JP2008098425A - Equipment and method for processing substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide substrate processing equipment and a substrate processing method in which chemical can be collected efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: In a mode for teaching a third chemical fly-in upper position, third chemical is supplied to a wafer W (step S3) while being rotated at the same rotational speed (1,500 rpm) as that when a wafer W held by a spin chuck is cleaned, and integrated flow rate of the third chemical collected from a third collection opening is measured (step S10). The quantity of third chemical collected from a third collection opening is measured while elevating/lowering a splash guard (step S11, S12). Position of the splash card when the integrated flow rate of a third integration flowmeter is largest and the integrated flow rate of a second integrating flowmeter is smallest is determined as the third chemical fly-in upper position and written on a table stored in a memory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate using a processing liquid. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for plasma displays, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disk substrates. , Photomask substrates and the like.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one may be used to perform processing with a processing liquid on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. In this type of substrate processing apparatus, in order to reduce the consumption of the chemical solution used for processing the substrate, the chemical solution used for processing the substrate is recovered, and the recovered chemical solution is processed thereafter. Some are configured to be reused.

A substrate processing apparatus having a configuration in which a chemical solution can be reused includes, for example, a spin chuck that rotates a substrate while holding the substrate substantially horizontally with a plurality of chuck pins, and a bottomed cylindrical shape that accommodates the spin chuck. A cup and a splash guard provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the cup are provided.
At the bottom of the cup, a waste liquid groove for waste of the chemical liquid used for processing the substrate is formed so as to surround the periphery of the spin chuck, and further, for example, First to third recovery grooves for recovering the chemical solution used for processing the substrate are formed in triplicate. The waste liquid groove is connected to a waste liquid line for guiding the chemical liquid to a waste liquid treatment facility outside the figure, and the first to third collection grooves are for collecting the chemical liquid to the collection processing equipment outside the figure. A route is connected to each.

The splash guard is configured by vertically stacking four umbrella-shaped members having different sizes. The splash guard is coupled to an elevating drive mechanism including, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and the splash guard can be raised and lowered with respect to the cup (spin chuck) by the elevating drive mechanism.
An annular first recovery opening is formed between the upper end of the inclined surface of the uppermost first umbrella-shaped member and the upper end of the inclined surface of the second umbrella-shaped member directly below it to allow a chemical solution scattered from the substrate to enter. In addition, an annular second recovery opening is formed between the upper end of the inclined surface of the second umbrella-shaped member and the upper end of the inclined surface of the third umbrella-shaped member immediately below the second umbrella-shaped member, Between the upper end of the inclined surface of the third umbrella-shaped member and the upper end of the inclined surface of the lowermost fourth umbrella-shaped member, an annular third recovery opening for allowing the chemical solution scattered from the substrate to enter is formed. . Further, a waste liquid opening for allowing the chemical liquid scattered from the substrate to enter is formed between the lowermost fourth umbrella-shaped member and the bottom surface of the cup. And the chemical | medical solution which jumps into a 1st-3rd collection | recovery opening part is each guide | induced to the 1st-3rd collection | recovery groove | channel of a cup bottom part, The chemical | medical solution which jumps into a waste liquid opening part is guide | induced to the waste liquid groove | channel of a cup bottom part. It is like that.

  That is, by supplying the first chemical liquid to the surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate by the spin chuck, the surface of the substrate can be treated with the first chemical liquid. The 1st chemical | medical solution supplied to the surface of a board | substrate receives the centrifugal force by rotation of a board | substrate, and is scattered from the periphery of a board | substrate to a side. Therefore, at this time, if the splash guard is moved up and down and the first recovery opening is opposed to the end surface of the substrate, the first chemical scattered from the peripheral edge of the substrate is allowed to enter the first recovery opening. , And can be collected from the first collection groove through the collection line. Similarly, when the second chemical solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the second chemical solution scattered from the substrate can be collected if the second collection opening is opposed to the end surface of the substrate. When the third chemical solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the third chemical solution scattered from the substrate can be recovered by setting the third recovery opening to face the end surface of the substrate. Furthermore, when rinsing is performed by washing the substrate surface with pure water by supplying pure water to the substrate surface while rotating the substrate with a spin chuck, the waste liquid opening should be opposed to the end surface of the substrate. The pure water that has washed off the surface of the substrate can be collected in the waste liquid groove and can be discharged from the waste liquid groove through the waste liquid line.

By the way, the direction of the chemical solution scattered from the substrate differs depending on the processing conditions such as the rotation speed of the substrate by the spin chuck and the type (concentration, viscosity, temperature) of the chemical solution. While the first to third chemical liquids are being supplied to the surface of the substrate, the first to third recovery openings are arranged at fixed positions facing the end surface of the substrate. The amount of the chemical solution that enters the collection opening (the opening where the chemical solution is scheduled to be collected) facing the end surface of the substrate is reduced. Accordingly, the height position (optimum position) of the splash guard when the chemical solution enters the first to third recovery openings most efficiently is obtained for each processing condition based on the experience of the operator and the height position. Is stored in the ROM of the control unit and the splash guard is controlled to a height position corresponding to the processing conditions, thereby improving the recovery efficiency of the chemical solution throughout the entire period when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate. Substrate processing apparatuses have been proposed.
JP 2006-66815 A

However, the position of the splash guard determined based on the experience of the operator is not necessarily optimized. Therefore, even if the splash guard is controlled to the position stored in the memory, it is conceivable that the chemical liquid scattered from the substrate is not properly recovered from the recovery opening. In this case, the chemical solution cannot be recovered efficiently.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can efficiently recover a chemical solution.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a substrate rotating means (1) for rotating the substrate (W) while holding the substrate (W), and a processing liquid to the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means. A plurality of recovery openings (2) formed in an annular shape surrounding a rotation axis of the substrate by the substrate rotation means and arranged in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, respectively. 71, 72, 73), a recovery cup (100) for recovering the processing liquid splashed from the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means from the recovery opening, the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup A moving means (55) for relatively moving in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and pipes (38, 39, connected to each recovery opening and through which the processing liquid recovered in the connected recovery opening flows. 40 When the interposed on each pipe, a flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing into the piping (41, 43, 45), characterized in that it comprises a a substrate processing apparatus.

