JP2008135681A - Surface processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently prevent leakage of processing fluid from a processing zone to outside and invasion of external atmospheric gas into the processing zone in an apparatus for carrying out surface processing by blowing the processing fluid to an object to be processed. <P>SOLUTION: A defining part 41 for the processing zone 80, and defining parts 42, 43 for non-processing zones 81, 82 located on both sides of the processing zone 80, are arranged on a side portion 40 to be faced to the object W to be processed of a processing head 10. An opening 50a for blowing the processing fluid is formed at the boundary between the first non-processing zone 81 and the processing zone 80, while a suction opening 50e is formed at the boundary between the processing zone 80 and the second non-processing zone 82. A detection means 70 detects the pressure difference between points close to and far from the processing zone 80 of the first non-processing zone 81. A suction flow rate adjustment means 54 adjusts the suction flow rate from the suction opening 50e in such a way that the detected pressure difference is zero. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing surface treatment such as etching, cleaning, film formation, and surface modification by spraying a treatment fluid onto a workpiece such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer.

As this type of surface processing apparatus, for example, a processing head is opposed to an object to be processed, a space serving as a processing area is defined between the processing heads, and a processing gas is supplied to the processing area from the processing head. Is known to be brought into contact with an object to be treated and subjected to surface treatment (for example, see Patent Document 1). An inert gas blowing portion is provided outside the processing region, and the processing region is surrounded by an inert curtain. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from leaking out and external atmospheric gas from entering the processing region.
JP 2002-151494 A

  The above inert gas curtain is effective in preventing leakage of processing gas from the processing region and gas intrusion from the outside, but the cost of the inert gas is increased. In addition, the amount of exhaust gas increases, and the burden on gas detoxification equipment, suction devices, and the like increases.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an apparatus for treating a surface of a workpiece by bringing a treatment fluid into contact with the workpiece,
A side part to be opposed to the object to be processed is provided, a part of the opposite side part defines a processing area, and another part includes a non-processing area (first non-processing area) connected to the processing area. And a processing head provided with a discharge port for discharging the processing fluid to the processing region, and a discharge port for discharging the fluid from the processing region;
Flow detection means for detecting the flow of fluid in the non-process region (flow related quantity detection means for detecting a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow);
Based on the detection value of the detection means, flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the ejection flow rate from the ejection port or the discharge flow rate from the discharge port;
The first feature is that
Thereby, the flow (flow direction, etc.) of the fluid in the non-process area can be controlled. Therefore, an inert gas curtain is not required, and the cost for the inert gas can be omitted. Further, the amount of fluid to be discharged can be suppressed, and the burden on the detoxifying equipment, the suction device, and the like can be reduced.

The physical quantity having a correlation with the flow of the fluid in the non-process region includes, in addition to the flow direction, flow velocity, and flow rate in the non-process region, a differential pressure (pressure distribution), a temperature difference (temperature distribution), and a specific test substance. A density difference (density distribution) is exemplified.
Examples of the flow-related amount detection means include a flow direction meter, a flow meter, a flow meter, a differential pressure detector, a medium detector with a medium addition unit (for example, a temperature difference type flow detector with a heating unit), and the like.
As the current meter, for example, a sonic current meter (including an ultrasonic current meter) or a laser current meter may be used.
The sonic anemometer includes, for example, a sonic sensor disposed at a location near and far from the processing region in the non-processing region. Propagation time of the sound wave when the sound wave sensor in the near place is the sending side and the sound wave sensor in the far place is the receiving side, and the sound wave sensor in the far place is the oscillation side and the sound wave sensor in the near place is the receiving side Based on the propagation time of the sound wave, the flow velocity of the fluid in the non-process region can be grasped.
The laser anemometer forms, for example, interference fringes in the (first) non-process area by two laser optical paths, and observes the presence or absence of particles crossing the interference fringes. The movement of the particles corresponds to the fluid flow in the (first) out-of-process region.
The differential pressure detector may detect a differential pressure between a location close to the processing region and a location far from the processing region in the non-processing region. This differential pressure is a physical quantity that correlates with the fluid flow state in the (first) non-process region.

The medium for detecting physical quantity may be added to one fluid in the non-process area, and the medium may be detected at a position close to and far from the process area across the addition position.
The detection means includes an adding unit that adds the medium to a fluid at one place in the non-process region, and a detection unit that detects the medium at a location close to and far from the processing region across the addition location. You may go out.
Thereby, even if the flow of the fluid in the out-of-process region is small, it can be reliably detected, and the accuracy of the flow rate adjustment can be improved.

It is preferable that the detection unit detects a medium amount difference between the two detection locations as the physical quantity.
Thereby, even if the flow of the fluid in the out-of-process region is extremely small, it can be reliably detected, and the accuracy of the flow rate adjustment can be further improved.

The medium is preferably a medium that does not affect the surface treatment.
The addition amount of the medium is preferably very small, and the addition site is preferably local.
Examples of the medium include specific test substances and heat. Corresponding physical quantities (medium amount differences) include concentration differences and temperature differences of the test substances. As the physical quantity, the concentration or temperature of the test substance at each detection location may be used.
The addition unit is a test substance addition unit that adds a test substance as the medium to the addition site, and the detection unit has a difference in concentration of the test substance in the fluid of the two detection sites as the physical quantity. It may be a density difference detection unit for detecting
It is preferable that the test substance is different from the constituent components of the processing fluid, the concentration detection is preferably easy, and it is preferable that the test substance does not have reactivity with the processing fluid and the processing object.
The addition unit is a heating unit that applies heat to the addition site as the medium, and the detection unit is a temperature difference detection unit that detects a temperature difference between the fluids of the two detection sites as the physical quantity. Also good.
The temperature difference type flow detector includes a heater that heats one place in the out-of-process region, and a temperature difference detector such as a thermocouple that detects a temperature difference between both sides of the heating portion of the heater. Is preferred. When a flow is formed in the out-of-process region, the downstream side from the heating point becomes higher than the upstream side along the flow direction, and the temperature difference is detected by the temperature difference detector.
It is preferable that the addition location is located exactly in the middle of the two detection locations. Thereby, the accuracy of detection can be improved.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes moving means for moving the object to be processed relative to the processing head in a direction crossing the processing area and the non-processing area.
Thereby, a to-be-processed object can be processed over a wide range.

