JP2007005695A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently and smoothly carry out an operation as to separate and recover first treatment liquid which is supplied to a processed substrate on a conveyance line of a flush level, and as to substitute second treatment liquid for the first treatment liquid. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate G forms a substrate bump G<SB>a</SB>of a protrusion imitated to a bump 120a of a conveyance line 120 at a part of a substrate full length by a flexibility thereof, and passes by the bump 120a while relatively moving the substrate bump G<SB>a</SB>from a front end to a back end of the substrate G at a speed equal to a conveyance speed in the opposite direction to a conveyance direction. In an upward slope way M<SB>2</SB>, developer R flows to the backward of the substrate G by a gravity on the substrate G, and the liquid membrane of the developer R changes from a status of a liquid pile to a status of a thin film R' at a speed almost equal to the conveyance speed from the front end to the back end of the substrate G. When the substrate G moves to a downward slope way M<SB>3</SB>; rinse liquid S is supplied from an upper rinse nozzle 138 by a belt-like discharge flow, the developer R in the thin film status is replaced by the rinse liquid S near a line where the rinse liquid S on the substrate G touches liquid, and consequently a development is completely stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing technique for supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate to be processed and performing a predetermined processing, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a liquid processing while transporting a substrate in a horizontal direction by a flat flow method.

  Recently, resist coating and development processing systems in LCD (liquid crystal display) manufacturing have been developed as a development method that can advantageously cope with the increase in size of LCD substrates (for example, glass substrates). On the other hand, a so-called flat-flow method is widely used in which a series of development processing steps such as development, rinsing, and drying are performed during conveyance. Such a flat flow method has advantages such as easier handling of a large substrate and less occurrence of mist or reattachment to the substrate, compared to a spinner method that rotates the substrate.

In order to increase the separation recovery rate of the developing solution, the conventional developing processing apparatus adopting the flat flowing method has a substrate on the downstream side of the developing solution supply section in the flat conveying path as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. The substrate tilting mechanism is installed to tilt the substrate in the transport direction, and the developer is supplied on the horizontal substrate by the developer supply unit, and the substrate is flown as it is to the downstream side of the transport path, and a predetermined position on the transport path after a predetermined time. Then, the substrate tilting mechanism tilts the substrate forward or backward, drops the developer on the substrate by gravity, and collects the developer that has dropped down on the pan for collecting the developer. When the substrate tilting mechanism finishes draining the liquid in the tilted posture as described above within a predetermined time and returns the substrate to the horizontal posture, the substrate is then sent to the downstream rinse section in a flat flow, where the rinse nozzle is By spraying the rinsing liquid onto the horizontal substrate, the replacement of the developing solution with the rinsing liquid is performed on the substrate (development is stopped). The liquid that has fallen from the substrate in the rinse section is collected in a rinse liquid collecting pan. Then, while the rinsed substrate passes through the downstream drying section in a flat flow, the air knife applies a high-pressure air flow to the horizontal substrate in a direction opposite to the conveying direction to drain the substrate. The surface is dry.
JP 2003-7582 A

  However, in the conventional development processing apparatus as described above, the substrate on which the developer is stacked is stopped on the conveyance path, the posture is changed from the horizontal state to the inclined state, and after the liquid is removed in the inclined posture, the horizontal posture is again obtained. There was one aspect that the mechanism and a series of operations of returning to the normal flow and restarting the flow of the flat flow are quite complicated and inefficient. Furthermore, since there is a long time lag from the start of liquid removal of the developer to the start of the liquid replacement at the downstream rinse portion, that is, the development stop rinse process, the front side of the substrate before the rinse process is executed. Therefore, there is a concern that the quality of the development process is deteriorated such that the surface to be processed is dried and spots of spots occur.

  Also, with respect to the development time, it was difficult to ensure in-plane uniformity on the substrate. That is, when changing the posture of the substrate on which the developer is accumulated from the horizontal posture to the inclined posture at the stop position, the movement speed, the movement range (particularly the height position), etc. are different in each part of the substrate. It is impossible to drain each part with the same time difference as the result. As a result, the time from the supply of the developer to the stop of the development, that is, the development time is different in each part of the substrate (particularly between the front end and the rear end of the substrate). There was a problem of variation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and separates and collects the first processing liquid supplied to the substrate to be processed on the flat-carrying transfer line, thereby providing the second processing liquid. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus which can efficiently and smoothly perform the replacement operation.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient in-plane operation for separating and recovering the first processing liquid supplied to the substrate to be processed on the flat-carrying transfer line after the predetermined processing time and replacing it with the second processing liquid. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can perform uniform processing.

  Another object of the present invention is to simultaneously improve the continuity or throughput between processes and prevent mutual interference when sequentially carrying out a series of processes on a substrate while transporting the substrate to be processed on a flat flow transfer line. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus to be realized.

  In order to achieve the above object, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention lays a transport body for transporting a substrate to be processed in a supine posture with the processing surface facing upward in a predetermined horizontal transport direction. A first transport section having a substantially horizontal transport path in the transport direction, a second transport section having an upward inclined transport path following the first transport section, and the second transport section. A flat flow conveying line including a third conveying section having a downwardly inclined conveying path following the third conveying section and a fourth conveying section having a substantially horizontal conveying path following the third conveying section; A transport driving unit for driving the transport body to transport the substrate on a line; and a first processing liquid supply for supplying a first processing liquid onto the substrate in the first or second transport section. And the second processing liquid is supplied onto the substrate in the third transfer section. That a second processing liquid supply unit.

  In the above apparatus configuration, a raised portion that is raised higher than the first and fourth transport sections is formed in the second and third transport sections. When the substrate goes up the upward slope (second transfer section) of the raised portion, the first processing liquid on the substrate moves downward, that is, rearward by gravity and flows down from the rear end of the substrate. At this time, on the substrate, the first processing liquid is drained from the front end side to the rear end side of the substrate at a moving speed substantially equal to the transport speed. Thus, the substrate that has overcome the uphill slope of the raised portion enters the downhill slope (third transfer section) with the first processing liquid remaining as a very thin liquid film on the upper surface thereof. Here, when the second processing liquid supply unit supplies the second processing liquid to the substrate descending the down ramp, the first processing liquid remaining thinly on each part on the substrate is reduced in gravity and first. In response to the pressure of the flow of the 1 processing liquid, it flows down and is ejected from the front end of the substrate. In this manner, the first processing liquid is replaced with the second processing liquid at a speed substantially equal to the transport speed from the front end side to the rear end side of the substrate.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the second transport section is set to a length shorter than the size of the substrate in the transport direction, and more preferably, the second transport section and the third transport section are added. The combined section is set to a length shorter than the size of the substrate. In this case, the substrate forms a ridge-shaped substrate ridge that follows the ridge on part of the entire length due to its flexibility, and conveys the substrate ridge from the front end to the rear end of the substrate at a speed equal to the conveyance speed. It passes through the ridges (second and third conveyance sections) of the conveyance line while moving relatively in the direction opposite to the direction.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to change the course of the straight flow line by drawing an appropriate radius of curvature in the vicinity thereof, rather than performing a course change that bends at a steep angle at the boundary point of each conveyance section. In other words, a configuration in which the top is flat, that is, a configuration in which a substantially horizontal transport path is formed between the terminal end of the second transport section and the start end of the third transport section is also possible.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holding part for holding a portion of the substrate that is separated upward from the transfer path of the transfer line in the second transfer section at a predetermined height position. The substrate holding portion may preferably have a pair of rotatable rollers that come into contact with the left and right edges of the substrate. When the substrate climbs the uphill slope in the second transport section, the rear end of the substrate moves upward from the transport path of the transport line to the vicinity of the top while receiving the height regulation by the substrate restraint section. Since the tilted posture can be maintained, liquid draining on the substrate can be performed successfully to the end (back end of the substrate).

  Moreover, as a preferable aspect, a first air knife that blows gas onto the substrate at a predetermined position in the second transfer section downstream of the first processing liquid supply unit is provided. When the substrate goes up an uphill slope in the second transfer section, the gas flow is applied to the substrate from the first air knife, thereby assisting or promoting the draining of the first processing liquid on the substrate. it can.

  In addition, a liquid draining triggering unit for triggering the first processing liquid to flow down from the rear end of the substrate at a predetermined position in the first or second transport section downstream from the first processing liquid supply unit. It is also preferable to provide it. As a preferred embodiment, the liquid-cutting inducing portion may be constituted by a cylindrical or cylindrical roller having a constant outer diameter arranged as a transport body on the transport path. Or as another suitable one mode, a liquid cutting inducing part may be constituted by a gas nozzle which applies a gas flow to the rear end part of a substrate from the upper direction in the opposite direction to the conveyance direction.

