JP2019057640A - Exposure device, substrate processing device, exposure method and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an exposure device capable of improving efficiency of exposure processing of a substrate and also to provide a substrate processing device, an exposure method and a substrate processing method.SOLUTION: In a state where a mounting plate 141 is moved to a standby position in a processing chamber 120, a substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 120 and mounted on the mounting plate 141. Discharge of gas into the processing chamber 120 is started by an exhaust part 160. After a predetermined time has elapsed since starting of discharge of gas, the supply of inert gas into the processing chamber 120 is initiated by an air supply part 180. In a state where the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is lowered to predetermined concentration, the mounting plate 141 is moved to a processing position which is closer to a light projecting part 150 than a standby position. The substrate W is exposed by irradiating the substrate W in the processing chamber 120 with vacuum ultraviolet rays using the light projecting part 150. Thereafter, the mounting plate 141 is moved to the standby position, and the substrate W is carried out from the inside of the processing chamber 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that performs exposure processing on a substrate, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate exposure method, and a substrate processing method.

  In recent years, in order to make a pattern formed on a substrate finer, development of a photolithography technique using a directed self assembly (DSA) of a block copolymer has been advanced. In such a photolithography technique, after the heat treatment is performed on the substrate on which the block polymer is applied, the block polymer is modified by exposing one surface of the substrate. In this process, it is required to accurately adjust the exposure amount of the substrate.

  Patent Document 1 describes an exposure apparatus that performs an exposure process on a film (DSA film) containing an induced self-assembled material on a substrate. The exposure apparatus has a light emitting part capable of emitting a vacuum ultraviolet ray having a cross-sectional band shape, and is configured to be movable from the front position to the rear position of the light emitting part so that the substrate crosses the path of the vacuum ultraviolet ray from the light emitting part. The Prior to the exposure process, the illuminance of vacuum ultraviolet rays is detected in advance by an illuminance sensor, and the moving speed of the substrate is calculated based on the detected illuminance so that a desired amount of vacuum ultraviolet rays is irradiated. During the exposure process, the DSA film on the substrate is irradiated with a desired amount of vacuum ultraviolet light by moving the substrate at the calculated moving speed.

JP 2006-183990 A

  During the exposure process, if oxygen is present in the path of the vacuum ultraviolet rays irradiated to the substrate, the oxygen molecules that receive the vacuum ultraviolet rays are separated into oxygen atoms, and ozone is generated by the recombination of the separated oxygen atoms with other oxygen molecules. To do. In this case, the vacuum ultraviolet rays that reach the substrate are attenuated. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the gas in the casing of the exposure apparatus is discharged so that the oxygen concentration during the exposure process is reduced to 1% or less. However, since it takes a long time to discharge oxygen molecules, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, an exposure method, and a substrate processing method capable of improving the efficiency of the substrate exposure process.

  (1) An exposure apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate, a mounting portion on which the substrate is placed in the processing chamber, and a first exhaust unit for discharging gas in the processing chamber. And a first air supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber, a light projecting unit for emitting vacuum ultraviolet rays, and a first exhaust unit to start the gas discharge in the processing chamber in advance. A first air supply control unit that controls the first air supply unit so that the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber is started after the first time has elapsed, and in the gas in the processing chamber In a state where the oxygen concentration is lowered to a predetermined concentration, a light projecting control unit that controls the light projecting unit so as to expose the substrate by irradiating the substrate in the processing chamber with vacuum ultraviolet rays, and a substrate in the processing chamber When the substrate is carried in and out of the processing chamber, the placement unit is in the first position in the processing chamber, The mounting unit is positioned at the first position and the second position so that the mounting unit is at a second position closer to the light projecting unit than the first position when the optical unit irradiates the substrate with vacuum ultraviolet rays. And a drive unit that is moved.

  In this exposure apparatus, the placement unit is moved to the first position in the processing chamber by the drive unit. In this state, the substrate is carried into the processing chamber and placed on the placement unit. Here, discharge of the gas in the processing chamber is started by the first exhaust unit. After a predetermined first time has elapsed since the start of the gas discharge, the first gas supply unit starts supplying the inert gas into the processing chamber. In this case, the gas in the processing chamber is replaced with an inert gas, and the oxygen concentration decreases.

  When the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber decreases to a predetermined concentration, the mounting unit moves the driving unit to the second position closer to the light projecting unit than the first position. Further, the substrate in the processing chamber is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays by the light projecting unit. Thereby, the substrate is exposed with almost no ozone generated. Thereafter, the placement unit is moved to the first position by the driving unit, and the substrate is carried out of the processing chamber.

  According to this configuration, the placement unit moves to the first position, so that the substrate can be easily transferred between the processing chamber and the outside without causing the projection unit to interfere. In addition, when the substrate is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays from the light projecting unit, the mounting unit moves to the second position, so that the substrate is efficiently exposed in a state where the light projecting unit and the substrate are close to each other. Can do.

  Furthermore, after the first time has elapsed since the start of gas discharge in the processing chamber, the supply of inert gas into the processing chamber is started. In this case, before supplying the inert gas, oxygen in the processing chamber is discharged out of the processing chamber together with other gases. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber decreases and the amount of oxygen decreases. Thereafter, an inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber, and a small amount of oxygen remaining in the processing chamber is discharged out of the processing chamber together with the inert gas. Therefore, after the substrate is carried into the processing chamber, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber decreases in a short time. Therefore, the exposure of the substrate can be started in a short time after the substrate is loaded. As a result, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

  (2) The exposure apparatus stops the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber after a predetermined second time has elapsed since the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber by the first air supply unit was started. An exhaust control unit that controls the first exhaust unit may be further provided. In this case, the inert gas is further supplied into the processing chamber in a state where the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber is stopped. Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber can be further reduced, and generation of ozone can be prevented more efficiently.

  (3) The light projecting unit is disposed above the placement unit, emits vacuum ultraviolet rays downward, the second position is below the light projecting unit, and the first position is below the second position. Yes, the drive unit may raise and lower the placement unit between the first position and the second position. In this case, the substrate can be efficiently transferred between the processing chamber and the outside.

  (4) When the gas in the processing chamber is exhausted by the first exhaust unit, the driving unit moves the mounting unit to the third position above the first position and below the second position. You may move a mounting part so that there may be. In this case, since the space above and below the placement portion at the third position is relatively large, it is difficult for oxygen to stagnate. Therefore, oxygen can be discharged efficiently.

  (5) The first exhaust unit has an exhaust port for discharging gas in the processing chamber, the first air supply unit has an air supply port for supplying an inert gas in the processing chamber, and the exhaust port is The air supply port may be disposed either above or below the third position, and the air supply port may be disposed above or below the third position. In this case, a flow of inert gas is formed in the space above and below the placement portion at the third position. Thereby, oxygen can be discharged more efficiently.

  (6) The exhaust port may be disposed below the third position, and the air supply port may be disposed above the third position. In this case, the inert gas can be directly supplied to the space above the placement portion at the third position. Thereby, oxygen between a mounting part and a light projection part can be discharged | emitted more efficiently, and exposure of a board | substrate can be started in a short time after carrying in a board | substrate.

  (7) The exhaust port and the air supply port may be arranged so as to sandwich the third position. In this case, an inert gas flow is formed along the space around the placement portion at the third position. Thereby, oxygen can be discharged more efficiently.

  (8) The exposure apparatus further includes a plurality of support members extending vertically in the processing chamber, the upper ends of the plurality of support members being higher than the first position and lower than the second position, and the mounting portion is The plurality of support members may have a plurality of through holes, and the plurality of support members may pass through the plurality of through holes of the placement unit when the placement unit is in the first position.

  In this case, the plurality of support members can support the substrate carried into the processing chamber at an upper end higher than the first position and lower than the second position. Therefore, the substrate can be easily placed on the placement unit by raising the placement unit from the first position. Moreover, the board | substrate can be supported by the upper end of a some support member because a mounting part descend | falls from a 2nd position. Thereby, the substrate can be easily carried out of the processing chamber from the upper ends of the plurality of support members.

