JP2008172104A - Reflow processing system and reflow processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reflow processing system which can perform uniform processing in a substrate plane and can attain sufficient throughput. <P>SOLUTION: In a reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50, a substrate G is conveyed in the X direction by rotating a roller 51 and when the substrate G passes through a hollow tubular reflow processor 53, gas containing a solvent is supplied from the solvent supply port 69 of a solvent supply section 55 toward the surface of the substrate G and the gas thus supplied is sucked in from the solvent suction port 75 of a solvent sucking section 57. The gas containing a solvent delivered to a reflow processing space S forms a unidirectional flow toward the solvent suction port 75 and when the solvent in the atmosphere of the reflow processing space is sucked to a resist on the surface of the substrate G, the resist is softened and fluidized, thus forming a deformation resist pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a reflow processing apparatus and a reflow processing method that can be used when a resist is reflowed in a manufacturing process of a thin film transistor (TFT), for example.

  An active matrix type liquid crystal display device supports liquid crystal sandwiched between a TFT substrate on which a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed and a counter substrate on which a color filter is formed so that a voltage can be selectively applied to each pixel. It is configured. In the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate used here, a resist mask is required for each photolithography process because patterning of a photosensitive material such as a resist is repeatedly performed by a photolithography technique.

However, in recent years, with the progress of high integration and miniaturization of liquid crystal display devices, the manufacturing process has become complicated, and the manufacturing cost tends to increase. Therefore, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, it has been studied to integrate the mask pattern forming process for photolithography to reduce the total number of processes. As a technique for reducing the number of mask pattern formation steps, a reflow process has been proposed that can eliminate the mask pattern formation step by softening the resist by infiltrating the resist with an organic solvent and changing the shape of the resist pattern. (For example, Patent Document 1). In addition, proposals have been made for a substrate processing apparatus (reflow processing apparatus) for efficiently performing a reflow process (for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).
JP 2002-334830 A (Claims etc.) JP 2003-158054 A (FIG. 1 etc.) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-159293 (FIG. 8, etc.)

Since the reflow processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 is a chamber system in which a substrate is carried into a chamber by a transfer device and then the inside of the chamber is replaced with a solvent atmosphere to dissolve the resist. There is a problem that a predetermined time is required for loading / unloading and atmosphere replacement, and there is a limit in improving throughput.
In the case of the chamber method, it is necessary to control the flow of the solvent in the chamber by adjusting the solvent supply amount and the exhaust amount. However, in reality, it is difficult to control, and the concentration of the solvent is generated and the substrate is dark. There was a problem that it was difficult to obtain uniformity of the reflow amount in the surface. In order to solve the problem of uniformity, it is conceivable to supply an excessive amount of solvent. In this case, however, there is a problem that the amount of solvent used increases.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a reflow processing apparatus that can perform uniform processing within a substrate surface and can obtain a sufficient throughput.

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a reflow processing apparatus for softening and fluidizing a resist on a substrate in a solvent atmosphere,
A substrate support member that supports the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture and a solvent atmosphere that is provided so as to be relatively movable between a position close to the substrate supported by the substrate support member and that forms a solvent atmosphere in the reflow processing space above the substrate A solvent supply port connected to a solvent supply source to supply the solvent to the reflow processing space, and a solvent connected to a suction mechanism to supply the solvent supplied to the reflow processing space. There is provided a reflow treatment device comprising a solvent suction port for suction.

  In the reflow processing apparatus according to the first aspect, it is preferable that a substrate facing surface that defines the reflow processing space is formed on the solvent atmosphere forming device so as to face the substrate. The solvent supply port and the solvent suction port are preferably openings formed on the substrate facing surface. In this case, the solvent supply port and the solvent suction port are preferably long openings in the width direction of the substrate so as to face the surface of the substrate.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the space | interval of the said board | substrate opposing surface and a board | substrate is 1-5 mm. Further, the substrate support member includes a plurality of rotating members arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the substrate transport direction, and a rotation driving mechanism that rotates the rotating member, and the rotating member contacts the lower surface of the substrate. It is preferable that the substrate is moved horizontally with respect to the solvent atmosphere forming device by rotating in contact. In this case, the rotating member is preferably a roller that is long in the width direction of the substrate, and more preferably includes a temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the substrate temperature inside the roller.

Further, the solvent atmosphere forming device may be provided with a temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the solvent supplied to the reflow processing space.
Furthermore, it is possible to arrange a plurality of the solvent atmosphere forming devices so as to sequentially perform the reflow process on one substrate.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reflow processing method characterized in that the resist on the substrate is softened and fluidized using the reflow processing apparatus according to the first aspect.

