JP2003174010A - Substrate treating liquid recovering device and substrate treating device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treating liquid recovering device that can maintain the recovering efficiency of a substrate treating liquid without deteriorating the quality of a substrate regardless of the rotational speed of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate treating liquid recovering device (8) has an annular flow channel (32) provided with an annular inlet port (34) which accepts a treating liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate (W) and splashed radially outward by the centrifugal force while the substrate is rotated around a vertical axis (2), an outlet port (36) from which the accepted treating liquid flows out, and an exhaust port (38) from which the mist of the treating liquid is discharged. The outer internal wall (100) of the recovering device (8) in the radial direction to which the treating liquid first immerges has a slope (104) inclined outward and downward in the radial direction so that the treating liquid may be guided to the downstream side from the inlet port (34) regardless of the rotational speed of the substrate (W). In addition, the vertical cross section of the flow channel (32) from the inlet port (34) to the outlet port (36) is formed in a downwardly extending inclined dog leg shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for recovering a processing liquid for a substrate and a processing apparatus for a substrate including the same, and more specifically, to a processing liquid from an annular inlet arranged to surround the periphery of the substrate. The present invention relates to a substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus for recovering a substrate and a substrate processing apparatus including the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus for recovering a processing liquid when a substrate is processed in a single wafer system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-283395. FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the substrate processing apparatus including the processing liquid recovery apparatus disclosed in this publication.

As shown in FIG. 7, a substrate processing apparatus 180
Is a substrate processing means 184 for treating the surface of the substrate W with a treatment liquid by rotating the substrate W supported from below about a vertical axis 182, and a treatment liquid for collecting the treatment liquid after the treatment. And a recovery device 186.
The processing liquid recovery device 186 receives the processing liquid that is blown outward in the radial direction of the substrate W by the centrifugal force.
An annular inlet 188 arranged so as to surround the circumference of the
And an outflow port 190 through which the processing liquid flowing in from the inflow port 188 flows out. Above the annular canal 192, an annular wall 1 extending in the vertical direction is provided in order to receive the processing liquid that has been blown off.
94 is provided. Further, the annular canal 192 is provided with an exhaust port 196 on the downstream side of the outflow port 190. According to such a configuration, the processing liquid that has processed the substrate W is blown to the outside of the radius of the substrate W by the centrifugal force, becomes fine droplets, hits the annular wall 194 through the annular inflow port 188, and the annular canal Accepted within 192. Then
Droplets of the processing liquid condense in the annular canal 192 and are discharged from the outlet 190 by, for example, a pump. Thereby, the processing liquid can be collected. Further, the air in the annular canal 192 is sucked from the exhaust port 196 to generate a constant air flow in the annular canal 192, and the mist of the processing liquid in the annular canal 192 is also exhausted.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned treatment liquid recovery apparatus has the following technical problems.

The first problem is that the mist generated during the recovery of the processing liquid for the substrate falls on the processing surface of the substrate W and deteriorates the quality of the substrate W. More specifically, when the processing liquid scattered in the radial direction of the substrate W hits the annular wall 194 by the centrifugal force, a considerable amount of the processing liquid mist is generated. Further, the processing liquid, which hits the annular wall 194 extending in the vertical direction in a substantially horizontal direction, bounces back to the substrate W. Therefore, the mist of the processing liquid rides on the flow of the processing liquid that rebounds so as to return to the substrate W, and the ring-shaped inlet 188.
Floats toward the substrate W and finally reaches the upper surface of the substrate W. As a result, the quality of the processed substrate W is deteriorated.

Further, even when a normal high speed rotation process is performed, the rotation speed is not always constant, and the direction in which the processing liquid is scattered changes depending on the change in the rotation speed of the substrate. Therefore, there is a demand to prevent the processing liquid from floating toward the substrate W at any rotation speed.

The second problem is that, as described above, a considerable amount of mist of the processing liquid is generated during the recovery, which deteriorates the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid.

The third problem is that the substrate W is rotated at a low speed,
Alternatively, in a case where the bubbling process is performed in which the surface of the substrate W is processed by standing still and allowing the processing liquid to stay on the upper surface of the substrate W, the processing liquid does not flow to the annular inflow port 188, and thus the processing liquid can hardly be collected. That is.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to perform a normal high-speed rotation process regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing liquid recovery device for a substrate and a substrate processing device including the same, which can ensure the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid without degrading the quality of the substrate.