  According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first processing liquid supply unit has a processing liquid supply nozzle that discharges the first processing liquid toward the substrate at a predetermined position in the first transport section, A drive part conveys a board | substrate at a fixed speed through the 1st and 2nd conveyance area. In this case, in the second and third transport sections on the downstream side, from the front end to the rear end of the substrate at substantially the same scanning speed as when the first processing liquid was supplied onto the substrate in the first transport section. The first treatment liquid is drained or replaced with the second treatment liquid.

  According to a preferred aspect, the first liquid collecting portion for collecting the liquid that has fallen under the conveyance path in the first and second conveyance sections, and the conveyance path in the third and fourth conveyance sections. And a second liquid collecting part for collecting the liquid dropped below. In such a configuration, most of the first processing liquid supplied onto the substrate from the first processing liquid supply unit can be separately collected in the first liquid collection unit. The second treatment liquid is mainly collected in the second liquid collection unit.

  According to a preferred aspect, the first partition is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the second transport section and the third transport section to separate the surrounding space along the transport line into the upstream side and the downstream side. . The first partition is formed with an opening for passing the transport line.

  According to a preferred aspect, the transport line includes a fifth transport section having an upward inclined transport path following the fourth transport section, and a substantially horizontal transport path following the fifth transport section. And a sixth transport section. In such a configuration, an ascending step portion is formed from the fourth transport section to the sixth transport section. It is preferable that the ascending step portion or the fifth transport section is set to a length shorter than the size of the substrate. As a result, the substrate uses the flexibility to form a line-shaped substrate step portion that follows the step portion on a part of the entire length of the substrate, and the substrate step portion is placed at the front end of the substrate at a speed equal to the conveyance speed. Passing through the upward step portion (fifth transport section) of the transport line while relatively moving in the direction opposite to the transport direction from the rear end to the rear end. In the ascending step portion (fifth transport section), the second processing liquid remaining on the substrate moves from the front end side of the substrate to the rear by gravity and flows down from the rear end of the substrate.

  According to a preferred aspect, gas is blown onto the substrate in the direction opposite to the transport direction to assist in draining the liquid (second processing liquid) from the substrate within the fifth or sixth transport section. A second air knife is provided.

  According to a preferred aspect, the second partition is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the fifth transport section and the sixth transport section to separate the surrounding space along the transport line into the upstream side and the downstream side. . An opening for passing the transport line is also formed in the second partition wall.

  According to a preferred aspect, the seventh conveyance section includes a seventh conveyance section having a substantially horizontal conveyance path at a position upstream of the first conveyance section and higher than the first conveyance section. And an eighth conveyance section having a downwardly inclined conveyance path between the seven conveyance sections and the first conveyance section. In such a configuration, the downward step portion is formed from the seventh transport section to the first transport section. The descending step portion can exhibit a function of blocking the first processing liquid supplied on the substrate from reaching the other unit or processing unit on the upstream side through the substrate. The ascending step, that is, the eighth conveyance section may be set to a length shorter than the size of the substrate. Further, a third partition wall may be provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the eighth transport section and the first transport section for separating the surrounding space along the transport line into the upstream side and the downstream side.

  In the present invention, the posture on the back of the substrate taken on the transport line includes not only a horizontal posture and a tilted posture in the transport direction but also a posture tilted in an arbitrary direction (for example, left and right lateral directions).

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the first processing liquid supplied to the substrate to be processed on the flat transport line is separated and recovered and replaced with the second processing liquid by the configuration and operation as described above. Can be performed efficiently and smoothly. In addition, the operation of separating and collecting the first processing liquid after a predetermined processing time and replacing it with the second processing liquid can be efficiently and uniformly performed. Furthermore, when carrying out a series of processes on a substrate while carrying the substrate to be processed on a flat-carrying transfer line, it is possible to simultaneously improve the continuity or throughput between processes and prevent mutual interference. It is.

  FIG. 1 shows a coating and developing treatment system as one configuration example to which the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied. The coating and developing processing system 10 is installed in a clean room. For example, a glass substrate for LCD is used as a substrate to be processed, and cleaning, resist coating, pre-baking, developing, post-baking and the like in a photolithography process are performed in the LCD manufacturing process. The processing is performed. The exposure process is performed by an external exposure apparatus 12 installed adjacent to this system.

  In the coating and developing system 10, a horizontally long process station (P / S) 16 is disposed at the center, and a cassette station (C / S) 14 and an interface station (I / F) are disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction (X direction). ) 18.

  The cassette station (C / S) 14 is a cassette loading / unloading port of the system 10, and arranges up to four cassettes C that can accommodate a plurality of substrates C in a horizontal direction (Y direction) by stacking substrates G in multiple stages. A cassette stage 20 that can be placed, and a transport mechanism 22 that takes in and out the substrate G to and from the cassette C on the stage 20 are provided. The transport mechanism 22 has a means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transport arm 22a, and can be operated with four axes of X, Y, Z, and θ, and the adjacent process station (P / S) 16 side and the substrate G Delivery is now possible.

  In the process station (P / S) 16, the processing units are arranged in the order of the process flow or the process on a pair of parallel and opposite lines A and B extending in the horizontal system longitudinal direction (X direction). More specifically, the upstream process line A from the cassette station (C / S) 14 side to the interface station (I / F) 18 side includes a cleaning process unit 24, a first thermal processing unit 26, and The coating process section 28 and the second thermal processing section 30 are arranged in a horizontal row. Here, the cleaning process unit 24 includes a flat-flow excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 that share a single flat-flow conveyance line. The coating process unit 28 includes a resist coating unit (CT) 82, a reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 84, and an edge remover unit (ER) 86.

  On the other hand, in the downstream process line B from the interface station (I / F) 18 side to the cassette station (C / S) 14 side, a second thermal processing unit 30, a development processing unit 32, and a decolorization process are provided. The unit 34 and the third thermal processing unit 36 are arranged in a horizontal row. Here, the development process unit 32 and the decolorization process unit 34 are of a flat flow type and are connected by a common flat flow conveyance line.

  An auxiliary transfer space 38 is provided between the process lines A and B, and a shuttle 40 that can horizontally place the substrate G in units of one sheet is bidirectional in the line direction (X direction) by a drive mechanism (not shown). Can be moved to.

The first thermal processing unit 26 adjacent to the downstream side of the cleaning process unit 24 is provided with a vertical transfer mechanism 46 at the center along the process line A, and a plurality of units are arranged in multiple stages on both front and rear sides thereof. is doing. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 44 includes a substrate passing pass unit (PASS) 50, dehydrating baking heating units (DHP) 52 and 54, and an adhesion unit. (AD) 56 are stacked in order from the bottom. Here, the pass unit (PASS) 50 is used to receive the substrate G in a flat flow from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 side. Further, in the downstream multistage unit section (TB) 48, a substrate transfer pass unit (PASS) 60, cooling units ( COL ) 62, 64, and an adhesion unit (AD) 66 are stacked in order from the bottom. Here, the pass unit (PASS) 60 is for sending the substrate G in a flat flow toward the coating process section 28 side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical transport mechanism 46 can be moved up and down along a guide rail 68 extending in the vertical direction, and can be rotated or swiveled in the θ direction on the lift transport body 70. A revolving transport body 72 and a transport arm or tweezers 74 that can move back and forth in the front-rear direction while supporting the substrate G on the revolving transport body 72. A drive unit 76 for driving the lifting and lowering conveyance body 70 up and down is provided on the base end side of the vertical guide rail 68, and a driving unit 78 for driving the swiveling conveyance body 72 to rotate is attached to the lifting and lowering conveyance body 70. A drive unit 80 for advancing and retracting 74 is attached to the rotary transport body 72. Each drive part 76,78,80 may be comprised by the electric motor etc., for example. The transport mechanism 46 configured as described above can move up and down or swivel at high speed to access any unit in the adjacent multistage unit sections (TB) 44 and 48, and the shuttle 40 on the side of the auxiliary transport space 38 and the substrate G can be accessed. Can be handed over.

  The second thermal processing unit 30 adjacent to the downstream side of the coating process unit 28 also has the same configuration as that of the first thermal processing unit 26, and a vertical type is formed between both process lines A and B. , A multi-stage unit portion (TB) 88 is provided on the process line A side (last), and the other multi-stage unit portion (TB) 92 is provided on the process line B side (lead). Further, the third thermal processing unit 36 disposed on the downstream side of the developing process unit 32 has the same configuration as the first thermal processing unit 26 and the second thermal processing unit 30. Along the process line B, a vertical transport mechanism 100 and a pair of multi-stage unit parts (TB) 98 and 102 are provided on both front and rear sides thereof.

