JP2002261072A - Substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processor which effectively prevents an atmosphere in a substrate processing part from diffusing out of the processor. SOLUTION: The substrate processor comprises an indexer 21 for carrying in/out a plurality of substrates W housed in cassettes, four substrate processing parts 24 for processing the substrates W with a treating liquid, and a pair of transporting mechanisms 22, 23 for transporting the substrates W. The blowing powers of blowers 25, 26, 27 and the exhaust powers of exhaust pipes in the substrate processor are adjusted so that the gas pressure in each of process chambers 12 is the lowest, the gas pressure in each of second chambers surrounding the process chambers 12 and the transport mechanism 23 is lower, and the gas pressure in the indexer 21 and near the transport mechanism 22 is approximately equal to that in a clean room in which the substrate processor is installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel, or a mask substrate for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a processing liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in such a substrate processing apparatus, the down flow of a clean room itself, which is an installation place thereof, or the down flow provided in the substrate processing apparatus itself, is used to reduce the atmosphere generated in the apparatus. Exhaust. However, in such a substrate processing apparatus, the upper part of the substrate processing unit for processing the substrate with the processing liquid is open, and the atmosphere in the processing unit is not managed.

[0003]

For this reason, depending on the balance of the atmospheric pressure in the substrate processing apparatus, the atmosphere in the substrate processing section may diffuse to the outside. Depending on the type of chemical used in the substrate processing unit, equipment installed outside the substrate processing unit in the substrate processing equipment, equipment installed around the substrate processing equipment, or the processing result of the substrate by the equipment may be affected. Could give.

For example, after a dry etching step for a substrate, a reaction solution for removing the reaction products is supplied to the substrate to remove the reaction products deposited on the side walls of the metal film. When performing the removal process, an intermediate rinse solution or a high-temperature removal solution is supplied to the substrate. If the atmosphere in the substrate processing section containing the gas generated from the intermediate rinsing liquid or the removing liquid diffuses to the outside, the above-described various problems occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of effectively preventing the diffusion of an atmosphere from a substrate processing section to the outside.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing unit for processing a substrate with a processing liquid;
A processing chamber surrounding the substrate processing unit, a transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate to the substrate processing unit in the processing chamber,
A second chamber surrounding the processing chamber and the transfer mechanism; and a pressure in the processing chamber and a pressure in the second chamber such that a pressure in the processing chamber is lower than a pressure in the second chamber. And air conditioning means for controlling the air conditioner.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the air-conditioning means is arranged so that an air pressure in the second chamber is lower than an air pressure outside the second chamber. To control the internal pressure.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the air conditioner includes a blower and an exhaust mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing section includes a processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, The apparatus includes a rotation mechanism for rotating in a plane parallel to the main surface, a cup for capturing the processing liquid scattered from the substrate, and an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the inside of the cup.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid supply mechanism supplies a removing liquid for removing organic substances to the substrate, and a rinsing liquid to the substrate. And a rinsing liquid supply unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the organic substance is a reaction product in which a resist is altered.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention, the removing solution contains an alkali component.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the removing solution contains an organic amine.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

This substrate processing apparatus removes organic substances present on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer with an organic substance removing liquid. More specifically, the substrate processing apparatus removes a resist film as an organic substance from a substrate,
In addition, the method removes a reaction product that is an organic substance generated by the deterioration of the resist.

Here, a description will be given of a substrate processing apparatus for removing a polymer as a reaction product generated by the deterioration of a resist.

That is, in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor element, an etching step is performed in which a thin film of a metal such as aluminum or copper formed on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is patterned by etching using a resist film as a mask. Is done. When a fine circuit pattern is formed in this etching step, RIE
(Reactive Ion Etching / Reactive Ion Etching) or the like is employed.

Since the power of reactive ions used in such dry etching is extremely strong, the resist film disappears at a certain rate at the time when the etching of the metal film is completed, and a part of the resist film is made of polymer or the like. It changes into a reaction product and deposits on the side wall of the metal film. Since the reaction product is not removed in the subsequent resist removing step, it is necessary to remove the reaction product before performing the resist removing step.

