JP2003017395A - Substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently drain processing liquid supplied to a processed substrate on the substrate in a short time on a horizontally laid conveyance path. SOLUTION: When the substrate G comes right above a height detection sensor 200 on the conveyance path 108, a suction roller 208' restricts the substrate G to a specific horizontal height position and the height detection sensor 200 and a sensor arithmetic control part 210 measure the height position of the surface of a developer swelled on the substrate G. On the basis of the measured value of the substrate height position, a downstream-side nozzle height adjustment part 204 finely adjusts the height position of a suction nozzle 202. When the substrate G comes to right below the suction nozzle 202, a suction roller 208 performs roll conveyance while restricting the substrate G to the same horizontal position with the suction roller 208'. The suction nozzle 202 while holding the optimum distance interval with the processed surface of the substrate G sucks the developer Q on the substrate at the best distance interval. The developer sucked by the suction nozzle 202 is collected through an ejection pipe 207.

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 carrying out a single or a series of liquid processing steps while horizontally transferring a substrate to be processed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
In the resist coating development processing system in manufacturing, LC
As a developing method capable of advantageously responding to an increase in the size of the D substrate, the LCD substrate is conveyed on a conveying path formed by horizontally arranging a conveying roller and a conveying belt while developing, rinsing, and
Attention has been paid to a so-called flat flow system in which a series of development processing steps such as drying are performed. Compared to the spinner method of rotating the substrate, such a flat-flow method has a simpler handling of the substrate and the configuration of the transfer system and the drive system, and has an advantage that mist is not generated or redeposition on the substrate is small. is there.

Generally, in a flat-flow type developing processing apparatus,
A developing process that is sequentially set from the upstream side to the downstream side along the transport path, a dish-shaped container or a pan for collecting the liquid that has fallen under the transport path for each liquid processing unit of the rinse step,
The drain of each pan is connected to a separate drain system.

[0004]

However, in the conventional flat-flow method, the substrate is transported from the upstream liquid processing unit to the downstream liquid processing unit while keeping the substrate in a horizontal position on the transport path. The treatment liquid used in the liquid treatment unit is sent to the liquid treatment unit on the downstream side while remaining on the substrate and dropped or mixed into the pan on the downstream side, making it difficult to separately collect each treatment liquid.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and the processing liquid supplied to the substrate to be processed on the transfer path laid in the horizontal direction is efficiently supplied from the substrate in a single time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus which is designed to be drained.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which separates and collects, with a high purity, a processing liquid supplied to a substrate to be processed on a transfer path laid horizontally.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a carrier for laying a substrate to be processed substantially horizontally and laying the carrier horizontally. A transport path, a transport driving means for driving the transport body to transport the substrate on the transport path, and 1 for supplying a predetermined processing liquid to a surface to be processed of the substrate on the transport path.
The processing liquid supply means including one or a plurality of nozzles and the suction means for sucking the liquid from the surface to be processed of the substrate at the first position on the transfer path are configured.

In the above structure, the processing liquid is supplied to the surface to be processed of the horizontal substrate by the processing liquid supply means to perform a predetermined liquid processing, and the liquid remains on the substrate even after the processing. However, the sucking means sucks the liquid on the substrate on the downstream side of the transport path to efficiently drain the liquid and collect the processing liquid with high purity.

In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, in order to stably perform the above suction operation, the suction means sets the substrate at the first position on the transport path to the first height in the transport path width direction. A configuration including a first substrate height adjusting means for controlling is preferable.

Further, one preferable mode of the sucking means is
A suction nozzle that extends in the width direction of the transport path with the suction port facing the transport path at a position higher than the transport path by a predetermined level, and the liquid existing near the suction port of this suction nozzle is sucked into the suction port by vacuum suction. And a first vacuum means for evacuating the internal space of the suction nozzle in order to suck it in and remove it to a predetermined drainage system. In such a configuration, when the substrate on the transport path passes by the suction nozzle, the suction nozzle can bring the suction port close to the liquid surface on the substrate to suck the liquid on the substrate by vacuum suction.

In this case, the back surface of the substrate is set to a second height corresponding to the first height in the width direction of the transport path at a second position on the upstream side of the first position on the transport path. Second substrate height regulating means, substrate height measuring means for measuring the height of the surface to be processed of the substrate at the second position, and the height of the suction nozzle according to the measurement result of the substrate height measuring means. It is preferable to provide a nozzle height adjusting means for variably adjusting the height position. With such a configuration, the suction port of the suction nozzle can be brought as close as possible without contacting the surface to be processed of the substrate, and the safety and efficiency of the suction operation can be improved at the same time.

As another aspect of the sucking means in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, a sponge roller that rotates while contacting or approaching the surface to be processed of the substrate on the transfer path linearly in the transfer path width direction, and the sponge roller A configuration having a collecting means for taking out and collecting the adsorbed liquid is also preferable.

In this method, when the substrate on the conveying path passes by the sponge roller, the sponge roller rotates while contacting or approaching the surface to be processed of the substrate to adsorb the liquid on the substrate to the sponge. Suck up. As a preferable mode of the collecting means, a structure having a squeezing means for squeezing the liquid from the inside by applying a pressure inward in the radial direction to the circumferential surface of the sponge roller is preferred, or a third means for applying a vacuum suction force to the core of the sponge roller The structure including the vacuum means of is also preferable. In the case of the vacuum suction type, it is possible to suck the sponge roller without contacting the surface to be processed of the substrate, and it is also possible to immediately collect the liquid adsorbed on the sponge roller outside the roller.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a coating and developing treatment system as one structural example to which the developing treatment apparatus of the present invention can be applied. The coating and developing treatment system 10 is installed in a clean room, and uses, for example, an LCD substrate as a substrate to be treated, and performs various treatments such as cleaning, resist coating, prebaking, developing and postbaking in the photolithography process in the LCD manufacturing process. It is a thing. The exposure process is performed by an external exposure device 12 installed adjacent to this system.

In this coating and developing system 10, a horizontally long process station (P / S) 16 is arranged at the center, and a cassette station (C / S) 14 and an interface station are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction (X direction). (I / F) 18 are arranged.

The cassette station (C / S) 10 is
A cassette stage 20 which is a cassette loading / unloading port of the system 10 and on which a plurality of cassettes C capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates G can be placed side by side in a horizontal direction, for example, in the Y direction, on the stage 20. And a transport mechanism 22 for loading / unloading the substrate G into / from the cassette C. The transfer mechanism 22 has a means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transfer arm 22a, and can operate on four axes of X, Y, Z, and θ, and the adjacent process station (P / S) 16 side and the substrate G. It can be handed over.

