JP2003112083A - Coating equipment and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide coating equipment which suppresses the adhesion of a coating liquid at the front end of a coating liquid discharge nozzle, and a method using the equipment. SOLUTION: The resist discharge nozzle 73 used in the resist coating unit (COT), for example, on a semiconductor wafer W has a tubular body 88 formed at its front end of a discharge port 87. The discharge port 87 flares toward the front end from the deep part of a straight tubular shape, and the viscosity and discharge rate of the resist are controlled so as to prevent the end of the tubular body 88 from wetting with the resist, by which the solidification of the resist at the end of the tubular body 88 and the clogging of solids particles are prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating processing apparatus and a coating processing method for forming a coating film such as a resist film or an interlayer insulating film on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a so-called photolithography technique is used to form a predetermined circuit pattern on the surface of a semiconductor wafer.
In this photolithography process, for example, a series of processes is performed in which a photoresist solution is applied to a cleaned semiconductor wafer to form a resist film, the resist film is exposed in a predetermined pattern, and this is developed. ing.

As a method of forming a resist film, for example,
The semiconductor wafer is fixed to a spin chuck, and then a predetermined amount of resist solution is applied to the surface of the wafer using a resist solution discharge nozzle having a tube body with a constant diameter of a flow path of the resist solution provided at the tip. Examples include a method of applying the resist solution, rotating the spin chuck to spread the resist solution over the entire wafer to adjust to a predetermined film thickness, and then subjecting the wafer to a predetermined heat treatment (baking treatment).

In recent years, as semiconductor devices have been highly integrated and miniaturized, it is possible to form a circuit pattern having a line width narrower than before by using light of a short wavelength such as KrF line, ArF line, and F ₂ line. As a resist solution,
A material having photosensitivity matching such an exposure wavelength, for example, an ArF resist or the like is used.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, ArF
The resist has a property that it is easier to dry and more easily crystallizes (solidifies) than a conventional resist solution for i-line or g-line. For this reason, the resist liquid adheres to and crystallizes on the end surface of the tube body provided at the tip of the resist liquid discharge nozzle, and the crystals become particles, or mix with the resist liquid during discharge of the resist liquid and reach the wafer surface. Dropped. This causes defects in the formed resist film.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a form of discharging the resist liquid from the straight tubular body 101. Since the inner diameter of the tube 101 is constant, the diameter of the discharge port is also equal to the inner diameter of the tube 101 and is constant. When the discharge of the resist solution from the tube 101 is started, the resist solution is initially discharged with a thickness substantially the same as the inner diameter of the tube 101 (FIG. 9A). But,
During the discharge of the resist liquid, the resist liquid spreads and spreads on the skirt, and the end surface of the tubular body 101 is wet with the resist liquid at this time (FIG. 9B). Further, even after the discharge of the resist solution is completed, the end surface of the tubular body 101 remains wet with the resist solution (FIG. 9C). When the suck back process is performed to raise the liquid level of the resist solution, the tubular body 10
The resist solution that had wet the end surface of No. 1 remains on the end surface of the tubular body 101 (resist solution 102), and this resist solution is solidified. When such a process is repeated, the tubular body 101
The solidified resist solution is deposited on the end surface of the tube body 101 and is peeled off from the end surface of the tube body 101 to become particles or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a coating processing apparatus and a coating processing method in which the coating liquid is prevented from adhering to the tip of a coating liquid discharge nozzle for discharging the coating liquid. To do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a coating treatment apparatus comprising a coating liquid discharge nozzle for coating a substrate with a predetermined coating liquid, wherein the coating liquid discharge device is provided. There is provided a coating processing apparatus, wherein the nozzle has a tube body having a discharge port for discharging a coating liquid at a front end portion, and the discharge port widens from a deep portion toward a front end.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a coating liquid discharge nozzle which has a tube body having a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid at a tip end thereof, and the discharge port is widened from the inner part toward the tip. A coating treatment method used, wherein the viscosity and the discharge speed of the coating liquid are controlled so that the coating liquid discharged from the discharge port does not wet the end face of the tube body. A processing method is provided.