  The interface station (I / F) 18 includes a transfer device 104 for exchanging the substrate G with the adjacent exposure device 12, and a buffer stage (BUF) 106 and an extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) around the transfer device 104. ) 108 and peripheral device 110 are arranged. A stationary buffer cassette (not shown) is placed on the buffer stage (BUF) 106. The extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 is a stage for transferring a substrate having a cooling function, and is used when the substrate G is exchanged with the process station (P / S) 16 side. For example, the peripheral device 110 may have a configuration in which a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are stacked vertically. The transfer device 104 has a means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transfer arm 104a, and transfers the substrate G to and from the adjacent exposure device 12, each unit (BUF) 106, (EXT / COL) 108, (TITLER / EE) 110. Can be done.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure for one substrate G in this coating and developing processing system. First, in the cassette station (C / S) 14, the transport mechanism 22 takes out the substrate G from the predetermined cassette C on the stage 20 and transports it to the transport line of the cleaning process section 25 of the process station (P / S) 16. (Step S1).

  The substrate G is transported on the transport line in the direction of the process line A in the cleaning process section 24, and is subjected to ultraviolet cleaning and scrubbing by an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 on the way. A cleaning process and the like are sequentially performed (steps S2 and S3). The substrate G that has been cleaned in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 is placed on the transfer line, and the pass unit (PASS) in the upstream oven tower (TB) 44 of the first thermal processing unit 26. ) 50.

  In the first thermal processing section 26, the substrate G is rotated by a predetermined unit by a vertical transfer mechanism 46 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) 50 to one of the heating units (DHP) 52 and 54, where it undergoes a dehydration process (step S4). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL) 62 and 64, where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S5). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to one of the adhesion units (AD) 56 and 66, where it is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment (step S6). After completion of the hydrophobic treatment, the substrate G is cooled to a constant substrate temperature by one of the cooling units (COL) 62 and 64 (step S7). Finally, the substrate G is moved to the pass unit (PASS) 60 belonging to the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 48.

  As described above, in the first thermal processing unit 26, the substrate G is interposed between the upstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 44 and the downstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 48 via the transport mechanism 46. You can come and go arbitrarily. The second and third thermal processing units 30 and 36 can perform the same substrate transfer operation.

  The substrate G that has undergone a series of thermal or thermal processing as described above in the first thermal processing section 26 is adjacent to the downstream side from the pass unit (PASS) 60 in the downstream multistage unit section (TB) 48. Is moved to a resist coating unit (CT) 82 of the coating process unit 28.

  The substrate G is coated with a resist solution on the upper surface (surface to be processed) by a resist coating unit (CT) 82, for example, by spin coating, and immediately after that, it is subjected to a drying process by a reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 84 adjacent to the downstream side. Then, the unnecessary (unnecessary) resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate is removed by the edge remover unit (ER) 86 adjacent to the downstream side (step S8). Note that when a spinless slit coating method using a long nozzle, for example, is employed for the resist coating unit (CT) 82, edge rinsing after resist coating is unnecessary, and the edge remover unit (ER) 86 may be omitted. it can.

  The substrate G that has been subjected to the resist coating process as described above in the coating process unit 28 is a pass unit (PASS) that belongs to the upstream multi-stage unit unit (TB) 88 of the second thermal processing unit 30 located adjacent to the downstream side. Is passed on.

  Within the second thermal processing unit 30, the substrate G is rotated through a predetermined unit by the transport mechanism 90 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) to one of the heating units (PREBAKE), where it is subjected to baking after resist coating (step S9). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL), where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S10). Thereafter, the substrate G passes through the downstream side multistage unit (TB) 92 side pass unit (PASS) or without passing through the interface station (I / F) 18 side extension cooling stage (EXT COL). ) 108.

  In the interface station (I / F) 18, the substrate G is transferred from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 to the peripheral exposure device (EE) of the peripheral device 110, where the resist adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate G is removed. After receiving an exposure for removal at the time of development, it is sent to the adjacent exposure apparatus 12 (step S11).

  In the exposure device 12, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed to the resist on the substrate G. Then, when the substrate G that has undergone pattern exposure is returned from the exposure apparatus 12 to the interface station (I / F) 18 (step S11), it is first carried into a titler (TITLER) of the peripheral device 110, where there is a predetermined on the substrate. Predetermined information is written in the part (step S12). Thereafter, the substrate G is returned to the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108. Transfer of the substrate G in the interface station (I / F) 18 and exchange of the substrate G with the exposure apparatus 12 is performed by the transfer device 104.

  In the process station (P / S) 16, the transport mechanism 90 receives the exposed substrate G from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 108 in the second thermal processing unit 30, and the multi-stage unit unit on the process line B side (TB) The image is transferred to the development process unit 32 via the pass unit (PASS) in 92.

  In the developing process section 32, the substrate G received from the pass unit (PASS) in the multi-stage unit section (TB) 92 is flattened and carried into the developing unit (DEV) 94. In the development unit (DEV) 94, the substrate G is subjected to a series of development processes of development, rinsing, and drying while being transported on the flat transport line toward the downstream of the process line B (step S13). .

  The substrate G that has undergone the development process in the development process unit 32 is carried to the decolorization process unit 34 adjacent to the downstream side while being placed on a flat-flow conveyance line, where the decolorization process is performed by an i-ray irradiation unit (i-UV) 96. (Step S14). The substrate G that has been subjected to the decoloring process is transferred to the pass unit (PASS) in the upstream multistage unit section (TB) 98 of the third thermal processing section 36.

  In the third thermal processing section 36, the substrate G is first transferred from the pass unit (PASS) to one of the heating units (POBAKE), where it is subjected to post-baking (step S15). Next, the substrate G is transferred to a path cooling unit (PASS COL) in the downstream multi-stage unit section (TB) 102, where it is cooled to a predetermined substrate temperature (step S16). The transport mechanism 100 transports the substrate G in the third thermal processing unit 36.

  On the cassette station (C / S) 14 side, the transport mechanism 22 receives and receives the substrate G that has completed all the steps of the coating and developing process from the pass cooling unit (PASS COL) of the third thermal processing unit 36. The substrate G is accommodated in any one (usually the original) cassette C (step S1).

  In the coating and developing processing system 10, the present invention can be applied to the developing process section 32 and the cleaning process section 24 having a flat flow conveying line.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a development unit (DEV) 94 of the development process section 32 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows the overall configuration of the developing unit (DEV) 94 in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the developing unit (DEV) 94 is provided with a flat flow conveying line 120 extending in the horizontal direction (X direction) along the process line B, and from the upstream side along the conveying line 120. A developing unit 122, a rinse unit 124, and a drying unit 126 are provided in this order.

  The transport line 120 is formed by laying rollers 128 for transporting the substrate G in a supine posture with the processing surface facing upward in the transport direction (X direction) at regular intervals, and the second thermal processing unit 30. In the third thermal processing unit 36 (FIG. 1), the pass unit (PASS) in the multi-stage unit unit (TB) 92 in (FIG. 1) starts, passes through the development unit (DEV) 94 and the decoloring process unit 34. It terminates in a pass unit (PASS) in the multistage unit section (TB) 98. Each roller 128 of the conveyance line 120 is connected to a conveyance drive unit (not shown) having an electric motor, for example, via a transmission mechanism such as a gear mechanism or a belt mechanism.

The transport line 120 does not continue at the same height position from the start point to the end point in the transport direction (X direction), but has raised portions 120a and 120b and a stepped portion 120c at predetermined locations along the way. As shown in FIG. 4, nine transfer sections M ₁ , M ₂ , M ₃ , M ₄ , M ₅ , M ₆ , M, depending on the shape of the transfer path viewed from one side in the transfer direction (X direction). ₇ , M ₈ , M ₉ .

The first transport section M ₁ is set at a position slightly upstream (upstream side) from the start point P ₀ in the pass unit (PASS) of the multistage unit section (TB) 92 to the exit in the developing section 122. a segment between the section changes P ₁ of has a horizontal conveying path extending substantially horizontally aligned while maintaining the height position of the starting point P _0. The second conveyance section M ₂ is a section from the first section change point P ₁ to the second section change point P ₂ set near the boundary between the developing unit 122 and the rinse unit 124, and a conveyance path of the up-ramp climbing at a predetermined amount than the height position of the starting point P ₀ (e.g. 10 to 25 mm) high predetermined angle of inclination to the top of the first raised portion 120a (e.g. 2 to 5 °) .

The third transfer section M ₃ is a section from the second section change point P ₂ to the third section change point P ₃ set in the vicinity of the entrance of the rinse section 124, and the first raised section 120a. A downwardly inclined traveling path that descends at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 2 to 5 °) from the top of the vehicle to a first bottom position that is lower by a predetermined amount (for example, 10 to 25 mm) than that. The fourth transport section M ₄ is a section from the third section change point P ₃ near the entrance to the fourth section change point P ₄ set at a predetermined position inside the rinse section 124, A horizontal conveyance path extending substantially in a horizontal line at the same height as the first bottom position is provided.