For this reason, conventionally, after a dry etching step, a removing liquid having an action of removing a reaction product is supplied to the substrate to remove the reaction product deposited on the side wall of the metal film. The product is being removed.

This substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer section 21 for carrying in and out a plurality of substrates W stored in a cassette 10 and four substrate processing sections 24 for processing the substrates W with a processing liquid. And a pair of transport mechanisms 22 and 23 for transporting the substrate W between the cassette 10 placed on the indexer unit 21 and each of the substrate processing units 24.

The indexer unit 21 and the substrate processing unit 2
4 and the pair of transport mechanisms 22 and 23 are surrounded by the housing 11. Indexer unit 2 in this housing 11
An opening 19 (see FIG. 1) for loading / unloading the cassette 10 is formed in the side wall on one side.

One of the pair of transport mechanisms 22 and 23 moves vertically along a plurality of cassettes 10 mounted on the indexer section 21 in FIG. ) Is configured to be able to reciprocate, and take out the substrates W from these cassettes 10 or store the substrates W in these cassettes 10.

On the other hand, the other transport mechanism 23 of the pair of transport mechanisms 22 and 23 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the left-right direction in FIG. The unprocessed substrate W is transported to any one of the substrate processing units 24, or
The processed substrate W taken out of Step 4 is transferred to the transport mechanism 22. The transfer of the substrate W between the transport mechanisms 22 and 23 is performed by the opening 1 in the partition 13 provided in the housing 11.
5 (see FIG. 2).

Each of the four substrate processing units 24 is surrounded by the processing chamber 12. These processing chambers 1
An opening 14 (see FIG. 2) for passing a substrate is formed at a position facing the transport mechanism 23 in FIG.

As shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a virtual line in FIG. 2, air is introduced into the processing chamber 12 above the processing chamber 12, that is, above each substrate processing unit 24. A blower 25 for sending air is provided, and a filter 28 for filtering air sent by the blower 25 is provided below the blower 25.

Below the processing chambers 12, a pair of exhaust pipes 34 for exhausting air from the processing chambers 12 are provided. The substrate processing unit 24 in the processing chamber 12 is provided with an exhaust pipe 35 for exhausting gas from the substrate processing unit 24, which will be described later in detail.
The air sent from the blower 25 is supplied to these exhaust pipes 34,
It is discharged to the outside via 35.

At a position above the transport mechanism 23, a pair of blowers 26 for sending air toward the transport mechanism 23 is disposed as shown by a phantom line in FIG. Is provided with a filter.

At a position below the transport mechanism 23 and each processing chamber 12, as shown in FIGS.
1, three exhaust pipes 31, 32, and 33 having different lengths for exhausting air from a region below the transfer mechanism 23 and each processing chamber 12 are provided. Blower 26
The air sent by the
It is discharged to the outside via 1, 32, 33.

As shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and an imaginary line in FIG. 2, a position above the indexer section 21 and the transport mechanism 22 is used for sending air to the indexer section 21 and the transport mechanism 22. A blower 27 is provided, and a filter 28 for filtering air sent by the blower 27 is provided below the blower 27.

The area below the indexer section 21 and the transport mechanism 22 in the housing 11 is constituted by a porous punching plate 18, as shown in FIGS. The air sent from the blower 27 is mainly discharged outside via the punching plate 18.

In this substrate processing apparatus, the side wall and the bottom wall of the above-described housing 11, the partition wall 13, and the upper wall 20 above each processing chamber 12 surround the processing chamber 12 and the transfer mechanism 23. Two chambers are formed. Then, the air pressure in each processing chamber 12 is the lowest, then the air pressure in the second chamber is low, and the air pressure near the indexer unit 21 and the transfer mechanism 22 is almost equal to the air pressure in the clean room where the substrate processing apparatus is installed. The air blowing capacity of each of the blowers 25, 26, and 27 and the exhaust capacity of each of the exhaust pipes 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 are adjusted so as to be equivalent. At this time, the blowers 25, 26, and 27 have the highest blower capacity, the blower 26 has the next highest blower capacity, and the blower 25 has the lowest blower capacity. That is, the blower 27 blows the largest amount of air, followed by the blower 26,
The number of blowers 25 is the smallest.

