JP2004158517A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus which is capable of effectively reducing the consumption of a processing solution. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus is equipped with a chamber 13 that is provided with an inlet 21 through which a substrate 11 is loaded into the chamber 13 and with an outlet 22 through which the substrate 11 is unloaded from the chamber 13, an exhaust mechanism 15 which exhausts the atmosphere from the chamber 13, a processing solution reservoir tank 31 which reserves a separating solution, a processing solution feed nozzle 32 spraying the processing solution against the substrate 11, a processing solution feed path 33 for connecting the processing solution reservoir tank 31 to the processing solution feed nozzle 32, a pump 34 which feeds the separating solution kept in the processing solution reservoir tank 31 to the processing solution feed nozzle 32, and a processing solution recovery path 36 which links the chamber 13 to the processing solution reservoir tank 31. When the substrate 11 is not processed, an inverter 39 is actuated to make the amount of a separating solution fed to the processing solution feed nozzle 32 smaller than that when the substrate 11 is processed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel, or a mask substrate for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a substrate processing apparatus that removes a photoresist adhering to the surface of a substrate using a remover as a treatment liquid, the photoresist is removed by spraying a remover heated to about 80 degrees Celsius onto the substrate in a spray form. Running. Therefore, the chamber for processing the substrate is filled with the mist of the stripping solution due to the spray and the vapor of the stripping solution due to the high temperature processing. Here, since the stripping liquid is a flammable dangerous substance, it is very dangerous if mist or vapor of the stripping liquid leaks out of the apparatus. For this reason, in such a substrate processing apparatus, the mist or vapor of the stripping solution present in the chamber is prevented from leaking to the outside by using an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber.
[0003]
In such a substrate processing apparatus, the consumption of the extremely expensive stripping liquid increases because the mist and vapor of the stripping liquid ejected in a spray form are discharged to the outside of the chamber together with the atmosphere in the chamber by the exhaust mechanism. There is a problem of doing. Therefore, conventionally, in such a substrate processing apparatus, the exhaust amount from the chamber is controlled to reduce the consumption of the stripping solution (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-290793 [Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-307499
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, it is not possible to sufficiently reduce the consumption of the processing liquid such as the stripping liquid only by controlling the exhaust amount from the chamber. With the recent increase in the size of substrates, the amount of processing liquid required for processing substrates has been increasing, and a reduction in the consumption thereof has been demanded.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of effectively reducing the consumption of a processing liquid.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An invention according to claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, wherein a chamber having an opening for loading or unloading the substrate and an atmosphere in the chamber are provided. An exhaust mechanism for exhausting, a processing liquid storage tank for storing the processing liquid, a processing liquid discharge unit for discharging the processing liquid toward the substrate in the chamber, and connecting the processing liquid storage tank and the processing liquid discharge unit A processing liquid supply path, a pump disposed in the processing liquid supply path for supplying the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage tank to the processing liquid discharge unit, the chamber and the processing liquid storage. A processing liquid recovery path connecting the tank and a flow rate adjusting unit configured to reduce a supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit during processing of the substrate when the substrate is not being processed. Characterized by .
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the substrate is not being processed, the amount of exhaust of the atmosphere in the chamber by the exhaust mechanism is increased from that during the processing of the substrate.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a shutter for closing an opening of the chamber is provided during processing of the substrate.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the flow rate adjusting means does not process the substrate by controlling an inverter connected to the pump. In some cases, the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit is smaller than that during the processing of the substrate.
[0011]
The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a circulation path returning from the processing liquid storage section to the processing liquid storage section via the pump. The flow rate adjusting means controls the flow rate of the processing liquid circulating in the processing liquid circulation path, so that when the substrate is not being processed, the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit is changed during the processing of the substrate. More reduced.
[0012]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid discharging unit is a plurality of nozzles for spraying the processing liquid onto the substrate in a spray shape.