Further, an object of the present invention is to secure the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid without deteriorating the quality of the substrate regardless of whether the normal high speed rotation processing or the paddling processing is performed. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for recovering a processing liquid for a substrate that can be used.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate processing solution recovery apparatus according to the present invention is supplied to the upper surface of a substrate which is supported from below and which rotates about a substantially vertical axis. An annular inlet arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate so as to be able to receive the processing liquid that is blown outward in the radial direction by the centrifugal force, and an outlet from which the processing liquid that has flowed in from this annular inlet flows out. And a substrate processing liquid recovery device for recovering the substrate processing liquid having an annular flow path provided with the exhaust port for exhausting the mist generated from the processing liquid, which is provided on the downstream side of the outlet. At
When the substrate is rotated at a rotational speed such that the processing liquid flowing in from the annular inlet collides with the inner wall of the annular passage, the processing liquid is guided in the downstream direction from the annular inlet regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate, The inner wall on the outer side in the radial direction of the annular flow path where the processing liquid first collides has an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate, and the outlet from the annular flow inlet of the annular flow path including the vertical axis. It is characterized in that the vertical cross-sectional shape up to is formed in a substantially oblique shape including the inclined surface and extending downward.

In the apparatus for recovering a processing liquid for a substrate according to the present invention thus constructed, the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate which is supported from below and which rotates about a substantially vertical axis is generated by centrifugal force. It is flown radially outward of the substrate and is received in an annular inlet arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate. When the substrate rotates at a rotation speed such that the processing liquid flowing in from the annular inlet collides with the inner wall of the annular flow path, that is, during normal high-speed rotation processing, the scattering direction of the processing liquid changes depending on the rotation speed. However, since the inner wall on the outer side in the radial direction of the annular flow path where the processing liquid first collides has an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate, the processing liquid is directed in the downstream direction regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate. Will be guided to. Furthermore, the vertical cross-sectional shape of the annular flow path including the vertical axis from the annular inlet to the outlet includes the above inclined surface and extends downward so that the processing liquid is guided in the downstream direction regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate. Since it is formed in a substantially diagonal V shape, the processing liquid that first collides with the radially outer inner wall of the annular channel always collides with the radially outer and / or radially inner inner wall of the annular channel. It is guided to the outlet in the downstream direction and downward, and flows out from the outlet. Thereby, the processing liquid can be collected. The dogleg-shaped annular channel may be convex upward or convex downward. Also,
Due to the above-described flow of the processing liquid in the downstream direction, the mist of the processing liquid generated when the processing liquid collides with the inner wall of the annular flow path is also guided in the downstream direction. It is prevented that the mist floats toward the substrate, and the mist guided in the downstream direction is condensed on the inner wall of the annular channel and is guided to the outlet as the processing liquid. As a result, in a normal high-speed rotation process, regardless of the number of rotations of the substrate, the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid can be secured without degrading the quality of the substrate. Then, only the mist of the processing liquid that could not be collected at the outlet is exhausted from the exhaust port.

In the recovery device of the present invention, preferably,
The vertical cross-sectional shape of the annular flow path from the annular inflow port to the outflow port is an upwardly convex, substantially diagonal V shape, and the exhaust port is
The annular flow path is installed radially inward of the outlet, and the vertical cross-sectional shape of the annular flow path including the vertical axis from the outlet to the exhaust port is substantially inverted U.
It is formed in a letter shape. With such a configuration, the annular channel can be made compact and the space occupied by the recovery device can be reduced.

In the recovery apparatus of the present invention, preferably
The annular flow passage is formed so as to hit the inner wall of the annular flow passage at least a plurality of times before the processing liquid flows out from the annular flow inlet through the outlet.

Further, in the recovery apparatus of the present invention, preferably, the vertical cross-section portion including the vertical axis of the radially inner inner wall of the portion of the annular passage extending from the annular inlet to the outlet is upstream of the annular passage. It is formed in a polygonal shape in which the angle formed by the side located on the side and the side located adjacent to the downstream side of the side increases in the downstream direction.

Further, in the recovery apparatus of the present invention, preferably, further, there is an annular groove arranged below the outflow port and communicating with the annular flow path, and the annular bottom surface of this annular groove is inclined in the circumferential direction. The main outlet is provided at the lowest position of this annular bottom surface.

Further, in the recovery apparatus of the present invention, preferably, a plurality of exhaust ports are provided in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of independent exhaust ports are connected to the annular flow path through the exhaust ports and to the common main exhaust port. The branch exhaust pipe line is further provided, and the area and arrangement of each exhaust port and the diameter and length of each branch exhaust pipe line are configured such that the conductances of the branch exhaust pipe lines are the same.

