JP2010016315A - Jig and method for cleaning of rotary coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a jig for washing used to wash a rotary coating apparatus capable of washing the vessel from an upper side even when the jig for washing is rotated at a comparatively low speed, and to provide a method for washing using the jig. <P>SOLUTION: The jig for washing 50 in one embodiment falls a processing liquid in drops onto a substrate rotatably held in the vessel, for the purpose of washing the vessel in a rotary coating apparatus for coating the film of the processing liquid on the substrate by rotating it. The outer peripheral surface 500 is provided as formed to retain the solvent fed on a back side and led into the vessel for spraying it, when the jig is rotated in the rotary coating apparatus. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus in which a processing solution such as a resist solution is dropped on a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel display substrate that is rotatably held in a container, and a film of the processing solution is formed by rotating the substrate. The present invention relates to a cleaning jig that can be used for cleaning a container to which a processing liquid scattered by rotation adheres.

In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a flat panel display (FPD), a resist is applied on a film to be processed formed on a semiconductor wafer or an FPD substrate, and a predetermined photomask (reticle) is applied to the applied resist. An etching mask having a predetermined pattern is formed by exposing and developing, and a predetermined circuit or the like is formed by etching using the etching mask.
JP 7-66116 A JP-A-10-144599 JP 2000-315671 A

  Currently, a spin coater is most often used for resist coating on the wafer surface. In the spin coater, a resist solution is dropped on the wafer, the resist solution dropped by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the wafer is diffused on the wafer surface, and a resist film is applied. At this time, excess resist solution scatters from the outer periphery of the wafer and adheres to the inner surface of the container formed so as to surround the outer periphery of the wafer. The resist adhering to the inner surface of the container becomes thicker every time the resist application to the wafer is repeated, and may be dried and peeled off from the container. If the peeled resist adheres to the surface of the wafer, there arises a problem that the manufacturing yield decreases.

  For this reason, a solvent is regularly supplied to the inner surface of the container to wash away the resist adhering to the inner surface of the container. As a method for supplying the solvent to the inner surface of the container, a plurality of conduits that open to the inner surface of the container are provided, and a solvent is supplied from these conduits to the inner surface of the container. The 2nd method of rotating a tool and spraying a solvent toward a container inner surface from a cleaning jig is known (patent documents 1-3). The first method has a problem that the inner surface of the container cannot be cleaned uniformly if the interval between the conduits is too wide or the conduit is clogged. Moreover, if it is going to solve this, the problem that the structure of a container will become complicated will arise. On the other hand, in the second method, since the solvent is sprayed using the cleaning jig, the container can be uniformly cleaned along the inner circumferential direction thereof, and the configuration of the container is simplified. Has the advantage of being able to.

  However, according to the results of the study by the present inventors, in order to spray the solvent on the upper portion of the container, the cleaning jig is relatively long at a relatively high rotational speed (for example, about 2400 revolutions per minute (rpm)). It must rotate for a time (for example, about 240 seconds), and a large load is applied to the rotary motor. Under such circumstances, the rotary motor becomes high temperature, and the heat is transmitted to the spin chuck, so that the temperature of the spin chuck rises. In this case, if the resist is applied to the wafer immediately after the cleaning of the container, the temperature of the wafer also increases, evaporation of the resist solvent is promoted in the central portion of the wafer, and the resist film thickness increases in the central portion. Such a problem may occur. As a result, the resist mask pattern is different between the central portion and the peripheral portion of the wafer, resulting in variations in the characteristics of manufactured devices and the like. In order to solve this problem, if a time for cooling the spin chuck after cleaning the container is provided, the problem arises that the downtime of the spin coater increases and the throughput decreases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a cleaning jig capable of cleaning a container from above even when the cleaning jig is rotated at a relatively low rotational speed, and the cleaning jig It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning method using a cleaning jig.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a treatment liquid is dropped on a substrate rotatably held in a container, and a film of the treatment liquid is formed on the substrate by the rotation of the substrate. A cleaning jig that can be used for cleaning a container in a spin coater for coating, and holds the solvent supplied to the back surface and guided by rotation when rotated in the spin coater. Provided is a cleaning jig having an outer peripheral surface formed so as to be scattered.

  The second aspect of the present invention is the cleaning jig according to the first aspect, wherein the outer peripheral surface includes an outer wall surface of a raised portion formed along the outer peripheral edge of the cleaning jig. Provide a cleaning jig.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleaning jig according to the first or second aspect, wherein the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface is at the same height as the back surface of the cleaning jig. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleaning jig according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the height of the outer peripheral surface is in the range of 2 mm to 7 mm.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning jig according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a groove extending in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning jig according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the cleaning jig further includes a recess on the outer peripheral surface.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the cleaning jig according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a through hole penetrating from the back surface to the surface of the cleaning jig, wherein the through hole is made of a solvent. Provided is a cleaning jig which is formed so as to allow the back surface to reach the outer peripheral surface from the back surface.

