JP2005051008A - Device and method for development processing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent mixing of air bubbles into developer and flow of the developer on a wafer upon supplying the developer. <P>SOLUTION: A development processing device 18 is provided with a casing 70 above a spin chuck 60. An exhaust pipe 90 is connected to the casing 70 to form a negative chamber S in the casing 70. The lower surface unit of the casing 70 is formed of a porous plate 71. A developer discharging nozzle 72 is provided in the casing 70, and a discharging port 73 is contacted with the upper surface of the porous plate 71. The developer discharging nozzle 72 can be moved in the casing 70 into a given direction by a nozzle moving mechanism 80. The developer is included into the porous plate 71 under a condition that the inside of the casing 70 is evacuated. When the developer is discharged out of the developer discharging nozzle 72, the developer in the porous plate 71 is forced out to the side of the wafer W. The developer discharging nozzle 72 is moved to supply the developer to the whole surface of the wafer W. The developer is supplied through the porous plate 71 whereby mixing of air bubbles and flow of developer can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate development processing apparatus and a substrate development processing method.

  In the photolithography process in the semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a resist solution is applied to the wafer surface, a resist coating process for forming a resist film, an exposure process for exposing the wafer to a predetermined pattern of light, and an exposure process for exposing the wafer. A developing process for supplying a developing solution to the wafer and developing the wafer is performed.

  The development processing described above is usually performed in a development processing apparatus, and the development processing apparatus is provided with a developer discharge nozzle having a slit-like discharge port longer than the diameter of the wafer. The developer is supplied to the wafer in the development process by moving the developer discharge nozzle from one end of the wafer to the other end while discharging the developer from the discharge port. When the developing solution is supplied onto the wafer, the developing solution reacts with a predetermined portion of the resist film, for example, an exposed portion, to develop the wafer.

  However, when the developer is supplied while moving the developer discharge nozzle as in the above-described development processing, for example, a flow inward from the peripheral edge of the wafer is generated in the developer supplied onto the wafer. Therefore, it has been pointed out that development within the wafer surface is not performed uniformly. In order to solve such a problem, a liquid flow control plate having a large number of flow holes is disposed on the surface of the wafer, and the developer from the developer discharge nozzle is passed through the liquid flow control plate to the wafer surface. Has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-100589 A

  However, when the development processing is performed by the development processing apparatus, there is a space between the through holes, and the developer is separately supplied onto the wafer from the through holes. For this reason, a gap is formed between the developing solutions supplied from the through holes, and there is a possibility that bubbles are mixed in the developing solution. When bubbles are mixed in the developer, the bubbles are not developed and development spots are generated. If the developer discharge nozzle is moved at a low speed in order to prevent the bubbles from entering the developer, it takes time to supply the developer and the processing efficiency is lowered. Furthermore, the developer discharged from the developer discharge nozzle directly falls on the wafer surface in the portion having the flow hole, and therefore the flow of the developer supplied onto the wafer cannot be sufficiently suppressed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in order to prevent bubbles from entering the developer, the developer is applied to the substrate in a shorter time and so that the developer does not flow on a substrate such as a wafer. An object is to provide a development processing apparatus and a development processing method that can be supplied.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a development processing apparatus for developing a substrate, which is disposed above a substrate holding member that holds the substrate horizontally, and the substrate held by the substrate holding member, A housing that forms a negative pressure chamber therein; a developer discharge nozzle that is provided in the housing and discharges the developer; and a nozzle moving mechanism that moves the developer discharge nozzle in the housing; A discharge port is formed on a lower surface of the developer discharge nozzle over a distance longer than a dimension in one direction of the substrate, and the nozzle moving mechanism causes the developer discharge nozzle to be orthogonal to the one direction of the substrate. Can move at least a distance longer than the size of the substrate in the direction, and the lower surface of the housing is formed of a porous plate through which the developer can pass, and the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle , Porous Of which was close to the upper surface, the developer discharged from the discharge port, characterized in that it is supplied to the substrate through the porous plate. The “proximity” includes not only the case of approaching with a gap but also the case where the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle is in contact with the porous plate.

