JP2009140961A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method, capable of excellently removing contamination from the periphery of a substrate without causing adverse effect due to a processing liquid on a device formation region of the front surface of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: A suction nozzle 70 for sucking a processing liquid is provided with respect to a brush 11. The distal end of the suction nozzle 70 has a distal end surface 72 facing a boundary portion 34 between a first contact surface 32 and a second contact surface 33, and an abutting surface 73 abutting on the first contact surface 32 and the second contact surface 33. A suction port 74 is formed on the distal end surface 72. A suction tube 76 connected to the suction nozzle 70 extends to the outside of a processing chamber 2, and its distal end is connected to a vacuum generator 60. When the vacuum generator 60 is driven, the processing liquid contained in the inside of a brush 11 is sucked by the suction port 74 and the flow of the liquid toward the suction port 74 is formed in the inside of the brush 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning a peripheral edge of a substrate. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate etc. are included.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, contamination of the peripheral portion of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) may have a non-negligible effect on the wafer processing quality. For example, in a so-called batch processing step, a plurality of wafers are immersed in the processing liquid in a vertical posture. Therefore, if contaminants adhere to the peripheral edge of the wafer, the contaminants may float in the processing solution and adhere to the device formation region on the surface of the wafer, thereby causing contamination of the device formation region. There is.

Therefore, recently, there is an increasing demand for cleaning the peripheral edge of the wafer. In particular, for wafers with hydrophobic surfaces and wafers with copper wiring formed on the surface, only the peripheral edge is selectively used without supplying processing solution (pure water) to the device formation area. It is desired to be cleaned.
As a prior art relating to cleaning of the peripheral edge of the wafer, for example, while rotating the wafer, the peripheral surface of the cylindrical brush is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer and is directed toward the contact portion between the peripheral edge of the wafer and the brush. A configuration has been proposed in which contamination attached to the peripheral edge of a wafer is removed by discharging a treatment liquid such as pure water from a treatment liquid nozzle (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP-A-6-45302 JP 2003-197592 A

However, in the apparatus according to this proposal, the processing liquid may spread from the area where the brush contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate and enter the device formation area of the substrate. When the processing liquid enters the device forming area, the device forming area may be adversely affected by the processing liquid, such as oxidation of a metal film formed in the device forming area.
In order to avoid such a problem, it may be possible not to supply the treatment liquid to the brush, but in this case, the contamination scraped off from the peripheral portion of the substrate by the brush remains on the peripheral portion, and the contamination remains. As a result of drying, there is a risk of sticking of contamination to the substrate.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method that can satisfactorily remove contamination from the peripheral edge of a substrate without adversely affecting the device formation region on the surface of the substrate with the processing liquid. It is.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 has a contact surface (32, 33) and is impregnated with a processing liquid in the peripheral portion (40, 41, 42) of the substrate (W). In order to suck the treatment liquid impregnated in the brush through the brush (11) arranged so that the contact surface comes into contact and the suction port (74, 74A, 74B) arranged to face the brush. The substrate processing apparatus includes a suction means (70, 60).

In addition, the alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later. The same applies hereinafter.
According to the present invention, the treatment liquid impregnated in the brush is sucked through the suction port disposed opposite to the brush. By the suction of the processing liquid, a flow of the processing liquid toward the suction port is formed inside the brush. When the brush impregnated with the treatment liquid is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the substrate, the treatment liquid oozes out from the contact surface of the brush with the substrate, and the treatment liquid is supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate. At this time, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the contact surface of the brush with the substrate is regulated by the flow of the processing liquid formed inside the brush. Thereby, the amount of the treatment liquid oozing out from the contact surface can be regulated, and an appropriate amount of the treatment liquid can be supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate. As a result, the processing liquid can be prevented from entering the device forming region on the surface of the substrate, and contamination can be satisfactorily removed from the peripheral portion of the substrate without adversely affecting the device forming region due to the processing liquid. .

Further, the contamination contained in the brush is sucked together with the treatment liquid by the suction means. Thereby, the contamination contained in the inside of a brush can be removed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the suction means includes the suction port (74, 74A), and the suction nozzle (70, 70A) disposed so that the tip end portion (72, 73) contacts the brush. ) May be provided.

