JP2017034120A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of detecting leakage of process liquid accurately with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A drain pipe consisting of a first flow-down section 32 directing the vertical direction, a ramp 33 inclining for the vertical direction, and a second flow-down section 34 directing the vertical direction is connected with a predispensing pot. This drain pipe is connected with a process liquid recovery section (not shown). On the opposite sides of the ramp 33 in the drain pipe, a light projecting section 51 and a light receiving section 52 are disposed. The light projecting section 51 of the sensor is disposed at a position directly under the ramp 33 in the drain pipe, so as to emit detection light toward the center of the ramp 33. The light projecting section 51 is disposed at a position facing the light projecting section 51, for the ramp 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate.

  In substrate processing apparatuses for processing substrates such as glass substrates for organic EL display devices, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, panel substrates for solar cells, glass substrates for plasma displays, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for optical disks, and semiconductor wafers. Various treatment liquids such as a liquid such as a treatment liquid and a gas such as an inert gas are used. The supply of this processing liquid is controlled by opening and closing the valve.

  In such a substrate processing apparatus, it is necessary to detect the leakage of the processing liquid from the valve. Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus that detects leakage of a processing liquid by a suck back method. In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the suction of the processing liquid pipe is executed by the suction device after the valve is closed. And the structure which detects the leakage of a process liquid is employ | adopted by whether a process liquid is detected with a liquid level sensor.

Japanese Patent No. 5030767

  In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to perform the suction operation of the processing liquid pipe when preventing leakage of the processing liquid, not only the time required for the suction is required, but also the processing liquid There arises a problem that the processing liquid in the pipe is wasted.

  On the other hand, in general, a flow meter is often provided in such a treatment liquid supply path, and it is not impossible to detect leakage of the treatment liquid using the flow meter. However, in order to detect a slight leakage of the processing liquid, it is necessary to use an expensive flow meter that can detect a minute flow rate. In addition, when a certain amount of processing liquid is flowing, the flow rate can be accurately detected by the flow meter, but when the flow of the processing liquid is stopped, the flow meter is erroneously detected due to foaming in the processing liquid. May occur.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of accurately detecting leakage of a processing liquid with a simple configuration.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, the nozzle for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate, the supply source of the processing liquid, and the A pipe line connecting the nozzle, an on-off valve arranged in the pipe line, a liquid receiving part arranged below the tip of the nozzle when waiting for the nozzle, and a drip on the liquid receiving part A drainage member having an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction for discharging the treated liquid, and a sensor that detects the treatment liquid at the inclined portion of the drainage member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the drainage member is a drainage pipe having an inclined portion at least part of which is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the inclined portion of the drainage pipe is composed of a translucent member, and the sensor has a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion. And the process liquid which flows down the lower surface of the inner wall of the said inclination part is detected.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the liquid receiving portion discharges the processing liquid from the nozzle before supplying the processing liquid to the substrate. Sometimes it is a pre-dispensing spot that receives the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, after the opening and closing valve is closed and a predetermined time has elapsed from the stop of the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle, When the processing liquid is detected by the sensor, a control unit that displays a warning is provided.

  According to the first and second aspects of the invention, by detecting the processing liquid flowing down the inclined portion by the sensor, it is possible to accurately detect the leakage of the processing liquid with a simple configuration. Become.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to optically reliably detect a small amount of the processing liquid that collects and flows down on the lower surface of the inner wall of the inclined portion.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, it is possible to accurately detect the leakage of the processing liquid by using the pot used for pre-dispensing.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect leakage of the processing liquid after the discharge operation of the processing liquid is completed.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the drainage mechanism from the pre-dispens spot 31 used for the detection of the leakage of a process liquid with the process liquid nozzle 15 grade | etc.,. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows arrangement | positioning of a drainage pipe and a sensor. It is sectional drawing in the arrow part of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the main control systems in this substrate processing apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the drainage mechanism from the pre-dispens spot 31 used for the detection of the leakage of a process liquid with the process liquid nozzles 15 and 16 grade | etc.,.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  This substrate processing apparatus is for processing a substrate 100 by supplying a processing liquid to a circular substrate 100 such as a semiconductor wafer. The substrate processing apparatus includes a support pin 11 that supports the substrate 100 at its edge, and includes a spin chuck 12 that rotates about an axis that faces the vertical direction together with the substrate 100.

