JP2007144315A - Substrate treatment device, substrate treatment method and manufacturing method of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly perform the chemical liquid treatment of an inclined substrate using a chemical liquid having a temperature higher than the normal temperature while holding the substrate in the inclined state. <P>SOLUTION: The chemical liquid of which the temperature is higher than the normal temperature is supplied to the surface of the substrate 1 by a chemical liquid nozzle 21 and the chemical liquid treatment of the surface of the substrate 1 is performed by the chemical liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate 1. The chemical liquid heated to a temperature near to the temperature of the chemical liquid supplied from the chemical liquid nozzle 21 is supplied to the gap between the upper and lower sides of the back of the inclined substrate. The underside of the inclined substrate 1 is heated by the chemical liquids supplied to the back of the substrate 1 and the temperature difference of the chemical liquid supplied from the chemical liquid nozzle 21 between the upper and back surfaces of substrate 1 is controlled. The chemical liquid treatment of the substrate 1 is performed while suppressing the temperature difference of the chemical liquid between the upper and under sides of the inclined substrate 1, thereby almost uniformly advancing the chemical liquid treatment of the substrate 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing method, and a substrate manufacturing method using the same, which perform chemical processing such as development, etching, and peeling on a substrate using a chemical solution such as a developing solution, an etching solution, and a peeling solution. In particular, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method suitable for performing a chemical treatment of a substrate using a chemical solution at a temperature higher than normal temperature while holding the substrate in an inclined state, and manufacturing a substrate using the same. Regarding the method.

  In the process of manufacturing a panel substrate for a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device or a plasma display device, a chemical solution such as a developing solution, an etching solution or a stripping solution is used to form a circuit pattern or a color filter on the substrate. The chemical solution processing such as development, etching, and peeling is performed. Generally, the process of performing these chemical treatments is called a wet process. The wet process is often performed in a processing chamber by supplying a chemical solution from a nozzle or a spray to the surface of the substrate while holding the substrate using a moving means such as a roller conveyor.

  Thus, when performing a wet process while holding a substrate using a moving means such as a roller conveyor, conventionally, a horizontal transfer method in which the substrate is moved and held in a horizontal state has been adopted. In the horizontal conveyance method, when a chemical solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate from a nozzle or a spray, the chemical solution is deposited almost uniformly on the surface of the substrate, so that the chemical treatment of the substrate is performed almost uniformly. However, when the substrate is enlarged, the chemical solution stagnates at the center of the substrate, and the uniformity of the chemical treatment cannot be maintained.

On the other hand, an inclined conveyance method is known in which a substrate is moved and held in a state where it is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal (Patent Document 1). According to the inclined conveyance method, even when the substrate is enlarged, the stagnation of the chemical solution as in the horizontal conveyance method does not occur on the surface of the substrate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-74247

  When the wet process is performed while the substrate is held at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal by the inclined conveyance method, the progress of the chemical treatment is delayed on the lower side of the inclined substrate as compared with the upper side. This is because the chemical solution supplied to the surface of the substrate flows down from the upper side to the lower side along the surface of the inclined substrate, and there is a chemical solution with degraded purity that has flowed down from the upper side below the surface of the inclined substrate. This is considered to be because of this (Patent Document 1).

  For example, in a wet process such as etching, in order to promote a chemical reaction by a chemical solution, the chemical solution may be heated to a temperature higher than normal temperature and then supplied to the surface of the substrate. When the wet process is performed using the chemical solution at a temperature higher than the normal temperature in this manner, the progress of the chemical process on the lower side of the inclined substrate surface is higher than the wet process using the chemical solution at the normal temperature. I found the problem that the delay became remarkable.

  The subject of this invention is performing uniformly the chemical | medical solution process of the inclined board | substrate using the chemical | medical solution higher than normal temperature, hold | maintaining the board | substrate in the inclined state. Moreover, the subject of this invention is performing the chemical | medical solution process of a board | substrate uniformly, and manufacturing a high quality board | substrate.