  In this case, as described in claim 3, the brush is formed in a rotationally symmetric shape about a central axis extending in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and the contact surface is a perpendicular perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. A first contact surface (32) having a shape narrowing toward one side in the direction, and a second contact surface (in a shape extending from the edge on the one side of the first contact surface toward the one side in the perpendicular direction) 33), and the suction nozzle is continuous with the tip surface (72) facing the boundary portion (34) between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, and the first contact surface. And a contact surface (73) that contacts the second contact surface.

According to this configuration, the tip surface faces the boundary portion between the first contact surface and the second contact surface in a state where the contact surface of the suction nozzle is in contact with the first contact surface and the second contact surface. Therefore, if a suction port is provided on the tip surface or the contact surface of the suction nozzle, the suction port can be reliably arranged to face the brush.
When the suction port (74) is formed on the tip surface as in claim 4, the suction port can be opposed to the boundary portion between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, so that the brush The flow of the treatment liquid toward the boundary portion between the first contact surface and the second contact surface can be formed inside the.

  Further, as in claim 5, when the suction port (74A) is formed in the contact surface, the suction port can be opposed to the first contact surface or the second contact surface, The flow of the processing liquid toward the first contact surface or the second contact surface can be formed. Therefore, the amount of the treatment liquid oozing out from the contact surface of the brush with the substrate by bringing the contact surface of the suction nozzle into contact with the position of the first contact surface and the second contact surface away from the contact position with the substrate. Can be suppressed.

  The invention according to claim 6 includes a core member (22B) extending in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate and inserted through the brush, and the suction port (74B) is the brush in the core member. The suction means is provided with a suction path (82) formed in the core material and connected to the suction port. It is a substrate processing apparatus of description.

According to this invention, the core material is inserted through the brush, and the suction port is formed on the contact surface of the core material with the brush. For this reason, the flow of the processing liquid toward the core material can be formed inside the brush, and as a result, the amount of the processing liquid that oozes out from the contact surface of the brush with the substrate can be reliably suppressed.
The invention according to claim 7 further includes means (15) for rotating the brush around a predetermined axis perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. This is a substrate processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, the processing liquid impregnated in the rotating brush is sucked from the suction port.
With a brush in a rotating state, the treatment liquid tends to ooze out from the brush due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the brush. However, since the flow of the processing liquid can be formed inside the brush, excessive bleeding of the processing liquid from the contact surface of the brush with the substrate can be suppressed.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a processing liquid to the brush so that the processing liquid penetrates into the brush and the permeated processing liquid is supplied to the contact surface. 24. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising 24, 25, 36, 37, 39).
According to this invention, the treatment liquid penetrates the inside of the brush and is supplied from the inside of the brush to the contact surface with the substrate. Thereby, when the processing liquid is supplied to the contact surface of the brush with the substrate, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from being scattered around. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the treatment liquid from adhering to the device formation region of the substrate, and to reliably prevent the device formation region from being adversely affected by the treatment liquid.

Moreover, since the penetration of the treatment liquid into the brush is assisted by the suction by the suction means, the treatment liquid can be satisfactorily penetrated into the brush.
The invention according to claim 9 further includes a block body (21) disposed in contact with an upper end surface (11a) different from the contact surface of the brush, and the treatment liquid supply mechanism is provided on an upper surface of the block body. A groove (24) that is formed and can store a liquid, a treatment liquid supply means (36, 37, 39) for supplying a treatment liquid to the groove, and the block body; 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a connection path (25, 25B) connecting the bottom surface of the groove and the upper end surface of the brush.

  According to this invention, the processing liquid supplied to the groove from the processing liquid supply means is stored in the groove and flows toward the upper end surface of the brush along the connection path. Then, the processing liquid that has reached the upper end surface of the brush penetrates into the brush and is supplied to the contact surface through the brush. Thereby, when the processing liquid is supplied to the brush, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from being scattered around the brush.

