JP2004172231A - Substrate treatment method, substrate treatment equipment, and substrate treatment system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently carry out a series of treatments from a wet treatment to a dry treatment without damaging a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In a development unit 10A and 10B, a development treatment, rinsing, and a permutation treatment are conducted in this order on a substrate W. Thereafter, the substrate W which is wet with a drying prevention liquid is wet-transferred to a super-critical drying unit 20 by means of a main transfer robot 30. In the super-critical drying unit 20, high-pressure drying (super-critical drying) which is a technical treatment is carried out. Consequently, without putting any limitations to the kind of a developer to be used in the development treatment and without causing such problems as the corrosion in a pressure vessel 202 of the super-critical drying unit 20, a series of processes from the development treatment to the high-pressure drying treatment are carried out. Due to the existence of the drying prevention liquid, the substrate W is kept from natural drying during transportation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to various substrates (hereinafter, simply referred to as “substrates”) such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a plasma display, and a substrate for an optical disk by performing a predetermined wet process. The present invention relates to a substrate processing method for performing a series of processes up to a drying process, and a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing system suitable for the method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Although miniaturization of semiconductor devices has been rapidly advanced in recent years, a new problem has arisen in substrate processing with this miniaturization. For example, when patterning a resist applied on a substrate to form a fine pattern, wet development processing and drying processing are performed in this order. Here, in the wet development process for developing the resist applied to the substrate, for example, an alkali development process and a rinsing process are executed. That is, in the alkali developing treatment, an alkaline aqueous solution is used to remove unnecessary resist, and in the rinsing treatment, a rinsing liquid such as pure water is used to remove the alkaline aqueous solution (to stop development). . On the other hand, in the drying process, the substrate is rotated to apply a centrifugal force to the rinse liquid remaining on the substrate, thereby removing the rinse liquid from the substrate and drying the substrate (spin drying). In the drying step, the interface between the rinsing liquid and the gas appears on the substrate as the drying progresses, and when this interface appears in the gap between the fine patterns of the semiconductor device, the fine patterns are attracted to each other by the surface tension of the rinsing liquid. There was a problem of being collapsed.
[0003]
In addition, the collapse of the fine pattern involves fluid resistance when the rinse liquid is shaken off, printing pressure generated when the rinse liquid is discharged from the fine pattern, air resistance and centrifugal force due to high-speed rotation of more than 3000 rpm. Is believed to be
[0004]
In order to solve this problem, a high-pressure processing technology using a supercritical fluid (hereinafter, referred to as “SCF”) having low viscosity and high diffusivity by placing the substrate in a reaction vessel such as a pressure vessel has been used. More suggested. As a conventional technique, there is a substrate processing apparatus that performs wet processing such as cleaning, etching, and development processing and high-pressure drying processing using SCF in the same reaction tank (see Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when a processing liquid such as a cleaning liquid, an etching liquid, or a developing liquid is introduced from a liquid tank into a reaction tank in which a substrate is set, the processing liquid is rotated by a rotating mechanism in the reaction tank. The liquid is agitated to perform a smooth and uniform wet processing. Subsequently, a rinsing liquid is introduced from the liquid tank into the reaction tank instead of the processing liquid, and the rinsing processing is performed. Thereafter, the SCF is introduced into the reaction tank from the gas cylinder while the rinsing liquid is discharged from the reaction tank. As a result, the rinse liquid is replaced by the SCF. Then, the SCF is slowly discharged, and the supercritical drying, that is, the high-pressure drying process is performed.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-87306 (
[0016]
FIG. 1)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional apparatus in which the wet processing and the high-pressure drying processing are continuously performed in one reaction tank, the following problems occur. That is, the substrate processing apparatus that performs the high-pressure drying process has many restrictions compared to the substrate processing apparatus that has been frequently used, that is, the substrate processing apparatus that performs the surface processing at normal pressure. The greatest constraint among them is that the selection range of the processing liquid is limited. This is because, in this substrate processing apparatus, it is necessary to use a pressure vessel as a reaction tank. However, when a corrosive processing liquid such as a strong acid or a strong alkali is used to perform the surface treatment, the processing liquid becomes a pressure vessel. This is because the liquid contact surface is corroded. Under such circumstances, a corrosive chemical such as a strong acid or a strong alkali cannot be introduced in order to perform the surface treatment, and as a result, the selection range of the treatment liquid is greatly restricted.
[0007]
Here, in order to overcome the above-mentioned restriction, it is naturally considered that the inner surface of the pressure vessel is corrosion-resistant coated with a fluororesin or the like, but it is practically difficult to continuously exert its function under a high pressure for a long period of time. Even if the inner surface of the pressure vessel is corrosion-resistant coated, it is practically impossible to perform corrosion-resistant coating on all inner surfaces of components such as thin pipes, joints, and high-pressure valves.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a substrate processing method capable of performing a series of processes from a wet process to a drying process without damaging a substrate such as collapse of a fine pattern. It is an object to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing system suitable for the method.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In one aspect of the substrate processing method according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a wet processing apparatus, a processing liquid is supplied to a substrate to perform a predetermined wet processing, and further to the substrate that has been subjected to the wet processing. A wet processing step of supplying a drying prevention liquid and replacing the processing liquid adhering to the substrate with the drying prevention liquid, and a transportation step of transporting the substrate after the wet processing step to a high-pressure drying apparatus while being wet with the drying prevention liquid. A drying step of drying the substrate transported in the transporting step by using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of the high-pressure fluid and a chemical as a processing fluid in the high-pressure drying device.
[0010]
In the invention configured as above, the wet processing is performed by the wet processing apparatus, while the high-pressure drying processing is performed by the high-pressure drying apparatus. , And a series of processes from a wet process to a drying process can be performed satisfactorily without causing a problem such as corrosion in the pressure vessel.