  According to this invention, while the developer discharge nozzle moves in the housing, the developer is discharged from the discharge port toward the porous plate, and the developer is supplied to the substrate through the porous plate. In this case, since the developing solution passes through the porous plate, the flow rate of the developing solution is sufficiently lowered and the developing solution is supplied onto the substrate after the speed direction is dispersed. As a result, the developer does not flow on the substrate, and the development of the substrate is performed uniformly within the substrate surface. In addition, as the developer discharge nozzle moves on the porous plate, the developer is continuously supplied from the porous plate onto the substrate without interruption, so that bubbles are not mixed in the developer and the development is performed. The moving speed of the liquid discharge nozzle can be increased. Therefore, the development of the substrate can be performed in a short time without any spots. Furthermore, since a negative pressure chamber can be formed in the housing, for example, the developer is contained in the porous plate in a state where the housing is at a negative pressure so that the developer does not sag from the porous plate. it can. The developer in the porous plate can be pushed out to the lower substrate side by discharging the developer from the upper developer discharge nozzle to the porous plate containing the developer. In this case, since the developer is immediately pushed out from the lower surface of the porous plate to the substrate by the discharge of the developer from the discharge port, the developer can be supplied in a short time. In addition, it is possible to prevent the developer in the porous plate from dripping to the substrate side by applying a negative pressure inside the housing. Furthermore, since the developer can be spread by sandwiching the developer between the porous plate and the substrate surface, the surface of the substrate can be maintained even if the surface of the substrate is hydrophobic or the amount of the developer is small. The developer can be spread over the entire surface. Therefore, the consumption of the developer is reduced, and development can be properly performed on any substrate.

  The porous plate of the housing may be formed in a square shape that is at least larger than the substrate as viewed from above. In addition, the development processing apparatus may further include a casing up / down driving unit that moves the casing up and down. By this casing lifting / lowering drive unit, the distance between the porous plate on the lower surface of the casing and the substrate can be adjusted, and the amount of the developer supplied to the substrate can be strictly controlled. As a result, proper development can be performed with the minimum required developer.

  The nozzle moving mechanism may be provided in the casing. In this case, since the nozzle moving mechanism is in the housing, it is easy to close the inside of the housing and create a negative pressure in the housing.

  The development processing apparatus may further include a receiving member that is provided outside the substrate held by the substrate holding member and receives the developing solution falling outside the substrate on the same plane as the substrate. When the developer that has fallen to the outside of the substrate is not received and falls below the substrate, the developer near the end of the substrate connected to the developer that has fallen is also dragged by the falling developer and the end of the substrate. Spills from the part. By receiving the developer falling outside the substrate on the same plane as the substrate as in the present invention, the flow of the developer near the edge of the substrate is prevented, and even on the other substrate near the edge of the substrate. Development similar to that of the portion can be performed.

  The outer shape of the receiving member is formed in a rectangular shape that is at least larger than the porous plate when viewed from above, and an opening that is slightly larger than the substrate when viewed from above is formed near the center of the receiving member. May be. In this case, the substrate can be disposed in the opening of the receiving member, and the developer falling outside the substrate can be received on the same plane as the substrate. The development processing apparatus may further include a receiving member raising / lowering drive unit that raises and lowers the receiving member. In such a case, the receiving member can be appropriately retracted from the same plane of the substrate, and for example, it is possible to prevent the developer scattered from the substrate due to rotation of the substrate during cleaning from colliding with the receiving member and causing particles.

  The discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle is formed at the lower end surface of the developer discharge nozzle, and a horizontal portion in contact with the porous plate is formed at the periphery of the discharge port at the lower end surface of the developer discharge nozzle. May be. The horizontal portion around the discharge port can prevent the developer discharged from the discharge port from leaking into the housing from between the lower end surface of the developer discharge nozzle and the porous plate. Therefore, the developer from the discharge port surely flows into the porous plate, and the amount of developer that is wasted is reduced, thereby saving the developer.

  A plurality of developer discharge nozzles may be provided in the casing. In such a case, the developer can be supplied by a plurality of developer discharge nozzles, so that the developer can be supplied in a shorter time. The porous plate may be formed so that the pore diameter becomes smaller as it approaches the lower surface from the upper surface of the porous plate. In this case, since the pore diameter on the upper side of the porous plate is relatively large, the developer discharged from the discharge port can smoothly flow into the porous plate. In addition, since the porosity decreases as it goes to the bottom of the porous plate, the speed of the developer in the porous plate is gradually reduced, the speed drops sufficiently, and the direction of speed is sufficiently diffused before developing. The liquid can be supplied onto the substrate.

  The present invention is a development processing method using the development processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the negative pressure chamber is set to a negative pressure from the outside of the casing, and the developer is put in the porous plate. And a step of bringing the porous plate of the casing close to the surface of the substrate, and then discharging the developer from the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle toward the porous plate. And a step of supplying the developer to the substrate through the porous plate by moving the developer discharge nozzle in a state of discharging the developer along the porous plate.