The invention according to claim 10 is characterized in that the processing liquid supply means includes a discharge port (37) which is disposed at a position higher than the groove and discharges the processing liquid toward the groove. Item 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to Item 8 or 9.
According to the present invention, the processing liquid can be supplied to the groove by discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port toward the groove.

In the invention described in claim 11, the brush is formed in a rotationally symmetric shape around a central axis extending in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and the connection path (25) becomes closer to the brush. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is inclined so as to approach.
According to this invention, since the connection path is inclined so as to approach the central axis as it approaches the brush, the processing liquid is supplied near the rotation axis of the brush. And the process liquid supplied to the brush spreads to the whole brush from near a rotating axis. For this reason, it can prevent that a process liquid is intensively supplied to the contact surface with the board | substrate in a brush. As a result, the amount of processing liquid supplied to the peripheral edge of the substrate can be further suppressed.

In the invention described in claim 12, the brush (11) impregnated with the treatment liquid is disposed so that the contact surfaces (32, 33) thereof are in contact with the peripheral portions (40, 41, 42) of the substrate (W). A substrate processing method comprising the steps (S4, S6) and a step (S5) of sucking a treatment liquid impregnated in the brush through a suction port disposed to face the brush. .
According to this method, it is possible to achieve the same effect as the effect described in relation to the first aspect.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the inside of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus that processes a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer”) W as an example of a substrate one by one. In the processing chamber 2, a spin chuck 3 for holding and rotating the wafer W substantially horizontally and a brush mechanism 4 for cleaning the peripheral edge of the wafer W are provided.

The peripheral portion of the wafer W refers to a portion including the peripheral region 40 on the front surface of the wafer W, the peripheral region 41 on the back surface of the wafer W, and the peripheral end surface 42. The peripheral regions 40 and 41 are, for example, annular regions having a width of 0.5 to 5 mm from the peripheral edge of the wafer W.
The spin chuck 3 is a vacuum suction chuck. The spin chuck 3 is attached to an upper end of the spin shaft 5 extending in a substantially vertical direction, and an adsorption base that adsorbs and holds the back surface (lower surface) of the wafer W in a substantially horizontal posture. 6 and a spin motor 7 having a brush rotation shaft coupled coaxially with the spin shaft 5. Accordingly, when the spin motor 7 is driven in a state where the back surface of the wafer W is sucked and held by the suction base 6, the wafer W rotates around the central axis of the spin shaft 5.

The brush mechanism 4 includes a swing arm 9 that extends substantially horizontally above a position where the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 3 and an arm support shaft 10 that is set outside the rotation range of the wafer W and supports the swing arm 9. And a brush 11 which is held at the tip of the swing arm 9 and cleans the peripheral edge of the wafer W.
The arm support shaft 10 is provided extending in the vertical direction. The upper end portion of the arm support shaft 10 is coupled to the lower surface of one end portion (base end portion) of the swing arm 9. The arm support shaft 10 is inputted with the driving force of the swing drive mechanism 12. By inputting the driving force of the swing drive mechanism 12 to the arm support shaft 10 and reciprocatingly rotating the arm support shaft 10, the swing arm 9 can be swung about the arm support shaft 10 as a fulcrum. Specifically, when the swing arm 9 swings, the brush 11 comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer W to clean the peripheral portion (see FIG. 1, the swing arm 9 is indicated by a two-dot chain line). And a home position on the side of the spin chuck 3 (the swing arm 9 is shown by a solid line in FIG. 1).

