JP2002313895A - Substrate holding device and substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To satisfactorily elevate and lower a large and thin substrate between substrate processing height and substrate transfer height. SOLUTION: A substrate holding stage 11 has constitution where four sucking plate pieces 111A, 111B, 111C and 111D making a square ring smaller than a substrate S are fitted to the upper face of a frame 112 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A plurality of lift pins 12 are disposed so that they can be elevated and lowered inside the substrate holding stage 11. The center of the substrate S is supported by a plurality of lift pins 12 from a rear side and the lift pins 12 are elevated and lowered. Thus, the substrate S can be elevated and lowered from above the substrate holding stage 11. When the edge of the substrate is cleaned, the center of the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 12 and a part except for the center and the end is sucked and held by the substrate holding stage 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a substrate holding device for holding a rectangular substrate and a substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate holding device. The rectangular substrate refers to a rectangular substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device and a glass substrate for a plasma display panel. However, it is not necessarily required to be a perfect rectangular shape, and a notch such as an orientation flat or a notch may be formed at the edge of the substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device or a semiconductor device, a chemical solution such as a photoresist solution, a photosensitive polyimide resin, a color filter dye or the like is applied to the surface of a substrate, and a thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate. Forming a thin film. The thin film needs to be formed only in the effective area excluding the edge area of the substrate. However, in the above thin film forming step, the chemical solution spreads to the edge area outside the effective area, and so-called unnecessary A thin film is formed. Such an unnecessary thin film becomes a dust generation source when it is rubbed and peeled off with various processing equipment such as a substrate holding hand at the time of substrate transfer or substrate processing. Therefore, the unnecessary thin film on the edge of the substrate is generally washed and removed after the application of the chemical solution.

In order to remove unnecessary thin films, a substrate edge cleaning apparatus for cleaning the edge of the substrate is used. A substrate edge cleaning device applied to a rectangular substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device includes a substrate holding stage that is substantially similar to the substrate in plan view and slightly smaller in size than the substrate. And a plurality of lift pins arranged so as to surround them. The substrate holding stage has a large number of suction holes on an upper surface formed of a continuous plane, and the center of the back surface of the substrate except for an edge portion of the substrate on which an unnecessary thin film to be removed is attached. In addition to supporting the back surface of the substrate from the portion to the vicinity of the edge of the back surface of the substrate, the substrate is sucked and held by exhausting air from the suction holes. The plurality of lift pins are moved up and down by a drive mechanism including a cylinder, for example. The substrate on which the thin film has been formed is transferred to the lift pins at a substrate transfer height above the substrate holding stage, and then placed on the substrate holding stage by lowering the lift pins. The cleaning process for the substrate edge is performed in a state where the substrate is suction-held on the substrate holding stage. At this time, the lift pins are
It is lowered to a position where it does not hinder the cleaning process on the substrate edge. After the completion of the cleaning process, the lift pins are raised, and the substrate on the substrate holding stage is lifted to the substrate transfer height.

[0004]

However, in the above-described configuration, there is a limit in responding to an increase in the size and thickness of a substrate to be processed. That is, when the substrate to be processed becomes large and the edge of the substrate protrudes largely from the substrate holding stage, the protruding edge bends and interferes with the cleaning head for performing the cleaning process on the edge. There is a possibility that. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to increase the size of the substrate holding stage and reduce the portion where the substrate protrudes. However, when the size of the substrate holding stage is increased, the flatness of the upper surface of the substrate holding stage is maintained. And the cost of the apparatus increases. In addition, in order to maintain the stability and strength of the substrate holding stage, the fixed portion of the substrate holding stage has a large-scale configuration, which increases the apparatus cost.

Further, the substrate is held in a state of being sucked on the entire upper surface of the substrate holding stage. Therefore, when the substrate is peeled off from the substrate holding stage after processing, a large amount of static electricity is generated between the substrate and the substrate holding stage,
There is a possibility that the possibility that surrounding contaminants adhere to the substrate is increased. In the configuration in which the substrate is lifted by supporting the edge portion of the substrate with the lift pins, if the substrate is large and thin, the substrate bends greatly on the lift pins, and the substrate falls off the lift pins during the vertical movement, There is a risk of cracking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem and to enable a large and thin substrate to be held at a predetermined height in a state substantially along a horizontal plane. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate holding device capable of favorably raising and lowering the substrate. Another object is to provide a substrate processing apparatus provided with such a substrate holding device.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rectangular substrate (S) which contacts a back surface of the rectangular substrate (S) and holds the rectangular substrate at a predetermined height. First substrate supporting means (1) for supporting substantially horizontally
(1) a second substrate supporting means (12) which is capable of independently supporting the rectangular substrate by contacting a region inside the rear surface of the rectangular substrate with respect to the region where the first substrate supporting device is in contact;
An elevating drive mechanism (13) for elevating the second substrate supporting means with respect to the first substrate supporting means; and, at the predetermined height, the rectangular substrate is provided with the first and second substrates. Control means (5) for controlling the elevation drive mechanism so as to be supported by both of the support means.

[0008] The alphanumeric characters in parentheses indicate corresponding components in the embodiment described later. Hereinafter, the same applies in this section. According to the present invention, at a predetermined height, a relatively outer side of the rectangular substrate is supported by the first substrate supporting means, and a relatively inner side is supported by the second substrate supporting means. Thus, even if the rectangular substrate is large and thin, there is no possibility that the rectangular substrate supported at the predetermined height will be bent.

