JP2005101183A - Substrate cleaner and dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate cleaner and dryer with which substrates having clean surfaces, on which no water mark etc., is formed and to which no particle etc., adheres, can be obtained. <P>SOLUTION: Since the drying of substrates W is performed in the same chamber 37 as that used for cleaning the substrates W, it is not required to move the substrates W for drying by exposing the substrates W to the outside air of the chamber 37. In addition, the chamber 37 can be hermetically sealed by shutting the upper opening 37a of the chamber 37 with a lid member 65 at the time of drying the substrates W after the substrates W are cleaned in a treating vessel 35. Therefore, the drying of the substrates W can be performed suitably, because other substrates W can be transported above the chamber 37 even when the substrates W are dried in the chamber 37. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning and drying apparatus and a substrate cleaning method for performing a drying process after cleaning a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate), etc. The present invention relates to a drying method, and more particularly, to a technique for performing a drying process after a cleaning process by suction from a holding means and a flow of airflow from above.

  Conventionally, as this type of conventional apparatus, a substrate that has been subjected to a cleaning process in a processing tank is pulled out of pure water, moved to a drying apparatus separate from the processing tank, and then the substrate is placed on the substrate. There is one that dries the substrate with air in a clean room that is sucked from the part and is made to flow down from above (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In the above apparatus, when a hydrophilic substrate having a smooth surface such as a substrate on which an oxide film is formed or a substrate with an oxide film is dried after a cleaning process containing an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide water, It can be processed without problems.
Japanese Patent No. 3244220 (paragraph number 0015, FIG. 3)

  However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.

  (1) In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a substrate on which a device is manufactured has a complicated three-dimensional structure. Specifically, a hole-shaped contact hole, a via hole, a groove-shaped trench, a fin with a plurality of walls standing, and the like. Moreover, the surface state also varies from a hydrophilic surface to a hydrophobic surface. In such drying after cleaning the substrate during device manufacturing, if the air in the clean room has been taken in and dried as described above, it takes time to dry, and the pure water held by the hydrophilic surface has a hydrophobic surface. For example, elution of silicon occurs in pure water remaining on the hydrophobic surface or the like, or silicon is oxidized by oxygen in the atmosphere at the gas-liquid solid interface.

  Furthermore, silicon oxide or silicon accumulates in the pure water because the silicon oxide dissolves in the pure water, and after drying, silicon oxide hydrates, so-called watermarks, are generated and deposited on the silicon surface. As a result, there is a problem of deteriorating device characteristics.

  In particular, in pre-gate oxide film cleaning and gate insulating film deposition (CVD) pre-cleaning, since these silicon oxide hydrates are electrically insulating, it becomes a resistance and a normal ohmic contact can be obtained. Due to the inability to do so and the structure of the deposited CVD film being distorted by the watermark, there are problems of device characteristics or device operation itself.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a suitable substrate cleaning / drying apparatus for obtaining a clean substrate surface free from the generation of watermarks and the like and adhesion of particles and the like. One purpose.

  (2) Also, in the recent trend of increasing the substrate diameter, the substrate cleaning apparatus has a significant problem of the occupied area of the apparatus in the clean room unless it is designed to be compact, and linearly moves from one side to the other side. From a huge apparatus configuration in which the substrate is moved toward the substrate, it has evolved to a compact apparatus configuration having an interface with the substrate transfer system on only one side. In such an apparatus, if the above-described conventional apparatus is adopted, the substrate is transported and moved above, so that the substrate cannot be transported during the drying process of the substrate. There is a problem that cannot be adopted. Even if it is adopted, the throughput is low and the apparatus performance cannot be fully exhibited.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a substrate cleaning suitable for a compact device while adopting a method of drying a substrate using a gas supplied from above the substrate. A second object is to provide a drying apparatus and a substrate cleaning and drying method.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus that performs a drying process after performing a cleaning process on a substrate, stores the processing liquid, and immerses the substrate in the processing liquid to perform the cleaning process on the substrate. A processing tank, an opening for loading and unloading a substrate at the top, a processing chamber for storing the processing tank, a lid member that can be opened and closed with respect to the opening of the processing chamber, and a suction hole; Holding means for holding the substrate in the processing tank, and after cleaning the substrate with the processing liquid in the processing tank, the suction hole of the holding means performs suction, and the lid member is closed, A gas is supplied toward the substrate.

  [Operation / Effect] Since the drying process following the cleaning process is performed in the same processing chamber as the cleaning process, it is not necessary to move the substrate by exposing it to the air outside the processing chamber for the drying process. Further, during the drying process, the processing chamber can be sealed by closing the upper opening of the processing chamber with an openable / closable lid member. Therefore, the substrate can be transported above the processing chamber even during the drying process, and the drying process can be suitably performed even with a compact device.

  Further, the apparatus further comprises a discharge means for discharging the treatment liquid from the treatment tank, and after the treatment liquid is discharged from the treatment tank by the discharge means, the suction hole of the holding means sucks and the lid member is closed. In this state, it is preferable to supply a gas toward the substrate. The processing liquid used for the cleaning process is discharged from the processing tank by the discharging unit, and then the suction hole of the holding unit performs suction, and with the lid member closed, the gas is supplied to the substrate to dry the substrate. Since the process is performed, it is possible to quickly shift from the cleaning process to the drying process without moving the substrate in the processing chamber.