In addition, the alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later. The same applies hereinafter.
According to this configuration, the amount of the processing liquid recovered from each recovery opening is measured by the flow meter. By monitoring the flow meter, the amount of the processing liquid recovered from the recovery opening is grasped. Then, while relatively moving the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup, the amount of the processing liquid recovered from the predetermined recovery opening is measured, and based on the result, the processing liquid is most efficiently supplied from the predetermined recovery opening. The relative position between the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup when being recovered can be obtained. The processing liquid can be efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening by positioning the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup at the relative position.

  The invention according to claim 2 is an optimum relative position determining means for determining a relative position between the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup when the processing liquid is most efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening (73). 83), storage means (82) for storing the optimum relative position determined by the optimum relative position determination means, and movement control means (80) for controlling the movement means so as to be most efficiently collected at the collection opening. 83). The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

  According to this configuration, while the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup are relatively moved, the amount of the processing liquid recovered from the predetermined recovery opening is measured, and the optimum relative position is obtained based on the result. The optimum relative position is stored in the storage means, and the moving means is controlled so that the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup are positioned at the optimum relative position. Thereby, the processing liquid can be efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the flow meter may be an integrated flow meter (41, 43, 45) that measures an integrated flow rate of the processing liquid. In this case, the amount of the processing liquid including the processing liquid flowing along the wall surface of the recovery cup is measured. Thereby, the quantity of the process liquid collect | recovered from a collection | recovery opening part can be measured correctly.
Further, as described in claim 4, the processing liquid supply amount detection means (30, 70) for detecting the amount of the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply means, and the processing liquid supply amount detection means detect this. And a recovery rate calculating means (83) for calculating a recovery rate of the processing liquid based on the amount of the processing liquid and the integrated flow rate of the processing liquid detected by the integrated flow meter. In this case, an accurate recovery rate of the processing liquid can be obtained. This makes it possible to monitor the recovery rate of the processing liquid during the substrate processing.

  Furthermore, as described in claim 5, in the pipe, a valve (42, 44, 46) for opening and closing the pipe may be interposed on the upstream side of the integrating flow meter. In this case, by storing the processing liquid on the upstream side of the valve, the processing liquid flowing along the wall surface of the path from the recovery opening to the valve can be included in the measurement target by the integrating flow meter. Thereby, the quantity of the process liquid collect | recovered from a collection | recovery opening part can be measured more correctly.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the substrate rotating means (1) for rotating the substrate (W) while holding the substrate (W), and the processing liquid supply means for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means. (2, 12) and a plurality of recovery openings (71, 72, 73) formed in an annular shape surrounding the rotation axis of the substrate by the substrate rotating means and arranged in parallel with the rotation axis. Then, the recovery cup (100) for recovering the processing liquid splashed from the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means from the recovery opening, and the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup relative to the direction parallel to the rotation axis. Moving means (55) to be moved automatically, piping (38, 39, 40) connected to each recovery opening, and through which the processing liquid recovered to the connected recovery opening flows, and to each piping Intervened A flow meter (41, 43, 45) for measuring the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through each pipe, and the substrate rotating means and the recovery when the processing liquid is most efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening (73) Optimal relative position determining means (83) for determining the relative position with respect to the cup, storage means (82) for storing the optimal relative position detected by the optimal relative position determining means, and recovery at the recovery opening most efficiently. The substrate processing apparatus includes a movement control means (83) for controlling the moving means, and the processing liquid that scatters from the substrate should recover the processing liquid. The substrate processing method is characterized in that the moving means is controlled so as to be most efficiently collected in the opening.

  According to this method, the same function and effect as those described in relation to claim 2 can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view conceptually showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This substrate processing apparatus sequentially (selectively) supplies a first chemical solution, a second chemical solution, a third chemical solution, and pure water to the surface of a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate, and performs a cleaning process on the wafer W. A spin chuck 1 for holding and rotating the wafer W substantially horizontally, and a first chemical solution, a second chemical solution, and a second chemical solution on the surface (upper surface) of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1. And a nozzle 2 for supplying three chemicals and pure water.

  The spin chuck 1 includes a spin shaft 3 extending substantially vertically, a spin base 4 mounted substantially horizontally on the upper end of the spin shaft 3, and a plurality of clamping members 5 erected on the upper surface of the spin base 4. It has. The plurality of clamping members 5 are arranged on the circumference centered on the central axis of the spin shaft 3 at substantially equal angular intervals, and the wafer W is clamped at a plurality of different positions so that the wafer W W can be held in a substantially horizontal posture.

