JP2008300442A - Surface treatment method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface treatment method and an apparatus which perform the efficient treatment of the surface of a beltlike body or a body fixed to a belt, or a linear body with liquid, and allow the whole apparatus to be made compact in size. <P>SOLUTION: The surface treatment method is provided by which liquid introduced from a liquid introduction aperture 6 equipped on the one-side end surface of a treatment chamber is made to flow to an exit aperture side by bringing the liquid into contact with a body to be treated such as the beltlike body 9 or the body fixed to the belt or the linear body which moves in the treatment chamber when the body to be treated is introduced from an entrance aperture 3 on the one-side end surface of the treatment chamber and discharged from an exit aperture 5 on the other-side end surface. At this time, a liquid flowing in the treatment chamber toward the exit aperture is stirred by a stirring section tilting to a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the body to be treated. Further, the body to be treated is disposed biased from the center of the treatment chamber to progress a treatment effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  This invention makes it possible to easily and efficiently perform various treatments such as cleaning on the surface of a long object in the form of a line or ribbon, and further on various objects conveyed by a conveyor or the like, with a small-sized apparatus. The present invention relates to a surface treatment method and apparatus.

  Conventionally, in semiconductor manufacturing technology, silicon melted from a crucible is pulled up while growing the crystal, and a circular or finally rectangular silicon wafer is manufactured by pulling a cylindrical crystal and cutting it into thin pieces. . When various semiconductor elements are manufactured by photolithography or the like using such a silicon wafer substrate, a predetermined process is performed in various processes such as substrate surface cleaning, resist coating, exposure, development, rinse cleaning, etching, and resist removal. A fine pattern is formed.

  In the above-described process, during various cleaning and processing in a developer, the substrate to be processed is immersed in a container containing liquid, and the container is shaken and reacted to perform cleaning and reaction. We were processing. In this method, each wafer or chip is processed and it is difficult to increase the speed.

  On the other hand, in the manufacture of the silicon substrate as described above, in recent years, a thin ribbon-like crystal is grown from a crucible and pulled up, and is used for semiconductor elements such as photovoltaic power generation. . Such a ribbon-shaped wafer is cut into an appropriate size, and a semiconductor element is manufactured by a photolithographic technique using a method similar to the conventional one. For this reason, the same batch processing as described above must be performed, and it is difficult to increase the speed as in the conventional method.

On the other hand, a technique in which the wafer as described above is conveyed by a conveyor and residue removal after dry etching is performed by ultrasonic waves while passing through the liquid is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-273376, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-259542 discloses a technique in which a plurality of processing chambers are arranged adjacent to each other, a substrate is placed on a conveyor, and each processing chamber is sequentially passed to perform cleaning, rinse shower pure water shower, and the like. 2001-108977. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-298733 discloses a technique for performing cleaning after etching without cutting a strip-shaped metal thin plate. Non-Patent Document 1 below describes a technique for forming an inclined groove on the inner wall of the flow path to stir the internal fluid.
JP 2003-273376 A JP 2001-109777 A JP 2002-298733 A SCIENS VOL.295 25 JANUARY 2002 "Chaotic Mixer for Microchannels"

  As described above, even in the technology that performs continuous processing without performing conventional batch processing, for example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, a substrate is placed on a tray and passed through the liquid as it is by a conveyor. Since the ultrasonic vibration is merely performed in the liquid, it is not considered to improve the contact with the liquid. Moreover, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the substrates that pass through the various cleaning chambers are transported while being placed on rollers, and each chamber is a technology that is cleaned by a shower, which is also a substrate. It is not considered to improve the contact between the liquid and the cleaning liquid. Further, even in the technique described in Patent Document 3, although the thin plate is transported in a strip shape, it is cleaning by spraying, and it is as described above that efficient contact between the strip thin plate and the liquid is not considered. It is the same. Although Non-Patent Document 1 describes that the fluid inside the flow path is stirred by the inclined groove, it is not described that it is used for the treatment of the surface of the object. It is not described that the fluid is moved together by the object and the fluid is further stirred to improve the treatment.

