JP2016189493A - Liquid processing method, liquid processing device, storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology that achieves reducing of processing liquid to be consumed for removing air bubbles from a filter part when a novel filter part is mounted in a processing liquid supply path, and shortening of startup time.SOLUTION: A method performs the steps of: filling the inside of a novel filter part with processing liquid; then making the inside of the filter part be a first pressure atmosphere which is a negative pressure atmosphere, in order to remove air bubbles from the filter part; then boosting the inside of the filter part; thereafter, making the processing liquid pass from a primary side of the filter part to the filter part while making a secondary side of the filter part be a second pressure atmosphere higher than the first pressure atmosphere; and performing liquid processing by supplying the processing liquid which has passed through the filter part, through a nozzle to an object to be processed. Thus, the air bubbles can be speedily removed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for removing bubbles in a filter section in a processing liquid supply apparatus that discharges a processing liquid from a nozzle through a filter section.

  In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a chemical solution such as a resist, an acid or alkali cleaning solution, a solvent, or a precursor-containing solution for forming an insulating film is supplied from a nozzle to a substrate to perform liquid processing. In such a chemical solution supply apparatus, a foreign substance is removed by interposing a filter portion in the supply path. Patent Document 1 discloses a resist coating apparatus which is such a chemical solution supply apparatus.

  In these processes, bubbles may appear due to dissolved gas in the resist or chemical solution, but since the line width of the pattern is becoming finer, attention should be paid to fine bubbles that have not been a problem in the past. And need to deal with it.

By the way, in a device for applying these treatment liquids, when a filter part for removing foreign matters in the treatment liquid is newly installed (including both when the apparatus is started up and when the filter part is replaced), the attached filter part A process of removing gas in the filter part by passing the treatment liquid (hereinafter referred to as “filter wetting”) is performed (Patent Document 2). As a conventional filter wetting method, after setting the filter portion, filtration with a positive pressure (pressure higher than atmospheric pressure) using N ₂ gas or pump pressure is performed, and defects on the wafer caused by bubbles are removed. Monitor the number. Then, when the number of defects decreased to a certain level, it was considered that the gas in the filter portion was removed, and the process was completed.
However, from the viewpoint of mass production cost, it is required to reduce the processing liquid consumed before the filter unit is started up and to shorten the start-up time.

Japanese Patent No. 3461725 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-196517

  The present invention has been made in such circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the processing liquid consumed to remove bubbles from the filter section when a new filter section is attached to the processing liquid supply path, and The purpose is to provide a technology for shortening the startup time.

The present invention includes a step of filling a treatment liquid in a novel filter part,
Next, in order to remove bubbles from the filter part, the step of making the inside of the filter part a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere,
Thereafter, the step of boosting the inside of the filter portion from the first pressure atmosphere so that the inside of the filter portion becomes a target pressure atmosphere;
Thereafter, in a state where the secondary side of the filter part is in a second pressure atmosphere higher than the first pressure atmosphere, a process liquid is passed through the filter part from the primary side;
And a step of supplying the processing liquid having passed through the filter section to the object to be processed through a nozzle to perform liquid processing.

In another aspect of the invention, a processing liquid supply source, a filter unit, and a nozzle are provided in this order from the upstream side, and the processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle to the object to be processed to perform the liquid processing.
A primary side valve, a secondary side valve, and a vent valve respectively provided on the primary side, secondary side and vent of the filter unit;
A decompression unit for decompressing the filter unit;
A control unit for controlling the valve and the decompression unit,
The control unit supplies the processing liquid from the primary side to fill the processing liquid in the filter unit, and closes at least one of the primary side valve, the secondary side valve, and the vent valve, As an open state, the step of making the inside of the filter part a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere by the pressure reducing part;
Thereafter, the valve in the closed state is opened to increase the pressure in the filter portion from the first pressure atmosphere so that the inside of the filter portion becomes a target pressure atmosphere;
Thereafter, in a state where the secondary side of the filter unit is set to a second pressure atmosphere higher than the first pressure atmosphere, a treatment liquid is passed through the filter unit from the primary side, Supplying the object to be processed and performing liquid treatment;
It is characterized by having a program for executing.

In another invention, a processing liquid supply source, a filter unit, and a nozzle are provided in this order from the upstream side, and the computer is used in a processing liquid supply apparatus for supplying a processing liquid from a nozzle to a target object to perform liquid processing. A storage medium for storing a program,
The computer program includes a group of steps so as to implement the processing liquid supply method of the present invention.

  In the present invention, when a new filter unit is attached to the processing liquid supply path, the pressure atmosphere is lower than the pressure state during the process of supplying the processing liquid to the object to be processed through the filter unit, and the pressure atmosphere is a negative pressure. To be formed. For this reason, the bubbles in the filter part can be removed quickly, and the remaining bubbles can be reduced, so the rise time required from the time when the filter part is immersed in the treatment liquid until it is put into actual operation. Can be shortened and the consumption of the processing solution can be reduced. In addition, the time of attaching a new filter part includes both attachment at the time of starting of the apparatus and attachment by replacement of the filter part.

1 is an overall view of a resist coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical side view of the filter part provided in the said resist coating apparatus. It is the schematic of the filtration member provided in the said filter part. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is a piping diagram of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a piping diagram of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a piping diagram of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a general view of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is an operational view showing opening and closing of the valve in the resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode in the said filter part. It is a general view of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a piping diagram of a piping system of a developing solution and pure water to which the present invention is applied. It is a top view of the application | coating and developing apparatus with which 1st Embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a schematic longitudinal side view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test. It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the resist coating apparatus 1 which is one embodiment of the processing liquid supply apparatus of the present invention will be described. The resist coating apparatus 1 performs the filter wetting process described in the section of the background art and the resist coating process for supplying the resist filtered by the wet filter to the wafer W as a substrate. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the resist coating apparatus 1.

  The resist coating apparatus 1 includes a cup 13 including a spin chuck 11 that holds the wafer W horizontally, and a nozzle 14 that supplies a resist, which is a processing liquid, to the center of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 11. ing. Further, the resist coating apparatus 1 includes a piping system connected to the nozzle 14. This piping system is provided with a resist supply source 2, a filter unit 3, and a pump 25 that form a resist supply source from the upstream side. By the operation of the pump 25, the resist of the resist supply source 2 is filtered by the filter unit 3 and nozzle 14 It is comprised so that it may discharge from. In addition, a decompression unit 4 for performing the filter wetting process is connected to this piping system.

  The cup 13 is provided so as to surround the spin chuck 11 and receives the resist shaken off from the wafer W. An exhaust path for exhausting the inside of the cup and a waste liquid path for removing the waste liquid in the cup are connected to the lower portion of the cup 13.

The resist supply source 2 includes a bottle 21, an N 2 (nitrogen) gas supply unit 22, and a liquid end tank 23.
The bottle 21 is a hermetically sealed bottle that stores a resist solution, and one end of each of the pipes 101 and 102 is connected to the bottle 21. The other end of the pipe 101 is connected to the N2 gas supply unit 22 through a valve V11. This N2 gas is a pressurizing gas in the bottle 21. The other end of the pipe 102 is extended into the liquid end tank 23 via the valve V12.

