a standby position separated to the side of the substrate W and a cleaning position on the substrate W. Have. The cleaning brush 110 has a cylindrical shape that can rotate around a vertical axis, and a circular surface on the substrate side is provided with a brush surface for cleaning the substrate W.

The cleaning process for the substrate W is performed as follows. First, the rotation supporting unit 100 is supplied while the cleaning liquid is supplied.
After moving the substrate W supported by the moving arm 120 from the standby position to the cleaning position,
By 0, the moving arm 120 is lowered so that the cleaning brush 110 approaches the surface of the substrate W. Rotation drive unit 140
The cleaning brush 110 is moved along the surface of the substrate W by the moving arm 120 while rotating the cleaning brush 110 to clean the entire surface of the substrate W.

[0005]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. That is, there is a problem that particles and the like removed from the substrate W by the cleaning brush 110 easily enter the inside of the cleaning brush 110, and the particles and the like that enter the inside of the cleaning brush 110 drop by some trigger and may be dropped on the substrate. It may re-adhere to the surface of W.

[0006] As another conventional example different from the above, FIG.
0 (a). This cleaning brush 13
Reference numeral 0 denotes a cylindrical body that can rotate around a horizontal axis parallel to the substrate W, and a brush for cleaning the substrate W is provided on the column surface. In this case, the cleaning liquid easily enters between the substrate W and the cleaning brush 130,
The cleaning brush 130 floats from the substrate W, and it is possible to reduce the possibility that the cleaning brush 130 does not hit the substrate W and is scratched. However, as shown in FIG.
There is a problem that mist generated by atomization of the cleaning liquid due to the rotation of the cleaning brush 130 is scattered in all directions in the tangential direction of the circumference of the cleaning brush 130 and adheres again on the substrate W. .

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a substrate processing apparatus in which particles are hardly caught in a processing tool and generation of mist due to fluid scattering is suppressed. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for performing a surface treatment of a substrate by applying a processing tool to a surface of the substrate, wherein the processing tool has a tapered slope in which an action portion on the substrate surface is tapered. It has a peripheral surface, and the inclined peripheral surface acts on the substrate surface while rotating the processing tool.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 is
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing tool is a cleaning tool for cleaning a substrate surface.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 is
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a discharge nozzle for discharging a fluid near the processing tool.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 is
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a suction nozzle near the processing tool for sucking a minute object scattered from the processing tool.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5 is
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface of the operation portion of the processing tool acts on the substrate surface is changed to a different direction in the same plane. A turning means for turning the tool around a vertical axis of the substrate surface.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 is
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of concave and convex portions extending toward a front end portion are formed on an inclined peripheral surface of an operation portion of the processing tool. Things.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 is
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge nozzle is an ultrasonic nozzle that discharges a fluid to which ultrasonic vibration is applied.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 is
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a pressing control unit configured to control elevation of the processing tool so that a pressing force applied to the substrate by the processing tool is maintained within a set range. It is characterized by having.

[0016]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. The processing tool has a tapered inclined peripheral surface at the site of action on the substrate surface, and the inclined peripheral surface acts on the substrate surface while rotating the processing tool. Therefore, particles are less likely to be entangled in the processing tool, and the direction in which the fluid is scattered is limited to an angle range from the substrate surface to the inclined peripheral surface of the processing tool, thereby suppressing the generation of mist due to the fluid scatter.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the processing tool is a cleaning tool for cleaning the surface of the substrate. Therefore, particles are less likely to be entangled in the cleaning tool, and the direction in which the fluid is scattered is limited to an angle range from the substrate surface to the inclined peripheral surface of the cleaning tool, thereby suppressing generation of mist due to the fluid scatter.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a discharge nozzle for discharging a fluid is provided near the processing tool. Therefore, the fluid discharged from the discharge nozzle is reliably supplied to the processing tool.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a suction nozzle is provided near the processing tool for sucking minute objects scattered from the processing tool. Therefore, the minute objects scattered around the processing tool by the relative rotation of the processing tool and the substrate are sucked by the suction nozzle, and the circumference of the processing tool is kept clean.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the turning means changes the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface of the operating portion of the processing tool acts on the substrate surface to different directions in the same plane.
The processing tool is turned around a vertical axis of the substrate surface. Therefore, the vector direction of the substrate processing that is perpendicular to the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface of the working portion of the processing tool acts on the substrate surface and that acts in the rotation direction is changed to a desired direction within the same substrate surface, and The degree of freedom in the vector direction can be improved, and the substrate processing effect can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of uneven portions extending toward the front end portion are formed on the inclined peripheral surface of the working portion of the processing tool. Therefore,
Cavitation occurs in the fluid in the vicinity of the processing tool and the substrate due to the rotation of the processing tool and the uneven portion of the inclined peripheral surface of the processing portion of the processing tool, and when the bubbles due to this cavitation burst, Ultrasonic waves are generated and this ultrasonic vibration is applied to the fluid.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic nozzle for discharging a fluid to which ultrasonic vibration is applied is provided near the processing tool. Therefore, the fluid ejected by applying the ultrasonic vibration from the ultrasonic nozzle is reliably supplied to the processing tool, and the synergistic effect with the ultrasonic wave further improves the substrate processing effect.

