JP2012199371A - Drying unit and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drying unit and a substrate processing apparatus which facilitate batch drying of a plurality of substrates.SOLUTION: A drying section 70 is a drying unit for performing batch drying of a plurality of substrates W. The drying section 70 mainly includes a drying chamber 71, a storage vessel 72, discharge pipes 71a and 72a, valves 71b and 72b, and exhaust nozzles 87 (87a and 87b). When the plurality of substrates W are immersed in the storage vessel 72 in replacement processing of deionized water by IPA, the vapor of the IPA is supplied from the exhaust nozzles 87 into the drying chamber 71, and a liquid film 80c of the IPA is formed on a liquid surface 80b of the deionized water 80a. Subsequently, the deionized water 80a is discharged from the storage vessel 72, and the liquid film 80c of the IPA is descended. Then, the deionized water attached to the individual substrates W are replaced with the IPA by contact between the substrate surfaces of the individual substrates W and the liquid film 80c of the IPA.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying unit that performs a drying process on a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk, a panel for a solar cell and the like (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”), And a substrate processing apparatus having the drying unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a batch type substrate processing apparatus that performs processing (for example, chemical processing and drying processing) on a plurality of substrates at once is known (for example, Patent Document 1). Here, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, for example, drying under reduced pressure is performed in the following procedure. First, a plurality of substrates that have been subjected to chemical treatment are washed with pure water stored in a treatment tank. Next, the plurality of cleaned substrates are pulled up from the pure water stored in the processing tank to a reduced-pressure atmosphere having vapor of isopropyl alcohol (hereinafter also referred to as “IPA”). Thereby, the pure water adhering to each substrate is replaced with IPA, and the IPA after replacement is evaporated under reduced pressure.

JP-A-11-287554

  As described above, the drying process of Patent Document 1 requires a step of pulling up a plurality of substrates from pure water stored in a processing tank to a reduced-pressure atmosphere having IPA vapor. As a result, there arises a problem that operation control such as a pulling-up operation of a plurality of substrates, an organic solvent discharging operation, and a decompression operation becomes complicated and the calculation cost of the control unit increases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drying unit and a substrate processing apparatus that can easily dry a plurality of substrates at once.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a drying unit that collectively dries a plurality of substrates, and is disposed in a drying chamber, and stores a treatment liquid and the drying unit. A discharge part that discharges an organic solvent toward the liquid level of the processing liquid stored in the storage tank, and a discharge part that discharges the processing liquid from the storage tank; A switching unit that is provided in the discharge unit and switches a discharge state of the processing liquid; and a control unit that controls a discharge operation of the discharge unit and a switching operation of the switching unit, and the control unit includes (i) (Ii) forming the liquid film of the organic solvent on the liquid surface by discharging the organic solvent from the discharge unit to the liquid surface of the treatment liquid in which the plurality of substrates are immersed; The plurality of substrates are immersed in the processing solution, In the state where the liquid film is formed on the liquid surface, the processing liquid is lowered by discharging the processing liquid from the storage tank, and the processing liquid attached to each of the plurality of substrates is removed. The organic solvent is substituted.

  Moreover, the invention of claim 2 is the drying unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit discharges the treatment liquid from the storage tank in a state where the liquid film of the organic solvent is formed. Sometimes, the organic solvent is continuously discharged from the discharge unit.

  Further, the invention of claim 3 is the drying unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge unit is capable of further discharging a high-temperature gas toward each of the plurality of substrates. The section is characterized in that (iii) the high temperature gas is discharged from the discharge section onto the plurality of substrates to which the organic solvent after replacement is adhered.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the drying unit according to the third aspect, the plurality of substrates are stored in a carrier, and the plurality of grooves are provided in the carrier while corresponding to each substrate. In addition, when the outer edge portion of each substrate is fitted in the corresponding groove, each substrate is stored in a standing posture in the carrier, and the carrier is swung in a state where each substrate is fitted in the corresponding groove. A swinging portion, wherein each groove has a width larger than the thickness of a correspondingly fitted substrate, and the swinging portion has each groove as a fulcrum and the upper end of each substrate along the arrangement direction of each substrate. By moving, the first main surface of each substrate and the first groove surface of the corresponding groove are separated from each other.

  Further, the invention of claim 5 is the drying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the discharge portion is lower than a lower end of each substrate immersed in the storage tank, and the storage tank It is characterized by being connected in communication with.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the drying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a plurality of processing tanks, the plurality of processing tanks, and the drying unit, and the plurality of substrates. And a transport robot that transports all of the above.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the invention, a liquid film of an organic solvent can be formed on the liquid surface of the processing liquid in a state where a plurality of substrates are immersed in the processing liquid. Then, when the processing liquid is discharged from the storage tank, the liquid level of the processing liquid and the liquid film of the organic solvent are lowered while the plurality of substrates are arranged in the storage tank.