  (9) The exposure apparatus further includes a pressure control unit that controls the pressure in the light projecting unit so that the pressure in the light projecting unit matches or approaches the pressure in the processing chamber. The substrate may be irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays through the window member.

  In this case, vacuum ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the light projecting unit to the substrate in the processing chamber through the window member. Here, since the pressure in the light projecting unit is controlled so that the pressure in the light projecting unit matches or approaches the pressure in the process chamber, the gas in the process chamber is discharged prior to the supply of air into the process chamber. Even in such a case, a pressure difference between the processing chamber and the light projecting portion hardly occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the window member from being stressed. Thereby, the life of the window member is extended. Moreover, since it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the window member, the transmittance of the window member is improved. As a result, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

  (10) The pressure control unit includes a second exhaust unit for discharging the gas in the light projecting unit, a second air supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the light projecting unit, and a second exhaust unit. The second air supply unit is controlled so that the supply of the inert gas into the light projecting unit is started after the first time has elapsed since the start of the gas discharge in the light projecting unit. And an air supply control unit. In this case, the pressure in the light projecting unit can be matched with or close to the pressure in the processing chamber by simple control.

  (11) The pressure control unit may include a connecting unit that connects the internal space of the processing chamber and the internal space of the light projecting unit, and a second air supply unit that supplies an inert gas into the light projecting unit. In this case, the pressure in the light projecting unit can be matched with or brought close to the pressure in the processing chamber by simpler control.

  (12) A substrate processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a coating processing unit that forms a film on a substrate by applying a processing liquid to the substrate, and a thermal processing unit that heat-treats the substrate on which the film is formed by the coating processing unit. An exposure apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention that exposes a substrate heat-treated by a heat treatment section, and a development processing section that develops a film on the substrate by supplying a solvent to the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus.

  In this substrate processing apparatus, a film is formed on the substrate by applying the processing liquid to the substrate by the coating processing unit. The substrate on which the film is formed by the coating processing unit is heat-treated by the heat treatment unit. The substrate heat-treated by the heat treatment unit is exposed by the exposure apparatus. The film on the substrate is developed by supplying a solvent to the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus by the development processing unit.

  In the exposure apparatus, the substrate can be easily transferred between the processing chamber and the outside without interfering with the light projecting unit, and the substrate can be efficiently exposed in a state where the light projecting unit and the substrate are close to each other. it can. In addition, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber decreases in a short time after the substrate is carried into the processing chamber. Therefore, the exposure of the substrate can be started in a short time after the substrate is loaded. As a result, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

  (13) The treatment liquid may include an induced self-organizing material. In this case, microphase separation occurs on one surface of the substrate by heat-treating the substrate coated with the treatment liquid containing the induced self-organizing material. Further, the substrate on which two types of polymer patterns are formed by microphase separation is exposed and developed. Thereby, one of the two types of polymers is removed, and a fine pattern can be formed.

  (14) An exposure method according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a step of moving the mounting unit to the first position in the processing chamber by the driving unit, a step of carrying the substrate into the processing chamber and mounting the substrate on the mounting unit. The step of starting the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber by the first exhaust unit, and the first time after the first exhaust time from the start of the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber by the first exhaust unit, The step of starting the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber by the one air supply unit, and the mounting unit is made to be the first by the driving unit in a state where the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber is lowered to a predetermined concentration. Moving the substrate to a second position closer to the light projecting unit than the position of the step, exposing the substrate by irradiating the substrate in the processing chamber with vacuum ultraviolet light by the light projecting unit, and moving the mounting unit to the first by the driving unit. The step of moving to position 1, and the processing chamber From and a step of unloading the substrate.

  According to this exposure method, the substrate can be easily transferred between the processing chamber and the outside without interfering with the light projecting unit, and the substrate is efficiently exposed in a state where the light projecting unit and the substrate are close to each other. be able to. In addition, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber decreases in a short time after the substrate is carried into the processing chamber. Therefore, the exposure of the substrate can be started in a short time after the substrate is loaded. As a result, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

  (15) A substrate processing method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a step of forming a film on a substrate by applying a processing liquid to a surface to be processed of the substrate by a coating processing unit, and a substrate having a film formed by the coating processing unit A step of heat-treating the substrate by the heat treatment unit, an exposure method according to the third aspect of the invention in which the substrate heat-treated by the heat treatment unit is exposed by the exposure device, and a developing treatment unit applying a solvent to the surface to be processed of the substrate exposed by the exposure device Developing a film on the substrate by supplying.

  According to this substrate processing method, the substrate after film formation and before development is exposed to vacuum ultraviolet rays. In the exposure method, the substrate can be easily transferred between the processing chamber and the outside without interfering with the light projecting unit, and the substrate can be efficiently exposed in a state where the light projecting unit and the substrate are close to each other. it can. In addition, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber decreases in a short time after the substrate is carried into the processing chamber. Therefore, the exposure of the substrate can be started in a short time after the substrate is loaded. As a result, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

  According to the present invention, the efficiency of the substrate exposure process can be improved.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the change of the pressure in a process chamber, and oxygen concentration. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the timing of the control by the control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the exposure process performed by the control part of FIG. It is a typical block diagram which shows the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus provided with the exposure apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the process of the board | substrate by the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a typical sectional view showing the composition of the exposure apparatus concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating control of each part of the exposure apparatus by the control part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the timing of the control by the control part of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the exposure process performed by the control part of FIG.

[1] First Embodiment (1) Configuration of Exposure Apparatus Hereinafter, an exposure apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, an exposure method, and a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a substrate means a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal display device or an FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, A photomask substrate, a solar cell substrate, or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the arrangement of an exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, a processing chamber 120, a closing unit 130, an elevating unit 140, a light projecting unit 150, exhaust units 160 and 170, and air supply units 180 and 190. The control unit 110 acquires measurement values from a pressure gauge s1, an oxygen concentration meter s2, an ozone concentration meter s3, and an illuminance meter s4, which will be described later, and also includes a closing unit 130, an elevating unit 140, a light projecting unit 150, and exhaust units 160 and 170. And the operation of the air supply units 180 and 190 is controlled. The function of the control unit 110 will be described later.

  The processing chamber 120 has an upper opening 121 and an internal space V1. By disposing a housing 151 of a light projecting unit 150 described later on the upper portion of the processing chamber 120, the upper opening 121 of the processing chamber 120 is closed. On the side surface of the processing chamber 120, a transfer opening 122 for transferring the substrate W to be processed is formed between the inside and the outside of the processing chamber 120. In this embodiment, a film containing an induced self-assembly material (hereinafter referred to as a DSA (Directed Self Assembly) film) is formed on the substrate W to be processed.

  Further, an opening 123 through which a connecting member 142 of an elevating unit 140 described later passes is formed on the bottom surface of the processing chamber 120. A plurality (three in this example) of support pins 124 are provided so as to extend upward from the bottom surface of the processing chamber 120 so as to surround the opening 123. The substrate W to be processed can be placed on the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124.

  The closing part 130 includes a shutter 131, a rod-shaped connecting member 132, and a driving device 133. The connecting member 132 connects the shutter 131 and the driving device 133. The drive device 133 is a stepping motor, for example. The driving device 133 moves the shutter 131 between an open position where the shutter 131 opens the transport opening 122 and a closed position where the shutter 131 closes the transport opening 122.

  Note that a seal member is attached to the shutter 131. In a state where the shutter 131 is in the closed position, the inside of the processing chamber 120 is hermetically sealed by the seal member being in close contact with the portion surrounding the transfer opening 122 in the processing chamber 120. Here, in order to prevent friction between the seal member of the shutter 131 and the processing chamber 120, the driving device 133 moves the shutter 131 from the processing chamber 120 when moving the shutter 131 between the open position and the closed position. Move up and down in a separated state.