  The substrate processing apparatus also includes a processing liquid nozzle 15 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate 100. The treatment liquid nozzle 15 is supported by a swing arm 14 connected to the rotary shaft 13, and swings around the rotary shaft 13 together with the swing arm 14. The processing liquid nozzle 15 is connected to the processing liquid supply mechanism 20. By moving the tip of the processing liquid nozzle 15 while drawing an arc-shaped trajectory including the rotation center and edge of the substrate 100 held by the spin chuck 12, the surface of the substrate 100 is scanned over the entire surface. On the other hand, it becomes possible to supply the processing liquid.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus includes a pre-dispensing spot 31 for pre-dispensing the processing liquid in the processing liquid nozzle 15 before applying the processing liquid to the substrate 100. The pre-dispensing spot 31 is connected to a treatment liquid recovery unit (not shown) via a drain pipe comprising a first flow lower part 32, an inclined part 33, and a second flow lower part 34.

  The processing liquid supply mechanism 20 includes a processing liquid pipe 27 for sending the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank 21 storing the processing liquid to the processing liquid nozzle 15. The processing liquid pipe 27 includes a pump 22 for pumping the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank 21, an open / close valve 23 for supplying and stopping the processing liquid, and a processing liquid supplied to the processing liquid nozzle 15. A flow rate adjusting valve 24 and a flow meter 25 are arranged for adjusting the flow rate.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a drainage mechanism from the pre-dispens spot 31 used for detecting leakage of the processing liquid together with the processing liquid nozzle 15 and the like. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the drainage pipe and the sensor. Further, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along an arrow in FIG. In FIG. 2, the flow rate adjustment valve 24 and the flow meter 25 shown in FIG. 1 are not shown.

  The pre-dispensing spot 31 is used when pre-dispensing for discharging the old processing liquid remaining in the processing liquid nozzle 15 before applying the processing liquid to the rotating substrate 100 held by the spin chuck 12. In order to prevent the contamination of the processing liquid nozzle 15 and the solidification of the processing liquid by storing the tip of the processing liquid nozzle 15 when the processing liquid is not applied to the substrate 100 while being used for collecting the processing liquid. used. In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, the leakage of the processing liquid is detected by monitoring the dropping of the processing liquid onto the pre-dispensing spot 31.

  At the lower end of the pre-dispens spot 31, a first flowing portion 32 facing in the vertical direction for collecting the processing liquid dropped on the pre-dispens spot 31, an inclined portion 33 inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and a vertical A drainage pipe comprising a second flow lower part 34 facing in the direction is connected. This drainage pipe is at least partially made of translucent resin and the like including the inclined portion 33, and is connected to a treatment liquid recovery unit (not shown).

  Sensors 53 (see FIG. 5 described later) including a light projecting unit 51 and a light receiving unit 52 are disposed on both sides of the inclined portion 33 in the drainage pipe. Among the sensors 53, the light projecting unit 51 is disposed at a position immediately below the inclined part 33 in the drainage pipe in a state of emitting detection light toward the center of the inclined part 33. Further, the light receiving part 52 is disposed at a position facing the light projecting part 51 with respect to the inclined part 33.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a main control system in the substrate processing apparatus. In this figure, only the control system related to leakage detection is mainly shown.

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a CPU that performs logical operations, a ROM that stores an operation program necessary for controlling the apparatus, a RAM that temporarily stores data during control, and the like, and a control unit that controls the entire apparatus. 50. The control unit 50 is connected to a nozzle drive unit 19 including a motor for moving the processing liquid nozzle 15. The control unit 50 is connected to the opening / closing valve 23 described above and the sensor 53 including the light projecting unit 51 and the light receiving unit 52. Further, the control unit 50 is also connected to a warning display unit 59 that generates a warning display or a warning sound.