The flow rate adjusting means may perform the adjustment so that a physical quantity having correlation with the flow (detected value of the detecting means) becomes zero.
This can prevent the formation of fluid flow in the out-of-process area, and the process fluid can leak from the process area through the out-of-process area, or external atmospheric gas can enter the process area through the out-of-process area. It can be surely prevented from coming.
On the other hand, when the relative movement speed of the object to be processed and the processing head is large, gas follows the object to be processed due to fluid friction (viscosity) on the surface of the object to be processed, while the process head side causes the above May not be reflected in the detection value of the detection means.
Therefore, the flow rate adjusting means performs the adjustment so that a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow becomes a value corresponding to the speed of the relative movement (preferably a value proportional to the speed of the relative movement). May be.
Accordingly, the flow rate can be adjusted so as to cancel out the gas entrainment due to the fluid friction on the surface of the workpiece.

It is preferable that the thickness of the non-process region is as small as possible so that the pressure loss is as large as possible. The thickness of the non-process region is preferably sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the process region. For example, the thickness of the non-process region is preferably a fraction to a tenth of the thickness of the process region.
It is preferable that the out-of-process area defining unit of the processing head protrudes from the processing area defining unit to the side facing the object to be processed.
As a result, the pressure loss in the non-process region can be increased, and the leakage of the process fluid and the entry of the atmospheric gas from the outside can be prevented more reliably.
The out-of-process area preferably has a length that is, for example, about twice as long as the process passage.

It is preferable that suction means for sucking fluid from the discharge port is connected to the discharge port.
It is preferable that the flow rate adjusting means adjusts the suction flow rate from the discharge port.
As a result, the pressure state in the out-of-process region can be controlled while maintaining a constant flow rate of the process fluid. Further, it is possible to ensure that the processing fluid ejected from the ejection port to the processing region flows toward the discharge port.

Further, the present invention is an apparatus for processing a surface of the object to be processed by bringing a processing fluid into contact with the object to be processed,
A side portion to be opposed to the object to be processed is provided, and the opposite side portion defines a processing region defining portion that defines a processing region, and a first outside region that is connected to one end of the processing region. 1 out-of-process area defining part and a second out-of-process area defining part defining a second out-of-process area connected to the other end of the treated area, and an ejection port for ejecting the treated fluid to the treated area A processing head provided with a suction port for sucking fluid from the processing region;
Flow detection means (flow related quantity detection means for detecting a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow) for detecting a flow of fluid in the first non-process region;
Based on the detection value of the detection means, flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the ejection flow rate from the ejection port or the suction flow rate from the suction port;
The second feature is that it is provided.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a fluid flow from being formed in the first processing outside region, the processing fluid leaks out from the processing region through the first processing outside region, or an external atmospheric gas is discharged from the first processing outside region. It is possible to prevent the process area from being entered.

In the second feature, it is preferable that the ejection port of the processing head is disposed at a boundary between the processing region defining unit and the first non-processing region defining unit, and the suction port is the It is preferable that the processing region defining unit and the second non-processing region defining unit be disposed at a boundary.
Accordingly, the processing fluid can flow from the first processing outside region side to the second processing outside region side in the processing region. Then, it is possible to prevent the external gas from flowing into the upstream end of the processing region and the processing fluid from leaking out from the upstream end of the processing region.

It is preferable that the thickness of the region outside the first process is as small as possible so that the pressure loss is as large as possible. The thickness of the first non-process region is preferably sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the process region. For example, the thickness of the first process region is preferably a fraction to a tenth of the thickness of the process region.
It is preferable that the first non-process area defining unit projects from the process area defining unit to the side facing the object to be processed.
As a result, the pressure loss in the first non-process area can be increased, and the leakage of the process fluid and the intrusion of external gas can be more reliably prevented.
It is preferable that the first outside processing area has a length that is, for example, about twice as long as the processing path.

The thickness of the second non-process region is preferably sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the process region, and is preferably, for example, a fraction to a tenth of the thickness of the process region.
It is preferable that the second non-process area defining unit protrudes from the process area defining unit to the side facing the object to be processed.
Thereby, the flow resistance in the second non-process area can be increased, and the leakage of the process fluid from the second non-process area to the outside can be suppressed or prevented.
It is preferable that the size of the second non-process region defining portion and the amount of protrusion toward the object to be processed are set so that the suction flow rate is larger than the ejection flow rate.
Accordingly, it is possible to form a fluid flow from the second processing outside region to the suction port, and it is possible to reliably prevent the processing fluid from leaking out from the second processing outside region.
It is preferable that the flow resistance in the second non-process region is set so that the suction flow rate is less than twice the ejection flow rate.
It is preferable that the second non-process area has a length that is, for example, about twice as long as the process path.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes moving means for moving the processed object relative to the processing head in a direction crossing the first processing outside area, the processing area, and the second processing outside area.
Thereby, a to-be-processed object can be processed over a wide range.
Also in the second feature, the flow rate adjusting means performs the adjustment so that a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow (detected value of the detecting means) becomes a value corresponding to the speed of the relative movement. Alternatively, the adjustment may be performed so that the physical quantity becomes zero (so that the detection value of the detection means becomes zero).

Also in the second feature, as the detection means, as in the first feature, a flow direction meter, a flow meter, a flow meter, a differential pressure detector, a concentration difference detector with a test substance addition part, and a temperature difference with a heating part. A detector or the like can be used.
In the first and second features, it is preferable that the flow rate adjusting means adjusts the suction flow rate from the suction port among the ejection flow rate from the ejection port and the suction flow rate from the suction port.

The present invention is applied to, for example, surface treatment with plasma generated under a pressure near atmospheric pressure (normal pressure). Here, the near atmospheric pressure refers to the range of ^{1.013 × 10 4 ~50.663 × 10 4} Pa, considering the convenience of easier and device configuration of the pressure adjustment, 1.333 × 10 ⁴ ~ 10.664 × 10 ⁴ Pa is preferable, and 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797 × 10 ⁴ Pa is more preferable.