  As described above, according to the invention described in claims 1 to 6, the liquid film of the organic solvent can be lowered with respect to each substrate without moving (for example, raising and lowering) the plurality of substrates. The treatment liquid adhering to each substrate can be replaced with an organic solvent. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent the occurrence of poor drying such as a watermark without increasing the calculation cost of the control unit.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 2, at least when the processing liquid is discharged from the storage tank, the organic solvent can be discharged toward the liquid surface of the processing liquid. Thereby, even if the thickness of the liquid film of the organic solvent is reduced by replacing the processing liquid attached to each substrate with the organic solvent, the organic solvent can be replenished to the liquid film. Therefore, the process of replacing the processing liquid with the organic solvent can be reliably performed on each substrate.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 3, high-temperature gas can be discharged to each substrate to which the organic solvent after replacement adheres. That is, the processing liquid is removed from each substrate to which the high temperature gas is supplied. Therefore, each substrate can be quickly dried while preventing the occurrence of poor drying such as a watermark.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper ends of the substrates can be moved along the arrangement direction with the grooves as fulcrums. Thereby, the 1st main surface of each board | substrate and the 1st groove surface of a corresponding groove | channel can be spaced apart, and the organic solvent after substitution which entered into the gap | interval of this 1st main surface and 1st groove surface is carried out. On the other hand, high temperature gas can be efficiently supplied. Therefore, the organic solvent after replacement that has entered the first main surface and the first groove surface can also be reliably dried.

  Particularly, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid stored in the storage tank and the organic solvent liquid film formed on the liquid surface of the processing liquid can be lowered to a position lower than the lower end of each substrate. Thereby, each whole substrate can be reliably brought into contact with the organic solvent. Therefore, the processing liquid adhering to each substrate can be reliably replaced with an organic solvent.

It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of the substrate processing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of the process part and exhaust part vicinity seen from the VI-VI line of FIG. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of a holding | maintenance part. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of a holding | maintenance part. It is the sectional side view of the carrier seen from the VII-VII line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a structure of a drying part. It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of a drying part. It is a front view for demonstrating the substitution process by an organic solvent. It is a front view for demonstrating the substitution process by an organic solvent.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. Configuration of substrate processing apparatus>
FIGS. 1 to 3 are a front view and a plan view, respectively, showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the processing unit 40 and the exhaust unit 60 as seen from the line VI-VI in FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a so-called batch type apparatus, and processes a plurality of substrates all at once.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes fan filter units 5 and 6, a transfer robot 10, a loader / unloader unit 30, a processing unit 40, and an exhaust unit 60. . In addition, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached as necessary to clarify the directional relationship. Yes.

  The fan filter units 5 and 6 take in the air in the clean room in which the substrate processing apparatus 1 is arranged into the transfer space 8 and remove particles from the taken-in air. The fan filter units 5 and 6 form a downflow of clean air from which particles are removed in the conveyance space 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fan filter units 5 and 6 are provided above the loader / unloader unit 30 and the drying unit 70 and above the processing unit 40 and the exhaust unit 60, respectively.

  The transfer robot 10 is configured as a single transfer unit as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer robot 10 is disposed near the center of the transfer space 8 formed by the housing 1 a of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The transfer robot 10 delivers a plurality of substrates stored in the carrier C to and from the loader / unloader unit 30, the processing unit 40, and the drying unit 70 disposed in the transfer space 8. A detailed configuration of the transfer robot 10 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the loader / unloader unit 30 is provided on the opposite side of the processing unit 40 with the main body 12 of the transfer robot 10 interposed therebetween. A plurality (two in the present embodiment) of carriers C can be placed on the placement table 32 of the loader / unloader section 30.

  For example, a plurality of unprocessed substrates are stored on the mounting table 32, and the carrier C carried from outside the substrate processing apparatus 1 is mounted. In addition, a plurality of substrates processed by the processing unit 40 and the drying unit 70 are stored, and a carrier C to be carried out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is placed thereon. That is, the loader / unloader unit 30 accommodates unprocessed substrates and processed substrates.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the processing unit 40 includes a plurality of processing tanks 41 a to 41 c and 42 a to 42 c and a lid 43 (43 a to 43 c). Each processing tank 41a-41c, 42a-42c is arrange | positioned in the conveyance space 8 of a several board | substrate so that it may become in the movable range of the conveyance robot 10. FIG.

  In addition, each of the treatment tanks 41a to 41c and 42a to 42c can store a chemical solution or pure water (hereinafter collectively referred to as “treatment solution”). Then, by immersing the plurality of substrates in the processing liquid, the processing is collectively performed on the plurality of substrates.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the processing tanks 41a to 41c are collectively referred to as “processing tank 41” and the processing tanks 42a to 42c are collectively referred to as “processing tank 42”, respectively. Further, the lid portions 43a to 43c are collectively referred to as a “lid portion 43”.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each of the processing tanks 41 and 42 has a lattice shape (that is, two along the X-axis direction and along the Y-axis direction) in the processing chamber 40a. 3). And among the processing tanks 41 and 42 arranged in a lattice shape, the processing tank 41 arranged in the first row adjacent to the transfer robot 10 is a cleaning liquid for cleaning each substrate to which a chemical solution is attached as a processing liquid ( For example, pure water is stored.