According to the present invention, the pressing control means controls the elevation of the processing tool so that the pressing force applied to the substrate by the processing tool is maintained within a set range. Therefore, the processing tool is maintained so as to be pressed against the substrate with the pressing force in the set range, so that processing defects due to the processing tool jumping from the substrate can be suppressed.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. The substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the surface of a substrate W.

The substrate W is placed on the surface of the spin chuck 1 and is suction-held by vacuum suction. The spin chuck 1 is rotated around a vertical axis P1 by driving an electric motor 2. The above-mentioned spin chuck 1 is not limited to the vacuum suction type described above, and a plurality of spin chucks that support the edge of the substrate W on a disk-shaped rotating table slightly larger than the diameter of the substrate W are provided. A so-called mechanical type may be used in which the support pins of the book are erected and the substrate W is supported in a state of being lifted from the turntable.

The periphery of the spin chuck 1 is covered by a cup 3 which can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown). On the side of the cup 3, a moving arm 4
Has been deployed. The movable arm 4 pivots between a standby position indicated by a solid line in the plan view of FIG. 2 and a cleaning start position indicated by a two-dot chain line, and further moves between the cleaning start position and a cleaning stop position corresponding to a peripheral portion of the substrate W. Is configured to be rotatable around the axis P2 so as to rotate, and is configured to be able to move up and down at the time of moving from the standby position to the cleaning start position and at each of the cleaning start position and the cleaning stop position. As shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning unit support 5 is provided on the distal end side of the moving arm 4, and the cleaning unit support 5 is provided.
Cleaning brush (cleaning tool) 7 as a processing tool
The cleaning brush unit 6 is attached so that the cleaning brush unit 6 can rotate around the axis P3 inclined from the vertical direction.

Hereinafter, several embodiments of the cleaning brush unit will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a first embodiment of a cleaning brush unit.

The cleaning brush unit 6 according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning tool support 8 that supports a cleaning brush 7 at a tip end thereof, and a motor 9 that drives the cleaning tool support 8 to rotate about an axis P3.
And

The motor 9 includes a rotor section 10 and a stator section 1.
1 is provided. The rotor unit 10 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and the cleaning tool support 8 penetrates the inner diameter of the rotor unit 10 and is fixed. For example, cylindrical magnets (permanent magnets) 12 are fixed to upper and lower circular surfaces in the direction of the axis P3 of the rotor unit 10, respectively. The cylindrical magnet 12 has, for example, N and S poles magnetized in the circumferential direction. The cleaning tool support 8 is formed of a material such as stainless steel (SUS), for example.

The stator unit 11 has a drive coil 13 for generating a magnetic field so as to rotate the cleaning tool support 8 around the axis P3. A cylindrical non-magnetic SUS steel coil holder 15 is fixed inside the housing 14 of the motor 9, and a set of three drive coils 13 is arranged in the direction of the axis P 3 with the cylindrical coil holder 15 interposed therebetween. They are arranged in pairs. Specifically, the upper drive coil 13 is, for example,
Three magnets 12 are arranged in the outer peripheral direction of the magnet 12 so as to be close to and opposed to the upper cylindrical magnet 12. Similarly, three drive coils 13 are also arranged in the outer peripheral direction of the lower cylindrical magnet 12. The cleaning tool support 8 is rotatably supported around an axis P3 by bearings 16 provided at two upper and lower portions of a housing 14 of the motor 9. The cleaning brush support 7 is rotated around the axis P3 by, for example, three-phase drive control of the drive coils 13 of each set by a drive circuit (not shown).
Is directly driven. The motor 9 is, for example, a three-phase drive type brushless DC motor, and is a motor that can rotate at a high speed of 3000 to 100,000 rpm.

The hole at the lower end of the housing 14 and the cleaning tool support 8 are connected so that dust generated from the bearing 16 with the rotation of the cleaning tool support 8 is not discharged to the cleaning brush 7 side. The space between them is sealed by a magnetic fluid 17.

Next, the cleaning brush 7 supported on the tip of the cleaning tool support 8 will be described more specifically.
The cleaning brush 7 has an inclined peripheral surface B in which a portion 7c acting on the surface of the substrate W is tapered. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the action portion 7 of the cleaning brush 7 on the surface of the substrate W
c is, for example, the rotation axis P3 passing through the vertex A and the inclined peripheral surface B
Is formed in a conical shape such that the angle D between the angle and the angle falls within the range of 60 ° to 88 °, more preferably within the range of 75 ° to 85 °. Here, it is assumed that the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is formed in a conical shape in which the angle D between the rotation axis P3 and the inclined peripheral surface B is 80 °.