  An eighth aspect of the present invention is the cleaning jig according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the cleaning jig further includes a through hole penetrating from the back surface to the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning jig. provide.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the cleaning jig according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the size is the same as or slightly the size of the substrate holding portion provided in the spin coater for holding the substrate. Provided is a cleaning jig including a plate-like portion having a large size and an annular portion including the above-described outer peripheral surface and connected to the plate-like portion.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning jig according to the ninth aspect, wherein the plate-like portion is configured to be detachable from the annular portion.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spin coater for dropping a treatment liquid onto a substrate rotatably held in a container and applying a film of the treatment liquid onto the substrate by rotating the substrate. A cleaning method using the cleaning jig according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the step of rotating the cleaning jig by a rotation holding unit provided in the spin coater, and the solvent provided in the spin coater And a step of supplying a solvent from the supply unit to the back surface of the cleaning jig.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides the method according to the ninth aspect, wherein the step of rotating the cleaning jig includes the step of changing the rotation speed of the cleaning jig.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, even when the cleaning jig is rotated at a relatively low rotational speed, the cleaning jig capable of cleaning the container from the upper part, and the cleaning jig A cleaning method using is provided.

  Hereinafter, a cleaning jig according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding members or parts are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Also, the drawings are not intended to show the relative ratios between members or parts, and therefore specific dimensions should be determined by those skilled in the art in light of the following non-limiting embodiments.

  A cleaning jig according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitably used in a coating and developing apparatus that spin-coats and develops a film such as a resist film on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer W”). The

  First, the coating and developing apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The coating and developing apparatus 20 has a cassette station S1 for carrying in and out a wafer W in a substrate cassette C such as a so-called FOUP (Front Opening Universal Pod). The cassette station S1 passes through a mounting table 21 on which a plurality of wafer cassettes C can be mounted, a plurality of opening / closing units 22 corresponding to the plurality of wafer cassettes C mounted on the mounting table 21, and a wafer cassette opening / closing unit 22. And a transfer mechanism 23 (FIG. 2) for delivering a wafer from or to the wafer cassette C. The wafer cassette C can store a plurality of (for example, 13) wafers.

  In addition, the coating and developing apparatus 20 includes a processing unit S2 surrounded by a casing 24 next to the cassette station S1. As shown in FIG. 2, in the processing unit S2, the shelf unit U1, the main transport unit 25A, the shelf unit U2, the main transport unit 25B, and the shelf unit U3 are arranged in this order along the X direction.

  Each of the shelf units U1, U2, and U3 includes a multi-stage (for example, 10-stage) heating unit and / or cooling unit for performing pre-processing and post-processing for processing performed in the liquid processing units U4 and U5 (described later). Have.

  The main transfer units 25A and 25B transfer the wafer W between various processing units including the shelf units U1, U2, and U3 and the coating / developing unit. Each of the shelf units U1, U2, and U3 and the main transfer units 25A and 25B has an opening (not shown), and the wafer W can be transferred from the shelf unit U1 to the shelf unit U3 through the opening.

  The transport unit 25A is arranged so as to be surrounded by the shelf unit U1, the liquid processing unit U4, and the shelf unit U2. Similarly, the transport unit 25B is disposed so as to be surrounded by the shelf unit U2, the liquid processing unit U5, and the shelf unit U3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are arranged on the storage unit 29 for storing a resist solution and a developer, and the coating unit COT, the development unit DEV, and an antireflection film. A plurality of (for example, five) units including the unit BARC and the like. The liquid processing unit U4 has a three-stage coating unit COT and a two-stage antireflection film forming unit BARC, and the liquid processing unit U5 has a five-stage developing unit DEV. The combination of the developing unit DEV and the antireflection film forming unit BARC is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be combined as appropriate. Next to the liquid treatment unit U4 (U5), a temperature / humidity adjustment unit 27 (28) including a temperature adjustment device for liquid used in the liquid treatment unit, a duct used for temperature / humidity adjustment, and the like is provided. Yes.

  An interface section S3 is provided next to the processing section S2 along the positive direction of the X axis in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the processing section S2 is sandwiched between the cassette station S1 and the interface section S3. The interface unit S3 includes a first transfer chamber 31 and a second transfer chamber 32. One side surface of the second transfer chamber 32 is connected to the first transfer chamber 31, while the other side surface of the second transfer chamber 32 is connected to an exposure unit S4 including an exposure apparatus. Inside the interface unit S3, two transfer units 33 and 34 for transferring the wafer W between the processing unit S2 and the exposure unit S4, a shelf unit U6, and a buffer cassette CO are provided. .

