JP2008177403A - Coating processor, and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To flatten the surface of a coating film when forming the coating film on a predetermined pattern formed in a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: A spinning chuck 120 for horizontally holding a wafer W by vacuum suction is provided inside a processing container 150 of a coating processor 24. An applying nozzle 130 for applying to the central portion of the surface of the wafer W a coating liquid which contains a liquid-coating-film forming component, is disposed above the spinning chuck 120. In the upper portion of the inside of the processing container 150, an irradiating portion 110 for irradiating ultraviolet rays on the wafer W present on the spinning chuck 120 is provided. After applying the coating liquid onto the pattern of the wafer W from the applying nozzle 130, the ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the applied coating liquid from the irradiating portion 110 as to form the coating film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating processing apparatus and a substrate processing system for forming a coating film on a pattern formed on a substrate.

  For example, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device having a multilayer wiring structure, for example, a resist coating process for applying a resist solution on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) to form a resist film, and exposing a predetermined pattern on the resist film An exposure process for developing and a development process for developing the exposed resist film are sequentially performed to form a predetermined resist pattern on the wafer. Using this resist pattern as a mask, the wafer is etched, and then the resist film is removed to form a predetermined pattern on the wafer. Thus, the process of forming a predetermined pattern in a predetermined layer is usually repeated about 20 to 30 times, and a semiconductor device having a multilayer wiring structure is manufactured.

  By the way, when a predetermined pattern is repeatedly formed on the wafer in this way, the (n + 1) -th layer resist film is formed at an appropriate height after the predetermined pattern is formed on the n-th layer. The surface to which the resist solution is applied needs to be flat.

Therefore, conventionally, a coating film is formed on a predetermined pattern of a wafer and the surface thereof is flattened. Such a coating film is formed by, for example, applying a coating liquid having a solid coating film forming component and a solvent on a predetermined pattern of a wafer, and heating and curing the applied coating liquid. . As this coating solution, for example, SOG (Spin
On Glass) material is used. (Non-Patent Document 1)

Naohashi Ohashi et al. "Improvement of SOG process for multilayer wiring structure" IEICE Transactions C-II Vol. J78-C-II No. 5 1995

  However, as shown in FIG. 19, when such a conventional coating solution is applied onto the predetermined pattern P of the wafer W, the fluidity of the solid coating film forming component in the coating solution is poor. The coating liquid did not diffuse smoothly on the irregularities of the predetermined pattern P on the wafer W. As a result, in the region S where the hole H of the pattern P is formed, the coating film R is recessed compared to the region T where the hole H of the pattern P is not formed, and the height of the coating film R is different, so-called step B. Has occurred. Therefore, the surface of the conventional coating film R is not flattened, and there is a problem that a step is generated in the resist film formed on the coating film R.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to flatten the surface of a coating film when forming the coating film on a predetermined pattern formed on a substrate.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a coating processing apparatus for forming a coating film on a pattern formed on a substrate, and includes a loading / unloading port for loading and unloading a substrate, and processing for housing the substrate. A container, a coating nozzle for coating a coating solution containing a liquid coating film forming component on the substrate pattern accommodated in the processing container, and the coating solution coated on the substrate pattern is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. And an irradiating section.

According to the coating processing apparatus of the present invention, when a coating liquid containing a liquid coating film forming component is applied onto the pattern of the substrate by the coating nozzle after the substrate is transferred into the processing container, the coating liquid Since the fluidity of the liquid coating film forming component contained in the coating liquid is good, the coating liquid can smoothly diffuse over the irregularities of the pattern of the substrate. Therefore, no step is generated in the coating film formed on the pattern of the substrate, and the surface of the coating film can be planarized.
Further, here, the liquid coating film forming component contained in the coating liquid applied on the pattern of the substrate is a low molecule, and since each molecule is not bonded, it has the property of being easily sublimated. . When this coating film forming component is heated, the coating solution is further easily sublimated. Since the conventional coating film is formed by curing the coating liquid by heating the coating liquid, when using a coating liquid having a liquid coating forming component, the coating liquid sublimates when the coating liquid is cured. End up. However, according to the irradiation unit of the present invention, the coating solution applied on the substrate pattern is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the coating solution is cured to form a coating film on the substrate pattern. Therefore, it is necessary to heat the coating solution. And sublimation of the coating liquid can be suppressed as compared with the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the thickness of the formed coating film.

