JP2004063584A - Apparatus and method for spin processing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spin processing apparatus which can uniformly clean and etch the entire surface of a substrate driven to rotate with processing liquid and so on. <P>SOLUTION: The spin processing apparatus which processes the substrate with the processing liquid while rotating the substrate is equipped with a rotary table which holds the substrate and is driven to rotate, and a shower body 31 which is arranged above the rotary table and has a slit 33 for jetting the processing liquid to the substrate. The shower body has a main body 32 having nearly the same length as at least the outward shape size of the substrate, and the slit has its width so set that the jet amount of the processing liquid gradually increases from the radial center of the substrate to the circumferential part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spin processing apparatus and a spin processing method for holding a substrate on a rotary table and performing processing with a processing liquid while rotating the rotary table.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device or a semiconductor device, there are a film forming process and a photo process for forming a circuit pattern on a substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer. In these processes, a film forming process and a cleaning process are repeatedly performed on the substrate.
[0003]
A spin processing apparatus is used to perform the above-mentioned substrate cleaning processing and drying processing after the cleaning processing. The spin processing device has a cup body, and a rotary table that is driven to rotate is provided in the cup body. The rotary table is provided with a holding mechanism, and the substrate is detachably held by the holding mechanism.
[0004]
The substrate held on the turntable by the holding mechanism is driven to rotate together with the turntable. Then, by supplying the processing liquid to the substrate that is driven to rotate, processing according to the type of the processing liquid is performed on the substrate.
[0005]
As processing of a substrate performed by using a spin processing apparatus, a cleaning process, an etching process, a developing process, a peeling process, and the like are known.
[0006]
Conventionally, when processing a substrate driven in rotation with a processing liquid, the processing liquid is jetted to a central portion of the substrate using a nozzle body, and the processing liquid is caused to flow from the central portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion by centrifugal force due to rotation of the substrate. In this case, the entire upper surface of the substrate is treated with a treatment liquid.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Since the processing liquid supplied to the central portion of the substrate by the nozzle body flows from the central portion of the substrate to the peripheral portion by the centrifugal force of the rotating substrate, the entire upper surface of the substrate can be processed by the processing liquid.
[0008]
However, the centrifugal force generated on the substrate is larger at the peripheral portion than at the central portion of the substrate. Therefore, when the processing liquid is supplied to the central part of the substrate and is caused to flow to the peripheral part by centrifugal force, the contact time of the central part with small centrifugal force with the processing liquid becomes longer than the peripheral part with large centrifugal force.
[0009]
For this reason, the processing with the processing liquid proceeds more easily in the central portion of the substrate than in the peripheral portion, so that the entire upper surface of the substrate may not be uniformly processed.
[0010]
For example, in a case where a thermal oxide film formed on a substrate is etched and removed using hydrofluoric acid as a processing liquid, if hydrofluoric acid is supplied to a central portion of the substrate by a nozzle, the central portion of the substrate is excessively etched and the peripheral portion is etched. In some cases, the thermal oxide film may remain due to insufficient etching, and the whole may not be uniformly etched.
[0011]
It is an object of the present invention to provide a spin processing apparatus and a spin processing method capable of performing processing of a substrate with a processing liquid substantially uniformly over the entire length of the substrate in the radial direction.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spin processing apparatus for processing with a processing liquid while rotating a substrate,
A rotary table that holds and rotates the substrate,
A shower body disposed above the rotary table and provided with a jetting unit for jetting the processing liquid onto the substrate,
The shower body has at least a main body having a length substantially the same as the outer dimension of the substrate, and the jetting section gradually increases the jetting amount of the processing liquid as it goes from the radial center portion to the peripheral portion of the substrate. There is a spin processing apparatus characterized by having many configurations.
[0013]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the injection portion is a slit, and the slit is set so that a width dimension is gradually increased from the center in the longitudinal direction to both ends. Of the spin processing device.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the main body is provided with a pair of supply ports for supplying the treatment liquid to the slit, symmetrically with respect to the center in the longitudinal direction. It is in the spin processing device described.