[0011]
Further, the apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 has a problem that the processing liquid and the SCF must be taken in and out of the pressure vessel, and a series of processing from wet processing to drying processing takes time. On the other hand, in the present invention, only the processing fluid is used in the high-pressure drying device. In addition, the wet processing step and the drying step can be performed in parallel. Therefore, a series of processes from the wet process to the drying process can be performed in a short time, and efficient substrate processing can be performed.
[0012]
Further, in the wet processing apparatus, a drying prevention liquid is supplied to the substrate that has been subjected to the predetermined wet processing, and the processing liquid adhering to the substrate is replaced with the drying prevention liquid. The substrate is transported wet from the wet processing apparatus to the high-pressure drying apparatus as it is. For this reason, it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate from drying naturally during the transfer of the substrate, and it is possible to perform a favorable treatment without damaging the substrate.
[0013]
In another aspect of the substrate processing method according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a wet processing apparatus, a wet processing step of supplying a processing liquid to a substrate and performing a predetermined wet processing, and after the wet processing step A first transporting step of transporting the substrate to the replacement apparatus while the substrate is wet with the processing liquid; and supplying a drying prevention liquid to the substrate transported in the transporting step to dry the processing liquid adhering to the substrate in the replacement apparatus. A replacement step of replacing the substrate with the prevention liquid, a second transportation step of transporting the substrate after the replacement step to the high-pressure drying apparatus while being wet with the drying prevention liquid, and a high-pressure fluid or a high-pressure fluid and a chemical in the high-pressure drying apparatus. And a high-pressure drying of the substrate transported in the second transporting process using the mixture as a processing fluid.
[0014]
In the invention configured as described above, similarly to the invention according to the first aspect, the wet processing is performed by the wet processing apparatus, while the high-pressure drying processing is performed by the high-pressure drying apparatus. In addition, there is no restriction on the type of processing liquid, and a series of processing from wet processing to drying processing can be favorably performed without causing a problem such as corrosion in the pressure vessel. In the high-pressure drying apparatus, only the processing fluid is used, and the wet processing, the replacement processing, and the high-pressure drying processing can be performed in parallel. Therefore, a series of processes from the wet process to the drying process can be performed in a short time, and efficient substrate processing can be performed.
[0015]
Further, the substrate subjected to the wet processing is wet-transferred to a replacement device while being wet with the processing solution, and the processing solution attached to the substrate is replaced with an anti-drying solution in the replacement device. The substrate is wet-transferred to the high-pressure drying device while being wet with the drying prevention liquid. As described above, the substrate is wet with the processing liquid or the anti-drying liquid while the substrate is being transported, and it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate from drying naturally, and to process the substrate satisfactorily without damaging the substrate. can do.
[0016]
Here, as the anti-drying liquid, a replacement liquid having higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the rinsing liquid can be used. In the present invention, the substrate is transported to the high-pressure drying device in a state of being wet with the anti-drying liquid as described above, so that the anti-drying liquid has excellent affinity with the high-pressure fluid, so that the drying step can be efficiently performed. You can proceed.
[0017]
Further, with respect to the transport of the substrate between the apparatuses, the substrate may be wet-transferred with the anti-drying liquid or the processing liquid piled up on the substrate, or may be wet-transferred with the substrate stored in the transport container. . This makes it possible to more effectively prevent spontaneous drying of the substrate during the transfer of the substrate.
[0018]
The substrate processing apparatus suitable for the above-described substrate processing method includes, for example, a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate, a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and performs a predetermined wet process. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a drying prevention liquid supply unit configured to supply a drying prevention liquid to the wet-processed substrate and replace the processing liquid attached to the substrate with the drying prevention liquid. The apparatus is suitable for performing the wet processing step of claim 1.
[0019]
Further, as a substrate processing apparatus suitable for the above-described substrate processing method, for example, a substrate holding means for holding a substrate wet with a processing liquid, and a drying prevention liquid supplied to the substrate held by the substrate holding means to adhere to the substrate There is provided a substrate processing apparatus characterized by comprising a drying prevention liquid supply means for replacing a processing liquid to be replaced with a drying prevention liquid, and this apparatus is suitable for performing the replacement step of claim 2.
[0020]
Regarding the anti-drying liquid supply means of the invention (substrate processing apparatus) configured as described above, it is more preferable to supply a replacement liquid having a higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the processing liquid as the anti-drying liquid. It is suitable. In other words, before the high-pressure drying using the processing fluid including the high-pressure fluid is performed, the replacement liquid having an excellent affinity for the high-pressure fluid is attached to the substrate, so that the substrate is simply dried naturally during the transport of the substrate. This can not only prevent, but also increase the efficiency of the drying process.
[0021]
As a substrate processing system suitable for the above-mentioned substrate processing method, for example, a wet processing unit having the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, and a substrate using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a chemical as a processing fluid. There is a substrate processing system comprising a high-pressure drying unit for drying the substrate under high pressure, and a transport unit for transporting the substrate from the wet processing unit to the high-pressure drying unit while being wet with the anti-drying liquid. It is suitable for carrying out the substrate processing method according to the first aspect.
[0022]
A substrate processing system suitable for the above-described substrate processing method includes, for example, a wet processing unit for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate and performing a predetermined wet processing, and a replacement unit having the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6. A unit, a high-pressure drying unit that uses a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a chemical as a processing fluid to dry the substrate transferred from the wet processing unit under high pressure, and a wet processing unit that wets the substrate while being wet with the processing liquid. And a transfer unit for transferring the substrate from the replacement unit to the high-pressure drying unit while being wet with the drying prevention liquid. 2 is suitable for carrying out the substrate processing method.