  The liquid end tank 23 is provided to stably supply the resist to the downstream side, and includes a liquid level sensor (not shown) to manage the liquid amount. One end of a drainage pipe 111 is connected to the upper part of the liquid end tank 23, and the other end of the drainage pipe 111 is connected to a drainage path (drain) of the atmospheric atmosphere via a valve V13. One end of a pipe 103 is connected to the bottom of the liquid end tank 23, and the other end of the pipe 103 is connected to the filter unit 3 via a valve V14. The valve V14 is a valve on the primary side (resist supply source side) of the filter unit 3.

  The filter unit 3 collects foreign matter (particles) contained in the resist from the upstream side toward the downstream side and removes it from the resist solution. The configuration of the filter unit 3 will be briefly described with reference to the longitudinal side view of FIG. The filter unit 3 includes a cartridge 31 and a capsule 32 surrounding the cartridge 31. The cartridge 31 includes an upright inner cylinder part 33, a holding part 34 that covers the periphery of the inner cylinder part 33, and a filtering member 35 that is provided in the holding part 34 so as to surround the side periphery of the inner cylinder part 33. ing. In the figure, 301 is a flow path in the inner cylinder part 33, 302 is an opening provided in the side wall of the inner cylinder part 33, 303 is an opening provided in the side wall of the holding part 34, and 304 is an upper part of the holding part 34. It is an opening provided. The openings 301, 302, and 304 are in communication with each other. The filtering member 35 is provided so as to block between the openings 302 and 303.

  Ports 311, 312, and 313 are provided on the upper side of the capsule 32. The port 311 is a resist introduction port connected to the pipe 103. Further, a guide member 36 is provided in the capsule 32, and the resist flowing in from the resist introduction port 311 passes through the bottom side of the capsule 32 by the guide member 36 and then moves upward along the outer cylinder portion 32. Guided to head. In the figure, reference numeral 314 denotes a flow path that is formed by the guide member 36 and the inner wall of the capsule 32 and goes downward from the resist introduction port 311. In the figure, reference numeral 315 denotes a flow path formed below the cartridge 31 so as to spread horizontally from the flow path 314, and reference numeral 316 denotes a flow path extending upward from the flow path 315 along the outer wall of the holding portion 34.

  The port 312 is an external supply port for supplying the filtered resist to the outside, and opens to the opening 304 of the cartridge 31. The port 313 is a vent port and opens to the flow path 316. These ports 311, 312, and 313 are configured to be detachable from the pipes 103, 104, and 131 to which they are connected.

  The filter member 35 will be described, and the problem during the filter wetting process described in the background art section will be supplementarily described. The filtration member 35 is formed by bending a membrane member made of, for example, a nonwoven fabric. The filter member 35 is dry when the filter unit 3 is attached to the apparatus 1, but is immersed in a resist during use. The filter member 35 includes a large number of fine holes 321. FIG. 3 shows this hole 321 very schematically. An arrow 322 and an arrow 323 in the figure indicate the resist toward the filter member 35 and the resist that has passed through the filter member 35, respectively. If the foreign matter contained in the upstream resist is larger than the hole 321, it is directly collected by the filtering member 35. Even if the foreign matter is smaller than the hole 321, the foreign matter is collected by the filtering member 35 by the known interception collection, inertia collection, diffusion collection and electrostatic adsorption collection, and the downstream side of the filtration member 35. The outflow to the is prevented. However, the size of the hole 321 varies as described above, and resist permeation into the hole 321 hardly occurs depending on the size of the hole 321.

  That is, even if the resist is supplied to the filter unit 3 and the filter is wetted, it is conceivable that a region that does not immerse the resist in the filter member 35 is generated. When the resist coating process is performed in such a state, the upstream resist flows through only a limited range of the filtering member 35 and is supplied to the downstream side of the filtering member 35. In this case, the above-described interception collection, inertia collection, diffusion collection, and electrostatic adsorption collection are not sufficiently performed. In order to prevent this, the resist coating apparatus 1 performs a negative pressure deaeration process and an air release process, which will be described later, as the filter wetting process. Negative pressure is a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the piping system will be continued. One end of a pipe 104 is connected to the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3, and the other end of the pipe 104 is connected to the wall surface of the trap tank 24 via a valve V <b> 15. One end of the drainage pipe 112 is connected to the upper side of the trap tank 24, and the other end of the drainage pipe 112 is connected to the drainage path of the atmospheric atmosphere via a valve V16. In the figure, V16 is a valve interposed in the drainage pipe 112. The trap tank 24 has a role of collecting bubbles in the resist and removing them through the drain pipe 112.

  One end of a pipe 105 is connected to the lower part of the trap tank 24, and the other end of the pipe 105 is connected to the upstream side of the pump 25 via a valve V <b> 17. As the pump 25, for example, a pump having a structure reflecting suction and pressurization from the outside of the pump is used. An example is a pneumatic pump such as a diaphragm pump. The diaphragm is deformed by the internal pressure of the space provided in the pump 25, and thereby the flow path of the resist constituted by the diaphragm is expanded and contracted. Due to the expansion of the flow path, the resist is sucked into the flow path as a result of forming a negative pressure atmosphere by reducing the pressure on the upstream side of the pump 25, that is, the secondary side (nozzle side) of the filter unit 3. Further, due to the shrinkage of the flow path, the resist is discharged from the flow path to the downstream side. In the figure, 121 is a pipe for supplying air to pressurize the space, and 122 is a pipe for exhausting air from the space to depressurize the space. In the drawing, V21 and V22 are valves interposed in the pipes 121 and 122, respectively.

  One end of a pipe 106 is connected to the pump 25 via the valve V 18, and the other end of the pipe 106 is connected to the wall surface of the trap tank 26. Similar to the trap tank 24, the trap tank 26 is provided for collecting and removing bubbles. One end of a drainage pipe 113 is connected to the upper side of the trap tank 26, and the other end of the drainage pipe 113 is connected to the drainage path via a valve V19. One end of a pipe 107 is connected to the lower part of the trap tank 26, and the other end of the pipe 107 is connected to the nozzle 14 via a valve V23.

  Next, the decompression unit 4 will be described. The decompression unit 4 includes pipes described below (including those described as exhaust pipes), trap tanks 41 and 42, a vacuum trap tank 43, an exhaust path 136, and valves. One end of a pipe 131 is connected to the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3. The other end of the pipe 131 is connected to the bottom of the trap tank 41 through a valve V41 that is a vent valve. The trap tank 41 has a negative pressure atmosphere in the negative pressure degassing process and traps the resist sucked from the filter unit 3. One end of a drainage pipe 114 is connected to the bottom of the trap tank 41, and the other end of the drainage pipe 114 is connected to the drainage path via a valve V42. One end of an exhaust pipe 132 is connected to the upper portion of the trap tank 41, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 132 is connected to the vacuum trap tank 43 via a valve V 43.