[0015]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the flow rate and pressure of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body per unit time are detected, and the flow rate of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body is controlled based on the detection. 2. The spin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spin processing apparatus is controlled to be constant.
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the spin processing method of processing with the processing liquid while rotating the substrate,
Rotating the substrate,
A step of gradually increasing the supply amount of the processing liquid as it goes from the radial center to the peripheral portion of the substrate over the entire radially entirety of the rotationally driven upper surface of the substrate, and
A spin processing method characterized by comprising:
[0017]
According to the present invention, since the contact time of the processing liquid in the central portion and the peripheral portion in the radial direction of the substrate can be made substantially the same, it is possible to process the substrate in substantially the same state over the whole.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 shows a spin processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The spin processing device includes a cup 1. A plurality of discharge pipes 2 are connected to the bottom of the cup body 1 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. Each discharge pipe 2 communicates with an exhaust pump (not shown).
[0020]
The cup body 1 has a lower cup 1a and an upper cup 1b, and the upper cup 1b can be driven vertically by a driving mechanism such as a cylinder (not shown).
[0021]
A rotary table 3 is provided in the cup body 1. A plurality of support members 4 are provided at a peripheral portion of the upper surface of the turntable 3 at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction so as to be rotatable. A locking pin 5 is provided on the upper end surface of each support member 4 at a position eccentric from the center of rotation of the support member 4, and a support pin 6 is provided at the center of rotation.
[0022]
The rotary table 3 is supplied with a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. That is, the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate W is supplied onto the support pins 6. When the support member 4 is rotated in this state, the locking pin 5 rotates eccentrically, so that the periphery of the substrate W is held by the locking pin 5.
[0023]
The rotary table 3 is driven to rotate by a control motor 11. The control motor 11 has a cylindrical rotor 13 rotatably inserted into a cylindrical stator 12, and the rotary table 3 is connected to the rotor 13 via a power transmission member 13a. .
[0024]
The rotation of the control motor 11 is controlled by a control device 14. Thereby, the turntable 3 can be rotated at a predetermined rotation speed by the control device 14.
[0025]
A cylindrical fixed shaft 15 is inserted into the rotor 13. At the upper end of the fixed shaft 15, a nozzle head 16 located on the upper surface side of the rotary table 3 is provided. That is, the nozzle head 16 is provided so as not to rotate together with the turntable 3. The nozzle head 16 is provided with nozzles 17 and 18 for jetting a processing liquid and a gas.
[0026]
Thus, the processing liquid or the gas can be selectively jetted from the nozzles 17 and 18 toward the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate W held on the rotary table 3. That is, the lower surface of the substrate W can be cleaned and dried.
[0027]
The upper surface of the turntable 3 is covered with a turbulence prevention cover 19. The turbulence prevention cover 19 prevents turbulence from being generated on the lower surface side of the substrate W held on the rotary table 3, and the central portion thereof receives the lower surface of the substrate W from the nozzles 17 and 18. A through hole 20 through which a processing liquid or gas can be jetted is formed.
[0028]
An arm body 23 is provided on the side of the cup body 1. The arm body 23 has a vertical portion 24 and a horizontal portion 25 having a base end connected to the upper end of the vertical portion 24. The lower end of the vertical portion 24 is connected to a rotary motor 26. The rotation motor 26 drives the arm 23 to rotate at a predetermined angle.
[0029]
The rotary motor 26 is attached to a movable plate 27 slidably provided in a vertical direction by a linear guide (not shown). The movable plate 27 is driven vertically by a vertical drive cylinder 28.
[0030]
At the end of the horizontal portion 25 of the arm body 23, a shower body 31 for spraying a processing liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate W is provided. The shower body 31 has a main body 32. The main body 32 is in the form of a strip, and has a length dimension at least substantially the same as the diameter of the substrate W, and is slightly longer than the diameter of the substrate W in this embodiment.
