JP2011096800A - Method and apparatus for wet processing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for wet processing, capable of achieving more uniform wet processing, while sufficiently suppressing remaining of air bubbles in pores, in wet processing carried out by dipping a plate-like body having fine pores in a processing liquid. <P>SOLUTION: The wet processing method includes a decompression step of reducing the pressure in a sealed container 11 while the plate-like body 3 is held in the sealed container 11, a soluble gas introduction step of introducing a soluble gas 8 which is soluble in the processing liquid 2 into the sealed container 11 while the pressure in the sealed container 11 is reduced after the decompression process, and a process liquid introduction step of introducing the processing liquid 2 into the sealed container 11 while the sealed container 11 is filled with the soluble gas after the soluble gas 8 introduction process, wherein a substrate 3 is subjected to the wet processing while no air bubble remains in fine pores. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fine hole or the like in a wet process such as etching, cleaning, or plating performed by immersing a board (substrate) such as a semiconductor substrate having a complicated shape such as a fine hole or a printed wiring board in a processing solution. The present invention relates to a wet processing method and apparatus for realizing uniform wet processing without causing problems due to bubbles remaining in the substrate and hindering contact with the processing liquid.

  Etching, cleaning, plating, etc. are performed as wet processing on substrates such as semiconductor substrates and printed wiring boards. Substrates such as semiconductor substrates and printed wiring boards having complicated shapes such as fine holes are immersed in the processing solution. In the wet processing performed, bubbles remaining in fine holes or the like become a problem.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional wet processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a plate-like body (substrate) 3 to be processed is immersed in the processing liquid 2 placed in the wet processing tank 1. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of a portion C in the plate-like body 3 (FIG. 5A), and illustrates a cross-sectional structure of the minute hole 4 portion of the plate-like body 3. This hole 4 is a non-penetrating hole, and a state in which bubbles 5 remain inside the hole 4 is shown. In the non-through hole such as the hole 4, bubbles are likely to remain particularly.

As the shape of the hole, for example, when the hole diameter is 0.2 mm or less and the aspect ratio is 1 or more, there is a problem of remaining bubbles as described above.
In this way, if bubbles remain inside the fine holes in the wet processing of the substrate, insufficient contact of the processing liquid will occur at the hole portions where the bubbles remain, thereby forming a film. Defects such as defects and cleaning residue occur.

  And, as a countermeasure (bubble removal countermeasure) for suppressing bubbles remaining in the fine holes or the like in the wet process performed by immersing the substrate having the fine holes or the like in the processing liquid as described above, for example, the following method Has been proposed.

(Conventional method 1)
A substrate with non-through holes is immersed in a plating solution placed in the bath, giving vibrations and vibrations, and at the same time reducing the pressure in the bath to discharge bubbles in the non-through holes and plating in the non-through holes. This makes it easy for liquid to enter (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

(Conventional method 2)
Immerse the substrate with fine holes in the plating solution in the plating tank, and positively generate bubbles in the fine holes with ultrasonic waves, and then decompress the whole plating tank to remove the bubbles in the fine holes. It removes (degass), and has the effect of stirring that spreads the plating solution into the fine holes (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

(Conventional method 3)
Immerse a substrate with non-through holes in the processing liquid tank so that the substrate surface is perpendicular to the processing liquid surface, and remove bubbles in the non-through holes by combining the vertical motion of the substrate with circular motion (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).

(Conventional method 4)
A smaller defoaming hole is provided at the bottom of the non-through hole of the substrate so that bubbles accumulated at the bottom of the non-through hole can be discharged from the defoaming hole (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-211384 JP 2000-101230 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-326892 JP 09-326539 A

As described above, for example, the conventional methods 1 to 4 have been proposed as measures for removing bubbles in a wet process of a substrate having fine holes or the like, but the following points are considered to be problems.
(Problem with conventional method 1)
The conventional method 1 is intended to expand and remove bubbles remaining in the non-through hole by immersing the substrate having the non-through hole in the plating solution and then reducing the pressure. Then, among the bubbles staying in the non-through holes, the bubbles in the portion protruding from the non-through holes due to the expansion are removed, but the remaining bubbles remain. Further, in this method, since the plating process is performed with the pressure reduced, the bubbles are apparently present in a large state, and a great effect cannot be expected as a measure for removing bubbles.