On the other hand, among the processing tanks 41 and 42 arranged in a lattice shape, they are arranged farther from the processing tank 41 as viewed from the transfer robot 10 (that is, the second row farther from the first row as viewed from the transfer robot 10). The treated tank 42 stores a chemical solution (for example, HF, NH ₄ OH, etc.) as a treatment solution.

  First, about the process part 40, as shown in FIG. 2, the process part 40 mainly has the some process tanks 41 and 42 and the cover part 43 (43a-43c). The processing tanks 41 and 42 are arranged in the transfer space 8 for a plurality of substrates so as to be within the movable range of the transfer robot 10. Hereinafter, the lid portions 43a to 43c are collectively referred to as a “lid portion 43”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, openings 44 (44a to 44c) and 45 (45a to 45c) are formed in the upper portion of the processing chamber 40a. The transfer robot 10 supplies the carrier C to the processing tank 41a through the opening 44a, to the processing tank 41b through the opening 44b (not shown), and to the processing tank 41c through the opening 44c.

  Similarly, the transfer robot 10 supplies the carrier C to the processing tank 42a through the opening 45a, to the processing tank 42b through the opening 45b (not shown), and to the processing tank 42c through the opening 45c.

  The lid portion 43 can close an opening 45 formed above the corresponding processing tank 42. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the chemical liquid atmosphere from flowing out from the processing chamber 40 a to the transfer space 8 through the opening 45 due to the chemical liquid stored in the processing tank 42.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust unit 60 mainly includes a plurality of branch ducts 61 (61 a to 61 f) and a common duct 62. The exhaust unit 60 discharges the atmosphere in the vicinity of the processing baths 41 (41a to 41c) and 42 (42a to 42c) (for example, the chemical atmosphere and the thermal atmosphere caused by the heated chemical liquid) to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1. To do.

  The drying unit 70 is a drying unit that collectively dries a plurality of substrates processed by the processing unit 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the drying unit 70 is provided on the opposite side of the processing unit 40 across the main body 12 of the transport robot 10 and is disposed adjacent to the loader / unloader unit 30. The detailed configuration of the drying unit 70 will be described later.

  The control unit 90 controls the operation of each element of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and realizes various data calculations. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 90 mainly includes a ROM 91, a RAM 92, and a CPU 93. In FIG. 2, the control unit 90 is omitted for convenience of illustration.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 91 is a so-called nonvolatile storage unit, and stores, for example, a program 91a. As the ROM 91, a flash memory that is a readable / writable nonvolatile memory may be used. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 92 is a volatile storage unit and stores, for example, data used in the calculation of the CPU 93.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 93 performs control in accordance with a program 91 a in the ROM 91 (for example, a carrier C transport operation by the transport robot 10, a high temperature gas or IPA vapor discharge operation by the discharge nozzle 87, and each valve of the drying unit 70. 71b, 72b (refer to FIG. 9) is executed.

<2. Configuration of carrier and transfer robot>
5 and 6 are side views showing an example of the configuration of the holding unit 20. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the carrier C as viewed from the line VII-VII in FIG. 2 and shows a storage state of a plurality of substrates W stored in the carrier C. Here, configurations of the carrier C and the transfer robot 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, the carrier C can store a plurality of substrates W in a standing posture. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the carrier C has a pair of support portions S that support a plurality of substrates.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pair of support portions S hold each substrate W in a standing posture by sandwiching the outer edge portion P of each substrate W from the left and right (from the Y-axis plus direction and the Y-axis minus direction). Support with. As shown in FIG. 7, each support portion S (only one support portion S is shown in FIG. 7 for convenience of illustration) is provided with a plurality of grooves G.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of grooves G are formed in the support portion S at equal intervals along the extending direction of the support portion S (the direction of the arrow AR <b> 2). Further, as shown in FIG. 7, each groove G is provided corresponding to each substrate W. Therefore, each substrate W is stored in a standing posture in the carrier C by the outer edge portion P of each substrate W being fitted in the corresponding groove G. Thus, the plurality of grooves G are provided in the carrier C along the arrangement direction of the substrates W (the direction of the arrow AR2: see FIG. 7).

  The transport robot 10 collectively transports the plurality of substrates stored in the carrier C to the processing tanks 41 and 42 of the processing unit 40. Further, the transfer robot 10 delivers a plurality of substrates between the loader / unloader unit 30, the plurality of treatment tanks 41 and 42, and the drying unit 70.

  Thereby, the transfer robot 10 immerses a plurality of substrates in the processing liquid stored corresponding to each of the processing tanks 41 and 42. In addition, one (single) transport robot 10 includes a chemical solution, a cleaning and drying process, receiving an unprocessed substrate from the loader / unloader unit 30, and delivering a processed substrate to the loader / unloader unit 30. It is realized by.