  Therefore, the present invention allows the object to be conveyed and the liquid to be in the same direction when various treatments such as contact reaction with the liquid or cleaning are performed by passing the object to be treated being continuously passed through the liquid. It is possible to efficiently carry out reaction and washing by contact with liquid by moving and carrying out predetermined stirring, and in the case of ribbon-like objects such as ribbons, various treatments can be processed while being in the form of belts. The main purpose is to be able to do it.

  In order to solve the above problems, the surface treatment method according to the present invention introduces the liquid to be treated on the one end face side when the object to be treated is introduced from the inlet opening on one end face of the processing chamber and led out from the outlet opening on the other side. The liquid introduced from the inlet is caused to flow to the outlet opening side by contact with the object to be processed moving in the processing chamber, and the liquid flowing to the outlet opening side is perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be processed. The liquid flow in the processing chamber is agitated by an agitating portion that is inclined.

  According to another surface treatment method of the present invention, in the surface treatment method, the object to be treated is moved at a position unevenly distributed from the center of the treatment chamber in the treatment chamber, thereby improving contact with the stirring fluid in the treatment chamber. The object to be processed is a band-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object.

  Further, the surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a treatment chamber that introduces an object to be treated from an inlet opening on one side end face, leads out from an outlet opening on the other side, and has a liquid introduction port on the one end face side, A stirrer that is inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object to be processed moving in the processing chamber is provided on the wall of the processing chamber, and the liquid from the liquid inlet is moved by the movement of the object to be processed in the processing chamber. When moving to the outlet opening side, the stirring chamber is used to stir the liquid in the processing chamber.

  Further, another surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the surface treatment apparatus, the object to be treated is arranged in an uneven manner from the center of the treatment chamber in the treatment chamber, and the stirring unit is disposed in the treatment chamber. It is characterized in that it is a channel projecting outward or a guide plate projecting into the processing chamber, and the object to be treated is a band-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object .

  Another surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the surface treatment apparatus, the treatment chamber has a rectangular or circular cross section, and the object to be treated is fixed to a belt-like object or a belt. Or a linear object, and a plurality of the processing apparatuses are arranged in the moving direction of the object to be processed, and a plurality of processes are continuously performed on the object to be processed. And

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, when the object to be processed moves in the processing chamber, the liquid moves while being dragged to the surface of the object to be processed, so that the contact between the object to be processed and the liquid is good and the processing is performed efficiently. In addition, since the liquid is agitated by the agitating unit in the processing chamber, the reaction liquid is not retained on the surface of the object to be processed, and a reaction promoting effect can be obtained by contact with the new liquid.

  Further, when the object to be processed is introduced into the processing chamber at a high speed from the inlet opening, most of the liquid introduced from the liquid inlet is dragged toward the outlet opening by the object to be processed as described above, and as a result, the liquid flows backward. Leakage from the inlet opening can be prevented, a pump for supplying the liquid in the processing chamber to the outlet opening side is not required, the cost is low, and the size can be reduced. Furthermore, a processing chamber having a size suitable for the object to be processed can be provided, and since no extra processing liquid is used, the processing liquid can be saved, and in this respect, the size can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the stirrer is provided on the wall of the processing chamber, and further, the object to be processed moving in the processing chamber is unevenly distributed from the center of the processing chamber in the processing chamber, so that the flow is stronger toward the outer periphery in the processing chamber. The strong flow in the stirring flow is in contact with the object to be treated, and the reaction efficiency is further improved. In addition, it is possible to use a plurality of similar processing chambers and perform different processing in each processing chamber. For example, it is possible to continuously perform processes such as processing with a developing solution and cleaning processing, and to various processing systems. It can be easily expanded.

