JP2003124107A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus which is capable of reducing adjusting man-hours and parts in number for each cup, making products uniform in quality for each cup, and restrained from being thermally affected by a heat treatment unit. SOLUTION: A cup CP is revolved, and a resist application processing is carried out through a production line method, so that a resist nozzle 36, a pump used for feeding resist to the resist nozzle 36, a temperature controller, and piping are provided in singles to deal with processing substrates, the number of necessary parts can be diminished, and the substrate can be processed at a lower cost. All the substrates are processed by the use of the same nozzle and the same processing solution, so that the substrates can be restrained from varying in quality and kept constant in quality.

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 coating and developing a resist on a semiconductor wafer substrate in a semiconductor device manufacturing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a photolithography process for manufacturing semiconductor devices, a photoresist is applied to the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer"), a mask pattern is exposed on the resist, and development is performed to form a resist on the wafer surface. A pattern is formed. The resist coating process and the developing process are conventionally performed by a coating and developing treatment apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a conventional coating and developing treatment apparatus. In this coating and developing treatment apparatus, a cassette station 110 for loading and unloading a wafer W to and from a wafer cassette CR, and a single-wafer processing unit for performing a predetermined treatment on the wafer W are arranged in multiple stages at predetermined positions. And an interface unit 112 for transferring a wafer W between the processing station 111 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 111 are integrally connected. There is.
In the processing station 111, a vertical transfer type transfer device 122 is provided in the center, and a resist coating processing unit (COT) that accommodates the wafer W in the cup CP and applies a resist is provided around the transfer device 122. Wafer W
Development processing unit (DEV) for accommodating and developing
A plurality of heat treatment system units 10 for heating and cooling
5, 106 are arranged. Each of these processing units is vertically stacked in multiple stages.

[0004]

In such a coating and developing treatment apparatus, a treatment liquid such as a resist liquid or a developing liquid is supplied to the substrate for each cup CP in the resist coating treatment unit (COT) or the development treatment unit (DEV). Therefore, it is necessary to provide parts such as a pipe, a pump filter, an AV for performing the process, and a nozzle for discharging the processing liquid, a motor for moving the nozzle, and the like are required for each cup. It's a problem.

Further, since it is necessary to adjust each part and processing liquid for each cup, the startup time becomes long. Furthermore,
Since there are some differences in the above-mentioned parts and adjustments for each cup, there may be differences in the processing for each unit. This causes variations in product quality.

Further, in the conventional coating and developing treatment apparatus, the heat treatment unit and the cooling treatment unit are mixed in the heat treatment system units 105 and 106 having a multi-stage structure. Therefore,
For example, when a wafer that has undergone cooling processing is transferred into the resist coating processing unit (COT) or the development processing unit (DEV) via the transfer device 122, the radiant heat of the heating processing unit is transferred to the wafer during the transfer. There is a risk of adverse effects.

In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to reduce the adjustment man-hours and parts for each cup so that the quality of the product can be maintained constant for each cup. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus that is not affected by the heat of the substrate processing apparatus.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a plurality of liquid processing parts for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to perform a predetermined processing, and the plurality of liquid processing parts. A mechanism for revolving the processing section and a transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate between the plurality of liquid processing sections are provided.

