JP2014179567A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of suppressing damage on a substrate, without increasing the flow rate of protective solution supplied to the substrate.SOLUTION: A first protective solution nozzle 6 is optimized, in a state where a jet region is located in the center on the upper surface of a substrate W, so that the protective solution ejected from the first protective solution nozzle 6 spreads over the entire jet region. A second protective solution nozzle 7 is optimized, in a state where a jet region is located at the peripheral edge on the upper surface of the substrate W, so that the protective solution ejected from the second protective solution nozzle 7 spreads over the entire jet region. The protective solution is ejected from the first and second protective solution nozzles 6, 7 and, in parallel with ejection of the protective solution, the jet region is moved between the upper surface center and the upper surface peripheral edge of the substrate W.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. Examples of substrates to be processed include semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, plasma display substrates, FED (Field Emission Display) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, and photomasks. Substrate, ceramic substrate, solar cell substrate and the like.

In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, a process using a processing liquid is performed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device.
A single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one, for example, a spin chuck that holds and rotates a substrate horizontally, and a droplet of a processing solution collides with the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. A droplet nozzle and a protective liquid nozzle that discharges the protective liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck (see Patent Document 1). In this substrate processing apparatus, the droplet nozzle and the protective liquid nozzle are moved while keeping their positional relationship constant.

  In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the droplet nozzle discharges the processing liquid toward a region in the upper surface of the substrate (hereinafter referred to as “ejection region”). In parallel with the discharge of the processing liquid from the droplet nozzle, the protective liquid is discharged from the protective liquid nozzle toward the upper surface of the substrate. The protective liquid discharged from the protective liquid nozzle enters the ejection area, and a liquid film of the protective liquid having a sufficient thickness is formed in the ejection area. Therefore, the droplet of the treatment liquid collides with the ejection area in a state where the position of the ejection area is covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid.

JP 2012-216777 A

In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the relative position and orientation of the protective liquid nozzle with respect to the droplet nozzle are set such that the protective liquid supplied to the upper surface of the substrate enters the injection region against the liquid droplets of the processing liquid. In addition, it is necessary to set so that the entire spray area can be covered with the protective liquid.
However, the way in which the protective liquid spreads on the upper surface of the substrate differs greatly between the central portion of the substrate and the peripheral portion of the substrate. Therefore, when the position and orientation of the protective liquid nozzle are set with reference to the case where the protective liquid is supplied to the center of the upper surface of the substrate, the protective liquid does not spread over the entire jet region at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate and has a sufficient thickness. There is a possibility that the position of the ejection region where the liquid film of the protective film is not formed occurs. Further, when the position and orientation of the protective liquid nozzle are set with reference to the case where the protective liquid is supplied to the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate, the protective liquid does not spread over the entire jet region in the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate and has a sufficient thickness. There is a possibility that the position of the ejection region where the liquid film of the protective film is not formed occurs.

When the position of the spray area is not covered by the liquid film, or when the liquid film covering the spray area is thin and a treatment liquid droplet is sprayed onto the spray area, the liquid droplet and the substrate collide with each other. A large impact is applied to the formed pattern, which may cause damage such as pattern collapse.
It is conceivable to increase the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate in order to ensure that the entire central spray region is covered with the protective liquid at both the center of the upper surface of the substrate and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. However, this measure increases the cost required for processing a single substrate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of suppressing damage to the substrate without increasing the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1, the substrate holding means (2) for holding the substrate (W) horizontally, and the substrate held by the substrate holding means are arranged in a vertical rotation axis ( C1) a rotating means (10) for rotating around, a droplet nozzle (5) for generating a droplet of the processing liquid sprayed on the spray region (T1) in the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means, A first protective liquid nozzle (6) for discharging a protective liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate; a second protective liquid nozzle (7) for discharging a protective liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate; Protective liquid supply means (26, 29, 30) for supplying the protective liquid to the second protective liquid nozzle, and a nozzle for moving the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles Moving means (20) and supply of the protective liquid The step is controlled so that a protective liquid is discharged from both the first and second protective nozzles onto the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the upper surface of the substrate, and the liquid film of the protective liquid In parallel with the discharge of the protective liquid from the first and second protective nozzles, the protective liquid discharge control means (8) for causing the droplets of the processing liquid to collide with the jet area while the jet area is covered. The spray region moves between the center of the upper surface of the substrate and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate while keeping the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles constant. Nozzle movement control means (8) for moving the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles, and the position and orientation of the first protective liquid nozzle with respect to the droplet nozzle are The protective liquid on the upper surface of the substrate The liquid landing position (P1) relative to the droplet nozzle where the protective liquid from the liquid is deposited, and the droplet when the protective liquid discharged from the protective liquid nozzle enters the liquid landing position. The second protective liquid nozzle is set to a first position and posture such that the liquid landing state including at least one of the relative incident angles (θH1, θV1) with respect to the nozzle becomes the first liquid landing state. The position and orientation of the liquid droplet nozzle with respect to the droplet nozzle are different from those in the first liquid landing state in the liquid landing state including at least one of the liquid landing position (P2) and the incident angle (θH2, θV2). It is a substrate processing apparatus (1) set to the 2nd position and attitude | position which will be in a liquid landing state.

In this section, alphanumeric characters in parentheses represent reference signs of corresponding components in the embodiments described later, but the scope of the claims is not limited to the embodiments by these reference numerals. .
According to this configuration, the protective liquid is discharged from both the first protective liquid nozzle set to the first position and posture and the second protective liquid nozzle set to the second position and posture. In parallel with the discharge of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles, the ejection region is moved between the center of the upper surface of the substrate and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate.

The liquid landing state of the protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle in the first position and posture (the liquid landing state including at least one of the liquid landing position and the incident angle) is in the first liquid landing state, The liquid landing state of the protective liquid from the second protective liquid nozzle in the position and posture is the second liquid landing state different from the first liquid landing state.
In this case, the first position and posture of the first protective liquid nozzle and the second position and posture of the second protective liquid nozzle (that is, the first and second liquid landing states) are determined by the position of the injection region. Each can be set based on the case where they are arranged at two different positions on the upper surface of the substrate.

For this reason, the protective liquid can be efficiently supplied to the injection area regardless of the position of the injection area on the upper surface of the substrate, and as a result, the injection can be performed without supplying a large amount of the protective liquid. The entire region can be covered with a protective liquid film. Thereby, damage to the substrate can be suppressed without increasing the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first position and orientation is a protective liquid that is ejected from the first protective liquid nozzle in a state in which the ejection region is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The second protective liquid is in a position and posture so as to spread over the entire area of the jet region, and the second position and posture are the second protective liquid in a state where the jet region is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protective liquid discharged from the nozzle is in a position and posture so as to spread over the entire jet region.

  More specifically, the first liquid landing state is optimized in a state where the position of the injection region is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate, and the second liquid landing state is the case where the position of the injection region is It is preferably optimized in a state where it is arranged at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate. In such a case, even if the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate from the protective liquid nozzle disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate is small, the entire spray area can be covered with the protective liquid film. Moreover, even if the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate from the protective liquid nozzle disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate is small, the entire jet region can be covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid.

