JP2009032888A - Substrate-treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate-treating device capable of keeping the edge of a substrate clean. <P>SOLUTION: A developer discharge nozzle 911 discharges a developer and passes an upper portion of a substrate W, thus supplying the developer to the entire surface on the substrate W and allowing the development treatment of a resist film to progress. After the completion of the development treatment, the developer and dissolved resist film are washed away from the substrate W. Then, while the rotation of the substrate W and the discharge of the rinse liquid are being maintained, a groove C1 in a cleaning brush 920 is pressed against the edge of the substrate W, thus cleaning the edge of the substrate W and removing contaminants, such as the residue of a resist cover film adhering to the edge of the substrate W and that of the resist film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate.

  In order to perform various processes on various substrates such as a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal display substrate, a plasma display substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, and a photomask substrate, It is used.

  In such a substrate processing apparatus, generally, a plurality of different processes are continuously performed on a single substrate. The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes an indexer block, an antireflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block. An exposure apparatus that is an external apparatus separate from the substrate processing apparatus is disposed adjacent to the interface block.

  In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the substrate carried in from the indexer block is configured such that after the formation of the antireflection film and the coating process of the resist film are performed in the antireflection film processing block and the resist film processing block, the interface block is To the exposure apparatus. After the exposure process is performed on the resist film on the substrate in the exposure apparatus, the substrate is transported to the development processing block via the interface block. After a resist pattern is formed by performing development processing on the resist film on the substrate in the development processing block, the substrate is transported to the indexer block.

  In recent years, miniaturization of resist patterns has become an important issue as the density and integration of devices increase. In a conventional general exposure apparatus, exposure processing is performed by reducing and projecting a reticle pattern onto a substrate via a projection lens. However, in such a conventional exposure apparatus, since the line width of the exposure pattern is determined by the wavelength of the light source of the exposure apparatus, there is a limit to the miniaturization of the resist pattern.

Accordingly, a liquid immersion method has been proposed as a projection exposure method that enables further miniaturization of the exposure pattern (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the projection exposure apparatus of Patent Document 2, a liquid is filled between the projection optical system and the substrate, and the exposure light on the substrate surface can be shortened. Thereby, the exposure pattern can be further miniaturized.
JP 2003-324139 A International Publication No. 99/49504 Pamphlet

  When the substrate is exposed by the immersion method, a resist film residue may adhere to the edge of the substrate after the development process. This is considered to be due to the following reason.

  When the immersion method is used, a resist cover film may be formed on the resist film in order to prevent the resist film components from eluting into the liquid filled on the substrate. In that case, in order to improve the adhesion between the resist cover film and the substrate, an adhesion reinforcement process is performed on the surface of the substrate.

  During the development processing, the end portion of the substrate that has been subjected to the adhesion strengthening processing is exposed. Therefore, it is considered that the resist film residue to be removed easily adheres to the edge of the substrate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of keeping the end portion of a substrate clean.

  (1) A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus arranged so as to be adjacent to an exposure apparatus so as to be adjacent to a processing unit for processing the substrate and one end of the processing unit. Provided with a transfer section for transferring the substrate between the processing section and the exposure apparatus, the processing section including a development processing unit for performing development processing on the substrate after the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus, The unit has an end cleaning section that cleans the end of the substrate after the development processing.

  In this substrate processing apparatus, predetermined processing is performed on the substrate in the processing unit, and the substrate is transferred from the processing unit to the exposure apparatus by the transfer unit. After the exposure process is performed on the substrate in the exposure apparatus, the substrate after the exposure process is returned from the exposure apparatus to the processing unit by the transfer unit.

  Development processing is performed on the substrate returned to the processing unit in the development processing unit. Further, in the development processing unit, the edge of the substrate after the development processing is cleaned by the edge cleaning unit. In this case, even if the residue of the photosensitive film adheres to the end of the substrate as a contaminant during the development process, the contaminant is reliably removed by the edge cleaning unit after the development process. Thereby, the edge part of a board | substrate can be maintained clean and a board | substrate can be sent to the following process process from a substrate processing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to prevent occurrence of processing defects on the substrate.

  (2) The edge cleaning unit may include a cleaning brush for cleaning the edge of the substrate. In this case, contaminants adhering to the edge of the substrate after development processing can be physically removed. Thereby, the edge part of a board | substrate can be maintained more reliably.

  (3) The edge cleaning unit may include an ultrasonic nozzle for cleaning the edge of the substrate. In this case, contaminants adhering to the edge of the substrate after the development process can be sufficiently removed without damaging the edge of the substrate and the film formed on the substrate.

  (4) The edge cleaning unit may include a two-fluid nozzle for cleaning the edge of the substrate. In this case, contaminants adhering to the edge of the substrate after the development process can be sufficiently removed without damaging the edge of the substrate and the film formed on the substrate.

  (5) The processing unit may further include a photosensitive film forming unit that forms a photosensitive film on the substrate before the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus.

