JP2006210580A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate treatment apparatus which can surely protect the non-treatment area of a substrate surface. <P>SOLUTION: The non-treatment area NTR of a substrate surface Wf is selectively covered with shielding plates 5 facing each other and close to the non-treatment area NTR and a rinse liquid supplied from a cover rinse nozzle 7. Thus, the non-treatment area NTR of the substrate surface Wf is protected, so that, a region (facing region NTR1) of the non-treatment area NTR which is affected by rust or moisture absorption because of liquid contact of the rinse liquid can be protected by using the facing plane 5a of the shielding plate 5 to cover it. On the other hand, a region (non-facing region NTR2) not affected by liquid contact of the rinse liquid can be also protected by using the rinse liquid to cover it regardless of the external shape of roundness of the shielding plate 5 and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate W and that of the shielding plate 5. Therefore, the non-treatment area NTR of the substrate surface Wf can be surely protected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate having a processing region and a non-processing region on its surface. Substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystals, glass substrates for plasma display, substrates for optical disks, and the like.

  A series of processing steps for a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer has a plurality of film forming steps for forming a thin film such as a photoresist on the surface of the substrate. A film may also be formed on the back surface of the substrate. However, in general, only the circuit formation region at the central portion of the substrate surface needs to be formed on the substrate. If the film is formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate surface, another device is formed in the subsequent step of the film forming step. May cause the thin film formed on the peripheral edge of the substrate surface to peel off, which may cause a decrease in yield and trouble in the substrate processing apparatus itself.

  Therefore, in order to remove the thin film formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate surface, for example, an apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In this apparatus, a substrate having a thin film formed on the surface thereof is suction-held by the substrate holding means, and the substrate holding means is rotated. Further, a disc-shaped blocking plate (blocking member) having a radius smaller than the radius of the substrate is disposed on the surface side of the substrate so as to face the substrate surface, and is rotated coaxially with the substrate rotation axis. In this state, when a chemical solution is supplied to the upper surface of the shielding plate, the chemical solution falls from the edge of the shielding plate to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface, and the thin film on the peripheral portion of the surface is selectively etched away.

JP 2002-75953 A (page 4-5, FIG. 4)

  By the way, the above-described substrate processing is performed in order to remove a certain range of thin film from the periphery of the non-processed region while leaving the thin film formed in the non-processed region at the substantially central portion of the substrate surface. Therefore, in order not to etch the thin film formed in the non-processed region, this removal range, that is, the width that is etched away from the end face to the inside (hereinafter referred to as “peripheral etching width”) is accurately controlled. Is desired. In particular, when a metal layer such as copper is formed on the substrate surface as a thin film, the above substrate processing aims to remove the metal near the end face (bevel), so the peripheral etching width is made uniform over the entire peripheral surface. It has become very important.

  However, in the device described in Patent Document 1 (conventional device), the non-processed area is covered with the shielding plate to protect the non-processed area, and the chemical solution supplied to the upper surface of the shielding plate is dropped to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface. Therefore, it has been difficult to reliably protect the non-processed area for the following reason. In other words, in addition to the roundness of the shielding plate, it is necessary to align the rotation center of the shielding plate with the rotation center of the substrate. On the other hand, high accuracy is required. However, there is a limit in increasing the accuracy of the outer shape of these shielding plates and the relative position between the substrate and the shielding plates, which has been an obstacle to uniformizing the peripheral etching width. As a result, there is a case where the non-processed area cannot be sufficiently protected because the chemical solution reaches the non-processed area and is corroded.

  In addition, since the liquid supplied to the upper surface of the shielding plate is dropped to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface, pure water (rinse solution) is supplied to the upper surface of the shielding plate in the same manner as the etching process with the chemical solution. The peripheral edge of the substrate is rinsed. That is, the area where the chemical liquid is supplied and the area where the rinse liquid is supplied are the same. For this reason, the chemical solution adhering to the interface between the processing region (the region to be etched away from the end surface of the substrate inward) and the non-processing region cannot be sufficiently washed away, and rinsing failure is likely to occur.

  Further, since the peripheral etching width is uniquely determined by the planar size of the shielding plate, when the peripheral etching width is appropriately changed to a desired value, it is necessary to replace the shielding plate or its component parts. In addition, there are significant restrictions from the viewpoint of simple processing.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and makes it the 1st objective to provide the substrate processing apparatus which can protect the non-processing area | region of the substrate surface reliably.

  It is a second object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of processing with a uniform peripheral etching width while preventing a rinse failure.

  In order to achieve the first object, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured to be able to face a non-processing area of a substrate surface having a processing area and a non-processing area, and is a plane smaller than the plane size of the non-processing area. A blocking member that has a facing surface having a size, and closes the facing surface to the non-processing region by covering the non-processing region with the facing surface, and rinses the non-facing portion that is not covered by the facing surface of the blocking member Cover rinsing means for covering the non-opposing portion with a rinsing liquid by supplying a liquid is provided.

  In the invention configured as described above, the non-processed area on the substrate surface is selectively covered with the blocking member disposed in close proximity to the non-processed area and the rinse liquid supplied from the cover rinsing means. Thus, the following effects can be obtained by selectively protecting the non-processed region by the two cover functions of the blocking member and the rinse liquid. That is, in the non-processed region, the portion that is affected by rust or moisture absorption due to contact with the rinsing liquid is covered with the opposing surface of the blocking member to protect the portion (opposing portion) while rinsing is performed. For parts that are not affected by liquid contact (non-opposing parts), covering with rinsing liquid affects the external shape such as the roundness of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member. Without protection. Therefore, the non-process area | region of a substrate surface can be protected reliably.

  Here, assuming that the planar size of the opposing surface of the blocking member is equal to the planar size of the circuit forming region formed in the non-processed region of the substrate surface, the rinse liquid is formed by covering the circuit forming region with the opposing surface of the blocking member. The non-processed area can be reliably protected while suppressing the influence on the circuit forming area due to the liquid contact. For example, the k value (relative dielectric constant) of a highly hygroscopic film such as a rust or low-k (low dielectric constant) film of a metal layer formed on the circuit forming area by covering the circuit forming area with the opposing surface of the blocking member ) Can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the non-process area adjacent to the process area is covered with the rinse liquid from the cover rinsing means, the process area is accurate regardless of the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member. To be processed. For example, when the liquid supplied to the upper surface of the blocking member is dropped and processed as in the conventional apparatus, the outer shape such as the roundness of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member are used. Since the processing area varies, it is difficult to uniformly control the processing width. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the planar size of the opposing surface of the blocking member is configured to be smaller than the planar size of the non-processing region so as to cover the non-processing region with the opposing surface and not covered with the blocking member. Since the entire non-processed area is protected by covering the non-processed area adjacent to the process area with a rinsing liquid, the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative position accuracy between the center of the blocking member and the center of the blocking member Therefore, the processing area does not vary. Therefore, the processing width can be made uniform.

