JP2003178944A - Developing method and developing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing method and a developing apparatus by which pattern failure can be prevented during drying for removing a rinsing liquid on a wafer W. <P>SOLUTION: After a rinsing liquid 42 is supplied onto a wafer W with a developed resist pattern 29 to rinse a developer thereon, an organic solvent 43 whose specific gravity is larger than that of the rinsing liquid is supplied while the wafer W is kept still. Thus, the organic solvent 43 is located under the rinsing liquid 42 between the patterns 29, so that the rinsing liquid 42 easily gets out between the patterns 29, resulting on preventing pattern failure. Furthermore, since the organic solvent 43 is supplied while the wafer W is kept still, the rinsing liquid 42 can be surely substituted for the organic solvent 43 without producing a centrifugal force in the rinsing liquid 42. <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 a development processing method and a development processing apparatus for performing development processing on a substrate coated with a resist in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a photolithography process for manufacturing a semiconductor device, 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 this is developed to develop the wafer surface. A resist pattern is formed on.

In such a photolithography process, the developing process is performed by, for example, a paddle type or dip type method. For example, in the paddle type, the developing solution is supplied to the wafer, while in the dip type, the wafer is immersed in the developing solution to proceed with the development process, and thereafter, a rinse solution as a cleaning solution using pure water or the like is applied to the wafer. The developer is supplied to the top to wash away the developer. Finally, in order to remove the rinse liquid from the wafer, a drying process is performed by performing air blow, rotation of the wafer, or the like.

[0004]

By the way, miniaturization of semiconductor devices has been further advanced in recent years, and fine resist patterns having a high aspect ratio have appeared. Due to the fineness and high aspect ratio of such a resist pattern, for example, when the rinse liquid comes out between the patterns in the above-mentioned drying treatment, an attractive force is generated between the patterns due to the surface tension of the rinse liquid, so-called “pattern”. The problem of "falling down" has occurred.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a development processing method and a development processing apparatus capable of preventing pattern collapse in the drying processing for removing the rinse liquid on the substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a development processing method and a development processing apparatus capable of preventing pattern collapse and achieving high throughput.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a development processing method according to the present invention comprises (a) a step of supplying a rinsing liquid onto a substrate on which a resist pattern has been developed, and (b) a substrate. And a treatment liquid having a larger specific gravity than the rinse liquid is supplied onto the substrate.

According to this structure of the present invention, the rinse liquid is supplied onto the substrate on which the resist pattern has been developed in the developing process to wash away the developer, and then the specific gravity is higher than that of the rinse liquid while the substrate is stopped. By supplying the treatment liquid having a large amount, the treatment liquid is located below the rinse liquid between the patterns, the rinse liquid easily escapes from between the patterns, and the pattern collapse can be prevented. Moreover, since the processing liquid is supplied in the state where the substrate is stopped, when the rinse liquid and the processing liquid are replaced, centrifugal force is not generated in the rinse liquid, and the replacement can be reliably performed. As the treatment liquid, hydrofluoroether (HF
E) is preferred.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises the step of (c) rotating the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed after the step (b). First, as described above, the treatment liquid is supplied in a state where the substrate is stopped, the rinse liquid in the vicinity of the center of the substrate is replaced with the treatment liquid, and then the substrate is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions to cause pattern collapse. The treatment liquid can be spread on the substrate without any treatment. Here, the rotation speed of the substrate in the step (c) is 300 rpm to 100 rpm.
It is preferably 0 rpm. Rotation of substrate is 300r
If it is slower than pm, the treatment liquid is not uniformly mixed with the rinse liquid on the substrate, and the treatment liquid becomes granular and scattered in the rinse liquid. If the substrate is rotated and shaken off and dried, the pattern collapses. Is caused. On the other hand, when the rotation of the substrate is faster than 1000 rpm, the treatment liquid spreads evenly on the substrate, but before the treatment liquid spreads, the rinse liquid may flow out from the substrate and cause pattern collapse. Is high.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the supply of the processing liquid in the step (b) is performed by scanning the substrate with an elongated nozzle having a length substantially the same as the diameter of the substrate. By using such a long nozzle,
The processing liquid is uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate without rotating the substrate,
The treatment liquid can be positioned below the rinse liquid between the patterns on the entire surface of the substrate, and the pattern collapse due to the rinse liquid flowing over the substrate when the substrate is rotated can be prevented.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises the step of recovering and reusing the treatment liquid. For example, the above-mentioned hydrofluoroether (HF) having a large specific gravity as a processing liquid.
By using E), the drained rinse liquid and HFE
It is easy to separate HFE from each other, and since HFE is hydrophobic, HFE can be easily recovered and HFE can be reused.