[0023]
Here, as the anti-drying liquid, a replacement liquid having higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the processing liquid can be used. According to the present invention, since the substrate is wet-transferred to the high-pressure drying unit in a state of being wet with the anti-drying liquid having an excellent affinity for the high-pressure fluid, the high-pressure drying process can be efficiently performed.
[0024]
Further, with respect to the transport of the substrate between the units, the substrate may be wet-transferred with the anti-drying liquid or the processing liquid piled up on the substrate, or may be wet-transferred with the substrate stored in the transport container. . This makes it possible to more effectively prevent spontaneous drying of the substrate during the transfer of the substrate.
[0025]
In the present invention, carbon dioxide is preferable as the high-pressure fluid used in terms of safety, cost, and ease of supercritical state. In addition to carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, nitrous oxide, ethanol and the like can be used. The reason for using a high-pressure fluid is that it has a high diffusion coefficient and can disperse dissolved contaminants in a medium. As a result, the diffusion coefficient approaches that of a gas, and it can well penetrate into fine pattern portions. Also, the density of a supercritical fluid is close to that of a liquid, and can contain a much larger amount of additives (drugs) than a gas.
[0026]
Here, the high-pressure fluid in the present invention is a fluid having a pressure of 1 MPa or more. The high-pressure fluid that can be preferably used is a fluid having properties of high density, high solubility, low viscosity, and high diffusivity, and more preferably a fluid in a supercritical state or a subcritical state. In order to make carbon dioxide a supercritical fluid, the temperature should be 31 ° C. and 7.1 MPa or more. In the drying step, it is preferable to use a subcritical (high-pressure fluid) or supercritical fluid of 5 to 30 MPa. It is more preferable to carry out these treatments at 0.1 to 20 MPa.
[0027]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a developing unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a high-pressure drying unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system includes a substrate processing unit PS and an indexer unit ID coupled to the substrate processing unit PS.
[0028]
In the substrate processing section PS, a plurality of developing units (two developing units 10A and 10B in this embodiment) for performing the same wet processing step on the substrate are used in the "wet processing apparatus" according to claim 1 of the present invention. The "substrate processing apparatus" of claim 5 and the "wet processing unit" of claim 8 are provided. That is, each of the developing units 10A and 10B supplies a developing solution as a first processing solution to the surface of the substrate W to perform the developing process, and supplies a rinsing solution as a second processing solution to perform the rinsing process. Further, by supplying the anti-drying liquid to the surface of the substrate W, the rinsing liquid adhering to the substrate W is replaced with the anti-drying liquid. The configuration and operation will be described later in detail.
[0029]
Further, as a processing unit, a supercritical drying unit 20 that performs a supercritical drying process on the substrate W that has undergone a wet processing process (in this embodiment, a developing process + rinsing process + substituting process) is provided. Function as a "high-pressure drying unit" and a "high-pressure drying device". The configuration and operation will be described later in detail.
[0030]
Further, a main transfer robot 30 functioning as a “transfer unit” of the present invention is disposed at the center of the substrate processing unit PS so as to be surrounded by the processing units 10A, 10B, and 20.
[0031]
In this embodiment, the basic configuration of the developing units 10A and 10B is the same as shown in FIG. That is, in each of the developing units 10A and 10B, a substrate holding unit (substrate holding unit) 102 that holds the substrate W is provided. The substrate holding unit 102 includes a substrate support plate 104 having a plane size substantially equal to that of the substrate W, and a plurality of peripheral support pins 106 fixed to the upper surface of the substrate support plate 104. By supporting the peripheral portion of the substrate W, the substrate W can be held in a substantially horizontal state. If necessary, a center support pin for supporting the center of the lower surface of the substrate W may be provided upright from the upper surface of the substrate support plate 104. In this embodiment, the substrate W is mechanically held. However, the substrate holding method is not limited to this. For example, the lower surface of the substrate W may be held by vacuum suction.
[0032]
The substrate support plate 104 is connected to an output rotation shaft 110 of a motor 108, and rotates with the operation of the motor 108. Thus, the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 102 is driven to rotate at a desired timing.
[0033]
Further, in this apparatus, as will be described below, a surplus of the developing solution supplied to the substrate W from the slit nozzle 148, a rinsing solution used in the rinsing process from the discharge nozzle 148, and a drying prevention liquid (replacement solution) used in the replacing process. In order to collect the liquid, a processing cup 112 is provided around the substrate holding unit 102. The processing cup 112 is configured to be able to move up and down, and a drain port 114 (116) and an exhaust port 116 (114) are provided at the bottom.
[0034]
In this substrate processing system, the developer supply mechanism 118 is provided as the “processing liquid supply unit” of the present invention in order to supply the developer from the slit nozzle 124 to the substrate W as described above. The developing solution supply mechanism 118 sends the developing solution supplied from the developing solution supply source 120 to the slit nozzle 124 via the valve 122, and spreads the developing solution on the surface of the substrate W to form a developing solution layer. That is, the slit nozzle 124 has a developer supply port having a length equal to the diameter of the substrate W, and the developer is dropped from the developer supply port onto the stationary substrate W while moving horizontally. The mechanism 126 is used to move the slit nozzle 124 in the direction of (+ X) parallel to the substrate W so that the developing solution is applied to the entire surface of the substrate W. Note that the length of the developer supply port is not limited to the same as the diameter of the substrate W, and may be longer. In addition, when the developer is applied, in consideration of the impact of the developer applied to the substrate W, the slit nozzle 124 starts dropping the developer from just before the substrate W is positioned above the substrate W. It is moving in the direction.