  Alternatively, the peripheral edge of the substrate surface may be used as a processing region, and a chemical solution may be supplied to the peripheral edge of the surface to remove unnecessary substances from the peripheral edge of the surface by etching. According to this configuration, for example, an unnecessary thin film can be removed by etching only in the peripheral portion of the thin film formed on the substrate surface. In addition, since the non-processing area inside the peripheral portion (processing area) of the substrate surface is selectively covered with the blocking member and the rinsing liquid, the outer shape of the blocking member and the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member Regardless of the relative position accuracy, it is possible to reliably protect the non-processed area from the splash of the chemical solution and to perform the etching process with a uniform peripheral etching width.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention supplies a processing liquid to a substrate having a processing region at the peripheral edge of the surface and a non-processing region inside the processing region to perform a predetermined processing on the processing region. In order to achieve the first and second objects, the substrate processing apparatus performs a substrate holding means for holding a substrate, a substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate by rotating the substrate holding means, and a substrate surface The non-processing area is configured to be opposed to the non-processing area and has a plane size smaller than the plane size of the non-processing area, and the non-processing area is blocked by covering the non-processing area by bringing the counter surface close to the non-processing area. Covering the non-opposing area with the rinsing liquid by supplying a rinsing liquid as a treatment liquid to the non-opposing area that is adjacent to the processing area and not covered with the opposing surface of the blocking member. And an etching means that is disposed on the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate with respect to the cover rinsing means, supplies a chemical solution as a processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface, and removes unnecessary substances from the peripheral portion of the surface by etching. It is characterized by.

  In the invention configured as described above, the non-processing region inside the peripheral portion (processing region) of the substrate surface is provided by the blocking member disposed opposite to the non-processing region and the rinsing liquid supplied from the cover rinsing means. Selectively covered. Therefore, in the non-processed area, the part affected by rust or moisture absorption is protected by covering with the opposing surface of the blocking member, and the other part (non-opposing part) is rinsed with a rinsing liquid. The non-processed region can be reliably protected regardless of the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member.

  Moreover, the rinse liquid can be prevented by supplying the rinse liquid to the non-process area adjacent to the process area. In other words, the rinsing liquid supplied from the cover rinsing means to the non-processing region (non-opposing region) receives a centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate and flows outward in the radial direction, and passes outside the substrate through the processing region at the peripheral surface of the surface. Discharged. On the other hand, since the etching means is disposed on the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate with respect to the cover rinsing means, the range in which the chemical solution is supplied (processing region) is narrower than the range in which the rinsing liquid from the cover rinsing means is supplied. . Thereby, the chemical | medical solution adhering to the interface of a process area | region and a non-process area | region can be fully washed away with a rinse liquid, and the rinse defect can be prevented.

  Furthermore, since the non-process area adjacent to the process area is protected by rinsing liquid, the peripheral etching width is independent of the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member, It is determined only by the relative positional accuracy between the substrate and the etching means. For this reason, the uniformity of the peripheral etching width can be improved.

  Here, when the blocking member is rotated, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an entrained air current between the substrate and the blocking member during the etching process. Thereby, it can prevent that chemical | medical solution atmosphere or mist-like chemical | medical solution penetrate | invades into the space pinched | interposed by the board | substrate and the interruption | blocking member, and adheres to a non-process area | region. Further, by rotating the blocking member during the etching process, the chemical solution adhering to the blocking member can be shaken off and the chemical solution can be prevented from staying in the blocking member.

  Further, a driving means for driving the etching means to move along the radial direction of the substrate is provided, and the relative position of the etching means with respect to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface is adjusted by controlling the driving means, and the peripheral portion of the substrate surface The etching width by the chemical solution may be controlled. According to this configuration, it is possible to flexibly cope with the contents of the required etching process, and excellent versatility can be obtained.

  Further, by driving the etching means along the radial direction of the substrate, it is possible to control the range in which the chemical solution is directly supplied. Thereby, the following effects can be obtained. In a thin film such as a metal layer, the etching rate tends to be high only in the portion where the chemical solution is directly supplied, and the etching rate tends to be slow in the portion simply covered with the other chemical solution. For this reason, the etching processing time can be shortened by controlling the range in which the chemical solution is directly supplied, for example, by scanning. Further, since the peripheral etching width can be freely changed by driving the etching means, it is not necessary to replace parts when changing the peripheral etching width as in the conventional apparatus. Therefore, simple and quick processing is possible.

  Furthermore, a plurality of etching processes may be defined in advance as processing recipes, and the etching process defined by a processing recipe appropriately selected from these processing recipes may be performed. In this case, a plurality of job data that associates the etching recipe with the processing recipe that defines the content of the etching process is stored in the storage unit, and when the processing recipe is selected, the job data corresponding to the selected processing recipe is stored. The etching width may be controlled by reading from the storage unit and moving the etching means based on the job data. Thereby, even when the content of the etching process is changed, the change can be quickly dealt with.

  Here, the cover rinsing means may be configured to supply the rinsing liquid onto the blocking member so that the rinsing liquid falls on the non-opposing part, or may be directed downward toward the non-opposing part and radially outward of the substrate. A rinsing liquid may be supplied to the battery. With the former configuration, when the rinse liquid is supplied onto the rotating blocking member, a rotational force is applied to the rinse liquid and a centrifugal force acts. For this reason, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate that spreads and rotates outward in the radial direction, and the non-processing area (non-opposing part) and the processing area (peripheral part) on the substrate surface are uniformly covered with the rinsing liquid over the entire circumference. Can do. On the other hand, with the latter configuration, the rinse liquid is supplied to the rotating substrate by obtaining a radially outward force and spreads outward as it is in the radial direction. And with rotation of a board | substrate, each part of the non-process area | region (non-opposing part) and process area | region (periphery part) of a substrate surface is covered with a rinse liquid over the perimeter. According to this configuration, the supply position of the rinse liquid supplied from the cover rinsing means to the substrate surface can be varied regardless of the position of the blocking member.