  The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes a substrate moving unit that moves and holds the substrate in a state inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal, and a chemical solution supply that supplies a chemical solution having a temperature higher than normal temperature to the substrate held by the substrate moving unit. And a means for suppressing a temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate.

  The substrate processing method of the present invention is a substrate processing method for supplying a chemical solution at a temperature higher than normal temperature to the substrate and holding the substrate while maintaining the substrate inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. Thus, the chemical solution treatment of the substrate is performed while suppressing the temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate.

  In the horizontal conveyance method, when a chemical solution having a temperature higher than room temperature is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the temperature of the chemical solution on the surface of the substrate becomes substantially uniform. On the other hand, in the conventional inclined transport method, when a chemical liquid having a temperature higher than room temperature is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the temperature of the chemical liquid on the surface of the substrate is not uniform. Even found that the temperature of the chemical solution is lowered. This is because while the chemical solution supplied to the surface of the substrate flows down from the upper side to the lower side along the inclination of the substrate, heat is taken away by the substrate and the surrounding air, and the temperature of the substrate decreases. It is considered that the temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side is one of the causes that the progress of the chemical treatment on the lower side of the substrate is significantly delayed. In the present invention, the progress of the chemical treatment of the substrate becomes substantially uniform by performing the chemical treatment of the substrate while suppressing the temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate.

  In order to suppress the temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the tilted substrate, for example, the heated chemical solution may be supplied to the lower side of the tilted substrate, or the lower side of the tilted substrate may be You may heat with a heater from the back. Furthermore, you may insulate the circumference | surroundings of a board | substrate by surrounding the front surface and back surface of a board | substrate with a heat insulating material etc. In either case, the temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the tilted substrate can be easily suppressed while holding the substrate tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal.

  The substrate manufacturing method of the present invention performs a wet process using any one of the above-described substrate processing apparatuses or substrate processing methods. Since the chemical treatment of the tilted substrate is uniformly performed using the chemical solution at a temperature higher than normal temperature while holding the substrate in an inclined state, a high-quality substrate is manufactured.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, the chemical processing of the substrate is substantially progressed by performing the chemical processing of the substrate while suppressing the temperature difference between the chemicals on the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate. It can be made uniform. Therefore, the chemical solution treatment of the tilted substrate can be performed uniformly using the chemical solution having a temperature higher than the normal temperature while holding the substrate in an inclined state.

  According to the method for manufacturing a substrate of the present invention, a chemical solution treatment of a tilted substrate can be performed uniformly using a chemical solution at a temperature higher than normal temperature while holding the substrate in an inclined state, so that a high-quality substrate is obtained. Can be manufactured.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus is configured to include a plurality of rollers 10 and chemical nozzles 21 and 22.

  The substrate 1 is mounted on a plurality of rollers 10 and is moved in the substrate movement direction indicated by an arrow by the rotation of the rollers 10. Each roller 10 is installed at regular intervals in the substrate moving direction, and is rotated or stopped at a predetermined speed by a driving means (not shown). Each roller 10 is inclined and installed such that one end is higher than the other end, so that the plurality of rollers 10 can move the substrate 1 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate moving direction with respect to the horizontal by a predetermined angle θ. Move and hold in an inclined state. Flange portions for guiding the side surface of the substrate 1 are provided at both ends of each roller 10.

  Above the substrate 1 held by the roller 10, a chemical nozzle 21 is installed in parallel with the substrate 1 over the width of the substrate 1 in the substrate movement direction near the upper side of the inclined substrate 1. The chemical liquid nozzle 21 is configured, for example, by providing a nozzle opening in a slit shape in the longitudinal direction or at a predetermined interval in a long casing. While the rotation of the roller 10 is stopped and the substrate 1 is held in a state inclined by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal, a chemical liquid heated to a temperature higher than room temperature is supplied from a chemical liquid supply source (not shown) to the chemical liquid nozzle 21. . The chemical liquid nozzle 21 uniformly supplies the chemical liquid from the nozzle opening to the upper side of the surface of the substrate 1 in the longitudinal direction. The chemical solution supplied to the upper side of the surface of the substrate 1 flows down to the lower side of the surface of the substrate 1 along the inclination of the substrate 1. The chemical solution on the surface of the substrate 1 is processed by the chemical solution supplied to the surface of the substrate 1.

