JP2011077153A - Two-fluid nozzle and substrate processing apparatus equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a two-fluid nozzle capable of controlling a spraying condition of a splayed droplet and a substrate processing apparatus performing a desired process on a substrate using the droplet sprayed from the two-fluid nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: The two-fluid nozzle 3 includes an outer cylinder 20 constituting a casing, an inner cylinder 21 engaged within the outer cylinder 20, and a fixing nut 23 fixing the inner cylinder 21 to the outer cylinder 20. A male screw 36 is formed on a circumference of a large-diameter cylindrical part 24 of the inner cylinder 21. A female screw 37 mating the male screw 36 is formed on a base end part of the outer cylinder 20. The fixing nut 23 has a female screw hole 31 mating the male screw 36 of the inner cylinder 21. The outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 21 are coupled by a screw fitting. By adjusting a screw-in amount of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the male screw 36, an axial position of a short cylinder part 47 with respect to a shielding part 43 can be adjusted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a two-fluid nozzle and a substrate processing apparatus using the same. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate etc. are included.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a cleaning process for removing foreign substances such as particles from the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) is indispensable. In a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning the surface of a wafer, for example, a droplet of a processing liquid is formed by mixing a processing liquid (cleaning liquid) and a gas, and the droplet of the processing liquid is supplied to the surface of the wafer. In some cases, the cleaning process is performed.

Specifically, the substrate processing apparatus includes, for example, a spin chuck that holds and rotates a wafer horizontally, a two-fluid nozzle that ejects droplets of a processing liquid toward the surface of the rotating wafer, and a spin chuck. And a nozzle moving mechanism for moving (scanning) the two-fluid nozzle above the wafer held on the substrate.
FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a structural example of the two-fluid nozzle 200. The two-fluid nozzle 200 includes a first cylinder 201 and a second cylinder 202 that constitute a casing. Portions other than the upper end portion of the second cylinder 202 are fitted into the first cylinder 201. The first cylinder 201 and the second cylinder 202 have a substantially cylindrical shape and share a central axis. The first cylinder 201 and the second cylinder 202 are fixed to each other by welding. The internal space of the second cylinder 202 serves as a processing liquid channel 203 so that the processing liquid can be introduced into the processing liquid channel 203 from the upper end of the second cylinder 202. The lower end of the processing liquid channel 203 is opened downward as a processing liquid discharge port 204.

  On the other hand, a gas flow path 205 that is a substantially cylindrical gap is formed between the second cylinder 202 and the first cylinder 201. The lower end of the gas flow path 205 is opened as an annular gas discharge port 206 around the processing liquid discharge port 204. The gas flow path 205 communicates with a gas supply pipe 207 that penetrates the first cylindrical body 201, and high-pressure nitrogen gas is introduced through the gas supply pipe 207.

  When the processing liquid is introduced into the processing liquid flow path 203 and simultaneously the nitrogen gas is introduced into the gas flow path 205, the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid discharge port 204 and the nitrogen gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 206. . These processing liquid and nitrogen gas are discharged from the processing liquid discharge port 204 and the gas discharge port 206, respectively, and collide (mix) outside the first cylinder 201 (in the vicinity of the discharge ports 204 and 206). Thereby, droplets of the processing liquid are formed. These droplets become jets and collide with the surface of the wafer arranged below. At this time, foreign matters such as particles adhering to the surface of the wafer are physically removed by the kinetic energy of the droplets of the processing liquid.

JP 2002-270564 A

  However, the two-fluid nozzle has a large difference in size due to processing errors, and the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle varies for each two-fluid nozzle. Therefore, depending on the two-fluid nozzle mounted on the substrate processing apparatus, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle (for example, the average particle diameter or density of the droplets) may be different from the intended spray state. . The ability to remove foreign matter adhering to the substrate surface (hereinafter referred to as “foreign matter removing ability”) and the damage imparted to the substrate surface differ depending on the droplet spray state.

Moreover, the spray state of the droplet is a characteristic unique to each two-fluid nozzle and cannot be changed. Therefore, a dedicated two-fluid nozzle must be designed according to the content of the target substrate processing. This contributes to the difficulty of substrate processing with a two-fluid nozzle.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-fluid nozzle that can eject droplets in an appropriate spray state.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing desired processing on a substrate using droplets discharged from a two-fluid nozzle.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the first cylindrical body (21) having a processing liquid flow path (27) through which the processing liquid flows therein is formed inside, and a processing liquid discharge port (28) is opened at a tip portion; A gas flow path (50) is provided coaxially with the first cylinder so as to surround the periphery of the one cylinder, and gas flows between the first cylinder and the first cylinder at the tip. The second cylinder (20) that divides the gas discharge port (44) between the first cylinder and the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder can be displaced relative to each other in the axial direction. And a fixing means (36, 37, 23) for fixing the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body to each other. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge port and the gas discharge port are discharged from the processing liquid discharge port. Gas is mixed outside the first and second cylinders to form droplets of the treatment liquid, and the treatment liquid droplets are discharged. And it is in the two-fluid nozzle is a (3; 120 90; 110).

In addition, although the alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent corresponding components in the embodiments described later, the scope of the claims is not intended to be limited to the embodiments. The same applies hereinafter.
According to this structure, the 1st cylinder and the 2nd cylinder are mutually fixed so that the front-end | tip part of a 1st cylinder and the front-end | tip part of a 2nd cylinder can be displaced relatively to an axial direction. The processing liquid that has flowed through the processing liquid flow path is discharged from a processing liquid discharge port that opens at the tip of the first cylinder. In addition, the gas flowing through the gas flow path defined between the first cylinder and the second cylinder is the gas defined between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder. It is discharged from the discharge port. For this reason, when the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder are relatively displaced in the axial direction, the discharge mode of the gas discharged from the gas discharge port changes, and the mixing position of the treatment liquid and the gas The gas discharge direction changes. As a result, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle also changes. Therefore, by adjusting the axial relative position between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder, it is possible to adjust the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle. . As a result, an appropriate spray state can be realized without depending on processing errors of parts constituting the two-fluid nozzle. In addition, since it is possible to adjust the spray state to an appropriate state according to the content of processing on a processing target (for example, a substrate), it is not necessary to design a dedicated two-fluid nozzle corresponding to the processing content. That is, a versatile two-fluid nozzle that can cope with various processing contents can be provided.

  In the two-fluid nozzle according to one embodiment of the present invention, as described in claim 2, the fixing means includes a male screw (36) formed on the outer periphery of the first cylinder and a second cylinder. A female screw (37) formed on the inner periphery and screwed onto the male screw. In this case, by adjusting the screwing amount of the other cylinder (for example, the second cylinder) with respect to one cylinder (for example, the first cylinder), the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder The relative position in the axial direction can be easily adjusted.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing nut (23) for fixing the second cylinder to the male screw by being screwed into the male screw and tightened from one axial side with respect to the second cylinder. ). In this case, after adjusting the screwing amount of the other cylinder (for example, the second cylinder) with respect to one cylinder (for example, the first cylinder), the fixing nut is tightened against the second cylinder from one side in the axial direction. Thereby, a 2nd cylinder can be fixed to an external thread. Thereby, the first cylinder and the second cylinder can be securely fixed to each other while the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder are kept at a desired relative position.