  According to the present invention, the pressure state in the out-of-process region can be controlled, and the flow of fluid can be controlled. By controlling so that the differential pressure between the location close to and far from the processing area in the out-of-process area becomes zero, the processing fluid leaks out of the processing area, or external atmospheric gas enters the processing area. Can be efficiently prevented.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment. In this embodiment, for example, a glass substrate W having a square shape in plan view is used as an object to be processed, and this substrate W is subjected to plasma surface treatment under the vicinity of atmospheric pressure. The content of the surface treatment is, for example, etching of a film such as amorphous silicon coated on the upper surface of the substrate W, but is not limited to this. The length of the substrate W in the left-right direction is, for example, 2.5 m, and the width along the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1) is, for example, 2 m.

The plasma surface treatment apparatus M includes a head array 1 and a stage 21 disposed below the head array 1.
A substrate W is placed on the stage 21. Auxiliary plates W ′ are provided on both the left and right sides of the substrate W, and abut against the edge of the substrate W. The auxiliary plate W ′ has the same thickness and width as the substrate W. The upper surfaces of the substrate W and the auxiliary plate W ′ are horizontal and are flush with each other.

The moving means 20 is connected to the stage 21. The moving means 20 moves the stage 21 and thus the substrate W and the auxiliary plate W ′ in the left-right direction. The moving means 20 can adjust the moving speed.
The moving means 20 may be connected to the head array 1 so that the position of the substrate W is fixed while the head array 1 is moved.

  The head array 1 includes three (a plurality of) processing heads 10. These processing heads 10 are arranged in a line on the left and right. A narrow gap 11 a is provided between adjacent processing heads 10.

The three processing heads 10 have the same configuration.
Each processing head 10 is provided with a plasma generation unit 30 and a nozzle unit 40.
The plasma generating unit 30 is provided with a pair of electrodes 31. Each electrode 31 extends in the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 1) and has a long shape corresponding to the width dimension of the substrate W. The pair of electrodes 31, 31 are parallel to each other and face each other left and right, and a narrow space 32 is formed between them. One of these electrodes 31, 31 is connected to a power source (not shown), and the other is electrically grounded. An electric field is applied between the electrodes 31 and 31 by voltage supply from the power source to generate plasma, and the inter-electrode space 32 becomes a discharge space. A solid dielectric layer (not shown) is provided on the opposing surface of at least one of the electrodes 31.

The plasma generation unit 30 is connected to the processing fluid source 5 via a fluid supply path 51. The processing fluid source 5 stores gas components such as CF ₄ , O ₂ , H ₂ O and the like according to the processing purpose, and these gas components are mixed at a predetermined mixing ratio to process gas, that is, gaseous processing. A fluid is generated and delivered to the fluid supply path 51.

  The fluid supply path 51 is branched into three (plural), and extends toward the plasma generation units 30 of the three processing heads 10. A treatment fluid ejection flow rate adjusting means 52 is provided in each branched fluid supply path 51. The flow rate adjusting means 52 is configured by a mass flow controller or the like, and accurately controls the processing gas flow rate. The fluid supply path 51 downstream from the flow rate adjusting means 52 is connected to the upper end portion of the interelectrode space 32 of the plasma generating unit 30 through a homogenizing device (not shown). As a result, the processing gas from the fluid supply path 51 is made uniform in the front-rear direction by the homogenizing device and then introduced into the inter-electrode space 32 uniformly. By generating atmospheric pressure discharge in the inter-electrode space 32, the processing gas is turned into plasma, and reactive components (reactive species) such as fluorine radicals and oxygen radicals are generated.

  A nozzle portion 40 is provided at the bottom of each processing head 10. The nozzle portion 40 constitutes a facing side portion that should face the substrate W. The nozzle portion 40 includes a center nozzle plate 41 and a pair of side nozzle plates 42 and 43 disposed on the left and right sides of the center nozzle plate 41. These nozzle plates 41, 42 and 43 each have a rectangular cross section and extend in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1).

A gap is formed between the nozzle portion 40 and the substrate W or auxiliary plate W ′ disposed below the nozzle portion 40. The gap includes a processing area 80 below the center nozzle plate 41, a first processing outside area 81 below the left side nozzle plate 42, and a second processing outside area below the right side nozzle plate 43. 82.
Each region 80, 81, 82 extends to the left and right. The channel cross-sectional areas of the regions 80, 81, and 82 are constant in the left-right direction.
The left end (one end) of the processing area 80 is continuous with the first non-processing area 81, and the right end (other end) is continuous with the second non-processing area 82.
The left end of the first non-process area 81 is connected to the outside directly or via the inter-processing head gap 11a.
The right end of the second processing outside region 82 is connected to the outside via the processing head gap 11a or directly to the outside.

The center nozzle plate 41 constitutes a processing area defining unit. The lower surface of the center nozzle plate 41 forms a horizontal plane and constitutes a processing area defining surface.
The dimension in the left-right direction of the center nozzle plate 41 (the length of the processing region 80) is, for example, about 0.15 m, and the dimension in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The width dimension is substantially the same as, for example, about 2 m.

An elevating mechanism 60 (gap adjusting mechanism) is connected to the center nozzle plate 41. The height of the center nozzle plate 41 can be adjusted by the lifting mechanism 60.
Thereby, the gap between the lower surface of the center nozzle plate 41 and the substrate W or the auxiliary plate W ′, that is, the thickness of the processing region 80 is adjusted.

The left side nozzle plate 42 forms a first non-process area defining unit. The lower surface of the side nozzle plate 42 (first process outside region defining surface) is a horizontal plane and protrudes below the center nozzle plate 41. Therefore, the thickness of the first processing outside region 81 is sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the processing region 80. The thickness of the first non-process area 81 is 1/10 to 1/10 of the process area 80, and is set to about 1 mm, for example.
The left-right direction dimension of the left side nozzle plate 42 is larger than the left-right dimension of the center nozzle plate 41, for example, about twice that of the center nozzle plate 41. Therefore, the length of the first non-process area 81 is about twice that of the process area 80, for example, about 0.3 m.
As a result, the pressure loss increases in the first processing outside region 81.
The dimension of the left side nozzle plate 42 in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (the width of the first non-process area 81) is the same as that of the center nozzle plate 41, for example, about 2 m.