  The present invention solves the problem of efficiently treating the surface of a band-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object with a liquid and reducing the size of the entire apparatus. When the liquid is introduced from the inlet opening on one side end face and led out from the outlet opening on the other side end face, the liquid introduced from the liquid introduction port provided on the one side end face side is brought into contact with the object to be processed moving in the processing chamber. Realized by a method in which the liquid flow in the processing chamber is stirred by a stirring portion that is made to flow toward the outlet opening side and tilts with respect to the liquid flowing toward the outlet opening side with respect to the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be processed. In addition, a processing object is introduced from an inlet opening on one side end face and led out from an outlet opening on the other side end face, and a processing chamber provided with a liquid inlet on the one side end face side is provided with a processing chamber on the wall of the processing chamber. Move the room When the liquid from the liquid inlet is moved to the outlet opening side by the movement of the object to be processed in the processing chamber, the stirring part is provided. This is realized by a device for stirring the liquid in the processing chamber.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows the basic configuration of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, a predetermined process is performed by passing a band-like object such as a ribbon-shaped wafer through liquid. ing. In the example shown in FIG. 1, as shown in a perspective view in FIG. 1C, an inlet opening 3 is provided on one side end surface 2 of the processing container 1 installed horizontally, and the other end 4 is released to exit outlet 5. In addition, a liquid inlet 6 is provided in the upper part on the one end face 2 side. Further, a liquid receiver 7 is provided below the outlet opening 5 and is discharged from the discharge pipe 8 to the outside. The discharged liquid can be reused after being appropriately treated.

  The belt-like object 9 is introduced from the inlet opening 3 side of the processing container 1, passes through the processing chamber 10 inside the processing container 1, is led out from the outlet opening 5, and is then wound on a reel. By the movement of the band-like object 9 in the processing chamber 10 as described above, the liquid introduced so as to fill the inside of the processing container 1 from the liquid inlet 6 is dragged by the band-like object as shown in FIG. Thus, it flows to the outlet opening 5 side.

  A stirring portion 13 that protrudes upward is formed on the upper wall 11 of the processing vessel 1 so that a fluid groove 12 is formed therein. As shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 1 (c), the stirring unit 13 is formed to be inclined at an angle α with respect to a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the processing container 1. It should be noted that the angle α does not include 90 degrees from the viewpoint of the stirring action. Thereby, a part of the liquid from the liquid inlet 6 that flows so as to fill the inside of the processing chamber 10 enters the fluid groove 12 formed in an inclined manner, and a secondary flow that flows along the fluid groove 12 is generated. The main flow in the longitudinal direction of the processing container 1 causes a flow that rotates about the longitudinal center line of the processing container 1, thereby agitating the fluid inside.

  This state is schematically shown in FIG. 2, and the liquid in the processing container 1 will flow in the direction of arrow B which is the same as the direction of movement of the band-like object 9 moving in the direction of arrow A in the figure. Then, in the upper part of the processing chamber 10 in the processing container 1, a secondary flow is generated in the direction of the arrow C that is guided to the fluid groove 12 and inclined as described above. The fluid in 1 becomes a swirling flow 14 that flows while swirling around the belt-like object 9 moving inside. With such a swirl flow, for example, when the belt-like object 9 is cleaned, efficient cleaning can be performed. Further, by arranging the band-like object 9 in the processing chamber 10 so as to be unevenly distributed below the center in the height direction, for example, as shown in the drawing, a strong swirl flow is generated at the outer peripheral position away from the center line of the processing chamber. Efficient mixing and a surface reaction promoting effect at a strong mixing position can be produced.

  Further, when the band-like object 9 moves in the processing chamber 10, the liquid is dragged by the band-like object due to the contact between the surface of the band-like object 9 and the liquid inside, and a liquid suitable for the moving speed of the band-like object is supplied to the liquid inlet 6. Since the liquid flows in the direction of the outlet opening by the movement of the belt-like object toward the outlet opening side, there is no need to flow the liquid by the power of a pump or the like, and no special control device is required and the apparatus is small. In addition, the apparatus is simplified, and an apparatus such as a sink tank is not required, so that the size of the apparatus can be reduced to a minimum size to come into contact with the liquid, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Furthermore, the amount of liquid flowing to the inlet opening 3 side of the processing vessel 1 is almost eliminated or extremely reduced due to the flow of the liquid as described above, which is dragged by the movement of the belt-like object moving at a high speed due to the viscosity of the liquid. By appropriately setting the opening degree, the liquid does not flow out from the inlet opening 3. If there is a risk of spillage, a small liquid receptacle may be disposed below the inlet opening 3, or a backflow prevention type sealing lip may be provided in the inlet trench and sealed as appropriate.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A, an example in which the fluid groove 12 as the stirring unit 13 is provided on the inner surface of the upper wall 11 in the processing container 1 is shown. ), A plurality of guide plates 16 protruding toward the center of the processing chamber 10 may be arranged on the inner surface of the upper wall 11 at an appropriate interval to form the stirring unit 13. The guide plate 16 is also inclined at an angle α in the same manner as in the above example, whereby the liquid flow is guided by the inclined flow path 17 formed between the guide plates 16 by the same action as the fluid groove 12, and the secondary flow. And the swirl flow 14 can be formed by the same action as in FIG.