  A chuck rotation drive mechanism 6 including a drive source such as a motor is coupled to the spin shaft 3. In a state where the wafer W is held by the plurality of clamping members 5, a rotational force is input to the spin shaft 3 from the chuck rotation driving mechanism 6, and the spin shaft 3 is rotated about its central axis, thereby spinning the wafer W. The base 4 can be rotated around the central axis of the spin axis 3.

  The spin shaft 3 is a hollow shaft, and a back surface supply tube 7 is inserted into the spin shaft 3. In the middle of the back surface supply pipe 7, a back surface supply pipe flow meter 70 for measuring the flow rate of the chemical solution or pure water flowing through the back surface supply pipe 7 is interposed. The first chemical liquid can be supplied to the back surface supply pipe 7 from the first chemical liquid supply source via the first chemical liquid lower valve 8, and the second chemical liquid is supplied from the second chemical liquid supply source via the second chemical liquid lower valve 9. The third chemical solution can be supplied from the third chemical solution supply source via the third chemical solution lower valve 10, and the pure water can be supplied from the pure water supply source via the pure water lower valve 11. It can be supplied. Further, the back surface supply tube 7 extends to a position close to the center of the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1 (the plurality of clamping members 5). There is provided a back nozzle 12 for discharging selectively supplied first chemical liquid, second chemical liquid, third chemical liquid and pure water. The back nozzle 12 discharges the first chemical liquid, the second chemical liquid, the third chemical liquid, and pure water almost vertically upward, and the first chemical liquid, the second chemical liquid, the third chemical liquid, and pure water discharged from the back nozzle 12 are: Incidently perpendicular to the center of the back surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1.

  The nozzle 2 is attached to the tip of an arm 13 provided above the spin chuck 1. The arm 13 is supported by an arm support shaft 14 extending substantially vertically on the side of the spin chuck 1, and extends substantially horizontally from the lower end portion of the arm support shaft 14. An arm drive mechanism 15 is coupled to the arm support shaft 14, and the arm 13 is rotated within a predetermined angle range by rotating the arm support shaft 14 within a predetermined angle range by the driving force of the arm drive mechanism 15. It can be swung.

A supply pipe 29 is connected to the nozzle 2. The supply pipe 29 is connected to a first chemical liquid, a second chemical liquid, a third chemical liquid and pure water via a first chemical liquid valve 16, a second chemical liquid valve 17, a third chemical liquid valve 18 and a pure water valve 19. Is selectively supplied.
Above the spin chuck 1, a disc-shaped blocking plate 20 having substantially the same diameter as the wafer W is provided. On the upper surface of the blocking plate 20, a rotating shaft 21 is fixed along an axis common to the spin shaft 3 of the spin chuck 1. The rotating shaft 21 is formed in a hollow shape, and a blocking plate pure water nozzle 22 for supplying pure water to the upper surface of the wafer W is inserted into the rotating shaft 21. Pure water is supplied to the shielding plate pure water nozzle 22 via the shielding plate pure water valve 23. Further, a nitrogen gas flow passage 24 for supplying nitrogen gas as an inert gas toward the center of the wafer W is formed between the inner wall surface of the rotating shaft 21 and the outer wall surface of the blocking plate pure water nozzle 22. ing. Nitrogen gas is supplied to the nitrogen gas flow passage 24 via a nitrogen gas valve 25.

  The rotating shaft 21 is attached in a state where it is suspended from the vicinity of the tip of an arm 26 that extends substantially horizontally. Then, in relation to the arm 26, the blocking plate 20 is moved up and down between a proximity position close to the upper surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1 and a retreat position largely retracted above the spin chuck 1. A blocking plate lifting / lowering drive mechanism 27 and a blocking plate rotation driving mechanism 28 for rotating the blocking plate 20 in synchronization with the rotation of the wafer W by the spin chuck 1 are provided.

The spin chuck 1 is accommodated in a cup 31 having a bottomed cylindrical container shape. Above the cup 31, a splash guard 32 that can be raised and lowered with respect to the cup 31 is provided. The cup 31 and the splash guard 32 constitute a recovery cup 100 for recovering the first to third chemicals after being used for the wafer W cleaning process.
At the bottom of the cup 31, a waste liquid groove 33 for draining a mixed solution of pure water and a chemical solution used for processing the wafer W is centered on the rotation axis of the wafer W (the central axis of the spin axis 3). It is formed in an annular shape. An annular first recovery groove 34 for recovering the first to third chemicals after being used for cleaning the wafer W so as to surround the waste liquid groove 33 at the bottom of the cup 31. The second recovery groove 35 and the third recovery groove 36 are formed in triplicate. Specifically, a first recovery groove 34 is formed outside the waste liquid groove 33, a second recovery groove 35 is formed outside the first recovery groove 34, and a third recovery groove 36 is formed outside the second recovery groove 35. Is formed.

  The waste liquid groove 33 is connected to a waste liquid pipe 37 for guiding the mixed liquid to a waste liquid treatment facility (not shown). Connected to the first recovery groove 34 is a first recovery pipe 38 for guiding the first chemical solution to a recovery processing facility (not shown). A first integrated flow meter 41 is interposed in the middle of the first recovery pipe 38. The first integrated flow meter 41 measures the integrated flow rate of the first chemical liquid flowing through the first recovery pipe 38. A first recovery valve 42 for opening and closing the first recovery pipe 38 is interposed on the upstream side of the first integrated flow meter 41 of the first recovery pipe 38.