The development processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a developing solution supplying means for supplying a developing solution onto the substrate held by the rotation holding means; and a substrate on which the developing solution is supplied and the resist pattern is developed. It comprises a rinse liquid supply means for supplying a rinse liquid, and a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid having a specific gravity larger than that of the rinse liquid onto the substrate while the substrate is stopped.

According to such a constitution of the present invention, the resist pattern is developed on the substrate by supplying the developing solution,
After supplying the rinse liquid to wash away the developing liquid, by supplying the processing liquid having a larger specific gravity than the rinse liquid with the substrate stopped, the processing liquid is located below the rinse liquid between the patterns, The rinse liquid easily escapes from between the patterns, and the pattern collapse can be prevented.
Moreover, since the processing liquid is supplied while the rotation of the substrate is stopped, when the rinse liquid and the processing liquid are replaced,
Centrifugal force is not generated in the rinse liquid, and the rinse liquid can be reliably replaced.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings and the description of the embodiments of the invention.

[0015]

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 constitution of a coating and developing treatment system according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a plan view thereof.
2 is a front view and FIG. 3 is a rear view.

In the coating and developing treatment system 1, a plurality of semiconductor wafers W as wafers to be treated are transferred into or out of the system from the outside in units of a plurality of wafer cassettes CR, for example, 25 wafers, or wafers are transferred to the wafer cassette CR. A cassette station 10 for loading / unloading W, and a processing station in which various single-wafer processing units for performing a predetermined process on the wafer W one by one in a coating / developing process are arranged in multiple stages at predetermined positions. 11 and an interface section 12 for transferring a wafer W between the processing station 11 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 11 are integrally connected.

In the cassette station 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of wafer cassettes CR, for example, up to four wafer cassettes CR are provided at the positions of the protrusions 20a on the cassette mounting table 20 with their respective wafer entrances and exits facing the processing station 11 side. A wafer carrier 21 that is placed in a line in the direction and is movable in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction) of the wafers stored in the wafer cassette CR selectively accesses each wafer cassette CR. It is supposed to do. Further, the wafer carrier 21 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and as will be described later, an alignment unit (ALIM) and an extension unit (ALIM) belonging to the multi-stage unit section of the third set G3 on the processing station 11 side. EXT) is also accessible.

In the processing station 11, as shown in FIG. 1, a vertical transfer type main wafer transfer mechanism 22 is provided in the center part, and all the processing units are surrounded by one set or a plurality of sets in multiple stages. It is located in. In this example, 5
In the multi-stage arrangement configuration of the groups G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, the multi-stage units of the first and second groups G1 and G2 are juxtaposed on the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the system, and the third group G3 The multistage unit is arranged adjacent to the cassette station 10, the multistage unit of the fourth group G4 is arranged adjacent to the interface unit 12, and the multistage unit of the fifth group G5 is arranged on the back side. The fifth group G5 is
Rail 2 for maintenance of main wafer transfer mechanism 22
It is configured to be movable along 5.

The main wafer transfer mechanism 22 includes a cylindrical support 49.
A wafer transfer device 46 is installed inside the chamber so as to be vertically movable (Z direction). The cylindrical support 49 is connected to a rotary shaft of a motor (not shown), and is rotated integrally with the wafer transfer device 46 about the rotary shaft by the rotational driving force of the motor, whereby the wafer transfer is performed. The device 46 is rotatable in the θ direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first set G1, two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating processing unit (COT), which carry out a predetermined processing by placing the wafer W on the spin chuck in the cup CP. Further, the development processing units (DEV) according to the present invention are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom. Also in the second group G2, two spinner type processing units, for example, a resist coating processing unit (COT) and a development processing unit (DEV) are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom. In the resist coating processing unit (COT), draining of the resist solution is troublesome both mechanically and in terms of maintenance. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the resist solution in the lower stage. However, it is also possible to arrange them in the upper stage if necessary.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the third group G3, an oven type processing unit for placing a wafer W on a mounting table and performing a predetermined process, for example, a cooling unit (COL) and an adhesion unit in order from the bottom. (AD), alignment unit (ALIM), extension unit (EXT), pre-baking unit (PAB) and post-exposure baking unit (PEB)
Are stacked. Also in the fourth group G4, an oven type processing unit, for example, a cooling unit (C
OL) has 2 stages, extension cooling unit (EXTCOL), extension unit (EX
T), a pre-baking unit (PAB) and a post-exposure baking unit (PEB) are stacked. A post-baking unit for performing heat treatment after development may be arranged in some cases.

