JP2002045770A - Spin treater for platy work and method for spin treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spin treater wherein the planarity of a large work is kept when a liquid such as a developing agent is fed onto the surface of the work. SOLUTION: A mechanism 16 that supports a work W from the lower side is provided in the position coinciding with each of the four corners of the work W. The mechanism 16 consists of a vertical cylinder 17 secured on a base 10 and a support part 18 that is lifted or lowered by the actuation of the cylinder 17. The rod of the cylinder 17 is inserted into the holes formed on the lower plate 5b and the upper plate 5a so as for its upper end to go beyond the upper plate 5a, and the support part 18 is fixed to the upper end of the rod.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing solution, a cleaning solution,
The present invention relates to a rotation processing apparatus for applying an OG solution, a resist solution, and the like, and a processing method using the processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-284716 and 8-2 disclose devices for supplying a liquid such as a coating solution or a developing solution to the surface of a plate-like workpiece such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer.
An apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2952 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-168051 is known.

[0003] In these conventional apparatuses, a plate-like workpiece is placed on a suction chuck arranged in a cup, and then the plate-like workpiece is held by the suction chuck and applied to the center of the plate-like workpiece. A liquid such as a liquid or a developer is supplied, and then the suction chuck is rotated to rotate the plate-like workpiece integrally, and the liquid supplied by the centrifugal force generated by this rotation is used to process the plate-like workpiece. They are spread evenly over the entire surface of the object.

Meanwhile, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device is coated with a photoresist on a single glass substrate, dried, subjected to exposure, development, and the like. Is cut out multiple times. And, in order to increase production efficiency and reduce costs, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the glass substrate tend to increase. However, the thickness of the glass substrate does not change at about 0.7 mm. As a result, the rectangular glass substrate is protruded from the suction chuck in the long side direction, and is bent by its own weight. If the amount of deflection exceeds 1 mm, the amount of liquid required for the liquid level increases, and stable liquid level cannot be achieved.

[0005]

As means for solving the above-mentioned bending of the plate-like workpiece, means for increasing the diameter of the suction chuck or means for holding the outer periphery of the plate-like workpiece by a holder or the like are considered. Can be

However, when the diameter of the suction chuck is increased, the plate-like workpiece and the suction chuck approach each other,
In particular, when the plate-like workpiece is rectangular, the end of the plate-like workpiece and the suction chuck are too close to each other in the short side direction, and the liquid spilled on the back surface of the plate-like workpiece is the suction chuck. , And may be scattered after drying and adhere to the surface of the plate-like workpiece. Further, in the means for holding the outer periphery of the plate-shaped workpiece by a holder or the like, the holder or the like causes turbulence.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a rotary processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a suction chuck disposed in a cup, and a plate-shaped workpiece to be held and rotated by the suction chuck. In a rotary processing apparatus configured to spread the liquid supplied to the surface of the plate-shaped workpiece over the entire surface of the plate-shaped workpiece, an end of the plate-shaped workpiece that protrudes from the chuck to a position outside the chuck. A support mechanism is provided to support the lower surface of the plate from below when not rotating and maintain the horizontality of the plate-like workpiece.

In order to supply a liquid to the surface of a plate-like workpiece using the above-described rotary processing apparatus, first, the plate-like workpiece is placed on a suction chuck arranged in a cup, and then the suction chuck is mounted. By lowering or raising the receiving portion of the support mechanism disposed outside the suction chuck, the lower surface of the end of the plate-shaped workpiece that protrudes from the suction chuck is supported from below, thereby allowing the plate-shaped workpiece to be leveled. While maintaining the degree, the liquid is supplied to the surface of the plate-like workpiece, and then the suction chuck is raised or the receiving part of the support mechanism is lowered, and the receiving part of the supporting mechanism is separated from the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece. In this state, the plate-like workpiece is rotated together with the suction chuck. By doing so, the liquid supplied to the surface of the plate-like workpiece can be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the plate-like workpiece.

