JP2018037439A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that when air bubbles are included in processing liquid, the air bubbles inhibit sensor detection, making accurate detection impossible, and thus provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of accurately detecting the state of processing liquid in a simple manner without being inhibited by air bubbles.SOLUTION: A detection section 5 is installed at a position above a feed pipe branch joint 401, and is inclined to a vertical axis passing through the detection section 5 with a lower end of the detection section 5 used as a rotational axis. This structure enables processing liquid to flow from the lower side to the upper side of the detection section 5, and air bubbles included in the processing liquid are guided to a side wall upper portion of a detection pipe 502. Since the air bubbles are guided to the side wall upper portion of the detection pipe 502, passing of the air bubbles through a detection area 503b can be avoided, and thus the state of the processing fluid can be accurately detected without being inhibited by the air bubbles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display substrate, a plasma display substrate, a FED (Field Emission Display) substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a solar substrate. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a photoelectric sensor system for processing a substrate such as a battery substrate.

Many kinds of processing liquids are used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and flat panel displays (FPDs), and it is important to accurately detect the state of the processing liquid used in each manufacturing process. In sub-micron order circuit patterns, a slight change in the state of the processing solution has a large effect on the finish, and therefore high-precision processing solution control is required.
Therefore, conventionally, the substrate processing apparatus uses various detectors (for example, a flow meter, a pressure gauge, a concentration meter, a weight sensor, an optical sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.) to indicate the state of the processing liquid used. To detect.

JP 11-251283 A JP2014-161927

  In the conventional substrate processing apparatus, the sensor detects the state of the processing liquid by a light beam or electromagnetic force. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a detection state of the detection unit 6 using light rays in a conventional substrate processing apparatus. A detector 603 for quantitatively detecting the state of the processing liquid is installed in the detection tube 602 of the detection unit 6. The detector 603 has an irradiation unit and a light receiving unit (not shown), and the light beam is irradiated from the irradiation unit to the light receiving unit. The state of the processing liquid is detected by the cross section 603b of the irradiated light, and information is transmitted to the apparatus control unit (not shown) through the communication unit 603a. When the processing liquid 920 containing bubbles flows into the detection tube 602, the bubble group 61 also flows at the same time, and the bubble group 921 passes through the detection area 603b. In this case, the detection of the state of the processing liquid is hindered by the bubble group 61, and there arises a problem that the detector 603 cannot accurately detect the state of the processing liquid.

In Patent Document 1, no consideration is given to a decrease in accuracy of concentration detection due to bubbles contained in the processing liquid. In Patent Document 2, the flow rate of the polishing abrasive liquid is detected using an ultrasonic flowmeter. However, the accuracy of flow rate detection is reduced due to bubbles generated in the polishing abrasive liquid, and an error due to erroneous flow rate detection occurs. Production is interrupted. Therefore, the pump applies pressure to the polishing abrasive liquid to suppress the generation of bubbles. However, since a new pump and its control system are required to suppress the generation of bubbles, the apparatus becomes complicated and the cost increases.
An object of this invention is to provide the substrate processing apparatus which can detect the state of a processing liquid simply and accurately, without being inhibited by the bubble contained in a processing liquid.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by using a processing liquid, the substrate holding means holding the substrate, and the substrate holding means. A processing liquid discharge unit that discharges the processing liquid onto the substrate, a processing liquid supply unit that supplies the processing liquid to the processing liquid discharge unit, and a processing liquid that connects the processing liquid discharge unit and the processing liquid supply unit. A supply pipe, a branch pipe branched from the treatment liquid supply pipe, and a detection unit interposed in the previous branch pipe, wherein the detection unit has an inflow portion of the treatment liquid positioned below the outflow portion. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus includes a detection tube arranged at an inclination and a detector for detecting a state of the processing liquid flowing in the detection tube.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the branch pipe is smaller than an inner diameter of the detection pipe.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the detector is installed at a position where the distance from the inflow portion of the detection tube to the detector is longer than the distance from the detector to the outflow portion of the detection tube. A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first to third aspects, wherein an inner diameter of the branch pipe is smaller than an inner diameter of the processing liquid supply pipe.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the detector includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a light beam oscillated from a light source and a light receiving unit that receives the light beam, and the detection tube includes the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit that face each other. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is installed on a beam axis that is irradiated from the irradiation unit and received by the light receiving unit.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, even if the processing liquid contains bubbles, the bubbles contained in the processing liquid are caused to flow in the detector included in the detection unit by tilting the detection tube of the detection unit. It is possible to avoid passing through the detection area for detecting the state of. As a result, the detector can easily and accurately detect the state of the processing liquid without being hindered by bubbles contained in the processing liquid.