  In the pipe 104 connected to the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3, one end of the pipe 133 is connected to the upstream side of the valve V15. The other end of the pipe 133 is connected to the bottom of the trap tank 42 via a valve V44 that forms a secondary valve of the filter unit 3. Like the trap tank 41, the trap tank 42 has a negative pressure atmosphere in the negative pressure deaeration process, and traps the resist sucked from the filter unit 3. One end of a drainage pipe 115 for removing the resist stored in the trap tank 42 to the drainage path is connected to the bottom of the trap tank 42. The other end of the drainage pipe 115 is connected to the drainage path via a valve V45. One end of an exhaust pipe 134 is connected to the upper portion of the trap tank 42, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 134 is connected to the vacuum trap tank 43 via a valve V 46.

  The vacuum trap tank 43 has a role of more reliably suppressing the resist flow into the exhaust path 136. The internal space 44 provided in the vacuum trap tank 43 is decompressed, and the resist leaked from the trap tanks 41 and 42 through the exhaust pipes 132 and 134 is stored in the internal space 44. A liquid level gauge 45 is provided in the internal space 44. When the liquid level of the leaked resist is detected, a predetermined signal is output to the control unit 10 described later. One end of an exhaust pipe 135 is connected to the upper side of the vacuum trap tank 43, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 135 is connected to an exhaust amount adjusting unit 46 provided in an air exhaust path 136 via a valve V47. Yes. The exhaust flow rate adjustment unit 46 adjusts the exhaust flow rate of the exhaust pipe 135 to an appropriate value. In the figure, 47 is a vacuum gauge that outputs a signal to the control unit 10 in accordance with the degree of vacuum in the exhaust pipe 135.

  The resist coating apparatus 1 includes a control unit 10. The control unit 10 includes a program, a CPU, a bus, and the like. The program outputs a control signal from the control unit 10 to each unit of the apparatus 1 and commands (each step) are set so that processing described later is performed. This program is stored in a storage unit such as a computer storage medium, for example, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, or an MO (magneto-optical disk) and installed in the main memory. The programs include programs for performing rotation of the spin chuck 11, operation of the pump 25 by opening and closing each valve, flow of the resist downstream, and negative pressure deaeration processing. Performs these operations via the CPU.

  The control unit 10 includes an operation unit (not shown). When an operator of the apparatus 1 performs a predetermined operation from the operation unit, a control signal is output to each part of the apparatus 1 so that the filter wetting process is automatically performed. Further, the control unit 10 monitors signals from the vacuum gauge 47 and the liquid level gauge 45, and when an abnormality in the degree of vacuum and leakage of the resist are detected, an alarm is generated by an alarm generation unit (not shown). The alarm is, for example, a voice or a screen display.

  The filter wetting process described above includes an immersion process in which a resist is introduced into the filter unit 3 and the filter member 35 is immersed in the resist, a negative pressure deaeration process in which the inside of the filter unit 3 is deaerated as a negative pressure atmosphere, The process includes an air release process for releasing the inside of the filter unit 3 to the atmosphere and a flow process for allowing the resist to flow from the primary side of the filter unit 3 to the nozzle 14. Each process is performed in this order. 4 to 11 showing how the valves of the resist coating apparatus 1 open and close, and FIGS. 12 to 20 showing how the resist circulates inside the filter unit 3, while corresponding to each other. The filter wetting process and the resist coating process performed thereafter will be described. 4 to 11, the flow of resist in the pipe is indicated by a thick line. 13 to 20 also show the open / closed states of the valves V14, V41, V15, and V44 connected to the ports 311 to 313.

  First, the novel filter unit 3 shown in FIG. 12, that is, the filter unit 3 in a dry state in which the filtering member 35 is not immersed in the liquid is prepared. This filter unit 3 is attached to the apparatus 1 in a state where the filter unit 3 is removed in FIG. Specifically, the pipes 103, 104, 131 are connected to the ports 311, 312, 313, and the resist coating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is formed. For example, the valves V11 to V47 are closed at this time.

  When the operator of the resist coating apparatus 1 performs a predetermined operation from the operation unit of the control unit 10, the valves V <b> 12, V <b> 14, V <b> 41, V <b> 42 are opened, and the drain path from the bottle 21 through the filter unit 3 and the trap tank 41. The path leading to is opened, and the immersion treatment of the filter unit 3 is started. The valve V11 is opened, N2 gas is supplied to the bottle 21 and its internal pressure rises, and the resist flows from the resist supply source 2 to the filter unit 3 as shown in FIG. The resist supplied to the filter unit 3 is supplied from the resist introduction port 311 to the flow paths 314, 315, and 316 in the capsule 32 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the resist is further supplied to the flow path 316 to fill the flow path 316 and flow to the drainage path through the vent port 313, and the resist permeates the filtration member 35 from the flow path 316. I will do it.

  When a predetermined time elapses after the dipping process is started, the valve V41 and the valve V42 are closed, and the path from the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3 to the drainage path via the trap tank 41 is blocked. Along with the interruption of this path, the valves V44 and V45 are opened as shown in FIG. 5, and the path from the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3 to the drainage path via the trap tank 42 is opened. As a result, the resist flows toward the flow path 301 inside the flow path 316 through the filter member 35 as shown in FIG. 15, and the immersion of the filter member 35 further proceeds. The flow of the resist is continued, the flow path 301 is filled with the resist, and is discharged from the external supply port 312 to the drainage path via the trap tank 42. At this time, the region of the filtering member 35 that does not face the opening 303 is less likely to contact the resist than the region that faces the opening 303, and the resist makes the filtering member 35 uniform as described above. Since it does not permeate, as shown in FIG. 16, the filter member 35 has a portion not immersed in the resist, that is, a portion where the bubbles 40 remain.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the immersion process, the valves V11, V12, V14 are closed, the supply of N2 gas to the bottle 21 is stopped, and the path from the bottle 21 to the filter unit 3 is closed, so that the immersion process is performed. finish. At the same time, the valve V45 is closed, and the path from the trap tank 42 to the drainage path is closed. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, valves V41, V43, V44, V46, V47 are opened, a path from the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3 to the exhaust path 136 via the trap tank 41, the vacuum trap tank 43, and A path from the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3 to the exhaust path 136 through the trap tank 42 and the vacuum trap tank 43 is opened. Thereby, the negative pressure deaeration process is started, and the inside of the capsule 32 of the filter unit 3 is sucked and depressurized.

  The inside of the capsule 32 is a negative pressure atmosphere, and is maintained at, for example, −51 kPa to −80 kPa. In this example, it is maintained at −80 kPa (−80000 Pa). When the state inside the filter unit 3 at this time is described with reference to FIG. 17, the volume of the bubbles 40 included in the resist increases, and the buoyancy with respect to the resist increases. In addition, when the resist is sucked from the ports 312 and 313 in this way, the resist flows in the filter unit 3. This resist flow is caused not only by the suction force acting on the resist but also by the fact that the inside of the capsule 32 contracts due to the formation of a negative pressure atmosphere as shown in an evaluation test described later. . Due to the flow of the resist, the capillary action of the resist in the filter member 35 is promoted, and the resist permeates the flow path of the filter member 35 in which the bubbles 40 have been accumulated, and the bubbles 40 are pulled out from the filter member 35. It is. Since the bubbles 40 drawn out in this manner have a high buoyancy, they gather toward the ports 312 and 313 where suction is performed as shown in FIG. In this way, the bubbles 40 are removed from the filtering member 35.