  Here, as the transfer robot 10 of the present embodiment, for example, a vertical articulated robot can be adopted. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the transfer robot 10 mainly includes a main body portion 12, an arm portion 13, a rotating shaft 14, and a holding portion 20.

  The main body 12 is a base of the transfer robot 10 provided in the housing 1a. The arm part 13 has a plurality of links (not shown) and a plurality of joints (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the arm portion 13 has a joint that rotates about an axis 13 a. As a result, the arm portion 13 is bent and stretched and rotated with respect to the main body portion 12.

  Therefore, when each link rotates around the corresponding joint, the arm portion 13 extends toward each of the treatment tanks 41 and 42 disposed away from the main body portion 12. The holding unit 20 provided near the tip of the arm unit 13 is moved up and down by the arm unit 13.

  The rotating shaft 14 rotates the holding unit 20 with respect to the arm unit 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating shaft 14 is provided at an end portion on the opposite side to the main body portion 12 among the end portions in the extending direction of the arm portion 13 (arrow AR1 direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding unit 20 is provided in the vicinity of the tip of the arm unit 13 and holds a plurality of substrates W. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the holding unit 20 mainly includes a pair of hands 21 (21a, 21b), a swinging unit 22 (22a, 22b), an attachment unit 25, and a storage unit 27. Have.

  The pair of hands 21 (21a, 21b) are gripping portions that grip the flange portion F of the carrier C by being sandwiched from both sides of the carrier C. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper ends of the pair of hands 21 (21a, 21b) are fixed to the corresponding swinging portions 22 (22a, 22b).

  The swing part 22 (22a, 22b) swings with respect to the attachment part 25. As shown in FIG. 6, the shaft center 23 (23 a, 23 b) is provided in the attachment portion 25. Further, the shaft centers 23 (23a, 23b) are interlocked and connected to the corresponding swinging portions 22. Accordingly, when the shaft center 23 (23a, 23b) is rotated, the corresponding hand 21 (21a, 21b) is swung, and the fixing operation and the fixing release operation of the carrier C are realized.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 27 is provided adjacent to the attachment unit 25 and stores a drive unit 27 a that applies a rotational force to the shaft center 23 (23 a, 23 b). For example, a rotary actuator may be used as the drive unit 27a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 27 is linked to the rotating shaft 14. Thereby, the storage part 27 is rotated with the rotating shaft 14 as an axis.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the carrier C in which the plurality of substrates W are stored is gripped at a position that protrudes on the opposite side of the main body 12 when viewed from the extending direction of the arm 13. Further, the carrier C is conveyed while being held by the pair of hands 21 (21a, 21b), and is immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing tanks 41,.

  In this case, when the arm unit 13 is operated, the holding unit 20 is lowered, and when the carrier C is stored in the chemical solution in the processing tank 42, the arm unit 13 of the transfer robot 10 is directly above the processing tank 42. Instead, it is located directly above the treatment tank 41 in which the wash water is stored. In other words, the arm portion 13 is disposed away from the position immediately above the processing tank 42.

  Therefore, even when a plurality of substrates W are immersed in the chemical solution stored in the processing tank 42, the arm unit 13 of the transfer robot 10 can be prevented from being contaminated due to the chemical liquid in the processing tank 42. .

  Further, as described above, the processing is performed on the plurality of substrates W by immersing the carrier C in the processing liquid stored in the processing tanks 41 and 42. Therefore, it is possible to perform processing on various types of substrates (for example, different diameters) only by exchanging the carrier C held by the holding unit 20.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, each processing tank 41 and 42 is arrange | positioned at the grid | lattice form. Thereby, each processing tank 41 and 42 can be efficiently arrange | positioned in the conveyance space 8 compared with the case where each processing tank 41 and 42 is arrange | positioned in a line. Therefore, it can suppress that the footprint (area which the substrate processing apparatus 1 occupies planarly) of the substrate processing apparatus 1 increases.

<3. Configuration of drying section>
8 and 9 are a perspective view and a front view showing an example of the configuration of the drying unit 70, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the drying unit 70 mainly includes a drying chamber 71, a storage tank 72, discharge pipes 71a and 72a, valves 71b and 72b, discharge nozzles 87 (87a and 87b), It has.

  The drying chamber 71 is a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed. The storage tank 72 is arrange | positioned in the drying chamber 71, and stores a process liquid. As shown in FIG. 9, the storage tank 72 is fixed in the drying chamber 71 via a fixing member 73.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, an opening 70 a is formed in the upper portion of the drying chamber 71. Further, a lid (not shown) that can close the opening 70 a is provided on the upper portion of the drying chamber 71. Then, the transfer robot 10 supplies the carrier C to the storage tank 72 through the opening 70a.

  The discharge pipe 72 a discharges the processing liquid stored in the storage tank 72 to the outside of the storage tank 72. As shown in FIG. 9, one end of the discharge pipe 72 a is connected to the bottom of the storage tank 72, and the other end is disposed in the drying chamber 71. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the discharge pipe 72a is provided with a valve 72b.