Further, in the recovery apparatus of the present invention,
It is preferable to have an upward annular pocket below the annular inlet for collecting the processing liquid flowing downward from the annular inlet outside the annular flow path during the paddling process. In the recovery apparatus of the present invention having such a configuration, the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid can be improved without deteriorating the quality of the substrate regardless of whether the normal high-speed rotation processing is performed or the paddling processing is performed. Can be secured.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention has a plurality of substrate processing units which are vertically stacked and arranged, and each of the plurality of substrate processing units is provided. A substrate supporting means for supporting the substrate from below, a substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate about a substantially vertical axis, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, and a substrate And a treatment liquid collecting means for collecting the treatment liquid after the surface of the substrate is treated with the treatment liquid, and the treatment liquid collecting means can receive the treatment liquid which is blown outward in the radial direction of the substrate by the centrifugal force. As described above, an annular inflow port arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate, an outflow port through which the processing liquid flowing from the annular inflow port flows out, and a mist generated from the processing liquid provided on the downstream side of the outflow port exhaust In an apparatus for processing a substrate having an annular flow path provided with an exhaust port for, when the substrate is rotated at a rotation speed such that the processing liquid flowing from the annular flow inlet collides with the inner wall of the annular flow path, The inner wall on the radially outer side of the annular flow path where the processing liquid first collides is inclined downward toward the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate so that the processing liquid is guided downstream from the annular inlet regardless of the rotation speed. And a vertical cross-sectional shape of the annular flow path including the vertical axis from the annular inlet to the outlet is formed in a substantially oblique shape including the inclined surface and extending downward. I am trying.

Since the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described structure includes the substrate processing solution recovering apparatus having the above-described characteristics, similarly to the above, the rotation speed of the substrate in the normal high-speed rotation processing is increased. Regardless of this, it is possible to secure the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid without degrading the quality of the substrate.

In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, preferably, the exhaust port of each of the plurality of substrate processing units is
A plurality of branch exhaust pipes, which are provided in the circumferential direction and communicate with the annular flow path through the exhaust port and communicate with the common main exhaust port, are further provided, and the conductances of the branch exhaust pipe lines are mutually different. The area and arrangement of each exhaust port and the diameter and length of each branch exhaust pipe line are configured to be the same, and the main exhaust port of each processing unit is located above or below the processing unit or below or above the processing unit. , And then connected to a single exhaust means, so that the exhaust volume from each main exhaust port becomes uniform, the cross-sectional area of the main exhaust port of the processing unit approaches as the processing unit approaches the exhaust means. Becomes smaller.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a substrate processing unit including a substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are horizontal cross-sectional views of the recovery apparatus of FIG. 1 at different positions. FIG. 4 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the substrate processing unit of FIG. 1 at a position different from that of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate processing unit 1
Is a chuck 4 which supports the substrate W from below and can be rotated about a vertical axis 2 by a rotating means (not shown) such as a motor, and a substrate processing liquid for processing the substrate W is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate. It has a supply nozzle 6 and a substrate processing liquid recovery device 8 arranged around the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate W is held in a non-contact manner from the gas ejection port 12 provided on the upper surface 10 of the chuck 4 by utilizing the Bernoulli effect or the air bearing effect, and the pin provided on the upper surface 10 of the chuck 4 is held. Although the movement in the horizontal direction is preferably limited by 14, the substrate W may be supported by a suction chuck. After the side surface 16 of the chuck 4 is curved inward in the radial direction downward from the peripheral edge 18 of the upper surface 10 of the chuck 4,
It extends downward to the lower surface 20 of the chuck 4. An annular recess 22 is provided near the periphery of the lower surface 20 of the chuck 4. Further, the supply nozzle 6 is connected to a processing liquid supply source 24 for supplying the processing liquid. The treatment liquid is acid,
A chemical liquid such as an alkali or an organic solvent, pure water, deionized water, etc., and depending on the processing content, for example, the object to be removed and washed is any foreign matter such as particles, polymers, metals, or oxide film, nitride film, CMP It is appropriately determined depending on which of the altered films generated by the above.