  Connected to the second recovery groove 35 is a second recovery pipe 39 for guiding the second chemical liquid to a recovery processing facility (not shown). A second integrating flow meter 43 is interposed in the middle of the second recovery pipe 39. The second integrated flow meter 43 measures the integrated flow rate of the second chemical liquid flowing through the second recovery pipe 39. A second recovery valve 44 for opening and closing the second recovery pipe 39 is interposed on the upstream side of the second total flow meter 43 of the second recovery pipe 39.

  Connected to the third recovery groove 36 is a third recovery pipe 40 for guiding the third chemical solution to a recovery processing facility (not shown). A third integrating flow meter 45 is interposed in the middle of the third recovery pipe 40. The third integrated flow meter 45 measures the integrated flow rate of the third chemical liquid flowing through the third recovery pipe 40. A third recovery valve 46 for opening and closing the third recovery pipe 40 is interposed on the upstream side of the third integrated flow meter 45 of the third recovery pipe 40. As the first to third recovery valves 42, 44, 46, for example, electromagnetic valves are used.

  The splash guard 32 is configured by overlapping four umbrella-shaped members 51, 52, 53, and 54 having different sizes. For example, a guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55 including a servo motor, a ball screw mechanism, and the like is coupled to the splash guard 32. It can be moved up and down (moved up and down).

Each of the umbrella-shaped members 51 to 54 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis of the wafer W.
The umbrella-shaped member 51 includes a cylindrical cylindrical portion 56 having a rotation axis of the wafer W as a central axis, and an inclined portion 57 extending obliquely upward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 56 toward the center side (direction approaching the rotation axis of the wafer W). And a waste liquid guide 58 extending obliquely downward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 56 toward the center side. The lower end of the cylindrical part 56 is located on the first recovery groove 34, and the lower end of the waste liquid guide part 58 is located on the waste liquid groove 33. Further, the cylindrical portion 56 and the waste liquid guide portion 58 have such a length that their lower ends do not contact the bottom surface of the cup 31 when the splash guard 32 is lowered to the lowermost retracted position.

  The umbrella-shaped member 52 is provided so as to surround the cylindrical portion 56 of the umbrella-shaped member 51, and has coaxial cylindrical portions 59, 60 having the rotation axis of the wafer W as a central axis, and upper ends of these cylindrical portions 59, 60. , And a connection portion 61 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens toward the rotation axis of the wafer W, and an inclined portion 62 that extends obliquely upward from the upper end of the connection portion 61 toward the center side. The lower end of the inner (center side) cylindrical portion 59 is positioned on the first recovery groove 34, and the lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 60 is positioned on the second recovery groove 35. The cylindrical portions 59 and 60 have such a length that their lower ends do not contact the bottom surface of the cup 31 when the splash guard 32 is lowered to the lowermost retracted position.

  The umbrella-shaped member 53 is provided so as to surround the cylindrical portion 60 of the umbrella-shaped member 52, and from the upper ends of the coaxial cylindrical portions 63 and 64 having the rotation axis of the wafer W as the central axis and the outer cylindrical portion 64. And an inclined portion 65 extending obliquely upward on the center side. The lower end of the inner cylindrical portion 63 is positioned on the second recovery groove 35, and the lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 64 is positioned on the third recovery groove 36. Further, the cylindrical portions 63 and 64 have such a length that their lower ends do not contact the bottom surface of the cup 31 when the splash guard 32 is lowered to the lowermost retracted position.

  The umbrella-shaped member 54 is provided so as to surround the cylindrical portion 64 of the umbrella-shaped member 53, and has a cylindrical cylindrical portion 66 having the rotation axis of the wafer W as a central axis, and a diagonally upper side toward the center from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 66. And an inclined portion 67 extending in the direction. The cylindrical portion 66 is located on the third recovery groove 36 and has such a length that the lower end thereof does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the cup 31 when the splash guard 32 is lowered to the lowermost retracted position. Yes.

  The upper edges of the inclined portions 57, 62, 65, and 67 are positioned on the cylindrical surface having the rotation axis of the wafer W as the central axis with a gap in the direction along the rotation axis of the wafer W (vertical direction). Yes. As a result, the first chemical liquid scattered from the wafer W is caused to enter between the upper edge of the inclined portion 57 and the upper edge of the inclined portion 62, and the first chemical liquid is collected in the first recovery groove 34. For this purpose, an annular first recovery opening 71 is formed. Further, the second chemical liquid splashed from the wafer W is caused to enter between the upper edge of the inclined portion 62 and the upper edge of the inclined portion 65, and the second chemical liquid is collected in the second recovery groove 35. The second recovery opening 72 having an annular shape is formed, and a third chemical that scatters from the wafer W is introduced between the upper edge of the inclined portion 65 and the upper edge of the inclined portion 67, and the processing liquid Is formed in the third recovery groove 36. An annular third recovery opening 73 is formed. Further, a waste liquid opening 74 for capturing the processing liquid scattered from the wafer W is formed between the upper edge of the inclined portion 57 and the waste liquid guide portion 58.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes a control device 83 having a configuration including a CPU 80 and a memory 82.
The control device 83 includes a chuck rotation driving mechanism 6, a guard lifting / lowering driving mechanism 55, an arm driving mechanism 15, a blocking plate lifting / lowering driving mechanism 27, a blocking plate rotation driving mechanism 28, a first chemical lower valve 8, and a second chemical lower valve 9. , Third chemical liquid lower valve 10, pure water lower valve 11, first chemical liquid upper valve 16, second chemical liquid upper valve 17, third chemical liquid upper valve 18, pure water upper valve 19, shut-off plate pure water valve 23, nitrogen gas valve 25, a first recovery valve 42, a second recovery valve 44, a third recovery valve 46, and the like are connected as control targets.