According to such a configuration, by revolving a plurality of liquid processing sections and performing the processing by a flow work, the liquid processing sections of the liquid processing section can be compared with the conventional single-wafer processing. The takt time becomes constant, and the throughput can be improved. Further, a mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate, such as a nozzle and a pump, is sufficient for the conventional one unit, and it is not necessary to install the nozzle and the pump in each processing unit, and the number of parts can be reduced. , The cost can be suppressed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a first supply passage which is disposed at the center of the revolution and which supplies at least the processing liquid to the plurality of liquid processing units. As a result, the non-rotating first supply passage arranged in the center of the revolution is commonly used to supply the processing liquid to the plurality of liquid processing units. Therefore, a mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate, for example, Since it is not necessary to provide a supply path such as a nozzle or a pump, it is possible to save space and reduce costs. Furthermore,
Even when the processing liquid leaks in the supply passage, it is possible to easily detect the leakage of each processing liquid passing through the supply passage only by installing the leakage sensor below the supply passage.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle which is disposed on the revolution locus of the plurality of liquid processing units and supplies the processing liquid onto the substrate. Thus, the processing liquid can be supplied to the substrate by the nozzle while the plurality of liquid processing units are revolving, and the processing efficiency is improved.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the nozzles are provided, a resist nozzle for supplying a resist solution, a developer nozzle for supplying a developer, and a rinse on the substrate to which the developer is supplied. And a rinse nozzle for supplying a liquid. Conventionally, for example, since the resist coating processing unit and the developing processing unit perform processing for each unit, the processing environment may differ from unit to unit, and variations easily occur from substrate to substrate. Since all the substrates are processed by the same nozzle and the same processing liquid, it is possible to suppress variations between the substrates and ensure a certain quality.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the developer nozzle is an elongated nozzle having a length direction in a direction orthogonal to the revolution locus. Thereby, the developing solution can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate while revolving the substrate.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of liquid processing units are arranged in at least two upper and lower stages, and one of the developer nozzle and the rinse nozzle or the resist nozzle is provided in the upper or lower stage. Each is arranged. Accordingly, the processing efficiency can be further improved by performing the processing by dividing the chamber for each of the resist coating processing and the developing processing.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the liquid processing section includes a cup for containing the substrate and a rotation holding mechanism for holding and rotating the substrate in the cup.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a waste passage disposed at the center of the revolution for discarding the treatment liquid or gas generated in the cup. As a result, the processing liquid or gas can be discarded from each cup by using the common non-rotating waste passage arranged at the center of the revolution, and the required parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it further comprises a line which is arranged at the center of the revolution and which supplies electric power to at least the rotation holding mechanism. As a result, it is possible to supply electric power to the plurality of liquid processing units using a common electric power line that does not rotate, and it is possible to reduce necessary parts and costs.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is further provided means for controlling to stop the revolution when supplying at least the processing liquid in the liquid processing section. Thus, for example, by stopping the revolution of the cup during the coating of the resist, it is possible to prevent adverse effects such as vibration due to the revolution and precisely control the film thickness uniformity and the like.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of heat treatment units arranged outside the revolving units of the plurality of liquid treatment units and performing a thermal treatment on the substrate, and the transfer mechanism includes: The substrate is transported between the plurality of liquid processing units and the heat treatment unit. Thus, for example, after the resist coating process and the developing process, the carrying mechanism can carry the heating process and the cooling process continuously to the heat treatment section, so that the throughput can be further improved.

Further, since the liquid treatment section and the heat treatment section are installed in separate atmospheres, there is no influence of environmental changes such as temperature and humidity on the liquid treatment section, and changes in the processing liquid due to environmental changes, for example, It is possible to prevent drying and the like.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of cooling processing sections that are revolved integrally with the liquid processing section and cool the substrate with cooling water are disposed in the revolving center. And a second supply path for supplying at least the cooling water to the cooling processing unit. As a result, it is possible to revolve a plurality of cooling processing units and improve the processing efficiency, and further, to cool the cooling water into a plurality of cooling water through the common supply passage, which is the second supply passage arranged at the center of the revolution. Since it is supplied to the department, the required parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of heat treatment units include a plurality of heat treatment units that perform a heat treatment on the substrate and a plurality of cooling treatment units that perform a cooling treatment on the substrate. The cooling processing unit is arranged between the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of heating processing units. This allows
Since the plurality of cooling processing units are arranged between the plurality of liquid processing devices and the plurality of heat processing units, it is possible to reduce the thermal influence from the plurality of heat processing units as much as possible in the resist coating process and the developing process. it can. Particularly in the resist coating process, the temperature control of the atmosphere is important in controlling the film thickness, so that the effect of this is great.

A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a plurality of liquid processing units for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to perform a predetermined process, and a plurality of cooling processing units for performing a cooling process on a substrate using cooling water. A mechanism that integrally revolves the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of cooling processing units, and is arranged at the revolving center.
A first supply path for supplying at least the processing liquid to the plurality of liquid processing sections; a second supply path arranged at the center of the revolution for supplying at least the cooling water to the cooling processing section; A first transfer mechanism is provided at the center, and transfers the substrate between the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of cooling processing units.