Further, by raising and lowering the second substrate support means, the rectangular substrate can be lifted above the predetermined height, or the rectangular substrate raised above the predetermined height can be lowered to the predetermined height. can do. At this time, since the inside of the rectangular substrate is supported by the second substrate support means, even if the rectangular substrate is large and thin, the large and thin rectangular substrate is not dropped or cracked. It can be raised and lowered satisfactorily without occurrence.

[0010] In addition, as described in claim 2, the first
The substrate supporting means may have a rectangular outer shape smaller than the square substrate in plan view, and may include a substrate mounting plate (111) on which the square substrate can be mounted. The invention according to claim 3 is the substrate holding device according to claim 2, wherein the upper surface and the outer end surface of the substrate mounting plate are connected by a curved surface curved outward.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate holding apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the upper surface and the inner end surface of the substrate mounting plate are connected by a curved surface that is curved outward. . According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion between the upper surface and the outer end surface of the substrate mounting plate is coated with a resin. Substrate holding device.

According to each of these inventions, it is possible to prevent dust generation due to friction between the substrate mounting plate and the rectangular substrate mounted on the substrate mounting plate, and to prevent contamination of the rectangular substrate due to the generated dust. Can be. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate is provided with a suction hole (113) for sucking the rear surface of the rectangular substrate, and the first substrate supporting means is provided with the substrate mounting plate. 6. The substrate holding device according to claim 2, wherein the back surface of the rectangular substrate is sucked and supported on an upper surface of the mounting plate.

The invention according to claim 7 further includes a gas supply means (114) connected to the suction hole for supplying gas to the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate. Substrate holding device. According to the invention of claim 6, the back surface of the rectangular substrate can be sucked and held on the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate, and according to the invention of claim 7, the square substrate thus sucked and held and the substrate mounting plate can be held. By supplying gas between the plate and the plate, the state of adsorption of the rectangular substrate to the substrate mounting plate can be released.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined portion of the substrate mounting plate has a horizontal axis (11) extending along an outer end surface thereof.
7) The substrate holding device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the substrate holding device is configured to be swingable around. According to the present invention, the predetermined portion of the substrate mounting plate can be swung around the horizontal axis. Thus, for example, in a state where the rectangular substrate is suction-held on the substrate mounting plate, a predetermined portion of the substrate mounting plate is swung to allow air to enter between the substrate mounting plate and the rectangular substrate. Thus, the adsorption state of the rectangular substrate can be reduced.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the substrate mounting plate comprises four plate pieces (111A, 111B, 111C, 111) along each side of the rectangular substrate.
D) may be included, and in this case, claim 10
At least one of the four plate pieces as described in
One is preferably configured to be swingable about a horizontal axis along its outer end surface. Further, the plate piece that is configured to be swingable about the horizontal axis may be configured as described in claim 11.
The outer edge may be provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the back surface of the rectangular substrate, or the inner edge may be in contact with the back surface of the rectangular substrate as described in claim 12. It may be provided so as to be detachable.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the second substrate supporting means includes a plurality of lift pins (12) abutting on the back surface of the rectangular substrate.
The substrate holding device according to any one of the above. In order to prevent the substrate from falling or cracking when the substrate is moved up and down, the substrate is provided with a substrate holding stage that sucks and holds the center of the back surface of the rectangular substrate, and a stage elevating mechanism that moves the substrate holding stage up and down. A configuration in which the rectangular substrate is moved up and down by raising and lowering the substrate holding stage in a state where the rectangular substrate is attracted to the holding stage is conceivable. However, in order to elevate and lower a large substrate holding stage capable of holding a large substrate, a large stage elevating mechanism is required, and an increase in apparatus size and apparatus cost is inevitable. Also,
In the configuration in which the substrate holding stage is moved up and down, the rectangular substrate is directly transferred to the substrate holding stage. At the time of the transfer (particularly, when the rectangular substrate is removed from the substrate holding stage), static electricity is generated. There is also a problem that the rectangular substrate is charged by static electricity. If the substrate is charged, dust in the transfer space may be adsorbed to the substrate when the substrate is transferred, and the substrate may be contaminated.