For this reason, a part of the air sent from the blower 27 flows from the vicinity of the indexer section 21 and the transfer mechanism 22 to the vicinity of the transfer mechanism 23 through the opening 15 in the partition wall 13. In addition, a part of the air sent from the blower 26 and a part of the air sent from the blower 27 and flowing from the vicinity of the indexer unit 21 and the transfer mechanism 22 to the vicinity of the transfer mechanism 23 through the opening 15 are formed in the processing chamber. Flow into the processing chamber 12 through an opening 14 in 12.

Next, the configuration of the substrate processing unit 24 will be described. 4 to 6 are schematic side views showing the configuration of the substrate processing unit 24.

The substrate processing unit 24 includes a spin chuck 58 that rotates while holding the substrate W by driving a motor 57, and a first nozzle 41 for supplying a removing liquid to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58. A second nozzle 42 for supplying an intermediate rinsing liquid and pure water to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58, and a removing liquid, intermediate rinsing liquid and pure water scattered from the substrate W during substrate processing. And a circumferential fixed cup 52 for collecting the removal liquid, the intermediate rinse liquid and the pure water captured by the lift cup 51.

The base end of the first nozzle 41 is connected to a support shaft 43, which is rotatably supported by a motor 45. The motor 45 is mounted on the bracket 4
7, and is connected to the air cylinder 48. Therefore, the first nozzle 41 is moved up and down between the supply position of the removing liquid indicated by the solid line in FIGS. 4 to 6 and the ascending position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 to 6 by driving the air cylinder 48. I do. In addition, the first nozzle 41 is driven by the motor 45 so that the tip thereof is opposed to the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58 and the tip is located near the edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck. It swings between an opposing position and a position where the tip is located outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52.

The first nozzle 41 is provided with a removing liquid storage section 62.
And a pipe 63. Removal liquid storage unit 62
The removal liquid stored in the first nozzle 41 is sent to the first nozzle 41 by the action of the pump 64, and is supplied from the first nozzle 41 to the surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58. this,
First nozzle 41, removal liquid storage section 2, conduit 63, and pump 6
4 together form a removing liquid supply means.

The removal liquid supplied to the substrate W from the first nozzle 41 is applied to the thin film with respect to the object to be removed (organic matter,
Alternatively, it is a liquid that selectively removes a reaction product generated by the deterioration of the resist or the resist itself or a polymer).

As the removing liquid, a liquid containing an organic alkaline liquid (referred to as an organic alkaline removing liquid), a liquid containing an organic amine, a liquid containing an inorganic acid, and a liquid containing an ammonium fluoride-based substance can be used. Among them, examples of the organic alkali-based removal solution include those containing DMF (dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide), and hydroxylamine. Examples of the liquid containing an inorganic acid include hydrofluoric acid and phosphoric acid.

Other removal liquids include 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, tetrahydrothiophene 1.1-dioxide, isopropanolamine, monoethanolamine,
2- (2aminoethoxy) ethanol, catechol, N
-Methylpyrrolidone, aromatic diol, perchlore, liquid containing phenol, and the like. More specifically, a liquid mixture of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, tetrahydrothiophene 1.1-dioxide and isopropanolamine, dimethyl sulfoxide Mixed solution of 2- (2aminoethoxy) ethanol, hydroxyamine and catechol, mixed solution of 2- (2aminoethoxy) ethanol and N-methylpyrrolidone, monoethanolamine A mixed solution of water and an aromatic diol, a mixed solution of perclene and phenol, and the like can be given.

A liquid containing an organic amine (hereinafter referred to as an organic amine-based removing liquid) includes a mixed solution of monoethanolamine, water and aromatic triol, and a mixed solution of 2- (2-aminoethoxy) ethanol, hydroxyamine and catechol. Mixed solution, mixed solution of alkanolamine, water, dialkyl sulfoxide, hydroxyamine, and amine anticorrosive, mixed solution of alkanolamine, glycol ether, and water, dimethyl sulfoxide, hydroxyamine, triethylenetetramine, pyrocatechol, and water A mixed solution, a mixed solution of water, hydroxyamine and pyrogallol, a mixed solution of 2-aminoethanol, ethers and sugar alcohols, 2- (2-aminoethoxy) ethanol, N, N-dimethylacetoacetamide and water Triethanolamine There is a mixing of the solution.

