JP2007165366A - Apparatus and method for processing substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing method by which a processing method suitable for a kind of film is quickly determined prior to etching, cleaning or the like, and to provide a substrate processing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus includes a registration section 11 wherein the kind of at least one film to be processed on the upper surface of a substrate can be registered, the kind of at least one film to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate can be also registered, and furthermore a contact angle of at least one film on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed with a processing liquid and that of at least one film on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed with the processing liquid can be registered; and a control unit 13 to control the operation of a processing liquid supply mechanism and a substrate rotation mechanism, on the basis of the registered information on the kind of film and the contact angle. Thus, the substrate processing apparatus controls processing operation on the basis of the registered contact angle to the processing liquid for the film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing such as etching and cleaning of a substrate, for example, a film formed on the surface of a wafer, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus such as a wafer. The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing such as etching and cleaning on the outer peripheral portion of a film formed on one surface and the entire surface of a film formed on the other surface.

  In the semiconductor industry, there has conventionally been a process for etching the outer peripheral portion of a wafer. In this process, etching is performed by rotating the wafer and supplying a processing liquid to the outer peripheral portion. However, since there are a wide variety of films to be etched (etched films) that are stacked on the wafer, each time the stacked films change in the conventional method, it is necessary to perform processing appropriate to the film by trial and error. was there. In addition, even if the films stacked on the wafer are the same film type, the contact angle of the film to the processing liquid (or the contact angle of the processing liquid to the film) can be said to be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. However, it is difficult to obtain a desired etching shape with a high yield.

JP 2002-110626 A JP 2004-55927 A

The object of the present invention is to quickly determine a processing method suitable for the type of film and perform processing such as etching and cleaning of the film even when there are a wide variety of types of films to be formed on a substrate such as a wafer. It is to provide a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus which can be performed.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain in advance the type of film to be processed formed on the substrate and the contact angle of the film with respect to the processing liquid such as the etching liquid and cleaning liquid (or the contact angle of the processing liquid with respect to the film). The substrate to be processed by controlling at least one item such as the type of processing liquid, the supply amount, the supply position on the substrate, the rotation speed of the substrate, the processing time, etc. based on the registered information A processing method and a substrate processing apparatus are provided.
Another object of the present invention is to measure the contact angle of a film to be processed formed on a substrate immediately before the start of the substrate processing with respect to a processing liquid such as an etching liquid or a cleaning liquid, and to use the type of film and the film used for the film. Substrate processing method for controlling and processing at least one item such as processing liquid type, supply amount, supply position on the substrate, substrate rotation speed, processing time, etc. based on information on the type of liquid and the measured contact angle And providing a substrate processing apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate and the substrate is rotated, whereby the processing liquid is diffused over the entire lower surface of the substrate and the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate. In the substrate processing method of diffusing to the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate, and processing the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the coating on the upper surface with the processing liquid,
Register the film type of at least one coating film on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of at least one coating film on the lower surface of the substrate,
Register the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed with respect to the processing solution and the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed,
There is provided a substrate processing method characterized in that processing is performed by controlling a supply amount of the processing liquid and a rotation speed of the substrate based on information on the registered film type and information on the registered contact angle. .
In the substrate processing method, the processing time may be controlled based on information on a contact angle with respect to the processing liquid of the coating film to be processed on the upper surface and the lower surface.
In the substrate processing method, the contact angle of the coating film to be processed on at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate with respect to the processing liquid is measured, and the latest contact angle information obtained by the measurement is the registered contact angle. The processing may be performed instead of using information, or the gas may be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate and the coating on the upper surface of the substrate may be processed with the gas.
Further, in the above substrate processing method, the processing liquid is an etching liquid, and the processing liquid is sent to the upper surface of the substrate even when the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the coating on the upper surface are simultaneously etched. Is an etching solution, and a processing solution supplied to the lower surface of the substrate is a cleaning solution, and the upper surface etching process and the lower surface cleaning process may be performed simultaneously.
Furthermore, in the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the contact angle of the outer coating on the upper surface of the substrate with the processing solution and the contact of the inner coating adjacent to the outer coating with the processing solution. The substrate processing method which compares a corner | angular and controls at least one of the processing width and processing shape of the said film.
Furthermore, in the substrate processing method, at least one of the processing width of the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, the step shape after processing, the processing thickness, and the processing thickness of the lower surface of the substrate may be registered before the processing is started.