  The elevating unit 140 includes a flat plate-shaped mounting plate 141, a rod-shaped connecting member 142, and a driving device 143. The mounting plate 141 is disposed in a horizontal posture in the processing chamber 120. A plurality of through holes h <b> 1 corresponding to the plurality of support pins 124 are formed in the mounting plate 141.

  The connecting member 142 is disposed so as to extend vertically through the opening 123 of the processing chamber 120, and the driving device 143 is disposed below the processing chamber 120. The connecting member 142 connects the mounting plate 141 and the driving device 143. A seal member is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 142 and the inner peripheral surface of the opening 123 so that the connecting member 142 can slide in the vertical direction.

  The driving device 143 is a stepping motor, for example, and moves the mounting plate 141 between the processing position, the standby position, and the exhaust position. Here, the processing position is a position above the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124. The standby position is a position below the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124. The exhaust position is a position below the processing position and above the standby position. In the state where the mounting plate 141 is in the standby position, the plurality of support pins 124 are respectively inserted into the plurality of through holes h1. When the mounting plate 141 is in the standby position, the lower surface of the mounting plate 141 may be in contact with the bottom surface of the processing chamber 120.

  By moving the mounting plate 141 to the standby position, the substrate W can be easily transferred between the inside of the processing chamber 120 and the outside without causing the light projecting unit 150 to interfere. In addition, when the mounting plate 141 is moved to the processing position, the substrate W can be efficiently moved in a state where the light projecting unit 150 and the substrate W are close to each other when the substrate 150 is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays. Can be exposed. Details of the exhaust position will be described later.

  The light projecting unit 150 includes a housing 151 having a lower opening h2 and an internal space V2, a translucent plate 152, a planar light source unit 153, and a power supply device 154. In the present embodiment, translucent plate 152 is a quartz glass plate. As the material of the light transmitting plate 152, another material that transmits vacuum ultraviolet rays described later may be used. As described above, the housing 151 is disposed above the processing chamber 120 so as to close the upper opening 121 of the processing chamber 120. The translucent plate 152 is attached to the housing 151 so as to close the lower opening h2 of the housing 151. The internal space V1 of the processing chamber 120 and the internal space V2 of the housing 151 are separated by a light transmitting plate 152 so as to be optically accessible.

  The light source unit 153 and the power supply device 154 are accommodated in the housing 151. In the present embodiment, the light source unit 153 is configured by horizontally arranging a plurality of rod-shaped light source elements that emit vacuum ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of about 120 nm or more and about 230 nm or less at predetermined intervals. Each light source element may be, for example, a xenon excimer lamp, or another excimer lamp or a deuterium lamp. The light source unit 153 emits vacuum ultraviolet rays having a substantially uniform light amount distribution into the processing chamber 120 through the translucent plate 152. The area of the emission surface of the vacuum ultraviolet light in the light source unit 153 is larger than the area of the surface to be processed of the substrate W. The power supply device 154 supplies power to the light source unit 153.

  The exhaust part 160 includes a pipe p1, valves v1 and v2, and a suction device c1. The pipe p1 includes main pipes a1 and a2 and branch pipes b1 and b2. The branch pipes b1 and b2 are arranged in parallel so as to branch between the main pipes a1 and a2 into two flow paths. The flow path of the branch pipe b1 is larger than the flow path of the branch pipe b2. Valves v1 and v2 are inserted in the branch pipes b1 and b2, respectively.

  The main pipe a1 is connected to the exhaust port 125 of the processing chamber 120. Here, the exhaust port 125 of the processing chamber 120 is formed below the exhaust position. The main pipe a2 is connected to the exhaust facility. A suction device c1 is inserted in the main pipe a2. The suction device c1 is, for example, an ejector. The suction device c1 discharges the gas in the processing chamber 120 through the pipe p1. The flow rate of the discharged gas is adjusted by opening or closing the valves v1 and v2. The gas discharged by the suction device c1 is rendered harmless by the exhaust facility.

  The exhaust part 170 includes a pipe p2, valves v3 and v4, and a suction device c2. The pipe p2 includes main pipes a3 and a4 and branch pipes b3 and b4. The branch pipes b3 and b4 are arranged in parallel so as to branch between the main pipes a3 and a4 into two flow paths. The flow path of the branch pipe b3 is larger than the flow path of the branch pipe b4. Valves v3 and v4 are inserted in the branch pipes b3 and b4, respectively.

  The main pipe a3 is connected to the exhaust port 155 of the housing 151. The main pipe a4 is connected to the exhaust facility. A suction device c2 is interposed in the main pipe a4. The suction device c2 discharges the gas in the housing 151 through the pipe p2. By opening or closing the valves v3 and v4, the flow rate of the discharged gas is adjusted. The gas discharged by the suction device c2 is rendered harmless by the exhaust facility.

  The air supply unit 180 includes a pipe p3 and two valves v5 and v6. The pipe p3 includes main pipes a5 and a6 and branch pipes b5 and b6. The branch pipes b5 and b6 are arranged in parallel so as to branch into two flow paths between the main pipe a5 and the main pipe a6. The flow path of the branch pipe b5 is larger than the flow path of the branch pipe b6. Valves v5 and v6 are inserted in the branch pipes b5 and b6, respectively.

  The main pipe a5 is connected to the air supply port 126 of the processing chamber 120. Here, the air supply port 126 of the processing chamber 120 is formed above the exhaust position. The main pipe a6 is connected to an inert gas supply source. An inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 from an inert gas supply source through the pipe p3. The flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the processing chamber 120 is adjusted by opening or closing the valves v5 and v6. In the present embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the inert gas.

  The air supply unit 190 includes a pipe p4 and two valves v7 and v8. The pipe p4 includes main pipes a7 and a8 and branch pipes b7 and b8. The branch pipes b7 and b8 are arranged in parallel so as to branch into two flow paths between the main pipe a7 and the main pipe a8. The flow path of the branch pipe b7 is larger than the flow path of the branch pipe b8. Valves v7 and v8 are inserted in the branch pipes b7 and b8, respectively.

  The main pipe a7 is connected to the air supply port 156 of the housing 151. The main pipe a8 is connected to the above inert gas supply source. An inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 from an inert gas supply source through the pipe p4. The flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the housing 151 is adjusted by opening or closing the valves v7 and v8.

  In the processing chamber 120, a pressure gauge s1, an oxygen concentration meter s2, an ozone concentration meter s3 and an illuminance meter s4 are provided. The pressure gauge s1, the oxygen concentration meter s2, the ozone concentration meter s3, and the illuminance meter s4 are connected to the control unit 110 through connection ports P1, P2, P3, and P4 provided in the processing chamber 120, respectively. The pressure gauge s1 measures the pressure in the processing chamber 120. The oxygen concentration meter s2 is, for example, a galvanic cell type oxygen sensor or a zirconia type oxygen sensor, and measures the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120.

The ozone concentration meter s3 measures the ozone concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120. The illuminance meter s4 includes a light receiving element such as a photodiode, and measures the illuminance of vacuum ultraviolet rays from the light source unit 153 irradiated on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element. Here, the illuminance is a work rate of vacuum ultraviolet rays irradiated per unit area of the light receiving surface. The unit of illuminance is represented by “W / m ² ”, for example.

(2) Schematic operation of exposure apparatus In the exposure apparatus 100, the substrate W is sequentially carried into the processing chamber 120, and exposure processing is performed by irradiating the substrate W with light from the light source unit 153 through the light transmitting plate 152. Is called. However, when the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 is high, oxygen molecules absorb vacuum ultraviolet rays and are separated into oxygen atoms, and the separated oxygen atoms are recombined with other oxygen molecules. Ozone is generated. In this case, the vacuum ultraviolet rays that reach the substrate W are attenuated. The attenuation of vacuum ultraviolet rays is greater than the attenuation of ultraviolet rays with wavelengths longer than about 230 nm.