  The holding means is movable between a position in the processing tank and a position of the processing tank information in the processing chamber, and after the substrate cleaning process with the processing liquid in the processing tank, the holding means From the position in the processing tank to a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber, the suction hole of the holding means performs suction and supplies gas toward the substrate with the lid member closed (Claim 3). Move from the position in the holding means processing tank to a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber, and then the suction hole of the holding means performs suction and supplies gas toward the substrate with the lid member closed. Since the substrate is subjected to the drying process, the cleaning process can be quickly transferred to the drying process.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus that performs a drying process after performing a cleaning process on the substrate, the processing liquid is stored and the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid to perform the cleaning process. A processing tank, a processing chamber having an opening for loading and unloading the substrate at the top, a processing chamber for storing the processing tank, a lid member that can be opened and closed with respect to the opening of the processing chamber, and a substrate in the processing tank The first holding means for holding the substrate and the first holding means can transfer the substrate, has a suction hole and holds the substrate at a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber. The substrate is transferred from the first holding means to the second holding means after the substrate is cleaned by the processing liquid in the processing tank, and the second holding is located above the processing tank in the processing chamber. The suction hole of the means performs suction and the lid portion While closed, it is characterized in that to supply gas toward the substrate.

  [Operation / Effect] Since the drying process following the cleaning process is performed in the same processing chamber as the cleaning process, it is not necessary to move the substrate by exposing it to the air outside the processing chamber for the drying process. Further, during the drying process, the processing chamber can be sealed by closing the upper opening of the processing chamber with an openable / closable lid member. Therefore, the substrate can be transported above the processing chamber even during the drying process, and the drying process can be suitably performed even with a compact device.

  In addition, after cleaning in the processing tank, the substrate is transferred from the first holding means to the second holding means, and the suction hole of the second holding means at the position above the processing tank in the processing chamber performs suction and closes the lid member. In this state, since the gas is supplied toward the substrate, when delivering the substrate from the first holding means to the second holding means, large droplets attached to the edge of the substrate can be dropped, The subsequent drying process can be performed smoothly.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the second holding means is movable between a position in the processing tank and a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber.

  In addition, it is preferable that gas supply means for supplying gas into the processing chamber is further provided above the processing tank and at a side position of the processing chamber. By supplying gas from the side position, the drying process can be performed more efficiently. The gas supply means preferably supplies dry air.

  Also, a first supply unit that is provided on the lid member and supplies gas toward the substrate, and a second supply unit that supplies gas into the processing chamber above the processing tank and to a side position of the processing chamber. It is preferable to further comprise (Claim 8). The drying process can be more efficiently performed by supplying gas from the surroundings in the processing chamber. The first supply means and the second supply means preferably supply dry air (claim 9).

  It is preferable that the apparatus further includes an organic solvent supply means for supplying an organic solvent into the processing chamber after the substrate is cleaned with the processing liquid in the processing tank. By supplying the organic solvent, the drying process can be more efficiently performed. In addition, it is preferable that the said organic solvent supply means is provided in the side position of the said process chamber above the said process tank (Claim 11).

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes supply means for supplying gas to a substrate moving from a position in the processing tank to a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber at a position above the liquid level of the processing tank. (Claim 12).

  According to the substrate cleaning / drying apparatus and the substrate cleaning / drying method according to the present invention, it is not necessary to move the substrate by exposing the substrate to the air outside the processing chamber for the drying process, and the upper opening of the processing chamber is opened and closed during the drying process. By closing with a free lid member, the processing chamber can be sealed. Therefore, the substrate can be transported above the processing chamber even during the drying process, and the drying process can be suitably performed even with a compact device.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing apparatus including a cleaning / drying unit.

  This substrate processing apparatus is, for example, an apparatus for performing a chemical solution process, a cleaning process, and a drying process on the substrate W, and has a small occupation area and a compact size. A plurality of (for example, 25) substrates W are stored in a standing posture with respect to the cassette 1. The cassette 1 storing the unprocessed substrates W is placed on the input unit 3. The input unit 3 includes two mounting tables 5 on which the cassette 1 is mounted. On the opposite side of the loading unit 3 across the center of the substrate processing apparatus, a dispensing unit 7 is provided. The dispensing unit 7 stores the processed substrate W in the cassette 1 and dispenses the cassette 1 together. The payout unit 7 that functions in this manner includes two mounting bases 9 for mounting the cassette 1, similarly to the loading unit 3.

  A first transport mechanism 11 configured to be movable between these is disposed at a position along the input unit 3 and the payout unit 7. The first transport mechanism 11 transports a plurality of substrates W together with the cassette 1 placed on the input unit 3 to the second transport mechanism 13.

  The second transport mechanism 13 transports all the substrates W to the third transport mechanism 15 after taking out all the stored substrates W from the cassette 1. Further, after receiving the processed substrate W from the third transport mechanism 15, the substrate W is accommodated in the cassette 1 and transported to the first transport mechanism 11.

  The third transport mechanism 15 is configured to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus, and transfers the substrate W to and from the second transport mechanism 13 described above. A first processing unit 19 is provided on the front side in the moving direction of the third transport mechanism 15. The first processing unit 19 includes a cleaning / drying unit 21 for performing a cleaning process and a drying process on a plurality of substrates W, and a chemical solution for performing a chemical process on the plurality of substrates W. A processing unit 23 is provided. Further, the cleaning / drying unit 21 is configured to be able to perform chemical treatment.