When the plate-like workpiece is a rectangular glass substrate, it is desirable that the support mechanism is arranged at a position for supporting the four corners of the rectangular glass substrate from below.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rotary processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotary processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rotary processing apparatus with the suction chuck raised.

The rotation processing apparatus 1 has a ring-shaped cup 3 disposed in a case 2 having a rectangular shape in plan view. The cup 3 is composed of an outer wall 4 and a bottom part 5, and the diameter of the outer wall 4 gradually decreases upward, and the bottom part 5 has a double structure composed of an upper plate 5 a and a lower plate 5 b. The upper plate 5a and the lower plate 5b have a donut shape surrounding the spinner shaft 6 in a plan view, and the surface of the upper plate 5a is coated with a fluororesin so that the developer dropped on the surface flows smoothly. The space surrounded by the upper plate 5a and the lower plate 5b is a trap space S in which an opening 7 is formed toward the spinner shaft 6.

The lower plate 5b has at least one exhaust port 8.
A plurality of drain outlets 9 are provided where the upper plate 5a and the lower plate 5b are inclined downward and join. The exhaust port 8 is for reducing the pressure in the trap space S.
Is 3 mm or more higher than the lower plate 5b. As a result, the liquid that has entered the trap space S is discharged from the drain discharge port 9 without entering the exhaust port 8,
Exhaust system contamination can be prevented.

Further, since the trap space S has an overall shape inclined downward toward the outside in the radial direction, the liquid once recovered in the trap space S does not flow into the bearing portion, and the spinner shaft 6 The liquid that has flowed up to can be discharged smoothly without returning to the application space. However, the rotation processing apparatus according to the present invention does not necessarily need to have a double bottom structure.

The spinner shaft 6 is rotated by a motor 11 mounted on a base 10 and can be moved up and down by the operation of a cylinder unit 12. Further, a chuck 13 for sucking and holding the substrate W is provided on the upper end of the spinner shaft 6. Installed.

The upper plate 5a and the lower plate 5b are attached to the base 10 via a support member 14.
The support member 14 includes a lower support piece 14a, an intermediate support piece 14b, and an upper support piece 14c. The lower plate 5b is fixed on the lower support piece 14a with a bolt or the like, and the upper plate 5a is mounted on the intermediate support piece 14b with a bolt or the like. An inner rectifying ring 1 that is fixed and used when developing a small-sized substrate W on the upper support piece 14c.
5 is attached so that position adjustment is possible.

Further, the rotation processing apparatus according to the present invention provides the substrate W
A support mechanism 16 for supporting the lower surface of the device from below is provided. The support mechanism 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the four corners of the substrate W when the substrate W has a rectangular shape.

The support mechanism 16 comprises a vertical cylinder 17 fixed on the base 10 and a receiving portion 18 which moves up and down by the operation of the cylinder 17, and the rod of the cylinder 17 comprises a lower plate 5b and an upper plate 5a. The upper end faces upward from the upper plate 5a through the hole formed in the rod, and the receiving portion 18 is fixed to the upper end of the rod. Note that a wall 19 is provided around the hole to prevent liquid from entering the exhaust system from the hole formed in the lower plate 5b.

In the illustrated example, the support mechanism 16 is provided on the base 10. However, the support mechanism 16 may be provided on the upper plate 5 a, for example.
6 may not be constituted by the cylinder 17 and the receiving portion 18.

In the above, the substrate W after the exposure processing has been completed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the chuck 13 is raised together with the spinner shaft 6 by the operation of the cylinder unit 12, and the substrate W is transported from the side and placed on the chuck 13 as shown in FIG. .

Thereafter, the cylinder unit 12 is operated in the reverse direction to lower the chuck 13. When the chuck 13 descends most, the receiving portion 1 of the support mechanism 16 is flush with the upper surface of the chuck 13.
8 is set to rise by the operation of the cylinder 17, so that when the chuck 13 is at the lowest position, the support mechanism 1
The lower surfaces of the four corners of the substrate W are supported by the receiving portions 18 of 6, and the substrate W is maintained in a horizontal state.