The right side nozzle plate 43 forms a second non-process area defining unit. The lower surface of the side nozzle plate 43 (second non-process area defining surface) forms a horizontal plane and projects below the center nozzle plate 41 in the same manner as the left side nozzle plate 42. Therefore, the thickness of the second non-process region 82 is sufficiently smaller than the thickness of the process region 80, which is a fraction to one-tenth of the process region 80, and further the thickness of the first non-process region 81. For example, it is set to about 0.3 mm.
The right and left dimension of the right side nozzle plate 43 (the length of the second non-process area 82) is larger than the left and right dimensions of the center nozzle plate 41 and is substantially the same as the left side nozzle plate 42, for example 0.3 m. Is set to about.
The dimension of the right side nozzle plate 43 in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (the width of the second non-process area 82) is the same as the other plates 41 and 42, and is set to about 2 m, for example.

A treatment fluid ejection port 50 a is formed between the left side nozzle plate 42 and the center nozzle plate 41. The inter-electrode space 32 of the plasma generation unit 30 is connected to the upper end portion of the ejection port 50a. The ejection port 50 a is disposed at the boundary between the processing region 80 and the first non-processing region 81 and continues to the left end of the processing region 80.
The processing gas converted into plasma in the interelectrode space 32 is ejected from the ejection port 50a to the processing region 80.

  Although not shown, the front and rear end portions (the front side and the back side in FIG. 1) of the center of the nozzle portion 40 are provided with convex edge portions that protrude below the center nozzle plate 41. Yes. This convex edge portion substantially closes the front and rear edges of the processing region 80 so that gas does not leak from the processing region 80 in both the front and rear directions. Thus, substantially the entire amount of the processing gas ejected from the ejection port 50a to the left end portion of the processing region 80 is guided in the processing region 80 in the right direction.

  A suction port (discharge port) 50 e is formed between the center nozzle plate 41 and the right side nozzle plate 43. The suction port 50e is disposed at the boundary between the processing region 80 and the second processing region 82, continues to the right end of the processing region 80, and extends upward therefrom.

A suction path 53 extends from the upper end of the suction port 50e. A suction flow rate adjusting means 54 is provided in the suction path 53. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 is configured by a mass flow controller or the like, and accurately controls the suction flow rate from the suction path 53 and hence the suction port 50e.
Although not shown, the suction port 50e or the suction path 53 is provided with a uniformizing device for uniforming the suction flow in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

Three suction passages 53 corresponding to the three processing heads 10 merge with each other downstream of the suction flow rate adjusting means 54 and are connected to a suction means 55 such as a vacuum pump and a discharge means including a detoxification facility 56. .
The gas in the processing region 80 is sequentially sucked into the suction means 55 through the suction port 50e and the suction path 53, and discharged through the harmless treatment by the harmless equipment 56.

Furthermore, each processing head 10 of the plasma processing apparatus M is provided with a flow-related quantity detection means 70 that detects a physical quantity having a correlation with the gas flow in the first non-processing area 81. The detection means 70 is composed of a differential pressure detector. The differential pressure detector 70 includes a detector main body 71 and two pressure detection paths 72 and 73 extending from the main body 71. One pressure detection path 72 reaches the right end of the lower surface of the left side nozzle plate 42 (detection location close to the processing region 80, location close to the ejection port 50a). The other pressure detection path 73 reaches the left end of the lower surface of the side nozzle plate 42 (detection location far from the processing region 80, location far from the ejection port 50a).
As a result, the pressure at a location near the processing region 80 and the pressure at a location far from the processing region 80 in the first non-processing region 81 are input to the detector body 71, and the differential pressure between them is detected. . This differential pressure corresponds to the state of the gas flow in the non-process area 81 and is a physical quantity having a correlation with the fluid flow in the non-process area 81. That is, the positive / negative of the differential pressure indicates the direction of flow in the non-process area 81. If the differential pressure is large, the gas flow rate in the non-process region 81 is large, if the differential pressure is small, the gas flow rate in the non-process region 81 is small, and if the differential pressure is zero, the gas flow rate in the non-process region 81 is zero. It shows that there is.

  The detected differential pressure of the differential pressure detector 70 is fed back to the corresponding suction flow rate adjusting means 54 via the amplifier circuit 74. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 controls the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e based on this feedback signal.

A method of processing the substrate W using the atmospheric pressure plasma surface processing apparatus M having the above configuration will be described.
The process gas of the ejection process processing fluid source 5 is converted into plasma by the plasma generation unit 30 of each processing head 10 to generate a reactive component, and is ejected from the ejection port 50 a to the left end of the processing region 80.
The ejection flow rate q is maintained at a predetermined level by the ejection flow rate adjusting means 51. For example, q = 60 L / min for each processing head 10.
The processing gas ejected from the ejection port 50a flows in the processing area 80 in the right direction (on the suction port 50e side). Since the out-of-process area 81 is sufficiently long and has a very small thickness, the pressure loss is large. Thereby, it can suppress that process gas flows back to the process outside area | region 81 side.

Reaction step and suction step Further , the suction means 55 is driven to perform suction from the suction port 50e. Thereby, the flow direction of the processing gas in the processing region 80 can be reliably directed toward the suction port 50e.
In the process in which the processing gas flows in the processing region 80, the reactive component in the processing gas comes into contact with the substrate W to cause a reaction. Thereby, the substrate W is surface-treated.
The processing gas that has reached the right end of the processing region 80 is sucked from the suction port 50e, is made harmless by the harmless equipment 56 through the suction path 53, and is exhausted.

Moving step further, moves the stage 21 to the right (open arrow) by the moving means 20. As a result, the substrate W is scanned rightward with respect to the head array 1, and the entire substrate W can be surface-treated. The moving speed v of the substrate W is determined mainly from time requirements on the production line. For example, in this embodiment, when the substrate W having a length of 2.5 m has to be processed in one minute per substrate, the moving speed v is set to v in consideration of the setting of the substrate W and the pickup time. = 3 m / min or so is appropriate.
The substrate W is surface-treated in three stages each time it passes through the processing regions 80 of the three processing heads 10.