  The first sub transport mechanism 25 delivers the substrate W to and from the third transport mechanism 15 in addition to the substrate transport in the first processing unit 19. At the non-processing position positioned above the cleaning / drying unit 21, an operation of delivering the substrate W to and from the third transport mechanism 15 is performed, while at the non-processing position positioned above the chemical solution processing unit 23, Delivery is not performed. Further, when the substrate W is processed, the substrate W is lowered to a processing position located in the tank of the cleaning / drying unit 21 or the chemical solution processing unit 23.

  In addition, a second processing unit 27 having a similar configuration is disposed adjacent to the first processing unit 19. The second processing unit 27 includes a cleaning / drying unit 29, a chemical solution processing unit 31, and a second sub-transport mechanism 33.

  The cleaning / drying units 21 and 29 correspond to the substrate cleaning / drying apparatus of the present invention.

  Next, the cleaning / drying unit 21 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning / drying unit.

  The cleaning / drying unit 21 includes a processing tank 35 and a chamber 37 (processing chamber) that covers the processing tank 35. The processing tank 35 is a tank for storing a processing liquid and immersing the substrate W to perform a cleaning process. The chamber 37 covers the processing tank 35 with a margin above and around it, and is provided with an opening 37a for loading and unloading the substrate W thereon.

  The processing tank 35 includes an inner tank 39 and an outer tank 41. The inner tank 39 is provided with injection pipes 43 for supplying a processing liquid on both sides of the bottom surface. The outer tank 41 is provided so as to surround the upper opening of the inner tank 39 laterally, and collects and discharges the processing liquid overflowing from the inner tank 39. In the center of the bottom of the inner tub 39, an opening 45 that can be opened and closed and that discharges the processing liquid and gas to the outside of the chamber 37 is formed according to the application.

  Note that the discharge port 45 may be provided with a current plate in order to smoothly exhaust air during a drying process described later.

  One end side of a processing liquid supply pipe 47 is connected to the injection pipe 43 of the processing tank 35 in communication. A pure water supply source 49 is connected in communication with the other end. A control valve 51 and a mixing valve 53 are attached to the processing liquid supply pipe 47 in order from the downstream side. The mixing valve 53 is connected to chemical liquid pipes communicating with a plurality of types of chemical liquid supply sources, and injects appropriate chemical liquids into the processing liquid supply pipe 47 according to processing.

  The first sub transport mechanism 25 described above includes a back plate 55 and a substrate holding part 57. The back plate 55 includes a plate-like member, is attached to the first sub-transport mechanism 25 in a suspended posture, and is configured to be movable up and down along the inner wall surface of the processing tank 39. A substrate holding portion 57 for holding a plurality of substrates W in a standing posture is attached horizontally on the front side of the lower end portion.

  Please refer to FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a part of the substrate holding part 57.

  The substrate holding part 57 includes a support member 59 connected to the back plate 55 and three locking members 61 extending from the support member 59 along the alignment direction of the substrates W. The locking member 61 is erected between a locking groove 61a that is slightly wider than the thickness of the substrate W, and a protrusion 61b that guides the substrate W to the locking groove 61a. A suction hole 61c having a smaller diameter than the thickness of the substrate W is formed on the bottom surface of each locking groove 61a. Each suction hole 61 c communicates with a suction passage 61 d formed in the longitudinal direction of the locking member 61. In addition, as a material of the latching member 61, PEEK (poly ether ether ether ketone) is mentioned, for example.

  The support member 59 is connected to the proximal end portion of the locking member 61, and a passage 59a communicating with the suction passage 61d is formed. The passage 59 a communicates with a suction source (not shown) through a pipe extending outside the processing tank 39 and the chamber 37.

Returning to FIG.
On both sides of the lower portion of the opening 37a of the chamber 37, a vertical rectifying plate for reducing the internal volume of the chamber 37, adjusting the flow of drying air, and adjusting the air flow to flow as close as possible to the substrate W 63 is attached. Although not shown, it is preferable that a horizontal rectifying plate for adjusting and exhausting the air flow flowing down the inner tank 39 is attached to the discharge port 45 below the substrate holding portion 57.

  The cleaning / drying unit 21 includes an openable / closable lid member 65 at the top of the chamber 37. The lid member 65 is configured to be openable and closable around the horizontal axis P. A contact plate material 67 is provided at a portion in contact with the chamber 37, and a cover portion 69 is attached so as to surround a supply port 67a formed of an opening formed therein. A filter 71 is attached to the hollow portion 69 a of the cover portion 69. For example, a ULPA filter or a chemical filter is preferable as the filter 71. Fine particles can be removed with the ULPA filter, and organic substances, anions, and cations can be removed with the chemical filter. A pipe 69b for introducing air into the cavity 69a is attached to one side of the cover 69.

  One end of a bellows pipe 69c is attached to the pipe 69b, and a pipe 69d is attached to the other end. A main pipe 73 is connected to the pipe 69d, and the main pipe 73 is connected to a dry air supply source 75. An open / close valve 77 is attached to the main pipe 73. Between the on-off valve 77 and the dry air supply source 75, a main pipe 73 is branched into an exhaust pipe 79, and an on-off valve 83 is attached thereto.