By thus arranging the cooling units (COL) and (EXTCOL) having a low processing temperature in the lower stage and the baking unit (PAB) and the post-exposure baking unit (PEB) having a high processing temperature in the upper stage, Thermal mutual interference between the units can be reduced. However, a random multi-stage arrangement is also possible.

The interface section 12 has the same size as the processing station 11 in the depth direction, but is made small in the width direction. A portable pickup cassette CR and a stationary buffer cassette BR are arranged in two stages on the front surface of the interface unit 12, a peripheral exposure device 23 is arranged on the rear surface, and a wafer carrier 24 is arranged on the central portion. It is provided. This wafer carrier 24
Moves in the X and Z directions to access both cassettes CR and BR and the peripheral exposure device 23. Further, the wafer carrier 24 is configured to be rotatable in the θ direction, and is also transferred to the extension unit (EXT) belonging to the multistage unit of the fourth group G4 on the processing station 11 side and the wafer delivery on the adjacent exposure apparatus side. A platform (not shown) is also accessible.

Although the coating and developing system 1 is installed in a clean room, the cleanliness of each part is enhanced by an efficient downflow in the system. Figure 4
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of clean air. An air supply chamber 44 is provided above the cassette station 10, the processing station 11, and the interface unit 12, and a filter having a dustproof function, for example, ULPA filters 71, 72, 73 is attached to the lower surface of the air supply chamber 44. . Each of the ULPA filters 71, 72, 73 has a fan (not shown) built therein, and the clean air adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity is processed through the ULPA filters 71, 72, 73 to the cassette station 10 and processed. Station 11 and interface unit 1
2 and is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) arranged in the lower part. At the processing station 11, as shown in the figure, the clean air is supplied with a multi-stage development processing unit (DEV) and resist coating processing unit (CO
Although not shown, it is also supplied to the multi-stage third to fifth groups G3 to G5, which are units of the heat treatment system on the back side.

5 and 6 are a plan view and a sectional view showing a developing processing unit (DEV) according to one embodiment of the present invention. An annular cup CC is arranged at the center of the development processing unit (DEV). A spin chuck 52 that holds the substrate horizontally is arranged inside the cup CΡ. The spin chuck 52 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 54 while holding the wafer W fixed by vacuum suction. The drive motor 54 is arranged so as to be able to move up and down in an opening 50a provided in the unit bottom plate 50, and is coupled with a lift drive means 60 composed of an air cylinder and a lift guide means 62 via a cap-shaped flange member 58 made of aluminum. Has been done. With such an elevating mechanism, the wafer W can be transferred to and from the main wafer transfer mechanism 22.

As shown in FIG. 6, on the wafer W housed in the cup CP, a developing solution nozzle 36 for supplying a developing solution to the surface of the wafer W is attached to the tip of the nozzle scan arm 92. ing. A supply pipe 81 is connected to the developer nozzle 36, and the developer is supplied by the developer supply mechanism 31 via the supply pipe 81. The developer nozzle 36 has an elongated shape, and the developer is supplied from, for example, a plurality of holes (not shown) or slit-shaped supply ports. The nozzle scan arm 92 includes the unit bottom plate 5
Guide rail 9 laid in one direction (Y direction) on 0
It is attached to the upper end of a vertical support member 96 that can move horizontally on the vertical axis 4, and moves in the Y direction integrally with the vertical support member 96 by a Y direction drive mechanism (not shown). The nozzle scan arm 92 is also configured to be movable in the Z direction along the vertical support member 96, and the distance between the developing solution nozzle 36 and the wafer W held by the spin chuck 52 can be adjusted. ing.