[0031]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the main body 32 is formed with a slit 33 as an injection unit opened at the lower end surface over substantially the entire length of the main body 32 in the length direction. The planar shape of the slit 33 is set so that the width dimension becomes the narrowest at the center in the longitudinal direction of the main body 32 and gradually increases from the center to both ends.
[0032]
A protrusion 34 having a mountain shape is provided at a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the inner surface of the upper end of the slit 33 in the height direction. The projection 34 divides the slit 33 into two parts, left and right. A pair of supply ports 35 communicating with the left and right portions of the slit 33 are formed in the upper end surface of the main body 32 symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center of the main body 32.
[0033]
On the upper surface of the main body 32, a cover 36 that covers the pair of supply ports 35 is provided in a liquid-tight manner. A distal end of a processing liquid supply pipe 37 is connected to a central portion of the cover 36 in the longitudinal direction. A base end of the supply pipe 37 is connected to a processing liquid supply source (not shown), and a supply pump 38, an opening / closing valve 39, a mass flow controller 40, and a flow meter 41 are sequentially provided in the middle part from the upstream side as shown in FIG. Have been. Between the mass flow controller 40 and the flow meter 41, a pressure gauge 42 for detecting the pressure of the processing liquid flowing through the supply pipe 37 is provided.
[0034]
The flow rate of the processing liquid per unit time measured by the flow meter 41 and the pressure of the processing liquid measured by the pressure gauge are input to the control device 14. The controller 14 can set a flow rate and a pressure of the processing liquid per unit time in order to supply a predetermined amount of the processing liquid to the shower body 31. The measured value is compared with the pressure gauge 42.
[0035]
If the set value does not match the measurement, the control device 14 sends a first electropneumatic regulator 44 for controlling the supply pump 38 and a second electropneumatic regulator 45 for controlling the mass flow controller 40. A drive signal is output. As a result, a predetermined amount of the processing liquid can be supplied to the shower body 31.
[0036]
Next, a case where the substrate W is processed with a processing liquid using the spin processing apparatus having the above configuration will be described.
[0037]
If the arm body 23 is driven to retract the shower body 31 from above the rotary table 3 and the upper cup 1b of the cup body 1 is further lowered, the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the rotary table 3 by a robot (not shown). Supplied by. Next, the upper cup 1b is raised, and the shower body 31 is rotated above the substrate W, and positioned so as to extend along the radial direction passing through the center of the substrate W. Set the height so that
[0038]
When the shower body 31 is positioned on the upper surface of the substrate W in this manner, the rotary table 3 is driven to rotate at a predetermined number of rotations, and the supply pump 38 is operated to supply the processing liquid to the shower body 31. .
[0039]
The processing liquid supplied to the shower body 31 is sprayed onto the upper surface of the substrate W from a slit 33 formed in the main body 32 of the shower body 31. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W is processed by the processing liquid.
[0040]
The supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W differs between the radial center portion and the peripheral portion of the substrate W according to the shape of the slit 33. That is, since the width dimension of the slit 33 is formed so that the central portion is narrower and gradually widens toward both ends, the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W depends on the radial center. It gradually increases from the part to the peripheral part. On the other hand, when the substrate W is rotated, the centrifugal force acting on the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W goes from the radial center portion of the substrate W to the peripheral portion in response to a change in the supply amount of the processing liquid. And gradually increases as it increases.
[0041]
Therefore, even if the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the central portion of the substrate W is smaller than the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portion, the processing liquid slowly flows radially outward in the central portion of the substrate, In the peripheral portion, the gas flows out of the upper surface of the substrate W in a shorter time than in the central portion.
[0042]
Therefore, the contact time of the substrate W with the processing liquid in the radial direction is substantially constant, so that the supply amount of the processing liquid along the radial direction of the substrate W and the centrifugal force (substrate) acting on the processing liquid in the radial direction of the substrate W By appropriately setting the (number of rotations of W), the upper surface of the substrate W can be processed to a substantially uniform and desired state (for example, an etching amount or cleanliness).
