JP2010093190A - Substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing device capable of improving capability of discharging a processing liquid from a substrate and making small a particle diameter of a droplet of the processing liquid scattered to a periphery of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing device includes a spin chuck 3 having a support ring 8 for holding the substrate W horizontally, and a cleaning liquid nozzle and a rinse liquid nozzle for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. The support ring 8 includes an annular expansion surface 36 provided enclosing the entire circumference of the substrate W and expanding an outer circumferential edge of the substrate W outward so that the processing liquid may flow outward from a top surface of the substrate W held by the support ring 8. The expansion surface 36 is a lyophilic surface having higher lyophilicity to the processing liquid than the substrate W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing 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, ceramic substrate and the like.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device is used. A single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one includes, for example, a spin chuck that horizontally holds and rotates a substrate, a processing liquid nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck, And a splash guard for receiving and capturing the processing liquid scattered around the substrate.

When processing a substrate with this substrate processing apparatus, for example, while rotating the substrate by a spin chuck, the processing liquid is continuously discharged from the processing liquid nozzle toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid nozzle is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate, and spreads instantaneously toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. Thereby, the processing liquid is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate, and the processing with the processing liquid is performed on the upper surface of the substrate. Further, the processing liquid that has reached the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is shaken off around the substrate by centrifugal force and is received by the splash guard. After the processing with the processing liquid is performed, a drying process (spin drying) is performed in which the substrate is rotated at a high speed by a spin chuck to dry the substrate.
JP 2008-27931 A

  When the drying process (spin drying) is performed in the above-described configuration, the processing liquid adhering to the substrate flows as droplets on the substrate and is shaken off from the periphery of the substrate to the periphery thereof. The droplet size increases as the hydrophobicity of the substrate surface increases. Therefore, when a drying process is performed on a substrate having a hydrophobic surface, droplets of a treatment liquid having a large particle size are shaken off around the substrate. Then, the droplets of the processing liquid shaken off around the substrate collide with the splash guard and bounce back to the substrate side. Since the particle size of the droplets that are shaken off from the substrate is large, the particle size of the droplets that bounce back to the substrate side is also large. Therefore, the subsequent droplets shaken off from the substrate may collide with the rebound droplets and rebound to the substrate side. Therefore, the processing liquid discharged from the substrate may be reattached to the substrate and the substrate may be contaminated.

  On the other hand, when a drying process is performed on a substrate having a hydrophilic surface, the particle size of the droplets of the treatment liquid that is shaken off from the substrate is small. Therefore, the particle size of the droplets that collide with the splash guard and bounce back to the substrate side is also reduced, and the collision between the droplets of the treatment liquid bounced back to the substrate side and the subsequent droplets spun off from the substrate Is less than in the hydrophobic state. Therefore, the contamination of the substrate due to the reattachment of the processing liquid is reduced as compared with the case where the surface is in a hydrophobic state.

However, if the surface is in a hydrophilic state, the treatment liquid adheres more strongly to the substrate than in the hydrophobic state, so that it is difficult to discharge the treatment liquid from the substrate. Therefore, when the substrate is processed by continuously supplying the processing liquid, it is difficult to replace the processing liquid on the substrate with the subsequent processing liquid.
The present invention has been made under such a background, and can improve the discharge performance of the processing liquid from the substrate, and can reduce the droplets of the processing liquid discharged from the substrate. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is the substrate holding means (3) having a holding portion (8, 108, 208, 308, 408, 508, 608) for holding the substrate (W) horizontally. ) And a processing liquid supply means (4, 5) for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and the holding portion surrounds the entire periphery of the substrate and surrounds the outer peripheral edge of the substrate. An annular expansion surface (36, 136, 236, 336) provided so as to expand toward the surface, and the expansion surface is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity than the substrate. It is a substrate processing apparatus (1).

In addition, the alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later. The same applies hereinafter.
According to this invention, the holding portion for horizontally holding the substrate has an annular expansion surface provided so as to surround the entire circumference of the substrate and extend the outer peripheral edge of the substrate outward. Yes. In addition, the extended surface is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity with respect to the processing liquid than the substrate. Therefore, the processing liquid located at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is urged to move to the expansion surface and moves smoothly toward the expansion surface. Thereby, the discharge property of the processing liquid from the substrate is improved. Therefore, even when the substrate is processed by continuously supplying the treatment liquid to the substrate whose surface is in a lyophilic state, the treatment liquid on the substrate can be efficiently replaced with the subsequent treatment liquid. Further, even if the surface is a lyophilic substrate, the substrate can be dried by reliably removing the treatment liquid from the substrate. Thereby, the process by a process liquid and a drying process can be performed smoothly.

  In addition, since the extended surface is made more lyophilic than the substrate, when the processing liquid droplets move from the substrate to the extended surface, the processing liquid wets well on the extended surface. Spread throughout. Thereby, the droplets of the processing liquid discharged from the substrate can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to discharge the treatment liquid droplets having a particle size smaller than the size on the substrate from the expansion surface. For this reason, for example, even when the processing liquid scattering means such as a splash guard catches the processing liquid scattered around the substrate, the processing liquid droplets bounced back from the processing liquid capturing means to the substrate side and are discharged from the expansion surface. It is possible to suppress or prevent the processing liquid discharged from the substrate from adhering (reattaching) to the substrate by colliding with the subsequent droplet of the processing liquid. In particular, when a drying process is performed on a substrate having a hydrophobic surface, reattachment of the processing liquid to the substrate can be reliably suppressed or prevented. Thereby, the contamination of the substrate due to the reattachment of the processing liquid can be suppressed or prevented.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the substrate holding means includes a rotating means (9) for rotating the holding portion around a vertical axis (L1), and the holding portion has a space (S1) below the substrate. In this way, the lower surface peripheral edge portion of the substrate is formed so as to be supported over the entire circumference, and has communication portions (38, 438) for communicating the space with the space around the holding portion. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

  According to the present invention, by rotating the holding unit around the vertical axis while holding the substrate in the holding unit, the gas in the space generated below the substrate is discharged from the communication unit by centrifugal force, and the The space can be made negative. Therefore, the substrate can be sucked and held by this negative pressure. Thus, the substrate can be integrally rotated together with the holding portion in a state where the substrate is sucked and held. Further, by rotating the substrate around the vertical axis, for example, a centrifugal force is applied to the processing liquid on the substrate, and the processing liquid can be moved from the substrate to the expansion surface. Thereby, the processing liquid can be reliably discharged from the substrate.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the holding portion supports the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate, the substrate can be adsorbed and held in a state where portions other than the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate are not in contact. Thereby, the contact area of a board | substrate and a holding | maintenance part can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent foreign substances such as particles from moving from the holding unit to the substrate and contaminating the substrate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the holding portion includes an annular tapered surface (35, 55) inclined downward toward the inside, and the tapered surface supports the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate by line contact. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is formed.
According to the present invention, since the tapered surface is formed so as to support the lower peripheral edge portion of the substrate by line contact, the contact area between the substrate and the holding portion can be reduced. Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that a foreign material moves to a board | substrate from a holding | maintenance part and the said board | substrate is contaminated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding portion has a plurality of support portions (57) arranged in an annular shape, and each of the plurality of support portions supports the lower surface peripheral edge portion of the substrate by point contact. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is formed.
According to this invention, by making each support part point-contact with the lower surface peripheral part of a board | substrate, these support parts can be cooperated and a board | substrate can be supported. Further, since the contact between each support portion and the substrate is a point contact, the contact area between the substrate and the holding portion can be reduced, thereby suppressing or preventing the contamination of the substrate.