  The chamber 37 includes a supply port 85 and an exhaust port 87 at an upper portion thereof and below the lid member 65 and on the side surface facing the substrate W loading / unloading path. A branch pipe 88 branched from the main pipe 73 is connected to the supply port 85 between the on-off valve 77 and the branch pipe 79 of the main pipe 73 described above. An opening / closing valve 89 is attached to the branch pipe 88. When the on-off valve 89 is opened, air flowing from the supply port 85 is exhausted from the chamber 37 through the exhaust port 87.

  Next, the dry air supply source 75 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the dry air supply source.

  The dry air supply source 75 operates in cooperation with the cleaning / drying unit 21 of the substrate processing apparatus. Specifically, the operation is performed according to the operation signal, and when an abnormality occurs, a comprehensive abnormality signal is output to the cleaning / drying unit 21. The dry air supply source 75 generates a clean room air having a dew point (eg, 6%, 7 ° C. with a relative humidity of 40%) or lower and a dew point of −20 ° C. or less, more preferably −60 ° C. or less. It is preferable to do this. In particular, in the critical application of a semiconductor device, since the higher cleanliness is calculated | required, the said air is suitable. The critical application is, for example, drying after gate oxide film pre-cleaning or gate insulating film deposition (CVD) pre-cleaning.

When the operation signal is off, that is, in standby, the on-off valves 77 and 89 are closed, the on-off valve 83 is opened, and dry air is supplied as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure.
That is, the dry air supply source 75 draws in the clean room atmosphere and dehumidifies to generate dry air, and also generates dehumidifying agent regeneration air. These ratios are approximately half each. And while supplying dry air to the main piping 73, since the air utilized for dehumidifying agent reproduction | regeneration contains a water | moisture content, it is exhausted as heat exhaustion (for example, 80 degreeC). Dry air is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 79.

  In the initial state of the cleaning / drying unit 21 and before the end of the cleaning process, the on-off valve 77 is opened, and dry air is supplied into the chamber 37 from the closed lid member 65 to keep the inside in a dry state. That is, the operation close to the following operation state is performed without performing the suction from the suction port 61c.

  When the operation signal is on, that is, when the substrate W is carried in / out or during the drying process, the on-off valve 77 or the on-off valve 89 is opened and the on-off valve 83 is closed. As a result, the dry air exhausted through the exhaust pipe 79 is supplied, and an air curtain is formed on the upper portion of the chamber 37, or the dry air is supplied to the substrate W placed on the substrate holder 57.

  Next, the operation of the cleaning / drying unit 21 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation during loading of the substrate, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation during the cleaning process, and FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation during the drying process of the substrate.

  Here, for example, the first sub transport mechanism 25 holds the plurality of substrates W that have been subjected to the predetermined chemical processing in the chemical processing unit 23 of the first processing unit 19 as shown in FIG. It is assumed that it has moved to a non-processing position above the cleaning / drying unit 21 of the unit 19. Further, it is assumed that the lid member 65 is opened and the opening 37a of the chamber 37 is opened. At the same time when the lid member 37 is opened, the on-off valve 83 is closed and the on-off valve 89 is opened. As a result, an air curtain made of dry air is formed on the upper portion of the chamber 37, and particles generated when the lid member 65 is opened and closed, high-humidity gas floating in the clean room, particles, and the like can be prevented from flowing into the chamber 37. . Accordingly, the following cleaning / drying process can be performed more cleanly. In FIG. 5, it appears that the first sub-transport mechanism 25 cannot be moved from the chemical treatment unit 23 to the cleaning / drying unit 21 side by the opened lid member 65, but the first sub-transport mechanism 25 is opened. The substrate W is moved to the non-processing position by passing over the member 65.

  In addition, it is assumed that the control valve 51 is opened, pure water is supplied from a pure water supply source 49 at a predetermined flow rate, and is supplied as a processing liquid to the inner tank 39 of the processing tank 35 via the injection pipe 43. In this example, the processing in the cleaning / drying unit 29 is only pure water cleaning. For example, the chemical liquid is mixed with pure water via the mixing valve 53, and the processing with the processing liquid containing the chemical liquid is performed before the cleaning processing with pure water. You may make it carry out.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first sub transport mechanism 25 that has received the substrate W passes the air curtain and carries the substrate W into the processing tank 35 of the cleaning / drying unit 21. Specifically, the substrate W is lowered to the processing position in the inner tank 39, and the first sub transport mechanism 25 maintains the position as shown in FIG. When the substrate W reaches the processing position, the lid member 65 is closed to close the chamber 37. When the lid member 65 is closed, the control valves 77 and 89 are closed, the control valve 83 is opened, and the supply of dry air into the chamber 37 is stopped. Then, this state is maintained for a predetermined time, and the substrate W is subjected to a cleaning process.

  When the predetermined time is reached, the control valve 51 is closed to stop the supply of the processing liquid to the processing tank 35 and the discharge port 45 is opened. As a result, the processing liquid stored in the inner tank 39 is discharged, and the cleaning process for the substrate W is completed.