  In the two-fluid nozzle according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second cylindrical body includes a proximal end member (92) fixed to the first cylindrical body and a distal end member (93) having the distal end portion. A means (95, 95) that is divided in the axial direction and that fixes the proximal end member and the distal end member to each other so that the proximal end member and the distal end member are relatively displaceable in the axial direction. 97, 98). In this case, by adjusting the relative position of the other member (for example, the distal end member) with respect to one member (for example, the proximal end member), the shaft between the distal end portion of the first cylindrical body and the distal end portion of the second cylindrical body. The relative position of the direction can be adjusted.

  The fixing means includes a male screw (95) formed on one of the base end member and the tip member, and a female screw (97) formed on the other of the base end member and the tip member and screwed into the male screw. May be included. In this case, by adjusting the screwing amount of the other member (for example, the front end member) with respect to one member (for example, the base end member), the relative position in the axial direction between the distal end portion of the first cylindrical body and the distal end portion of the second cylindrical body. The position can be adjusted. Thereby, the spraying state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle can be adjusted.

  In this case, the fixing means further includes a fixing nut (98) for fixing the tip member to the male screw by being screwed into the male screw and tightened from one axial side with respect to the second cylindrical body. It is preferable to include. In this case, after adjusting the screwing amount of the other member (for example, the distal end member) relative to one member (for example, the proximal end member), by tightening the fixing nut from the one side in the axial direction to the distal end member or the proximal end member, The member to be tightened can be fixed to the male screw. Accordingly, the distal end member and the proximal end member can be reliably fixed to each other while the distal end portion of the first tubular body and the distal end portion of the second tubular body are maintained at a desired relative position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holding means (2) for holding a substrate (W) to be processed, and a means for supplying a droplet of a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means. The two-fluid nozzle according to any one of Items 1 to 3, a treatment liquid supply means (8, 10) for supplying the treatment liquid to the treatment liquid flow path of the two-fluid nozzle, and the two-fluid A substrate processing apparatus (1; 70) including gas supply means (9, 11, 74) for supplying the gas to the gas flow path of the nozzle.

According to this configuration, it is possible to adjust the spray state of the liquid droplets ejected from the two-fluid nozzle by changing the relative position between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder. As a result, a desired process can be performed on the substrate using the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle.
The invention according to claim 5 is held by the substrate holding means and a displacement mechanism (72) for relatively displacing the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder in the axial direction. The surface condition detection means (71) which detects the state of a substrate surface, The displacement mechanism control means (60) which controls the said displacement mechanism based on the detection result of the said surface condition detection means is further included of Claim 4. A substrate processing apparatus.

According to this configuration, the relative position in the axial direction between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder is automatically adjusted based on the state of the substrate surface. Therefore, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle can be adjusted according to the state of the substrate surface. Thereby, the droplet processing adapted to the surface state of the substrate is realized.
The surface state detection means includes a foreign matter amount detection means (71) for detecting the amount of foreign matter adhering to the substrate surface held by the substrate holding means. There may be. For example, when the amount of foreign matter on the substrate surface is relatively large, it is preferable that the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle is adjusted to a state where the foreign matter removing ability is enhanced. When the amount of foreign matter on the substrate surface is relatively small, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle is preferably adjusted so that damage to the substrate surface is reduced.

According to this configuration, the relative position in the axial direction between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder is automatically adjusted based on the amount of foreign matter adhering to the substrate surface. Thereby, the spray state of the droplets of the two-fluid nozzle can be adjusted to a state corresponding to the amount of foreign matter on the substrate surface.
The surface state detection means may be a pattern detection means for detecting a pattern on the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the gas supply means is provided in a gas supply pipe (9) for supplying the gas to the gas flow path and a middle portion of the gas supply pipe, and circulates through the gas supply pipe. And a pressure sensor (73) for detecting the pressure of the gas, wherein the substrate processing apparatus relatively displaces the distal end portion of the first cylindrical body and the distal end portion of the second cylindrical body in the axial direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising (72) and drive mechanism control means (60) for controlling the drive mechanism based on a detection result by the pressure sensor. .

  When the relative position in the axial direction between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder changes, the state of the gas discharge port of the two-fluid nozzle changes, and the pressure of the gas discharged from the gas discharge port changes. Change. For example, when a constant flow rate of gas is supplied to the two-fluid nozzle, the pressure in the gas flow path changes with the change in the relative position in the axial direction between the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder. Changes, thereby changing the pressure of the gas supply tube. Therefore, the state of the gas discharge port of the two-fluid nozzle is controlled to a desired state by relatively displacing the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder based on the detection value of the pressure sensor. be able to. Therefore, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle can be accurately adjusted to a state according to the state of the substrate surface.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an illustration side view which shows the structure of the two-fluid nozzle shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a two-fluid nozzle shown in FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is process drawing which shows an example of the process in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the outer cylinder raising / lowering apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 6. It is process drawing which shows an example of the process in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control in adjustment of the spraying state of a two-fluid nozzle. It is an illustration side view which shows the structure of the two-fluid nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of the two-fluid nozzle shown in FIG. 11. It is an illustration longitudinal section showing the composition of the two fluid nozzle of the substrate processing device concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention. It is an illustration longitudinal section showing the composition of the two fluid nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus concerning a 5th embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the two-fluid nozzle with which the conventional substrate processing apparatus was equipped.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment (first embodiment) of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus for cleaning the surface of a wafer W. The substrate processing apparatus 1 holds a spin chuck (substrate holding means) 2 that rotates while holding the wafer W substantially horizontally, and holds the wafer W on the spin chuck 2. A two-fluid nozzle 3 for supplying droplets of a processing liquid (in this embodiment, a cleaning liquid for cleaning the wafer W) to the surface of the wafer W, and DIW (de-molding) on the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2. DIW nozzle 4 for supplying ionized water (Deionzied Water).

  The treatment liquid (cleaning liquid) supplied to the two-fluid nozzle 3 may be a chemical liquid or a deionized water or other rinse liquid. Chemical solutions include SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution mixture), SC2 (hydrochloric acid hydrogen peroxide solution mixture), SPM (sulfuric acid / hydrogen peroxide mixture), hydrofluoric acid, buffed hydrofluoric acid ( Buffered HF: a mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride), aqueous ammonia, a polymer removing solution, and an organic solvent (such as IPA (isopropanol) or HFE (hydrofluoroether)). Examples of the rinsing liquid include functional water such as carbonated water, electrolytic ionic water, hydrogen water, and magnetic water in addition to deionized water.

  The spin chuck 2 is provided at substantially equal intervals at a plurality of locations on the periphery of the spin motor 6, a disc-shaped spin base 6 that is rotated around the vertical axis by the rotational driving force of the spin motor 5, And a plurality of clamping members 7 for clamping the wafer W in a substantially horizontal posture. As a result, the spin chuck 2 rotates the spin base 6 by the rotational driving force of the spin motor 5 in a state where the wafer W is held by the plurality of holding members 7, so that the wafer W is placed in a substantially horizontal posture. In this state, it can be rotated around the central axis of the wafer W together with the spin base 6.