The invention according to claim 5 is the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the extended surface is formed to be lower than an upper surface of the substrate held by the holding portion. It is.
According to this invention, since the extended surface is made lower than the upper surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, the processing liquid on the substrate can be smoothly moved to the extended surface by gravity. Thereby, the discharge property of the processing liquid from the substrate can be further improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an illustrative view for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single wafer processing apparatus that processes substrates W one by one. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a circular substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a spin chuck 3 (substrate holding means) that horizontally holds and rotates a single substrate W in a processing chamber 2 partitioned by partition walls, and a substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. A cleaning liquid nozzle 4 (processing liquid supply means) for supplying a cleaning liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface, and a rinsing liquid nozzle 5 for supplying a rinsing liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. (Treatment liquid supply means). A processing cup 61 and a splash guard 62 are disposed around the spin chuck 3.

  The spin chuck 3 includes a rotary shaft 6 extending in the vertical direction, a disc-shaped spin base 7 attached horizontally to the upper end of the rotary shaft 6, and a support ring 8 (holding portion) disposed on the spin base 7. And a motor 9 (rotating means) coupled to the rotating shaft 6. The spin chuck 3 can hold the substrate W horizontally in a state where the lower peripheral edge portion of the substrate W is supported by the support ring 8. Further, the spin chuck 3 can rotate the held substrate W around the vertical rotation axis L <b> 1 passing through the center of the substrate W by the driving force of the motor 9. The rotating shaft 6 is inserted through a cylindrical cover 10, and a motor 9 is accommodated in the cover 10. In this embodiment, the spin base 7 is a disk-shaped member having a diameter larger than that of the substrate W.

  The rotating shaft 6 is a hollow shaft. A lower processing liquid supply pipe 11 is inserted into the rotary shaft 6 in a non-contact state. A lower surface nozzle 12 that discharges the processing liquid toward the center of the lower surface of the substrate W is provided at the upper end of the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11. The lower surface nozzle 12 is arranged so that the discharge port 12 a is close to the center of the lower surface of the substrate W supported by the support ring 8.

  A lower cleaning liquid supply pipe 13 and a lower rinse liquid supply pipe 14 are connected to the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11. A cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11 via a lower cleaning liquid supply pipe 13. Further, a rinsing liquid from a rinsing liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11 via a lower rinsing liquid supply pipe 14. A cleaning liquid and a rinsing liquid as the processing liquid are selectively supplied to the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11. Thus, the processing liquid can be supplied from the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11 to the lower surface nozzle 12 and discharged from the discharge port 12a of the lower surface nozzle 12 toward the center of the lower surface of the substrate W.

The lower cleaning liquid supply pipe 13 is provided with a lower cleaning liquid valve 15 for switching between supply and stop of supply of the cleaning liquid to the lower surface nozzle 12. Further, the lower rinse liquid supply pipe 14 is provided with a lower rinse liquid valve 16 for switching between supply and stoppage of the rinse liquid to the lower surface nozzle 12.
As the cleaning liquid supplied to the lower processing liquid supply pipe 11, for example, a chemical liquid or a rinsing liquid can be used. Examples of the chemical solution include a solution containing at least one of sulfuric acid, acetic acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, ammonia water, and hydrogen peroxide water. Examples of the rinsing liquid include pure water (deionized water), carbonated water, electrolytic ionic water, hydrogen water, ozone water, and hydrochloric acid water having a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm).

  Further, a lower gas supply path 17 surrounding the lower process liquid supply pipe 11 is formed between the rotating shaft 6 and the lower process liquid supply pipe 11. The upper end of the lower gas supply path 17 is an annular lower gas discharge port 18 located at the center of the upper surface of the spin base 7 (see FIG. 3). A gas from a gas supply source (not shown) is supplied to the lower gas supply path 17 via a lower gas supply pipe 19. The gas supplied to the lower gas supply path 17 is discharged upward from the lower gas discharge port 18. In the lower gas supply pipe 19, a lower gas valve 20 for switching between supply and stop of supply of gas to the lower gas supply path 17 and a flow rate of gas supplied to the lower gas supply path 17 are adjusted. The gas flow rate adjustment valve 21 is interposed. For example, nitrogen gas, which is an example of an inert gas, is used as the gas supplied to the lower gas supply path 17.

The cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is, for example, a straight nozzle that discharges the cleaning liquid in a continuous flow state. The cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is attached to the tip of a nozzle arm 22 that extends horizontally. The cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is disposed above the spin chuck 3 with its discharge port directed downward.
A cleaning liquid supply pipe 23 is connected to the cleaning liquid nozzle 4. A cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 via a cleaning liquid supply pipe 23. The cleaning liquid supply pipe 23 is provided with a cleaning liquid valve 25 for switching between supply and stop of supply of the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid nozzle 4. The cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is supplied with, for example, the same type of cleaning liquid as that supplied to the lower surface nozzle 12. That is, in this embodiment, the same kind of cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the lower surface nozzle 12.

  The nozzle arm 22 is coupled to a support shaft 27 extending along the vertical direction. The support shaft 27 can swing around its central axis. The support shaft 27 is coupled to a nozzle swing drive mechanism 28 formed of, for example, a motor. When the driving force of the nozzle swing driving mechanism 28 is input to the support shaft 27, the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the nozzle arm 22 are horizontally moved integrally around the central axis of the support shaft 27. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 can be disposed above the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3, and the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 can be retracted from above the spin chuck 3.

The rinse liquid nozzle 5 is, for example, a straight nozzle that discharges the rinse liquid in a continuous flow state. The rinsing liquid nozzle 5 is attached to the tip of a nozzle arm 29 that extends horizontally. The rinsing liquid nozzle 5 is disposed above the spin chuck 3 with its discharge port directed downward.
A rinse liquid supply pipe 30 is connected to the rinse liquid nozzle 5. A rinse liquid from a rinse liquid supply source (not shown) is supplied to the rinse liquid nozzle 5 via a rinse liquid supply pipe 30. The rinse liquid supply pipe 30 is provided with a rinse liquid valve 31 for switching between supply and stop of supply of the rinse liquid to the rinse liquid nozzle 5. The rinse liquid nozzle 5 is supplied with, for example, the same type of rinse liquid as that supplied to the lower surface nozzle 12 via the lower rinse liquid supply pipe 14. That is, in this embodiment, the same type of rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 5 and the lower surface nozzle 12.