  When the cleaning liquid is completely discharged, the control valve 77 is opened, and suction by the suction source to the substrate holder 57 is started. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, clean dry air is supplied downward from the lower surface of the lid member 65, so that the substrate W is dried. The dry air flows down along the vertical rectifying plate 63, flows down around the substrate W, and is discharged from the discharge port 45 through the inner tank 39. Therefore, the substrate W has a short effect of about several tens of seconds (for example, less than 30 seconds) due to the synergistic effect of the evaporation effect of the dry air supplied from the lower surface of the lid member 65 and the suction effect of the suction hole 61c of the substrate holding portion 57. Dry quickly and completely in time.

  After performing the drying process for a predetermined time, the control valve 77 is closed, the control valve 89 is opened, and the lid member 65 is opened. Then, the first sub transport mechanism 25 is operated to move the substrate holder 57 from the processing position to the non-processing position. Thereafter, the cassette 1 in which the substrate W that has been subjected to the cleaning and drying process is transferred from the first sub-transport mechanism 25 to the third transport mechanism 15 and the substrate W is stored via the second transport mechanism 13 and the first transport mechanism 11. It is mounted on the mounting table 9.

  Thus, since the drying process is performed in the same chamber 37 as the cleaning process, it is not necessary to move the substrate W by exposing it to the air outside the chamber 37 for the drying process. Further, during the drying process after the cleaning process by the processing tank 35, the chamber 37 can be sealed by closing the upper opening 37 a of the chamber 37 with the lid member 65. Therefore, the substrate W can be transported above the chamber 37 even during the drying process, and the drying process can be suitably performed.

  In the first embodiment, the processing liquid used for the cleaning process is discharged from the processing tank 35, and then the drying process is performed while suctioning from the suction hole 61c. You can move on to processing.

  In the above processing, the suction hole 61c sucks the substrate holding portion 57 while maintaining the processing position in the processing bath 35, but the substrate holding portion is disposed above the processing bath 35 without discharging the processing liquid from the processing bath 35. In the state where 57 is raised, suction may be performed by the suction hole 61c and dry air may be supplied from the lower surface of the lid member 65 so as to be dried.

  Furthermore, a fixed holding part may be provided in the processing tank 35 separately from the substrate holder 57 that can be raised and lowered, and suction may be performed by the fixed holding part after the processing liquid is discharged. In other words, the substrate holding unit 57 may be dedicated to the conveyance of the substrate.

  Next, an embodiment of the substrate holding unit 57 provided in the above-described cleaning / drying unit 21 will be described with reference to FIG. 8A and 8B are partially enlarged views of the substrate holding portion, where FIG. 8A is a plan view, FIG. 8B is a side view, and FIG. 8C is a longitudinal sectional view as viewed from the front.

  The locking member 61 has a plurality of protrusions 61b that are erected with an interval between the locking grooves 61a that is slightly wider than the thickness of the substrate W (support pitch of the substrate W). For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the protrusion 61 b has a triangular shape in the alignment direction of the substrate W, and guides the substrate W to the locking groove 61 a with each inclined surface facing the alignment direction of the substrate W. To do. A suction hole 61c is formed in the locking groove 61a. As shown in FIG. 8A, each suction hole 61 c is formed in a long hole having a long diameter in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W in a plan view, and is formed in the longitudinal direction of the locking member 61. It communicates with the suction passage 61d.

  The short diameter of the suction hole 61c is equal to the diameter of the round hole in the conventional example. The suction passage 61d communicates with a suction source through a pipe extending to the outside. Further, the thickness of the plurality of protrusions 61b differs from the actual thickness in the ratio to the locking groove 61a because of the illustrated relationship. Specifically, it is thin enough that the locking groove 61a is closer.

  With such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the suction hole 61 c, which has a long hole shape in a plan view, is substantially widened in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W. At the time of the drying process, suction is performed even on the portions (region R surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 9) located on both outer sides of the lower edge portion of the substrate W, which is located obliquely above the round hole PR in the conventional example. The drying gas flows down. Therefore, the portion can be dried quickly enough to prevent liquid residue and the occurrence of spots.

  In other words, since the suction hole 61c is a long hole, the outer periphery of the suction hole 61c that contacts and holds the substrate W is locked in the circumferential direction of the substrate W compared to a simple round hole. When viewed from the center of the member 61, they move to both outer sides. As a result, the angle θ (shown in FIG. 8C) between the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the locking groove 61a of the locking member 61 and the lower circular arc portion of the substrate W is increased. Accordingly, it is difficult to hold the pure water droplets in this portion, or the size of the held droplets is reduced. Further, as the angle θ increases, the flow of dehumidified air from here toward the suction hole 61c is likely to occur. Both of these effects can further promote drying.

  Next, another embodiment of the substrate holding portion 57 will be described with reference to FIG. 10A and 10B are partially enlarged views of the substrate holding portion, where FIG. 10A is a plan view, FIG. 10B is a side view, and FIG. 10C is a longitudinal sectional view as viewed from the front.

  The suction hole 61c in this embodiment includes two small-diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2 formed along the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W. These small-diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2 have the same diameter as a simple round hole in the conventional example.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, since the shape of the suction hole 61c is substantially widened in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W, the substrate W positioned obliquely above the round hole. Suction is performed even in portions corresponding to both outer sides of the lower edge (region R surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 11), and the drying gas sufficiently flows down. Therefore, the portion can be dried quickly enough to prevent liquid residue and the occurrence of spots.