Further, the rinse nozzle 15 held by the nozzle holder 27 for supplying the rinse liquid to the surface of the wafer W.
However, similar to the developer nozzle 36, the scan arm 1
It is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction along the guide rail 94 by the 7 and the vertical support member 26. A supply pipe 82 is connected to the rinse nozzle 15.
The rinse liquid is supplied from the rinse liquid supply mechanism 32 via the. Pure water, for example, is used as the rinse liquid. The nozzle scan arm 17 is also configured to be movable along the vertical support member 26, and the distance between the rinse nozzle 15 and the wafer W held by the spin chuck 52 can be adjusted.

Next to the cup CP, an organic solvent nozzle 16 for supplying an organic solvent as an organic processing liquid containing fluorine, which is held by the nozzle holder 28, to the surface of the wafer W.
Is attached to the tip of the scan arm 18, and the scan arm 18 is driven by the motor 19
Is provided so as to be rotatable in the θ direction. A supply pipe 83 is connected to the organic solvent nozzle 16, and the organic solvent is supplied from the organic solvent supply mechanism 33 via the supply pipe 83. Here, as the organic solvent, for example, a hydrofluoroether (HFE) -based solvent having a higher specific gravity than pure water and high volatility (a mixture of methyl perfluoroisobutyl ether and methyl perfluorobutyl ether, or these alone) However, xylene, hexamethyldisilazane, etc. can also be used. The hydrofluoroether (HFE) solvent is a solvent that does not dissolve the resist, and there is no problem even if it is supplied onto the resist.

A drain pipe 57 for draining the developing solution, the rinse solution and the organic solvent supplied onto the wafer is provided at the bottom of the cup CP and is discharged to the outside of the system (not shown). It is like this. Further, at the bottom of the cup CP, an exhaust pipe 59 for exhausting the atmosphere in the cup CP such as mist generated by the supply of the developing solution and the organic solvent.
Is provided, and the vacuum pump 5 is used during normal operation.
It is in the state of being constantly exhausted by 1.

A cup temperature sensor 74 for measuring the temperature of the cup CP is attached to the cup CP, and a temperature adjusting heater 84 for adjusting the temperature of the cup CP is further provided. The heater 84 sets the temperature of the entire cup CP to a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C. during normal operation.
It is designed to be adjusted back and forth.

Further, similarly to the exhaust pipe 59 and the drain pipe 57 in the cup CP, similarly, temperature sensors 75 and 76 for measuring the temperatures of the exhaust pipe 59 and the drain pipe 57, and the exhaust pipe 59 and the drain pipe 57, respectively. Temperature control heater 85 to adjust the temperature of
And 86 are attached.

Developer supply mechanism 31, rinse solution supply mechanism 3
2 and the organic solvent supply mechanism 33 supply the respective processing solutions to the developing solution nozzles 36, based on the commands of the control unit 30.
The rinsing nozzle 15 and the organic solvent nozzle 16 are supplied. Further, the control unit 30 sends a command to the motor controller 34, which controls the rotation speed of the drive motor 54, in addition to controlling the timings of supplying the respective processing liquids described above, and performs overall processing.

Further, the control unit 30 measures each part by, for example, the temperature sensors 84, 85 and 86, and if the measured temperature is not within a predetermined normal range, it is regarded as abnormal, and the warning device 45 receives this. Some kind of warning is given. As this warning device, for example, a warning buzzer, a warning light, or a warning display on the operation display is used.

Next, a series of processing steps of the coating and developing processing system 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 wafer W is taken out from the cassette CR and transferred to the alignment unit (ALIM). After the alignment of the wafer W by this alignment unit (ALIM), the wafer W is transferred to the adhesion unit (AD) by the main wafer transfer mechanism 22 and subjected to the hydrophobic treatment, and then by the cooling unit (COL). A predetermined cooling process is performed. After that, the wafer is transferred to a resist coating processing unit (COT), subjected to a predetermined heat treatment in (PAB), cooled in a cooling unit (COL), and then exposed by a wafer carrier 24 via an interface section 12 (not shown). An exposure process is performed by the apparatus. After the exposure process is completed, a predetermined heating process is performed in the post-exposure baking unit (PEB), and then the post-exposure baking unit (DEV) is conveyed to the development processing unit (DEV) to perform the development process. After this developing treatment, a predetermined heat treatment (post-baking) may be performed. Then, the wafer W is subjected to a predetermined cooling process in the cooling unit (COL) and returned to the cassette CR via the extension unit (EXT).