The recovery device 8 has a lower annular body 26, and an outer annular body 28 and an inner annular body 30 arranged on the lower annular body 26. These annular bodies 26, 28, 3
0 forms a meandering annular flow path 32 for collecting the processing liquid. The annular flow path 32 is arranged so as to surround the substrate W and the peripheral edge 18 of the chuck 4 in order to receive the processing liquid that has been blown radially outward from the substrate W, and also constitutes the starting point of the annular flow path 32. Entrance 3
4 and an annular inflow port 34 provided in the middle of the annular flow path 32.
Annular outlet 36 for letting out the processing liquid flowing in from
And an exhaust port 38 located at the end of the annular flow path 32 for exhausting the mist of the processing liquid. Hereinafter, the annular flow path 32
, The annular inlet 34 side is referred to as the upstream side, and the exhaust port 3
The 8 side is called the downstream side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the annular outlet 3
6 is formed on the lower annular body 26, and the lower annular body 26 is
It has an annular groove 40 extending downward from the annular outlet 36. The annular groove bottom surface 42 of the annular groove 40 is inclined in the circumferential direction so that the treatment liquid flowing into the annular groove 40 from the annular outlet 36 is collected by gravity at the main outlet 44 at its lowest position. The lower annular body 26 has an outflow conduit 46 extending obliquely downward in the radial direction outward from the main outlet 44, and the outflow conduit 46 is connected to one port 52 of the three-way valve 50 via a joint 48. ing. One of the remaining ports 54 of the three-way valve 50 is connected to the processing liquid supply source 24 via the processing liquid circulation device 56, and the other port 58 is connected to the disposal line 60.
It is connected to the.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower annular member 26
And the inner annular body 30 cooperate to form the side surface 16 of the chuck 4.
And an annular pocket 62 which faces the lower part of the annular pocket 62. The annular pocket 62 is separated from the annular flow path 32 and is provided radially inward of the annular flow path 32. Specifically, the annular pocket 62 includes an annular inner surface 64 of the inner annular body 30 extending downward from the position close to the peripheral edge 18 of the chuck 4 to the lower annular body 26 beyond the lower surface 20 of the chuck 4, and the annular inner surface 64. An annular pocket bottom surface 66 configured in the lower annulus 26 to connect to and extend radially inwardly therefrom.
And an annular outer surface 70 of a protrusion 68 of the lower annular body 26 which is connected to the annular pocket bottom surface 66 and extends upward from the lower annular body 26 into the annular recess 22 of the chuck 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom surface 66 of the annular pocket is inclined in the circumferential direction so that the processing liquid flowing into the annular pocket 62 collects at the communication port 72 at the lowest position by gravity. The lower annular body 26 has a connecting pipe line 74 extending obliquely downward from the connecting port 72 outward in the radial direction.
This communication line 74 communicates with the outflow line 46 via the main outlet 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the exhaust port 38 for exhausting the mist of the processing liquid is located radially outward of the annular pocket 62 and radially inward of the annular outlet 36. Eight are provided in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust ports 38 are divided into four groups, and each group has an independent branch exhaust pipe line 76, and each branch exhaust pipe line 76 has a single exhaust port 78. It is connected to one main exhaust line 80. In detail, the one exhaust port 38a closest to the main exhaust pipe line 80 has the branch exhaust pipe line 76a, and the two exhaust ports 3 which are next to the main exhaust pipe line 80 next thereto.
8b and 38c have branch exhaust pipe lines 76b and 76c, respectively, and the three exhaust ports 38d farthest from the main exhaust pipe line 80 have branch exhaust pipe lines 76d. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the branch exhaust pipe line 76 b is connected to the exhaust port 3
8b extends from the lower side of 8b in the same radial position as the exhaust port 38b in the circumferential direction toward the main exhaust pipe line 80, and branches exhaust pipe line 76b.
It is connected to the main exhaust pipe line 80 whose cross section is widened toward.
Similarly, the branch exhaust pipe line 76 c is also connected to the main exhaust pipe line 80. The branch exhaust pipe line 76d once has the exhaust port 38d.
From the lower side of the exhaust port 38d to the both sides in the radial direction at the same radial position, and to the outside in the radial direction to prevent communication with the branch exhaust pipe lines 76b and 76c, and then to the branch exhaust pipe line 76b.
Radial positions offset radially outward of 76 and 76c extend to both sides in the circumferential direction toward the main exhaust pipe line 80, and are connected to the main exhaust pipe line 80. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, these branch exhaust pipe lines 76 are arranged below the annular groove 40 so as not to interfere with the annular groove 40.
Thus, each exhaust port 38 communicates with the main exhaust port 78 via the pipe line 82 extending downwardly from the exhaust port 38, each branch exhaust pipe line 76, and the main exhaust pipe line 80. The number, opening area and arrangement of the exhaust ports 78, how to divide the groups of the exhaust ports 78, and the route and length of each branch exhaust pipe line 76 are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment, and each branch exhaust pipe line 76 is not limited thereto. Is uniform so that the exhaust amount from each branch exhaust pipe line 76 is uniform. The exhaust port 78 has
An exhaust device (not shown) is connected.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, details of the vertical cross-section of the annular flow path 32 in the plane including the vertical axis 2 will be described. The vertical cross section is the same in the circumferential direction. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vertical cross section. As described above, the annular flow path 32 is configured by the outer annular body 28, the inner annular body 30, and the lower annular body 26. As shown in FIG.
The outer annular body 28 has a substantially inverted L-shaped cross section that extends radially inward, and the inner annular body 30 has a substantially inverted L-shaped shape that has an eaves portion 90 that extends obliquely downward toward the radially outer side. The outer annular body 28 has a cross-section and the inner annular body 30
It is arranged so as to cover it at a distance. Further, an annular partition wall 92 extending upward from the lower annular body 26 is arranged below the eaves portion 90 of the inner annular portion 30 with a space therebetween, and has a radial outer surface 93. Thus, the annular flow path 32 generally comprises an annular inlet 34.
From the annular outlet 36 to the annular outlet 36, an upstream portion 94 that is formed in a substantially obliquely convex shape upward, an intermediate portion 96 that extends upward from the annular outlet 36, and a radius from the intermediate portion 96 to the annular outlet 36. And a downstream portion 98 extending downward toward the exhaust port 38 arranged inward in the direction. In addition, the intermediate portion 96 from the annular outlet 36 to the exhaust port 38 and the downstream portion 9
8 has a substantially inverted U shape.

