JP2013157418A - Etching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an etching device and a transportation system of the etching device compact and enable uniform treatment of substrates.SOLUTION: An etching device 20 includes a lifting device 8 moving at least one of a treatment gas supply head 3 and a lifting stage 6 close to or away from the other of the treatment gas supply head 3 and the lifting stage 6. In the treatment gas supply head 3, a recessed part 7 is formed on a surface facing the lifting stage 6 and a nozzle is disposed on a wall surface of the recessed part 7. The lifting device 8 moves the at least one of the treatment gas supply head 3 and the lifting stage 6 close to and away from the other of the treatment gas supply head 3 and the lifting stage 6 thereby placing a peripheral part of the treatment gas supply head 3 in contact with the lifting stage 6 or a substrate K and making a space in the recessed part of the treatment gas supply head 3 into a closed processing chamber.

Description

  The present invention relates to an etching apparatus for etching a substrate using a processing gas containing a fluorine-based reaction component.

  Recently, in order to increase the surface area of a substrate or improve the adhesion to other layers, a technique called texturing that roughens the surface of the substrate is required as a kind of etching process. There are various methods for texturing. When texturing a glass substrate, a method of hydrofluoric acid treatment is widely used. For example, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-356379 includes an off-line configuration in which a load lock chamber is provided and a substrate is transferred between processing units or between a cassette and a processing unit by a loader transfer robot, an intermediate transfer robot, and an unloader transfer robot. Thus, the substrate is treated with hydrofluoric acid.

  Further, the processing substrate is required to be enlarged for the purpose of cost reduction, product enlargement, and the like. However, when the processing substrate is enlarged, uniform processing within the substrate becomes an important issue. Therefore, in the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-356379, when supplying a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution to uniformly treat the entire surface of the substrate, a pressure dispersion nozzle is provided as a hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution discharge hole in the upper space of the storage tank, The board is rotated horizontally. In the above technique, these configurations make the hydrofluoric acid treatment in the substrate as uniform as possible.

JP 2004-356379 A

  However, when applying a technique described in JP-A-2004-356379 when hydrofluoric acid treatment is performed on an ultra-large glass substrate (for example, having an area of 1 m × 1 m square or more), the following problems are caused. .

  First, in the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-356379, since the loading / unloading of the processing substrate is an off-line processing by a transport robot, the bending of the super large glass substrate becomes a problem, and the transport is also a problem. It takes a long time to deliver the glass substrate by the robot, and it is difficult to perform an efficient transfer process as compared with the inline process. Moreover, in the above-mentioned offline processing, since a load lock chamber is prepared or a transfer robot is used, in order to process an ultra-large glass substrate, the transfer system member must be enlarged accordingly, An increase in the volume or footprint of the transport system and the etching apparatus becomes a serious problem. Furthermore, when the transport system or the etching apparatus is increased in size, the processing substrate transport time and processing time are generally increased, and the manufacturing cost and running cost of the entire apparatus increase.

  Further, in the ultra-large substrate, the processing unevenness in the substrate becomes a more serious problem than the small and medium-sized substrate. However, even if the entire surface of the substrate is to be processed uniformly, the processing substrate is rotated as in JP-A-2004-356379. Is difficult with an ultra-large glass substrate. Even if it is rotated, if a normally rectangular super large glass substrate is rotated, the space efficiency becomes extremely poor, and uniform processing in the substrate is not easy for the following reasons.

That is, when the glass substrate is treated with hydrofluoric acid, moisture is generated by the reaction between silicon oxide and hydrofluoric acid contained in the glass (SiO ₂ + 4HF → SiF ₄ + 2H ₂ O), and the etching rate is changed by the generated moisture. However, as described above, in the method of rotating the processing substrate, a large rotational speed difference is generated between the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the ultra-large substrate, and the concentration distribution of the etching gas acting on the processing substrate may be made uniform. Can not. As a result, there is a difference in the amount of generated moisture between the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion of the ultra-large substrate, and it becomes difficult to suppress processing unevenness in the substrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object thereof is to make the etching apparatus and its transport system compact even when processing a large substrate, and further, uniform in the substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide an etching apparatus capable of processing.

  In order to solve the above problems, an etching apparatus according to the present invention includes a stage that supports a substrate, a transport unit that transports the substrate onto the stage, and transports the substrate on the stage from the stage, A processing gas supply head provided with a nozzle disposed to face the stage and discharging a processing gas containing at least a fluorine-based reaction component toward a substrate processing surface on the stage; and In the etching apparatus provided with the gas supply means for supplying the processing gas to the nozzle, the processing gas supply head further comprises a driving means for separating and contacting at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage with respect to the other. Has a recess formed on the surface facing the stage, and the nozzle is disposed on the wall surface of the recess. By causing at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage to approach each other by the driving means, the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head comes into contact with the stage or the substrate, and the concave portion of the processing gas supply head The present invention relates to an etching apparatus configured to be a processing chamber whose inner space is closed.

  According to said structure, according to operation | movement of the said conveyance means, the said board | substrate is continuously carried in / out between the said stage and its front-back process. The processing gas supply head is disposed so as to face the stage, and includes a nozzle that discharges the processing gas supplied by the gas supply means toward the substrate processing surface on the stage. This nozzle is disposed on the wall surface of the recess, and may be provided on the bottom surface of the recess or on the inner surface of the recess. If the nozzle is disposed on any one of the wall surfaces of the recess, the process gas can be supplied into the process chamber when the space in the recess is closed.

  The driving means is for bringing at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage into contact with each other, and the processing gas supply head has a recess formed on a surface facing the stage. Therefore, by causing at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage to approach the other by the driving means, the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head comes into contact with the stage or the substrate, and the processing gas supply A processing chamber is formed in which the space in the concave portion of the head is closed.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that the processing gas supply head becomes a part of the wall surface of the closed processing chamber when the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head contacts the stage or the substrate. .

  According to the above configuration, the processing gas supply head is provided with the recess, and a narrow space surrounded by the recess and the stage or the substrate is closed, and the processing chamber is closed. Gas is supplied to process the substrate. That is, the substrate processing can be realized in a processing chamber constructed extremely compactly.

  From the viewpoint of making the volume of the processing chamber (closed space) formed more compact, the height of the internal space (gap) of the recess provided in the processing gas supply head is made as small as possible (for example, a height of 10 mm or less). Is preferred. In this way, if the processing chamber to be formed is made compact, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the processing apparatus or the transfer system and to reduce its footprint.

  In addition, according to the above configuration, the processing gas supply head that is conventionally required can be used as a part of the wall of the closed processing chamber, so that even when processing a large substrate, the processing gas supply There is no need to prepare a large processing chamber separately from the head, and accordingly, the etching apparatus and its transport system can be made compact.

  In addition, if the processing chamber is made compact as described above, the time and energy required for evacuation can be reduced even when the processing chamber is evacuated, and processing used in the processing chamber is also possible. The amount of gas can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and running cost of the etching apparatus.

  Further, according to the above configuration, the processing chamber is a narrow space closed, and a processing gas supply head for supplying a processing gas (including the exhaust system if the head includes an exhaust system) Since the distance to the substrate is extremely short, variation in gas distribution within the processing chamber is small, and even when a large substrate is processed, the uniform processing can be performed.

  Furthermore, by making the transfer means inline and continuously configuring the etching apparatus with the front and rear processing apparatuses, the etching apparatus and its transfer system can be made more compact compared to off-line processing using a transfer robot or the like. The substrate processing can be realized while efficiently using the space.

  In the above-described configuration, the processing gas supply head has a plurality of exhaust holes communicating with the outside in the wall surface of the recess, and the etching apparatus further includes exhaust means connected to the exhaust holes. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, the processing gas supply head supplies the processing gas to the closed processing chamber and also supplies the processed gas, moisture generated from the substrate, and the like to the outside through the exhaust hole of the concave wall surface. Can be exhausted. As a result, the exhaust gas and moisture in the processing chamber can be quickly discharged, and the condition of the processing atmosphere can be kept good.

  In the above configuration, the stage is preferably formed with a plurality of suction holes that open to the substrate support surface, and the etching apparatus further includes negative pressure means connected to the suction holes. .

  According to the above configuration, since the substrate is sucked to the substrate support surface of the stage by the function of the plurality of suction holes opened in the substrate support surface and the negative pressure means connected thereto, the substrate is a large glass substrate. However, it can be stably held on the stage.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that a head heater for heating the processing gas supply head is attached to the processing gas supply head. In particular, it is preferable that the head heater is configured to independently heat the processing gas supply head for each predetermined divided region.

  According to said structure, the process gas supplied from the said process gas supply head thru | or the head can be heated with a head heater. In particular, when etching a large substrate, the processing gas head corresponding to the large substrate also has a large area, but the processing gas supply head is heated independently for each predetermined divided region. If configured, the temperature unevenness in each region can be reduced, and the temperature of the processing gas supplied to the substrate can be made uniform over the entire surface of the substrate. As a result, the etching process in the substrate can be made more uniform.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that a stage heater for heating the stage is attached to the stage. In particular, the stage heater is preferably configured to heat the stage independently for each predetermined divided region.

  According to said structure, the stage which mounts a board | substrate can be heated with a stage heater. In particular, when processing a large substrate, the stage corresponding to the large substrate also has a large area, but if the stage is configured to be heated independently for each predetermined divided region, Temperature unevenness can be reduced, and the substrate temperature can be uniform over the entire surface of the substrate. As a result, the etching process in the substrate can be made more uniform.

  According to the etching apparatus according to the present invention, even when a large substrate is processed, the etching apparatus and its transport system can be made compact, and furthermore, the substrate can be uniformly processed.

It is sectional drawing which showed the processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the enlarged view to which the circular area | region A of FIG. 1 was expanded. (A) (b) is the figure which showed typically the mode of process chamber formation by a process gas supply head and a glass substrate or a raising / lowering stage. (A) is the schematic diagram which looked at the structural example of the raising / lowering stage 6 from the perspective direction, (b) is sectional drawing which showed the cross section of the arrow BB direction of (a). (A) is the schematic diagram which looked at the further structural example of the raising / lowering stage from the perspective direction, (b) is sectional drawing which showed the cross section of the arrow CC direction of (a). (A) (b) is sectional drawing at the time of dividing | segmenting the etching apparatus of FIG. 1 by the plane perpendicular | vertical to the advancing direction of a glass substrate. (A) is the enlarged view which expanded the circular area | region D of Fig.6 (a), (b) is the enlarged view which expanded the circular area | region E of FIG.6 (b). (A) and (b) are the figures which showed the further variation of a shutter structure. (A) (b) is the schematic diagram which showed the mode of introduction | transduction of hydrofluoric acid gas (HF) and exhaust_gas | exhaustion in a process gas supply head, (a) is each board | substrate side end surface of a discharge hole and an exhaust hole (B) shows a configuration in which each end surface on the substrate side of the discharge hole and the exhaust hole is different in level. It is the top view which showed the process gas supply head. (A) and (b) are the enlarged views which expanded the circular area | region S near the stopper installation in FIG. 1, (a) is the state which the stopper protruded on the raising / lowering stage, (b) is a stopper storing a stopper. It is the figure which showed the state accommodated in the part. It is sectional drawing which showed the structural example of the processing apparatus in the case of making a process gas supply head movable.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[1. Device configuration example)

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 of this example is composed of independent chambers 21, 22, and 23 formed of a plate material, and includes a pre-process (preheating process) in the chamber 21 and a post-process in the chamber 23 ( In the chamber 22 between the cleaning step), the upper surface of the glass substrate K is etched (textured) with hydrofluoric acid gas.

  In the processing apparatus 1, a plurality of transport rollers 18 and a transport roller 12 are arranged on the same plane across the chambers 21, 22, and 23, and these rollers are appropriately driven by a driving device, The glass substrate K placed on is conveyed in-line. Here, the transport roller 12 is fixed to the wall surface of the chamber 22. The glass substrate K is transported in the order of the chambers 21, 22, and 23, and is loaded from the chamber 21 onto the lifting stage 6 in the chamber 22 and is transported from the lifting stage 6 to the chamber 23. The glass substrate K is heated by an IR heater or the like in the chamber 21 (preheating step), and is cleaned by shower cleaning in the chamber 23 (cleaning step).

  Openings 24 are respectively formed in the partition walls that partition the chambers 21, 22, and 23, and the glass substrate K is transferred between the chambers through the openings 24. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of the glass substrate K used in this example, For example, it is preferable to set it as the thickness of 5 mm or less.

  The etching apparatus 20 is provided in the interior or upper part of the chamber 22. When the pretreatment (preheating step) is finished, the glass substrate K is transferred from the chamber 21 to the chamber 22 by the transfer roller 18 and the transfer roller 12 and is etched by the etching apparatus 20. When the etching process is completed, the film is transferred from the chamber 22 to the chamber 23 by the transfer roller 12 and the transfer roller 18, and is subjected to post-processing (cleaning process).

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the etching apparatus 20, the processing gas supply head 3 and the elevating stage 6 are provided so as to face each other. The processing gas supply head 3 includes a gas introduction port 2 for introducing a processing gas at a side portion, and is connected to a pressure control unit 5 through an upper exhaust duct 4. The pressure control unit 5 is configured to adjust the pressure in a processing chamber (described later) formed by the processing gas supply head 3 through the exhaust duct 4.

  The processing gas supply head 3 has a plurality of discharge holes 3a (for discharging the gas toward the substrate processing surface in order to discharge the gas supplied through the gas introduction port 2 toward the glass substrate K on the lift stage 6. Nozzles) at equal intervals.

  In the processing gas supply head 3, a recess 7 is formed on the surface facing the elevating stage 6. In this example, the recess 7 is provided in the processing gas supply head 3, and the lifting stage 6 is brought close to and in contact with the processing gas supply head 3, so that the space in the recess 7 becomes a closed processing chamber. It is composed. Specifically, by moving the elevating stage 6 closer to the processing gas supply head 3 by the operation of the elevating device 8, the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 comes into contact with the glass substrate K, and the processing gas supply head 3. This is a processing chamber in which the space in the recess 7 is closed. At this time, the processing gas supply head 3 is a part of the wall surface of the processing chamber. This processing chamber is characterized by its narrowness, but from the viewpoint of making the volume of the processing chamber more compact, the (space) height of the internal space of the recess 7 (see height t in FIG. 2). Is preferably as small as possible (for example, a height of 10 mm or less).

  The lifting device 8 includes a drive device 9, a shaft 10, and a pedestal 11, supports the pedestal 11, and vertically moves the shaft 10 configured integrally with the pedestal 11 by the operation of the drive device 9. It has become.

  In the above description, the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is in contact with the surface of the substrate K. However, the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is in contact with the surface of the elevating stage 6 instead of the substrate K. Thus, the space in the recess 7 of the processing gas supply head 3 may be configured to be a closed processing chamber.

  In this way, when the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 abuts on the glass substrate K and a closed processing chamber is formed, hydrofluoric acid is discharged from the plurality of discharge holes 3 a provided in the processing gas supply head 3. The gas is supplied toward the glass substrate K below the gas. The discharge hole 3a is disposed on the wall surface of the concave portion 7, and more specifically, may be provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion 7 as shown in FIG. It may be provided on the side surface. If the discharge hole 3a is disposed on one of the wall surfaces of the recess 7, as described above, the hydrofluoric acid gas is supplied into the process chamber when the space in the recess 7 becomes a closed process chamber. It becomes possible. Similarly, exhaust is performed from the exhaust hole 3b provided in the wall surface of the recess 7 of the processing gas supply head 3 to the pressure control unit 5 through the exhaust duct 4 (see FIG. 1). An exhaust device 13 for gas exhaust is connected to the pressure control unit 5.

  A plurality of head heaters 14 for heating the processing gas supply head 3 are attached to the upper portion of the processing gas supply head 3, and heat generated by the head heater 14 is evenly transmitted to the processing gas supply head 3. A heat transfer body 15 is provided between the head heater 14 and the processing gas supply head 3. On the other hand, the lift stage 6 is provided with a plurality of stage heaters 16 for heating the lift stage 6.

  A gas supply source 17 that selectively supplies nitrogen gas, alcohol, and hydrogen fluoride gas (hydrofluoric acid gas) is connected to the gas inlet 2 of the processing gas supply head 3.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an enlarged circle area A surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In FIG. 2, the cross section of the processing gas supply head 3 is indicated by hatching. As shown in the figure, in the processing gas supply head 3, the gas introduced from the gas introduction port 2 is ejected from the ejection holes 3a, and the interior of each ejection hole 3a is divided into two upper and lower spaces. The upper stage is the first diffuser space d1 for uniformly spreading the gas over the entire processing gas supply head 3, and the lower stage is for further enhancing the uniformity of gas distribution and discharging the gas to the glass substrate K. The second diffuser space d2. The first diffuser space d1 and the second diffuser space d2 are configured to communicate with each other in the horizontal direction in the drawing over all the discharge holes 3a. Therefore, the gas introduced from the gas inlet 2 spreads over the entire surface of the processing gas supply head 3 in the upper first diffuser space d1, and further diffuses evenly by proceeding to the lower second diffuser space d2. And discharged from each discharge hole 3a.

  As described above, in the upper first diffuser space d1, the gas spreads over the entire surface of the processing gas supply head 3, and then proceeds to the lower second diffuser space d2, and further diffuses and is discharged from the discharge hole 3a. The diameter of the connecting hole h1 that connects the first diffuser space d1 and the second diffuser space d2 is smaller than the diameter of the connecting hole h2 that connects the second diffuser space d2 and the outside. In this way, since the diameter of the connecting hole h1 is small, the gas in the first diffuser space d1 does not immediately go to the second diffuser space d2, but is sufficiently diffused in all the first diffuser spaces d1. Then, the process proceeds to the second diffuser space d2, and it becomes easy to uniformly diffuse the gas over the entire surface of the processing gas supply head 3.

  Further, in the processing gas supply head 3, in order to realize the complicated structure, the entire head may have a three-part structure including members 3c to 3e. That is, the first diffuser space d1 is formed in the upper member 3c, while the second diffuser space d2 and the connection hole h2 are formed in the lower member 3e, and the connection hole h1 is provided between the upper member 3c and the lower member 3e. If the intermediate member 3d is sandwiched and these members are brazed, the upper member 3c, the intermediate member 3d, and the lower member 3e are individually molded, and the structure of the processing gas supply head 3 is realized from these members. can do. The exhaust holes 3b are provided with the same diameter at a common position of the upper member 3c, the middle member 3d, and the lower member 3e so that the exhaust holes 3b communicate with each other during assembly.

  The exhaust holes 3b are arranged at staggered positions with respect to the respective discharge holes 3a (see FIG. 10), and communicate with the surface on the heat transfer body 15 side from the surface facing the glass substrate K in the processing gas supply head 3. It is a structure and discharges the gas in the processing chamber. The exhaust gas exhausted through each exhaust hole 3b is guided to the exhaust duct 4 (see FIG. 1) through each cavity in the heat transfer body 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat transfer body 15 includes a large number of columnar columns for transmitting heat generated by the head heater 14 to the upper member 3c. Are connected to each other, and the exhaust gas discharged from each exhaust hole 3b flows into the exhaust duct 4 through the cavity.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a process chamber formed by the process gas supply head 3 and the glass substrate K or the lift stage 6. In the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 5A and 5B, the processing gas supply head 3 is shown as a concave member, and the configuration of the gas introduction port 2, the discharge hole 3a, the exhaust hole 3b, and the exhaust duct 4 is not shown. ing.

  FIG. 3A shows a process in which the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 is brought into contact with the surface of the glass substrate K via the O-ring 25 so that the space in the recess 7 of the processing gas supply head 3 is closed. It shows how it becomes a room. The elevating stage 6 located on the back surface of the glass substrate K is formed with an O-ring 26 and a plurality of suction holes that open to the substrate support surface, and each suction hole is connected to a vacuum valve 27.

  FIG. 3B shows a process in which the space in the recess 7 of the process gas supply head 3 is closed by the peripheral edge of the process gas supply head 3 coming into contact with the surface of the elevating stage 6 via the O-ring 28. It shows how it becomes a room. The elevating stage 6 located on the back surface of the glass substrate K is formed with a plurality of suction holes that open to the substrate support surface, and each suction hole is connected to a vacuum valve 29.

  3 (a) and 3 (b), the glass substrate K is attracted to the surface of the elevating stage 6 by opening the vacuum valves 27 and 29, so even a large glass substrate K is stable. Thus, it can be held on the lifting stage 6. In addition, since the glass substrate K can be brought into close contact with the elevating stage 6, it is possible to prevent unnecessary hydrofluoric acid gas from entering the back surface opposite to the processing surface of the glass substrate K.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the lifting stage 6 on which the glass substrate K is placed. FIG. 4A illustrates a configuration example of the lifting stage 6 viewed from a perspective direction. ) Shows a cross section in the direction of arrow BB in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an O-ring 31 is provided on the lift stage 6. When the glass substrate K is transported, the upper portion of the transport roller 12 protrudes from the upper surface of the lift stage 6. As described above, the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 is lifted by the lift stage 6 (or When abutting on the substrate K), the elevating stage 6 rises, but the conveying roller 12 does not move. Therefore, the conveying roller 12 is automatically stored below the elevating stage 6, and at that time, the position of the conveying roller 12 The shutter 32 is closed at each opening. FIG. 4B shows a state where the transport roller 12 protrudes at each predetermined position of the elevating stage 6 and the shutter 32 is opened.

  As described above, the elevating stage 6 is provided with a plurality of stage heaters 16 (see FIG. 1) for heating the elevating stage 6. In FIG. 4A, the stage heater 16 is configured to heat the elevating stage 6 independently for each predetermined divided region [in FIG. 4A, the four divided regions are indicated by a one-dot chain line]. Has been. Of course, the division mode of the stage heater 16 is not limited to the four divisions shown in FIG. 5A, and may be divided into nine divisions, sixteen divisions, etc., or may be divided into the inner and outer peripheral areas of the stage. May be. By adopting such a configuration and adjusting the output of each stage heater 16, the temperature of the glass substrate K placed on the elevating stage 6 can be made uniform.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic view of a further configuration example of the elevating stage 6 as seen from the perspective direction. In addition to the O-ring 34, the elevating stage 6 shown in the same figure is provided with a large number of air holes 35 in place of the conveying roller 12, and the glass substrate K is blown by the air blown out from the air holes 35. It is configured to carry air.

  FIG.5 (b) is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of arrow CC direction of Fig.5 (a). The air hole 35 is connected to the open / close valves 36 and 37. The open / close valve 36 is configured to blow air (inert gas) upward from the air hole 35 by opening the open / close valve 36, and the open / close valve 37 is opened by opening it. Air is sucked from the air holes 35. By automatically controlling the opening and closing of the two types of opening and closing valves 36 and 37, the glass substrate K can be floated on the lifting stage 6 or adsorbed.

  Also in FIG. 5A, a plurality of stage heaters 16 (see FIG. 1) are attached to the lift stage 6 as in FIG. 4A. The stage heater 16 is configured to independently heat the elevating stage 6 for each predetermined divided area (four divided areas are indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 5A). As in FIG. 4A, the stage heater 16 may be divided arbitrarily.

  Here, another variation of the shutter structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views when the etching apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 is divided along a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction of the glass substrate K. FIG. The same members as those in FIG. FIG. 4A shows a state of the shutter 41 in a state where the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is separated from the lifting stage 6. In FIG. 5B, the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is shown. The state of the shutter 41 in a state of being in contact with the glass substrate K is shown. 6A and 6B, the transport rollers 12 arranged side by side are supported by a common roller support member.

  7A is an enlarged view of a circle region D surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7B is a circle surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6B. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of an area E. As shown in FIG. 7A, the glass substrate K is supported by the transport roller 12 in a state in which the elevating stage 6 is lowered and the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 is separated from the substrate K and the elevating stage 6. The shutter 41 is open so as to allow the upper part of the transport roller 12 to protrude from the surface of the lift stage 6, whereas the lift stage is shown in FIG. 7B. 6 rises and the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is in contact with the glass substrate K or the like, the glass substrate K leaves the support of the transport roller 12 and the processing chamber is completely closed. Thus, the shutter 41 is in a closed state.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing further variations of the shutter structure. In FIG. 5A, the elevating stage 6 is lowered, the glass substrate K is supported by the conveying roller 12, and a rotary shutter is provided so as to allow the upper part of the conveying roller 12 to protrude from the surface of the elevating stage 6. 43 is in an open state, but in FIG. 5B, the elevating stage 6 is raised, the peripheral edge of the processing gas supply head 3 is in contact with the glass substrate K, and the glass substrate K is transported. The rotary shutter 43 is in a closed state so that the support of the roller 12 is separated and the processing chamber formed by the contact is completely closed. The rotary shutter 43 has a structure in which a slit hole into which the conveyance roller 12 is inserted is formed on a round shaft. When the rotary shutter 43 is opened, the conveyance roller 12 and the slit hole are at an angle that coincides with the conveyance roller. 12 is inserted into the slit hole. On the other hand, in the state where the rotary shutter 43 is closed, the round shaft rotates 90 degrees to close the slit hole.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing how the hydrofluoric acid gas (HF) is introduced and exhausted in the processing gas supply head 3. In this schematic diagram, the two-stage configuration of the first diffuser space d1 and the second diffuser space d2 in the discharge hole 3a is omitted, and a single-stage configuration is used. As shown in FIG. 9A, the processing gas supply head 3 has a plurality of exhaust holes 3b in addition to the hydrofluoric acid gas discharge holes 3a. Each exhaust hole 3b communicates with the exhaust duct 4 through a hollow portion of the heat transfer body 15 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and the black arrow in the figure indicates the direction in which the hydrofluoric acid gas flows. Yes. That is, the hydrofluoric acid gas introduced from the lateral direction of the processing gas supply head 3 is discharged downward in the figure through each discharge hole 3a, and the exhaust gas passes upward in the figure through each exhaust hole 3b. Exhausted.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the processing gas supply head 3 may employ a configuration in which the substrate-side end surfaces of the hydrofluoric acid gas discharge hole 3a and the exhaust hole 3b are stepped. By adopting such a configuration, the hydrofluoric acid gas discharged from each discharge hole 3a toward the processing surface of the glass substrate K is applied to the glass substrate K as shown by the black arrow in FIG. On the other hand, since the gas is expanded in the parallel direction and then exhausted through the exhaust holes 3b, the hydrofluoric acid gas supplied to the glass substrate K is likely to be uniform over the entire surface of the substrate, and the uniformity of the etching process is easily maintained.

  When the processing gas supply head 3 is viewed from the elevation stage 6 in plan view (see FIG. 1), the configuration is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, on the surface of the processing gas supply head 3, a large number of gas discharge holes 3a and exhaust holes 3b are regularly arranged in a staggered manner, and supply of various gases and exhaust of processed gases are performed. It can be uniformly performed on the entire surface of the processing chamber or the glass substrate K.

  In FIG. 10, the processing gas supply head 3 is provided with a plurality of head heaters 14 (see FIG. 1) for heating the processing gas supply head 3. The head heater 14 divides the processing gas supply head 3 independently for each predetermined divided region (in FIG. 10, a three-segment region on a concentric square is shown from the inner peripheral portion to the outer peripheral portion in the chain line). It is configured to heat.

  By adopting such a configuration and adjusting the output of each head heater 14, the temperature of the processing gas supplied to the processing chamber can be made uniform. Of course, the division mode of the head heater 14 is not limited to three divisions as shown in FIG. 10, and any division may be performed.

[2. Example of etching process flow)

  According to the etching apparatus 20 (see FIG. 1) of the processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, the glass substrate K is etched (textured) as follows.

  The glass substrate K is heated to a predetermined temperature by irradiation with an IR heater or the like in the chamber 21 and is carried into the chamber 22 and on the lifting stage 6. When the glass substrate K is conveyed to a predetermined position on the elevating stage 6, a stopper protrudes on the elevating stage 6, stops the glass substrate K and stops its progress, and the roller conveyance is stopped. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of an enlarged circle area S surrounded by a two-dot chain line in the vicinity of the stopper installation in FIG. 1. FIG. 11A shows the stopper 51 protruding on the lifting stage 6 to engage the glass substrate K. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state in which the stopper 51 is housed in a stopper housing portion 52 provided below the elevating stage 6.

  Then, the lifting / lowering stage 6 on which the glass substrate K is placed and adsorbed is raised by the action of the lifting / lowering device 8 (see FIG. 1), and the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 comes into contact with the glass substrate K or the lifting / lowering stage 6. As a result, the space between the processing gas supply head 3 and the glass substrate K or the lifting stage 6 is sealed, and the space in the recess 7 is closed. At this time, the conveyance roller 12 is separated from the glass substrate K by the raising of the elevating stage 6, and the region where the conveying roller 12 protrudes on the elevating stage 6 is closed by the various shutters described above.

  Then, hydrofluoric acid gas discharged from the processing gas supply head 3 is supplied to the upper surface of the glass substrate K in the processing chamber closed by sealing the processing gas supply head 3 and the glass substrate K or the lifting stage 6. Is done. Since the elevating stage 6 adsorbs the glass substrate K, the hydrofluoric acid gas does not enter the back surface of the glass substrate K. Then, hydrofluoric acid gas flows into the processing chamber, and the glass substrate K is etched.

  In order to uniformly etch the glass substrate K, it is preferable to remove moisture in the processing chamber. As described above, moisture is generated by the reaction between the hydrofluoric acid gas and silicon oxide contained in the glass substrate K. However, the amount of process gas is reduced, the generation of moisture is suppressed, and the processing chamber is further filled with, for example, 20 to 30 kPa. In addition, the chamber temperature is controlled at about 45 ° C. (40 to 60 ° C.), so that moisture is quickly exhausted as steam, and etching is performed with the moisture content in the processing chamber suppressed. be able to. In order to obtain an environment with a lower moisture content, it is desirable that the inside of the chamber be on the lower pressure side and the chamber temperature be on the higher temperature side. By reducing the amount of moisture generated in the process as much as possible in this way, the etching process can easily proceed uniformly over the entire substrate, and the glass substrate K does not adhere to the lift stage 6 due to moisture.

  In the above configuration, since the processing chamber is a narrow space, the amount of moisture brought in from the outside air is reduced accordingly, and the exhaust holes 3b of the processing gas supply head 3 are not over the entire surface of the glass substrate K. Since it is provided, quick exhaust is performed at each location. Therefore, the exhaust gas generated during the etching is exhausted to the exhaust duct 4 through the exhaust hole 3b, and unnecessary exhaust gas does not stagnate in a specific portion of the processing chamber. As shown in FIG. 1, in the etching apparatus 20, since the distance between the glass substrate K and the processing gas supply head 3 is short, the exhaust of the processed gas including the moisture generated from the glass substrate K is performed smoothly. Is called.

  In general, when the glass substrate K is increased in size, it is difficult to bring the glass substrate K and the processing gas supply port close to each other. However, according to the structure of the etching apparatus 20 of this example, even a large glass substrate K can be used without difficulty. The distance between the glass substrate K and the processing gas supply port can be reduced. Thereby, it becomes possible to make said etching process uniform.