The process station (P / S) 16 is
The processing units are arranged in the order of process flow or steps on a pair of parallel and opposite lines A and B extending in the system longitudinal direction (X direction). More specifically, in the upstream process line A from the cassette station (C / S) 14 side to the interface station (I / F) 18 side, a cleaning process section 24 and a first thermal processing section 26 are provided.
The coating process section 28 and the second thermal processing section 30 are arranged in a horizontal row. On the other hand, from the interface station (I / F) 18 side to the cassette station (C /
S) In the process line B on the downstream side toward the 14 side, the second
The thermal processing section 30, the development processing section 32, the decolorization processing section 34, and the third thermal processing section 36 are arranged in a horizontal row. In this line form, the second thermal processing unit 30
Is located at the end of the upstream process line A and at the beginning of the downstream process line B,
It straddles both lines A and B.

An auxiliary transfer space 38 is provided between the process lines A and B, and a shuttle 40 capable of horizontally mounting the substrates G one by one is line direction (X direction) by a drive mechanism (not shown). You can move in both directions.

In the upstream process line A, the cleaning process unit 24 includes a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 4
This includes 2 scrubber cleaning units (SCR)
An excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 is arranged in a position adjacent to the cassette station (C / S) 10 in 42. Although not shown, the cleaning section in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 brushes the upper surface (processed surface) of the substrate G while horizontally transporting the LCD substrate G by the roller transport or the belt transport in the line A direction. And blow cleaning.

The first thermal processing section 26 adjacent to the downstream side of the cleaning processing section 24 is provided with a vertical transfer mechanism 46 at the center along the process line A, and a plurality of units are provided on both the front and rear sides thereof. Are arranged in layers. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream multi-stage unit (TB) 44 has a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) 50,
Heating units (DHP) 52 and 54 for dehydration baking and an adhesion unit (AD) 56 are stacked in order from the bottom. Here, the pass unit (PASS) 50
Is used to transfer the substrate G to and from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 side. Further, the downstream multi-stage unit (TB) 48 includes a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) 60, a cooling unit (CL) 62,
64 and adhesion unit (AD) 66 are stacked in order from the bottom. Here, pass unit (PAS
S) 60 is for transferring the substrate G to and from the coating process unit 28 side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 46 includes an elevating / conveying body 70 which can be moved up and down along a guide rail 68 extending in the vertical direction, and a rotation or turning in the θ direction on the elevating / conveying body 70. It has a rotatable carrier 72 and a carrier arm or tweezers 74 that can move forward and backward or extend and retract while supporting the substrate G on the rotary carrier 72. A drive unit 76 for raising and lowering the elevation carrier 70
Is provided on the base end side of the vertical guide rail 68, and a drive unit 78 for driving the turning carrier 72 to rotate is provided on the vertical carrier 7.
A drive unit 80, which is attached to 0 and drives the transport arm 74 forward and backward, is attached to the rotary transport body 72.
Each drive unit 76, 78, 80 may be composed of, for example, an electric motor or the like.

The transport mechanism 46 constructed as described above is
It is possible to move up and down or rotate at high speed to access an arbitrary unit in the multi-stage unit sections (TB) 44 and 48 on both sides, and to transfer the substrate G to and from the shuttle 40 on the auxiliary transfer space 38 side. .

The coating process unit 28 adjacent to the downstream side of the first thermal processing unit 26 has a resist coating unit (CT) 82 and a reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 8 as shown in FIG.
4 and the edge remover unit (ER) 86 are arranged in a line along the process line A. Although not shown, in the coating process unit 28, the substrate G is provided in these three units (CT) 82, (VD) 84, and (ER) 86.
A transport device is provided for loading and unloading the sheets one by one in the order of steps, and each unit (CT) 82, (VD) 8
4. In the (ER) 86, each process is performed on a substrate-by-substrate basis.

The second thermal processing section 30 adjacent to the downstream side of the coating processing section 28 has the same structure as the first thermal processing section 26, and is located between both process lines A and B. Is provided with a vertical transfer mechanism 90, one multi-stage unit (TB) 88 is provided on the process line A side (last), and the other multi-stage unit (T) is provided on the process line B side (head).
B) 92 is provided.

Although not shown, for example, in the multi-stage unit (TB) 88 on the process line A side, a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) is placed at the lowermost stage, and a pre-baking heating unit (PASS) is placed thereon. PREBAKE)
May be stacked in three layers, for example. In the multi-stage unit (TB) 92 on the process line B side, a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) is placed at the bottom.
For example, a cooling unit (COL) is stacked on top of it, and a heating unit for pre-baking (PREBA) is placed on it.
KE) may for example be stacked in two layers.

The transport mechanism 9 in the second thermal processing section 30.
0 indicates the coating process unit 2 via the respective pass units (PASS) of the multi-stage unit units (TB) 88, 92.
8 and the development process unit 32 and the substrate G can be delivered one by one, and also the shuttle 40 in the auxiliary transfer space 38 and an interface station (I / F) described later.
The substrate 18 can be handed over in a unit of 18.

In the process line B on the downstream side, the developing process section 32 includes a so-called flat-flow developing unit (DEV) 94 which carries out a series of developing processing steps while transporting the substrate G in a horizontal posture. The structure and operation of the developing unit (DEV) 94 will be described later in detail.

A third thermal processing section 36 is arranged downstream of the developing process section 32 with a decolorizing process section 34 interposed therebetween. The decolorization processing unit 34 irradiates the surface to be processed of the substrate G with i-line (wavelength 365 nm) to perform the decolorization process.
A line UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 96 is provided.

The third thermal processing section 36 has the same structure as the first thermal processing section 26 and the second thermal processing section 30, and is of a vertical type along the process line B. Transport mechanism 10
0 and a pair of multi-stage unit parts (TB) 9 on the front and back sides
8, 102 are provided.

Although not shown, for example, in the multi-stage unit section (TB) 98 on the upstream side, a pass unit (PASS) is placed at the lowermost stage, and a heating unit (POBAKE) for post-baking, for example, 3 is provided thereon. It may be stacked. In addition, the downstream multi-stage unit (TB) 1
02 has a post-baking unit (PO
BAKE) may be placed on top of which one pass / cooling unit (PASS / COL) for substrate transfer and cooling may be stacked, and two heating units (POBAKE) for post-baking may be stacked thereon.

The transport mechanism 1 in the third thermal processing section 36
00 is an i-ray UV irradiation unit (i-UV) 96 and a cassette station (C / C) via a pass unit (PASS) and a pass cooling unit (PASS / COL) of both multi-stage unit sections (TB) 98 and 102, respectively. S) 14 and the substrate G can be delivered not only in the unit of one sheet, but also the substrate G can be delivered in the unit of one sheet with the shuttle 40 in the auxiliary transport space 38.