A third aspect of the present invention is a reflow processing apparatus for softening and fluidizing a resist on a substrate in a solvent atmosphere,
A substrate support member for supporting the substrate in a substantially horizontal position;
The substrate support member is provided so as to be movable relative to the substrate, connected to a solvent supply source, connected to a solvent supply port for supplying the solvent above the substrate, and connected to a suction mechanism to suck the solvent supplied above the substrate. A solvent atmosphere forming device for forming a solvent atmosphere above the substrate,
A controller for controlling the gas containing the solvent from the solvent supply port of the solvent atmosphere forming device toward the resist on the substrate and controlling the gas to be sucked from the solvent suction port;
Provided is a reflow processing device characterized by comprising the above.

The reflow processing apparatus of the present invention is provided with a substrate support member that supports a substrate in a substantially horizontal position and a position that is close to the substrate supported by the substrate support member so as to be relatively movable, and a reflow processing space above the substrate. And a solvent atmosphere forming device for forming a solvent atmosphere can suppress the non-uniformity of the solvent concentration in the reflow processing space and make the solvent concentration uniform, which is easier than the conventional chamber type reflow processing device. It is possible to make the reflow process uniform in the substrate plane.
In addition, the substrate loading and unloading operations and the atmosphere replacement in the chamber before and after the reflow processing, which are essential for the chamber type reflow processing apparatus, are no longer necessary, and the reflow processing can be performed while the substrate is being transferred. Throughput can be greatly improved.

  The solvent atmosphere forming device includes a solvent supply port that is connected to a solvent supply source and supplies a solvent above the substrate, and a solvent intake port that is connected to a suction mechanism and sucks the solvent supplied above the substrate. Thus, reflow treatment can be performed while reducing the amount of solvent used while preventing leakage of the solvent to the outside.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the entire reflow processing system that can be suitably used in the reflow method of the present invention. Here, the resist film formed on the surface of the LCD glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) G is softened and deformed after the development process, and is reused as an etching mask when etching the lower layer film. The reflow processing unit (REFLW) for performing the reflow processing for this purpose, the re-development processing unit (REDEV) for performing the thin film removal processing (re-development processing), and the surface modification processing of the base film are performed prior to the reflow processing. A reflow processing system including an adhesion unit (AD) will be described as an example.

  The reflow processing system 100 is configured to transfer the substrate G to / from an external resist coating / development processing system, an exposure apparatus, an etching apparatus, an ashing apparatus, etc. via a substrate transfer line (not shown). Yes. The reflow processing system 100 includes a cassette station (loading / unloading unit) 1 on which a cassette C that accommodates a plurality of substrates G is placed, a reflow process on the substrate G, and a thin film removal process and a surface modification process that are performed prior to the reflow process. And a processing station (processing unit) 2 including a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processing including the control unit 3 and a control unit 3 that controls each component of the reflow processing system 100. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the reflow processing system 100 is the X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction on the horizontal plane is the Y direction.

  The cassette station 1 is disposed adjacent to one end of the processing station 2. The cassette station 1 includes a transfer device 11 for carrying in and out the substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2, and the cassette C is carried into and out of the cassette station 1. Further, the transport device 11 includes a transport arm 11a that can move on a transport path 10 provided along the Y direction that is the arrangement direction of the cassettes C. The transfer arm 11a is provided so as to be advanced and retracted in the X direction, moved up and down in the vertical direction, and rotated, and is configured to deliver the substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2. Yes.

  The processing station 2 includes a plurality of processing units for performing resist reflow processing on the substrate G, thin film removal processing, surface modification processing, and the like as previous processing. In each of these processing units, the substrate G is processed one by one. In the processing station 2, the processing units are arranged in two rows in the X direction so that the processing can be performed while sequentially transporting the substrates G by a so-called flat flow method. A U-turn unit 20 for changing is provided. The U-turn unit 20 has a transport arm 21a that is movable on a transport path 21 provided along the Y direction and that can be advanced and retracted in the X direction, moved up and down, and rotated and rotated. Yes.

  On one side of the processing station 2, a redevelopment processing unit (REDEV) 30 and an adhesion unit (AD) 40 are arranged in this order from the cassette station 1 side, and on the other side, a reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 is arranged. A heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80 is arranged. The heating / cooling processing units (HP / COL) 80 are stacked in multiple stages in the vertical direction (not shown).