[0035]
The horizontal movement mechanism 126 of the slit nozzle 124 includes a motor 128, pulleys 130 and 132, and a belt 134. A pulley 132 is connected to the motor shaft of the motor 128, and a belt 134 is hung on the pulleys 130 and 132. That is, the belt 134 is configured to circulate and rotate as the motor 128 rotates. The belt 134 and the servomotor 138 of the elevating mechanism 136 are connected by a locking member 140. Accordingly, the servo motor 138 advances or retreats in the X-axis direction in accordance with the forward or reverse rotation of the motor 128, and as a result, the slit nozzle 124 provided on the upper part of the elevating mechanism 136 becomes (+ X) or (-X). It will move in the direction of.
[0036]
On the other hand, the lifting mechanism 136 includes a servomotor 138, a coupling 142, and a ball screw 144. The rotation of the servomotor 138 is transmitted to the ball screw 144 via the coupling 142. A slit nozzle 124 is screwed into the ball screw 144. Therefore, the slit nozzle 124 is moved up and down in the vertical direction by the forward or reverse rotation of the servomotor 138. Note that the coupling 142 is a member for protecting the servomotor 138 by absorbing the axial deviation between the motor shaft of the servomotor 138 and the ball screw 144.
[0037]
In the developing solution supply mechanism 118, the slit nozzle 124 is used as the developing nozzle for discharging the developing solution. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other than this, a straight nozzle, SS nozzle, SI nozzle, MI nozzle And the like. Further, the developing solution is supplied to the substrate W by scanning the developing nozzle 124 in the X direction. After the developing solution is partially supplied from the developing nozzle 124 to the substrate W, the developing solution is supplied by rotating the substrate W. A mechanism for coating the entire surface of the substrate may be adopted as the “treatment liquid supply unit” of the present invention.
[0038]
In this embodiment, a rinsing / drying prevention liquid supply mechanism 146 is provided to selectively supply a rinsing liquid or a drying prevention liquid (substitution liquid) to the substrate W. In the rinsing / drying prevention liquid supply mechanism 146, a nozzle 148 is provided above the substrate holding unit 102, and the rinsing liquid or the drying prevention liquid can be selectively discharged toward the substrate W. The base end of the discharge nozzle 148 is connected to an elevating / rotating mechanism 150, as shown in the figure, so that the elevating / rotating mechanism 150 can horizontally swing and elevate around the rotation center AX. The rear end of the discharge nozzle 148 is connected to a rinsing liquid supply source 154 via a valve 152, and is connected to a drying prevention liquid supply source 158 via a valve 156 to control the opening and closing of the valves 152 and 156. Thereby, the rinsing liquid or the drying prevention liquid can be selectively discharged from the discharge nozzle 148. In this embodiment, the rinsing / drying prevention liquid supply mechanism 146 has both the function as the “treatment liquid supply means” of the present invention and the function as the “drying prevention liquid supply means”. Functions as a nozzle for discharging the rinsing liquid and the anti-drying liquid.A dedicated discharging nozzle for the rinsing liquid and a specific discharging nozzle for the anti-drying liquid are provided. -Needless to say, it may be configured to rotate. Further, the discharge nozzle dedicated to the rinsing liquid and the discharge nozzle dedicated to the anti-drying liquid may be moved by one elevating and rotating mechanism.
[0039]
Here, in principle, any liquid can be used as the anti-drying liquid as long as it can prevent natural drying of the substrate W while being transported from the developing units 10A and 10B to the supercritical drying unit 20. It may be. However, in consideration of the efficiency of the supercritical drying process in the supercritical drying unit 20, it is desirable to employ a unit having an excellent affinity for SCF. This is because a supercritical drying process can be performed more efficiently than the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 by using a liquid having an affinity higher than that of the rinsing liquid for SCF. In consideration of these points, it is possible to use a fluorocarbon-based chemical liquid or the like as a replacement liquid as a replacement liquid.
[0040]
Then, in the developing units 10A and 10B configured as described above, the valves 122, 152, and 156 are controlled to open and close to supply a developing solution to the substrate W to perform a predetermined developing process and receive the developing process. A rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate W to perform a rinsing process, and a drying prevention liquid is further supplied to the rinsed substrate W to replace the rinsing liquid adhering to the substrate W with the drying prevention liquid.
[0041]
Next, the supercritical drying unit 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The supercritical drying unit 20 rotatably holds the substrate W inside the pressure vessel 202, that is, in the processing chamber 204, as shown in FIG. More specifically, the inside of the pressure vessel 202 is a processing chamber 204, and an opening 206 for carrying the substrate W into and out of the processing chamber 204 is provided on a side surface thereof.
[0042]
In the vicinity of the pressure vessel 202, a gate 208 for opening and closing the opening 206 is arranged. A gate drive unit (not shown) is connected to the gate unit 208, and the gate unit 208 is moved up and down by operating the gate drive unit in response to an operation command from a control unit that controls the entire apparatus. For example, when the gate portion 208 is lowered, the opening portion 206 is closed, and the inside of the processing chamber 204 becomes airtight. On the other hand, when the gate unit 208 is lifted by the gate drive unit, the opening 206 is opened as shown in FIG. 3 and the hand of the main transfer robot 30 moves along the transfer path shown by the dashed line in FIG. Then, the processing chamber 204 can be accessed. Then, the hand holding the substrate W wet with the anti-drying liquid moves to the processing chamber 204 and is mounted on the spin chuck 210 located in the processing chamber 204 (loading of the substrate W). Conversely, after the hand receives the substrate W on the spin chuck 210, the hand retreats from the pressure container 202 along the transport path, so that the substrate W is unloaded from the pressure container 202.
[0043]
The spin chuck 210 is disposed in the processing chamber 204, and can hold a central portion of the lower surface of the substrate W by a suction port (not shown) provided on the upper surface thereof. A rotating shaft 214 rotated by a motor 212 is connected to the spin chuck 210, and the spin chuck 210 and the holding by the spin chuck 210 are driven in response to the rotation of the motor 212 receiving an operation command from the control unit. The substrate W is rotated integrally within the processing chamber 204. The holding of the substrate W by the spin chuck 210 is not limited to the suction, but may be a mechanical holding structure.