According to the coating processing apparatus and the coating processing method as described above, the discharge port for discharging the coating liquid, which is provided at the tip of the tubular body, has a shape that widens from the back to the tip. Moreover, when the coating liquid is discharged, it is difficult for the coating liquid to adhere to the tip end face of the pipe body. As a result, it is possible to prevent the coating liquid from adhering to the tip end face of the tubular body and solidifying to form particles that adhere to the substrate.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a resist coating / development processing system that consistently performs resist coating and development processing on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) is taken as an example, and a resist coating processing unit that forms a resist film on a wafer is referred to. However, the coating treatment apparatus and the coating treatment method of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a resist coating / developing processing system 1, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof. The resist coating / development processing system 1 receives a wafer W between a cassette station 10 which is a transfer station, a processing station 11 having a plurality of processing units, and an exposure device (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 11. And an interface section 12 for delivering.

The cassette station 10 carries a plurality of wafers W as objects to be processed, for example, in a unit of 25 wafers into the wafer cassette CR, and carries the wafer W into the resist coating / developing processing system 1 from another system. Alternatively, the wafer cassette CR and the processing station 11 may be carried out from the resist coating / developing processing system 1 to another system.
This is for carrying the wafer W between and.

In the cassette station 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (four in the figure) positioning projections 20a are formed on the cassette mounting table 20 along the X direction in the figure. Wafer cassette C in position
The Rs can be placed in a line with their respective wafer entrances and exits facing the processing station 11 side. In the wafer cassette CR, the wafers W are arranged in the vertical direction (Z direction). Further, the cassette station 10 has a wafer transfer mechanism 21 located between the cassette mounting table 20 and the processing station 11.

The wafer transfer mechanism 21 has a wafer transfer arm 21a which is movable in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and in the arrangement direction of the wafers W therein (Z direction). This makes it possible to selectively access one of the wafer cassettes CR. Further, the wafer transfer arm 21a is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction shown in FIG. 1, and an alignment unit (ALIM) and an extension unit belonging to a _third processing unit G ₃ on the processing station 11 side described later. You can also access (EXT).

On the other hand, the processing station 11 has a wafer W
A plurality of processing units for carrying out a series of steps for performing coating and development on the wafer are provided, and these are arranged in multiple stages at predetermined positions, and these process wafers W one by one. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing station 11 has a wafer transfer path 22a at the center thereof, a main wafer transfer mechanism 22 is provided therein, and all processing units are provided around the wafer transfer path 22a. It is arranged. The plurality of processing units are divided into a plurality of processing units, and each processing unit has a plurality of processing units arranged in multiple stages along the vertical direction (Z direction).

As shown in FIG. 3, the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 is equipped with a wafer transfer device 46 inside a cylindrical support 49 so as to be vertically movable (Z direction). The cylindrical support 49 can be rotated by the rotational driving force of a motor (not shown), and the wafer transfer device 46 can be integrally rotated accordingly. The wafer transfer device 46 includes a plurality of holding members 4 that are movable in the front-rear direction of the transfer base 47.
8, and the holding member 48 realizes the delivery of the wafer W between the processing units.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the resist coating / development processing system 1, five processing sections G ₁ , G ₂ and G are provided.
₃ · _G 4 · _{G 5} are actually arranged around the wafer transport path 22a. Of these, the first and second processing sections G ₁ and G ₂ are arranged in parallel on the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the resist coating / developing processing system 1, and the third processing section G ₃ is a cassette. The fourth processing unit G ₄ is arranged adjacent to the station 10, and the fourth processing unit G ₄ is arranged adjacent to the interface unit 12. Further, the fifth processing unit G ₅ is arranged on the back surface portion.

In the first processing section G ₁ , the coater cup (C
In the P), a resist coating processing unit (COT), which is two spinner type processing units for performing a predetermined processing by placing a wafer W on a spin chuck (not shown), and a developing unit (DEV) for developing a resist pattern are arranged from below. The two layers are stacked in order. Similarly, the second processing unit G ₂ has a function of 2
As a spinner type processing unit of a table, a resist coating processing unit (COT) and a developing unit (DEV) are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom.