(Problem with conventional method 2)
Conventional method 2 is intended to remove bubbles in fine holes by generating cavities using ultrasonic waves, and further reducing the bubbles by reducing the pressure. Thus, it is difficult to completely remove bubbles so as to obtain a uniform bubble removing effect.

(Problem with conventional method 3)
In the conventional method 3, the effect of removing the bubbles in the non-through holes is improved by swinging the vertical vibration of the substrate in addition to the circular motion, but this method also reduces the degree of remaining bubbles. However, complete removal is considered difficult, and there is a high possibility that bubbles remain in a non-through hole having a large aspect ratio.

(Problem with conventional method 4)
Conventional method 4 attempts to suppress residual bubbles by providing a smaller defoaming hole at the bottom of the non-through hole of the substrate. In this method, however, the degassing hole is removed from the bottom of all non-through holes in the substrate. Since the bubble hole must be formed, it is difficult to restrict the board design.

  As described above, among the measures for removing bubbles in the wet processing of the substrate having a fine hole or the like, the conventional methods 1 to 3 in which the wet processing process is improved are still insufficient, and the improvement of the substrate structure is improved. In the conventional method 4 shown in the figure, the restriction on the board design is particularly difficult.

  And considering that the restriction on the substrate design as in the conventional method 4 is a fundamental problem in application to an actual product, a substrate having a fine hole or the like, and particularly a non-penetrating fine hole As a countermeasure for removing bubbles in the wet process, it is considered appropriate to improve the effect of removing bubbles by further improving the wet process.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problems, for example, wet processing performed by immersing a plate-like body (substrate) having holes such as non-penetrating fine holes in which bubbles are particularly likely to remain in a processing solution. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a wet processing method and a wet processing apparatus that can more sufficiently suppress the bubbles from remaining in the holes and realize a more uniform wet processing.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a wet processing method of performing wet processing by immersing a plate-like body having holes in a processing liquid, the sealed container with the plate-like body held in the sealed container. After the atmosphere in the sealed container is replaced with a soluble gas that can be dissolved in the processing solution, and after the atmosphere replacement process in the sealed container, the inside of the sealed container is filled with the soluble gas. And a treatment liquid introduction step for introducing the treatment liquid into the substrate (invention of claim 1).

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the atmosphere around the plate-like body (for example, a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate or a printed wiring board) in the sealed container is a treatment liquid for wet processing (for example, an aqueous solution using water as a solvent). ) Is replaced by a soluble gas (for example, a water-soluble gas), so that the soluble gas is filled around the plate-like body including the inside of the hole. The solution is introduced by introducing the treatment liquid in a state in which atmospheric gas components that cause the generation of bubbles around the plate-like body are excluded and the soluble gas that is soluble in the treatment liquid is filled. The treatment liquid wets and spreads on the plate-like body surface while dissolving the soluble gas, and further spreads wet inside the hole filled with the soluble gas. For this reason, for example, even in the case of a plate-like body having non-penetrating fine holes in which bubbles are likely to remain, the treatment liquid will be spread inside the holes, and bubbles will not remain in the holes. The treatment liquid can be brought into contact with the entire surface, thereby eliminating a defect due to partial lack of contact with the treatment liquid and realizing a uniform wet treatment.

  Further, in the wet processing method according to claim 1, as the atmosphere replacement process in the sealed container, a decompression process for decompressing the inside of the sealed container with the plate-like body held in the sealed container, and after the decompression process, It can be set as the structure provided with the soluble gas introduction | transduction process which introduce | transduces soluble gas into an airtight container in the state where the inside of the airtight container was pressure-reduced (invention of Claim 2).

  In the wet processing method according to claim 1 or 2, in the processing liquid introduction step, a sealed liquid container and a door part are provided in a sealed liquid container provided with a processing liquid tank containing a processing liquid and an openable / closable door. It is good to set it as the structure which the process liquid was introduce | transduced in the airtight container by immersing at least the part of a door part in the process liquid in a process liquid tank, and opening a door part in this state (Claim 3). Invention).

  The wet processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing liquid is water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent, and the soluble gas is a water-soluble gas. (Invention of claim 4).

Furthermore, in the wet processing method according to claim 4, the water-soluble gas may be ammonia or hydrogen chloride (invention of claim 5).
In the invention of claim 5 above, ammonia or hydrogen chloride is particularly suitable as a water-soluble gas because of its high solubility in water.