  In the coating and developing apparatus 20, the wafer is processed as follows, for example. First, the substrate cassette C in which the wafers W are stored is mounted on the mounting table 21. Next, the lid of the substrate cassette C is removed, the opening / closing part 22 corresponding to the substrate cassette C is opened, and the wafer W is taken out from the substrate cassette C by the transport mechanism 23. Then, the wafer W is delivered to the main transfer unit 25A via a delivery unit (not shown) that forms one stage of the shelf unit U1. Next, the wafer W is transferred to one of the shelves U1 to U3 by the main transfer unit 25A, subjected to, for example, a hydrophobizing process or a cooling process as a pre-process, and further transferred to the coating unit COT, where The film is spin coated. Then, the wafer W is heated and cooled by a heating unit that is one of the shelf units U1 to U3, and then transferred to the interface unit S3 via the delivery unit of the shelf unit U3. In the interface unit S3, the wafer W is transferred from the transfer unit 33 to the exposure unit S4 via the shelf unit U6 and the transfer unit 34, for example, and exposure is performed. After the exposure, the wafer W is returned to the shelf unit U3 through a path opposite to the transfer path from the shelf unit U3 to the exposure unit S4, and is heated and cooled in the shelf unit U3. Thereafter, the main transfer unit 25B transfers the film to the developing unit DEV, where the developing unit DEV develops the resist film on the wafer W to form a resist mask. Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the original substrate cassette C on the mounting table 21.

Next, the coating unit COT of the coating and developing apparatus 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.
Referring to FIG. 3, the coating unit COT has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped housing 10, and a processing space 10 a in which liquid processing is performed is defined therein. The coating unit COT includes a spin chuck 11 that holds the wafer W to be processed in the housing 10, a dropping nozzle 15 that drops a resist solution on the surface of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 11, and a back surface of the wafer W. From the surface of the wafer W, a back rinse nozzle 14 for removing the resist or the like that has wrapped around the wafer W, a rinse nozzle 17 (FIGS. 4 and 5) for removing the resist solution applied to the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the like. And a cup body 2 for receiving scattered resist solution, resist solution mist, and the like.
The housing 10 is provided with a loading / unloading port 10b through which the wafer W and the main transfer unit 25A can pass for loading / unloading the wafer W into / from the processing space 10a.

  The spin chuck 11 sucks the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W and holds it substantially horizontally. The spin chuck 11 is connected to a drive mechanism (spin chuck motor) 13 via a shaft portion 12, and the held wafer W can be rotated by the spin chuck motor 13. Further, the spin chuck 11 can move in the vertical direction (Z direction in FIGS. 3 and 4).

  The dropping nozzle 15 drops the resist solution sent from a supply unit (not shown) onto the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 11. The dripping nozzle 15 is supported by a base 16a, and the base 16a can move in the vertical direction. The base 16a can be moved in the left-right direction (X direction in FIGS. 3 and 4) by a guide rail 16b provided at the base of the base 16a. With these configurations, the dripping nozzle 15 moves, for example, from the home position (the left end position of the guide rail 16b shown in FIG. 4) and faces, for example, the central portion of the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 11, A resist solution can be dropped on the surface.

  The rinsing nozzle 17 supplies a rinsing liquid for removing the resist film to the peripheral portion of the wafer W in order to prevent the peripheral portion of the resist film applied to the wafer W from peeling off. As shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the rinse nozzle 17 has a substantially Γ shape and is attached to the drive unit 18. Moreover, the rinse nozzle 17 has a conduit | pipe inside, and can discharge a rinse liquid from the rinse liquid supply part connected via the conduit | pipe similarly provided in the inside of the drive part 18. FIG. As the rinsing liquid, a solvent contained in the processing liquid, such as thinner, can be used. Further, the rinse nozzle 17 is in a home position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 in a steady state, and can be rotated around the drive unit 18 by the drive unit 18. With such a configuration, during the edge rinse, the tip of the rinse nozzle 17 moves to a position facing the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the rinse liquid can be discharged toward the peripheral edge of the wafer W.

  Furthermore, the coating unit COT includes a control unit 6 that plays a central role in controlling the operation of each device. The control unit 6 is connected to the spin chuck motor 13 of the spin chuck 11 and the base 16a. The control unit 6 may be, for example, a computer including a CPU as a component, and a storage device 6 a and an input / output device 6 b are connected to the control unit 6. Further, the control unit 6 operates each device of the coating unit COT based on a program for causing the coating unit COT to execute a cleaning method described later, and performs the cleaning method. This program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium 6c such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory device, stored in the storage device 6a by a predetermined reading device, and read out to the control unit 6 as necessary. The control unit 6 also has a function of controlling the overall operation of the coating and developing apparatus 20 including the coating unit COT as a coating unit.