In the third processing section G ₃ , as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of oven-type processing units for stacking the wafer W on the mounting table SP and performing a predetermined processing are stacked.
That is, an adhesion unit (AD) that performs a so-called hydrophobic treatment for improving the fixability of the resist, an alignment unit (ALIM) that performs alignment, and an extension unit (EX that loads and unloads the wafer W).
T), a cooling unit (COL) that performs cooling processing,
Wafer W before and after exposure processing and after development processing
The four hot plate units (HP) that perform the heat treatment are stacked in eight stages in order from the bottom. A cooling unit (COL) is provided instead of the alignment unit (ALIM), and the cooling unit (CO
L) may have an alignment function.

Also in the fourth processing section G ₄ , oven-type processing units are stacked in multiple stages. That is, a cooling unit (COL), an extension / cooling unit (EXTCOL) that is a wafer loading / unloading unit equipped with a cooling plate, an extension unit (EXT), a cooling unit (COL), and four hot plate units (HP) are located below. In order from 8
It is stacked in columns.

When the fifth processing unit G ₅ is provided on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22, the fifth processing unit G ₅ is laterally viewed from the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 along the guide rail 25. It can be moved. Therefore, the fifth processing unit G
Even when the number ₅ is provided, the space is secured by sliding the number 5 along the guide rail 25, so that maintenance work can be easily performed on the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 from behind.

The interface section 12 has a depth direction (X
(Direction), it has the same length as the processing station 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable pickup cassette CR and a stationary buffer cassette BR are arranged in two stages on the front surface of the interface unit 12, and a peripheral exposure device 23 is arranged on the rear surface. A wafer transfer mechanism 24 is provided at the center. The wafer transfer mechanism 24 has a wafer transfer arm 24a, and the wafer transfer arm 24a moves in the X and Z directions to move both cassettes CR and BR and the peripheral exposure apparatus 2.
3 is accessible.

The wafer transfer arm 24a is rotatable in the θ direction and is an extension unit (EXT) belonging to the fourth processing section G ₄ of the processing station 11.
Further, it is also possible to access a wafer transfer table (not shown) on the adjacent exposure apparatus side.

In the resist coating / developing processing system 1 described above, first, in the cassette station 10, the wafer transfer arm 21a of the wafer transfer mechanism 21 accommodates an unprocessed wafer W on the cassette mounting table 20. The cassette CR is accessed to take out one wafer W, and the wafer W is transferred to the extension unit (EXT) of the third processing unit G ₃ .

The wafer W is carried into the processing station 11 from the extension unit (EXT) by the wafer carrying device 46 of the main wafer carrying mechanism 22.
Then, the alignment unit (A of the _third processing unit G ₃
After being aligned by LIM), it is conveyed to an adhesion processing unit (AD), where a hydrophobic treatment (HMDS treatment) for improving the fixability of the resist is performed. Since this process involves heating, the wafer W is
A cooling unit (CO
L) and then cooled.

The wafer W that has been processed by the adhesion processing unit (AD) and cooled by the cooling unit (COL), or the adhesion processing unit (A).
The wafer W that has not been processed in step D) is continuously processed by the wafer transfer device 46 in the resist coating processing unit (CO
It is transported to T), where a resist is applied and a coating film is formed. After the coating process is completed, the wafer W is pre-baked in the hot plate unit (HP) of either the third or fourth processing unit G ₃ · G ₄ and then cooled in any cooling unit (COL). To be done.

The cooled wafer W is transferred to the third processing unit G ₃
Is conveyed to the alignment unit (ALIM), where it is aligned, it is conveyed to the interface section 12 via the fourth processing unit G ₄ extension units (EXT).

After the wafer W is subjected to peripheral exposure by the peripheral exposure device 23 in the interface section 12 to remove excess resist, it is transferred to an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the interface section 12, where it is subjected to a predetermined process. The resist film on the wafer W is exposed according to the pattern.

The exposed wafer W is returned to the interface section 12 again, and the wafer transfer mechanism 24 is used to extend the extension unit (EX) belonging to the fourth processing section G _4.
It is transported to T). Then, the wafer W is transferred to one of the hot plate units (H
The sheet is conveyed to P), subjected to post-exposure bake processing, and then cooled by a cooling unit (COL).