  In this case, the photosensitive film formed on the substrate by the photosensitive film forming unit is exposed in the exposure apparatus. A part of the photosensitive film after the exposure processing is dissolved and removed from the substrate during the development processing by the development processing unit. Even if the residue of the photosensitive film adheres to the edge of the substrate as a contaminant during the development process, the contaminant is reliably removed by the edge cleaning unit after the development process.

  (6) The processing unit is formed by a protective film forming unit that forms a protective film on the substrate for protecting the photosensitive film formed by the photosensitive film forming unit, and a protective film forming unit after the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus. A protective film removal unit that removes the protective film from the substrate may be further included.

  In this case, even if the exposure process is performed in a state where the substrate is in contact with the liquid in the exposure apparatus, the components of the photosensitive film are prevented from being eluted into the liquid. The protective film is removed by a protective film removal unit. Even if the residue of the protective film adheres to the edge of the substrate as a contaminant, the contaminant is reliably removed by the edge cleaning unit in the development processing unit.

  (7) The processing unit may further include an adhesion reinforcement processing unit that performs adhesion reinforcement processing on the substrate before formation of the photosensitive film by the photosensitive film formation unit. In this case, various films can be reliably adhered to the substrate.

  According to the present invention, even if a photosensitive film residue or the like adheres to the edge of the substrate as a contaminant during the development process, the contaminant is reliably removed by the edge cleaning unit after the development process. Thereby, the edge part of a board | substrate can be maintained clean and a board | substrate can be sent to the following process process from a substrate processing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to prevent occurrence of processing defects on the substrate.

  Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the substrate refers to a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal display substrate, a plasma display substrate, a photomask glass substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, and the like. Say.

(1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2 to 4 and FIGS. 6 to 9 described later are provided with arrows indicating X, Y, and Z directions orthogonal to each other in order to clarify the positional relationship. The X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. In each direction, the direction in which the arrow points is the + direction, and the opposite direction is the-direction. Further, the rotation direction around the Z direction is defined as the θ direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 500 includes an indexer block 9, an antireflection film processing block 10, a resist film processing block 11, a development processing block 12, a resist cover film processing block 13, and a resist cover film removal block. 14 and an interface block 15. An exposure device 16 is arranged adjacent to the interface block 15. In the exposure apparatus 16, the substrate W is subjected to an exposure process by a liquid immersion method.

  Hereinafter, each of the indexer block 9, the antireflection film processing block 10, the resist film processing block 11, the development processing block 12, the resist cover film processing block 13, the resist cover film removal block 14 and the interface block 15 is referred to as a processing block. Call.

  The indexer block 9 includes a main controller (control unit) 30 that controls the operation of each processing block, a plurality of carrier platforms 40, and an indexer robot IR. The indexer robot IR is provided with a hand IRH for delivering the substrate W.

  The antireflection film processing block 10 includes antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101, an antireflection film application processing unit 50, and a first central robot CR1. The antireflection film coating processing unit 50 is provided opposite to the antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101 with the first central robot CR1 interposed therebetween. The first center robot CR1 is provided with hands CRH1 and CRH2 for transferring the substrate W up and down.

  A partition wall 17 is provided between the indexer block 9 and the antireflection film processing block 10 for shielding the atmosphere. In the partition wall 17, substrate platforms PASS 1 and PASS 2 for transferring the substrate W between the indexer block 9 and the anti-reflection film processing block 10 are provided close to each other in the vertical direction. The upper substrate platform PASS1 is used when transporting the substrate W from the indexer block 9 to the antireflection film processing block 10, and the lower substrate platform PASS2 is used to transport the substrate W to the antireflection film processing block. It is used when transporting from 10 to the indexer block 9.

  The substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2 are provided with optical sensors (not shown) that detect the presence or absence of the substrate W. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the substrate W is placed on the substrate platforms PASS1 and PASS2. The substrate platforms PASS1, PASS2 are provided with a plurality of support pins fixedly installed. The optical sensor and the support pin are also provided in the same manner on the substrate platforms PASS3 to PASS13 described later.

  The resist film processing block 11 includes resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111, a resist film coating processing unit 60, and a second central robot CR2. The resist film application processing unit 60 is provided to face the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111 with the second central robot CR2 interposed therebetween. The second center robot CR2 is provided with hands CRH3 and CRH4 for transferring the substrate W up and down.

  A partition wall 18 is provided between the antireflection film processing block 10 and the resist film processing block 11 for shielding the atmosphere. The partition wall 18 is provided with substrate platforms PASS3 and PASS4 that are close to each other in the vertical direction for transferring the substrate W between the anti-reflection film processing block 10 and the resist film processing block 11. The upper substrate platform PASS3 is used when the substrate W is transported from the antireflection film processing block 10 to the resist film processing block 11, and the lower substrate platform PASS4 is used to transfer the substrate W to the resist film. It is used when transporting from the processing block 11 to the processing block 10 for antireflection film.

  The development processing block 12 includes development heat treatment units 120 and 121, a development processing unit 70, and a third central robot CR3. The development processing unit 70 is provided to face the development heat treatment units 120 and 121 with the third central robot CR3 interposed therebetween. The third center robot CR3 is provided with hands CRH5 and CRH6 for transferring the substrate W up and down.