The fifth transport section M ₅ is a section from the fourth section change point P ₄ to the fifth section change point P ₅ set at a position downstream of the fourth section change point P _{4 by a} predetermined distance in the rinse section 124. And an upwardly inclined traveling path that rises at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 2 to 5 °) to the top of the second raised portion 120b that is higher by a predetermined amount (for example, 10 to 25 mm) than the first bottom position. ing. The sixth transport section M ₆ is a section from the fifth section change point P ₅ to the sixth section change point P ₆ set at a position downstream of the fifth section change point P _{5 by a} predetermined distance in the rinse section 124. And a downwardly inclined traveling path that descends at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 2 to 5 °) from the top of the second raised portion 120b to a second bottom position that is lower by a predetermined amount (for example, 10 to 25 mm) than that. have.

The seventh transport section M ₇ is set within the rinse section 124 to a position downstream from the sixth section change point P _{6 by a} predetermined distance, that is, a position slightly ahead (upstream) from the outlet. This is a section up to the seventh section change point P ₇ , and has a horizontal conveyance path extending substantially in a horizontal straight line at the same height as the second bottom position. The eighth transport section M ₈ is a section from the seventh section change point P ₇ to the eighth section change point P ₈ set in the vicinity of the boundary between the rinse section 124 and the drying section 126. 2 has an upwardly inclined traveling path that rises at a predetermined inclination angle (for example, 2 to 5 °) to the upper position of the stepped portion 120c that is a predetermined amount (for example, 10 to 25 mm) higher than the bottom position.

The ninth transport section M ₉ is the pass section (PASS) of the multistage unit section (TB) 98 (FIG. 1) from the eighth section change point P ₈ through the drying section 126 and the decoloring process section 34 (FIG. 1). ), And has a horizontal runway extending in a horizontal straight line while maintaining the height of the upper position of the stepped portion 120c constant.

  In addition, it is preferable to change the course of the conveyance line 120 by drawing an appropriate radius of curvature in the vicinity thereof, rather than making a course change that bends at a steep angle at each section change point P, and the raised portions 120a and 120b It may have a trapezoidal shape with a flat (horizontal) top.

In the developing unit 122, a developer supply for discharging a developer having a reference density from above toward a predetermined position in the _first transport section M1 toward a horizontal substrate G moving on the transport line 120 by roller transport. One or a plurality of nozzles (hereinafter abbreviated as “developing nozzles”) 130 are arranged along the transport direction. Each developing nozzle 130 is composed of, for example, a slit-shaped discharge port or a long nozzle having a large number of fine-diameter discharge ports arranged in a row, and the developer is supplied from a developer supply source (not shown) through a pipe. It is supposed to be liquid.

  In the developing unit 122, a pan 132 is also provided for collecting developer that has fallen under the transport line 120. The drain port of the pan 132 communicates with the developer reuse mechanism 136 via the drain pipe 134. The developer reuse mechanism 136 collects the developer spilled when the developer is deposited on the substrate G by the developer nozzle 130 through the pan 132 and the drain pipe 134, and the stock solution and the solvent are added to the collected developer. In addition, a recycled developer adjusted to a reference density is sent to the developer supply source.

In the rinsing section 124, liquid replacement (development) is performed from above toward a substrate G passing through the downward slope of the first raised section 120 a of the transport line 120 at a predetermined position in the _third transport section M ₃ near the entrance. One or a plurality of first rinse liquid supply nozzles (hereinafter abbreviated as “rinse nozzles”) 138 for discharging a rinse liquid for stoppage are arranged along the transport direction. In addition, a rinsing liquid for cleaning is discharged from above toward the substrate G passing through the rising slope of the second raised portion 120b of the transfer line 120 at a predetermined position in the _fifth transfer section M5 in the center. One or a plurality of second rinse nozzles 140 are arranged along the transport direction. Further, a rinsing liquid for finishing cleaning is applied from above to the substrate G passing through the descending slope of the second raised portion 120b of the transfer line 120 at a predetermined position in the _sixth transfer section M6 adjacent to the downstream side. One or a plurality of third rinse nozzles 142 for discharging are arranged along the transport direction. Further, a fourth rinse nozzle that discharges a rinse liquid for final cleaning from above toward the substrate G that goes up the ascending step 120c of the transport line 120 at a predetermined position in the _eighth transport section M8 near the outlet. One or a plurality 145 are arranged along the transport direction. Each of the rinsing nozzles 138, 140, 142, and 145 is, for example, a long nozzle having the same configuration as the developer nozzle 130, and is supplied with a rinsing liquid via a pipe from a rinsing liquid supply source (not shown). It has become.

  A pan 144 is provided in the rinsing section 124 for collecting the rinse liquid that has fallen under the transport line 120. The drain port of the pan 144 communicates with a rinse liquid recovery unit (not shown) via a drain pipe 146. Although not shown in the drawing, a lower rinse nozzle that sprays a rinse solution for cleaning on the lower surface of the substrate G from below the transfer line 120 may be provided.

In the drying unit 126, the ninth liquid at a predetermined position near the starting end, from above the conveying direction and opposite toward the substrate G immediately came up with the step portion 120c of the transfer line 120 of the transport section M ₉ in One or a plurality of long gas nozzles or air knives 148 for applying a high-pressure gas flow for cutting or drying (usually an air flow) are arranged along the transport direction. A lower air knife (not shown) for applying a high-pressure gas flow for draining or drying from the bottom of the transfer line 120 toward the lower surface of the substrate G can also be installed. Moreover, you may provide the bread | pan (not shown) for collecting the liquid which fell under the conveyance line 120 in the drying part 126. FIG.

  An i-ray irradiation unit (i-UV) that irradiates the decoloring process unit 34 adjacent to the downstream side with i-rays (wavelength 365 nm) for decolorization processing from above toward the substrate G that moves by roller conveyance on the conveyance line 120. 96 is provided.

The developing unit (DEV) 94 accommodates the developing unit 122, the rinsing unit 124, and the drying unit 126 in an integral housing 150, and a boundary space between the different processing units is surrounded by a surrounding space along the transport line 120. Partition walls 152 and 154 extending in the vertical direction for separating the upstream side and the downstream side are provided. More specifically, the partition wall 152 is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the developing unit 122 and the boundary, that the second transport section M ₂ and the third transport section M ₃ of the rinsing section 124, a rinsing portion 124 and the drying unit 126 A partition wall 154 is provided in the vicinity of the boundary, that is, in the vicinity of the boundary between the eighth transport section M ₈ and the ninth transport section M ₉ . Openings 156 and 158 through which the conveyance line 120 passes are formed in the partition walls 152 and 154, respectively.

  In the developing unit (DEV) 94, spaces in the processing units 122, 124, and 126 communicate with each other through openings 156 and 158 in the partition walls 152 and 154. In the developing unit 122 and the drying unit 126, clean air is lowered from the ceiling by the fans 160 and 162 for drawing outdoor air and the air filters 164 and 166 for removing dust from the air flow from the fans 160 and 162. It is designed to be supplied indoors with a flow. Among these, the clean air supplied from the ceiling of the developing unit 122 flows into the chamber of the rinse unit 124 through the opening 156 of the partition wall 152 so as to involve the mist of the developer generated during the developing process. On the other hand, the clean air supplied from the ceiling of the drying unit 126 flows into the chamber of the rinse unit 124 through the opening 158 of the partition wall 154 so as to involve the mist of the rinse liquid generated in the drying (liquid draining) process. It is like that. At the bottom of the rinsing part 124, an exhaust port 170 leading to an exhaust mechanism 168 having an exhaust pump or an exhaust fan, for example, is provided. As described above, the mist mixed air flowing in from the developing unit 122 side and the mist mixed air flowing in from the drying unit 126 side also include the mist generated in the rinse unit 124 and merge from the left and right. The gas is discharged from the exhaust port 170.

  Here, the overall operation of the developing unit (DEV) 94 will be described. As described above, the substrate G that has undergone a series of post-exposure heat treatments in the second thermal processing unit 30 (FIG. 1) is carried into the pass unit (PASS) of the multi-stage unit unit (TB) 92 by the transport mechanism 90. The As shown in FIG. 4, in this pass unit (PASS), a lift pin lifting mechanism 172 for receiving the substrate G from the transport mechanism 90 (FIG. 1) is provided. When the substrate G is horizontally transferred onto the transport line 120 by the lift pin lifting mechanism 172, the substrate G is transported toward the adjacent developing unit (DEV) 94 by roller transport at a constant speed by driving the transport driving unit. The

In the developing unit (DEV) 94, first, in the developing unit 122, the developing solution is supplied from the stationary developing nozzle 130 while the substrate G moves in a horizontal posture in the _first transport section M1 of the transport line 120. On the substrate G, a developer is deposited from the front end of the substrate toward the rear end of the substrate at a scanning speed equal to the transport speed. The developer spilled from the substrate G is collected by the pan 132.