  The control device 83 controls the operations of the chuck rotation driving mechanism 6, the guard lifting / lowering driving mechanism 55, the arm driving mechanism 15, the blocking plate lifting / lowering driving mechanism 27, and the blocking plate rotating / driving driving mechanism 28 according to a program stored in the memory 82. . The control device 83 also includes a first chemical lower valve 8, a second chemical lower valve 9, a third chemical lower valve 10, a pure water lower valve 11, a first chemical upper valve 16, a second chemical upper valve 17, and a third The opening and closing of the chemical solution upper valve 18, the pure water upper valve 19, the shut-off plate pure water valve 23, the nitrogen gas valve 25, the first recovery valve 42, the second recovery valve 44 and the third recovery valve 46 is controlled.

The control device 83 is connected to a first integrated flow meter 41, a second integrated flow meter 43, a third integrated flow meter 45, a supply pipe flow meter 30, and a back supply pipe flow meter 70. Measurement values are input to the control device 83 from the first integrated flow meter 41, the second integrated flow meter 43, the third integrated flow meter 45, the supply pipe flow meter 30, and the back supply pipe flow meter 70. Yes.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, the cleaning process of the wafer W in this substrate processing apparatus will be described.

Before the wafer W to be processed is loaded, the upper end of the inclined portion 67 of the umbrella-shaped member 54 of the splash guard 32 is spun by the splash guard 32 being lowered to the lowermost retracted position so as not to hinder the loading. It is located below the holding position of the wafer W by the chuck 1.
The wafer W to be processed is held by the spin chuck 1 with the surface (device forming surface) facing upward. When the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 1, the chuck rotation drive mechanism 6 is controlled to start the rotation of the wafer W by the spin chuck 1, and the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased to, for example, 1500 rpm. Further, the guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55 is controlled so that the splash guard 32 moves from the retracted position to the third chemical solution intrusion upper position (see FIG. 3A) where the third recovery opening 73 faces the end surface of the wafer W. Be raised. Further, the arm driving mechanism 15 is controlled to rotate the arm 13, and the nozzle 2 is moved from the side retracted position of the spin chuck 1 to the position above the wafer W.

  Here, in the teaching mode to be described later, when the third chemical liquid is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W rotated at a rotational speed of 1500 rpm, the third chemical liquid scattered from the wafer W is most efficiently recovered by the third recovery. A position (optimum position) that can be made to jump into the opening 73 is detected, and such a third chemical liquid jump-in position is written in a table stored in the memory 82. With reference to the table, control of the guard lifting drive mechanism 55 is performed.

  When the rotation speed of the wafer W reaches 1500 rpm, the third chemical liquid lower valve 10 and the third chemical liquid upper valve 18 are opened, and the third chemical liquid is supplied from the nozzle 2 to the rotation center of the surface of the wafer W, and the back surface. The third chemical solution is supplied from the nozzle 12 to the rotation center of the back surface of the wafer W. The total flow rate supplied from the nozzle 2 and the back nozzle 12 to the wafer W is, for example, 4 (L / min). The third chemical liquid supplied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W flows toward the periphery of the wafer W due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is scattered from the periphery of the wafer W to the side. It jumps into the 3rd collection | recovery opening part 73 which is facing. Then, the third chemical liquid that has entered the third recovery opening 73 is collected in the third recovery groove 36 and sent to the third recovery pipe 40. The third recovery valve 46 is opened, and the third chemical liquid is recovered through the third recovery pipe 40 to a recovery processing facility that processes the third chemical liquid in a reusable manner.

  When the rotation speed of the wafer W is reduced from 1500 rpm to 500 rpm, the direction of the third chemical liquid splashing from the wafer W (the third chemical liquid scattering direction) is almost as shown in FIG. It changes from a horizontal direction to diagonally downward. Therefore, in this substrate processing apparatus, when the rotation speed of the wafer W is lowered to 500 rpm, in response to this, the splash guard 32 is slightly lower than the third chemical solution entry position from the third solution entry position. Is moved down to the third chemical solution entry position (see FIG. 3B).

Thereafter, when 30 seconds have elapsed from the start of the supply of the third chemical liquid to the wafer W, the rotation speed of the wafer W is reduced from 1500 rpm to 500 rpm. And supply of the 3rd chemical | medical solution to the surface and the back surface of the wafer W is continued, rotating the wafer W at the rotational speed of 500 rpm.
The third chemical solution entry position is the third most efficient third chemical solution scattered from the wafer W when the third chemical solution is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W rotated at a rotational speed of 1500 rpm. This is a position (optimum position) at which the collection opening 73 can be made to enter, and is determined in a teaching mode to be described later, and such a third chemical solution entry position is written in a table stored in the memory 82. It is. The table is referred to control the guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55. The control device 83 moves the splash guard 32 to the third chemical solution entry position by driving the guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55 based on the drive amount stored in the memory 82.

  When 20 seconds elapse after the rotation speed of the wafer W is lowered to 500 rpm, the third chemical lower valve 10 and the third chemical upper valve 18 are closed. Thereafter, the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased from 500 rpm to 1500 rpm. Further, the guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55 is driven, and the splash guard 32 is lowered to the waste liquid position where the waste liquid opening 74 faces the end surface of the wafer W.