Further, a liquid containing an ammonium fluoride-based substance (referred to as an ammonium fluoride-based removal liquid) includes a mixed solution of an organic alkali, a sugar alcohol and water, a fluorine compound, an organic carboxylic acid, an acid / amide-based solvent. Mixed solution of alkyl amide, water and ammonium fluoride, mixed solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, 2-aminoethanol, aqueous organic alkali solution and aromatic hydrocarbon, mixed solution of dimethyl sulfoxide, ammonium fluoride and water Mixed solution of ammonium fluoride, triethanolamine, pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, iminodiacetic acid and water, mixed solution of glycol, alkyl sulfate, organic salt, organic acid and inorganic salt, amide, organic salt, organic acid and inorganic salt A mixed solution includes a mixed solution of an amide, an organic salt, an organic acid, and an inorganic salt.

Further, as an inorganic removing liquid containing an inorganic substance, there is a mixed solution of water and a phosphoric acid derivative.

There is also a solution obtained by adding an organic alkali-based removing solution to an ammonium fluoride-based removing solution, and such a removing solution contains an alkali component.

The base end of the second nozzle 42 is connected to a support shaft 44, which is rotatably supported by a motor 46. The motor 46 is mounted on the bracket 4
7, and is connected to the air cylinder 49. Therefore, the second nozzle 42 is driven by the air cylinder 49 to move the intermediate rinsing liquid or pure water supply position indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 4 to 6 and the rising position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 to 6. Go up and down between Also, the second nozzle 42
Are driven by the motor 46 such that the tip thereof faces the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58, the tip thereof faces the vicinity of the edge of the substrate W held by the spin chuck, The tip swings between a position located outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52.

The second nozzle 42 has an intermediate rinse nozzle and a pure water nozzle (not shown) at its tip, and is connected to a supply source of the intermediate rinse liquid and a pure water supply source (not shown) via a pipe. It is connected. The intermediate rinse liquid supplied from the supply source of the intermediate rinse liquid and the pure water supplied from the supply source of pure water are supplied to the spin chuck 58 from the intermediate rinse nozzle and the pure water nozzle provided at the tip of the second nozzle 42. Is supplied to the surface of the substrate W held on the substrate. In the present embodiment, a second nozzle having an intermediate rinse nozzle and a pure water nozzle is used.
The nozzle 42, the supply source of the intermediate rinse liquid, the supply source of pure water, and the pipeline connecting each supply source with the intermediate rinse nozzle and the pure water nozzle constitute the rinse liquid supply means according to the present invention.

The intermediate rinsing liquid supplied to the substrate W from the intermediate rinsing nozzle of the second nozzle 42 is a liquid for washing away the removing liquid from the substrate W, for example, an organic solvent such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or Functional water such as ozone water in which ozone is dissolved in pure water, hydrogen water in which hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, and carbonated water in which carbon dioxide is dissolved in pure water can be used.

The elevating cup 51 is connected to an air cylinder 54 via a support member 53. For this reason, the lifting cup 51 is driven by the air cylinder 54 to switch between the loading / unloading position of the substrate W shown in FIG. 4, the drainage collecting position shown in FIG. 5, and the removing liquid collecting position shown in FIG. Go up and down.

Here, the loading / unloading position of the substrate W shown in FIG. 4 is a position for loading or unloading the substrate W into or from the substrate processing section 24 by the transport mechanism 23 shown in FIG. 5 is a position for capturing the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water scattered from the substrate W when the substrate W is processed by supplying the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water to the substrate W. It is. Further, the removing liquid collecting position shown in FIG. 6 is a position for capturing the removing liquid scattered from the substrate W when supplying the removing liquid to the substrate W and processing the substrate W.

The fixed cup 52 has a first concave portion 55 formed in a circumferential shape, and a second concave portion 56 formed in a circumferential shape inside the first concave portion 55. First recess 55
Is for collecting the removing liquid captured by the elevating cup 51 in a state where the elevating cup 51 is disposed at the removing liquid collecting position shown in FIG. The second concave portion 56 is for collecting the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water captured by the elevating cup 51 in a state where the elevating cup 51 is disposed at the drainage collecting position shown in FIG.