  Therefore, in the exposure process, the gas in the processing chamber 120 is replaced with an inert gas by the exhaust unit 160 and the air supply unit 180. Further, the gas in the housing 151 is replaced with an inert gas by the exhaust part 170 and the air supply part 190. Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 is reduced. When the oxygen concentration measured by the oxygen concentration meter s2 is reduced to a predetermined concentration (for example, 100 ppm), the substrate W is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays.

When the exposure amount of the vacuum ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate W reaches a predetermined set exposure amount, the irradiation of the vacuum ultraviolet rays is stopped and the exposure is completed. Here, the exposure amount is the energy of vacuum ultraviolet rays irradiated per unit area of the surface to be processed of the substrate W during the exposure process. The unit of the exposure amount is represented by “J / m ² ”, for example. Therefore, the exposure amount of vacuum ultraviolet rays is acquired by integrating the illuminance of vacuum ultraviolet rays measured by the illuminance meter s4.

  In the exposure apparatus 100, since the housing 151 is sealed except during maintenance, the inside of the housing 151 can be always maintained in an inert gas atmosphere. On the other hand, in the processing chamber 120, the transfer opening 122 is opened and the sealing is released every time the substrate W is carried in and out. Therefore, the inside of the processing chamber 120 cannot always be maintained in an inert gas atmosphere, and it is necessary to replace the gas in the processing chamber 120 with an inert gas for each exposure process of each substrate W. If this replacement takes a long time, the efficiency of the exposure processing of the substrate W decreases.

  In the present embodiment, when the gas in the processing chamber 120 is replaced with an inert gas, the gas in the processing chamber 120 is exhausted by the exhaust unit 160. After the gas is discharged for a certain period of time, the oxygen concentration is lowered below a certain value, and then the inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180 while the gas is continuously discharged.

  In this case, oxygen in the processing chamber 120 is discharged together with other gases before supplying the inert gas. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 decreases and the amount of oxygen in the processing chamber 120 decreases in a short time. Thereafter, an inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120, and a slight amount of oxygen remaining in the processing chamber 120 is discharged together with the inert gas. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 can be reduced in a short time.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing changes in pressure and oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 120. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the pressure and oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 120. Further, a change in pressure (a change amount from atmospheric pressure) is indicated by a solid line, and a change in oxygen concentration is indicated by a one-dot chain line. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing chamber 120 is maintained at atmospheric pressure at the initial time point. Moreover, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is about 2 × 10 ⁵ ppm.

  First, the mounting plate 141 is moved to the exhaust position, and the valve v1 of the exhaust unit 160 is opened. Thereby, the gas in the processing chamber 120 is discharged, and as shown in FIG. 2, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 decreases to a value lower by about 30 kPa than the atmospheric pressure (time point T1). Next, at time T1, the valve v5 of the air supply unit 180 is opened. As a result, the inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120, and the pressure in the processing chamber 120 increases to a value about 10 kPa lower than the atmospheric pressure while the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases.

  Subsequently, at time T2, the valve v1 of the exhaust unit 160 is closed. Thereby, the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber 120 is stopped, and the pressure in the processing chamber 120 rises to a value higher by several kPa than the atmospheric pressure while the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is further lowered. Thereafter, at time T3, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is reduced to 100 ppm. In this case, the mounting plate 141 is moved to the processing position. At this time, as will be described later, the substrate W approaches the light transmitting plate 152 in a state where the substrate W is mounted on the mounting plate 141. Here, the substrate W is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays from the light source unit 153 through the translucent plate 152.

  At time T4, the exposure amount of the vacuum ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate W reaches the set exposure amount. As a result, the emission of the vacuum ultraviolet rays from the light source unit 153 is stopped, and the mounting plate 141 is moved to the standby position. Further, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by opening the transfer opening 122.

  According to the above replacement procedure, the gas in the processing chamber 120 can be replaced with an inert gas with high efficiency. However, since the pressure in the processing chamber 120 becomes lower than the pressure in the housing 151 for a certain period of time, a stress due to the pressure difference is generated in the translucent plate 152 provided between the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151. In this case, the lifetime of the translucent plate 152 is shortened.

  In the present embodiment, when the gas in the processing chamber 120 is replaced with an inert gas, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 matches the pressure in the housing 151, or the difference in pressure is less than a certain value. The pressure in the housing 151 is controlled so as to decrease. In this case, stress is prevented from being generated in the translucent plate 152. Thereby, the lifetime of the translucent plate 152 can be extended. Further, since it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the light transmitting plate 152, the transmittance of the light transmitting plate 152 is improved. As a result, the efficiency of the exposure processing of the substrate W can be improved.

(3) Control Unit FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 110 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 110 includes an oxygen concentration acquisition unit A, exhaust control units B and C, an air supply control unit D and E, an open / close control unit F, a lift control unit G, an illuminance acquisition unit H, and an exposure amount. The calculation part I and the light projection control part J are included. The control unit 110 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. A control program is stored in advance in the memory of the control unit 110. The function of each unit of the control unit 110 is realized by the CPU of the control unit 110 executing the control program stored in the memory.

  The oxygen concentration acquisition unit A acquires the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 based on the measurement value of the oxygen concentration meter s2 in FIG. As described above, in the present embodiment, the gas in the processing chamber 120 is discharged for a certain period of time before the inert gas is supplied, so that the pressure in the processing chamber 120 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure. . In this state, when the oxygen concentration cannot be measured by the oxygen concentration meter s2, the oxygen concentration acquisition unit A is not in the oxygen concentration meter s2 but in the gas in the processing chamber 120 based on the measurement value of the pressure gauge s1 in FIG. The oxygen concentration may be obtained.

  The exhaust control unit B controls the operation of the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust unit 160 in FIG. The exhaust control unit C controls the operation of the valves v3 and v4 of the exhaust unit 170 in FIG. The air supply control unit D controls the operation of the valves v5 and v6 of the air supply unit 180 of FIG. The air supply control unit E controls the operation of the valves v7 and v8 of the air supply unit 190 of FIG. The opening / closing control unit F controls the operation of the driving device 133 so that the shutter 131 of FIG. 1 moves between the closed position and the opened position. The lifting control unit G controls the operation of the driving device 143 so that the mounting plate 141 of FIG. 1 moves among the standby position, the exhaust position, and the processing position.

  The illuminance acquisition unit H acquires the value of the illuminance of vacuum ultraviolet rays measured by the illuminometer s4 of FIG. The exposure amount calculation unit I calculates the exposure amount of the vacuum ultraviolet ray irradiated to the substrate W based on the illuminance of the vacuum ultraviolet ray acquired by the illuminance acquisition unit H and the emission time of the vacuum ultraviolet ray by the light source unit 153 in FIG. To do.

  The light projection control unit J switches the emission of the vacuum ultraviolet rays from the light source unit 153 and the stop of the emission based on the oxygen concentration acquired by the oxygen concentration acquisition unit A and the exposure amount calculated by the exposure amount calculation unit I. The operation of the power supply device 154 in FIG. 1 is controlled. In the following description, a state in which the light source unit 153 emits vacuum ultraviolet rays is referred to as an emission state, and a state in which the light source unit 153 stops emission of vacuum ultraviolet rays is referred to as a stopped state.

  4 to 9 are diagrams for explaining control of each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 by the control unit 110 of FIG. 4 to 9, in order to facilitate the understanding of the configuration in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151, some components are not shown, and the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 have one outline. Indicated by a chain line. Also, a small amount of inert gas or gas flow supplied or exhausted is indicated by a thin arrow, and a large amount of inert gas or gas flow supplied or exhausted is indicated by a thick arrow.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the timing of control by the control unit 110 of FIG. FIGS. 10A to 10D show the switching timing of the operations of the valves v1 to v8 in the exhaust unit 160, the exhaust unit 170, the air supply unit 180, and the air supply unit 190. FIG. Here, “v1 open” to “v8 open” in FIGS. 10A to 10D mean that the valves v1 to v8 are opened, respectively. “Closed” in FIGS. 10A to 10D means that the set of valves v1 and v2, the set of valves v3 and v4, the set of valves v5 and v6, and the set of valves v7 and v8 are closed. To do.