  The redevelopment processing unit (REDEV) 30 is a processing unit for performing a thin film removal process for re-developing the resist pattern and removing the thin film portion prior to the reflow process. The redevelopment processing unit (REDEV) 30 directs the processing liquid toward the substrate G from the redevelopment chemical liquid discharge nozzle for redevelopment processing while moving the substrate G at a constant speed by means of, for example, roller conveyance or roller conveyance. The re-developing solution can be applied by being discharged.

  Prior to the reflow process, the adhesion unit (AD) 40 moves, for example, HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) or TMSDEA with respect to the substrate G while moving the substrate G at a constant speed by means such as roller conveyance or roller conveyance. This unit forms an atmosphere containing a surface modifying agent represented by a silylating agent such as (N-trimethylsilyldiethylamine) and performs a surface modifying process for promoting the flow of the resist. These surface modification treatment agents have a hydrophobization treatment action and are also known as hydrophobization treatment agents.

  The reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 is a unit used for reflow processing in which a resist patterned on the substrate G is softened and fluidized in a solvent atmosphere to change the pattern to form a new resist pattern. . The internal configuration of the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 includes a plurality of rollers that are long in the width direction of the substrate G so as to support the substrate G horizontally as a transport unit for transporting the substrate G. 51 is provided. The rollers 51 arranged in parallel are provided so as to be rotatable in one direction by being connected to a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) so that the substrate G can be transported in the transport direction (X direction) by the rotation of the rollers 51. It is configured. Each roller 51 is provided with a temperature adjusting medium flow path 51a, and the temperature of the substrate G can be adjusted by circulating the temperature adjusting medium through the temperature adjusting medium flow path 51a. . In addition, the conveyance means of the board | substrate G is not restricted to the roller 51, For example, it can replace with the roller 51 and a belt conveyor etc. can be utilized.

  Reflow treatment units 53 (53a, 53b, 53c) as solvent atmosphere forming units are provided at a plurality of locations (three locations in FIG. 2) interposed between the transport rollers 51. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the reflow processor 54 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. The reflow processor 53 includes a top plate 59 provided with a solvent supply unit 55 and a solvent suction unit 57, side plates 61 and 61 provided facing each other along the transport direction of the substrate G, and orthogonal to the transport direction. Side plates 62 and 62 and a bottom plate 63 are provided. Substrate inlets 64a and substrate outlets 64b are formed in the side plates 62 and 62 to form a horizontally long hollow rectangular tube as a whole. It is formed so that it can pass through. A substrate facing surface 65 is formed on the lower surface of the top plate 59 so as to face the substrate G supported by the rollers 51.

The substrate facing surface 65, the substrate G, the side plates 61 and 61, and the side plates 62 and 62 form a reflow processing space S that becomes a solvent atmosphere during the reflow processing. Substrate-facing surface 65 is deployed in proximity to the substrate G, the interval _{L 1} between the substrate-facing surface 65 and the substrate G is, for example 1~5mm preferably, 2-4 mm is more preferable. Thus, by arranging the substrate facing surface 65 close to the substrate G and making the reflow processing space S a small space, the solvent concentration in the reflow processing space S is easily uniformed, and the reflow processing in the substrate G surface is facilitated. Can be made uniform, and the amount of solvent used can be reduced. The reflow processing space S is surrounded by the side plates 62 and 62 in which the side plates 61 and 61, the substrate introduction port 64a, and the substrate outlet port 64b are formed, thereby preventing the solvent from leaking out.

In the reflow processor 53, the solvent supply unit 55 and the solvent suction unit 57 are provided so as to protrude outward (obliquely upward) from the top plate 59. The solvent supply unit 55 includes a solvent supply path 66 therein, and the solvent supply path 66 is connected to a solvent supply source 68 (68a, 68b, 68c) via a plurality of solvent supply pipes 67. The other end side of the solvent supply path 66 communicates with a solvent supply port 69 formed in the substrate facing surface 65 so as to be elongated in the width direction of the substrate G. A rectifying member 71 made of, for example, porous ceramics and having a fine gas flow path is provided in the opening of the solvent supply port 69, and the gas containing the vaporized solvent is uniformly blown toward the substrate G. It is configured to be able to.
Further, the solvent suction portion 57 includes an exhaust passage 72 therein, and the exhaust passage 72 is connected to a suction mechanism 77 (77a, 77b, 77c) such as a suction pump via an exhaust pipe 73. The other end side of the exhaust path 72 communicates with a solvent suction port 75 formed in the substrate facing surface 65 so as to be elongated in the width direction of the substrate G.