The arm support shaft 10 is coupled to a lifting drive mechanism 13. The arm support shaft 10 can be moved up and down by the elevating drive mechanism 13, and the swing arm 9 can be moved up and down integrally with the arm support shaft 10.
A brush rotation shaft 14 extending in the vertical direction is rotatably provided at the tip of the swing arm 9. A brush rotation mechanism 15 for rotating the brush rotation shaft 14 is coupled to the brush rotation shaft 14 inside the swing arm 9. On the other hand, a holder 20 is attached to the brush rotation shaft 14 via a holder attachment portion 16 (see FIG. 3). The brush 11 is attached below the holder 20. The periphery of the brush 11 is covered with a cover body 49.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration around the brush. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the holder of FIG. 3 taken along the cutting plane line IV-IV.
A holder mounting portion 16 is fixed to the lower end portion of the brush rotation shaft 14. The holder mounting portion 16 includes a disc-shaped upper surface portion 17 that is inserted into the brush rotation shaft 14 and fixed to the brush rotation shaft 14, and a cylindrical side surface portion 18 that extends downward from the periphery of the upper surface portion 17. And an annular lower surface portion 19 fixed to the lower end edge of the side surface portion 18. The inner peripheral surface of the lower surface portion 19 is threaded. The holder 20 can be attached to the holder attachment portion 16 by screwing this screw and a screw formed on a screw portion 28 described later of the holder 20.

The holder 20 is disposed along the central axis line of the substantially cylindrical block body 21, the support shaft 8 disposed along the central axis line above the block body 21, and below the block body 21, An upper end portion is provided with a core member 22 inserted and fixed on the lower surface of the block body 21, and a plate 23 attached to the lower end of the core member 22.
The block body 21 is disposed so as to contact the upper end surface 11 a of the brush 11. The block body 21 is made of resin. A storage groove 24 that can store a liquid is formed on the upper surface of the block body 21.

The storage groove 24 is formed in an annular shape centering on the central axis of the block body 21. The bottom surface of the storage groove 24 is located in the middle of the block body 21 in the vertical direction.
In the block body 21, a plurality of (for example, four) connection paths 25 that penetrate the block body 21 and connect the bottom surface of the storage groove 24 and the upper end surface 11 a of the brush 11 are formed. Each connection path 25 communicates with the upper opening 26 that opens near the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the storage groove 24 and the lower opening 27 that opens closer to the central axis side than the upper opening 26 on the lower surface of the block body 21. is doing. Each connection path 25 is inclined about 30 ° so as to approach the central axis as it goes downward with respect to the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper openings 26 of the plurality of connection paths 25 are formed on the bottom surface of the storage groove 24 at substantially equal angular intervals on the circumference centered on the rotation axis of the block body 21.

The support shaft 8 is formed integrally with the block body 21. A threaded portion 28 having a threaded surface is integrally formed at the upper end portion of the support shaft 8.
A screw hole is formed in the lower end portion of the core member 22. The plate 23 is detachably attached to the core member 22 by screwing a bolt 29 passing through the center of the plate 23 into the screw hole.

  The brush 11 is externally fitted to the core member 22 and is sandwiched between the block body 21 and the plate 23. This brush 11 consists of sponge materials, such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), for example. The brush 11 includes a first cleaning unit 30 for cleaning the peripheral region 40 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the surface of the wafer W, and a second cleaning unit for cleaning the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W. 31 is formed in a substantially drum shape that is rotationally symmetrical about the vertical axis.

  The upper part 30a has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the lower part 30b has a substantially truncated cone shape that narrows downward. The side surface of the lower portion 30b of the first cleaning unit 30 has an upper end edge that is continuous with a lower end edge of the side surface of the upper portion 30a, has an inclination angle of, for example, 45 ° with respect to the central axis line, and approaches the central axis line downward. It is inclined to. In the first cleaning unit 30, the side surface of the lower portion 30 b is a first contact surface 32 that contacts the peripheral region 40 and the peripheral end surface 42 of the surface of the wafer W.

  The second cleaning unit 31 is integrally coupled to the lower end of the first cleaning unit 30 and arranged so as to share the central axis with the first cleaning unit 30. The second cleaning unit 31 has a substantially truncated cone shape in which the upper part 31a expands downward, and the lower part 31b has a substantially cylindrical shape. The side surface of the upper part 31a of the second cleaning unit 31 has an upper end edge that is continuous with a lower end edge of the side surface of the lower part 30b of the first cleaning unit 30 and has an inclination angle of 45 ° with respect to the central axis. Inclined away from the central axis. The lower end edge of the side surface of the upper part 31a is continuous with the upper end edge of the side surface of the lower part 31b. In the second cleaning unit 31, the side surface of the upper portion 31 a serves as a second contact surface 33 that contacts the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W.