The size (diameter) C of the working portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is, for example, 10 to 15 mm. The size (diameter) C of the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is set to 10
By setting the thickness to 15 mm, scattering of the cleaning liquid due to the rotation of the cleaning brush 7 can be reduced. In addition, as a material of the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7,
For example, various types such as a nylon brush, a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) brush, a urethane brush, and a mohair brush can be used.

The cleaning brush 7 can be replaced as needed, and is detachably attached to the cleaning tool support 8 so that the replacement operation can be performed quickly and accurately. For example, a fitting hole for fitting to the cleaning tool support 8 is formed in the cleaning brush 7, and the fitting hole of the cleaning brush 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape or an outer shape in order from the inside to the outside. Tapered guide hole 7a, and guide hole 7a
And an internal thread 7b having an effective diameter larger than the inner diameter of the inner thread 7b. Further, the cleaning tool support 8 is threaded into a guide pin 8a formed so as to be fitted into a guide hole 7a of the cleaning brush 7 and a female screw 7b of the cleaning brush 7 in order from the tip thereof. The formed external thread 8b is formed.

For example, when attaching the cleaning brush 7 to the cleaning tool support 8, the guide pins 8 a of the cleaning tool support 8 are inserted into the guide holes 7 a of the cleaning brush 7, and the cleaning brush 7 is moved to the cleaning tool support 8. It is guided smoothly so that the core does not shift. Then, the external thread 8b of the cleaning tool support 8 is screwed into the internal thread 7b of the cleaning brush 7, and the cleaning brush 7 is mounted on the cleaning tool support 8.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cleaning tool support 8 is provided with an axis deviation adjusting mechanism for adjusting the dynamic balance of the rotation, that is, the axis deviation of the rotation. More specifically, the misalignment adjusting mechanism includes a housing 1
Upper part 8c of cleaning tool support 8 projecting above
And a lower portion 8d of the cleaning tool support 8 protruding below the housing 14.

First, a description will be given of the misalignment adjusting mechanism in the upper portion 8c of the cleaning tool support 8. The center deviation adjusting mechanism includes a first through-screw hole 18 penetrated from the column surface of the cleaning tool support 8 so as to be orthogonal to the axis P3, and a first through-screw hole 18 extending from the first through-screw hole 18 in the direction of the axis P3. A second through screw hole 19 penetrated from a column surface of the cleaning tool support 8 at a position away from the column of the cleaning tool support 8 so as to be orthogonal to the axis P3 from a direction different from the through direction of the first through screw hole 18 by 90 °. Adjusting screws 20 screwed into the first and second through screw holes 18 and 19, respectively.
And In addition, the first and second through screw holes 18,
19 have the same effective diameter.

Each of the adjusting screws 20 screwed into the first and second through screw holes 18 and 19 has, for example, a thread formed on the entire surface of the cylindrical surface, and the screw head has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the root. A hexagonal hole 20a is formed in the screw head, for example. A tool such as a hexagonal wrench is mounted on the hexagonal hole 20a of the adjusting screw 20 and the hexagonal wrench is appropriately rotated to obtain the first screw. , And the second through screw holes 18 and 19 can be inserted and removed from both directions. Note that the misalignment adjustment mechanism in the lower portion of the cleaning tool support 8 is also the same as described above.

The alignment of the cleaning tool support 8 is adjusted as follows. Adjustment screws 20 are screwed into the first and second through screw holes 18 and 19 of the upper portion 8c and the lower portion 8d of the cleaning tool support 8, respectively. The state of the rotation of the cleaning tool support 8 is checked, and the degree of screwing of the corresponding adjustment screw 20 is adjusted so that the rotation of the cleaning tool support 8 is minimized. As described above, the rotation centering of the cleaning tool support 8 can be adjusted by the centering adjustment mechanism.