According to the invention described in claim 2 of the present application, the processing liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate and the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate and the substrate is rotated. In the substrate processing method of diffusing the entire lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the upper surface, and processing the entire surface of the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate with the processing liquid,
Register the film type of at least one coating film on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of at least one coating film on the lower surface of the substrate,
Register the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed with respect to the processing solution and the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed,
There is provided a substrate processing method characterized in that processing is performed by controlling a supply amount of the processing liquid and a rotation speed of the substrate based on information on the registered film type and information on the registered contact angle. .
In the substrate processing method, the supply position in the radial direction of the substrate of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface may be controlled based on the information on the contact angle of the coating film to be processed on the upper surface with respect to the processing liquid, or You may control processing time based on the information of the contact angle with respect to the process liquid of the film which processes the said upper surface and lower surface.
In the substrate processing method, the contact angle of the coating film to be processed on at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate with respect to the processing liquid is measured, and the latest contact angle information obtained by the measurement is the registered contact angle. The processing may be performed using information instead of the information, or the gas may be supplied to the upper surface of the substrate and the coating on the upper surface of the substrate may be processed with the gas.
Further, in the substrate processing method, the processing solution may be an etching solution, and the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the coating on the upper surface may be simultaneously etched, or processing sent to the upper surface of the substrate The liquid may be an etching liquid, and the processing liquid supplied to the lower surface of the substrate may be a cleaning liquid, and the upper surface etching process and the lower surface cleaning process may be performed simultaneously.
Furthermore, in the substrate processing method, the contact angle of the outer coating on the upper surface of the substrate with the processing solution is compared with the contact angle of the inner coating adjacent to the outer coating with respect to the processing solution. At least one of the width and the processing shape may be controlled, or at least one of the processing width of the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, the step shape after processing, the processing thickness, and the processing thickness of the lower surface of the substrate may be controlled before starting the processing. You may make it register.

According to the invention described in claim 11 of the present application, the processing liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate and the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate and the substrate is rotated, whereby the processing liquid is supplied. In the substrate processing method of diffusing the entire lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the upper surface, and processing the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the coating on the upper surface with the processing liquid,
Register the film type of the film to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of the film to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate,
Measuring the contact angle of the coating to be treated on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate with respect to the treatment liquid;
There is provided a substrate processing method characterized in that processing is performed by controlling the supply amount of the processing liquid and the rotation speed of the substrate based on the registered film type information and contact angle information obtained by measurement. The

According to the invention described in claim 12 of the present application, the substrate rotating mechanism for holding and rotating the substrate, the lower processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate, and the processing liquid supply mechanism for the substrate. In a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to a lower surface,
The film type of at least one coating to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate can be registered and the film type of at least one coating to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate can be registered, and the film type of at least one coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed can be registered. A registration unit capable of registering a contact angle with respect to the processing liquid and registering a contact angle with respect to the processing liquid of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed;
A control unit that controls the operation of the processing liquid supply mechanism and the substrate rotation mechanism based on information on the film type and contact angle registered in the registration unit,
There is provided a substrate processing apparatus for controlling processing based on a contact angle of the registered film to a processing solution.
The substrate processing apparatus may further include a device for measuring a contact angle of the processing liquid with respect to the film of the substrate, or may have an upper processing liquid supply mechanism that supplies the processing liquid to the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate. In addition, a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas to the surface of the substrate may be further provided.
In the substrate processing apparatus, the processing solution may be an etching solution, and the entire surface of the lower surface of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the upper surface may be simultaneously etched. The processing solution to be applied may be an etching solution, and the processing solution supplied to the lower surface of the substrate may be a cleaning solution, and the upper surface etching process and the lower surface cleaning process may be performed simultaneously.
Further, in the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate rotation mechanism may include a plurality of rotation support rollers that engage with a plurality of positions spaced circumferentially from the periphery of the substrate to rotate the substrate, or The substrate rotation mechanism is engaged with a support member that rotates about the rotation center of the substrate and a peripheral portion of the support member that is rotatable and spaced apart from the periphery of the substrate in the circumferential direction. And at least two sets of holding members made of a plurality of holding members for holding the substrate.

(1) According to the first, second, eleventh and twelfth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and reliably perform a process such as etching or cleaning of the substrate.
(2) There are a wide variety of films laminated on the substrate, and even if the films are of the same type, they do not necessarily have the same contact angle. Therefore, according to the first, second, and eleventh aspects of the invention, the contact angle of such a film can be measured before each process, and optimal control is performed from the obtained results. As a result, a uniform etching shape can be obtained on all processed substrates.
(3) According to the present invention of the first, second, ninth, eleventh and twelfth aspects, since the contact angle between the film to be etched and the film existing thereunder is compared and a suitable treatment is performed, an accurate process is performed. An etched shape can be obtained.
(4) According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the supply position in the radial direction of the substrate of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface can be controlled based on the contact angle of the film to be processed. The processing width can be accurately obtained.