In the upstream portion 94 of the annular flow passage 32, the radially inner surface 100 of the outer annular body 28 and the upper surface 102 of the eaves portion 90 of the inner annular body 30 are respectively the radially outer inner wall 100 and the radius of the annular flow passage 32. Direction inner wall 10
Make up 2. The vertical cross-section of the radially inner surface 100 of the outer annular body 28 has five sides 104, and the annular inlet 34
The side 104 located on the upstream side of the annular flow path 32 and the side 104 located adjacent to the downstream side of the side 104 so that the treatment liquid flowing in from the inside is guided in the downstream direction each time it collides with the radially inner surface 100. Is formed in a polygonal shape whose angle θ increases as it goes downstream. The most upstream side 104 a is connected to the annular inflow port 34 via a pointed portion 108 including the curved recess 106 facing the downstream side, and the most downstream side 104 b is connected to the annular outflow port 36. In the actual annular flow path 32, these sides 104
Constitutes the surface 104.

The upper surface 10 of the eaves portion 90 of the inner annular body 30.
2 and the lower surface 110 extend radially outward substantially obliquely downward and at their radially outer end 112 are provided a point 114 extending downwardly towards the annular outlet 36.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing liquid recovery device will be described.
Two cases will be described: one in which the chuck 4 rotates at high speed, and the other in which the chuck 4 rotates at low speed or stops, that is, in the case of the paddling process.

The chuck 4 is, for example, 400 to 3000.
When rotating at high speed at rpm, the processing liquid supplied from the supply nozzle 6 to the upper surface of the substrate W is vigorously scattered radially outward by the centrifugal force. The angle with respect to the horizontal direction at which the processing liquid is scattered changes depending on the rotation speed or whether the processing liquid is supplied to the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate. For example, the path of J1 or J2 in FIG. Scatter along. In FIG. 5, the path of the processing liquid is projected on the vertical cross section, and in reality, the processing liquid has a circumferential velocity.
Further, the paths J1 and J2 of the processing liquid scattered from the peripheral edge 18 of the chuck 4 are examples, and in reality, the processing liquid is almost always directly scattered from the substrate. Is true. The upward path, such as J2, is the path of the processing liquid mainly when the processing liquid is supplied from the lower side of the substrate by the processing liquid supply means (not shown) for supplying the processing liquid. is there.

When scattered along the path of J1, J
Even when scattered along the path of 2, the inner wall 100 on which the processing liquid flowing from the annular inlet 34 first collides is inclined downward toward the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate. Guided in the downstream direction. When scattered along the route J1 in FIG. 5, the inner wall 100 that constitutes the upstream portion 94 of the annular flow path 32 bumps into the annular outflow port 36 three times. The number of collisions with the inner wall 100 and / or 102 is
The number of times is not limited to three, but is preferably two or more. In the upstream portion 94, the angle θ formed by the adjacent sides 104 increases toward the downstream side, so that when the scattered processing liquid collides with the respective sides 104, it will always bounce back to the downstream side. Also, as in the case of scattering along the route of J2 in FIG.
Even when the processing liquid collides with the inner wall 102 formed by the inner annular portion 30, the processing liquid splashes to the downstream side. In this way, the processing liquid flowing in from the annular inflow port 34 is guided in the downstream direction and downward each time it collides with the inner walls 100 and 102 of the upstream portion 94 having a substantially diagonal V shape. As a result, an air flow can be formed in the upstream portion 94 of the annular flow path 32 from approximately the upstream side to the downstream side.

The processing liquid that has collided with the inner walls 100 and 102 of the upstream portion 94 becomes the mist M and floats in the upstream portion 94. As described above, since the air flow from the upstream side to the downstream side is formed in the upstream portion 94, the floating mist M is guided to the downstream side, and the annular inflow port 34 causes the substrate W to flow.
It is prevented from floating toward. In addition, the annular inlet 34
Vortex flow F1 is formed by the curved concave portion 106 adjacent to
Since the formation of the air flow from the annular inflow port 34 toward the substrate W is suppressed, guiding the mist M to the downstream side is promoted.
The mist M attached to the inner walls 100 and 102 becomes droplets, travels along the inner walls 100 and 102, and is guided to the annular outflow port 36.