Note that the spin chuck 2 is not limited to the sandwiching type, and for example, the wafer W is held in a horizontal posture by vacuum-sucking the back surface of the wafer W, and further rotated around the vertical rotation axis in that state. Thus, a vacuum chucking type (vacuum chuck) that can rotate the held wafer W may be employed.
The two-fluid nozzle 3 is supplied with a processing liquid supply pipe (processing liquid supply means) 8 to which a processing liquid from a processing liquid supply source is supplied, and a nitrogen gas to which pressurized nitrogen gas is supplied from a nitrogen gas supply source. A supply pipe (gas supply pipe) 9 is connected. A processing liquid valve 10 is interposed in the middle of the processing liquid supply pipe 8. On the other hand, a nitrogen gas valve 11 is interposed in the middle of the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9. When the processing liquid valve (processing liquid supply means) 10 and the nitrogen gas valve (gas supply means) 11 are opened, the processing liquid and nitrogen gas flow through the processing liquid supply pipe 8 and the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9, respectively. It is supplied to the nozzle 3. Then, the liquid of the processing liquid and the nitrogen gas are mixed by the two-fluid nozzle 3, and the processing liquid becomes fine droplets, which are jetted and held by the spin chuck 2 from the two-fluid nozzle 3. It is discharged toward the surface of the wafer W.

  Further, a rotation shaft 12 is disposed substantially along the vertical direction on the side of the spin chuck 2 and is attached to the tip of an arm 13 extending substantially horizontally from the upper end of the rotation shaft 12. Yes. The rotary shaft 12 is coupled to a two-fluid nozzle drive mechanism 14 that rotates the rotary shaft 12 around a central axis within a predetermined angle range. A driving force is input from the two-fluid nozzle driving mechanism 14 to the rotating shaft 12 and the rotating shaft 12 is rotated within a predetermined angular range, whereby the arm 13 is positioned above the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2. Accordingly, the supply position of the jet of droplets from the two-fluid nozzle 3 can be scanned (moved) on the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2.

  The DIW nozzle 4 is, for example, a straight nozzle that discharges DIW in a continuous flow state, and is fixedly disposed above the spin chuck 2 with its discharge port directed toward the vicinity of the rotation center of the wafer W. A DIW supply pipe 15 to which DIW from a DIW supply source is supplied is connected to the DIW nozzle 4. A DIW valve 16 for switching the discharge / discharge stop of DIW from the DIW nozzle 4 is interposed in the middle of the DIW supply pipe 15.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 3. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a two-fluid nozzle 3. FIG. The two-fluid nozzle 3 has a configuration of a so-called external mixing type two-fluid nozzle, and can generate a droplet of the processing liquid by colliding nitrogen gas with the processing liquid (cleaning liquid) outside the casing.
The two-fluid nozzle 3 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and includes an outer cylinder (second cylinder) 20 constituting a casing, and an inner cylinder (first cylinder) 21 fitted in the outer cylinder 20. The outer cylinder 20 is externally fitted to the inner cylinder 21 on the side of the base end (the end opposite to the end on the processing liquid discharge port 28 side to be described later, the upper end shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). And a fixing nut 23 for fixing the cylinder 21 to the outer cylinder 20. The inner cylinder 21, the outer cylinder 20, and the fixing nut 23 are arranged coaxially sharing the central axis L.

  The inner cylinder 21 is relatively large from the base end portion (the end portion on the opposite side to the end portion on the processing liquid discharge port 28 side described later; the upper end portion shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) to the intermediate portion in the length direction. A large-diameter cylindrical portion 24 having an outer diameter, and a large-diameter cylindrical portion 24 that is continuous in the axial direction from the intermediate portion in the length direction to the distal end portion (end portion on the treatment liquid discharge port 28 side). A small-diameter cylindrical portion 25 having a small outer diameter and a flange 26 projecting radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 25 in the vicinity of the distal end portion are integrally provided. On the outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 24, a male screw 36 is provided in almost the entire region except for the base end portion (the end portion on the opposite side to the end portion on the processing liquid discharge port 28 side described later. The upper end portion shown in FIGS. Is formed.

  The internal space of the inner cylinder 21 is a linear processing liquid flow path (processing liquid flow path) 27. The processing liquid flow path 27 is circularly opened as a processing liquid discharge port (processing liquid discharge port) 28 at the tip of the inner cylinder 21 (the lower end shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The inner cylinder 21 regulates the processing liquid flow path 27 in a straight line along the central axis L, and the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid discharge port 28 in a direction along the straight line (central axis L). At the time of processing the wafer W, the two-fluid nozzle 3 is arranged so that the central axis L is perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W.

  A joint member 29 is attached to the proximal end portion (upper end portion shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the inner cylinder 21. A treatment liquid supply path 30 communicating with the treatment liquid flow path 27 is formed inside the joint member 29. The joint member 29 has a substantially cylindrical shape. A male threaded portion that engages with a female threaded hole 55 formed in the base end surface (the upper end surface illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the inner cylinder 21 at one end (the lower end illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the joint member 29. 32 is formed. The processing liquid supply path 30 opens as a processing liquid inlet 33 at the other end of the joint member 29 (upper end shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The processing liquid inlet 33 is connected to the tip of the processing liquid supply pipe 8. The processing liquid from the processing liquid supply pipe 8 is supplied to the processing liquid supply path 30 and the processing liquid flow path 27 through the processing liquid inlet 33. A male thread portion 35 for fixing the joint member 29 to the processing liquid supply pipe 8 is formed at the other end of the joint member 29.

A female screw 37 that is screwed into the male screw 36 is formed at the proximal end portion of the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 20. The outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 21 are connected by screw fitting.
The outer cylinder 20 has a substantially constant inner diameter. On the other hand, the small diameter cylindrical portion 25 of the inner cylinder 21 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 20. Therefore, a cylindrical flow path 38 is formed between the outer wall of the small diameter cylindrical portion 25 and the inner wall of the outer cylinder 20 as a substantially cylindrical gap with the central axis L as the center.

  A gas introduction port 39 communicating with the cylindrical flow path 38 is formed in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the outer cylinder 20. The gas introduction port 39 is a through hole that penetrates the inner and outer surfaces of the outer cylinder 20. A female screw 40 is formed on the inner periphery of the gas introduction port 39. The nitrogen gas pipe 34 is an L-shaped pipe, one end (right end shown in FIG. 3) is connected to the gas inlet 39, and the other end (upper end shown in FIG. 3) is nitrogen gas supply. Connected to the tip of the tube 9. On the outer periphery of one end of the nitrogen gas pipe 34, a male screw 41 that is screwed with the female screw 40 of the gas introduction port 39 is formed. That is, the nitrogen gas pipe 34 is screwed to the outer cylinder 20. The internal space of the nitrogen gas pipe 34 and the cylindrical flow path 38 communicate with each other, and nitrogen gas can be introduced into the cylindrical flow path 38 from the nitrogen gas pipe 34 through the gas inlet 39. On the outer periphery of the other end of the nitrogen gas pipe 34, a male screw 42 for connecting to the tip of the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9 is formed.