  When the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate 100 by the substrate processing apparatus having the above configuration, pre-dispensing is first performed. At this time, the opening / closing valve 23 is opened under the control of the control unit 50, and after a predetermined amount of processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 15, the opening / closing valve 23 is closed to stop the discharge of the processing liquid. The processing liquid discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 15 is collected by the pre-dispensing spot 31, and is not shown in the drawing through a drainage pipe composed of the first flow lower portion 32, the inclined portion 33, and the second flow lower portion 34. It is collected in the liquid collection unit. At this time, as in the case of leakage of the processing liquid described later, the sensor 53 including the light projecting unit 51 and the light receiving unit 52 detects the processing liquid flowing down the inclined portion 33, and the control unit 50 performs the normal operation. Judge.

  Subsequently, the nozzle driving unit 19 is controlled by the control of the control unit 50, and the processing liquid nozzle 15 is moved to a position facing the surface of the substrate 100 that is supported by the spin chuck 12 and rotates. Then, the processing valve is supplied to the surface of the substrate 100 by opening the opening / closing valve 23. When the processing on the substrate 100 is completed, the discharge of the processing liquid is ended by closing the opening / closing valve 23 under the control of the control unit 50, and the processing liquid nozzle 15 is placed at the standby position where the tip of the processing liquid nozzle 15 faces the pre-dispensing spot 31. Move to.

  In this state, the sensor 53 monitors the leakage of the processing liquid by the opening / closing valve 23. At this time, the light emitted from the light projecting unit 51 in the sensor 53 is received by the light receiving unit 52. When the processing liquid leaks in the opening / closing valve 23, the processing liquid is dropped onto the pre-dispensing spot 31 through the processing liquid pipe 27 and the processing liquid nozzle 15. Then, the processing liquid drops from the pre-dispens spot 31 in the first flow lower portion 32 in the drain pipe. At this time, since the processing liquid due to leakage is very small, as shown by reference numeral D1 in FIG. 3, the processing liquid adheres to some wall surface of the first flow lower portion 32 or flows down. It falls in 32.

  And this process liquid reaches | attains the inclination part 33 in a drainage pipe. Since the inclined portion 33 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the treatment liquid dropped on the inclined portion 33 moves to a lower region on the inner peripheral surface of the inclined portion 33. Then, as indicated by reference numeral D2 in FIG. 3, the processing liquid becomes a liquid flow and flows down the lower region on the inner peripheral surface of the inclined portion 33. The flow rate of the processing liquid at this time is slow because the inclined portion 33 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

  The amount of light emitted from the light projecting unit 51 of the sensor 53 changes due to blocking, reflection, refraction, and the like by the processing liquid D2 flowing down the inner peripheral surface of the inclined portion 33. The change in the amount of light is detected by the light receiving unit 52. At this time, as described above, since the inclined portion 33 in the drainage pipe is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the flow-down speed of the processing liquid D2 is low. And this process liquid D2 gathers in the area | region of the lower side in the internal peripheral surface of the inclination part 33 (refer FIG. 4), and as above-mentioned, the light projection part 51 inclines in the position just under the inclination part 33. It arrange | positions in the state which radiate | emits detection light toward the center of the part 33. FIG. For this reason, even if the amount of the processing liquid D2 is small, the processing liquid D2 can be reliably detected by the sensor 53 including the light projecting unit 51 and the light receiving unit 52.

  When the control unit 50 detects the processing liquid by the sensor 53 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stop of the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid nozzle 15 by closing the opening / closing valve 23, the control unit 50 Send a signal to display a warning. The warning display unit 59 generates a warning display on a display or the like and a warning sound.