According to this structure, the processing liquid is supplied to the plurality of liquid processing parts by commonly using the non-rotating first supply passage arranged at the center of the revolution.
A mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate, for example, a nozzle, a pump, etc., is sufficient for the conventional one unit, and it is possible to reduce the necessary parts and the cost. Further, since the cooling water is supplied to the plurality of cooling parts via the common supply path that is the second supply path arranged at the center of the revolution,
The required parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, the throughput can be improved by transporting the substrate to the plurality of liquid treatment units and the plurality of cooling treatment units by the first transport mechanism arranged at the center of the revolution.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of heat treatment units arranged on the outer side of the revolution and performing heat treatment on the substrate.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a second transfer mechanism which is arranged on the outside of the revolution and which transfers the substrate between the plurality of cooling processing sections and the heating processing section.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by considering the accompanying drawings and the description of the embodiments of the invention.

[0028]

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

1 to 3 are views showing the overall construction of a coating and developing treatment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a plane, FIG. 2 shows a front side, and FIG. 3 shows a back side. .

In this coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, a plurality of wafers W, for example, two wafers W, are used as substrates to be treated in a wafer cassette CR.
A cassette station 10 for loading and unloading wafers from / to the system in units of 5 sheets from the outside, and a cassette station 10 for loading / unloading the wafer W to / from the wafer cassette CR, and one at a time in the coating and developing process. Between a processing station 11 in which various single-wafer processing units that perform predetermined processing on the wafer W are arranged at predetermined positions in multiple stages, and an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 11. It has a configuration in which an interface section 12 for transferring the wafer W is integrally connected.

The cassette station 10 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
At the position 0a, a plurality of wafer cassettes CR, for example, up to four wafer cassettes CR are placed in a line in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) with the respective wafer entrances and exits facing the processing station 11 side.
This cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and wafer cassette C
A wafer transfer body 21, which is movable in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers stored in R, selectively accesses each wafer cassette CR.

Further, the wafer carrier 21 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and as will be described later, an alignment unit (ALIM) belonging to the multi-stage unit section of the first processing unit group G1 on the processing station 11 side and The extension unit (EXT) is also accessible.

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing station 11 is provided with a vertical transfer type main wafer transfer mechanism 22 equipped with a wafer transfer device, around which all the processing units are arranged in one set or a plurality of sets. They are arranged in multiple stages.

Further, in this example, the first processing unit group G1 which is a heat processing system unit group is arranged adjacent to the cassette station 10, and the second processing unit group G2 which is the same heat processing system unit group is arranged. , Is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 12. On the other hand, the liquid processing apparatus 50 of the liquid processing system according to the present invention is arranged on the front side (front side in FIG. 1). Further, the multi-stage unit of the third processing unit group G3 of the heat treatment system can be arranged on the back side.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the liquid processing apparatus 50,
Three spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating unit (COT) and a development processing unit (DEV), which perform a predetermined process by placing the wafer W on the spin chuck in the cup CP, are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom. . Below the resist coating unit (COT), a chemical area 13 in which a resist liquid as a processing liquid is installed is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the first processing unit group G1, for example, an adhesion unit (A) for performing a so-called hydrophobic treatment for improving the fixability of the resist.
D), alignment unit (ALI
M), extension unit (EXT), pre-baking unit (PREB) that performs heat treatment before exposure treatment
AKE) and a post-baking unit (POBAKE) that performs a heat treatment after the exposure treatment are, for example, 8 in order from the bottom.
It is stacked in columns. Also in the second processing unit group G2,
For example, the extension cooling unit (EX
TCOL), extension unit (EXT), pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), and post-baking unit (POBAKE) are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in eight stages.

On the front side of the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2, cooling units (COL) 35 for cooling the wafer W are provided in multiple stages. Although not shown, the cooling unit (COL) group 35 is adapted to perform a cooling process by placing the wafer W on a cooling plate cooled to a predetermined temperature by cooling water or a Peltier element, for example. .

The interface section 12 has the same size as the processing station 11 in the depth direction (X direction), but is set to have a smaller size in the width direction. And this interface unit 12
In the front part of the, there is a portable pickup cassette CR,
The stationary buffer cassettes BR are arranged in two stages, on the other hand, a peripheral exposure device 23 is arranged on the rear surface portion, and a wafer carrier 24 is arranged on the central portion. The wafer carrier 24 moves in the X and Z directions to access both cassettes CR, BR and the peripheral exposure device 23. The wafer carrier 24 is configured to be rotatable also in the θ direction, and an extension unit (EXT) belonging to a multi-stage unit of the second processing unit group G2 on the processing station 11 side, and further, A wafer transfer table (not shown) on the adjacent exposure apparatus side can also be accessed.