  A processing liquid supply block 35 is fixed to the lower edge of the casing of the swing arm 9. A processing liquid supply pipe 36 extending in the horizontal direction is embedded in the processing liquid supply block 35. On the lower surface of the processing liquid supply block 35, a discharge port 37 is opened above the storage groove 24. Inside the processing liquid supply block 35, a discharge path 38 having a small diameter (for example, 0.1 mm) that connects the distal end portion of the processing liquid supply pipe 36 and the discharge port 37 is formed. The discharge path 38 is inclined by about 50 ° with respect to the vertical direction so as to approach the vertical axis as it goes downward.

A processing liquid from a processing liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the processing liquid supply pipe 36 via a processing liquid valve 39. When the processing liquid valve 39 is opened, the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply source is supplied to the discharge port 37 via the processing liquid supply pipe 36 and the discharge path 38 and is directed from the discharge port 37 to the inside of the storage groove 24. Discharged.
The processing liquid discharged from the discharge port 37 is stored in the storage groove 24 and flows through the connection path 25 toward the upper end surface 11 a of the brush 11. Then, the processing liquid that has reached the upper end surface 11 a of the brush 11 penetrates into the brush 11 and is supplied to the first contact surface 32 and the second contact surface 33 through the inside of the brush 11. Since the lower opening 27 opens closer to the central axis side than the upper opening 26, the treatment liquid is supplied near the rotation axis of the brush 11.

Note that pure water is used as the treatment liquid. Not only pure water but also functional water such as carbonated water, ionic water, ozone water, reduced water (hydrogen water) or magnetic water may be used as the treatment liquid. Further, as the treatment liquid, a chemical solution such as ammonia water or a mixed solution (SC1) of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide solution can be used.
The cover body 49 accommodates the brush 11 therein, and is formed in a bottomed rectangular tube shape centering on the rotation axis of the brush 11. The cover body 49 has a side wall 51 that surrounds the side of the brush 11 and a bottom wall 52 that closes the side wall 51 from below. In the side wall 51, an opening 53 for receiving the peripheral edge of the wafer W is formed in a region facing the contact portion of the brush 11 with the wafer W.

  In relation to the cover body 49, a suction nozzle 70 for sucking the processing liquid is attached. The suction nozzle 70 is inserted into a nozzle hole 44 formed in the side wall 51 on the side opposite to the opening 53 side, and is arranged so that a tip portion thereof contacts the brush 11. A support plate 46 is integrally attached to the suction nozzle 70, and the support plate 46 is fixed to a mounting plate 45 provided on the side wall 51 on the side opposite to the opening 53 side, whereby the suction nozzle 70. Is fixed to the cover body 49.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the brush and the suction nozzle of FIG. 3 taken along the cutting plane line V-V. The suction nozzle 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. The tip portion of the suction nozzle 70 is formed in a truncated cone shape, the tip surface 72 facing the boundary portion 34 between the first contact surface 32 and the second contact surface 33, the first contact surface 32, and the second contact surface. 33 and an abutment surface 73 that abuts on 33. The suction nozzle 70 is disposed on the opposite side of the surface area of the wafer W from the brush contact area P with respect to the vertical axis passing through the center of the brush 11.

  The suction nozzle 70 has a suction path 75 formed therein. One end of the suction path 75 is opened at the distal end surface 72, and a suction port 74 is formed on the distal end surface 72 by opening the suction path 75. A suction pipe 76 is connected to the other end of the suction path 75. The suction pipe 76 extends to the outside of the processing chamber 2, and the tip thereof is connected to a vacuum generator 60 for vacuum suction inside the suction pipe 76.

By driving the vacuum generator 60, the processing liquid contained in the brush 11 is sucked into the vacuum generator 60 through the suction port 74, the suction path 75 and the suction pipe 76. The processing liquid sucked into the vacuum generator 60 is processed by a waste gas liquid facility (not shown).
FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 50 having a configuration including a microcomputer.