The cleaning brush unit 6 is supported by the cleaning unit support 5 such that the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is inclined along the surface of the substrate W. Specifically, the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is formed in a conical shape whose cone angle (the angle D between the axis P3 and the inclined peripheral surface B) is 80 ° as described above. Thus, the axis P3 of the cleaning tool support 8 is tilted by 10 ° with respect to the vertical direction of the surface of the substrate W, so that the inclined peripheral surface B of the working portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is You can make it along. Therefore, the cleaning brush unit 6 is positioned at 10 degrees with respect to the vertical direction of the surface of the substrate W.
The holding unit 21 is held by the U-shaped holding unit 21 attached to the tip of the cleaning unit support 5 so as to maintain the tilted state. For example, the cleaning brush unit 6 is screwed and fixed at the distal end portion 21a of the holding portion 21. The axis P4 of the cleaning unit support 5 and the axis P3 of the cleaning tool support 8 correspond to the vertex A of the cone of the cleaning brush 7.
Intersect at

As shown in FIG. 5, a discharge nozzle 22 for discharging a cleaning liquid and a suction nozzle 23 for sucking minute substances (particles, droplets, mist, etc.) scattered from the cleaning brush 7 are integrally formed in the holding portion 21. It is provided in. Specifically, the discharge nozzle 22 is disposed near the cleaning brush 7 and between the cleaning brush 7 and the surface of the substrate W, where the cleaning liquid is easily introduced, that is, on the cleaning brush 7 suction side. I have. The suction nozzle 23 is provided with the cleaning brush 7.
The cleaning brush 7 is disposed on the side opposite to the discharge nozzle 22 via the cleaning nozzle 7, that is, on the side where the cleaning liquid is discharged.

In the moving arm 4, the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 acts on the surface of the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as the near line direction) is set to different directions in the same substrate W surface. As a change, a turning mechanism is provided for turning the cleaning brush 7 around a vertical axis (axis P4) on the surface of the substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 3, the turning mechanism has a rectangular section 31 formed on a part of the cleaning unit support 5.
And a cylindrical body 32 having a square hole formed on the inner surface thereof, which is loosely fitted to the square cross section 31 of the cleaning unit support 5, and a cylindrical body 32 provided in the housing 33 of the moving arm 4 so that the cylindrical body 32 is
A bearing 34 rotatably supported around, a first toothed belt pulley 35 fixed to the cylindrical body 32, and a rotating shaft P5.
And a rotation mechanism 37 such as a stepping motor or an air rotary actuator in which a second toothed belt pulley 36 is fitted, and the teeth engaged with these first and second toothed belt pulleys 35 and 36. Attached belt (timing belt) 38. In addition, on the inner surface of the cylindrical body 32, the cleaning unit support 5
A cam follower 30 that rotates in accordance with the vertical movement of the cam follower 30 is provided. Bush 39 fixed to housing 33
, A cleaning unit support 5 is rotatably and vertically penetrated. This turning mechanism corresponds to the turning means in the present invention.

The change of the direction of the proximity line of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W by the turning mechanism is performed as follows. When the cleaning brush 7 is close to the surface of the substrate W as shown in FIG. 3 and viewed from above the substrate W, FIG.
As can be seen from FIG. 7, the direction E of the proximity of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W is a direction from the rotation center of the cleaning brush 7 toward the right side of the drawing. Since the cleaning brush 7 shown in FIG. 6A is attached at an angle as described above, the cleaning brush 7 looks elliptical when viewed from above the substrate W.

When the turning mechanism 37 shown in FIG. 3 is turned by a predetermined amount, the turning power is transmitted via the second toothed belt pulley 36 and the toothed belt 38 to the first toothed belt pulley. 35, and the cleaning unit support 5 is
4 rotates by a predetermined angle. Here, the cleaning brush 7 is changed so that the direction of approach E of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W is changed, for example, by 90 ° in the same substrate W plane.
Is rotated around the axis P4, and as shown in FIG.
Is changed in the direction from the rotation center of the cleaning brush 7 toward the lower side of the drawing.

The vector direction F of the brushing of the cleaning brush 7 is perpendicular to the direction E of the proximity of the cleaning brush 7 to the substrate W and the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 7, and is shown in FIG.
In the state shown in FIG.
In the state shown in (b), the direction is toward the left side of the drawing. The cleaning liquid supply tube of the discharge nozzle 22, the tube of the suction nozzle 23, the drive control cable for connecting the motor 9 to the drive circuit, and the like are attached to the moving arm 4 with a margin. The rotation of the unit 6 around the axis P4 is not hindered.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning brush 7 is applied to the front surface of the substrate W with a constant load while rotating the cleaning brush 7 around an axis P3 inclined from the vertical direction. A pressure control mechanism 40 for cleaning by adding the pressure is incorporated. The pressing control mechanism 40 includes an air cylinder 41 that moves up and down the cleaning unit support 5, a pressure sensor 42 that is attached to an operating shaft of the air cylinder 41 and detects a load applied to the cleaning brush 7,
A search coil 43 for detecting the height displacement of the cleaning unit support 5 based on the amount of vertical displacement of the cleaning unit support 5;
And a transmission mechanism 44 for contacting the lower end of the operating shaft to transmit the operation of the air cylinder 41 to the rotatable cleaning unit support 5, and for urging the cleaning unit support 5 and the cleaning brush 7 upward. And a force part 45. The pressing control mechanism 40 corresponds to a pressing control unit in the present invention.