Even if the treatment liquid once passes through the annular discharge port 36 as indicated by J2 in FIG. 5, the treatment liquid is directed upward by the annular partition wall 92 at the intermediate portion 96 and then drops. . In this way, since the processing liquid does not bounce back toward the downstream portion 98, the processing liquid can be recovered even when the processing liquid passes through the annular discharge port 36. Further, in the middle portion 96 and the downstream portion 98, the mist M attached to the lower surface 110 of the eaves portion 90 becomes droplets, travels along the lower surface 110, and is guided to the annular outlet 36. Furthermore, the vortex flow F2 generated in the intermediate portion 96 pulls back the mist M that is about to flow into the downstream portion 98. Thus, only the mist M of the processing liquid that could not be collected in the upstream portion 94 and the intermediate portion 96 floats in the downstream portion 98.

Next, the treatment liquid flowing into the annular outlet 36 is guided through the bottom surface 42 of the annular groove, and is led from the main outlet 44 to the three-way valve 50 via the outflow conduit 46 and the joint 48 (FIG. 1).
reference). When the port 52 and the port 58 are in communication, the processing liquid is discarded. When the port 52 and the port 54 are in communication with each other, the processing liquid is collected by the processing liquid circulating device 56, sent to the processing liquid supply source 24, and reused. On the other hand, the mist floating in the downstream portion 98 of the annular flow path 32 is discharged from the discharge port 38 into the branch exhaust pipe line 76
The air is exhausted through the main exhaust line 80 and the main exhaust port 78.

As described above, the inner wall 100 on the radially outer side of the annular flow path 32 where the processing liquid first collides is arranged so that the processing liquid is guided in the downstream direction from the annular inflow port 34 regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate. , The inclined surface 104 that inclines downward in the radial direction of the substrate W, and the vertical cross-sectional shape of the upstream portion 94 of the annular flow path 32 including the vertical axis 2 includes the inclined surface 104 and downward. Since it is formed in a substantially diagonally extending shape, it extends from the annular inflow port 34 to the annular flow passage 32.
The processing liquid that has flowed into the annular flow path 32 is guided in the downstream direction of the annular flow path 32 each time it hits the inner walls 100 and 102 of the upstream portion 94 of the annular flow path 32. Correspondingly, the mist M of the processing liquid generated when the mist M collides with the inner walls 100, 102 is also guided in the downstream direction, thereby preventing the mist M from floating from the annular outlet 36 toward the substrate W. As a result, the efficiency of collecting the processing liquid can be ensured without deteriorating the quality of the substrate W. Furthermore, when the mist M is guided in the downstream direction in response to the treatment liquid being guided in the downstream direction, the mist M is condensed on the inner walls 100 and 102 of the annular flow path 32 and is treated as the treatment liquid. As described above, the efficiency of collecting the processing liquid can be improved.

Next, the case where the chuck 4 is rotating at a low speed or stopped, that is, the case of the paddling process will be described.

The chuck 4 is, for example, 0 to 300 rpm.
In the case where the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from the supply nozzle 6 stays on the upper surface of the substrate W, the side surface 16 of the chuck 4 is rotated. And flows down along the annular inner surface 64 of the inner annular body 30, or flows along the inner wall 102 of the annular flow path 32. Since the rotation speed is low, the mist M of the processing liquid is
It hardly happens. The processing liquid flowing along the side surface 16 of the chuck 4 and the annular inner surface 64 of the inner annular body 30 flows into the annular pocket 62, travels through the annular pocket bottom surface 66,
The communication line 7 is guided to the communication port 72 at the lowest position.
4, it is led to the three-way valve 50 via the main outlet 44 and the outflow conduit 46. The processing liquid flowing along the inner wall 102 of the annular flow path 32 is guided to the annular outlet 36, and is recovered as in the case where the chuck 4 rotates at high speed. Such an annular pocket 6
By adopting 2, whether the normal high speed rotation processing or the paddling processing is performed,
The efficiency of collecting the processing liquid can be ensured without degrading the quality of the substrate W.

Next, a substrate processing apparatus including the above-described substrate processing unit will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 6
It is a schematic sectional drawing of the processing apparatus of a board | substrate.