  The present invention can be further implemented in various modes. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a discharge regulating plate 18 is provided at least in the lower part of the outlet opening 5 of the processing chamber 10, and the height is arbitrarily set. By doing so, the retention condition of the internal liquid may be set arbitrarily.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the stirring unit 13 that generates the swirling flow in the internal liquid flow is arranged above the processing chamber 10 is shown. However, for example, as shown in FIG. Even if this is formed, the same action can be performed. In particular, according to this method, even when the liquid flow does not fill the inside of the processing chamber 10, the liquid flow can be reliably stirred and a swirling flow can be generated.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example of processing the surface of a belt-like object has been described. However, the present invention can also be used for processing the surface of other linear objects and rod-like objects having a larger diameter. Such objects are collectively referred to as linear objects. When processing such a linear object, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the processing container 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape, an inlet opening 23 is provided on one end face 22, and the other end 24 is released. Thus, an outlet opening 25 is provided, and a liquid inlet 26 is provided at the upper part on the one end face 22 side. A linear object 29 is introduced into the internal processing chamber 30 from the inlet opening 23 side of the processing vessel 21 and is led out from the outlet opening 25 and wound on a reel or the like.

  Even when such a cylindrical processing vessel 21 is used, the stirring unit 31 is provided in the upper portion as in the above embodiment. In the illustrated example, a concave fitting portion 32 inclined at an angle α is provided in the upper part of the processing container 21 as described above, thereby forming an inclined flow path 33 at the upper part in the processing chamber 30. Thereby, the liquid in the processing chamber 30 is dragged to the surface of the linear object 29 moving in the processing chamber 30 in the direction from the inlet opening 23 to the outlet opening 25, and the liquid from the liquid inlet 26 flows in the processing chamber 30. Move in the direction of the outlet opening 25.

  At that time, a part of the liquid flow in the processing chamber is guided to the flow path 33 formed in the upper portion of the processing chamber 30 to generate a swirling flow. Since such a swirl flow is generated in the processing chamber 30, an appropriate liquid is agitated while the linear object and the liquid move in the same direction, and the linear object is effectively processed. Such a cylindrical processing container is not limited to the processing of a linear object as described above, but can also be used when processing a strip-shaped object as in the above-described embodiment. At that time, the liquid in the processing container can easily generate a swirling flow by the cylindrical inner surface of the processing chamber.

  When processing a linear object, in addition to using the cylindrical processing container 21 as described above, a processing container having a quadrangular section as described above may be used. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. A plurality of linear objects 29, 29,... Are arranged parallel to each other at intervals, and moved in the processing chamber 10 at a constant speed or at different speeds as required, and a predetermined process is performed by the same operation as described above. Can be performed.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which various treatments are performed on the surface of a band-like object or a linear object itself that moves in the processing chamber has been described. However, as described in Patent Document 1, a substrate is placed on a belt. The present invention can also be applied when transporting. In that case, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the processing container 1 similar to the above-described embodiment is used, and an object to be processed 36 such as a substrate is fixed to the belt 35 by a fixing member 37. By passing through the inside of the processing chamber 10, a desired process can be performed on the surface of the non-processed object 36 by the same action as in the above-described embodiment.

  When supporting the belt 35 at this time, rollers may be appropriately disposed below, or both side ends of the belt may be supported with a pinch roller interposed therebetween. Further, the supply of the object to be processed 36 to the belt may be attached to the belt entering the first processing chamber with a robot arm or the like and removed in the same manner when leaving the last processing chamber. Also in this apparatus, the liquid moves together with the object to be processed 36 in the processing chamber 10, and at that time, a spiral flow is generated by the stirring unit 13 in the same manner as in the above embodiments.