  Further, below the substrate 1 held by the roller 10, the chemical nozzle 22 is parallel to the substrate 1 over the width of the substrate 1 in the substrate movement direction, in the vicinity of the middle between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate 1. Is installed. The configuration of the chemical nozzle 22 is the same as that of the chemical nozzle 21. A chemical solution heated to a temperature close to the temperature of the chemical solution supplied from the chemical nozzle 21 is supplied from a chemical supply source (not shown) to the chemical nozzle 22. The chemical liquid nozzle 22 uniformly supplies the chemical liquid from the nozzle opening to the space between the upper side and the lower side of the back surface of the substrate 1 in the longitudinal direction. The chemical solution supplied to the back surface of the substrate 1 flows down to the lower side of the back surface of the substrate 1 along the inclination of the substrate 1. The lower side of the inclined substrate 1 is warmed by the chemical solution supplied to the back surface of the substrate 1, and the temperature difference between the chemical solutions supplied from the chemical solution nozzle 21 on the upper side and the lower side of the surface of the substrate 1 is suppressed.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, only one stage of the chemical nozzle 22 is provided, but two or more stages of the chemical nozzle 22 may be provided in a direction orthogonal to the substrate moving direction.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a heater 23 is provided in place of the chemical nozzle 22 of the embodiment shown in FIG. Other components are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  Below the substrate 1 held by the roller 10, a heater 23 is installed near the lower side of the inclined substrate 1 over the width of the substrate 1 in the substrate movement direction. The heater 23 is composed of a plate heater such as a ceramic heater or a halogen heater, for example. The lower side of the inclined substrate 1 is warmed by the heater 23, and the temperature difference between the chemical solutions supplied from the chemical solution nozzle 21 on the upper side and the lower side of the surface of the substrate 1 is suppressed.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of a heater of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the heater 23 is not parallel to the substrate 1 but is placed closer to the lower side of the inclined substrate 1. Thereby, the heater 23 can warm the lower side of the inclined substrate 1 to a higher temperature.

  Instead of installing the heater 23 as shown in FIG. 3, the heat source inside the heater 23 may be divided to set the temperature below the inclined heater 23 higher. Further, two or more heaters 23 may be provided in a direction orthogonal to the substrate moving direction.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of rollers 10, a chemical solution nozzle 21, and a heat insulating chamber 24. The configuration and operation of the roller 10 and the chemical nozzle 21 are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the substrate 1, the roller 10, and the chemical nozzle 21 inside the heat insulation chamber 24 are shown in a transparent state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a heat insulating chamber 24 is provided around the substrate 1 held by the roller 10. The heat insulating chamber 24 has a heat insulating wall made of a heat insulating material or the like, and is configured to surround the entire front surface and the entire back surface of the substrate 1 with the heat insulating wall. An opening (not shown) through which the substrate 1 passes is provided in the heat insulating wall of the heat insulating chamber 24 in the substrate moving direction. The heat insulation chamber 24 insulates the periphery of the substrate 1 and prevents the chemical solution from being deprived of heat by the surrounding air, so that the temperature of the substrate 1 is prevented from lowering. The temperature difference between the supplied chemicals is suppressed.

  According to the embodiment described above, the progress of the chemical treatment of the substrate is made substantially uniform by performing the chemical treatment of the substrate while suppressing the temperature difference between the chemical solutions on the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate. Can do. Therefore, the chemical solution treatment of the tilted substrate can be performed uniformly using the chemical solution having a temperature higher than the normal temperature while holding the substrate in an inclined state.