[0044]
Further, in this pressure vessel 202, as shown in the figure, two through holes 216 and 218 communicating with the processing chamber 204 are provided. Of these through holes, the end on the processing chamber 204 side of the through hole 216 provided on the ceiling side is provided so as to face the center of the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 210, and the other end is a valve. Each is connected to the SCF supply unit 222 via 220. Therefore, by opening the valve 220 based on the opening / closing command from the control unit, supercritical carbon dioxide is supplied from the SCF supply unit 222 to the processing chamber 204 as a processing fluid, and supercritical drying can be performed.
[0045]
In this embodiment, SCF of supercritical carbon dioxide is used as a processing fluid. However, a mixture of supercritical carbon dioxide and a chemical may be introduced as a processing fluid into the processing chamber 204, which is suitable for a drying process. It is preferable to use a compatibilizer which can be an auxiliary agent for dissolving or uniformly dispersing the anti-drying liquid component in the SCF as the chemical, and is not particularly limited as long as the anti-drying liquid component can be solubilized with the SCF. Alcohols such as isopropanol and alkyl sulfoxides such as dimethyl sulfoxide, which are so-called surfactants, are preferred.
[0046]
The remaining through-holes 218 are connected to the SCF recovery unit 226 via the valves 224, respectively, so that the SCF introduced into the processing chamber 204 as described above and contaminants generated due to the supercritical drying process are removed. It can be discharged and collected outside the pressure vessel 202.
[0047]
Next, the main transfer robot 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The main transport robot 30 can transfer the substrate W to and from the indexer unit ID, and can access the processing units 10A, 10B, and 20 to load and unload the substrate W. Is configured.
[0048]
The indexer unit ID is used for loading / unloading the substrate W from / to the substrate station 40 where the substrate W is placed in the pod P, which is a rectangular parallelepiped closed container, and the pod P placed in the substrate station 40. And an indexer robot 50 that can transfer the substrate W to and from the main transfer robot 30. In the substrate station 40, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) pods P can be placed along the Y direction, and a plurality of substrates W are stacked and accommodated in each pod P. A cassette (not shown) that can be used is accommodated. A detachable lid is provided on the front side of the outer surface of the pod P which faces the indexer robot 50, and the lid is automatically attached and detached by a detaching mechanism (not shown). I have.
[0049]
The indexer robot 50 is capable of traveling along the direction in which the pods P placed on the substrate station 40 are arranged, that is, in the Y direction. Move to a position in front of the transfer unit 60 for transferring the substrate W.
[0050]
FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the transfer of the substrate W between the indexer robot 50 and the main transfer robot 30. The main transfer robot 30 includes a pair of hands 302 and 304 for holding the substrate W, and a reciprocating drive mechanism 308 for moving the pair of hands 302 and 304 independently of each other with respect to the base 306. 310, a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) for driving the base portion 306 to rotate around a vertical axis (an axis perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4), and a lifting drive for raising and lowering the base portion 306 in the vertical direction Mechanism (not shown). The advance / retreat drive mechanisms 308 and 310 are of a multi-joint arm type, and move the hands 302 and 304 in the horizontal direction while maintaining their postures. One hand 302 moves forward and backward above the other hand 304. In an initial state where both hands 302 and 304 are retracted above the base 306, these hands 302 and 304 are moved. Overlap vertically.
[0051]
On the other hand, the indexer robot 50 includes a pair of hands 502 and 504 for holding the substrate W, and an advance / retreat drive mechanism 508 for allowing the pair of hands 502 and 504 to advance / retreat independently of each other with respect to the base 506. 510, a rotation drive mechanism (not shown) for rotating the base 506 about a vertical axis, an elevation drive mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the base 506, and the entire indexer robot 50 in the Y direction. (See FIG. 4). The advance / retreat drive mechanisms 508 and 510 are multi-joint arm type drive mechanisms, and move the hands 502 and 504 in the horizontal direction while maintaining their postures. One hand 502 is located above the other hand 504, and in an initial state in which the hands 502 and 504 are retracted above the base 506, the hands 502 and 504 are vertically overlapped.
[0052]
Each of the hands 502 and 504 of the indexer robot 50 and the hands 302 and 304 of the main transfer robot 30 are formed in a fork shape. The hands 502 and 504 of the indexer robot have substantially the same shape, and the hands 302 and 304 of the main transfer robot 30 have substantially the same shape. The hands 502 and 504 of the indexer robot 50 and the hands 302 and 304 of the main transfer robot 30 have a substantially meshing shape in plan view, and the substrate W is directly transferred between the hands 502 and 302 or between the hands 504 and 304. Can be handed over. That is, in the transfer unit 60, the hand 502 of the indexer robot 50 can directly receive the substrate W from the hand 302 of the main transport robot 30. Similarly, the hand 504 of the indexer robot 50 can directly transfer the substrate W to the hand 304 of the main transfer robot 30 in the transfer unit 60.
[0053]
Next, the operation of the substrate processing system configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate processing system of FIG. Here, the operation of each unit of the apparatus will be described focusing on one substrate W to assist in understanding the operation.