The substrate G on which the developer is deposited as described above immediately rises in the second conveying section M ₂ and ascends the upward slope of the first raised portion 120a, where the developer on the substrate G is below, that is, behind. It moves by gravity to flow down from the rear edge of the substrate. The developer that has flowed down is collected in the pan 132. At this time, on the substrate G, the developer is drained at a moving speed substantially equal to the transport speed from the front end side to the rear end side of the substrate. In this way, the substrate G that has overcome the first raised portion 120a remains on the upper slope of the substrate G in the downward inclined path (third transport section M ₃ ) on the rinse portion 124 side with the developer remaining as a very thin liquid film. Approaching.

In the rinse section 124, when the substrate G descend a third downlink ramp transport section M ₃ of, by the upper rinse nozzle 138 to supply the rinse liquid on the substrate G, remains thinly to each part of the substrate G The developing solution flows forward under the pressure of gravity and the flow of the rinsing solution and is ejected from the front end of the substrate. The developing solution and the rinsing solution that have flowed forward of the substrate G are collected by the pan 144. In this way, the developing solution is replaced with the rinsing solution at a scanning speed substantially equal to the transport speed from the front end side to the rear end side of the substrate G, and development stops.

The substrate G that has been subjected to the development processing as described above passes through the horizontal fourth transport section M ₄ , and goes up the ascending slope of the second raised portion 120 b in the next fifth transport section M ₅ . At this time, the rinsing liquid for replacement remaining on the substrate G moves backward from the front end side of the substrate by gravity and flows down from the rear end of the substrate. Further, a rinse liquid for primary cleaning is supplied from the upper rinse nozzle 140 onto the substrate G, and this new rinse liquid also flows down from the rear end of the substrate while expelling the old rinse liquid. The rinse liquid that has flowed down to the rear of the substrate is collected by the pan 144. Thus, the substrate G beyond the top of the second raised portion 120b has a downward sloping path (sixth of the second raised portion 120b) in a state in which the rinse liquid for primary cleaning remains as a thin liquid film on the upper surface of the substrate G. The transport section M ₆ ) is reached.

Next, when the substrate G descends the down slope (M ₆ ) of the second raised portion 120b, a new rinse liquid for secondary cleaning is supplied onto the substrate G by the upper rinse nozzle 142, and the substrate G The new rinse liquid also flows down from the front end of the substrate while chasing the primary cleaning liquid remaining thinly on the front. The rinse liquid that has flowed down in front of the substrate G is collected by the pan 144.

The substrate G that has been subjected to the rinsing process as described above passes through the horizontal seventh transport section M ₇ and goes up the slope of the ascending step 120 c in the next eighth transport section M ₈ . At this time, the finishing rinse liquid remaining on the substrate G moves from the substrate front end side to the rear by gravity and flows down from the substrate rear end. Further, a rinse liquid for final cleaning is supplied onto the substrate G from the upper rinse nozzle 145, and this new rinse liquid also flows down from the rear end of the substrate while expelling the old rinse liquid. The rinse liquid that has flowed down to the rear of the substrate G is collected by the pan 144. Then, the substrate G is up the step portion 120c, enters the upper搬走path in the transport section M ₆ of the drying section 126 side, that is the ninth, high pressure gas stream in the conveying direction and opposite Efunaifu 148 to the substrate G Is applied, the remaining rinsing liquid on the substrate G is moved toward the rear of the substrate and driven out from the rear end of the substrate (liquid drained). The rinse liquid that has been blown behind the substrate G is collected by the pan 144.

  The substrate G that has completed a series of development processing steps in the development unit (DEV) 32 moves straight on the transport line 120 as it is and undergoes decoloring processing in the decoloring process unit 34 adjacent to the downstream side, and then the multistage unit unit. (TB) sent to the pass unit (PASS) of 98 (FIG. 1).

  As described above, in the development unit (DEV) 32 of this embodiment, the substrate G moves by roller conveyance at a constant speed on the conveyance line 120 that cuts the unit, and the developing unit 122, The rinsing unit 124 and the drying unit 126 are sequentially subjected to development processing, rinsing processing, and drying processing, respectively.

In particular, in the developing unit 122, the developer is deposited on the substrate G in a horizontal posture at a predetermined position on the horizontal transport path (M ₁ ), and is located at a position away from the downstream of the transport line 120 by a predetermined distance. The developer is drained or the development is stopped using gravity on the slope of the first raised portion 120a. In particular, since most of the developer on the substrate G falls backward when the substrate G climbs the upward slope (M ₂ ) of the first raised portion 120a, the substrate is purposely stopped and lifted to change the inclination from the horizontal posture. There is no need to change posture. In addition, when the substrate G gets over the upward slope (M ₂ ), the rinsing liquid for liquid replacement is formed on the downward slope (M ₃ ) without putting any hair before the upper surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate G is dried. Since it is supplied, it is possible to prevent development defects (occurrence of spots, etc.) due to undesired drying before liquid replacement. Further, since the direction and speed of scanning at which each part on the substrate G removes or stops development is equal to the direction and speed of scanning when the developer is deposited on each part on the substrate G, the development time In-plane uniformity, and thus development uniformity can be improved. Also, the substrate bulge or slope formed when the substrate G passes through the bulge 120a is local (grooved), and the flow of the developer on the substrate is slow and slow when viewed as a whole. Yes. As a result, turbulent flow and liquid cracking hardly occur in the liquid on the substrate. In this regard, in the conventional method in which the entire substrate is suddenly changed from a horizontal posture to a tilted posture of a predetermined angle, the developer that rapidly flows down on the substrate is liable to cause turbulent flow and liquid cracking, which causes development unevenness. There was a thing.

In the rinse section 124, when the substrate G passes through the second raised portion 120b of the transfer line 120, the primary cleaning is performed on the upward inclined path (M ₅ ) and the secondary cleaning is performed on the downward inclined path (M ₆ ). Is done. Since the rinse liquid on the substrate G naturally flows down to the rear or front of the substrate by gravity on the ramps (M ₅ , M ₆ ), the substrate can be cleaned efficiently. It should be noted that the rinse liquid on the substrate G is drawn rearward and falls from the rear end of the substrate when passing through the ascending ramp (M ₅ ). Therefore, the rinsing nozzle 140 for supplying cleaning water through the ascending ramp (M ₅ ). Can be omitted. However, it is very efficient to perform the primary cleaning on the upward slope (M ₅ ) in order to quickly wash away the rinse solution used for the development stop with the minimum required cleaning water. Therefore, rather than arranging a plurality of rinse nozzles 142 only on the down slope (M ₆ ) side, it is more costly to arrange one of them as the rinse nozzle 140 for primary cleaning on the up slope (M ₅ ) side. Excellent in terms of performance.

  In this embodiment, the rinsing nozzle 145 provided slightly above the upstream stepped portion 120c has the same effect as the rinsing nozzle 140. Therefore, the second raised portion 120b is omitted, that is, a horizontal straight line. A configuration that replaces the conveyance path is also possible. In that case, the rinse nozzles 140 and 142 may be arranged along the horizontal conveyance path or may be omitted.

In the drying unit 126, when the substrate G passes through the stepped portion 120c of the transfer line 120, most of the rinsing liquid remaining on the substrate G in the upward inclined path (M ₈ ) naturally flows down to the rear of the substrate by gravity. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of air knives 148 arranged on the upper horizontal conveyance path (M ₉ ) side and the consumption of the drying gas. It is also possible to install the air knife 148 above the ascending ramp (M ₈ ).

  Further, in the housing 150 of the developing unit (DEV) 32, a clean air flow supplied from a clean air supply unit (160, 164) provided in the developing unit 122 flows from the developing unit 122 to the rinse unit 124, and a drying unit 126. A clean air flow supplied from a clean air supply unit (162, 166) provided in the drying unit 126 is allowed to flow from the drying unit 126 to the rinse unit 124. The mist generated in the developing unit 122 and the drying unit 126 is quickly collected in the rinsing unit 124, and the mist does not flow back from the rinsing unit 124 to the developing unit 122 and the drying unit 126. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently and surely prevent mist from reattaching to the substrate G in the developing unit 122 and the drying unit 126. In the rinsing section 124, even if mist adheres to the substrate G, it is immediately washed out together with the rinsing liquid, so there is no problem.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13, examples and actions of each part in the developing unit (DEV) 32 of this embodiment will be described.