  Here, the reaction capacity of the processing gas in the processing region 80 decreases due to the consumption of the reactive component toward the downstream (the suction port 50e side). On the other hand, when the processing region 80 extends over the auxiliary plate W ′ and the end of the substrate W, the reactive component is not consumed during the period in which the processing gas is on the auxiliary plate W ′, and remains at a high concentration at the end of the substrate W. Reach. Therefore, the end portion of the substrate W tends to be excessively processed. This is called a loading effect.

Speed matching step As a countermeasure against the loading effect described above, the flow velocity φ of the processing gas in the processing region 80 with respect to the processing head 10 and the moving speed v of the substrate W are substantially matched, that is, the following equation (1) is satisfied. Set related quantities.
φ = v Formula (1)
The processing gas flow velocity φ in the processing region 80 is determined by the ejection flow rate q of the processing gas and the flow path cross-sectional area A of the processing region 80, and is expressed by the following equation (2).
φ = q / A Formula (2)
On the other hand, the flow rate q of the processing gas is related to the processing recipe and does not have a high degree of freedom. In the present embodiment, q = 60 L / min is set as described above. As shown in the following equation (3), the flow path cross-sectional area A of the processing region 80 has a width w (dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1) and thickness d (dimension in the vertical direction in FIG. 1). , The width of the processing region 80 needs to match the width of the substrate W, and in this embodiment, w = 2 m.
A = w × d Formula (3)
Further, as described above, the moving speed v of the substrate W is set to v = 3 m / min from the demand on the production line.

Therefore, it is the thickness d of the processing region 80 that allows a certain degree of freedom among the quantities related to the equation (1), and the magnitude of this d is changed to other predetermined quantities q, w, By adjusting according to v, Formula (1) can be satisfied. In this embodiment, by substituting q = 60 L / min, w = 2 m, and v = 3 m / min into the equations (1) to (3),
d = 1cm
It is obtained.

  Therefore, the height of the center nozzle plate 41 is adjusted by the elevating mechanism 60 so that the thickness d of the processing region 80 becomes d = 1 cm. Thereby, the flow velocity φ of the processing gas in the processing region 80 and the moving speed v of the substrate W can be made substantially coincident with each other, and the relative speed of both can be made substantially zero. Therefore, the processing gas becomes almost stationary with respect to the substrate W, and the reactive component is consumed and attenuated on the substantially fixed position of the substrate W. As a result, regardless of whether the substrate W is at the end portion or the central portion, the processing can be performed uniformly at any position on the substrate W, and the loading effect can be prevented. It can be processed uniformly. Further, when a relatively large mask is provided on the substrate W, it is possible to prevent the loading effect from occurring near the edge of the mask.

Suction flow rate control step In parallel with the above steps, the differential pressure detector 70 detects the differential pressure between the left and right ends of the first non-process area 81. This detected differential pressure is fed back to the suction flow rate adjusting means 54. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 controls the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e so that the detected differential pressure becomes zero by a built-in control device. More specifically, when the differential pressure of the pressure detection path 72 close to the processing area 80 with respect to the pressure detection path 73 far from the processing area 80 (= pressure of the path 72−pressure of the path 73) is positive, the suction from the suction port 50e. Increase the flow rate. On the contrary, when the differential pressure (= pressure of the path 72−pressure of the path 73) is negative, the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e is decreased. As a result, the pressure difference between the side close to the processing region 80 and the side far from the processing region 80 in the non-processing region 81 can be made zero, so that the formation of a gas flow can be prevented. It is possible to reliably prevent the processing gas from flowing into the processing region 80 through 81 and the processing gas from flowing out through the first non-processing region 81.
As a result, it is not necessary to use an inert gas curtain, the running cost can be reduced, and the burden on the suction means 55 and the harmless equipment 56 can be reduced. In addition, the flow rate of the processing gas in the processing region 80 can be reliably maintained constant over the entire processing region 80.

Further, by setting the thickness (0.3 mm in the present embodiment) and the length (0.3 m) of the second processing outside region 82, the above-described feedback-controlled suction flow rate causes the processing gas from the ejection port 50a to flow. It is adjusted so as to be slightly larger than the ejection flow rate. Accordingly, external gas flows into the second processing outside region 82 via the inter-head gap 11a or directly. Then, a gas flow toward the processing region 80 is formed in the second processing outside region 82. As a result, the processing gas in the processing region 60 can be prevented from leaking outside through the second processing region 82.
Here, it is preferable that the amount of gas flowing from the outside into the second processing outside region 82 is equal to or less than the processing gas ejection flow rate. As a result, the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e can be suppressed to twice or less the processing gas ejection flow rate, and the burden on the harmless equipment 56 and the suction means 55 can be suppressed.
The right side nozzle plate 43 may also be provided with an elevating mechanism (gap adjusting mechanism) so that the height can be adjusted, and the thickness of the second non-process area 82 can be variably adjusted.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings for the same configurations as those already described, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a sonic velocimeter 90 is used in place of the differential pressure detector 70 of FIG. The sonic velocimeter 90 includes a velocimeter main body 91 and a pair of sonic sensors 92 and 93 connected to the main body 91. One acoustic wave sensor 92 is disposed in the vicinity of the right end portion (the portion close to the processing region 80) on the lower surface of the left side nozzle plate 42. The other acoustic wave sensor 93 is disposed in the vicinity of the left end portion of the lower surface of the side nozzle plate 42 (part far from the processing region 80).

Each of the sound wave sensors 92 and 93 has a function of oscillating and receiving ultrasonic waves. One sensor oscillates an ultrasonic wave and the other sensor receives the ultrasonic wave. The anemometer 91 has a propagation time T <b> 1 until the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the sound wave sensor 92 is received by the sound wave sensor 93 and a propagation time until the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the sound wave sensor 93 is received by the sound wave sensor 92. Time T2 is measured. As shown in the following equation (4), inverse difference between these propagation times T1, T2 is proportional to the gas flow rate phi ₈₁ in the processing area outside 81.
_{φ 81 = 2L × ((1} / T1) - (1 / T2)) / C ... Equation (4)
Here, L is the distance between the sound wave sensors 92 and 93, and C is the speed of sound.
As a result, the gas flow velocity φ ₈₁ in the non-process area 81 can be measured as a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow in the non-process area 81.