1 is a schematic plan view showing a layout of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of a back surface A of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of a processing unit of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of B shown in FIG. 2. (A) (b) It is a schematic diagram of the detection part 5 in order to demonstrate the detection state of a process liquid. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the detection state of the detection part 6 in the conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a layout of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing section 2, an indexer section 3, and a utility section 4.

  The processing section 2 includes a delivery unit PASS for delivering a substrate W (for example, a semiconductor wafer) to and from the indexer section 3. In the processing section 2, processing using a processing fluid (processing liquid or processing gas) is performed on the unprocessed substrate W received via the delivery unit PASS. Further, the delivery unit PASS delivers the processed substrate W to the indexer section 3.

  The processing section 2 includes a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of processing units 81 to 88 (processing liquid unit 8), the main transfer robot CR, and the above-described delivery unit PASS. The processing units 81 to 88 are three-dimensionally arranged in this embodiment. Specifically, the plurality of processing units 81 to 88 are arranged to form a two-story structure, and four processing units are arranged on each floor portion. That is, four processing units 81, 83, 85, 87 are arranged on the first floor portion, and four other processing units 82, 84, 86, 88 are arranged on the second floor portion.

  The main transfer robot CR is arranged in the center of the processing section 2 in plan view, and a transfer unit PASS is arranged between the main transfer robot CR and the indexer robot IR. A first processing unit group G1 in which two processing units 81 and 82 are stacked so as to face each other across the delivery unit PASS, and a second processing unit group G2 in which two other processing units 83 and 84 are stacked Is arranged. A third processing unit group G3 in which two processing units 85 and 86 are stacked is arranged so as to be adjacent to the first processing unit group G1 on the side far from the indexer robot IR. Similarly, a fourth processing unit group G4 in which two processing units 87 and 88 are stacked is arranged so as to be adjacent to the second processing unit group G2 on the side far from the indexer robot IR. The main transfer robot CR is surrounded by the first to fourth processing unit groups G1 to G4.

  The main transfer robot CR includes two hands H that are U-shaped in plan view. Each hand H supports the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The main transfer robot CR moves the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Further, the main transfer robot CR changes the direction of the hand H by rotating (spinning) around the vertical axis.

  The main transfer robot CR makes the hand H face the arbitrary processing unit 8 and the delivery unit PASS. The main transfer robot CR receives the unprocessed substrate W from the transfer unit PASS by the hand H by the movement of the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and receives the unprocessed substrate W in any of the processing units. Carry into 81-88. Further, the main transport robot CR receives the processed substrate W processed by the processing units 81 to 88 by the hand H by the movement of the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and transfers the substrate W to the transfer unit PASS.

  The indexer section 3 delivers the unprocessed substrate W to the delivery unit PASS and receives the processed substrate W from the delivery unit PASS. The indexer section 3 includes a plurality of stages ST1 to ST4 and an indexer robot IR. Stages ST <b> 1 to ST <b> 4 are substrate container holders that respectively hold substrate containers C that hold a plurality of substrates W in a stacked state. The plurality of substrate containers C that store the plurality of substrates W are arranged in the horizontal arrangement direction D1. The substrate container C is a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that accommodates the substrate W in a sealed state, or a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface Face) pod that accommodates the substrate W in a sealed state like the FOUP. Alternatively, an OC (Open Cassette) that accommodates the substrate W without being sealed may be used. When the substrate container C is placed on the stages ST <b> 1 to ST <b> 4, the substrate container C is in a state where a plurality of horizontal substrates W are stacked in the vertical direction at intervals.