As a result, even if the position of the ejection region is arranged at any position on the upper surface of the substrate, the entire region of the ejection region can be covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid by supplying a small flow rate of the protective liquid to the substrate. Thereby, damage to the substrate can be suppressed without increasing the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate.
In a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, as described in claim 3, the protection liquid discharge control unit controls the protection liquid supply unit to control the injection region in the upper surface of the substrate. Regardless of the change in position, a constant flow of protective liquid is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles.

  In the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the protective liquid supply unit adjusts the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the first and second protective liquid nozzles. The protective liquid discharge control means includes a discharge flow rate control means (8) for controlling the flow rate adjustment means, and the discharge flow rate control means is provided in the upper surface of the substrate. The flow rate of the protective liquid ejected from the first and second protective liquid nozzles may be changed in accordance with the change in position of the ejection region at.

According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the flow rate of the protective liquid ejected from the first and second protective liquid nozzles when the ejection regions are arranged at the center portion of the upper surface and the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface. As a result, the total flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate can be further reduced while suppressing damage to the substrate.
Further, in this case, as described in claim 5, the discharge flow rate control unit is configured so that the ejection region is arranged at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate rather than the central region of the upper surface of the substrate. The flow rate of the protective liquid discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles may be increased.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the discharge flow ratio of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles may be set to 1: 1.
The invention according to claim 7 for achieving the above object is characterized in that a substrate holding step for holding the substrate (W) horizontally and a first protective liquid nozzle (6) are arranged on the upper surface of the held substrate. When the protective liquid from the protective liquid nozzle arrives, the liquid landing position (P1) relative to the droplet nozzle (5), and when the protective liquid discharged from the protective liquid nozzle enters the liquid landing position. Providing at a first position and posture such that the liquid landing state including at least one of the relative incident angles (θH1, θV1) with respect to the droplet nozzle becomes the first liquid landing state; A second liquid landing state in which the liquid landing state including at least one of the liquid landing position (P2) and the incident angle (θH2, θV2) is different from the first liquid landing state in the protective liquid nozzle (7). Provided in the second position and posture so that In addition, a rotation process of rotating the held substrate around a vertical rotation axis (C1), and a liquid of the processing liquid from the droplet nozzle to the ejection region (T1) in the upper surface of the held substrate. A protective liquid is ejected onto the upper surface of the substrate from both the droplet supply step of spraying the droplets and the first and second protective liquid nozzles, and a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the upper surface of the held substrate; A protective liquid discharging step of causing the droplets of the processing liquid to collide with the jetting area in a state where the jetting area is covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid, and a protective liquid from the first and second protective nozzles In parallel with the discharge of the substrate, the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles is kept constant, while the upper surface central portion of the substrate and the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface of the substrate. The droplet nozzle and the droplet nozzle are moved so that the spray area moves. And a nozzle moving step of moving the first and second protective liquid nozzles.

According to the method of this invention, there exists an effect equivalent to the effect demonstrated in relation to Claim 1.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the first position and orientation is a protective liquid that is discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle in a state in which the ejection region is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The second protective liquid is in a position and posture so as to spread over the entire area of the jet region, and the second position and posture are the second protective liquid in a state where the jet region is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the protective liquid discharged from the nozzle is in a position and posture so as to spread over the entire jet region.

According to the method of the present invention, the same function and effect as those described in relation to claim 2 are obtained.
In the substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, as described in claim 9, the protective liquid discharge step includes a constant flow of the protective liquid regardless of a change in position of the spray region in the upper surface of the substrate. A step of discharging from the first and second protective liquid nozzles.

In the substrate processing method according to another embodiment of the present invention, as described in claim 10, the protective liquid discharge step includes the first and the second in accordance with a change in position of the spray region in the upper surface of the substrate. You may change the flow volume of the protective liquid discharged from a 2nd protective liquid nozzle. According to the method of the present invention, the same function and effect as those described in connection with claim 4 are achieved.
Further, in this case, as in the eleventh aspect, the protective liquid discharge step is performed when the spray region is arranged at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate rather than the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate. The flow rate of the protective liquid discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles may be increased.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the droplet nozzle shown in FIG. 1, and the structure relevant to this. It is a typical side view of the droplet nozzle shown in FIG. 1, and the 1st and 2nd protective liquid nozzle. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a droplet nozzle and first and second protective liquid nozzles shown in FIG. 1. It is a typical top view which shows the positional relationship of the droplet nozzle shown in FIG. 1, and a 1st protective liquid nozzle. It is a typical top view which shows the positional relationship of the droplet nozzle shown in FIG. 1, and a 2nd protective liquid nozzle. It is a figure for demonstrating the 1st example of a process of the board | substrate performed with the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the washing | cleaning process and 2nd cover process which are shown to FIG. 7B (the 1). It is a figure for demonstrating the washing | cleaning process and 2nd cover process which are shown to FIG. 7B (the 2). It is a graph which shows roughly the relation between the distance from the rotation center of the position of an injection field, and the flow volume of protection liquid which reaches the injection field in various places on the upper surface of a substrate. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the flow rate of protective liquid supplied to a substrate and the number of damages of the substrate in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd example of a process of the board | substrate performed with the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the droplet nozzle 5 and the configuration related thereto.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a spin chuck 2 (substrate holding means) that horizontally holds and rotates a substrate W, a cylindrical cup 3 that surrounds the spin chuck 2, and a rinse liquid nozzle 4 that supplies a rinse liquid to the substrate W. A droplet nozzle 5 that causes a droplet of the processing liquid to collide with the substrate W, a first protective liquid nozzle 6 that supplies the protective liquid to the substrate W, and a second protective liquid nozzle that supplies the protective liquid to the substrate W. 7 and a control device 8 for controlling the operation of the apparatus provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 such as the spin chuck 2 and the opening and closing of the valve.

  The spin chuck 2 holds the substrate W horizontally and can rotate about a vertical rotation axis L1 passing through the rotation center C1 of the substrate W, and a spin that rotates the spin base 9 about the rotation axis L1. And a motor (rotating means) 10. The spin chuck 2 may be a holding chuck that horizontally holds the substrate W while holding the substrate W in a horizontal direction, or by adsorbing the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W that is a non-device forming surface. A vacuum chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally may be used. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the spin chuck 2 is a clamping chuck.

  The rinse liquid nozzle 4 is connected to a rinse liquid supply pipe 12 in which a rinse liquid valve 11 is interposed. When the rinse liquid valve 11 is opened, the rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 4 toward the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. On the other hand, when the rinse liquid valve 11 is closed, the discharge of the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid nozzle 4 is stopped. As the rinsing liquid supplied to the rinsing liquid nozzle 4, pure water (deionized water), carbonated water, electrolytic ionic water, hydrogen water, ozone water, hydrochloric acid water having a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), etc. It can be illustrated.