  The said irradiation part may be provided in the upper part of the said processing container. The irradiation unit can irradiate the substrate accommodated in the processing container with ultraviolet rays, so that the substrate is accommodated in the processing container and the substrate is coated with the coating liquid and the ultraviolet rays. Irradiation can be performed. Therefore, the processing from application of the coating liquid to irradiation with ultraviolet rays can be performed continuously, and the processing time can be shortened accordingly.

  The said irradiation part may be provided in the upper part of the said carrying in / out port. After the coating solution is applied onto the substrate pattern by the irradiation unit, the coating solution on the substrate pattern can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays when the substrate is transported from the loading / unloading port of the processing container.

  A rotatable spin chuck for holding the substrate is provided in the processing container, and the irradiation range of the coating solution on the substrate pattern by the irradiation unit is at least from the center of the substrate to the edge of the substrate. May be. Since the substrate rotated by the spin chuck is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in this way, a coating film can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate only by irradiating ultraviolet rays at least in the range from the center of the substrate to the edge of the substrate. it can. In this case, the irradiation unit may be provided alongside the application nozzle.

  The application nozzle is a nozzle having a slit-like discharge port extending in the width direction of the substrate, and the irradiation unit has a form extending in the width direction of the substrate in parallel with the application nozzle, and is synchronized with the application nozzle. You may move. In this way, by controlling the application nozzle and the irradiation unit to move synchronously, the time from application of the application liquid to application of ultraviolet light is controlled at all positions in the surface direction of the substrate. Can do. In this case, the irradiation unit may be provided alongside the application nozzle. Moreover, the said application | coating nozzle and the said irradiation part may have an independent moving mechanism, and the said irradiation part may be provided with two or more.

  The coating processing apparatus includes a control unit that controls the application liquid on the region immediately after applying the coating solution on the region of the substrate from the application nozzle to irradiate ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit. May be. By this control unit, the coating liquid applied on the pattern of the substrate is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays immediately after being applied to the substrate, so that sublimation of the coating liquid can be suppressed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing system including: a coating processing apparatus that applies a coating liquid on at least a pattern formed on a substrate; and a transport device that carries the substrate into and out of the coating processing apparatus. The transport device includes a transport arm that supports and transports the substrate, and an irradiation unit that irradiates the coating liquid on the pattern of the substrate with ultraviolet light with respect to the substrate supported by the transport arm. A substrate processing system is provided. In the present invention, after the coating liquid is applied onto the substrate pattern by the coating processing apparatus, the substrate is transported to the transport device by the transport arm, and the substrate is supported on the transport arm in a state where the substrate is supported by the transport arm. Since the coating liquid is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit of the transport device, the coating film can be formed inline on the pattern of the substrate, and the coating film can be formed smoothly.

  According to the present invention, when forming a coating film on a predetermined pattern formed on a substrate, the surface of the coating film can be flattened, and the film thickness of the coating film can be reduced by suppressing sublimation of the coating liquid. Can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a configuration of a coating and developing treatment system 1 as a substrate processing system equipped with a coating treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system 1. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating and developing treatment system 1 is a cassette that carries, for example, 25 wafers W from the outside to the coating and developing treatment system 1 in a cassette unit, and carries a wafer W into and out of the cassette C. A station 2, a processing station 3 in which a plurality of various processing apparatuses for performing predetermined processing in a single wafer type in a photolithography process are arranged in multiple stages, and an exposure apparatus provided adjacent to the processing station 3 (Not shown) has a configuration in which the interface unit 4 for transferring the wafer W to and from the unit is integrally connected.

  The cassette station 2 is provided with a cassette mounting table 5 that can mount a plurality of cassettes C in a row in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1). The cassette station 2 is provided with a wafer transfer body 7 that can move in the X direction on the transfer path 6. The wafer carrier 7 is also movable in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers W accommodated in the cassette C, and is selective to the wafers W in each cassette C arranged in the X direction. Can be accessed.

  The wafer transfer body 7 is rotatable in the θ direction around the Z axis, and a temperature control device 60 belonging to a third processing device group G3 on the processing station 3 side to be described later, and a transition device 61 for delivering the wafer W. Can also be accessed.

