JP2009021291A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus which can prevent contamination of a substrate due to particles produced during processing and to cleanly process the substrate by blocking an atmosphere in the bottom section and the upper section respectively in a chamber. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus is designed to process a substrate W, and a blocking member 79 is provided in a space between the external wall 75 of a processing tank 1 and the internal wall of a chamber 27. Thus, a processing solution overflows from the processing tank 1 and drops on the bottom of the chamber 27, so that it scatters on the bottom to produce particles. The particles do not go upward from the bottom of the chamber 27, and they are blocked in the bottom section thereof. As a result, the substrate W can be prevented from being contaminated by the particles produced during processing, and it can be cleanly processed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing such as cleaning and etching with a processing liquid on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate).

Conventionally, as this type of apparatus, a processing tank for storing a processing liquid, a chamber in which an inner wall is spaced from the outer wall of the processing tank and surrounding the processing tank, and a processing liquid in the processing tank (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the substrate processing apparatus having such a configuration, a processing liquid containing a chemical solution or a processing liquid made of pure water is supplied to the processing tank while the substrate is positioned at a processing position corresponding to the processing tank. Let the liquid process. At that time, excess processing liquid overflows from the upper edge of the processing tank and is stored at the bottom of the chamber and is discharged through the discharge port of the chamber.
JP 2004-6616 A

However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.
That is, in the conventional apparatus, the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank falls to the bottom of the chamber, and the droplets are scattered by the impact, and the coating film and deposits peeled off from the substrate are scattered as particles. Then, the particles may drift from the bottom of the chamber toward the top of the chamber, and the clean substrate pulled up from the processing liquid may be contaminated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents the substrate from being contaminated by particles generated during processing by shielding the atmosphere between the bottom and the top in the chamber. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of processing a substrate cleanly.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing liquid, the processing tank capable of accommodating the substrate, storing the processing liquid and overflowing an excess processing liquid from the upper edge. The treatment liquid supply means for supplying the treatment liquid to the treatment tank, and the inner wall is spaced from the outer wall of the treatment tank and is disposed at a position surrounding the treatment tank. A shielding member disposed in the space for allowing the processing liquid overflowing from the chamber and the processing tank to flow down to the bottom of the chamber and shielding the atmosphere between the top and bottom of the chamber; , Are provided.

  [Operation / Effect] According to the invention described in claim 1, since the shielding member is provided in the space between the outer wall of the processing tank and the inner wall of the chamber, the chamber overflows from the processing tank and the chamber Particles scattered by the treatment liquid falling to the bottom of the chamber are suppressed to the chamber bottom without going from the chamber bottom to the top. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being contaminated by particles generated during processing, and the substrate can be processed cleanly.

  Further, in the present invention, the shielding member is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank and is formed to project toward the inner wall of the chamber, and the processing tank side projecting member having a downward inclined surface; It is preferable that a chamber-side projecting member provided on the inner wall of the chamber and projecting toward the outer wall of the processing tank and having a downwardly inclined surface is provided. . Since the processing tank side projecting member is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank and the chamber side projecting member is provided on the inner side wall of the chamber, the atmosphere between the chamber bottom and the upper part can be shielded. Since the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank is guided to the chamber bottom along the downward inclined surface of the processing tank side protruding member and the chamber side protruding member, the processing liquid is smoothly discharged.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said process tank side projecting member and the said chamber side projecting member are mutually arrange | positioned by the height from which a mutually different tip part differs (Claim 3). Since it has a labyrinth structure, it is possible to more effectively prevent particles generated at the bottom of the chamber from drifting to the top of the chamber.