  According to this invention, since the developer is included in the porous plate in advance, when the developer is discharged from the discharge port to the porous plate in a later step, the developer in the porous plate is immediately pushed out, It is possible to rapidly supply the developer to the substrate. Since the negative pressure chamber is set to a negative pressure, the developer in the porous plate can be prevented from dripping onto the substrate. In the developing solution supply step, the developing solution is supplied to the substrate through the porous plate, so that the speed of the developing solution is sufficiently reduced in the porous plate. As a result, the developer is supplied onto the substrate at a very low speed, and the developer can be prevented from flowing on the substrate. When the developer passes through the porous plate, a continuous developer is supplied onto the substrate, so that bubbles can be prevented from being mixed into the developer.

  The substrate may be developed with a developer interposed in the gap between the porous plate and the substrate. In such a case, the state in which the developer is spread in the gap between the porous plate and the substrate is maintained, so that the developer can be reliably brought into contact with the entire surface of the substrate. Therefore, the development of the substrate can be appropriately performed on the entire surface of the substrate. The amount of the developer supplied to the substrate may be set according to the gap between the porous plate and the substrate when the developer is supplied. In such a case, the amount of developer supplied to the substrate can be easily controlled.

  According to the present invention, since the developer does not flow on the substrate, uniform and stable development is performed within the substrate surface, and the yield is improved. Even if the developer discharge nozzle is moved at high speed, no bubbles are mixed in the developer, so that the development processing time can be shortened and the throughput can be improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 in which the developing treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment is mounted, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment system 1 carries, for example, 25 wafers W in and out of the coating and developing treatment system 1 from the outside in units of cassettes and carries the wafers W in and out of the cassettes C. A cassette station 2, a processing station 3 in which various processing devices for performing predetermined processing in a sheet-fed process in the coating and developing processing step are arranged in multiple stages, and an exposure (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station 3 The interface unit 4 that transfers the wafer W to and from the apparatus is integrally connected.

  In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a line in a X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined position on the cassette placement table 5 serving as a placement portion. The wafer transfer body 7 that can be transferred in the cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafer W accommodated in the cassette C is movable along the transfer path 8. It is provided so that each cassette C can be selectively accessed.

  The wafer carrier 7 has an alignment function for aligning the wafer W. As will be described later, the wafer carrier 7 is configured to be accessible also to the extension devices 32 belonging to the third processing device group G3 on the processing station 3 side.

  In the processing station 3, a main transfer device 13 is provided at the center thereof, and various processing devices are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer device 13 to form a processing device group. In this coating and developing processing system 1, four processing device groups G1, G2, G3, and G4 are arranged, and the first and second processing device groups G1 and G2 are arranged on the front side of the coating and developing processing system 1. The third processing unit group G3 is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2, and the fourth processing unit group G4 is disposed adjacent to the interface unit 4. Further, as an option, a fifth processing unit group G5 indicated by a broken line can be separately arranged on the back side. The main transfer device 13 can carry in / out the wafer W to / from various processing devices (described later) arranged in these processing device groups G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5. The number and arrangement of processing apparatus groups vary depending on the type of processing performed on the wafer W, and can be arbitrarily selected.

  In the first processing unit group G1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating unit 17 that applies a resist solution to the wafer W and forms a resist film on the wafer W, and a development processing unit 18 according to the present embodiment. Are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom. Similarly, in the second processing unit group G2, the resist coating unit 19 and the development processing unit 20 are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom.

  In the third processing unit group G3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a cooling device 30 for cooling the wafer W, an adhesion device 31 for improving the fixability between the resist solution and the wafer W, and the delivery of the wafer W are performed. The extension device 32, the pre-baking devices 33 and 34 for evaporating the solvent in the resist solution, and the post-baking device 35 for performing the heat treatment after the development processing are stacked in, for example, six stages from the bottom.

  In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, a cooling unit 40, an extension / cooling unit 41 that naturally cools the mounted wafer W, an extension unit 42, a cooling unit 43, a post-exposure baking unit 44 that performs heat treatment after exposure, 45 and post-baking devices 46 are stacked, for example, in seven steps from the bottom.

  For example, a wafer carrier 50 is provided at the center of the interface unit 4 as shown in FIG. The wafer carrier 50 is configured to be freely movable in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) and Z direction (vertical direction) and rotated in the θ direction (rotating direction around the Z axis). , Access to the extension / cooling device 41, the extension device 42, the peripheral exposure device 51 and the exposure device (not shown) belonging to the fourth processing unit group G4, and the wafer W can be transferred to each of them. Yes.

  Next, the configuration of the development processing apparatus 18 described above will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, a spin chuck 60 as a substrate holding member for holding the wafer W is provided at the center in the casing 18 a of the development processing apparatus 18. The spin chuck 60 has a horizontal upper surface, and a suction port (not shown) for sucking, for example, the wafer W is provided on the upper surface. By suction from the suction port, the spin chuck 60 can hold the wafer W by suction.