  In the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 having the above configuration, a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) is driven to rotate the roller 51, and the substrate G is transported in the X direction. And when the board | substrate G passes the inside of the hollow cylindrical reflow processor 53, the gas containing a solvent is supplied toward the surface of the board | substrate G from the solvent supply port 69 of the solvent supply part 55. FIG. The gas containing the solvent blown out from the solvent supply port 69 is discharged to the reflow processing space S with a predetermined inclination angle rather than perpendicular to the surface of the substrate G. A gas containing a solvent is supplied from the solvent supply port 69, and the gas supplied from the solvent suction port 75 of the solvent suction unit 57 is sucked and recovered through the exhaust path 72 and the exhaust pipe 73. In this way, since the space between the substrate facing surface 65 of the reflow processor 53 and the substrate G is a narrow reflow processing space S, a one-way flow from the solvent supply port 69 toward the solvent suction port 75 is formed. The In this process, the solvent in the atmosphere of the reflow processing space S is absorbed by the resist on the surface of the substrate G, the resist is softened and fluidized, and a deformed resist pattern is formed. In this embodiment, the traveling direction of the substrate G and the flow direction of the gas containing the solvent are the same direction, but the traveling direction of the substrate G and the flow direction of the gas containing the solvent are opposite (opposite flow). There may be.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature adjustment medium flow path 51a is provided inside the roller 51 so as to adjust the temperature of the substrate G on which the reflow process is performed. An adjusting means may be provided to adjust the temperature of the gas containing the solvent. Alternatively, the reflow processor 53 may be provided with a scanning mechanism so that the substrate G is transported using the rollers 51 and the reflow processor 53 is scanned in the horizontal direction while maintaining a constant interval with respect to the substrate.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, since a plurality of reflow processors 53 a, 53 b, and 53 c can be provided in one reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50, primary reflow processing is performed on one substrate G. The reflow process can be divided into several stages such as a secondary reflow process, a tertiary reflow process, and so on. In this case, it is possible to perform the same processing in each of the reflow processors 53a, 53b, 53c, but the processing conditions such as the concentration of the solvent, the type of the solvent, the processing temperature, the processing time, etc. The reflow process can be performed for each of 53b and 53c.

The concentration of the solvent and the type of the solvent can be adjusted by changing the mixing ratio of the solvent and dilution gas supplied from the solvent supply source and the type of the solvent.
The processing temperature can be changed by adjusting the temperature of the gas containing the solvent supplied from the solvent supply port 69 and the temperature of the temperature adjustment medium flowing through the temperature adjustment medium flow path 51 a in the roller 51.
The processing time is changed by changing the conveyance speed of the substrate G by the roller 51 and the length of the reflow processor 53 in the X direction (more specifically, the distance from the solvent supply port 69 to the solvent suction port 75). It is possible. For example, when processing a substrate G having a width of 400 mm and a length of 500 mm, the length of the reflow processor 53 in the X direction is 30 to 100 mm, the conveyance speed of the substrate G by the roller 51 is 20 to 100 mm / second, and the substrate facing surface 65 and spacing _{L 1} between the substrate G is preferably, for example, 4 to 5 mm. In this case, the flow rate of gas supplied from the solvent supply port 69 (supply flow rate) is 20 to 50 L / min, and the flow rate of gas sucked from the solvent suction port 75 (exhaust flow rate) is 20 to 50 L / min. preferable. In this way, by appropriately changing the processing conditions in each reflow processor 53, for example, the speed (throughput) of the reflow processing can be improved, or the area covered with the softened resist can be controlled.

  The heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80 includes, for example, a hot plate unit (HP) that heats the substrate G while moving the substrate G at a constant speed by means such as roller conveyance or roller conveyance. A cooling plate unit (COL) that performs a cooling process on the substrate G is provided. In the heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80, the substrate G after the reflow processing is subjected to heating processing or cooling processing as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each component of the reflow processing system 100 is connected to and controlled by a controller 90 having a CPU of the controller 3. Connected to the controller 90 is a user interface 91 including a keyboard for a process manager to input a command to manage the reflow processing system 100, a display for visualizing and displaying the operating status of the reflow processing system 100, and the like. Has been.

  The controller 90 is connected to a storage unit 92 that stores a recipe in which a control program and processing condition data for realizing various processes executed by the reflow processing system 100 are controlled by the controller 90. ing.

  Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit 92 by an instruction from the user interface 91 and is executed by the controller 90, so that a desired process in the reflow processing system 100 is controlled under the control of the controller 90. Is done. The recipe may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, or a flash memory, or may be a dedicated line from another device. It is also possible to transmit and use it as needed.