  The nozzle arm 29 is coupled with a support shaft 32 extending along the vertical direction. The support shaft 32 can swing around its central axis. The support shaft 32 is coupled to a nozzle swing drive mechanism 33 formed of, for example, a motor. When the driving force of the nozzle swing drive mechanism 33 is input to the support shaft 32, the rinse liquid nozzle 5 and the nozzle arm 29 are horizontally moved integrally around the central axis of the support shaft 32. Thereby, the rinse liquid nozzle 5 can be disposed above the substrate W held on the spin chuck 3, or the rinse liquid nozzle 5 can be retracted from above the spin chuck 3.

  The processing cup 61 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and surrounds the spin chuck 3. A drainage groove 63 for draining the rinsing liquid after being used for processing the substrate W is formed at the bottom of the processing cup 61 so as to surround the periphery of the spin chuck 3. A recovery groove 64 for recovering the cleaning liquid used for processing the substrate W is formed so as to surround the liquid groove 63. The drainage groove 63 and the recovery groove 64 are partitioned by a cylindrical partition wall 65 formed between them. A rinse liquid drain pipe 66 is connected to the drain groove 63, and a cleaning liquid recovery pipe 67 is connected to the recovery groove 64. The cleaning liquid recovery pipe 67 is connected to a cleaning liquid tank (not shown), and the cleaning liquid collected in the recovery groove 64 is recovered to the cleaning liquid tank via the cleaning liquid recovery pipe 67.

  The splash guard 62 is for receiving the processing liquid scattered around the substrate W and guiding it to the processing cup 61. The splash guard 62 has a rotationally symmetric shape with respect to the rotation axis L <b> 1 of the substrate W and is disposed above the processing cup 61. On the inner surface of the upper end portion of the splash guard 62, a rinsing liquid trapping portion 68 having a transverse V-shaped cross section that is open so as to face the rotation axis L1 of the substrate W is formed. A concave-curved cleaning liquid capturing portion 69 having an increased inner diameter is formed. A partition wall storage groove 70 for receiving the partition wall 65 of the processing cup 61 is formed above the cleaning liquid capturing unit 69.

  Further, the splash guard 62 is coupled with a guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism (not shown) constituted by a ball screw mechanism or the like. By inputting the driving force of the guard lifting drive mechanism to the splash guard 62, the splash guard 62 can be moved up and down. Thus, the recovery position (the position shown in FIG. 1) where the cleaning liquid capture unit 69 is opposed to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3, and the circumference of the substrate W where the rinse liquid capture unit 68 is held by the spin chuck 3. The splash guard 62 can be moved to a plurality of positions including a drain position facing the end surface and a retreat position where the upper end of the splash guard 62 is lower than the substrate holding position of the spin chuck 3.

  When the used cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate W is captured and recovered in a cleaning liquid tank (not shown), the splash guard 62 is positioned at the recovery position. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate W can be guided to the recovery groove 64 by the cleaning liquid capturing unit 69 and recovered in the cleaning liquid tank. Further, when the used rinse liquid discharged from the substrate W is captured and discharged, the splash guard 62 is positioned at the liquid discharge position. Accordingly, the rinse liquid discharged from the substrate W can be guided to the drainage groove 63 by the rinse liquid capturing unit 68 and drained from the rinse liquid drainage pipe 66. Further, when the substrate W is transferred between the transport robot (not shown) and the spin chuck 3, the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the rinse liquid nozzle 5 are retracted from above the spin chuck 3 so that the transport robot does not collide, The splash guard 62 is placed at the retracted position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the spin chuck 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the spin chuck 3. Below, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the support ring 8 and the structure relevant to it are demonstrated.
The support ring 8 is, for example, a flat plate-like member having an annular shape. The thickness of the support ring 8 is, for example, about several mm to several cm. The inner diameter of the support ring 8 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and the outer diameter of the support ring 8 is made larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the support ring 8 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the spin base 7. The support ring 8 is horizontally disposed along the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 7 so as to be coaxial with the spin base 7.

The support ring 8 can support the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W over the entire circumference above the spin base 7. A narrow space S <b> 1 (space) along the horizontal direction is generated between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the substrate W in a state where the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W is supported by the support ring 8. .
Further, the cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape along the vertical plane) of the support ring 8 has a wedge shape that tapers toward the inner peripheral side. The lower surface of the support ring 8 is an annular horizontal surface, and the upper surface of the support ring 8 is inclined downward from the inner peripheral edge of the horizontal surface 34 toward the inside of the support ring 8. An annular tapered surface 35 is provided.

  The taper surface 35 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and the outer diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. The tapered surface 35 can support the substrate W in a state in which the taper surface 35 is in line contact with the outer periphery of the lower surface of the substrate W over the entire circumference. The horizontal surface 34 and the tapered surface 35 are formed such that the height of the horizontal surface 34 is lower than the upper surface of the substrate W in a state where the substrate W is supported by the tapered surface 35.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the support ring 8 is located on the outer side of the substrate W (the portion including the outer peripheral portion of the tapered surface 35 and the horizontal surface 34. Hereinafter, it is referred to as “expansion surface 36”. ) Surrounds the entire periphery of the substrate W so as to expand the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W outward. The support ring 8 is formed so that the processing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W can flow outward from the upper surface of the substrate W toward the extended surface 36. Since the inner peripheral portion of the extended surface 36 corresponds to the outer peripheral portion of the tapered surface 35, it is inclined downward toward the inside of the support ring 8. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the expansion surface 36 is lower than the upper surface of the substrate W supported by the support ring 8.

  Further, the extended surface 36 is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity than the substrate W with respect to the processing liquid. Specifically, for example, the support ring 8 is formed of a material that is more lyophilic with respect to the processing liquid than the substrate W. That is, when the substrate W is a silicon wafer (the contact angle between the silicon wafer and water is 70 degrees), the support ring 8 is formed of, for example, quartz, silicon nitride, alumina, or the like. Thereby, all the outer surfaces of the support ring 8 including the extended surface 36 are lyophilic surfaces higher than the substrate W in lyophilicity with respect to the processing liquid.