  Next, according to the present invention, in a wet processing apparatus that performs wet processing by immersing a plate-like body having holes in a processing solution, the plate-like body holding mechanism portion that holds the plate-like body is provided and the plate shape A sealed container that can be sealed with the body held therein, an atmosphere replacement means in the sealed container that can replace the atmosphere in the sealed container with a soluble gas that can be dissolved in the treatment liquid, and the sealed container And a processing liquid supply means capable of introducing the processing liquid into the sealed container in a state where the gas is filled with the soluble gas (invention of claim 6).

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the atmosphere around the plate-like body (for example, a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate or a printed wiring board) in the sealed container is treated with the treatment liquid for wet processing by the atmosphere replacement means in the sealed container. It is replaced with a soluble gas (for example, a water-soluble gas) that can be dissolved in an aqueous solution (for example, water as a solvent) so that the soluble gas is filled around the plate body including the inside of the hole. Can be. Then, the treatment liquid is introduced in a state in which the gas component in the atmosphere that causes the generation of bubbles around the plate-like body is eliminated and the soluble gas that is soluble in the treatment liquid is filled by the treatment liquid supply means. By doing so, it is possible to allow the treatment liquid to wet and spread on the plate-like body surface while dissolving the soluble gas, and further to wet and spread inside the hole filled with the soluble gas. For this reason, for example, even in the case of a plate-like body having non-penetrating fine holes in which bubbles are likely to remain, the treatment liquid will be spread inside the holes, and bubbles will not remain in the holes. The treatment liquid can be brought into contact with the entire surface, thereby eliminating a defect due to partial lack of contact with the treatment liquid and realizing a uniform wet treatment.

  The wet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the atmosphere replacement means in the sealed container is a vacuum exhaust means capable of depressurizing the inside of the sealed container, and is soluble in the sealed container in a state where the inside of the sealed container is decompressed. It can be set as the structure provided with the soluble gas supply means which can introduce | transduce gas (invention of Claim 7).

  In the wet processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, as the processing liquid supply means, a processing liquid tank containing a processing liquid is provided, and an openable / closable door disposed in a sealed container; A hermetic container can be moved up and down, and when it is lowered, a hermetic container driving unit capable of immersing the hermetic container in the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank is provided, and the hermetic container driving unit at least of the hermetic container and the door part is provided. The treatment liquid can be introduced into the sealed container by opening the door in a state where the door portion is immersed in the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank (Invention of Claim 8). ).

  The wet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the processing liquid is water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent, and the soluble gas is a water-soluble gas. (Invention of claim 9).

Furthermore, in the wet processing apparatus according to claim 9, the water-soluble gas may be ammonia or hydrogen chloride (invention of claim 10).
In the invention of claim 10 above, ammonia or hydrogen chloride is particularly suitable as a water-soluble gas because of its high solubility in water.

  According to the present invention, for example, bubbles remain in the holes in a wet process such as cleaning, etching, and plating performed by immersing a plate-like body having holes such as non-penetrating fine holes in which bubbles are particularly likely to remain in the processing liquid. The problem which generate | occur | produces by this can be prevented, and a uniform wet process can be given now to the plate-shaped body whole surface.

The block diagram which shows the wet processing apparatus by Example 1 of this invention Process drawing which shows the wet processing method by the wet processing apparatus of FIG. The block diagram which shows the wet processing apparatus by Example 2 of this invention Process drawing which shows the wet processing method by the wet processing apparatus of FIG. Configuration diagram showing conventional wet processing equipment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples shown in FIGS. About the same component, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted. In addition, this invention is not limited to the following embodiment, In the range which does not change the summary, it can implement suitably.
Embodiment of the present invention
The present invention is performed by immersing a plate-like body (substrate) (for example, a semiconductor substrate or a printed wiring board) having fine holes in a processing solution (for example, an aqueous solution using water as a solvent) (for example, etching, cleaning, As a measure to prevent bubbles from remaining in fine holes during wet processing (such as plating), the atmosphere in the sealed container can be dissolved in the processing solution while the plate-like body is held in the sealed container ( For example, the liquid is replaced with a soluble gas (such as a water-soluble gas), and the processing liquid is introduced into the sealed container in a state where the sealed container is filled with the soluble gas. Thus, in the present invention, the treatment liquid is introduced into the plate while dissolving the soluble gas by introducing the treatment liquid in a state where the soluble gas that can be dissolved in the treatment liquid is filled around the plate-like body having holes. Since the surface of the plate-like body wets and spreads, and the inside of the hole filled with the soluble gas also wets and spreads, the treatment liquid is in contact with the entire surface of the plate-like body without bubbles remaining in the hole. And a uniform wet process can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram illustrating a wet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating an example of a processing process in the wet processing method according to the first embodiment.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, a treatment liquid tank 13 containing a treatment liquid 2 is provided, and an openable / closable door 14 is provided in the sealed container 11, and at least a part of the openable / closable door 14 among the sealed container 11 and the openable door 14. Is immersed under the liquid level of the processing liquid 2 in the processing liquid tank 13, and the opening / closing door 14 is opened in this state, whereby the processing liquid 2 is introduced into the sealed container 11 filled with the soluble gas 8. It is made to be done.