  The indexer robot IR includes two hands H that are U-shaped in plan view, like the main transfer robot CR. Each hand H supports the substrate W in a horizontal posture. The indexer robot IR moves the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Further, the indexer robot IR changes the direction of the hand H by rotating (spinning) around the vertical axis. The indexer robot IR moves along the arrangement direction D1. The indexer robot IR makes the hand H face the arbitrary substrate container C and the transfer unit PASS held on any of the stages ST1 to ST4. Then, the indexer robot IR operates to unload a single unprocessed substrate W from the substrate container C with the hand H and pass it to the delivery unit PASS by the movement of the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Further, the indexer robot IR receives one processed substrate W from the delivery unit PASS by the hand H by the movement of the hand H in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and accommodates the substrate held in any of the stages ST1 to ST4. It operates to be accommodated in the container C.

  The utility section 4 stores a plurality of supply pipes connected to a plurality of processing units 8 included in the processing unit groups G1 to G4. Details of the utility section 4 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of the back surface A of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the structure similar to the above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting a same sign.
A plurality of removable four covers 100 are attached to the back surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and when the cover 100 is removed, an opening 101 appears. FIG. 2 shows a state in which one of the covers 100 on the lower left side of the back surface of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is opened in order to clarify the utility section 4.

  The cover 100 is provided with a notch 104 and a handle 105 for easy removal at the bottom. By fitting the notch 104 of the cover 100 into the cover positioning tool 102 at the lower end of the opening 101, the correct mounting position of the cover 100 can be determined. The cover 100 is fixed to the substrate processing apparatus 1 by a fixing tool 103. The cover 100 and the opening 101 are approximately the same size, and no gap is generated when the cover 100 is attached to the opening 101. The fixing tool 103 of the cover 100 is a general fixing member such as a screw or a bolt, but the fixing tool 103 may be other fastening means such as a magnet.

  The utility section 4 houses a processing liquid supply pipe 400 through which processing liquid is circulated and a detection unit 5. The branch pipe 500 is branched from the processing liquid supply pipe 400 by a supply pipe branch joint 401 and joined to the processing liquid supply pipe 400 by a merging pipe joint 402. In the detection unit 5, the state of the processing liquid is detected by the detector 503, and the state of the processing liquid is managed.

  During maintenance or the like, the user of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can access the processing liquid supply pipe 400 and the detection unit 5 housed in the utility section 4 by removing the cover 100. For example, there is a case where it is desired to visually check the flow of the processing liquid in the detection unit 5 or a case where sensitivity adjustment of the detector 503 is performed. Details of the detection unit 5 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a schematic configuration of a processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the structure similar to the above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting a same sign.
The processing unit 8 is a single wafer type apparatus for performing a liquid process such as a cleaning process or an etching process on the surface of the substrate W such as a circular semiconductor wafer on the device forming region side.

  The processing unit 8 has a chamber 802 surrounded by a side wall 801 and having a sealed space inside. In the chamber 802, a spin chuck 803 that holds and rotates the substrate W, and a processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 407 in the utility area 4 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 803. Treatment liquid nozzle 804 for supplying the substrate W to the substrate W, a rinse liquid nozzle 805 for supplying the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply unit 408 to the substrate W, and a cylindrical process for housing the spin chuck 803 There is a cup 808, and the cylindrical processing cup 808 is connected to a cup raising / lowering mechanism 816 for raising and lowering the cup. Further, the chamber 802 is connected to an exhaust mechanism 403 that exhausts the atmosphere of the chamber 802 through an exhaust pipe 405, and a waste liquid collection unit 404 that collects the waste liquid of the processing liquid and the rinse liquid used in the chamber 802 through a waste liquid collection pipe 406. Connected with.