  The processing station 3 adjacent to the cassette station 2 includes, for example, five processing device groups G1 to G5 in which a plurality of processing devices are arranged in multiple stages. A first processing device group G1 and a second processing device group G2 are arranged in this order from the cassette station 2 side on the X direction negative direction (downward direction in FIG. 1) side of the processing station 3. A third processing device group G3, a fourth processing device group G4, and a fifth processing device group G5 are sequentially arranged from the cassette station 2 side on the X direction positive direction (upward direction in FIG. 1) side of the processing station 3. Has been placed. A first transfer device A1 is provided between the third processing device group G3 and the fourth processing device group G4, and the wafer W is supported and transferred inside the first transfer device A1. A first transfer arm 10 is provided. The first transfer arm 10 can selectively access each processing apparatus in the first processing apparatus group G1, the third processing apparatus group G3, and the fourth processing apparatus group G4 to transfer the wafer W. A second transfer device A2 is provided between the fourth processing device group G4 and the fifth processing device group G5, and the wafer W is supported and transferred inside the second transfer device A2. A second transfer arm 11 is provided. The second transfer arm 11 can selectively access each processing apparatus in the second processing apparatus group G2, the fourth processing apparatus group G4, and the fifth processing apparatus group G5 to transfer the wafer W.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the first processing unit group G1, a liquid processing apparatus that performs processing by supplying a predetermined liquid to the wafer W, for example, resist coating apparatuses 20, 21, and 22 that apply a resist solution to the wafer W. The bottom coating apparatus 23 for forming an antireflection film for preventing reflection of light during the exposure process, and the coating processing apparatus 24 for forming the coating film R on the pattern P of the wafer W according to the present invention are arranged in five stages in order from the bottom. It is piled up. In the second processing unit group G2, liquid processing units, for example, development processing units 30 to 34 that supply the developing solution to the wafer W and perform development processing are stacked in five stages in order from the bottom. In addition, chemical chambers 40 and 41 for supplying various processing liquids to the liquid processing apparatuses in the processing apparatus groups G1 and G2 are provided at the bottom of the first processing apparatus group G1 and the second processing apparatus group G2. Each is provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the third processing unit group G3 includes a temperature control unit 60, a transition unit 61, high-precision temperature control units 62 to 64 that control the temperature of the wafer W under high-precision temperature control, and the wafer W. High-temperature heat treatment apparatuses 65 to 68 that heat-treat them at a high temperature are sequentially stacked in nine stages from the bottom.

  In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, a high-accuracy temperature control unit 70, pre-baking units 71 to 74 that heat-treat the resist-coated wafer W, and post-baking units 75 to 74 that heat-process the developed wafer W. 79 are stacked in 10 steps from the bottom.

  In the fifth processing apparatus group G5, a plurality of heat treatment apparatuses for heat-treating the wafer W, for example, high-accuracy temperature control apparatuses 80 to 83 and post-exposure baking apparatuses 84 to 89 are stacked in 10 stages in order from the bottom.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of processing devices are arranged on the positive side in the X direction of the first transfer device A1, and for example, an adhesion device 90 for hydrophobizing the wafer W as shown in FIG. 91, and heating devices 92 and 93 for heating the wafer W are stacked in four stages in order from the bottom. As shown in FIG. 1, a peripheral exposure device 94 that selectively exposes only the edge portion of the wafer W, for example, is disposed on the positive side in the X direction of the second transfer device A2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the interface unit 4 is provided with a wafer transfer body 101 that moves on a transfer path 100 that extends in the X direction, and a buffer cassette 102. The wafer transfer body 101 can move in the Z direction and can also rotate in the θ direction. With respect to the exposure apparatus (not shown) adjacent to the interface unit 4, the buffer cassette 102, and the fifth processing apparatus group G5. The wafer W can be transferred by accessing.

  Next, the structure of the above-mentioned coating processing apparatus 24 is demonstrated based on FIG. The coating processing apparatus 24 has a processing container 150. On one side of the processing container 150, a wafer W loading / unloading port 151 is formed on a surface facing the loading area of the first transfer arm 10 that is a transfer unit for the wafer W, and an opening / closing shutter 152 is provided at the loading / unloading port 151. It has been.

  Inside the processing container 150, a spin chuck 120 is provided as a substrate holding mechanism for vacuum suction holding the wafer W horizontally on its upper surface. The spin chuck 120 can be rotated around the vertical by a rotary drive unit 121 including a motor and can be moved up and down.