On the other hand, if the inside of the rectangular substrate is supported by the second substrate supporting means and the rectangular substrate is raised and lowered by raising and lowering the second substrate supporting means, the substrate holding stage may be replaced with a substrate holding stage. Since it is not necessary to have a large elevating drive mechanism that can be moved up and down, it is possible to suppress an increase in apparatus size and apparatus cost. Further, when the second substrate supporting means includes a plurality of lift pins, the contact area between the lift pins and the substrate is small, so that the rectangular substrate is transferred to the lift pins. For example, it is possible to prevent the generation of static electricity at the time of delivery, and to prevent the rectangular substrate from being charged by the static electricity.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate holding apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein a suction hole for sucking a back surface of the rectangular substrate is formed at a tip of the lift pin. According to the present invention, by adsorbing the back surface of the rectangular substrate to the lift pins, the risk of the rectangular substrate falling from the lift pins when the rectangular substrate moves up and down can be further reduced.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a position adjusting means (3) for contacting an end face of the rectangular substrate and positioning the rectangular substrate in a horizontal plane to a predetermined substrate holding position. Claims 1 to 1
5. The substrate holding device according to any one of 4. According to the present invention, the position of the rectangular substrate in the horizontal plane can be positioned at the predetermined substrate holding position.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate holding apparatus according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, further comprising a neutralization means (4) for neutralizing the rectangular substrate. According to the present invention, for example, the square substrate is
Even when static electricity is generated when the rectangular substrate is removed from the substrate supporting means, and the static electricity charges the rectangular substrate, the rectangular substrate can be discharged. Therefore, contamination of the rectangular substrate due to charging can be more favorably prevented.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for cleaning an edge portion of a rectangular substrate having a thin film formed on a surface thereof. ) And edge cleaning means (3) for supplying a solvent to the edge of the rectangular substrate held by the substrate holding device and removing an unnecessary thin film formed on the edge. Is a substrate processing apparatus. According to the invention,
Since the substrate held by the substrate holding device does not bend,
The positional relationship between the substrate and the edge cleaning means can be kept constant. As a result, the solvent can be supplied to the target position of the edge of the rectangular substrate, and a favorable cleaning process can be performed on the edge of the substrate.

The edge cleaning means may include a solvent discharge nozzle (314, 315) for discharging the solvent toward the edge of the rectangular substrate. The invention according to claim 19, wherein the edge cleaning means further includes a gas nozzle (316, 317) for injecting a gas toward the vicinity of the solvent supply position on the rectangular substrate. It is a substrate processing apparatus. According to the present invention, by injecting a gas from the gas nozzle onto the rectangular substrate, the solvent or the like supplied from the solvent discharge nozzle to the rectangular substrate can be blown outward. This allows
A solvent can be supplied to the edge of the rectangular substrate to dissolve and remove the unnecessary thin film without affecting the thin film formed in the effective area of the rectangular substrate.

According to a twentieth aspect, the edge cleaning means comprises a cleaning head (31A, 31B, 31) integrally holding the solvent discharge nozzle and the gas nozzle.
C, 31D) and a moving mechanism (32A, 32B, 32C, 32D) for moving the cleaning head along the side of the rectangular substrate held by the substrate holding device. Further, as set forth in claim 21, the cleaning head is provided with a processing space (33) for accommodating an edge portion of the substrate to be processed, and the edge cleaning means is provided in the processing space. , And further preferably includes exhaust means (318, 319) for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing space. By including this exhaust means, the solvent supplied to the rectangular substrate and the unnecessary thin film (dissolved material) dissolved by the solvent can be discharged from the processing space, and the solvent and the dissolved material can be prevented from scattering around. .

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the cleaning head comprises a pair of vertically opposed blocks (311, 312).
The processing space is formed between the pair of blocks, and the solvent discharge nozzle and the gas nozzle are provided in each of the pair of blocks. Is a substrate processing apparatus.
According to the present invention, since the substrate held by the substrate holding device does not bend, the edge of the rectangular substrate can be inserted into the processing space while keeping a constant interval with the pair of blocks, and An excellent cleaning process can be performed on the edge of the substrate.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate edge cleaning apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. This substrate edge cleaning apparatus uses an unnecessary thin film on an edge portion of a rectangular substrate S such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device (for example, unnecessary thin film adhered to an edge portion of a rectangular substrate after a resist solution is applied). This is an apparatus for cleaning and removing a resist film.

The substrate edge cleaning apparatus includes a substrate holding mechanism 1 for holding a substrate S to be processed, a position adjusting mechanism 2 for adjusting a holding position of the substrate S by the substrate holding mechanism 1, A cleaning mechanism 3 for cleaning the edge of the substrate S held by the holding mechanism 1 is provided. Also, above the substrate holding mechanism 1, as shown in FIG.
A static eliminator 4 for removing static from the processed substrate S is arranged. The static eliminator 4 generates positive ions and negative ions by, for example, corona discharge. A neutralization height He at an appropriate distance from the neutralizer 4
By arranging the substrate S on the substrate S, the entire substrate S can be irradiated with ions, and the charge on the substrate S can be satisfactorily removed.

The substrate holding mechanism 1 is capable of mounting the substrate S thereon. The substrate holding stage 11 holds the mounted substrate S by suction, and moves the substrate S up and down with respect to the substrate holding stage 11. (In this embodiment, 8
) Lift pin 12. The substrate holding stage 11 includes four suction plate pieces 111A, 111B, which form a square ring-shaped substrate suction plate smaller than the substrate S.
The configuration is such that 111C and 111D (when collectively referred to as “substrate suction plate 111”) are attached to the upper surface of a frame 112 framed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A plurality of suction grooves 11 are provided on the upper surface of the substrate suction plate 111.
3 are formed along the longitudinal direction, and the plurality of suction grooves 113 are, as shown in FIG. 3, provided with air suction / air suction / gas connections connected to a suction source and a nitrogen gas supply source (neither is shown). It is in communication with the nitrogen supply pipe 114. This allows
The air in the suction groove 113 can be sucked by the function of the suction source, or nitrogen gas can be supplied into the suction groove 113 from a nitrogen gas supply source. Then, by sucking air in the suction groove 113 with the substrate S placed on the substrate suction plate 111, the substrate S
1 while the substrate S is adsorbed on the substrate adsorption plate 111 by supplying nitrogen gas to the adsorption groove 113 in a state where the substrate S is adsorbed on the substrate adsorption plate 111.
The adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate 1 can be released.