The transmission mechanism 44 is fixed to a position above the cleaning unit support 5. In addition, the urging unit 45
An elastic member (for example, a coil spring or the like) that is interposed between the cylinder 32 and the transmission mechanism 44 and urges the cleaning unit support 5 upward through the transmission mechanism 44 is used.

When compressed air is introduced into one side of the air cylinder 41 to extend the operating shaft, the urging portion 45 is compressed, and the cleaning brush 7 is pushed downward with a certain load. At this time, load control is performed by introducing / discharging the compressed air to / from the air cylinder 41 so that the load signal from the pressure sensor 42 matches the target load.

The search coil 43, as shown in FIG.
It is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is attached to the washing unit support 5. The search coil 43 includes a cylindrical permanent magnet 50 fixed to the cleaning unit support 5,
A cylindrical coil 51 having a conductive wire wound in a predetermined direction so as to surround the cleaning unit support 5 and a support member 52 that supports the coil 51 are provided. When the cleaning brush 7 moves up and down and the cleaning unit support 5 moves up and down, the permanent magnet 50 moves up and down accordingly, and the coil 51 relatively crosses the magnetic field. An induced current is generated in a direction corresponding to the upward or downward displacement direction, with a magnitude corresponding to the vertical displacement amount per unit time.

The induced current generated in the coil 51 is transmitted to the control unit 5
The control unit 53 obtains the amount of displacement of the height of the cleaning brush 7, determines a jump of the cleaning brush 7 based on the amount of displacement, and determines an air cylinder 4 according to the determination result.
Load control for introducing / discharging the compressed air to / from 1 is performed. Further, when the control unit 53 determines that the cleaning brush 7 has jumped, it performs load control for introducing compressed air into the air cylinder 41 so as to instantaneously increase the downward force.
This instantaneously urges the washed-up cleaning brush 7 downward with a force larger than a preset load, and thus can quickly return to the original state before the cleaning brush 7 jumped up.

In the case of the pressing control mechanism 40 as described above,
Since the induced current generated is detected in accordance with the amount of vertical displacement of the permanent magnet 50 fixed to the cleaning unit support 5, the height displacement of the cleaning brush 7 per unit time can be detected in a non-contact manner, and the cleaning brush can be detected. The jump of 7 is judged. Therefore, it is possible to quickly detect the jump of the cleaning brush 7 that rapidly changes in a short time, and to quickly return the cleaning brush 7 to the state before the jump,
Insufficient cleaning due to the splashing of the cleaning brush 7 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 3, at a position above the holding portion 21 and below the housing 33, dust from a turning mechanism or the like is prevented from falling on the surface of the substrate W and scattering. Cover 60 is provided.

Next, the operation of the substrate cleaning apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 1 by a substrate transport mechanism (not shown), and the back surface of the substrate W is vacuum-sucked. Then, the electric motor 2 is driven to rotate the substrate W at a constant speed (for example, about 200 rpm).

Next, the movable arm 4 is pivotally moved from the standby position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2) to the cleaning start position above the axis P3. Then, at this cleaning start position, the moving arm 4 is lowered to such an extent that the cleaning brush 7 does not contact or act on the surface of the substrate W.

Next, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the discharge nozzle 22 is started. Then, while controlling the air cylinder 41 to set a constant load suitable for processing, the motor 9 rotates the cleaning brush 7 at a desired rotation speed of 3000 to 100,000 rpm while lowering the moving arm 4 to lower the cleaning brush. 7 is applied to the surface of the substrate W. At this time, the cleaning brush 7 is rotating at a high speed with respect to the rotating substrate W,
As a result, the cleaning brush 7 floats from the substrate W, and a gap is generated between the surface of the substrate W and the cleaning brush 7. This gap is
For example, about 0.05 to 0.5 mm can be generated, the number of rotations of the substrate W and the cleaning brush 7, the diameter of the cleaning brush 7,
This gap can be adjusted by changing parameters such as the load from the pressing control mechanism 40.