  Further, if the apparatus is further provided with a back surface cleaning means for supplying the processing liquid to the back surface of the substrate and cleaning the back surface of the substrate, the back surface of the substrate can be cleaned simultaneously with the etching process and the rinsing process. For this reason, so-called one-step processing, in which the so-called front surface and back surface of the substrate are processed at the same time, becomes possible, and throughput can be improved.

  The substrate holding means includes a base member that is rotatably provided, a plurality of support members that abut against the back surface of the substrate and support the substrate apart from the base member, and supply gas to the substrate surface. And a pressing mechanism that causes the base member to hold the pressing member. According to this configuration, the substrate is supported by being separated by the plurality of support members that are in contact with the back surface thereof, and the support member is supported by the gas supplied from the pressing mechanism to the space formed between the blocking member and the substrate surface. And is held by the base member. Then, the substrate pressed by the support member by the substrate rotating means rotating the base member rotates together with the base member while being supported by the support member by the frictional force generated between the support member and the substrate.

  As described above, by rotating and holding the substrate on the base member, a holding member (for example, a chuck pin or the like) that holds the substrate in contact with the outer peripheral end portion of the substrate can be eliminated. Therefore, when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate and the substrate is etched, the chemical solution traveling radially outward along the substrate surface by the rotation of the substrate does not directly hit the holding member and bounce back to the substrate surface. In addition, since there is no factor that disturbs the airflow in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, it is possible to reduce entrainment of the mist-like chemical liquid on the substrate surface side. Thereby, adhesion of the chemical | medical solution to the non-processing area | region of a substrate surface can be prevented effectively.

  According to the present invention, the non-processed region on the substrate surface is selectively protected by being covered with the blocking member and the rinse liquid. For this reason, in the non-processed area, a part affected by rust or moisture absorption due to contact with the rinsing liquid is covered with a blocking member, while a part not affected (non-opposing part) is covered with a rinsing liquid. Thus, the non-processed region on the substrate surface can be reliably protected regardless of the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member.

  Further, according to the present invention, by supplying the rinsing liquid to the non-processing area adjacent to the processing area, the chemical liquid adhering to the interface between the processing area and the non-processing area can be sufficiently washed away with the rinsing liquid. Defects can be prevented. Furthermore, the peripheral etching width is determined only by the relative positional accuracy between the substrate and the etching means, regardless of the outer shape of the blocking member and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate and the center of the blocking member. Can increase the sex.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. This substrate processing apparatus is an apparatus that etches and removes a thin film TF such as a metal layer or a photoresist layer from a peripheral portion and a back surface Wb of a substrate surface Wf such as a semiconductor wafer. Specifically, a chemical solution such as a chemical or an organic solvent or a rinse solution such as DI water or DIW is applied to the peripheral portion (corresponding to the “treatment region” of the present invention) of the substrate W on which a thin film is formed on the surface Wf. (Hereinafter, referred to as “treatment liquid”) is an apparatus that etches and removes the thin film TF from the peripheral edge of the surface, and supplies the treatment liquid to the substrate back surface Wb to clean the entire back surface Wb.

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a spin chuck 1 that rotates a substrate W horizontally with its front surface Wf facing upward, and a central portion of a lower surface (back surface Wb) of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 1. The lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 3 for supplying the processing liquid (chemical liquid or rinsing liquid) toward the surface, the blocking plate 5 disposed opposite to the upper surface (front surface Wf) of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 1, and the spin chuck 1 A cover rinsing nozzle 7 for supplying a rinsing liquid to the upper surface of the held substrate W and a peripheral processing nozzle 9 for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W are provided separately from the cover rinsing nozzle 7.

  The spin chuck 1 has a hollow rotary shaft 11 connected to a rotary shaft of a chuck rotary drive mechanism 13 including a motor, and can rotate about a rotary axis J extending in the vertical direction by driving the chuck rotary drive mechanism 13. Yes. A spin base 15 is integrally connected to an upper end portion of the rotating shaft 11 by a fastening component such as a screw. Therefore, the spin base 15 rotates around the rotation axis J by driving the chuck rotation drive mechanism 13 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4 that controls the entire apparatus. Thus, in this embodiment, the chuck rotation drive mechanism 13 corresponds to the “substrate rotating means” of the present invention, and the spin base 15 corresponds to the “base member” of the present invention.

  A processing liquid supply pipe 31 is inserted through the hollow rotating shaft 11, and a lower surface processing liquid nozzle 3 that functions as the “back surface cleaning means” of the present invention is coupled to the upper end of the hollow rotating shaft 11. The treatment liquid supply pipe 31 is connected to the chemical liquid supply unit 22 and the rinse liquid supply unit 23, and the chemical liquid or the rinse liquid is selectively supplied. In addition, a gap between the inner wall surface of the rotating shaft 11 and the outer wall surface of the processing liquid supply pipe 31 forms a cylindrical gas supply path 33. The gas supply path 33 is connected to the gas supply unit 21 and can supply nitrogen gas to a space formed between the lower surface of the substrate W and the opposing surface of the spin base 15. In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 21, but air or other inert gas may be discharged.

  A plurality of support pins 17 (at least 3 or more, preferably 4 or more) are provided on the peripheral portion on the upper surface side of the spin base 15 and are radially formed at equal angular intervals around the rotation axis J as the “support member” of the present invention. Projecting upward from the spin base 15. Each of the plurality of support pins 17 is in contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W, so that the substrate W can be horizontally supported while being separated from the spin base 15 by a predetermined distance. For this reason, damage and contamination of the lower surface (back surface Wb) of the substrate W, which occurs when the substrate W is supported in contact with the spin base 15, are prevented.

  Each support pin 17 is configured to be able to be separated from and contact the lower surface of the substrate W. Specifically, the support pin 17 can be brought into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W or can be separated from the lower surface of the substrate W by operating an elevating drive unit described later. As a result, the support pins 17 are separated from the lower surface of the substrate W at least once during the processing on the lower surface of the substrate W, so that the support pins 17 including the portion where the support pins 17 come into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W are also included. The entire lower surface can be processed.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the support pin 17 will be described with reference to FIG. Since the plurality of support pins 17 all have the same configuration, only the configuration of one support pin 17 will be described here. The support pin 17 is provided inside an extension portion 15a in which a part of the spin base 15 extends in a convex shape upward. The support pins 17 are a film 171 embedded in the upper surface of the extending portion 15a so as to be able to be separated from and contacted with the lower peripheral edge portion of the substrate W, and a cylinder that is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction and opens on the lower surface side of the film 171. A movable rod 173 that is capable of pushing up the central portion of the upper surface of the film 171 by being brought into contact with and separated from the upper and lower surfaces of the concave portion, and an elevating drive unit 175 such as a motor that moves the movable rod 173 up and down. The elevating drive unit 175 is not limited to a motor, and may be an actuator such as an air cylinder.