  In the reflow processing system 100 configured as described above, first, in the cassette station 1, the transfer arm 11a of the transfer apparatus 11 accesses the cassette C that contains the substrate G on which the resist pattern is already formed. One substrate G is taken out. The substrate G is transferred from the transfer arm 11a of the transfer device 11 to the re-development processing unit (REDEV) 30, and re-development processing (thin film removal processing) is performed while being transferred in the X direction by a transfer means such as a roller. Then, the substrate G that has been subjected to the redevelopment process is carried into the adhesion unit (AD) 40 by a conveying means such as a roller. Then, after the surface modification process is performed in the adhesion unit (AD) 40, the substrate G is taken out of the adhesion unit (AD) 40 by the transfer arm 21a of the U-turn unit 20, and the reflow processing unit ( REFLW) 50 and the reflow process is performed while being conveyed in the opposite direction.

  The substrate G after the reflow processing is carried into a heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80. Then, heating or cooling processing is performed in the heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80. The substrate G that has been subjected to such a series of processing is taken out from the heating / cooling processing unit (HP / COL) 80 by the transport arm 11a, transferred to the transport device 11 in the cassette station 1, and accommodated in an arbitrary cassette C. .

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. In the reflow processor 54 of the present embodiment, a solvent supply unit 55 is provided at the center of the top plate 59, and solvent suction units 57a and 57a are respectively provided on the front side and the rear side of the top plate 59 in the traveling direction of the substrate G. It is different from the reflow processor 53 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) according to the first embodiment in that 57b is provided. The solvent supply unit 55 is provided so as to protrude upward from the central portion of the top plate 59 so as to be substantially orthogonal. The solvent suction portions 57a and 57b are provided so as to protrude outward (obliquely upward) from the top plate 59. The solvent supply section 55 includes a solvent supply path 66 therein, and this solvent supply path 66 is connected to a solvent supply source (not shown) via a solvent supply pipe 67, and the other end side of the solvent supply path 66 is The substrate-facing surface 65 communicates with a solvent supply port 69 formed in an elongated shape in the width direction of the substrate G. A rectifying member 71 made of, for example, porous ceramics and having a fine gas flow path is provided in the opening of the solvent supply port 69, and the gas containing the vaporized solvent is uniformly blown toward the substrate G. It is configured to be able to.

  Further, the solvent suction portions 57a and 57b are provided with exhaust passages 72a and 72b, respectively. The exhaust passages 72a and 72b are connected to suction mechanisms (not shown) such as a suction pump via the exhaust pipes 73a and 73b, respectively. It is connected. The other ends of the exhaust passages 72 a and 72 b communicate with solvent suction ports 75 a and 75 b that are formed in the substrate facing surface 65 so as to be elongated in the width direction of the substrate G.

  Then, a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) is driven to rotate the roller 51 to transport the substrate G in the X direction, and when the substrate G passes through the inside of the hollow rectangular tube-shaped reflow processor 54, the solvent supply unit 55 A gas containing a solvent is supplied from the solvent supply port 69 toward the surface of the substrate G, and the gas supplied from the solvent intake ports 75a and 75b of the solvent suction portions 57a and 57b is sucked into the exhaust passages 72a and 72b and the exhaust gas. It collect | recovers via the pipe | tube 73a, 73b. In this way, the gas containing the solvent blown out from the solvent supply port 69 is discharged into the reflow processing space S perpendicular to the surface of the substrate G, and the substrate facing surface 65 of the reflow processing unit 54 and the substrate G are discharged. In the reflow processing space S, airflows directed to the two solvent suction ports 75a and 75b are formed. In this process, the resist in the atmosphere of the reflow processing space is absorbed by the resist on the surface of the substrate G, the resist is softened and fluidized, and a deformed resist pattern is formed. Other configurations and operations of the reflow processor 54 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the reflow processor 53 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) of the reflow processor unit (REFLW) 50 according to the first embodiment.

  Next, a reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a reflow nozzle 110 is provided as a reflow processor that supplies an atmosphere containing a solvent to the surface of the substrate G on which a resist pattern is formed. The reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 includes a plurality of rollers 51 that are formed long in the width direction of the substrate G so that the substrate G can be supported horizontally. The configuration of the roller 51 is the same as that of the roller 51 in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

The reflow nozzle 110 is supported and fixed by fixing means (not shown) above the roller 51 that supports the substrate G, and has a substrate facing surface 112 that faces the substrate G supported by the roller 51 on the lower surface thereof. ing. The substrate facing surface 112 and the substrate G form a reflow processing space S that becomes a solvent atmosphere during the reflow processing. The substrate-facing surface 112 and spacing _{L 2} between the substrate G, for example, preferably be 1 to 5 mm, and more preferably to 2-4 mm. Thus, by arranging the substrate facing surface 12 close to the substrate G and making the reflow processing space S a small space, the solvent concentration in the reflow processing space S can be easily uniformed, and the reflow processing in the substrate G surface is performed. Can be made uniform, and the amount of solvent used can be reduced. Note that a drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the reflow nozzle 110 in the horizontal direction may be provided, and the reflow nozzle 110 may be moved in parallel with the surface of the substrate G.