  In this way, when the rotation speed of the wafer W is lowered from 1500 rpm to 500 rpm while the third chemical solution is being supplied to the wafer W, in response to this, the position of the splash guard 32 is at a rotation speed of 1500 rpm. The third chemical liquid splashed from the rotating wafer W is scattered from the wafer W rotated at a rotational speed of 500 rpm from the third chemical liquid intrusion upper position at which the third chemical liquid can enter the third recovery opening 73 most efficiently. The third chemical solution to be moved into the third chemical solution entry position where the third chemical solution can enter the third recovery opening 73 most efficiently. As a result, the third chemical liquid scattered from the wafer W can be satisfactorily captured by the third recovery opening 73 throughout the period in which the third chemical liquid is supplied to the wafer W, and the third chemical liquid is efficiently recovered. be able to.

  Thereafter, the pure water valve 19 is opened, and pure water is supplied from the nozzle 2 to the rotation center of the surface of the wafer W. Also, the pure water sub-valve 11 is opened, and pure water is supplied from the back nozzle 12 to the center of rotation of the back surface of the wafer W. The pure water supplied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W flows toward the periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and is scattered from the periphery of the wafer W to the side. Thereby, the 3rd chemical | medical solution adhering to the surface and the back surface of the wafer W is washed away with a pure water. The pure water (including the third chemical liquid washed away from the wafer W) splashed from the periphery of the wafer W is captured by the waste liquid opening 74 facing the end face of the wafer W and collected in the waste liquid groove 33 at this time. Then, the waste liquid is guided from the waste liquid groove 33 through the waste liquid pipe 37 to a waste liquid treatment facility (not shown).

  When the supply of pure water is continued for a predetermined time, the pure water lower valve 11 and the pure water upper valve 19 are closed, and the supply of pure water to the wafer W is stopped. Thereafter, the arm drive mechanism 15 is controlled to rotate the arm 13, and the nozzle 2 is retracted from the upper position of the wafer W to the retract position on the side of the spin chuck 1. Then, the splash guard 32 is lowered from the waste liquid position to the retracted position, and the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased from 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm, and the pure water adhering to the surface of the wafer W after the water washing process is spun off by centrifugal force. Spin drying is performed. When this spin dry process is performed for 120 seconds, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped and the processed wafer W is unloaded from the spin chuck 1.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a teaching flow at the third chemical solution in-feed position in the teaching mode. In this teaching mode, the wafer W held on the spin chuck 1 is rotated at the same rotational speed as that for the wafer W cleaning process, and the wafer W is the same as that for the wafer W cleaning process. An amount of the third chemical solution is supplied. The guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism 55 is controlled, and the splash guard 32 is lifted / lowered in a predetermined range (for example, a range of 20 mm) where the third collection opening 73 faces the end surface of the wafer W. The position of the splash guard 32 when the flow rate of the third chemical solution flowing through the third recovery tube 40 is the highest and the flow rate of the second chemical solution flowing through the second recovery tube 39 is the lowest is the third chemical solution. The position is determined as the jump-in upper position (third chemical liquid drop-in position), and the position is written in the table stored in the memory 82. This teaching mode is executed, for example, before performing the above-described cleaning process.

The substrate processing apparatus is provided with an operation panel (not shown), and a teaching mode button (not shown) is arranged on the operation panel. When the teaching mode button is operated, the teaching mode is entered and the operation is started. In this state, the second recovery valve 44 and the third recovery valve 46 are closed.
First, the guard lifting drive mechanism 55 is controlled, and the splash guard 32 is raised from the retracted position to the initial position and stopped at the initial position (step S1). This initial position is a position that is the upper end of the predetermined range. Further, the chuck rotation drive mechanism 6 is controlled to start the rotation of the wafer W by the spin chuck 1, and the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased to 1500 rpm, which is the same as that in the wafer W cleaning process (step S2). Further, the arm driving mechanism 15 is controlled to rotate the arm 13, and the nozzle 2 is moved from the side retracted position of the spin chuck 1 to the position above the wafer W.

  When the rotation speed of the wafer W reaches 1500 rpm, the third chemical liquid lower valve 10 and the third chemical liquid upper valve 18 are opened, and the third chemical liquid is supplied from the nozzle 2 to the rotation center of the surface of the wafer W, and the back surface. The third chemical solution is supplied from the nozzle 12 to the center of rotation on the back surface of the wafer W (step S3). The flow rate supplied to the wafer W from the nozzle 2 and the back surface nozzle 12 is, for example, 4 (L / min) as in the case of the wafer W cleaning process. The third chemical liquid supplied to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W flows toward the periphery of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W, and scatters from the periphery of the wafer W to the side. The third chemical liquid that scatters laterally from the periphery of the wafer W enters the third recovery opening 73 that faces the end face of the wafer W. However, depending on the position of the splash guard 32, a part of the third chemical liquid that scatters laterally from the periphery of the wafer W enters the second recovery opening 72 adjacent to the lower side of the third recovery opening 73. There is also a case. The third chemical liquid that has entered the third recovery opening 73 is collected in the third recovery groove 36 and sent to the third recovery pipe 40. Further, the second chemical liquid that has entered the second collection opening 72 is collected in the second collection groove 35 and sent to the second collection pipe 39.

