JP2010036100A - Treatment liquid supply apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more uniformly and appropriately treat the entire substrate with a relatively small amount of treatment liquid. <P>SOLUTION: A treatment liquid supply apparatus includes a nozzle member 20 that supplies an etching liquid to the substrate S conveyed with a slanted posture. The nozzle member 20 is provided with a liquid accommodating section 22, a counter surface 20a extending in the width direction of the substrate S and opposing to the substrate S at a certain distance; liquid outlet ports 24 that are each provided at a plurality of positions arranged along the counter surface 20a; and paths 26 that guide the etching liquid accommodated in the liquid accommodating section 22 to outlet ports 24, respectively. A gap between the counter surface 20a and the substrate S and a gap between individual liquid outlet ports 24 are set so that a liquid film continuing in the width direction is formed by allowing the treatment liquid delivered onto the substrate S from each liquid outlet port 24 to continue along the counter surface 20a between the counter surface 20a and the substrate S by its surface tension. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an FPD (flat panel display) glass substrate such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) or PDP (plasma display), an organic EL glass substrate, an optical disk substrate, a photomask glass substrate, or a semiconductor wafer substrate. The present invention relates to a processing liquid supply apparatus applied to manufacturing.

  In manufacturing the substrate as described above, as one of the steps, there is a step (for example, an etching step) of removing a thin film formed on the substrate surface with a chemical solution.

As a processing apparatus for carrying out this process, there is generally known an apparatus for supplying a chemical solution in the form of droplets to a substrate surface from a shower nozzle disposed above the substrate while conveying the substrate in an inclined posture. According to this, since the thin film on the substrate can be removed and quickly flowed out of the substrate, the chemical solution on the substrate can be quickly replaced with a new chemical solution, so that the substrate can be processed efficiently.
JP-A-7-283185 (FIG. 1)

  In recent years, LCDs provided with polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) thin film transistors (low temperature polysilicon TFTs) have been widely used. In this type of LCD manufacturing process, an amorphous silicon layer is formed on a glass substrate, and a natural oxide film on the surface of the silicon layer is removed with a chemical solution (hydrofluoric acid) (etching process). However, it is conceivable to perform processing by applying the conventional apparatus as described above.

  However, due to the nature of the substrate, there are the following problems. That is, since the surface of the substrate after the etching process from which the oxide film has been removed has strong water repellency, the chemical solution is scattered irregularly on the substrate as the process proceeds, and the entire surface of the substrate flows. It becomes difficult to uniformly treat the material. Therefore, it is conceivable to supply a large amount of chemical solution onto the substrate. In this case, however, a large amount of a relatively expensive chemical solution (hydrofluoric acid) is consumed, resulting in high running costs. Furthermore, it is considered that bubbles are generated by releasing the pressure when the chemical solution is discharged, and this causes the quality of the substrate to be affected. Therefore, it is desirable to eliminate these problems.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to treat a substrate surface with particularly strong water repellency uniformly and appropriately with a relatively small amount of processing liquid.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a support means for supporting a substrate so that its surface is inclined when viewed from a specific direction, and a substrate parallel to the specific direction with respect to the substrate supported by the support means. A treatment liquid supply apparatus having a nozzle member for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate surface while moving relative to a direction, wherein the nozzle member is attached to the treatment liquid storage portion for storing the treatment liquid and the support means. Liquids provided in a plurality of positions extending in a direction crossing the substrate to be supported from the upper side to the lower side and facing the substrate across the transverse direction, and a plurality of positions of the opposing surface aligned in the transverse direction. A discharge port and a passage for guiding the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit to each of the liquid discharging ports, and the processing liquid discharged from each of the liquid discharging ports onto the substrate is the opposite surface Along the table The spacing between the facing surface and the substrate and the spacing between the liquid discharge ports in the transverse direction are such that the liquid flows along the substrate while forming a liquid film between the facing surface and the substrate due to tension. It is set.

  According to this configuration, while supplying the processing liquid from the nozzle member to the substrate in the transverse direction, the processing liquid is supplied to the entire substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the nozzle member in this state. be able to. At that time, as described above, the nozzle member is configured to flow the processing liquid along the substrate while forming a liquid film between the opposing surface of the substrate and the substrate using the surface tension of the processing liquid. Therefore, it becomes possible to continuously supply the processing liquid over the transverse direction of the substrate with a relatively small amount of the processing liquid. In addition, the treatment liquid may be discharged from each liquid discharge port within a range that allows the liquid to flow down while forming a liquid film due to surface tension between the nozzle member (opposing surface) and the substrate. It is not necessary to discharge the treatment liquid at a high pressure, and therefore it is possible to avoid generation of bubbles due to pressure release.