  The treatment liquid D2 that has passed through the inclined portion 33 in the drainage pipe flows down at an increased speed along the inner peripheral surface of the second flow lower portion 34 as shown by reference numeral D3 in FIG. It is discharged to the recovery unit.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a drainage mechanism from the pre-dispens spot 31 used for detecting leakage of the processing liquid together with the processing liquid nozzles 15 and 16. In addition, about the member similar to 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, a configuration is adopted in which leakage of the processing liquid from the single processing liquid nozzle 15 whose supply of the processing liquid is controlled by the opening / closing valve 23 is detected via the pre-dispensing spot 31. Yes. On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, not only the processing liquid nozzle 15 but also the processing liquid leaks from the processing liquid nozzle 16 whose supply of the processing liquid is controlled by the opening / closing valve 28. In addition, the detection is made via the pre-dispensing spot 31.

  In this embodiment, the control unit 50 closes the open / close valve 23 and closes the open / close valve 28 and closes the processing liquid after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stop of the discharge of the processing liquid from the processing liquid nozzle 15. When a processing liquid is detected by the sensor 53 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stop of the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle 16, a signal for displaying a warning is transmitted to the warning display unit 59. The warning display unit 59 generates a warning display on a display or the like and a warning sound.

  In any of the above-described embodiments, the processing liquid collected at the pre-dispensing spot 31 is detected by the sensor 53 to detect the leakage of the processing liquid. Alternatively, the processing liquid nozzles 15 and 16 may be put on standby in the section, and the processing liquid may be detected via these standby sections to detect leakage of the processing liquid.

  In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 4, in the sensor 53, the light projecting unit 51 is disposed at a position immediately below the inclined portion 33 in the drainage pipe, and the light receiving unit 52 is disposed in the light projecting unit 51. However, the light receiving part 52 may be provided at a position immediately below the inclined part 33, and the light projecting part 51 may be provided at a position facing the light receiving part 52. In addition to such an arrangement, the optical path of the sensor 53 for detecting the processing liquid D2 shown in FIG. 4 intersects the processing liquid D2 flowing down the inclined portion 33 and detects this (for example, orthogonal) The light projecting unit 51 and the light receiving unit 52 may be disposed so as to be formed in the direction in which the light is transmitted.

  In the above-described embodiments, the optical sensor 53 is used, but an electrostatic capacity sensor that detects the electrostatic capacity of the processing liquid, a thermal sensor that detects the heat of the processing liquid, etc. Other sensors may be used.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the processing liquid flowing down the inclined portion 33 in the drainage pipe is detected by the sensor 53, but a configuration for detecting the processing liquid flowing down the inclined portion having a shape other than the tubular shape is adopted. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Spin chuck 15 Process liquid nozzle 16 Process liquid nozzle 19 Nozzle drive part 20 Process liquid supply mechanism 21 Process liquid tank 22 Pump 23 On-off valve 27 Process liquid piping 31 Pre-dispensing spot 32 1st flow lower part 33 Inclination part 34 2nd flow lower part 50 Control Unit 51 Light Emitting Unit 52 Light Receiving Unit 53 Sensor 59 Warning Display Unit 100 Substrate

Claims (5)

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to the substrate,
A nozzle for supplying a processing solution to the substrate;
A pipeline connecting the supply source of the processing liquid and the nozzle;
An on-off valve disposed in the conduit;
A liquid receiver disposed below the tip of the nozzle during standby of the nozzle;
A drainage member having an inclined part inclined with respect to the vertical direction for discharging the treatment liquid dropped onto the liquid receiving part,
A sensor for detecting a treatment liquid at an inclined portion of the drainage member;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the drainage member is a drainage pipe having an inclined portion at least part of which is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The inclined portion of the drainage pipe is composed of a translucent member,
The sensor includes a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit, and detects a processing liquid flowing down the lower surface of the inner wall of the inclined unit. In the substrate processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3,
The liquid receiving unit is a substrate processing apparatus that is a pre-dispensing spot that receives the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle during pre-dispensing when the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle before supplying the processing liquid to the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-4,
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a control unit that displays a warning when the sensor detects a processing liquid after a predetermined time has elapsed since the discharge of the processing liquid from the nozzle was stopped after the open / close valve was closed.

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