Further, in the coating and developing treatment apparatus 1, as described above, the multistage unit of the third treatment unit group G3 indicated by the broken line can be arranged also on the back side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22. However, the multi-stage unit of the third processing unit group G3 is configured to be able to shift laterally along the guide rail 25 when viewed from the main wafer transfer mechanism 22. Therefore, this third processing unit group G
Even when the multi-stage unit 3 is provided as shown in the figure, a space is secured by sliding along the guide rail 25, so that maintenance work can be easily performed from the rear side of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22. It has become. The multi-stage unit of the third processing unit group G3 is
As described above, not only the linear slide shift along the guide rail 25, but also the rotational shift to the outside of the system may be performed as shown by the reciprocating rotary arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. It is easy to secure a space for maintenance work for the main wafer transfer mechanism 22.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22. The main wafer transfer mechanism 22 has a cylindrical support composed of a pair of wall portions 25 and 26 which are connected to each other at their upper and lower ends and face each other. Inside the body 27, a carrier device 30 that is vertically movable (Z direction) is equipped. Cylindrical support 2
Reference numeral 7 is connected to a rotation shaft of a motor 31, and the rotation driving force of the motor 31 causes the rotation of the rotation shaft as a center to rotate integrally with the conveyance device 30. Therefore, the transport device 30 is rotatable in the θ direction. For example, three tweezers are provided on the carrier base 40 of the carrier device 30. Each of these tweezers 41, 42, 43 has a side surface opening portion 44 between both wall portions 25, 26 of the tubular support 27.
It has a form and a size that allow it to pass through, and is configured to be movable back and forth along the X direction. Then, the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 has tweezers 41, 42, 4
The wafer 3 is transferred to and from these processing stations by accessing the processing stations 3 arranged around it.

5 and 6 are a sectional view and a plan view showing the above-mentioned liquid processing apparatus 50. This liquid processing apparatus 50 is
Inside the cylindrical body 80, three cups CP are respectively arranged in a circular shape in upper and lower two stages, and all six cups CP have substantially the same configuration.

Inside the cup CP, there is provided a discarding port 67 for discarding a gas containing a processing solution such as a developing solution. A spin chuck 68 for horizontally holding the wafer W is arranged inside the cup C. The spin chuck 68 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 63 while the wafer W is fixed and held by vacuum suction. There is. The drive motor 63 is coupled to an elevating / lowering drive unit 64, which is, for example, an air cylinder, via a cap-shaped flange member 81, which is made of, for example, aluminum.

The upper development processing unit (DEV)
The upper part of the resist coating unit (COT) and the lower part of the resist coating process unit (COT), for example, for introducing clean air are
PA filters 33 and 34 are arranged.

In the chemical area 13, a resist supply source 55 for supplying a resist solution to the resist coating processing unit (COT) and a developing solution supply source 56 for supplying a developing solution and a rinsing solution to the developing processing unit (DEV). And a rinse liquid supply source 57 are provided. Each of these supply sources 5
Each processing liquid from 5 to 57 is supplied to each unit through a common pipe 47 arranged in a space 82 vertically formed at the center of the cylindrical body 80. In detail, the processing liquids from the respective supply sources 55 to 57 are flow pipes 91, 92 as the supply passages bundled by the common pipe 47.
The liquid is discharged from the resist nozzle 36, the developing solution nozzle 45, and the rinse nozzle 39 via 93, respectively. These resist nozzle 36 and developer nozzle 4
5 and the rinse nozzle 39 are connected to the spin chuck 68 by the nozzle support member 38 fixed to the common pipe 47, for example.
It is supported and arranged above the wafer W held by.

Further, a waste pipe 48 connected to the waste port 67 of all the cups CP is connected to the common pipe 47 via a connecting member 49, and the developing solution, the rinsing liquid and the resist liquid from all the cups CP are connected. Are to be disposed of outside. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the common pipe 47 is disposed of through the space 47a other than where the flow pipes 91, 92, and 93 are disposed, and is discarded. The connecting member 49 is rotatably attached to the common pipe 47.

The cylindrical body 80 is supported by a loop-shaped traveling member 60. The traveling member 60 is provided with a plurality of drive rollers 62, a guide roller 61, and a motor 58 for rotating the drive roller 62.
The driving member 8 drives the traveling member 60 to form a loop-shaped rail 59.
It is designed to run along. As a result, the entire cylindrical body 80 rotates together with the cup CP and the waste pipe 48 with respect to the common pipe 47 that is the central axis.