Next, the processing in the development processing unit (DEV) will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. 7 and 8 are side views when each processing liquid is supplied, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the resist pattern.

First, when the spin chuck 52 moves up and receives the wafer W from the main wafer transfer mechanism 22, the spin chuck 52 moves down and the wafer W is accommodated in the cup CP. Then, as shown in FIG.
Moves on the wafer W while discharging the developing solution, and after the discharging is completed, the wafer W is left for, for example, 60 seconds to proceed with the developing process. Here, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations to extend the developing solution 41 and, for example, left for 60 seconds to proceed with the developing process. Here, in order to increase the throughput, the developing solution may be discharged while rotating the wafer W.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the developing solution nozzle 36 is moved to the outside of the cup, and the rinse nozzle 15 is moved to the center of the wafer W. Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the rinse liquid 42 is discharged while rotating the wafer W to wash away the developing liquid. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9A, in order to prevent the upper surface 29a of the pattern 29 from coming out of the rinse liquid 42, the rotation speed of the wafer is set to 300 at a low speed.
rpm to 800 rpm, and more preferably 500 rpm. This is because if the upper surface 29a of the pattern 29 comes out of the rinse liquid 42, the pattern collapse may occur due to the surface tension of the rinse liquid. By thus rotating the wafer W at a low speed of 300 rpm to 800 rpm, the speed of the rinse liquid flowing on the wafer can be minimized to prevent pattern collapse when the developer 41 is washed away.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, the rinse nozzle 15 is moved to the outside of the cup, and the organic solvent nozzle 16 is moved to the center of the wafer W. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the organic solvent 43 is discharged onto the center of the wafer W while the wafer W is stopped. Here, as shown in FIG. 9B, since the organic solvent having a specific gravity larger than that of the rinse liquid 42 is used, the organic solvent 43 is positioned below the rinse liquid 42 in the pattern 29, and the rinse liquid 42 is Can be easily pulled out from between the patterns 29, and the pattern can be prevented from collapsing. Moreover, since the wafer W is supplied while being stopped without rotating,
When the rinse liquid 42 and the organic solvent 43 are replaced, a centrifugal force is not generated in the rinse liquid 42, and the rinse liquid 42 can be reliably replaced.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8C, the wafer W is rotated at a low speed of 300 rpm to 1000 rpm, more preferably 500 rpm, so that the organic solvent 43 is spread over the entire surface of the wafer W while It is possible to prevent the pattern from collapsing when the rinse liquid 42 flows out from. That is, when the rotation of the wafer W is slower than 300 rpm, the organic solvent is not uniformly mixed with the rinse liquid on the wafer, and the organic solvent becomes granular and scattered in the rinse liquid. This is because if the film is shaken off and dried, the pattern collapses. On the other hand, when the rotation of the wafer W is faster than 1000 rpm, the organic solvent uniformly spreads on the wafer W, but before the organic solvent spreads, the rinse liquid may flow out from the wafer and cause pattern collapse. This is because the property is high.

Then, finally, the wafer W is rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions to perform a spin-off drying process. In this drying process, as shown in FIG. 9C, the contact angle θ of the organic solvent 43 with respect to the pattern 29 is 65 ° to 90 °, and even if the organic solvent 43 comes out between the patterns, the surface tension is not changed. Because it is small, it does not cause pattern collapse. A more preferable contact angle θ is 70 ° to 80 °. Such an angle can be achieved by using hydrofluoroether (HFE) or the like having a surface tension smaller than that of the rinse liquid, as described above. Since HFE has fluorine as described above, the contact angle can be realized by coating the surface of the pattern with this fluorine.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a recovery mechanism for recovering the organic solvent in order to reuse the organic solvent (HFE or the like). The drainage line 57 is connected to the drainage pipe 57 of the cup CP.
A recovery tank 93 is connected via. A recovery line 100 for recovering only the organic solvent 98 is connected to the bottom of the recovery tank 93.
Is connected to an organic solvent tank 95 that stores an organic solvent. The organic solvent tank 95 has a supply pipe 83.
The organic solvent nozzle 16 is connected via.

