JP2005087944A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus which is easy in maintenance owing to the adoption of a drawing structure. <P>SOLUTION: A unit base 47 is supported forward/backward movably by a slider 49 in relation to a frame 51. The unit base 47 is made to communicate/be connected with the frame 51 by a freely expandable/contractable exhaust duct 67, process liquid piping, and drain piping. Since the unit base 47 can freely be drawn from the frame 51, the maintenance is easy. Moreover, since the unit base 47 is connected with the frame 51 to be able to function, the unit base 47 can be actuated as usual even when the unit base 47 is drawn out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate).

  Conventionally, as this type of apparatus, a spin chuck that supports a substrate, a splash prevention cup that surrounds the spin chuck, a nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate, and a processing liquid that has been scattered by rotation are placed in a downflow. And a unit provided with an exhaust port for exhausting air from the scattering prevention cup (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the substrate processing apparatus, as the required productivity is improved, the number of units disposed in one apparatus is increasing. In addition, from the requirement that the occupied area is not increased as much as possible, the number of units is increased and the inside of the apparatus is dense.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-33468 (FIG. 1)

However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.
That is, the conventional apparatus has a problem that the space in the height direction is narrowed due to the multi-stage and the unit is fixed in the apparatus, so that the work is extremely difficult and the maintenance is extremely complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing maintenance easily by adopting a drawer structure.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process on a substrate, and includes a rotation support unit that rotatably supports the substrate, and a processing liquid supply unit that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate. A unit that includes a cup that surrounds the rotation support means, a bat that collects the processing liquid collected by the cup, an exhaust passage that exhausts the gas in the cup, and the unit A frame that supports the unit so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the frame, a telescopic exhaust duct that connects the exhaust passage of the unit and the exhaust part of the frame, and supply of processing liquid to the unit Stretchable treatment liquid pipe for connecting the means and the processing liquid supply part of the frame, and a telescopic drainage pipe for connecting the butt of the unit and the drainage part of the frame. It is characterized by having these.

  [Operation / Effect] A unit including a rotation support means, a treatment liquid supply means, a cup, a bat, and an exhaust passage is supported on the frame by the support means so as to be able to advance and retreat. Further, the unit and the frame are connected in communication with a telescopic exhaust duct, a treatment liquid pipe, and a drain pipe. Therefore, the unit can be freely pulled out from the frame, so that maintenance can be easily performed. In addition, since the unit and the frame are connected so that the unit functions, the unit can be operated even when the unit is pulled out.

  Further, it is preferable that the support means is a multi-stage feed-and-hold type slider provided on the outer side surface of the unit and the inner side surface of the frame. By making it possible to move forward and backward with a slider provided on the side surface, almost the entire unit can be pulled out from the frame, and maintenance is possible over the entire surface of the unit.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the unit is supported with respect to the frame by the supporting means so as to be movable back and forth. In addition, the unit can be pulled out of the frame freely because the unit and the frame are connected to each other by a telescopic exhaust duct, treatment liquid piping, and drainage piping, so maintenance is easy. Can be. In addition, since the unit and the frame are connected so that the unit functions, the unit can be operated even when the unit is pulled out.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG.

  This substrate processing apparatus is, for example, a developing apparatus that performs a developing process on the substrate W. The substrate W is previously coated with a photoresist film, and a predetermined pattern is further baked thereon. A developing solution is supplied to the substrate W as a processing solution, and pure water is supplied as a rinsing solution to perform the developing process. In addition, this device is mounted by stacking a plurality of the same devices or similar devices, and has a height of, for example, about 40 cm to 60 cm.

  A rotation motor 1 is provided at the center, and a rotary spin shaft 3 is fitted with a suction spin chuck 5 at its upper end. The periphery of the rotary motor 1 is covered with a cover 7.

  The suction spin chuck 5 described above corresponds to the rotation support means in the present invention. Although the suction spin chuck 5 is used in this embodiment, a so-called mechanical chuck that contacts and supports the edge of the substrate W may be employed instead.

  The lower part of the cover 7 is attached to the outer periphery of the base 9 that covers the periphery of the lower part of the rotary motor 1. A bat 11 is provided around the lower portion of the base 9. The bat 11 having a flat plate shape is for collecting a processing solution such as a developing solution or a rinsing solution described later. The bat 11 is attached to the unit frame 13 of this developing device. In one part of the bat 11 and the unit frame 13, a drainage port 17 communicating with a discharge space 15 provided in the lower part of the unit frame 13 is formed.