  Further, the support ring 8 is connected to the spin base 7 so as to be integrally rotatable. Specifically, a plurality of connecting members 37 are interposed between the spin base 7 and the support ring 8, and the support ring 8 is connected to the spin base 7 so as to be integrally rotatable by these connecting members 37. . The support ring 8 is integrally rotated about the rotation axis L1 together with the spin base 7 and the rotation shaft 6 by the driving force of the motor 9 (see FIG. 1). The rotation axis L1 is a vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W supported by the support ring 8.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of connecting members 37 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the support ring 8. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of connecting members 37 connect the support ring 8 to the spin base 7 while being separated from the upper surface of the spin base 7. A gap G1 in the vertical direction between the spin base 7 and the support ring 8 is narrowed (for example, set to 0.5 mm). By narrowing the vertical gap G1 between the spin base 7 and the support ring 8, the height of the narrow space S1 is reduced, and the volume of the narrow space S1 is further reduced.

  Further, a gap 38 is formed between the lower surface of the support ring 8 and the upper surface of the spin base 7 as a communication portion that extends in the horizontal direction. The gap 38 communicates with the space inside the support ring 8. Therefore, the gap 38 communicates with the narrow space S1 formed between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the substrate W. The narrow space S <b> 1 communicates with the space around the support ring 8 through the gap 38.

  When the spin base 7 and the support ring 8 are rotated at a low rotation speed (for example, about 10 to 30 rpm) in a state where the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is supported by the support ring 8, the substrate supported by the support ring 8 W rotates around a vertical axis of rotation L1 passing through its center. At this time, the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 rotates integrally with the support ring 8 without sliding with respect to the support ring 8 due to a frictional force generated between the substrate W and the support ring 8.

On the other hand, when the spin base 7 and the support ring 8 are rotated at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, several hundred rpm or more) in a state where the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W is supported by the support ring 8, The narrow space S1 formed between the lower surface of the substrate W becomes a negative pressure, and the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 is sucked and held by the spin chuck 3.
That is, when the substrate W and the spin base 7 are rotated at the predetermined rotational speed, an outward force (centrifugal force away from the rotation axis L1) acts on the gas existing in the narrow space S1. Further, the narrow space S1 is communicated with the space around the support ring 8 by a gap 38 as a communication portion. Furthermore, since the lower surface periphery of the substrate W is supported by the support ring 8 over the entire periphery, the space between the lower surface periphery of the substrate W and the support ring 8 is almost sealed. Therefore, when the substrate W and the spin base 7 are rotated at the predetermined rotational speed, the gas existing in the narrow space S1 is discharged from the gap 38 by the centrifugal force, and the narrow space S1 becomes negative pressure. Therefore, the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 is sucked and held by the spin chuck 3, and rotates around the rotation axis L1 together with the support ring 8 in this state. Thereby, the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 can be integrally rotated around the rotation axis L1. The substrate W supported by the support ring 8 is attracted and held by the spin chuck 3 in a state where the portion other than the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W is not in contact with the spin chuck 3.

Next, a configuration for placing the substrate W on the support ring 8 will be described. Continuing to refer to FIGS.
The substrate W is placed on the support ring 8 by a plurality of push-up pins 39 attached to the spin base 7. Each push-up pin 39 has a shaft portion 40 extending in the vertical direction and an upper end portion 41 connected to the upper end of the shaft portion 40. A spherical minute projection 42 is formed on the upper surface of the upper end portion 41. The plurality of push-up pins 39 can support the substrate W in cooperation by bringing the minute protrusions 42 into point contact with the lower surface of the substrate W.

Each of the plurality of push-up pins 39 is inserted through a plurality of through holes 43 that pass through the spin base 7 in the thickness direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2). Each push-up pin 39 is attached to the spin base 7 so as to be movable up and down. Each push-up pin 39 is attached to the spin base 7 so as to be integrally rotatable.
As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of through holes 43 are arranged at intervals on a predetermined circumference concentric with the support ring 8. Similarly, the plurality of push-up pins 39 are also arranged at intervals on a predetermined circumference concentric with the support ring 8. As shown in FIG. 2, an annular seal 44 is held in each through hole 43. The shaft portion 40 of each push-up pin 39 is inserted through the corresponding seal 44. As a result, the space between the shaft portion 40 of each push-up pin 39 and the spin base 7 is sealed. Each push-up pin 39 can move up and down with respect to the corresponding seal 44.

  Further, the lower end of the shaft portion 40 of each push-up pin 39 is connected to an annular support member 45 surrounding the rotating shaft 6. The plurality of push-up pins 39 are connected to the support member 45 in a state where the heights of the upper ends are aligned. A pusher 46 is disposed below the support member 45, and the support member 45 is raised by the pusher 46. The pusher 46 can raise the support member 45 by moving the rod 48 upward relative to the main body 47. As the pusher 46 raises the support member 45, the plurality of push-up pins 39 are integrally raised vertically upward. The pusher 46 can raise each push-up pin 39 to an upper position where the upper end portion 41 of each push-up pin 39 is above the support ring 8 (the position of the upper push-up pin 39 in FIG. 2).

  A coil spring 49 is fitted on the shaft portion 40 of each push-up pin 39. Each coil spring 49 is compressed in the vertical direction between the spin base 7 and the support member 45. The upper ends of the coil springs 49 are engaged with the lower surface of the spin base 7, and the lower ends of the coil springs 49 are engaged with the upper surface of the support member 45. Each push-up pin 39 is caused to stand by at a lower position where the upper surface of the upper end portion 41 (the surface around the minute protrusion 42) is at the same height as the upper surface of the spin base 7 by the elastic restoring force of the plurality of coil springs 49. ing.

  When each push-up pin 39 is raised to the upper position by the pusher 46, each coil spring 49 is further compressed and elastically deformed. Then, after the push-up pins 39 reach the upper position, when the rods 48 of the pushers 46 are lowered, the push-up pins 39 are lowered by the elastic restoring force of the plurality of coil springs 49. Thereby, each push-up pin 39 can be lowered from the upper position to the lower position.

  When the substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 2 and placed on the support ring 8, first, the support member 45 is raised by the pusher 46, and each push-up pin 39 is raised to the upper position. . Then, with the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the rinsing liquid nozzle 5 retracted from above the spin chuck 3 and the splash guard 62 is positioned at the retracted position, the substrate W is loaded into the processing chamber 2 by a transfer robot (not shown). The substrate W is placed on the plurality of push-up pins 39. Thereafter, the rod 48 of the pusher 46 is lowered, and each push-up pin 39 is lowered to the lower position by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 49. The substrate W placed on the plurality of push-up pins 39 is placed on the tapered surface 35 of the support ring 8 as each push-up pin 39 descends. As a result, the substrate W is placed on the support ring 8.