(A) Configuration of wet processing apparatus in Example 1
As shown in FIG. 1A, the wet processing apparatus of FIG. 1 has a plate-like body holding mechanism for holding a processing liquid tank 13 and a plate-like body (substrate) 3 in which a processing liquid 2 is placed. 16 is disposed inside, and the hermetically sealed container 11 that can have a sealed structure with the plate-like body 3 held therein, the vacuum exhaust means 41 connected to the hermetic container 11 via the vacuum exhaust pipe 44, and Dissolvable gas supply means 31 connected to the hermetic container 11 via a soluble gas supply pipe 34 is provided.

  An open / close door 14 that can open and close the space in the sealed container 11 is provided at the lower end of the sealed container 11, and the sealed container 11 is raised and lowered as indicated by an arrow B. An airtight container drive unit 15 that can be operated is provided.

  As the vacuum exhaust means 41, a vacuum pump 42 is connected to a vacuum exhaust pipe 44 through a valve 43. Here, the valve 43 is normally closed and is opened only during vacuum exhaust.

  Further, as the soluble gas supply means 31, for example, a soluble gas supply source 32 such as a gas cylinder in which the soluble gas 8 is stored is connected to the soluble gas supply pipe 34 via a valve 33. Here, the valve 33 is normally closed, and is opened only when the soluble gas is supplied.

Further, as will be described later, the processing liquid tank 13, the opening / closing door 14, and the hermetic container driving unit 15 function as the processing liquid supply unit 12 in the processing liquid introduction process.
Note that the vacuum exhaust pipe 44 and the soluble gas supply pipe 34 in the first embodiment are flexible so as to be able to cope with the vertical movement of the sealed container 11.

  Next, FIG.1 (b) is an A section enlarged view in the plate-shaped body (board | substrate) 3 (FIG.1 (a)) used as the object of a wet process, and illustrates the cross-section of the part of the fine hole 4 Is. This hole 4 is a non-penetrating hole, and bubbles are particularly likely to remain.

(B) Configuration of wet processing method in Example 1:
An example of the treatment process in the wet treatment method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2, illustration of the vacuum exhaust means 41, the soluble gas supply means 31, etc. which were connected to the airtight container 11 is abbreviate | omitted.

(Plate-shaped body mounting step) (FIG. 2 (a))
The plate-like body (substrate) 3 to be processed is put in the sealed container 11 and the plate-like body 3 is held by the plate-like body holding mechanism 16. The plate-like body 3 may be opened in the sealed container 11 with the opening / closing door 14 open, and is separate from the opening / closing door 14 for the plate-like body 3 that can be sealed (not shown). An insertion mechanism portion may be provided, and the insertion mechanism portion may be inserted into the sealed container 11. Moreover, in this plate-shaped body mounting step, the atmosphere in the sealed container 11 is the atmosphere 6.

(Decompression step) (FIG. 2B)
After the plate-like body mounting step, the plate-like body 3 is held in the hermetic container 11, the inside of the hermetic container 11 is depressurized by the vacuum evacuation means 41 with the open / close door 14 closed and the hermetic container 11 sealed. A reduced pressure atmosphere 7 (vacuum atmosphere) is set. In addition, the vacuum degree in the airtight container 11 pressure-reduced by the pressure reduction process should just be about 1/1000 (about 1-10 Pa) or less of a normal pressure.