The flange 26 provided on the inner cylinder 21 on the treatment liquid discharge port 28 side is formed with an airflow direction changing flow path 49 penetrating the flange 26 in the central axis L direction.
The tip of the outer cylinder 20 (the end on the treatment liquid discharge port 28 side) is a shielding part 43 having a tapered inner wall surface whose inner diameter becomes smaller toward the tip. The outer wall surface of the shielding portion 43 surrounds the treatment liquid discharge port 28 and the gas discharge port 44 and is connected to a front end surface 45 formed of a cylindrical surface orthogonal to the central axis L, and an outer peripheral surface and a front end surface 45 of the outer cylinder 20. And a tapered surface 46 having a cylindrical shape as viewed from the bottom, the outer diameter of which decreases toward the front end surface 45.

  A short cylindrical portion 47 protrudes from the tip of the flange 26 with respect to the direction of the central axis L. That is, the distal end portion (end portion on the processing liquid discharge port 28 side) of the inner cylinder 21 is a short cylinder portion 47. The short cylinder portion 47 is disposed substantially at the center of the shielding portion 43. The inner diameter of the shielding part 43 is larger than the outer diameter of the short cylinder part 47. Between the shielding part 43 and the short cylinder part 47, a swirl flow forming channel 48 which is a substantially cylindrical gap surrounding the central axis L is formed. The swirl flow forming channel 48 is opened as an annular gas discharge port 44 around the treatment liquid discharge port 28.

  The cylindrical flow path 38, the airflow direction changing flow path 49, and the swirl flow forming flow path 48 are in communication with each other, and the gas flow path 50 is formed by these flow paths 38, 49, and 48. The nitrogen gas guided from the airflow direction changing flow path 49 to the swirl flow forming flow path 48 flows so as to swirl around the central axis L (the treatment liquid flow path 27), and is guided to the gas discharge port 44. In the swirl flow forming flow channel 48, the nitrogen gas flows so as to swirl around the treatment liquid flow channel 27, so that the nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 forms a swirl airflow in the vicinity of the gas discharge port 44. . The swirling air flow of nitrogen gas is formed so as to surround the processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge port 28 along the central axis L.

  When the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply pipe 8 to the processing liquid flow path 27 and nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9 to the nitrogen gas pipe 34, the processing liquid discharge port 28 leads to the external space. While the processing liquid is discharged, nitrogen gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 44 to the external space. Then, the treatment liquid and the nitrogen gas collide and mix in the external space, and the treatment liquid becomes fine droplets, and the droplets are formed. Then, the droplets of the processing liquid become jets and are discharged onto the surface of the wafer W.

  The nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 proceeds in a direction having a tangential component of the gas discharge port 44. The outline of the droplet flow of the processing liquid carried on the wafer W together with the nitrogen gas from the two-fluid nozzle 3 has a constricted portion F formed in the vicinity of the processing liquid discharge port 28. The narrowed portion F is a portion where the cross-sectional area orthogonal to the processing liquid discharge direction (substantially circular cross-sectional diameter) is the smallest in each part along the processing liquid discharge direction. The contour of the droplet flow from the two-fluid nozzle 3 expands from the narrowed portion F toward the surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2. The main traveling direction of liquid droplets of the processing liquid ejected from the two-fluid nozzle 3 (the central axis direction of the spiral airflow) is substantially perpendicular to the wafer W.

  The fixing nut 23 has a female screw hole 31 to be screwed with the male screw 36 of the inner cylinder 21. The fixing nut 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its outer diameter is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer cylinder 20. The fixing nut 23 is screwed into the male screw 36 of the inner cylinder 21, and the fixing nut 23 is fastened to the outer cylinder 20 from the base end side of the outer cylinder 20, so that the outer cylinder 20 is securely fixed to the inner cylinder 21. can do. And the position of the axial direction of the short cylinder part 47 with respect to the shielding part 43 can be adjusted by adjusting the screwing amount of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the external thread 36.

A scale 51 along the circumferential direction is attached to the outer periphery of the fixing nut 23 and the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 20. The scale 51 includes a scale 53 provided at the outer cylinder 20 side end portion on the outer periphery of the fixing nut 23 and an index 52 provided on the proximal end portion of the outer cylinder 20 outer periphery.
Depending on the amount of screwing of the outer cylinder 20 into the inner cylinder 21, the position of the outer cylinder 20 in the rotational direction relative to the inner cylinder 21 changes, and the indicated position of the index 52 changes. The operator can grasp the screwing amount of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21 by reading the scale 53 indicated by the index 52 and can grasp the axial position of the short cylinder part 47 with respect to the shielding part 43.

  When the outer cylinder 20 is displaced in the axial direction with respect to the inner cylinder 21, the fixing nut 23 is loosened (the fixing nut 23 is rotated with respect to the male screw 36 so as to be separated from the outer cylinder 20), and the outer cylinder 20 is appropriately Rotate in any direction. Thereby, the male screw 36 is also rotated, the position of the male screw 36 is changed in the length direction of the male screw 36, and the position (height) of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21 can be adjusted. After the adjustment, the male screw 36 can be prevented from moving with respect to the outer cylinder 20 by tightening the fixing nut 23 toward the outer cylinder 20. Accordingly, the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 are fixed to each other so that the short cylinder portion 47 can be displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43.

  Nitrogen gas flowing through the gas flow path 50 defined between the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 is discharged from the gas discharge port 44 defined between the short cylinder part 47 and the shielding part 43. When the short cylindrical portion 47 is displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43, the mode of the swirling airflow of nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 changes, and the distance from the gas discharge port 44 to the throttle portion F Changes. As a result, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 changes.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a control device 60 having a configuration including a microcomputer. A spin motor 5, a two-fluid nozzle drive mechanism 14, a nitrogen gas valve 11, a processing liquid valve 10, and a DIW valve 16 are connected to the control device 60 as control targets.
For example, when the two-fluid nozzle 3 is newly installed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and when the two-fluid nozzle 3 is replaced, the droplet spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3 is adjusted. Specifically, the operator manually adjusts the height position of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21 by tightening / loosening the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21 and discharging from the two-fluid nozzle 3. Adjustment of the spray state of the droplets to be performed is performed. At this time, the operator adjusts the position between the outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 21 using the scale 51 as a guide.