After that, the wafer W is transferred to the developing unit (DE
V), where the exposure pattern is developed. After the development is completed, the wafer W is transferred to one of the hot plate units (HP), subjected to the post-baking process, and then cooled by the cooling unit (COL). After completion of such a series of processing, the wafer is returned to the cassette station 10 via the extension unit (EXT) of the third processing unit G ₃ and is accommodated in any of the wafer cassettes CR.

Next, the above-mentioned resist coating processing unit (COT) will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing the overall structure of the resist coating processing unit (COT), and FIG.
Is a schematic plan view thereof. An annular coater cup (CP) is arranged in the center of the resist coating unit (COT), and a spin chuck 52 is arranged inside the coater cup (CP). The spin chuck 52 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 54 while holding the wafer W fixed by vacuum suction. A drain 69 is provided at the bottom of the coater cup (CP), and an unnecessary processing liquid such as a resist liquid shaken off from the wafer W is discharged from here.

The drive motor 54 is arranged so as to be movable up and down in an opening 50a provided in the unit bottom plate 50, and via a cap-shaped flange member 58 made of, for example, aluminum, a raising / lowering drive means 60 made of, for example, an air cylinder and a raising / lowering guide. It is connected to the means 62. A cylindrical cooling jacket 64 made of, for example, SUS is attached to the side surface of the drive motor 54, and the flange member 58 is attached so as to cover the upper half portion of the cooling jacket 64.

For example, when the resist liquid is applied to the wafer W, the lower end 58a of the flange member 58 has an opening 50a.
In the vicinity of the outer periphery of the unit, the unit bottom plate 50 is tightly adhered, and the inside of the unit is sealed thereby. When the wafer W is transferred between the spin chuck 52 and the holding member 48 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22, the lift drive means 60 lifts the drive motor 54 or the spin chuck 52 upward to lower the lower end of the flange member 58. Are floated from the unit bottom plate 50.

The resist discharge nozzle 73 for discharging the resist liquid onto the wafer W is detachably attached to the tip of the nozzle scan arm 72 through the nozzle holder 70.
The resist solution is supplied from the resist solution supply unit 75 to the resist ejection nozzle 73. The nozzle scan arm 72 is mounted on the unit bottom plate 50 in one direction (Y
Direction) and is attached to a vertical support member 76 that can move horizontally on a guide rail 74 that is laid in the direction), and is moved in the Y direction integrally with the vertical support member 76 by a Y-axis drive mechanism 78. In addition, the resist discharge nozzle 73
Can be moved in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the Z-axis drive mechanism 79.

The nozzle scan arm 72 is also movable in the X direction, which is perpendicular to the Y direction, in order to selectively attach the resist discharge nozzles 73 at the nozzle standby section 90 that makes the resist discharge nozzles 73 stand by, and is not shown. It also moves in the X direction by the X-direction drive mechanism.

In the nozzle standby portion 90, the ejection port of the resist ejection nozzle 73 is inserted into the port 90a of the solvent atmosphere chamber and is exposed to the solvent atmosphere therein so that the resist solution at the tip of the nozzle does not solidify or deteriorate. Has become. Further, the nozzle standby unit 90 is provided with a CCD camera 90b for observing the tip of the resist discharge nozzle 73 and a nozzle rinse chamber 90c for cleaning (rinsing) the tip of the resist discharge nozzle 73. CCD camera 9
0b, when the state in which the resist liquid is solidified and attached to the tip of the resist discharge nozzle 73 is observed, and when the resist liquid discharge processing is performed a predetermined number of times, the resist discharge nozzle 73 in the nozzle rinse chamber 90c. Rinse processing is performed.

The nozzle standby portion 90 is provided with a plurality of resist discharge nozzles 73, and these nozzles can be selectively used according to the type of resist liquid, for example. Correspondingly, a plurality of resist liquids can be supplied from the resist liquid supply unit 75 to the resist discharge nozzle 73.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of the tip portion of the resist discharge nozzle 73, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the form of discharge of the resist liquid from the resist discharge nozzle 73.
The resist discharge nozzle 73 has a pipe body 88 having a discharge port 87 for discharging the resist liquid formed at the tip thereof, and the discharge port 87 is a deep part (a straight pipe having a constant diameter on the resist liquid supply unit 75 side). It is formed into a conical shape having an apex angle θ so as to widen from its end toward the tip.