  A partition wall 19 is provided between the resist film processing block 11 and the development processing block 12 for shielding the atmosphere. In the partition wall 19, substrate platforms PASS 5 and PASS 6 for transferring the substrate W between the resist film processing block 11 and the development processing block 12 are provided close to each other in the vertical direction. The upper substrate platform PASS5 is used when the substrate W is transported from the resist film processing block 11 to the development processing block 12, and the lower substrate platform PASS6 is used to transfer the substrate W from the development processing block 12 to the resist processing block 12. Used when transported to the film processing block 11.

  The resist cover film processing block 13 includes resist cover film heat treatment units 130 and 131, a resist cover film coating processing unit 80, and a fourth central robot CR4. The resist cover film coating processing unit 80 is provided to face the resist cover film heat treatment units 130 and 131 with the fourth central robot CR4 interposed therebetween. The fourth center robot CR4 is provided with hands CRH7 and CRH8 for delivering the substrate W up and down.

  A partition wall 20 is provided between the development processing block 12 and the resist cover film processing block 13 for shielding the atmosphere. The partition wall 20 is provided with substrate platforms PASS 7 and PASS 8 that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction for transferring the substrate W between the development processing block 12 and the resist cover film processing block 13. The upper substrate platform PASS7 is used when the substrate W is transferred from the development processing block 12 to the resist cover film processing block 13, and the lower substrate platform PASS8 is used to process the substrate W on the resist cover film. Used when transported from the block 13 to the development processing block 12.

  The resist cover film removal block 14 includes post-exposure baking heat treatment units 140 and 141, a resist cover film removal processing unit 90, and a fifth central robot CR5. The post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 141 is adjacent to the interface block 15 and includes substrate platforms PASS11 and PASS12 as described later. The resist cover film removal processing unit 90 is provided to face the post-exposure bake heat treatment units 140 and 141 with the fifth central robot CR5 interposed therebetween. The fifth center robot CR5 is provided with hands CRH9 and CRH10 for transferring the substrate W up and down.

  A partition wall 21 is provided between the resist cover film processing block 13 and the resist cover film removal block 14 for shielding the atmosphere. The partition wall 21 is provided with substrate platforms PASS9 and PASS10 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction for transferring the substrate W between the resist cover film processing block 13 and the resist cover film removal block. The upper substrate platform PASS9 is used when the substrate W is transferred from the resist cover film processing block 13 to the resist cover film removal block 14, and the lower substrate platform PASS10 is used to transfer the substrate W to the resist cover film. It is used when transporting from the removal block 14 to the resist cover film processing block 13.

  The interface block 15 includes a sending buffer unit SBF, a first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1, a sixth central robot CR6, an edge exposure unit EEW, a return buffer unit RBF, a placement / cooling unit PASS-CP (hereinafter referred to as P-). Abbreviated as CP), a substrate platform PASS13, an interface transport mechanism IFR, and a second cleaning / drying processing unit SD2. The first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1 performs cleaning and drying processing of the substrate W before the exposure processing, and the second cleaning / drying processing unit SD2 performs cleaning and drying processing of the substrate W after the exposure processing. Do.

  The sixth central robot CR6 is provided with hands CRH11 and CRH12 (see FIG. 4) for delivering the substrate W up and down, and a hand H1 for delivering the substrate W to the interface transport mechanism IFR. , H2 (see FIG. 4) are provided above and below. Details of the interface block 15 will be described later.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 500 according to the present embodiment, an indexer block 9, an antireflection film processing block 10, a resist film processing block 11, a development processing block 12, a resist cover film processing block 13, along the Y direction, The resist cover film removal block 14 and the interface block 15 are arranged in order.

  2 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus 500 of FIG. 1 viewed from the + X direction, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus 500 of FIG. 1 viewed from the −X direction. 2 mainly shows what is provided on the + X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500, and FIG. 3 mainly shows what is provided on the −X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500.

  First, the configuration on the + X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the antireflection film coating processing unit 50 (see FIG. 1) of the antireflection film processing block 10, three coating units BARC are vertically stacked. Each coating unit BARC includes a spin chuck 51 that rotates while adsorbing and holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and a supply nozzle 52 that supplies a coating liquid for an antireflection film to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 51.

  In the resist film coating processing section 60 (see FIG. 1) of the resist film processing block 11, three coating units RES are stacked in a vertical direction. Each coating unit RES includes a spin chuck 61 that rotates while adsorbing and holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and a supply nozzle 62 that supplies a coating liquid for a resist film to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 61.

  In the development processing unit 70 of the development processing block 12, five development processing units DEV are stacked one above the other. Details of the development processing unit DEV will be described later.

  In the resist cover film coating processing unit 80 of the resist cover film processing block 13, three coating units COV are stacked one above the other. Each coating unit COV includes a spin chuck 81 that rotates while adsorbing and holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and a supply nozzle 82 that supplies a coating liquid for the resist cover film to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 81. As a coating solution for the resist cover film, a material having a low affinity with the resist and water (a material having low reactivity with the resist and water) can be used. For example, a fluororesin. The coating unit COV forms a resist cover film on the resist film formed on the substrate W by applying a coating liquid onto the substrate W while rotating the substrate W.