FIG. 5 is a process diagram showing an example of processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1.
The wafer W to be processed is loaded into a processing chamber (not shown) by a transfer robot (not shown) (step S1), and held by the spin chuck 2 with its surface facing upward.
After the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 2, the control device 60 drives the spin motor 5 to start rotating the wafer W (step S2). Further, the control device 60 controls the two-fluid nozzle driving mechanism 14 so that the two-fluid nozzle 3 is moved above the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2 from the standby position set on the side of the spin chuck 2. The

  When the rotation speed of the wafer W reaches a predetermined liquid processing speed (for example, 1000 rpm), the control device 60 opens the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11, and the processing liquid and nitrogen gas are mixed from the two-fluid nozzle 3. The jet of the generated droplet is discharged. On the other hand, the two-fluid nozzle drive mechanism 14 is controlled to swing the arm 13 within a predetermined angular range. As a result, the supply position on the surface of the wafer W to which the jet of droplets from the two-fluid nozzle 3 is guided moves within an area extending from the rotation center of the wafer W to the peripheral edge of the wafer W while drawing an arc-shaped locus. Then, a jet of droplets is supplied uniformly over the entire surface of the wafer W. Contaminants adhering to the surface of the wafer W (for example, when the processing liquid is a chemical liquid) due to the impact when the droplet jet collides with the surface of the wafer W and the chemical action of the processing liquid (for example, Particles) are removed from the surface of the wafer W (S3: treatment liquid treatment).

When the reciprocating scan of the jet supply position is performed a predetermined number of times, the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11 are closed, and the supply of the jet of droplets from the two-fluid nozzle 3 is stopped. Then, the two-fluid nozzle 3 is returned to the standby position on the side of the spin chuck 2 from above the wafer W.
Further, the control device 60 opens the DIW valve 16 and discharges DIW from the DIW nozzle 4 toward the surface of the wafer W. The DIW supplied to the surface of the wafer W receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the wafer W and flows toward the periphery of the wafer W, and the processing liquid adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W is washed away by this DIW (S4: Rinse treatment).

When a predetermined rinsing process time has elapsed from the start of DIW discharge by the DIW nozzle 4, the control device 60 closes the DIW valve 16 and stops the supply of DIW to the wafer W.
Thereafter, the control device 60 accelerates the spin chuck 2 to a spin drying rotation speed (for example, about 2500 rpm). Thereby, DIW adhering to the surface of the wafer W after rinsing with DIW is shaken off by centrifugal force, and the wafer W is dried (S5: spin dry).

When the spin dry is performed for a predetermined spin dry time, the rotation of the spin chuck 2 is stopped (step S6). Thereafter, the wafer W is unloaded from the processing chamber (not shown) by a transfer robot (not shown) (step S7).
As described above, according to this embodiment, the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 are fixed to each other so that the short cylinder portion 47 can be displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43. The processing liquid that has flowed through the processing liquid flow path 27 is discharged from a processing liquid discharge port 28 that opens in the short cylinder portion 47 of the inner cylinder 21. Further, the nitrogen gas flowing through the gas flow path 50 defined between the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 was partitioned between the short cylinder portion 47 of the inner cylinder 21 and the shielding portion 43 of the outer cylinder 20. It is discharged from the gas discharge port 44. Therefore, when the short cylinder portion 47 is displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43, the discharge mode of the nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 changes, and the mixing position of the treatment liquid and nitrogen gas and nitrogen The gas discharge direction changes. As a result, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 also changes. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the short cylinder portion 47 in the axial direction with respect to the shielding portion 43, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 can be adjusted. As a result, the desired process can be performed on the wafer W using the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3.

  A male screw 36 is formed on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 21, and a female screw 37 is formed on the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 20. The male screw 36 and the female screw 37 are screwed together. In addition, the fixing nut 23 is screwed to the male screw 36 together with the female screw 37, and the fixing nut 23 is fastened to the outer cylinder 20 from the upper side to fix the outer cylinder 20 to the male screw 36. Therefore, by adjusting the screwing amount of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21, the axial position of the short cylinder part 47 with respect to the shielding part 43 can be easily adjusted. Then, after adjusting the screwing amount, the fixing nut 23 is tightened with respect to the outer cylinder 20 from the base end side in the axial direction, thereby keeping the axial position of the short cylindrical portion 47 with respect to the shielding portion 43 at a desired position. The inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 can be reliably fixed to each other as they are.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, portions corresponding to the respective portions shown in the embodiment (first embodiment) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and described. Is omitted. The substrate processing apparatus 70 shown in FIG. 6 is greatly different from the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that a particle counter for detecting the amount of particles (foreign matter) adhering to the surface of the wafer W. (Foreign matter amount detection means) 71 and a point provided with an outer cylinder lifting device 72 for moving the outer cylinder 20 up and down with respect to the inner cylinder 21 of the two-fluid nozzle 3.

The particle counter 71 is a device for detecting the number of particles that are particulate foreign substances existing on the surface of the wafer W, and particles at a predetermined position on the surface of the wafer W are to be detected.
In the substrate processing apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment, the pressure sensor 73 and the automatic flow rate adjustment valve 74 are interposed in this order from the nitrogen gas valve 11 side on the downstream side of the nitrogen gas valve 11 in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9. ing. The flow rate of the nitrogen gas supplied from the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9 to the two-fluid nozzle 3 (gas flow path 50) is always kept constant by the automatic flow rate adjusting valve 74. Further, the pressure sensor 73 detects the pressure of the nitrogen gas flowing through the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9, that is, the nitrogen gas introduced into the two-fluid nozzle 3.

  When the short cylinder portion 47 is displaced with respect to the shielding portion 43, the pressure of the nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 changes. At this time, since the flow rate of the nitrogen gas introduced into the two-fluid nozzle 3 is kept constant, the pressure in the gas flow path 50 changes. That is, when the pressure of nitrogen gas from the gas discharge port 44 is relatively high, the pressure in the gas flow path 50 becomes relatively high, and as a result, the detection value of the pressure sensor 73 shows a relatively high value. . Further, when the pressure of the nitrogen gas from the gas discharge port 44 is relatively low, the pressure in the gas flow path 50 becomes relatively low, and as a result, the detection value of the pressure sensor 73 shows a relatively low value. . That is, there is a certain relationship between the axial position of the short cylinder portion 47 with respect to the shielding portion 43 and the pressure sensor 73.

  At the retracted position of the two-fluid nozzle 3 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 7), a pre-dispens pod (not shown) made of a bottomed container is disposed with its opening facing upward. The pre-dispens pod is used to waste the processing liquid remaining in the two-fluid nozzle 3 and deteriorating. In addition, an outer cylinder lifting device 72 is disposed at a retracted position of the two-fluid nozzle 3 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 7). The outer cylinder lifting device 72 adjusts the screwing amount of the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the outer cylinder lifting device 72. The outer cylinder lifting device 72 includes an upper hand 75, a middle hand 76, and a lower hand 77 having different height positions in the vertical direction.
The upper hand 75 has a short cylindrical shape. An upper hand moving mechanism 78 for moving the upper hand 75 in the horizontal direction is coupled to the upper hand 75. The upper hand 75 is for pressing the outer base end portion of the inner cylinder 21 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 in the retracted position to fix the inner cylinder 21 so as not to rotate.

  The middle hand 76 has a short cylindrical shape. A middle hand moving mechanism 79 for moving the middle hand 76 in the horizontal direction is coupled to the middle hand 76. Further, the middle hand 76 is coupled with a middle hand rotation drive mechanism 80 for rotating the middle hand 76 about its central axis. The middle hand 76 is for contacting the outer periphery of the fixing nut 23 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 in the retracted position to rotate the fixing nut 23 relative to the inner cylinder 21.