  An opening 811 for carrying the substrate W in and out of the chamber 802 is formed in the side wall 801 of the chamber 802. The main transfer robot CR (see FIG. 1) disposed outside the chamber 802 allows the hand H (see FIG. 1) to access the chamber 802 through the opening 811 and places the unprocessed substrate W on the spin chuck 803. The processed substrate W can be taken out from the spin chuck 803. A shutter 812 for opening and closing the opening 811 in the vertical direction is provided outside the side wall 801. The shutter 812 is coupled with a shutter lifting / lowering mechanism 813 for moving the shutter 812 up and down between a closed position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) and an open position (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). ing.

  As the spin chuck 803, an adsorption chuck that adsorbs the back surface of the substrate W and holds the substrate W horizontally is employed. The spin chuck 803 is connected by a spin motor 814 and a spin shaft 815 integrated with a drive shaft of the spin motor 814. The holding method of the substrate W may be a holding method in which the substrate W is held horizontally with the end portion of the substrate W interposed therebetween. The apparatus controller 10 lowers the processing cup 808, and the hand H of the main transport robot CR scoops the substrate W released from the suction state, and retracts the hand H together with the substrate W from the chamber 802.

  When the spin motor 814 is driven while the spin chuck 803 is in the attracting state, the spin shaft 815 is rotated around a predetermined rotation axis (vertical axis) A1 by the driving force. As a result, the substrate W is rotated around the rotation axis A1 together with the spin chuck 803 while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture.

  The processing liquid nozzle 804 is connected to the processing liquid supply unit 407 of the utility 4 via a processing liquid discharge pipe 806 for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate. In the middle of the processing liquid discharge pipe 806, a processing liquid valve 809 for opening and closing the processing liquid discharge pipe 806 and a processing liquid supply pipe 400 for circulating the supplied processing liquid are interposed.

  When the processing liquid valve 809 is opened by the apparatus control unit 10, the processing liquid is discharged from the processing liquid nozzle 804 through the processing liquid discharge pipe 806 and the processing liquid valve 809. The treatment liquid is hydrofluoric acid (HF), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), acetic acid (CH3COOH), nitric acid (HNO3), hydrochloric acid (HCL), aqueous ammonia (NH3 Water), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), organic acid (for example, citrate). Acid (C (OH) (CH2COOH) 2COOH)), oxalic acid ((COOH) 2), etc.), organic alkali (such as TMAH), surfactant (Surfactant), corrosion inhibitor (Corrosion Inhibitor), organic solvent (Organic) Solvent), carbonated water (CO2 Water), ozone water (Ozon Water), and pure water (DIW) may be included.

  The processing liquid nozzle 804 is, for example, a straight nozzle that discharges the processing liquid in a continuous flow state. The processing liquid nozzle 804 is attached to a processing liquid nozzle arm (not shown) with the discharge port facing substantially downward. The processing liquid nozzle arm rotates the processing liquid nozzle arm about a predetermined rotation axis (not shown), thereby moving the processing liquid nozzle 804 horizontally along a locus passing through the center of the upper surface of the substrate W in plan view. . Accordingly, it is possible to perform a process in which the processing liquid nozzle 804 moves horizontally on the substrate W while the processing liquid is discharged.

The rinse liquid nozzle 805 is connected to the rinse liquid supply unit 408 of the utility 4 via a rinse liquid discharge pipe 807 for supplying the rinse liquid to the substrate W. A rinsing liquid valve 810 for opening and closing the rinsing liquid discharge pipe 807 is inserted in the middle of the rinsing liquid discharge pipe 807.
When the apparatus controller 10 opens the rinse liquid valve 810, the rinse liquid is discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle 805 through the rinse liquid discharge pipe 807 and the rinse liquid valve 810. The rinsing liquid includes DIW (deionized water), carbonated water, electrolytic ion water, ozone water, diluted hydrochloric acid water (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), reduced water (hydrogen water), and deaerated water. Also good. As with the processing liquid nozzle 804, the rinsing liquid nozzle 805 can perform a process in which the rinsing nozzle 805 moves horizontally on the substrate W while the rinsing liquid is discharged.