  In the resist cover film removal processing unit 90 of the resist cover film removal block 14, three removal units REM are vertically stacked. Each removal unit REM includes a spin chuck 91 that rotates while adsorbing and holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and a supply nozzle 92 that supplies a peeling liquid (for example, a fluororesin) to the substrate W held on the spin chuck 91. The removal unit REM removes the resist cover film formed on the substrate W by applying a stripping solution onto the substrate W while rotating the substrate W.

  The method for removing the resist cover film in the removal unit REM is not limited to the above example. For example, the resist cover film may be removed by supplying a stripping solution onto the substrate W while moving the slit nozzle above the substrate W.

  On the + X side in the interface block 15, an edge exposure unit EEW and three second cleaning / drying processing units SD2 are stacked in a vertical direction. Each edge exposure unit EEW includes a spin chuck 98 that rotates by attracting and holding the substrate W in a horizontal posture, and a light irradiator 99 that exposes the periphery of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 98.

  Next, the configuration on the −X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the antireflection film heat treatment sections 100 and 101 of the antireflection film processing block 10 include two adhesion reinforcing agent application processing sections AHL, two heating units (hot plates) HP and 2. Each cooling unit (cooling plate) CP is stacked and arranged. The antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101 are each provided with a local controller LC for controlling the temperatures of the adhesion reinforcing agent application processing unit AHL, the heating unit HP, and the cooling unit CP at the top.

  Two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked in the resist film heat treatment sections 110 and 111 of the resist film processing block 11, respectively. In addition, in the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are respectively arranged at the top.

  In the development heat treatment sections 120 and 121 of the development processing block 12, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are respectively stacked. Further, in the development heat treatment sections 120 and 121, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are respectively arranged at the top.

  In the resist cover film heat treatment sections 130 and 131 of the resist cover film processing block 13, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are respectively stacked. In addition, in the resist cover film heat treatment sections 130 and 131, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are respectively arranged at the top.

  In the post-exposure baking heat treatment section 140 of the resist cover film removal block 14, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked one above the other, and the two post-exposure baking heat treatment section 141 has two heating units. The unit HP, the two cooling units CP, and the substrate platforms PASS11 and PASS12 are stacked one above the other. In addition, in the post-exposure bake heat treatment sections 140 and 141, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are arranged at the top.

  Next, the interface block 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the interface block 15 as viewed from the + Y side. As shown in FIG. 4, in the interface block 15, on the −X side, a feed buffer unit SBF and three first cleaning / drying processing units SD1 are stacked. In the interface block 15, an edge exposure unit EEW is disposed at the upper part on the + X side.

  Below the edge exposure unit EEW, a return buffer unit RBF, two placement / cooling units P-CP, and a substrate platform PASS13 are stacked in a vertical direction at a substantially central portion in the interface block 15. Below the edge exposure unit EEW, on the + X side in the interface block 15, three second cleaning / drying processing units SD2 are vertically stacked.

  A sixth center robot CR6 and an interface transport mechanism IFR are provided in the lower part of the interface block 15. The sixth central robot CR6 includes a feed buffer unit SBF and a first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1, an edge exposure unit EEW, a return buffer unit RBF, a placement / cooling unit P-CP, and a substrate platform PASS13. It is provided so that it can move up and down and rotate between them. The interface transport mechanism IFR is provided to be movable up and down and rotatable between the return buffer unit RBF, the placement / cooling unit P-CP, the substrate platform PASS13, and the second cleaning / drying processing unit SD2. It has been.

(2) Operation of Substrate Processing Apparatus Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(2-1) Operation of Indexer Block to Resist Cover Film Removal Block First, the operation of the indexer block 9 to the resist cover film removal block 14 will be briefly described.

  On the carrier mounting table 40 of the indexer block 9, a carrier C that stores a plurality of substrates W in multiple stages is loaded. The indexer robot IR takes out the unprocessed substrate W stored in the carrier C using the hand IRH. Thereafter, the indexer robot IR rotates in the ± θ direction while moving in the ± X direction, and places the unprocessed substrate W on the substrate platform PASS1.

  In the present embodiment, a front opening unified pod (FOUP) is adopted as the carrier C. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an OC (open cassette) that exposes the standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod and the storage substrate W to the outside air. ) Etc. may be used.

  Further, the indexer robot IR, the first to sixth center robots CR1 to CR6, and the interface transport mechanism IFR are each provided with a direct-acting transport robot that slides linearly with respect to the substrate W and moves the hand back and forth. Although it is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and an articulated transfer robot that linearly moves the hand forward and backward by moving the joint may be used.

  The unprocessed substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS1 is received by the first central robot CR1 of the antireflection film processing block 10. The first center robot CR1 carries the substrate W into the antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101. In the adhesion enhancing agent application processing unit AHL (FIG. 3) of the heat treatment units 100 and 101 for antireflection films, an adhesion enhancing agent such as HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) is supplied onto the substrate W. As a result, the substrate W is subjected to adhesion reinforcement processing.