The control unit 50 is connected with the spin motor 7, the swing drive mechanism 12, the lift drive mechanism 13, the brush rotation mechanism 15, the processing liquid valve 39, and the vacuum generator 60 as control targets.
FIG. 7 is a process diagram for explaining wafer processing in the substrate processing apparatus. Hereinafter, a case where a wafer W having a low-k film (hydrophobic film) formed on the center portion (device formation region) of the surface will be described as an example. This cleaning process is performed at the center portion of the surface. The wafer W on which the copper wiring is formed can be the cleaning target, and the other wafers W can be the cleaning target.

Before the wafer W to be processed is loaded, the brush 11 is disposed at the home position so that the swing arm 9 does not hinder the loading. A predetermined amount of processing liquid is stored in the storage groove 24 of the brush 11. Therefore, the brush 11 is impregnated with a sufficient amount of processing liquid.
The wafer W to be processed is loaded into the processing chamber 2 and held by the spin chuck 3 (step S1). When the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 3, the spin motor 7 is controlled by the control unit 50, and the rotation of the wafer W by the spin chuck 3 is started (step S2).

  Further, the brush rotation mechanism 15 is controlled by the control unit 50, and the brush 11 is rotated in the same direction as the rotation direction of the wafer W, for example, at a rotation speed of 100 to 200 rpm. Thereafter, the swing drive mechanism 12 and the elevation drive mechanism 13 are controlled by the control unit 50, and the second contact surface 33 of the brush 11 is brought into contact with the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W (step S3). .

  Specifically, first, the elevation drive mechanism 13 is controlled, the brush 11 is moved to a preset height position, and the second contact surface 33 of the brush 11 faces the peripheral end surface 42 of the wafer W. Next, the swing drive mechanism 12 is controlled, the swing arm 9 is turned, and the brush 11 is moved horizontally, whereby the second contact surface 33 of the brush 11 is moved to the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface of the back surface of the wafer W. 42 is pressed against. As a result, the wafer W penetrates into the second contact surface 33 of the brush 11, the processing liquid impregnated in the brush 11 oozes out, and the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W. The Then, when the wafer W and the brush 11 are rotated in the same direction, the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 of the back surface of the wafer W and the second contact surface 33 are rubbed, and the peripheral region 41 of the back surface of the wafer W and The peripheral end face 42 is cleaned.

When the treatment liquid oozes out from the brush 11 and the amount of the treatment liquid impregnated in the brush 11 decreases, the treatment liquid stored in the storage groove 24 of the block body 21 is supplied to the brush 11. Accordingly, the amount of the processing liquid stored in the storage groove 24 decreases as the backside cleaning process is performed on the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the backside of the wafer W.
At the same time that the brush 11 contacts the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W, the processing liquid valve 39 is opened by the control unit 50. Thereby, the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port 37 toward the storage groove 24 of the block body 21 (step S4). At this time, the discharge flow rate of the processing liquid from the discharge port 37 is, for example, 30 mL / min. The processing liquid from the discharge port 37 is stored in the storage groove 24 of the block body 21.

The controller 50 starts driving the vacuum generator 60 (step S5). As the vacuum generator 60 starts to be driven, the treatment liquid inside the brush 11 is sucked from the suction port 74. As a result, a flow of the processing liquid toward the suction port 74 is formed inside the brush 11.
When the back surface side cleaning process for the peripheral region 41 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the back surface of the wafer W is continued for a predetermined time, the elevating drive mechanism 13 is controlled by the control unit 50 and the brush 11 is lowered to a predetermined height. Thereby, the second contact surface 33 of the brush 11 is separated from the wafer W, and the peripheral edge portion of the wafer W comes into contact with the first contact surface 32 and is pressed (step S6). As a result, the wafer W bites into the first contact surface 32 of the brush 11, the processing liquid impregnated in the brush 11 oozes out, and the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral region 40 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the surface of the wafer W. The Then, when the wafer W and the brush 11 are rotated in the same direction, the peripheral region 40 and the peripheral end surface 42 of the surface of the wafer W and the first contact surface 32 are rubbed, and the peripheral region 40 of the surface of the wafer W and The peripheral end face 42 is cleaned.