  For example, when 120 seconds elapse after the supply of the third chemical liquid from the nozzle 2 and the back nozzle 12 is started (Yes in step S4), the third chemical lower valve 10 and the third chemical upper valve 18 are closed (step S5). . Thereafter, the arm drive mechanism 15 is controlled to rotate the arm 13, and the nozzle 2 is retracted from the upper position of the wafer W to the retract position on the side of the spin chuck 1. Further, the blocking plate lifting / lowering drive mechanism 27 is controlled, and the blocking plate 20 is lowered to a proximity position close to the upper surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1. Then, the shielding plate rotation drive mechanism 28 is controlled, and the nitrogen gas valve 25 is opened while the shielding plate 20 rotates in the same direction as the wafer W, and the wafer W and the shielding plate are opened from the central opening of the shielding plate 20. Nitrogen gas is supplied to the space between 20 (step S6). As a result, a stable air flow of nitrogen gas is generated in the space between the wafer W and the blocking plate 20. By supplying the nitrogen gas to the wafer W, the third chemical liquid flowing along the wall surfaces of the inclined portions 65 and 67 of the splash guard 32 can be promoted to the third recovery groove 36. Further, by supplying nitrogen gas to the wafer W, the third chemical liquid flowing along the wall surfaces of the inclined portions 62 and 65 of the splash guard 32 can be promoted to the second recovery groove 35.

  The second recovery valve 44 and the third recovery valve 46 are closed as described above. Therefore, the third chemical solution sent from the third recovery groove 36 to the third recovery tube 40 is stored in the third recovery pipe 40, and the second recovery pipe 39 stores the second chemical liquid from the second recovery groove 35 to the second. The 3rd chemical | medical solution sent to the collection pipe | tube 39 is stored. Since the supply of nitrogen gas from the blocking plate 20 is continued while the second recovery valve 44 and the third recovery valve 46 are closed, the third chemical liquid flowing along the wall surface of the splash guard 32 is also third. It is stored in the recovery pipe 40 or the second recovery pipe 39.

  When a predetermined storage time (for example, 20 seconds) elapses (Yes in step S7), the third recovery valve 46 and the second recovery valve 44 are simultaneously opened (step S8). At this time, the third chemical liquid stored in the third recovery pipe 40 flows through the third recovery pipe 40, and the integrated flow rate of the third chemical liquid is measured by the third integrated flow meter 45. In addition, the third chemical liquid stored in the second recovery pipe 39 flows through the second recovery pipe 39, and the integrated flow rate of the third chemical liquid is measured by the second integrated flow meter 43. Since the third chemical liquid flowing along the wall surface of the splash guard 32 is also stored in the third recovery pipe 40 and the second recovery pipe 39, the third chemical liquid including the third chemical liquid flowing along the wall surface of the splash guard 32 is stored. The integrated flow rate can be measured. Therefore, the amount of the processing liquid recovered from the third recovery opening 73 can be accurately measured.

  When a predetermined measurement time has elapsed (Yes in step S9), the measurement value of the third integrated flow meter 45 and the measurement value of the second integrated flow meter 43 are referred to (step S10). And the guard raising / lowering drive mechanism 55 is controlled, and the splash guard 32 is lowered | hung 2 mm from the position until then, for example (step S11). And the process from step S3 to step S11 is performed again in the position. In this way, the splash guard 32 descends in steps of 2 mm, and this process is repeated until the splash guard 32 reaches the end (lower end) position of the predetermined range (No in step S12).

  The measured value of the third integrated flow meter 45 interposed in the third recovery pipe 40 is maximized, and the measured value of the second integrated flow meter 43 interposed in the second recovery pipe 39 is minimized. The position of the splash guard 32 at that time is determined as the third chemical solution jump-in position (step S13). And the 3rd chemical | medical solution jumping in position is written in the table stored in the memory 82 (step S14).

As described above, in FIG. 4, the teaching flow at the third chemical solution intrusion position has been described, but the above-described teaching at the third chemical solution inflow position is performed in the same flow as steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 14 in FIG. 4. be able to. In this case, the rotation speed of the wafer W in step S2 is 500 rpm.
As described above, according to this embodiment, while changing the height position of the splash guard 32,
The integrated flow rate of the third chemical liquid recovered from the third recovery opening 73 is measured, and the third chemical liquid intrusion position (third chemical liquid inflow position) is obtained based on the result. And it controls so that the splash guard 32 may be located in the 3rd chemical | medical solution inflow upper position (3rd chemical | medical solution inflow lower position). Thereby, the third chemical solution can be efficiently recovered from the third recovery opening 73.

In addition, since the integrated flow rate of the third chemical solution recovered from the third recovery opening 73 is measured by the third and second integrated flow meters 45 and 43, the third chemical solution flowing along the wall surface of the splash guard 32 is measured. Including, the amount of the third chemical solution can be measured. Thereby, the quantity of the 3rd chemical | medical solution collect | recovered from the 3rd collection | recovery opening part 73 can be measured correctly.
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can also be implemented in other embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the recovery amount recovered from the third recovery opening 73 is measured while the splash guard 32 is lowered in 2 mm increments. First, for example, a plurality of units separated by relatively large intervals such as 10 mm increments are used. Next, the vicinity of the position that is considered to be close to the third chemical solution intrusion position (the third chemical solution inflow position) as a result of the measurement can be measured in increments of 2 mm, for example. In this case, the third chemical solution intrusion upper position (third chemical solution inflow lower position) of the splash guard 32 can be detected with a small number of measurements.

  Alternatively, in the process of measuring the recovery amount while raising and lowering the splash guard 32, when the recovery amount reaches a predetermined threshold value, the position of the splash guard 32 at that time is entered into the third chemical solution. You may make it memorize | store in the memory 82 as an upper position (3rd chemical | medical solution inflow lower position). Further, the splash guard 32 is moved while the moving amount is gradually reduced while switching the moving direction (upward direction or downward direction) so that the recovery amount is improved, and the finally converged position is injected into the third chemical solution. You may detect as an upper position (3rd chemical | medical solution inflow bottom position).