(Soluble gas introduction step) (FIG. 2B)
After the depressurization step, in a state where the inside of the sealed container 11 is decompressed, the soluble gas 8 that is soluble in the treatment liquid 2 is introduced into the sealed container 11 by the soluble gas supply means 31, thereby The atmosphere is replaced with the soluble gas 8. In addition, the pressure in the airtight container 11 after filling the soluble gas 8 in the soluble gas introduction process may be a normal pressure.

(Processing liquid introduction process) (FIGS. 2C to 2D)
After the soluble gas introduction step, at least the part of the open / close door 14 of the closed container 11 and the open / close door 14 is treated with the processing liquid 2 by the closed container driving unit 15 in a state where the inside of the closed container 11 is filled with the soluble gas 8. The processing container 2 is introduced into the sealed container 11 by lowering the sealed container 11 into the processing liquid tank 13 so as to be immersed below the liquid level therein and opening the open / close door 14 in this immersed state. At this time, the soluble gas 8 in the sealed container 11 is dissolved in the treatment liquid 2, the inside of the sealed container 11 is decompressed by the dissolution of the soluble gas 8, and the treatment liquid 2 is sucked into the sealed container 11. In this way it will be introduced. As a result, the processing liquid 2 spreads to every corner of the sealed container 11 and spreads along the surface of the plate-like body 3. And the soluble gas 8 which filled the inside of the hole 4 in the plate-shaped body 3 also melt | dissolves in the process liquid 2 which has spread to the hole 4 part. As a result, even in the case of a substrate having non-penetrating fine holes 4 in which bubbles are particularly likely to remain, the processing liquid 2 spreads inside the holes 4 and no bubbles 5 remain inside the holes 4. It becomes possible to perform a uniform wet process with the treatment liquid 2 on the plate-like body 3.

In addition, it is good also as what immerses the whole airtight container 11 as the depth which the airtight container 11 is immersed under the liquid level in the process liquid 2 in a process liquid introduction | transduction process.
Further, in this process liquid introduction step, the process liquid tank 13, the opening / closing door 14 and the hermetic container driving unit 15 function as the process liquid supply means 12 as described above.

(C) Types of soluble gases:
When water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent is used as the treatment liquid 2, a water-soluble gas is used as the soluble gas 8. As the water-soluble gas, ammonia, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide and the like can be applied, and ammonia and hydrogen chloride are particularly preferable in terms of high solubility in water.

(D) Wet treatment after treatment liquid introduction process:
The wet process (etching, cleaning, plating, etc.) after the process liquid introducing step (FIG. 2D) in Example 1 can be performed as follows, for example, but is not limited thereto. is not.

    (A) A wet processing mechanism such as a plating electrode unit (not shown) is provided in the sealed container 11 itself, and wet processing is performed with the plate-like body 3 mounted in the sealed container 11.

    (B) The plate-like body 3 is pulled out from the opening at the lower end of the hermetic container 11 into the processing liquid 2 in the processing liquid tank 13 by a transfer mechanism (not shown), and provided in the processing liquid tank 13 (not shown) ) Wet processing is performed by mounting on a wet processing mechanism such as an electrode for plating.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a wet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a process diagram illustrating an example of a processing process in the wet processing method according to the second embodiment.
The second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment described above in that the processing liquid 2 is filled into the sealed container 21 filled with the soluble gas 8 by the processing liquid supply means 22 through the processing liquid supply pipe 25. Is to be introduced.

(A) Configuration of wet processing apparatus in Example 2
The wet processing apparatus of FIG. 3 has a plate-like body holding mechanism 26 for holding the plate-like body (substrate) 3 and has a sealed structure with the plate-like body 3 held therein. A sealed container 21, a vacuum exhaust means 41 connected to the sealed container 21 via a vacuum exhaust pipe 44A, a soluble gas supply means 31 connected to the sealed container 21 via a soluble gas supply pipe 34A, and a processing liquid A treatment liquid supply means 22 connected to the sealed container 21 via a supply pipe 25 is provided.

  An air introduction valve 27 is connected to the upper lid portion of the sealed container 21. And the process liquid discharge piping 52 is connected to the bottom part of the airtight container 21, and is further connected to the process liquid discharge system via the valve | bulb 51. FIG. Accordingly, the processing liquid 2 can be discharged from the processing liquid discharge pipe 52 by opening the air introduction valve 27 and opening the valve 51 in a state where the sealed container 21 is filled with the processing liquid 2. However, the configuration for discharging the processing liquid 2 is not limited to the above configuration.