[0054]
The unprocessed substrate W stored in the pod P placed in the substrate station 40 is carried out by the indexer robot 50 (Step S1), and is further directly transferred to the main transfer robot 30 in the transfer unit 60. Thus, the unprocessed substrate W is loaded on the substrate processing unit PS. Then, the main transport robot 30 that has received the unprocessed substrate W moves to a position in front of one of the developing units 10A and 10B, and carries the substrate W into the developing unit (step S2). After the developing process, the rinsing process, and the replacing process are performed on the substrate W in this order in each of the developing units 10A and 10B (steps S3 to S5), the substrate W is kept wet with the anti-drying liquid. The main transport robot 30 wet-transports to the supercritical drying unit 20 (step S6). That is, the substrate W wetted with the common drying prevention liquid is held by the hand 302 (or 304) and carried out of the developing unit. Then, in a wet state, the hand 302 (or 304) is moved to the processing chamber 204 and placed on the spin chuck 210 (substrate W is loaded), and then the empty hand 302 (or 304) is transported. It is moved along the route in the opposite direction to that at the time of loading and returned to the robot body (not shown). Note that during this time, the gate portion 208 is raised, and the opening portion 206 is in an open state.
[0055]
In this manner, when the wet transfer of the substrate W is completed, the gate driving unit operates to lower the gate unit 208, whereby the opening 206 is closed and the processing chamber 204 is airtight. Then, the SCF is introduced into the processing chamber 204 and the SCF is recovered, and a high-pressure drying process (supercritical drying process) is performed (step S7). Here, the pressure in the processing chamber 204 is gradually increased, and the motor 212 is operated to rotate the spin chuck 210 and the substrate W held by the spin chuck 210 at a relatively low rotation speed. By rotating the substrate W in this manner, drying of only a part of the substrate W is prevented, and the drying process is made uniform. Further, while supplying the SCF from the SCF supply unit 222 to the processing chamber 204, the SCF is recovered in the SCF recovery unit 226 to maintain the pressure and the temperature in the processing chamber 204 at predetermined values. By collecting the SCF from the chamber 204 to the SCF collection unit 226, the pressure inside the processing chamber 204 is reduced, and the substrate W is dried. After the SCF is sealed in the processing chamber 204, the introduction of the SCF may be stopped as described above, and the SCF in the processing chamber 204 may be recovered by the SCF recovery unit 226 to perform supercritical drying.
[0056]
When a series of processes from the developing process to the high-pressure drying process is completed, the rotation of the spin chuck 210 is stopped, and the pressure in the processing chamber 204 is reduced to the atmospheric pressure. In this state, a substrate transfer command is given to the main transfer robot 30. Then, the main transfer robot 30 receiving the transfer instruction receives the substrate W from the spin chuck 210 and unloads the processed substrate W from the supercritical drying unit 20. Then, the procedure opposite to the loading procedure, that is, the unloading operation is executed, and the processed substrate W is stored in the pod P placed in the substrate station 40 (step S8).
[0057]
As described above, according to this embodiment, the developing process is performed by the developing units 10A and 10B, while the high-pressure drying process is performed by the supercritical drying unit 20. A series of processes from the development process to the high-pressure drying process is performed favorably without imposing restrictions on the types of possible developing solutions and without causing a problem such as corrosion in the pressure vessel 202 of the supercritical drying unit 20. be able to.
[0058]
Although the operation of each unit of the apparatus focused on one substrate W has been described above, a plurality of substrates W are simultaneously processed in parallel in an actual substrate processing system. That is, while one substrate W is undergoing wet processing (steps S3 to S5) in the developing unit (10A or 10B), another substrate W is subjected to high-pressure drying processing (step S7) in the supercritical drying unit 20. I have. Therefore, in this embodiment, the wet processing and the high-pressure drying processing are performed in parallel, and a series of processing from the development processing to the high-pressure drying processing can be performed in a short time, and efficient substrate processing can be performed. It can be carried out.
[0059]
Further, the drying prevention liquid is supplied to the substrate W which has been subjected to the development processing and the rinsing processing in the developing units 10A and 10B, and the rinse liquid adhering to the substrate W is replaced with the drying prevention liquid. Since the substrate W is wet-transferred from the developing units 10A and 10B to the supercritical drying unit 20 in a wet state, it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate W from drying naturally during the transfer of the substrate W. Thus, the substrate W can be satisfactorily processed without being damaged.
[0060]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the substrate processing system according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a developing unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a replacement unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. The major difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the developing units 10A and 10B in the first embodiment execute the developing process, the rinsing process, and the replacing process in the same apparatus. In the second embodiment, the developing device and the rinsing process are performed by the developing unit 10C, while the replacement process is performed by the dedicated replacement unit 70. Further, the main transfer robot 30 wet-transfers the substrate W from the developing unit 10C to the supercritical drying unit 20 via the replacement unit 70. Other configurations are basically the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
[0061]
The developing unit 10C differs from the developing units 10A and 10B of the first embodiment only in that it does not have a configuration corresponding to a drying prevention liquid supply unit for supplying a drying prevention liquid to the substrate W. Are exactly the same. In the substrate processing apparatus 10C, the developing solution supplied from the developing solution supply source 120 is pressure-fed to the slit nozzle 124 via the valve 122 while the substrate W is held by the substrate holding unit 102, so that the surface of the substrate W The developing solution is spread to form a developing solution layer, and the developing process is performed. After the development processing, the rinsing liquid is discharged from the discharge nozzle 148 to perform the rinsing processing. As described above, the developing unit 10 </ b> C functions as a “wet processing unit” of the present invention and a “wet processing unit” of the present invention. Since the other configurations and operations of the developing unit 10C are the same as those of the developing units 10A and 10B of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description will be omitted. Further, as the developing unit 10C, a conventionally well-known developing device, that is, a general developing device that supplies a developing solution to a substrate, executes a developing process, and then supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate to perform a rinsing process, may be used. Can be.