Embodiments of a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a substrate rotation mechanism 2 that rotates a substrate W such as a wafer while maintaining a predetermined posture (horizontal posture in the present embodiment), and a first processing liquid that is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W. 1, that is, a lower processing liquid supply mechanism 3. The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a second processing liquid supply mechanism 4 for supplying the processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, that is, a contact angle of the coating formed on the surface of the substrate W with respect to the processing liquid (processing liquid There may be provided at least one of a contact angle measuring device 5 capable of measuring a contact angle with respect to the coating) and a gas supply mechanism 6 for supplying a processing gas to the upper surface of the substrate W.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate rotation mechanism 2 is arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the circumference of the radius R centering on the rotation center OO (the vertical axis in this embodiment) of the substrate W. In addition, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of cylindrical bearing members 21 arranged with their own shaft centers vertical, and rotating shafts 22 rotatably supported by the respective bearing members 21 by a known method, A rotation support roller 23 fixed to the upper end of each rotary shaft 22 above each bearing member 21 and a lower end of each rotary shaft 22 are detachably attached by a known method (in FIG. 1, direct connection is shown for the sake of simplicity). (Shown in this state). Each rotation support roller 23 is formed with a ring-shaped groove 233 which is defined by a pair of opposed conical surfaces 231 and 232 (expands radially outward), and the outer periphery of the substrate W is formed in the groove. The substrate is received and supported, and the substrate is rotated in the arrow Y direction by the rotation in the arrow X direction of itself. The driving device 24 can be a synchronous motor so that a plurality of (four in this embodiment) rotating shafts can rotate at the same speed, but the gear rotated by a single motor and the gears mesh with each other. It is also possible to use a gear fixed to each rotating shaft. The plurality of bearing members 21 are fixed and held by a known support structure (not shown), but at least one of them is radially outward with respect to the rotation center OO (outside the circle of radius R). The substrate W can be moved, and the substrate W can be arranged in the annular groove 233 of the rotation support roller, or the substrate can be taken out from the annular groove of the rotation support roller.

  The first or lower processing liquid supply mechanism 3 is centered on the rotation center OO so as to be below the substrate W while the substrate W is supported by the rotation support roller 21 of the substrate holding and rotating mechanism 2. The nozzle member 31 is provided so as to extend in the radial direction. A plurality (seven in this embodiment) of nozzle holes 32 are formed on the upper surface of the nozzle member at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the nozzle member (and thus in the radial direction as viewed from the rotation center OO). Each nozzle hole 32 communicates with a passage 33 formed in the center of the nozzle member and extending in the axial direction. The passage 33 is connected to a processing liquid supply source 36 via a conduit 34 and a flow rate control valve 35. The first processing liquid supply mechanism 3 can spray the processing liquid sent from the supply source 36 to a plurality of locations on the lower surface of the substrate through the nozzle holes 32. The nozzle member 31 is fixed and held by a known method (not shown). When it is necessary to supply the etching liquid and the cleaning liquid as the processing liquid, the processing liquid supply source 36 is provided for each etching liquid containing at least one type of etching liquid that matches the film type of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate. A storage tank, a storage tank for each cleaning liquid, and a pure water line for pure water are provided, and a desired processing liquid can be selectively supplied into the passage 33 as necessary.

  The second or upper processing liquid supply mechanism 4 includes a nozzle member 41 attached to a carrier 47 disposed so as to be movable in the radial direction of the substrate above the substrate W by a mechanism having a known structure (not shown). The carrier 47 is screwed onto, for example, a screw shaft extending in the radial direction of the substrate, and can be moved in the radial direction by rotating the screw shaft with a step motor 48. The position of the nozzle member in the radial direction is precisely determined. Can be controlled. A nozzle hole formed in the nozzle member 41 is connected to a processing liquid supply source 46 via a conduit 44 and a flow rate control valve 45. When it is necessary to supply an etching solution and a cleaning solution as the processing solution, the supply source of the processing solution is also provided for each etching solution containing at least one type of etching solution that matches the film type of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate. A storage tank, a storage tank for cleaning liquid, and a pure water line for pure water are provided, and a desired processing liquid can be selectively supplied into the nozzle holes as necessary.