  The spin chuck 60 is provided with a chuck drive mechanism 61 for rotating and lifting the spin chuck 60, for example. The chuck drive mechanism 61 is, for example, a rotation drive unit (not shown) such as a motor that rotates the spin chuck 60 around a vertical axis at a predetermined speed, or a lift drive such as a motor or cylinder that moves the spin chuck 60 up and down a predetermined distance. Part (not shown). With this chuck drive mechanism 61, for example, the wafer W can be moved up and down when the wafer W is loaded and unloaded, and the wafer W can be rotated when the wafer W is cleaned.

  Around the spin chuck 60, there is provided a cup 62 that receives and collects the liquid scattered or dropped from the wafer W. The cup 62 surrounds, for example, the side of the spin chuck 60 and mainly receives a side wall portion 63 that receives liquid scattered outside the wafer W, and a bottom portion that covers the lower side of the wafer W and mainly receives liquid falling from the wafer W. 64 separately.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the side wall 63 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall 63 can be moved up and down by an elevating drive unit 65 such as a cylinder. A spin chuck 60 passes through the bottom 64 at the center. An annular member 66 is provided around the spin chuck 60 to block the flow of liquid that has flowed from the front surface to the back surface of the wafer W. The annular member 66 has, for example, a top near the back surface of the wafer W, and blocks the liquid flow at the top. For example, a discharge pipe 67 is connected to the bottom portion 64, and the liquid collected in the cup 62 can be discharged from the discharge pipe 67 to the outside of the development processing apparatus 18.

  Above the spin chuck 60, a casing 70 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is disposed. The housing 70 is configured so that the inside can be sealed, and a negative pressure chamber S is formed in the housing 70. The housing 70 is formed larger than the wafer W when viewed from above, and the lower surface portion of the housing 70 faces the wafer W held by the spin chuck 60 and covers the upper surface of the wafer W.

  The lower surface portion of the housing 70 is formed of a porous plate 71 through which liquid can flow. The material of the porous plate 71 is, for example, a resin such as Teflon (registered trademark of DuPont), PP (polypropylene), or a metal such as stainless steel, alumina, titanium, glass fiber, and the porosity is about 5 to 50%. The one having a pore diameter of about 0.01 to 0.5 mm is used. The thickness of the porous plate 71 is set to about 0.5 to 5 mm, for example.

  A developer discharge nozzle 72 is provided in the casing 70 and on the porous plate 71. As shown in FIG. 5, the developer discharge nozzle 72 has an elongated shape that is longer than the diameter of the wafer W in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5), for example, and has a lower end surface as shown in FIG. A slit-like discharge port 73 is formed along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the discharge port 73 is close to the upper surface of the porous plate 71. For example, a developer supply pipe 75 communicating with a developer supply source 74 installed outside the development processing apparatus 18 is connected to the upper portion of the developer discharge nozzle 72. The developer supplied from the developer supply source 74 to the developer discharge nozzle 72 through the developer supply pipe 75 passes through the developer discharge nozzle 72 and is discharged from the discharge port 73 into the porous plate 71.

  For example, a nozzle moving mechanism 80 for moving the developer discharge nozzle 72 is attached to the upper surface inside the housing 70. The nozzle moving mechanism 80 includes, for example, a rail 81 formed in the Y direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4) orthogonal to the slit direction (X direction: depth direction in FIG. 4) of the discharge port 73, and the developer discharge nozzle 72. Is provided with a nozzle driving unit 82 for moving the nozzles along the rails 81. The rail 81 is formed from, for example, the vicinity of one end in the Y direction in the housing 70 to the vicinity of the other end. Therefore, the developer discharge nozzle 72 can reciprocate between both side walls in the Y direction in the housing 70 in a state where the discharge port 73 is close to the porous plate 71.

  For example, an exhaust pipe 90 is connected to the side surface of the housing 70. The exhaust pipe 90 communicates with, for example, a negative pressure generating device 91 installed outside the development processing device 18, and exhausts the gas in the housing 70 to reduce the inside of the housing 70 to a predetermined pressure. Can do.

  The housing 70 is supported by the arm 100 from above, for example. The arm 100 can be moved up and down by a casing lifting drive unit 101 such as a cylinder installed outside the cup 62, for example. Therefore, the housing 70 can be moved up and down on the spin chuck 60. The operation of the case elevating drive unit 101 is controlled by, for example, the gap control unit 102. The gap control unit 102 is set with a gap D between the housing 70 and the wafer W obtained based on the optimum supply amount of the developer to the wafer W. The gap control unit 102 sets the set gap D. Based on this, the height of the housing 70 can be adjusted.