  When the surface-side cleaning process for the peripheral region 40 and the peripheral end surface 42 on the surface of the wafer W is continued for a predetermined time, the swing driving mechanism 12 and the lifting / lowering driving mechanism 13 are controlled by the control unit 50 so that the brush 11 is not processed. Is retracted to the home position (step S7). Further, while the brush 11 is returned to the home position, the brush rotation mechanism 15 is controlled, and the rotation of the brush 11 is stopped. Further, the processing liquid valve 39 is closed by the controller 50, and the discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge port 37 is stopped (step S8). Moreover, the drive of the vacuum generator 60 is stopped by the control part 50 (step S9).

  Thereafter, the spin motor 7 is controlled by the controller 50, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed (for example, 3000 rpm) (step S10), the processing liquid adhering to the wafer W is shaken off, and the wafer W is dried. Is done. After high-speed rotation of the wafer W is continued for a predetermined time, the rotation of the wafer W by the spin chuck 3 is stopped (step S11). Then, after the wafer W is stopped, the processed wafer W is unloaded from the processing chamber 2 (step S12).

  According to this embodiment, the treatment liquid impregnated in the brush 11 is sucked through the suction port 74 disposed to face the brush 11. By the suction of the treatment liquid, a flow of the treatment liquid toward the suction port 74 is formed inside the brush 11. When the brush 11 impregnated with the processing liquid is brought into contact with the peripheral portions 40, 41 and 42 of the substrate, the processing liquid contained in the brush 11 is supplied to the peripheral portions 40, 41 and 42 of the wafer W. At this time, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portions 40, 41, and 42 of the wafer W is regulated by the flow of the processing liquid formed inside the brush 11. As a result, the amount of the treatment liquid that oozes out from the contact surfaces 32 and 33 can be regulated, and an appropriate amount of the treatment liquid can be supplied to the peripheral portions 40, 41, and 42 of the wafer W. As a result, the processing liquid can be prevented from entering the device forming area on the surface of the wafer W, and contamination from the peripheral edge portions 40, 41, and 42 of the wafer W can be prevented without adversely affecting the device forming area due to the processing liquid. It can be removed well.

Moreover, the contamination contained in the brush 11 is also sucked by the suction nozzle 70 together with the processing liquid. Thereby, the contamination contained in the inside of the brush 11 can be removed.
Further, the processing liquid penetrates the inside of the brush 11 and is supplied from the inside of the brush 11 to the contact surfaces 32 and 33 with the wafer W. Thereby, when the processing liquid is supplied to the contact surfaces 32 and 33 of the brush 11 with the wafer W, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from being scattered around. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the treatment liquid from adhering to the device formation region of the wafer W.

Further, the suction from the suction port 74 assists the penetration of the treatment liquid into the brush 11, so that the treatment liquid can be satisfactorily penetrated into the brush 11.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be implemented in other forms.
FIG. 8 is a side view of a brush showing another embodiment of the present invention.

  The suction nozzle 70A shown in FIG. 8 can be used in place of the suction nozzle 70 shown in FIG. 3, and unlike the suction nozzle 70, the suction port 74A opens to the contact surface 73 that contacts the second contact surface 33. ing. A suction path 75A is formed inside the suction nozzle 70A. The suction path 75A is bent downward at the tip, and the suction path 75A communicates with the suction port 74A. When the vacuum generator 60 is driven, the processing liquid inside the brush 11 is sucked from the suction port 74 </ b> A, and a flow of processing liquid toward the suction port 74 </ b> A is formed inside the brush 11.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the second contact surface 33 is located below the boundary portion 34, so that the treatment liquid can be infiltrated into the entire interior of the brush 11. Thereby, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portions 40, 41, 42 of the wafer W can be further suppressed.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of the present invention. A suction path 82 extending in the vertical direction is formed inside the core member 22 </ b> B inserted through the brush 11. A plurality (two in FIG. 9) of suction ports 74B are formed at the lower end portion (below the boundary portion 34) of the core material 22B. Each suction port 74B is formed in the 3rd contact surface 80 which is a contact surface with the brush 11 in the core material 22B. The suction path 82 branches into a plurality of branch paths at the lower end thereof, and each branch path communicates with the suction port 74B. Further, a suction pipe 81 disposed on the central axis is inserted into the support shaft 8B of the holder 20B. The lower end of the suction pipe 81 is connected to the upper end of the suction path 82.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the suction port 74 </ b> B faces the third contact surface 80. And the flow of the process liquid which goes to the core material 22B is formed in the brush 11 inside. Therefore, the processing liquid is collected inside the brush 11. Thereby, the amount of the processing liquid supplied to the peripheral portions 40, 41, 42 of the wafer W can be further suppressed.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, since the suction port 74 </ b> B is formed at the lower end portion of the core material 22 </ b> B, the treatment liquid can be infiltrated into the entire interior of the brush 11.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the connection path 25 is described as being inclined so as to approach the central axis as it approaches the brush 11, but in the vertical direction as in the connection path 25 </ b> B illustrated in FIG. 9. It may be formed to extend.
Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the processing liquid is permeated into the brush 11 and the processing liquid is supplied to the contact surfaces 32 and 33 of the brush 11 from the inside has been described as an example. In order to supply the processing liquid to the wafer W, a configuration in which the processing liquid is supplied to the back surface of the wafer W may be employed.