Interface station (I / F) 1
8 has a transfer device 104 for exchanging the substrate G with the adjacent exposure device 12, around which a buffer stage (BUF) 105, an extension cooling stage (EXT / COL) 106 and a peripheral device 1 are provided.
07 is arranged. Buffer stage (BUF) 1
A stationary buffer cassette (not shown) is placed at 06. Extension cooling stage (EXT
COL) 106 is a substrate transfer stage having a cooling function, and includes a process station (P / S) 1
It is used when exchanging the substrate G with the 6 side. The peripheral device 107 may have a structure in which, for example, a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are vertically stacked. The transfer device 104 has a means capable of holding the substrate G, for example, a transfer arm 104a, and is provided with an adjacent exposure device 12 and each unit (BUF) 105, (EXT.COL) 10.
6, (TITLER / EE) 107 and the substrate G can be transferred.

FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure in this coating and developing processing system. First, the cassette station (C
/ S) 14, the transport mechanism 22 takes out one substrate G from the predetermined cassette C on the stage 20,
It is carried into the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 of the cleaning process section 24 of the process station (P / S) 16 (step S1).

Excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 4
In 1 the substrate G is subjected to dry cleaning by UV irradiation (step S2). This ultraviolet cleaning mainly removes organic substances on the substrate surface. After the UV cleaning is completed, the substrate G is transferred to the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 of the cleaning process unit 24 by the transfer mechanism 22 of the cassette station (C / S) 14.

In the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, the substrate G is brushed on the upper surface (processed surface) of the substrate G while being horizontally conveyed by the roller conveyance or belt conveyance in the horizontal direction in the process line A direction as described above. By performing cleaning or blow cleaning, particulate dirt is removed from the substrate surface (step S3). After the cleaning, the substrate G is drained by an air knife or the like while being transported in a uniform flow to dry the substrate G.

The substrate G, which has been cleaned in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, passes through the pass unit (P) in the upstream multi-stage unit (TB) 44 of the first thermal processing section 26.
ASS) 50.

In the first thermal processing section 26, the substrate G is rotated by the transfer mechanism 46 in a predetermined unit in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G may be first processed from the pass unit (PASS) 50 to the heating unit (DHP) 52, 5
It is moved to one of 4 and undergoes dehydration treatment there (step S4). Next, the substrate G is cooled by the cooling unit (COL) 6
It is moved to one of the Nos. 2 and 64 and cooled there to a constant substrate temperature (Step S5). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to the adhesion unit (AD) 56, where it is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment (step S6). After the completion of the hydrophobic treatment, the substrate G is cooled by one of the cooling units (COL) 62, 64.
Then, it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S7).
Finally, the substrate G is transferred to the pass unit (PASS) 50 belonging to the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 48.

As described above, in the first thermal processing section 26, the substrate G has the upstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 44 and the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) via the transfer mechanism 46.
You can go back and forth between the 48 and the other. The second and third thermal processing units 30 and 36 can perform the same substrate transfer operation.

The substrate G which has undergone the series of thermal or thermal processing as described above in the first thermal processing section 26 is a pass unit (PASS) in the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 48.
From 60, it is moved to the resist coating unit (CT) 82 of the coating process unit 28 on the downstream side.

The substrate G is a resist coating unit (CT) 8
In 2, the resist solution is applied to the upper surface (the surface to be processed) of the substrate by, for example, the spin coating method, and immediately after that, the vacuum drying unit (VD) 84 adjacent on the downstream side is subjected to the drying processing under reduced pressure,
Next to the downstream edge remover unit (ER) 8
In step 6, excess (unnecessary) resist on the peripheral portion of the substrate is removed (step S8).

The substrate G that has undergone the resist coating process as described above passes from the reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 84 to the pass unit (TB) 88 belonging to the upstream multi-stage unit (TB) 88 of the second thermal processing unit 30 adjacent thereto. PASS).

In the second thermal processing section 30, the substrate G is rotated by the transfer mechanism 90 in a predetermined sequence in a predetermined unit. For example, the substrate G is the first from the pass unit (PASS) to the heating unit (PREBAKE).
And is subjected to baking after resist application (step S9). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL) and cooled there to a constant substrate temperature (step S10). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to the path unit (PA) on the downstream multi-stage unit (TB) 92 side.
It is transferred to the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 106 on the side of the interface station (I / F) 18 via the SS) or not.

Interface station (I / F) 1
8, the substrate G is moved from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 106 to the peripheral device 107.
Is carried into the peripheral exposure apparatus (EE), where it is exposed to remove the resist adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate G during development, and then sent to the adjacent exposure apparatus 12 (step S11).

In the exposure device 12, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed on the resist on the substrate G. Then, the substrate G that has undergone the pattern exposure is returned from the exposure device 12 to the interface station (I / F) 18 (step S1).
1) First, the peripheral device 107 Titler (TITLRE
R), where predetermined information is written on a predetermined portion on the substrate (step S12). After that, the substrate G is mounted on the extension / cooling stage (EXT / CO).
L) 106. Substrate G Transport and Exposure Apparatus 1 at Interface Station (I / F) 18
The transfer device 104 exchanges the substrate G with the substrate 2.

In the process station (P / S) 16, the transfer mechanism 90 in the second thermal processing section 30 has an extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL).
The exposed substrate G is received from 106 and is transferred to the development process section 32 via the pass unit (PASS) in the multi-stage unit section (TB) 92 on the process line B side.

In the developing process section 32, the substrate G received from the pass unit (PASS) in the multi-stage unit section (TB) 92 is carried into the developing unit (DEV) 94. In the developing unit (DEV) 94, the substrate G is transported in the horizontal posture in the flat flow direction toward the downstream of the process line B, and a series of developing processing steps of developing, rinsing and drying are performed during the transportation (step S13). .

The substrate G subjected to the development processing in the development processing section 32 is carried into the decolorization processing section 34 adjacent on the downstream side, and is subjected to the decolorization processing by i-ray irradiation there (step S14).
The substrate G that has been subjected to the decolorization treatment is passed through the pass unit (P) in the upstream multi-stage unit (TB) 98 of the third thermal treatment unit 36.
ASS).

In the third thermal processing section (TB) 98,
The substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) to one of the heating units (POBAKE), where it is post-baked (step S15). Next, the substrate G
Is transferred to the pass cooling unit (PASS COL) in the downstream multi-stage unit (TB) 102, where it is cooled to a predetermined substrate temperature (step S16). Third
The transfer of the substrate G in the thermal processing section 36 is performed by the transfer mechanism 10.
Performed by 0.

On the cassette station (C / S) 14 side, the transfer mechanism 22 transfers the substrate G from the pass cooling unit (PASS / COL) of the third thermal processing section 36 to which all the steps of coating / developing processing have been completed. The received substrate G is received and accommodated in any one of the cassettes C (step S
1).