  Thereafter, the first central robot CR1 takes out the substrate W that has been subjected to the adhesion strengthening treatment and the heat treatment from the heat treatment units 100 and 101 for the antireflection film, and carries the substrate W into the coating treatment unit 50 for the antireflection film. In the antireflection film coating processing unit 50, an antireflection film is applied and formed on the substrate W by the coating unit BARC in order to reduce low standing waves and halation that occur during exposure.

  Next, the first central robot CR1 takes out the coated substrate W from the antireflection film coating processing unit 50 and carries the substrate W into the antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101. Thereafter, the first central robot CR1 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the antireflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101, and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS3.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS3 is received by the second central robot CR2 of the resist film processing block 11. The second central robot CR2 carries the substrate W into the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111.

  Thereafter, the second central robot CR2 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111, and carries the substrate W into the resist film coating treatment unit 60. In the resist film application processing unit 60, a resist film is applied and formed on the substrate W on which the antireflection film is applied and formed by the application unit RES.

  Next, the second central robot CR2 takes out the coated substrate W from the resist film coating processing unit 60, and carries the substrate W into the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111. Thereafter, the second central robot CR2 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111, and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS5.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS5 is received by the third central robot CR3 of the development processing block 12. The third central robot CR3 places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS7.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS7 is received by the fourth central robot CR4 of the resist cover film processing block 13. The fourth central robot CR4 carries the substrate W into the resist cover film coating processing unit 80. In this resist cover film coating processing section 80, a resist cover film is applied and formed on the substrate W on which the resist film has been applied and formed by the coating unit COV.

  Next, the fourth central robot CR4 takes out the coated substrate W from the resist cover film coating processing unit 80 and carries the substrate W into the resist cover film heat treatment units 130 and 131. Thereafter, the fourth central robot CR4 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the resist cover film heat treatment units 130 and 131, and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS9.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS9 is received by the fifth central robot CR5 of the resist cover film removal block 14. The fifth central robot CR5 places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS11.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS11 is received by the sixth central robot CR6 of the interface block 15, and predetermined processing is performed in the interface block 15 and the exposure device 16, as will be described later. After predetermined processing is performed on the substrate W in the interface block 15 and the exposure apparatus 16, the substrate W is carried into the post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 141 of the resist cover film removal block 14 by the sixth central robot CR6. .

  In the post-exposure baking heat treatment unit 141, post-exposure baking (PEB) is performed on the substrate W. Thereafter, the sixth central robot CR6 takes out the substrate W from the post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 141 and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS12.

  In this embodiment, post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 141 performs post-exposure bake, but post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 140 may perform post-exposure bake.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS12 is received by the fifth central robot CR5 of the resist cover film removal block 14. The fifth central robot CR5 carries the substrate W into the resist cover film removal processing unit 90. In the resist cover film removal processing unit 90, the resist cover film is removed.

  Next, the fifth central robot CR5 takes out the processed substrate W from the resist cover film removal processing unit 90 and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS10.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS10 is placed on the substrate platform PASS8 by the fourth central robot CR4 of the resist cover film processing block 13.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS8 is received by the third central robot CR3 of the development processing block 12. The third central robot CR3 carries the substrate W into the development processing unit 70. In the development processing unit 70, development processing is performed on the exposed substrate W.

  Next, the third central robot CR3 takes out the development-processed substrate W from the development processing unit 70, and carries the substrate W into the development heat treatment units 120 and 121. Thereafter, the third central robot CR3 takes out the substrate W after the heat treatment from the development heat treatment units 120 and 121, and places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS6.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS6 is placed on the substrate platform PASS4 by the second central robot CR2 of the resist film processing block 11. The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS4 is placed on the substrate platform PASS2 by the first central robot CR1 of the anti-reflection film processing block 10.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS 2 is stored in the carrier C by the indexer robot IR of the indexer block 9. Thereby, each process of the board | substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 500 is complete | finished.

(2-2) Operation of Interface Block Next, the operation of the interface block 15 will be described in detail.

  As described above, the substrate W carried into the indexer block 9 is subjected to a predetermined process and then placed on the substrate platform PASS11 of the resist cover film removal block 14 (FIG. 1).

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS11 is received by the sixth central robot CR6 of the interface block 15. The sixth central robot CR6 carries the substrate W into the edge exposure unit EEW (FIG. 4). In the edge exposure unit EEW, the peripheral portion of the substrate W is subjected to exposure processing.

  Next, the sixth central robot CR6 takes out the edge-exposed substrate W from the edge exposure unit EEW and carries the substrate W into one of the first cleaning / drying processing units SD1. In the first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1, the cleaning and drying processing of the substrate W before the exposure processing is performed as described above.