The droplet nozzle 5 is an inkjet nozzle that ejects a large number of droplets by an inkjet method. The droplet nozzle 5 is connected to a processing liquid supply mechanism 14 via a processing liquid supply pipe 13. Further, the droplet nozzle 5 is connected to a treatment liquid discharge pipe 15 in which a discharge valve 16 is interposed. The processing liquid supply mechanism 14 includes, for example, a pump. The processing liquid supply mechanism 14 always supplies the processing liquid to the droplet nozzle 5 at a predetermined pressure (for example, 10 MPa or less). Examples of the processing liquid supplied to the droplet nozzle 5 include chemical liquids such as SC-1 (mixed liquid containing NH ₄ OH and H ₂ O ₂ ), pure water, and carbonated water. The control device 8 can change the pressure of the processing liquid supplied to the droplet nozzle 5 to an arbitrary pressure by controlling the processing liquid supply mechanism 14.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet nozzle 5 includes a piezoelectric element 17 disposed inside the droplet nozzle 5. The piezoelectric element 17 is connected to a voltage application mechanism 19 via a wiring 18. The voltage application mechanism 19 includes, for example, an inverter. The voltage application mechanism 19 applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 17. When an AC voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 17, the piezoelectric element 17 vibrates at a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the applied AC voltage. The control device 8 can change the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 17 to an arbitrary frequency (for example, several hundred KHz to several MHz) by controlling the voltage application mechanism 19. Therefore, the frequency of vibration of the piezoelectric element 17 is controlled by the control device 8.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a nozzle moving mechanism 20 (nozzle moving means). The nozzle moving mechanism 20 includes a nozzle arm 21 that holds the droplet nozzle 5 at the tip, a rotating mechanism 22 connected to the nozzle arm 21, and an elevating mechanism 23 connected to the rotating mechanism 22. The rotation mechanism 22 includes, for example, a motor. The elevating mechanism 23 includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism and a motor that drives the ball screw mechanism. The rotation mechanism 22 rotates the nozzle arm 21 around a vertical rotation axis L <b> 2 provided around the spin chuck 2. The droplet nozzle 5 rotates around the rotation axis L <b> 2 together with the nozzle arm 21. Thereby, the droplet nozzle 5 moves in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, the elevating mechanism 23 moves the rotating mechanism 22 up and down in the vertical direction. The droplet nozzle 5 and the nozzle arm 21 move up and down together with the rotation mechanism 22 in the vertical direction. Thereby, the droplet nozzle 5 moves in the vertical direction.

  The rotation mechanism 22 moves the droplet nozzle 5 horizontally in a horizontal plane including the upper side of the spin chuck 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation mechanism 22 moves the droplet nozzle 5 horizontally along an arcuate locus X1 extending along the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2. The locus X1 connects two positions that do not overlap the upper surface of the substrate W when viewed from the vertical direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2, and the substrate when viewed from the vertical direction. It is a curve passing through the center of rotation C1 of the upper surface of W. If the elevating mechanism 23 lowers the droplet nozzle 5 with the droplet nozzle 5 positioned above the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2, the droplet nozzle 5 comes close to the upper surface of the substrate W. When the droplets of the processing liquid collide with the substrate W, the control device 8 controls the rotation mechanism 22 in a state where the droplet nozzle 5 is close to the upper surface of the substrate W, thereby along the locus X1. The droplet nozzle 5 is moved horizontally.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first protective liquid nozzle 6 and the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are held by a nozzle holder 24 attached to the nozzle arm 21. When at least one of the rotation mechanism 22 and the lifting mechanism 23 moves the nozzle arm 21, the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are connected to the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second droplets. The protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 move in a state where the positional relationship is kept constant. Therefore, when the rotation mechanism 22 rotates the nozzle arm 21, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 move horizontally along the locus X 1 together with the droplet nozzle 5.

  The first protective liquid nozzle 6 is connected to the first protective liquid supply pipe 25. The second protective liquid nozzle 7 is connected to the second protective liquid supply pipe 28. A first protective liquid valve (protective liquid supply means) 26 is interposed in the first protective liquid supply pipe 25. A second protective liquid valve (protective liquid supply means) 29 is interposed in the second protective liquid supply pipe 28. The first and second protective liquid supply pipes 25 and 28 are branched and connected to a protective liquid supply collecting pipe 31 connected to a protective liquid supply source. The protective liquid supply collecting pipe 31 is provided with a flow rate adjusting valve (protective liquid supply means) 30.

  When the first and second protective liquid valves 26 and 29 are opened, the protective liquid is discharged from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 toward the upper surface of the substrate W. At this time, the discharge flow rates of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are equal to each other, and when the protective liquid is discharged only from the first protective liquid nozzle 6, Compared to the case where the protective liquid is discharged only from the second protective liquid nozzle 7, the discharge flow rate is half.

Further, the discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 and the discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are adjusted by the control device 8 adjusting the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 30. It can be changed.
Examples of the protective liquid supplied to the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 include a chemical liquid such as SC-1 and a rinse liquid.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle 5 and the first protective liquid nozzle 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle 5 and the second protective liquid nozzle 7. 4, only the upper surface 5b of the droplet nozzle 5 is shown, and in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, only the lower surface 5a (opposing surface) is shown. 5 shows a case where a later-described injection region T1 is at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, and FIG. 6 shows a case where an injection region T1 described later is at the upper peripheral edge of the substrate W. . Hereinafter, the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 will be described. First, the droplet nozzle 5 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the droplet nozzle 5 includes a main body 36 that ejects liquid droplets of the processing liquid, a cover 37 that covers the main body 36, the piezoelectric element 17 that is covered by the cover 37, the main body 36, and the cover 37. And a seal 38 interposed therebetween. The main body 36 and the cover 37 are both made of a material having chemical resistance. The main body 36 is made of, for example, quartz. The cover 37 is made of, for example, a fluorine resin. The seal 38 is made of an elastic material such as EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber). The main body 36 has pressure resistance. A part of the main body 36 and the piezoelectric element 17 are accommodated in the cover 37. The end of the wiring 18 is connected to the piezoelectric element 17 inside the cover 37 by, for example, solder. The inside of the cover 37 is sealed with a seal 38.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 36 connects the supply port 39 to which the processing liquid is supplied, the discharge port 40 for discharging the processing liquid supplied to the supply port 39, and the supply port 39 and the discharge port 40. A processing liquid flow passage 41 and a plurality of injection ports 42 connected to the processing liquid flow passage 41 are included. The processing liquid flow passage 41 is provided inside the main body 36. The supply port 39, the discharge port 40, and the injection port 42 are opened on the surface of the main body 36. The supply port 39 and the discharge port 40 are located above the injection port 42. The lower surface 5a of the main body 36 is, for example, a horizontal flat surface, and the injection port 42 opens at the lower surface 5a of the main body 36. The injection port 42 is a fine hole having a diameter of several μm to several tens of μm, for example. The processing liquid supply pipe 13 and the processing liquid discharge pipe 15 are connected to a supply port 39 and a discharge port 40, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the plurality of injection ports 42 constitute a plurality of rows L (for example, four in FIGS. 5 and 6). Each row L is constituted by a large number (for example, 10 or more) of the injection ports 42 arranged at equal intervals. Each row L extends linearly along the horizontal longitudinal direction D5. Each row L is not limited to a straight line, but may be a curved line. The four rows L are parallel to each other. Two of the four rows L are adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction D5. Similarly, the remaining two rows L are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction D5. Two adjacent rows L form a pair. In the two rows L of the pair, a plurality of injection ports 42 (injection ports 42a in FIGS. 5 and 6) constituting one row L and a plurality of injection ports 42 (FIG. 5 and FIG. 5) constituting the other row L. 6 in the longitudinal direction D5. The droplet nozzle 5 is held by the nozzle arm 21 so that, for example, the four rows L intersect the locus X1 when viewed from the vertical direction (see also FIG. 2).