[0062]
In the replacement unit 70, as shown in FIG. 8, a substrate holding unit (substrate holding means) 102 for holding a substrate W is provided. The substrate holding unit 102 has the same configuration as the developing units 10A to 10C, and supports the peripheral edge of the substrate W by a plurality of peripheral supporting pins 106 fixed to the upper surface of the substrate supporting plate 104, thereby supporting the substrate W. It can be held in a substantially horizontal state. Note that the substrate holding method is not limited to this, and is optional. If necessary, a center support pin for supporting the center of the lower surface of the substrate W may be supported by being erected from the upper surface of the substrate support plate 104. Alternatively, for example, the lower surface of the substrate W may be held by vacuum suction.
[0063]
Further, a drying prevention liquid supply mechanism (drying prevention liquid supply means) 160 is provided to supply the drying prevention liquid (substitution liquid) to the substrate W. In the drying prevention liquid supply mechanism 160, a nozzle 148 is provided at a position above the substrate holding unit 102, and the drying prevention liquid can be discharged toward the substrate W. The base end of the discharge nozzle 148 is connected to an elevating / rotating mechanism 150, as shown in the figure, so that the elevating / rotating mechanism 150 can horizontally swing and elevate around the rotation center AX. Further, the rear end of the discharge nozzle 148 is connected to a drying prevention liquid supply source 158 via a valve 156, and the opening and closing control of the valve 156 allows the drying nozzle 148 to discharge the drying prevention liquid.
[0064]
In the substrate processing apparatus 10C, a drying prevention liquid (substitution liquid) is supplied from the discharge nozzle 148 while the substrate W wet with the rinsing liquid is held by the substrate holding unit 102, so that the rinsing liquid adhering to the substrate W is removed. It can be replaced with an anti-drying liquid. In the second embodiment, the same liquid as in the first embodiment can be used as the anti-drying liquid.
[0065]
Next, the operation of the substrate processing system configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate processing system of FIG. Here, the operation of each unit of the apparatus will be described focusing on one substrate W to assist in understanding the operation.
[0066]
The unprocessed substrate W stored in the pod P placed in the substrate station 40 is carried out by the indexer robot 50 (Step S11), and is further directly transferred to the main transfer robot 30 in the transfer unit 60. Thus, the unprocessed substrate W is loaded on the substrate processing unit PS. Then, the main transfer robot 30 that has received the unprocessed substrate W moves to the front of the developing unit 10C and loads the substrate W into the developing unit 10C (Step S12). Then, after the developing process and the rinsing process are performed on the substrate W in this order by the developing unit 10C (steps S13 and S14), the replacement unit is moved by the main transport robot 30 while the substrate W is wet with the rinsing liquid. 70 (step S15; first transport step). Subsequently, a replacement process is performed by the replacement unit 70 (step S16). That is, the drying prevention liquid (substitution liquid) is supplied to the substrate W wet with the rinsing liquid, and the substrate W is replaced with the drying prevention liquid.
[0067]
When the replacement process is completed, the substrate W is wet-transferred to the supercritical drying unit 20 by the main transfer robot 30 while the substrate W is wet with the anti-drying liquid (step S17; second transfer step). Then, similarly to the first embodiment, the supercritical drying unit 20 performs a high-pressure drying process (supercritical drying process) to dry the substrate W under high pressure (step S18). Thereafter, the main transport robot 30 receives the substrate W from the spin chuck 210 and unloads the processed substrate W from the supercritical drying unit 20. Then, the procedure opposite to the loading procedure, that is, the unloading operation is executed, and the processed substrate W is stored in the pod P placed in the substrate station 40 (step S19).
[0068]
As described above, according to this embodiment, the developing process is performed by the developing unit 10C, while the high-pressure drying process is performed by the supercritical drying unit 20 in a specialized manner. In addition, a series of processes from the development process to the high-pressure drying process is performed satisfactorily without any restriction on the type of the developer and without causing a problem such as corrosion in the pressure vessel 202 of the supercritical drying unit 20. be able to. Further, the developing process in the developing unit 10C, the replacing process in the replacing unit 70, and the high-pressure drying process in the supercritical drying unit 20 are performed in parallel, and a series of processes from the developing process to the high-pressure drying process are performed. Processing can be performed in a short time, and efficient substrate processing can be performed. Further, the substrate W that has been subjected to the development processing and the rinsing processing is wet-transferred to the replacement unit 70 while being wet with the rinsing liquid, and the rinsing liquid adhered to the substrate W in the replacement unit 70 is prevented from drying. After the substrate is replaced with a liquid, the substrate is wet-transferred to the supercritical drying unit 20 in a state of being wet with the anti-drying liquid, so that the substrate W is effectively dried during the transfer of the substrate W. , And good processing can be performed without damaging the substrate W.
[0069]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes other than those described above can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, only one supercritical drying unit 20 is incorporated in the substrate processing system. However, the application target of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and a plurality of supercritical drying units are incorporated. It can be applied to a substrate processing system. In this case, the main transfer robot 30 is configured to be able to access the plurality of supercritical drying units, unloads the developed substrate from each of the plurality of developing units, and transfers the substrate to one of the plurality of supercritical drying units. Control can be performed so as to be selectively carried, and by adopting such a configuration and control, the throughput of the entire substrate processing system can be improved.
[0070]
Also, the number of developing units and replacement units installed in the substrate processing unit is arbitrary as in the case of the supercritical drying unit.
[0071]
In the above-described embodiment, the developing process is performed as the wet process of the present invention. However, the present invention can be applied to a case where another wet process such as an etching process or a cleaning process is performed.
[0072]
In the above embodiment, the substrate W is rotated at a low speed during the high-pressure drying process (supercritical drying process). However, the high-pressure drying process may be performed while the substrate W is stationary. In the high-pressure drying process, SCF is supplied from the SCF supply unit 222 to the processing chamber 204. However, liquid carbon dioxide is introduced into the pressure vessel 202, and the internal temperature of the pressure vessel 202 is increased to reduce the carbon dioxide. A critical state may be set.