That is, the common pipe 47 and each support member 38.
And each nozzle 36, 39, 45 is fixed without rotating,
Cup CP, waste pipe 48 and flow pipes 91, 92, 93
It revolves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

The developing solution nozzle 45 in the developing processing unit (DEV) has, for example, a plurality of ejection holes or ejection openings formed by linear slits (not shown), and its longitudinal direction is the revolution trajectory T of the cup CP. With respect to the tangential direction,
It is installed in the direction orthogonal to each other. As a result, the developing solution can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W while the cup CP accommodating the wafer W is revolving. Further, the resist nozzle 36 and the rinse nozzle 39 are also arranged on the revolution trajectory T of the wafer W centered in the cup CP.

Further, the cylindrical body 80 is formed with openings 80a corresponding to the positions where the cups CP are arranged. The tweezers 41 to 43 of the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 access the respective cups CP through the openings 80a, and carry in and carry out the wafer W.

The upper development processing unit (DEV)
In order to control the resist coating processing units (COTs) in the upper and lower stages separately, as shown in FIG. 7, a mechanism for rotating the cylindrical bodies 80A and 80B in the lower stage and the upper stage (running member 60, drive roller 62, guide, respectively). The rollers 61 and the motor 58), or components necessary for each processing unit may be provided.

Next, a series of processing steps of the coating and developing processing apparatus 1 described above will be described.

First, in the cassette station 10, the wafer transfer body 21 accesses the cassette CR that contains the unprocessed wafer on the cassette mounting table 20,
One semiconductor wafer W is taken out from the cassette CR and is transferred to the alignment unit (ALIM).
After the wafer W is aligned by this alignment unit (ALIM), it is transferred to the adhesion unit (AD) by the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 and subjected to a hydrophobic treatment, and then in the cooling unit (COL). A predetermined cooling process is performed. After that, it is transported to the resist coating processing unit (COT) in the liquid processing apparatus 50,
The resist is spin coated. Then, a predetermined heating process is performed in the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE), a cooling process is performed in the cooling unit (COL), and then an exposure process is performed by the wafer carrier 24 via the interface unit 12 by an exposure device (not shown). After the exposure processing is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the development processing unit (DEV) in the liquid processing apparatus 50 and subjected to the development processing, and the post-baking unit (POB).
A predetermined heat treatment is performed by AKE). And wafer W
Is cooled by a cooling unit (COL) and returned to the cassette CR via an extension unit (EXT).

In the above embodiment, the wafer W that has been cooled in the cooling unit (COL) 35.
Is transferred to the liquid processing apparatus 50 by the main wafer transfer mechanism 22, but the throughput is improved by providing a sub-wafer transfer apparatus for transferring the wafer W between the cooling unit (COL) 35 and the liquid processing apparatus 50. May be improved.

The resist coating process is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, a resist nozzle may be provided at a position where the resist coating can be performed immediately after the wafer W is loaded into the cup from the tweezers 41. As a result, after all the resist is applied, all cups are revolved. As the next processing, for example, wafer end surface treatment (removing the resist adhering to the wafer end surface with a solvent such as thinner) is performed, and then all cups are revolved. As the next process, for example, the wafer W may be rotated to perform a drying process.

Next, the wafer W in the liquid processing apparatus 50.
The process will be described.

In the resist coating process, FIG. 9 (a)
As shown in FIG.
1 is carried in, all cups are revolved, and the cups are resist nozzles 36 (not shown) as shown in FIG. 9B.
Move to the position directly below and stop. After the revolution is stopped, the resist is supplied onto the center of the wafer W1 and then the wafer W is rotated to apply the resist on the entire surface. Wafer W
The next wafer W2 is loaded into the next cup during the resist coating process for 1).

As described above, by stopping the revolution of the cup CP during the coating of the resist, it is possible to prevent the adverse effects such as vibration due to the revolution and precisely control the film thickness uniformity.

Although not shown, the wafer W1 is rotated at a high speed to dry the resist until the cup further revolves and returns to its original position. When the cup revolves and returns to the original position, the wafer W1 is taken out by the tweezers 41.

By repeating the above steps, a large number of wafers W are continuously processed.

In the developing process, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the wafer W1 is carried into the cup from the tweezers 41, all the cups are revolved, and as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the cup is a developing solution nozzle. It moves to the position just below 45 and stops. After the revolution is stopped, the developing solution is supplied to the wafer W1 and then the wafer W is rotated at a low speed so that the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface. The next wafer W2 is loaded into the next cup while the wafer W1 is filled with the developing solution.