  Further, in order to uniformly advance the etching process of the glass substrate K in a dry environment, the outputs of the stage heater 16 and the head heater 14 provided in the elevating stage 6 and the process gas supply head 3 are controlled. Thus, it is preferable to make the temperature of the glass substrate K and hydrofluoric acid gas uniform. In this way, even when the large glass substrate K is etched, the substrate processing can be made uniform.

  When the etching process of the glass substrate K is completed, the elevating stage 6 on which the glass substrate K is placed is lowered, the peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head 3 is separated from the glass substrate K or the elevating stage 6, and the processing gas supply head is removed. 3 space in the recess 7 is opened. Thereafter, the substrate conveyance by the conveyance roller 18 or the conveyance roller 12 is resumed, and the glass substrate K after the etching process is carried out from the up / down stage 6 in the chamber 22 to the chamber 23 and is shower-washed in the chamber 23. Thus, according to the processing apparatus 1 of this example, the glass substrate K is continuously etched between the pre-process (preheating process) and the post-process (cleaning process).

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the specific aspect which this invention can take is not limited above at all.

  For example, in the above description, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking the texturing process of the glass substrate K as an example. However, the use of the etching apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the texturing process of the glass substrate. It can be widely used for the etching process. In the above description, hydrofluoric acid gas is exemplified as the processing gas. However, as the processing gas of the etching apparatus of the present invention, various gases can be used as long as the gas contains at least a fluorine-based reaction component.

  Moreover, in the above description, although the raising / lowering stage 6 approached the process gas supply head 3 by the raising / lowering apparatus 8 (refer FIG. 1), not the raising / lowering stage 6 but the process gas supply head 3 of FIG. Alternatively, the process gas supply head 3 may be moved closer to the lift stage 6 so that the space in the recess 7 of the process gas supply head 3 is closed.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration example when the processing gas supply head 3 is movable. In the figure, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. In FIG. 12, the processing gas supply head 3 is supported by a support member 61, and the support member 61 moves up and down by the action of a base 62 and a cylinder 63. In the figure, the lift stage 6 is configured to carry the glass substrate K by air, as in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and the air hole 64 is connected to the open / close valves 65 and 66. . The on-off valve 65 is configured to blow air (inert gas) supplied from the gas supply source 67 upward from the air hole 64 by opening it, and the on-off valve 66 opens the exhaust valve from the air hole 64 by opening it. The air is sucked into 68. Also in the configuration as shown in FIG. 12, the processing gas supply head 3 is brought close to the lift stage 6 or the glass substrate K, so that the space in the recess 7 of the processing gas supply head 3 becomes a closed processing chamber. be able to.

  As described above, the present invention can be suitably used for an etching apparatus that etches a substrate using a processing gas containing a fluorine-based reaction component.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 2 Gas inlet 3 Processing gas supply head 6 Elevating stage 7 Recessed part 8 Elevating apparatus 12 Conveying roller 17 Gas supply source 18 Conveying roller 20 Etching apparatus K Glass substrate

Claims (8)

A stage for supporting the substrate;
Carrying means for carrying the substrate onto the stage, and carrying the substrate on the stage from the stage;
A processing gas supply head provided with a nozzle disposed so as to face the stage and discharging a processing gas containing at least a fluorine-based reaction component toward a substrate processing surface on the stage;
In an etching apparatus comprising gas supply means for supplying the processing gas to the nozzle of the processing gas supply head,
Drive means for separating and contacting at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage with respect to the other;
The processing gas supply head has a recess formed on a surface facing the stage, and the nozzle is disposed on the wall surface of the recess.
By causing the driving means to bring at least one of the processing gas supply head and the stage closer to the other, a peripheral portion of the processing gas supply head comes into contact with the stage or the substrate, and the processing gas supply head An etching apparatus configured to be a processing chamber in which a space in a recess is closed.   2. The process gas supply head according to claim 1, wherein the process gas supply head becomes a part of a wall surface of the closed processing chamber when a peripheral edge portion of the processing gas supply head comes into contact with the stage or the substrate. Etching equipment. The processing gas supply head is provided with a plurality of exhaust holes communicating with the outside on the wall surface of the recess.
3. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising exhaust means connected to the exhaust holes. The stage is formed with a plurality of suction holes that open to the substrate support surface,
The etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a negative pressure unit connected to each of the suction holes.   The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a head heater for heating the processing gas supply head is attached to the processing gas supply head.   The etching apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the head heater is configured to heat the processing gas supply head independently for each predetermined divided region.   The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stage heater for heating the stage is attached to the stage.   8. The etching apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stage heater is configured to heat the stage independently for each predetermined divided region.

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