  In the present invention, the shielding member is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank and is formed to project toward the inner wall of the chamber, and further includes a processing tank side projecting member having a downward inclined surface. (Claim 4). Since the processing tank side projecting member is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank, it is possible to shield the atmosphere at the bottom and top of the chamber. Since the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank is guided to the chamber bottom along the downward inclined surface of the processing tank side projecting member, the processing liquid is smoothly discharged. In addition, since only the processing tank side projecting member is provided, the positional relationship between the chamber and the processing tank can be easily adjusted.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said shielding member is comprised with the hydrophobic material (Claim 5). The overflowing processing liquid can be smoothly guided to the chamber bottom. Further, since the treatment liquid is difficult to adhere to the shielding member, it is possible to prevent the treatment liquid from drying and the shielding member from becoming a particle generation source.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said shielding member is arrange | positioned in the position near the upper edge of the said processing tank in the height direction of the outer side wall of the said processing tank. Since the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank does not collide violently when falling onto the shielding member, the scattering of the processing liquid itself can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present invention, a support mechanism that supports the substrate and can move up and down over a processing position in the processing tank and a drying position above the processing tank, and an inert gas that supplies an inert gas into the chamber. Supply means; solvent vapor supply means for supplying solvent vapor into the chamber; pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the chamber; and inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply means to reduce the oxygen concentration in the chamber. The processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply means to the processing tank, the support mechanism is moved to the processing position, the substrate is processed with the processing liquid, and the solvent vapor is supplied from the solvent vapor supply means. After being supplied into the chamber, the support mechanism is moved to a drying position, the inside of the chamber is decompressed by the decompression means, and the treatment liquid adhered to the substrate and replaced with the solvent is dried. And control means for causing the that process, it is preferable that a (claim 7). The control means supplies the inert gas from the inert gas supply means to reduce the oxygen concentration in the chamber, causes the treatment liquid to be supplied from the treatment liquid supply means to the treatment tank, moves the support mechanism to the treatment position, and then the substrate. The substrate is treated with the treatment liquid, and after the solvent vapor is supplied from the solvent vapor supply means into the chamber, the support mechanism is moved to the dry position, the pressure inside the chamber is reduced by the pressure reduction means, and is attached to the substrate. The treatment liquid substituted with the solvent is dried. Thereby, after making a board | substrate process with a process liquid, a board | substrate can be dried in a clean environment.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, since the shielding member is provided in the space between the outer wall of the processing tank and the inner wall of the chamber, it overflows from the processing tank and is processed at the bottom in the chamber. Particles scattered by the falling of the liquid are suppressed to the chamber bottom without going from the chamber bottom to the top. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being contaminated by particles generated during processing, and the substrate can be processed cleanly.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of a shielding member.

The substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes a processing tank 1 for storing a processing liquid. The processing tank 1 is configured to store a processing liquid and accommodate a plurality of substrates W in an upright posture. At the bottom of the processing tank 1, two ejection pipes 7 having a long axis along the direction (paper surface direction) in which a plurality of substrates W are aligned are provided for supplying a processing liquid. Yes. One end side of a supply pipe 9 is connected to each ejection pipe 7, and the other end side of the supply pipe 9 is connected to a processing liquid supply source 15, and the flow rate is provided in the supply pipe 9 from the control valve. The processing liquid valve 17 is controlled. The processing liquid supply source 15 is a supply pipe that uses chemical liquid such as hydrofluoric acid (HF), sulfuric acid / hydrogen peroxide water (H ₂ SO ₄ , H ₂ O ₂ ), or pure water as a processing liquid. 9 is supplied.

  In addition, said jet pipe 7 is equivalent to the process liquid supply means in this invention.

  The processing tank 1 is surrounded by a chamber 27. The chamber 27 includes an upper cover 29 that can be opened and closed. The lifter 31 that holds the plurality of substrates W in a standing posture includes a “standby position” that is above the chamber 27, a “processing position” that is inside the processing tank 1, and an interior of the chamber 27 that is above the processing tank 1. It can move over the “drying position”.

  The lifter 31 corresponds to the support mechanism in the present invention.

  A pair of solvent nozzles 33 and a pair of inert gas nozzles 34 are disposed below the upper cover 29 and on the upper inner wall of the chamber 27. One end side of a supply pipe 35 is connected to the solvent nozzle 33 in communication. The other end side is connected in communication with the steam generation tank 37. In the supply pipe 35, a steam valve 38 including a control valve for adjusting the flow rate of the solvent vapor and an in-line heater 40 for heating the solvent vapor are disposed in this order from the upstream side. The supply pipe 35 has a larger diameter (about 9.52 mm) than the supply pipe of the conventional device, and the flow resistance of the solvent vapor in the supply pipe 35 is reduced to reduce the solvent vapor to the solvent nozzle 33. Supply is performed smoothly. Since the supply pipe 35 includes the in-line heater 40, it is possible to reduce the condensation of the generated solvent vapor in the supply pipe 35, and it is possible to prevent the solvent concentration from being lowered.