[0043]
The slit 33 of the shower body 31 is divided into two parts, left and right, by a projection 34. Each part is provided with a processing liquid from a supply port 35 provided symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center of the shower body 31. Was supplied.
[0044]
For this reason, the processing liquid can be substantially evenly dispersed in the left and right portions of the slit 33, so that the processing liquid can be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W at a flow rate corresponding to the planar shape of the slit 33, that is, the width dimension. .
[0045]
In other words, if the processing liquid is supplied from one location in the longitudinal direction of the slit 33, the pressure of the processing liquid at the supply portion increases, and it is difficult for that part to have a flow rate corresponding to the shape of the slit 33. On the other hand, when the processing liquid is supplied from two places of the slit 33, the processing liquid supplied to the slit can be prevented from being locally increased in pressure, so that the processing liquid is supplied in an amount corresponding to the shape of the slit 33, Injection can be made to the substrate W from this slit 33.
[0046]
The flow rate and pressure of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body 31 are detected by the flow meter 41 and the pressure gauge 42, and the supply pump 38 and the mass flow controller 40 are controlled by the control device 14 based on the detection. .
[0047]
Therefore, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body 31 can be kept constant, and the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied from the shower body 31 to the substrate W per unit time becomes constant. This also makes it possible to uniformly and uniformly treat the upper surface of the substrate W with the treatment liquid.
[0048]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be variously modified. For example, the injection unit may have a configuration other than the slit. For example, a groove that opens to the lower end surface is formed in the body of the shower body. This groove has the same width dimension in the longitudinal direction of the main body. Then, the opening surface at the lower end of the groove is closed with a shielding plate. A plurality of injection holes are formed in this shielding plate. The opening area of the injection hole is set to gradually increase from the center in the longitudinal direction of the groove to both ends. The setting of the opening area may be set according to either the number or the size of the sprayers.
[0049]
Even with the injection unit having such a configuration, the injection amount of the processing liquid can be gradually increased from the center to the both ends of the shower body.
[0050]
In other words, the jetting section of the present invention may have any configuration as long as the flow rate of the processing liquid jetted from the shower body can be gradually reduced from the center in the longitudinal direction to both ends.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the contact time of the processing liquid in the central portion and the peripheral portion of the rotationally driven substrate is made substantially the same.
[0052]
Therefore, the processing liquid can be processed substantially uniformly over the entire length of the substrate in the radial direction, that is, over the entire surface.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a spin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a sectional view of a shower body, and FIG. 2B is a plan view as viewed from a lower end surface side.
FIG. 3 is a piping diagram for supplying a processing liquid to a shower body at a constant supply amount.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 rotary table 14 control device 31 shower body 32 main body 33 slit (ejection unit)
35 ... supply port 41 ... flow meter 42 ... pressure gauge

Claims (5)

In a spin processing apparatus for processing with a processing liquid while rotating a substrate,
A rotary table that holds and rotates the substrate,
A shower body disposed above the rotary table and provided with a jetting unit for jetting the processing liquid onto the substrate,
The shower body has at least a main body having a length substantially the same as the outer dimension of the substrate, and the jetting section gradually increases the jetting amount of the processing liquid as it goes from the radial center portion to the peripheral portion of the substrate. A spin processing device having a large number of configurations. 2. The spin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the injection unit is a slit, and the slit is set so that a width dimension is gradually increased from a center in a longitudinal direction to both ends. The spin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with a pair of supply ports that supply the processing liquid to the ejection unit symmetrically with respect to a center in a longitudinal direction. The flow rate and pressure of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body per unit time are detected, and the control device controls the flow rate of the processing liquid supplied to the shower body to a constant value based on the detection. The spin processing device according to claim 1, wherein: In a spin processing method of processing with a processing liquid while rotating a substrate,
Rotating the substrate,
A step of gradually increasing the supply amount of the processing liquid as it goes from the radial center to the peripheral portion of the substrate over the entire radially entirety of the rotationally driven upper surface of the substrate, and
A spin processing method comprising:

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