The recovery line 100 is provided with a pump 88 and a filter 87. On the other hand, a rinse liquid discharge line 102 for discharging only the rinse liquid 97 is connected to the upper side of the recovery tank 93, and a pump 89 is provided in the rinse liquid discharge line 102.

A branch line 103 for discharging the rinse liquid containing the developer is connected to the drain line 101 via a switching valve 90. By the switching valve 90, the drainage is switched between the drainage line 101 and the branch line 103 leading to the recovery tank.

In the organic solvent recovery mechanism constructed as described above, first, in the state where the switching valve 90 is connected to the branch line 103, the washing process of the developing solution with the rinse solution shown in FIG. 7C is performed. Done. As a result, the rinse liquid containing the developer is discharged from the branch line 103. Next, with the switching valve 90 communicating with the drain line 101, the treatment with the organic solvent shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C is performed. As a result, the organic solvent containing the rinse liquid is discharged from the drain line 101 and collected in the collection tank 93. Here, due to the difference in specific gravity between the rinse liquid and the organic solvent, the organic solvent 98 having a high specific gravity is located in the lower portion, and the rinse liquid is separated in the upper portion. As a result, the organic solvent 98 is collected by the operation of the pump 88 in the recovery line 1.
The rinsing liquid 97 is recovered to the organic solvent tank 95 via the rectification liquid 00, while the rinsing liquid 97 is operated by the pump 89.
It is discharged via 02.

As described above, the difference in specific gravity between the rinse liquid and the organic solvent can be utilized to recycle the organic solvent, and the amount of the organic solvent used can be reduced.

Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 91 is provided in the recovery tank 93.
By attaching an ultrasonic wave to the recovery tank 93 and applying ultrasonic vibration to the recovery tank 93, the rinse liquid and the organic solvent recovered in the recovery tank 93 can be efficiently and surely separated.

Further, since the HFE used in this embodiment is a solvent having higher volatility than the rinse liquid, the wafer W can be quickly dried by the natural drying without performing the spin-off drying by the rotation of the wafer W as described above. Can be dried.
Therefore, the number of drying treatment steps can be reduced and high throughput can be achieved.

Next, the processing after such natural drying will be described. As described above, since the organic solvent having high volatility is used, the wafer can be naturally dried quickly, but the wafer is cooled rapidly. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the temperature adjustment of the wafer that has rapidly cooled in this way,
The temperature of the cup CP and the atmosphere is adjusted. The temperature of the wafer is adjusted by supplying the rinse liquid whose temperature is adjusted again after supplying the organic solvent, as described below.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the rinse liquid supply mechanism according to this embodiment. A first supply pipe 47 is connected to the first tank 37 in which the rinse liquid is stored, and a second supply pipe 47 is in the second tank 38 in which the rinse liquid is stored.
The supply pipe 48 is connected. Both of these tanks 37,
The rinse liquid stored in 38 is the same, and as described above, pure water is used, for example. The supply pipes 47 and 48 are connected to the supply pipe 82 via the switching valve 35. A first bellows pump 39 is connected to the first supply pipe 47 between the first tank 37 and the switching valve 35, and the switching valve 3 is operated by the operation of the first bellows pump 39.
The rinse liquid is supplied to the 5 side. Also,
A second bellows pump 40 is connected to the second supply pipe 48 between the second tank 38 and the switching valve 35, and the rinse liquid is supplied to the switching valve 35 side by the operation of the second bellows pump 40. It has become so.

Second tank 38 and second bellows pump 40
A temperature adjusting mechanism 61 is provided between and, and the temperature adjusting mechanism 61 adjusts the rinse liquid supplied from the second tank 38 to a predetermined temperature, for example, around 23 ° C. . Further, the operation of the bellows pumps 39 and 40 is controlled by the control unit 30 so that the processing liquids can be supplied from the bellows pumps 39 and 40 at a predetermined supply amount and timing.

The switching valve 35 connects the first supply pipe 47 and the second supply pipe 48 with respect to the supply pipe 82 to the control unit 30.
It has a function of switching appropriately based on the command of. As a result, the supply of the rinse liquid from the first tank and the supply of the rinse liquid from the second tank are switched at a predetermined timing.