[0013]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the processing liquid is a stripping liquid for stripping a photoresist adhered to the substrate.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0015]
The substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber 13 for processing a rectangular liquid crystal display panel glass substrate (hereinafter, referred to as a “substrate”) 11, a number of transport rollers 12 for transporting the substrate 11, and transport by the transport rollers 12. The apparatus includes a processing liquid supply mechanism 14 for supplying a stripping liquid as a processing liquid to the substrate 11 to be processed, an exhaust mechanism 15 for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber 13, and a control unit 16 for controlling the entire apparatus.
[0016]
The chamber 13 includes a carry-in port 21 for carrying in the substrate 11 and a carry-out port 22 for carrying out the substrate 11. A shutter 23 is provided at a position facing the carry-in entrance 21. The shutter 23 moves between a release position for opening the carry-in port 21 and a closed position for closing the carry-in port 22 by driving the air cylinder 24. Further, a shutter 25 is provided at a position facing the carry-out port 22. The shutter 25 moves between a release position for opening the carry-out port 23 and a closed position for closing the carry-out port 23 by driving the air cylinder 26. The air cylinders 24 and 26 are electrically connected to the control unit 16, and the driving thereof is controlled by the control unit 16.
[0017]
A large number of transport rollers 12 transport the rectangular substrate 11 from left to right in FIG. 1 with both lower end portions supported. At this time, the many transport rollers 12 support and transport the substrate 11 in a slightly inclined state such that the main surface of the substrate 11 intersects the horizontal direction. However, the main surface of the substrate 11 may be transported in a state where the substrate 11 is oriented in the horizontal direction.
[0018]
The processing liquid processing mechanism 14 includes a processing liquid storage tank 31 that stores the stripping liquid, a processing liquid supply nozzle 32 that discharges the stripping liquid in the chamber 13 toward the substrate 11, and a processing liquid storage tank 31. A processing liquid supply path 33 connecting the processing liquid supply nozzle 32, a pump 34 for supplying the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 with the stripping liquid stored in the processing liquid storage tank 31, and a processing liquid supply path 33. The filtered filter 35, the processing liquid recovery path 36 connecting the bottom of the chamber 13 to the processing liquid storage tank 31, and the amount of stripping liquid supplied by the pump 34 (that is, the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32). And an inverter 39 for controlling the supply amount. The inverter 39 is electrically connected to the control unit 16, and its driving is controlled by the control unit 16.
[0019]
The exhaust mechanism 15 includes an exhaust duct 41 connected to an upper portion of the chamber 13, an exhaust fan 42 connected to an end of the exhaust duct, and an exhaust damper 43 disposed in the exhaust duct 41. As the exhaust damper 43, a sequential damper whose exhaust amount can be adjusted is used. The exhaust damper 43 is electrically connected to the control unit 16, and its driving is controlled by the control unit 16.
[0020]
Next, the processing operation of the substrate 11 by the above-described substrate processing apparatus will be described. FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the substrate processing operation by the substrate processing apparatus described above. The following operation is executed under the control of the control unit 16.
[0021]
When the processing of the substrate 11 by the substrate processing apparatus is started, first, the exhaust fan 42 is driven to exhaust the atmosphere in the chamber 13. At this time, the exhaust amount is increased by the action of the exhaust damper 43 (step S1). At the same time, the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 by driving the pump 34. At this time, the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is small under the control of the inverter 39 (step S2). For this reason, the amount of the stripping liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is also small, and the amount of the mist and the vapor of the stripping liquid existing in the atmosphere in the chamber 13 is also small. The amount of stripping solution taken out is also small.
[0022]
When the first substrate 11 conveyed by the conveyance rollers 12 approaches the carry-in port 21, the shutter 23 is moved to the release position by driving the air cylinder 24, and the carry-in port 21 is opened (step S3). Then, the substrate 11 is carried into the chamber 13 by driving the transport roller 12 (Step S4).
[0023]
When the substrate 11 is carried into the chamber 13, the shutter 23 is moved to the closed position by driving the air cylinder 24, and the carry-in port 21 is closed. Then, the exhaust amount is reduced by controlling the exhaust damper 43 (step S6). Further, under the control of the inverter 39, the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is set to a normal amount necessary for processing the substrate 11 (step S7).