  Here, the time of the exposure process by the exposure apparatus 16 is usually longer than the other process steps and the transport step. As a result, the exposure apparatus 16 often cannot accept a subsequent substrate W. In this case, the substrate W is temporarily stored in the sending buffer unit SBF (FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, the sixth central robot CR6 takes out the substrate W that has been cleaned and dried from the first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1, and transports the substrate W to the sending buffer unit SBF.

  Next, the sixth central robot CR6 takes out the substrate W stored and stored in the sending buffer unit SBF and carries the substrate W into the placement / cooling unit P-CP. The substrate W carried into the placement / cooling unit P-CP is maintained at the same temperature (for example, 23 ° C.) as that in the exposure apparatus 16.

  If the exposure apparatus 16 has a sufficient processing speed, the substrate W is not stored and stored in the sending buffer unit SBF, and the substrate is transferred from the first cleaning / drying processing unit SD1 to the placement / cooling unit P-CP. W may be conveyed.

  Subsequently, the substrate W maintained at the predetermined temperature by the placement / cooling unit P-CP is received by the upper hand H1 (FIG. 4) of the interface transport mechanism IFR, and the substrate carry-in section 16a in the exposure apparatus 16 is received. (FIG. 1).

  The substrate W that has been subjected to the exposure processing in the exposure device 16 is unloaded from the substrate unloading portion 16b (FIG. 1) by the lower hand H2 (FIG. 4) of the interface transport mechanism IFR. The interface transport mechanism IFR carries the substrate W into one of the second cleaning / drying processing units SD2 by the hand H2. In the second cleaning / drying processing unit SD2, the substrate W after the exposure processing is cleaned and dried as described above.

  The substrate W that has been subjected to the cleaning and drying processing in the second cleaning / drying processing unit SD2 is taken out by the hand H1 (FIG. 4) of the interface transport mechanism IFR. The interface transport mechanism IFR places the substrate W on the substrate platform PASS13 with the hand H1.

  The substrate W placed on the substrate platform PASS13 is received by the sixth central robot CR6. The sixth central robot CR6 transports the substrate W to the post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 141 of the resist cover film removal block 14 (FIG. 1).

  When the resist cover film removal block 14 temporarily cannot accept the substrate W due to a failure of the removal unit REM (FIG. 2), the substrate W after the exposure processing is temporarily stored in the return buffer unit RBF. can do.

(3) Film Forming Process Next, the film forming process of the substrate W will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the film forming process of the substrate W.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the substrate W has a flat front surface and a back surface, and has a bevel portion BE on the outer periphery thereof. The bevel portion BE includes an upper bevel region A that is inclined so as to be continuously connected to the surface of the substrate W, a lower bevel region C that is inclined so as to be continuously connected to the back surface of the substrate W, and an end surface region B.

  First, in the adhesion reinforcing agent application processing unit AHL of the heat treatment units 100 and 101 for the antireflection film shown in FIG. 3, the adhesion reinforcing process is mainly performed on the surface of the substrate W and the bevel part BE.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, an antireflection film F1, a resist film F2, and a resist cover film F3 are sequentially formed on the surface side of the substrate W. The resist film F2 is formed so as to spread outside the antireflection film F1. Further, the resist cover film F3 is formed so as to spread outside the resist film F2. In the example of FIG. 5, the resist cover film F <b> 3 extends to the upper bevel region A of the substrate W.

  In this case, the peripheral edge portion of the resist film F2 and the peripheral edge portion of the resist cover film F3 are in contact with the surface of the substrate W or the upper bevel region A on which the adhesion strengthening process has been performed. Therefore, adhesion between the resist film F2 and the substrate W and adhesion between the resist cover film F3 and the substrate W are ensured.

  After the exposure processing is performed on the substrate W, the resist cover film F3 on the substrate W is removed by the resist cover film removal unit REM (FIG. 2). Next, development processing is performed on the substrate W by the development processing unit DEV, and a part of the resist film F2 (for example, an exposed portion) is dissolved and removed.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG.5 (c), the area | region D1 of the board | substrate W outside the antireflection film F1 is exposed. In the example of FIG. 5, the peripheral region on the surface of the substrate W and the bevel portion BE are included in the region D1. In the present embodiment, the region D1 is referred to as an end portion of the substrate W.

  By the way, the surface of the substrate W and the bevel portion BE of the substrate W are subjected to adhesion reinforcement processing. Therefore, even if the resist cover film F3 and the resist film F2 are removed in the resist cover film removal unit REM and the development processing unit DEV, the residues of the resist cover film F3 and the resist film F2 are subjected to the adhesion strengthening process. It may be maintained while adhering to the edge of the substrate W.

  In the present embodiment, the edge of the substrate W is washed after the development processing in the development processing unit DEV. Thereby, the substrate W can be sent from the substrate processing apparatus 500 to the next processing step while keeping the end portion clean.

(4) Development Processing Unit Next, details of the development processing unit DEV will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the development processing unit DEV, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Q-Q of the development processing unit DEV of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the development processing unit DEV includes a spin chuck 901 that sucks and holds the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The spin chuck 901 is fixed to the distal end portion of the rotation shaft 903 of the motor 902 (FIG. 7) and is configured to be rotatable around a vertical axis. A circular inner cup 904 is provided around the spin chuck 901 so as to be movable up and down so as to surround the substrate W. A square outer cup 905 is provided around the inner cup 904.