  The processing liquid supply mechanism 14 (see FIG. 1) constantly supplies the processing liquid to the droplet nozzle 5 at a high pressure. The processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply mechanism 14 to the supply port 39 via the processing liquid supply pipe 13 is supplied to the processing liquid flow passage 41. In a state where the discharge valve 16 is closed, the pressure (fluid pressure) of the processing liquid in the processing liquid flow passage 41 is high. Therefore, in the state where the discharge valve 16 is closed, the processing liquid is ejected from each ejection port 42 by the fluid pressure. Further, when an alternating voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 17 with the discharge valve 16 being closed, vibration of the piezoelectric element 17 is imparted to the processing liquid flowing through the processing liquid flow passage 41 and is ejected from each ejection port 42. The treated liquid is divided by this vibration. Therefore, when an alternating voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 17 in a state where the discharge valve 16 is closed, a droplet of the processing liquid is ejected from each ejection port 42. Thereby, a large number of droplets of the treatment liquid having a uniform particle size are simultaneously ejected at a uniform speed.

  On the other hand, when the discharge valve 16 is open, the processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid flow passage 41 is discharged from the discharge port 40 to the processing liquid discharge pipe 15. That is, in the state where the discharge valve 16 is opened, the liquid pressure in the treatment liquid flow passage 41 is not sufficiently increased, so that the treatment liquid supplied to the treatment liquid flow passage 41 is a fine hole. Instead of being ejected from 42, it is discharged from the discharge port 40 to the processing liquid discharge pipe 15. Therefore, the discharge of the processing liquid from the injection port 42 is controlled by opening and closing the discharge valve 16. The control device 8 opens the discharge valve 16 while the droplet nozzle 5 is not used for processing the substrate W (while the droplet nozzle 5 is on standby). Therefore, even when the droplet nozzle 5 is on standby, the state where the processing liquid is circulating inside the droplet nozzle 5 is maintained.

  When the processing liquid droplets collide with the upper surface of the substrate W, the control device 8 moves the droplet nozzle 5 by the nozzle moving mechanism 20 (see FIG. 1), thereby causing the lower surface 5a (main body) of the droplet nozzle 5 to move. The lower surface 5a) of 36 is brought close to the upper surface of the substrate W. Then, the control device 8 closes the discharge valve 16 to increase the pressure of the processing liquid flow passage 41 and drives the piezoelectric element 17 while the lower surface 5a of the droplet nozzle 5 is opposed to the upper surface of the substrate W. By doing so, vibration is applied to the processing liquid in the processing liquid flow passage 41. Thereby, a large number of droplets of the treatment liquid having a uniform particle size are simultaneously ejected at a uniform speed. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, a large number of droplets ejected from the droplet nozzle 5 are sprayed onto the two ejection regions T <b> 1 in the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, one ejection region T1 is a region immediately below one pair of the two rows L, and the droplets of the processing liquid ejected from the ejection ports 42 constituting the two rows L are in one ejection region. Sprayed to T1. Similarly, the other ejection region T1 is a region immediately below the other pair of two rows L, and the droplets of the processing liquid ejected from the ejection ports 42 constituting the two rows L are ejected from the other ejection region. Sprayed onto the region T1. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each injection region T1 has a rectangular shape in plan view extending in the longitudinal direction D5, and the two injection regions T1 are parallel to each other.

Next, the first protective liquid nozzle 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The first protective liquid nozzle 6 has a first discharge port 43 for discharging the protective liquid. The first discharge port 43 is disposed below the upper end of the droplet nozzle 5. The first discharge port 43 is circular, for example. The first discharge port 43 is not limited to a circle but may be an ellipse or a slit.

  The first protective liquid nozzle 6 discharges the protective liquid so that the liquid landing state of the discharged protective liquid on the upper surface of the substrate W becomes the first liquid landing state. More specifically, the first protective liquid nozzle 6 discharges the protective liquid toward the first liquid deposition position P1 on the substrate W. The first liquid deposition position P1 is a position upstream of the injection region T1 with respect to the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W. A distance Dc (see FIG. 5) from the first liquid landing position P1 to the center position M of the injection region T1 is, for example, a predetermined distance of 15 to 40 mm. The first discharge port 43 discharges the protective liquid in the first discharge direction D1 toward the first liquid landing position P1. In other words, the protective liquid from the first discharge port 43 enters the first discharge direction D1 with respect to the first liquid deposition position P1 on the substrate W. The first discharge direction D1 is a direction from the first discharge port 43 toward the first liquid deposition position P1, and is a direction from the first discharge port 43 toward the droplet nozzle 5 in plan view. The first ejection direction D1 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction D5. An angle (incident angle) θH1 (see FIG. 5) formed by the longitudinal direction D5 and the first ejection direction D1 in plan view is set to a predetermined angle within a range of 25 to 35 degrees, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first discharge direction D1 is inclined toward the injection region T1 with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the first liquid landing position P1 is disposed on the ejection region T1 side with respect to the first ejection port 43 in the horizontal direction, and the first ejection direction D1 is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W. . An angle (incident angle) θV1 (see FIG. 3) formed by the upper surface of the substrate W and the first ejection direction D1 is set to a predetermined angle within a range of 10 to 40 degrees, for example.

  The second protective liquid nozzle 7 discharges the protective liquid so that the liquid landing state of the discharged protective liquid on the upper surface of the substrate W becomes the second liquid landing state. More specifically, the protective liquid is discharged toward the second liquid deposition position P2 on the substrate W. The second liquid landing position P2 is a position upstream of the injection region T1 with respect to the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W. The distance De (see FIG. 6) from the second liquid landing position P2 to the central position M is a predetermined distance of 15 to 40 mm, for example.

  The second discharge port 44 discharges the protective liquid in the second discharge direction D1 toward the second liquid landing position P2. In other words, the protective liquid from the second discharge port 44 enters the second discharge direction D2 with respect to the second liquid landing position P2 on the substrate W. The second ejection direction D2 is a direction from the second ejection port 44 toward the second liquid deposition position P2, and is a direction from the second ejection port 44 toward the droplet nozzle 5 in plan view. The second ejection direction D2 is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction D5. An angle (incident angle) θH2 (see FIG. 6) formed by the longitudinal direction D5 and the second ejection direction D2 in plan view is set to a predetermined angle within a range of 25 to 35 degrees, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the second ejection direction D2 is inclined toward the injection region T1 with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the second liquid deposition position P2 is arranged on the ejection region T1 side with respect to the second ejection port 44 in the horizontal direction, and the second ejection direction D2 is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W. . An angle (incident angle) θV2 (see FIG. 3) formed by the upper surface of the substrate W and the second ejection direction D2 is set to a predetermined angle within a range of 10 to 40 degrees, for example.

  First and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are attached to the nozzle holder 27 (see FIG. 1). Regarding the position and posture (first position and posture) of the first protective liquid nozzle 6, the position of the ejection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, which is a portion including the rotation center C1 of the substrate W. Optimized with the condition. That is, the first liquid landing state (first liquid landing position P1 (see FIG. 3), angle θV1 (see FIG. 3), and angle θH1 (see FIG. 5)) is the injection region T1 at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. When the protective liquid is discharged only from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 in the state where the position is arranged, the protective liquid is in a liquid landing state where the protective liquid spreads over the entire injection region T1 most efficiently. is there. In other words, the first position and the posture of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 are the protective liquid only from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 in the state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. In such a position and posture that the protective liquid is most efficiently spread over the entire injection region T1.