The measured flow velocity φ ₈₁ is fed back to the suction flow rate adjusting means 54 via the amplifier circuit 94. Based on this feedback signal, the suction flow rate adjusting means 54 controls the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e so that the gas flow velocity in the non-process area 81 becomes φ ₈₁ = 0.

FIG. 3 shows a temperature difference detector 100 with a heating unit as another embodiment of the flow related quantity detection means. The temperature difference detector 100 includes a detection unit (detector body) 101 made of a thermocouple and a heater (heating unit) 102. The heater 102 is disposed at an intermediate position on the lower surface of the left side nozzle plate 42.
By this heater 102, the gas at the intermediate position in the non-process area 81 is heated in a spot manner. This heat constitutes a medium for detecting a flow-related physical quantity. The heater 102 constitutes a medium addition unit. A heating spot by the heater 102 constitutes a medium addition portion. The output of the heater 102 is sufficient to raise the nearby gas by about 1 ° C.

  The thermocouple detection unit 101 includes a pair of temperature sensor units 103 and 104. These sensor units 102 and 104 are respectively arranged at detection locations on the lower surface of the left side nozzle plate 42 that are separated on the left and right sides with the heater 102 interposed therebetween. A heater 102 is disposed just between the left and right sensor units 103 and 104.

  The thermocouple detection unit 101 detects a temperature difference in the vicinity of the location where the sensor units 103 and 104 are arranged. Here, the temperature difference between the left sensor unit 104 and the right sensor unit 103 (= temperature at the sensor unit 104−temperature at the sensor unit 103) is detected.

  This temperature difference is a physical quantity having a correlation with the fluid flow in the non-process region 81. That is, when a gas flow is formed in the out-of-process region 81, this gas flow is heated by passing through the heating spot, so the temperature downstream from the heater 102 is higher than the temperature upstream. . This temperature difference is detected by the thermocouple detection unit 101. This temperature difference signal is input to the suction flow rate adjusting means 54 via the amplifier 105. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 feedback-controls the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e so that the temperature difference detected by the thermocouple 101 becomes zero based on this temperature difference signal.

  Specifically, when a leftward gas flow is formed from the ejection port 50a side to the head gap 11a side in the out-of-process area 81, the temperature at the left sensor unit 104 is at the right sensor unit 103. Higher than the temperature. Therefore, the detected temperature difference of the thermocouple detection unit 101 (= temperature at the sensor unit 104−temperature at the sensor unit 103) is positive. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 that has received this positive temperature difference signal increases the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e. As a result, the leftward flow can be weakened or the flow can be eliminated.

  On the other hand, when a rightward gas flow is formed from the head gap 11a side to the ejection port 50a side in the non-process area 81, the temperature at the left sensor unit 104 is the temperature at the right sensor unit 103. Is lower. Therefore, the detected temperature difference of the thermocouple detection unit 101 (= temperature at the sensor unit 104−temperature at the sensor unit 103) is negative. The suction flow rate adjusting means 54 that has received this negative temperature difference signal reduces the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e. As a result, the rightward flow can be weakened or the flow can be eliminated.

As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent out-of-system gas from flowing into the processing region 80 via the out-of-process region 81 and outflow of out-of-process gas out of the system through the out-of-process region 81.
Since the distance from the heater 102 to the right temperature sensor 103 and the distance from the heater 102 to the left temperature sensor 104 are equal to each other, the control accuracy can be ensured.
Moreover, since the detecting means 100 applies heat as a flow detection medium and detects a temperature difference due to the heat, the detection means 100 can reliably detect even a very small flow in the out-of-process region 81, and a differential pressure detector. The sensitivity is better than 90. Therefore, the accuracy of control can be further increased, and the formation of a gas flow in the out-of-process region 81 can be reliably prevented.

  FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the flow related quantity detecting means. The flow related quantity detection means 110 of this embodiment uses a specific test substance as a medium for flow related physical quantity detection, and includes a test substance adding part 111, a test substance concentration difference detecting part 112, and the like. have. The adding portion 111 is configured by a nozzle, and the opening thereof is disposed approximately in the middle of the bottom portion of the left side nozzle plate 42 and faces the outside processing area 81. A test substance source 113 that stores a test substance is connected to the adding unit 111. The test substance is preferably a substance that can be easily detected by a sensor, preferably a substance different from the component of the processing gas, and preferably a substance that does not have reactivity with the processing fluid and the substrate W. Furthermore, it is preferable that the substance does not have corrosiveness to the constituent members of the apparatus M. Here, for example, hydrogen sulfide (HS) is used as the test substance. The adding unit 111 spot-adds the test substance from the test substance source 113 in the vicinity of the adding unit 111 in the non-process area 81. The addition amount is sufficiently smaller than the flow rate of the processing gas, for example, a minute amount of about 1 sccm is sufficient.

The density difference detection unit 112 includes two density sensors 114 and 115 and a differential amplifier 116.
In the left side nozzle plate 42, one density sensor 114 is disposed on the side close to the processing region 80 (one detection location) across the nozzle opening (medium addition location) of the addition unit 111, and is far from the processing region 80. Another density sensor 115 is arranged on the side (other detection locations). The nozzle port of the addition unit 111 is located just between the two density sensors 114 and 115.
These concentration sensors 114 and 115 detect the concentrations of the test substances in the fluid in the vicinity of the sensors 114 and 115 in the non-process region 81, respectively. That is, it is sensitive to hydrogen sulfide and outputs a voltage according to its concentration.

  Output signals (detected densities) from the two density sensors 114 and 115 are input to the differential amplifier 116, and the difference between them is obtained. This difference corresponds to the difference in hydrogen sulfide concentration (medium amount difference) between the detection points of the two sensors 114 and 115. This density difference is a physical quantity having a correlation with the fluid flow in the non-process area 81.

  Here, the signal from the sensor 115 on the left side (the side far from the processing region 80) is positively input to the differential amplifier 116, and the signal from the sensor 114 on the right side (side near the processing region 80) is negative to the differential amplifier 116. It is designed to be entered. Accordingly, in the case where a leftward gas flow is formed from the ejection port 50a side to the head-to-head gap 11a side in the out-of-process area 81, the hydrogen sulfide concentration in the vicinity of the left sensor 115 is near the right sensor 114. Therefore, the output of the left sensor 115 becomes larger than the output of the right sensor 114, and a positive differential output is obtained by the differential amplifier 116. On the other hand, in the case where the rightward gas flow is formed from the head gap 11a side to the ejection port 50a side in the out-of-process area 81, the output of the left sensor 115 is smaller than the output of the right sensor 114, The differential amplifier 116 provides a negative differential output.