The contact angle measuring device 5 includes a part 5a for measuring the contact angle of the coating on the processing liquid on the upper surface of the substrate and a part 5b for measuring the contact angle of the coating on the processing liquid on the lower surface of the substrate. Since the parts 5a and 5b have the same structure and are of a known structure, the structure and function of the part 5a will be briefly described. The portion 5a is disposed on the surface of the coating on the substrate W so as to oppose the droplet nozzle 51 for applying a droplet d of a treatment liquid of a desired size and the diametrical direction centering on the rotation center OO of the substrate W. A projector 52 and a light receiver 53 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact angle measuring device 5a applies light from the projector 52 to the droplet d dropped on the coating m on the surface (in this case, the upper surface) of the substrate W, and the shadow is received by the receiver. The angle θ (hereinafter referred to as the contact angle) θ formed between the tangent line drawn on the droplet d and the coating surface at the intersection P between the upper surface of the coating m and the surface of the droplet is formed. When the contact angle θ is small as shown in FIG. 2A, the droplet d tends to be flat on the coating, and the liquid tends to spread on the coating (the coating has hydrophilicity). On the other hand, when the contact angle is large as shown in FIG. 2B, the liquid is likely to maintain a spherical state on the coating, and the liquid is difficult to spread on the coating (the coating is hydrophobic). In the present invention, the contact angle of the coating film with respect to the treatment liquid is measured in advance, and the treatment is controlled based on the information.
In order to attach the droplet d to the coating surface on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate, as shown in FIG. 3, a spherical shape of the processing liquid (not exactly a perfect sphere) is applied to the tip of the droplet nozzle 51 on the substrate side. (Partial shape of sphere) part Lb is formed, and the supply nozzle is moved to the substrate side (the upper droplet nozzle is on the lower side and the lower droplet nozzle is on the upper side). The liquid droplet d is adhered to the surface of the substrate in contact with the surface of the substrate. In this case, the size of the droplet d is set so that the contact angle to be measured is not affected by the weight of the droplet.

  The gas supply mechanism 6 includes a circular cover plate 61 disposed on the substrate W at a predetermined distance from the substrate. The cover plate 61 is fixed and held by a known method (not shown), and a gas supply hole 62 is provided at the center thereof. The gas supply hole 62 is connected to a process gas supply source 66 via a supply pipe 64 and a control valve 65 so that the process gas can be supplied to the upper surface near the rotation center OO of the substrate W. ing. The action plate 61 is arranged so as to cover an area excluding the peripheral region to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a control device 10. The control device 10 includes a registration unit 11, an information storage / calculation unit 12, and a control unit 13. The registration unit 11 uses the data regarding the film types of all the coatings applied to the substrate (if multiple layers are formed on the substrate, the film types of the multiple-layer coatings), and is used for each film. Data relating to the contact angle of the processing liquid, for example, the etching liquid and the cleaning liquid with respect to the film is registered, and stored and accumulated in the information storage and calculation unit 12. In this case, the contact angle of the treatment liquid may be measured using the contact angle measurement device, or may be measured in advance with a separate contact angle measurement device for each film type and the treatment liquid used therefor. In the registration unit, information on the processing (etching) thickness of the film and the cleaning method necessary for processing the lower surface of the substrate W is also registered. In addition, information on the processing (etching) width, processing (etching) shape, and processing (etching) thickness necessary for processing the upper surface of the substrate is also registered. For example, when the desired etching width is registered in the registration unit, the calculation unit obtains the flow rate of the etching solution appropriate for the contact angle of the film to be etched, the etching nozzle position on the outer periphery of the wafer, and the appropriate rotation speed of the wafer, Tell the substrate processing department.
Although not shown, the region where the substrate of the substrate processing apparatus is arranged is separated by a partition or the like so that the processing liquid does not scatter to the outside.

Next, a processing method using the substrate processing apparatus will be described. This processing method is a case where the substrate processing apparatus is used to perform etching processing on the peripheral portion (ring-shaped portion) of the upper surface of the substrate W and etching processing on the entire lower surface of the substrate. Prior to performing these treatments, the type of all coatings (or multiple coatings if multiple coatings are formed) on the substrate W, and the processing liquid used for the coatings (eg, etching) The contact angle with respect to a cleaning liquid such as liquid and pure water) is measured in advance, and the measurement result is stored in the registration unit.
Further, since the etching rate of the processing liquid with respect to the coating film depends on the temperature and concentration of the processing liquid, information such as the processing liquid concentration and the processing temperature is also registered in the registration unit 11.
Further, the shape after etching of the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, that is, the etched width and the stepped shape after etching, the thickness of the etched layer, the etching amount of the lower surface of the substrate, that is, the etched thickness is measured before etching. Register with.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that two different types of coatings m1 and m3 are formed on the lower surface and two different types of coatings m2 and m4 are formed on the upper surface, as shown in FIG. explain. Therefore, there are four types of films registered in the registration unit, and the processing liquids are the types of etching liquids and the types of cleaning liquids for the four types of film types. As for the contact angle, the contact angles of the four types of coatings with respect to the treatment liquid are measured.