  As the vacuum exhaust means 41, a vacuum pump 42 is connected to the vacuum exhaust pipe 44 </ b> A via a valve 43. Here, the valve 43 is normally closed and is opened only during vacuum exhaust.

  Further, as the soluble gas supply means 31, for example, a soluble gas supply source 32 such as a gas cylinder in which the soluble gas 8 is stored is connected to the soluble gas supply pipe 34 </ b> A via a valve 33. Here, the valve 33 is normally closed, and is opened only when the soluble gas is supplied.

  Further, as the processing liquid supply means 22, a processing liquid tank 23 in which the processing liquid 2 is stored is connected to a processing liquid supply pipe 25 through a valve 24. Here, the valve 24 is normally closed and is opened only when the processing liquid is supplied.

In addition, the airtight container 21 in Example 2 is provided with wet processing mechanism parts, such as the electrode part for plating (not shown), and can function as a wet processing tank.
(B) Configuration of Wet Processing Method in Example 2 With reference to FIG. 4, an example of a processing process in the wet processing method according to Example 2 will be described in the order of the steps. In FIG. 4, illustration of the vacuum exhaust means 41, the soluble gas supply means 31, the processing liquid supply means 22 and the like connected to the sealed container 21 is omitted.

(Plate-shaped body mounting step) (FIG. 4 (a))
After the plate-like body (substrate) 3 to be processed is placed in the sealed container 21 and the plate-like body 3 is held by the plate-like body holding mechanism 26, the air introduction valve 27 and the processing liquid discharge valve 51 are placed. Is closed to bring the sealed container 21 into a sealed state. In this plate-like body mounting step, the atmosphere in the sealed container 21 is the atmosphere 6.

(Decompression step) (FIG. 4B)
After the plate-like body mounting step, the inside of the sealed container 21 is depressurized by the vacuum evacuation means 41 to obtain a reduced pressure atmosphere 7 (vacuum atmosphere). As in the first embodiment, the degree of vacuum in the sealed container 21 depressurized in the depressurization step may be about 1/1000 of normal pressure (about 1 to 10 Pa) or less.

(Soluble gas introduction step) (FIG. 4C)
After the depressurization step, in a state where the inside of the sealed container 21 is depressurized, the soluble gas 8 that is soluble in the treatment liquid 2 is introduced into the sealed container 21 by the soluble gas supply means 31. The atmosphere is replaced with the soluble gas 8. Note that, as in Example 1, the pressure in the sealed container 21 after the soluble gas 8 is filled in the soluble gas introduction step may be normal pressure.

(Processing liquid introduction step) (FIGS. 4D to 4E)
After the soluble gas introduction step, the processing liquid 2 is introduced into the sealed container 21 through the processing liquid supply pipe 25 by the processing liquid supply means 22 in a state where the inside of the sealed container 21 is filled with the soluble gas 8. At this time, the soluble gas 8 in the sealed container 21 is dissolved in the treatment liquid 2, the inside of the sealed container 21 is decompressed by the dissolution of the soluble gas 8, and the treatment liquid 2 is sucked into the sealed container 21. In this way it will be introduced. As a result, the treatment liquid 2 spreads to every corner of the sealed container 21 and spreads along the surface of the plate-like body 3. And the soluble gas 8 which filled the inside of the hole 4 in the plate-shaped body 3 also melt | dissolves in the process liquid 2 which has spread to the hole 4 part. As a result, even in the case of a substrate having non-penetrating fine holes 4 in which bubbles are particularly likely to remain, the processing liquid 2 spreads inside the holes 4 and no bubbles 5 remain inside the holes 4. It becomes possible to perform a uniform wet process with the treatment liquid 2 on the plate-like body 3.

(C) Types of soluble gases:
As in Example 1, when water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent is used as the treatment liquid 2, a water-soluble gas is used as the soluble gas 8. As the water-soluble gas, ammonia, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide and the like can be applied, and ammonia and hydrogen chloride are particularly preferable in terms of high solubility in water.

(D) Wet treatment after treatment liquid introduction process:
The wet processing (etching, cleaning, plating, etc.) after the processing liquid introduction step (FIG. 4E) in Example 2 is performed, for example, on a wet electrode such as a plating electrode portion (not shown) provided in the sealed container 21. This can be done by the processing mechanism.
[Applicable objects of the present invention]
(A) As wet processing to which the present invention can be applied, there are etching, washing, plating, etc. for plate-like bodies (substrates) such as semiconductor substrates and printed wiring boards. It is also applicable to.