  In the cup 62, a receiving plate 110 is provided as a receiving member that receives the developer supplied to the outside of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 60. As shown in FIG. 7, the receiving plate 110 is formed in a square shape that is larger than the porous plate 71 of the housing 70 when viewed from above. A circular opening 111 that is slightly larger than the shape of the wafer W as viewed from above is formed at the center of the receiving plate 110. For example, the radius of the opening 111 is formed to be about 0.1 mm to 1 mm larger than the radius of the wafer W, for example. The receiving plate 110 is disposed so that the opening 111 coincides with the position of the wafer W on the spin chuck 60 when viewed from the top. As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving plate 110 is attached with a receiving plate raising / lowering drive unit 112 made of a cylinder or the like. The receiving plate 110 is positioned on the same plane as the wafer W on the spin chuck 60, or Or retreat to a position lower than W.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a rail 120 along the Y direction is formed outside the cup 62 on the X direction positive direction side. The rail 120 is formed, for example, from the outside of the cup 62 in the negative Y direction (left direction in FIG. 5) to the vicinity of the center of the spin chuck 60. A rinse arm 122 that holds the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 121 is attached to the rail 120. The rinse arm 122 can be moved along the rail 120 by the driving unit 123. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 121 can move from the outside of the cup 62 to above the wafer W of the spin chuck 60.

  Next, the operation of the development processing apparatus 18 configured as described above will be described together with the process of the photolithography process performed in the coating and developing processing system 1.

  First, one unprocessed wafer W is taken out from the cassette C by the wafer transfer body 7 and transferred to the extension device 32 belonging to the third processing unit group G3. Next, the wafer W is carried into the adhesion device 31 by the main transfer device 13, and for example, HMDS for improving the adhesion of the resist solution is applied to the wafer W. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the cooling device 30, cooled to a predetermined temperature, and then transferred to the resist coating device 17. The wafer W on which the resist film is formed in the resist coating device 17 is sequentially transferred to the pre-baking device 33 and the extension / cooling device 41 by the main transfer device 13, and further, the peripheral transfer device 51 and the exposure device ( (Not shown) are sequentially conveyed, and predetermined processing is performed in each device. The wafer W that has undergone the exposure processing is transferred to the extension device 42 by the wafer transfer body 50, and then subjected to predetermined processing by the post-exposure baking device 44 and the cooling device 43, and then transferred to the development processing device 18. Development processing is performed.

  The wafer W that has undergone development processing in the development processing device 18 is sequentially transferred to the post-baking device 46 and the cooling device 30, subjected to predetermined processing in each device, and then returned to the cassette C via the extension device 32. Thus, a series of photolithography processes is completed.

  Next, the development processing of the wafer W performed by the development processing apparatus 18 described above will be described in detail. Prior to activation of the coating and developing treatment system 1, the housing 70 stands by above the cup 62 by the housing elevating drive unit 101. When the coating and developing treatment system 1 is activated, the atmosphere in the housing 70 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 90, and the inside of the housing 70 is reduced to a negative pressure of about 10 to 100 Pa, for example. When the inside of the housing 70 has a negative pressure, the developer is discharged from the developer discharge nozzle 72, and the developer discharge nozzle 72 is referred to as an end of the porous plate 71 on the Y direction negative direction side (hereinafter referred to as “one end”). ) To the end on the positive side in the Y direction (hereinafter referred to as “other end”). By doing so, the developer is supplied into the porous plate 71 in a dry state. The developer supplied into the porous plate 71 is maintained in the porous plate 71 without dripping from the bottom due to the negative pressure in the housing 70.

  When the processing of the wafer W is started in the coating and developing processing system 1 and the wafer W is transported into the developing processing apparatus 18, first, the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 60 that has been lifted and waited in advance. Subsequently, the spin chuck 60 is lowered and the wafer W is accommodated in a predetermined position in the cup 62 as shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, the housing 70 is lowered by the housing lifting / lowering drive unit 101, and the gap D between the porous plate 71 of the housing 70 and the wafer W is adjusted to about 0.5 to 3.0 mm as shown in FIG. Is done. The supply amount of the developer that is supplied to the wafer W after being interposed in the gap D is set by the gap D.

  For example, in synchronization with the lowering of the housing 70, the receiving plate 110 is raised to the same plane as the wafer W by the receiving plate raising / lowering driving unit 112 as shown in FIG.