  The resist sucked from the ports 312 and 313 during the negative pressure degassing process is collected in the trap tanks 41 and 42 and stored. When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the negative pressure degassing process, the valves V43, V46, V47 are closed, the path from the trap tanks 41, 42 to the exhaust path 136 via the vacuum trap tank 43 is closed, and the negative pressure The deaeration process ends. In parallel with the closing of this path, an air release process is performed in which the valves V42 and V45 are opened, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the drainage path of the atmospheric atmosphere via the trap tanks 41 and 42 as shown in FIG. Is released. As a result, the pressure in the filter unit 3 is increased to atmospheric pressure, and the pressure acting on the bubbles 40 drawn to the ports 312 and 313 is increased as shown in FIG. Dissolves in the resist as shown in FIG. In parallel with the dissolution of the bubbles 40, the resist collected in the trap tanks 41 and 42 is discharged to the drainage passage.

  Thereafter, the valves V41, V42, V44, V45 are closed, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the drainage path via the trap tanks 41, 42 is closed. Then, the valves V12, V14, V15, and V16 are opened, and the path from the bottle 21 to the drainage path through the liquid end tank 23, the filter unit 3, and the trap tank 24 is opened. Further, the valve V11 is opened, the bottle 21 is pressurized with N2 gas, and the resist flow process is started. As shown in FIG. 8, the resist is supplied from the resist supply source 2 to the path, and the resist in which the bubbles 40 are dissolved in the filter unit 3 is pushed out of the filter unit 3 through the trap tank 24. Removed to drain. This prevents the dissolved bubbles 40 from foaming again into particles.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the resist flow process, the valve V16 is closed, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the drainage path via the trap tank 24 is closed. In parallel with the closing of this path, the valves V17, V18, V23 are opened, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the nozzle 14 via the trap tank 24, the pump 25 and the trap tank 26 is opened as shown in FIG. The resist flow process is continued so that the resist is discharged from the nozzle 14. As a result, particles on the upstream side of the filter unit 3 are collected by the filter unit 3, and particles on the downstream side of the filter unit 3 are discharged together with the resist and removed from the piping system. It should be noted that the valve V19 and the valve V23 are opened and closed at an appropriate timing during the flow of the resist, and the resist is stored in the trap tank 26.

  When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the flow process, the valve V11 is closed, the supply of N2 gas into the bottle 21 is stopped, the valves V18 and V23 are closed, and the path from the pump 25 to the nozzle 14 is blocked. Then, the resist flow process ends. Thereafter, a resist coating process is performed. First, the wafer W is held on the spin chuck 11 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) and rotated around the vertical axis, and the suction operation of the pump 25 is performed as shown in FIG. Is done. As a result, the resist flows from the bottle 21 to the secondary side of the filter unit 3, and the resist is stored in the pump 25. By this suction operation, the pressure in the filter unit 3 and the pipe is set to -1 kPa to -50 kPa, for example, -1 kPa (-1000 Pa).

  At the time of the negative pressure deaeration process, the purpose is to remove the bubbles 40 from the filter member 35, and therefore the inside of the filter unit 3 is set to a relatively large negative pressure atmosphere. However, if the negative pressure atmosphere is too large, components dissolved in the solvent in the resist may be precipitated, and the properties of the resist may change. During the resist coating process, the pressure in the piping system including the filter unit 3 is reduced for the purpose of preventing the resist thus altered from being supplied to the wafer W and the purpose of preventing the deposited components from becoming particles. As described above, the suction amount of the pump 25 is controlled so that the pressure atmosphere is higher than the pressure in the filter unit 3 during the negative pressure deaeration process. Even if the resist component is precipitated in the filter unit 3 during the negative pressure degassing process, the filter member 35 collects the resist in the filter unit 3 or pipes together with the resist in which bubbles are dissolved. Since it is discharged from the system, the resist coating process is not affected.

  When the valve V17 is closed and the suction operation by the pump 25 is finished, the valve V18 is opened and air is supplied to the pump 25, and after adjusting the pressure of the space for controlling the shape of the diaphragm described above, The valve V23 is opened and the resist discharging operation from the pump 25 to the nozzle 14 is performed. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the resist is supplied from the nozzle 14 to the center of the wafer W. The resist spreads to the peripheral edge of the wafer W by centrifugal force and is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W. After the discharge, the valves V18 and V23 are closed, and the resist coating process is completed. Actually, pressurization of the pump 25 during the resist coating process is performed in stages, but detailed description is omitted here.

  A plurality of wafers W are successively transferred to the resist coating apparatus 1, and the suction and discharge operations of the pump 25 are repeated to apply a resist to each wafer W. It is to be noted that the passage from the pump 25 to the vent port of the filter unit 3, the trap tank 41, and the drainage passage is opened and the discharge operation of the pump 25 is performed at an appropriate timing during the repeated coating process. Venting (gas venting) of the filter unit 3 is performed. Similarly, the valves of the drainage pipes connected to the tanks 23, 24, and 26 are opened at appropriate timing, and venting is performed by the resist pumped from the bottle 21 or the pump 25.

  According to this resist coating apparatus 1, a resist is supplied into the capsule 32 of the filter unit 3, the filter member 35 is immersed in the resist, and then the inside of the capsule 32 is sucked by the decompression unit 4, and the negative pressure atmosphere during the coating process The air bubbles contained in the holes 321 of the filter member 35 are drawn out in a negative pressure atmosphere at a lower pressure. Thereafter, the filter unit 3 is returned to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere to dissolve the bubbles in the resist. By performing the treatment in this manner, bubbles can be quickly removed from the filter member 35, and bubbles remaining in the filter unit 3 can be reduced. Accordingly, in both cases where the apparatus 1 is newly started up and when the filter unit 3 is replaced, the filter unit 3 is mounted on the device 1 and the filter unit 3 is immersed in a resist solution, and then the wafer W is processed. It is possible to shorten the rise time of the apparatus 1 required until the process is performed. In addition, the amount of resist to be passed through the filter unit 3 before the apparatus 1 is started can be suppressed. As a result, the processing efficiency of the apparatus 1 can be improved, and the cost required for this startup can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the decompression unit 4 is different from that of the first embodiment. FIG. 21 shows the configuration of the decompression unit 4 and its surroundings, and the upstream side of the valve V14 and the downstream side of the valve V15 are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted. . In the second embodiment, pumps 51 and 52 are provided in place of the trap tanks 41 and 42, respectively. These pumps 51 and 52 are connected to the vacuum tank 53 via exhaust pipes 132 and 134. The vacuum tank 53 is configured in the same manner as the vacuum trap tank 43 of the first embodiment except that the liquid level gauge 45 is not provided, and is connected to the exhaust path 136 via a valve V47.

  The pumps 51 and 52 are constituted by a diaphragm pump similar to the pump 25, for example. Air supply pipes 501 and 502 are connected to the pumps 51 and 52, respectively. The pumps 51 and 52 are driven by the air supply from the air supply pipes 501 and 502 and the exhaust from the exhaust pipes 132 and 134, respectively. In the figure, V51 and V52 are valves provided in the air supply pipes 501 and 502, respectively.