  The difference signal obtained by the differential amplifier 116 is input to the suction flow rate adjusting means 120. The flow rate adjusting means 120 has a control circuit and a drive circuit, and operates the output of the suction means 55 based on the input from the differential amplifier 116 to feedback control the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e. Yes.

For example, when the output of the differential amplifier 116 is positive (the gas flow in the out-of-process region 81 is directed to the left), the output of the suction means 55 is increased and the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e is increased. Conversely, when the output of the differential amplifier 116 is negative (the gas flow in the out-of-process region 81 is directed to the right), the output of the suction means 55 is lowered and the suction flow rate from the suction port 50e is reduced.
Thereby, the gas flow in the non-process area | region 81 can be suppressed, and also a flow can be eliminated, or it can prevent that a flow is formed. As a result, it is possible to prevent out-of-system gas from flowing into the processing region 80 through the out-of-process region 81 and outflow of out-of-process gas out of the system through the out-of-process region 81.
Since the distance from the nozzle opening of the adding unit 111 to the right density sensor 114 and the distance to the left density sensor 115 are equal to each other, the accuracy of the control can be ensured.
In addition, the detection means 110 adds a test substance such as hydrogen sulfide as a flow detection medium and detects this, so that even if the flow in the out-of-process region 81 is extremely small, it can be detected reliably. The sensitivity is better than that of the pressure detector 90. Therefore, the accuracy of control can be further increased, and the formation of a gas flow in the out-of-process region 81 can be reliably prevented.

  As indicated by the two-dot chain signal line in FIG. 4, the flow rate adjusting unit 120 adjusts the opening degree of the flow rate control valve 57 provided in the suction path 53 instead of the suction unit 55, thereby The suction flow rate from 50e may be controlled. Alternatively, the mass flow controller 54 may be used as the flow rate adjusting means 120 as in the embodiment of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the output signal line from the differential amplifier 116 is connected to the ejection flow rate adjusting means 52, and the flow rate adjusting means 52 ejects the processing gas based on the detection result of the flow related quantity detection means 110. The flow rate may be feedback controlled. In this case, the polarity of the differential amplifier 116 is reversed from that in FIG. 4, and the signal from the sensor 115 on the left side (the side far from the processing region 80) is negatively input to the differential amplifier 116, and the right side (the side near the processing region 80). ) Is input to the differential amplifier 116.

In the embodiments described so far, the flow rate adjusting means 54, 52, 120 are configured so that the detection value (target value of feedback control) of the flow related physical quantity by the flow related quantity detection means 70, 90, 100, 110 becomes zero. Although the feedback control of the suction flow rate or the processing gas ejection flow rate has been performed, as shown in FIG. 6, depending on the relative moving speed between the substrate W and the processing head 10 by the moving means 20, the viscosity of the atmospheric gas, etc. In 81, a flow velocity distribution f may occur in the thickness direction.
For example, as shown by the white arrow in the figure, when the substrate W moves to the right with respect to the processing head 10, the gas flows at approximately the same speed as the substrate W on the surface of the substrate W due to fluid friction (viscosity). While moving to the right and external gas is entrained in the out-of-process region 81, the flow rate decreases as it moves away from the surface of the substrate W, and near the lower surface of the side nozzle plate 42 of the processing head 10, May happen to be almost zero. In this case, the movement (involvement) of the gas on the surface of the substrate W cannot be detected by the sensors 114 and 115 provided on the lower surface of the side nozzle plate 42, and the flow velocity in the non-process area 81 is determined to be zero. .

Therefore, instead of fixing the target value of the feedback control by the flow rate adjusting means 120 to zero, it may be varied according to the moving speed by the moving means 20.
For example, when the substrate W is moved in the right direction, the target value (detected value of the sensor 115 with respect to the sensor 114) is set to be positive, and the absolute value of the target value is proportionally increased according to the moving speed. Set as follows. Accordingly, feedback control is performed so that the output of the suction unit 55 decreases as the speed of the substrate W moving in the right direction increases. Accordingly, the processing gas from the supply path 51 tends to flow in the left direction in the outside processing area 81. The flow of the processing gas in the left direction can cancel out the flow of the process gas in the right direction on the surface of the substrate W. As a result, the flow in the out-of-process area 81 can be made substantially zero.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the processing gas may be pushed out from the discharge port with the pressure of the discharge from the discharge port without sucking the discharge port.
The suction port may be arranged closer to the first non-process area (the non-process area where the pressure state is detected) than the ejection port.
An ejection port may be disposed at the center of the processing region, and suction ports may be disposed at both ends of the processing region. Then, flow-related amount detecting means such as pressure detecting means may be provided in the non-process areas on both sides of the processing area, and the suction flow rate from each suction port may be controlled based on the detected amounts.
The flow-related amount detection means is not limited to that in the above embodiment, and for example, a laser-type current meter may be used.
The number of processing heads 10 included in the head array 1 is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more.
The flow rate and components of the processing gas may be different for each processing head 10, and the processing content may be different for each processing head 10.
Only one processing head 10 may be provided.
Numerical values such as the dimensions of the substrate W and the apparatus M and the flow rate of the processing gas are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
The thickness of the second non-process area 82 may be approximately the same as the thickness of the first non-process area 81.
The treatment fluid may be a fluid and is not limited to gas, and may be, for example, a mist-like liquid (mist) or a granular solid, or a mixed fluid thereof.

  1 to 6 and the modification examples may be combined with each other. For example, also in the forms of FIGS. 1 to 3, as in FIG. 5, the feedback signals of the flow-related quantity detection means 70, 90, 100 are input to the ejection flow rate adjustment means 52, and the processing gas is substituted for the suction flow rate. It is also possible to set the flow rate of the nozzle to be subject to feedback control. The feedback control mechanism in consideration of the relative speed in FIG. 6 is not limited to the case using the concentration difference type flow-related quantity detection means 110 but can be applied to the case where other flow-related quantity detection means 70, 90, 100 are used. It is.