[0024]
In this state, processing of the substrate 11 is performed. During the processing of the substrate 11, the stripping liquid is supplied in a spray form from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 to the substrate 11 reciprocating in the left-right direction shown in FIG. In this state, the carry-in port 21 and the carry-out port 22 are closed, and the amount of the stripping liquid taken out from the exhaust duct 41 to the outside is also small since the exhaust amount is small.
[0025]
When the time required for processing the substrate 11 has elapsed and the substrate 11 has been properly processed, the shutter 25 is moved to the release position by driving the air cylinder 26, and the carry-out port 22 is opened (step S9). Then, the exhaust amount is increased by controlling the exhaust damper 43 (step S10). Further, under the control of the inverter 39, the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is reduced (Step S11). In this state, the substrate 11 is carried out of the chamber 13 by driving the transport roller 12 (S12).
[0026]
At this time, since the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is small, the amount of the stripping liquid discharged from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 is also small. For this reason, the amount of the mist and the vapor of the stripping liquid existing in the atmosphere in the chamber 13 is also small, and the amount of the stripping liquid taken out from the exhaust duct 41 to the outside is small even when the exhaust amount is increased.
[0027]
When the unloading of the substrate 11 is completed, the shutter 25 is moved to the closed position by driving the air cylinder 26, and the unloading port 22 is closed (Step S13). Then, it is determined whether the processing of the substrate 11 has been completed (step S14). If there is a substrate 11 to be processed next, the process returns to step S3 and the processing of the substrate 11 is continued. On the other hand, when the processing of the substrate 11 is completed, the operation is completed.
[0028]
In the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, both the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 and the amount of exhaust from the chamber 13 are controlled according to the processing state of the substrate 11. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize the amount of the stripping liquid carried out as mist or vapor from the exhaust duct 41 to the outside. At this time, the pump 34 is not turned on / off when the supply amount of the stripping liquid is adjusted, but the supply amount of the stripping liquid is controlled using the inverter 39. And the service life of the pump can be extended.
[0029]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same members as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0030]
In the first embodiment described above, the inverter 39 is used as a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the supply amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32. On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the inverter 39 is omitted, and a circulating path 37 of the stripping liquid that branches from the processing liquid supply path 33 and reaches the processing liquid storage tank 31 is provided. At the same time, an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 38 whose opening / closing operation is controlled by the control unit 16 is provided in the circulation path 37 to adjust the supply amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32.
[0031]
In the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the substrate 11 is processed based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, similarly to the substrate processing apparatus according to the above-described first embodiment.
[0032]
At this time, when a small amount of the stripping liquid is supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 as in steps S2 and S11, the electromagnetic on-off valve 38 is opened. As a result, only a part of the stripping solution pumped by the pump 34 is supplied to the processing solution supply nozzle 32, and most of the remaining stripping solution is collected in the processing solution storage tank 31 via the stripping solution circulation path 37. You. On the other hand, when a normal amount of the stripping liquid is supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 as in step S7, the electromagnetic on-off valve 38 is closed. Thus, all of the stripping solution pumped by the pump 34 is supplied to the processing solution supply nozzle 32.
[0033]
By using a flow control valve or the like instead of the electromagnetic on-off valve 38 and adjusting the amount of the stripping solution circulating in the stripping solution circulation path 37, the supply of the stripping solution to be supplied to the processing solution supply nozzle 32 is controlled. The amount may be adjusted arbitrarily.
[0034]
Also in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, both the amount of the stripping liquid supplied to the processing liquid supply nozzle 32 and the amount of exhaust from the chamber 13 are controlled according to the processing state of the substrate 11. In addition, it is possible to minimize the amount of the stripping liquid carried out as mist or vapor from the exhaust duct 41 to the outside. At this time, since the pump 34 is not controlled to be turned on / off when adjusting the supply amount of the stripping solution, the supply amount of the stripping solution is controlled using the circulation path 37 and the electromagnetic on-off valve 38. It is possible to extend the life of the pump without imposing a load on the pump 34.