Under such conditions, the operation board (not shown) shows the type of film m3 on the lower surface of the substrate to be etched (usually the outermost film at that time) m3 and the processing liquid or etching liquid used for the film. And the type of film to be etched on the upper surface of the substrate (usually the outermost film at the front) m4 and the processing solution or etching solution used for the coating Instruct in the same way. Furthermore, the value of the etching width of the outer peripheral portion of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate, the type of the coating m2 immediately below the coating on the upper surface, and the shape of the outer peripheral portion of the coating m4 that remains without being etched are indicated. Based on such an instruction, the storing and calculating unit 12 of the control device 12 causes the flow rate of the etching liquid sprayed from the nozzle hole 32 of the lower processing liquid supply mechanism 3 to the lower surface of the substrate W, and the nozzle member 41 of the upper processing liquid supply mechanism 4 to the substrate. The flow rate of the etching solution flowing on the upper surface of W, the rotation speed of the substrate, the processing time, etc. are determined. Based on this, from the control unit to the driving device 24 of the substrate rotation mechanism 2, to the supply source 36 and the flow rate control valve 35 of the lower process liquid supply mechanism 3, to the supply source 46 and the flow rate control valve 45 of the upper process liquid supply mechanism 4. A signal is sent to determine the type and flow rate of the etchant, and the substrate is rotated at a predetermined speed, and an etchant with a predetermined flow rate is sent to the lower surface and the upper surface of the substrate to perform the etching process.
When the etching solution is supplied to the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate by the upper processing solution supply mechanism 4, the position in the radial direction of the nozzle member 41 (the position at which the etching solution flows to the coating m4) is further determined. Based on this, a signal is sent to the step motor 48 to position the nozzle member 41 in the radial direction.
When the etching process on the upper surface of the substrate is only the outer peripheral part, when the width (the width of the ring-shaped etching part) is small, there is a possibility that the processing liquid sprayed downward may wrap around the peripheral part of the upper surface. There is a case where it is not necessary to supply the processing liquid by the upper processing liquid supply mechanism, but when the width is wide and it is difficult to go around the entire area where the processing liquid is required, or the lower surface processing is different from the upper surface processing. When the processing liquid to be processed is different (for example, when the lower surface is cleaned and the upper surface is etched), the upper processing liquid supply mechanism needs to supply the processing liquid separately from the lower processing liquid supply mechanism.

The contact angle measuring device 5 can also measure the contact angle of the etching solution with respect to the coatings m3 and m4 before starting the etching process. This measurement is necessary because the contact angle of the coating to the treatment liquid changes with time (elapsed time since the film was formed) even if the type of coating and the type of treatment liquid are the same. This is because the processing operation is controlled using the measured values. In this case, the measurement result is sent to the storage and calculation unit 12 of the control device, where it is used instead of the registered value, and the flow rate of the etching solution as described above, the radial position of the nozzle member 41 (on the coating m4). On the other hand, the position at which the etching solution is supplied), the rotation speed of the substrate, the processing time, and the like are determined.
When the contact angle measuring device obtains the latest information on the contact angle of the etching solution with respect to the coating film to be etched, the latest information is used in place of the information registered in advance in the registration unit. Optimize.
In addition, when the information regarding the contact angle with respect to the film currently formed in the board | substrate is not previously registered into the registration part, by using said measured value, the flow volume of etching liquid, the radial direction position ( It is also possible to determine the position at which the etching solution is supplied to the coating m4), the rotation speed of the substrate, the processing time, and the like.

  When performing the etching process for the predetermined time determined as described above, the gas is applied to the upper surface of the substrate W from the gas supply source 66 through the valve 65 and the passage 62 formed in the cover plate via the conduit 64. The supplied gas flows through the gap between the cover plate 61 and the substrate W radially outward. The surface of the substrate is kept clean by the flow of gas, and the gas volatilized from the etching solution is prevented from moving toward the center of the substrate. When the etching process is completed, the supply of the etching liquid by the lower processing liquid supply mechanism and the upper processing liquid supply mechanism is stopped, and then the wafer is dried by the wafer drying mechanism not shown in the figure, and the substrate etching process is completed. If the substrate is treated with a cleaning liquid instead of the etching liquid, the substrate is cleaned.

When the contact angle of the coating m4 to be processed with respect to the processing liquid is small as shown in FIG. 2 (A), the processing liquid tends to spread on the coating, so that the processing is performed as shown in FIG. 4 (B). Even when the treatment liquid adheres to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate within the range to be performed, the processing liquid tends to spread toward the rotation center OO side of the substrate, that is, radially inward. Therefore, the rotation speed of the substrate is increased to increase the centrifugal force acting on the processing liquid, thereby suppressing the processing liquid from spreading radially inward. Also, the position of the nozzle member 41 is set to a position away from the boundary line BL in the radial direction outside.
On the other hand, when the contact angle of the coating m4 to be processed with respect to the processing liquid is large as shown in FIG. 2B, the processing liquid hardly spreads (is difficult to move) on the coating, and therefore shown in FIG. Thus, even if it is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate within the processing range, it is difficult to spread inward in the radial direction. Accordingly, the centrifugal force acting on the processing liquid may be reduced by reducing the rotation speed of the substrate. Further, the position of the nozzle member 41 can also be closer to the boundary line BL than in the above case.
Therefore, in the case of the above-mentioned etching treatment, the upper part is determined based on the kind of film to be treated, the kind of etching liquid used for the film, the contact angle of the etching liquid to the film, the concentration of the etching liquid, the processing temperature, etc. The position of the droplet nozzle of the processing liquid supply mechanism, the rotation speed of the substrate, the supply amount, and the processing time are determined and the etching process is performed.