  Next, the cup body 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. The cup body 2 is dropped onto the wafer W, receives the resist solution and its mist that are scattered by the rotation of the wafer W, and discharges it outside the coating unit COT.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cup body 2 receives a base portion 2a that provides a drain of resist solution or the like scattered from the wafer W, and a resist solution or the like that is placed on the outer periphery of the base portion 2a and splashes from the wafer W. The outer cup 2b includes an inner cup 2c that is placed on the inner peripheral portion of the base portion 2a and guides the resist solution or the like flowing down from the wafer W or the outer cup 2b to the drain of the base portion 2a.

  A drain port 45 and an exhaust port 46 are provided at the bottom of the base portion 2a. The drain port 45 is connected to the drain pipe 52 that discharges the resist solution and the like, and discharges the resist solution that flows down from the outer cup 2b and the resist solution guided by the inner cup 2c. The exhaust port 46 extends vertically above and below the bottom of the base portion 2a, and is connected to an exhaust pipe 51 connected to an exhaust portion (not shown) at the lower end, and exhausts solvent or resist solution mist evaporating from the resist solution. As indicated by arrows in FIG. 3, the solvent from the resist solution and the resist mist flow from the opening 41a between the outer cup 2b and the inner cup 2c to the flow path between the outer wall 24a of the base portion 2a and the inner cup 2c. The air is exhausted through the air flow path that reaches the exhaust port 46 through the space between the plate 43 and the space between the flow path plate 43 and the upper end of the exhaust port 45. Note that a filter unit 19 facing the cup body 2 is attached to the ceiling of the housing 10, and for example, clean air is supplied from the filter unit 19 at a predetermined flow rate. The clean air sent out from the filter unit 19 is exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) to form a downflow in the processing space 10a and exhausted through the air flow path. Therefore, a clean environment is also realized inside the cup body 2.

  Further, a back rinse nozzle 14 is provided in the base portion 2 a so as to be positioned below the wafer W held by the spin chuck 11. The back rinse nozzle 14 is connected to the solvent tank 14b through a conduit penetrating the base portion 2a and a solenoid valve 14a. According to this configuration, the solvent can be supplied from the back rinse nozzle 14 toward the back surface of the wafer W by opening the solenoid valve 14a and pressurizing the solvent tank 14b. In the illustrated example, there are two back rinse nozzles 14 with the shaft portion 12 of the spin chuck 11 as the center. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more back rinse nozzles 14 may be provided. Further, as this solvent, a solvent contained in the resist, for example, thinner can be used.

  Next, a cleaning jig according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the cleaning jig according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of about a half of the cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 6A. FIG. Referring to FIG. 6A, the cleaning jig 50 has a disk shape as a whole. The cleaning jig 50 includes, for example, a central portion 50a that is a circular disk member, and an annular portion 50b that has an annular shape and is detachably connected to the central portion 50a. The central portion 50a has a size that can be held by the spin chuck 11 of the coating unit COT, that is, a diameter that is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the spin chuck 11. For this reason, when the cleaning jig 50 is carried into the housing 10 by the main transport unit 25A (FIG. 2) and delivered to the spin chuck 11 by the lift pins (not shown), the cleaning jig 50 is The back surface of the central portion 50a is adsorbed and held by the spin chuck 11. The central portion 50a is preferably made of a strong material such as glass or resin, specifically polyoxymethylene (POM) so as not to be deformed by vacuum suction by the spin chuck 11. Further, the central portion 50a may be formed thicker than the annular portion 50b as shown in FIG. 6B in order to further increase the strength and further reduce deformation due to adsorption, distortion during rotation, and the like.

  The annular portion 50b is preferably made of a material having hydrophilicity (a property that makes it easily wet to the rinsing liquid) or a material that has been subjected to a hydrophilic treatment and that has corrosion resistance to the rinsing liquid. Made of resin. The annular portion 50b has a diameter substantially the same as the diameter (for example, about 300 mm) of the wafer W that can be processed by the coating unit COT. Furthermore, an annular raised portion 50d is provided along the outer periphery of the surface of the annular portion 50b. Referring to FIG. 6B, the raised portion 50d has a right-angled triangular cross section with the hypotenuse inclined toward the central portion 50a. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6B, the side of the raised portion 50 that stands up in the vertical direction forms an outer wall surface along the outer edge of the annular portion 50b. That is, the outer wall surface of the raised portion 50 forms a part of the outer peripheral surface 500 of the cleaning jig 50. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface 500 can have height h (FIG.6 (b)) higher than the thickness of the annular part 50b. Moreover, the lowermost end of the outer peripheral surface 500 is located at the same level as the back surface of the annular portion 50b. In other words, the outer peripheral surface 500 does not extend to a position lower than the back surface of the annular portion 50b. The height h of the outer peripheral surface 500 will be described later.