[0035]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the substrate 11 is reciprocated in the chamber 13 while supplying the stripping liquid to the substrate 11 transferred into the chamber 13 one by one. The case where the present invention is applied to the substrate processing apparatus for processing has been described. However, while continuously transporting the plurality of substrates 11 in one direction, a stripping liquid is supplied to these substrates 11 to continuously connect the plurality of substrates 11. The present invention may be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing by using the method. In this case, the shutters 23 and 25 for opening or closing the carry-in port 21 and the carry-out port 22 may be omitted.
[0036]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate 11 by supplying the release liquid to the substrate 11 has been described. The present invention is also applicable to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate using a liquid.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the apparatus is provided with the flow rate adjusting means for reducing the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit when the substrate is not being processed, during processing of the substrate, The liquid consumption can be effectively reduced.
[0038]
According to the second aspect of the invention, when the substrate is not being processed, the exhaust amount of the atmosphere in the chamber is increased from that during the processing of the substrate. Can be effectively reduced.
[0039]
According to the third aspect of the invention, since the shutter for closing the opening of the chamber is provided during the processing of the substrate, the diffusion of the processing liquid is prevented even when the exhaust amount of the atmosphere in the chamber is small. Becomes possible.
[0040]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit is reduced by controlling the inverter connected to the pump, the processing can be performed without imposing a load on the pump. The supply amount of the liquid can be changed.
[0041]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the flow rate of the processing liquid circulating in the processing liquid circulation path is controlled to reduce the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit. It is possible to change the supply amount of the processing solution without giving the
[0042]
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the discharge amount of the processing liquid mist generated from the processing liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles to the substrate in a spray form to the outside.
[0043]
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively reduce the consumption of the expensive stripping solution by reducing the amount of the mist and vapor of the stripping solution that needs to be recovered by exhaust because of the danger. It becomes possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing operation performed by the substrate processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing operation performed by the substrate processing apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 substrate 12 transport roller 13 chamber 14 treatment liquid supply mechanism 15 exhaust mechanism 16 control unit 21 carry-in port 22 carry-out port 23 shutter 24 air cylinder 25 shutter 26 air cylinder 31 treatment liquid storage tank 32 treatment liquid supply nozzle 33 treatment liquid supply path 34 Pump 35 Filter 36 Treatment liquid recovery path 37 Circulation path 38 Electromagnetic on-off valve 39 Inverter 41 Exhaust duct 42 Exhaust fan 43 Exhaust damper

Claims (7)

In a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate,
A chamber having an opening for loading or unloading the substrate,
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber,
A processing liquid storage tank for storing the processing liquid,
A processing liquid discharging unit that discharges a processing liquid toward the substrate in the chamber,
A processing liquid supply path connecting the processing liquid storage tank and the processing liquid discharge unit,
A pump disposed in the processing liquid supply path for supplying the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage tank to the processing liquid discharge unit,
A processing liquid recovery path connecting the chamber and the processing liquid storage tank,
When the substrate is not being processed, a flow rate adjusting unit that reduces the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit from that during the processing of the substrate,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A substrate processing measure for increasing the exhaust amount of the atmosphere in the chamber by the exhaust mechanism during the processing of the substrate when the substrate is not being processed. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
A substrate processing apparatus having a shutter for closing an opening of the chamber during processing of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The flow rate adjusting unit controls an inverter connected to the pump to reduce a supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit from that during processing of the substrate when the substrate is not being processed. Substrate processing equipment. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The apparatus further includes a circulation path returning from the processing liquid storage section to the processing liquid storage section via the pump, wherein the flow rate adjusting section controls the flow rate of the processing liquid circulating through the processing liquid circulation path to process the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus configured to reduce the supply amount of the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid discharge unit when the processing liquid is not being processed. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the processing liquid discharge unit is a plurality of nozzles for spraying the processing liquid onto the substrate in a spray shape. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the processing liquid is a stripping liquid for stripping a photoresist adhered to a substrate.

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