Even if the changeover valve 35 is not provided in the rinse liquid supply mechanism 32, two rinse nozzles may be provided and supply pipes may be connected to the two rinse nozzles from the tanks 37 and 38, respectively. Good.

By using the rinse liquid supply mechanism 32 as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 8C, the organic solvent is supplied and the wafer is dried and cooled rapidly, and then the temperature adjusted rinse liquid is used. Can be supplied to the wafer and the wafer can be returned to a predetermined temperature, for example, around 23 ° C., and the thermal history can be made uniform.

Further, when the wafer is cooled, the cup CP and the atmosphere in the cup CP are also cooled, and the heat history of the wafer may become non-uniform. Then, after the organic solvent is supplied and the wafer is dried, the temperature of the cup CP, the exhaust pipe 59, and the drain pipe 57 are controlled by the temperature sensors 74, 75, 76.
(See FIG. 6). When each of the measured temperatures is within a predetermined temperature range, it is regarded as normal and the next wafer is loaded into the development processing unit (DEV).

On the other hand, if the temperature is not within the predetermined temperature range, the warning device 45 issues a warning. In this case, for example, the loading operation of the next wafer to the development processing unit (DEV) may be stopped, or the entire coating and development processing system 1 may be stopped. Then, after the temperatures of the cup CP, the exhaust pipe 59, the drain pipe 57, etc. have returned to within the predetermined temperature range, the next wafer loading operation is started. If the next wafer is housed in the cup while the inside of the cup CP is cold, there is a problem that the wafer is adversely affected, especially, the heat history is non-uniform. It can be resolved. Further, when the cup cools, dew condensation occurs on the cup. Therefore, when the wafer is accommodated in a cold state, moisture containing dew condensation particles may drip onto the wafer, which is a problem. According to him, there is no such problem.

Further, a leak sensor (not shown) is attached to the drainage pipe 57 and the exhaust pipe 59, and dew condensation caused by cooling the drainage pipe 57 and the exhaust pipe 59 may cause malfunction of the leak sensor. However, according to the present embodiment, since the drain pipe 57 and the exhaust pipe 59 are provided with the temperature control heaters 86 and 85, respectively, such a problem can be avoided.

Further, since the temperature of the exhaust pipe 59 is lowered due to the temperature decrease of the atmosphere inside the cup CP due to the volatilization of the organic solvent, the vacuum pump 5 is supplied when the organic solvent is supplied.
The operation of 1 may be stopped. As a result, the temperature of the exhaust pipe 59 can be prevented from lowering and the occurrence of dew condensation can be prevented.

Further, when the organic solvent is supplied, the downflow may be controlled. As shown in FIG. 12, a temperature / humidity sensor 53 for measuring the temperature and humidity in the development processing unit (DEV) is provided.
The downflow blown out from the fan filter unit 72 is controlled by a command from the control unit 30 based on the measurement result of No. 3. For example, when the temperature and humidity measured by the temperature / humidity sensor 53 are within a predetermined range, it is regarded as normal and the next wafer is loaded as it is and the processing is continued. On the other hand, when the temperature is not within the predetermined temperature / humidity range, the amount of downflow is increased, and the temperature is quickly adjusted to fall within the predetermined temperature / humidity range. Until the temperature and humidity are within the specified range,
For example, the next wafer loading operation may be stopped, or the entire system 1 may be stopped. Also in this case, as in the case described above, a warning device (see FIG. 6)
It is also possible to give a warning by.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show another embodiment of the organic solvent nozzle 16 and are perspective views seen from below. The organic solvent nozzle 65 shown in the figure has an elongated shape having a length substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer, and the supply pipe 6 is provided below the elongated shape.
A slit-shaped ejection port 64 for ejecting the organic solvent supplied from No. 3 onto the wafer W is formed. Similarly, the organic solvent nozzle 67 shown in FIG. 14 also has an elongated shape, and is provided with a plurality of holes 66 for discharging the organic solvent supplied from the supply pipe 63 onto the wafer.

As shown in FIG. 15, by using these organic solvent nozzles 65 and 67, the wafer W is scanned in the direction shown by the arrow A, for example, to supply the organic solvent to the entire surface of the wafer W and rinse solution. To replace. At the time of supplying the organic solvent, it is preferable that the wafer W is stopped as described above. By using such a long nozzle, the organic solvent can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W without rotating the wafer W, so that the rinsing liquid when the wafer W is rotated can be applied to the substrate. Pattern collapse due to flowing can be prevented. In addition, the rinse nozzle 15
Also in this case, such an elongated nozzle may be used.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible.