  As described above, the annular portion 50b is preferably formed of a hydrophilic material or a material subjected to a hydrophilic treatment, but the hydrophilic treatment may be performed only on the outer peripheral surface 500. . Moreover, you may perform a hydrophilic process with respect to the outer peripheral surface 500 and the back surface of the cyclic | annular part 50b.

  In addition, the annular portion 50b and the central portion 50a are detachably connected to each other even when the central portion 50a is damaged, by simply replacing the central portion 50a. This is so that the whole can be used without being discarded. In the illustrated example, the annular portion 50b is detachably screwed to the center portion 50a at the inner peripheral portion. However, in other embodiments, they may be detachably connected to each other by other methods. Further, the central portion 50 a is not limited to a circular shape, and may have any planar shape as long as it can be held by the spin chuck 11. In this case, the annular portion 50b is not limited to the annular shape, and may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the central portion 50a.

  The cleaning jig 50 can be stored in a predetermined position in the shelf units U1, U2, U3 of the coating and developing apparatus 2 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, in a space on the cooling unit. From the storage location, the main transport unit 25A (25B) is used to transport to the coating unit COT.

  Hereinafter, the cleaning method of the cup body 2 of the coating unit COT using the cleaning jig 50 according to the present embodiment and the action exerted by the cleaning jig 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the cleaning method. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a cross section of the coating unit COT and the cleaning jig 50 held by the spin chuck 11 of the coating unit COT during the cleaning of the cup body 2. This cleaning method may be performed periodically after applying a resist to a predetermined number of wafers, or when the incoming interval of wafers (lots) to be processed by the coating / developing apparatus 20 is long. You may go between lots.

  First, the cleaning jig 50 configured as described above is carried into the casing 10 of the coating unit COT from a predetermined storage location by the main transport unit 25A, and from the main transport unit 25A by a lift pin (not shown) to the spin chuck 11. Deliver the cleaning jig 50 upward. Next, the cleaning jig 50 is held by the spin chuck 11 by suction (step S1). Next, the cleaning jig 50 is rotated at the first rotation speed (step S2). The first rotation speed may be, for example, about 70 rpm to about 300 rpm, and more preferably about 100 rpm to about 200 rpm.

Next, the solvent is supplied from the back rinse nozzle 14 toward the back surface of the cleaning jig 50 (annular portion 50b) (step S3). The supply amount of the solvent, for example, may between about 50 cm ³ / min from about 200 cm ³ / min, may be from about 80 cm ³ / min from about 120 cm ³ / min. As shown in FIG. 8, the solvent that has reached the back surface of the cleaning jig 50 from the back rinse nozzle 14 flows on the back surface toward the outer periphery of the cleaning jig 50 due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cleaning jig 50. The rear outer peripheral edge 50e is reached. The solvent that has reached the rear outer peripheral edge 50e wraps around the outer peripheral surface 500 due to the viscosity and surface tension of the solvent. Then, the solvent that has entered the outer peripheral surface 500 is scattered toward the inner surface of the outer cup 2 b of the cup body 2 by the rotation of the cleaning jig 50. Here, since the solvent wraps upward along the outer peripheral surface 500, it can be scattered at an elevation angle that is higher than the horizontal direction, and can reach a higher portion of the inner surface of the outer cup 2b. That portion can be made higher than the height of the wafer held by the spin chuck 11. Therefore, the solvent can flow through the inner surface of the outer cup 2b from a position higher than the portion where the resist is adhered to the bottom of the base portion 2a, and wash away the resist solution adhering to the inner surface of the outer cup 2b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, during the scattering of the solvent, the amount of the solvent supplied from the back rinse nozzle 14 to reach the outer peripheral edge 50 e and goes around the outer peripheral surface 500, and the solvent scattered from the outer peripheral surface 500 A predetermined amount of the solvent pool R determined in balance with the amount of the gas discharged is formed on the outer peripheral surface 500. The amount varies not only with the rotational speed of the cleaning jig 50 but also with the height h of the outer peripheral surface 500 such as the amount of solvent supplied from the back rinse nozzle 14 and the viscosity of the solvent. Since the solvent can surely reach the outer cup 2b by forming an appropriate amount of the solvent reservoir R, it is important to adjust the height h of the outer peripheral surface 500. For example, in an extreme case where the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning jig 50 is formed so as to become thinner toward the edge (in the shape of an edge) (when the height h of the outer peripheral surface 500 is substantially zero), the solvent pool is reduced. It will not be formed. On the other hand, even if the outer peripheral surface 500 is made higher, it does not have to be so high that it exceeds the limit of the height that the solvent can reach. Further, if the outer peripheral surface 500 is excessively raised, there may be a situation where the cleaning jig 50 cannot be rotated stably. Therefore, the height h of the outer peripheral surface 500 is preferably determined through preliminary experiments. According to the study conducted by the inventors of the present invention, the height h of the outer peripheral surface 500 is preferably about 2 mm to about 7 mm, and more preferably about 3 mm to about 5 mm.