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the third chemical solution intrusion upper position (third chemical solution inflow lower position) has been described as being detected based on the recovery amount recovered from the third recovery opening 73. Based on the recovery rate of the three chemical liquids, the third chemical liquid intrusion upper position (third chemical liquid inflow lower position) may be detected. The recovery rate of the third chemical solution is calculated by the control device 83 based on the measured values of the supply pipe flow meter 30 and the back supply pipe flow meter 70 and the measured value of the third integrated flow meter 45. In this case, an accurate recovery rate of the third chemical solution can be obtained.

  Further, in the above description, the third chemical solution intrusion position and the third chemical solution entry position in the case where the position of the splash guard 32 is changed from the third chemical solution entry position to the third chemical solution entry position in accordance with the rotation speed of the wafer W. Although the teaching of the three chemical solution entry positions has been described, in addition, for example, when the position of the splash guard 32 is changed based on the flow rate of the chemical solution, each position can be taught in the same manner. Further, when the position of the splash guard 32 is changed based on the type (concentration / viscosity / temperature) of the chemical solution, each position can be taught by the same method.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the teaching of the third chemical solution entry upper position (third chemical solution entry position) of the splash guard 32 when the third recovery opening 73 faces the end surface of the wafer W will be described as an example. However, teaching may be performed at a position where the chemical liquid scattered from the wafer W can be most efficiently caused to enter the first collection opening 71, or the chemical liquid scattered from the wafer W may be most efficiently collected by the second collection opening. It may be teaching at a position where it can enter 72.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the relative position between the splash guard 32 and the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1 is changed by raising and lowering the splash guard 32 has been described. However, the spin chuck 1 is raised and lowered. Thereby, the relative position between the splash guard 32 and the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1 may be changed.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

It is sectional drawing which shows notionally the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the position of the splash guard when a 3rd chemical | medical solution is supplied. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of teaching of the 3rd chemical | medical solution intrusion upper position in teaching mode.

Explanation of symbols

1 Spin chuck (substrate rotation means)
2 Nozzle (Processing liquid supply means)
12 Back nozzle (Processing liquid supply means)
30 Supply pipe flow meter (Processing liquid supply amount detection means)
31 Cup 32 Splash guard 38 First recovery pipe 39 Second recovery pipe 40 Third recovery pipe 41 First integrated flow meter 42 First recovery valve 43 Second integrated flow meter 44 Second recovery valve 45 Third integrated flow meter 46 First 3 Recovery valve 55 Guard drive mechanism (moving means)
70 Back surface supply pipe flow meter (Processing liquid supply amount detection means)
71 First collection opening 72 Second collection opening 73 Third collection opening 82 Memory (storage means)
83 Control device (optimum relative position determination means, movement control means, recovery rate calculation means)
100 Recovery cup W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (6)

Substrate rotating means for rotating while holding the substrate;
Treatment liquid supply means for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate rotated by the substrate rotation means;
Each of the plurality of recovery openings formed in an annular shape surrounding the rotation axis of the substrate by the substrate rotation means and arranged in a direction parallel to the rotation axis is scattered from the substrate rotated by the substrate rotation means. A recovery cup for recovering the treatment liquid from the recovery opening;
Moving means for relatively moving the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup in a direction parallel to the rotation axis;
A pipe connected to each recovery opening, and through which the processing liquid recovered in the connected recovery opening circulates;
A flow meter that is interposed in each pipe and measures the flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through each pipe;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: An optimum relative position determining means for determining a relative position between the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup when the processing liquid is most efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening;
Storage means for storing the optimum relative position determined by the optimum relative position determination means;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising movement control means for controlling the moving means so that the collection opening is most efficiently collected.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow meter is an integrated flow meter that measures an integrated flow rate of the processing liquid flowing through the pipe. Treatment liquid supply amount detection means for detecting the amount of treatment liquid supplied from the treatment liquid supply means;
A recovery rate calculating means for calculating the recovery rate of the processing liquid based on the amount of the processing liquid detected by the processing liquid supply amount detecting means and the integrated flow rate of the processing liquid measured by the integrated flow meter; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a valve for opening and closing the pipe is interposed upstream of the integrating flow meter in the pipe. A substrate rotating means for rotating while holding the substrate, a processing liquid supplying means for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means, and an annular shape surrounding a rotation axis of the substrate by the substrate rotating means A recovery cup that has a plurality of recovery openings formed in parallel to each other and arranged in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and recovers the processing liquid splashed from the substrate rotated by the substrate rotating means from the recovery opening. And a means for moving the substrate rotating means and the recovery cup relative to each other in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, and a process connected to each recovery opening and recovered to the connected recovery opening. A pipe through which the liquid flows, a flow meter that measures the flow rate of the processing liquid that is interposed in each pipe and flows through each pipe, and the processing liquid is most efficiently recovered from the predetermined recovery opening. Optimal relative position determining means for determining the relative position between the front substrate rotating means and the recovery cup, storage means for storing the optimal relative position detected by the optimal relative position determining means, and the recovery opening A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus comprising a movement control means for controlling the movement means so as to be efficiently recovered,
A substrate processing method, wherein the moving means is controlled so that the processing liquid scattered from the substrate is recovered most efficiently at the recovery opening where the processing liquid is to be recovered.

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