  FIG. 10E shows the timing of movement of the shutter 131 between the open position and the closed position. FIG. 10F shows the timing of movement of the mounting plate 141 among the standby position, the exhaust position, and the processing position. FIG. 10G shows the timing of switching between the emission state and the stop state of the light source unit 153. FIG. 10H shows a schematic change in pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151. The change in pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the change in pressure in the housing 151 are substantially the same.

  Hereinafter, the exposure processing by the control unit 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the pressure and oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 120 are constantly or periodically measured by the pressure gauge s1 and the oxygen concentration meter s2 in FIG. Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is acquired constantly or periodically by the oxygen concentration acquisition unit A of FIG.

  As an initial state, at time t1, as shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 131 is in the open position, the mounting plate 141 is in the standby position, and the light source unit 153 is in the stopped state. Thereby, the substrate W to be processed can be placed on the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124 through the transport opening 122. In this state, the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust unit 160 are closed, the valve v6 of the air supply unit 180 is opened, the valve v4 of the exhaust unit 170 is opened, and the valve v8 of the air supply unit 190 is opened.

  In this case, a small amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180, but since the transfer opening 122 is opened, the inside of the processing chamber 120 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0, and the inside of the processing chamber 120 The oxygen concentration in the gas is equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Further, a small amount of inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 by the air supply unit 190, and a small amount of gas in the housing 151 is discharged by the exhaust unit 170, whereby the inside of the housing 151 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0. The gas in 151 is maintained as an inert gas.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the substrate W is placed on the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124 by the transfer device 220 of FIG. 12 described later. Thereafter, at time t2, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 131 is moved to the closed position, and the mounting plate 141 is moved to the exhaust position. Further, the valve v1 of the exhaust unit 160 is opened, the valves v5 and v6 of the air supply unit 180 are closed, the valve v3 of the exhaust unit 170 is opened, and the valves v7 and v8 of the air supply unit 190 are closed.

  In this case, a large amount of gas in the processing chamber 120 is discharged by the exhaust unit 160 in a state where the transfer opening 122 is closed and the supply of the inert gas from the air supply unit 180 to the processing chamber 120 is stopped. Therefore, oxygen in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with other gases, so that the amount of oxygen decreases in a short time. Further, a large amount of gas in the housing 151 is discharged by the exhaust part 170. Thereby, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 is reduced to a value Pa lower than the atmospheric pressure P0.

  In a state where the mounting plate 141 is moved to the exhaust position, a narrow gap may be formed between the mounting plate 141 and the bottom surface of the processing chamber 120 and between the mounting plate 141 and the translucent plate 152. Is prevented. As described above, since the space above and below the mounting plate 141 at the exhaust position is relatively large, it is difficult for oxygen to stagnate. Therefore, oxygen can be discharged efficiently. In the example of FIG. 6, the substrate W is not placed on the placement plate 141 at the exhaust position, but the present invention is not limited to this. The substrate W may be placed on the placement plate 141 at the exhaust position.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the exhaust port of main pipe a1 of exhaust unit 160 (portion connected to exhaust port 125 of processing chamber 120 in FIG. 1) is disposed below the exhaust position. In addition, the air supply port of the main pipe a5 (portion connected to the air supply port 126 of the processing chamber 120 in FIG. 1) in the air supply unit 180 is disposed above the exhaust position. Here, as in the present embodiment, it is more preferable that the exhaust port of the main pipe a1 and the air supply port of the main pipe a5 are arranged so as to sandwich the exhaust position.

  According to this arrangement, the inert gas is directly supplied to the space above the mounting plate 141 at the exhaust position. Moreover, the flow of the inert gas along the space around the mounting plate 141 at the exhaust position is formed. Thereby, oxygen can be efficiently discharged, and oxygen between the mounting plate 141 and the light projecting unit 150 can be discharged more efficiently. As a result, the exposure of the substrate W can be started in a short time.

  After a certain time, at time t3, as shown in FIG. 7, the valve v5 of the air supply unit 180 is opened, and the valve v7 of the air supply unit 190 is opened. In this case, a large amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180. Therefore, a small amount of oxygen remaining in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with the inert gas. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases in a short time. Further, a large amount of inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 by the air supply unit 190. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 rises to a value Pb that is higher than the value Pa and lower than the atmospheric pressure P0.

  Subsequently, at time t4, as shown in FIG. 8, the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust part 160 are closed, and the valves v3 and v4 of the exhaust part 170 are closed. In this case, a larger amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180, and a larger amount of inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 by the air supply unit 190. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 increases to a value Pc higher than the atmospheric pressure P0, and the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 continues to decrease.

  At time t5, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases to a certain value (for example, 100 ppm) or less. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9, the mounting plate 141 moves to the processing position, and the light source unit 153 enters the emission state. In this case, the substrate W is transferred from the plurality of support pins 124 to the mounting plate 141 and is brought close to the light transmitting plate 152. In this state, vacuum ultraviolet rays are applied to the substrate W from the light source unit 153 through the light transmitting plate 152, and the DSA film formed on the surface to be processed is exposed.

  At the time point t6, the exposure amount of the vacuum ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate W reaches the set exposure amount. As a result, similarly to the initial state of FIG. 5, the light source unit 153 is stopped, the mounting plate 141 is moved to the standby position, and the shutter 131 is moved to the open position. Further, the valve v6 of the air supply unit 180 is opened, the valve v4 of the exhaust unit 170 is opened, and the valve v8 of the air supply unit 190 is opened.

  In this case, the inside of the processing chamber 120 and the inside of the housing 151 are maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0, and the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 becomes equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Further, the exposed substrate W is transferred from the mounting plate 141 to the plurality of support pins 124. In this example, the substrate W is carried out from the plurality of support pins 124 to the outside of the processing chamber 120 by the transfer device 220 shown in FIG.

(4) Exposure Process FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the exposure process performed by the control unit 110 of FIG. Hereinafter, the exposure process will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the opening / closing control unit F moves the shutter 131 to the open position (step S1). Thereby, the substrate W to be processed can be placed on the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124 through the transport opening 122. Moreover, the raising / lowering control part G moves the mounting board 141 to a standby position (step S2). The light projection control unit J switches the light source unit 153 to the stopped state (step S3).

  Next, the exhaust control unit B closes the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust unit 160 (step S4). The exhaust control unit C opens the valve v4 of the exhaust unit 170 (step S5). The air supply control unit D opens the valve v6 of the air supply unit 180 (step S6). The air supply control unit E opens the valve v8 of the air supply unit 190 (step S7). Steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 7 are processes for setting the exposure apparatus 100 to an initial state, which may be executed first or at the same time. In particular, steps S4 to S7 are preferably performed simultaneously.

  Note that “simultaneous execution” in the present embodiment is not only that a plurality of processes are executed at the same time point, but also executed sequentially within a period of about several seconds, or a delay time of about several seconds. Including being executed. The same applies to the following description.

  Subsequently, the opening / closing control unit F determines whether or not the substrate W has been carried into the processing chamber 120 (step S8). Whether or not the substrate W has been carried into the processing chamber 120 is determined, for example, by detecting whether or not the holding portion of the substrate W in the transfer apparatus 220 in FIG. Is done. When the substrate W is not loaded, the opening / closing control unit F stands by until the substrate W is loaded into the processing chamber 120.

  When the substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 120, the open / close control unit F moves the shutter 131 to the closed position (step S9). Moreover, the raising / lowering control part G moves the mounting plate 141 to an exhaust position (step S10). The exhaust control unit B opens the valve v1 of the exhaust unit 160 (step S11). The exhaust control unit C opens the valve v3 of the exhaust unit 170 (step S12). The air supply control unit D closes the valves v5 and v6 of the air supply unit 180 (step S13). The air supply control unit E closes the valves v7 and v8 of the air supply unit 190 (step S14). Any of steps S9 to S14 may be executed first or at the same time. In particular, steps S11 to S14 are preferably performed simultaneously.