  In other words, since the suction hole 61c is composed of the two small diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2, the substrate W is held in contact with and held by the locking groove 61a between the two small diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2. Accordingly, the liquid droplets accumulated in this portion are easily dried by the dehumidified air flowing into the small-diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2 on both sides. Further, the angle θ (shown in FIG. 10C) between the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the locking groove 61a of the locking member 61 and the lower circular arc portion of the substrate W is increased. Accordingly, it is difficult to hold the pure water droplets in this portion, or the size of the held droplets is reduced. As the angle θ increases, the flow of dehumidified air from here toward the suction hole 61c is likely to occur. Due to these two effects, drying can be promoted as compared with the conventional example.

  In addition, the present embodiment has an advantage that the processing can be easily performed by forming two small-diameter holes 61c1 and 61c2 having substantially the same diameter as the conventional one.

  Next, another embodiment of the substrate holding portion 57 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of the substrate holding part, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a longitudinal sectional view as seen from the front.

  The suction hole 61c in the present embodiment has an elongated hole 61c3 having a long diameter in a direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W and a round hole 61c4 having a substantially circular shape in plan view so that the centers thereof are substantially coincided with each other in plan view. It consists of a composite hole formed by overlapping. The round hole 61c4 has a diameter equivalent to that of a simple round hole in the conventional example.

  Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 13, since the shape of the suction hole 61c is substantially widened in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W, the region R surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. Even so, suction is performed and the gas for drying flows down sufficiently. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiments, liquid residue can be prevented and the occurrence of spots can be prevented.

  In other words, since the suction hole 61c is a composite hole, the outer periphery of the suction hole 61c, which holds the substrate W in contact, has a locking member 61 with respect to the circumferential direction of the substrate W compared to the conventional example. Move to both outsides as seen from the center of the. As a result, the angle θ (shown in FIG. 12C) between the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the locking groove 61a of the locking member 61 and the lower circular arc portion of the substrate W increases. Accordingly, it is difficult to hold the pure water droplets in this portion, or the size of the held droplets is reduced. Further, as the angle θ increases, the flow of dehumidified air from here toward the suction hole 61c is likely to occur. Due to both of these effects, drying can be promoted as compared with a simple round hole in the conventional example.

  Note that the suction hole 61c has an advantage that the round hole 61c4 may be formed after the elongated hole 61c3 is formed as in the above-described embodiment, and the processing is relatively easy.

  Next, another embodiment of the substrate holding portion 57 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the substrate holding part as seen from the lateral direction, FIG. 15 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the substrate holding part as seen from the front, and FIG. 16 is a substrate holding part. It is the perspective view which expanded a part of.

  A porous member 93 is embedded in the upper portion of the locking member 61, that is, in the concave groove 61e (also called a porous member). Since the porous member 93 is arranged above the suction hole 61c in this way, the edge of the substrate W does not get stuck, so that suction is performed in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W as shown in FIG. The length of the hole 61c can be made longer than before.

  In addition, the porous member 93 here is not what is called a closed-cell type but the essential thing that is what is called an open-cell type which has air permeability from the objective. For example, examples of the porous member 93 include porous SiC and foamed resin (such as foamed polyurethane).

  According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 17, the suction is performed through the suction hole 61c and the porous member 93 which are formed in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W longer than the conventional suction hole PR. If so, the water droplets can be effectively sucked from the portions where the water droplets remain. Further, the dehumidified air can be sucked by being widely dispersed in the direction along the outer periphery of the substrate W, rather than sucking directly from one suction hole PR as in the conventional example.

  Therefore, water droplets can be sucked not only at the lower edge portion of the substrate W positioned directly above the suction hole 61c but also at the arc portions of the substrate W positioned at both outer sides thereof (region R indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 17). Dehumidified air can be sufficiently sucked. As a result, both outer sides (R) of the lower edge of the substrate W can be sufficiently dried, and the occurrence of spots due to the remaining liquid can be prevented.

In addition, you may implement said board | substrate holding part 57 in a form as shown in FIG.
Here, FIG. 18 shows another embodiment and is a longitudinal sectional view of a part of the substrate holding part as seen from the front.

  That is, the porous member 93 </ b> A is provided on the upper portion of the locking member 61 of the substrate holding portion 57. The porous member 93A is formed in a semicircular shape with a longitudinal section facing upward, and a porous film 95 is attached to the upper surface of the arc portion.

  Examples of the porous member 93A include air-permeable SiC, alumina, porous ceramics, sintered quartz, and sintered metal. Since these are generally harder than the substrate W, there is a possibility that the edge of the substrate W may be damaged. Therefore, by attaching the porous film 95 to the surface, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of scratches and the like.

  The porous film 95 is preferably a film of resin or the like that has elasticity and can prevent damage to the substrate W, and specifically, a film of polyimide resin is exemplified. As a forming method, for example, after a polyimide resin is deposited on the upper surface of the porous member 93A, a photoresist film is deposited thereon, and after forming a porous mask pattern, the polyimide resin is etched to form a porous film 95. Form.

  Further, if it is formed by electrodeposition, it is possible to deposit a resin or the like other than the hole portion of the porous member 93A, and the porous film 95 can be formed with a small number of steps.

  Even in the above-described form, not only the lower edge portion of the substrate W positioned directly above the suction hole 61c but also the arc portion R of the substrate W positioned on both outer sides thereof (dotted line region shown in FIG. 18). In this case, water drops can be sucked and dehumidified air can be sucked sufficiently. Therefore, the same operation and effect as the embodiment described in detail are obtained. Moreover, since the porous member 93A has an upward arc-shaped cross-sectional shape, it can be point-contacted, and the area in contact with the lower edge of the substrate W can be reduced compared to the embodiment described in detail above. it can.