  In the apparatus shown in FIG. 5A, the example in which the workpiece 36 is directly fixed to the belt is shown. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the tray 38 is fixed to the belt 35, and the tray 38 is fixed to this tray 38. On the other hand, the object to be processed 36 may be fixed and conveyed to the processing chamber 10 by a belt. Also in this apparatus, the action of the liquid flow in the object to be processed 36 and the processing chamber is the same as in each of the above embodiments.

  In the above embodiment, the operation in one processing chamber and various embodiments are described. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the second processing sanity 42 is arranged after the first processing container 41. Then, after the band-shaped object 9 from the reel 43 is subjected to the first processing in the first processing container 41, the band-shaped object 9 coming out from here is further put into the second processing container 42 to perform the second processing. May be. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5B, by arranging the processing containers 45, it is possible to arrange a larger number of processing containers so that different processing can be performed on each of them. A predetermined series of processing can be performed on the processing object at a time. In this case, it corresponds to the processing time in each processing container being different, and by changing the length of each processing container as shown in the figure, it is suitable for each processing even if the belt-like object moves at a constant speed. It is possible to adjust the processing time.

The Example of this invention is shown, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a top view, (c) is a perspective view. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the stirring part in the Example of this invention, (a) shows the effect | action of the Example of FIG. 1, (b) is a figure which shows the effect | action of the other Example of a stirring part. In this invention, it is a figure which shows the Example using the discharge control board which controls discharge | emission of a liquid at the exit opening of a process chamber, (b) is a figure which shows the Example which provided the stirring part in the lower surface side of the process chamber It is. In the present invention, an example when the object to be processed is a linear object is shown, (a) is a perspective view when the processing chamber is circular in cross section, (b) is a cross sectional view thereof, (c) FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which a plurality of linear substances are processed in one processing chamber. It is a figure which shows the example when a to-be-processed object is conveyed with a belt conveyor in this invention, (a) shows the Example which fixes and conveys a to-be-processed object directly to a belt, (b) shows a tray to a belt. It is a figure which shows an Example when fixing a to-be-processed object on a tray. An example when a plurality of processing containers are used is shown, (a) shows a case where two processing containers are used, and (b) shows an example when three processing containers are used.

Explanation of symbols

1 Processing container
2 One-side end face 3 Inlet opening 4 Other end 5 Outlet opening 6 Liquid inlet 7 Liquid receiver 8 Discharge pipe 9 Strip object 10 Processing chamber 11 Upper wall 12 Fluid groove 13 Stirring section

Claims (10)

When the object to be processed is introduced from the inlet opening on one side end face of the processing chamber and led out from the outlet opening on the other side, the liquid introduced from the liquid inlet provided on the one side end face side is moved with the object to be processed moving inside the processing chamber; To the outlet opening side by contact,
A surface treatment method characterized in that a liquid flow in a processing chamber is agitated by an agitating portion that is inclined with respect to a liquid flowing toward the outlet opening side with respect to a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the object to be treated.   A surface treatment method characterized in that the object to be treated is moved in a position deviated from the center of the processing chamber in the processing chamber to improve contact with the stirring fluid in the processing chamber.   The surface treatment method according to claim 1, wherein the object to be treated is a belt-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object. An object to be treated is introduced from an inlet opening on one side end face, and is led out from an outlet opening on the other side, and includes a processing chamber provided with a liquid inlet on the one side end face side,
A stirrer that is inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the object to be processed that moves in the processing chamber is provided on the wall of the processing chamber, and the liquid from the liquid inlet is supplied by the movement of the object to be processed in the processing chamber. A surface treatment apparatus characterized in that the liquid in the processing chamber is agitated by the agitation section when moving to the outlet opening side.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object to be processed is arranged in a processing chamber so as to be unevenly distributed from the center of the processing chamber.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stirring unit is a channel projecting outside the processing chamber or a guide plate projecting into the processing chamber.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object to be treated is a belt-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the treatment chamber has a rectangular cross section or a circular shape.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object to be treated is a belt-like object, an object fixed to a belt, or a linear object.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the treatment apparatuses are arranged in a moving direction of the object to be treated, and a plurality of treatments are continuously performed on the object to be treated.

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