  Thereafter, the air supply control unit D determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed (step S15). When the predetermined time has not elapsed, the air supply control unit D stands by until the predetermined time elapses. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the air supply control unit D opens the valve v5 of the air supply unit 180 (step S16). In addition, the air supply control unit E opens the valve v7 of the air supply unit 190 (step S17). Either of steps S16 and S17 may be executed first, but it is preferable to execute them simultaneously.

  Next, the exhaust control unit B determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S18). If the certain time has not elapsed, the exhaust control unit B waits until the certain time has elapsed. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the exhaust control unit B closes the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust unit 160 (step S19). Further, the exhaust control unit C closes the valves v3 and v4 of the exhaust unit 170 (step S20). Steps S19 and S20 may be executed first, but are preferably executed simultaneously.

  Subsequently, the elevation control unit G determines whether or not the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 has decreased to a certain value or less (step S21). When the oxygen concentration has not decreased below a certain value, the elevation control unit G waits until the oxygen concentration falls below a certain value. When the oxygen concentration is lowered to a certain value or less, the elevation control unit G moves the mounting plate 141 to the processing position (step S22). In addition, the light projection control unit J switches the light source unit 153 to the emission state (step S23). Either step S22 or S23 may be executed first or at the same time.

  Thereafter, the exposure amount calculation unit I determines whether or not the exposure amount of the substrate W has reached the set exposure amount (step S24). When the exposure amount has not reached the set exposure amount, the exposure amount calculation unit I stands by until the exposure amount reaches the set exposure amount. When the exposure amount reaches the set exposure amount, the exposure amount calculation unit I returns to step S1. Thereby, steps S1-S24 are repeated. As a result, the exposure processing is sequentially performed on the plurality of substrates W.

(5) Substrate Processing Apparatus FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus provided with the exposure apparatus 100 of FIG. In the substrate processing apparatus 200 described below, processing using block copolymer induced self-assembly (DSA) is performed. Specifically, a processing liquid containing an induction self-organizing material is applied on the surface of the substrate W to be processed. Thereafter, two types of polymer patterns are formed on the surface to be processed of the substrate W by microphase separation that occurs in the induced self-assembled material. One of the two types of polymers is removed by the solvent.

  A treatment liquid containing an induced self-organizing material is called a DSA liquid. In addition, a process for removing one of the two types of polymer patterns formed on the surface to be processed of the substrate W by microphase separation is called a development process, and a solvent used for the development process is called a developer.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes a control device 210, a transport device 220, a heat treatment device 230, a coating device 240 and a developing device 250 in addition to the exposure device 100. The control device 210 includes, for example, a CPU and a memory or a microcomputer, and controls operations of the transport device 220, the heat treatment device 230, the coating device 240, and the developing device 250. Further, the control device 210 provides commands for controlling the operations of the closing unit 130, the lifting unit 140, the light projecting unit 150, the exhaust units 160 and 170, and the air supply units 180 and 190 of the exposure apparatus 100 of FIG. 110.

  The transport apparatus 220 transports the substrate W between the exposure apparatus 100, the heat treatment apparatus 230, the coating apparatus 240, and the development apparatus 250 while holding the substrate W to be processed. The heat treatment apparatus 230 heat-treats the substrate W before and after the coating process by the coating apparatus 240 and the development process by the developing apparatus 250.

  The coating apparatus 240 performs a film coating process by supplying a DSA liquid to the surface to be processed of the substrate W. In this embodiment, a block copolymer composed of two types of polymers is used as the DSA liquid. As a combination of two types of polymers, for example, polystyrene-polymethyl methacrylate (PS-PMMA), polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-PDMS), polystyrene-polyferrocenyldimethylsilane (PS-PFS), polystyrene-polyethylene oxide (PS-PEO), polystyrene-polyvinylpyridine (PS-PVP), polystyrene-polyhydroxystyrene (PS-PHOST), polymethylmethacrylate-polymethacrylate polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (PMMA-PMAPOSS), etc. Can be mentioned.

  The developing device 250 performs a film developing process by supplying a developing solution to the surface to be processed of the substrate W. As a solvent for the developer, for example, toluene, heptane, acetone, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), cyclohexanone, acetic acid, tetrahydrofuran, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) or tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) ) And the like.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of processing of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 200 of FIG. In FIG. 13, the state of the substrate W that changes each time processing is performed is shown in a cross-sectional view. In this example, as an initial state before the substrate W is carried into the substrate processing apparatus 200, the base layer L1 is formed so as to cover the surface to be processed of the substrate W as shown in FIG. A guide pattern L2 made of, for example, a photoresist is formed on L1. Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

  The transfer device 220 sequentially transfers the substrate W to be processed to the heat treatment device 230 and the coating device 240. In this case, in the heat treatment apparatus 230, the temperature of the substrate W is adjusted to a temperature suitable for forming the DSA film L3. Further, in the coating apparatus 240, the DSA liquid is supplied to the surface to be processed of the substrate W, and the coating process is performed. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 13B, a DSA film L3 composed of two types of polymers is formed in a region on the base layer L1 where the guide pattern L2 is not formed.

  Next, the transfer device 220 sequentially transfers the substrate W on which the DSA film L3 is formed to the heat treatment apparatus 230 and the exposure apparatus 100. In this case, the heat treatment apparatus 230 performs the heat treatment of the substrate W, thereby causing microphase separation in the DSA film L3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13C, a pattern Q1 made of one polymer and a pattern Q2 made of the other polymer are formed. In this example, the linear pattern Q1 and the linear pattern Q2 are directionally formed along the guide pattern L2.

  Thereafter, the substrate W is cooled in the heat treatment apparatus 230. Further, in the exposure apparatus 100, the entire DSA film L3 after microphase separation is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays for modifying the DSA film L3, and exposure processing is performed. Thereby, the bond between one polymer and the other polymer is cut, and the pattern Q1 and the pattern Q2 are separated.

  Subsequently, the transport device 220 sequentially transports the substrate W after the exposure processing by the exposure device 100 to the heat treatment device 230 and the developing device 250. In this case, the substrate W is cooled in the heat treatment apparatus 230. Further, in the developing device 250, a developer is supplied to the DSA film L3 on the substrate W, and development processing is performed. As a result, the pattern Q1 is removed and finally the pattern Q2 remains on the substrate W as shown in FIG. Finally, the transport device 220 collects the substrate W after the development processing from the development device 250.

(6) Effect In the exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber 120 is started after a certain time has elapsed since the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber 120 was started. The In this case, before supplying the inert gas, oxygen in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with other gases. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 decreases and the amount of oxygen decreases. Thereafter, an inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120, and a small amount of oxygen remaining in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with the inert gas. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases in a short time after the substrate W is loaded into the processing chamber 120. Therefore, the exposure of the substrate W can be started in a short time after the substrate W is loaded. As a result, the efficiency of the exposure processing of the substrate W can be improved.

  In addition, after a certain time has elapsed since the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber 120 is started, the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber 120 is stopped. In this case, the inert gas is further supplied into the processing chamber 120 in a state where the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber 120 is stopped. Thereby, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 can be further reduced, and generation of ozone can be prevented more efficiently.

[2] Second Embodiment The exposure apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described while referring to differences from the exposure apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, the exposure apparatus 100 further includes a connecting tube 101 that connects the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151. A valve v9 is inserted in the connecting pipe 101.

  FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 110 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 110 further includes a connection control unit K that controls the operation of the valve v <b> 9 in FIG. 14. By opening the valve v <b> 9, the internal space V <b> 1 of the processing chamber 120 and the internal space V <b> 2 of the housing 151 communicate with each other through the connecting pipe 101, and gas can move between the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151. .