  The discharge space 15 corresponds to the exhaust passage in the present invention.

  A lower cup 19 is erected on the outer edge of the bat 11. The lower cup 19 has a cylindrical shape and is provided so as to surround the rotary motor 1. Exhaust ports 21 are formed at two positions on the side wall. In FIG. 1, only one exhaust port 21 is shown for the purpose of illustration.

  On the inner peripheral side of the lower cup 19, an upper cup 23 is provided slightly apart. The upper cup 23 is configured to be movable up and down with respect to the lower cup 19 by an elevator mechanism (not shown). The elevation height is a “standby position” indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a “processing position” indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a standby pot 25 is disposed at a position adjacent to the lower cup 19 (left side in FIG. 1). The standby pot 25 is configured such that two developing nozzles 27 for supplying a developing solution as a processing solution can stand by. In the standby pot 25, a nozzle cleaning unit 29 for cleaning the tip of the developing nozzle 27 with pure water is provided. The developing nozzle 27 is configured to linearly move to a retracting pot 31 on the opposite side (right side in FIG. 1) across the suction spin chuck 5 during the developing process.

  The developing nozzle 27 corresponds to the processing liquid supply unit in the present invention.

  A temporary storage tank 33 is disposed on the outside adjacent to the retreat pot 31. In the temporary storage tank 33, a rinse nozzle 35 for supplying a rinse liquid to the substrate W is on standby after supplying the developer from the developing nozzle 27. The rinse liquid is, for example, pure water. Therefore, an operation called “slow leak” is generally performed not for the purpose of supplying pure water but for the purpose of disposal so that the quality of the pure water does not deteriorate. That is, the rinse liquid is continuously flowed from the rinse nozzle 35 to the temporary storage tank 33 at a slight flow rate during standby. As a result, the rinse liquid does not stay in the rinse nozzle 35, and deterioration of the quality of the rinse liquid can be prevented.

  The above-described discharge space 15 is connected to a separation mechanism 37 having an upward step and an inclined surface that becomes higher toward the top, a connection cylinder 39 erected from the separation mechanism 37, and an upper part of the connection cylinder 39. The connecting portion 41 is connected in communication. A liquid discharge port 43 is provided on the back side of the separation mechanism 37 in FIG. Further, on the side adjacent to the connection tube 39 (left side in FIG. 1), a wiring take-out portion 45 that collectively stores wirings is provided (FIG. 2).

  Each structure mentioned above is attached to the unit base 47 equivalent to the unit in this invention. The unit base 47 is attached to the inner side surface of the frame 51 via a slider 49 attached to the outer side surface thereof.

  The slider 49 corresponding to the support means of the present invention includes a base end portion 53, a tip end portion 55, and an intermediate portion 57 that supports these so as to be able to advance and retreat, and is attached to the base end portion so as to freely advance and retract. ing. The distal end portion 55 is attached to the outer side surface of the unit base 47, and the proximal end portion 53 is attached to the inner side surface of the unit base 47. With this configuration, the unit base 47 is supported with respect to the frame 51 together with the respective components provided. In addition, the unit base 47 adopts a configuration in which a load is applied to a cam follower (not shown) provided in the frame 51 during storage, and the unit base 47 is configured to be stably stored in the frame 51. .

  The developing nozzle 27 mounted on the unit base 47 is supplied with a developing solution through a pipe 59 provided on the upper front side (lower side in FIG. 2). Developer is supplied to the pipe 59 through a processing liquid pipe 61 disposed on the right side surface of the frame 51. The processing liquid pipe 61 is connected in communication with a processing liquid supply unit 63 formed on the right bottom surface of the frame 51, and once directed from the processing liquid supply unit 63 to the back side, a semicircle is drawn on the upper side to the front side. Is directed. A connecting guide pipe 65 is provided in the rear portion of the unit base 47 from the processing liquid supply unit 63. The processing liquid pipe 61 is inserted into the connection guide pipe 65 together with other pipes, and there is some margin in the length even when the unit base 47 is pulled out from the frame 51 to the near side. The pure water supply system to the rinsing nozzle 35 can be supplied in the same configuration as the developer, and is not shown.