  When the negative pressure deaeration process is performed, the valve V47 is opened, and the path from the pumps 51 and 52 to the exhaust path 136 via the vacuum tank 53 is opened. At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the valves V14, V15, V42, V45, V51, and V52 are closed, and the path leading to the filter tank 3 and its upstream side, the filter part 3 and its downstream side trap tank 24, the pump 51 , 52 to the drainage path are blocked. Further, the valves V41 and V44 are opened, and the path from the vent port 313 and the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3 to the pumps 51 and 52 is opened. Thus, the opening and closing of each valve is controlled, and the pumps 51 and 52 perform the suction operation, whereby the inside of the filter unit 3 is sucked through the external supply port 312 and the vent port 313, A negative pressure atmosphere similar to that of the first embodiment is formed.

  When the negative pressure degassing process is finished, the valves V47, V41, and V44 are closed, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the pumps 51 and 52 and the path from the vacuum tank 53 to the exhaust path 136 are blocked. , 52 ends. Then, the valves V42 and V45 are opened, the path from the filter unit 3 to the drainage path via the pumps 51 and 52 is opened, and the above-described atmosphere release process is performed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 22, the valves V41 and V44 are closed, the path from the filter unit 3 to the pumps 51 and 52 is shut off, the valves V51 and V52 are opened, and the pumps 51 and 52 are discharged. I do. As a result, the resist remaining in the pumps 51 and 52 is discharged to the drainage passage. In the second embodiment, the processes other than the negative pressure deaeration process and the atmospheric release process are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment shown in FIG. 23 is different from the second embodiment in the configuration of the decompression unit 4. Similarly to the second embodiment, pumps 51 and 52 are provided. The pumps 51 and 52 are not connected to the exhaust passage 136, and the discharge operation and the suction operation are switched depending on whether or not air is supplied from the pipes 501 and 502. The pumps 51 and 52 are configured as pumps including, for example, a syringe and a pneumatic cylinder so that such an operation can be performed. Each valve is opened and closed in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and a negative pressure deaeration process and a subsequent air release process in the filter unit 3 are performed. In this example, the vacuum gauge 47 is configured to measure the degree of vacuum of the pipe 131 connecting the filter unit 3 and the pump 51.
Moreover, you may comprise the pumps 51 and 52 with an electric pump, for example instead of making it the pump which operate | moves by an air pressure. In these third embodiments as well, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to speed up the startup time of the resist coating apparatus 1.

(Fourth embodiment)
You may perform a negative pressure deaeration process using the pump 25, without providing the pressure reduction part 4. FIG. FIG. 24 shows a resist coating apparatus 5 that is such a fourth embodiment. Explaining the difference from the first embodiment, in addition to the fact that the decompression unit 4 is not provided, a pipe 131 connected to the vent port of the filter unit 3 is connected to a drainage channel via a valve V41. It is mentioned that it is connected to. In this embodiment, the secondary valve of the filter unit 3 corresponds to the valve V <b> 16 provided in the drain pipe 112 of the trap tank 24.

  The operation of the resist coating apparatus 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. After attaching the filter unit 3 to each pipe of the apparatus 5, as in the first embodiment, the resist is supplied from the resist supply source 2 via the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3 to the drainage path, and As shown in FIG. 24, the resist is supplied through the external supply port 312, the trap tank 24, and the valve V 16 in this order to reach the drainage path, and the filter unit 3 is immersed.

  Thereafter, the path from the bottle 21 to the liquid end tank 23 and the path from the liquid end tank 23 to the filter unit 3 are closed, respectively, and the supply of the resist from the bottle 21 to the downstream side is stopped and the N2 gas to the bottle 21 is stopped. Stop supplying. Further, the valve V16 is closed, the path from the trap tank 24 to the drainage path is closed, the valve V17 is opened, and the path from the filter unit 3 to the pump 25 via the trap tank 24 is opened. Then, the suction operation of the pump 25 is performed as shown in FIG. 25, and the negative pressure deaeration process is performed. In this negative pressure deaeration process, the suction amount of the pump 25 is controlled to maintain the inside of the filter unit 3 at −51 kPa to −80 kPa, for example, −80 kPa (−80000 Pa). As a result, as shown in FIG. 28, the bubbles 40 are drawn from the filter member 35 toward the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 26, the valves V41 and V16 are opened, the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3 is opened to the drainage passage, and the external supply port 312 of the filter unit 3 is drained via the trap tank 24. Opened to the liquid path, the inside of the filter unit 3 becomes an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. As a result, the bubbles 40 are dissolved in the resist as in the first embodiment. Further, the suction state of the pump 25 is released and the discharge state is entered.

  Thereafter, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, a flow process is performed so that the resist is discharged from the resist supply source 2 through the filter unit 3, the pump 25, the trap tank 26, and the nozzle 14 in this order. Note that the resist is filled into the trap tank 26 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. After the resist discharge is continued for a predetermined time, a resist coating process is started, and suction by the pump 25 is performed as shown in FIG. The suction here is controlled so that the pressure of the filter unit 3 is higher than the pressure during the negative pressure deaeration process, as in the resist coating process of the first embodiment. Thereafter, the discharge operation of the pump 25 is performed, and the sucked resist is supplied from the nozzle 14 to the wafer W.

  In such a resist coating apparatus 5, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In this embodiment, since the pump 25 has the role of the pressure reduction part 4, there exists an advantage which can simplify an apparatus structure. However, maintaining the filter portion 3 in a relatively large negative pressure atmosphere as described above may cause the pump 25 to be deteriorated by applying a large load, so the first implementation is performed from the viewpoint of preventing such deterioration. It is effective to provide a dedicated decompression unit 4 for performing negative pressure deaeration processing as in the embodiment.

(Fifth embodiment)
A resist coating apparatus 50 according to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 29 is a modification of the fourth embodiment, and negative pressure deaeration processing is performed by the pump 25 as in the fourth embodiment. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the pipes 503 and 504 are provided and the valves V53 and V54 interposed in the pipes are provided. The pipe 503 connects the trap tank 24 and the upstream side of the valve V14 of the pipe 103. The pipe 504 connects the pump 25 and the trap tank 24 to each other. For convenience of illustration, the resist discharge path from the pump 25 is shown as extending from the pipe 504 and the pipe 107, but the pipe 504 and the pipe 107 actually extend from the pump 25. The tip end side of the pipe is branched.