When the etching process is performed on the peripheral edge of the outer coating m4, the outer coating m4 is removed in a ring shape on the outer periphery of the substrate. However, the coating m4 is not completely removed, and the coating m4 may partially remain on the surface of the coating m2 in the ring-shaped part from which the coating m4 has been removed. For this reason, in order to remove the remaining coating m4, the etching processing time may be longer than a predetermined time. In this case, the etching solution is dropped after the etching solution dropping position. However, since most of the coating m2 is exposed, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the coating m4 is used. When the etching solution is dropped on the outer peripheral edge of the film, the etching solution contacts the coating m4 and also contacts the surface of the coating 2 exposed by removing the coating m4. In this way, when the etching solution is in contact with a coating having a different quality, the contact angle of the etching solution with respect to the different coating is different, and therefore, it is necessary to consider the difference in the contact angle.
Further, in the etching process on the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, the processing shape of the boundary line BL portion on the inner periphery of the etching range, that is, the etching shape becomes a problem. That is, in FIG. 5, the contact angles of the coatings m4 and m2 laminated on the substrate W with the treatment liquid, that is, the etching solution are compared. If the contact angle with the coating m2 is larger than the contact angle with the coating m4, the substrate rotates. When the etching solution is present on the boundary between the coating m4 and the coating m2 in a state where the substrate is in the state of being in contact, the liquid has a force that moves in a direction where the contact angle is small and a centrifugal force that acts on the outer periphery of the substrate because the substrate rotates. Will act. Here, when the centrifugal force is smaller than the force that can be expressed from the difference in the contact angle of the etching solution L, the liquid easily moves toward the center of the substrate, and if the control is not performed, the actual etching width is desired. As shown in FIG. 5A, the step shape becomes gentler. Therefore, in the present invention, when the contact angle of the etching solution L with respect to the coating m4 as the etching target film is smaller than the contact angle of the etching solution with respect to the coating m2 as the lower etching film, the rotation speed of the wafer is increased. In that case, as a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, a desired etching width is obtained, and the step shape becomes steep.

In addition, when the contact angle of the etching liquid with respect to the film that is the film to be etched is large, the supplied liquid tends to be a sphere on the substrate and may not spread uniformly on the stacked films. If processing is performed at an etching rate necessary for etching a desired film thickness in this state, a portion where etching is not performed in some cases may be formed. In order to prevent such a portion from remaining, when the contact angle of the film to be etched is large, the processing is performed with a processing time longer than the theoretically required processing time.
As is apparent from FIG. 2, when the same amount of water droplets is applied to the coating film showing a large contact angle and the coating film showing a small contact angle, the diameter of the water droplet formed on the coating film showing a small contact angle is larger. Greater than that on the film showing corners. As can be seen from this, it is difficult to obtain a desired etching width unless the position of the nozzle member relative to the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is moved by the contact angle of the film to be etched. That is, the position of the nozzle member on the outer periphery of the substrate moves in the direction of the center of the substrate when the substrate has a large contact angle, and moves toward the periphery of the substrate when the substrate has a small contact angle.
Further, when the contact angle of the film with respect to the same processing liquid is small, the liquid spreads greatly on the film. As a method for preventing the liquid from spreading more than necessary, the present invention controls the spread of the liquid by changing the flow rate of the processing liquid.

The type of coating is not necessarily the same on the upper and lower surfaces of a substrate such as a wafer. In order to complete the etching or cleaning of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate and the coating on the lower surface at the same time, it is necessary to use the etching rate (or etching rate) of the processing liquid with respect to the coating, respectively. Further, the etching rate of the processing liquid with respect to the coating film depends on the temperature and concentration of the processing liquid, but if the film information is registered before the substrate processing, the substrate can be processed in the shortest time.
The processing of the outer periphery of the substrate, that is, the shape after etching, that is, the width to be etched, the stepped shape after etching, and the thickness of the layer to be etched can be registered before etching. Can be registered before etching.
In addition, before processing the substrate, the contact angle of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, only the upper surface, or only the lower surface can be measured and reflected in the substrate processing.