  The lower hand 77 has a short cylindrical shape. A grip is disposed on the outer periphery of the lower hand 77. The lower hand 77 is coupled to a lower hand moving mechanism 81 for moving the lower hand 77 in the horizontal direction. Further, the lower hand 77 is coupled with a lower hand rotation drive mechanism 82 for rotating the lower hand 77 around its central axis. The lower hand 77 is in contact with the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 20 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 in the retracted position, and rotates the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21.

The upper hand moving mechanism 78 moves the upper hand 75 toward the inner cylinder 21 of the two-fluid nozzle 3. Then, the outer circumference of the upper hand 75 is brought into pressure contact with the outer circumference of the inner cylinder 21 so that the inner cylinder 21 cannot be rotated.
The middle hand 76 is moved toward the fixed nut 23 by the middle hand moving mechanism 79, and the outer periphery of the middle hand 76 contacts the outer periphery of the fixed nut 23. In a state where the inner cylinder 21 is not rotatable, the middle hand 76 is rotated around the central axis by the middle hand rotation drive mechanism 80, whereby the fixing nut 23 is rotated. The fixing nut 23 can be loosened by rotating the fixing nut 23 fixed to the male screw 36 in a predetermined loosening direction.

  Further, the lower hand 77 is moved toward the outer cylinder 20 by the lower hand moving mechanism 81, and the outer periphery of the lower hand 77 contacts the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 20. Then, the lower hand 77 is rotated around the central axis by the lower hand rotation drive mechanism 82 in a state where the inner cylinder 21 is not rotatable. As a result, the outer cylinder 20 also rotates, the position of the female screw 37 changes in the longitudinal direction of the male screw 36, and the position of the outer cylinder 20 in the axial direction with respect to the inner cylinder 21 changes.

After adjusting the position of the outer cylinder 20, the fixing nut 23 can be tightened to the outer cylinder 20 by rotating the fixing nut 23 in a predetermined tightening direction (a direction opposite to the loosening direction) by the middle hand rotation drive mechanism 80. .
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 70. A signal output from the particle counter 71 and a signal output from the pressure sensor 73 are input to the control device 60.

The control device 60 includes a spin motor 5, a two-fluid nozzle drive mechanism 14, a processing liquid valve 10, a nitrogen gas valve 11, a DIW valve 16, an upper hand moving mechanism 78, an intermediate hand rotation driving mechanism 80, an intermediate hand moving mechanism 79, and a lower A hand rotation driving mechanism 82 and a lower hand moving mechanism 81 are connected as control targets.
A storage unit (not shown) is connected to the control device 60. In this storage unit, the detected particle amount-set pressure value representing the correspondence between the detected value (particle amount) by the particle counter 71 and the set pressure value to be set as the pressure of the nitrogen gas introduced into the nitrogen gas pipe 34. A correspondence table (not shown) is stored. The relationship between the detected value and the set pressure in this table is that the set pressure value is relatively large when the detected value is relatively low, and the set pressure value is relatively small when the detected value is relatively high. .

FIG. 9 is a process diagram showing an example of processing in the substrate processing apparatus 70. During the processing in the substrate processing apparatus 70, as in the case of FIG. 5 described above, the substrate is carried into a processing chamber (not shown) by a transfer robot (not shown) (not shown) (step S11) and the surface thereof is directed upward. Is held by the spin chuck 2.
Next, at the retracted position of the two-fluid nozzle 3, the droplet spray state from the two-fluid nozzle 3 is adjusted (step S12: adjustment of the two-fluid nozzle spray state).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of control in adjusting the spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3.
After the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 2, the amount of particles present on the surface of the wafer W is detected by the particle counter 71 (step S21). The detection output is given to the control device 60. The control device 60 refers to a detected particle amount-set pressure value correspondence table (not shown) stored in a storage unit (not shown), and acquires a set pressure value corresponding to the detection result (particle amount). (Step S22).

  Further, the control device 60 opens the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11 (steps S23 and S24). Thereby, a jet of droplets generated by mixing the treatment liquid and nitrogen gas is discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3. The treatment liquid and nitrogen gas droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 are discharged toward an opening of a pre-dispense pod (not shown) made of a bottomed container and received by the pre-dispense pod (not shown). And then drained.

  Then, the control device 60 drives the upper hand moving mechanism 78, the middle hand rotation driving mechanism 80, and the lower hand rotation driving mechanism 82 to screw / unscrew the outer cylinder 20 with respect to the inner cylinder 21, thereby The inner cylinder 21 is moved up and down (step S25). Then, the driving by the middle hand rotation driving mechanism 80 and the lower hand rotation driving mechanism 82 is continued until the detected value of the pressure sensor 73 reaches the set pressure value determined in step S22 (step S26).

  The relationship between the detected value and the set pressure in the detected particle amount-set pressure value correspondence table (not shown) is that when the detected value is relatively low, the set pressure value is relatively large, and the detected value is relatively When the pressure is high, the set pressure value is relatively small. Therefore, when the amount of particles adhering to the surface of the wafer W is relatively large, the pressure of nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 is relatively low, and the liquid discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 (gas discharge port). In the spray state of the droplets, the spray area of the droplets becomes large, so that the foreign matter removing ability is enhanced. When the amount of particles adhering to the surface of the wafer W is relatively small, the pressure of the nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 is relatively high, and the spray state of the droplet discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 is Since the spray area of the droplet is small, the surface of the wafer W is not damaged.

When the detected value of the pressure sensor 73 reaches the set pressure value determined in step S22 (YES in step S26), the driving by the middle hand rotation driving mechanism 80 and the lower hand rotation driving mechanism 82 is stopped, and the outer cylinder The raising / lowering of 20 is stopped and the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 are mutually fixed (step S27).
Thereafter, the control device 60 opens the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11 (steps S27 and S28), and ends the control for adjusting the spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3.

Referring to FIG. 9 again, after adjusting the spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3 (step S12), the control device 60 drives the spin motor 5 to start rotating the wafer W (step S13). Further, the control device 60 controls the two-fluid nozzle driving mechanism 14 so that the two-fluid nozzle 3 is moved above the wafer W.
When the rotation speed of the wafer W reaches a predetermined liquid processing speed (for example, 1000 rpm), the control device 60 opens the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11. Thereby, a jet of droplets generated by mixing the treatment liquid and nitrogen gas is discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3. Further, the control device 60 controls the two-fluid nozzle driving mechanism 14 to swing the arm 13 within a predetermined angle range (S14: treatment liquid treatment).