  (B) In the above-described embodiment, the bubble residual suppression effect according to the present invention has been described by taking, as an example, the plate-like body (substrate) 3 having the non-penetrating fine holes 4 (see FIG. 1B). In addition, there is a problem of remaining bubbles even in wet processing for a plate-like body (substrate) (such as a semiconductor substrate or a printed wiring board) having fine holes in a penetrating structure or other complicated shapes, and the present invention is effectively applied. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wet processing tank, 2 ... Treatment liquid, 3 ... Plate body (substrate), 4 ... Hole, 5 ... Bubble, 6 ... Air | atmosphere, 7 ... Depressurized atmosphere (Vacuum atmosphere), 8 ... soluble gas (water-soluble gas)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Sealed container, 12 ... Process liquid supply means, 13 ... Process liquid tank, 14 ... Opening / closing door, 15 ... Sealed container drive part, 16 ... Plate-shaped body holding mechanism 21 ... Sealed container, 22 ... Processing liquid supply means, 23 ... Processing liquid tank, 24 ... Valve, 25 ... Processing liquid supply piping, 26 ... Plate body holding mechanism, 27. ..Air introduction valve 31 ... Soluble gas supply means, 32 ... Soluble gas supply source, 33 ... Valve, 34, 34A ... Soluble gas supply piping 41 ... Vacuum exhaust means, 42 ... Vacuum pump, 43 ... Valve, 44, 44A ... Vacuum exhaust pipe 51 ... Valve, 51 ... Processing liquid discharge pipe

Claims (10)

In a wet processing method of performing wet processing by immersing a plate-like body having holes in a processing liquid,
An atmosphere replacement process in the sealed container in which the atmosphere in the sealed container is replaced with a soluble gas that can be dissolved in the processing liquid while the plate-like body is held in the sealed container;
A wet processing method comprising a treatment liquid introduction step of introducing a treatment liquid into the sealed container in a state where the inside of the sealed container is filled with a soluble gas after the atmosphere replacement process in the sealed container. As the atmosphere replacement process in the sealed container,
A depressurization step of depressurizing the inside of the sealed container while holding the plate-like body in the sealed container;
The wet processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a soluble gas introduction step of introducing a soluble gas into the sealed container in a state where the pressure in the sealed container is reduced after the decompression process. Provide a treatment liquid tank containing treatment liquid and a door that can be opened and closed in an airtight container.
In the treatment liquid introduction step, at least the door portion of the sealed container and the door is immersed in the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank, and the treatment liquid is introduced into the sealed container by opening the door in this state. The wet processing method according to claim 1, wherein the wet processing method is performed. The treatment liquid is water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent,
The wet processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the soluble gas is a water-soluble gas. The wet processing method according to claim 4, wherein the water-soluble gas is ammonia or hydrogen chloride. In a wet processing apparatus that performs wet processing by immersing a plate-like body having holes in a processing liquid,
A sealed container that has a plate-like body holding mechanism portion that holds the plate-like body inside and can be sealed in a state where the plate-like body is held;
An atmosphere replacement means in the sealed container capable of replacing the atmosphere in the sealed container with a soluble gas that can be dissolved in the treatment liquid;
A wet processing apparatus comprising: a processing liquid supply means capable of introducing a processing liquid into the sealed container in a state where the sealed container is filled with a soluble gas. As the atmosphere replacement means in the sealed container,
Vacuum evacuation means capable of reducing the pressure in the sealed container;
The wet processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a soluble gas supply unit capable of introducing a soluble gas into the sealed container in a state where the pressure in the sealed container is reduced. As the processing liquid supply means, a processing liquid tank containing a processing liquid is provided, and an openable / closable door disposed in the hermetic container and the hermetic container can be raised and lowered. Provided with a sealed container drive that can be immersed in the treatment liquid in the liquid tank,
The processing liquid is introduced into the hermetic container by opening the door in a state where at least the door part of the hermetic container and the door part is immersed in the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank by the hermetic container driving unit. The wet processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The treatment liquid is water or an aqueous solution using water as a solvent,
The wet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the soluble gas is a water-soluble gas. The wet processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the water-soluble gas is ammonia or hydrogen chloride.

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