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 19 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning / drying unit according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of operations during transfer and drying processing. In addition, about the same structure as the said Example 1, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an intermediate chuck mechanism 97, a side supply nozzle 99, a side exhaust port 101, and an IPA supply nozzle 103. However, a mechanism for sucking the substrate holding portion 57 is not provided.

  The intermediate chuck mechanism 97 includes a support member, a locking member, a locking groove, a suction hole, and the like similar to the substrate holding portion 57 of the first embodiment described above, and is similarly connected to a suction source. Further, it is rotatable around the horizontal axis P1, and is configured to be movable over a retracted position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 19 and a holding position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  A side supply nozzle 99 is provided on one side of the chamber 37 corresponding to the side of the intermediate chuck 97, and a side exhaust port 101 is provided on the opposite side. The side supply nozzle 99 is connected in communication with the dry air supply source 75 described above. The dry air supplied from the side supply nozzle 99 passes through the vertical rectifying plate 65 and travels toward the substrate W at the intermediate position. The IPA supply nozzle 103 communicates with an IPA supply source (not shown), and sprays IPA (isopropyl alcohol) to supply it to the upper portion of the processing tank 35.

  Further, the chamber 37 includes a bottom exhaust port 105 at the bottom corresponding to the side of the processing tank 35. The bottom exhaust port 105 is configured to be openable and closable, and is mainly used for exhaust when dry air is supplied from the lid member 65.

  The apparatus configured as described above operates as follows, but the cleaning process is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted. The intermediate chuck mechanism 97 is assumed to be in the retracted position shown in FIG.

  When the cleaning process is completed, the substrate holding unit 57 is lifted from the processing position (position for performing the cleaning process in the inner tank 39) without discharging the processing liquid in the processing tank 35, and is moved to the intermediate position shown in FIG. The substrate W is moved to. At this time, IPA spraying is started from the IPA supply nozzle 103 until the upper edge of the substrate W comes out of the surface of the processing liquid, and the substrate W is moved to the intermediate position and stopped at the same time. Thereby, the processing liquid adhering to the substrate W is replaced, and drying of the substrate W is promoted. In order to accelerate the drying of IPA, it is preferable that the pressure is reduced by exhausting lightly from the bottom exhaust port 105. By this movement, the substrate W is located in the chamber 37 at the position shown in FIG.

  When the substrate W moves to the intermediate position, the intermediate chuck mechanism 97 is actuated as shown in FIG. 20, and the position is moved to the holding position. As a result, the intermediate chuck mechanism 97 receives the substrate W through the locking groove. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, the substrate holder 57 descends to a standby position slightly above the processing tank 39 and stands by.

  Next, the control valve 77 is opened, dry air is supplied from the dry air supply source 75 to the lid member 65, and dry air is supplied from above to the substrate W at the intermediate position. At the same time, exhaust is performed from the bottom exhaust port 105. Further, the intermediate chuck mechanism 97 is suctioned by a suction source to perform a drying process. Thus, the substrate W is quickly and completely dried in a shorter time due to the synergistic effect of the evaporation effect of the dry air supplied from the lower surface of the lid member 65, the suction effect by the intermediate chuck mechanism 97, and the replacement effect of the IPA. The

  In this embodiment, since the replacement with IPA is used together during the drying process, the meniscus portion on the surface of the substrate W can be suppressed, and the drying is promoted even when the substrate W is pulled up from the processing liquid.

  When the drying process is completed, the substrate holding part 57 is lifted from the retracted position, receives the substrate W from the intermediate chuck mechanism 97 whose suction is released, and rises to the upper non-processing position as the lid member 65 is opened.

Moreover, you may perform said drying process as follows.
That is, as shown in FIG. 21, until the substrate W is moved to the intermediate position or after the movement, the control valve 89 is opened while the control valve 77 is closed, and the supply port 85 and the side supply nozzle 99 are opened. Only dry air is supplied into the chamber 37. As a result, dry air is supplied from the side of the substrate W that moves from the processing liquid surface and moves to the intermediate process or from the side of the substrate W that has moved to the intermediate position, so that the drying process can be performed from the side.

  The dry air supply from the lid member 65 and the dry air supply from the supply port 85 and the side supply nozzle 99 may be switched alternately.

  Further, in the second embodiment, after the cleaning process in the processing tank 35, the substrate W is transferred to the intermediate chuck mechanism 97 above the processing tank 35 and then dried, so that it adheres to the edge of the substrate W during the transfer. It has the advantage over Example 1 that a large droplet can be dropped to some extent and the subsequent drying process can be performed smoothly.

  Further, a side supply nozzle 99 may be provided at a position below the position illustrated in FIG. 21, and dry air may be supplied while transporting the substrate W at a position above the liquid level of the processing tank 35.

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

  (1) Although clean room air is used as a drying gas, an inert gas (for example, nitrogen) for drying may be substituted.

  (2) When the configuration is such that particles are not generated when the lid member 65 is opened and closed, or when there is no influence of particles generated when the lid member 65 is opened and closed, there is no need to provide a configuration for forming an air curtain.