  The discharge pipe 71 a discharges the processing liquid accumulated at the bottom of the drying chamber 71 by overflowing from the upper part of the storage tank 72 or being discharged from the discharge pipe 71 a of the storage tank 72. As shown in FIG. 9, one end of the discharge pipe 71 a is connected to the bottom of the discharge pipe 71 a and the other end is connected to a drain drain 74 outside the substrate processing apparatus 1. And as shown in FIG. 9, the valve | bulb 71b is provided in the discharge pipe 71a. Therefore, when the valves 71 b and 72 b are opened according to the control signal from the control unit 90, the processing liquid stored in the storage tank 72 is discharged to the drainage drain 74 via the drying chamber 71.

  As described above, the discharge pipes 71 a and 72 a are used as discharge units that discharge the processing liquid from the storage tank 72 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1. In addition, the valves 71 b and 72 b discharge the processing liquid stored in the storage tank 72 by the opening operation to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1. That is, the valves 71b and 72b are used as a switching unit that switches a discharge state of pure water.

  The swing unit 75 swings the carrier C delivered from the transport robot 10. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the swinging part 75 mainly has a mounting table 76, a vertical plate 77, a hanging part 78, and a rotation driving part 79.

  The mounting table 76 is a horizontal plate that extends along the bottom of the storage tank 72. As shown in FIG. 9, the carrier C supplied into the storage tank 72 is placed on the placement table 76. The vertical plate 77 is a plate extending along the inner wall surface of the storage tank 72. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lower end of the vertical plate 77 is connected to the upper portion of the mounting table 76, and the mounting table 76 and the vertical plate 77 intersect substantially vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the drooping portion 78 is a plate formed so as to be substantially L-shaped in front sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the drooping portion 78 is connected to the upper end of the vertical plate 77 and extends downward along the outer wall of the storage tank 72.

  The rotating shaft 78 a is rotatable with respect to the drying chamber 71. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation shaft 78 a extends substantially along the X-axis direction, one end of the rotation shaft 78 a is attached to the hanging portion 78, and the other end reaches the outside of the drying chamber 71.

  The rotation drive unit 79 is configured by a motor, for example. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation drive unit 79 is disposed outside the drying chamber 71, and is linked to the rotation shaft 78a. Therefore, when a positive or negative rotational force is applied from the rotation drive unit 79 to the rotation shaft 78 a, the carrier C placed on the mounting table 76 swings around the rotation shaft 78.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the width Gw of each groove G (that is, the minimum value of the size of the groove G along the Y-axis direction) is larger than the thickness Wth of the substrate W to be fitted correspondingly. Is set to Further, the swinging portion 75 swings the carrier C in a state where each substrate W is fitted in the corresponding groove G.

  Thereby, the swinging part 75 moves the upper end of each substrate W along the arrangement direction (arrow AR2 direction) of each substrate W with each groove G as a fulcrum. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the rotation shaft 78a is rotated in the direction of arrow R12 (clockwise direction), the first main surface W1 of each substrate W is separated from the first groove surface G1 of the corresponding groove G. To do. On the other hand, when the rotation shaft 78a is rotated in the direction of arrow R12 (counterclockwise direction), the second main surface W2 of each substrate W is separated from the second groove surface G2 of the corresponding groove G.

  The discharge nozzle 82 discharges pure water as a processing liquid into the storage tank 72. As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge nozzle 82 is connected to a pure water supply source 81 through a supply pipe 81a. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, the supply pipe 81a is provided with a valve 81b. Therefore, pure water is supplied to the storage tank 72 by opening the valve 81b in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 90.

  The discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b) are a pair of cylindrical bodies extending along the arrangement direction (arrow AR2 direction) of each substrate W, and discharge fluid (for example, an organic solvent and a high-temperature gas) into the drying chamber 71. To do. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the discharge nozzle 87 (87 a, 87 b) is disposed in the drying chamber 71 and above the storage tank 72.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge nozzles 87 a and 87 b are fixed to the inner wall of the drying chamber 71 by a bracket 89. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of discharge ports 88 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the discharge nozzle 87 along the arrangement direction of the substrates W.

  The discharge nozzle 87a communicates with the IPA gas supply source 84 via the branch pipe 86a, the common pipe 86, and the supply pipe 84a, and the discharge nozzle 87b communicates with the IPA gas supply source 84 via the branch pipe 86b, the common pipe 86, and the supply pipe 84a. It is connected.

  Further, the discharge nozzle 87a is connected to the gas supply source 85 via the branch pipe 86a, the common pipe 86, and the supply pipe 85a, and the discharge nozzle 87b is connected to the gas supply source 85 via the branch pipe 86b, the common pipe 86, and the supply pipe 85a. Has been.

  And as shown in FIG. 9, the valve 84b is provided in the supply pipe | tube 84a which connects the IPA gas supply source 84 and the common pipe | tube 86 in communication. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a valve 85b is provided in the supply pipe 85a that connects the gas supply source 85 and the common pipe 86 in communication. Further, the common pipe 86 is provided with a heater 86c for heating the circulating fluid.