The developing process is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the developing solution nozzle 45 may be provided so that the developing solution can be supplied to the wafer W1 immediately after the wafer W1 is carried into the cup from the tweezers 41, for example. Further, a rinse nozzle may be provided at a position after the next revolution. As a result, after completion of development, all cups are revolved, and, for example, a rinse treatment is performed as the next process.
And the wafer W1 is rotated and shaken off to perform a subsequent drying process.

When the liquid development on the wafer W1 is completed, the cup moves to a position directly below the rinse nozzle 39 (not shown) and stops, as shown in FIG. Then, the rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse nozzle 39 and the wafer W is rotated to wash away the developing liquid. During the rinse process, the next wafer W3 is carried into the next cup.

Also, the revolutions of the upper and lower cups CP are synchronized, but there is no problem if the resist coating process and the developing process are performed at substantially the same time. However, when the processing time is significantly different depending on the processing process, each nozzle support member 38 may be configured to be rotatable with respect to the common pipe 47 independently of the cylindrical body 80.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper and lower stages may be independent, and the upper and lower stages may be independently revolved. As a result, there is no problem even if the resist coating process and the developing process have different times. Furthermore, the number of cups that revolve is not limited to three, and four or more cups may be provided.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in the resist coating processing unit (COT), a plurality of cups CPs are used.
On the other hand, the resist nozzle 36 and the pump, the temperature controller, the pipe, etc. for supplying the resist to the nozzle 36 are only required for each one, and the necessary parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, it is possible to reduce the maintenance work for each part and the adjustment work at the time of start-up, which conventionally took time, and it is possible to reduce the labor of the worker.

Regarding the development processing unit (DEV),
The developer nozzle 45, the rinse nozzle 39, etc. are each 1
Only one is enough, so the resist coating unit (CO
The same effect as T) is obtained.

Further, since the cup CP is revolved and the resist coating process and the like are performed in a flow work, as in the conventional case,
Throughput can be improved as compared with the case of processing by a single wafer type. The same applies to the development processing unit (DEV).

Further, conventionally, since the resist coating processing unit and the developing processing unit perform processing for each unit, the processing environment may differ from unit to unit, and variations easily occur from wafer to wafer. According to the embodiment, since all the wafers W are processed by the same nozzle and the same processing liquid, it is possible to suppress variations between the wafers and ensure a certain quality.

Further, since the cooling unit (COL) group 35 is arranged between the first processing unit groups G1 and G2 of the heat treatment system and the liquid processing apparatus 50, the cooling unit (COL) group 35 is used for resist coating processing and developing processing. It is possible to reduce the thermal influence from the first processing unit groups G1 and G2 as much as possible. Particularly in the resist coating process, the temperature control of the atmosphere is important in controlling the film thickness, so that the effect of this is great.

Next, a coating and developing treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that, in FIG. 11, the same components as those shown in the drawings in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, in this coating and developing treatment apparatus, a group of cups for developing treatment (DEV), a group of cups for resist coating treatment (COT), and a unit of heat treatment system in this order from the top. A group (HP) is arranged and each of them is configured to be independently rotated by the motor 76 in the θ direction. Therefore, each cup CP and the heat treatment unit 70, which will be described later, revolve around each stage.

In the development processing unit group (DEV), for example, six cups CP are arranged in a circle,
Of these, for example, two cups are cooling units (COL). This cooling unit (C
The OL) has the cooling plate 72 cooled by the cooling water in the cup CP as described above. The cooling water is supplied from the cooling water supply source 65 to the cooling plate 72 through the flow path 78 that is passed through the common pipe 47.

Similarly, in the resist coating unit group (COT), for example, six cups CP are arranged in a circle, and, for example, two cups of them are cooling units (COL) having a cooling plate 72. There is.

Incidentally, these development processing units (DEV)
In the resist coating processing unit (COT), the nozzle support member 38 is fixed to the common pipe 47 in the above-described embodiment, but is fixed to the support column 74 vertically provided on the outer side of the revolution of the cup CP in the present embodiment. ing.

In the unit group (HP) of the heat treatment system, the unit group 70 such as the post-baking unit (POBAKE), the pre-baking unit (PREBAKE) and the adhesion unit (AD) is arranged in a circle. On the outside of the revolution of these units 70, the transport device 3
An opening 70a for inserting 0 is formed so that the wafer W can be loaded and unloaded. The transfer device 30 is configured to be movable in the X direction and the Z direction, and carries the wafer W in and out of each cup CP, and carries the wafer W in and out of the heat treatment unit group (HP). Has become.