  After the solvent is scattered on the outer cup 2b for a predetermined time, the rotational speed is reduced to the second rotational speed (step S4). The second rotational speed can be, for example, about 30 rpm to about 70 rpm. Thereby, the solvent scattered from the outer peripheral surface 500 falls on the upper surface of the inner cup 2c. Therefore, the inner cup 2c is cleaned with the solvent from the upper surface to the bottom of the base portion 2a.

  After the solvent is scattered to the inner cup 2c for a predetermined time, the supply of the solvent from the back rinse nozzle 14 is stopped (step S5), and the rotation speed of the cleaning jig 50 is increased to increase the cleaning jig 50. Is dried (step S6). Thereafter, the rotation of the cleaning jig 50 is stopped, the cleaning jig 50 is lifted by the lifting pins (not shown), and the cleaning jig 50 is unloaded from the coating unit COT by the main transport unit 25A (step S7). ), Transport to a predetermined storage location.

  Next, examples and comparative examples of the above-described cleaning method will be described with reference to FIGS. Table 1 shows the configuration of the cleaning jig used in the examples and comparative examples. As can be seen from Table 1, the cleaning jig in the comparative example is different from the cleaning jig 50 of the embodiment in that there is no raised portion 50d and the annular portion 50b has a certain thickness up to the outer edge. Are the same. Hereinafter, the cleaning jig of the comparative example is referred to as a cleaning jig 60 for convenience of explanation.

Using the cleaning jigs 50 and 60, the same cup body 2 was cleaned according to the above-described cleaning method. In either case, cleaning was performed after applying a resist to 1500 wafers in the cup body 2. The cleaning conditions such as the rotation speed of the cleaning jigs 50 and 60 are as shown in the recipes for the coating unit COT in Tables 2 and 3. The cleaning conditions in the examples shown in Table 2 and the cleaning conditions in the comparative example are adjusted so that the cup body 2 can be sufficiently cleaned when the cup body 2 is cleaned using the cleaning jigs 50 and 60. It was decided by doing. A typical example of the cup body 2 before and after the cleaning using the cleaning jigs 50 and 60 is shown in FIGS. FIG. 9A shows the inner surface of the cup body 2 before cleaning, and FIG. 9B shows the cup body 2 after cleaning. In these drawings, the white portion indicates the portion where the cup body 2 is visible, and the black portion indicates the resist attached to the cup body 2. Comparing FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, in both the example and the comparative example, almost the entire area of the cup body 2 is exposed after cleaning, and adheres to the inner surface of the cup body 2 before cleaning. It can be seen that the resist which has been removed is removed by cleaning.

Referring to Table 2, in the embodiment, even when the outer cup 2b is cleaned, the rotational speed of the cleaning jig 50 is 150 rpm, and the cleaning time at this rotational speed is only 50 seconds.

  On the other hand, in the comparative example, when the outer cup 2b is cleaned, the rotational speed of the cleaning jig 60 is 2000 rpm, and the cleaning time is as long as 6 minutes. Moreover, in order to increase the rotational speed to 2000 rpm, it is necessary to ramp up and ramp down, which further takes time.

  Further, in the comparative example, as shown in the bottom column of Table 3, the cleaning jig 60 is maintained for 600 seconds without being rotated. This is provided to return the temperature of the spindle chuck 11 to room temperature (or the temperature of the environment where the spin coater 20 is installed). That is, when the cleaning jig 60 is rotated at a high rotational speed of 2000 rpm, the spindle motor 13 becomes high temperature, and the temperature of the spindle chuck 11 is increased due to the influence. Immediately after this, if a resist is applied to the wafer W, the uniformity of the resist film deteriorates. To prevent this, it is necessary to return the temperature of the spindle chuck 11 to room temperature.

While the comparative example is as long as 600 seconds, the cooling period of the spindle chuck 11 in the embodiment is as short as 380 seconds. This is because the spindle motor 13 does not reach such a high temperature because the rotational speed at the time of cleaning the outer cup 2b is as low as 150 rpm. Also from this viewpoint, the time required for cleaning is reduced in the embodiment.
It should be noted that, even in the cleaning of the inner cup 2c, in the embodiment, it takes a short time at a lower rotational speed than in the comparative example.

  From the above results, it became clear that the cup body 2 can be cleaned in a short time at a relatively low rotational speed according to the cleaning jig 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, it takes about 18 minutes to clean the cup body 2 in the comparative example, whereas it takes about 8 minutes in the example.