  When the housing 70 is lowered and the receiving plate 110 is raised, the developer discharge nozzle 72 in the housing 70 is subsequently supplied from the discharge port 73 on the one end portion of the porous plate 71 as shown in FIG. Is discharged. By this discharge of the developing solution, the developing solution in the porous plate 71 corresponding to the discharge port 73 is pressurized, and the developing solution is pushed out from the lower surface of the porous plate 71, for example, the negative direction of the wafer W in the Y direction The developer is applied on the line on the side receiving plate 110. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the developer discharge nozzle 72 moves from one end of the porous plate 71 to the other end while the developer is discharged from the developer discharge nozzle 72. At this time, the developer discharged from the developer discharge nozzle 72 pushes the developer into the porous plate 71, and the continuous developer is continuously supplied onto the wafer W. The developer pushed out from the inside of the porous plate 71 is decelerated when passing through the porous plate 71 and is supplied onto the wafer W very statically. When the developer discharge nozzle 72 moves to the other end of the porous plate 71 in this way, the developer is filled between the wafer W and the porous plate 71 as shown in FIG. An amount of developer is supplied. The developer supplied to the outside of the wafer W is received by the receiving plate 110 and is sandwiched between the receiving plate 110 and the porous plate 71. Therefore, the flow of the developer is prevented even outside the wafer W.

  When the developer discharge nozzle 72 reaches the other end of the porous plate 71, the developer discharge nozzle 72 is stopped. At that time, the discharge from the discharge port 73 is also stopped. Thereafter, the wafer W is statically developed for a predetermined time with a developer interposed between the porous plate 71 and the wafer W.

  When the predetermined time has elapsed and the stationary development is completed, the casing 70 is raised above the cup 62, and the developer discharge nozzle 72 is returned to the one end side of the porous plate 71. The receiving plate 110 is lowered to a position lower than the wafer W. Thereafter, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 121 moves from the outside of the cup 62 to above the center portion of the wafer W, and the side wall portion 63 of the cup 62 is raised by the elevating drive unit 65. The wafer W is rotated by the spin chuck 60, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 121 to the center of the wafer W to clean the wafer W. Even during this cleaning process, the negative pressure in the housing 70 is maintained, and the developer in the porous plate 71 is prevented from falling.

  When the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 121 is stopped and the cleaning of the wafer W is completed, the rotation of the wafer W is maintained and the wafer W is shaken and dried. When the wafer W is dried, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, the spin chuck 60 is raised, and the wafer W is delivered to the main transfer device 13. The wafer W is carried out of the development processing device 18 by the main transfer device 13 and a series of development processing is completed.

  According to the above embodiment, since the developer discharged from the developer discharge nozzle 72 is decelerated in the porous plate 71 and then supplied onto the wafer W, the developer flows on the wafer W. There is no. As a result, the development of the wafer W is stabilized without being affected by the flow of the developer, and is performed uniformly within the wafer surface. Since the developer supplied onto the wafer W is continuously pushed out from the porous plate 71, bubbles are not mixed in the developer, and development spots due to the bubbles can be prevented. Since the developer is sandwiched between the porous plate 71 and the wafer W, even a small amount of developer can be spread over the entire surface of the wafer W. Therefore, the consumption of the developer can be reduced. Further, even when the wafer surface is hydrophobic, the developer can be spread over the entire surface of the wafer W, so that development can be performed properly even for all types of wafers. Furthermore, since the developer passes through the fine porous plate 71, impurities contained in the developer can be removed by the porous plate 71.

  Since the case 70 is provided with the case elevating drive unit 101, the supply amount of the developer to the wafer W can be controlled by adjusting the gap D between the porous plate 71 and the wafer W. Since the exhaust pipe 90 is connected to the housing 70 and the inside of the housing 70 is set to a negative pressure, the developer is held in the porous plate 71, and dripping of the developer can be prevented. Further, since the developer is contained in the porous plate 71 and the developer can be discharged from the discharge port 73, the developer is immediately pushed out from the porous plate 71, so that the supply of the developer to the wafer W can be performed quickly. Can be done.

  Since the nozzle moving mechanism 80 is provided in the housing 70, the negative pressure chamber S can be easily sealed, and the inside of the housing 70 can be easily maintained in a negative pressure state. Note that. The nozzle moving mechanism 80 may be provided outside the housing 70. Since the receiving plate 110 is provided in the cup 62, the developer supplied to the outside of the wafer W can be received on the same plane as the wafer W, and the flow of the developer at the end of the wafer W can be prevented. As a result, the flow of the developer is also prevented at the edge of the wafer W, and stable development is performed. Since the receiving plate 110 is provided with the receiving plate lifting / lowering drive unit 112, the receiving plate 110 can be retracted to a position lower than the wafer W during, for example, a cleaning process and a drying process other than during the development process. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the generation of particles caused by the liquid scattered from the rotated wafer W colliding with the receiving plate 110.