Next, the detection part in the process liquid supply part which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 4 is an enlarged view of B shown in FIG. In addition, about the structure similar to the above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting a same sign.
A branch pipe 500 is branched from the processing liquid supply pipe 400 by a supply pipe branch joint 401. The branched branch pipe 500 is connected again by the treatment liquid supply pipe 400 and the supply pipe junction joint 402. Since the inner diameter (for example, φ4 mm to 10 mm) of the branch pipe 500 is smaller than the inner diameter (for example, about φ16 mm) of the processing liquid supply pipe 400, the supply pipe branch joint 401 used for connection between the processing liquid supply pipe 400 and the branch pipe 500 is supplied. The shape is such that a pipe having an inner diameter different from that of the pipe joint 402 can be connected.
Since the inner diameter of the branch pipe 500 is smaller than the inner diameter of the processing liquid supply pipe 400 in the upstream portion of the processing liquid in the vicinity of the supply pipe branch joint 401, large bubbles are prevented from flowing into the branch pipe 500 from the processing liquid supply pipe 400. . Further, the processing liquid is prevented from flowing back from the processing liquid supply pipe 400 to the branch pipe 500 in the downstream portion of the processing liquid in the vicinity of the supply pipe junction joint 402.

The detection unit 5 is inserted in the middle of the branch pipe 500, and the detection unit 5 includes a detection tube 502 and a detector 503. Since the inner diameter of the branch pipe 500 is smaller than the inner diameter of the detection pipe 502, the branch pipe 500 and the detection pipe 502 are connected by an inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 and an outflow pipe diameter changing joint 504 that can connect pipes having different inner diameters. Has been. Specifically, the branch pipe 500 and the detection pipe 502 are connected by an inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 on the inflow side of the detection pipe 502 and are connected by an outflow pipe diameter change joint 504 on the outflow side of the detection pipe 502.
Since the inner diameter of the branch pipe 500 is smaller than the inner diameter of the detection pipe 502, when the processing liquid flows into the detection pipe 502 from the branch pipe 500, the flow speed of the processing liquid decreases, and the moving speed of the bubbles contained in the processing liquid also decreases. Is done. Thereby, time until a bubble reaches | attains the detection area 503b can be lengthened. In other words, it takes a long time for the bubbles to be guided to the upper part of the side wall of the detection tube 502.

  The detection tube 502 is a tube that transmits light, and the material of the tube may be a resin such as PFA (polytetrafluoroethylene) or glass, and may be any tube that transmits light.

The detection tube 502 is inclined so that the inflow portion of the processing liquid is located below the outflow portion. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the detection tube 502 is usually 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the vertical axis B1, but the inclination angle θ is the property of the chemical solution (for example, specific gravity and viscosity) and use conditions (flow rate, concentration, etc.). ) May be changed in the range of 5 to 60 degrees. By disposing the detection tube 502 at an inclination, the bubbles contained in the processing liquid are guided to the upper part of the side wall of the detection tube 502, and the bubble group 911 is excluded from the detection area 503b. Thereby, the state of the processing liquid can be accurately detected. The detection area 503b and the flow of bubbles passing through will be described later.
In the present embodiment, the state where the processing liquid supply pipe 400 is parallel to the vertical axis B1 is shown. However, for example, even when the processing liquid supply pipe 400 is horizontal with respect to the vertical axis B1, the detection unit 5 Is inclined with respect to the vertical axis B1 and not with respect to the processing liquid supply pipe 400. In other words, the detection unit 5 does not depend on the position and angle of the processing liquid supply pipe 400, and is inclined with respect to the vertical axis B1, and the processing liquid flows from the lower side to the upper side of the detection pipe 502 to process the processing liquid. This means that bubbles contained in the liquid are guided to the upper part of the side wall of the detection tube 502.