In this state, the substrate W
A developer is supplied to the surface and the surface is filled. Immediately before the rotation processing, the cylinder 17 is operated in the reverse direction, the receiving portion 18 is lowered, and the motor 11 is driven to rotate the substrate W.
The developer on top is removed. The rotation speed at this time is 5 to 200 rpm. The rotation time is 0.1 to 10
Seconds.

This rotation speed is extremely low as compared with the rotation speed at the time of drying the developing solution. By rotating at such a low speed, the speed of the developing solution removed from the substrate W by centrifugal force is reduced. Then, a large proportion of the developer scattered from the substrate W falls on the upper plate 5a constituting the cup bottom 5, flows radially outward along the inclination of the upper plate 5a, and is discharged. The liquid flows into a developer collecting pocket (not shown) through the liquid discharge port 9, is collected in a tank by driving a pump, and is reused.

[0023]

According to the present invention as described above,
In a rotary processing apparatus configured to hold and rotate a plate-shaped workpiece with a suction chuck, the lower surface of an end portion of the plate-shaped workpiece that protrudes from the chuck to a position outside the chuck from below when not rotating. Since a support mechanism is provided to support and maintain the horizontality of the plate-like workpiece, the substrate (plate-like workpiece)
The liquid can be supplied to the surface of the plate-like workpiece while maintaining the horizontality of, and the amount of liquid required for the liquid level can be reduced, and a uniform film thickness can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotation processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotation processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotation processing apparatus in a state where a suction chuck is raised.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rotation processing apparatus, 2 ... Case, 3 ... Ring-shaped cup,
4 ... Outer wall, 5 ... Bottom part, 5a ... Top plate constituting bottom part, 5
b: lower plate constituting the bottom, 6: spinner shaft, 7: opening, 8: exhaust port, 9: drainage port, 10: base, 11
... Motor, 12 ... Cylinder unit, 13 ... Suction chuck, 14 ... Support member, 14a ... Lower support piece, 14b ... Intermediate support piece, 14c ... Upper support piece, 15 ... Inner rectifying ring, 16 ... Support mechanism, 17 ... Cylinder , 18 ... receiving part,
19: wall, S: trap space, W: substrate (plate-shaped workpiece).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/68 H01L 21/30 564C 569C F term (Reference) 4D075 AC64 AC79 4F042 EB08 EB09 5F031 CA02 CA05 HA13 PA14 PA18 5F046 JA16 LA08

Claims (3)

[Claims] A suction chuck is disposed in a cup, and the plate-like workpiece is held and rotated by the suction chuck so that liquid supplied to the surface of the plate-like workpiece is supplied to the entire surface of the plate-like workpiece. In the rotary processing apparatus, the lower surface of the end of the plate-shaped workpiece protruding from the chuck at a position outside the chuck is supported from below when not rotating, and the horizontality of the plate-shaped workpiece is adjusted. A rotation mechanism for a plate-like workpiece, provided with a support mechanism for maintaining the pressure. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped workpiece is a rectangular glass substrate, and the support mechanism is configured to move four corners of the rectangular glass substrate from below. A rotation processing apparatus for a plate-like workpiece, which is disposed at a position where the plate-like workpiece is supported. 3. A suction chuck, wherein a plate-like workpiece is placed on a suction chuck disposed in a cup, and then the suction chuck is lowered or a receiving portion of a support mechanism disposed outside the suction chuck is raised. The lower surface of the end of the plate-like workpiece that has protruded from the bottom is supported from below, thereby supplying liquid to the surface of the plate-like workpiece while maintaining the levelness of the plate-like workpiece, and then suctioning the liquid. Raise the chuck or lower the receiving part of the supporting mechanism, rotate the plate-like workpiece together with the suction chuck with the receiving part of the supporting mechanism separated from the lower surface of the plate-like workpiece, and rotate the plate-like workpiece surface. Wherein the liquid supplied to the plate is spread over the entire surface of the plate-like workpiece.