  Further, the position and posture of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are optimized in a state where the position of the ejection region T1 is disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, in the second liquid landing state (second liquid landing position P2 (see FIG. 3), angle θV2 (see FIG. 3) and angle θH2 (see FIG. 6)), the injection region T1 is formed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. When the protective liquid is discharged only from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 in the state where the position is arranged, the protective liquid is in a liquid landing state that spreads over the entire injection region T1 most efficiently. is there. In other words, the second position and posture of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are the protective liquid only from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 in a state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged on the upper surface peripheral edge of the substrate W. In such a position and posture that the protective liquid is most efficiently spread over the entire injection region T1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, the postures of the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are equal to each other, and are shifted vertically. . In other words, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 overlap each other in a plan view (FIG. 4 shows a slightly shifted state for convenience of illustration).
That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the discharge port 43 of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 and the discharge port 44 of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are shifted up and down, and as a result, the second liquid landing position P2 is The position is closer to the injection region T1 than the first liquid landing position P1 (Dc (see FIG. 5)> De (see FIG. 6). The second liquid landing position P2 is the first discharge port. 43 and the first liquid landing position P1 are arranged on an extended line.

The first discharge direction D1 is the same as the second discharge direction D2. That is, the angle θV2 (see FIG. 3) is the same as the angle θV1 (see FIG. 3), and the angle θH2 (see FIG. 6) is the same as the angle θH1 (see FIG. 5).
If the positions and postures of the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are optimized at the center of the upper surface and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W, the first and second protective liquid nozzles are used. 6 and 7 are not only different in the positions of the discharge ports 43 and 44, but may also be different in posture. In this case, the first ejection direction D1 is also different from the second ejection direction D2. Further, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 may be provided so that the first and second liquid landing positions P1 and P2 of the discharged protective liquid are common. However, in this case, it is necessary to make the first ejection direction D1 and the second ejection direction D2 different from each other.

In the first processing example (described later) executed using the substrate processing apparatus 1, the control device 8 controls the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 in parallel with the movement (scanning) of the position of the ejection region T <b> 1. , 7 to discharge the protective liquid. At this time, the discharge flow rates of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are equal to each other (the discharge flow ratio is 1: 1).
With reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the flow of the protective liquid when the position of the injection region T <b> 1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W will be described. The second protective liquid nozzle 7 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control device 8 discharges the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2. The protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 arrives at the first liquid landing position P1, and the protective liquid from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 arrives at the second liquid landing position P2. Since the protective liquid is supplied to the substrate W in the rotating state, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is accelerated in the radial direction (rotating radial direction) by contact with the substrate W, and the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W (see FIG. 6). Therefore, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W flows in the rotational direction while spreading in the radial direction from the liquid landing positions P1 and P2. Since the first and second ejection directions D1 and D2 are inclined in the vertical direction and the rotation speed of the substrate W is slow at the center of the substrate W, the protective liquid supplied to the center of the upper surface of the substrate W It spreads over a wide range while maintaining a triangular shape with the landing positions P1 and P2 as one of the vertices.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, the flow of the protective liquid when the position of the spray region T <b> 1 is disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W will be described. The first protective liquid nozzle 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
The control device 8 discharges the protective liquid from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2. The protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 arrives at the first liquid landing position P1, and the protective liquid from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 arrives at the second liquid landing position P2. Since the protective liquid is supplied to the substrate W in the rotating state, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is accelerated in the radial direction (rotating radial direction) by the contact with the substrate W and accelerated in the rotational direction Dr of the substrate W. Is done. Therefore, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W flows in the rotational direction while spreading in the radial direction from the liquid landing positions P1 and P2. Since the rotation speed of the substrate W is high at the peripheral portion of the substrate W, the protective liquid supplied to the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the substrate W has an acute triangular shape with a small angle with each of the liquid landing positions P1 and P2 as one vertex (substrate It extends at a high speed in the radial direction while forming a substantially linear shape along the circumferential direction of W.

7A-7E are views for explaining a first processing example of the substrate W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A first processing example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7A-7E.
For example, an unprocessed substrate W made of a circular substrate having a diameter of 300 mm is transported by a transport robot (not shown), and placed on the spin chuck 2 with the surface, which is a device formation surface, facing upward, for example. Then, the control device 8 holds the substrate W by the spin chuck 2. Thereafter, the control device 8 controls the spin motor 10 to rotate the substrate W held on the spin chuck 2.

  Next, the 1st cover process which supplies the pure water which is an example of the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid nozzle 4 to the board | substrate W, and covers the upper surface of the board | substrate W with a pure water is performed. Specifically, the control device 8 opens the rinse liquid valve 11 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2, and the substrate held on the spin chuck 2 from the rinse liquid nozzle 4 as shown in FIG. 7A. Pure water is discharged toward the center of the upper surface of W. The pure water discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4 is supplied to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W, and spreads outward along the upper surface of the substrate W under the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W. Thus, pure water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and a liquid film of pure water is formed to cover the entire upper surface of the substrate W. When a predetermined time elapses after the rinsing liquid valve 11 is opened, the control device 8 closes the rinsing liquid valve 11 and stops the discharge of pure water from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4.

  Next, a cleaning step of supplying a droplet of carbonated water, which is an example of a processing solution, to the substrate W from the droplet nozzle 5 and cleaning the substrate W, and SC-1 which is an example of a protective solution are supplied to the substrate W. The second cover step of covering the upper surface of the substrate W with SC-1 is performed in parallel. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B and FIG. 7C, the control device 8 discharges SC-1 from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 and jets droplets of carbonated water from the droplet nozzle 5. Then, while rotating the substrate W at a constant speed, the nozzle moving mechanism 20 causes the droplet nozzle 5 to reciprocate a plurality of times along the locus X1 between the center position Pc and the peripheral position Pe (half scan). Since the controller 8 moves the droplet nozzle 5 between the center position Pc and the peripheral position Pe while rotating the substrate W, the upper surface of the substrate W is scanned by the ejection region T1, and the position of the ejection region T1 is changed. It passes through the entire upper surface of the substrate W. As shown by a solid line in FIG. 2, the center position Pc is a position where the droplet nozzle 5 and the center of the upper surface of the substrate W overlap in a plan view. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. This is a position where the droplet nozzle 5 and the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W overlap in plan view.

  After the completion of the cleaning process and the second cover process, a rinsing process is performed in which pure water, which is an example of a rinsing liquid, is supplied from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4 to the substrate W to wash away liquid and foreign matters adhering to the substrate W. Specifically, the control device 8 opens the rinsing liquid valve 11 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2, and the substrate held on the spin chuck 2 from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4 as shown in FIG. 7D. Pure water is discharged toward the center of the upper surface of W. The pure water discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4 is supplied to the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W, and spreads outward along the upper surface of the substrate W under the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W. Thereby, pure water is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and the liquid and foreign matters adhering to the substrate W are washed away. When a predetermined time elapses after the rinsing liquid valve 11 is opened, the control device 8 closes the rinsing liquid valve 11 and stops the discharge of pure water from the rinsing liquid nozzle 4.