  The attachment portion 41 communicated with the connection cylinder 39 of the separation mechanism 37 described above has one end side of the exhaust duct 67 attached to the opening directed to the back side. The other end side is connected in communication with an exhaust part 69 provided at the rear part of the frame 51. The exhaust duct 67 having the bellows structure is set to a length that allows a slight margin in the bellows even when the unit base 47 is pulled out from the frame 51 to the near side. The exhaust portion 69 is provided with a lead-out pipe 71 on the lower surface, and exhausts from the frame 51 through an exhaust path (not shown) from here.

  A connection guide pipe 75 is attached to the left side of the exhaust duct 67 from the wiring take-out portion 45 to the wiring terminal 73 provided on the front side of the frame 51. The connection guide pipe 75 is substantially the same in structure but different in size and inner diameter from the connection guide pipe 65 described above. The length of the connection guide pipe 75 has a margin even when the unit base 47 is pulled out from the frame 51 to the near side. The connection guide pipe 75 is connected to the wiring terminal 73, and is once directed to the back side from here, and then directed to the front side by drawing a semicircle on the upper part.

  The liquid discharge port 43 provided in the lower part of the unit base 47 is connected to a liquid discharge part 77 provided on the right front side of the frame 51 through a liquid discharge pipe 79. The drainage pipe 79 is extendable and is set to have a sufficient length even when the unit base 47 is pulled out from the frame 51 to the near side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the drainage pipe 79 connected to the back side of the drainage unit 77 is once attached to the back side, and then the rear end of the frame 51 is drawn in an arc. Are connected to the liquid discharge port 43 of the unit base 47 in a straight line.

  As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, the unit base 47 is supported by the slider 51 so as to be able to advance and retract. Further, the unit base 47 and the frame 51 are connected to each other by a telescopic exhaust duct 67, a treatment liquid pipe 61, and a drain pipe 79. Accordingly, the unit base 47 can be freely pulled out from the frame 51, so that maintenance can be easily performed. In addition, since the unit base 47 and the frame 51 are connected so that the unit base 47 functions, the unit base 47 can be operated normally even when the unit base 47 is pulled out. Therefore, maintenance can be performed while the operator visually observes the pulled out state, and more detailed maintenance is possible.

  Further, since the unit base 47 is supported by the slider 49 provided on the side surface so as to be able to advance and retreat, most of the unit base 47 can be pulled out from the frame 51 to the near side. Therefore, for example, the maintenance of the unit base 47 can be easily performed as compared with the configuration in which the unit base 47 is supported by the linear guide provided on the bottom surface of the frame 51 so as to be able to advance and retract.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the above-described embodiments, the developing device has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the developing device, and can be applied to, for example, a coating device.

  (2) The exhaust duct 67 is not limited to the bellows structure as in the embodiment. For example, the exhaust duct 67 adopts a configuration in which the pipe is simply curved, like the drain pipe 79 described above. Also good.

  (3) The connection guide pipes 65 and 75 are used because they are suitable for bundling and guiding a plurality of wires and pipes. However, when only a few wires and pipes are used, the connection guide pipes 65 and 75 are interposed therebetween. It is also possible to simply bend it with a margin.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the apparatus has been described as a type of apparatus in which a plurality of stages are stacked. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a single unit used as a substrate processing apparatus. is there.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a top view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

W ... Substrate 1 ... Substrate motor 5 ... Suction spin chuck (rotation support means)
15… discharge space (exhaust passage)
17 ... Drainage port 19 ... Lower cup 23 ... Upper cup 47 ... Unit base (unit)
49 ... Slider (support means)
51 ... Frame 61 ... Treatment liquid pipe 65 ... Connection guide pipe 79 ... Drainage pipe

Claims (2)

A substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate,
A rotation support means for rotatably supporting the substrate; a treatment liquid supply means for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate; a cup surrounding the rotation support means; and a bat for collecting the treatment liquid collected by the cup; A unit containing an exhaust passage for exhausting the gas in the cup;
A frame for housing the unit;
Support means for supporting the unit so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to the frame;
A telescopic exhaust duct connecting the exhaust passage of the unit and the exhaust part of the frame in communication;
An extendable treatment liquid pipe for connecting the treatment liquid supply means of the unit and the treatment liquid supply part of the frame in communication with each other;
Telescopic drainage pipe connecting the bat of the unit and the drainage part of the frame in communication with each other;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the support means is a multi-stage feed-and-hold type slider provided on an outer surface of the unit and an inner surface of the frame.

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