The contact angle of single or multiple layers of processing chemicals or water on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed before processing the substrate, and the contact angle of single or multiple layers of processing chemicals or water on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed can be registered in the apparatus. The value can be reflected in the substrate processing by the method shown in claims 8-12.
Based on the values measured by the contact angle measurement mechanism, calculations are performed by the device calculation unit, and values that can be reflected in substrate processing based on the calculation are substrate rotation speed, processing chemical flow rate, processing chemical concentration, substrate periphery The position of the nozzle member in the section, the processing time, the temperature of the processing chemical, the flow rate of the processing gas, and the like.
In addition, from the registered value, calculation can be performed by the information storage and calculation unit 12 to obtain the registered etching shape, etching width, and etching thickness.
Further, in this substrate processing apparatus, at least one of the rotation speed of the substrate, the flow rate of the processing chemical, the concentration of the processing chemical, the position of the nozzle material on the outer periphery of the substrate, the processing time, the temperature of the processing chemical, the flow rate of the processing gas, etc. Can be set in advance to an arbitrary value. In this case, other values necessary for etching can be obtained from the apparatus arithmetic unit.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the substrate rotation mechanism and the lower processing liquid request mechanism. Since other configurations can be the same as those of the above-described embodiment, description thereof will be omitted. The substrate rotating mechanism 2a according to this modification includes a hollow rotating shaft 22a rotatably supported in a vertical state by a bearing 21a and a support attached to one end (upper end in FIG. 6) of the rotating shaft. A member 23a and two sets of holding members 25a and 26a arranged on the outer periphery of the support member 23a are provided. Although the support member 23a can be formed in a disk shape, it can be a frame member that extends in the radial direction corresponding to the number of holding members (centering on the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 22a). In this embodiment, it is disc-shaped, and a plurality of (six in this embodiment) cutouts are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and holding members 25a and 26a are respectively provided in the cutouts. They are alternately arranged, and each extend substantially at a right angle with respect to the upper surface of the support member. Each of the holding members 25a and 26a is rotatably attached, and its tip (upper end in FIG. 6) is biased in a direction in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W by a spring or the like. Each holding member 25a and 26a can be selectively biased in a direction in which the tip is separated from the outer periphery of the substrate by an actuator (not shown) such as a fluid cylinder or an electromagnetic solenoid. The rotating shaft 22a is rotated by known driving means such as an electric motor and a pulley (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 7, this substrate rotating mechanism holds the outer peripheral edge of the substrate with three holding members 25a and three holding members 26a shifted in time (in FIG. 7, the holding member 25a holds the outer peripheral edge). Thus, it is possible to prevent processing from being performed without going to a portion where the processing liquid is held during processing operations such as etching or cleaning.

The lower processing liquid supply mechanism 3a is attached to the supply pipe 31a extending through the hollow shaft and the supply pipe 31a protruding from the tip (upper end in the figure) of the rotation shaft, and the support member 22a of the substrate rotation mechanism and the substrate And a nozzle member 32a extending in the radial direction between the substrate W held by the rotating mechanism. On the outer periphery of the nozzle member 32a, a plurality of nozzle holes are formed on the substrate side surface at regular intervals in the extending direction of the nozzle member. Each nozzle hole is formed in the center of the nozzle member through a passage extending in the axial direction and a supply passage of a supply pipe 31a communicating with the passage, and through a flow control valve (not shown) as in the above embodiment. It is connected to a liquid supply source.
The processing operation of this embodiment is the same in other respects except that the structure for supporting and rotating the substrate is different from that of the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the case of the substrate rotating mechanism 2a, it is possible to rotate not only when the substrate is rotated in a horizontal state but also in a vertical state (therefore, the rotation axis of the substrate is horizontal). Therefore, the substrate can be processed by rotating in the vertical state.

  The present invention can be applied to processes such as etching and cleaning of a substrate such as a wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the contact angle with respect to the process liquid of the film of a board | substrate surface, Comprising: (A) shows the case where a contact angle is small, (B) is a figure which shows the case where a contact angle is large. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the dripping nozzle of a contact angle measuring apparatus, and a board | substrate. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the etching process area | region of the upper surface of a board | substrate, Comprising: (A) has a film with a large contact angle, (B) is a figure which shows the case where it has a film with a small contact angle. It is a figure explaining the etching shape of the upper part of a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows the modification of the substrate rotation mechanism and lower process liquid supply mechanism of the substrate processing apparatus of this invention. FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG. 6. It is a figure which shows the flow of the information and instruction | indication in the case of implementing the substrate processing method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2, 2a Substrate rotation mechanism 3, 3a Lower process liquid supply mechanism 4 Upper process liquid supply mechanism 5 Contact angle measurement apparatus 6 Gas supply mechanism 10 Control apparatus 11 Registration part 12 Information storage and calculation part 13 Control part 21, 21a Bearing part 22, 22a Rotating shaft 23 Rotation support roller 23a Support member 25a, 26a Holding member

Claims (19)

