JP2003068702A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the liquid from splashing up the stream, which becomes a problem in a liquid film processing before shower processing. SOLUTION: At an inlet to a processing chamber, a slit nozzle 33 is provided for jetting the liquid in the form of a film over the whole width of a substrate 100. A shield 33b is provided on the slit nozzle 33 to prevent the liquid through the nozzle 33 from splashing to the inlet. This shield 33b is mounted obliquely near the nozzle crossing the direction of the jetted liquid, and also doubles as a guide plate to deflect the liquid away from the inlet.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a carrier type substrate processing apparatus used for manufacturing glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A glass substrate used in a liquid crystal display device is manufactured by repeatedly subjecting a surface of a glass substrate, which is a raw material, to chemical treatment such as etching and peeling. The processing equipment is roughly classified into a dry type and a wet type, and the wet type is further divided into a batch type and a single-wafer type. Further, the single-wafer type is subdivided into a rotating type and a conveying type such as roller conveying.

Of these substrate processing apparatuses, the transfer type apparatus has a basic structure in which the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate while the substrate is transferred in a substantially horizontal direction, and it is more efficient than before. It is used for etching and stripping.

In a transfer type substrate processing apparatus used for etching, an etching solution is jetted from a large number of spray nozzles arranged in a matrix above a substrate transfer line, and the substrate is passed through the etching solution. Thus, the etching liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate. By this shower treatment, the surface of the substrate is selectively etched except for the portion coated with the masking material. After the etching is finished, a shower cleaning process is performed. The stripping treatment basically has the same structure.

[0005]

By the way, in the glass substrate for liquid crystal display devices, the size of the substrate is increasing and the circuit definition is increasing. Cr was often used as a wiring material for the substrate, but with the recent trend toward higher definition, conversion to Al or Al / Mo having a smaller specific resistance value has been attempted. Therefore, even in the transport type substrate processing apparatus for etching, the Al etching solution has started to be used, but it has been found that the use of this etching solution causes the following problems.

The Al etching solution has a higher viscosity than the Cr etching solution and has poor wettability with respect to the surface of the glass substrate. Further, it is higher than the etching rate of Cr by the Cr etching solution. For this reason, the portion where the fine droplets of the etching liquid collide with the dry surface at the start of the shower process becomes the process unevenness, and the part does not disappear even in the subsequent shower process and remains as the process unevenness after the etching.

In order to eliminate this process unevenness, a liquid film process of passing the substrate through the film of the etching solution ejected from the slit nozzle before the shower process is effective. When the substrate is passed through the etching liquid film, the surface of the substrate is evenly wetted. Once wet evenly, even if a shower process is subsequently performed, process unevenness due to the droplets does not occur.

Also in the water washing process following the etching, the liquid film process of passing the substrate through the film of the washing water ejected from the slit nozzle before the shower process is effective for rapid liquid replacement. There is.

However, in these liquid film treatments prior to the shower treatment, since the treatment liquid strongly collides with the surface of the substrate, the treatment liquid may diffuse on the surface of the substrate or the like and enter the treatment portion on the upstream side. is there. If the etching solution enters the processing section on the upstream side, problems such as corrosion will occur. In addition, the loss of the etching solution increases and the cost of the solution increases. When the cleaning water enters the processing section on the upstream side, that is, the etching section, the etching solution is diluted and cannot be circulated for reuse, so that the cost of the solution also increases.

This problem can be solved by increasing the distance from the slit nozzle to the processing section on the inlet side, but there is a problem that the equipment becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing liquid scattering to the upstream side, which is a problem in liquid film processing prior to shower processing.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention conveys a substrate in a substantially horizontal direction and passes it through a plurality of processing sections, and each processing section transfers the substrate to the surface of the substrate. In a transfer type substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid, a liquid film type slit nozzle for ejecting the processing liquid in a film shape over the entire width direction of a substrate at an inlet portion of at least one processing portion of a plurality of processing portions. And a shield member for preventing the processing liquid ejected from the slit nozzle from scattering toward the inlet side is provided in the slit nozzle.

The slit nozzle preferably has a structure capable of changing the ejection direction of the processing liquid. With this configuration, the processing liquid can be jetted while being inclined in the traveling direction of the substrate, and the liquid scattering to the upstream side can be more effectively prevented.

The shield member is attached in the vicinity of the jetting outlet of the processing liquid so as to cross the jetting direction at an angle, and also serves as a guide plate for turning the jetting liquid away from the inlet. From the point of, it is preferable.