The outer edge 1 of the substrate suction plate 111
As shown in FIG. 3, 11a is formed into a curved surface having no corners. In other words, the upper surface N1 and the outer end surface N2 of the substrate suction plate 111 are connected by a curved surface N3 that is curved outward. Further, at least the curved surface N3 (preferably also on the upper surface N1) is coated with a resin to reduce friction with the substrate S. Also, the inner edge portion 111b of the substrate suction plate 111
Are connected by a curved surface N5 whose upper surface N1 and inner end surface N4 are curved outward.

The rectangular shape formed by the four outer edges 111a of the substrate suction plate 111 in plan view is the shape of the held substrate S
Of the same size as or smaller than the effective area of However, at least the edge of the substrate S held by the substrate suction plate 111 has a dimension that can be kept horizontal without sagging. In addition, the dimensions of the substrate suction plate 111 in a direction perpendicular to each side of the substrate in plan view can be kept horizontal without at least the edge portion hanging down when the substrate S is suctioned to the substrate suction plate 111. It has dimensions.

Further, the substrate suction plate 111
The substrate S is held only in the peripheral portion of the back surface of the effective area, not substantially the entire back surface of the effective area. That is, the substrate S is held by the substrate suction plate 111 between the rectangular outer edge 111a and the rectangular inner edge 11b having a size smaller than the outer edge 111a. For this reason,
Inside the inner edge 111b, the substrate suction plate 11
1 is not in contact with the substrate S. Therefore, compared to a substrate holding almost the entire back surface of the effective area, the substrate S
The contact area with the substrate S is reduced, and the amount of static electricity generated between the substrate S and the substrate suction plate 111 can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, a screw 116 is screwed through a frame 112 into a screw hole 115 formed on the lower surface of the substrate suction plate 111,
The fixing of the substrate suction plate 111 to the frame 112 is achieved, and there is no concave portion other than the suction groove 113 on the upper surface of the substrate suction plate 111. Therefore, the substrate suction plate 1
There is no possibility that the substrate S mounted (adsorbed) on the substrate 11 will be locally dented due to a concave portion other than the adsorption groove 113 on the upper surface of the substrate adsorption plate 111.

The plurality of lift pins 12 are erected vertically on one base plate 121 and are provided inside the substrate holding stage 11. Base plate 121
Is coupled to a lifting drive mechanism 13 provided below the drive mechanism. The lifting drive mechanism 13 includes a pair of guide rails 131 fixed to the substrate holding stage 11 and extending in the vertical direction, a lifting frame 132 movable by being guided by the pair of guide rails 131, and a pair of guides. A screw shaft 1 disposed along a vertical direction (a direction parallel to the guide rail 131) at a position between the rails 131
33 and the ball nut 13 screwed onto the screw shaft 133
4 and a motor 135 coupled to the screw shaft 133. The elevating frame 132 has an upper end on the base plate 12.
1 is fixed to the lower surface. Also, the ball nut 134
Is attached to the lifting frame 132. Therefore, when the motor 135 is rotated forward / reverse, the elevating frame 132 moves up and down along the guide rail 131, and the base plate 121 fixed to the upper end of the elevating frame 132 moves up and down.

With this configuration, the center portion of the substrate S is supported from the back side by the lift pins 12 by moving the base plate 121 up and down (moving up and down) by the lifting drive mechanism 13, and the substrate S is placed on the upper surface of the substrate suction plate 111. Can be raised and lowered between the neutralization height He or the substrate transfer height Hd above the upper surface thereof. The board transfer height Hd is, for example, a position between the charge elimination height He and the charge eliminator 4 above the charge elimination height He.
A substrate transfer robot (not shown) and a lift pin 1
The transfer of the substrate S is performed between the two.

The motor 135 is connected to a control unit 5 including, for example, a microcomputer. The lifting and lowering of the lift pins 12 (substrate S) is achieved by the control unit 5 controlling the drive of the motor 135. Position adjustment mechanism 2
Are four position adjusting heads 21A, 21B, 21C, 21 which are advanced and retracted in the direction in which the substrate S exists by the cylinder.
D is provided. Positioning heads 21A, 21B, 21
Each of C and 21D has one or a plurality of contact pins 211, and each of the suction plate pieces 1 of the substrate holding stage 11.
11A, 111B, 111C, and 111D, the suction plate pieces 111A, 111B, and 11
It is arranged so as to advance and retreat in the direction facing 1C and 111D. In this embodiment, two position adjustment heads 2
1A and 21B each have one contact pin 211, and two position adjusting heads 21C and 21D opposed to each other with the substrate holding stage 11 interposed between these two position adjusting heads 21A and 21B. Contact pin 21
One.

Each contact pin 211 is connected to the position adjusting head 21.
A, 21B, 21C, 21D are provided so as to hang down from the tips of the position adjusting heads 21A, 21B, 21D.
The end of the substrate S placed on the substrate holding stage 11 is in contact with the rod of the cylinder for moving the C and 21D forward and backward in the most extended state. Since the position of the substrate S in the horizontal plane when all the contact pins 211 are in contact with the end surface of the substrate S is determined to be a fixed position, after placing the substrate S on the substrate holding stage 11, the rod of each cylinder is extended. Thus, the substrate S on the substrate holding stage 11 can be positioned at the fixed position by bringing each contact pin 211 into contact with the end surface of the substrate S.