Also in this embodiment, since the cup CP is revolved, only one resist nozzle 36, one developer nozzle 45, and one rinse nozzle 39 are required for a plurality of cups CP, which is necessary. The parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, it is possible to reduce the maintenance work for each part and the adjustment work at the time of start-up, which conventionally took time, and it is possible to reduce the labor of the worker.

Further, since the cooling unit (COL) using the cooling water is revolved integrally with the cup CP for the resist coating process and the developing process, the flow path 78 for passing the cooling water is changed to the cup CP. It is accommodated in the common pipe 47 arranged at the center of the revolution of the, and the flow path can be simplified as compared with the conventional case. As a result, it is possible to reduce costs and labor of workers.

In this embodiment, in order to improve the throughput, a heat treatment system unit group may be further provided below the heat treatment unit group (HP), or only the heat treatment system unit group may be provided. Without the wafer W
It is also possible to provide a stage for arranging a carrier cassette or a buffer cassette for accommodating therein, so that the processing can be continuously performed, for example, between exposure apparatuses. Further, when considering the heat effect, the unit group (H
P) may be provided in the uppermost stage.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, it is possible to dispose the transport device 30 inside the revolution of the cup CP.
Thereby, the throughput can be further improved.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a liquid processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, for example, three cups CP1, CP2, and CP3 are provided so as to be movable on the rails 71, 73, and 75, respectively.
The rails 71, 73 and 75 are laid so as to gather at a predetermined position A. Further, adjacent to this position A, the same main transport mechanism 22 as that of the first embodiment is arranged so as to be accessible to the cup CP that has been moved to the position A.

At the position A, a support member 38 provided with a resist nozzle 36 is arranged, and the resist liquid is discharged onto the wafer W contained in the cup CP moved to the position A. . Also, cups CP1 and CP
In 2 and CP3, for example, a nozzle for side rinse (not shown) is provided to remove excess resist attached to the peripheral portion of the wafer W.

Although not shown, a heat treatment system unit is arranged adjacent to the main transport mechanism 22 on the opposite side of the cup CP, and the main transport mechanism 22 can access these heat treatment system units. It has become.

In this embodiment, for example, first, the cup CP
1 moves to the position A, and the wafer W carried into the cup CP from the transfer mechanism 22 is subjected to the resist spin coating process. Next, the cup CP1 moves to the original position, the cup CP2 moves to the position A, and the resist spin coating process is similarly performed. At this time, the spin drying process and the side rinse process are performed in the cup CP1.

Then, when the cup CP2 is returned to the original position, the cup CP3 is moved to the position A to perform the resist coating process, and the cup CP2 is subjected to the rotation drying process and the side rinse process.

Such a resist coating process is performed with a cup CP.
1 → cup CP2 → cup CP3 → cup CP1 → ・ ・
・ Repeat in this order. As a result, the coating process can be performed efficiently and the throughput is improved.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the resist nozzle 36 has the one discharge hole of the resist liquid as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the resist nozzle 36 has a plurality of discharge holes and revolves around the cup CP. A nozzle having a longitudinal shape along the trajectory T may be used.

Further, for example, in the first embodiment, the resist coating processing unit (COT) and the developing processing unit (DEV) are each provided with three cups, but the present invention is not limited to this, and four or more cups are provided. As a result, the throughput may be improved.

Further, in the resist coating processing unit (COT) in the first and second embodiments, a side rinse mechanism is provided so that the side rinse liquid is supplied to the respective cups through the common pipe 47. May be.

Further, in FIG. 1, the cooling unit (COL) group is the liquid processing apparatus 50 and the heat processing unit group G.
The cooling unit (COL) group may be arranged in an empty space in the heat treatment unit groups G1 and G2.

Further, it is possible to house a line for supplying electric power to other parts that require electric power, such as the motor 63 for rotating the spin chuck 68 in each cup, in the common pipe 47.

Further, in the above-mentioned respective embodiments, the apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer has been described, but the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate used for a liquid crystal display or the like.