The slit nozzle is combined with the entrance side of the shower unit for supplying the processing liquid to the entire surface of the substrate from a plurality of spray nozzles arranged in the direction of travel of the substrate and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel. Particularly effective.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is applicable to an etching apparatus, but also to a peeling apparatus. In the etching apparatus, the slit nozzle is effective for the etching section and the water washing section. The stripping device is configured to supply the stripping solution to the surface of the substrate and then wash the surface with water.However, between the stripping section supplying the stripping solution and the washing section, the replacement section may or may not be sandwiched. is there. The replacement portion is a portion that replaces the stripping solution on the surface of the substrate with a chemical solution that does not cause a problem once the stripping solution causes a problem when mixed with water. The slit nozzle in the peeling device is effective for the peeling part and the water washing part, but when the replacement part is sandwiched between them, it is also effective for this replacement part.

Examples of the stripping solution that causes problems when mixed with water include MEA (monoethanolamine) or a mixed solution of MEA and DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide). MEA becomes a strong alkali when mixed with water,
Damage equipment. On the other hand, the aqueous stripper does not cause a problem and does not require replacement. As the replacement liquid, DMSO is usually used for the above-mentioned two types of stripping liquids. IPA (isoprene alcohol) or the like may be used for other stripping solutions.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a horizontal transfer type substrate processing apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the same substrate processing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view of a slit nozzle arranged in the main part. It is a figure.

The horizontal transfer type substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is
Glass substrate 100 for liquid crystal display device (hereinafter simply referred to as substrate 100
It is used for the Al etching treatment of (refer to). As shown in FIG. 1, this substrate processing apparatus has a linear first line A, a second line B connected to the first line A at a right angle, and a second line B connected at a right angle to the first line A. A U-turn type layout is used in which a third line C arranged in parallel with the above is combined.

The first line A is formed by linearly connecting the receiving portion 10, the liquid barrier portion 20, and the etching portion 30. The second line B is the water washing section 40. The third line C is configured by linearly connecting the transfer device 50, the spin dryer 60, the transfer device 70, and the take-out section 80.

The first line A and the second line B are the substrate 1
In order to convey 00 in the longitudinal direction of the line, a large number of conveying rollers arranged in parallel in the conveying direction at predetermined intervals are provided. Each transport roller is a horizontal roll that is perpendicular to the transport direction. At the second line B, that is, at the inlet of the washing section 40, the substrate 100
A turning mechanism 41 is provided for changing the traveling direction of 90 degrees.

Substrate 100 subjected to Al etching treatment
Are carried into the receiving unit 10 by the carrying device 90.
The substrate 100 enters the etching section 30 from the liquid blocking section 20 by the roller conveyance, and undergoes the etching process while passing therethrough. The substrate 100 that has passed through the etching unit 30 continues to enter the water washing unit 40 by roller conveyance, moves the water washing unit 40 by changing the traveling direction by 90 degrees,
During the transfer, it is washed with water.

The substrate 10 moved to the outlet of the washing section 40
0 is transported from the water washing unit 40 to the spin dryer 60 by the transfer device 50. The substrate 100, which has been dried by the spin dryer 60, is transferred to the spin dryer 6 by the transfer device 70.
The sheet is conveyed from 0 to the take-out section 80, and further conveyed out of the apparatus by the conveying device 90.

In the horizontal transfer type substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the etching section 30 and the water washing section 40 have particularly great characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 2, the etching section 30 is
A large number of transport rollers 31 that transport the substrate 100 in the horizontal direction.
The slit nozzle 33 and the shower unit 34 are provided above the transfer line of the substrate 100 to supply the etching liquid to the surface of the substrate 100.
They are provided in order along the traveling direction of 0. Further, in order to remove the etching liquid from the surface of the substrate 100, the slit type air nozzle 36 is provided in the shower unit 34.
It is located behind.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport roller 31 has a horizontal drive shaft 31a and large-diameter support rollers 31b attached at a plurality of axial positions of the drive shaft 31a. The support rollers 31b are arranged at three positions on both side edges and the central part of the substrate 100 here, and the substrate 10 is provided at the three positions.
0 is supported horizontally and moved.

The slit nozzle 33 is a horizontal horizontal nozzle that is perpendicular to the direction of travel of the substrate 100, and is arranged immediately in front of the shower unit 34 at the entrance of the etching section 30. This slit nozzle 33 is made of Al
Main body 33a for ejecting the etching solution for film as a film
And a shield member 33b attached to the tip of the nozzle body 33a.

In the nozzle body 33a, the etching liquid supplied from the supply pipe 33c is supplied from the slit 33d to the substrate 100.
It is supplied linearly over the entire width in a part of the surface of the advancing direction. The front and rear surfaces of the tip portion of the nozzle body 33a are inclined so that the tip portion becomes thinner toward the tip. Then, so that the inclination angle of the slit 33d with respect to the horizontal plane can be changed,
The nozzle body 33a is supported so as to be rotatable around the vicinity of the tip.