  As a more specific configuration, the processing liquid storage portion of the nozzle member extends along the transverse direction, and each of the passages extends from the processing liquid storage portion in a substantially vertical direction to reach the liquid discharge port.

  According to such a configuration, the processing liquid introduced into the processing liquid storage portion flows down to the liquid discharge port through each passage and is supplied onto the substrate from each liquid discharge port. Thereby, the liquid film is formed satisfactorily.

  In this case, it is preferable that the processing liquid container is provided so that the bottom surface thereof is substantially horizontal.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the treatment liquid from being biased in the treatment liquid storage unit, and to make the discharge flow rate of the treatment liquid from each liquid discharge port uniform.

  It is preferable that the nozzle member has the liquid discharge port over a range corresponding to the lower side end portion from the upper side end portion of the substrate in the facing surface. You may have the said liquid discharge port only in the range corresponding to an intermediate position or its vicinity from an upper end part.

  Further, the opposing surface of the nozzle member may have a flat portion other than the liquid discharge port. For example, a groove extending along the transverse direction is formed, and the liquid is formed in the groove. A discharge port may be provided.

  According to this configuration, since the processing liquid flows down along the groove, it becomes possible to stably flow down the processing liquid along the facing surface, and the continuity of the processing liquid flowing down along the substrate is enhanced. Can be secured.

  With the processing liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, the processing liquid can be supplied to the entire substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the nozzle member while supplying the processing liquid to the substrate as described above, Since the processing liquid flows down along the substrate while forming a liquid film between the substrate and the nozzle member using the surface tension of the processing liquid, the entire substrate is uniformly and appropriately processed with a relatively small amount of processing liquid. It becomes possible to do.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 are schematic views showing a substrate processing apparatus to which a processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view (main part). A processing device is shown.

  The substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an oxide film formed on the surface of a silicon layer as a pretreatment for performing laser annealing on a glass substrate S (hereinafter abbreviated as substrate S) on which an amorphous silicon layer is formed. Etching (light etching) is performed.

  The substrate processing apparatus has a box-shaped processing tank 10 provided with a carry-in port 12 and a carry-out port 14 for the substrate S, and is conveyed from the upstream side (upper process) as shown by the white arrow direction in the figure. The incoming substrate S is carried into the processing tank 10 from the carry-in port 12 and is subjected to an etching process, and then carried out from the carry-out port 14 to the downstream side (lower process). The carry-in port 12 and the carry-out port 14 are closed by a shutter (not shown) except when the substrate S is carried in and out, whereby the inside of the treatment tank 10 is kept in a substantially sealed state during the treatment.

  A plurality of transport rollers 16 (corresponding to the support means according to the present invention; omitted in FIG. 1) capable of transporting the substrate S from the transport inlet 12 to the transport outlet 14 are arranged in the processing tank 10 at predetermined intervals. . Each transport roller 16 is inclined along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate S (corresponding to a specific direction in the present invention), and the surface of the substrate S is changed from one end side to the other end side in the substrate width direction. It is configured so that it can be transported in the horizontal direction along the surface in a state where it is supported in an inclined posture that descends toward the front.

  A plurality of nozzle members 20 for supplying an etching solution to the substrate S are provided in the processing tank 10. Each nozzle member 20 has the same configuration, and is provided at regular intervals along the transport path of the substrate S (hereinafter simply referred to as the transport path), and is fixedly fixed at an upper position close to the transport roller 16 according to common mounting conditions. Has been placed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each nozzle member 20 is formed flat in the substrate transport direction, and is supported by the transport roller 16 so as to cross the transport path perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate S. The substrate S is provided so as to cross the width direction thereof. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, by being connected to the tank 36 through a supply pipe 30 having an opening / closing valve 32 and a pump 34, an etching solution (in this example) supplied from the tank 36 by driving the pump 34 and the like. Hydrofluoric acid) can be supplied to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate S.

  The lower end portion of the nozzle member 20 is close to the upper surface of the transport substrate S, and is configured to supply the etching solution while flowing down from the liquid discharge port 24 formed in the lower end portion onto the substrate. Yes. More specifically, the lower end portion of the nozzle member 20 is provided with a substantially flat facing surface 20a extending in the longitudinal direction (that is, the direction orthogonal to the transport direction), and a plurality of liquid discharge ports 24 are provided on the facing surface 20a. Are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction. A liquid storage portion 22 (corresponding to the treatment liquid storage portion of the present invention) extending in the longitudinal direction is provided inside the nozzle member 20 and communicates with the liquid storage portion 22 and each liquid discharge port 24. Thus, the passage 26 extending in the vertical direction is provided. With this configuration, the etching liquid introduced into the liquid storage unit 22 through the supply pipe 30 is supplied from the liquid discharge ports 24 to the substrate S through the passages 26. Is configured to do. Note that reference numeral 21 in FIG. 2 indicates an etching solution introduction port provided in the nozzle member 20.