On the other hand, when the rod of the cylinder is in the most contracted state, the contact pin 211 is retracted to a home position which does not hinder the cleaning mechanism 3 from cleaning the edge of the substrate S. The cleaning cup 22 is arranged at the home position of each contact pin 211, and the contact pin 211 retracted to the home position is accommodated in the cleaning cup 22. The cleaning cup 22 is provided with a cleaning liquid nozzle for ejecting a cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the contact pin 211 accommodated in the cleaning cup 22 so that the resist liquid attached to the contact pin 211 is It is possible to wash and remove solidified substances and other contaminants of the resist solution. Therefore, by performing cleaning of the contact pins 211 with a cleaning liquid at an appropriate time, the clean contact pins 211 having no contaminants attached thereto can be brought into contact with the end surface of the substrate S without contaminating the substrate S. , The substrate S can be positioned.

The cleaning mechanism 3 includes cleaning heads 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D for cleaning the four edges of the substrate S sucked and held on the substrate holding stage 11 (the "cleaning head 31" when collectively referred to). ). The cleaning heads 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D
The guide rails 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D are slidably engaged with the guide rails 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D, respectively, arranged so as to be parallel to the four sides of the substrate S. Thus, the cleaning heads 31A, 31B, 31C, and 31D can reciprocate horizontally and linearly along the four sides of the substrate S, respectively.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 4, the cleaning head 31 includes an upper nozzle block 311 and a lower nozzle block 312 which are vertically opposed to each other.
1 and 312 are attached. The upper and lower nozzle blocks 311 and 312 are opposed to each other with a fixed interval therebetween, and a processing space 33 into which the edge of the substrate S to be processed is inserted is formed between them. The nozzle block 311
Protrudes like an eave in the direction where the substrate S exists above the upper surface of the substrate S, and the nozzle block 312 projects like an eave in the direction where the substrate S exists below the back surface of the substrate S. ing. Then, the nozzle blocks 311 and 312
The solvent discharge nozzles 31 respectively facing the processing space 33
4,315 are attached. Further, the gas nozzles 316 and 316 are located on the inner side of the substrate S (the front ends of the nozzle blocks 311 and 312) than the solvent discharge nozzles 314 and 315.
317 are arranged respectively. Gas nozzle 316,
317 is configured to inject gas (air, nitrogen gas, or the like) obliquely from inside to outside of the substrate S, and is supplied to the edge of the substrate S by the solvent discharge nozzles 314 and 315. Blow off solvent and the like to the outside.

Next, the solvent discharge nozzles 314 and 315 and the gas nozzles 316 and 317 will be described in detail. Here, the solvent discharge nozzle 315 and the gas nozzle 317 that perform processing on the lower surface of the substrate S are in a positional relationship between the solvent discharge nozzle 314 and the gas nozzle 316 that perform processing on the upper surface of the substrate S.
Is reversed only with respect to the substrate S, so that the solvent discharge nozzle 314 and the gas nozzle 316 will be described as an example. The solvent ejection nozzle 314 ejects a solvent for dissolving the resist film by a thin tubular nozzle, and forms a solvent ejection area (solvent spot) in a spot (dot) shape on the surface of the substrate.

The gas nozzle 316 also jets a gas with a thin tubular nozzle to form a gas injection region (referred to as a gas spot) in a spot (dot) shape on the surface of the substrate. Then, the positional relationship between the solvent discharge nozzle 314 and the gas nozzle 316 is adjusted and arranged so that the position of the gas spot substantially overlaps the solvent spot. here,
The respective discharge ports of the solvent discharge nozzle 314 and the gas nozzle 316 are arranged on a line orthogonal to the linear edge of the substrate S. That is, one solvent discharge nozzle 314 and 1
And one gas nozzle 316 is a set. And
A plurality of such pairs of the solvent discharge nozzle 314 and the gas nozzle 316 are provided along the linear edge of the substrate S.

The processing space 33 communicates with a suction passage 318 formed in the main body block 313. Suction path 318
Is connected to a suction source (not shown) via a flexible tube 319. Therefore, the gas nozzle 31
The solvent and the like blown off by the 6, 317 are collected via the suction path 318 and the inside of the flexible tube 319. With this configuration, the substrate S can be formed without affecting the resist film in the effective area of the substrate S.
The unnecessary thin film is dissolved by supplying a solvent to the edge of the substrate, and the unnecessary thin film can be removed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning process for the edge portion of the substrate S. The substrate S on which the resist coating film is formed is carried on the lift pins 12 at the substrate transfer height Hd (step T).
1). When the substrate S is transferred to the lift pins 12, the lift pins 12 are lowered until the tip of the lift pins 12 and the upper surface of the substrate suction plate 111 (substrate holding stage 11) are at the same height. 12
And a portion other than the central portion and the edge portion of the substrate S is placed on the substrate holding stage 11 (step T2). Then, in this state, the position of the substrate S in the horizontal plane is adjusted by the position adjustment mechanism 2, and the substrate S is positioned at a predetermined position (step T3).