The shield member 33b is composed of the nozzle body 33a.
Is a plate material having a width that is substantially the same as the width of, and is made of PVC or the like that is resistant to etching. This shield member 33b is
It is attached to the tip portion of the nozzle body 33a inclining to the traveling direction of the substrate 100, and more specifically, attached to the inclined front surface of the tip portion with a bolt 33e so as to cross the tip side of the slit 33d obliquely. Has been. As a result, the etching liquid ejected in a film form from the slit 33d collides with the shield member 33b, and the shield member 33b.
The direction is changed to the traveling direction of the substrate 100 along the surface of b. That is, the shield member 33b also serves as a guide plate for the etching liquid here.

The shower unit 34 is provided with a large number of spray nozzles 34a arranged in a matrix (including a staggered pattern) at predetermined intervals in a horizontal direction parallel to the moving direction of the substrate 100 and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the moving direction. The etching liquid for Al is sprayed on a wider area than the surface of the substrate 10.

A large number of spray nozzles 34a are provided on the substrate 10.
0 parallel to each other in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction
It is attached to a plurality of header tubes 34b extending in the traveling direction of 0 with the downward direction. Each spray nozzle 34a is
The etching liquid for Al is made into fine droplets and ejected in a conical shape, and the ejection ranges of the respective nozzles are overlapped between adjacent nozzles. The supply amount of the etching liquid here is set so that sufficient liquid replacement is performed on the surface of the substrate 100.

The slit type air nozzle 36 is arranged at the outlet of the etching section 30, and the etching liquid is removed from the surface of the substrate 10 by blowing the air linearly over a part of the traveling direction of the surface of the substrate 10. To do.

The water washing section 40 changes the traveling direction of the substrate 100 by 9
A turning mechanism 41 for changing 0 degree and a large number of conveying rollers following the turning mechanism 41 are provided, and a slit nozzle 42 and a shower unit 43 are provided above them for spraying surface cleaning water on the substrate 100. There is.

The slit nozzle 42 is arranged in the inlet portion of the water washing section 40, particularly in the vicinity of the connection portion with the etching section 30. The slit nozzle 42 has a structure in which a shield member is attached to the nozzle body that jets the cleaning water in the form of a film, like the slit nozzle 33 arranged at the entrance of the etching 30.

A plurality of shower units 43 are arranged along the traveling direction of the substrate 100. Similar to the shower unit 34 provided in the etching unit 30, each shower unit 43 has a matrix shape (including a staggered shape) at predetermined intervals in a horizontal direction parallel to the traveling direction of the substrate 100 and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the traveling direction. Substrate 10 that spouts cleaning water from a large number of spray nozzles arranged in a row and passes below
Wash water is sprayed onto the surface of 0 from above.

In the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment having such a structure, the substrate 100 that has entered the etching section 30 from the liquid blocking section 20 is first etched for Al ejected from the nozzle body 33a of the slit nozzle 33. The liquid passes through the liquid film, and the etching liquid is sequentially supplied onto the surface from the tip. Then, the Al etching liquid is passed through the Al etching liquid ejected from the shower unit 34, the Al etching liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate 100, and predetermined etching is performed.

When the etching liquid for Al is suddenly showered on the dry surface of the substrate 100, the portion that first receives the droplets remains as process unevenness, but it passes through the film of the etching liquid in advance and the By uniformly supplying the etching liquid to the substrate, the process unevenness caused by the showering process of the etching liquid can be prevented.

Here, the Al etching liquid ejected from the nozzle body 33a of the slit nozzle 33 is the substrate 10
Nozzle main body 3
By the shield member 33b attached to 3a, the scattering to the upstream side is prevented, the jetting direction of the etching liquid is changed to the traveling direction of the substrate 100, and the etching liquid collides obliquely from the front with the surface of the substrate 100. Because of these
Scattering of the etching liquid to the upstream side is effectively prevented, and corrosion by the etching liquid in the upstream equipment is prevented.
Moreover, the loss of the etching solution is avoided.

The substrate 100 passing under the shower unit 34 passes under the air nozzle 36, and after the etching liquid is removed from the surface of the substrate 100, the substrate 100 enters the water washing section 40. When entering the water washing unit 40, the substrate 100 passes below the slit nozzle 42. By passing below the slit nozzle 42, the surface is instantly replaced with the cleaning liquid from the chemical liquid, and the etching is stopped.

The cleaning water jetted from the nozzle body of the slit nozzle 42 collides strongly with the surface of the substrate 100 and is scattered. However, since the nozzle body is provided with a liquid guide, it is scattered to the etching section 30. Effectively suppressed.
Therefore, in the etching unit 30, the cleaning water is prevented from entering the etching liquid.