In this coating and developing treatment system 10, for example, the developing unit (DE) of the developing process section 32 is used.
The present invention can be applied to V) 94. Below, FIG.
~ The present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20 as a developing unit (DEV) 9
An embodiment applied to No. 4 will be described.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the entire structure of the developing unit (DEV) 94 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The developing unit (DEV) 94 has a continuous transport path 1 extending in the horizontal direction (X direction) along the process line B.
08 forming a plurality of modules M1 to M6
Are continuously arranged in a line.

Of these modules M1 to M6, the module M1 located at the most upstream end constitutes the substrate carry-in section 110, and the following two modules M2 and M3 constitute the developing section 112 and the next module. Rinse part 1 with M4
14 and the next module M5 is the drying section 116.
And the module M6 at the end is the substrate unloading unit 118.
Are configured.

The substrate carry-in section 110 is provided with a plurality of lift pins 120 that can move up and down to receive the substrate G handed from an adjacent substrate transfer mechanism (not shown) in a horizontal posture and transfer it onto the transfer path 108. It is provided. Substrate unloading section 11
8 is also provided with a plurality of lift pins 122 capable of moving up and down for lifting the substrate G in a horizontal posture and handing it to an adjacent substrate transfer mechanism (not shown).

More specifically, the developing section 112 has a module M2 provided with a developer supply section 124 and a module M3 provided with a developer suction section 126. Developer supply unit 12
4, the nozzle discharge port is directed to the transport path 108, and the transport path 1
08, one or a plurality of developing solution supply nozzles DN for supplying a developing solution to the substrate are provided, which are movable in both directions. The developer sucking unit 126 has a height detecting sensor 200, a suction nozzle 202, etc., which will be described later, along the transport path 108, and a developer sucking mechanism (see FIGS.
FIG. 14) is arranged.

In the rinse section 114, the nozzle discharge port is directed to the transfer path 108, and it is movable in both directions along the transfer path 108. The rinse solution supply nozzle RN for supplying the rinse solution, for example, pure water, to the substrate. One or more are provided. The drying unit 116 is provided with one or more pairs of air knives EN for draining the liquid (mainly the rinse liquid) attached to the substrate G along the transfer path 108 with the transfer path 108 interposed therebetween. .

The developing section 112 and the rinsing section 114 are provided with pans 130 and 132 for collecting the liquid that has fallen below the transport path 108, respectively. A drainage port is provided at the bottom of each pan 130, 132, and drainage pipes 131, 133 of different drainage systems are connected thereto.

5 to 8 show the structures of the transport path 108 and the substrate loading section 110.

The transport path 108 includes the rotatable shaft 13
6, a pair of conveying rollers 1 fixed at a predetermined interval
38A and 138B are horizontally laid along the process line B to constitute a roller-conveyance type conveyance path.

More specifically, the bearings 142A and 142 are mounted on the upper portions of the left and right side walls of each module M or on the shaft leg member 140.
B is attached at a constant interval in the direction of the process line B, and the pair of bearings 142A, 142 are arranged so that the transport rollers 138A, 138B are located inside the left and right side walls.
The shaft 136 is rotatably mounted on B. A screw gear 144 is fixed to one end portion of each shaft 136 extending outward from the bearing 142A on one side, and a rotary drive shaft 146 side extending in the process line B direction is attached to each screw gear 144 on the shaft 136 side. The respective screw gears 148 of the above mesh with each other from the right angle direction. Rotary drive shaft 14
6 is coupled to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 150. When the electric motor 150 rotationally drives the rotary drive shaft 146 in a predetermined direction, the rotational driving force is transmitted from each screw gear 148 on the rotary shaft 146 side to the screw gear 144 on the transport shaft 136 side, and the transport rollers on each shaft 136. 138A and 138B move in a predetermined direction (the substrate G is transferred to the transport path 108).
It is designed to rotate in the direction of sending to the front).

In the substrate carrying-in section 110, the lift pins 120 for delivering the substrate are discretely erected or planted at predetermined intervals on an elevating plate 152 arranged horizontally under the transport path 108. Below the lift plate 152, a lift drive unit 154 including, for example, an air cylinder (not shown) is installed.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the lift drive unit 154 lifts the lift plate 152 to a predetermined height, the lift pins 1
20 projects through the gap between the shafts 136 onto the transfer path 108, and at the height position thereof, the substrate G can be received in a horizontal posture from an adjacent substrate transfer mechanism (not shown).

When the substrate G is transferred onto the lift pins 120, the elevator drive unit 154 lowers the elevator plate 152 to its original position as shown in FIG. The width of the transport path 108 (both ends in the width direction) is set on the transport rollers 138A and 138B, so that the substrate G
Are transferred in a horizontal posture on the transport path 108. The outer diameter of each of the transport rollers 138A and 138B is narrowed toward the inside (center side of the shaft), and one end of the substrate G is placed on the small diameter portion 139.

In FIG. 4, the developing solution supply nozzle DN and the rinsing solution supply nozzle RN are adapted to move above the transport path 108 in parallel with the transport path 108 by the nozzle scanning mechanisms SC _D and SC _R , respectively.

[0065] Figures 9 and 10, illustrating the configuration of an embodiment the nozzle scanning mechanism according _{SC (SC D, SC R)} . The nozzle scanning mechanism SC has a nozzle support 156 having an inverted U-shaped cross section for supporting the movable nozzles N (DN, RN).
A guide rail 158 (FIG. 9) for guiding the nozzle support 156 parallel to the transport path 108 above the transport path 108, and scanning for driving the nozzle support 156 so as to move along the guide rail 158. And a drive unit 160.

As shown in FIG. 10, the scan driver 160
Is, for example, one or more endless belts 162 coupled to the nozzle carrier 156 via one or more vertical support members 161, and guide rails 158 (FIG. 9).
Drive pulley 1 parallel to (that is, parallel to the transport path 108)
The drive pulley 164 is operatively connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 168 by bridging between the drive shaft 164 and the floating pulley 166. The rotational driving force of the electric motor 168 is the pulleys 164, 1
It is converted into a linear motion of the nozzle transport body 156 in the belt length direction (X direction) via 66 and the belt 162. By controlling the rotation speed of the electric motor 168, the rectilinear movement speed of the nozzle carrier 156 can be adjusted to a desired value, and by changing the rotation direction of the electric motor 168, the rectilinear movement direction of the nozzle carrier 156 can be switched. . In FIG. 10, for simplification of illustration,
The guide rail 158 is not shown.