  In the developer discharge nozzle 72 of the development processing apparatus 18 described in the above embodiment, the lower end surface 131 of the developer discharge nozzle 130 is formed flat as shown in FIG. The outlet 131a may be opened and a horizontal portion 131b may be formed around the outlet 131a. The horizontal portion 131b is formed to have a length that is, for example, about five times the diameter of the discharge port 131a. The lower end surface 131 of the developer discharge nozzle 130, that is, the discharge port 131a and the horizontal portion 131b are close to the upper surface of the porous plate 71 as in the above embodiment. When supplying the developing solution to the wafer W, the developing solution is discharged from the discharge port 131 a toward the porous plate 71 with the horizontal portion 131 b being close to the porous plate 71. By doing so, the developer discharged from the discharge port 131a is prevented from flowing into the housing 70 through the gap between the lower end surface 131 and the porous plate 71, and the developer is efficiently contained in the porous plate 71. Flow into. As a result, the amount of the developer that is accumulated in the casing 70 and is wasted is reduced, and the developer can be saved. In this example, the horizontal portion 131b is close to the porous plate 71, but may be in contact therewith.

  In the above-described embodiment, one developer discharge nozzle 72 is provided in the housing 70. However, a plurality of, for example, two developer discharge nozzles may be provided in the housing 70. FIG. 12 shows such an example, and two first and second developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151 are provided in the housing 70. The first and second developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151 are attached to a common rail 152 along the Y direction provided on the upper surface of the housing 70, for example. In this example, for example, the first developer discharge nozzle 150 is provided on the Y direction negative direction side, and the second developer discharge nozzle 151 is provided on the Y direction positive direction side. The developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151 can be moved along the rails 152 by the drive units 153 and 154, for example. In addition, the nozzle moving mechanism in this example is configured by a rail 152 and driving units 153 and 154. The discharge port 155 of the first developer discharge nozzle 150 is formed, for example, on the positive side in the Y direction with respect to the central axis in the vertical direction of the first developer discharge nozzle 150, and is discharged from the second developer discharge nozzle 151. For example, the outlet 156 is formed on the Y direction negative direction side of the vertical center axis of the second developer discharge nozzle 151. That is, when the first developer discharge nozzle 150 and the second developer discharge nozzle 151 are juxtaposed in the central portion of the housing 70, the discharge port 155 and the discharge port 156 are close to each other.

  When supplying the developer to the wafer W, the first and second developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151 are located on the center of the porous plate 71, that is, on the spin chuck 60 with the porous plate 71 interposed therebetween. The wafers W are arranged close to each other at positions facing the central portion of the wafer W. Then, the developer is discharged from the first and second developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151, and the first developer discharge nozzle 150 extends from the center portion of the porous plate 71 to the end portion on the Y direction negative side, The second developer discharge nozzle 151 moves from the center of the porous plate 71 to the end on the Y direction positive direction side. Thus, the developer is supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W below the porous plate 71. In such a case, since the developer is supplied using the two first and second developer discharge nozzles 150 and 151, the time required for the developer supply process can be shortened and the processing efficiency of the development process can be improved. The number of developer discharge nozzles is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

  In the above embodiment, the entire porous plate 71 is formed of a porous material having the same characteristics. However, as a plurality of materials are used for the porous plate 71, as the surface approaches the lower surface from the upper surface of the porous plate 71, the air flows. The hole diameter may be reduced. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the porous plate 160 has a three-layer structure, and a porous material having a pore diameter of about 0.5 mm and a porosity of about 50% is used as the material of the upper layer 160a, and the material of the middle layer 160b. In addition, a porous material having a pore diameter of about 0.2 mm and a porosity of about 20% is used, and a porous material having a pore diameter of about 0.05 mm and a porosity of about 10% is used for the material of the lower layer 160c. Also good. In such a case, the discharge pressure of the developer discharged from the discharge port 73 of the developer discharge nozzle 72 is gradually lost as it sequentially passes through the layers 160a, 160b, and 160c. Therefore, the developer smoothly flows into the upper layer 160a of the porous plate 160, and the speed of the developer after flowing in gradually decreases in the middle layer 160b and the lower layer 160c of the porous plate 160. As a result, the developer does not splash on the upper surface of the porous plate 160, and the amount of developer that is wasted can be reduced. Further, since the developing solution having a sufficiently reduced speed is supplied onto the wafer W from the lower surface of the porous plate 160, the developing solution on the wafer W is prevented from flowing. The number of layers of the porous plate 160 is not limited to three layers, and can be arbitrarily selected. Further, as the porous plate 160 approaches the lower surface, the porosity may decrease. Furthermore, a porous plate may be formed by overlapping a plurality of fine plate-like nets so that the positions of the holes are shifted. Further, a porous plate may be formed by combining a fine mesh and a porous material.