  The substrate facing surface 112 is formed with a solvent supply port 114 and a solvent suction port 116 that are elongated in the width direction of the substrate G. The solvent supply port 114 is connected to the solvent supply source 120 via a solvent supply path 117 and a solvent supply pipe 118 inside the reflow nozzle 110 communicating with the solvent supply port 114, and can supply a gas containing the solvent toward the resist on the substrate G. It is like that. Further, a rectifying member 122 made of, for example, porous ceramics and having a fine gas flow path is provided in the opening of the solvent supply port 114, and the gas containing the vaporized solvent is uniformly blown toward the substrate G. It is configured to be able to.

  The solvent suction port 116 is formed to be elongated in the width direction of the substrate G on the substrate facing surface 112. A suction pump or the like is sucked through the exhaust passage 123 and the exhaust pipe 124 inside the reflow nozzle 110 communicating with the solvent suction port 116. It is connected to the mechanism 126.

  In the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 having the above configuration, a rotation driving mechanism (not shown) is driven to rotate the roller 51, and the substrate G is transported in the X direction. Then, when the substrate G passes below the reflow nozzle 110, a gas containing a solvent is supplied from the solvent supply port 114 toward the surface of the substrate G via the solvent supply pipe 118 and the solvent supply path 117. The gas containing the solvent blown out from the solvent supply port 114 is discharged to the reflow processing space S with a predetermined inclination angle rather than perpendicular to the surface of the substrate G. The gas containing the solvent supplied to the reflow processing space S is sucked from the solvent suction port 116 and collected through the exhaust passage 123 and the exhaust pipe 124. Since the space between the substrate facing surface 112 of the reflow nozzle 111 and the substrate G is a narrow reflow processing space S, the gas containing the solvent in the reflow processing space S flows in one direction toward the solvent suction port 116. Form. In this process, the solvent in the atmosphere of the reflow processing space S is absorbed by the resist on the surface of the substrate G, the resist is softened and fluidized, and a deformed resist pattern is formed. In this embodiment, the traveling direction of the substrate G and the flow direction of the gas containing the solvent are the same direction, but the traveling direction of the substrate G and the flow direction of the gas containing the solvent are opposite (opposite flow). There may be.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, since a plurality of reflow nozzles 110 a and 110 b can be provided in one reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50, the first reflow nozzle for one substrate G is used. The reflow process can be divided into several stages such as a primary reflow process by 110a, a secondary reflow process by the second reflow nozzle 110b, and so on. In this case, the same processing can be performed in each of the reflow nozzles 110a and 110b, but the processing conditions such as the concentration of the solvent, the type of the solvent, the processing temperature, the processing time, and the like are changed for each reflow nozzle 110a and 110b. Reflow processing can also be performed. Also in the present embodiment, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the substrate G by providing the temperature adjusting medium flow path 51a inside the roller 51, and to provide the temperature adjusting means inside the reflow nozzle 110 so as to remove the solvent. It is also possible to adjust the temperature of the containing gas.

  FIG. 11 shows a modification of the reflow nozzle. The reflow nozzle 111 includes a light source 130 at a position upstream of the solvent supply port 114 on the substrate facing surface 112 in the substrate transport direction. The light source 130 is configured to irradiate the substrate G with light having a predetermined wavelength, for example, a wavelength of 300 to 600 nm, preferably a UV light of a wavelength of 300 to 400 nm. Since the other configuration of the reflow nozzle 111 is the same as that of the reflow processing nozzle 110 shown in FIG. 9, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  When performing the reflow process using the reflow nozzle 111, when the substrate G is transported in the X direction by the rotation of the roller 51, the substrate G is first provided upstream of the solvent supply port 114 on the substrate facing surface 112 in the substrate transport direction. Light irradiation such as UV light is performed from the light source 130 toward the surface of the substrate G. By light irradiation, the surface of the lower layer film at the portion irradiated with light is modified, and the flow of the resist is promoted. The degree of modification of the lower layer film by light irradiation varies depending on the material of the lower layer film. For example, when the lower layer film is silicon, the contact angle of the silicon surface is 10 degrees or less, for example, 1 to 10 degrees by light irradiation. It is preferable to modify.