  The opposed surface 20a of the nozzle member 20 is inclined so as to be substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate S supported by the transport roller 16, and thereby the substrate width between the surface of the substrate S and the opposed surface 20a. A uniform gap (symbol G in FIG. 3) is formed across the direction. Here, the arrangement interval (pitch) of the liquid discharge ports 24 of the nozzle member 20 and the interval G between the facing surface 20a and the substrate S are such that the etching liquid discharged from the respective liquid discharge ports 24 onto the substrate S is opposed to the above. It is set so as to flow along the substrate S while forming a liquid film between the facing surface 20a and the substrate S due to the surface tension.

  In the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above, the substrate S is transferred onto the transport roller 16 in the processing tank 10 through the carry-in port 12 and is carried into the processing tank 10 by driving the transport roller 16. At this time, the opening / closing valve 32 is closed, and accordingly, the supply of the etching solution to the substrate S by each nozzle member 20 is stopped.

  When the substrate S is completely loaded into the processing tank 10, the loading port 12 is closed by driving the shutter, and the conveyance of the substrate S is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the opening / closing valve 32 is opened, whereby supply of the etching solution from each nozzle member 20 to the substrate S is started.

  When the supply of the etching solution from each nozzle member 20 is started, as described above, the etching solution continues to each other along the facing surface 20a and forms a liquid film between the facing surface 20a and the substrate S by the surface tension. In this state, it flows down along the substrate S. Accordingly, the etching solution is supplied from each nozzle member 20 to the substrate S without any spots over the entire width direction.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the supply of the etching solution, the transport roller 16 is driven at a predetermined timing, and forward rotation and reverse rotation are switched at a predetermined time interval. Specifically, the switching is performed at a timing when the amount of movement of the substrate S in one direction is at least larger than the arrangement pitch of the nozzle members 20 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). That is, as described above, the etching solution is applied to the entire surface of the substrate S by swinging the substrate S in the transport direction (advancing and retreating in the transport direction) while supplying the etchant from the nozzle members 20 over the entire width of the substrate. Will be supplied.

  When the fixed time has passed, the carry-out port 14 is opened by driving the shutter, and the substrate S is carried out from the carry-out port 14, whereby the etching process for the substrate S is completed.

  As described above, in this substrate processing apparatus, the processing liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate by swinging the substrate S in the transport direction while supplying the etching liquid over the width direction of the substrate S by the nozzle member 20. In this apparatus, the nozzle member 20 as described above is applied, and along the substrate S, a liquid film is formed between the substrate S and the nozzle member 20 (opposing surface 20a) using the surface tension of the etching solution. Since the etching solution is caused to flow down, it becomes possible to supply the processing solution without any spots continuously over the width direction of the substrate S with a relatively small amount of the etching solution.

  In particular, in the etching process of the oxide film formed on the surface of the silicon layer, when the process proceeds and the oxide film is removed, the surface of the substrate S has strong water repellency, so that the etching solution is scattered in a granular form. Although there is a tendency to flow irregularly, according to this apparatus, the etching solution flows down while forming a liquid film due to surface tension between the nozzle member 20 (opposing surface 20a) and the substrate S as described above. The etching solution can be continuously and stably flowed down along the nozzle member 20 (opposing surface 20a) while avoiding an irregular flow of the etching solution.

  Therefore, compared with the case where an etching solution is supplied by applying a shower nozzle as in the past, the substrate S can be uniformly processed with a small amount of the etching solution, and as a result, the consumption of the etching solution is suppressed. Running costs can be reduced.

  In addition, in this apparatus, since the liquid film can flow down while forming the liquid film between the facing surface 20a of the nozzle member 20 and the substrate S, it is not necessary to discharge the etching liquid at a high pressure unlike a shower nozzle. Therefore, there is no fear that bubbles are generated due to pressure release when the etching solution is supplied. Therefore, there is an advantage that the disadvantage that the substrate quality is hindered due to the generation of the bubbles can be avoided.

  By the way, the substrate processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment is an example of a substrate processing apparatus to which the processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is applied, and specific configurations of the substrate processing apparatus, the nozzle member 20 and the like are described in the present invention. The present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the nozzle member 20 of the embodiment, the liquid discharge port 24 is provided over the entire area of the facing surface 20a. For example, as illustrated in FIG. You may make it provide the liquid discharge port 24 only in the range which opposes an upper side rather than the vicinity.