  The flow process of this embodiment includes a process of flowing the resist as follows using the pipes 503 and 504 in order to reduce the amount of the resist used. The valves V11, V12, V14, and V17 are opened to pressurize the bottle 21, and the path from the bottle 21 to the pump 25 through the filter unit 3 and the trap tank 24 is opened. After performing the suction operation of the pump 25, the valve V12 is closed to disconnect the connection between the bottle 21 and the liquid end tank 23, and the valves V54, V53, V13 are opened, and the trap tank 24 is removed from the pump 25. The path to the liquid end tank 23 is opened. A discharge operation from the pump 25 is performed to return the resist to the liquid end tank 23 side. Since the immersion treatment, negative pressure deaeration treatment, atmospheric release treatment, and resist coating treatment of the filter unit 3 are performed in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

(Sixth embodiment)
Although the case where the present invention is applied to a resist coating apparatus has been described, the use of a resist as a processing liquid is not limited. FIG. 30 schematically shows a developer supply system 60 and a pure water supply system 61. The developer supply system 60 and the pure water supply system constitute a developing device that supplies the developer to the wafer W and removes the developer on the wafer W by supplying pure water to the wafer W. In the developing device, in order to supply the developer and pure water to the wafer W as described above, the cup 13 and the spin chuck 11 are provided in the same manner as the resist coating device 1. In addition, a control unit 10 that controls operations such as opening and closing of each valve is provided, but illustration of the cup 13, the spin chuck 11, and the control unit 10 is omitted.

  In the figure, reference numeral 62 denotes a developer supply unit, and 63 denotes a tank for storing the developer supplied from the supply unit, and these together constitute a developer supply source. The tank 63 also has a role of feeding the developer in a state where the developer is pressurized downstream by the supply of N 2 gas from the N 2 gas supply source 64. V61 and V62 in the figure are valves for controlling the supply of the developing solution to the tank 63 and the supply of N2 gas, respectively. In the figure, reference numeral 65 denotes a branch path forming part for branching the flow path from the tank 63. In the illustrated example, three branch paths are formed.

  The filter unit 3 is provided downstream of the branch path forming unit 65 via a valve V63, and the valve V64 is provided downstream of the filter unit 3. The decompression unit 4 described in the first embodiment is connected to the vent port 313 of the filter unit 3 and the downstream side of the filter unit 3 and the upstream side of the valve V64. Three variations are shown in the figure for the downstream side configuration of the valve V64. One is an example in which a branch path forming portion 68 branches off the downstream side of the flow meter 67, and a nozzle 66 is connected to each branch end via a valve V65. One is an example in which a branch is made on the downstream side of the filter unit 3, and each branch end is connected to the nozzle 66 through a flow meter 67 and a valve V65 in this order. One is an example in which the flowmeter 67 and the valve V65 are connected to the nozzle 66 in this order without branching. Thus, the configuration of the piping system to which the filter unit 3 is attached is arbitrary.

  In the developer supply system 60, the filter wetting process is performed as in the first embodiment. However, a developing solution supplied downstream from the supply unit 62 via the tank 63 is used as the processing solution instead of the resist. After supplying the developer from the nozzle 66 to the wafer W after the filter wetting process, the pressurized developer is supplied from the tank 63 to the downstream side. That is, in this example, the path from the tank 63 including the inside of the filter unit 3 to the nozzle 66 is a positive pressure atmosphere when the developer is supplied. That is, the negative pressure atmosphere is not necessarily formed on the downstream side of the filter unit 3 when supplying the processing liquid to the wafer W as in the above embodiments. By the way, a thinner supply system may be configured by using thinner instead of the developer as the processing liquid in the developer supply system 60. This thinner supply system is applied to the resist coating apparatus 1 described above, for example, and supplies thinner to the wafer W before resist coating to improve the wettability of the resist to the wafer W.

  The pure water supply system 61 includes a piping system from the pure water supply source 69 to the nozzle 66 through the valve V61, the valve V63, the filter unit 3, the flow meter 67, and the valve V65. Then, like the developer supply system 60, this piping system is connected to the decompression unit 4, and the filter wetting process is performed as in the first embodiment. For this wetting, pure water supplied from the supply source 69 is used instead of the resist. The pure water supply source 69 is constituted by, for example, a flow path through which the pure water flows by the utility of the factory, and pure water is supplied to the nozzle 66 side by the water pressure of the pure water flowing into the piping system from the pure water supply source 69. The piping system is configured so that water flows. That is, in the pure water supply system 61, when pure water is supplied to the wafer W, the inside of the pipe from the pure water supply source 69 to the nozzle 66 becomes a positive pressure atmosphere.

  In each of the above embodiments, the negative pressure deaeration process and the air release process of the filter unit 3 may be repeated. In the above example, suction is performed from the external supply port 312 or the external supply port 312 and the vent port 313 in the filter unit 3, but from which port suction is performed is not limited to these examples. . For example, the decompression unit 4 may be configured to perform suction from the resist introduction port 311.

  Subsequently, for example, the coating and developing apparatus 7 to which the resist coating apparatus 1 is applied will be described. 31, 32, and 33 are a plan view, a perspective view, and a schematic longitudinal side view of the coating and developing apparatus 7, respectively. The coating / developing apparatus 7 is configured by connecting a carrier block D1, a processing block D2, and an interface block D3 in a straight line. An exposure device D4 is further connected to the interface block D3. In the following description, the arrangement direction of the blocks D1 to D3 is the front-rear direction. The carrier block D1 has a role of carrying a carrier C including a plurality of wafers W, which are substrates, into and out of the apparatus. And a transfer mechanism 73 for transporting the wafer W.

  The processing block D2 is configured by laminating first to sixth unit blocks B1 to B6 for performing liquid processing on the wafer W in order from the bottom. For convenience of explanation, “BCT” is a process for forming a lower antireflection film on the wafer W, “COT” is a process for forming a resist film on the wafer W, and a process for forming a resist pattern on the exposed wafer W is performed. Sometimes expressed as “DEV”. In the following description, the unit block may be expressed as a “layer” to avoid the complication of description.

  In this example, two BCT layers, COT layers, and DEV layers are stacked from the bottom, and the COT layers (B3, B4) will be described with reference to FIG. A shelf unit U is arranged on one of the left and right sides of the transport region R from the carrier block D1 to the interface block D3. On the other side, the resist coating apparatus 1 and the protective film forming module 74 are provided side by side as a liquid processing module. In the coating and developing apparatus 7, the place where the wafer W is placed is called a module, and accordingly, the resist coating apparatus 1 is referred to as a resist coating module 1 accordingly.

  In the transfer region R, a transfer arm A3 which is a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer W is provided. The transfer arm A3 is configured to be movable back and forth, vertically movable, rotatable about the vertical axis, and movable in the length direction of the transfer region R, and transfers the wafer W between the modules of the unit block B3. be able to. The shelf unit U includes a heating module 76 that heats the wafer W and a peripheral exposure module 77. The peripheral edge exposure module 77 exposes the peripheral edge of the wafer W after the resist application.

  The other unit blocks B1, B2, B5 and B6 are configured in the same manner as the unit blocks B3 and B4 except that the chemical solution supplied to the wafer W is different in the liquid processing module. The unit blocks B1 and B2 include an antireflection film forming module as a liquid processing module instead of the resist coating module 1 and the protective film forming module 74, and the unit blocks B5 and B6 include a developing module as a liquid processing module.