  As described above, according to the cleaning jig 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the solvent supplied from the back rinse nozzle 14 to the back surface of the cleaning jig 50 is cleaned by the rotation of the cleaning jig 50. Even if the rotational speed of the cleaning jig 50 is relatively low, the cup body 2 wraps upward along the outer peripheral surface 500 of the cleaning jig 50 and scatters from the outer peripheral surface 500 toward the cup body 2. Therefore, the outer cup 2b can be cleaned almost entirely. Moreover, the inner cup 2c can also be cleaned by adjusting the rotational speed to be lower.

  Further, the cleaning jig 50 includes a central portion 50 a and an annular portion 50 b that are screwed together, and the back surface of the central portion 50 a is held by the spin chuck 11. For this reason, by forming the central portion 50a with a material having a small heat capacity and easily dissipating heat, heat transmitted from the spin chuck motor 13 to the spin chuck 11 can be quickly dissipated to prevent the temperature of the spin chuck 11 from rising. be able to. Therefore, even when the temperature of the rotary motor rises during the cleaning of the cup body 2, the time for reducing the temperature of the spin chuck 11 to about room temperature can be shortened. As a result, the downtime of the coating and developing apparatus 20 can be reduced and the throughput can be improved.

Hereinafter, modified examples of the cleaning jig 50 will be described.
<Modification 1>
FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view showing a cleaning jig according to Modification 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. It is. As illustrated, the cleaning jig 51 has a groove portion 511 formed on the outer peripheral surface 510 along the circumferential direction. The amount of the solvent reservoir R held on the outer peripheral surface 510 can be increased by the groove portion 511, and the amount of the solvent scattered from the outer peripheral surface 510 to the cup body 2 can be increased.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing a cleaning jig according to Modification 2 of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. It is. As shown in FIG. 11A, the cleaning jig 52 is provided with a plurality of through holes 521 at predetermined angular intervals along the inner periphery of the raised portion 52e in the annular portion 52b. As shown in FIG. 11B, the through-hole 521 allows the solvent flowing from the back rinse nozzle 14 along the back surface of the annular portion 52b to wrap around the surface of the annular portion 52b. The solvent that has entered the surface reaches the outer peripheral surface 520 by overriding the raised portion 52e. That is, the solvent can be supplied to the solvent reservoir R from the top of the raised portion 52e, and therefore the amount of the solvent scattered from the outer peripheral surface 520 to the cup body 2 can be increased.

<Modification 3>
FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing a cleaning jig according to Modification 2 of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG. It is. As illustrated, the cleaning jig 53 has a plurality of through-holes 531 that pass through the raised portion 53 e from the back surface of the annular portion 53 b and open to the outer peripheral surface 530. The plurality of through-holes 531 are provided at predetermined angular intervals similarly to the through-holes 521 of the cleaning jig 52 according to the second modification. Since the solvent from the back rinse nozzle 14 can be supplied to the solvent reservoir R through the through hole 531, the amount of the solvent scattered from the outer peripheral surface 530 to the cup body 2 can be increased.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to some embodiments and modifications, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be variously modified within the scope of the appended claims. .
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the protruding portions 50d, 51d, 52d, and 53d are provided on the outer peripheral edges of the cleaning jigs 50, 51, 52, and 53 to form the outer peripheral surface 500. The outer peripheral surface 500 may be formed by thickening the whole (or the annular portion 50b). However, when the raised portion 50d or the like is provided on the relatively thin annular portion 50b or the like, it is preferable in that the cleaning jig 50 or the like can be reduced in weight and the load on the motor can be reduced.

  Further, although the cleaning jig 50 and the like are formed from the central portion 50a and the like and the annular portion 50b and the like, it is needless to say that the cleaning jig 50 and the like may be formed from one disk.

  The cross-sectional shape (FIG. 6B) of the raised portion 50d and the like is not limited to a right triangle, but may be a rectangle or a trapezoid. In addition, as long as the outer peripheral surface 500 is formed so that the solvent can enter the outer peripheral surface 500, surfaces other than the outer peripheral surface 500 may be curved.

  Further, the outer peripheral surface 500 and the like of the cleaning jig 50 and the like extend in the vertical direction in the illustrated example, but as long as the solvent can be circulated into the outer peripheral surface 500 and the solvent reservoir R is formed, It does not matter.

  The groove 511 in the cleaning jig 51 is formed in a V-groove shape in FIG. 10, but is not limited thereto, and may be a concave groove. Further, a plurality of recesses may be provided along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 510 instead of the groove portion 511. This also increases the amount of solution pool on the outer peripheral surface 510.

  Although the through hole 521 of the cleaning jig 52 according to the modification 2 is illustrated in FIG. 11B so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the back surface (front surface) of the annular portion 52b, it is inclined. May be. In particular, it is preferable that the through hole 521 be inclined outwardly from the back surface to the front surface so that the solvent from the back surface can be guided toward the raised portion 52d.