  Next, a drying process (spin drying) for drying the substrate W is performed. Specifically, the control device 8 controls the spin motor 10 to rotate the substrate W at a high rotation speed (for example, several thousand rpm). Thereby, a large centrifugal force acts on the pure water adhering to the substrate W, and the pure water adhering to the substrate W is shaken off around the substrate W as shown in FIG. 7E. In this way, pure water is removed from the substrate W, and the substrate W is dried. Then, after the drying process is performed for a predetermined time, the control device 8 controls the spin motor 10 to stop the rotation of the substrate W by the spin chuck 2. Thereafter, the processed substrate W is unloaded from the spin chuck 2 by the transfer robot.

8A-8C and FIGS. 8D-8E are views for explaining the cleaning process and the second cover process. The cleaning process and the second cover process will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8A-8C, and 8D-8E.
The control device 8 controls the nozzle moving mechanism 20 to move the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 to the home position outside the rotation range of the substrate W as shown in FIG. 8A. The lower surface 5a of the droplet nozzle 5 is moved close to the upper surface periphery of the substrate W. That is, the droplet nozzle 5 is arranged at the peripheral position Pe.

  Thereafter, the control device 8 opens the first and second protective liquid valves 26 and 29 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2, and the SC− from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. 1 is discharged. In the first embodiment, the degree of opening of the flow rate adjusting valve 30 is such that the total discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is a predetermined small flow rate AF (for example, about 1.3 liters / minute). It has been adjusted to be. At this time, SC-1 having a discharge flow rate of about 0.65 liter / min is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, respectively.

  Further, the controller 8 ejects carbonated water droplets from the droplet nozzle 5 in parallel with the SC-1 discharge from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. Specifically, the control device 8 includes the discharge valve 16 in a state where the lower surface 5a of the droplet nozzle 5 is close to the upper surface of the substrate W and SC-1 is discharged from the second protective liquid nozzle 7. And an AC voltage having a predetermined frequency is applied to the piezoelectric element 17 of the droplet nozzle 5 by the voltage application mechanism 19. A large number of carbonated water droplets are ejected downward from the droplet nozzle 5, whereby the position of the ejection region T <b> 1 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. The SC-1 discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 spreads over the entire injection region T1 disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W to form a liquid film of SC-1. A large number of droplets of carbonated water are sprayed from the droplet nozzle 5 to the ejection region T1 covered with the −1 liquid film.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the control device 8 rotates the substrate W at a constant rotational speed and at the same time discharges the SC from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 at a constant discharge flow rate (discharge flow rate AF). The droplet nozzle 5 is moved along the upper surface of the substrate W toward the center position Pc by the nozzle moving mechanism 20 while discharging -1. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W is moved toward the rotation center C1 of the substrate W while being covered with the liquid film of SC-1.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8C, when the droplet nozzle 5 reaches the center position Pc, the control device 8 controls the rotation mechanism 22 to reverse the swing direction of the nozzle arm 21. Therefore, the droplet nozzle 5 is started to move from the center position Pc toward the peripheral position Pe. Thereby, a droplet of carbonated water is ejected from the droplet nozzle 5, and the SC-1 is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, while the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second droplets are discharged. The protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are moved toward the peripheral position Pe. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8D, the position of the ejection region T <b> 1 is moved toward the periphery of the substrate W while being covered with the SC-1 liquid film.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8E, when the droplet nozzle 5 reaches the peripheral position Pe, the control device 8 controls the rotation mechanism 22 to reverse the swinging direction of the nozzle arm 21. Thereby, the droplet nozzle 5 is started to move from the peripheral position Pe toward the center position Pc.
As described above, the control device 8 moves the droplet nozzle 5 between the center position Pc and the peripheral position Pe while rotating the substrate W, so that the upper surface of the substrate W is scanned by the ejection region T1 and the ejection region. The position of T1 passes through the entire upper surface of the substrate W.

  A large number of carbonated water droplets are sprayed downward from the droplet nozzle 5, whereby a large number of carbonated water droplets are sprayed onto the injection region T <b> 1 covered with the SC-1 liquid film. Accordingly, carbonated water droplets are sprayed over the entire upper surface of the substrate W. Foreign substances such as particles adhering to the upper surface of the substrate W are physically removed by the collision of the droplets with the substrate W. Further, the bonding force between the foreign matter and the substrate W is weakened by the SC-1 dissolving the substrate W. Therefore, foreign matters are more reliably removed. In addition, since the carbonated water droplets are sprayed onto the ejection region T1 in a state where the entire upper surface of the substrate W is covered with the liquid film, the reattachment of foreign matters to the substrate W is suppressed or prevented. In this way, the second cover process and the cleaning process are performed.

When the reciprocating rocking motion of the nozzle arm 21 is performed a predetermined number of times, the control device 8 opens the discharge valve 16 and stops the ejection of droplets from the droplet nozzle 5. Further, the control device 8 closes the first or second protective liquid valves 26 and 29 in the open state, and stops the discharge of SC-1 from the first or second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7.
FIG. 9A is a graph schematically showing the relationship between the distance from the rotation center C1 of the position of the injection region T1 and the flow rate of the protective liquid reaching the injection region T1 at various locations on the upper surface of the substrate W.

  The position and posture (first position and posture) of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 are optimized in a state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. In this case, when the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is efficiently supplied to the injection region T1. However, the flow rate of the protective liquid reaching the injection region T1 as the distance from the rotation center C1 of the position of the injection region T1 increases (as the position of the injection region T1 moves toward the periphery of the substrate W). Decreases inversely. When the position of the injection region T1 is disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W, only a small amount of protective liquid reaches the injection region T1. In this case, in order to spread the protective liquid supplied from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 to the injection region T1 disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W, a large flow of protective liquid is used for the first protective liquid nozzle. 6 must be discharged.

  The position and posture (second position and posture) of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are optimized in a state where the position of the ejection region T1 is disposed on the upper surface peripheral edge of the substrate W. In this case, when the position of the ejection region T1 is disposed at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W, the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is efficiently supplied to the ejection region T1. However, as the distance from the rotation center C1 of the position of the injection region T1 decreases (as the position of the injection region T1 moves toward the rotation center C1 of the substrate W), the protective liquid that reaches the injection region T1 The flow rate decreases in inverse proportion. When the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, only a small amount of protective liquid reaches the injection region T1. In this case, in order to spread the protective liquid supplied from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 to the injection region T1 arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, the large amount of protective liquid is supplied to the second protective liquid nozzle. 7 must be discharged.

  In Processing Example 1, the protective liquid discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 functions effectively in a state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, and the protective liquid is applied to the injection region T1. Is efficiently supplied. Further, in the state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W, the protective liquid discharged from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 functions effectively, and the protective liquid efficiently flows into the injection region T1. Supplied.

  Then, in the state where the position of the spray region T1 is disposed in the portion between the rotation center C1 of the substrate W and the peripheral edge of the upper surface, the protective liquid discharged from the protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 to the spray region T1. Although the supply efficiency is not high, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are optimized at positions different from each other, and therefore, a total supply flow rate that is not small is supplied to the injection region T1. In addition, when the injection region T1 is disposed in the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, the efficiency with which SC-1 discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is supplied to the injection region T1 is improved. Lowest.