The moving arm 4 is turned while the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 acts on the surface of the substrate W, and when the cleaning brush 7 reaches the cleaning stop position corresponding to the peripheral edge of the substrate W, the cleaning brush 7 The moving arm 4 is once raised to a height that does not act on the surface.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the direction of approach E of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W is changed by 90 ° in the same substrate W plane by the turning mechanism. As described above, the cleaning brush 7 is turned around the vertical axis of the surface of the substrate W. Then, after returning to the cleaning start position, the cleaning brush 7 is lowered again to a height at which the cleaning brush 7 acts on the surface of the substrate W, and this is repeated a plurality of times.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the action site 7c of the cleaning brush 7 for cleaning the surface of the substrate W
Is formed in a conical shape, and the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 is made to act on the surface of the substrate W while rotating the cleaning brush 7, so that particles are hardly caught in the cleaning brush 7. And the scattering direction of the cleaning liquid from the surface of the substrate W to the cleaning brush 7.
Can be limited within the range of the angle G up to the inclined peripheral surface B, and generation of mist due to scattering of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed. In the vicinity of the working portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 and the surface of the substrate W, the rotational force around the axis P3 of the cleaning brush 7 causes the cleaning liquid to flow between the working portion 7c of the cleaning brush 7 and the surface of the substrate W. Since the cleaning liquid acts so as to be introduced, the cleaning liquid is easily introduced between the cleaning brush 7 and the surface of the substrate W,
The cleaning brush 7 can be easily lifted from the substrate W, and the higher the rotation speed of the cleaning brush 7 is, the more the floating effect appears.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a discharge nozzle 22 for discharging the cleaning liquid is provided in the vicinity of the cleaning brush 7, so that the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle 22 can be reliably supplied to the cleaning brush 7. Thus, the stability of the cleaning process of the substrate W by the cleaning brush 7 can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning brush 7 is provided near the cleaning brush 7 because it has a suction nozzle 23 for sucking minute substances (particles, splashes, mist, etc.) scattered from the cleaning brush 7. Small objects scattered around the cleaning brush 7 by the relative rotation of the substrate 7 and the substrate W can be sucked by the suction nozzle 23, and the circumference of the cleaning brush 7 can be kept clean.

Further, the cleaning brush 7 is moved in a vertical direction (axial center) on the surface of the substrate W so that the direction of approach E of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W is changed to a different direction within the same substrate W surface. P4) Since it has a turning mechanism to turn around,
The vector direction F of the substrate cleaning process, which is perpendicular to the direction E of the proximity of the cleaning brush 7 to the surface of the substrate W and acts in the rotation direction, can be changed to a desired direction within the same substrate W plane. The degree of freedom in the vector direction F of the cleaning process can be improved, and the substrate cleaning process effect can be improved.

More specifically, when a desired pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate W to form an uneven shape, particles on the surface of the substrate W are moved in a specific direction so as to be removed from the surface of the substrate W. Although brushing has been performed, irregularities on the surface of the substrate W may act as a barrier and particles may remain in the irregularities without being removed. However, by changing the brushing direction, residual particles are effectively removed. And the effect of cleaning the substrate can be improved.

Further, since the cleaning brush 7 is provided with the pressing control mechanism 40 for controlling the lifting and lowering of the cleaning brush 7 so as to maintain the pressing force applied to the surface of the substrate W within the set range, the cleaning brush 7 is controlled to the set range. The pressing force is maintained so as to be pressed against the substrate W, and it is possible to suppress the cleaning processing failure due to the splashing of the cleaning brush 7 from the substrate W. Specifically, the control unit 53 monitors the height displacement amount of the cleaning brush 7, and if this height changes rapidly in a short time, determines that the cleaning brush 7 has jumped up. Then, since the air cylinder 41 is controlled so that the cleaning brush 7 that has jumped up returns to the original position, the cleaning brush 7 can be quickly restored toward the surface of the substrate W, and the cleaning brush 7 is caused to jump up. Insufficient cleaning can be suppressed.

When the discharge nozzle 22 is an ultrasonic nozzle that discharges a cleaning liquid to which ultrasonic vibrations are applied, the cleaning liquid discharged by applying ultrasonic vibrations from the ultrasonic nozzles is surely applied to the cleaning brush 7. It can be supplied, and the stability of the substrate cleaning process by the cleaning brush 7 can be improved, and the effect of the substrate cleaning process can be further improved by the synergistic effect with the ultrasonic waves.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the cleaning brush unit will be described with reference to FIG. In addition,
FIG. 8A is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning brush 70, and FIG. 8B is a plan view of the cleaning brush 70 as viewed from above. Except for the cleaning brush 70, the configuration is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and the same components as those of the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The cleaning brush 70 is a cleaning tool for cleaning the substrate W as in the first embodiment described above, and is mounted on the cleaning tool support 8. The shape and material of the first embodiment are different from those of the first embodiment. Specifically, the action site 70c of the cleaning brush 70
Are formed with a plurality of uneven portions 70a extending toward the front end thereof. The cross-sectional shape of the uneven portion 70a is, for example, a triangular wave shape. The cross-sectional shape of the above-described uneven portion 70a is not limited to a triangular wave shape, but may be any uneven shape that generates cavitation in the cleaning liquid in the vicinity of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70 and the surface of the substrate W. It may be a rectangular wave shape or the like. The material of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70 is, for example, a hard material such as plastic.