  In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the inside of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a brush periphery. It is sectional drawing when the holder of FIG. 3 is cut | disconnected by cut surface line IV-IV. It is sectional drawing when the brush and suction nozzle of FIG. 3 are cut | disconnected by the cut surface line VV. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical structure of a substrate processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating the process of the wafer in a substrate processing apparatus. It is a side view which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 11 Brush 11a Upper end surface 15 Brush rotation mechanism (brush rotation means)
21 Block body 22B Core material 24 Storage groove 25 Connection path 32 1st contact surface 33 2nd contact surface 34 Boundary part 36 Process liquid supply pipe (process liquid supply means)
37 Discharge port 39 Treatment liquid valve (treatment liquid supply means)
60 Vacuum generator 70, 70A Suction nozzle 72 Tip surface 73 Abutting surface 74, 74A, 74B Suction port 80 Third contact surface 82 Suction path P Brush contact area W Wafer

Claims (12)

A brush which has a contact surface and is arranged so that the contact surface is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate in a state where the treatment liquid is impregnated;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a suction unit for sucking a processing liquid impregnated in the brush through a suction port disposed to face the brush.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction unit includes a suction nozzle having the suction port and having a tip portion disposed so as to contact the brush. The brush is formed in a rotationally symmetric shape around a central axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate,
The contact surface has a first contact surface that narrows toward one side in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, and an edge of the one side of the first contact surface toward the one side in the perpendicular direction. And a second contact surface that expands in shape,
The suction nozzle includes a tip surface facing a boundary portion between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, and a contact surface that is continuous with the tip surface and contacts the first contact surface and the second contact surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the suction port is formed in the distal end surface.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the suction port is formed in the contact surface. Extending in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, comprising a core material inserted through the brush,
The suction port is formed on a contact surface of the core material with the brush,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction unit includes a suction path formed in the core member and connected to the suction port.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for rotating the brush around a predetermined axis that is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate.   A treatment liquid supply mechanism for supplying the treatment liquid to the brush so that the treatment liquid penetrates into the brush and the treated treatment liquid is supplied to the contact surface; The substrate processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-7. A block body disposed in contact with an upper end surface different from the contact surface of the brush;
The treatment liquid supply mechanism is
A groove formed on an upper surface of the block body and capable of storing a liquid;
A treatment liquid supply means for supplying a treatment liquid to the groove;
9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a connection path formed through the block body and connecting a bottom surface of the groove and the upper end surface of the brush.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing liquid supply unit includes a discharge port that is disposed above the groove and discharges the processing liquid toward the groove. The brush is formed in a rotationally symmetric shape around a central axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the connection path is inclined so as to approach the central axis as it approaches the brush. Arranging the brush impregnated with the treatment liquid so that the contact surface is in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate;
And a step of sucking the treatment liquid impregnated in the brush through a suction port disposed opposite to the brush.

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