In the nozzle transfer body 156, the elevating and lowering drive section 170 composed of an actuator such as an air cylinder is attached to the inner walls of the left and right side surfaces, respectively.
A horizontal support rod 172 made of, for example, a hollow tube is horizontally bridged between the pair of left and right lifting drive units 170. Then, a vertical support rod 174, which is formed of, for example, a hollow tube, extends vertically downward from the center of the horizontal support rod 172.
A movable nozzle N having a cylindrical shape is horizontally attached to the lower end of the with the discharge port n facing downward. The discharge ports n of the nozzles N may be formed in large numbers at regular intervals in the nozzle longitudinal direction within a range in which the processing liquid can be supplied substantially uniformly from one end to the other end of the substrate G in the width direction of the transfer path 108.

Inside the nozzle carrier 156, the movable nozzle N
The horizontal support rod 17 is driven by the lifting drive of the lifting drive unit 170.
2 and the vertical support rod 174, and can be moved up and down. Normally, the height position Ha for discharging the processing liquid toward the substrate G on the transfer path 108 and the transfer path during the time when the processing liquid is not discharged. It is adapted to move up and down with respect to a height position Hb for retracting from 108. A flexible processing liquid supply pipe 176 from a processing liquid supply source (not shown) installed outside the transport path 108 is drawn into one end of the horizontal support rod 172. The processing liquid supply pipe 176 passes through the horizontal support rod 172 and the vertical support rod 174, and the nozzle N
It is connected to the processing liquid introduction port.

As shown in FIG. 9, preferably, the transport path 1
A cover 178 having an inverted U-shaped cross section may be provided along the transport path 108 to shield the movable area (X direction and Z direction) of the movable nozzle N on the 08 from the outside. In the illustrated configuration example, the right and left side surfaces of the cover 178 are provided on the corresponding module M.
It hangs down to the upper ends of the left and right side walls or to the shaft leg member 140 to reduce the gap as much as possible. Cover 178
A slit (opening) 178a for passing the vertical support rod 174 may be formed on the upper surface or the ceiling of the. in this way,
By shielding or isolating the movable nozzle N from the scanning drive system by the cover 178, the processing liquid can be supplied from the movable nozzle N to the substrate G on the transfer path 108 in the processing space PS with less foreign matter inside the cover 178. There is.

11 to 14 show the structure of the sucking mechanism in the developing solution sucking section 126 of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 11, a rinse portion 114 on the downstream side is provided above the transport path 108 laid in the developer sucking portion 126.
A suction nozzle 202 is provided adjacent to, and a height detection sensor 200 is provided slightly upstream thereof.

The suction nozzle 202 extends horizontally in the width direction of the conveyance path 108, is arranged close to the conveyance path 108 with the ejection port 202a facing downward, and has a nozzle height adjusting section 204.
Thus, the height position of the discharge port 202a can be variably adjusted via the vertical support rod 206. Suction nozzle 2
A flexible eject pipe 207 communicating with an ejector device (not shown) composed of a pneumatic vacuum device is connected to 02.

A cylindrical suction roller 2 extending in the width direction of the transport path is provided immediately below the suction nozzle 202 with the transport path 108 interposed therebetween.
08 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 13, the suction roller 208 has a large number of ventilation holes 208a with a uniform distribution density on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. Both left and right end surfaces of the suction roller 208 are closed, and the hollow shaft or shaft 21
It is integrally connected to 0. The shaft 210 includes bearings 142A, 142B on the left and right side walls of the module M3.
It is rotatably bridged over. One end of the shaft 210 extending axially outward from the bearing 142A on one side is fixed to a screw gear 144 of the transport drive system. The shaft 21 extending axially outward from the bearing 142B on the opposite side
An exhaust pipe 212 is connected to the other end of 0. The exhaust pipe 212 communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 14, a large number of vent holes 210a are formed on the peripheral surface of the hollow shaft 210 inside the suction roller 208 with a uniform distribution density. In the lower half of the ring-shaped space 212 formed between the inner peripheral surface of the suction roller 208 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 210, the ventilation hole 2 is formed.
A shield plate 214 having an arc-shaped cross section for shielding 08a from the inside is loosely inserted. The shielding plate 214 is adapted to stay under the ring-shaped space 212 by its own gravity even when the suction roller 208 and the shaft 210 are rotating. In this way, the shielding plate 214 closes the lower half air holes 208a, so that the vacuum suction force spilling from the core of the suction roller 208, that is, the shaft 210 is concentrated on the upper half air holes 208a. .

The height position of the suction roller 208 is set so that the upper end of the roller is slightly lower than the level of the transport path 108 defined by the transport rollers 138 (138A, 138B). When the substrate G flows from the upstream side on the transport path 108, the suction roller 208 transports the back side of the substrate G to the downstream side by roller transport while adsorbing the back surface of the substrate G to the upper end surface of the roller. Thus, when the substrate G passes over the suction roller 208, the back surface of the substrate G is regulated to a constant height position following the outer peripheral surface of the roller 208, and the upper surface of the substrate (processed surface) is also the plate of the substrate. It is designed to have a flat surface at a height position according to the thickness.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a suction roller 208 'having the same structure, height position, and function as the suction roller 208 is sandwiched directly below the height detection sensor 200 with the conveyance path 108 interposed therebetween. It is arranged. The shaft 210 'of the suction roller 208' is also rotatably bridged over the bearings 142A, 142B on the left and right side walls of the module M3, and one end of the shaft 210 'extending axially outward from the bearing 142A on one side is Conveyor drive system screw gear 1
The exhaust pipe 21 is attached to the other end of the shaft 210 ′ which is fixed to the shaft 44 and extends axially outward from the bearing 142B on the opposite side.
2'is connected. This exhaust pipe 212 'also communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown). Substrate G on the transport path 108
When the roller passes beneath the height detection sensor 200, that is, when it passes directly above the suction roller 208 ′, the roller 20
The back surface of the substrate G is regulated to the same height position as when passing the roller 208 following the outer peripheral surface of 8 ′, and the upper surface of the substrate (processed surface) is also substantially flat at a height position corresponding to the thickness of the substrate. It is supposed to be regulated by the plane.

The height detecting sensor 200 is composed of, for example, a photoelectric proximity sensor or a distance detecting sensor, has a light emitting element, an objective lens, a reflected light detecting section, a photoelectric converting section, and the like, and has a center in the width direction of the conveyance path. It is fixedly arranged in a vertical direction upside down at a certain height position in the section. Sensor arithmetic control unit 210
Is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, controls the light emitting element of the height detection sensor 200, and, on the basis of the electric signal from the photoelectric conversion unit, the upper surface of the substrate G passing through the reference position in the sensor 200 and directly below the reference position, that is, the processed object The distance d1 from the surface (more accurately, the liquid level on the substrate G) is obtained, and the height position of the surface to be processed of the substrate G is obtained from the reference position and the distance d1.