Next, the suction of the air in the suction groove 113 is started, and the substrate S is sucked on the upper surface of the suction plate 111 (step T4). Thereafter, the lift pins 12 supporting the central portion of the substrate S are lowered by a predetermined minute height (Step T5). The minute height is set to such a level that the contact between the substrate S and the lift pins 12 is maintained. When the lift pins 12 are lowered by the minute height, the center of the substrate S has an edge. The substrate is supported by the substrate holding stage 11 and the lift pins 12 in a state where it is slightly lower than the portion and slightly bent. Therefore, the substrate S
The substrate S can be stabilized at the position determined by the position adjustment mechanism 2 (the predetermined position) without deviation. At this time, the substrate S
The central portion is supported by the lift pins 12, and portions other than the central portion and the edge portions are suction-held by the substrate holding stage 11. That is, the substrate suction plate 111
Supports an area at the same position as or inside the effective area, where the edge of the substrate can be kept horizontal without sagging. Therefore, the substrate suction plate 1
Even when the portion of the substrate inside the inner edge 111b of the substrate 11 moves up and down by a very small height with respect to the substrate holding stage 11, the edge is kept horizontal.

Thereafter, the edge of the substrate S is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 3 (step T6). That is, the cleaning heads 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D are moved from one end to the other end of each side of the substrate S adsorbed on the substrate adsorption plate 111 along the guide rails 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D, respectively. In this process, the solvent is ejected from the solvent ejection nozzles 314 and 315, and gas is ejected from the gas nozzles 316 and 317. Further, while the gas is being injected from the gas nozzles 316 and 317, the air in the processing space 33 is sucked in through the suction passage 318.

When the cleaning of the edge of the substrate S is completed, nitrogen gas is supplied to the adsorption groove 113 through the air suction / nitrogen supply pipe 114 (step T7). Since the lift pins 12 are lowered by the minute height, the center of the substrate S is slightly lower than the edge, and the substrate S is slightly bent, so that the suction state of the substrate S on the substrate suction plate 111 is reduced. Therefore, by the subsequent supply of the nitrogen gas to the adsorption groove 113, the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate adsorption plate 111 is released without causing displacement of the substrate S and the like.

Subsequently, the lift pin 12 is raised,
The substrate S is lifted to the neutralization height He (step T).
8). Then, for a certain period of time thereafter, the substrate S has the charge elimination height H.
e, during which the substrate S is irradiated with positive ions and negative ions from the neutralizer 4 (step T).
9). Thereby, when the substrate S is charged, the charged substrate S is satisfactorily discharged, and contamination (dust adsorption, etc.) of the substrate S due to charging can be prevented. After the substrate S is neutralized, the lift pins 12 are further raised, and the substrate S is lifted to the substrate transfer height Hd (step T10). Then, the substrate S is carried out from the substrate transfer height Hd (step T11).

As described above, the substrate holding mechanism 1 (substrate holding device) according to this embodiment includes a plurality of lift pins 12
In this configuration, the central portion of the substrate S is supported from the back side, and the substrate S is raised and lowered by raising and lowering the lift pins 12. Therefore, the deflection of the substrate S on the lift pins 12 is small, and even if the substrate S is large and thin. , The large and thin substrate S can be lifted and lowered satisfactorily. During the cleaning process on the edge of the substrate S, the center of the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 12, and portions other than the center and the edge are suction-held by the substrate holding stage 11. Thereby, even if the substrate S
Is large and thin, there is no possibility that the substrate S held by the substrate holding mechanism 1 will bend. Therefore, the edge of the substrate S can be inserted into the processing space 33 while keeping a constant distance from the nozzle blocks 311 and 312, and the edge of the substrate S can be subjected to a good cleaning process. That is, the distance between the surface of the substrate S and the solvent discharge nozzle 314 is accurately maintained. Therefore, the resist film in the effective area of the substrate S is not affected.

The substrate S includes nozzle blocks 311 and 3
12, the substrate S is accurately positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the suction path 318. For this reason, the strength of the exhaust air from the suction path 318 becomes the predetermined strength on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate S.
Therefore, the exhaust of one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate S does not become stronger than the predetermined value, and the other does not become weaker than the predetermined value. In addition, after the substrate S is positioned by the position adjusting mechanism 2, the lift pins 12 are slightly lowered, and the substrate S is sucked onto the substrate suction plate 111 while the substrate S is slightly bent. . Thus, at the start of the suction, the substrate S does not shift due to the air current generated between the substrate suction plate 111 and the substrate S, and the substrate S is sucked to the substrate suction plate 111 at the position determined by the position adjustment mechanism 2. be able to. Therefore, the positional relationship between the edge of the substrate S and the cleaning head 31 can be kept normal, and the edge of the substrate S can be subjected to a better cleaning process.

Also, in this embodiment, when releasing the suction of the substrate S to the substrate suction plate 111, the lift pins 12 are slightly lowered before releasing the suction.
The substrate S is slightly bent. As a result, the state of adsorption of the substrate S on the substrate adsorption plate 111 is reduced, and when nitrogen gas for releasing adsorption is subsequently supplied to the adsorption groove 113, there is a possibility that the substrate S may be lifted and shifted. Absent. Therefore, since the substrate S can be favorably supported by the lift pins 12, there is no possibility that the substrate S falls during the lifting and lowering of the lift pins 12.