  Therefore, according to the control signal from the control unit 90, the valve 84b is opened and the valve 85b is closed, whereby the IPA vapor is supplied into the drying chamber 71. Thereby, the discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b) discharges the vapor | steam of IPA diagonally downward (the direction of the arrow described with the broken line in FIG. 9). Therefore, when the pure water 80a is stored in the storage tank 72, the vapor | steam of IPA is discharged toward the liquid level 80b of the pure water 80a.

  On the other hand, according to the control signal from the control unit 90, the valve 85b is opened, the valve 84b is closed, and the gas flowing through the common pipe 86 is heated by the heater 86c, whereby the drying chamber 71 is heated. Hot gas is supplied inside. Thereby, the discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b) discharges the high temperature gas obliquely downward (in the direction of the arrow indicated by the broken line in FIG. 9), similarly to the IPA gas. Therefore, when the pure water 80a is discharged from the storage tank 72, the high-temperature gas is discharged toward each substrate W stored in the carrier C.

  Here, when the carrier C placed on the swinging unit 75 and the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b) are viewed from above the drying unit 70 (that is, in plan view), the carrier C is shown in FIG. As shown, it is sandwiched between discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b). Accordingly, the outer edge portion P of each substrate W faces the discharge nozzle 87a on the one hand and the discharge nozzle 87b on the other hand.

  As the organic solvent discharged from the discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b), a solvent having a surface tension smaller than that of pure water and a smaller latent heat of evaporation can be employed. In this embodiment, IPA is used as the organic solvent.

  Further, as the high temperature gas discharged from the discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b), a gas that hardly causes a chemical reaction with the substrate W (for example, a rare gas such as helium and argon), or a gas having a low chemical reactivity (for example, , Nitrogen gas) having a temperature raised from 100 ° C. to 200 ° C. is used. In this case, the gas before the temperature rise is supplied from the gas supply source 85.

<4. Drying process executed in the drying section>
Each of FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 is a front view for explaining the replacement process of pure water by IPA. Here, the drying process executed in the drying unit 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. Prior to the start of the main drying process, all the valves 71b, 72b, 81b, 84b, 85b are closed.

  In the main drying process, first, the pure water 80a is stored in the storage tank 72 by opening the valve 81b in a state where the valves 71b, 72b, 84b, and 85b are closed. Next, the plurality of substrates W that have been subjected to the chemical solution processing or the cleaning processing in the processing unit 40 are carried into the drying chamber 71 while being stored in the carrier C, and are immersed in the pure water 80 a stored in the storage tank 72. (See FIG. 9).

  Here, when the pure water 80 a is supplied to the storage tank 72 and / or when a plurality of substrates W are immersed in the pure water 80 a stored in the storage tank 72, it overflows from the upper part of the storage tank 72. The pure water 80 a is collected at the bottom of the drying chamber 71.

  Subsequently, when the plurality of substrates W are immersed in the storage tank 72, the valve 81b is closed and the valve 84b is opened. Thus, the IPA vapor is supplied from the discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b) into the drying chamber 71, and the IPA vapor is discharged to the liquid surface 80b of the pure water 80a in which the plurality of substrates W are immersed. Therefore, an IPA liquid film 80c is formed on the liquid surface 80b (see FIG. 10).

  Subsequently, when the valves 71b and 72b are opened with the plurality of substrates W immersed in the pure water 80a of the storage tank 72 and the liquid film 80c formed on the liquid surface 80b, the storage tank 72 Pure water 80a is discharged (see FIG. 11). Accordingly, the IPA liquid film 80c is lowered as the liquid level 80b is lowered. Then, when the substrate surface of each substrate W and the liquid film of IPA come into contact with each other, pure water adhering to each substrate W is replaced with IPA.

  Here, in the present embodiment, when the pure water 80a is discharged from the storage tank 72 with the IPA liquid film 80c formed, the control unit 90 opens the valve 84b, the valve 81b, 85 b is closed, and IPA is continuously discharged into the drying chamber 71.

  Thus, even when the pure water adhering to each substrate W is replaced with IPA, and the thickness of the IPA liquid film 80c is reduced, the liquid film 80c can be replenished with IPA. Therefore, in each substrate W, the process of replacing pure water with an organic solvent can be reliably performed.

  Subsequently, when the pure water adhering to each substrate W is replaced with IPA, the valve 84b is closed and the valve 85b is opened with the valves 71b and 72b opened and the valve 81b closed. The

  As a result, the high temperature gas is discharged from the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b) toward each substrate W to which the replaced IPA is attached, and the replaced IPA is dried. That is, pure water is removed from each substrate W to which the high-temperature gas is supplied by the above-described replacement process.

  Therefore, even when each substrate W is dried by the high-temperature gas, each substrate W can be quickly dried while preventing a drying failure such as a watermark from occurring. A watermark is a dry stain that occurs when moisture attached to the substrate surface reacts with silicon, which is the substrate material, and oxygen in the air. Cheap.