  On the other hand, when the substrate W is dispensed from the support ring 8, the support member 45 is raised by the pusher 46, and each push-up pin 39 is raised to the upper position. The substrate W supported by the support ring 8 moves onto the plurality of push-up pins 39 in the process in which each push-up pin 39 rises. Then, the substrate W supported by the plurality of push-up pins 39 is received by the transfer robot at the upper position and is carried out of the processing chamber 2. At this time, the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the rinsing liquid nozzle 5 are retracted from above the spin chuck 3, and the splash guard 62 is disposed at the retracted position. Thereby, the substrate W is paid out from the support ring 8, and the substrate W is carried out from the processing chamber 2.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the substrate W can be placed on the support ring 8 via the plurality of push-up pins 39 instead of placing the substrate W directly on the support ring 8 from the transfer robot. Therefore, for example, even when the transfer robot is of a type that supports the lower surface of the substrate W, the substrate W can be placed on the support ring 8 without causing the transfer robot to collide with the spin base 7 or the like. Thereby, the substrate W can be reliably placed on the support ring 8. Similarly, by using a plurality of push-up pins 39, the substrate W can be reliably delivered from the support ring 8 without causing the transfer robot to collide with the spin base 7 or the like.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 50. The control unit 50 controls operations of the motor 9, the nozzle swing drive mechanisms 28 and 33, the pusher 46, and the like. In addition, opening and closing of the valve provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and adjustment of the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve are controlled by the control unit 50.

FIG. 5 is a process diagram for explaining a processing example of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1. 6 to 8 are schematic side views of the spin chuck 3 during the processing of the substrate W, respectively.
Hereinafter, a processing example of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. In each processing step of this processing example, FIG. 2 and FIGS.

  The unprocessed substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 2 by a transfer robot (not shown) (Step S11), and is placed on the support ring 8 via a plurality of push-up pins 39 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the rinsing liquid nozzle 5 are retracted from above the spin chuck 3, and the splash guard 62 is disposed at the retracted position. By supporting the substrate W by the support ring 8, a narrow space S <b> 1 along the horizontal direction is formed between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the substrate W.

  Next, the cleaning process is simultaneously performed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W (step S12). Specifically, first, the nozzle swing drive mechanism 28 is controlled by the control unit 50, and the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is disposed above the central portion of the substrate W. The control unit 50 controls a guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism (not shown), and the splash guard 62 is moved to a recovery position where the cleaning liquid capturing unit 69 faces the peripheral end surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. .

Next, the lower gas valve 20 is opened by the control unit 50, and nitrogen gas is discharged from the lower gas discharge port 18 at a predetermined discharge flow rate. The nitrogen gas discharged from the lower gas discharge port 18 expands in the narrow space S1 outward (in a direction away from the rotation axis L1), and is between the lower surface of the support ring 8 and the upper surface of the spin base 7. It is discharged from the narrow space S1 through the gap 38.
By blowing nitrogen gas outward from the gap 38, it is possible to suppress or prevent foreign matters such as mist and particles of the processing liquid from entering the narrow space S1 through the gap 38. In this embodiment, since the vertical gap G1 between the spin base 7 and the support ring 8 is narrowed (see FIG. 2), the mist and foreign matters of the processing liquid are narrowed via the gap 38. It is possible to more reliably suppress or prevent entry into the space S1. Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that a process liquid and a foreign material adhere to the lower surface of the board | substrate W, and the said lower surface is contaminated.

  Subsequently, the motor 9 is controlled by the control unit 50, and the spin base 7 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, several hundred rpm or more). As a result, the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 is adsorbed and held by the spin chuck 3 in a non-contact state with the spin base 7 and integrated with the support ring 8 around the rotation axis L1 at the predetermined rotational speed. Rotate. At this time, the discharge flow rate of the nitrogen gas from the lower gas discharge port 18 is set in advance so that the opening degree of the gas flow rate adjustment valve 21 is controlled by the control unit 50 and the adsorption state of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is maintained. It has been adjusted.

  Next, the cleaning liquid valve 25 and the lower cleaning liquid valve 15 are opened by the control unit 50, and the same type of cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 and the lower surface nozzle 12. As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, receives centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and moves from the center of the upper surface of the substrate W toward the peripheral portion. And spread instantly. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and a liquid film of the cleaning liquid having a flow from the center of the upper surface of the substrate W toward the peripheral edge of the upper surface is formed along the upper surface of the substrate W. In this manner, the cleaning process for the upper surface of the substrate W is performed.

  Further, the cleaning liquid that has reached the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W in the cleaning process for the upper surface of the substrate W moves to the expansion surface 36 by centrifugal force. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, a liquid film of the cleaning liquid that is continuous with the liquid film of the cleaning liquid formed on the substrate W is formed on the extended surface 36. The liquid film of the cleaning liquid formed on the extended surface 36 is discharged as a droplet from the outer peripheral edge of the extended surface 36. The cleaning liquid droplets splashing outward from the expansion surface 36 are captured by the cleaning liquid capturing unit 69 of the splash guard 62 and guided to the recovery groove 64 of the processing cup 61. Thereby, the used cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate W is collected.

  As described above, the extended surface 36 is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity than the substrate W with respect to the processing liquid. Therefore, the cleaning liquid that has reached the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is urged to move outward by the expansion surface 36 and smoothly moves toward the expansion surface 36. Furthermore, since the extended surface 36 is lower than the upper surface of the substrate W supported by the support ring 8, the cleaning liquid that has reached the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W moves smoothly to the expanded surface 36 due to gravity. . Thereby, the discharge property of the processing liquid from the substrate W is improved. Therefore, the cleaning liquid on the substrate W can be reliably replaced with the subsequent cleaning liquid, and the cleaning process for the upper surface of the substrate W can be performed efficiently.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid discharged from the lower surface nozzle 12 is deposited on the lower surface center portion of the substrate W, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and is centered along the lower surface of the substrate W. It spreads from the edge toward the periphery. Thereby, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the entire lower surface of the substrate W, and a liquid film of the cleaning liquid having a flow from the central portion toward the peripheral portion is formed along the lower surface of the substrate W. In this way, the cleaning process for the lower surface of the substrate W is performed, and the cleaning process for the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W is performed simultaneously.

  In addition, the cleaning liquid discharged from the lower surface nozzle 12 in the cleaning process for the lower surface of the substrate W passes through the gap 38 between the lower surface of the support ring 8 and the upper surface of the spin base 7 and is discharged from the narrow space S1. Then, the rinse liquid that splashes outward from the spin base 7 is captured by the cleaning liquid capture unit 69 of the splash guard 62 and guided to the recovery groove 64 of the processing cup 61. Thereby, the used cleaning liquid discharged from the substrate W is collected.