  In addition, the nozzle member 20 of the embodiment is formed with the entire opposing surface 20a flat, and the liquid discharge port 24 is formed on the flat surface. For example, as shown in FIG. A groove 20b extending in the direction may be formed, and the liquid discharge port 24 may be provided at the inner bottom of the groove 20b. According to this configuration, since the flow of the etching solution is regulated by the groove 20b, the etching solution can flow down along the facing surface 20a more stably. Therefore, it is possible to reliably avoid the disadvantage that the flow of the etching solution is disturbed in the middle and the continuity of the liquid film is lost, and to achieve a higher degree of continuity of the liquid film. In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the groove 20b is not limited to a rectangular cross section as shown in the figure, but may be a semicircular (arc-shaped) cross section or a triangular (wedge-shaped) cross section.

  In the nozzle member 20 of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid storage portion 22 is provided substantially horizontally (that is, the liquid storage portion 22 is provided so that the bottom surface thereof is substantially horizontal. This is to make the flow rate of the etching solution uniform in each solution discharge port 24 by preventing the unevenness of the etching solution in the solution storage part 22. Accordingly, when the flow rate at each liquid discharge port 24 can be made uniform in relation to the capacity of the liquid storage unit 22 and the flow rate of the introduced etchant, the liquid storage unit 22 is not necessarily horizontal. And may be inclined in the longitudinal direction.

  In the embodiment, after the substrate S is carried into the processing bath 10, the supply of the etching solution is started after the substrate S is temporarily stopped. However, the substrate S is continuously transported at a constant speed without stopping the transport. However, the supply of the etching solution may be started. In addition to starting the supply of the etching solution after waiting for the substrate S to be carried in, for example, when the apparatus is operating, the etching solution is always discharged from each nozzle member 20 (the open / close valve 32 is always set to “open”). The substrate S may be carried into the processing tank 10 in the state. In the embodiment, the substrate S is swung in the processing tank 10, but the etching solution may be supplied onto the substrate while the substrate S is continuously transported in one direction.

  In the embodiment, the substrate S is moved (swinged) relative to the nozzle member 20 to supply the etching solution to the entire surface of the substrate. The structure may be such that the etching solution is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate by moving the member 20 side.

  In the embodiments, the example in which the processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus for etching processing has been described. However, the processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention naturally supplies a cleaning liquid to the substrate. The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a cleaning process or the like.

1 is a plan sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus to which a liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 1 which shows the structure of a nozzle member. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 2 which shows the structure of a nozzle member. It is sectional drawing (figure corresponding to FIG. 2) which shows the modification of a nozzle member. It is sectional drawing (figure corresponding to FIG. 4) which shows the modification of a nozzle member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing tank 16 Conveyance roller 20 Nozzle member 20a Opposing surface 22 Liquid storage part 24 Liquid discharge port 26 Passage

Claims (6)

Support means for supporting the substrate so that the surface thereof is inclined when viewed from a specific direction, and a treatment liquid on the substrate surface while moving relative to the substrate supported by the support means in a direction parallel to the specific direction. A treatment liquid supply apparatus having a nozzle member for supplying
The nozzle member extends in a direction crossing the substrate supported by the support means and a substrate supported by the support means from the upper side to the lower side, and faces the substrate in the transverse direction. A counter surface, a liquid discharge port provided at each of a plurality of positions aligned in the transverse direction of the counter surface, and a path for guiding the processing liquid stored in the processing liquid storage unit to each liquid discharge port, respectively. And the processing liquid discharged onto the substrate from each liquid discharge port continues along the opposing surface, and forms a liquid film between the opposing surface and the substrate by the surface tension along the substrate. A treatment liquid supply apparatus, wherein an interval between the facing surface and the substrate and an interval between the liquid discharge ports in the transverse direction are set so as to flow down. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1,
The processing liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the processing liquid storage portion of the nozzle member extends along the transverse direction, and each of the passages extends from the processing liquid storage portion in a substantially vertical direction to the liquid discharge port. In the processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 2,
A processing liquid supply apparatus, wherein a bottom surface of the processing liquid container is provided so as to be substantially horizontal. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The processing member supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle member has the liquid discharge port over a range corresponding to the lower side end portion from the upper side end portion of the substrate in the facing surface. The processing liquid supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The processing liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle member has the liquid discharge port only in a range corresponding to an intermediate position or a vicinity thereof from an upper end of the substrate on the facing surface. In the processing liquid supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A processing liquid supply apparatus, wherein a groove extending along the transverse direction is formed on the facing surface of the nozzle member, and the liquid discharge port is provided in the groove.

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