  Here, vacuum drying is known as a technique for drying the plurality of substrates W arranged in the drying chamber 71. In the vacuum drying, the inside of the drying chamber 71 is evacuated to a reduced pressure atmosphere. Therefore, the drying chamber 71 used for drying under reduced pressure is required to have high airtightness. As a result, there arises a problem that the manufacturing cost of the drying unit 70 increases.

  On the other hand, in the drying process of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to depressurize the inside of the drying chamber 71. Therefore, the replaced IPA attached to each substrate W can be dried without increasing the manufacturing cost of the drying unit 70.

  Further, during the period when the high temperature gas is being discharged, the rotation driving unit 79 applies a rotational force in the direction of the arrow R11 (counterclockwise) or the arrow R12 (clockwise) to the rotation shaft 78a of the swinging unit 75. The carrier C placed on the swinging part 75 is intermittently swung.

  Here, when the stop time during which the rotation drive unit 79 is stopped is T1 (s) and the rotation time during which the rotational force is applied from the rotation drive unit 79 to the rotation shaft 78a is T2 (s), The swing period T3 of the moving part 75 is expressed as in Equation 1. The swinging unit 75 swings the placed carrier C intermittently so as to satisfy Equation 1.

T3 = T1 + T2 Expression 1
Accordingly, the swinging portion 75 can alternately move the upper end of each substrate W along the arrangement direction (arrow AR2 direction: see FIG. 7) or the direction opposite to the arrangement direction with each groove G as a fulcrum. And the rocking | swiveling part 75 can alternately perform separating the 1st main surface W1 and the 1st groove surface G1, and separating the 2nd main surface W2 and the 2nd groove surface G2.

  Therefore, high-temperature gas can be efficiently supplied to the gap between the first main surface W1 and the first groove surface G1, or the replaced IPA that has entered the gap between the second main surface W2 and the second groove surface G2. The IPA can be reliably dried. In addition, 30 to 120 (s) is preferable as the swing period T3, and 1 to 3 (s) is preferable as the rotation time T1.

  Then, the valve 85b is closed, the discharge of the high temperature gas from the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b) is stopped, and the carrier C is carried out of the drying unit 70 by the transfer robot 10, whereby the drying process is completed. .

<5. Advantages of Substrate Processing Apparatus in Present Embodiment>
As described above, the drying unit 70 (drying unit) of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment has the IPA liquid on the liquid surface 80b of the pure water 80a in a state where the plurality of substrates W are immersed in the processing liquid. A film 80c can be formed (see FIG. 10). Then, when the pure water 80a is discharged from the storage tank 72, the liquid surface 80b of the pure water 80a and the liquid film 80c of the IPA are lowered while the plurality of substrates W are arranged in the storage tank 72 ( FIG. 11).

  As described above, the drying unit 70 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment can lower the IPA liquid level 80b with respect to each substrate W without moving (for example, raising and lowering) the plurality of substrates W. The pure water adhering to each substrate W can be replaced with IPA. Therefore, it is possible to easily prevent the occurrence of poor drying such as a watermark without increasing the calculation cost of the control unit 90.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the single transfer robot 10 has a main body 12 and an arm 13, and each processing tank 41, 42 is within the movable range of the transfer robot 10. Are arranged in the transfer space 8 of the plurality of substrates W. Thereby, the transfer robot 10 immerses the plurality of substrates W in the processing liquid stored in correspondence with the processing tanks 41 and 42 in an arbitrary order regardless of the arrangement of the processing tanks 41 and 42. be able to. Therefore, batch-type substrate processing with each processing liquid can be executed in an arbitrary order.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the plurality of substrates W are transferred between the plurality of processing tanks 41 and 42 and the loader / unloader unit 30 by the transfer robot 10. That is, since a plurality of substrates W are transferred between the plurality of processing tanks 41 and 42 and the loader / unloader unit 30, it is not necessary to provide another transfer robot in the substrate processing apparatus 1. Therefore, an increase in the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be suppressed.

<6. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the IPA and the high-temperature gas are described as being discharged from the common discharge nozzle 87 (87a, 87b), but the present invention is not limited to this. The IPA and the high temperature gas may be discharged from corresponding separate discharge nozzles.

  When IPA and high temperature gas are discharged from such separate discharge nozzles, IPA and high temperature gas may be discharged in parallel, or high temperature gas is discharged after IPA discharge as in this embodiment. May be.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the exhaust pipe 72a and the valve 72b have been described as being disposed in the drying chamber 71, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the discharge pipe 72a may be provided through the lower portion of the drying chamber 71, and the inside of the storage tank 72 and the drainage drain 74 may be connected to each other. The valve 72b may be provided outside the drying chamber 71.

  (3) Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the discharge pipe 72a was demonstrated as what is connected with the bottom part of the storage tank 72, it is not limited to this. At least the discharge pipe 72 a only needs to be connected to the storage tank 72 at a position lower than the lower end of each substrate W immersed in the storage tank 72.