  The solvent nozzle 33 corresponds to the solvent vapor supply means in the present invention, and the inert gas nozzle 34 corresponds to the inert gas supply means in the present invention.

  The steam generation tank 37 controls the temperature of the internal space, which is a steam generation space, to a predetermined temperature, or generates a solvent vapor by heating. A solvent supply source 43 for supplying a solvent is communicated with the internal space of the steam generation tank 37. In this example, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is used as a solvent. In addition to IPA, for example, HFE (hydrofluoroether) can be used as the solvent.

One end of a supply pipe 45 is connected to the inert gas nozzle 34 in communication. The other end side is connected in communication with an inert gas supply source 47 that supplies an inert gas. The inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas (N _2). The supply amount of the inert gas is adjusted by an inert gas valve 49. An inline heater 50 is attached to the downstream side of the inert gas valve 49. The in-line heater 50 heats the inert gas from the inert gas supply source 47 to a predetermined temperature.

  A discharge port 57 is disposed at the bottom of the processing tank 1. A QDR valve 59 is attached to the discharge port 57. When the processing liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the QDR valve 59, the processing liquid is once discharged to the bottom of the chamber 27. A discharge pipe 63 is attached to the bottom of the chamber 27, and a drain valve 65 is attached to the discharge pipe 63.

  An exhaust pipe 67 is disposed at one part in the lower portion of the chamber 27. A vacuum pump 69 corresponding to the decompression means in the present invention is attached to the end portion. An exhaust valve 71 composed of a control valve is attached to the exhaust pipe 67. The chamber 27 is provided with a breathing valve 73 that is a control valve for eliminating the reduced pressure state.

  In the entire outer peripheral surface of the processing tank 1 described above, the space located between the outer wall 75 corresponding to the side wall from which the processing liquid overflows from the processing tank 1 and the inner side wall 77 corresponding to the entire inner peripheral surface of the chamber 27, A shielding member 79 is attached.

  The shielding member 79 includes a processing tank side projecting member 81 and a chamber side projecting member 83. These are preferably made of a hydrophobic (water-repellent) material for preventing the generation of particles due to the adhesion and drying of the treatment liquid. Specifically, for example, a synthetic resin such as PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) or a fluororesin such as PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) can be used. In addition, even if material itself is not hydrophobic, it is good also as a structure by which the hydrophobic material was apply | coated to the whole surface.

  The treatment tank side projecting member 81 is preferably provided at a position near the upper edge of the treatment tank 1 in the height direction of the outer surface 75 of the treatment tank 1. Further, the treatment tank side projecting member 81 has a wedge-shaped longitudinal section, and forms a downwardly inclined surface 85 whose upper surface is lowered outward. Further, the chamber side projecting member 83 has the same configuration as the processing tank side projecting member 81, and the upper surface forms a downward inclined surface 87 that descends inward. As described above, since the processing tank side projecting member 81 is disposed at a position near the upper edge of the processing tank 1, the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank 1 does not hit the shielding member 79 violently. The scattering of the treatment liquid itself can be suppressed.

  In addition, the processing tank side projecting member 81 and the chamber side projecting member 83 are arranged so that their tip portions are overlapped at different heights. That is, the distal end portion of the processing tank side projecting member 81 is positioned closer to the chamber 27 than the distal end portion of the chamber side projecting member 83, and the distal end portion of the chamber side projecting member 83 is from the distal end portion of the processing tank side projecting member 81. Is also located on the processing tank 1 side. Further, the processing tank side projecting member 81 and the chamber side projecting member 83 are arranged in a positional relationship having a predetermined gap g without contacting the tip portions of each other. The predetermined gap g is set to a size that allows the processing liquid overflowing from the processing tank 1 to flow smoothly without stagnation. Since it has such a labyrinth structure, it is possible to more effectively prevent particles generated at the bottom of the chamber 27 from drifting to the top of the chamber 27.