Further, in this embodiment, the positioning of the substrate S with respect to the substrate holding stage 11 is such that the center of the substrate S is supported by the lift pins 12 and the portions other than the center and the edge of the substrate S are held by the substrate holding stage. This is performed while being mounted on the stage 11. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which positioning is performed on a substrate holding stage that suction-holds the center portion of the back surface of the substrate, resistance when the substrate S is slid is smaller, and the substrate S can be slid smoothly on the substrate holding stage 11. it can.

Further, since the outer edge 111a of the substrate suction plate 111 is processed into a curved surface and the surface of the substrate suction plate 111 is coated with a resin, the substrate S on the substrate holding stage 11 (substrate suction plate 111).
Slides the substrate S or the substrate suction plate 1
There is almost no dust generation due to the wear of the substrate 11, and there is no possibility that the substrate S is contaminated by the dust generation. Furthermore, since the nitrogen gas is supplied between the substrate S and the substrate suction plate 111 and the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate suction plate 111 is released, the processed substrate Generation of static electricity at the time of lifting S is suppressed, and charging of the substrate S due to static electricity can be prevented. Moreover, even if the substrate S is charged when it is lifted from the substrate suction plate 111, the charged substrate S is placed at the neutralization height He before being carried out of the substrate edge cleaning apparatus. Static electricity is removed. Therefore, contamination of the substrate S due to charging can be more favorably prevented.

While the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in other forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning of the substrate S is performed while being mounted on the substrate holding stage 11, but the positioning of the substrate S may be performed while being supported by the lift pins 12. That is, the substrate S to be processed is transported by the substrate transport robot, and after the substrate S is transferred to the lift pins 12, the lift pins 12
The contact pins 211 may be brought into contact with the end surface of the upper substrate S to position the substrate S at a predetermined position. In the case of the configuration in which the substrate S is positioned on the lift pins 12, the amount of static electricity generated at the time of positioning can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the substrate S is positioned on the substrate holding stage 11, and the substrate due to the static electricity can be reduced. The charging of S can be further prevented.

When the substrate S is positioned on the lift pins 12, the lift pins 12 are lowered after the positioning and the substrate S is held on the substrate holding stage 11, so that the substrate S is moved while the lift pins 12 are lowered. May be shifted. Therefore, in order to prevent the displacement of the substrate S during the lowering of the lift pins 12, for example, a mechanism for adsorbing the back surface of the substrate S to the lift pins 12 is provided. You may make it descend. After the substrate S is transferred to the lift pins 12 at the substrate transfer height Hd, the lift pins 12 are quickly lowered to lower the substrate S to near the upper surface of the substrate holding stage 11 (substrate suction plate 111). Then, after positioning the substrate S near the upper surface of the substrate holding stage 11, the lift pins 1
2 by slowly lowering the lift pins 12.
The upper substrate S may be held by the substrate holding stage 11.

In the above-described embodiment, when the substrate S is attracted to and released from the substrate attraction plate 111, the lift pins 12 are slightly lowered to bring the substrate S into a slightly deflected state. Although the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate 111 is alleviated, the lift pins 1
By slightly raising the number 2 to make the substrate S bend slightly, the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate adsorption plate 111 may be reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the substrate suction plate 111 has a horizontal axis 1 along its longitudinal direction.
17, the outer edges 111a of a pair of substrate suction plates 111 opposed to each other with the lift pins 12 interposed therebetween are lowered, and the substrate S is pushed up by the inner edges 111b of the substrate suction plates 111. The suction state of the substrate S on the suction plate 111 may be reduced. In this case, the curved surface N5 of the inner edge portion 111b (FIG. 3)
) Is preferably coated with a resin in order to reduce friction with the substrate S. Thereby, the friction between the back surface of the substrate S and the curved surface N5 can be reduced, and the generation of contaminants can be reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the substrate suction plate 111 has a horizontal axis 117 extending along its longitudinal direction.
Outer edge portions 11 of a pair of substrate suction plates 111 that are swingably provided around and are opposed to each other with a lift pin 12 interposed therebetween.
1a, the outer edge portion 111 of the substrate suction plate 111 is raised.
By pushing up the substrate S with a, the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate adsorption plate 111 may be reduced. Furthermore, the suction state of the substrate S on the substrate suction plate 111 may be reduced by performing both the minute vertical movement of the lift pins 12 and the swing of the substrate suction plate 111. That is, in parallel with raising the lift pin 12 slightly, the outer edge portion 111a of the substrate suction plate 111 is
Is lowered, and the inner edge portion 111 of the substrate suction plate 111 is lowered.
By pushing up the substrate S with b, the state of adsorption of the substrate S to the substrate adsorption plate 111 may be reduced. Further, in parallel with slightly lowering the lift pins 12, the outer edge 111a of the substrate suction plate 111 is raised, and the center of the substrate S is dropped between the substrate suction plates 111. May be alleviated.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a ball screw mechanism including the screw shaft 133 and the ball nut 134 has been exemplified as the lifting / lowering drive mechanism 13. However, for example, a cylinder drive mechanism using a cylinder as a drive source is adopted. Is also good. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the unnecessary thin film adhered to the edge of the substrate S after the resist solution was applied was exemplified as the unnecessary thin film at the edge of the substrate S. Can be applied to an apparatus for removing an unnecessary thin film after applying various chemicals such as a photoresist solution, a photosensitive polyimide resin, and a color filter dye.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate edge cleaning apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a substrate holding stage.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration of a cleaning head.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning process for an edge portion of a substrate.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining another configuration for relaxing the state of suction of a substrate to a substrate suction plate.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative sectional view for explaining still another configuration for relaxing a state of suction of a substrate to a substrate suction plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate holding mechanism 2 Position adjustment mechanism 3 Cleaning mechanism 4 Static eliminator 5 Control part 11 Substrate holding stage 12 Lift pin 13 Lifting drive mechanism 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D Position adjustment head 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D Cleaning head 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D Guide rail 33 Processing space 111 Substrate suction plate 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D Suction plate piece 111a Outer edge portion 111b Inner edge portion 113 Suction groove 114 Air suction / nitrogen supply pipe 117 Horizontal axis 311 Upper nozzle block 312 Lower nozzle block 313 Body block 314, 315 Solvent discharge nozzle 316, 317 Gas nozzle 318 Suction path 319 Flexible tube S Square substrate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/304 648 H01L 21/304 648Z Uchikami 4 chome 1 Tenten Kitamachi 1 Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 4F041 AA06 AB01 AB08 BA13 BA21 BA54 BA59 4F042 AA02 AA07 BA08 CC03 CC04 CC09 CC10 CC28 DF09 ED05 ED12 5F031 CA05 HA03 HA13 HA33 HA48 KA03 LA12 LA15 MA23 NA14 PA18 PA21 PA24 PA26