FIG. 9B is a graph showing the relationship between the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W and the number of damages of the substrate W in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.
Example 1 shows the case where the second cover process and the cleaning process for discharging the protective liquid from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are executed as in the above-described processing example 1, and a comparative example. Reference numeral 1 denotes a case where the second cover process and the cleaning process are executed while discharging the protective liquid from only the first protective liquid nozzle 6. Further, it is assumed that a polysilicon thin film having a thickness of 37 nm is formed on the upper surface of the substrate W. The number of damages in FIG. 9B is a measured value when the substrate W is processed under the same conditions except for the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W. Specifically, the rotation speed of the substrate is 300 rpm. Further, the time required for one reciprocating swinging operation (reciprocating half scan) of the nozzle arm 21 is 15 seconds, and the number of executions of the half scan is two.

In Comparative Example 1, the number of damages is large when the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is less than 1.8 liters / minute. On the other hand, in Example 1, the number of damages is extremely small even when the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is 1.1 liter / min. Therefore, in the case of the first processing example, damage to the substrate W can be suppressed without increasing the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W.
As described above, according to this embodiment, the protective liquid is discharged from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 in parallel with the movement of the injection position T1. The position and posture of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 are such that the protective liquid discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 is in the injection area in a state where the position of the injection area T1 is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W. Optimized to spread throughout. The position and posture of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 are such that the protective liquid ejected from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 is ejected in a state where the position of the ejection region T1 is disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. Optimized to spread throughout the area.

  Therefore, in a state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, the protective liquid discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 is efficiently supplied to the injection region T1, and the substrate In a state where the position of the ejection region T1 is arranged on the upper surface peripheral edge of W, the protective liquid discharged from the second protective liquid nozzle 7 is efficiently supplied to the ejection region T1. Further, in the state where the position of the injection region T1 is disposed in the portion between the rotation center C1 of the substrate W and the peripheral edge of the upper surface, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are optimized at different positions. Therefore, not less than the total supply flow rate is supplied to the injection region T1. Therefore, even if the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W is a small flow rate (flow rate AF), the entire jet region T1 disposed in the portion between the rotation center C1 and the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate W is protected. It can be covered with a liquid film of liquid.

As a result, even if the position of the injection region T1 is arranged on any of the upper surfaces of the substrate W, the entire region of the injection region T1 is covered with a liquid film of the protective liquid by supplying a small flow of protective liquid to the substrate W. Can be covered. Thereby, damage to the substrate W can be suppressed without increasing the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W.
10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining a second processing example of the substrate W performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1.

10A to 10C show the cleaning process and the second cover process in the second processing example. The second processing example is different from the first processing example only in the cleaning step and the second cover step. The other steps are the same as in the case of the first processing example, and thus the description thereof is omitted. The cleaning process and the second cover process in the second processing example will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 10A to 10C.
The cleaning process and the second cover process of the second processing example are different from the cleaning process and the second cover process of the first processing example in that the first process is performed according to the position change of the injection region T1 in the upper surface of the substrate W. In addition, the flow rate of the protective liquid discharged from the second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is changed. More specifically, the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6, 7 are arranged when the injection region T <b> 1 is arranged at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W rather than the central region of the upper surface of the substrate W. The difference is that a larger flow rate of the protective liquid is discharged.

The control device 8 controls the nozzle moving mechanism 20 to move the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 from a home position (not shown) outside the rotation range of the substrate W. 2, and the lower surface 5 a of the droplet nozzle 5 is brought close to the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate W. That is, the droplet nozzle 5 is arranged at the peripheral position Pe.
Thereafter, the control device 8 opens the first and second protective liquid valves 26 and 29 while rotating the substrate W by the spin chuck 2, and the SC− from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. 1 is discharged. As described above, the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 30 is such that the total discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is a predetermined small flow rate AF1 (for example, about 0.7 liter / min). It has been adjusted to be. Specifically, at this time, SC-1 having a discharge flow rate of about 0.35 liter / min is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, respectively.

  Further, the controller 8 ejects carbonated water droplets from the droplet nozzle 5 in parallel with the SC-1 discharge from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. A large number of carbonated water droplets are ejected downward from the droplet nozzle 5, whereby the position of the ejection region T <b> 1 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. The SC-1 discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 spreads over the entire injection region T1 disposed on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W to form a liquid film of SC-1. A large number of droplets of carbonated water are sprayed from the droplet nozzle 5 to the ejection region T1 covered with the −1 liquid film.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, the control device 8 rotates the substrate W at a constant rotational speed, and directs the droplet nozzle 5 along the upper surface of the substrate W toward the center position Pc by the nozzle moving mechanism 20. To move. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W is moved toward the rotation center C1 of the substrate W while being covered with the liquid film of SC-1.
As the injection region T1 moves away from the peripheral edge of the substrate W, the control device 8 gradually increases the opening of the adjustment valve 30 to remove the protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 and the second protective liquid nozzle 7. Increase the discharge flow rate.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, in the state where the droplet nozzle 5 passes through the intermediate position Pm (specifically, the state where the central position M of the ejection region T1 passes through the intermediate part M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W), the flow rate adjustment valve. The opening degree of 30 is enlarged so that the total discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 becomes a predetermined second flow rate AF2 (for example, about 1.3 liters / minute). . At this time, SC-1 having a discharge flow rate of about 0.65 liter / min is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, respectively. The intermediate portion M1 of the substrate W is an intermediate portion between the rotation center C1 of the substrate W and the periphery of the substrate W (in the substrate W having a diameter of 300 mm, the position is 75 mm from the rotation center C1).

After the injection region T1 passes through the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, the control device 8 gradually reduces the opening degree of the adjustment valve 30 as the injection region T1 approaches the rotation center C1 of the substrate W. The discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first protective liquid nozzle 6 and the second protective liquid nozzle 7 is reduced.
As shown in FIG. 10C, when the droplet nozzle 5 has reached the center position Pc, the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve 30 is the total discharge flow rate of the protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7. Is reduced to a predetermined third flow rate AF3 (for example, about 0.7 liter / min). At this time, SC-1 having a discharge flow rate of about 0.35 liter / min is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, respectively.

  When the droplet nozzle 5 reaches the center position Pc, the control device 8 controls the rotation mechanism 22 to reverse the swing direction of the nozzle arm 21. Therefore, the droplet nozzle 5 is started to move from the center position Pc toward the peripheral position Pe. Thereby, a droplet of carbonated water is ejected from the droplet nozzle 5, and the SC-1 is discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7, while the droplet nozzle 5 and the first and second droplets are discharged. The protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 are moved toward the peripheral position Pe. Thereby, the upper surface of the substrate W is moved toward the periphery of the substrate W while being covered with the liquid film of SC-1. Until the injection region T1 reaches the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, the controller 8 gradually reduces the opening of the adjustment valve 30 as the injection region T1 moves away from the rotation center C1 of the substrate W, After the region T1 passes through the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, the control device 8 gradually reduces the opening degree of the adjustment valve 30 as the injection region T1 approaches the periphery of the substrate W.

When the reciprocating rocking motion of the nozzle arm 21 is performed a predetermined number of times, the control device 8 opens the discharge valve 16 and stops the ejection of droplets from the droplet nozzle 5. Further, the control device 8 closes the first or second protective liquid valves 26 and 29 in the open state, and stops the discharge of SC-1 from the first or second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7.
As described above, when the injection region T1 is disposed in the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, SC-1 discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is supplied to the injection region T1. The lowest efficiency. When the injection region T1 is arranged at such a position, the discharge flow rate from the first or second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is set to the maximum second flow rate AF2 (for example, about 1.3 liters / minute). Even when the ejection region T1 is disposed in the intermediate portion M1 on the upper surface of the substrate W, the entire region of the ejection region T1 can be covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid.