  In the cleaning process for the lower surface of the substrate W, the discharge flow rate of the cleaning liquid from the lower surface nozzle 12 is such that the narrow space S1 is not liquid-tight and the communication between the narrow space S1 and the space around the support ring 8 is maintained. Is set to Specifically, the cleaning liquid from the lower surface nozzle 12 is formed so that a liquid film of the cleaning liquid having a film thickness of, for example, several μm to several hundred μm is formed along the lower surface of the substrate W, and the gap 38 is not sealed with the cleaning liquid. The discharge flow rate is set. Thereby, in the cleaning process for the lower surface of the substrate W, the adsorption state of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is maintained.

After the cleaning process for the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W has been performed for a predetermined time, the controller 50 closes the cleaning liquid valve 25 and the lower cleaning liquid valve 15 and stops the supply of the cleaning liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W. Is done.
Next, a rinsing process is simultaneously performed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate W (step S13). Specifically, first, the control unit 50 controls a guard lifting / lowering drive mechanism (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 7, the rinse liquid capturing unit 68 is rotated around the substrate W held by the spin chuck 3. The splash guard 62 is moved to the drainage position facing the end surface. Then, after the two nozzle swing drive mechanisms 28 and 33 are controlled by the control unit 50 and the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 is retracted from the substrate W, the rinse liquid nozzle 5 is disposed above the central portion of the substrate W. . At this time, the spin base 7 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed (for example, several hundred rpm or more), and nitrogen gas is supplied from the lower gas discharge port 18 in such an amount that the adsorption state of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is maintained. Is being discharged.

  Next, the rinsing liquid valve 31 and the lower rinsing liquid valve 16 are opened by the control unit 50, and the same type of rinsing liquid is discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 5 and the lower surface nozzle 12. As shown in FIG. 7, the rinsing liquid discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 5 is deposited on the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and receives a peripheral portion from the center of the upper surface of the substrate W It spreads instantly toward. Thus, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the cleaning liquid is washed away from the substrate W by the rinsing liquid. In this way, the rinsing process is performed on the upper surface of the substrate W.

  The rinsing liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W in the rinsing process for the lower surface of the substrate W moves outward from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W toward the expansion surface 36, and becomes droplets on the expansion surface 36. It is discharged from the outer periphery. The rinse liquid droplets splashing outward from the expansion surface 36 are captured by the rinse liquid capturing portion 68 of the splash guard 62 and guided to the drainage groove 63 of the processing cup 61. As a result, the used rinse liquid is guided from the drainage groove 63 to the rinse liquid drainage pipe 66 and drained.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the rinse liquid discharged from the lower surface nozzle 12 is applied to the center of the lower surface of the substrate W, receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W, and is centered along the lower surface of the substrate W. It spreads from the part toward the peripheral part. Thereby, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the entire lower surface of the substrate W, and the cleaning liquid is washed away from the lower surface of the substrate W by the rinsing liquid. In this way, the rinsing process is performed on the lower surface of the substrate W, and the rinsing process is simultaneously performed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W.

  The rinse liquid discharged from the lower surface nozzle 12 in the rinsing process for the lower surface of the substrate W passes through the gap 38 between the lower surface of the support ring 8 and the upper surface of the spin base 7 and is discharged from the narrow space S1. Then, the rinsing liquid that splashes outward from the spin base 7 is captured by the rinsing liquid capturing unit 68 of the splash guard 62 and guided to the drain groove 63 of the processing cup 61. As a result, the used rinse liquid is guided from the drainage groove 63 to the rinse liquid drainage pipe 66 and drained.

  In the rinsing process for the lower surface of the substrate W, the discharge flow rate of the rinsing liquid from the lower surface nozzle 12 is not liquid-tight in the narrow space S1, and the communication state between the narrow space S1 and the space around the support ring 8 is maintained. The amount is set. Specifically, a rinsing liquid film having a film thickness of, for example, several μm to several hundred μm is formed along the lower surface of the substrate W, and the gap 38 is not sealed by the rinsing liquid from the lower surface nozzle 12. The discharge flow rate of the rinse liquid is set. Thereby, in the rinse process with respect to the lower surface of the substrate W, the adsorption state of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is maintained.

After the rinsing process for the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W is performed for a predetermined time, the rinsing liquid valve 31 and the lower rinsing liquid valve 16 are closed by the control unit 50, and the rinsing liquid on the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W is closed. Supply is stopped.
Next, a drying process (spin drying) for drying the substrate W is performed (step S14). Specifically, in a state where the splash guard 62 is located at the drainage position, the control unit 50 controls the motor 9 to rotate the spin base 7 at a high rotation speed (for example, several thousand rpm). At this time, nitrogen gas is discharged from the lower gas discharge port 18 at a discharge flow rate at which the adsorption state of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is maintained.

  When the spin base 7 is rotated at a high rotational speed, the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 is integrally held around the rotation axis L1 at a high rotational speed together with the support ring 8 while being sucked and held by the spin chuck 3. Rotate. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the rinse liquid adhering to the substrate W flows on the substrate W by centrifugal force in the form of droplets, and moves from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W to the expansion surface 36. I will do it. Thereby, the rinse liquid is drained from the substrate W (drainage process), and the substrate W is dried. Further, the rinse liquid droplets that have moved from the substrate W to the expansion surface 36 are spun off around the expansion surface 36 by centrifugal force, and are guided to the drainage groove 63 of the processing cup 61 by the splash guard 62.

  As described above, since the lyophilicity of the expansion surface 36 is higher than that of the substrate W, the rinsing liquid droplets that have moved from the upper surface of the substrate W to the expansion surface 36 in the drying process wet well with the expansion surface 36. Thus, it extends over the entire expansion surface 36. For this reason, droplets of the rinsing liquid having a particle size smaller than the particle size on the substrate W are scattered from the extended surface 36 to the periphery thereof. Therefore, the process liquid droplet bounced to the substrate W side after colliding with the splash guard 62 and the process bounced back to the substrate W side due to the collision between the bounced liquid droplet and the subsequent liquid droplet swung off from the expansion surface 36. It is possible to suppress or prevent the liquid droplets from adhering (reattaching) to the substrate W. Thereby, the contamination of the substrate W due to the reattachment of the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W can be suppressed or prevented.

After the high-speed rotation of the substrate W is continued for a predetermined time, the rotation of the motor 9 is stopped and the rotation of the substrate W by the spin chuck 3 is stopped. Thereafter, the processed substrate W is received from the support ring 8 by the plurality of push-up pins 39 (see FIG. 2), and the substrate W is unloaded from the processing chamber 2 by the transfer robot (step S15).
As described above, in the present embodiment, the support ring 8 that supports the substrate W surrounds the entire circumference of the substrate W, and is extended so that the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W extends outward. The extended surface 36 is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity than the substrate W with respect to the processing liquid. Accordingly, the processing liquid located at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W is urged to move to the expansion surface 36 and smoothly moves toward the expansion surface 36. Thereby, the discharge property of the processing liquid from the substrate W is improved. Therefore, even when the substrate W whose surface is in a lyophilic state is continuously supplied with the processing liquid to process the substrate W, the processing liquid on the substrate W is efficiently replaced with the subsequent processing liquid. Can do. Further, even if the surface is a lyophilic substrate W, the substrate W can be dried by reliably removing the processing liquid from the substrate W. Thereby, the process by a process liquid and a drying process can be performed smoothly.