When such a resist discharge nozzle 73 is used, as shown in FIG. 7, when the discharge of the resist liquid is started, the resist liquid is discharged with a thickness substantially the same as the inner diameter of the tubular body 88 (FIG. 7). 7 (a)). While the resist liquid is being discharged, the resist liquid becomes thicker and discharged as the diameter A of the discharge port 87 changes. However, by controlling the viscosity and discharge speed of the resist liquid, the end surface of the tubular body 88 is resisted. It can be prevented from getting wet with liquid (Fig. 7
(B)). When the discharge of the resist solution is completed from the state shown in FIG. 7B, it is possible to avoid the resist solution from adhering to the end surface of the tubular body 88 (FIG. 7C). Furthermore, when the liquid level of the resist liquid is raised by performing the suck back process, the angle at the boundary between the straight pipe portion and the discharge port 87 of which the diameter is changed is small, and therefore the pipe body 88 is discharged. Exit 87
The resist solution that wets the inner wall surface of the portion where the ridge is formed is returned to the straight pipe portion having a constant diameter (FIG. 7).
(D)).

As described above, in the resist discharge nozzle 73, the resist liquid is unlikely to adhere to the tip of the discharge port 87 for discharging the resist liquid. Therefore, for example, in the resist liquid coating process using an ArF resist or the like that easily solidifies and crystallizes, solidification at the tip of the discharge port 87 of the ArF resist is prevented, and the solid matter of the ArF resist is turned into particles to form the wafer W. Is prevented from being contaminated, and a good resist film can be formed, and the load of cleaning processing and maintenance of the resist discharge nozzle 73 can be reduced.

When the conventional tube body 101 described above with reference to FIG. 9 is used, it is difficult to discharge the resist solution so that the resist solution does not adhere to the tip of the tube body 101. One of the reasons for this is that it is difficult to control the viscosity and discharge speed of the resist solution so that the resist solution does not wet the end surface of the tube body 101.
Further, as another reason, since the inner wall surface and the end surface of the tubular body 101 have an angle of about 90 degrees, the resist solution is cut off at this edge portion during suck back,
The resist solution is likely to remain on the end surface of the tubular body 101.

The apex angle θ of the discharge port 87 is 60 degrees or more and 120.
It is preferably not more than a degree. In particular, it is preferable to set the apex angle θ to about 90 degrees, and at this time, it becomes difficult for the resist solution to wet the tip portion of the tubular body 88. If the apex angle θ is less than 60 degrees or 120 degrees or more and less than 180 degrees, the shape of the tube body 101 (see FIG. 9) approaches, so that the resist solution is likely to adhere to the end surface of the tube body 88. Cause The wall thickness B (see FIG. 6) of the pipe body 88 can be set to 1 mm to 2 mm, and a constant wall thickness portion of the pipe body 88 is cut,
The shape of the discharge port 87 can be formed by processing the mold.

On the nozzle holder 70 at the tip of the nozzle scan arm 72, a solvent for wetting the wafer surface onto the wafer surface prior to discharging the resist solution onto the wafer surface,
For example, a thinner nozzle 71 that discharges thinner is attached. The thinner nozzle 71 is connected to the thinner supply section via a solvent supply pipe (not shown). The position when the thinner is ejected from the thinner nozzle 71 onto the wafer W is adjusted by the Y-axis drive mechanism 78 and an X-axis drive mechanism (not shown).

On the guide rail 74, not only the vertical support member 76 for supporting the nozzle scan arm 72 but also a vertical support member 81 for supporting another nozzle scan arm 83 and movable in the Y direction are provided. . A rinse nozzle 82 for side rinse is attached to the tip of the nozzle scan arm 83. The nozzle scan arm 83 and the rinse nozzle 82 are provided with standby positions outside the coater cup (CP) shown in FIG.
2 can be moved in the Y direction so as to be located in the peripheral portion of the wafer W. As the rinse liquid (cleaning liquid), a solvent (volatile solvent) contained in the resist liquid is preferably used, and the resist film on the peripheral portion of the wafer W is removed.