The first concave portion 55 is connected to a removing liquid storage section 62 via a conduit 61. The removal liquid collected by the first concave portion 55 is once stored in the removal liquid storage part 62, and then sent to the first nozzle 41 again by the action of the pump 64, and is held by the spin chuck 58 from the first nozzle 41. Is supplied to the surface of the substrate W.

The second recess 56 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 65 via the above-described exhaust pipe 35. This exhaust pipe 35
Is for executing the exhaust from the inside of the substrate processing unit 24 and the recovery of the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water captured by the elevating cup 51 as described above.

The gas-liquid separator 6 connected to the exhaust pipe 35
Numeral 5 is configured to temporarily store the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water captured by the elevating cup 51 at the bottom thereof. The gas-liquid separation section 65 is connected to the exhaust mechanism 66 in a region above the level of the intermediate rinse liquid or pure water temporarily stored therein. In addition, the gas-liquid separation unit 65 has a separation and recovery mechanism 6 on its bottom surface.
7 is connected. The separation / recovery mechanism 67 converts the intermediate rinse liquid or the pure water captured by the elevating cup 51 into an intermediate rinse liquid recovery drain 68.
In addition, the pure water is separated and collected in the pure water collecting drain 69, respectively.

In the second concave portion 56, the intermediate rinse liquid and the pure water collected there are separated and collected into a drain 68 for collecting the intermediate rinse liquid and a drain 69 for collecting the pure water. By the function of the mechanism 66, the inside of the substrate processing unit 24 can be exhausted.
The displacement at this time can be adjusted by a displacement control valve 60 disposed in the exhaust pipe 35.

Next, the processing operation of the substrate by the substrate processing section 24 will be described.

The substrate W to be processed by the transport mechanism 23
When the substrate W is carried into the substrate processing unit 24, the elevating cup 51 is lowered to the position where the substrate W is carried in / out, as shown in FIG. Further, the tips of the first nozzle 41 and the second nozzle 42 are arranged outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52.

At this time, the atmosphere in the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52 is constantly forcibly exhausted through the second recess 56 in the fixed cup 52 by the action of the exhaust mechanism 66. The lifting cup 51 and the fixed cup 52
The exhaust operation in the inside is continued during various processing operations on the substrate W that are subsequently performed. For this reason, in combination with the exhaust operation in the substrate processing section 24 by the exhaust pipe 34, it is possible to reliably prevent a chemical component generated during various processing operations on the substrate W to be described later from diffusing to the outside. It becomes possible.

When the substrate W is held on the spin chuck 58 by the transport mechanism 23, as shown in FIG. 6, the elevating cup 51 is raised to the removal liquid collecting position. After that, the first nozzle 41 is once raised by the driving of the air cylinder 48 to an ascending position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The substrate W held by the spin chuck 58 from a position outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52
To the position facing the center of Then, by driving the air cylinder 48, the first nozzle 41 is lowered to the supply position of the removing liquid indicated by the solid line in FIG.

In this state, the substrate W is rotated by the spin chuck, the removing liquid is discharged from the first nozzle 41, and the removing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate W, thereby forming the reaction generated on the surface of the substrate. Remove objects.

At this time, the removing liquid scattered from the edge of the substrate W, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
Of the fixed cup 52
The liquid is collected in the removal liquid storage 62 through the recess 55. For this reason, it becomes possible to reuse an expensive removal liquid.

When the process of removing the reaction product using the removing liquid is completed, the tip of the first nozzle 41 is arranged outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52 by an operation reverse to the above operation. Further, by driving the separation / collection mechanism 67,
The liquid that has flowed into the exhaust pipe 35 is collected in the intermediate rinse liquid collecting drain 68.

Next, as shown in FIG.
To the drain collection position. Then, after the second nozzle 42 is once raised to a raised position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.
, The tip of the second nozzle 42 is moved from a position outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52 to a position facing the center of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 58. And the air cylinder 4
By the drive of No. 9, the second nozzle 42 is lowered to the supply position of the intermediate rinse liquid indicated by the solid line in FIG.