  In the support pin 17 having the above-described configuration, the elevating drive unit 175 drives the movable rod 173 upward through a drive connecting unit (not shown) by a drive signal from the control unit 4, so that the tip of the movable rod 173 is a film. The upper center portion of the film 171 is pushed up as it is in contact with the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical concave portion 171. As a result, the upper surface of the film 171 embedded on the upper surface side of the spin base 15 protrudes from the upper surface of the extending portion 15 a of the spin base 15. For this reason, by projecting all (or at least three or more) of the films 171 of the plurality of support pins 17, the substrate W is brought into contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is placed on the extension portion 15 a of the spin base 15. It is possible to support horizontally by separating from the upper surface (for example, about 1 mm).

  On the other hand, when the elevating drive unit 175 drives the movable rod 173 to move downward, the tip of the movable rod 173 is separated from the upper bottom surface of the cylindrical recess of the film 171, and the upper surface of the film 171 is extended to the extending portion of the spin base 15. It is accommodated in the same plane as the upper surface of 15a. For this reason, it is possible to separate the lowered film 171 from the lower surface of the substrate W by leaving at least three of the films 171 of the plurality of protruding support pins 17 and lowering a part thereof. . Note that such a film 171 is formed of a resin having flexibility and corrosion resistance to a chemical solution. Preferably, a fluororesin such as PCTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is used.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description will be continued. Above the spin chuck 1, a disc-shaped blocking plate 5 facing the substrate W supported by the support pins 17 is horizontally disposed as a “blocking member” of the present invention. The blocking plate 5 is attached to a lower end portion of a rotating shaft 51 disposed coaxially with the rotating shaft 11 of the spin chuck 1 so as to be integrally rotatable. The rotary shaft 51 is connected to a shield plate rotation drive mechanism 61. By driving the motor of the shield plate rotation drive mechanism 61 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4, the shield plate 5 is rotated about the vertical axis J. Rotate to The control unit 4 can rotationally drive the shielding plate 5 at the same rotational direction and the same rotational speed as the spin chuck 1 by controlling the shielding plate rotation drive mechanism 61 to synchronize with the chuck rotation drive mechanism 13. Thus, in this embodiment, the blocking plate rotation drive mechanism 61 functions as the “blocking member rotating means” of the present invention.

  Further, the blocking plate 5 is connected to the blocking plate lifting / lowering drive mechanism 62 and operates the lifting / lowering drive actuator (for example, an air cylinder) of the blocking plate lifting / lowering driving mechanism 62 to bring the blocking plate 5 close to the spin base 15. Can be opposed to each other, or conversely separated. Specifically, the control unit 4 drives the blocking plate lifting / lowering drive mechanism 62 so that the blocking plate 5 is placed at the retracted position above the spin chuck 1 when the substrate W is loaded into and unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus. Raise. On the other hand, when a predetermined process such as etching is performed on the substrate W, the blocking plate 5 is lowered to a predetermined processing position set in the vicinity of the surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 1. Let

  The rotating shaft 51 is a hollow shaft, and a cylindrical gas supply path 53 is formed coaxially therein. The gas supply path 53 communicates with the space above the substrate W at the lower end, and nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit 21 connected to the gas supply path 53 is sandwiched between the substrate W and the blocking plate 5. The space SP can be supplied. Then, by supplying nitrogen gas to the space SP, the internal pressure of the space SP can be increased and the substrate W can be pressed by the support pins 17 that are in contact with the lower surface thereof. Thus, the substrate W pressed by the support pins 17 is supported on the support pins 17 by the frictional force generated between the lower surface of the substrate W and the support pins 17 as the chuck rotation drive mechanism 13 rotates the spin base 15. While rotating, it rotates with the spin base 15. The supplied nitrogen gas flows in the space SP from the vicinity of the center of the substrate W to the outside in the radial direction.

  Next, the configuration of the blocking plate 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The lower surface (bottom surface) of the shielding plate 5 is a facing surface 5a that faces the substrate surface Wf. The facing surface 5a is formed in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate surface Wf, and the plane size D1 is smaller than the plane size D2 of the entire non-processing region NTR inside the processing region TR at the periphery of the substrate surface Wf. It is configured. Therefore, when the substrate surface Wf and the facing surface 5a are close to each other in parallel, a partial region NTR1 (facing portion) of the non-processing region NTR is covered with the facing surface 5a, while the processing region TR and the non-processing surface are not processed. Of the region NTR, a portion NTR2 (non-opposing portion) that is not covered by the facing surface 5a is exposed without being blocked by the blocking plate 5. On the other hand, the planar size D1 of the facing surface 5a is equal to or larger than the planar size of the circuit formation region formed in the non-processing region NTR. Thereby, by making the board | substrate W and the interruption | blocking board 5 adjoin and oppose, a circuit formation area | region can be covered with the opposing surface 5a, and can be protected.

  The blocking plate 5 has a truncated cone-shaped lower portion whose cross-sectional size gradually decreases as it goes upward with the opposing surface 5a as the lower surface, and a cylindrical upper portion having the upper surface of the truncated cone as a transverse section. It has a connected shape. Specifically, the lower peripheral edge of the blocking plate 5 forms an inclined surface 5b that is inclined so as to approach the rotation axis J as it goes upward from the opposing surface 5a over the entire circumference. Further, an upper peripheral edge of the blocking plate 5, that is, an upper side from the inclined surface 5b, forms a side wall surface 5c rising substantially vertically. The opposing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 is a hydrophobic surface having hydrophobicity, while the inclined surface 5b is a hydrophilic surface having hydrophilicity.

  A plurality of gas nozzles 55 are provided on the periphery of the blocking plate 5 and open to the facing surface 5a. The plurality of gas nozzles 55 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference centered on the vertical axis J on the opposing surface a, and when the blocking plate 5 is positioned at the processing position, the non-processing region NTR on the substrate surface Wf. And in close proximity to each other (FIG. 2). The gas nozzle 55 communicates with the gas circulation space 57 inside the blocking plate 5 and discharges nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit 21 connected to the gas circulation space 55 in a substantially vertical direction toward the substrate surface Wf. Then, the nitrogen gas is uniformly discharged from each of the plurality of gas nozzles 55, whereby the substrate W is pressed evenly by the support pins 17. Thus, in this embodiment, the gas supply path 53 and the gas nozzle 55 that supply nitrogen gas to the space SP sandwiched between the blocking plate 5 and the substrate surface Wf function as the “pressing means” of the present invention. Yes.