  (3) When clean gas can be supplied from the lid member 65, it is not necessary to provide the filter 71 on the lid member 65.

  (4) A means for supplying electrolytic water to the inner tank 39 before the substrate W is pulled up from the processing solution may be further provided to suppress the elution of silicon from the substrate W.

  As described above, the present invention is suitable for a process of continuously cleaning and drying a substrate.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure figure of the substrate processing apparatus provided with the washing-drying part. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning / drying unit according to Example 1. FIG. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which expanded a part of board | substrate holding part. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a dry air supply source. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of carrying in. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of a washing process. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of a drying process. It is a partial enlarged view of a board | substrate holding | maintenance part, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view, (c) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the front. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 8. It is a partial enlarged view of a board | substrate holding | maintenance part, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view, (c) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the front. It is effect | action explanatory drawing of FIG. It is a partial enlarged view of a board | substrate holding | maintenance part, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view, (c) is the longitudinal cross-sectional view seen from the front. It is action | operation explanatory drawing of FIG. It is the partially expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the board | substrate holding part from the horizontal direction. It is the partially expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at the board | substrate holding | maintenance part from the front. It is the perspective view which expanded a part of substrate holding part. It is the figure which showed typically the flow of the gas at the time of a drying process. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which looked at a part of board | substrate holding part from the front. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning / drying unit according to Example 2. FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of a drying process. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of a drying process.

Explanation of symbols

W ... Substrate 1 ... Cassette 3 ... Placement unit 11 ... First transport mechanism 13 ... Second transport mechanism 19 ... First processing unit 21 ... Cleaning and drying unit 23 ... Chemical solution processing unit 25 ... First sub transport mechanism 35 ... Processing tank 37 ... Chamber 39 ... Inner tank 41 ... Injection pipe 47 ... Processing liquid supply pipe 51 ... Control valve 55 ... Back plate 57 ... Substrate holding part 59 ... Support member 65 ... Lid member 71 ... Filter 97 ... Intermediate chuck mechanism 99 ... Side Supply nozzle 101… Side exhaust port 103… IPA supply nozzle 105… Bottom exhaust port

Claims (12)

In a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus that performs a drying process after performing a cleaning process on a substrate,
A treatment tank for storing the treatment liquid, immersing the substrate in the treatment liquid and cleaning the substrate;
An opening for loading and unloading the substrate at the top, a processing chamber for storing the processing tank,
A lid member that is openable and closable with respect to the opening of the processing chamber;
Having a suction hole, and holding means for holding the substrate in the processing tank,
Substrate cleaning characterized in that after the substrate cleaning process with the processing solution in the processing tank, the suction hole of the holding means performs suction and supplies gas toward the substrate with the lid member closed. Drying equipment. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 1,
A discharge means for discharging the treatment liquid from the treatment tank;
After the processing liquid is discharged from the processing tank by the discharging unit, the suction hole of the holding unit performs suction and supplies gas toward the substrate with the lid member closed. Washing and drying equipment. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 1,
The holding means is movable between a position in the processing tank and a position of the processing tank information in the processing chamber,
After cleaning the substrate with the processing liquid in the processing tank, the holding means moves from a position in the processing tank to a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber, and the suction hole of the holding means performs suction. A substrate cleaning / drying apparatus, wherein gas is supplied toward the substrate in a state where the lid member is closed. In a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus that performs a drying process after performing a cleaning process on a substrate,
A treatment tank for storing the treatment liquid, immersing the substrate in the treatment liquid and cleaning the substrate;
An opening for loading and unloading the substrate at the top, a processing chamber for storing the processing tank,
A lid member that is openable and closable with respect to the opening of the processing chamber;
First holding means for holding the substrate in the processing tank;
The substrate can be transferred to and from the first holding means, and includes a second holding means having a suction hole and holding the substrate at a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber,
After cleaning the substrate with the processing liquid in the processing tank, the substrate is transferred from the first holding means to the second holding means, and the suction hole of the second holding means is located above the processing tank in the processing chamber. Is a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus, which performs suction and supplies gas toward the substrate in a state where the lid member is closed. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 4,
The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus, wherein the second holding means is movable between a position in the processing tank and a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber. In the board | substrate washing | cleaning drying apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 5,
An apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate, further comprising gas supply means for supplying gas into the processing chamber at a position above the processing tank and lateral to the processing chamber. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 6,
The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus, wherein the gas supply means supplies dry air. In the board | substrate washing | cleaning drying apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 5,
A first supply means provided on the lid member for supplying gas toward the substrate;
A substrate cleaning / drying apparatus further comprising: a second supply unit that supplies gas into the processing chamber at a position above the processing tank and to a side of the processing chamber. The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus according to claim 8,
The substrate cleaning and drying apparatus, wherein the first supply unit and the second supply unit supply dry air. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate, further comprising an organic solvent supply means for supplying an organic solvent into the processing chamber after the substrate is cleaned with the processing liquid in the processing tank. The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 10,
The substrate cleaning / drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the organic solvent supply means is provided above the processing tank and at a side position of the processing chamber. In the board | substrate washing | cleaning drying apparatus in any one of Claim 3 to 5,
The apparatus further comprises supply means for supplying gas to a substrate moving from a position in the processing tank to a position above the processing tank in the processing chamber at a position above the liquid level in the processing tank. Substrate cleaning / drying equipment.

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