  16 to 21 are diagrams for explaining control of each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 by the control unit 110 of FIG. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the timing of control by the control unit 110 of FIG. FIG. 22 (i) shows the timing for switching the operation of the valve v <b> 9 in the connecting pipe 101. Hereinafter, exposure processing by the control unit 110 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The control timing of the exhaust unit 160, the air supply unit 180, the shutter 131, the mounting plate 141, and the light source unit 153 in FIG. 22 is the same as that of the exhaust unit 160, the air supply unit 180, the shutter 131, and the mounting plate 141 in FIG. The timing of the light source unit 153 is the same as that of the control. Further, the change in pressure in the processing chamber 120 in FIG. 22 is the same as the change in pressure in the processing chamber 120 in FIG. On the other hand, the control timing of the exhaust unit 170 and the air supply unit 190 in FIG. 22 is different from the control timing of the exhaust unit 170 and the air supply unit 190 in FIG.

  As an initial state, at time t1, as shown in FIG. 16, the shutter 131 is in the open position, the mounting plate 141 is in the standby position, and the light source unit 153 is in the stopped state. Further, the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust unit 160 are closed, the valve v6 of the air supply unit 180 is opened, the valve v4 of the exhaust unit 170 is opened, the valve v8 of the air supply unit 190 is opened, and the connection pipe 101 Valve v9 is closed.

  In this case, a small amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180, but since the transfer opening 122 is opened, the inside of the processing chamber 120 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0, and the inside of the processing chamber 120 The oxygen concentration in the gas is equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Further, a small amount of inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 by the air supply unit 190, and a small amount of gas in the housing 151 is discharged by the exhaust unit 170, whereby the inside of the housing 151 is maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0. The gas in 151 is maintained as an inert gas. In this state, the valve v9 is closed, so that oxygen can be easily prevented from flowing into the housing 151 through the processing chamber 120.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the substrate W is placed on the upper ends of the plurality of support pins 124 by the transfer device 220 of FIG. 12. Thereafter, at time t2, as shown in FIG. 18, the shutter 131 is moved to the closed position, and the mounting plate 141 is moved to the exhaust position. Further, the valve v1 of the exhaust unit 160 is opened, the valves v5 and v6 of the air supply unit 180 are closed, the valves v3 and v4 of the exhaust unit 170 are closed, the valve v7 of the air supply unit 190 is opened, and the connecting pipe 101 valve v9 is opened.

  In this case, a large amount of gas in the processing chamber 120 is discharged by the exhaust unit 160 in a state where the transfer opening 122 is closed and the supply of the inert gas from the air supply unit 180 to the processing chamber 120 is stopped. Therefore, oxygen in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with other gases, so that the amount of oxygen decreases in a short time. Further, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 is reduced to a value Pa lower than the atmospheric pressure P0.

  Here, the internal space of the housing 151 and the internal space of the processing chamber 120 communicate with each other through the connecting pipe 101, and the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the pressure in the housing 151 are kept equal. In addition, since a large amount of inert gas is supplied into the housing 151 in a state where the exhaust of the gas in the housing 151 by the exhaust unit 170 is stopped, the gas in the housing 151 moves into the processing chamber 120. Gas does not move (back flow) from the processing chamber 120 into the housing 151. Thereby, the gas containing oxygen is prevented from flowing into the housing 151.

  After a certain time, at time t3, as shown in FIG. 19, the valve v5 of the air supply unit 180 is opened. In this case, a large amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180. Therefore, a small amount of oxygen remaining in the processing chamber 120 is discharged out of the processing chamber 120 together with the inert gas. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases in a short time. Further, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 rises to a value Pb that is higher than the value Pa and lower than the atmospheric pressure P0.

  Subsequently, at time t4, as shown in FIG. 20, the valves v1 and v2 of the exhaust part 160 are closed. In this case, a larger amount of inert gas is supplied into the processing chamber 120 by the air supply unit 180. As a result, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 and the housing 151 increases to a value Pc higher than the atmospheric pressure P0, and the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 continues to decrease.

  At time t5, the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 decreases to a certain value (for example, 100 ppm) or less. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 21, the mounting plate 141 moves to the processing position, and the light source unit 153 enters the emission state. In this case, the substrate W is transferred from the plurality of support pins 124 to the mounting plate 141 and is brought close to the light transmitting plate 152. In this state, vacuum ultraviolet rays are applied to the substrate W from the light source unit 153 through the light transmitting plate 152, and the DSA film formed on the surface to be processed is exposed.

  At the time point t6, the exposure amount of the vacuum ultraviolet rays applied to the substrate W reaches the set exposure amount. As a result, as in the initial state of FIG. 17, the light source unit 153 is stopped, the mounting plate 141 is moved to the standby position, and the shutter 131 is moved to the open position. Further, the valve v6 of the air supply unit 180 is opened, the valve v4 of the exhaust unit 170 is opened, the valve v8 of the air supply unit 190 is opened, and the valve v9 of the connecting pipe 101 is closed.

  In this case, the communication between the internal space of the housing 151 and the internal space of the processing chamber 120 is blocked, and the inside of the processing chamber 120 and the inside of the housing 151 are maintained at the atmospheric pressure P0. The oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Further, the exposed substrate W is transferred from the mounting plate 141 to the plurality of support pins 124. In this example, the substrate W is unloaded from the plurality of support pins 124 to the outside of the processing chamber 120 by the transfer device 220 in FIG. According to this configuration, the pressure in the processing chamber 120 can be matched with the pressure in the housing 151 by simpler control, or the pressure difference can be made smaller than a certain value.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an exposure process performed by the control unit 110 of FIG. The exposure process of FIG. 23 differs from the exposure process of FIG. 11 in the following points. Step S7a is executed between steps S7 and S8. Step S12a is executed instead of step S12. Step S14a is executed instead of step S14. Step S14b is executed between steps S14a and S15. Steps S17 and S20 are not executed.

  In step S7a, the connection control unit K closes the valve v9 of the connection pipe 101. In step S12a, the exhaust control unit C closes the valves v3 and v4. In step S14a, the air supply control unit E opens the valve v7 of the air supply unit 190. In step S14b, the connection control unit K closes the valve v9 of the connection pipe 101.

  Steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 7 and S <b> 7 a are processes for setting the exposure apparatus 100 to an initial state, and any of them may be executed first or simultaneously. In particular, steps S4 to S7 and S7a are preferably executed simultaneously. Any of Steps S9 to S11, S12a, S13, S14a, and S14b may be executed first or at the same time. In particular, steps S11, S12a, S13, S14a, and S14b are preferably executed simultaneously.

[3] Other Embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, a DSA liquid is used as a processing liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. Other processing liquids different from the DSA liquid may be used.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the exit surface of the vacuum ultraviolet ray is larger than the surface to be processed of the substrate W, and the entire surface of the substrate W is exposed. The emission surface of the vacuum ultraviolet light may be smaller than the surface to be processed of the substrate W, or the planar vacuum ultraviolet light may not be emitted. In this case, the vacuum ultraviolet ray is irradiated on the entire surface of the substrate W to be processed by relatively moving the vacuum ultraviolet ray emitting surface and the surface of the substrate W to be processed.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the exposure of the substrate W is started when the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is reduced to 100 ppm, but the present invention is not limited to this. The exposure of the substrate W may be started when the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber 120 is lowered to a concentration higher than 100 ppm (for example, 1%).

  (4) In the above embodiment, the exhaust port 125 is formed below the exhaust position and the air supply port 126 is formed above the exhaust position, but the present invention is not limited to this. The exhaust port 125 may be formed above the exhaust position, and the air supply port 126 may be formed below the exhaust position. Alternatively, both the exhaust port 125 and the air supply port 126 may be formed above the exhaust position, and both the exhaust port 125 and the air supply port 126 may be formed below the exhaust position. Therefore, the exhaust port 125 and the air supply port 126 may not be formed so as to sandwich the exhaust position.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the placement plate 141 is moved to the exhaust position when the gas in the processing chamber 120 is exhausted, but the present invention is not limited to this. When a narrow gap is not formed around the mounting plate 141 in the standby position and oxygen is not easily retained, the mounting plate 141 is not moved to the exhaust position when the gas in the processing chamber 120 is discharged. Also good.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the pressure in the housing 151 is controlled so that the pressure in the housing 151 matches or approaches the pressure in the processing chamber 120, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the light transmitting plate 152 has sufficient strength, the pressure in the housing 151 may not be controlled so that the pressure in the housing 151 matches or approaches the pressure in the processing chamber 120.