  On the carrier block D1 side in the processing block D2, the tower T1 is provided, and a delivery arm 75 that is a raising and lowering delivery mechanism for delivering the wafer W to the tower T1 is provided. The tower T1 is provided with a buffer module for temporarily storing a plurality of wafers W, a hydrophobizing module for hydrophobizing the surface of the wafers W, and the like in addition to the delivery module. Therefore, these modules are referred to as a delivery module TRS for delivering the wafer W between the delivery arm 75 and the transfer arms A1 to A6 of the unit blocks B1 to B6. The tower T1 is provided with an inspection module 70 that detects particles on the surface of the wafer W.

  The interface block D3 includes towers T2, T3, and T4 extending up and down across the unit blocks B1 to B6, and is an interface that is a transfer mechanism that can be moved up and down to transfer the wafer W to the tower T2 and the tower T3. An arm 78, an interface arm 79 that is a transfer mechanism that can be moved up and down for transferring the wafer W to the tower T2 and the tower T4, and an interface for transferring the wafer W between the tower T2 and the exposure apparatus D4. An arm 80 is provided. As shown in FIG. 33, the tower T2 is configured by stacking delivery modules TRS on each other. The description of the towers T3 and T4 is omitted.

  An outline of the transfer path of the wafer W in the system including the coating / developing apparatus 7 and the exposure apparatus D4 will be briefly described. Wafer W is transferred from carrier C → transfer mechanism 73 → tower T1 transfer module TRS → transfer arm 75 → tower T1 transfer module TRS → unit block B1 (B2) → unit block B3 (B4) → interface block D3 → exposure apparatus. The flow proceeds in the order of D4 → interface block D3 → tower T1 delivery module TRS → transfer mechanism 73 → carrier C.

  The flow of the wafer W in the processing block D2 will be described in more detail. The unit blocks B1 and B2 for forming the antireflection film, the unit blocks B3 and B4 for forming the resist film, and the unit blocks B5 and B6 for developing are duplicated. A plurality of wafers W in the same lot are distributed to these duplicated unit blocks, that is, alternately transferred to the unit blocks. For example, when transferring the wafer W to the unit block B1, among the transfer modules TRS in the tower T1, the transfer module TRS1 corresponding to the unit block B1 (the transfer module capable of transferring the wafer W by the transfer arm A1) is used. On the other hand, the wafer W is delivered by the delivery arm 75. The module from which the transfer arm 75 is received in the tower T1 is the transfer module TRS0 carried in by the transfer mechanism 73.

  If the delivery module corresponding to the unit block B2 is TRS2, the wafer W of the delivery module TRS0 is delivered by the delivery arm 75 to the delivery module TRS2. Accordingly, the transfer modules for the wafers W in the same lot are alternately distributed to the TRS 1 and TRS 2 by the transfer arm 75.

  The transfer arms A1 and A2 receive the wafers W of the delivery modules TRS1 and TRS2, and sequentially transfer them to the antireflection film forming module and the heating module to form an antireflection film. After the formation of the antireflection film, the wafer W is transferred between the transfer module TRS3 corresponding to the unit block B3 and the transfer module TRS4 corresponding to the unit block B4 by the transfer arm 75 via the transfer module TRS1 or TRS2, for example. Sorted and transported. The transfer arms A3 and A4 receive the wafers W of the transfer modules TRS3 and TRS4, and sequentially transfer them to the resist coating module 1, the heating module 76, and the peripheral exposure module 77 to perform resist film formation and peripheral exposure. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the tower T2 as described above and exposed by the exposure apparatus D4.

  Further, the exposed wafer W is alternately carried into the unit blocks B5 and B6 by the interface arms 78, 79 and 80 of the interface block D3 via the transfer module TRS of the tower T2. In the unit blocks B5 and B6, the wafer W is transferred by the transfer arms A5 and A6 in the order of heating module → developing module → heating module, and then returned to the carrier C via the tower T1. For example, the control unit 10 described above transmits a control signal to each unit of the coating and developing apparatus 7, thereby controlling the transfer of the wafer W and the operation of the module, and such processing is performed. Further, the control unit 10 controls the operation of each unit in an inspection process described later.

  Next, an inspection process using the inspection module 70 will be described. In the resist coating module 1 of the third unit block B3, after performing negative pressure degassing processing, air release processing, and resist flow-through processing in order as described in the first embodiment, a plurality of coating and developing devices 1 are provided. The carrier C1 storing the test wafer W1 is transported by a transport mechanism (not shown). The test wafer W1 is transferred from the carrier C1 in the order of the transfer mechanism 73 → the delivery module TRS3 → the transfer arm A3 → the resist coating module 1, and the resist coating process is performed on the test wafer W1. Thereafter, the test wafer W1 is transferred in the order of transfer arm A3 → transfer module TRS3 → transfer arm 75 → inspection module 70, is inspected by the inspection module 70, and is returned from the transfer mechanism 73 to the carrier C1.

  The inspection result of the inspection module 70 is transmitted to the control unit 10, and the number of particles in the resist film is counted. If the counted number of particles is equal to or less than the reference value, the control unit 10 enables the coating / developing apparatus 1. That is, when the carrier C is transferred to the mounting table 71, the wafer W can be transferred from the carrier C and processed as described above. If the counted number of particles exceeds the reference value, the control unit 10 controls the operation of the resist coating module 1 to perform, for example, the negative pressure degassing process, the air release process, and the resist liquid passing process again. Thereafter, a new test wafer is transferred from the carrier C1 to the resist coating module 1. For example, the negative pressure degassing process, the resist solution passing process, and the resist coating process on the test wafer are repeated until the number of particles becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

Even if the carrier C is transported to the mounting table 71, the delivery of the wafer W for product manufacture from the carrier C is suspended until the particle becomes below the reference value. By carrying out the wafer W transfer control and the operation control of the resist coating module 1 in this way, it is possible to more reliably prevent particles from entering the product manufacturing wafer W. Whether or not to perform the negative pressure degassing process, the air release process, and the resist liquid passing process again is determined by the operator of the apparatus based on the number of particles detected by the inspection module 70, instead of being determined by the control unit 10. You may do it.
By the way, in each of the above examples, after bubbles are dissolved in the resist by the open air treatment, a flow treatment is performed, and the resist in which the bubbles are dissolved is drained. Alternatively, a resist in a state where bubbles are dissolved may be applied to the wafer W. However, as described above, in order to avoid refoaming, it is preferable to perform the flow treatment.

  Further, the target pressure atmosphere referred to in the claims is a predetermined pressure atmosphere that is a target for dissolving the bubbles by increasing the pressure in the filter unit 3 in order to dissolve the bubbles after the negative pressure deaeration process. In each of the above embodiments, this corresponds to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. However, the target pressure atmosphere is not limited to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and is an arbitrary pressure atmosphere. For example, the filter unit 3 is immersed in the first embodiment, and then the resist is circulated along the path from the nozzle 14 to the bottle 21. Thereafter, negative pressure deaeration processing is performed, and the inside of the filter unit 3 is opened to the atmosphere. At this time, the pressure in the filter unit 3 rises, and the valve opened before reaching the atmospheric pressure is closed to maintain the inside of the filter unit 3 in a negative pressure atmosphere. Thereafter, the suction operation and the discharge operation of the pump 25 are performed, and the resist is supplied to the wafer W. That is, in this case, the negative pressure atmosphere is the target pressure atmosphere.