  In addition, when the injection region T1 is disposed at the center of the upper surface and the periphery of the upper surface of the substrate W, SC-1 discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is efficiently supplied to the injection region T1. Therefore, the discharge flow rate from the first or second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 can be reduced. In particular, when the injection region T1 is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, SC-1 from the first and second protective liquid nozzles 6 and 7 is more efficiently guided to the injection region T1. Even if the flow rate of SC-1 supplied to the substrate W is reduced to the third flow rate AF3 (for example, about 0.7 liter / min), the entire injection region T1 can be covered with the liquid film of the protective liquid. Thereby, the total flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the substrate W can be further reduced while suppressing damage to the substrate W.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can also be implemented with another form.
In addition, the standard for optimizing the position and posture of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 is set so that the position of the injection region T1 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate W, and the second protective liquid nozzle 7 The standard for optimizing the position and posture was set to a state where the position of the injection region T1 is arranged on the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate W. However, the reference of the position and posture of the first protective liquid nozzle 6 may be set to a predetermined position on the inner peripheral side of the center portion M1 excluding the central portion of the upper surface, and the position of the second protective liquid nozzle 7 and The reference of the posture may be a predetermined position on the outer peripheral side of the center portion M1 excluding the center portion of the upper surface.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that processes a disk-shaped substrate such as a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device. An apparatus for processing a square substrate may also be used.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

1. Substrate processing apparatus 2. Spin chuck (substrate holding means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Droplet nozzle 6 1st protective liquid nozzle 7 2nd protective liquid nozzle 8 Control apparatus 10 Spin motor (rotating means)
20 Nozzle moving mechanism (nozzle moving means)
26 1st protection liquid valve (protection liquid supply means)
29 Second protective liquid valve (protective liquid supply means)
30 Flow control valve (protective liquid supply means)
P1 First landing position P2 Second landing position T1 Injection region W Substrate θH1 Angle (incident angle)
θH2 angle (incident angle)
θV1 angle (incident angle)
θV2 angle (incident angle)

Claims (11)

Substrate holding means for holding the substrate horizontally;
A rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means around a vertical rotation axis;
A droplet nozzle for generating droplets of the processing liquid sprayed on the spray region in the upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means;
A first protective liquid nozzle for discharging a protective liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate;
A second protective liquid nozzle for discharging the protective liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate;
Protective liquid supply means for supplying a protective liquid to the first and second protective liquid nozzles;
Nozzle moving means for moving the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles;
By controlling the protective liquid supply means, the protective liquid is discharged from both the first and second protective nozzles onto the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the upper surface of the substrate, and the protective liquid Protective liquid discharge control means for causing a droplet of a treatment liquid to collide with the ejection area in a state where the ejection area is covered with a liquid film;
In parallel with the discharge of the protective liquid from the first and second protective nozzles, the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate is maintained while maintaining the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles constant. And a nozzle movement control means for moving the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles so that the spray region moves between the peripheral edge of the substrate and the upper surface of the substrate,
The position and posture of the first protective liquid nozzle with respect to the droplet nozzle are relative to the droplet nozzle where the protective liquid from the protective liquid nozzle is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate, and When the protective liquid discharged from the protective liquid nozzle enters the liquid landing position, the liquid landing state including at least one of the relative incident angles with respect to the droplet nozzle becomes the first liquid landing state. 1 position and posture,
The position and posture of the second protective liquid nozzle with respect to the droplet nozzle are such that the liquid landing state including at least one of the liquid landing position and the incident angle is different from the first liquid landing state. The substrate processing apparatus set to the 2nd position and attitude | position which will be in a liquid state. The first position and orientation are such that the protective liquid discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle is spread over the entire ejection area in a state where the ejection area is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. Position and posture
The second position and orientation are such that the protective liquid discharged from the second protective liquid nozzle is spread over the entire ejection area in a state where the ejection area is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus has a correct position and posture.   The protective liquid discharge control means controls the protective liquid supply means so that the first and second protective liquid nozzles supply a constant flow of protective liquid regardless of a change in the position of the ejection region within the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is discharged from the substrate. The protective liquid supply means includes a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the protective liquid supplied to the first and second protective liquid nozzles,
The protective liquid discharge control means includes a discharge flow rate control means for controlling the flow rate adjusting means,
The discharge flow rate control means changes the flow rate of the protective liquid discharged from the first and second protective liquid nozzles according to a change in position of the ejection region in the upper surface of the substrate. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1.   The discharge flow rate control means discharges from the first and second protective liquid nozzles when the spray region is disposed at the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate rather than when disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the flow rate of the protective liquid is increased.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of the protective liquid discharge flow rate from the first and second protective liquid nozzles is set to 1: 1. A substrate holding step for holding the substrate horizontally;
The first protective liquid nozzle was ejected from the protective liquid nozzle, and the liquid landing position relative to the droplet nozzle, where the protective liquid from the protective liquid nozzle was deposited on the upper surface of the held substrate. Provided in a first position and posture such that when the protective liquid enters the liquid landing position, the liquid landing state including at least one of the incident angles relative to the droplet nozzle becomes the first liquid landing state. Process,
The second position of the second protective liquid nozzle such that the liquid landing state including at least one of the liquid landing position and the incident angle is a second liquid landing state different from the first liquid landing state. And a step of providing the posture,
A rotating step of rotating the held substrate around a vertical rotation axis;
A droplet supply step of spraying a droplet of a processing liquid from the droplet nozzle onto a spray region in the upper surface of the held substrate;
A protective liquid is discharged from both the first and second protective liquid nozzles onto the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film of the protective liquid is formed on the upper surface of the held substrate, and the liquid film of the protective liquid In a state where the ejection area is covered, a protective liquid ejection step for causing the droplet of the processing liquid to collide with the ejection area;
In parallel with the discharge of the protective liquid from the first and second protective nozzles, the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate is maintained while maintaining the positional relationship between the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles constant. And a nozzle moving step of moving the droplet nozzle and the first and second protective liquid nozzles so that the spray region moves between the substrate and the upper surface periphery of the substrate. The first position and orientation are such that the protective liquid discharged from the first protective liquid nozzle is spread over the entire ejection area in a state where the ejection area is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. Position and posture
The second position and orientation are such that the protective liquid discharged from the second protective liquid nozzle is spread over the entire ejection area in a state where the ejection area is arranged at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein the position and posture are correct.   The step of discharging the protective liquid includes a step of discharging a fixed flow of protective liquid from the first and second protective liquid nozzles regardless of a change in the position of the ejection region in the upper surface of the substrate. 9. The substrate processing method according to 8.   The said protective liquid discharge process changes the flow volume of the protective liquid discharged from the said 1st and 2nd protective liquid nozzle according to the position change of the said injection area | region in the upper surface of the said board | substrate. The substrate processing method as described in 2. above.   The protective liquid discharging step is performed by discharging the first and second protective liquid nozzles when the spray region is disposed at a peripheral edge of the upper surface of the substrate rather than when disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate. The substrate processing method according to claim 10, wherein the flow rate of the protective liquid is increased.

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