[4] Correspondence between each constituent element of claim and each element of the embodiment Hereinafter, an example of correspondence between each constituent element of the claim and each element of the embodiment will be described. It is not limited to examples. As each constituent element in the claims, various other elements having configurations or functions described in the claims can be used.

  In the above embodiment, the light projecting unit 150 is an example of a light projecting unit, the mounting plate 141 is an example of a mounting unit, and the exhaust units 160 and 170 are examples of first and second exhaust units, respectively. The air supply units 180 and 190 are examples of the first and second air supply units, respectively. The air supply control units D and E are examples of first and second air supply control units, the drive device 143 is an example of a drive unit, the exhaust control unit B is an example of an exhaust control unit, and a support pin 124 is an example of a support member.

  The translucent plate 152 is an example of a window member, the connecting tube 101 is an example of a connecting portion, the coating device 240 is an example of a coating processing portion, the heat treatment device 230 is an example of a heat treatment portion, and the developing device 250 is It is an example of a development processing part. In 1st Embodiment, the exhaust part 170, the air supply part 190, and the air supply control part E are examples of a pressure control part. In the second embodiment, the connecting pipe 101 and the air supply unit 190 are examples of a pressure control unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Exposure apparatus, 101 ... Connecting pipe, 110 ... Control part, 120 ... Processing chamber, 121 ... Upper opening, 122 ... Conveyance opening, 123 ... Opening part, 124 ... Support pin, 125, 155 ... Exhaust port, 126, 156 ... Air supply port, 130 ... Blocking part, 131 ... Shutter, 132,142 ... Connecting member, 133,143 ... Drive device, 140 ... Elevating part, 141 ... Placing plate, 150 ... Light projecting part, 151 ... Housing, 152 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Translucent plate, 153 ... Light source part, 154 ... Power supply device, 160, 170 ... Exhaust part, 180, 190 ... Air supply part, 200 ... Substrate processing apparatus, 210 ... Control apparatus, 220 ... Conveyance apparatus, 230 ... Heat treatment apparatus , 240 ... coating device, 250 ... developing device, A ... oxygen concentration acquisition unit, a1-a8 ... main pipe, B, C ... exhaust control unit, b1-b8 ... branch pipe, c1, c2 ... suction device, D, E ... Air supply control unit F ... Opening / closing control unit, G ... Elevation control unit, H ... Illuminance acquisition unit, h1 ... Through-hole, h2 ... Lower opening, I ... Exposure amount calculation unit, J ... Projection control unit, K ... Connection control unit, L1 ... Underlayer, L2 ... Guide pattern, L3 ... DSA film, p1-p4 ... Piping, P1-P4 ... Connection port, Q1, Q2 ... Pattern, s1 ... Pressure gauge, s2 ... Oxygen concentration meter, s3 ... Ozone concentration meter, s4 ... illuminance meter, v1-v9 ... bulb, V1, V2 ... internal space, W ... substrate

Claims (15)

A processing chamber for accommodating the substrate;
In the processing chamber, a placement unit on which a substrate is placed;
A first exhaust for exhausting the gas in the processing chamber;
A first air supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing chamber;
A light projecting unit that emits vacuum ultraviolet rays;
The first exhaust unit starts the supply of an inert gas into the processing chamber after a predetermined first time has elapsed after the discharge of the gas in the processing chamber has started. A first air supply control unit for controlling one air supply unit;
Light projection control for controlling the light projecting unit to expose the substrate by irradiating the substrate in the processing chamber with vacuum ultraviolet rays while the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber is lowered to a predetermined concentration. And
When the substrate is carried into the processing chamber and the substrate is carried out of the processing chamber, the placement unit is at the first position in the processing chamber, and the substrate is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet rays by the light projecting unit. A driving unit that moves the mounting unit to the first position and the second position so that the mounting unit is located at a second position closer to the light projecting unit than the first position. An exposure apparatus comprising: The discharge of the gas in the processing chamber is stopped after a predetermined second time has elapsed after the supply of the inert gas into the processing chamber is started by the first air supply unit. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an exhaust control unit that controls the first exhaust unit. The light projecting unit is disposed above the placement unit, emits vacuum ultraviolet light downward,
The second position is below the light projecting unit, the first position is below the second position,
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit raises and lowers the placement unit between the first position and the second position. When the gas in the processing chamber is exhausted by the first exhaust unit, the drive unit is configured such that the placement unit is above the first position and below the second position. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mounting portion is moved so as to be in the position. The first exhaust part has an exhaust port for exhausting gas in the processing chamber,
The first air supply unit has an air supply port for supplying an inert gas in the processing chamber,
The exhaust port is arranged either above or below the third position,
The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the air supply port is disposed on the other side above or below the third position. The exhaust port is disposed below the third position,
The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the air supply port is disposed above the third position. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the exhaust port and the air supply port are disposed so as to sandwich the third position. A plurality of support members extending in the vertical direction in the processing chamber;
Upper ends of the plurality of support members are higher than the first position and lower than the second position;
The mounting portion has a plurality of through holes through which the plurality of support members can pass,
The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the plurality of support members pass through the plurality of through holes of the mounting portion when the mounting portion is in the first position. . A pressure control unit that controls the pressure in the light projecting unit so that the pressure in the light projecting unit matches or approaches the pressure in the processing chamber;
The said light projection part contains the translucent window member arrange | positioned between the said process chambers, and irradiates a vacuum ultraviolet-ray to the board | substrate in the said process chamber through the said window member. The exposure apparatus according to item. The pressure controller is
A second exhaust part for exhausting the gas in the light projecting part;
A second air supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the light projecting unit;
The second gas discharge unit is configured to start supplying inert gas into the light projecting unit after the first time has elapsed after the second exhaust unit starts discharging the gas in the light projecting unit. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a second air supply control unit that controls the air supply unit. The pressure controller is
A connecting part that connects the internal space of the processing chamber and the internal space of the light projecting part;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a second air supply unit that supplies an inert gas into the light projecting unit. A coating processing unit that forms a film on the substrate by applying a processing liquid to the substrate;
A heat treatment part for heat treating the substrate on which the film is formed by the coating treatment part;
The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a substrate that has been heat-treated by the heat treatment unit is exposed.
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a development processing unit that develops a film on the substrate by supplying a solvent to the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processing liquid includes an induced self-organizing material. Moving the mounting unit to a first position in the processing chamber by the driving unit;
Carrying the substrate into the processing chamber and placing the substrate on the placement unit;
Starting discharge of gas in the processing chamber by the first exhaust unit;
After a predetermined first time has elapsed after the first exhaust unit starts discharging the gas in the processing chamber, the first air supply unit supplies the inert gas into the processing chamber. The steps to begin,
The step of moving the mounting unit to a second position closer to the light projecting unit than the first position by the driving unit in a state where the oxygen concentration in the gas in the processing chamber is lowered to a predetermined concentration. When,
Exposing the substrate by irradiating the substrate in the processing chamber with vacuum ultraviolet rays by the light projecting unit;
Moving the mounting unit to the first position by the driving unit;
Unloading the substrate from the processing chamber. Forming a film on the substrate by applying a treatment liquid to the surface to be processed of the substrate by the application processing unit;
Heat-treating the substrate on which the film has been formed by the coating treatment unit with a heat treatment unit;
The exposure method according to claim 14, wherein the substrate heat-treated by the heat treatment unit is exposed by an exposure apparatus;
And developing a film on the substrate by supplying a solvent to a surface to be processed of the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus by means of a development processing unit.

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