As shown in FIG. 6, a substrate processing apparatus 120.
Conveys the substrate W in the vertical direction between the units 122 and 124 in the conveyance space 126 and the three substrate processing units 122 and the one substrate vacuum drying processing unit 124 arranged in the vertical direction. A substrate W transfer device 128 for storing the substrate W and a cassette 130 for storing the substrate W before and after processing are provided in an integrated frame structure 132. The substrate processing unit 122 is similar to the substrate processing unit 1 described above. Carrier 1
Reference numeral 28 denotes a robot, which is a substrate processing unit 1
22 has a notch alignment 134 on its side part for aligning the notch of the substrate W in a predetermined direction.
The notch alignment 134 has a pedestal 136 that receives the substrate W and an arm 140 that can pivot about a pivot 138 and move vertically. The substrate W received by the transfer device 128 on the pedestal 136 is moved by the arm 140. It is adapted to be transferred to the upper surface 10 of the chuck 4.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus will be described.
In the substrate processing apparatus 120, the unprocessed substrate W stored in the cassette 130 is transferred to the pedestal 136 of the notch alignment 134 by the transfer device 128. The notch alignment 134 aligns the notch in a predetermined direction and transfers the substrate W to the upper surface 10 of the chuck 4. Supply nozzle 6
Processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W to process the substrate, and then the processed substrate W is returned to the pedestal 136. The processing liquid supplied to the substrate W is recovered as described above. Then
The substrate W is transferred to the vacuum drying processing unit 124 by the transfer device 128, and after the vacuum drying processing is performed, the next processing is performed or the substrate W is returned to the cassette 130.

In the above-described substrate processing apparatus 120, the processing units 122 can be arranged in a single stack in the vertical direction. Although the three processing units 122 are stacked in the illustrated embodiment, the number of stacks may be two, or four or more.
With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the installation space occupied in the lateral direction. Further, since the substrate W is transported between the units 122 and 124 in one direction in the vertical direction, the transport time can be shortened, and as a result, the throughput of the processing apparatus 120 can be improved. Further, the processing unit 122 of the substrate can be assigned to each treatment liquid such as acid, alkali or organic solvent, pure water, deionized water, etc., and the recovery efficiency of the treatment liquid can be improved.

When the same kind of exhaust gas is used when stacking the processing units 122 in the vertical direction, the main exhaust ports 78 of the processing units 122 are sequentially connected from the top, and then the processing units 122 are provided outside. The mist M may be exhausted by a single exhaust means (not shown) arranged.
In this case, the main exhaust port 78 of the processing unit 122 disposed farthest from the exhaust unit has the largest cross-sectional area so that the exhaust amount from each main exhaust port 78 is uniform, and the processing unit 122 causes the exhaust unit to exhaust. It is preferable to reduce the cross-sectional area of the main exhaust port 78 as it approaches. When different kinds of exhaust are used, the main exhaust port 7 of each processing unit 122 is used.
It is preferable to select the cross-sectional area of the main exhaust port 78 so that the exhaust capacity from 8 becomes uniform. With such a configuration, the exhaust capacity of each processing unit 122 can be made uniform.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail,
Various modifications within the scope of the present invention described in the claims,
It can be modified.

In the embodiment of the recovery device described above, the vertical cross-section of the radially inner surface 100 of the outer annular body 28 is formed in a polygonal shape having five sides, but the processing liquid flowing from the annular inflow port 34. May be configured so as to be guided in the downstream direction each time it hits the radially inner surface 100, for example, a Cornu spiral or a curve including the spiral. Further, not only the radial inner surface 100 of the outer annular body 28, but also the radial outer surface 93 of the annular partition wall 92 that is continuous with the inner surface 100 may be formed by such a curved line.

In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the area including the cassette 130 (referred to as area 1), the transfer apparatus 1
An area of the space 126 including 28 (referred to as an area 2) and an area including the processing unit 122 and the vacuum drying processing unit 124 (referred to as an area 3) are isolated from each other so that the atmosphere of the area 3 does not leak to the area 2. The pressure in the area 2 may be higher than the pressure in the area 3. In this case, the pressure in the region 1 may be arbitrarily set within a range that does not cause a problem due to the particles in the region 1 entering the region 2.

[0048]

As described above in detail, according to the apparatus for recovering a processing liquid for a substrate and the apparatus for processing a substrate including the same according to the present invention, the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid can be prevented without deteriorating the quality of the substrate. In addition, it is possible to secure the recovery efficiency of the processing liquid without deteriorating the quality of the substrate regardless of whether the high-speed rotation processing is performed or the paddling processing is performed. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a substrate processing unit including a substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 of the substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 of the substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3 of the substrate processing unit including the substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an annular flow path of the substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus including a conventional substrate processing liquid recovery apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Substrate processing unit 2 vertical axis 4 chuck 6 supply nozzles 8 Substrate processing liquid recovery device 32 annular flow path 34 Ring inlet 36 Annular outlet 38 Exhaust port 40 annular groove 42 Bottom of annular groove 44 main outlet 62 annular pocket 76 Branch exhaust pipe 78 exhaust ports 100 inner wall 102 inner wall 104 sides 120 Substrate processing equipment 122 Substrate processing unit W board

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toru Wataru             2-28-18 Shukugawara, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture             Issue Sprout Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 4K057 WA02 WA20 WH10 WM19 WN01                 5F043 EE08 EE21 EE37 EE40