When the reciprocating scan of the jet supply position is performed a predetermined number of times, the processing liquid valve 10 and the nitrogen gas valve 11 are closed, and the supply of the jet of droplets from the two-fluid nozzle 3 is stopped. Then, the two-fluid nozzle 3 is returned to the standby position on the side of the spin chuck 2 from above the wafer W.
Further, the control device 60 opens the DIW valve 16 and discharges DIW from the DIW nozzle 4 toward the surface of the wafer W. The processing liquid adhering to the upper surface of the wafer W is washed away by the DIW (S15: rinsing process). When a predetermined rinsing process time has elapsed from the start of DIW discharge by the DIW nozzle 4, the control device 60 closes the DIW valve 16 and stops the supply of DIW to the wafer W. Thereafter, the control device 60 accelerates the spin chuck 2 to a spin drying rotation speed (for example, about 2500 rpm). Thereby, the wafer W is dried (S16: spin dry). The processes in steps S13, S14, S15, and S16 are the same as steps S2, S3, S4, and S5 in FIG.

When the spin dry is performed for a predetermined spin dry time, the rotation of the spin chuck 2 is stopped (step S17). Thereafter, the wafer W is unloaded from the processing chamber (not shown) by a transfer robot (not shown) (step S18).
According to the second embodiment, the particle counter 71 detects the amount of particles adhering to the wafer W surface. Therefore, based on the detection result of the particle counter 71, the axial position of the short cylindrical portion 47 with respect to the shielding portion 43 can be adjusted. Therefore, the droplet spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3 can be automatically adjusted to a state corresponding to the amount of particles on the surface of the wafer W.

  When the axial position of the short cylinder portion 47 with respect to the shielding portion 43 changes, the aspect of the gas discharge port 44 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 changes, and the pressure of nitrogen gas discharged from the gas discharge port 44 changes. For example, when a constant flow rate of nitrogen gas is supplied to the two-fluid nozzle 3, the pressure in the gas flow path 50, and thus the nitrogen gas supply pipe, with the change in the axial position of the short cylinder portion 47 with respect to the shielding portion 43. 9 pressure changes. Therefore, the mode of the gas discharge port 44 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 is changed to a desired mode by displacing the short cylindrical portion 47 along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43 based on the detection output of the pressure sensor 73. Can be controlled. Therefore, the spray state of the droplets discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 3 can be accurately adjusted to a state according to the state of the wafer W surface.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 90 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 90. In the third embodiment, portions corresponding to those shown in the embodiment (first embodiment) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and will be described. Is omitted.

  The two-fluid nozzle 90 of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is greatly different from the two-fluid nozzle 3 of the first embodiment in that the outer cylinder is divided into two in the axial direction instead of the outer cylinder 20. 91 is used. The outer cylinder 91 includes a base end member 92 on the base end side in the axial direction (upper side shown in FIGS. 11 and 12) and a tip member 93 on the front side in the axial direction (lower side shown in FIGS. 11 and 12). ing.

  The tip member 93 has the same configuration as the tip portion (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the outer cylinder 20 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 of the first embodiment. The distal end member 93 includes a lower cylinder 94 formed of a short cylinder, a shielding part 43 provided below the lower cylinder 94, and a male screw part (male screw) provided above the lower cylinder 94 and screwed to the base end member 92. 95. The male screw part 95 is formed in a cylindrical shape. A male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the male screw portion 95. The inner diameter of the male screw portion 95 is the same as the inner diameter of the lower cylinder 94. The outer diameter of the male screw portion 95 is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower cylinder 94.

  The proximal end member 92 has the same configuration as the portion other than the distal end portion (see FIGS. 2 and 3) in the outer cylinder 20 of the two-fluid nozzle 3 of the first embodiment. The base end member 92 includes an upper tube 96 and a female screw portion (female screw) 97 provided below the upper tube 96 and screw-connected to the distal end member 93. The upper cylinder 96 has the same inner diameter and outer diameter as the lower cylinder 94. The upper cylinder 96 has a processing liquid inlet 33 in the middle in the vertical direction. The female screw portion 97 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer diameter of the female screw portion 97 is the same as the outer diameter of the upper tube 96. The internal diameter of the female thread portion 97 is larger than the internal diameter of the upper tube 96. On the inner periphery of the female screw portion 97, a female screw that is screwed with the male screw portion 95 of the tip member 93 is formed.

A lower fixing nut 98 for fixing the distal end member 93 to the proximal end member 92 is disposed between the proximal end member 92 and the lower cylinder 94 of the distal end member 93.
The lower fixing nut (fixing nut) 98 has a female screw hole 99 that is screwed into the male screw portion 95 of the base end member 92. The lower fixing nut 98 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the outer diameter thereof is substantially the same as the outer diameters of the upper cylinder 96 and the lower cylinder 94. The lower fixing nut 98 is screwed into the male screw portion 95 of the distal end member 93, and the lower fixing nut 98 is tightened against the proximal end member 92 from the proximal end portion side of the proximal end member 92, whereby the distal end member 93 is The member 92 can be fixed. The axial position of the short tube portion 47 relative to the shielding portion 43 can be adjusted by adjusting the screwing amount of the base end member 92 with respect to the male screw portion 95.

A scale 100 along the circumferential direction is attached to the outer periphery of the lower cylinder 94 of the distal end member 93 and the outer periphery of the upper cylinder 96 of the base end member 92. In the two-fluid nozzle 90, the scale 51 is not attached.
The scale 100 includes a scale 102 provided at the proximal end portion of the outer periphery of the lower tube 94 and an index 101 provided at the distal end portion of the outer periphery of the upper tube 96 of the proximal end member 92. That is, the scale 100 has the same configuration as the scale 51 shown in FIG.

According to the third embodiment, the axial position of the short cylindrical portion 47 relative to the shielding portion 43 can be adjusted by displacing the distal end member 93 along the central axis L with respect to the proximal end member 92. Thereby, the spray state of the droplet discharged from the two-fluid nozzle 90 can be adjusted.
FIG. 13 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 110 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, parts corresponding to those shown in the embodiment (first embodiment) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and will be described. Is omitted. The two-fluid nozzle 110 of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 13 is different from the two-fluid nozzle 3 of the first embodiment in that a tapered surface is formed on the lower end surface of the shielding portion 43 of the outer cylinder 20. In other words, the lower end surface of the shielding portion 43 is formed only by the tip surface 111 formed of a cylindrical surface orthogonal to the central axis L.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle 120 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, parts corresponding to those shown in the embodiment (first embodiment) shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and will be described. Is omitted. The two-fluid nozzle 120 of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 14 is different from the two-fluid nozzle 3 of the first embodiment in that the lower end surface of the shielding portion 43 of the outer cylinder 20 faces radially outward. The first tapered surface 121 having a cylindrical shape as viewed from the bottom and the second tapered surface 122 having a cylindrical shape as viewed from the bottom, which is continuous with the first tapered surface 121 and increases in the radial direction, is provided. is there.

As mentioned above, although five embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can also be implemented with another form.
For example, in the second embodiment, the laser type particle counter 71 is exemplified as the particle counter, but other particle counters may be employed instead. In this case, particles in the entire surface of the wafer W can be detected.

In the second embodiment, instead of the particle counter 71, a sensor (CCD sensor) for detecting the presence or absence of a pattern on the surface of the wafer W may be provided. The spray state of the droplets ejected from the two-fluid nozzle 3 may be changed based on the presence or absence of a pattern on the surface of the wafer W.
These particle counters 71 and sensors can be drawn into the processing chamber (not shown) only when the spray state of the two-fluid nozzle 3 is adjusted, and can be retracted outside the processing chamber at other times.