  Standby pods 906 and 907 are disposed on both sides of the outer cup 905, respectively, and a guide rail 908 is disposed on one side of the outer cup 905. A nozzle arm 909 is provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction A and the opposite direction along the guide rail 908 by the arm driving unit 910. On the other side of the outer cup 905, a rinse liquid discharge nozzle 912 that discharges pure water as a rinse liquid for cleaning is provided to be rotatable in the direction of arrow R1.

  A substantially cylindrical cleaning brush 920 is disposed on the other side of the outer cup 905. A groove C1 having a V-shaped cross section is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 920 (FIG. 7). The cleaning brush 920 is attached to the tip of the arm 921. The arm 921 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R2 (FIG. 6) by the drive mechanism 922 and moved up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction). As a result, the cleaning brush 920 can move between a standby position outside the outer cup 905 and a cleaning position in the inner cup 904.

  A developer discharge nozzle 911 having a slit-like discharge port 915 (FIG. 7) at the lower end is attached to the nozzle arm 909 perpendicularly to the guide rail 908. A developer is supplied to the developer discharge nozzle 911 by a developer supply system (not shown).

  During the development processing of the substrate W, the developer discharge nozzle 911 moves from the position of the standby pot 906 to the position in the outer cup 905. The inner cup 904 is arranged so that the height of its upper end is lower than the height of the substrate W. Then, the developer discharge nozzle 911 passes over the substrate W while discharging the developer. As a result, the developer is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate W, and the development process of the resist film proceeds. The developer discharge nozzle 911 moves to the position of the standby pod 907 and then returns to the position of the standby pot 906.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed, the rinse liquid is discharged onto the substrate W from the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 912. Thereby, the development process on the substrate W is stopped. Note that the developing process on the substrate W may be stopped by the developer discharge nozzle 911 returning to the standby pot 906 moving above the substrate W while discharging the rinse liquid.

  Subsequently, the inner cup 904 rises so that the height of its upper end is higher than the height of the substrate W. Then, the rinse liquid is continuously discharged from the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 912 while the substrate W is rotating. Thereby, the developer and the dissolved resist film are washed away from the substrate W.

  Subsequently, the cleaning brush 920 moves to the cleaning position in the inner cup 905 (the state shown in FIG. 7). Then, the groove C1 of the cleaning brush 920 is pressed against the end of the substrate W while the rotation of the substrate W and the discharge of the rinse liquid are maintained. As a result, the edge of the substrate W is cleaned, and contaminants such as the residue of the resist cover film and the residue of the resist film adhering to the edge of the substrate W are removed. A rotation drive mechanism that rotates the cleaning brush 920 around the vertical axis may be provided. In that case, the end portion of the substrate W can be more effectively cleaned by the cleaning brush 920.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed, the cleaning brush 920 moves to the standby position outside the substrate W, and the discharge of the rinse liquid is stopped. Then, when the substrate W rotates at a high speed, the rinse liquid on the substrate W is shaken off, and the substrate W is dried. Thereby, a series of processes in the development processing unit DEV is completed.

(5) Effects of the present embodiment In the present embodiment, in the development processing unit DEV, the edge of the substrate W is cleaned by the cleaning brush 920 after the development processing, and contaminants attached to the edge of the substrate W are removed. . Therefore, the substrate W can be sent from the substrate processing apparatus 500 to the next processing step in a state where the end portion is cleaned. As a result, processing defects of the substrate W can be prevented.

(6) Modification Example of Development Processing Unit (6-1) First Modification Example FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modification example of the development processing unit DEV. The development processing unit DEV in FIG. 8 is different from the development processing unit DEV in FIGS. 6 and 7 in that an ultrasonic nozzle 930 is provided instead of the cleaning brush 920.

  A cleaning liquid is supplied to the ultrasonic nozzle 930 through a cleaning liquid supply pipe 931. For example, pure water is used as the cleaning liquid. A high frequency vibrator 932 is built in the ultrasonic nozzle 930. A high frequency generator 933 is electrically connected to the high frequency vibrator 932.

  In the development processing unit DEV, after the developer and the dissolved resist film are washed away from the substrate W, the cleaning solution is discharged from the ultrasonic nozzle 930 toward the end of the substrate W while the substrate W rotates. . When discharging the cleaning liquid, a high frequency current is supplied from the high frequency generator 933 to the high frequency vibrator 932.

  Thereby, the high frequency vibrator 932 is ultrasonically vibrated, and a high frequency output corresponding to the value of the high frequency current is applied to the cleaning liquid passing through the ultrasonic nozzle 930. The value of the high frequency output can be electrically variably controlled according to the type of the substrate W and the cleaning conditions. The cleaning liquid to which the high frequency output is applied enters an ultrasonic vibration state and is discharged to the end portion of the substrate W. Thereby, the edge part of the board | substrate W is wash | cleaned.