  In this case, when the pure water 80 a is discharged from the storage tank 72, the liquid film 80 c formed on the pure water 80 a can be lowered to a position lower than the lower end of each substrate W. As a result, the entire substrate W can be reliably brought into contact with the organic solvent. Therefore, the processing liquid adhering to each substrate can be reliably replaced with an organic solvent.

  (4) Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the mounting base 76, the vertical board 77, and the hanging part 78 were demonstrated as what was comprised integrally, it is not limited to this. For example, the mounting table 76, the vertical plate 77, and the hanging portion 78 that are separated may be formed into one structure by a bonding process such as adhesion or bonding.

  (5) In the present embodiment, the organic solvent discharged from the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b) has been described as being IPA vapor, but is not limited thereto. For example, mist (mist) IPA may be discharged from the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b). Further, a mixture of mist-like IPA and IPA vapor may be discharged from the discharge nozzles 87 (87a, 87b). Furthermore, as another organic solvent, for example, a hydrofluoroether of a fluorine-based solvent may be used.

  (6) Further, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the discharge of IPA is performed even after the IPA liquid film 80c (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is formed on the liquid surface 80b. The discharge timing is not limited to this. For example, when the liquid film 80c having a sufficient thickness (that is, a sufficient volume) is formed on the liquid surface 80b, (i) the discharge of IPA is stopped before the discharge of the pure water 80a is started. May be. In addition, (b) the discharge of IPA may be stopped at a time before the discharge of the pure water 80a is completed. Even in these cases (a) and (b), the process of replacing pure water with IPA is reliably performed.

  (7) Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the loader / unloader unit 30 has been described as having a loader function and an unloader function, but the present invention is not limited to this. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a loader unit having a loader function and an unloader unit having an unloader function, instead of the loader / unloader unit 30, and the plurality of substrates includes the loader unit, the unloader unit, and the transfer robot. It may be handed over to and from 10. Also in this case, it is not necessary to provide another transfer robot in the substrate processing apparatus 1, and an increase in the footprint of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Transfer robot 30 Loader / unloader part 40 Processing part 60 Exhaust part 70 Drying part 71 Drying chamber 71a, 72a Discharge pipe (discharge part)
71b, 72b Valve (switching part)
72 Storage tank 75 Oscillating unit 80a Pure water 80b Liquid level 80c Liquid film 81 Pure water supply source 82 Discharge nozzle 84 IPA gas supply source 85 Gas supply source 86c Heater 87 (87a, 87b) Discharge nozzle 88 Discharge port 90 Control unit C Carrier G Groove G1 First groove surface G2 Second groove surface Gw Width G
P outer edge W substrate W1 first main surface W2 second main surface Wth thickness

Claims (6)

A drying unit that collectively dries a plurality of substrates,
(a) a storage tank that is disposed in the drying chamber and stores the processing liquid;
(b) is disposed in the drying chamber, and discharges an organic solvent toward the liquid level of the processing liquid stored in the storage tank;
(c) a discharge unit for discharging the processing liquid from the storage tank to the outside;
(d) provided in the discharge unit, a switching unit for switching the discharge status of the processing liquid,
(e) a control unit that controls the discharge operation of the discharge unit and the switching operation of the switching unit;
With
The controller is
(i) forming a liquid film of the organic solvent on the liquid surface by discharging the organic solvent onto the liquid surface of the treatment liquid in which the plurality of substrates are immersed from the discharge unit;
(ii) Lowering the liquid film by discharging the processing liquid from the storage tank in a state where the plurality of substrates are immersed in the processing liquid and the liquid film is formed on the liquid surface. And the organic solvent is used to replace the treatment liquid adhering to each of the plurality of substrates. The drying unit according to claim 1, wherein
The controller is configured to continuously discharge the organic solvent from the discharge unit when the processing liquid is discharged from the storage tank in a state where the liquid film of the organic solvent is formed. unit. The drying unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The discharge unit is capable of further discharging a high temperature gas toward each of the plurality of substrates.
The controller is
(iii) The drying unit that discharges the high-temperature gas from the discharge unit to the plurality of substrates to which the organic solvent after replacement adheres. The drying unit according to claim 3,
The plurality of substrates are stored in a carrier;
A plurality of grooves are provided in the carrier while corresponding to each substrate,
As the outer edge of each substrate is fitted into the corresponding groove, each substrate is stored in a standing posture in the carrier,
(f) a swinging portion that swings the carrier in a state where each substrate is fitted in a corresponding groove;
Further comprising
The width of each groove is larger than the thickness of the corresponding mating board,
The oscillating portion moves the upper end of each substrate along the arrangement direction of each substrate using each groove as a fulcrum, thereby obtaining the first main surface of each substrate and the first groove surface of the corresponding groove. A drying unit characterized by being separated. The drying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The drying unit is connected to the storage tank at a position lower than the lower end of each substrate immersed in the storage tank. (a) the drying unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
(b) a plurality of treatment tanks;
(c) a transfer robot that collectively transfers the plurality of substrates to any of the plurality of treatment tanks and the drying unit;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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