The present invention is applicable to various plasma surface treatments such as etching, ashing, film formation, cleaning, and surface modification.
The present invention is applicable not only to atmospheric pressure but also to plasma surface treatment under reduced pressure.
The present invention is not limited to plasma treatment, and can also be applied to etching or ashing using ozone or hydrofluoric acid vapor (hydrofluoric acid vapor or mist), thermal CVD using silicon-containing raw material vapor or mist, or the like. When processing other than plasma processing is performed, a fluid supply apparatus for the processing is connected to the nozzle unit 40 instead of the plasma generation unit 30. For example, when processing with ozone, an ozonizer is connected to the nozzle unit 40 instead of the plasma generation unit 30.

  The present invention can be used for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate and a flat panel display (FPD), for example.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the flow detection means of the said surface treatment apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of the flow detection means of the said surface treatment apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of a flow detection means. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the modification of a flow detection means. Schematic configuration diagram showing a modified example having a feedback control mechanism that takes into account the relative speed between the processing head and the substrate, with a flow velocity distribution curve (symbol f) generated in the thickness direction of the non-process region due to fluid friction due to the relative movement. It is.

Explanation of symbols

W substrate (object to be processed)
M Atmospheric pressure plasma surface treatment apparatus 1 Head array 10 Processing head 11a Inter-head gap 20 Moving means 21 Stage 30 Plasma generating part 40 Nozzle part (opposite side part)
41 Center nozzle plate (Processing area defining part)
42 Left side nozzle plate (1st non-process area defining part)
43 Right side nozzle plate (2nd non-process area defining part)
50a Ejection port 50e Suction port (discharge port)
52 Processing fluid ejection flow rate adjustment means 54 Suction flow rate (discharge amount) adjustment means 60 Elevating mechanism (gap adjustment mechanism)
70 Differential pressure detector (flow related quantity detection means)
72 pressure detection path 73 pressure detection path 80 processing area 81 first non-processing area 82 second non-processing area 90 Sonic anemometer (flow-related quantity detecting means)
92,93 Sonic sensor 100 Temperature difference detector (Temperature difference type flow-related quantity detection means with heating part)
101 Thermocouple detection unit (medium amount or medium amount difference detection unit)
102 Heater (addition part of physical quantity detection medium)
103, 104 Sensor unit 110 of thermocouple Concentration difference type flow-related quantity detection means 111 with addition part of test substance (medium) Addition part 112 Detection part 113 Hydrogen sulfide source (test substance source)
114, 115 Concentration sensor 116 Differential amplifier 120 Suction flow rate (discharge amount) adjusting means

Claims (19)

An apparatus for processing a surface of the object to be processed by bringing a processing fluid into contact with the object to be processed,
A side part to be opposed to the object to be processed; a part of the opposite side part defines a processing area; another part defines an out-of-process area connected to the processing area; A processing head provided with an ejection port for ejecting fluid to the processing region, and a discharge port for discharging fluid from the processing region;
Flow-related quantity detection means for detecting a physical quantity having a correlation with the fluid flow in the non-process region;
Based on the detection value of the detection means, flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the ejection flow rate from the ejection port or the discharge flow rate from the discharge port;
A surface treatment apparatus comprising:   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit measures the flow velocity of the fluid in the non-process region as the physical quantity.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects, as the physical quantity, a differential pressure between a detection point close to the processing region and a detection point far from the processing region.   The detection means detects the medium at an addition part for adding the physical quantity detection medium to a fluid at one place in the non-treatment area, and at a place near and far from the treatment area across the addition place. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a portion.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detection unit detects a difference in the medium amount at the two detection locations as the physical quantity.   The addition unit adds a specific test substance as the medium to the addition site, and the detection unit detects a concentration difference between the test substances in the fluid at the two detection sites as the physical quantity. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the test substance has no reactivity with the processing fluid and the processing object.   The surface according to claim 5, wherein the addition unit applies heat to the addition site as the medium, and the detection unit detects a temperature difference between fluids of the two detection sites as the physical quantity. Processing equipment.   The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the addition location is located exactly in the middle of the two detection locations.   The moving object which moves the said to-be-processed object relatively to the direction which crosses the said process area | region and the said non-process area | region with respect to the said process head is further provided. Surface treatment equipment.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the flow rate adjusting unit performs the adjustment so that a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow has a value corresponding to a speed of the relative movement.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate adjustment unit performs the adjustment so that a physical quantity having a correlation with the flow becomes zero.   The surface according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the non-process area defining part of the processing head protrudes from the process area defining part to a side opposite to the object to be processed. Processing equipment. A suction means for sucking fluid from the discharge port is connected to the discharge port,
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate adjusting unit adjusts a suction flow rate from the discharge port. An apparatus for processing a surface of the object to be processed by bringing a processing fluid into contact with the object to be processed,
A side portion to be opposed to the object to be processed is provided, and the opposite side portion defines a processing region defining portion that defines a processing region, and a first outside region that is connected to one end of the processing region. 1 out-of-process area defining part and a second out-of-process area defining part defining a second out-of-process area connected to the other end of the treated area, and an ejection port for ejecting the treated fluid to the treated area A processing head provided with a suction port for sucking fluid from the processing region;
Flow-related quantity detection means for detecting a physical quantity having a correlation with the fluid flow in the first non-process area;
Based on the detection value of the detection means, flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the ejection flow rate from the ejection port or the suction flow rate from the suction port;
A surface treatment apparatus comprising:   In the processing head, the ejection port is disposed at a boundary between the processing region defining unit and the first non-processing region defining unit, and the suction port is disposed outside the processing region defining unit and the second processing out unit. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the surface treatment apparatus is disposed at a boundary with the region defining unit.   16. The first non-process area defining unit and the second non-process area defining unit are respectively protruded from the process area defining unit to a side opposite to the object to be processed. Or the surface treatment apparatus of 16.   The size of the second non-process area defining part and the amount of protrusion to the object to be processed are set so that the suction flow rate is larger than the ejection flow rate. The surface treatment apparatus according to 17.   16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising moving means for moving the processed object relative to the processing head in a direction crossing the first processing outside area, the processing area, and the second processing outside area. The surface treatment apparatus in any one of -18.

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