The substrate 100 that has passed under the slit nozzle 42 and has entered the water washing section 40, after changing its direction, passes through the washing water ejected from the shower unit 43 and undergoes a predetermined washing process.

In the slit nozzle, the inclination angle θ1 of the shield member with respect to the center line of the nozzle body is preferably 15 to 45 degrees. If this inclination angle is small, it may not be possible to sufficiently prevent the liquid from scattering toward the inlet side. On the contrary, if this inclination angle is large, there is a possibility that the liquid supply to the substrate surface may be hindered.

The inclination angle of the center line of the nozzle body with respect to the substrate surface is preferably ± 30 degrees or less, which is represented by the forward inclination angle θ2 toward the upstream with respect to the vertical line. If this inclination angle is small, the installation space is small. On the contrary, when this inclination angle is large, the installation space becomes large and the equipment increases.

Although the substrate processing apparatus of the above-mentioned embodiment is an Al etching apparatus, it can be applied to other etching apparatuses, and is not limited to the etching apparatus and can be applied to a peeling apparatus or the like. When applied to a peeling device, it is effective to provide a slit nozzle with a shield member in the peeling portion and the water washing portion, and when a replacement portion is sandwiched between the two, a slit nozzle with a shield member is also provided in the replacement portion. Is effective.

By providing the slit nozzle with the shield member at the entrance of the peeling section, scattering of the peeling solution to the upstream side is prevented, and corrosion by the peeling solution in the upstream equipment is prevented. Loss of stripper is avoided.
Further, by providing the slit nozzle with the shield member at the inlet portion of the replacement portion, the replacement liquid is prevented from scattering to the upstream peeling portion, and the replacement water is prevented from being mixed into the peeling liquid at the peeling portion. In the replacement section, wasteful consumption of the replacement liquid is prevented. Further, by providing the slit nozzle with the shield member at the inlet of the water washing section, it is possible to prevent the washing water from entering the peeling section or the replacing section, and to avoid the loss due to the dilution of the peeling solution or the replacement solution.

[0046]

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with the slit nozzle for ejecting the processing liquid in the form of a film over the entire width direction of the substrate at the entrance portion of the processing section, so that the chemical processing is performed. It is possible to prevent uneven processing in the part, and to quickly stop the chemical treatment in the water washing part following the chemical treatment part. Further, by providing the slit nozzle with a shield member that prevents the processing liquid ejected from the slit nozzle from scattering toward the inlet side, liquid scattering to the upstream side, which is a problem in liquid film processing using the slit nozzle, is prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem of facility corrosion due to the chemical solution and the problem of increase in the cost of the chemical solution due to mixing of cleaning water with the chemical solution.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transfer type substrate processing apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a slit nozzle provided in the main part.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Reception Department 20 Liquid protection part 30 Etching part 31 Conveyor roller 33 slit nozzle 33a Nozzle body 33b Shield member 34 shower unit 34a spray nozzle 34b header tube 36 Air nozzle 40 Water Wash Department 41 Turning mechanism 42 slit nozzle 43 shower unit 50,70 Transfer device 60 spin dryer 80 Takeout part 90 Conveyor 100 substrates

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Akira Sekiguchi             Sumitomo Precision Works 1-10 Fuso-cho, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture             Business F-term (reference) 5F043 AA24 EE07 EE09 EE36                 5F046 MA10

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A transport-type substrate processing apparatus for transporting a substrate in a substantially horizontal direction to allow the substrate to pass through a plurality of processing units and supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate at each processing unit. A liquid film type slit nozzle for ejecting a treatment liquid in a film shape over the entire width direction of the substrate is provided at the inlet portion of at least one treatment portion to prevent the treatment liquid ejected from the slit nozzle from being scattered toward the inlet side. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a shield member for controlling the slit nozzle is provided on the slit nozzle. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slit nozzle is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis in order to change the ejection direction of the processing liquid. 3. The shield member is mounted in the vicinity of the jet outlet of the processing liquid so as to obliquely intersect the jet direction, and also serves as a guide plate for turning the jet liquid away from the inlet. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. 4. A shower unit is provided on the exit side of the slit nozzle to supply the treatment liquid to the entire surface of the substrate from a plurality of spray nozzles arranged in the traveling direction of the substrate and in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3. 5. The plurality of processing units include an etching unit and a water washing unit, and the etching unit and the water washing unit are equipped with the slit nozzle at an inlet portion.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 2, 3 or 4. 6. The plurality of processing units include a peeling unit and a water washing unit, and the peeling unit and the water washing unit are equipped with the slit nozzle at an inlet portion thereof.
The substrate processing apparatus according to. 7. The plurality of processing parts include a peeling part, a replacing part and a water washing part, and the peeling part, the replacing part and the water washing part are equipped with the slit nozzles at their inlets. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to 3 or 4.