  In this example, the treatment tank side overhanging member 81 is disposed above the chamber side overhanging member 83, but the positional relationship in the height direction may be switched.

  The processing liquid valve 17, the upper cover 29, the lifter 31, the steam generation tank 37, the steam valve 38, the in-line heater 40, the inert gas valve 49, the in-line heater 50, the QDR valve 59, the drain valve 65, the vacuum pump 69, etc. These operations are comprehensively controlled by a control unit 89 corresponding to the control means in the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation.

Steps S1-S3
With the upper cover 29 opened, the lifter 31 supporting the substrate W is lowered from the standby position to the drying position, and the upper cover 29 is closed. Then, the processing liquid valve 17 is opened, and the processing liquid containing the chemical liquid is supplied to the processing tank 1. Next, the lifter 31 is lowered to the processing position, and the substrate W is immersed in the processing liquid. After maintaining this for a predetermined time, only pure water is supplied from the processing liquid supply source 15 to the processing tank 1 as a processing liquid. In these processes, the processing liquid overflows from the upper edge of the processing tank 1, but is stored at the bottom of the chamber 27 via the shielding member 79 without falling directly to the bottom of the chamber 27. Then, it is discharged out of the chamber 27 through the discharge pipe 63. This washing process is performed for a predetermined time, and the substrate W is cleaned.

Step S4
After the water washing process is finished, the processing liquid valve 17 is closed to stop the supply of pure water as the processing liquid, and the QDR valve 59 is opened to rapidly drain the pure water in the processing tank 1. Thereafter, the inert gas valve 49 is opened to supply the inert gas into the chamber 27, and oxygen in the chamber 27 is purged. At this time, the inert gas supplied to the chamber 27 is supplied only to the upper part of the chamber 27 that is shielded from the atmosphere by the shielding member 79, and a part thereof is discharged through the gap g of the shielding member 79. Since the volume to which the inert gas is supplied by the shielding member 79 is smaller than that of the conventional apparatus, the flow rate in the chamber 27 is increased, and the particles existing at the bottom of the chamber 27 float upward. Can be suppressed more effectively than before.

Step S5
While the in-line heater 40 is heated, the vapor valve 38 is opened, and isopropyl alcohol vapor is supplied from the solvent nozzle 33 into the chamber 27 at a predetermined flow rate. As a result, the inside of the chamber 27 is brought to a vapor atmosphere of isopropyl alcohol. Further, the vacuum pump 69 is operated to depressurize the chamber 27.

Steps S6 and S7
The vacuum pump 69 is stopped to maintain the reduced pressure in the chamber 27, and the lifter 31 is raised to the dry position. This state is maintained for a predetermined time, the solvent vapor is condensed on the substrate W, and the processing liquid adhering to the substrate W is replaced with the solvent.

Step S8
The vacuum pump 69 is operated, and the pressure reduction is started again in a state where the maximum exhaust is possible. Further, the inert gas valve 49 is adjusted to supply the inert gas heated through the in-line heater 50 from the inert gas nozzle 34 at a predetermined flow rate. Thereby, the solvent adhering to the substrate W is volatilized and the substrate W is dried.

Steps S9 and S10
The inert gas valve 49 and the vacuum pump 69 are stopped, and the breathing valve 73 is opened to return the chamber 27 to atmospheric pressure. Then, the upper cover 29 is opened and the lifter 31 is raised to the standby position.

  As described above, the substrate W is processed in the chamber 27 of the substrate processing apparatus, and a shielding member 79 is provided in the space between the outer wall 75 of the processing tank 1 and the inner wall of the chamber 27. Therefore, the particles overflowing from the processing tank 1 and scattered by the processing liquid falling to the bottom of the chamber 27 are suppressed to the bottom of the chamber 27 without going from the bottom of the chamber 27 to the top. Therefore, the substrate W can be prevented from being contaminated by particles generated during the processing, and the substrate W can be processed cleanly. Further, the control unit 89 operates each unit as described above, so that the substrate W can be dried in a clean environment after the substrate W is processed with the processing liquid.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the embodiment described above, the shielding member 79 includes two projecting members, but a configuration as shown in FIG. 4 may be employed. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the shielding member.