  A cup body 122 is provided around the spin chuck 120. The cup body 122 has an opening larger than the wafer W so that the spin chuck 120 can move up and down on the upper surface. At the bottom of the cup body 122, a drain port 123 for discharging the coating liquid that spills from the wafer W is formed, and a drain tube 124 is connected to the drain port 123.

  Above the spin chuck 120, a coating nozzle 130 for coating a coating solution on the center of the surface of the wafer W is disposed. The coating nozzle 130 is connected to a coating solution supply source 132 that supplies a coating solution via a coating solution supply pipe 131. Further, the coating liquid supply pipe 131 is provided with a supply control device 133 having a valve, a flow rate adjusting unit and the like. For example, XUV (Nissan Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. product) is used as the coating liquid supplied from the coating liquid supply source 132, and the coating liquid contains a liquid coating film forming component and a solvent. The coating film forming component includes, for example, a photopolymerization initiator such as an indonium salt, an epoxy resin, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl acetate, and the like. For example, thinner is used as the solvent.

  An irradiation unit 110 that irradiates the wafer W on the spin chuck 120 with ultraviolet rays is provided above the processing container 150. The irradiation unit 110 can irradiate the entire surface of the wafer W with ultraviolet rays.

  The application nozzle 130 is connected to a moving mechanism 135 via an arm 134 as shown in FIG. The arm 134 is provided by the moving mechanism 135 on the outer side of one end side (left side in FIG. 5) of the cup body 122 along the guide rail 136 provided along the length direction (Y direction) of the processing container 150. It can move from the waiting area 137 toward the other end side and can move in the vertical direction. The standby region 137 is configured to store the application nozzle 130 and has a cleaning unit 137 a that can clean the tip of the application nozzle 130.

  The coating and developing processing system 1 equipped with the coating processing apparatus 24 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, wafer processing performed in the coating and developing processing system 1 will be described.

  First, one wafer W having a predetermined pattern formed on the surface is taken out from the cassette C on the cassette mounting table 5 by the wafer transfer body 7 and transferred to the temperature adjustment device 60 of the third processing unit group G3. . The wafer W transferred to the temperature adjusting device 60 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, and then transferred to the coating processing device 24 according to the present invention.

  The wafer W is transferred from the loading / unloading port 151 into the processing container 150 by the first transfer arm 10 and moved to above the spin chuck 120. Therefore, the spin chuck 120 is raised and the wafer W is delivered from the first transfer arm 10 to the spin chuck 120. Then, the wafer W is attracted to the spin chuck 120 and held horizontally, and the wafer W is lowered to a predetermined position.

  Next, the rotation drive unit 121 rotates the wafer W at, for example, a rotation speed of 500 rpm, and moves the coating nozzle 130 above the center of the wafer W. Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the coating liquid Q is discharged from the coating nozzle 130 onto the center of the wafer W for 2 seconds, for example, and the wafer W is accelerated to, for example, a rotation speed of 1500 rpm and rotated for 15 seconds. The coating liquid Q is diffused on the pattern P of the wafer W by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the wafer W. Thereafter, the coating nozzle 130 is moved from above the center of the wafer W to the standby area 137.

When the coating liquid Q is diffused over the entire surface of the pattern P of the wafer W, the wafer W is raised to a predetermined position by the spin chuck 120. Then, for example, ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 222 nm and an energy of 7 mW / cm ² is irradiated to the coating liquid Q applied on the pattern P of the wafer W from the irradiation unit 110 for 2 seconds / cm ^2, for example. By this irradiated ultraviolet ray, the photopolymerization initiator contained in the coating liquid Q is activated and the coating liquid Q is cured. 6B, a coating film R formed by curing the coating liquid Q is formed on the pattern P of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. The coating film R is formed with a film thickness of, for example, 100 nm to 300 nm.

  When the coating film R is formed on the pattern P of the wafer W, the wafer W is transported to the bottom coating device 23 by the first transport arm 10 to form an antireflection film. The wafer W on which the antireflection film is formed is sequentially transferred by the first transfer arm 10 to the heating device 92, the high temperature heat treatment device 65, and the high precision temperature adjustment device 70, and is subjected to predetermined processing in each device. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating apparatus 20.