The measured value of the distance interval d1 or the substrate height position obtained by the sensor calculation control unit 210 is given to the nozzle height adjustment unit 204. The nozzle height adjustment unit 204
It has an actuator (not shown) for finely adjusting the height position of the suction nozzle 202 via the vertical support rod 206, and based on the measurement value of the substrate height position from the sensor calculation control unit 210, Immediately after that, the distance d2 between the ejection port 202a of the suction nozzle 202 and the surface to be processed (liquid level) of the substrate G passing on the transport path 108 directly below (above the suction roller 208) is set to a set value (for example, 0.5 mm). To match.
As a result, the suction nozzle 202 makes the discharge port 202a as close as possible to the liquid surface of the developer Q deposited on the substrate without damaging the surface to be processed (resist surface) of the substrate G, and performs the development. The liquid Q can be efficiently sucked by vacuum suction. The developer sucked by the suction nozzle 202 is sent to the ejector device via the eject pipe 207 and then collected in a predetermined container.

Next, the operation of the developing unit (DEV) 94 will be described. As described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the substrate loading unit 110 receives the substrates G in units of one sheet from the adjacent substrate transport mechanism (not shown) and transports the transport path 10.
Reprinted in 8. The transport rollers 138A, 138B of the transport shaft 136 constituting the transport path 108 are rotated by the rotational drive force of the electric motor 150 via the transmission drive mechanism such as the rotary drive shaft 146 and the screw gears 148, 144 as described above. Therefore, the substrate G placed on the transport path 108 is immediately transported to the adjacent developing unit 112.

In the developing section 112, the substrate G is first carried into the developing solution supply section 124, and the developing solution is piled up by the developing solution supply nozzle DN during the roller conveyance. In this embodiment, the nozzle DN moves the conveying path 10 by the scanning drive of the nozzle scanning mechanism SC _D as described above with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
While moving horizontally along 8, the developing solution is dropped onto the upper surface (processed surface) of the substrate G being conveyed. This nozzle D
The developing solution that has fallen outside the substrate G when the developing solution is supplied to the substrate G by N is collected in a developing solution pan 130 installed below the transport path 108.

As shown in FIG. 15A, the transport path 10
Nozzle N while discharging the developing solution toward the substrate G on 8
The direction for scanning (DN) is set in the opposite direction to the substrate transfer direction.
If set, the nozzle scanning speed V_NAnd substrate transfer speed V_GWhen
Relative speed (V _N+ V_G) Nozzle N (D
N) scans from the front edge to the rear edge of the substrate G,
Even if the size of the board G is large, the board G can be
The developer may be spread over the entire surface to be processed (resist surface) of
it can.

The substrate G, to which the developing solution has been supplied to the entire surface to be processed by the developing solution supply section 124 as described above, rides on the transfer path 108 as it is and is carried into the adjacent developing solution suction section 126.

In the developer sucking section 126, when the front end of the substrate G comes directly under the height detection sensor 200, the suction roller 208 'sets the substrate G from the back side of the substrate G to a predetermined horizontal position at a horizontal position. Then, the height detection sensor 200 and the sensor calculation control unit 210 measure the height position of the liquid surface of the developing solution placed on the substrate G. Then, based on the measured value of the substrate height position, the downstream nozzle height adjusting unit 204 finely adjusts the height position of the suction nozzle 202.

When the substrate G comes directly under the suction nozzle 202, the suction roller 208 moves the back surface of the substrate to the suction roller 20.
Rolling is performed while setting it at the same horizontal height position as 8 '. The suction nozzle 202 opposes the transport direction of the developing solution Q on the substrate from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the substrate at an optimum distance d2 while keeping an optimum distance from the surface of the substrate G passing directly below. Scan in the direction and absorb. As mentioned above,
The developer sucked by the suction nozzle 202 is collected through the eject tube 207.

The substrate G, which has been supplied and collected with the developing solution as described above in the developing section 112, is carried into the rinsing section 114 along the transport path 108. The rinsing unit 114, the scan driver of the nozzle scanning mechanism SC _R as described above per FIGS. 9 and 10 are rinsing liquid supply nozzle RN conveying path 108
A rinsing liquid, such as pure water, is sprayed toward the upper surface (the surface to be processed) of the substrate G that is being transported while moving horizontally along the direction.
The rinse liquid that has fallen out of the substrate G is collected in the rinse liquid pan 132 installed below the transport path 108.

Since most of the developer filled in the developer supply section 124 as described above is sucked and collected by the suction nozzle 202 in the developer sucking section 126, the rinse section 11
4 is low, and therefore the rate of mixing into the rinse liquid pan 132 is low. Moreover, since the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate G immediately after the developer is absorbed, the replacement with the rinse liquid (development stop) can be performed quickly.

Also in the rinse section 114, as shown in FIG. 15A, the direction in which the nozzle RN is scanned while the developing solution is discharged toward the substrate G on the transfer path 108 is set to the opposite direction to the substrate transfer direction. You can do it. Thus, it becomes possible to scan at a relative speed nozzle RN is the sum of the nozzle scanning speed V _N and the substrate transport speed V _G (V _N + V _G) from the front end of the substrate G to the rear end, the size of the substrate G Even if it is large, the rinse liquid can be supplied to the entire surface to be processed (resist surface) of the substrate G within a very short time, and the replacement with the rinse liquid (stop development) can be quickly performed. A rinse liquid supply nozzle (not shown) for cleaning the back surface of the substrate G may be provided below the transport path 108.

The substrate G, which has been subjected to the above-described rinsing process in the rinsing unit 114, rides on the transport path 108 and is dried in the drying unit 116.
Be delivered to. In the drying unit 116, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower air knives EN installed at a predetermined position with respect to the substrate G transported on the transport path 108 has a knife-shaped sharp edge on the upper surface (processed surface) and the back surface of the substrate. By applying a gas flow such as air, the liquid (mainly the rinse liquid) adhering to the substrate G is blown off (removed) to the rear of the substrate.

The substrate G that has been drained by the drying unit 116 is sent to the substrate unloading unit 118 along the transport path 108 as it is. The substrate carry-out unit 118 has the same configuration as the substrate carry-in unit 110, and operates in the same manner as the substrate carry-in unit 110 except that the substrate carrying directions are opposite between carrying-in and carrying-out. That is, the lift pins 122 for transferring the substrate are connected to the transport path 108.
The substrate G on the upstream side (drying unit 1
16) Waiting for the flow from the substrate G, the board G lift pin 1
When it reaches a predetermined position immediately above 22, the lift pin 122 is pushed upward to lift the substrate G in a horizontal posture, and the substrate G is transferred to an adjacent substrate transfer mechanism (not shown).