[0073]
In the above embodiment, the movable (traveling) main transfer robot 30 including a scalar transfer robot is used as the “transfer unit” of the present invention, but the configuration of the transfer unit is not limited to this. For example, a stationary transfer robot can be used, and an entire transfer unit that transfers a substrate can be applied. Further, the number and arrangement of hands in the transport unit are also arbitrary.
[0074]
Further, in the first embodiment, the substrate W after the replacement processing is directly transported from the developing units 10A and 10B to the supercritical drying unit 20. In the second embodiment, the substrate W after the rinsing process is transferred from the developing unit 10C to the replacement unit 70 as it is, and the substrate W after the replacement process is transferred from the replacement unit 70 to the supercritical drying unit 20 as it is. That is, with respect to the transport of the substrate between the processing units, the substrate W is wet-transferred with the anti-drying liquid or the rinsing liquid piled thereon, but the substrate W is transported wet in a state of being stored in the transport container. Is also good. In this case, it is desirable that the substrate W be accommodated in a state where the liquid having the same component as the anti-drying liquid is stored in the transport container and transported to the supercritical drying unit 20. In this way, it is possible to more effectively prevent the substrate from being naturally dried while the substrate W is being transported to the supercritical drying unit 20.
[0075]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in any of the processes from the wet process to the high-pressure drying process, the substrate W is processed one by one, that is, a so-called single wafer process. A so-called batch method may be adopted.
[0076]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, wet processing is performed by a wet processing apparatus or a wet processing unit, while high pressure drying processing is performed by a high pressure drying apparatus or a high pressure drying unit. There is no need to set restrictions on the types of processing solutions that can be used in the processing step, and the versatility is excellent. Further, the drying treatment can be performed satisfactorily without causing a problem such as corrosion in the pressure vessel. Further, the wet processing step and the drying step (and the replacement step in addition to these steps) can be performed in parallel. Therefore, a series of processes from the wet process to the drying process can be performed in a short time, and efficient substrate processing can be performed. Further, since the substrate is wet-transferred from the wet processing apparatus to the high-pressure drying apparatus while being wet with the anti-drying liquid (or the rinsing liquid), it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate from drying naturally during the transfer of the substrate. Thus, the substrate can be satisfactorily processed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a developing unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a high-pressure drying unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing how a substrate W is transferred between an indexer robot and a main transfer robot.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the substrate processing system according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a developing unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a replacement unit provided in the substrate processing system of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the substrate processing system of FIG. 6;
[Explanation of symbols]
10A to 10C: Developing unit
20 ... Supercritical drying unit
30 ... Main transfer robot (transfer unit)
70 ... Replacement unit
118: developer supply mechanism
146 rinsing / drying prevention liquid supply mechanism
W ... substrate

Claims (11)

In the wet processing apparatus, a processing liquid is supplied to the substrate to perform a predetermined wet processing, and further, an anti-drying liquid is supplied to the substrate subjected to the wet processing to prevent the processing liquid attached to the substrate from drying. A wet processing step of replacing with a liquid,
A transporting step of transporting the substrate after the wet processing step to a high-pressure drying apparatus while being wet with the anti-drying liquid,
A drying step of high-pressure drying the substrate transported in the transporting step using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a chemical as a processing fluid in the high-pressure drying device. Method. A wet processing step of supplying a processing liquid to the substrate and performing a predetermined wet processing in the wet processing apparatus;
A first transporting step of transporting the substrate after the wet processing step to a replacement device while being wet with the processing liquid,
In the replacement device, a replacement step of supplying the anti-drying liquid to the substrate transported in the transporting step and replacing the treatment liquid attached to the substrate with the anti-drying liquid,
A second transporting step of transporting the substrate after the replacement step to a high-pressure drying apparatus while being wet with the drying prevention liquid,
A drying step of high-pressure drying the substrate transported in the second transporting step using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a chemical as a processing fluid in the high-pressure drying device. Substrate processing method. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein a replacement liquid having higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the processing liquid is used as the drying prevention liquid. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substrate is transferred between the apparatuses by wet transfer with the substrate contained in a transport container. Substrate holding means for holding a substrate,
A processing liquid supply unit that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and performs a predetermined wet process;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a drying prevention liquid supply unit configured to supply a drying prevention liquid to the substrate that has been subjected to the wet processing and to replace the processing liquid attached to the substrate with the drying prevention liquid. . Substrate holding means for holding a substrate wet with the processing liquid,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a drying prevention liquid supply unit configured to supply a drying prevention liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and to replace the processing liquid attached to the substrate with the drying prevention liquid. . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the anti-drying liquid supply unit supplies a replacement liquid having a higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the processing liquid as the anti-drying liquid. A wet processing unit having the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5,
A high-pressure drying unit for drying the substrate under high pressure using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a drug as a processing fluid,
A transfer unit for transferring the substrate from the wet processing unit to the high-pressure drying unit while being wet with the drying prevention liquid. A wet processing unit that performs a predetermined wet processing by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate,
A replacement unit having the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6,
A high-pressure drying unit for high-pressure drying a substrate transferred from the replacement unit using a high-pressure fluid or a mixture of a high-pressure fluid and a drug as a processing fluid,
A transfer that transports the substrate from the wet processing unit to the replacement unit while being wet with the processing liquid, and transports the substrate from the replacement unit to the high-pressure drying unit while wet with the drying prevention liquid. A substrate processing system comprising a unit. 10. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein a replacement liquid having higher affinity for the high-pressure fluid than the processing liquid is used as the drying prevention liquid. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the transfer unit wet-transfers between the units while the substrate is accommodated in a transport container.

Images