The processing steps in the resist coating processing unit (COT) are generally performed as follows. First, the wafer W is transferred by the holding member 48 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 to just above the coater cup (CP) in the resist coating unit (COT), and for example, ascending / descending driving means 60 including an air cylinder and an ascending / descending guide. The wafer W is attached to the spin chuck 52 raised by the means 62.
To hold. After the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 52 by vacuum suction or the like, the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 pulls the holding member 48 back from the resist coating processing unit (COT). Thus, the resist coating unit (CO
Loading of the wafer W into T) is completed.

Then, the spin chuck 52 is lowered until the wafer W is positioned at a predetermined height in the coater cup (CP). The spin motor 5 is operated by operating the drive motor 54.
2 is rotated and the nozzle holder 70 moves the wafer W
The nozzle holder 70 is moved in the Y direction along the guide rail 74 from the nozzle standby portion 90 so as to be located above the center of the above.

The discharge port of the thinner nozzle 71 is positioned right above the center of the spin chuck 52 (center of the wafer W), and a predetermined amount of thinner is supplied to the surface of the rotating wafer W. The thinner supplied to the surface of the wafer W is evenly spread from the center of the wafer W to the entire periphery thereof by the centrifugal force. Thus, by performing the so-called pre-wet process of wetting the entire surface of the wafer W with a solvent such as thinner before applying the resist solution, the resist solution is more likely to diffuse, and as a result, a smaller amount of the resist solution is obtained. Thus, a uniform resist film can be formed.

Next, the discharge port 87 of the resist discharge nozzle 73 is positioned right above the center of the wafer W, and the resist liquid is discharged from the discharge port 87 of the resist discharge nozzle 73 to the center of the surface of the rotating wafer W. The resist solution is diffused from the center of the wafer W toward the periphery by the centrifugal force to form a resist film on the wafer W. At this time, the discharge port 8
Since the tip of 7 does not get wet with the resist solution, the resist solution is solidified at the tip of the ejection port 87 and the solid matter drops onto the wafer W as in the conventional case, or the solid matter drops onto the wafer W together with the resist solution. Therefore, it is prevented that the wafer W is attached to the wafer W. As a result, a good resist film with few defects can be formed.

After the dropping of the resist solution is completed, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed to adjust the film thickness. When the rotation speed of the wafer W is accelerated and becomes large, the remaining resist solution is shaken off and the drying progresses to form a resist film having a predetermined thickness. After that, the resist discharge nozzle 73 is housed in the nozzle standby unit 90. The wafer W held by the spin chuck 52 is back rinsed on the back surface of the wafer W by a cleaning means (not shown), and if necessary, the rinse nozzle 82 is used to apply a side rinse to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. Rinse.

After the rinse process is performed, a rotation process is performed for a predetermined time to shake off the cleaning liquid, and the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. Thus, the resist coating process is completed. The wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred from the spin chuck 52 to the holding member 48 in the reverse order of the order in which the wafer W is first transferred from the holding member 48 to the spin chuck 52, and the third or fourth process is performed. It is housed in one of the hot plate units (HP) of the parts G ₃ and G ₄ and subjected to the pre-baking process.

Next, another embodiment of the discharge port 87 formed in the tubular body 88 provided in the resist discharge nozzle 73 will be described. Each drawing of FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the pipe body 88 provided in the resist discharge nozzle 73. The pipe 88a shown in FIG. 8A has a discharge port 87a formed so that its diameter changes in a curved line with respect to the discharge direction of the resist liquid. Since the boundary between the straight pipe portion and the discharge port 87a is smoothly continuous in the tubular body 88a, the resist solution can be smoothly returned during suck back, and the resist solution is discharged from the discharge port 87a.
It becomes difficult to remain on the inner wall surface of the tubular body 88a at a.

The discharge port 87b formed in the tube body 88b shown in FIG. 8B has a diameter that changes in a curve with respect to the discharge direction of the resist solution in the vicinity of the boundary between the straight pipe portion and the discharge port 87b. However, the diameter is linearly changed at the tip side. In this case also, the tubular body 88a
In this case, since the boundary between the straight pipe portion and the discharge port 87a is smoothly continuous, the resist solution can be smoothly returned during suck back.