[0093]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to reduce the adjustment man-hours and parts for each cup. In addition, the quality of the product can be maintained constant for each cup, and the influence of heat from another device can be suppressed as much as possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a coating and developing treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the transport mechanism according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a liquid processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the liquid processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid processing apparatus according to another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a common pipe according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram sequentially showing the operation of resist coating processing in the liquid processing apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram sequentially showing the operation of the developing process in the liquid processing apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a coating and developing treatment apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a liquid processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a liquid processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a conventional coating and developing treatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

W ... Wafer CP ... cup G1 ... First processing unit group G2 ... Second processing unit group C ... Cup T ... revolution trajectory 1. Coating and developing treatment device 22 ... Main wafer transfer mechanism 30 ... Carrier 35 ... Cooling unit group 36 ... Resist nozzle 39 ... Rinse nozzle 45 ... Developer nozzle 47 ... Common piping 48 ... Waste pipe 49 ... Connection member 50 ... Liquid processing device 55 ... Resist supply source 56 ... Developer supply source 57 ... rinse liquid supply source 58 ... Motor 65 ... Cooling water supply source 70 ... Heat treatment unit 78 ... Channel 91, 92, 93 ... Flow tube

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H025 AB16 EA05 FA14                 2H096 AA25 CA14 GA29 GA33                 5F031 CA02 DA01 FA01 FA07 FA11                       FA12 FA15 GA15 GA47 GA48                       GA49 GA50 HA09 HA13 LA07                       MA02 MA24 MA26 MA27 PA11                 5F046 JA22 LA11 LA18

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of liquid processing units for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate to perform a predetermined process, a mechanism for revolving the plurality of liquid processing units, and a substrate transfer between the plurality of liquid processing units. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first supply passage which is arranged at the center of the revolution and which supplies at least the processing liquid to the plurality of liquid processing units. Substrate processing equipment. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle that is arranged on a revolution locus of the plurality of liquid processing units and that supplies the processing liquid onto the substrate. Substrate processing equipment. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of nozzles are provided, a resist nozzle for supplying a resist solution, a developing solution nozzle for supplying a developing solution, and a substrate to which the developing solution is supplied. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a rinse nozzle for supplying a rinse liquid onto the rinse nozzle. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the developing solution nozzle is an elongated nozzle having a length direction in a direction orthogonal to the revolution locus. Processing equipment. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of liquid processing units are arranged in at least two upper and lower stages,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein any one of the developing solution nozzle, the rinse nozzle, and the resist nozzle is arranged on the upper stage or the lower stage. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid processing unit includes a cup that accommodates the substrate, and a rotation holding mechanism that holds and rotates the substrate in the cup. Substrate processing equipment. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a waste passage disposed at the center of the revolution for discarding the treatment liquid or gas generated in the cup. Substrate processing equipment. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a line which is arranged at the center of the revolution and which supplies electric power to at least the rotation holding mechanism. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein control is performed to stop the revolution when supplying the processing liquid at least in the liquid processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus further comprising: 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid processing units are arranged outside the revolution of the plurality of liquid processing units and perform thermal processing on the substrates. The substrate processing apparatus further comprising a heat treatment section, wherein the transport mechanism transports the substrate between the plurality of liquid processing sections and the heat treatment section. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of units are revolved integrally with the liquid processing unit and a cooling process is performed on the substrate using cooling water. Substrate processing apparatus, further comprising: a cooling processing unit of 1), and a second supply path that is arranged at the center of the revolution and supplies at least the cooling water to the cooling processing unit. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of heat treatment units include a plurality of heat treatment units that perform a heat treatment on the substrate and a plurality of cooling treatment units that perform a cooling treatment on the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the cooling processing unit is arranged between the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of heating processing units. 14. A plurality of liquid processing units that supply a processing liquid to a substrate to perform a predetermined process, a plurality of cooling processing units that perform a cooling process on a substrate using cooling water, and the plurality of liquid processing units. Part and a mechanism for integrally revolving the plurality of cooling processing parts, a first supply path that is disposed in the revolving center part and that supplies at least the processing liquid to the plurality of liquid processing parts, and the revolving center part. And a second supply path that supplies at least the cooling water to the cooling processing unit, and is disposed at the center of the revolution, and transports the substrate between the plurality of liquid processing units and the plurality of cooling processing units. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a first transfer mechanism for performing. 15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a plurality of heat processing units arranged on the outside of the revolution and performing heat processing on the substrate. 16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a second transfer mechanism which is arranged on the outside of the revolution and which transfers a substrate between the plurality of cooling processing units and the heating processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: