JP2014008422A - Coating applicator and nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve uniformity in film thickness.SOLUTION: A coating applicator according to an embodiment includes a nozzle and a movement mechanism. The nozzle includes: a storage chamber in which a coating liquid is stored; and a slit-like flow passage communicating with the storage chamber. The coating liquid is discharged from a discharge opening formed at the front end of the flow passage. The movement mechanism allows the nozzle and a substrate to move relatively along the surface of the substrate. In addition, the nozzle includes partition plates which partition off the inside of the storage chamber into a plurality of small compartments in the longitudinal direction of the flow passage.

Description

  The disclosed embodiments relate to a coating apparatus and a nozzle.

  Conventionally, a spin coating method is known as a method of applying a coating solution to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate. In the spin coating method, the coating solution is dropped on the center of the substrate while the substrate is rotated, and the coating solution is spread on the substrate by diffusing the coating solution on the substrate by centrifugal force to form a coating film. It is a method of forming.

  In such a spin coating method, since most of the dropped coating solution is scattered outside the substrate, the usage efficiency of the coating solution is low. Therefore, in recent years, a slit coating method has been proposed as a coating method replacing the spin coating method.

  The slit coating method is a method of applying using a nozzle having a slit-like discharge port. Specifically, in the slit coating method, the coating liquid slightly exposed from the nozzle outlet is brought into contact with the substrate, and in this state, the nozzle and the substrate are moved relative to each other to apply the coating liquid onto the substrate. Spread coating to form a coating film. According to such a slit coating method, a necessary amount of the coating liquid can be applied to the substrate, so that the usage efficiency of the coating liquid can be increased (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-167603 A

  However, the above-described conventional technology has room for further improvement in terms of increasing the film thickness uniformity.

  For example, when the coating is performed using the slit coating method described above, the film thickness at both longitudinal ends of the nozzle may be thinner than the film thickness at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. One reason for this is that the coating liquid applied on the substrate aggregates in the center due to surface tension.

  An object of one embodiment is to provide a coating apparatus and a nozzle that can improve film thickness uniformity.

  The coating apparatus which concerns on 1 aspect of embodiment is provided with a nozzle and a moving mechanism. The nozzle includes a storage chamber in which the coating liquid is stored and a slit-like flow path communicating with the storage chamber, and discharges the coating liquid from a discharge port formed at the tip of the flow path. The moving mechanism relatively moves the nozzle and the substrate along the surface of the substrate. The nozzle also includes a partition plate that partitions the interior of the storage chamber into a plurality of small chambers along the longitudinal direction of the flow path.

  Further, the nozzle according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a storage chamber in which the coating liquid is stored, a slit-like flow channel communicating with the storage chamber, a discharge port formed at the tip of the flow channel, and the interior of the storage chamber And a partition plate that partitions the plurality of small rooms along the longitudinal direction of the flow path.

  According to one embodiment of the embodiment, the film thickness uniformity can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a schematic explanatory diagram of the coating process. FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram when the substrate after the coating process is viewed from the scanning direction. FIG. 3A is a schematic front sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow AA in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of pressure control. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the state change of each device in the coating process. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the coating process. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the coating process. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of the coating process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the substrate processing executed by the coating apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship between a device and a nozzle related to the coating liquid filling process. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of the nozzle. FIG. 10A is a schematic front sectional view showing a configuration of a liquid supply port. FIG. 10B is a schematic front sectional view showing another configuration of the liquid supply port. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the content of pressure control during the coating liquid filling process. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the nozzle cleaning unit. FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the liquid level detection method. FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the liquid level detection method. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the liquid level detection method. FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the liquid level detection method. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another example of the small chamber pressure control method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a coating apparatus and a nozzle disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the following, in order to clarify the positional relationship, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis that are orthogonal to each other are defined, and the positive direction of the Z axis is the vertically upward direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a mounting table 10, a first moving mechanism 20, a nozzle 30, and an elevating mechanism 40.

  The first moving mechanism 20 is a mechanism unit that moves the substrate W in the horizontal direction, and includes a substrate holding unit 21 and a driving unit 22. The substrate holding unit 21 has a horizontal upper surface on which a suction port is formed, and sucks and holds the substrate W on the horizontal upper surface by suction from the suction port. The driving unit 22 is mounted on the mounting table 10 and moves the substrate holding unit 21 in the horizontal direction (here, the X-axis direction). The first moving mechanism 20 moves the substrate holding unit 21 using the driving unit 22 to move the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 21 in the horizontal direction.

  The nozzle 30 is a long nozzle extending in the direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate W, and is disposed above the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 21. The The configuration of the nozzle 30 will be described later.

  The elevating mechanism 40 is a mechanism unit that elevates and lowers the nozzle 30 and includes a fixing unit 41 and a driving unit 42. The fixing portion 41 is a member that fixes the nozzle 30. The drive unit 42 moves the fixed unit 41 in the vertical direction. The elevating mechanism 40 moves the fixing unit 41 in the vertical direction by using the driving unit 42 to elevate and lower the nozzle 30 fixed to the fixing unit 41.

  In addition, the coating apparatus 1 includes a thickness measuring unit 50a, a nozzle height measuring unit 50b, a nozzle cleaning unit 60, a nozzle standby unit 80, a second moving mechanism 90, and a control device 100.

  The thickness measurement unit 50 a is a measurement unit that is disposed above the substrate W (here, the lifting mechanism 40) and measures the distance to the upper surface of the substrate W. The nozzle height measuring unit 50 b is disposed below the substrate W (here, the mounting table 10) and measures the distance to the lower end surface of the nozzle 30.

  The measurement results by the thickness measurement unit 50a and the nozzle height measurement unit 50b are transmitted to the control device 100 described later, and are used to determine the height of the nozzle 30 during the coating process. For example, a laser displacement meter can be used as the thickness measuring unit 50a and the nozzle height measuring unit 50b.

  The nozzle cleaning unit 60 is a processing unit that removes the coating liquid adhering to the tip of the nozzle 30. The configuration of the nozzle cleaning unit 60 will be described later.

  The nozzle standby unit 80 has a storage space in which the nozzle 30 can be stored. The interior of the storage space is maintained in a thinner atmosphere, and drying of the coating liquid in the nozzle 30 is prevented by allowing the nozzle 30 to stand by in the storage space. The configuration of the nozzle standby unit 80 will also be described later.

  The second moving mechanism 90 is a mechanism that moves the nozzle cleaning unit 60 and the nozzle standby unit 80 in the horizontal direction, and includes a placement unit 91, a support unit 92, and a drive unit 93.

  The placement unit 91 is a plate-like member that places the nozzle cleaning unit 60 and the nozzle standby unit 80 substantially horizontally. The placement unit 91 is supported by the support unit 92 at a predetermined height, specifically, a height at which the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 21 can pass under the placement unit 91. The drive unit 93 moves the support unit 92 in the horizontal direction.

  The second moving mechanism 90 moves the nozzle cleaning unit 60 and the nozzle standby unit 80 mounted on the mounting unit 91 in the horizontal direction by moving the support unit 92 in the horizontal direction using the driving unit 93. Let

  The control device 100 is a device that controls the operation of the coating apparatus 1. The control device 100 is a computer, for example, and includes a control unit and a storage unit (not shown). The storage unit stores a program for controlling various processes such as a coating process. The control unit controls the operation of the coating apparatus 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit.

  Such a program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and may be installed in the storage unit of the control device 100 from the recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

  Next, the configuration of the nozzle 30 and the content of the coating process performed by the coating apparatus 1 will be specifically described. First, an outline of the coating process will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A is a schematic explanatory diagram of the coating process, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram when the substrate W after the coating process is viewed from the scanning direction.

  The coating process performed by the coating apparatus 1 is performed by applying the coating liquid onto the substrate W by moving the substrate W in the horizontal direction while the coating liquid exposed from the long nozzle 30 is in contact with the substrate W. This is a process of spreading and forming a coating film.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the nozzle 30 is a long member extending in a direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate W, and is formed at the lower end. The coating liquid R is discharged from the long discharge port D.

  First, the coating apparatus 1 exposes the coating liquid R from the discharge port D of the nozzle 30. At this time, the coating apparatus 1 can maintain the state in which the coating liquid R is exposed from the discharge port D by controlling the pressure in the nozzle 30. This point will be described later.

  Subsequently, the coating apparatus 1 moves the nozzle 30 downward using the elevating mechanism 40 (see FIG. 1) to bring the coating liquid R exposed from the discharge port D into contact with the upper surface of the substrate W. Then, the coating apparatus 1 moves the substrate W horizontally using the first moving mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, the coating liquid R is spread on the upper surface of the substrate W to form a coating film. Note that the coating film formed on the substrate W by the coating apparatus 1 is a thick film of 10 μm or more.

  By the way, when the coating liquid is applied to the substrate using a conventional nozzle, there is a concern that the film thickness uniformity may deteriorate in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3B, the film thickness T1 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle may be thinner than the film thickness T2 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. One reason for this is that the coating liquid R applied on the substrate W aggregates in the center due to surface tension.

  Therefore, the coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment divides the inside of the nozzle 30 into a plurality of small chambers along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 and individually controls the pressure in each small chamber. . Thereby, since the discharge amount from the discharge port D can be adjusted for each small room, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30, the deterioration of the film thickness uniformity in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 is suppressed, and the film Thickness uniformity can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the nozzle 30 and the content of the pressure control performed for each small room will be specifically described. 3A is a schematic front sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle 30, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of pressure control.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the nozzle 30 includes a storage chamber S in which the coating liquid R is stored, and a slit-like flow path C that is disposed below the storage chamber S and communicates with the storage chamber S. The coating liquid R is discharged from the discharge port D formed at the tip of the flow path C (that is, the lower end surface of the nozzle 30).

  More specifically, the nozzle 30 includes a first main body portion 31 that forms a back surface portion and both side surface portions of the nozzle 30, a second main body portion 32 that forms a front surface portion, a lid portion 33 that forms a ceiling portion, The first main body 31 includes a long land portion 34 disposed on a surface facing the second main body 32. Of the space inside the nozzle 30 formed by the first main body portion 31, the second main body portion 32 and the lid portion 33, a space having a width K sandwiched between the first main body portion 31 and the second main body portion 32 is stored. A space having a width G narrower than the width K sandwiched between the land portion 34 and the second main body portion 32 becomes the flow path C. The width of the channel C is constant at the width G, and the width of the discharge port D formed at the tip of the channel C is also the width G.

  In the state where the pressure inside the storage chamber S is equal to the pressure outside the storage chamber S, the width G becomes smaller than the gravity acting on the coating liquid R, and the coating liquid is applied at a predetermined flow rate. The value is set such that R drops from the discharge port D. Specifically, the width G is obtained by changing the width G, the viscosity of the coating liquid R, and the material of the nozzle 30 in a test performed in advance, and evaluating the state of the coating liquid R in that case.

  The nozzle 30 according to the first embodiment includes partition plates 38 a and 38 b in the storage chamber S. Each of the partition plates 38 a and 38 b is a substantially flat plate-like member, and is arranged side by side at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 with the wide surface facing the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30. The storage chamber S is partitioned into a plurality of small rooms Sa, Sb, and Sc along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the flow path C by the partition plates 38a and 38b.

  Here, an example in which the nozzle 30 includes two partition plates 38a and 38b is shown, but the number of partition plates included in the nozzle may be two or more.

  Both side surfaces of the partition plates 38 a and 38 b are in contact with the first main body portion 31 and the second main body portion 32, respectively, and the upper surface is in contact with the lid portion 33. For this reason, when the coating liquid R is stored in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc, each of the small rooms Sa to Sc has a sealed space surrounded by the liquid surface of the coating liquid R and the inner walls of the small rooms Sa to Sc. It is formed for each of the small rooms Sa to Sc.

  The small rooms Sa to Sc are not completely independent, but communicate with each other on the channel C side. For this reason, for example, when the storage chamber S is filled with the coating liquid R, it is possible to prevent variations in the amount of the coating liquid R caused by the small chambers Sa to Sc.

  The lid 33 of the nozzle 30 is provided with pressure measuring units 36a, 36b, and 36c and pressure adjusting pipes 37a, 37b, and 37c that penetrate the lid 33, respectively. The pressure measuring units 36a to 36c are measuring units that measure the pressure in the sealed space in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc. Each pressure measuring unit 36 a to 36 c is electrically connected to the control device 100, and the measurement result is input to the control device 100.

  The pressure measuring units 36a to 36c may be arranged in any manner as long as they communicate with the sealed space in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc. For example, the pressure measuring units 36a to 36c may be provided through the first main body 31. Good.

  The pressure adjusting tubes 37a to 37c are connected to pressure adjusting units 110a, 110b, and 110c that adjust the pressure in each sealed space, respectively.

  The pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c connect exhaust units 111a to 111c such as vacuum pumps and gas supply sources 112a to 112c for supplying a gas such as N2 to the pressure adjusting pipes 37a to 37c through switching valves 113a to 113c. It has become the composition.

  Each of the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c is electrically connected to the control device 100, and adjusts the opening degree of the switching valves 113a to 113c according to a command from the control device 100. Thereby, any one of the exhaust parts 111a to 111c or the gas supply sources 112a to 112c is connected to the pressure adjusting pipes 37a to 37c to adjust the exhaust amount from the inside of each small room Sa to Sc, or to each small room Sa. The amount of gas supplied into ~ Sc can be adjusted. In this way, the coating apparatus 1 can adjust the measurement results of the pressure measuring units 36a to 36c, that is, the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc to be a predetermined value.

  In such a case, the inside of the small chambers Sa to Sc is evacuated so that the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc is lower than the pressure outside the nozzle 30, thereby lifting the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc upward. The coating liquid R can be prevented from dripping from the discharge port D. Further, by supplying gas into the small chambers Sa to Sc, the coating liquid R remaining in the small chambers Sa to Sc after application of the coating liquid R can be pressurized and pushed out or purged.

  In addition, about the structure of the pressure adjustment parts 110a-110c, it is not limited to this embodiment, If the pressure in each small room Sa-Sc can be controlled, the structure can be set arbitrarily. For example, pressure adjusting pipes 37a to 37c and pressure adjusting valves may be provided in the exhaust parts 111a to 111c and the gas supply sources 112a to 112c, respectively, and individually connected to the lid part 33.

  Thus, as for the nozzle 30, the storage chamber S is divided | segmented into several small chambers Sa-Sc by the partition plates 38a and 38b. By individually controlling the pressures in the small chambers Sa to Sc using the pressure adjusting units 110 a to 110 c, it is possible to prevent the film thickness uniformity in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 from being deteriorated. Here, the content of the pressure control of the small rooms Sa to Sc in the coating process will be described.

  Hereinafter, a pressure state lower than the pressure outside the storage chamber S is referred to as “negative pressure”. Further, when changing the negative pressure value, for example, when changing in a direction in which the absolute value increases, as in changing from “−400 Pa” to “−450 Pa”, “reducing pressure” or “ Increase the degree of vacuum.

  When performing the coating process, the coating apparatus 1 adjusts the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc to a negative pressure. Thereby, the force which lifts the coating liquid R up against the gravity acts on the coating liquid R. By changing this force, that is, the pressure in each of the small chambers Sa to Sc, the coating apparatus 1 can change the discharge amount of the coating liquid R.

  And as for the coating device 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressure of the small chamber Sb located in the longitudinal direction center part of the flow path C is located in the longitudinal direction both ends of the flow path C. The pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c are controlled so as to be relatively lower than the pressures of the small rooms Sa and Sc.

  The coating liquid R stored in the small chamber Sb is difficult to be discharged from the discharge port D by reducing the pressure of the small chamber Sb located in the center in the longitudinal direction, that is, by increasing the force for lifting the coating liquid R upward. Become. As a result, the amount of the coating liquid R ejected from the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the ejection port D is smaller than the amount of the coating liquid R ejected from both longitudinal ends of the ejection port D.

  Thus, by relatively reducing the amount of the coating liquid R ejected from the central portion in the longitudinal direction, the film thickness T1 at both longitudinal ends of the nozzle is larger than the film thickness T2 at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. The phenomenon of thinning (see FIG. 2B) can be alleviated. Therefore, according to the nozzle 30 according to the first embodiment, the film thickness uniformity can be improved.

  The pressure in each of the small chambers Sa to Sc is applied to the substrate W using a film thickness profile obtained by using a conventional nozzle having a uniform flow path resistance in the longitudinal direction, specifically, a nozzle having no partition plate. It is determined based on the thickness distribution of the coating solution when the coating is performed. That is, the pressure of the small chamber Sb located at the longitudinal center and the small chamber Sa located at the longitudinal both ends so that there is no difference between the film thickness T1 at both longitudinal ends and the film thickness T2 at the longitudinal central portion. , Sc can be determined, respectively, so that deterioration in film thickness uniformity in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 can be reliably suppressed.

  Next, the operation | movement at the time of an application | coating process is demonstrated using FIG. 5 and FIG. 6A-FIG. 6C. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the state change of each device in the coating process. 6A to 6C are schematic views showing the state of the coating process.

  The nozzle 30 is assumed to be filled with the coating liquid R. The amount of the coating liquid R filled in the nozzle 30 may be any amount that can apply the coating liquid R to the entire surface of the substrate W at least once.

  In addition, each time after the coating liquid R is filled in the nozzle 30 in the coating liquid filling process (see step S101 in FIG. 8) to be described later, the next coating process (see step S108 in FIG. 8) is started. The pressures in the small rooms Sa to Sc are adjusted to a predetermined value P0 (see FIG. 5). Thereby, the coating liquid R is held in the nozzle 30 without dripping from the discharge port D until the coating process is started. The predetermined value P0 is a negative pressure (for example, −450 Pa) lower than the pressure outside the storage chamber S (atmospheric pressure).

  When the coating apparatus 1 starts the coating process, first, the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc is adjusted to P1 (for example, −440 Pa) higher than P0 using the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c (FIG. 5). Time t1). Accordingly, the gravity acting on the coating liquid R slightly exceeds the surface tension of the coating liquid R and the negative pressure in each of the small chambers Sa to Sc, and the coating liquid R held in the nozzle 30 is discharged from the discharge port D. Exposed. As a result, the liquid level of the coating liquid R stored in the storage chamber S decreases from H0 to H1.

  Subsequently, the coating apparatus 1 lowers the nozzle 30 using the elevating mechanism 40 (see FIG. 1), and the distance between the discharge port D and the substrate W (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle gap”) as shown in FIG. 7A. Is a predetermined distance Z1 (see time t2 in FIG. 5). Thereby, the coating liquid R exposed from the discharge port D comes into contact with the upper surface of the substrate W.

  The nozzle gap Z0 is calculated based on the distance to the upper surface of the substrate W obtained by a thickness measurement process (see step S107 in FIG. 8) described later. The nozzle gap Z1 is a value set in advance by a test or the like.

  Subsequently, the coating apparatus 1 raises the nozzle 30 to set the nozzle gap to Z2 (> Z1) (see time t3 in FIG. 5). As a result, the coating liquid R exposed from the discharge port D is stretched upward while in contact with the upper surface of the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 6B. Further, along with this, the liquid level of the coating liquid R stored in the storage chamber S decreases from H1 to H2. The nozzle gap Z2 is set according to the thickness of the coating film to be formed on the substrate W.

  Thereafter, the coating apparatus 1 uses the first moving mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1) to move the substrate W to a predetermined speed until the end of the substrate W on the X-axis negative direction side is disposed directly below the nozzle 30. Move with. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, the coating liquid R in the storage chamber S flows out from the discharge port D, and the coating liquid R is applied to the upper surface of the substrate W.

  Here, the coating apparatus 1 adjusts the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc according to the moving distance of the substrate W. Thereby, the coating apparatus 1 can suppress the deterioration of the film thickness uniformity in the moving direction (scan direction) of the substrate W as well as the deterioration of the film thickness uniformity in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30.

  For example, the coating apparatus 1 adjusts the pressure in the small chambers Sa and Sc by the pressure adjusting units 110a and 110c in accordance with the decrease in the liquid level of the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa and Sc located at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The voltage is increased stepwise from P2 (for example, −430 Pa) to P5 (for example, −400 Pa) (see time t5 to t8 in FIG. 5). Moreover, the coating device 1 raises the pressure in the small chamber Sb stepwise by the pressure adjusting unit 110b at a pressure lower than P2 to P5 (for example, −440 to −410 Pa).

  When the liquid level of the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc decreases, the hydraulic head pressure due to the coating liquid R acting on the discharge port D decreases. If the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc and the pressure outside the small chambers Sa to Sc remain constant during this time, the force that pushes the coating liquid R out of the discharge port D by the amount that the hydraulic head pressure has decreased. Since it decreases, the discharge amount of the coating liquid R decreases.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the pressure of the small chambers Sa to Sc is increased stepwise by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c in accordance with the decrease in the liquid level of the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc. The decrease in the water head pressure at the discharge port D due to the liquid level drop is compensated. As a result, the discharge amount of the coating liquid R from the discharge port D is kept constant, and a coating film having a uniform film thickness can be formed in the surface of the substrate W.

  As described above, the coating apparatus 1 controls the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c so that the discharge amount of the coating liquid R is constant while the coating liquid R is applied to the substrate W under the control of the control apparatus 100. The pressure inside each of the small rooms Sa to Sc is adjusted. Thereby, the coating device 1 can suppress the deterioration of the film thickness uniformity not only in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 but also in the scanning direction.

  The pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc can be adjusted according to the relative movement distance between the nozzle 30 and the substrate W, for example. In such a case, a correlation between the moving distance of the nozzle 30 and the pressure set value in the small rooms Sa to Sc is obtained in advance, and the pressure in the small rooms Sa to Sc is individually adjusted based on this correlation. do it. By obtaining such a correlation in advance, a decrease in the water head pressure is obtained from the consumption amount of the coating liquid R at a predetermined position on the substrate W of the nozzle 30, and thereby the pressure in each of the small chambers Sa to Sc is obtained. Can be adjusted.

  Moreover, you may adjust the pressure in small room Sa-Sc according to the liquid level height of the coating liquid R in small room Sa-Sc. In such a case, the value of the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc to be raised by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c is, for example, the level of the coating liquid R detected by the liquid level detecting unit 160 (see FIG. 8) described later. Required based on height.

  Specifically, the difference between the liquid level height of the coating liquid R before the start of coating and the liquid level height of the coating liquid R after the start of coating is obtained. Then, by multiplying the difference by the density of the coating liquid R, a decrease in the hydraulic head pressure applied to the discharge port D can be obtained. Therefore, by increasing the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc by the decrease in the hydraulic head pressure by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c, the hydraulic head pressure applied to the discharge port D becomes constant. Thereby, the discharge amount of the coating liquid R from the discharge port D becomes constant, and a coating film having a uniform film thickness can be formed in the surface of the substrate W.

  Further, for example, another pressure measuring mechanism is provided in the channel C, and the head pressure acting on the coating liquid R in the channel C is directly obtained, and the small chamber Sa is adjusted by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c so that the head pressure becomes constant. It is also conceivable to adjust the pressure in ~ Sc.

  In any case, the pressure adjustment units 110a to 110c make the discharge amount of the coating liquid R from the discharge port D constant, in other words, the hydraulic head pressure acting on the coating liquid R at the discharge port D is constant. Since the pressures in the small chambers Sa to Sc are adjusted so that not only the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30 but also the deterioration of the film thickness uniformity in the scanning direction can be suppressed.

  Further, the coating apparatus 1 holds the coating liquid R against the gravity acting on the coating liquid R by adjusting the pressures in the small chambers Sa to Sc, and the discharge amount of the coating liquid R to the substrate W is adjusted. It is possible to control. For this reason, even when the width of the discharge port is widened in order to handle a highly viscous coating liquid having a viscosity of about several thousand cP, it is possible to prevent liquid dripping from the discharge port and poor film thickness at the time of coating. it can. That is, the high-viscosity coating liquid can be uniformly coated on the substrate W without waste.

  When the end of the substrate W on the X-axis negative direction side moves to a position directly below the nozzle 30, the coating apparatus 1 lowers the nozzle 30 to bring the ejection port D and the substrate W closer to the distance Z1 (time t9 in FIG. 5). At the same time, the coating apparatus 1 raises the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc to P6 (for example, −390 Pa) by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c, whereby the coating liquid R once applied to the substrate W is stored in the storage chamber. It is drawn into the S side to prevent application defects.

  Thereafter, the coating apparatus 1 raises the nozzle 30 to the nozzle gap Z0 (time t10 in FIG. 5). Thereby, the supply of the coating liquid R from the discharge port D to the substrate W is stopped, and the coating process is completed.

  Incidentally, since the coating apparatus 1 can perform film thickness control in both the scanning direction and the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 30, it is possible to perform two-dimensional film thickness control on the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, for example, when a thin or thick part is locally present by a test application performed in advance, the coating solution R is locally thickly or thinly applied to the part. Is also possible.

  Returning to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the remaining configuration of the nozzle 30 will be described. A part of the second main body 32 is formed of a transparent member 32a. Thereby, it is possible to visually recognize the coating liquid R stored in the storage chamber S through the transparent member 32a. The coating apparatus 1 detects the liquid level position of the coating liquid R inside the storage chamber S from the outside of the nozzle 30 via the transparent member 32a. This point will be described later.

  Further, the nozzle 30 includes a temporary storage unit 35 that temporarily stores the coating liquid R filled in the storage chamber S in the first main body 31.

  The temporary storage unit 35 includes a temporary storage chamber 35 a that stores the coating liquid R, and a passage 35 b that allows the temporary storage chamber 35 a and the storage chamber S to communicate with each other. The temporary storage chamber 35a is a long space having the same length as the storage chamber S. The passage 35b is a passage extending obliquely upward from the upper portion of the temporary storage chamber 35a toward the storage chamber S and has a slit shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the flow path C. The nozzle 30 may not include the temporary storage unit 35.

  Next, a substrate processing procedure including the above-described coating treatment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the coating apparatus 1. Note that each processing procedure shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the coating apparatus 1 based on the control of the control apparatus 100. The control unit included in the control device 100 corresponds to an example of a pressure control unit and a coating process control unit in the present application.

  Here, the processing of steps S101 to S109 shown in FIG. 7 is repeated until the processing is completed for all of the plurality of substrates included in one lot. When the substrate processing for one lot is completed, the substrate processing for the next lot is started, but before that, nozzle cleaning processing for cleaning the tip of the nozzle 30 is performed. This nozzle cleaning process will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the coating apparatus 1 performs the processes of steps S101 to S104 and the processes of steps S105 to S107 in parallel, and after the processes of step S104 and step S107 are finished, the coating process described above is performed. Is executed (step S108). First, the processing of steps S101 to S104 will be described.

  In the processes of steps S101 to S104, the coating apparatus 1 first performs a coating liquid filling process (step S101). In the coating liquid filling process in step S <b> 101, the coating apparatus 1 first moves the nozzle standby unit 80 directly below the nozzle 30, then lowers the nozzle 30 and arranges it in the nozzle standby unit 80. Then, the nozzle 30 is filled with the coating liquid in a state where the nozzle 30 is disposed in the nozzle standby unit 80.

  Here, the content of the coating liquid filling process will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection relationship between the apparatus and the nozzle 30 related to the coating liquid filling process, and FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of the nozzle 30. 10A is a schematic front sectional view showing the configuration of the liquid supply port, and FIG. 10B is a schematic front sectional view showing another configuration of the liquid supply port.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle standby unit 80 has an accommodation space 81 in which the nozzle 30 can be accommodated. Thinner is stored in the storage space 81, and the thinner is volatilized to keep the interior of the storage space 81 in a thinner atmosphere.

  The accommodating space 81 is provided with a substantially flat contact member 82 extending in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the discharge port D of the nozzle 30. The contact member 82 is formed of a resin material having chemical resistance such as rubber.

  The coating apparatus 1 causes the tip end surface of the nozzle 30 to abut against the abutting member 82 by lowering the nozzle 30 toward the accommodation space 81 of the nozzle standby unit 80. As a result, the discharge port D is closed by the contact member 82. In this state, the coating apparatus 1 can prevent the coating liquid R from leaking from the discharge port D during the filling of the coating liquid R by filling the nozzle 30 with the coating liquid R. In particular, when the coating liquid R is filled from an empty state with respect to the nozzle 30, leakage of the coating liquid R from the discharge port D can be effectively prevented.

  On the other hand, the coating apparatus 1 further includes a coating liquid supply unit 120, an intermediate tank 130, a supply pump 140, a pressurization unit 150, and a liquid level detection unit 160.

  The coating liquid supply unit 120 includes a coating liquid supply source 121 and a valve 122. The coating liquid supply source 121 is connected to the intermediate tank 130 via the valve 122 and supplies the coating liquid R to the intermediate tank 130. Further, the coating liquid supply unit 120 is electrically connected to the control device 100, and the opening / closing of the valve 122 is controlled by the control device 100.

  The intermediate tank 130 is a tank interposed between the coating liquid supply unit 120 and the nozzle 30. The intermediate tank 130 includes a tank unit 131, a first supply pipe 132, a second supply pipe 133, a third supply pipe 134, and a liquid level sensor 135.

  The tank part 131 stores the coating liquid R. A first supply pipe 132 and a second supply pipe 133 are provided at the bottom of the tank portion 131. The first supply pipe 132 is connected to the coating liquid supply source 121 via the valve 122, and the second supply pipe 133 is connected to the temporary storage chamber 35 a of the nozzle 30 via the supply pump 140.

  When the nozzle 30 does not include the temporary storage unit 35, a communication port that communicates between the storage chamber S and the outside is provided in the nozzle 30, and the second supply pipe 133 is connected to the communication port so that coating is performed. The liquid R may be directly supplied to the storage chamber S.

  A pressurizing unit 150 is connected to the third supply pipe 134. The pressurizing unit 150 includes a gas supply source 151 that supplies a gas such as N 2 and a valve 152, and pressurizes the tank unit 131 by supplying gas into the tank unit 131. The pressurizing unit 150 is electrically connected to the control device 100, and the opening / closing of the valve 152 is controlled by the control device 100.

  The liquid level sensor 135 is a detection unit that detects the liquid level of the coating liquid R stored in the tank unit 131. The liquid level sensor 135 is electrically connected to the control device 100, and a detection result is input to the control device 100.

  The supply pump 140 is provided in the middle of the second supply pipe 133 and supplies the coating liquid R supplied from the intermediate tank 130 to the nozzle 30 by a predetermined amount. The supply pump 140 is electrically connected to the control device 100, and the supply amount of the coating liquid R to the nozzle 30 is controlled by the control device 100.

  The liquid level detection unit 160 is disposed in front of the nozzle 30 and detects the position of the liquid level of the coating liquid R stored in the storage chamber S (hereinafter referred to as “liquid level height”). Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the second main body portion 32 that forms the front surface portion of the nozzle 30 is partially formed of a transparent member 32 a, and the coating liquid R stored in the storage chamber S is transferred to the transparent member. It can be visually recognized through 32a. The liquid level detection unit 160 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, and detects the position of the liquid level of the coating liquid R by photographing the inside of the storage chamber S from the front of the nozzle 30 via the transparent member 32a. . The detection result by the liquid level detection unit 160 is input to the control device 100. Thereby, the coating device 1 can detect the liquid level height of the coating liquid R easily.

  Next, operation | movement of the coating device 1 at the time of a coating liquid filling process is demonstrated. The coating apparatus 1 determines the amount of coating liquid R to be filled into the nozzle 30 (hereinafter referred to as “target amount”) based on the detection result of the liquid level detection unit 160. Then, the coating apparatus 1 operates the supply pump 140 to supply the target amount of the coating liquid R from the intermediate tank 130 to the temporary storage chamber 35a of the nozzle 30.

  At this time, the coating apparatus 1 supplies the coating liquid R to each of the small rooms Sa to Sc while adjusting the pressure in the small rooms Sa to Sc using the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c (see FIG. 3A). . Here, the content of the pressure control during the coating liquid filling process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the content of pressure control during the coating liquid filling process.

  During the coating liquid filling process, the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc is adjusted to a negative pressure. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the coating liquid R remaining in the small chambers Sa to Sc from leaking from the discharge port D.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the coating apparatus 1 uses the liquid level heights of the small rooms Sa to Sc detected by the liquid level detection unit 160 based on the pressures in the small rooms Sa to Sc adjusted to the negative pressure. The coating liquid R is supplied while gradually decreasing (that is, increasing the degree of vacuum) accordingly.

  Specifically, the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc at the start of the coating liquid filling process is P6 (for example, −390 Pa) as is the pressure in each of the small rooms Sa to Sc at the end of the coating process. . On the other hand, the pressure in each of the small chambers Sa to Sc at the end of the coating liquid filling process is adjusted to a pressure P0 (for example, −450 Pa) before the coating process is started. And the coating device 1 changes a pressure from P6 to P0 according to the liquid level height of each small room Sa-Sc.

  As described above, the coating apparatus 1 controls the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c to make the insides of the small rooms Sa to Sc have a negative pressure, and further gradually reduce the pressures inside the small rooms Sa to Sc that have been made negative pressure. The coating liquid R is supplied into the small chambers Sa to Sc while decreasing.

  When the small chambers Sa to Sc are filled with the coating liquid R and the liquid level of the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc rises, the hydraulic head pressure due to the coating liquid R acting on the discharge ports D increases. During this time, if the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc and the pressure outside the small chambers Sa to Sc do not change and are constant, the force that pushes the coating liquid R upward by the amount of increased head pressure is relative. Therefore, the coating liquid R easily leaks from the discharge port D.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the pressures of the small chambers Sa to Sc are gradually decreased by the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c in accordance with the increase in the liquid surface height of the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc. Thus, the force that pushes up the coating solution R upward can be supplemented. For this reason, it can prevent more reliably that the coating liquid R leaks from the discharge outlet D during a coating liquid filling process.

  In addition, the coating apparatus 1 controls the pressure adjusting units 110a to 110c until the coating process is started after the supply of the coating liquid R into the small chambers Sa to Sc is completed, and thereby the small chambers Sa to Sc. The pressure (that is, P0) in the small chambers Sa to Sc at the time when the supply of the coating liquid R to the inside is completed is maintained. For this reason, the pressure control in the small chambers Sa to Sc in a series of substrate processing can be efficiently performed.

  Here, the pressure is changed according to the liquid level, but the pressure is not limited to this, and the pressure may be changed according to a predetermined time, for example.

  Further, the coating apparatus 1 supplies the coating liquid R to the nozzle 30 not from the coating liquid supply source 121 but from an intermediate tank 130 provided between the coating liquid supply source 121 and the nozzle 30. Thereby, since the piping distance to the nozzle 30 can be shortened, for example, even when the viscosity of the coating liquid is high and the supply from the coating liquid supply source 121 is difficult, the coating is applied from the intermediate tank 130 to the nozzle 30. The liquid can be easily supplied.

  In addition, when the supply from the intermediate tank 130 to the nozzle 30 is difficult, the coating apparatus 1 applies the pressure from the intermediate tank 130 to the nozzle 30 by increasing the pressure in the tank unit 131 using the pressurizing unit 150. Liquid R can be supplied.

  The coating liquid R is supplied from the intermediate tank 130 to the temporary storage chamber 35a of the nozzle 30 and then supplied to the storage chamber S through the passage 35b. Here, as shown in FIG. 10A, a slit-like liquid supply port 35c that communicates with the storage chamber S and extends along the longitudinal direction of the flow path C is formed at the distal end of the passage 35b. Thereby, the coating device 1 can supply the coating liquid R evenly along the longitudinal direction of the storage chamber S, and can prevent the coating liquid R from being biased for each of the small rooms Sa to Sc. .

  In addition, the liquid supply port 35c is in the vicinity of the boundary portion between the land portion 34 (channel C) and the storage chamber S, specifically, above the land portion 34 (channel C), and the partition plates 38a, It is provided below 38b. Thus, by supplying the coating liquid R from the lower side of the storage chamber S as much as possible, it is possible to prevent bubbles from being mixed into the coating liquid R when the coating liquid R is filled.

  In addition, although the example in case one liquid supply port 35c formed in slit shape was formed ranging over each small room Sa-Sc here, a liquid supply port is shown for every small room Sa-Sc. Each may be provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, a liquid supply port 35c_1 is formed in the small chamber Sa, a liquid supply port 35c_2 is formed in the small chamber Sb, and a liquid supply port 35c_3 is formed in the small chamber Sc. Each of the liquid supply ports 35c_1 to 35c_3 has a slit shape and communicates with each other in the passage 35b. Also with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the application liquid R from being biased in the small rooms Sa to Sc.

  When it is determined that the amount of the coating liquid R stored in the tank unit 131 is less than a predetermined amount based on the detection result of the liquid level sensor 135, the coating apparatus 1 controls the coating liquid supply unit 120. The coating liquid R is supplied from the coating liquid supply source 121 to the tank unit 131. Thereby, the coating liquid R is replenished to the tank part 131.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the description of the substrate processing will be continued. When the coating liquid filling process in step S101 is completed, the coating apparatus 1 determines whether or not the liquid level of the coating liquid R filled in the storage chamber S is flat based on the detection result of the liquid level detection unit 160. (Step S102). For example, the coating apparatus 1 calculates a difference between the highest position and the lowest position of the liquid level, and determines that the liquid level is flat if the difference is within a predetermined range.

  In this process, when the liquid level is not flat (No at Step S102), the coating apparatus 1 waits for a certain time (Step S103), and then performs the determination at Step S102 again. The coating apparatus 1 repeats the process of step S102 and step S103 until the liquid level becomes flat, and determines that the liquid level is flat (step S102, Yes), the process proceeds to the nozzle priming process of step S104. .

  As described above, the coating apparatus 1 determines whether the liquid level is flattened based on the detection result by the liquid level detection unit 160, and uses the nozzle 30 when determining that the liquid level is flattened. Since the coating process is started, it is possible to prevent deterioration in film thickness uniformity. That is, when the liquid level is not flat, in other words, when the coating liquid R in the storage chamber S is uneven, the water head pressure acting on the discharge port D of the nozzle 30 becomes non-uniform, and the film thickness uniformity deteriorates. There is a fear. For this reason, the deterioration of film thickness uniformity can be prevented by starting the coating process after the liquid surface is flattened as in this embodiment.

  Next, the nozzle priming process in step S104 will be described. The nozzle priming process is a process of adjusting the state of the discharge port D by wiping the tip of the nozzle 30 using the nozzle cleaning unit 60 (see FIG. 1). When the nozzle priming process is started, the coating apparatus 1 returns the substrate W to the initial position (position shown in FIG. 1) and moves the nozzle cleaning unit 60 directly below the nozzles 30 using the second moving mechanism 90. . And the coating device 1 arranges the state of the discharge outlet D by wiping off the coating liquid R exposed from the discharge outlet D using the nozzle washing | cleaning part 60. FIG.

  Here, the configuration of the nozzle cleaning unit 60 and the contents of the nozzle priming process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the nozzle cleaning unit 60.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the nozzle cleaning unit 60 includes thinner discharge units 61 a and 61 b, pad units 62 a and 62 b, N 2 ejection units 63 a and 63 b, a mounting unit 64, and a driving unit 65.

  The thinner discharge parts 61a and 61b are connected to a thinner supply source via a pump (not shown), and the thinner supplied from the thinner supply source is directed from both sides of the nozzle 30 in the short direction toward the tip of the nozzle 30. Discharge. Thereby, the coating liquid adhering to the tip part of the nozzle 30 can be dissolved.

  The pad portions 62 a and 62 b are formed in a substantially V shape along the shape of the tip portion of the nozzle 30, and abut on both sides in the short side direction of the tip portion of the nozzle 30. When the pad portions 62a and 62b are moved by a driving portion 65 described later, the coating liquid adhering to the tip portion of the nozzle 30 is wiped off by the pad portions 62a and 62b.

  The N2 ejection parts 63a and 63b are connected to an N2 supply source via a pump (not shown) or the like, and N2 supplied from the N2 supply source is directed from both sides in the short direction of the nozzle 30 toward the tip part of the nozzle 30. Erupts. Thereby, the front-end | tip part of the nozzle 30 is dried.

  These thinner discharge parts 61a and 61b, pad parts 62a and 62b, and N2 ejection parts 63a and 63b are mounted on the mounting part 64. Specifically, in parallel with the extending direction of the nozzle 30 (Y-axis direction), the thinner discharge portion 61a, the pad portion 62a, the thinner discharge portion 61b, the pad portion 62b, the N2 discharge portion 63a, and the N2 discharge portion 63b, respectively. Placed side by side.

  The driving unit 65 moves the mounting unit 64 in a direction parallel to the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the nozzle 30 to thereby perform thinner discharge units 61a and 61b and a pad unit 62a mounted on the mounting unit 64. , 62b and the N2 ejection parts 63a, 63b are moved in parallel with the extending direction of the nozzle 30.

  When performing the nozzle priming process, the coating apparatus 1 uses only the pad parts 62a and 62b among the thinner discharge parts 61a and 61b, the pad parts 62a and 62b, and the N2 ejection parts 63a and 63b.

  Specifically, the coating apparatus 1 lowers the nozzle 30 using the elevating mechanism 40, and places the nozzle 30 at a position where the tip of the nozzle 30 abuts against the pad portions 62a and 62b. Is used to move the mounting portion 64 in the negative Y-axis direction. Thereby, the coating liquid R exposed from the discharge port D and the coating liquid R adhering to the tip of the nozzle 30 are wiped off by the pad portions 62a and 62b, and the state of the discharge port D is adjusted.

  After finishing the nozzle priming process, the coating apparatus 1 starts the coating process (step S108). Thus, the coating apparatus 1 can improve the film thickness uniformity immediately after the start of the coating process by starting the coating process after adjusting the state of the discharge port D by the nozzle priming process. Moreover, since the coating apparatus 1 performs the nozzle priming process immediately before starting the coating process, it is possible to easily maintain the state in which the discharge ports D are arranged.

  Note that the thinner discharge portions 61a and 61b and the N2 ejection portions 63a and 63b included in the nozzle cleaning portion 60 are used during nozzle cleaning processing performed between lots. That is, in the nozzle cleaning process, the coating apparatus 1 uses the driving unit 65 to move the mounting unit 64 in the Y-axis while the thinner is ejected from the thinner discharge units 61a and 61b and N2 is ejected from the N2 ejecting units 63a and 63b. Move in the negative direction. Accordingly, the nozzle cleaning unit 60 supplies the thinner at the tip of the nozzle 30 with the thinner discharger 61a, the wiper with the pad 62a, the thinner supply with the thinner discharger 61b, the wiper with the pad 62b, and the N2 ejection part 63a. , 63b, N2 is ejected to clean the nozzle 30.

  It continues and demonstrates the process of step S105-S107. The coating apparatus 1 sucks and holds the substrate W placed on the upper surface of the substrate holding unit 21 using the substrate holding unit 21 (step S105), and then performs a nozzle height measurement process (step S106). In such a nozzle height measurement process, the coating apparatus 1 uses the nozzle height measurement unit 50b to measure the distance to the lower end surface of the nozzle 30 to determine whether the nozzle 30 is positioned at a specified height. Confirm. In such a process, when the nozzle height is deviated from the predetermined height, the coating apparatus 1 may correct the nozzle height using the drive unit 42.

  The nozzle height measurement process may be performed before step S105. Further, the nozzle height measurement process may be performed only for any one (for example, the first one) of the substrate processes repeatedly performed for each lot.

  Subsequently, the coating apparatus 1 performs a thickness measurement process (step S107). Specifically, the coating apparatus 1 moves the substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 21 to the lower side of the thickness measuring unit 50a using the driving unit 22, and then uses the thickness measuring unit 50a to move the upper surface of the substrate W. Measure the distance to. A measurement result by the thickness measuring unit 50 a is transmitted to the control device 100.

  Note that the outer edge of the substrate W may have a roughened surface due to each process until it is transferred to the coating apparatus 1. For this reason, it is preferable that a position inside a predetermined distance (for example, about 2 mm) from the outer edge of the substrate W is a measurement point of the thickness measurement unit 50a.

  In addition, the coating apparatus 1 includes a plurality of (for example, two) thickness measurement units 50a, and values (for example, average values) based on the measurement results obtained by the thickness measurement units 50a are measured up to the upper surface of the substrate W. Determine as distance.

  When the thickness measurement process is finished, the coating apparatus 1 moves the substrate W to a coating process start position (a position where the end of the substrate W on the X-axis positive direction side is disposed directly below the nozzle 30). The coating apparatus 1 performs the coating process immediately after the nozzle priming process in step S104 is completed, and immediately after the nozzle priming process is completed if the nozzle priming process is not completed (step S108). Since the content of the coating process has been described above, a description thereof is omitted here.

  When the coating process of step S108 is completed, the coating apparatus 1 returns the process to step S101 and performs the processes of steps S101 to S104. In addition, after performing the substrate carry-out process (Step S109), the coating apparatus 1 performs the processes of Steps S105 to S107 again in parallel with the processes of Steps S101 to S104. The substrate carry-out process is a process of delivering the processed substrate W to an external device after releasing the suction holding of the substrate W by the substrate holding unit 21.

  When the processing in steps S101 to S109 described above is finished for all the substrates W included in one lot, the coating apparatus 1 finishes a series of substrate processing for one lot.

  As described above, the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a nozzle and a moving mechanism. The nozzle includes a storage chamber in which the coating liquid is stored and a slit-like flow path communicating with the storage chamber, and discharges the coating liquid from a discharge port formed at the tip of the flow path. The moving mechanism relatively moves the nozzle and the substrate along the surface of the substrate. The nozzle also includes a partition plate that partitions the interior of the storage chamber into a plurality of small chambers along the longitudinal direction of the flow path. Therefore, the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment can improve the film thickness uniformity.

  In the first embodiment, the inside of the storage chamber S is imaged using the liquid level detection unit 160 (see FIG. 10). However, since the storage chamber S is long, In order to image the inside from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction, it is necessary to dispose the liquid level detection unit 160 at a position somewhat away from the nozzle 30. Therefore, a configuration for disposing the liquid level detection unit 160 in the vicinity of the nozzle 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14A, and 14B. FIG. 13A, FIG. 13B, FIG. 14A, and FIG. 14B are schematic views showing another example of the liquid level detection method.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, the coating apparatus 1 includes a plurality of liquid level detection units (here, two liquid level detection units 160a and 160b) that detect the liquid level of the coating liquid R from the front of the nozzle 30. You may prepare. In this way, by providing a plurality of liquid level detection units, the range to be detected by each liquid level detection unit can be reduced, so that the liquid level detection unit can be disposed in the vicinity of the nozzle 30.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, the coating apparatus 1 includes one liquid level detection unit 160c, and a drive unit 161 that moves the liquid level detection unit 160c along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the nozzle 30. May be provided. Also by this, a liquid level detection part can be arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the nozzle 30. FIG.

  Further, when it is not desired to arrange the liquid level detection unit in front of the nozzle 30, for example, as shown in FIG. 14A, the liquid level detection unit 160d is arranged downward above the nozzle 30 to reflect or refract light. The liquid level of the coating liquid R may be imaged through the prism 162 to be moved.

  In this way, the liquid level detection unit 160d is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the liquid level of the coating liquid R, and an image of the liquid level viewed from a direction substantially parallel to the liquid level of the coating liquid R is converted to a prism. It is good also as imaging through 162. Thereby, a liquid level detection part can be arrange | positioned in places other than the front of the nozzle 30. FIG.