  The example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this example and can take various forms. For example, in the above embodiment, the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle has a slit shape. However, in the present invention, the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle has a circular shape, and a plurality of discharge ports are arranged in parallel on the lower surface of the developer discharge nozzle. It can also be applied to what you have. In addition, the present invention is applied to the development processing apparatus for the wafer W, but the present invention can also be applied to a development processing apparatus such as a substrate other than the wafer, for example, an FPD substrate such as an LCD substrate and a glass substrate for a photomask. .

  In a development processing apparatus that performs development processing of a substrate, it is useful when supplying the developer to the substrate so as to prevent bubbles from entering the developer and to prevent the developer from flowing on the substrate.

It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the coating development processing system carrying the development processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section which shows the structure of a developing processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the cross section which shows the structure of a developing processing apparatus. It is a perspective view of a developing solution discharge nozzle. It is a top view of a receiving plate. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section of the housing | casing which shows the mode at the time of the start of discharge of a developing solution. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section of the housing | casing which shows a mode at the time of discharge of a developing solution. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section of the housing | casing which shows the mode at the time of completion | finish of discharge of a developing solution. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the developing solution discharge nozzle with a flat lower surface. It is explanatory drawing of the longitudinal cross-section which shows the structure of the housing | casing provided with two developing solution discharge nozzles. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the porous board which has a three-layer structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating | development processing system 18 Development processing apparatus 60 Spin chuck 70 Case 71 Porous board 72 Developer discharge nozzle 80 Nozzle moving mechanism 110 Receptacle S Negative pressure chamber W Wafer

Claims (13)

A development processing apparatus for developing a substrate,
A substrate holding member for horizontally holding the substrate;
A housing which is disposed above the substrate held by the substrate holding member and forms a negative pressure chamber therein;
A developer discharge nozzle provided in the housing for discharging the developer;
A nozzle moving mechanism for moving the developer discharge nozzle in the housing,
On the lower surface of the developer discharge nozzle, a discharge port is formed over a distance longer than the dimension in one direction of the substrate,
The nozzle moving mechanism can move the developer discharge nozzle in a direction perpendicular to one direction of the substrate at least a distance longer than the dimension of the substrate,
The lower surface of the housing is formed of a porous plate through which developer can pass,
The discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle is close to the upper surface of the porous plate,
The development processing apparatus, wherein the developer discharged from the discharge port is supplied to the substrate through the porous plate. The development processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the porous plate of the housing is formed in a square shape that is at least larger than the substrate when viewed from above. The development processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a casing elevating drive unit that moves the casing up and down. The development processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle moving mechanism is provided in the housing. 2. A receiving member which is provided outside the substrate held by the substrate holding member and receives the developing solution falling outside the substrate on the same plane as the substrate. , 3 or 4. The outer shape of the receiving member is formed in a square shape that is at least larger than the porous plate as viewed from above,
6. The development processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an opening that is slightly larger than the substrate when viewed from above is formed near the center of the receiving member. The development processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a receiving member raising / lowering drive unit for raising and lowering the receiving member. The discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle is formed at the lower end surface of the developer discharge nozzle,
The horizontal part which contacts the said porous board is formed in the peripheral part of the said discharge outlet in the lower end surface of the said developing solution discharge nozzle, The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Or the development processing apparatus according to any one of 7; The development processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of developer discharge nozzles are provided in the housing. The said porous board is formed so that a pore diameter may become small as it approaches the lower surface from the upper surface of a porous board, The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 characterized by the above-mentioned. Or the development processing apparatus according to any one of 9; A development processing method using the development processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A process in which the negative pressure chamber is set to a negative pressure from the outside of the housing and the developer is contained in the porous plate;
Thereafter, the step of bringing the porous plate of the housing close to the surface of the substrate;
Thereafter, the developer is discharged from the discharge port of the developer discharge nozzle toward the porous plate, and the developer discharge nozzle in a state of discharging the developer is moved along the porous plate, thereby And a step of supplying a developing solution to the substrate through the porous plate. The development processing method according to claim 11, wherein the substrate is developed in a state where a developer is interposed in a gap between the porous plate and the substrate. 13. The development processing method according to claim 11, wherein an amount of the developer supplied to the substrate is set by a gap between the porous plate and the substrate when the developer is supplied. .

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