  Further, since the extended surface 36 is made more lyophilic than the substrate W, the droplets of the processing liquid moved from the substrate W to the extended surface 36 during the drying process wet well with the extended surface 36, and the entire extended surface 36. To spread. Accordingly, the size of the treatment liquid droplets scattered from the extended surface 36 to the periphery thereof is smaller than the size on the substrate W. That is, the droplets of the treatment liquid having a smaller particle diameter can be scattered around the substrate W than when the droplets of the treatment liquid are directly shaken off from the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W without using the extended surface 36. Therefore, even when the processing liquid splashing around the substrate W is received by the splash guard 62, the subsequent processing that is spun off from the expansion surface 36 by the droplet of the processing liquid bounced back from the splash guard 62 to the substrate W side. It is possible to suppress or prevent the treatment liquid discharged from the substrate W from adhering (reattaching) to the substrate W due to the collision of the liquid droplets. In particular, when the drying process is performed on the substrate W whose surface is in a hydrophobic state, reattachment of the processing liquid to the substrate W can be reliably suppressed or prevented. Thereby, the contamination of the substrate W due to the reattachment of the processing liquid can be suppressed or prevented.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the substrate W supported by the support ring 8 can be sucked and held by increasing the rotation speed of the spin base 7 and the support ring 8, for example, the peripheral end surface of the substrate W is formed by a plurality of clamping members. There is no need to separately provide a holding mechanism such as a mechanical chuck mechanism for holding and holding the substrate W, or a vacuum mechanism for sucking and holding the substrate W by sucking air in the narrow space S1. Therefore, the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced. Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be downsized. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide a mechanical chuck mechanism, for example, in the above-described drying process, the processing liquid that moves outward on the substrate W hits the holding member and rebounds, or air current is generated by the rotation of the holding member around the rotation axis L1. It is possible to suppress or prevent the processing liquid discharged from the substrate W from adhering to the substrate W due to disturbance. Thereby, the contamination of the substrate W due to the reattachment of the processing liquid can be suppressed or prevented.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the tapered surface 35 of the support ring 8 supports the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W by line contact, the contact area between the substrate W and the tapered surface 35 is reduced. . Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that the foreign materials, such as a particle, move to the board | substrate W from the taper surface 35, and the said board | substrate W is contaminated. Further, when the substrate W is attracted and held by the spin chuck 3, portions other than the lower peripheral edge portion of the substrate W can be brought into non-contact with the spin chuck 3, so that foreign matter moves from the spin chuck 3 to the substrate W. Thus, contamination of the substrate W can be suppressed or prevented.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 14, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 and description thereof is omitted.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the support ring 8 is an annular flat plate member and the cross-sectional shape thereof is a wedge shape that tapers toward the inner peripheral side has been described. The shape is not limited to this. Specifically, for example, the support ring 8 may have a shape shown in FIGS.

  The support ring 108 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 9 has an annular flat plate shape, and its cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape along the vertical plane) is rectangular. The upper surface and the lower surface of the support ring 108 are each an annular horizontal surface. Further, the inner diameter of the support ring 108 is smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and the outer diameter of the support ring 108 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the support ring 108 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the spin base 7. The support ring 108 is horizontally disposed along the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the spin base 7 so as to be coaxial with the spin base 7. The peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W is supported by the inner periphery of the upper surface of the support ring 108. In a state where the substrate W is supported by the support ring 108, the entire upper surface of the support ring 108 positioned outward from the substrate W extends so that the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W extends outward. It is an expansion surface 136 that surrounds the circumference.

  Further, the support ring 208 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 10 is formed in an annular flat plate shape, and the corner portion on the inner peripheral upper side is cut downward over the entire periphery. This cut portion forms an annular step 51 that is concentric with the support ring 208 and forms an annular shape. The annular step portion 51 has an annular horizontal surface 52 extending outward from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the support ring 208, and a cylindrical vertical surface 53 extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal surface 52. . The horizontal surface 52 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and the outer diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. The vertical surface 53 has a height smaller than the thickness of the substrate W.

The peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W is supported by a horizontal plane 52. In a state where the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is supported by the horizontal surface 52, the vertical surface 53 is opposed at a position close to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. By causing the vertical surface 53 to be close to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, it is possible to suppress or prevent the displacement of the substrate W in the horizontal direction.
Further, the upper surface of the support ring 208 has an annular horizontal surface, and is formed so as to be continuous with the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate W in a state where the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is supported by the horizontal surface 52. The upper surface of the support ring 208 is an extended surface 236 that surrounds the entire periphery of the substrate W so as to expand the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W outward.

  Further, the support ring 308 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 11 is formed in an annular flat plate shape, and the corner portion on the inner peripheral upper side is cut downward over the entire periphery. This cut portion forms an annular step 54 that is concentric with the support ring 308 and forms an annular shape. The annular step portion 54 includes an annular tapered surface 55 that extends outward from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the support ring 308, and a cylindrical vertical surface 56 that extends upward from the outer peripheral edge of the tapered surface 55. ing. The tapered surface 55 is inclined downward toward the inside of the support ring 308. The tapered surface 55 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate W, and the outer diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W.

The tapered surface 55 can support the lower peripheral edge of the substrate W by line contact. In a state where the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is supported by the tapered surface 55, the vertical surface 56 opposes at a position close to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. By bringing the vertical surface 56 close to the peripheral end surface of the substrate W, it is possible to suppress or prevent the displacement of the substrate W in the horizontal direction.
Further, the upper surface of the support ring 308 is formed in an annular horizontal plane, and is formed so as to be continuous with the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate W while the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is supported by the tapered surface 55. The upper surface of the support ring 308 is an extended surface 336 that surrounds the entire periphery of the substrate W so as to expand the outer peripheral edge of the substrate W outward.

  Further, the support ring 408 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 12 has the same shape as the support ring 8 shown in FIG. 2, and a plurality of (three or more) support portions projecting upward from the tapered surface 35. 57. In FIG. 12, only one support portion 57 is shown. The plurality of support portions 57 are annularly arranged on the tapered surface 35 with an interval in the circumferential direction of the support ring 408.

  Each support portion 57 has a spherical outer surface, and can support the lower surface of the substrate W by point contact (so-called proximity balls). Each support portion 57 is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate W so as to support a position on the center side of 1 to 2 mm from the outer peripheral edge, for example. The support ring 408 can support the substrate W by causing each support portion 57 to make point contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W so that the support portions 57 cooperate with each other.