For example, the supply of the rinse liquid 42 shown in FIG. 7C may be performed with the wafer W stopped.
As a result, the cleaning rate and cleaning speed of the wafer W are reduced, but the flow rate of the rinse liquid on the wafer W can be minimized to prevent pattern collapse when the developer 41 is washed away.

Further, a surfactant containing fluorine may be supplied instead of the organic solvent. In this case, since the surfactant is easily mixed with the rinse liquid, it may be mixed with the rinse liquid, or by mixing the surfactant in the developer,
Fluorine coating may be applied to the resist pattern in order to supply the developing solution.

In the above embodiment, the cup C
Although the temperature of P, the drainage pipe 57, and the exhaust pipe 59 is adjusted, the temperature of the spin chuck 52 may be adjusted not limited to these.

Further, although the semiconductor wafer is used as the substrate in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a glass substrate used for a liquid crystal display or the like.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The attractive force generated between patterns can be reduced as much as possible,
It is possible to prevent the pattern from falling.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

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

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

FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the flow of clean air in the coating and developing treatment system shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a development processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the development processing unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the processing in the developing processing unit in order.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the same process in order.

9A and 9B are cross-sectional views showing a resist pattern at the time of development processing. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a state after the rinse solution is supplied, FIG. is there.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a recovery mechanism for recovering an organic solvent.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a rinse liquid supply mechanism according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing downflow control in FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view seen from below an organic solvent nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view seen from below of an organic solvent nozzle having a plurality of holes.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view when an organic solvent is supplied by the nozzle shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

[Explanation of symbols]

W: Semiconductor wafer 15 ... Rinse nozzle 16 ... Organic solvent nozzle 29 ... Resist pattern 30 ... Control unit 31 ... Developer supply mechanism 32 ... Rinse liquid supply mechanism 33 ... Organic solvent supply mechanism 34 ... Motor controller 36 ... Developer nozzle 41, 98 ... Developer 42, 97 ... Rinse solution 43 ... Organic solvent 52 ... Spin chuck 54 ... Drive motor 65, 67 ... Organic solvent nozzle 87 ... Filter 88, 89 ... Pump 90 ... Switching valve 93 ... Recovery tank 95 ... Organic solvent tank 100 ... Collection line 101 ... drainage line 102 ... Rinse liquid discharge line 103 ... Branch line

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A process of supplying a rinse liquid onto a substrate having a resist pattern developed thereon, and a treatment liquid having a specific gravity greater than that of the rinse liquid on the substrate while the substrate is stopped. And a step of supplying the developer. 2. The development processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: (c) rotating the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed after the step (b). 3. The development processing method according to claim 2, wherein the rotation speed of the substrate in the step (c) is 300 rpm.
~ 1000 rpm, a development processing method characterized by the above. 4. The development processing method according to claim 1, wherein the supply of the processing liquid in the step (b) is performed by scanning the substrate with an elongated nozzle having a length substantially the same as the diameter of the substrate. The development processing method is characterized in that 5. The development processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of collecting and reusing the processing liquid. 6. Any one of claims 1 to 5
The development processing method as described in the item 1, wherein the processing liquid is hydrofluoroether. 7. A rotation holding means for holding and rotating a substrate, a developing solution supply means for supplying a developing solution onto the substrate held by the rotation holding means, and a developing solution supplied to develop a resist pattern. A rinsing liquid supply unit for supplying a rinsing liquid onto the substrate; and a processing liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid having a specific gravity larger than that of the rinsing liquid onto the substrate while the substrate is stopped. And development processing equipment. 8. The development processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed after the processing liquid is supplied. 9. The development processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rotation speed of the substrate is 300 rpm to 1000 rpm. 10. The developing treatment apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a long nozzle having a length substantially the same as the diameter of the substrate and supplying the treatment liquid. A development processing apparatus, characterized in that the substrate is scanned by a lengthy nozzle to supply the processing liquid. 11. The development processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for collecting and reusing the processing liquid. 12. The development processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processing liquid is hydrofluoroether.