A detector 503 that detects the state of the processing liquid is installed in the detection tube 502. The detector 503 includes a communication unit 503a, an irradiation unit 503d (see FIG. 5), and a light receiving unit 503e (see FIG. 5). The irradiation unit 503d and the light receiving unit 503e will be described later.
The detector 503 transmits information to the apparatus control unit 10 (see FIG. 3) through the communication unit 503a. The detector 503 is a densitometer, but may be a flow meter or other detector. The detection sensor is an optical sensor, and the sensor light source may be a light source having straightness such as an LED or a laser. The detection sensor may be any sensor other than an optical sensor, such as a magnetic sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, as long as it can detect the state of the processing liquid.

  Subsequently, the flow of the treatment liquid will be described. The processing liquid flows from the processing liquid supply pipe 400 into the supply pipe branch joint 401 as the main flow 900. The main flow 900 is divided into a main flow 900 a and a branch flow 910 by a supply pipe branch joint 401.

  The diversion 910 passes through the branch pipe 500 and the inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 and flows into the detection pipe 502. When the gas flows into the detection tube 502, the flow path has a larger inner diameter, so the flow rate of the branch flow 910 is lower than the main flow 900 flow rate. The state of the processing liquid is detected when the diversion 910 flowing into the detection tube 502 passes through the detection unit 503b. The diversion 910 that has passed through the detection pipe 502 flows out from the outflow pipe diameter changing joint 504 to the branch pipe 500. The diversion 910 flowing out from the branch pipe 500 is returned to the processing liquid supply pipe 400 by the supply pipe junction joint 402.

  The main flow 900a and the split flow 910 are merged by the supply pipe merge joint 402 into the main flow 900b. The main flow 900b passes through the processing liquid supply pipe 400 and flows to the processing liquid supply unit 407 (see FIG. 3).

Next, the flow of bubbles contained in the treatment liquid and the treatment liquid according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams schematically showing the detection unit 5 for explaining the detection state of the processing liquid. FIG. 5A shows a front view of the detection unit 5, and FIG. 5B shows a side view of the detection unit 5. In addition, about the structure similar to the above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting a same sign.
When the bubble group 911 exists in the processing liquid (divided flow 910) that has flowed into the branch pipe 500, the bubble group 911 moves toward the detection pipe 502 in the branch pipe 500 at a constant moving speed. When the processing liquid 500 passes through the inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501, the inner diameter of the flow path is increased, so that the flow speed of the processing liquid is decreased and the moving speed of the bubble group 911 is also decreased.

  Immediately after the processing liquid flows into the detection tube 502 from the inflow tube variable diameter joint 501, the bubble group 911 is scattered near the inlet of the detection tube 502. In order to increase the distance from the inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 to the detector 503, the detector 503 installed in the detection pipe 502 has a distance from the inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 to the detector 503. It is installed at a position that is longer than the distance to the variable diameter joint 504. Although the distance from the inflow pipe diameter changing joint 501 to the detector 503 collects the bubble group 911 on the upper side wall of the detector, it depends on the inclination angle θ, but the distance is, for example, 100 mm.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the distance until the bubble group 911 that has flowed into the detection tube 502 reaches the detection area 503 b can be increased, and the bubble group 911 is formed on the upper side wall of the detection tube 502. Collected. Furthermore, since the detection tube 502 is installed at an inclination angle θ, the upper portion of the side wall of the detection tube 502 until the bubble group 911 that has flowed into the detection tube 502 reaches the detection area 503b as compared with the case where the detection tube 502 is not inclined. Many bubble groups 911 are collected.

  The state of the processing liquid flowing into the detection tube 502 is detected by the detector 503. As shown in FIG. 5B, the detection tube 502 is installed between the opposed irradiation unit 503d and the light receiving unit 503e on the light axis that is irradiated from the irradiation unit 503d and received by the light receiving unit 503e. Yes.