As described above, when the substrate G on which the developing solution is piled up the ascending slope M ₂ of the raised portion 120 a of the transport line 120, the solution on the substrate G is moved toward the rear of the substrate by gravity. At this time, since the surface tension works and it is difficult for the developer to fall from the rear end of the substrate G, an appropriate external force or action for accelerating the smooth or uniform flow of the developer by breaking the surface tension is given. Is preferred.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a roller conveyance path suitable for use in the upward inclined path M ₂ from this viewpoint. In this configuration example, two types of rollers 128 </ b> A and 128 </ b> B are used for the roller 128 of the transfer line 120 according to the transfer section. Specifically, the first type roller 128A constituting the horizontal conveyance path M ₁ and the downward inclined conveyance path M ₃ is formed by fixing large-diameter roller portions 174 to several portions of a relatively thin shaft 172, and the roller portion. A substrate G is placed on 174 and rotated. The second type roller 128B used for the up slope M ₂ has a columnar or cylindrical shaft 176 having the same diameter as the first type roller portion 174, and rotates with the substrate G placed on the shaft 176 itself. It has become. In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of, for example, a rubber non-slip ring 177 is attached to the second type roller 128B at an appropriate interval in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the second type roller 128B pushes and feeds the rear end of the substrate G, the shaft 176 of the roller 128B touches the entire rear end edge of the substrate G. The developer R is spilled down from the whole so as to be wound around the shaft 176.

  In FIG. 5, each roller 128 (128A, 128B) is rotatably supported at both ends by a bearing 178, and a belt transmission mechanism is attached to a gear pulley 180 attached to an end outside the bearing 178 on one end side. A timing belt 182 is wound around. The timing belt 182 is connected to a rotation drive shaft of a conveyance drive unit (not shown) made of an electric motor. Note that the gear pulley 180 and the timing belt 182 of each roller 128 are disposed outside the housing 150.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an idler pulley 184 is disposed between the adjacent rollers 128, 128. Each idler pulley 184 includes an on position (a position indicated by a solid line) for winding the timing belt 182 around each gear pulley 180, and an off position (a position indicated by a chain line) for removing the timing belt 182 from each gear pulley 180. Can be switched between.

FIG. 8 shows another method for assisting the spilling of the developer from the rear end of the substrate G in the upward slope M ₂ of the transport line 120. In this method, a gas nozzle or an air knife 186 is disposed at an appropriate position on the upward ramp M ₂ , for example, the position of the ridge, and high-pressure gas (usually high-pressure air) is supplied from the gas nozzle 186 toward the rear end of the substrate G. The developer R is ejected temporarily or instantaneously, and the developer R is dropped backward from the rear end of the substrate G with the pressure of the high-pressure gas.

The configuration shown in FIG. 9 is suitable for use when the uphill slope M ₂ of the conveying line 120 is formed with a steep slope, and as shown in the drawing, a belt-like endless belt 188 between adjacent rollers 128, 128 is used. I am passing. When the substrate G changes from the previous horizontal movement to the upward movement at the entrance of the ascending ramp M ₂ , the front end of the substrate G can be placed on the belt 188 and smoothly transferred to the upper roller 122.

The configuration shown in FIG. 10 is for to reliably prevent the rear end portion of the substrate G in draining the upstream ramp M ₂ of the conveyor line 120 of puddle of developer remains, up ramps M ₂ A pair of rollers 190 that are in contact with the left and right edge portions of the substrate G at a predetermined height position are disposed above, preferably at a position slightly upstream from the top.

When the substrate G passes through the ascending ramp M ₂ , the liquid on the substrate G is moved toward the rear of the substrate by gravity and flows down from the rear end of the substrate, but most of the substrate G moves to the descending ramp M ₃ side from the front end of the substrate. And the rear end portion of the substrate G is separated upward from the ascending ramp M ₂ . At this time, if the rear end portion of the substrate G jumps greatly as shown by a chain line G ′, a developer pool may remain at the rear end portion of the substrate G. However, according to this configuration example, even if the rear end portion of the substrate G is separated upward from the ascending ramp M ₂ , the backward tilt posture can be maintained near the top while being restricted by the height of the roller 190. The liquid draining can be carried out to the last minute. In addition, the structure which rotationally drives the roller 190 in the direction which sends the board | substrate G ahead is also possible.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration in which an air knife 192 for promoting liquid draining is disposed above the upward inclined path M ₂ of the transport line 120. When the substrate G goes up the upward slope M ₂ , the air knife 192 blows down the air flow from above, thereby facilitating the backward flow of the developer on the substrate G. This configuration can be suitably applied when the inclination angle and altitude difference of the ascending ramp M ₂ are small.

  In addition, the embodiment (FIGS. 5 to 11) of each part described above is not limited to the application to the first raised part 120a of the transfer line 120, but also to the second raised part 120b and the stepped part 120c. Applicable.

FIG. 12 schematically shows the action of the liquid treatment when the substrate G passes through the first raised portion 120a on the transfer line 120. As shown in the figure, the substrate G uses the flexibility to form a protruding substrate raised portion Ga that follows the raised portion 120a on a part of the entire length, and the substrate raised portion at _a speed equal to the conveyance speed. the G _a to pass through the ridges 120a of the conveyor line 120 while relatively moving in a direction opposite to the conveying direction from the front end of the substrate to the rear end. The section length of the first raised portion 120a in the transport direction, that is, the total length of the transport sections M ₂ and M ₃ is, for example, around several tens of centimeters, and is shorter than the total length of the substrate G (for example, 100 to 250 cm).

In the upward inclined path M ₂ , the developer R flows on the substrate G toward the rear of the substrate due to gravity, and the liquid film of the developer R is in a liquid state at a speed substantially equal to the transport speed from the front end to the rear end of the substrate G. To the state of the thin film R ′. When the state of the thin film R ′ is reached, the development reaches the final stage (for example, 95% or more).

When the substrate G moves in the downward ramp M ₃ beyond the apex of the raised portion 120a, by supplying a rinse liquid S in strip discharge flow from above the rinse nozzle 138, the rinse liquid S on the substrate G is an incoming The developing solution R ′ in the thin film state is immediately replaced with the rinsing solution S in the vicinity of the liquid line, and the development is completely stopped. The replaced developer R ′ flows forward and falls from the front end of the substrate. At this time, since the development in the region where the developing solution R ′ replaced with the rinsing solution flows has already been stopped (a little ahead), it is not affected by the progress of the development. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, while the developer R flows in the region on the rear end side of the substrate across the raised portion 120a, the rinsing liquid S flows in the region on the front end side of the substrate. The raised portion 120a of the transfer line 120 can be passed while maintaining a stable posture with the weight of the liquid. Further, when the substrate G passes through the raised portion 120a, different liquids (developer and rinsing liquid) can be supplied before and after the top, that is, the front end side and the rear end side of the substrate without being mixed. Uneven development can be prevented. Incidentally, when the developing solution and the rinsing solution are mixed on the substrate G, the concentration of the solution is different at each part on the substrate G, and uneven development tends to occur. Further, different liquids on the substrate can be efficiently collected and collected in the individual pans 132 and 144 within a short distance or space without stopping the conveyance of the substrate G.

  Even in the second raised portion 120b of the transfer line 120, the same action as that of the first raised portion 120a is achieved only by the difference in liquid. But as above-mentioned, it is also possible to exclude the 2nd protruding part 120b and to comprise this area by a horizontal straight runway.

FIG. 13 schematically shows the action of draining when the substrate G passes through the stepped portion 120c (transport section M ₈ ) of the transport line 120. As shown, the substrate G is a substrate stepped portion in its flexibility by using to form a substrate stepped portion G _c part on the step portion 120c to follow a linear full-length a, and equal to the conveying speed velocity the G _c passing through the upstream step portion 120c of the conveyor line 120 while relatively moving in a direction opposite to the conveying direction from the front end of the substrate to the rear end (M _8).

In the ascending step 120c (M ₈ ), the rinse liquid S used on the substrate G and the new rinse liquid S supplied onto the substrate G from the rinse nozzle 145 flow toward the rear of the substrate due to gravity, and the front end of the substrate G The liquid film of the rinsing liquid S changes from the substantially liquid state to the thin film S ′ at a speed substantially equal to the conveying speed from the rear to the rear end. When the substrate G passes the step 120c (M ₈ ) and enters the upper horizontal transport path M ₉ , a high-pressure gas flow is blown from the upper air knife 148 with a knife-like discharge flow in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction. The rinse solution S ′ remaining in the thin film state on the substrate G is uprooted and moved toward the rear end side of the substrate and removed from the substrate.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the cleaning process unit 24 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 shows a configuration in the cleaning process unit 24 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the cleaning process unit 24 is provided with a flat transport line 200 extending in the horizontal direction (X direction) along the process line A, and the excimer irradiation unit (e -UV) 41 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 are arranged. In the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, a carry-in unit 202, a scrubbing cleaning unit 204, a blow cleaning unit 206, a rinse unit 208, a drying unit 210, and a carry-out unit 212 are provided in this order from the upstream side.