  The prism may be formed integrally with the nozzle. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 14B, the nozzle 30_2 may include a transparent member 32a_2 having a prism 162_2 on the front surface portion.

  Here, an example in which the liquid level detection unit is an imaging device such as a CCD camera has been shown, but the liquid level detection unit is not limited to the imaging device, and may be an optical sensor such as an infrared sensor. There may be.

(Second Embodiment)
By the way, in 1st Embodiment mentioned above, it was decided that the pressure adjustment parts 110a-110c adjust the pressure of each small room Sa-Sc by supplying / exhausting gas with respect to each small room Sa-Sc. . However, the pressure control method for the small rooms Sa to Sc is not limited to this. Therefore, in the following, another example of the pressure control method for the small rooms Sa to Sc will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating another example of the pressure control method for the small rooms Sa to Sc.

  As shown in FIG. 15, each of the small chambers Sa to Sc of the nozzle 30_1 according to the second embodiment is filled with the coating liquid R to the full. That is, the inside of the nozzle 30_1 is filled with the coating liquid R.

  Instead of the pressure adjustment pipes 37a to 37c, pressure adjustment pipes 39a to 39c are connected to the lid portion 33 of the nozzle 30_1 corresponding to the small rooms Sa to Sc, respectively. The pressure adjusting tubes 39a to 39c are also filled with the coating liquid R. The volume of the pressure adjusting tubes 39a to 39c is preferably equal to or greater than the volume of the coating liquid R that can be applied to the substrate W at least once.

  The pressure adjusting tubes 39a to 39c are connected to the pressure adjusting units 170a to 170c, respectively. The pressure adjusting units 170a to 170c are, for example, syringe type pumps, and include outer cylinders 171a to 171c and pistons 172a to 172c.

  The outer cylinders 171a to 171c are connected to a coating liquid supply source (not shown), and the coating liquid R supplied from the coating liquid supply source is filled therein. The pistons 172a to 172c are inserted into the outer cylinders 171a to 171c, respectively.

  Each pressure adjusting unit 170 a to 170 c is electrically connected to the control device 100, and moves the pistons 172 a to 172 c forward and backward according to a command from the control device 100. Thereby, the coating liquid R in the outer cylinders 171a to 171c is supplied into the small chambers Sa to Sc via the pressure adjusting tubes 39a to 39c, or the coating liquid R in the small chambers Sa to Sc is supplied to the pressure adjusting tubes. It can discharge | emit via 39a-39c.

  By supplying the coating liquid R to the small rooms Sa to Sc, the pressure in the small rooms Sa to Sc increases. By discharging the coating liquid R from the small rooms Sa to Sc, the small rooms Sa to Sc are discharged. The pressure inside falls. Thereby, the coating device 1 can adjust the pressure in the small chambers Sa to Sc.

  Thus, if the pressure of the small chambers Sa to Sc is adjusted by supplying and discharging the coating liquid R to and from the small chambers Sa to Sc, the responsiveness of the change in the discharge amount with respect to the pressure change is increased. Thickness control can be performed more precisely.

  In the second embodiment, since the storage chamber S is filled with the coating liquid R, there is no possibility that the coating liquid R is biased in the storage chamber S. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait until the unevenness of the coating liquid R filled in the storage chamber S disappears during or after the coating liquid filling process.

  In each of the embodiments described above, an example in which the coating liquid is applied to the upper surface of the substrate by moving the substrate in the horizontal direction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the nozzle is moved in the horizontal direction. It is good also as apply | coating the coating liquid R to the upper surface of a board | substrate by moving.

  Moreover, in each embodiment mentioned above, although the example in case a coating device was provided with one nozzle was shown (refer FIG. 1), a coating device sets multiple nozzles and raising / lowering mechanisms along the moving direction of a board | substrate. You may have.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

W substrate R coating liquid S storage chamber C flow path D discharge port 1 coating device 10 mounting table 20 first moving mechanism 21 substrate holding unit 22 drive unit 30 nozzle 31 first main body unit 32 second main body unit 33 lid unit 34 land Unit 35 Temporary storage unit 38a, 38B Partition plate 40 Elevating mechanism 50a Thickness measuring unit 50b Nozzle height measuring unit 60 Nozzle cleaning unit 80 Nozzle standby unit 90 Second moving mechanism 100 Controllers 110a to 110c Pressure adjusting unit

Claims (13)

A storage chamber in which the coating liquid is stored; and a slit-shaped flow path communicating with the storage chamber; a nozzle that discharges the coating liquid from a discharge port formed at a tip of the flow path;
A moving mechanism for relatively moving the nozzle and the substrate along the surface of the substrate,
The nozzle is
A coating apparatus, further comprising: a partition plate that partitions the interior of the storage chamber into a plurality of small chambers along a longitudinal direction of the flow path. The storage chamber is
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of small chambers communicate with each other on the channel side. A plurality of pressure adjusting sections that respectively adjust the pressures of the plurality of small chambers;
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pressure control unit that controls the plurality of pressure adjusting units to individually adjust the pressure in the small chamber. The pressure controller is
The pressure in the plurality of small chambers is set to a negative pressure, and the pressure in the small chamber located in the longitudinal center of the flow path is greater than the pressure in the small chambers located at both longitudinal ends of the flow path. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of pressure adjusting units are controlled to be low. The pressure adjusting unit is
The coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressure of the small chamber is adjusted by supplying and discharging gas to and from the small chamber. The pressure adjusting unit is
The coating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the pressure of the small chamber is adjusted by supplying and discharging the coating liquid to and from the small chamber. The storage chamber is
A liquid supply port for supplying the coating liquid to the plurality of small chambers;
The liquid supply port is
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coating apparatus has a slit shape extending in a longitudinal direction of the flow path. The liquid supply port is
The coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the coating apparatus is provided for each of the plurality of small rooms. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid level detection unit configured to detect a liquid level of the coating liquid stored in the storage chamber. It is determined whether or not the liquid level has been flattened based on a detection result by the liquid level detection unit, and when it is determined that the liquid level has been flattened, a coating process control unit that starts a coating process using the nozzle is provided. The coating apparatus according to claim 9. The storage chamber is
A part is formed of a transparent member,
The liquid level detection unit is
The coating apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the liquid level is detected from the outside of the nozzle through the transparent member. A prism that reflects or refracts light,
The liquid level detection unit is
12. The liquid surface is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the liquid surface, and an image of the liquid surface viewed from a direction substantially parallel to the liquid surface is captured through the prism. The coating apparatus as described in. A storage chamber for storing the coating liquid;
A slit-like flow path communicating with the storage chamber;
A discharge port formed at the tip of the flow path;
A nozzle comprising: a partition plate that partitions the interior of the storage chamber into a plurality of small chambers along a longitudinal direction of the flow path.

Images