  Subsequent to the light irradiation, the substrate G advances in the X direction while being rotated by the roller 51. Then, a reflow process between the substrate facing surface 112 and the substrate G is performed by supplying a gas containing a solvent from the solvent supply port 114 toward the surface of the substrate G irradiated with light and sucking it from the solvent suction port 116. In the space S, a one-way flow toward the solvent suction port 116 is formed. In this process, the resist in the atmosphere of the reflow processing space is absorbed by the resist on the surface of the substrate G, the resist is softened and fluidized, and a deformed resist pattern is formed. On the surface of the base film whose surface has been modified by the light irradiation treatment, the flow of the resist softened by absorbing the solvent is promoted, the reflow treatment time is shortened, and the throughput is improved. Further, by switching on / off of the light source 130 while transporting the substrate G so that light irradiation is locally performed on the substrate G, fluidization of the resist is accelerated in the ultraviolet irradiation region than in the non-ultraviolet irradiation region. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of etching using the deformed resist as a mask by changing the reflow rate and the spread area of the deformed resist in the plane of the substrate G.

Next, the principle of the reflow method of the present invention performed in the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the case where the reflow process is performed in the TFT manufacturing process will be described. FIGS. 12A to 12C show process steps of the reflow method. As shown in FIG. 12A, a gate electrode 202 and a gate line (not shown) are formed on an insulating substrate 201 made of a transparent substrate such as glass, and a gate insulating film 203 such as a silicon nitride film, a-Si. An (amorphous silicon) film 204, an n ⁺ Si film 205 as an ohmic contact layer, a source electrode 206a and a drain electrode 206b, a source electrode resist mask 210 and a drain electrode resist mask 211 are laminated in this order. The source electrode 206a and the drain electrode 206b are etched using the source electrode resist mask 210 and the drain electrode resist mask 211 as a mask, and the surface of the n ⁺ Si film 205 which is a base film is exposed.

Next, a solvent atmosphere forming device (reflow processing devices 53 and 54 or reflow nozzles 110 and 111) is applied to the target object having such a laminated structure in the reflow processing unit (REFLW) 50 of the reflow processing system 100. A solvent atmosphere such as thinner is formed and a reflow process is performed on the source electrode resist mask 210 and the drain electrode resist mask 211. By this reflow treatment, the resist constituting the source electrode resist mask 210 and the drain electrode resist mask 211 is softened and has fluidity, and as shown in FIG. 12B, the source electrode 206a and the drain electrode The surface of the n ⁺ Si film 205 in the recess 220 (channel formation region) between 206b can be covered with a fluidized resist. Reflow processing in this case prevents the in etching the ⁿ + Si layer 205 and the a-Si film 204 in the next step, ⁿ + Si layer 205 and the a-Si film 204 of the channel formation region is etched It is done for the purpose. As described above, there is an advantage that the photolithography process can be omitted by reflowing the resist constituting the resist mask for source electrode 210 and the resist mask for drain electrode 211 and reusing the resist mask.

Then, in the next step, the n ⁺ Si film 205 and the a-Si film 204 are etched using the deformed resist 212 as a mask, and the deformed resist 212 is further removed, thereby removing the channel of the TFT element as shown in FIG. A laminate for forming a region is obtained. In the subsequent steps, the channel region is formed by etching and removing the n ⁺ Si film 205 exposed in the recess 220 using the source electrode 206a and the drain electrode 206b as an etching mask by a known procedure. Further, after forming an organic film so as to cover the channel region, the source electrode 206a, and the drain electrode 206b, a contact hole connected to the source electrode 206a (drain electrode 206b) is formed by etching by photolithography, and then indium A TFT element for a liquid crystal display device is manufactured by forming a transparent electrode from tin oxide (ITO) or the like.

As described above, the reflow processing unit (REFLW) of the present invention is close to the plurality of rollers 51 as the substrate support member that supports the substrate G in a substantially horizontal posture and the substrate G supported by the rollers 51. Provided with a solvent atmosphere forming device (reflow treatment devices 53 and 54 or reflow nozzles 110 and 111) that forms a solvent atmosphere in the reflow treatment space S above the substrate G. Since the solvent concentration can be made uniform by suppressing the unevenness of the solvent concentration in the space S, it is possible to easily make the reflow treatment in the plane of the substrate G easier than in the conventional chamber type reflow treatment apparatus.
In addition, it is not necessary to carry in / out the substrate and to replace the atmosphere in the chamber before and after the reflow process, which are essential in the chamber type reflow processing apparatus, and the reflow process can be performed while the substrate G is being transported by the roller 51. Therefore, the throughput of the reflow process can be greatly improved.