  Nitrogen gas discharged from the plurality of gas nozzles 55 is supplied toward the non-treatment region NTR of the substrate surface Wf and flows toward the outside in the radial direction of the substrate W. As a result, as will be described later, the chemical liquid scattered during the etching process is prevented from entering the space SP and adhering to the non-processed region NTR (opposed site NTR1) at the center of the substrate surface Wf. The gas nozzle is not limited to a plurality of openings, but may be a single opening, for example, a concentric circular opening around the entire circumference around the vertical axis J. However, the use of a plurality of openings is advantageous in that the gas discharge pressure is uniform.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the cover rinse nozzle 7 and the peripheral processing nozzle 9 will be described. The cover rinsing nozzle 7 is connected to the rinsing liquid supply unit 23 and can supply the rinsing liquid from the lower end. The peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 is connected to the chemical liquid supply unit 22 and the rinse liquid supply unit 23, and the chemical liquid or the rinse liquid is selectively supplied. These nozzles 7 and 9 are connected to nozzle moving mechanisms 71 and 91, respectively, and by driving the nozzle moving mechanisms 71 and 91, each nozzle tip (lower end) is opposed to the substrate surface Wf (as shown in FIG. 3). Position) and a retracted position retracted laterally (or upward) from the facing position. The nozzles 7 and 9 are configured in, for example, a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. When the cover rinsing nozzle 7 is positioned at the facing position, the nozzle side surface is arranged to face the side wall surface 5c of the blocking plate 5 so that the rinsing liquid can be discharged toward the inclined surface 5b. Further, in this embodiment, the nozzle moving mechanism 91 (corresponding to “driving means” of the present invention) is configured so that the movement amount of the peripheral processing nozzle 9 in the radial direction can be set continuously. The control of the peripheral etching width EH by controlling the movement amount of the processing nozzle 9 will be described in detail later.

  When the rinsing liquid is supplied from the cover rinsing nozzle 7 to the inclined surface 5b, the rinsing liquid flows down along the hydrophilic inclined surface 5b. The rinsing liquid that has reached the lower end of the inclined surface 5b does not go around the opposing surface 5a, which is a hydrophobic surface, but receives the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the blocking plate 5 so that the rinsing liquid is opposed to the blocking plate 5 in the non-treatment region NTR. It flows down while spreading to the part (non-opposing part) NTR2 not covered with the surface 5a. Specifically, the rinsing liquid flowing down from the blocking plate 5 is supplied to the non-facing portion NTR2 outside the intersection line with the substrate surface Wf when the inclined surface 5b is extended toward the substrate W, and the substrate W is rotated. Under the accompanying centrifugal force, it flows toward the periphery of the substrate W and flows down along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Therefore, by rotating the substrate W while discharging the rinsing liquid from the cover rinsing nozzle 7, the portions of the non-opposing portion NTR2 and the processing region TR in the circumferential direction of the substrate W are uniformly covered with the rinsing liquid over the entire circumference. be able to. Thus, in this embodiment, the cover rinse nozzle 7 functions as the “cover rinse means” of the present invention.

  Thus, as described above, the circuit forming region of the non-processed region NTR on the substrate surface Wf is covered with the facing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 as the facing portion NTR1, and the non-facing portion NTR2 is covered with the rinse liquid. Therefore, the portion of the non-processed region NTR, which is formed in the circuit forming region and has a problem of moisture absorption such as rust of the copper thin film or low-k film due to contact with the rinsing liquid, is formed on the opposing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5. The region (opposing region NTR1) is protected by covering. On the other hand, since the portion other than the circuit formation region (non-opposing portion NTR2) does not affect the yield even when the rinsing liquid comes into contact with the substrate, the roundness of the blocking plate 5 and the substrate are covered with the rinsing liquid. It is reliably protected regardless of the relative positional accuracy between the rotation center of W and the rotation center of the blocking plate 5.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 is disposed on the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate W with respect to the cover rinse nozzle 7 and on the downstream side in the rotation direction A of the substrate W. When a chemical solution having an etching action on the thin film TF is supplied from the peripheral processing nozzle 9 to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface Wf, the chemical solution receives a centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate W and flows toward the peripheral edge of the substrate W. It flows down along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Therefore, the thin film TF is etched away from the peripheral edge of the surface of the substrate surface Wf as a processing region TR in the region radially outside the chemical supply position. As a result, by rotating the substrate W while discharging the chemical solution from the peripheral processing nozzle 9, it is possible to perform the etching process uniformly with the peripheral etching width EH over the entire periphery. Thus, in this embodiment, the peripheral processing nozzle 9 functions as the “etching means” of the present invention.

  Here, since the peripheral processing nozzle 9 is disposed downstream of the cover rinse nozzle 7 in the rotation direction A of the substrate W, the peripheral portion of the substrate surface Wf is rinsed when the rinse liquid is discharged from the cover rinse nozzle 7. Although covered with the liquid, the thin film TF is etched away from the peripheral portion of the substrate surface Wf by the discharge pressure of the chemical discharged from the peripheral processing nozzle 9. In addition, since the non-treatment region NTR radially inward from the treatment region TR is covered with the rinsing liquid from the cover rinse nozzle 7 and the blocking plate 5, the chemical solution adheres to the non-treatment region NTR due to the rebound of the chemical solution. Is prevented. Further, as described above, since the peripheral processing nozzle 9 can set the movement amount continuously, the peripheral etching width EH can be adjusted to an arbitrary value by controlling the movement amount of the peripheral processing nozzle 9. .

  Furthermore, when the peripheral etching width EH is set to be larger than the width of the chemical solution discharged from the peripheral processing nozzle 9, only the portion where the chemical solution is directly supplied to the thin film such as a metal layer tends to increase the etching rate. For this reason, the etching rate tends to be slow in a portion that is simply covered with other chemicals. In this case, it is desirable to control the nozzle drive mechanism 91 to scan the range in which the chemical solution is directly supplied from the peripheral processing nozzle 9 in the radial direction. Thereby, etching processing time can be shortened.