  The transfer line 200 is formed by laying rollers 214 for transferring the substrate G in a supine posture with the processing surface facing upward in the transfer direction (X direction) at a predetermined interval, and starts at the entrance of the cleaning process unit 24. Pass through the excimer irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, and pass units (PASS) in the multistage unit section (TB) 44 in the first thermal processing section 26 (FIG. 1). ) 50 (FIG. 2). Each roller 214 of the conveyance line 200 is connected to a conveyance drive unit (not shown) having an electric motor, for example, via a transmission mechanism such as a gear mechanism or a belt mechanism.

  The transport line 200 does not continue at the same height position from the start point to the end point in the transport direction (X direction), but has raised portions 200a, 200b, an ascending step portion 200c, and a descending step portion 200d at predetermined locations along the way. have. More specifically, a first raised portion 200a is provided in the carry-in portion 202, a second raised portion 200b is provided in the blow cleaning portion 206, an ascending step portion 200c is provided in the rinse portion 208, and drying is performed. A descending step portion 200d is provided in the vicinity of the boundary between the portion 210 and the carry-out portion 212, and the conveyance sections other than the undulating portions are formed in a horizontal straight conveyance path.

  The excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 is provided with a lamp chamber 218 in which an ultraviolet lamp 216 is accommodated above the transport line 200. The ultraviolet lamp 216 is composed of, for example, a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, and irradiates the substrate G on the transport line 200 directly below the substrate G on the transport line 200 with a wavelength 172 nm suitable for cleaning organic contamination through the quartz glass window 220. It has become. A concave reflector 222 having a circular arc cross section is provided behind or above the ultraviolet lamp 216.

  In the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, a fan filter unit (FFU) 224 that supplies clean air in a downflow is attached to the ceiling of the carry-in unit 202. No particular tools such as nozzles and air knives are provided above the first raised portion 200a.

  In the scrubbing cleaning unit 204, an air curtain nozzle 226, a chemical solution supply nozzle 228, a roll brush 230, and a cleaning spray pipe 232 are arranged in order from the upstream side along the conveyance path line 200. The air curtain nozzle 226 is disposed so as to blow a slit-shaped air flow toward the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the upper surface of the substrate G that passes immediately below. A second type roller 214B having a cylindrical shaft over its entire length is disposed directly below the air curtain nozzle 226. The chemical solution supply nozzle 228, the roll brush 230, and the cleaning spray tube 232 may be provided on both upper and lower sides of the conveyance line 200.

  In the blow cleaning unit 206, for example, a two-fluid jet nozzle 234 is provided as a blow cleaning nozzle above the ascending slope of the second raised portion 200b. In the rinse portion 208, a rinse nozzle 236 is provided above the ascending step portion 200c. An air knife 238 is provided in the drying unit 210 above the horizontal conveyance path. Note that the rinse nozzle 236 and the air knife 238 may be provided on both upper and lower sides of the conveyance line 200. The blow cleaning unit 206 can also be provided with a lower rinse nozzle (not shown) for spraying a cleaning rinse liquid on the lower surface (back surface) of the substrate G from below the transfer line 200. A fan filter unit (FFU) 240 that supplies clean air in a downflow is also attached to the ceiling of the carry-out unit 212. A tool such as a nozzle or an air knife is not particularly provided above the descending step portion 200d.

  Partitions 242, 244, 246, 248, 250, and 252 are respectively provided between adjacent units or processing units 41, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, and 212. Further, pans 254, 256, 258, and 260 for collecting the liquid that has fallen under the transport line 200 are provided in the processing units 204, 206, 208, and 210 that handle the liquid, respectively. A recovery system or a drain system pipe is connected to a drain port provided at the bottom of each pan. Further, an exhaust port 262 leading to an exhaust mechanism (not shown) having an exhaust pump or an exhaust fan, for example, is provided at the bottom of the blow cleaning unit 206 located at the center of the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42. .

Here, the overall operation and action of the cleaning process section 24 will be described.

As described above, the unprocessed substrate G is loaded onto the transfer line 200 by the transfer mechanism 22 on the cassette station (C / S) 14 side, and transferred toward the downstream side of the process line A by flat flow by roller transfer. come.

  In the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41, ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 216 in the lamp chamber 218 pass through the quartz glass window 220 and are irradiated onto the substrate G on the transport line 200. Oxygen in the vicinity of the substrate surface is excited by the ultraviolet rays to generate ozone, and organic substances on the substrate surface are oxidized and vaporized and removed by the ozone.

  The substrate G thus subjected to the ultraviolet cleaning process by the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 enters the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 on the downstream side and passes through the first raised portion 200a in the carry-in portion 202. To the scrubbing cleaning unit 204.

  In the scrubbing cleaning unit 204, the substrate G is first sprayed with, for example, an acid or alkaline chemical solution from the chemical solution nozzle 228. Since the chemical solution remaining on the substrate G receives an air flow from the air curtain nozzle 226, it does not flow upstream on the substrate G and enter the loading portion 202 side. Further, the cylindrical roller 214B functions so as to prevent the liquid from traveling to the carry-in portion 202 side along the back surface of the substrate G by being transported while closing the back surface side of the substrate G. The substrate G supplied with the chemical solution passes immediately after rubbing under the roll brush 230. The roll brush 230 rotates in a direction opposite to the conveying direction by a rotational driving force of a brush driving unit (not shown) and scrapes off foreign matters (dust, debris, contaminants, etc.) on the substrate surface. Immediately thereafter, the cleaning spray tube 232 sprays a cleaning liquid such as pure water on the substrate G to wash away foreign substances floating on the substrate. The liquid that has fallen under the substrate G or the transport line 200 in the scrubbing cleaning unit 204 is collected by the pan 254.

  Thereafter, the substrate G enters the blow cleaning unit 206, reaches the second raised portion 200b, and is subjected to blow cleaning by the two-fluid jut nozzle 234 when going up the upward inclined path. The two-fluid jet nozzle 234 is configured to apply a pressurized cleaning liquid (for example, water) and a pressurized gas (for example, water) toward the place where the film thickness of the liquid is thin on the substrate G that goes up the ascending ramp of the second raised portion 200b. For example, a foreign fluid adhering to or remaining on the surface of the substrate G is removed with a very strong impact force of the pressurized two fluids. Most of the liquid on the substrate G is blown down (upstream) on the uphill side of the raised portion 200 b and collected by the pan 256. On the substrate G, almost no liquid is brought into the down slope side of the raised portion 200b, that is, the rinse portion 208.

  In the rinse part 208, the rinse nozzle 236 supplies the rinse liquid for final cleaning toward the board | substrate G which goes up the ascending level | step difference part 200c. The rinsing liquid supplied on the substrate G flows on the substrate toward the rear end side of the substrate, and most of the rinsing liquid falls on the pan 258 in the rinsing portion 208. In this manner, the method of performing the rinsing process by spraying the rinsing liquid on the inclined substrate G that rises up the stepped portion 200c is more liquid than the conventional method of spraying the rinsing liquid on the horizontal substrate. The flow and replacement efficiency are good, and the amount of rinse solution used can be greatly reduced.

  When the substrate G reaches the uphill step portion 200c and enters the section of the horizontal transport path, the F knife 238 waits and applies a high-pressure gas flow to the substrate G in the direction opposite to the transport direction. As a result, the rinsing liquid remaining on the substrate G is moved toward the rear of the substrate and driven out (removed) from the rear end of the substrate.

  The clean air supplied by the downflow from the fan filter unit (FFU) 224 on the ceiling of the carry-in portion 202 flows into the chamber of the blow cleaning unit 206 through the openings (substrate passages) of the partition walls 244 and 246, and At this time, mist such as a chemical generated in the scrubbing cleaning unit 204 is also carried into the blow cleaning unit 206. On the other hand, the clean air supplied by the down flow from the fan filter unit (FFU) 240 on the ceiling of the carry-out unit 212 passes through the openings (substrate passages) of the partition walls 252, 250, and 248 and enters the blow cleaning unit 206. The mist such as the rinse liquid generated in the drying chamber 210 and the rinsing unit 208 at that time is also carried into the blow cleaning unit 206. In this way, the mist mixed air flowing from the carry-in unit 202 side and the mist mixed air flowing from the carry-out unit 212 side also join the mist generated in the blow cleaning unit 206 from the left and right to join together. It is discharged from the exhaust port 262. Therefore, mist generated in the blow cleaning unit 206 does not enter the adjacent chamber, particularly the rinse unit 124.