  When a resist film is formed on the wafer W in the resist coating apparatus 20, the wafer W is transferred to the pre-baking apparatus 71 by the first transfer arm 10 and is subjected to heat treatment, and then the second transfer arm. 11 are sequentially conveyed to the peripheral exposure device 94 and the high-precision temperature adjustment device 83, and predetermined processing is performed in each device. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to an exposure apparatus (not shown) by the wafer transfer body 101 of the interface unit 4, and a predetermined pattern is exposed on the resist film on the wafer W. The wafer W that has been subjected to the exposure process is transferred to the post-exposure baking apparatus 84 by the wafer transfer body 101 and subjected to a predetermined process.

  When the heat treatment in the post-exposure baking apparatus 84 is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the high-accuracy temperature adjustment apparatus 81 by the second transfer arm 11 and the temperature is adjusted, and then transferred to the development processing apparatus 30 and developed on the wafer W. Is applied to form a pattern on the resist film. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the post-baking device 75 by the second transfer arm 11 and subjected to heat treatment, and then transferred to the high-accuracy temperature adjusting device 63 to adjust the temperature. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the transition device 61 by the first transfer arm 10 and returned to the cassette C by the wafer transfer body 7 to complete a series of photolithography steps.

  According to the above embodiment, when the coating liquid Q is applied onto the pattern P of the wafer W, the liquid coating film forming component contained in the coating liquid Q has good fluidity. Can smoothly diffuse on the irregularities of the pattern P of the wafer W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the surface of the coating film R formed on the pattern P of the wafer W can be planarized.

  In addition, since the coating liquid Q is cured by irradiating the coating liquid Q applied on the pattern P of the wafer W from the irradiation unit 110 with the ultraviolet rays, the coating film R can be formed on the pattern P of the wafer W. Thus, it is not necessary to heat the coating liquid Q when forming the coating film R as in the prior art, and the sublimation of the coating liquid Q that is easily sublimated by heating can be suppressed as compared with the conventional case. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the thickness of the coating film R to be formed.

  Further, the irradiation unit 110 is provided in the upper part in the processing container 150 and irradiates the wafer W on the spin chuck 120 with ultraviolet rays, so that the wafer W is accommodated in the processing container 150 with respect to the wafer W. Thus, the coating liquid Q can be applied and irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the processing from the application of the coating liquid Q to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays can be continuously performed, and the processing time can be shortened accordingly.

  Although the irradiation part 110 described in the above embodiment was provided in the upper part in the processing container 150, the irradiation part 111 was provided in the outer side of the upper surface 150a of the processing container 150, as shown in FIG. Also good. The irradiation unit 111 is installed in a direction in which ultraviolet light can be irradiated to the wafer W on the spin chuck 120, and a colorless transparent glass plate that transmits ultraviolet light is used for the upper surface 150a. In such a case, the ultraviolet light irradiated from the irradiation unit 111 passes through the upper surface 150 a and is irradiated onto the coating liquid Q on the pattern P of the wafer W, so that the coating film R can be formed. Further, for example, even if the coating liquid Q is scattered in the processing container 150, the irradiation unit 110 is not soiled, and therefore the frequency of maintenance of the irradiation unit 111 can be reduced.

  Although the irradiation units 110 and 111 described in the above embodiments are provided above the spin chuck 120, the irradiation unit 160 may be provided above the loading / unloading port 151 as shown in FIG. . In this case, after the coating liquid Q is applied onto the pattern P of the wafer W from the coating nozzle 130, the irradiation unit is used when the first transfer arm 10 transfers the wafer W from the loading / unloading port 151 of the processing container 150 to the outside. By 160, the coating liquid Q on the pattern P of the wafer W can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the coating liquid Q and the ultraviolet irradiation can be continuously performed on the wafer W in the processing container 150, and the time from the coating liquid Q to the ultraviolet irradiation can be shortened.

The irradiation units 110, 111, and 160 described in the above embodiments are provided above the spin chuck 120 or above the loading / unloading port 151. However, the irradiation unit 170 includes a coating nozzle 130 as shown in FIG. It may be attached to. As shown in FIG. 10, the irradiation unit 170 is attached to the application nozzle 130 by connecting one side surface 130 a of the application nozzle 130 and one side surface 170 a of the irradiation unit 170. In this case, by adjusting the vertical position of the irradiation unit 170 or the vertical position of the wafer W, at least the range H from the center of the wafer W to the end of the wafer W as shown in FIG. The application liquid Q on the pattern P of the wafer W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 170.
Further, the coating processing apparatus 24 may be provided with a control unit 180 that controls the irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 170 or the application of the coating liquid Q by the supply control device 133. The control unit 180 controls the irradiation unit 170 to irradiate the application liquid Q on the region immediately after applying the application liquid Q onto the region of the wafer W from the application nozzle 130.