Further, the second embodiment is modified so that the detected particle amount-set pressure value correspondence table (not shown) stored in the storage unit (not shown) connected to the control device 60 is not the detected pressure value itself, A configuration in which a threshold value of the detected pressure value is defined may be employed.
In the second embodiment, the pressure sensor 73 interposed in the nitrogen gas supply pipe 9 can be omitted. In this case, instead of the detected particle amount-set pressure value correspondence table, the storage unit connected to the control device 60 is rotated by the detection value (particle amount) by the particle counter 71 and the lower hand rotation drive mechanism 82 ( You may memorize | store the detection particle amount-rotation amount corresponding | compatible table showing the correspondence with the rotation amount (screw amount) with respect to the outer cylinder 20 (with respect to the inner cylinder 21) to be screwed. And the control apparatus 60 can acquire the rotation amount corresponding to a detection result with reference to the detection particle amount-rotation amount correspondence table, and can screw / unscrew the outer cylinder 20 according to the rotation amount.

In the second embodiment, two-fluid nozzles 90, 110, and 120 may be used instead of the two-fluid nozzle 3. When the two-fluid nozzle 90 of the third embodiment is applied to the substrate processing apparatus 70 according to the second embodiment, the base end member 92 is operated by the middle hand 76 and the tip member 93 is operated by the lower hand 77. Also good.
Moreover, in 3rd Embodiment, the outer cylinder 20 and the inner cylinder 21 can also be set as the structure mutually fixed so that relative displacement was impossible by welding, for example. In this case, the fixing nut 23 can be omitted.

In the third embodiment, the two-fluid nozzle 90 may be configured such that the distal end member 93 is externally fitted to the proximal end member 92. In this case, if the base end member 92 is provided with a male screw portion and the tip member 93 is provided with a female screw portion that is screwed with the male screw portion, the short cylindrical portion 47 is displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding portion 43. Can be made.
Further, the third embodiment may be modified such that the index 101 of the scale 100 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower fixing nut 98. Further, the scale 102 of the scale 100 may be provided on the outer periphery of the base end member 92 or the outer periphery of the lower fixing nut 98, and the index 52 of the scale 51 may be provided on the outer periphery of the fixing nut 23. A configuration in which the index 101 of the scale 100 is provided on the outer periphery of the tip member 93 may be employed.

Further, the first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments are modified so that the scale 53 of the scale 51 is provided on the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 20 and the index 52 of the scale 51 is provided on the outer periphery of the fixing nut 23. May be.
Further, by modifying each of the above-described embodiments, the male screw 36 is divided into a part screwed with the female screw 37 of the outer cylinder 20 and a part screwed with the fixing nut 23, and the winding direction of the screw of these two parts is changed. The directions may be different from each other. In this case, the female screw 37 of the outer cylinder 20 and the female screw hole 31 of the fixing nut 23 have different screw winding directions.

Further, as an aspect in which the inner cylinder 21 and the outer cylinder 20 can be relatively displaced, the inner cylinder 21 can be displaced with respect to the outer cylinder 20 in a fixed state. At this time, the short cylinder part 47 of the inner cylinder 21 can be displaced along the central axis L with respect to the shielding part 43 of the outer cylinder 20.
Further, when the above-described embodiments are modified so that the male screw 36 and the female screw 37 have a structure in which a strong coupling force can be obtained only by screwing the male screw 36 and the female screw 37, the fixing nut 23 is omitted. You can also Further, when the third embodiment is modified so that a strong coupling force can be obtained only by screwing the male screw portion 95 and the female screw portion 97, the lower fixing nut 98 can be omitted. .

Further, not only one type of processing liquid but also a plurality of processing liquids (for example, chemical liquid and DIW) can be switched and supplied to the two-fluid nozzles 3 and 90.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

1. Substrate processing apparatus 2. Spin chuck (substrate holding means)
3 Two-fluid nozzle 8 Treatment liquid supply pipe (treatment liquid supply means)
9 Nitrogen gas supply pipe (gas supply pipe)
10 Treatment liquid valve (treatment liquid supply means)
11 Nitrogen gas valve (gas supply means)
20 outer cylinder (second cylinder)
21 Inner cylinder (first cylinder)
23 fixing nut 27 treatment liquid flow path (treatment liquid flow path)
28 Processing liquid discharge port (Processing liquid discharge port)
36 male screw 37 female screw 44 gas discharge port 50 gas flow path 60 control device 70 substrate processing device 71 particle sensor (foreign matter amount detection means)
72 Outer cylinder lifting device (drive mechanism, displacement mechanism)
73 Pressure sensor 90 Two-fluid nozzle 92 Base end member 93 Tip member 110 Two-fluid nozzle 120 Two-fluid nozzle W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (7)

A first cylindrical body in which a processing liquid flow path through which the processing liquid flows is formed inside, and a processing liquid discharge port is opened at the tip;
The first cylinder is provided coaxially with the first cylinder so as to surround the first cylinder, and defines a gas flow path through which gas flows between the first cylinder and the first cylinder at the tip. A second cylinder defining a gas discharge port between
A fixing means for fixing the first cylinder and the second cylinder to each other so that the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder can be relatively displaced in the axial direction; ,
The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid discharge port and the gas discharged from the gas discharge port are mixed outside the first cylinder and the second cylinder to form droplets of the processing liquid. A two-fluid nozzle designed to eject droplets of processing liquid.   2. The two-fluid nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means includes a male screw formed on the outer periphery of the first cylinder and a female screw formed on the inner periphery of the second cylinder and screwed into the male screw.   The fixing means is fixed to the male screw by tightening the second cylinder from one side in the axial direction by being screwed into the male screw and tightened from the one side in the axial direction with respect to the second cylinder. The two-fluid nozzle of claim 2, further comprising: Substrate holding means for holding a substrate to be processed;
The two-fluid nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, for supplying a droplet of a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means.
Treatment liquid supply means for supplying the treatment liquid to the treatment liquid flow path of the two-fluid nozzle;
And a gas supply means for supplying the gas to the gas flow path of the two-fluid nozzle. A displacement mechanism that relatively displaces the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder in the axial direction;
Surface state detection means for detecting the state of the substrate surface held by the substrate holding means;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a displacement mechanism control unit that controls the displacement mechanism based on a detection result of the surface state detection unit.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the surface state detection unit includes a detection unit that detects an amount of foreign matter attached to the substrate surface held by the substrate holding unit. The gas supply means
A gas supply pipe for supplying the gas to the gas flow path;
A pressure sensor that is provided in the middle of the gas supply pipe and detects the pressure of the gas flowing through the gas supply pipe;
The substrate processing apparatus is
A drive mechanism for relatively displacing the tip of the first cylinder and the tip of the second cylinder in the axial direction;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a drive mechanism control unit that controls the drive mechanism based on a detection result by the pressure sensor.

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