  In the above description, the case where the chemical liquid is pumped to the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 has been described, but the same applies to the case where the rinse liquid is pumped instead of the chemical liquid. That is, when the rinsing liquid is pumped from the rinsing liquid supply unit 23 according to the operation command from the control unit 4, the rinsing liquid is discharged from the peripheral processing nozzle 9, and the chemical liquid receives the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate W. It flows toward the periphery of the substrate W and flows down along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Therefore, the entire periphery of the processing region TR can be rinsed by rotating the substrate W while discharging the rinse liquid from the peripheral processing nozzle 9. Further, it is possible to control the range in which the rinsing liquid is supplied by controlling the movement amount of the peripheral processing nozzle 9.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. In this apparatus, when the substrate W on which the thin film TF such as a metal layer is formed on the surface Wf of the substrate W is loaded and placed on the support pin 17 with the thin film formation surface facing upward, the control unit 4 is Each part of the apparatus is controlled as follows, and a bevel etching process (etching process + rinsing process + drying process) is performed on the substrate W. When the substrate W is transported, the blocking plate 5 is in a retracted position above the spin chuck 1 to prevent interference with the substrate W.

  When the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the support pins 17, the control unit 4 lowers the blocking plate 5 to the processing position and arranges it close to the substrate W (step S1). Then, nitrogen gas is discharged from the gas nozzle 55 and nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply path 53 toward the center of the substrate surface Wf (step S2). As a result, the internal pressure of the space SP formed between the opposing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 and the substrate surface Wf is increased, and the substrate W is pressed by the support pins 17 that are in contact with the lower surface thereof and held by the spin base 15. Is done. Further, the circuit formation region of the substrate surface Wf is covered in a state of being very close to the facing surface 5 a of the blocking plate 5, so that it is reliably blocked from the external atmosphere around the substrate W.

  Next, the control unit 4 drives the nozzle drive mechanisms 71 and 91 to position the cover rinse nozzle 7 and the peripheral processing nozzle 9 at opposing positions facing the substrate surface Wf as shown in FIG. 3 (step S3). ). That is, in this embodiment, (1) a processing recipe that defines the content of the etching process, (2) the peripheral etching width EH, and (3) job data that correlates the movement amount of the peripheral processing nozzle 9 during the etching process. Are stored in advance in the memory (storage unit) 41 of the control unit 4 (FIG. 3). When the operator selects a predetermined processing recipe via an operation panel (not shown) of the substrate processing apparatus, the peripheral processing nozzle 9 is moved to the inner peripheral side of the substrate (the left hand in FIG. 2) by a movement amount set in advance in the processing recipe. And is positioned so as to correspond to the peripheral etching width EH.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is rotated by driving the chuck rotation driving mechanism 13 to rotate the spin base 15 (step S4). At this time, the substrate W pressed by the support pins 17 rotates together with the spin base 15 while being held by the spin base 15 by a frictional force generated between the support pins 17 and the lower surface of the substrate W. At the same time as or before or after step S4, the control unit 4 controls the shield plate rotation drive mechanism 61 to rotate the shield plate 5 in the same direction at substantially the same rotational speed as the spin base 15 (step S5). ). Thereby, it is possible to prevent an excessive air flow from being generated between the substrate W and the blocking plate 5 and to suppress the entrainment of a mist-like processing liquid in a bevel etching process described later.

  In this state, the control unit 4 discharges the rinse liquid from the cover rinse nozzle 7 toward the inclined surface 5b of the blocking plate 5 (step S6). The discharged rinse liquid receives the centrifugal force of the rotating blocking plate 5 and flows down on the inclined surface 5b while spreading outward in the radial direction, and is supplied to the non-opposing portion NTR2 of the substrate surface Wf. Here, since the opposing surface 5a of the shielding plate 5 is a hydrophobic surface, the rinsing liquid does not enter the opposing surface 5a, and the nitrogen supplied to the space SP sandwiched between the shielding plate 5 and the substrate W Since the gas flows out to the outside in the radial direction, the rinse liquid does not enter the circuit formation region (opposing portion NTR1). Then, the rinse liquid supplied to the non-opposing portion NTR2 receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, flows toward the periphery of the substrate W, and flows down along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Thereby, each part of the non-facing site | part NTR2 and process area | region TR in the circumferential direction of the board | substrate W is uniformly covered with the rinse liquid over the perimeter. In this way, the non-treatment region NTR of the substrate surface Wf is selectively covered with the facing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 and the rinsing liquid.

  Subsequently, a chemical liquid suitable for the etching process is pumped from the chemical liquid supply unit 22 to the peripheral processing nozzle 9, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, flows toward the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and travels along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Flow down. As a result, the predetermined range of the peripheral portion of the substrate surface Wf is the processing region TR, and unnecessary materials (thin film TF) are uniformly etched with the peripheral etching width EH from the peripheral portion of the surface (step S7). Here, since the non-processing region NTR radially inside with respect to the processing region TR is covered with the blocking plate 5 and the rinsing liquid, the bounced chemical solution is prevented from adhering to the non-processing region NTR.

  Further, the control unit 4 supplies the chemical solution from the lower surface processing solution nozzle 3 toward the central portion of the substrate rear surface Wb simultaneously with the supply of the chemical solution to the substrate surface Wf. The chemical solution supplied to the central portion of the substrate back surface Wb spreads over the entire back surface due to the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate W, and the back surface Wb is cleaned. Here, during the cleaning process, each support pin 17 is separated from the substrate back surface Wb at least once, so that the chemical solution is also introduced into the contact portion between the support pin 17 and the substrate back surface Wb to clean the portion. it can.

  In this embodiment, since there is no holding member such as a chuck pin that contacts the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W and holds the substrate W, the chemical solution that travels outward in the radial direction through the substrate surface Wf by the rotation of the substrate W. It does not directly hit the holding member and bounce back to the substrate surface Wf. In addition, since there is no factor that disturbs the airflow in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W, the entrainment of the mist-like chemical into the non-treatment region NTR is reduced. Thereby, adhesion of the chemical | medical solution to the non-process area | region NTR can be prevented effectively.

  When the etching process is finished, the control unit 4 stops the feeding of the chemical liquid to the peripheral processing nozzle 9 and the lower processing liquid nozzle 3. Since the rinsing liquid continues to flow into the processing region TR from the cover rinsing nozzle 7 from the non-processing region NTR, the processing region TR is rinsed with the rinsing liquid (step S8). Further, the rinse treatment may be performed by discharging the rinse liquid from the peripheral processing nozzle 9 together with the rinse liquid from the cover rinse nozzle 7. Specifically, the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 may be positioned radially inward (left hand side in FIG. 2) from the time of the etching process, and the rinsing liquid may be discharged from the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9. As described above, since the range in which the chemical solution is supplied (processing region TR) is narrower than the range in which the rinsing solution is supplied, the chemical solution adhering to the interface between the processing region TR and the non-processing region NTR is sufficiently washed away with the rinsing solution. And rinse failure is prevented.