  As described above, in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, the raised portion 200b and the ascending step portion 200c are provided in the middle of the flat conveying line 200, and the blow cleaning nozzle or the rinse nozzle is provided above or in the vicinity thereof. With the configuration in which tools such as the above are arranged, the same effects as the developing unit (DEV) 32 according to the first embodiment described above can be obtained with respect to the liquid processing on the substrate G.

  Further, the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 is provided with a raised portion 200 a in the inlet or carry-in portion 202 and a descending step portion 200 d in the outlet or carry-out portion 212.

  The operation of the raised portion 200a provided in the carry-in portion 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the air curtain nozzle 226 is omitted.

  The chemical solution K dripped onto the substrate G from the chemical solution supply nozzle 228 in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 spreads upstream (particularly with a chain line 270) as shown in FIGS. (Spreading at the center of the substrate as shown in FIG. 4) is prevented.

  Further, when an alarm is suddenly generated during the operation of the system and the transfer line 200 stops, each substrate G that has moved on the transfer line 200 stops at each position during the liquid processing. At this time, even if the substrate G stops across the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42, the chemical solution K on the substrate G is still raised as shown in FIG. Intrusion into the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 is blocked (blocked) by the wall of 200a.

  If chemicals or other liquids enter the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41, the quartz glass window 220, the ultraviolet lamp 216, etc. may be deteriorated or broken down. Therefore, conventionally, a spatial separation or buffer area for one substrate is provided between the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 and the chemical solution supply nozzle 224. According to this embodiment, it is possible to omit such a large buffer area by the blocking function of the raised portion 200a as described above, and it is arranged at the most upstream side on the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 side. The processing liquid supply nozzle 224 can be arranged as close to the excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 41 as possible. It should be noted that the raised portion 200a can be replaced with a descending step portion.

  The descending step portion 200d in the carry-out portion 212 is for aligning the start point and the end point of the transport line 200 at the same height position. As described above, when the descending step portion is provided in the carry-in portion 202, the descending step portion 200d is not required in the unloading portion 212.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications or changes can be made within the scope of the technical idea. For example, the raised portions and stepped portions as described above can be installed in any order and at any location in the transport line 120 of the developing process unit 32 or the transport line 200 of the cleaning process unit 24. For example, in the transport line 120 of the developing process unit 32, it is possible to provide a raised portion or a descending step portion near the entrance of the developing unit 122. This prevents the developer supplied on the substrate G from the developing nozzle 130 from reaching another unit on the upstream side, or matches the height position of the start point of the transport line 120 to the height position of the end point. it can. Further, the configuration or function of the air curtain nozzle 226 and the cylindrical roller 214B provided in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 42 can be applied to the developing unit (DEV) 94. Although the posture of the substrate G on the transfer lines 120 and 200 in the above embodiment is a horizontal posture or a tilted posture in the front-rear direction (X direction), it can be tilted in the left-right direction (Y direction) or other directions. It is.

  Although the above-described embodiments relate to the development processing apparatus and the cleaning processing apparatus, the present invention is applicable to any processing apparatus that performs a desired process on a substrate using one type or a plurality of types of processing solutions. . The substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to an LCD substrate, and various substrates for flat panel displays, semiconductor wafers, CD substrates, glass substrates, photomasks, printed substrates, and the like are also possible.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the application | coating development processing system which can apply this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the thermal process part in the said application | coating development processing system. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in the said application | coating development processing system. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating an overall configuration in the developing unit according to the embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the conveyance line in embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure of the drive part of the conveyance line in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of one Example when a liquid falls from on a board | substrate in the conveyance line of embodiment. It is a figure which shows one Example for promoting that a liquid falls from on a board | substrate in embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows one Example applicable to the up slope of the conveyance line in embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows one Example applicable to the up slope of the conveyance line in embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows one Example applicable to the up slope of the conveyance line in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the liquid processing performed near the protruding part of a conveyance line in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the liquid process thru | or the drying process performed in the vicinity of the uphill level part of a conveyance line in embodiment. It is a front view which shows the whole structure in the washing | cleaning process part in embodiment. FIG. 15 is a partial side view showing an operation of the descending step portion in the embodiment of FIG. 14. It is a top view which shows one effect | action of a downward level | step-difference part in embodiment of FIG. FIG. 15 is a partial side view showing an operation of the descending step portion in the embodiment of FIG. 14.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Application | coating development processing system 24 Cleaning process part 32 Development process part 41 Ultraviolet irradiation unit (e-UV)
42 Scrubber cleaning unit (SCR)
94 Development Unit (DEV)
120 Conveyance lines 120a, 120b Raised portions 120c Stepped portions 122 Developing portions 124 Rinsing portions 126 Drying portions 128 Rollers 130 Developer supply nozzles (developing nozzles)
136 Developer reuse mechanism 138, 140, 142 Rinsing liquid supply nozzle (rinsing nozzle)
140 Rinsing liquid supply nozzle (rinsing nozzle)
148 Air knife 152, 154 Bulkhead 182 Timing belt 186 Gas nozzle 188 Stripless endless belt 190 Roller 192 Air knife 200 Conveying line 200a Down slope 200b, 200c Raised portion 200d Up slope 224 Chemical solution supply nozzle 226 Roll brush 228 Cleaning spray pipe 230 Air knife 232 Cleaning nozzle 234 Air knife 236 Rinsing liquid supply nozzle (rinsing nozzle)
238 Air knife

Claims (20)

A transport body for transporting a substrate to be processed in a supine posture with the processing surface facing upward is laid in a predetermined horizontal transport direction, and has a transport path that is substantially horizontal in the transport direction. A second transport section having an upwardly inclined transport path following the first transport section, a third transport section having a downwardly inclined transport path following the second transport section, A plain flow conveying line including a fourth conveying section having a substantially horizontal conveying path following the third conveying section;
A transport driving unit for driving the transport body to transport the substrate on the transport line;
A first processing liquid supply unit for supplying a first processing liquid onto the substrate in the first or second transfer section;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a second processing liquid supply unit configured to supply a second processing liquid onto the substrate within the third transfer section.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the second transfer section in the transfer direction is shorter than a size of the substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of a section obtained by adding the second transport section and the third transport section in the transport direction is shorter than a size of the substrate.   The substantially horizontal conveyance path is formed in the said conveyance direction between the termination | terminus part of the said 2nd conveyance area, and the start end part of the said 3rd conveyance area. Substrate processing equipment.   5. The substrate processing according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate holding portion that holds a portion of the substrate that is separated upward from a conveyance path of the conveyance line in the second conveyance section at a predetermined height position. apparatus.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the substrate holding portion includes a pair of rotatable rollers that come into contact with both left and right edge portions of the substrate.   7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first air knife that blows a gas for liquid removal onto the substrate at a predetermined position in the second transfer section downstream of the first processing liquid supply unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to item.   Liquid draining trigger for triggering the first processing liquid to flow down from the rear end of the substrate at a predetermined position in the first or second transport section downstream of the first processing liquid supply unit. The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-7 which has a part.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the liquid draining inducing portion is configured by a columnar or cylindrical roller having a constant outer diameter arranged as the transport body on the transport path.   10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the liquid draining inducing portion includes a gas nozzle that applies a gas flow from above to a rear end portion of the substrate in a direction opposite to the transport direction. The first processing liquid supply unit includes a processing liquid supply nozzle that discharges the first processing liquid toward the substrate at a predetermined position in the first transport section;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport driving unit transports the substrate at a constant speed through the first and second transport sections.   A first liquid collecting portion for collecting liquid that has fallen under the transport path in the first and second transport sections; and a lower portion of the transport path in the third and fourth transport sections. The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-11 which has a 2nd liquid collection part for collecting and collecting a liquid.   The first partition for separating a surrounding space along the transfer line into an upstream side and a downstream side near a boundary between the second transfer section and the third transfer section. The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims.   A fifth transport section in which the transport line has an upwardly inclined transport path following the fourth transport section; and a sixth transport section having a substantially horizontal transport path following the fifth transport section; The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-13 containing.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a length of the fifth transfer section in the transfer direction is shorter than a size of the substrate.   15. A second air knife that blows gas onto the substrate in a direction opposite to the transport direction to assist in draining the processing liquid from the substrate within the fifth or sixth transport section. Or the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 15.   17. A second partition for separating a surrounding space along the transfer line into an upstream side and a downstream side near a boundary between the fifth transfer section and the sixth transfer section. The substrate processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims.   A seventh transport section having a substantially horizontal transport path at a position higher than the first transport section on the upstream side of the first transport section, and the seventh transport section; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an eighth transfer section having a downwardly inclined transfer path with respect to the first transfer section.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a length of the eighth transport section is shorter than a size of the substrate in the transport direction. 19. A third partition for separating a peripheral space along the transfer line into an upstream side and a downstream side near a boundary between the eighth transfer section and the first transfer section. 19. The substrate processing apparatus according to 19.

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