  Only the shielding member 79A and the processing tank side projecting member 81A are provided, and the chamber side projecting member 83 is not provided. The treatment tank side projecting member 81A has a downwardly inclined surface 85A that descends outward on its upper surface. The front end portion is directed to the inner wall 77 of the chamber 27, and the processing tank side projecting member 81 </ b> A is attached to the outer wall 75 of the processing tank 1 so that the gap between them is the gap g.

  Even with such a configuration of the shielding member 79A, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. By the way, in the substrate processing apparatus, the positional relationship between the chamber 27 and the processing tank 1 may be finely adjusted. However, in the above-described configuration, only the processing tank side projecting member 79A is provided. The positional relationship can be easily adjusted.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the solvent nozzle 33, the inert gas nozzle 34, and the vacuum pump 69 are provided and the substrate W is processed with the processing liquid and then the drying process is performed. However, the apparatus does not include these. However, the present invention can be applied. In other words, even in an apparatus that only performs processing using the processing liquid, particles are unlikely to float in the chamber 27, so that the substrate W can be prevented from being contaminated when the substrate W is loaded and unloaded.

  (3) In the embodiment described above, each of the processing tank side projecting member 81 and the chamber side projecting member 83 is provided, but two or more each may be provided. In the modification mentioned above, it is good also as a structure provided with 81 A of process tank side overhang | projection members.

  (4) In the above-described embodiments, the vertical cross-sectional shapes of the processing tank side projecting member 81 and the chamber side projecting member 83 are wedges, but the present invention is not limited to such a shape.

It is the block diagram which showed schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is the partially expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed the principal part of the shielding member. It is the flowchart which showed operation | movement. It is the partially expanded longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed the modification of the shielding member.

Explanation of symbols

W ... Substrate 1 ... Processing tank 7 ... Jet pipe 27 ... Chamber 31 ... Lifter 33 ... Solvent nozzle 34 ... Inert gas nozzle 69 ... Vacuum pump 79, 79A ... Shielding member 81 ... Treatment tank side overhang member 83 ... Chamber side overhang member 83 , 85 ... downwardly inclined surface g ... gap 89 ... control unit

Claims (7)

In a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing liquid,
A treatment tank capable of containing a substrate, storing treatment liquid and overflowing excess treatment liquid from an upper edge;
Treatment liquid supply means for supplying a treatment liquid to the treatment tank;
A chamber disposed in a position surrounding the periphery of the processing tank, with an inner wall separating the space from the outer wall of the processing tank;
A shielding member disposed in the space to allow the treatment liquid overflowing from the treatment tank to flow down to the bottom of the chamber and to shield the atmosphere between the top and bottom of the chamber;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The shielding member is
A treatment tank side projecting member provided on the outer wall of the treatment tank and projecting toward the inner wall of the chamber, and having a downwardly inclined surface;
A chamber-side projecting member provided on the inner wall of the chamber and projecting toward the outer wall of the processing tank, and having a downwardly inclined surface;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the treatment tank side overhanging member and the chamber side overhanging member are disposed so as to overlap each other at different heights. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The shielding member is provided on the outer wall of the processing tank and is formed to project toward the inner wall of the chamber, and further includes a processing tank side projecting member having a downward inclined surface. Substrate processing apparatus. In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the shielding member is made of a hydrophobic material. In the substrate processing apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 5,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the shielding member is disposed at a position near the upper edge of the processing tank in the height direction of the outer wall of the processing tank. In the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A support mechanism that supports the substrate and can be moved up and down over a processing position in the processing tank and a drying position above the processing tank;
An inert gas supply means for supplying an inert gas into the chamber;
Solvent vapor supply means for supplying solvent vapor into the chamber;
Pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the chamber;
An inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply means to reduce the oxygen concentration in the chamber, a treatment liquid is supplied from the treatment liquid supply means to the treatment tank, and the support mechanism is moved to a treatment position. After processing the substrate with a processing liquid and supplying the solvent vapor from the solvent vapor supply means into the chamber, the support mechanism is moved to a dry position, and the pressure inside the chamber is reduced by the pressure reducing means. A control means for performing a treatment for drying the treatment liquid attached to the substrate and replaced with a solvent;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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