  Further, simultaneously with the supply of the rinsing liquid to the substrate surface Wf, the rinsing liquid is supplied from the lower surface side processing liquid nozzle 3 toward the center of the substrate back surface Wb. The rinse liquid supplied to the central portion of the substrate back surface Wb spreads over the entire back surface due to the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate W, and the back surface Wb is rinsed.

  When the etching process and the rinsing process are thus completed, the supply of the rinsing liquid from the cover rinsing nozzle 7 (and the peripheral processing nozzle 9) is stopped (step S9). Thereafter, the nozzle drive mechanisms 71 and 91 are driven to position the cover rinse nozzle 7 and the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 at the retracted positions apart from the substrate W (step S10). Subsequently, the control unit 4 increases the rotation speeds of the motors of the chuck rotation driving mechanism 13 and the blocking plate rotation driving mechanism 61 to rotate the substrate W and the blocking plate 5 at high speed. At this time, the nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply path 33 together with the supply of the nitrogen gas to the substrate surface Wf described above, whereby the nitrogen gas is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the substrate W. Thereby, the front and back surfaces of the substrate W are dried (step S11).

  When the drying process of the substrate W is completed, the control unit 4 controls the blocking plate rotation drive mechanism 61 to stop the rotation of the blocking plate 5 (step S12), and controls the chuck rotation drive mechanism 13 to rotate the substrate W. Is stopped (step S13). Then, by stopping the supply of nitrogen gas from the gas supply path 53 and the gas nozzle 55, the pressing support to the support pins 17 of the substrate W is released (step S14). Thereafter, the blocking plate 5 is raised and the processed substrate W is unloaded from the apparatus (step S15).

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the non-process area NTR of the substrate surface Wf is separated by the blocking plate 5 disposed opposite to the non-process area NTR and the rinse liquid supplied from the cover rinse nozzle 7. Since it covers selectively, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the portion of the non-processed region NTR, which is formed in the circuit forming region and has a problem of moisture absorption such as rust of the copper thin film or low-k film due to the contact with the rinsing liquid, is formed on the opposing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5. The portion (opposing portion NTR1) is protected by covering, while the portion other than the circuit formation region (non-opposing portion NTR2) is covered with the rinsing liquid to cover the roundness of the blocking plate 5 and the rotation center of the substrate W. And the relative position accuracy with respect to the rotation center of the blocking plate 5 are protected. Therefore, the entire non-processing region NTR can be reliably protected.

  Further, since the rinsing liquid from the cover rinsing nozzle 7 is supplied only to the non-opposing part NTR2 (and the processing area TR), a metal layer such as rust is generated on the metal layer formed in the circuit forming area in the opposing part NTR1. Even if it is a highly hygroscopic film, it can be processed without being corroded. Further, by covering and protecting the circuit formation region with the blocking plate 5, it is not necessary to cover the entire substrate surface Wf, so that the consumption of the rinsing liquid is suppressed.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the peripheral edge etching width EH depends on the roundness of the blocking plate 5 and the relative positional accuracy between the rotation center of the substrate W and the rotation center of the blocking plate 5 as in the conventional apparatus. It is determined only by the relative positional accuracy between the substrate W and the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9. For this reason, the uniformity of the peripheral etching width EH can be improved. Moreover, since the peripheral etching width EH is controlled by adjusting the relative position in the radial direction between the substrate W and the peripheral processing nozzle 9, it is possible to flexibly cope with the contents of the required etching processing, and it is excellent. Versatility is obtained.

  In addition, a plurality of processing recipes are defined in advance for the contents of the etching process, and when a processing recipe is selected from them, job data corresponding to the selected processing recipe is read from the memory 41, and the amount of movement in the job data Since the peripheral edge etching width EH is controlled by moving the peripheral edge processing nozzle 9 on the basis of the above, it is possible to quickly cope with a change in the content of the etching process. In other words, since the peripheral etching width EH can be changed by the processing recipe, it is possible to perform simple and quick processing without requiring parts replacement unlike the conventional apparatus.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the non-processing area NTR (non-opposing part NTR2) adjacent to the processing area TR to be etched, and the rinsing liquid is removed from the substrate via the processing area TR. Since it is discharged, poor rinsing can be prevented. That is, the range in which the chemical solution is supplied (processing region TR) is narrower than the range in which the rinsing solution from the cover rinsing nozzle 7 (and the peripheral processing nozzle 9) is supplied. Thereby, the chemical | medical solution adhering to the interface of process area | region TR and non-process area | region NTR can be fully washed away with a rinse liquid, and the rinse defect can be prevented.

  Further, according to this embodiment, since the shielding plate 5 can be rotated during the etching process, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a entangled air current between the substrate W and the shielding plate 5. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the chemical atmosphere or the mist-like chemical liquid from entering the space SP sandwiched between the substrate W and the blocking plate 5 and adhering to the non-process region NTR. In addition, by rotating the blocking plate 5, the chemical solution adhering to the blocking plate 5 can be shaken off and the chemical solution can be prevented from staying in the blocking plate 5.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a principal part showing a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The second embodiment is greatly different from the first embodiment in that the rinsing liquid from the cover rinsing nozzle is not supplied onto the blocking plate 5, but the non-treatment region NTR (non-opposing portion NTR2) of the substrate surface Wf. The other configuration and operation are basically the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences.

  In this embodiment, the rinsing liquid discharged from the cover rinsing nozzle 8 is supplied to the rotating substrate W by obtaining a radially outward force. Then, it receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W and flows from the non-processing region NTR, more specifically, from the non-facing portion NTR2 not covered by the facing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 to the processing region TR, and travels along the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Flow down. Thereby, each part of the non-facing site | part NTR2 and process area | region TR in the circumferential direction of the board | substrate W is covered with the rinse liquid over the perimeter.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the non-processed region NTR of the substrate surface Wf is selectively covered with the facing surface 5a of the blocking plate 5 and the rinsing liquid, so that the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. can get. That is, a portion of the non-treatment region NTR that is affected by rust or moisture absorption due to contact with the rinsing liquid is covered with the blocking plate 5, while a portion that is not affected (non-opposing portion NTR2) is rinsed with liquid. The unprocessed region NTR on the substrate surface Wf can be reliably protected regardless of the outer shape of the shielding plate 5 and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate W and the center of the shielding plate 5. The peripheral etching width EH is determined only by the relative positional accuracy between the substrate W and the peripheral processing nozzle 9 regardless of the outer shape of the blocking plate 5 and the relative positional accuracy between the center of the substrate W and the center of the blocking plate 5. Therefore, the uniformity of the peripheral etching width EH can be improved. Furthermore, by supplying the rinsing liquid to the non-processing area NTR adjacent to the processing area TR, the chemical liquid adhering to the interface between the processing area TR and the non-processing area NTR can be sufficiently washed away with the rinsing liquid, and the rinsing failure can be prevented. Can be prevented.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the supply position of the rinse liquid supplied from the cover rinse nozzle 8 to the substrate surface Wf can be varied regardless of the position of the blocking plate 5. Furthermore, since the rinsing liquid discharged from the cover rinsing nozzle 8 is not directly supplied to the non-opposing portion NTR2 and pulled by the rotating blocking plate 5, the amount of rinsing used can be reduced.