In this state, the substrate W is rotated by the spin chuck, the intermediate rinse liquid is discharged from the intermediate rinse nozzle of the second nozzle 42, and the intermediate rinse liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate W. Wash.

At this time, the intermediate rinsing liquid scattered from the edge of the substrate W is captured by the side wall of the elevating cup 51 as shown by the arrow in FIG. Exhaust pipe 35 through 65
After that, it is discharged to the intermediate rinse liquid recovery drain 68 via the separation / recovery mechanism 67.

When the cleaning process using the intermediate rinsing liquid is completed, the separation / recovery mechanism 67 is driven so that the liquid flowing into the exhaust pipe 35 is recovered by the pure water recovery drain 69. Then, while the substrate W is rotated by the spin chuck, pure water is discharged from the second nozzle 42, and the substrate W
The substrate W is cleaned by supplying pure water to the surface of the substrate W.

At this time, the pure water scattered from the edge of the substrate W is captured by the side wall of the lifting / lowering cup 51 as shown by an arrow in FIG. After flowing into the exhaust pipe 35 through the drain, the pure water collecting drain 6
It is discharged to 9.

When the cleaning process using the pure water is completed, the tip of the second nozzle 42 is arranged outside the elevating cup 51 and the fixed cup 52 by an operation reverse to the above operation. Further, the elevating cup 51 is lowered to the position where the substrate W is loaded / unloaded. Then, the substrate W on the spin chuck 58 is unloaded by the transport mechanism 23.

In the substrate processing apparatus having the above configuration, each of the blowers 25, 26, 27 and each of the exhaust pipes 3
By the air-conditioning means composed of 1, 32, 33, 34 and 35, the air pressure in each processing chamber 12 is the lowest, and then the air pressure in the second chamber surrounding the processing chamber 12 and the transport mechanism 23 is lowered, Indexer unit 21 and transport mechanism 2
The pressure in the vicinity of 2 is distributed so as to be substantially equal to the pressure in the clean room where the substrate processing apparatus is installed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the chemical component generated from the substrate processing unit 24 from diffusing to the outside.

In the above substrate processing apparatus, the second
Although the intermediate rinse nozzle and the pure water nozzle are mounted on the nozzle 42, the intermediate rinse nozzle may be omitted, and a rinse nozzle may be provided instead of the pure water nozzle.

At this time, the rinsing nozzle is connected to a rinsing liquid supply source via a pipe. In this case, the second nozzle having the rinse nozzle, the supply source of the rinse liquid, and the pipeline connecting the rinse nozzle and the supply source of the rinse liquid constitute the rinse liquid supply means.

Examples of the rinsing liquid include, in addition to pure water, functional water such as ozone water in which ozone is dissolved in pure water, hydrogen water in which hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, and carbonated water. The rinsing liquid is preferably a liquid which becomes pure water when left at normal temperature (about 20 to 28 degrees Celsius) and normal pressure (about 1 atm).

As described above, the intermediate rinse nozzle is omitted,
When the rinsing nozzle is provided, after the removal process using the removal liquid is completed, the separation / recovery mechanism 67 is driven so that the liquid flowing into the exhaust pipe 35 is recovered to the pure water recovery drain 69. . Then, the substrate W is spin-chucked.
Is rotated, and a rinsing liquid is discharged from the rinsing nozzle of the second nozzle 42 to supply the rinsing liquid to the surface of the substrate W.

The substrate processing apparatus of the above embodiment is directed to a substrate having a thin film, but the thin film is a metal film or an insulating film. Examples of the metal constituting the metal film include copper, aluminum, titanium, tungsten, and a mixture thereof. Examples of the insulating film include a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, an organic insulating film, and a low dielectric interlayer insulating film.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the processing for removing the polymer generated at the time of dry etching is disclosed for the substrate that has been subjected to the dry etching step. It is not limited to removing the polymer from the substrate in which is present.

For example, the present invention includes a case where the polymer generated during the plasma ashing is removed from the substrate.
Therefore, the present invention includes a case where the polymer generated due to the resist is removed from the substrate in various processes that are not necessarily dry etching.