(6-2) Second Modification FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the development processing unit DEV. The development processing unit DEV in FIG. 9 is different from the development processing unit DEV in FIGS. 6 and 7 in that a two-fluid nozzle 940 is provided instead of the cleaning brush 920.

The two-fluid nozzle 940 is supplied with a cleaning liquid (for example, pure water) through a cleaning liquid supply pipe 941 and is supplied with an inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas (N ₂ )) through a gas supply pipe 942. The two-fluid nozzle 940 mixes the cleaning liquid supplied through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 941 and the inert gas supplied through the gas supply pipe 942, and discharges a mist-like mixed fluid containing fine droplets of the cleaning liquid.

  The two-fluid nozzle 940 may be either an external mixing type that mixes liquid and gas outside the nozzle body or an internal mixing type that mixes liquid and gas inside the nozzle body.

  In this development processing unit DEV, after the developer and the dissolved resist film are washed away from the substrate W, the mixed fluid in the form of a mist from the two-fluid nozzle 940 toward the end of the substrate W while the substrate W rotates. Is discharged. As a result, the edge of the substrate W is washed, and contaminants such as a resist cover film residue and a resist film residue adhering to the edge of the substrate W are removed.

  The cleaning conditions for the end surface R of the substrate W can be easily controlled by controlling the discharge pressure of the mixed fluid and the ratio of the gas and liquid of the mixed fluid.

(6-3) Other Modified Examples Two or three of the cleaning brush 920 (FIG. 6), the ultrasonic nozzle 930 (FIG. 8), and the two-fluid nozzle 940 (FIG. 9) are used in a common development processing unit DEV. May be provided. In that case, the drive mechanism 922 (FIG. 6) may be common to these cleaning means or may be separate.

  A cleaning liquid in an ultrasonic vibration state may be discharged from the developer discharge nozzle 911 by providing a high frequency vibrator in the developer discharge nozzle 911 and supplying the cleaning liquid to the developer discharge nozzle 911.

  The drive mechanism of the rinse liquid discharge nozzle 912 and the drive mechanism of the cleaning brush 920 (FIG. 6), the ultrasonic nozzle 930 (FIG. 8), or the two-fluid nozzle 940 (FIG. 9) may be common.

(7) Correspondence between each constituent element of claims and each element of the embodiment Hereinafter, an example of correspondence between each constituent element of the claims and each element of the embodiment will be described. It is not limited to.

  In the above embodiment, the indexer block 9, the antireflection film processing block 10, the resist film processing block 11, the development processing block 12, the resist cover film processing block 13, and the resist cover film removal block 14 are examples of processing sections. Yes, the interface block 15 is an example of a delivery unit.

  In addition, the cleaning brush 920, the ultrasonic nozzle 930, or the two-fluid nozzle 940 is an example of an end cleaning unit, the coating unit RES is an example of a photosensitive film forming unit, and the coating unit COV is an example of a protective film forming unit. Yes, the removal unit REM is an example of a protective film removal unit, and the adhesion reinforcing agent application processing unit AHL is an example of an adhesion reinforcement processing unit.

  As each constituent element in the claims, various other elements having configurations or functions described in the claims can be used.

  The present invention can be effectively used for processing various substrates.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic side view which looked at the substrate processing apparatus of Drawing 1 from the + X direction. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 viewed from the −X direction. It is the schematic side view which looked at the interface block from the + Y side. It is typical sectional drawing for demonstrating the film-forming process of a board | substrate. It is a top view which shows the structure of a development processing unit. It is the QQ sectional view taken on the line of the development processing unit of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st modification of a development processing unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd modification of a development processing unit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Indexer block 10 Processing block for antireflection film 11 Processing block for resist film 12 Development processing block 13 Processing block for resist cover film 14 Resist cover film removal block 15 Interface block 16 Exposure apparatus 911 Developer discharge nozzle 920 Cleaning brush 930 Ultrasonic wave Nozzle 940 Two-fluid nozzle AHL Adhesion strengthening agent coating processing section BARC, RES, COV coating unit DEV development processing unit REM removal unit W substrate

Claims (7)

A substrate processing apparatus disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus,
A processing unit for processing the substrate;
Provided adjacent to one end of the processing unit, and a transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the processing unit and the exposure apparatus,
The processing unit includes a development processing unit that performs development processing on the substrate after the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the development processing unit includes an edge cleaning unit that cleans an edge of the substrate after the development processing. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge cleaning unit includes a cleaning brush for cleaning an edge of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge cleaning unit includes an ultrasonic nozzle for cleaning an edge of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end cleaning unit includes a two-fluid nozzle for cleaning the end of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit further includes a photosensitive film forming unit that forms a photosensitive film on the substrate before the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus. The processor is
A protective film forming unit for forming on the substrate a protective film for protecting the photosensitive film formed by the photosensitive film forming unit;
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a protective film removing unit that removes the protective film formed by the protective film forming unit from the substrate after the exposure processing by the exposure apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit further includes an adhesion reinforcement processing unit that performs adhesion reinforcement processing on the substrate before forming the photosensitive film by the photosensitive film formation unit.

Images