<Others>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the non-processing region NTR inside the processing region TR at the peripheral portion of the substrate surface Wf is covered with the shielding plate 5 with the central portion as the opposing portion NTR1 and is adjacent to the processing region TR. The non-opposing part NTR2 is covered with a rinsing solution to protect it. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The part affected by the contact with the rinsing liquid is covered with the blocking plate 5 and the other parts are covered with the rinsing liquid. Can be protected. Here, the shape of the blocking plate 5 is not limited to a circle in plan view, and may be, for example, a polygon such as a triangle or a quadrangle, or a sector depending on the shape of the protected area.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the board | substrate surface Wf (peripheral part) and the back surface Wb are processed simultaneously, it is not limited to this, You may make it process the back surface Wb after processing the substrate surface Wf. Only the substrate surface Wf may be processed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the substrate W is held by pressing and supporting the substrate W on a support member such as the support pin 17 that contacts the lower surface (back surface Wb) of the substrate W. However, the application of the present invention is limited to this. Not. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a substrate processing apparatus that holds a substrate W by bringing a holding member such as a chuck pin into contact with an outer peripheral end of the substrate W.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an apparatus that protects the non-processed region NTR from an etching process that removes an unnecessary thin film TF formed on the substrate surface Wf as a processing region TR with a chemical solution. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, you may apply to the apparatus which protects the non-process area | region NTR from the gas which has corrosivity, or the washing process by a washing | cleaning liquid.

  The present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on the surface of all substrates including a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for optical disk, etc. Can do.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows 2nd Embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Spin chuck (substrate holding means)
3 ... Lower side processing solution nozzle (back surface cleaning means)
4. Control unit (control means)
5 ... Blocking plate (blocking member)
5a ... Opposite surface (of blocking member) 7, 8 ... Cover rinse nozzle (cover rinse means)
9: Peripheral processing nozzle (etching means)
13 ... Chuck rotation drive mechanism (substrate rotation means)
15 ... Spin base (base member)
17 ... Support pin (support member)
41. Memory (storage unit)
53. Gas supply path (pressing mechanism)
55 ... Gas nozzle (pressing mechanism)
61 ... Shutter plate rotation drive mechanism (blocking member rotating means)
91 ... Nozzle drive mechanism (drive means)
D1 ... Plane size (of the opposing surface of the blocking member) D2 ... Plane size (of the non-processed region) EH ... Peripheral etching width NTR ... Non-processed region NTR1 ... Opposed site NTR2 ... Non-opposed site TR ... Processed region W ... Substrate Wb ... Substrate back surface Wf: Substrate surface

Claims (12)

A substrate surface having a processing region and a non-processing region has a facing surface configured to be opposed to the non-processing region and having a plane size smaller than a plane size of the non-processing region, and the facing surface is defined as the non-processing region. A blocking member that covers the non-processed area by the facing surface by being close to
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a cover rinsing unit that covers the non-opposing portion with the rinsing liquid by supplying a rinsing liquid to the non-opposing portion that is not covered with the opposing surface of the blocking member.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a planar size of the opposing surface of the blocking member is equal to a planar size of a circuit formation region formed in a non-processing region of the substrate surface.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover rinsing unit supplies a rinsing liquid to the non-opposing portion adjacent to the processing region in the non-processing region.   4. The substrate processing according to claim 1, further comprising an etching unit configured to supply a chemical solution to the surface peripheral edge portion by using the peripheral edge portion of the substrate surface as the processing region and etch away unnecessary substances from the surface peripheral edge portion. apparatus. In a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to a substrate having a processing region at a peripheral edge of the surface and a non-processing region inside the processing region and performing a predetermined process on the processing region,
Substrate holding means for holding the substrate;
Substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate by rotating the substrate holding means;
A counter surface having a plane size smaller than a plane size of the non-processed region, the counter surface being configured to be capable of facing the non-process region of the substrate surface, and by bringing the counter surface close to the non-process region. A blocking member that covers the non-treatment region;
The non-opposing part is covered with the rinsing liquid by supplying a rinsing liquid as the processing liquid to a non-opposing part that is adjacent to the processing area and is not covered with the opposing surface of the blocking member. Cover rinse means;
Etching means arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of the substrate with respect to the cover rinsing means, supplying a chemical solution as the processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the substrate surface and etching away unnecessary substances from the peripheral portion of the surface. A substrate processing apparatus.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a blocking member rotating unit that rotates the blocking member.   Driving means for driving the etching means to move along the radial direction of the substrate; and controlling the driving means to adjust a relative position of the etching means with respect to a peripheral portion of the substrate surface; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit that controls an etching width of the chemical solution in the unit. The control unit includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of job data in which a processing recipe that defines the content of the etching process and an etching width are associated with each other, and an etching that is defined by a processing recipe selected from the plurality of processing recipes The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processing is performed.
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the control unit reads job data corresponding to a selected processing recipe from the storage unit, and moves the etching unit based on the job data to control an etching width.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cover rinsing unit supplies a rinsing liquid onto the blocking member so that the rinsing liquid falls on the non-opposing portion.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cover rinsing means supplies the rinse liquid downward toward the non-opposing portion and outward in the radial direction of the substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a back surface cleaning unit that supplies a processing liquid to the back surface of the substrate to clean the back surface of the substrate. The substrate holding means supplies a gas to the substrate surface, a base member that is rotatably provided, a plurality of support members that abut against the back surface of the substrate and support the substrate apart from the base member, and the substrate surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a pressing mechanism that presses the substrate against the support member and holds the substrate on the base member.

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