Claims (22)

[Claims] A first substrate supporting means for contacting the rear surface of the rectangular substrate and supporting the rectangular substrate substantially horizontally at a predetermined height; and the first substrate supporting means on the rear surface of the rectangular substrate. A second substrate supporting means capable of independently supporting the rectangular substrate in contact with a region inside the region in which the first substrate supporting member contacts the first substrate supporting means; Includes an elevating drive mechanism for elevating and lowering, and control means for controlling the elevating drive mechanism so that the rectangular substrate is supported by both the first and second substrate support means at the predetermined height. A substrate holding device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate supporting means has a rectangular outer shape smaller than the rectangular substrate in plan view, and includes a substrate mounting plate on which the rectangular substrate can be mounted. The substrate holding device according to claim 1. 3. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper surface and the outer end surface of the substrate mounting plate are connected by a curved surface curved outward. 4. The substrate holding device according to claim 2, wherein the upper surface and the inner end surface of the substrate mounting plate are connected by a curved surface that is curved outward. 5. The substrate holding device according to claim 2, wherein a connecting portion between the upper surface and the outer end surface of the substrate mounting plate is coated with a resin. apparatus. 6. An upper surface of the substrate mounting plate is provided with a suction hole for adsorbing a back surface of the rectangular substrate, and the first substrate supporting means has a rectangular shape on the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate. The substrate holding device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the substrate holding device sucks and supports the back surface of the substrate. 7. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising gas supply means connected to said suction hole for supplying gas to the upper surface of the substrate mounting plate. 8. The substrate according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined portion of the substrate mounting plate is configured to be swingable about a horizontal axis along an outer end surface thereof. Holding device. 9. The substrate holding device according to claim 2, wherein the substrate mounting plate includes four plate pieces along each side of the rectangular substrate. 10. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least one of said four plate pieces is configured to be swingable about a horizontal axis along an outer end surface thereof. 11. A plate piece configured to be swingable about the horizontal axis, the outer edge of which is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the back surface of the rectangular substrate.
0. The substrate holding device according to item 0. 12. The plate piece configured to be swingable about the horizontal axis, the inner edge of which is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the back surface of the rectangular substrate.
0. The substrate holding device according to item 0. 13. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second substrate supporting means includes a plurality of lift pins abutting on a back surface of the rectangular substrate. 14. The substrate holding device according to claim 13, wherein a suction hole for sucking a back surface of the rectangular substrate is formed at a tip of the lift pin. 15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position adjusting means for contacting an end surface of the rectangular substrate to adjust a position of the rectangular substrate in a horizontal plane to a predetermined substrate holding position. A substrate holding device according to any one of the above. 16. The substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a static eliminator for neutralizing the rectangular substrate. 17. An apparatus for cleaning an edge portion of a rectangular substrate having a thin film formed on a surface thereof, wherein the substrate holding apparatus according to claim 1 and a substrate holding apparatus. An edge cleaning means for supplying a solvent to an edge of the rectangular substrate thus formed and removing an unnecessary thin film formed on the edge. 18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said edge cleaning means includes a solvent discharge nozzle for discharging a solvent toward an edge of the rectangular substrate. 19. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said edge cleaning means further includes a gas nozzle for jetting a gas toward a vicinity of a solvent supply position on the rectangular substrate. 20. An edge cleaning means comprising: a cleaning head integrally holding the solvent discharge nozzle and the gas nozzle;
20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising: a moving mechanism for moving the cleaning head along a side of the rectangular substrate held by the substrate holding device. 21. A processing space for accommodating an edge portion of a substrate to be processed is formed in the cleaning head, wherein the edge cleaning means is connected to the processing space.
21. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising exhaust means for exhausting an atmosphere in the processing space. 22. The cleaning head includes a pair of vertically opposed blocks, the processing space is formed between the pair of blocks, and each of the pair of blocks has the solvent discharge nozzle. 22. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising a gas nozzle.