Here, the substrate W by the cleaning brush 70 is used.
The operation of the cleaning process will be described. A plurality of uneven portions 70 are provided on the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70.
a is formed. As in the first embodiment described above, the substrate W is rotated at a constant rotation speed (for example, about 200 rpm) by the electric motor 2, and the cleaning brush 70 is rotated by the motor 9 at a predetermined rotation speed of 3000 to 10000 rpm. It is rotating at high speed. Action part 70 of cleaning brush 70
In the proximity portion between c and the surface of the substrate W, for example, when the convex portion 70b of the concave-convex portion 70a of the action portion 70c approaches the substrate W, pressure is applied to the cleaning liquid to be high, and the convex portion 70b separates from the substrate W. Occasionally, the pressure on the cleaning liquid is reduced to a low pressure. As described above, due to the rotation of the cleaning brush 70 and the uneven portion 70a of the inclined peripheral surface B of the operation portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70, the operation portion 7 of the cleaning brush 70
Cavitation occurs in the cleaning liquid in the vicinity of Oc and the surface of the substrate W, and ultrasonic waves are generated when air bubbles burst due to the cavitation, and the ultrasonic vibration is applied to the cleaning liquid.

According to the structure of the second embodiment, since a plurality of concave and convex portions 70a extending toward the tip portion are formed on the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70, the cleaning is performed. The rotation of the brush 70 and the cleaning brush 70
Cavitation can be generated in the fluid in the vicinity of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70 and the surface of the substrate W due to the uneven portion 70a of the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 70c. Ultrasonic waves are generated when the air bubbles burst, and this ultrasonic vibration is added to the cleaning liquid, so that the substrate cleaning processing effect can be enhanced.

In the second embodiment, the uneven portion 70a of the inclined peripheral surface B of the action portion 70c of the cleaning brush 70 is formed so as to be radially linear from the vertex A.
It may be formed in a curved shape such that the light is emitted while being bent from.

<Modifications> (1) In the above-described embodiment, the motor 9 is
Although an example of the motor structure is described as a motor, the motor is not limited to a brushless DC motor, and a motor other than the brushless DC motor, for example, a high-frequency motor may be used as long as the motor can rotate at high speed. .

(2) In the above embodiment, the cleaning brush 7
Although both the substrate and the substrate W are rotated, only the cleaning brush 7 may be rotated. In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning brush 7 and the substrate W are rotated in the same direction. However, the cleaning brush 7 and the substrate W may be rotated in opposite directions.

(3) The bearing 16 of the cleaning brush unit 6 of the above-described embodiment is a contact type bearing such as a ball bearing, but a non-contact type bearing such as an air levitation type bearing (air bearing) or a magnetic levitation type bearing. It is good. in this case,
Since the cleaning tool support 8 as the rotating shaft and the bearing 16 are not in contact with each other and do not friction, the scattering of particles due to the friction can be prevented. The air bearing, for example, loosely fits the cleaning tool support 8 into the hollow portion of the columnar member, and from a number of air supply ports formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion of the columnar member,
Air is supplied to a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion of the cylindrical member and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning tool support 8 to support the cleaning tool support 8. At this time, by supplying air at a uniform supply pressure from the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning tool support 8, the central axis of the cleaning tool support 8 is held in a posture coinciding with the axis P <b> 3. be able to.

(4) The above-described pressing control mechanism 40 uses the air cylinder 41 to adjust the load by magnetic force. However, the pressing control mechanism 40 is not limited to such a structure, and the air cylinder 41 may be used instead of the moving cylinder. The present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which a load is adjusted by magnetic force using a coil or the like.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the working fluid is a cleaning liquid as a liquid. However, the working fluid is a gas such as nitrogen gas (N ₂ ), and the substrate W is cleaned by the flow of this gas. Is also good. As the fluid to be used, a fluid suitable for use, such as a liquid, a gas, a liquid mixed with bubbles, or a liquid mixed with a solid may be used.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate is described as an example of a substrate processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to the substrate cleaning apparatus. ) Can be applied to a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) apparatus for polishing the surface of a substrate by using the method.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the processing tool has a conical shape, but the same effect can be obtained even when the processing tool has a truncated cone shape. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the processing tool is rotated at a high speed, and the processing portion of the processing tool is subjected to the surface treatment while the action portion of the processing tool is not in contact with the substrate W. The action portion may be brought into contact with the surface of the substrate W to perform a surface treatment on the substrate W.