The discharge port 87c formed in the pipe body 88c shown in FIG. 8C has a shape in which the diameter thereof changes in a curve with respect to the discharge direction of the resist liquid, and the pipe body 8 is formed.
The end surface of 8c is also formed into a curved surface. By forming the end surface of the tubular body 88c into such a curved surface, it becomes difficult for the resist solution to remain on this end surface, and the generation of particles can be prevented.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the resist liquid ejected from the resist ejection nozzle 73 is not limited to a material that easily solidifies like ArF resist, and may be a resist liquid that has been used before. Further, the resist discharge nozzle 73 can also be used as a discharge nozzle for applying and forming a dielectric film such as an interlayer insulating film or a protective film such as a polyimide film.

Further, a resist coating unit (CO
The present invention can also be applied to a liquid processing unit other than T), for example, a discharge nozzle of a development processing unit (DEV) including a discharge nozzle for supplying a developing solution or pure water onto the wafer W. Further, in the above embodiment, the wafer W
The case where the present invention is applied to the resist coating unit (COT) that forms the coating film by spreading the coating liquid dropped on the central portion of the wafer W on the entire surface of the wafer W has been described. Can also be applied to a processing unit that performs a so-called one-stroke writing coating method of supplying a coating liquid in a rectangular wave shape to the substrate while moving the coating liquid such as a resist liquid relative to the substrate. Although the semiconductor wafer is taken as the substrate in the above embodiment, it may be another substrate such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) substrate.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the coating liquid from adhering and solidifying on the end face of the pipe body provided at the tip of the coating liquid discharge nozzle, and to prevent the generation of particles due to the solidification. Therefore, contamination of the substrate and coating film can be prevented. In this way, it is possible to obtain a high-quality substrate on which a good coating film is formed. Also,
The yield of substrate processing can be improved. In addition,
The effect of reducing the cleaning process and maintenance load of the coating liquid discharge nozzle and suppressing the loss of the coating liquid due to solidification can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of a resist coating / developing system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of a resist coating / developing system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic rear view showing an embodiment of a resist coating / developing processing system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of a resist coating processing unit (COT).

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of a resist coating processing unit (COT).

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a tube body provided in a resist discharge nozzle.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a form of discharging the resist liquid from the resist discharging nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a tube body provided in the resist discharge nozzle.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a discharge form of a resist liquid from a conventional resist discharge nozzle.

[Explanation of symbols]

1; Resist coating / development processing system 48; Holding member 52; Spin chuck 70; Nozzle holder 71; thinner nozzle 72; Nozzle scan arm 73; resist discharge nozzle 75; Resist liquid supply section 87, 87a, 87b, 87c; discharge port 88 / 88a / 88b / 88c; tubular body 90b; CCD camera COT; resist coating processing unit

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Goichi Iwao             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited (72) Inventor Yuji Ueda             TBS release, 5-3-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo             Sending Center Tokyo Electron Limited F term (reference) 2H025 AB16 EA05                 4D075 AC09 DA08 DC22 EA45                 4F033 AA14 BA03 DA01 EA01 NA01                 4F041 AA06 AB01 BA12                 5F046 JA02

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A coating processing apparatus comprising a coating liquid discharge nozzle for coating a substrate with a predetermined coating liquid, wherein the coating liquid discharge nozzle has a tube body having a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid formed at a tip portion thereof. In the coating processing apparatus, the discharge port is widened from the back to the tip. 2. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is formed in a conical shape having an apex angle θ. 3. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apex angle θ is 60 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less. 4. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is formed so that its diameter changes in a curved line with respect to the discharge direction of the coating liquid. 5. The discharge port is formed of a portion whose diameter changes linearly with respect to the discharge direction of the coating liquid and a portion whose curve diameter changes with respect to the discharge direction of the coating liquid. The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 1. 6. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an end surface of the pipe on the discharge port side is formed into a curved shape. 7. A coating processing method using a coating liquid discharge nozzle, which has a tube body having a discharge port for discharging a coating liquid at a tip portion, and the discharge port is widened from a deep portion toward a tip. A coating treatment method is characterized in that the viscosity and the discharge speed of the coating liquid are controlled so that the coating liquid discharged from the discharge port does not wet the end face of the tube body.