  By performing a wet process using the substrate processing apparatus or the substrate processing method of the present invention, the chemical treatment of the tilted substrate is uniformly performed using a chemical solution at a temperature higher than normal temperature while holding the substrate in a tilted state. Therefore, a high quality substrate can be manufactured.

  For example, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the thin film forming step (step 101), a thin film such as a conductor film or an insulator film, which becomes a transparent electrode for driving a liquid crystal, is formed on a glass substrate by sputtering, plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVC), or the like. In the resist coating process (step 102), a photosensitive resin material (photoresist) is applied by a roll coating method or the like to form a photoresist film on the thin film formed in the thin film forming process (step 101). In the exposure step (step 103), the mask pattern is transferred to the photoresist film using a proximity exposure apparatus, a projection exposure apparatus, or the like. In the development step (step 104), a developer is supplied onto the photoresist film by a shower development method or the like to remove unnecessary portions of the photoresist film. In the etching process (step 105), a portion of the thin film formed in the thin film formation process (step 101) that is not masked by the photoresist film is removed by wet etching. In the stripping step (step 106), the photoresist film that has finished the role of the mask in the etching step (step 105) is stripped with a stripping solution. Before or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary. These steps are repeated several times to form a TFT array on the glass substrate.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the black matrix forming step (step 201), a black matrix is formed on the glass substrate by processes such as resist coating, exposure, development, etching, and peeling. In the colored pattern forming step (step 202), a colored pattern is formed on the glass substrate by a dyeing method, a pigment dispersion method, a printing method, an electrodeposition method, or the like. This process is repeated for the R, G, and B coloring patterns. In the protective film forming step (step 203), a protective film is formed on the colored pattern, and in the transparent electrode film forming step (step 204), a transparent electrode film is formed on the protective film. Before, during or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary.

  In the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate shown in FIG. 5, in the development process (step 104), the etching process (step 105) and the peeling process (step 106), in the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate shown in FIG. The substrate processing apparatus or the substrate processing method of the present invention can be applied to the development, etching, and peeling processes in the process (step 201) and the colored pattern forming process (step 202).

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus by other embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the heater of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus by further another embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of a liquid crystal display device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter board | substrate of a liquid crystal display device.

Explanation of symbols

1 Substrate 10 Rollers 21 and 22 Chemical Solution Nozzle 23 Heater 24 Heat Insulation Chamber

Claims (10)

Substrate moving means for moving and holding the substrate in a state inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chemical solution supply unit that supplies a chemical solution having a temperature higher than room temperature to the substrate held by the substrate moving unit;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising means for suppressing a temperature difference of a chemical solution between an upper side and a lower side of an inclined substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for suppressing the temperature difference between the chemical liquids includes a means for supplying a heated chemical liquid to a lower side of the inclined substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for suppressing the temperature difference of the chemical solution includes a heater for heating the lower side of the inclined substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for suppressing the temperature difference of the chemical solution includes means for insulating the periphery of the substrate. While holding the substrate at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal,
A substrate processing method for supplying a chemical solution at a temperature higher than room temperature to a substrate to perform chemical treatment of the substrate,
A substrate processing method comprising performing a chemical treatment on a substrate while suppressing a temperature difference between the chemical solutions on an upper side and a lower side of the inclined substrate.   6. The temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate is suppressed by supplying a heated chemical solution to the lower side of the inclined substrate separately from the chemical solution used for the chemical treatment. The substrate processing method as described in 2. above.   6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein a temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate is suppressed by heating the lower side of the inclined substrate with a heater.   The substrate processing method according to claim 5, wherein a temperature difference of the chemical solution between the upper side and the lower side of the inclined substrate is suppressed by insulating the periphery of the substrate.   A substrate manufacturing method, wherein a wet process is performed using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.   A method for manufacturing a substrate, comprising performing a wet process using the substrate processing method according to claim 5.

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