The light beam oscillated from the light source is irradiated as the light beam 503c from the irradiation unit 503d and received by the light receiving unit 503e. A cross-sectional portion of the irradiated light beam 503c is a detection area 503b. The received light beam 503c is converted into an electric signal (the electric signal is, for example, a direct current (4-20 mA), including its value) by the communication unit 503a and transmitted to the device control unit 10. The apparatus control unit 10 displays the state of the processing liquid on the display unit of the substrate processing apparatus 1 from the transmitted electrical signal, and transmits the state of the processing liquid to the user of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
For example, the display is 10% when the concentration is present, and is displayed in a specific value and unit such as 1000 mL / min when the flow is. An upper limit, a lower limit, or both threshold values for these values may be set in the apparatus control unit 10, and an alarm may be generated when the threshold values are exceeded. Further, when an alarm occurs, the control unit 10 may take measures such as stopping the apparatus. The electric signal may be another current value (for example, 0-10 mA), a voltage value (0-5 V), or an electric pulse.

In summary,
1) Inclining the detection unit 5 2) Making the inner diameter of the branch pipe 500 smaller than the inner diameter of the processing liquid supply pipe 400 3) Making the inner diameter of the detection pipe 502 larger than the inner diameter of the branch pipe 500 4) Changing the inflow pipe By increasing the distance from the radial joint 501 to the detector 503, the bubble group 911 is prevented from flowing from the processing liquid supply pipe 400, and the bubble group 911 flowing into the detection pipe 502 from the branch pipe 500 together with the processing liquid. The moving speed can be reduced, the bubble group 911 can be collected on the upper side wall of the detection tube 502 and can be prevented from passing through the detection area 503b, and a state in which no bubbles exist in the detection area 503b can be created. That is. Therefore, by performing steps 1), 2), 3), and 4), the bubble group 911 can be excluded from the detection area 503b, so that the state of the processing liquid can be accurately detected.

  The embodiment disclosed this time exemplifies the detection tube 502 and the detector 503 using an optical sensor, but the tube system and the detector for confirming the state of the processing liquid are limited to the above contents. is not. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Processing section 3 Indexer section 4 Utility section 5 Detection part 8 Processing unit 10 Apparatus control part 400 Processing liquid supply pipe 401 Supply pipe branch joint 402 Supply pipe confluence joint 51 Bubble group 500 Branch pipe 501 Inflow pipe diameter change joint 502 Detection pipe 503 Detector 504 Outflow pipe diameter changing joint 505 Inclination angle 900, 900a, 900b Main flow 910 Split flow A1 Rotating axis B1 Vertical axis

Claims (5)

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate using a processing liquid,
Substrate holding means for holding the substrate;
A processing liquid discharger for discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate holding means;
A treatment liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the treatment liquid discharge unit;
A treatment liquid supply pipe connecting the treatment liquid discharge part and the treatment liquid supply part;
A branch pipe branched from the treatment liquid supply pipe;
With a detector inserted in the first branch pipe,
The detector is
A detection tube arranged at an inclination so that the inflow portion of the processing liquid is positioned below the outflow portion;
Having a detector for detecting the state of the processing liquid flowing in the detection tube;
A substrate processing apparatus.
The inner diameter of the branch pipe is smaller than the inner diameter of the detection pipe;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.
The detector is installed at a position where the distance from the inflow portion of the detection tube to the detector is longer than the distance from the detector to the outflow portion of the detection tube;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The inner diameter of the branch pipe is smaller than the inner diameter of the treatment liquid supply pipe;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The detector includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a light beam oscillated from a light source, and a light receiving unit that receives the light beam,
The detection tube is disposed between the opposed irradiation unit and the light receiving unit, and is installed on a light axis irradiated from the irradiation unit and received by the light receiving unit;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

Images