(Evaluation Test 1)
Three types of existing filter units 3 were prepared, and the internal pressure was changed. Then, when the pressure was changed in such a manner, the change amount of the volume with respect to the volume when the internal pressure was atmospheric pressure was measured. In this test, the pressure is changed so as to be equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. The three filter units 3 are 3A, 3B, and 3C. The graph of FIG. 34 shows the experimental results for the filter units 3A, 3B, and 3C by a solid line, a one-dot chain line, and a two-dot chain line, respectively. The horizontal axis of the graph is the difference (unit MPa) between the atmospheric pressure and the set pressure, and the vertical axis is the volume change amount (unit mL).

  It can be seen from the graph that the volume of each filter unit 3 increases as the internal pressure increases. From this test result, it is considered that when the pressure is set to atmospheric pressure or less, the volumes of the filter portions 3A to 3C change as shown by the dotted line graph. That is, when the inside of the filter unit 3 is set to a negative pressure during the negative pressure deaeration process as described above, the volume in the filter unit 3 changes, and thereby the flow of the processing liquid occurs around the filter member 35. it is conceivable that. That is, it is considered that the processing liquid can be flowed in the filter unit 3 without supplying the processing liquid from the outside of the filter unit 3. It is presumed that the flow of the treatment liquid promotes capillary action as described in the first embodiment, and promotes penetration of the treatment liquid into the filtration member 35 and removal of bubbles from the filtration member 35. .

(Evaluation test 2)
Subsequently, the negative pressure deaeration process, the air release process of the filter unit 3, the flow process, and the coating process on the wafer W were performed according to the first embodiment. However, in this evaluation test 2, an experiment was performed using thinner as a treatment solution instead of a resist. The flow rate of the thinner supplied to the downstream side in the flow-through process was changed, and the thinner was supplied to a plurality of wafers W. Then, a particle having a size of 32 nm or more was measured for each wafer W. This is designated as evaluation test 2-1. Moreover, as the evaluation test 2-2, the same test as the evaluation test 2-1 was performed except that the negative pressure deaeration treatment and the subsequent air release were not performed.

  FIG. 35 is a graph showing the results of these evaluation tests 2-1 and 2-2. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the flow rate of the thinner used in the thinner flow process, and the vertical axis indicates the number of particles. As shown in this graph, in the evaluation test 2-1, the number of particles can be suppressed to 10 or less by using thinner of about 500 mL or more. However, in evaluation test 2-2, 100 or more particles were detected even when the thinner flow rate was about 500 mL or more. From the result of this evaluation test 2, by using the method of the present invention, air bubbles are quickly removed from the filter member 35, the time required for the subsequent flow of the treatment liquid is suppressed, and the time required for starting up the apparatus is shortened. It was shown that it can be realized.

W Wafer 1 Resist coating apparatus 10 Control unit 11 Spin chuck 2 Depressurization supply source 3 Filter unit 25 Pump 4 Decompression unit 41, 42 Trap tank 43 Vacuum trap tank 136 Exhaust passage 311 Resist introduction port 312 External supply port 313 Vent port

The present invention relates to a technique for removing bubbles in a filter section in a liquid processing apparatus that discharges a processing liquid from a nozzle through a filter section.

In the liquid processing method of the present invention , the process of supplying the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply source to the filter unit and filling it,
Next, in order to remove bubbles from the filter unit, a flow path connecting the processing liquid supply source and the filter unit is closed so that the processing liquid does not flow into the filter unit from the processing liquid supply source. A step of reducing the inside of the filter unit to a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere by a decompression unit for decompressing the inside of the filter unit ;
Discharging the treatment liquid from the vent of the filter unit;
Thereafter, the process liquid passed through the filter portion, and the step of supplying the processing liquid to be supplied to the object to be processed,
It is characterized by including.

Another invention is a liquid processing apparatus comprising a processing liquid supply source and a filter unit connected to each other,
A primary side valve provided on the primary side of the filter unit;
The primary valve is closed so that the processing liquid does not flow into the filter unit from the processing liquid supply source, and the flow path connecting the processing liquid supply source and the filter unit is closed. A depressurization unit for depressurizing the inside of the filter unit to remove the bubbles from the filter unit to form a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere ;
A vent valve that is opened to discharge the processing liquid from the vent of the filter unit;
A nozzle for supplying the treatment liquid, which has passed through the filter section after the treatment liquid is discharged from the vent, to the object to be treated;
It is characterized by providing .

Still another invention is a storage medium for storing a computer program used in a liquid processing apparatus including a processing liquid supply source and a filter unit connected to each other ,
The computer program includes a group of steps so as to implement the liquid processing method of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A process of supplying a processing liquid from a processing liquid supply source into the filter unit and filling it,
Next, in order to remove bubbles from the filter unit, a flow path connecting the processing liquid supply source and the filter unit is closed so that the processing liquid does not flow into the filter unit from the processing liquid supply source. A step of reducing the inside of the filter unit to a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere by a decompression unit for decompressing the inside of the filter unit;
Discharging the treatment liquid from the vent of the filter unit;
Thereafter, a process liquid supply step of supplying the process liquid having passed through the filter unit to the object to be processed,
The liquid processing method characterized by including. The liquid processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of discharging the processing liquid from a secondary side of the filter unit.   The liquid processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of increasing the pressure in the filter portion from the first pressure atmosphere so that the inside of the filter portion becomes a target pressure atmosphere. After the pressurizing step, the method further comprises a step of passing a treatment liquid from the primary side to the filter unit in a state where the secondary side of the filter unit is set to a second pressure atmosphere higher than the first pressure atmosphere. The liquid processing method according to claim 3. In a liquid processing apparatus comprising a processing liquid supply source and a filter unit connected to each other,
A primary side valve provided on the primary side of the filter unit;
The primary valve is closed so that the processing liquid does not flow into the filter unit from the processing liquid supply source, and the flow path connecting the processing liquid supply source and the filter unit is closed. A depressurization unit for depressurizing the inside of the filter unit to remove the bubbles from the filter unit to form a first pressure atmosphere that is a negative pressure atmosphere;
A vent valve that is opened to discharge the processing liquid from the vent of the filter unit;
A nozzle for supplying the treatment liquid, which has passed through the filter section after the treatment liquid is discharged from the vent, to the object to be treated;
A liquid processing apparatus comprising:   The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a secondary side valve that is opened when the pressure in the filter unit is reduced in order to discharge the processing liquid from the secondary side of the filter unit.   7. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein after the formation of the first pressure atmosphere, the pressure reducing unit raises the pressure from the first pressure atmosphere so that the inside of the filter unit becomes a target pressure atmosphere. After the pressure in the filter unit is increased from the first pressure atmosphere, the treatment liquid is poured from the primary side in a state where the secondary side of the filter unit is set to a second pressure atmosphere higher than the first pressure atmosphere. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a liquid passing mechanism for passing the liquid through the filter unit. A storage medium for storing a computer program used in a liquid processing apparatus including a processing liquid supply source and a filter unit connected to each other,
A storage medium, wherein the computer program includes a set of steps so as to implement the liquid processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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