  The solvent atmosphere forming device is connected to a solvent supply source to supply a solvent to the reflow processing space S above the substrate, and a solvent suction port is connected to a suction mechanism to suck the solvent supplied to the reflow processing space S. The reflow process can be performed while reducing the amount of solvent used while preventing the solvent from leaking to the outside by performing the supply and intake of the solvent in a small reflow process space.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to such embodiment. For example, in the above description, the reflow processing system 100 that performs the reflow processing on the LCD glass substrate has been described as an example. However, the reflow processing system 100 is formed on another flat panel display (FPD) substrate or a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The present invention can also be applied to the case where the resist is reflowed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which performs the reflow process, conveying the board | substrate G with the roller 51, it is a solvent atmosphere formation device (reflow processing machine 53,54 or reflow nozzle 110,111) with respect to the stationary board | substrate G. It is also possible to perform the reflow process while moving.

  The present invention can be suitably used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices such as TFT elements.

It is drawing explaining the outline | summary of a reflow processing system. It is drawing which shows schematic structure of the reflow processing unit (REFLW) of 1st Embodiment. It is an external appearance perspective view of a reflow processor. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a reflow processor. It is an external appearance perspective view of the reflow processing device which concerns on another embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the reflow processor which concerns on another embodiment. It is drawing which shows schematic structure of the reflow processing unit (REFLW) of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the bottom part of a reflow nozzle. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a reflow nozzle. It is drawing which shows the modification of a reflow nozzle. It is drawing which shows another modification of a reflow nozzle. It is drawing explaining the process example of the reflow method.

Explanation of symbols

1: Cassette station 2: Processing station 3: Control unit 20: U-turn unit 30: Redevelopment processing unit (REDEV)
40: Adhesion unit (AD)
50: Reflow processing unit (REFLW)
53: Reflow treatment device 55: Solvent supply unit 57: Solvent suction unit 59: Top plate 63: Bottom plate 65: Substrate facing surface 67: Solvent supply tube 69: Solvent supply port 73: Exhaust tube 75: Solvent suction port 80: Heating Cooling unit (HP / COL)
100: Reflow processing system G: Substrate

Claims (12)

A reflow processing apparatus for softening and fluidizing a resist on a substrate in a solvent atmosphere,
A substrate support member for supporting the substrate in a substantially horizontal position;
A solvent atmosphere forming device provided so as to be relatively movable at a position close to the substrate supported by the substrate support member, and forming a solvent atmosphere in the reflow processing space above the substrate;
The solvent atmosphere forming device includes a solvent supply port that is connected to a solvent supply source and supplies a solvent to the reflow processing space, and a solvent suction port that is connected to a suction mechanism and sucks the solvent supplied to the reflow processing space. A reflow processing apparatus comprising the reflow processing apparatus.   The reflow processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solvent atmosphere forming device has a substrate facing surface that defines the reflow processing space facing the substrate.   The reflow processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein both the solvent supply port and the solvent suction port are openings formed in the substrate facing surface.   The reflow processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the solvent supply port and the solvent suction port are long openings in the width direction of the substrate so as to face the surface of the substrate, respectively.   The reflow processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a distance between the substrate facing surface and the substrate is 1 to 5 mm.   The substrate support member includes a plurality of rotating members arranged in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the substrate transport direction, and a rotation driving mechanism that rotates the rotating member, and the rotating member is in contact with the lower surface of the substrate The reflow processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the substrate is moved horizontally with respect to the solvent atmosphere forming device by rotating in a state.   The reflow processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rotating member is a roller that is long in a width direction of the substrate.   The reflow processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting a substrate temperature inside the roller.   The reflow process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the solvent atmosphere forming device includes a temperature adjustment mechanism that adjusts the temperature of the solvent supplied to the reflow process space. apparatus.   The reflow processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a plurality of the solvent atmosphere forming devices are provided, and the reflow processing is sequentially performed on one substrate.   A reflow processing method characterized by softening and fluidizing a resist on a substrate using the reflow processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A reflow processing apparatus for softening and fluidizing a resist on a substrate in a solvent atmosphere,
A substrate support member for supporting the substrate in a substantially horizontal position;
The substrate support member is provided so as to be movable relative to the substrate, connected to a solvent supply source, connected to a solvent supply port for supplying the solvent above the substrate, and connected to a suction mechanism to suck the solvent supplied above the substrate. A solvent atmosphere forming device for forming a solvent atmosphere above the substrate,
A controller for controlling the gas containing the solvent from the solvent supply port of the solvent atmosphere forming device toward the resist on the substrate and controlling the gas to be sucked from the solvent suction port;
A reflow processing apparatus comprising the reflow processing apparatus.

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