In the developing unit (DEV) 94, the developing section 112 and the rinsing section 114 have separate pans 13 respectively.
By providing 0 and 132, it is possible to separately collect the processing liquids (developing liquid and rinsing liquid) that have fallen below the transport path 108. Further, in the developing unit 112, the developer supply unit 12
The developing solution deposited on the substrate G in 4 is safely and efficiently sucked and recovered in a state close to the stock solution without stopping the substrate G in the developing solution sucking section 126 located immediately downstream.

The rinse portion 114 may also be provided with a rinse liquid suction portion corresponding to the developer suction portion 126.
Thereby, the rinse liquid can be efficiently drained from the substrate G immediately after the rinse step in a short time, and at the same time, the recovery rate can be increased.

In the developing unit (DEV) 94, a large number of substrates G are conveyed in a line at a predetermined interval on the conveying path 108, and the developing solution supplying section 124, the developing solution sucking section 126, and the rinsing section 114 are carried out. Further, each processing is sequentially performed in the drying section 116, so that it is possible to realize a high-efficiency or high-throughput development processing step by a pipeline method.

In particular, in the developing solution supplying section 124 and the rinsing section 114, the nozzles DN and RN for supplying the processing solution (developing solution and rinsing solution) to the substrate G on the carrying path 108 are carried above the carrying path 108. By scanning along the path 108, even if the size of the substrate G is large and the transfer speed of the transfer path 108 is not high, the processing liquid is uniformly supplied to the entire surface to be processed of the substrate in a short time. It is possible to
In particular, in the developing solution supply step, the time difference of the processing solution supply between one end (front end) and the other end (rear end) in the transport direction of the substrate G, that is, the time difference of the start of development can be shortened as much as possible. The in-plane uniformity of development quality on the substrate can be improved.

The nozzle scanning mechanism SC of this embodiment
Since the nozzle N is configured to be capable of bidirectionally scanning along the transport path 108, the surface to be processed of the substrate G is scanned while the nozzle N is scanned in the direction opposite to the substrate transport direction as shown in FIG. It is also possible to supply the treatment liquid Q to the whole. In this case, it is necessary to set the nozzle scanning speed V _N 'to a speed higher than the substrate transfer speed V _G.

The scannable area of each movable nozzle N on the transport path 108 may be set in a range exceeding one module M, and adjacent movable nozzles may be able to get into the common guide rail. It is possible.

In the above embodiment, the paddle type developing is performed. However, it is easy to change to the spray system, and the developer supply nozzle DN in the developer supply unit 124 may be replaced with a spray-type discharge structure from a liquid-filled type. In the spray method, the developer supply unit 124
It is preferable to provide a pre-wet portion in the preceding stage, and supply a pre-wet liquid, for example, pure water, to the surface to be processed of the substrate G there. From the standpoint of separating and collecting the processing liquid, it is preferable to provide a dedicated pan (pre-wet liquid pan) in the pre-wet portion under the transport path 108, which is separate from the developer supply portion 124. It is preferable to provide a pre-wet liquid suction portion corresponding to the developer suction portion 126 on the downstream side.

In the above-described embodiment, the developing solution is efficiently collected from the substrate G before being carried into the rinse section 114 by the developing solution sucking section 126 arranged at the downstream side of the developing section 112. Such a developer sucking section 1
26, an air knife mechanism as shown in FIG. 16 may be provided near the boundary between the developing section 112 and the rinse section 114. In FIG. 16, the air knife FN
Has a myriad of air ejection openings or slit-shaped air ejection openings that extend from one end of the substrate W to the other in the width direction of the transport path 108, and the substrate G that passes by (directly below) at a predetermined position. A sharp knife-like gas stream (typically an air stream or a nitrogen gas stream) is applied to. As a result, while the substrate G passes through the air knife FN, the developing solution Q on the substrate is swept up to the rear end side of the substrate and is wiped out of the substrate.

The sucking mechanism in the above-described embodiment is a method of sucking the liquid on the substrate by bringing the vacuum type suction nozzle 202 close to the surface of the substrate on the transfer path 108 to be processed. Instead of such a suction nozzle system,
It is also possible to use a sponge roller to adsorb the liquid on the substrate to the sponge and suck it up.

17 and 18 show an example of a sponge roller suction method. In this configuration example, for example, PVC
The cylindrical sponge roller 212 made of a (polyvinyl chloride) porous body is adjacent to the conveying roller 1 in the conveying direction.
It is arranged horizontally in the width direction of the conveyance path 108 at an intermediate position of 38, and can be moved up and down by a pair of left and right vertical support rods 216 by a roller elevating and lowering support unit 214 installed above, and the vertical support rods 216 A pair of left and right bearings 218 fixed to the lower end
It is rotatably supported by.

When the substrate G passes by the sponge roller 212 on the transport path 108, the sponge roller 212 rotates while contacting the surface to be processed of the substrate G at the suction position Pa set on the transport path 108. Then, the liquid Q on the substrate G is relatively rolled from end to end in the direction opposite to the transport direction to adsorb and suck the liquid Q on the substrate.

Immediately after the substrate G passes, the roller elevating / lowering support unit 214 lowers the sponge roller 212 to the predetermined squeezing position Pb set below the conveying path 108. At this squeezing position Pb, the sponge roller 212 is pressed against the shaft roller 220 that is arranged diagonally below and adjacent thereto.

The shaft roller 220 is rotated by the drive of an electric motor (not shown), and rotates while pressing the sponge roller 212 inward in the radial direction to squeeze the liquid Q out of the sponge roller 212. The liquid Q squeezed out of the sponge roller 212 is received and collected in a pan (not shown) immediately below. Before the subsequent substrate G flows, the squeezing operation is terminated and the sponge roller 212 is returned to the suction position Pa on the transport path 108.

19 and 20 show another structural example of the sponge roller suction method. In this configuration example, the core of the sponge roller 222 or the shaft 222a is provided with a large number of through holes 22.
And a hollow shaft 222 having a hollow shaft 222.
The inside of a is connected to an ejector device (not shown) of a vacuum system via an eject pipe 224. The roller rotation drive unit 226 includes a drive belt 228 and a pulley 230.
A rotational driving force is applied to the roller shaft 222a via the roller shaft 222a to rotate the sponge roller 222 at the suction position according to the conveying speed.

When the substrate G on the transport path 108 passes under the sponge roller 222, the roller rotation drive unit 226.
Driven by, the sponge roller 222 relatively rolls from end to end on the substrate G in the direction opposite to the transport direction, and sucks and absorbs the liquid Q on the substrate. The liquid Q adsorbed by the sponge roller 222 is sucked into the hollow shaft 222a by the vacuum suction force from the ejector device, and is collected through the eject pipe 224. In this method, since the vacuum suction force enhances the suction force of the sponge roller 222, even if the contact pressure of the sponge roller 222 with respect to the substrate G is small, or even in a substantially non-contact state, the liquid on the substrate is effectively Can be sucked up (sucked up). Further, since the liquid immediately after being sucked can be immediately collected from the sponge roller 222 at the sucking position, the sucking force can be kept constant.