[0079]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the processing tool that acts on the surface of the substrate has a tapered inclined peripheral surface at the site of action on the substrate surface. Since the inclined peripheral surface is made to act on the substrate surface while rotating the processing tool, it is possible to make it difficult for the particles to be entangled in the processing tool, and the direction of the fluid scattering from the substrate surface to the processing tool. The angle is limited to the angle range up to the inclined peripheral surface, the direction in which the fluid scatters can be limited, and the generation of mist due to the fluid scatter can be suppressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the processing tool is a cleaning tool for cleaning the surface of the substrate, it is possible to make it difficult for particles to be entangled in the cleaning tool and to reduce the fluid flow. The scattering direction can be restricted, and generation of mist due to fluid scattering can be suppressed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the discharge nozzle for discharging the fluid is provided near the processing tool, it is possible to reliably supply the fluid to the processing tool.
The stability of substrate processing by the processing tool can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the suction nozzle is provided in the vicinity of the processing tool for sucking minute objects scattered from the processing tool, the relative rotation of the processing tool and the substrate is provided. Accordingly, the minute objects scattered around the processing tool can be sucked, and the circumference of the processing tool can be kept clean.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing tool is mounted on the substrate such that the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface of the working portion of the processing tool acts on the substrate surface is changed to a different direction on the same substrate surface. Since the rotating means for rotating the surface around the vertical axis of the surface is provided, the inclined peripheral surface of the working portion of the processing tool is perpendicular to the direction in which the processing surface acts on the substrate surface, and the vector direction of the substrate processing acting in the rotation direction is changed. The direction can be changed to a desired direction in the same substrate plane, the degree of freedom in the vector direction of the substrate processing can be improved, and the substrate processing effect can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of concave and convex portions extending toward the front end portion are formed on the inclined peripheral surface of the working portion of the processing tool, the function of the processing tool can be improved. Cavitation can be generated in the fluid in the vicinity of the part and the substrate, and ultrasonic waves are generated when bubbles due to the cavitation burst, and this ultrasonic vibration is applied to the fluid, thereby reducing the substrate processing effect. Can be enhanced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the discharge nozzle is an ultrasonic nozzle that discharges a fluid to which ultrasonic vibration is applied, the ultrasonic nozzle applies ultrasonic vibration to discharge the fluid. The supplied fluid can be reliably supplied to the processing tool, and the stability of substrate processing by the processing tool can be improved, and the substrate processing effect can be further improved by a synergistic effect with ultrasonic waves.

According to the invention of claim 8, since the processing tool is provided with the pressing control means for controlling the lifting and lowering of the processing tool so as to maintain the pressing force applied to the substrate within the set range, The processing tool can be maintained so as to be pressed against the substrate with a pressing force in a set range, and processing defects caused by the processing tool jumping from the substrate can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the cleaning brush unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a cleaning brush according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the cleaning brush unit according to the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are top views of the cleaning brush showing a direction of approach of the cleaning brush and a brushing direction.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of an air cylinder and a search coil.

FIG. 8A is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of a cleaning brush unit, and FIG. 8B is a plan view of the cleaning brush unit as viewed from above.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a main part of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a main part of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to another conventional example different from FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Spin chuck 5 ... Cleaning unit support 6 ... Cleaning brush unit 7 ... Cleaning brush (cleaning tool) 7c ... Working part 8 ... Cleaning tool support 9 ... Motor 22 ... Discharge nozzle 23 ... Suction nozzle 40 ... Press control mechanism ( Pressing control means) 70: cleaning brush (cleaning tool) 70c: action portion B: inclined peripheral surface E: proximity line direction W: substrate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/304 643 H01L 21/304 643D 644 644B 644G 21/306 21/306 J (72) Inventor Masanobu Sato 4-chome Tenjin, Horikawa-dori-Teranouchi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 1-1-1 Kitamachi Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H096 AA25 AA30 CA01 3B116 AA03 AB01 AB34 AB47 BA02 BA13 BB22 BB71 BB83 CD31 3B201 AA03 AB01 AB34 AB47 BA02 BA13 BB22 BB71 BB83 BB92 CB01 CB25 CD31 5F043 BB27 DD13 DD30 EE05 EE07 EE08 EE40 GG10

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a surface treatment of a substrate by causing a processing tool to act on a surface of the substrate, wherein the processing tool has a tapered inclined peripheral surface at a site of action on the substrate surface. A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that an inclined peripheral surface acts on a substrate surface while rotating a tool. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing tool is a cleaning tool for cleaning a surface of the substrate. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge nozzle for discharging a fluid near the processing tool. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction nozzle near the processing tool for sucking a minute object scattered from the processing tool. Substrate processing equipment. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the direction in which the inclined peripheral surface of the operating portion of the processing tool acts on the substrate surface is changed to a different direction in the same plane. As described above, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a swivel unit configured to swivel the processing tool around an axis in a vertical direction of the substrate surface. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of concave / convex portions extending toward a front end portion are formed on an inclined peripheral surface of a working portion of the processing tool. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge nozzle is an ultrasonic nozzle that discharges a fluid to which ultrasonic vibration is applied. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting and lowering of the processing tool is controlled such that the pressing force applied to the substrate by the processing tool is maintained within a set range. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a pressing control means.