  Furthermore, any two or three of the modified examples 1 to 3 may be combined. That is, for example, the through hole 521 of the cleaning jig 52 according to Modification 2 may be formed in the cleaning jig 51 according to Modification 1.

  Moreover, the cup body 2 may have a middle cup between the outer cup 2b and the inner cup 2c. It goes without saying that the resist adhering to the middle cup can be washed away by adjusting the rotation speed of the cleaning jig 50. The middle cup may play a role of adjusting the direction of airflow when the solvent evaporating from the resist solution or the mist of the resist solution is exhausted through the above-described air flow path.

  Each step of the flowchart of FIG. 7 may include one or more separate steps or stages or both. Therefore, it should not be understood that just because the seven steps S1 to S7 are described, the cleaning method described above is limited to only seven steps.

  Alternatively, the first rotational speed in step S2 may be slower than the second rotational speed in step S4, and the inner cup 2c may be cleaned before the outer cup 2b is cleaned. Further, step S3 for supplying the solvent from the back rinse nozzle 14 to the back surface of the cleaning jig 50 or the like may be performed simultaneously with step S2 for starting the rotation of the cleaning jig 50 or the like or before step 2.

Needless to say, the rotational speed should be adjusted in accordance with the viscosity of the solvent to be used and the shape of the cup body 2.
Of course, the wafer W in the above-described embodiment and modification is not limited to a semiconductor wafer but may be an FPD substrate. Further, the cleaning jig and the cleaning method according to the present invention are applicable not only to a coating apparatus (coating unit) that forms a film on the surface of a substrate but also to a development processing apparatus.

1 is a perspective view showing a coating and developing apparatus in which a cleaning jig according to an embodiment of the present invention is preferably used. FIG. 2 is a top view of the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the coating unit with which the coating and developing apparatus of FIG. 1 is equipped. FIG. 4 is a top view of the coating unit of FIG. 3. It is a side view which shows the rinse nozzle of the application | coating unit of FIG. It is the perspective view (a) and sectional drawing (b) which show the jig | tool for washing | cleaning by embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the jig | tool for washing | cleaning by embodiment of this invention during a coating unit washing | cleaning. It is a figure which shows before and after washing | cleaning of the container of the coating unit wash | cleaned using the washing | cleaning jig | tool by embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view (a) and sectional drawing (b) which show the modification of the jig | tool for washing | cleaning by embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view (a) and sectional drawing (b) which show another modification of the jig | tool for washing | cleaning by embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view (a) and sectional drawing (b) which show another modification of the jig | tool for washing | cleaning by embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 cup body 2b outer cup 2c inner cup 11 spin chuck 14 back rinse nozzle 10 coating unit 20 coating and developing device 50, 51, 52, 53 cleaning jig 500, 510, 520, 530 outer peripheral surface

Claims (12)

It can be used for cleaning the container in a spin coater in which a treatment liquid is dropped on a substrate rotatably held in a container and a film of the treatment liquid is applied onto the substrate by the rotation of the substrate. A cleaning jig,
A cleaning jig comprising an outer peripheral surface formed so as to hold a solvent supplied to the back surface and guided by the rotation and to be scattered into the container when rotated in the spin coater. The cleaning jig according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface includes an outer wall surface of a raised portion formed along an outer peripheral edge of the cleaning jig. The cleaning jig according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface is at the same height as a back surface of the cleaning jig. The cleaning jig according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a height of the outer peripheral surface is in a range from 2 mm to 7 mm. The cleaning jig according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a groove portion extending in a circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface. The cleaning jig according to claim 1, further comprising a concave portion on the outer peripheral surface. A through hole penetrating from the back surface to the surface of the cleaning jig is further provided, and the through hole is formed to allow the solvent to reach the outer peripheral surface from the back surface through the surface. Item 7. A cleaning jig according to any one of Items 1 to 6. The cleaning jig according to claim 1, further comprising a through hole penetrating from the back surface of the cleaning jig to the outer peripheral surface. A plate-like portion having a size that is the same as or slightly larger than the size of the substrate holding portion provided in the spin coater for holding the substrate, and an annular portion including the outer peripheral surface and connected to the plate-like portion; The cleaning jig according to claim 1, which is configured. The cleaning jig according to claim 9, wherein the plate-like portion is configured to be detachable from the annular portion. 11. A spin coater that drops a treatment liquid onto a substrate rotatably held in a container and coats the film of the treatment liquid on the substrate by rotating the substrate. A method of cleaning using the cleaning jig described in
Rotating the cleaning jig by a rotation holding unit provided in the spin coater;
Supplying a solvent from a solvent supply unit provided in the spin coater to the back surface of the cleaning jig;
Having a method. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of rotating the cleaning jig includes a step of changing a rotation speed of the cleaning jig.