The present invention is not limited to the removal of only the polymer generated by the dry etching or the plasma ashing, but may be applied to the case where various reaction products derived from the resist are removed from the substrate. Including.

For example, there is a case where a reaction product generated when the impurity diffusion process is performed is removed.

In the impurity diffusion treatment, a resist liquid is applied to a substrate on which a thin film is formed to form a resist film, and further, a pattern (impurity diffusion) composed of a portion of the thin film where an impurity is to be diffused and a portion where the impurity is not to be diffused. Pattern)
Is exposed on the resist film.

By supplying a developing solution to the substrate, unnecessary portions of the resist film are dissolved and removed, and an impurity diffusion pattern is formed by the resist. Then, C
VD (Chemical Vapor Deposit)
(ion) or ion implantation (ion implantation) introduces impurities into a portion of the thin film not covered with the resist.

In such an impurity diffusion process, a part or the whole of the resist film on the thin film is altered to become a reaction product, and is to be removed.

The present invention is not limited to removing the reaction product derived from the resist from the substrate, but also includes removing the resist itself from the substrate.

For example, a resist is applied, a pattern (a wiring pattern, a pattern for impurity diffusion, etc.) is exposed on the resist, the resist film is developed, and a lower layer present below the resist is subjected to lower layer processing. In some cases, the lower layer processing is completed for the completed substrate, and the unnecessary resist film is removed.

More specifically, this includes the case where, for example, an etching process is performed on the thin film as the lower layer after the resist film is developed. Regardless of whether the etching process at this time is wet etching performed by supplying an etching solution or dry etching such as RIE, the resist film is unnecessary after the etching process and must be removed. . A resist removal process after such an etching process is also included.

In another case, after the resist film is developed, the thin film as the lower layer may be subjected to impurity diffusion as a lower layer treatment. After the impurity diffusion process, the resist film becomes unnecessary, so it is necessary to remove the resist film. The resist removal process at this time is also included.

When the resist is removed by the present substrate processing apparatus immediately after the etching process or the impurity diffusion process, the unnecessary resist film is removed at the same time as removing the unnecessary resist film.
Since the reaction product generated by the deterioration of the resist film can be removed at the same time, the throughput can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

For example, in the etching process, when dry etching is performed on a thin film as a lower layer, a reaction product derived from a resist is also generated. Therefore,
The resist film itself used for masking the lower thin film at the time of dry etching and the reaction product generated by the deterioration of the resist film can be simultaneously removed.

Also, when an impurity diffusion treatment (particularly, ion implantation) is performed on the lower thin film, a reaction product derived from the resist is generated. Therefore, the resist film itself used for masking the lower layer during the impurity diffusion treatment and the reaction product generated by the deterioration of the resist film can be removed at the same time.

The present invention is not limited to removing the reaction product derived from the resist or the resist itself from the substrate, but also removes organic substances not derived from the resist, for example, fine contaminants generated from the human body from the substrate. Including.

In particular, if ozone water is used as a rinsing liquid instead of pure water, organic substances, reaction products generated by the deterioration of resist, and polymers can be more completely removed.
Therefore, in this case, it is possible to solve the problem of improving the processing quality of the processing for removing, from the substrate, the organic substance, the reaction product generated by the deterioration of the resist, and the polymer generated by the dry etching.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment is suitable for the following substrate processing system.

That is, a substrate processing system having a first substrate processing apparatus and a second substrate processing apparatus, wherein the first substrate processing apparatus has processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid that generates an alkali generating substance to a substrate. A first substrate processing unit;
A processing chamber surrounding the substrate processing unit, a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate processing apparatus to the first substrate processing unit in the processing chamber, a housing surrounding the processing chamber and the transport mechanism, Air-conditioning means for controlling the pressure in the processing chamber and the pressure in the housing so as to be lower than the pressure in the body; the second substrate processing apparatus processes the substrate coated with the chemically amplified resist A substrate processing system having a processing unit.

In this case, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment corresponds to a first substrate processing apparatus, and each substrate processing section 24 corresponds to a first substrate processing section. However, the removal liquid storage section 62 of the present embodiment stores a processing liquid in which an alkali generating substance is generated as a processing liquid storage section. The alkali-generating substance referred to herein is a basic substance, and includes a gas (such as ammonia) that dissolves in water and exhibits alkalinity, and a fine droplet (particularly, mist-like droplet) of a liquid exhibiting alkalinity. It is.