In such a case, since the wafer W rotating by the spin chuck 120 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 170, the coating liquid Q on the entire surface of the wafer W is cured by simply irradiating at least the range H with ultraviolet rays, and the coating film R can be formed.
In addition, under the control of the control unit 180, the coating liquid Q applied onto the pattern P of the wafer W is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays immediately after being applied to the wafer W, so that sublimation of the coating liquid Q is suppressed. be able to.

  Instead of the coating nozzle 130 described in the above embodiment, a coating nozzle 140 having a slit-like discharge port 140a extending in the X direction as shown in FIG. 11 may be used. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the application nozzle 140 is formed longer than the width of the wafer W in the X direction, for example. The application nozzle 140 can move along the guide rail 136 from the standby region 141 provided outside one end side (left side in FIG. 13) of the cup body 122 toward the other end side. The standby area 141 is configured to accommodate the application nozzle 140. As the irradiation unit, any of the irradiation units 110, 111, and 160 may be used. Even in such a case, after coating the coating liquid Q from the coating nozzle 140 onto the pattern P of the wafer W, the coating liquid Q on the pattern P of the wafer W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays by any of the irradiation units 110, 111, and 160. The coating film R can be formed.

When the coating nozzle 140 described in the above embodiment is used, the irradiation unit 190 may extend in the width direction of the wafer W in parallel with the coating nozzle 140 as shown in FIG. . As shown in FIG. 15, the irradiation unit 190 is provided alongside the application nozzle 140 by connecting one side surface 140 a of the application nozzle 140 and one side surface 190 a of the irradiation unit 190.
Further, the coating processing apparatus 24 may be provided with a control unit 200 that controls the irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 190 or the application of the coating liquid Q by the supply control device 143. The control unit 200 controls the irradiation unit 190 to irradiate the coating solution Q on the region immediately after the coating solution Q is applied onto the region of the wafer W from the coating nozzle 140.

  In this case, under the control of the control unit 200, the coating liquid Q applied on the pattern P of the wafer W is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays immediately after being applied to the wafer W, so that the coating liquid Q is sublimated. Can be suppressed. Further, since the application nozzle 140 and the irradiation unit 190 move in synchronization, the time from application of the application liquid Q to application of ultraviolet light is controlled to be constant at all positions in the surface direction of the wafer W. The thickness of the coating film R formed on the pattern P of the wafer W can be made constant.

  In the above embodiment, the irradiation unit 190 is provided alongside the application nozzle 140, but the irradiation unit 210 may be provided independently of the application nozzle 140 as shown in FIG. The irradiation unit 210 includes an arm 211 and a moving mechanism 212 that are independent of the arm 134 and the moving mechanism 135 of the application nozzle 140. The irradiation unit 210 can be moved along the guide rail 136 from the standby region 213 provided on the outer side of one end side (right side in FIG. 16) of the cup body 122 toward the other end side along the guide rail 136. Can be moved to. The standby area 213 is configured to accommodate the irradiation unit 210. In such a case, since the irradiation unit 210 moves independently of the coating nozzle 140, the coating liquid Q is applied at all positions in the surface direction of the wafer W by adjusting the moving speed of the coating nozzle 140 and the irradiation unit 210. It is possible to control so that the time from irradiation to irradiation with ultraviolet rays becomes constant. Note that a plurality of the irradiation unit 210, the arm 211, and the moving mechanism 212 may be provided as shown in FIG. By providing a plurality of irradiation units 210, the time for irradiating the coating liquid Q with ultraviolet rays can be further shortened.

  Although the above coating processing apparatus 24 is provided inside the coating and developing processing system 1, the coating processing apparatus 24 may be provided independently outside the coating and developing processing system 1.