  Further, the protruding amount of each support portion 57 from the tapered surface 35 is reduced. The support ring 408 can support the substrate W in a state where the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W is brought close to the tapered surface 35. A gap 438 is formed between the lower surface of the substrate W and the tapered surface 35 except for the portion supported by the support portion 57 in a state where the substrate W is supported by the plurality of support portions 57. The narrow space S1 formed between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the substrate W is communicated with the space around the support ring 408 through the gap 438. That is, in this embodiment, the gap 438 functions as a communication portion that allows the narrow space S1 to communicate with the space around the support ring 408. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the lower surface of the support ring 408 is in close contact with the upper surface of the spin base 7 without providing a gap between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the support ring 408. Even in this case, the gas existing in the narrow space S1 can be discharged from the gap 438 between the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate W and the tapered surface 35, so that the narrow space S1 can be set to a negative pressure. Thereby, the substrate W supported by the support ring 408 can be sucked and held. Although not shown, in this embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which a gap G1 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided between the upper surface of the spin base 7 and the lower surface of the support ring 408.

Although not shown, a plurality of support portions 57 may be provided on the support rings 108, 208, and 308 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, and the substrate W may be supported by these support portions 57.
A support ring 508 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 13 includes a flat plate portion 58 having the same shape as the support ring 8 shown in FIG. 2 and a cylindrical portion 59 extending downward from the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate portion 58. have. The tubular portion 59 extends vertically downward from the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate portion 58. The cylindrical portion 59 is located outside the spin base 7 and surrounds the gap 38. A predetermined gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 59 and the outer peripheral surface of the spin base 7. The cylindrical portion 59 can suppress or prevent foreign matters such as mist and particles of the processing liquid from entering the narrow space S <b> 1 through the gap 38. Thereby, it can suppress or prevent that a process liquid and a foreign material adhere to the lower surface of the board | substrate W, and the said lower surface is contaminated.

  Further, the support ring 608 (holding portion) shown in FIG. 14 includes a flat plate portion 58 having the same shape as the support ring 8 shown in FIG. 2, and a cylindrical portion 60 extending downward from the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate portion 58. have. The tubular portion 60 extends downward from the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate portion 58 while spreading outward. The cylindrical portion 60 is located outside the spin base 7 and surrounds the gap 38. A predetermined gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 60 and the outer peripheral surface of the spin base 7.

  The cylindrical portion 60 can suppress or prevent foreign matters such as mist and particles of the processing liquid from entering the narrow space S <b> 1 through the gap 38. Further, since the cylindrical portion 60 extends downward while spreading outward from the outer peripheral portion of the flat plate portion 58, the processing liquid discharged outward from the gap 38 is lowered downward by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 60. Can lead. As a result, it is possible to suppress or prevent the processing liquid discharged from the gap 38 from striking the tubular portion 60 and rebounding and entering the gap 38 again. As a result, it is possible to suppress or prevent a decrease in dischargeability of the processing liquid from the gap 38.

Although not shown, the cylindrical portion 59 or the cylindrical portion 60 may be provided on the support rings 108, 208, and 308 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the support ring 108, 208, 308, 408, 508, 608 and the spin base 7 are separate from each other has been described, but the support ring 108, 208, 308, 408, 508, 608 is described. And the spin base 7 may be integrally formed. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the support ring 8, the spin base 7, and the plurality of connecting members 37 may be integrally formed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the support rings 108, 208, 308, 408, 508, and 608 that function as the holding portions are each annular is described. However, the holding portions may not be annular. For example, a flat member may be used as the holding portion. In this case, the substrate can be sucked and held on the flat plate member by forming a small diameter suction hole in the flat plate member and sucking the lower surface of the substrate from the suction hole.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where nitrogen gas is discharged upward from the annular lower gas discharge port 18 located in the center of the upper surface of the spin base 7 has been described. It is also possible to form a plurality of discharge ports on the peripheral edge of the upper surface 7 and to discharge nitrogen gas upward from these discharge ports. In this case, nitrogen gas can be reliably blown out from the gap 38 between the spin base 7 and the support ring 8, so that the processing liquid and foreign matter can be more reliably suppressed or prevented from entering the gap 38.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the extended surface 36 is made a lyophilic surface by forming the support ring 8 with a material having higher lyophilicity with respect to the processing liquid than the substrate W has been described. For example, the extended surface 36 may be a lyophilic surface by coating the outer surface of the support ring 8 with a material having a higher lyophilic property to the processing liquid than the substrate W.

In the above-described embodiment, the semiconductor wafer is taken up as the substrate W to be processed. However, the substrate is not limited to the semiconductor wafer, but is used for a liquid crystal display device substrate, a plasma display substrate, an FED substrate, an optical disk substrate, and a magnetic disk substrate. Other types of substrates such as a substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, and a photomask substrate may be processed.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

It is an illustration figure for demonstrating the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of a spin chuck. It is an illustration top view of a spin chuck. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical structure of a substrate processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating the example of a process of the board | substrate by a substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a spin chuck during substrate processing. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a spin chuck during substrate processing. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a spin chuck during substrate processing. It is an illustration longitudinal section of a support ring concerning other embodiments of the present invention, and the composition relevant to it. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a support ring and a related configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 3 Spin chuck 4 Cleaning liquid nozzle 5 Rinse liquid nozzle 8 Support ring 9 Motor 35 Tapered surface 36 Expansion surface 38 Gap 50 Control part 55 Tapered surface 57 Support part 108 Support ring 136 Expansion surface 208 Support ring 236 Expansion surface 308 Support Ring 336 Expansion surface 408 Support ring 438 Clearance 508 Support ring 608 Support ring L1 Rotation axis S1 Narrow space W Substrate

Claims (5)

A substrate holding means having a holding portion for holding the substrate horizontally;
Processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding means,
The holding portion has an annular expansion surface provided so as to surround the entire periphery of the substrate and expand the outer peripheral edge of the substrate outward.
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the extended surface is a lyophilic surface that is higher in lyophilicity with respect to the processing liquid than the substrate. The substrate holding means includes a rotating means for rotating the holding portion around a vertical axis,
The holding portion is formed so as to be able to support the lower surface peripheral edge portion of the substrate over the entire circumference so that a space is generated below the substrate, and for communicating the space with the space around the holding portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit. The holding portion includes an annular tapered surface that is inclined downward toward the inside,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tapered surface is formed so as to support a peripheral portion of a lower surface of the substrate by line contact. The holding part has a plurality of support parts arranged in an annular shape,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of support portions is formed so as to support a peripheral portion of a lower surface of the substrate by point contact.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extended surface is formed to be lower than an upper surface of a substrate held by the holding unit.

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