The processing liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate and the substrate is rotated, thereby diffusing the processing liquid over the entire lower surface of the substrate and diffusing the processing liquid around the upper surface of the substrate. In the substrate processing method for processing the entire surface of the lower surface coating and the peripheral portion of the upper surface coating,
Register the film type of at least one coating film on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of at least one coating film on the lower surface of the substrate,
Register the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed with respect to the processing solution and the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed,
A substrate processing method, wherein processing is performed by controlling a supply amount of the processing liquid and a rotation speed of the substrate based on information on the registered film type and information on the registered contact angle. Supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate and supplying the processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate and rotating the substrate, thereby diffusing the processing liquid to the entire lower surface of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the upper surface; In the substrate processing method of processing the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the coating on the upper surface with the processing liquid,
Register the film type of at least one coating film to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of at least one coating film to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate,
Register the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed with respect to the processing solution and the contact angle of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed,
A substrate processing method, wherein processing is performed by controlling a supply amount of the processing liquid and a rotation speed of the substrate based on information on the registered film type and information on the registered contact angle.   The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the substrate is controlled based on information on a contact angle of a coating film to be processed on the upper surface with respect to a processing liquid, in a radial direction of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface. Processing method.   4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein a processing time is controlled based on information on a contact angle of a film to be processed on the upper surface and the lower surface with respect to a processing liquid.   5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle of the coating film to be processed on at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate with respect to the processing liquid is measured, and the latest contact angle information obtained by the measurement. A substrate processing method in which processing is performed using instead of the registered contact angle information.   6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein a gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate and the coating on the upper surface of the substrate is protected by the gas.   7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the processing solution is an etching solution, and the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the coating on the upper surface are simultaneously etched.   4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing liquid sent to the upper surface of the substrate is an etching liquid, the processing liquid supplied to the lower surface of the substrate is a cleaning liquid, and the upper surface etching process and the lower surface are processed. A substrate processing method for simultaneously performing the cleaning process.   9. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein a contact angle of the outer coating on the upper surface of the substrate with respect to the processing liquid and a contact angle of the inner coating adjacent to the outer coating with respect to the processing liquid are set. A substrate processing method for comparing and controlling at least one of a processing width and a processing shape of the coating.   10. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a processing width of the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate, a stepped shape after processing, a processing thickness, and a processing thickness of the lower surface of the substrate is set before starting the processing. Substrate processing method to be registered. Supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate and supplying the processing liquid to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate and rotating the substrate, thereby diffusing the processing liquid to the entire lower surface of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the upper surface; In the substrate processing method of processing the entire surface of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate and the periphery of the coating on the upper surface with the processing liquid,
Register the film type of the film to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate and the film type of the film to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate,
Measuring the contact angle of the coating to be treated on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate with respect to the treatment liquid;
A substrate processing method characterized in that processing is performed by controlling the supply amount of the processing liquid and the rotation speed of the substrate based on the registered film type information and contact angle information obtained by measurement. A substrate rotating mechanism that holds and rotates the substrate, a lower processing liquid supply mechanism that supplies a processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate, and a processing liquid that is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate by the processing liquid supply mechanism to process the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus to perform,
The film type of at least one coating to be processed on the upper surface of the substrate can be registered and the film type of at least one coating to be processed on the lower surface of the substrate can be registered, and the film type of at least one coating on the upper surface of the substrate to be processed can be registered. A registration unit capable of registering a contact angle with respect to the processing liquid and registering a contact angle with respect to the processing liquid of at least one layer of the coating on the lower surface of the substrate to be processed;
A control unit that controls the operation of the processing liquid supply mechanism and the substrate rotation mechanism based on information on the film type and contact angle registered in the registration unit,
A substrate processing apparatus for controlling processing based on a contact angle of the registered film with respect to a processing solution.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an apparatus for measuring a contact angle of the processing liquid with respect to the film of the substrate.   14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an upper processing liquid supply mechanism that supplies a processing liquid to an outer peripheral portion of an upper surface of the substrate.   15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a gas supply mechanism that supplies a gas to the surface of the substrate.   16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processing liquid is an etching liquid, and the entire lower surface of the substrate and a peripheral portion of the upper surface are simultaneously etched.   15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the processing liquid sent from the processing liquid supplier to the upper surface of the substrate is an etching liquid, the processing liquid supplied to the lower surface of the substrate is a cleaning liquid, and the upper surface etching process. And a substrate processing apparatus for simultaneously performing a cleaning process on the lower surface.   18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the substrate rotation mechanism includes a plurality of rotation support rollers that are engaged with a plurality of positions spaced circumferentially from a peripheral edge of the substrate to rotate the substrate. Substrate processing equipment.   18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the substrate rotation mechanism is disposed so as to be rotatable about a rotation center of the substrate and a peripheral portion of the support member. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: at least two sets of holding members formed of a plurality of holding members that hold the substrate by engaging with a peripheral edge of the substrate in a circumferential direction.

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