  In the above embodiment, the irradiation units 110, 111, 160, 190, and 210 are provided in the coating treatment apparatus 24. However, the irradiation unit 230 is provided in the first transfer device A1 as shown in FIG. It may be. The first transfer device A1 has a housing 220, and a loading / unloading port 221 for the wafer W is formed on one side surface of the housing 220 on the coating processing device 24 side. As shown in FIG. 1, poles 13 and 13 are provided in the vertical direction on the side of the first processing unit G1 and the second processing unit G2 in the housing 220. A lifting mechanism (not shown) for lifting and lowering the transfer arm 10 is incorporated. As shown in FIG. 18, a support portion 12 is provided between the poles 13 and 13, and both ends of the support portion 12 are connected to the poles 13 and 13. A rotating shaft 11 is provided on the support portion 12, and the rotating shaft 11 supports the first transport arm 10. Further, the support unit 12 incorporates a motor (not shown) for rotating the shaft 11 and moving it in the horizontal direction, and the first transfer arm 10 is rotatable and also moves in the horizontal direction. It is free. Further, an irradiation unit 230 that irradiates the wafer W supported by the first transfer arm 10 with ultraviolet rays is provided above the housing 220.

  In such a case, after the coating liquid Q is applied onto the pattern P of the wafer W by the coating processing device 24, the wafer W is transferred from the loading / unloading port 221 into the first transfer device A1 by the first transfer arm 10. . Then, in a state where the wafer W is supported by the first transfer arm 10, the coating liquid Q on the pattern P of the wafer W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 230, and the coating liquid Q is cured. As a result, the coating film R can be formed inline on the pattern P of the wafer W.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be made within the scope of the ideas described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs. The present invention is not limited to this example and can take various forms. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is another substrate such as an FPD (flat panel display) other than a wafer or a mask reticle for a photomask.

  The present invention is useful for a coating processing apparatus and a substrate processing system for forming a coating film on a pattern formed on a substrate.

1 is a schematic plan view of a configuration of a coating and developing treatment system equipped with a coating treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system according to the present embodiment. It is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a schematic plan view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the coating film formed on the pattern of the wafer concerning this Embodiment. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a perspective view in case an irradiation part is attached to the application nozzle. It is a perspective view of the application nozzle which has a slit-shaped discharge port. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic plan view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic plan view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a perspective view in case an irradiation part is attached to the application nozzle. It is a schematic plan view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic plan view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus concerning another form. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of the coating processing apparatus and conveyance apparatus concerning another form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the coating film formed on the pattern of the conventional wafer.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Application | coating development system 10 1st conveyance arm 24 Application | coating processing apparatus 110 Irradiation part 120 Spin chuck 130 Coating nozzle 150 Processing container 180 Control part 212 Movement mechanism A1 1st conveyance apparatus P Pattern Q Coating liquid R Coating film W Wafer

Claims (11)

A coating processing apparatus for forming a coating film on a pattern formed on a substrate,
A processing container for storing the substrate, including a loading / unloading port for loading and unloading the substrate;
A coating nozzle for coating a coating liquid containing a liquid coating film forming component on the pattern of the substrate accommodated in the processing container;
An irradiation unit for irradiating the coating liquid applied on the pattern of the substrate with ultraviolet rays;
A coating treatment apparatus comprising: The said irradiation part is provided in the upper part of the said processing container, The coating processing apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The said irradiation part is provided in the upper part of the said carrying in / out port, The coating processing apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. A rotatable spin chuck for holding the substrate in the processing container;
The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a range in which the coating solution on the substrate pattern is irradiated with ultraviolet rays by the irradiation unit is at least from the center of the substrate to the end of the substrate. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation unit is provided alongside the coating nozzle. The application nozzle is a nozzle having a slit-like discharge port extending in the width direction of the substrate,
The said irradiation part has a form extended in the width direction of a board | substrate in parallel with the said coating nozzle, and moves in synchronization with the said coating nozzle, The coating processing apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the irradiation unit is provided alongside the coating nozzle. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coating nozzle and the irradiation unit have independent moving mechanisms. The said irradiation part is provided with two or more, The coating processing apparatus in any one of Claims 6-8 characterized by the above-mentioned. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control the application liquid on the region immediately after the application nozzle is applied to the substrate region from the application nozzle so as to irradiate ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit. The coating processing apparatus in any one of 4-9. A substrate processing system comprising: a coating processing apparatus that applies a coating liquid on at least a pattern formed on a substrate; and a transport device that carries the substrate into and out of the coating processing apparatus,
The transfer device
A transfer arm for supporting and transferring a substrate;
A substrate processing system comprising: an irradiation unit that irradiates the coating liquid on the pattern of the substrate with ultraviolet rays with respect to the substrate supported by the transfer arm.

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