[0092] The above-mentioned processing liquid from which an alkali-generating substance is generated includes those containing an organic alkali-based removing liquid, and in particular, those containing amines (for example, hydroxylamine).

The second substrate processing section includes a coating section for coating the substrate with a chemically amplified resist, a temperature control section for heating or cooling the substrate coated with the chemically amplified resist, and a chemically amplified resist coated thereon. An exposure unit that exposes a pattern on a substrate that has been coated, a transport unit that transports a substrate coated with a chemically amplified resist, and a developing unit that supplies a developer to a substrate coated with a chemically amplified resist.

Here, the chemical amplification type resist advances the chemical change of the resist by generating an acid after pattern exposure, so that the presence of an alkali generating substance prevents the progress of the chemical change of the resist.

However, in the above substrate processing system, the first
In the substrate processing apparatus, there is a possibility that an alkali-generating substance is generated from the first substrate processing unit. The diffusion of the alkali-generating substance from the substrate processing apparatus to the outside of the housing can be prevented. For this reason, even if the second substrate processing apparatus handles a substrate coated with a chemically amplified resist, since the alkali-generating substance does not diffuse from the first substrate processing apparatus, the processing of the second substrate processing apparatus can be reliably performed. Can be.

In particular, when a removing solution for generating an alkali-generating substance is used in the first substrate processing apparatus, the processing in the second substrate processing apparatus can be reliably performed.

[0097]

According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the atmosphere containing the chemical solution component generated from the substrate processing section from diffusing to the outside.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a substrate processing unit 24.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a substrate processing unit 24.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of the substrate processing unit 24.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 cassette 11 housing 12 processing chamber 13 partition 14 opening 15 opening 19 opening 18 punching plate 20 upper wall 21 indexer 22 transport mechanism 23 transport mechanism 24 substrate processing unit 25 blower 26 blower 27 blower 28 filter 31 exhaust pipe 32 Exhaust pipe 33 Exhaust pipe 34 Exhaust pipe 35 Exhaust pipe 41 First nozzle 42 Second nozzle 45 Motor 46 Motor 48 Air cylinder 49 Air cylinder 51 Elevating cup 52 Fixed cup 54 Air cylinder 55 First concave part 52 Second concave part 57 Motor 58 Spin Chuck 60 Evacuation amount adjusting valve 62 Removal liquid storage part 65 Gas-liquid separation part 66 Exhaust mechanism 67 Separation and recovery mechanism 68 Intermediate rinse liquid recovery drain 69 Pure water recovery drain W Substrate

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tadashi Sasaki 4-chome Tenjin Kitamachi 1-chome, Horikawa-dori-Terauchi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takeshi Yoshida, Kamigyo, Kyoto 4-chome Tenjin, Horikawa-dori, Tokyo CD11 CD33

Claims (8)

[Claims] A substrate processing unit configured to process a substrate with a processing liquid; a processing chamber surrounding the substrate processing unit; a transport mechanism configured to transport the substrate to the substrate processing unit in the processing chamber; A second chamber surrounding the chamber and the transfer mechanism; and controlling a pressure in the processing chamber and a pressure in the second chamber such that a pressure in the processing chamber is lower than a pressure in the second chamber. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning unit is configured to control an air pressure in the second chamber to the second chamber.
A substrate processing apparatus for controlling the pressure inside the second chamber so as to be lower than the pressure outside the chamber; 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning unit includes a blower and an exhaust mechanism. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing unit includes: a processing liquid supply mechanism configured to supply a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate; A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a rotation mechanism configured to rotate within a plane; a cup configured to capture a processing liquid scattered from a substrate; and an exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the inside of the cup. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing liquid supply mechanism supplies a removing liquid for removing organic substances to the substrate, and a rinsing liquid supplying means for supplying a rinsing liquid to the substrate. And a substrate processing apparatus further comprising: 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the organic substance is a reaction product obtained by modifying a resist. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the removing liquid contains an alkali component. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the removing liquid contains an organic amine.