Also in the sponge roller suction method as described above, the conveying roller 138 adjacent to the sponge rollers 212 and 222 may be constituted by the suction roller 208 similar to the above embodiment, and the substrate height sensor 200 on the upstream side. Sponge rollers 212, 2 by measuring the height position of the substrate by
The squeezing position of 22 may be finely adjusted.

The configuration of each part in the above-described embodiment is an example, and various modifications can be made to parts other than the suction mechanism. For example, the configurations of the nozzle support 156, the scan driving unit 160, and the like in the nozzle scanning mechanism SC can be arbitrarily modified. Alternatively, the developing solution nozzle DN and the rinse solution nozzle RN can be configured as stationary nozzles.

In the above-described embodiment, the roller conveying type conveying path 108 is constructed by horizontally laying a pair of conveying rollers 138A and 138B fixed to the rotatable shaft 136 at a predetermined interval. In such a roller transport type transport path, a substrate transport roller may be attached at an intermediate position between both transport rollers 138A and 138B. It is also possible to divide the drive system of the transport path 108 into a plurality in the transport direction and independently control the transport operation (speed, stop, etc.) on each of the split transport paths. Further, a belt-conveying type conveying path in which a pair of belts are laid horizontally in a certain interval is also possible. Needless to say, the developing unit 112 and the rinsing unit 114 may process the substrate not only in the horizontal state but in the inclined state.

Although the above-described embodiment relates to the developing device, the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing device other than the developing device. For example, in the coating and developing processing system as described above, a scrubber cleaning unit ( SCR) 42
It is also applicable to. That is, a cleaning mechanism similar to that of the above-described embodiment is provided on the conveying path of the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 at a stage subsequent to the blow cleaning section to efficiently drain or recover the cleaning liquid remaining on the substrate G. You can

The substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to the LCD substrate, but includes any substrate to which development processing can be applied.

[0109]

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the processing liquid supplied to the substrate to be processed is efficiently drained in a single time on the horizontally laid transfer path, and further, the processing liquid is increased. It can also be separated and collected in terms of purity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a coating and developing treatment system to which a developing treatment apparatus of the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a thermal processing unit in the coating and developing processing system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the coating and developing processing system.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the developing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a configuration around a substrate carry-in section and a pre-wet section in the developing unit.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the configuration around the substrate loading unit and the pre-wet unit in the developing unit.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration and operation (substrate transfer) of the substrate loading unit in the developing unit.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration and action (transfer of substrate) of the substrate loading unit.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of a nozzle scanning mechanism in the developing unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the scanning mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing the configuration of the developer sucking section in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration around the height position sensor in the developer sucking section of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration around the suction sensor in the developing solution suction section of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged front view, partly in section, showing the structure around the suction nozzle in the developer suction section of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic front view showing the action of nozzle scanning in the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the air knife in the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the configuration around the sponge roller in the developer sucking section of the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration around the sponge roller in the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the configuration around the sponge roller in the developer sucking section of the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the configuration around the sponge roller in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Coating and developing system 16 (P / S) process station 32 Coating Process Department 94 Coating unit 108 transport path 112 Development Department 114 Rinse 116 Drying section 124 Developer Supply Unit 126 Developer Absorption Portion 130 developer pan 132 Rinse pan 138 (138A, 138B) Transport rollers 200 height detection sensor 202 suction nozzle 204 Nozzle height adjustment unit 208,208 'suction roller 210 Sensor calculation control unit 212,212 'Sponge roller 220 shaft roller 224 eject tube

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H096 AA27 AA28 GA24 GA25 GA26                 4F042 AA02 AA06 AB00 CB00 CC03                       CC09 CC28 CC30 DA01 DA08                       DF19 ED05 ED12                 5F031 CA05 FA02 FA13 GA47 GA49                       GA53 JA45 MA06 MA23                 5F046 LA11 LA19

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A transport path in which a transport body for horizontally placing and transporting a substrate to be processed is laid in a horizontal direction, and a transport for driving the transport body to transport the substrate on the transport path. A driving unit; a processing liquid supply unit including one or a plurality of nozzles for supplying a predetermined processing liquid to a surface to be processed of the substrate on the transfer path; and a substrate at a first position on the transfer path. A substrate processing apparatus having a sucking means for sucking a liquid from a surface to be processed. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid collecting unit for collecting the liquid that has fallen below the transport path. 3. The first and second liquid collecting means for collecting the liquids that have fallen below the transport path in first and second sections that are set adjacent to each other in the front and rear of the transport path, respectively. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second liquid collecting section. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing liquid supply unit includes first and second nozzles arranged in the first and second sections, respectively. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sucking means sucks the liquid on the substrate supplied in the first section before entering the second section. 6. The suction means includes first substrate height regulating means for regulating the substrate to a first height in a width direction of the transportation path near a first position on the transportation path.
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of 5 to 5. 7. The suction nozzle, wherein the suction means extends at a position higher than the transport path by a predetermined level in the width direction of the transport path with a suction port toward the transport path, and the suction nozzle 1st for sucking and collecting the liquid existing near the suction port by vacuum suction
7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vacuum means. 8. The substrate is regulated to a second height corresponding to the first height in the width direction of the transport path at a second position upstream of the first position on the transport path. Second substrate height regulating means, substrate height measuring means for measuring the height of the surface to be processed of the substrate at the second position, and the suction nozzle according to the measurement result of the substrate height measuring means 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising nozzle height adjusting means for variably adjusting the height position of the nozzle. 9. A transfer path width at a predetermined height position lower than the transfer path so that at least one of the first or second substrate height regulating means faces the back surface of the substrate on the transfer path. A rotatable hollow cylindrical roller having a plurality of ventilation holes extending in the direction, a roller driving means for rotating the roller, and a hollow having a plurality of ventilation holes fixedly arranged coaxially in the roller. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a cylindrical body; and a second vacuum unit that is connected to an inner space of the hollow cylindrical body and that applies a vacuum suction force. 10. The shielding member for shielding the ventilation hole located in the lower half of the roller or a region in the vicinity thereof from the outside in the gap between the hollow cylindrical body and the roller. The substrate processing apparatus described. 11. A sponge roller that rotates while contacting or adjoining the surface to be processed of the substrate on the transfer path in a line shape in the transfer path width direction, and a liquid adsorbed by the sponge roller outside The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a collecting means for taking out and collecting. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the recovery means includes a squeezing means for squeezing the liquid from the inside by applying a pressure inward in the radial direction to the peripheral surface of the sponge roller. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the recovery unit includes a third vacuum unit that applies a vacuum suction force to the core of the sponge roller.