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A peripheral portion of a substrate, which is supported from below and is supplied to the upper surface of a substrate which rotates about a substantially vertical axis and which can receive a processing liquid which is spouted radially outward of the substrate by a centrifugal force. An annular inlet arranged so as to surround the outlet, an outlet through which the processing liquid flowing from the annular inlet flows out, and an exhaust port provided on the downstream side of the outlet for exhausting mist generated from the processing liquid. In the substrate processing liquid recovery device for recovering the substrate processing liquid having an annular flow path, the number of rotations such that the processing liquid flowing from the annular inlet collides with the inner wall of the annular flow path. When the substrate is rotated at, the inner wall of the annular flow path on the outer side of the annular flow path where the processing liquid first collides is the substrate so that the processing liquid is guided in the downstream direction from the annular inlet regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate. Radially outside of Has an inclined surface that inclines downward toward, and a vertical cross-sectional shape from the annular inflow port to the outflow port of the annular flow path that includes the vertical axis is substantially oblique including the inclined surface and extends downward. An apparatus for recovering a processing liquid for a substrate, which is formed in a V shape. 2. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the annular flow passage from the annular inflow port to the outflow port is an upwardly convex, substantially oblique V-shape, and the exhaust port is in a radial direction of the outflow port. The recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the recovery device is installed on one side, and the annular flow path is formed such that a vertical cross-sectional shape including the vertical axis line from the outlet to the exhaust port is formed in a substantially inverted U shape. 3. The annular flow passage is formed so as to hit the inner wall of the annular flow passage at least a plurality of times before the processing liquid flows out from the annular flow inlet through the flow outlet. Item 1. The recovery device according to Item 1 or 2. 4. A vertical cross-section portion of an inner wall of a portion of the annular flow passage that extends from the annular inlet port to the outlet port on the radially outer side, the vertical cross section including the vertical axis being located on the upstream side of the annular flow passage. 4. The recovery device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the side and a side adjacent to the downstream side of the side is formed in a polygonal shape that increases in the downstream direction. 5. An annular groove disposed below the outflow port and communicating with the annular flow path, wherein the annular bottom surface of the annular groove is inclined in the circumferential direction and is located at the lowest position of the annular bottom surface. The recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a main outlet is provided. 6. The plurality of exhaust ports are provided in the circumferential direction,
Further, a plurality of independent branch exhaust pipe lines communicating with the annular flow passage through the exhaust port and communicating with the common main exhaust port are further provided so that the conductances of the respective branch exhaust pipe lines are the same. The recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the area and arrangement of each exhaust port and the diameter and length of each branch exhaust pipe line are configured. 7. An upward-facing annular pocket for collecting a processing liquid flowing downward from the annular inflow port outside the annular flow channel during a paddling process is provided below the annular inflow port. The recovery device according to any one of 1 to 6. 8. A processing unit for processing a plurality of substrates arranged in a stack in the vertical direction, each of the processing units for processing a plurality of substrates having a substrate support means for supporting the substrate from below and a substrate Substrate rotation means for rotating about a vertical axis, processing liquid supply means for supplying the processing liquid to the surface of the substrate, and processing liquid for collecting the processing liquid after processing the surface of the substrate with the processing liquid. A processing liquid collecting means, and the processing liquid collecting means is an annular inflow port arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate so as to be able to receive the processing liquid which is blown outward in the radial direction of the substrate by the centrifugal force. And an outlet through which the processing liquid that has flowed in from the annular inlet flows out, and an exhaust port that is provided on the downstream side of the outlet for exhausting mist generated from the processing liquid, and an annular flow path. Substrate processing equipment In, when the substrate is rotated at a rotation speed such that the processing liquid flowing from the annular inlet collides with the inner wall of the annular flow path, the processing liquid is guided in the downstream direction from the annular inlet regardless of the rotation speed of the substrate. As described above, the inner wall on the outer side in the radial direction of the annular flow path where the processing liquid first collides has an inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate, and the annular flow including the vertical axis. The apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein a vertical cross-sectional shape of the passage from the annular inlet to the outlet is formed in a substantially oblique V shape including the inclined surface and extending downward. 9. A plurality of exhaust ports of each of the plurality of substrate processing units are provided in the circumferential direction and communicate with the annular flow path through the exhaust ports and independently from each other through a common main exhaust port. Further having a plurality of branch exhaust pipe lines, so that the conductance of each branch exhaust pipe line is the same,
The area and arrangement of each exhaust port and the diameter and length of each branch exhaust pipe line are configured, and the main exhaust port of each processing unit is sequentially connected from the upper or lower processing unit to the lower or upper processing unit. After that, the cross-sectional area of the main exhaust port of the processing unit becomes smaller as the processing unit gets closer to the exhaust unit so that the exhaust amount from each main exhaust port is connected to a single exhaust unit so as to be uniform. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 8.