JP2019214011A - Defoaming apparatus and defoaming method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for removing foams included in a process liquid which is reused.SOLUTION: A defoaming apparatus comprises a storage tank, a rotary vane, and a pump. The storage tank stores a process liquid which is used for substrate treatment. The rotary vane is rotatably attached to the storage tank. The pump circulates the process liquid, which is stored in the storage tank, in the storage tank, and discharges the same toward the rotary vane. The rotary vane is rotated by the process liquid discharged from the pump, and generates an eddy current of the process liquid in the storage tank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a defoaming apparatus and a defoaming method.

  Patent Literature 1 discloses that a developing solution is supplied to the surface of a substrate while a substrate having an exposed photoresist film on the surface is transported by a roller transport mechanism to develop the photoresist film.

JP 2012-124309 A

  The present disclosure provides a technique for removing bubbles contained in a processing solution to be reused.

  A defoaming device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage tank, a rotating blade, and a pump. The storage tank stores the processing liquid used for processing the substrate. The rotating blade is rotatably attached to the storage tank. The pump circulates the processing liquid stored in the storage tank in the storage tank, and discharges the processing liquid toward the rotating blade. The rotating blades are rotated by the processing liquid discharged from the pump, and generate a vortex of the processing liquid in the storage tank.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to remove bubbles contained in a processing liquid to be reused.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating substrate transfer by the roller transfer mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a developer defoaming device according to the embodiment. Drawing 4 is a mimetic diagram showing the schematic structure of the 1st defoaming device concerning an embodiment. Drawing 5 is a mimetic diagram showing the schematic structure of the 2nd defoaming device concerning an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the second defoaming device in a section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a second defoaming device according to a modified example (Part 1). FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a second defoaming device according to a modification (No. 2).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a defoaming apparatus and a defoaming method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the defoaming device and the defoaming method disclosed by the embodiments described below are not limited.

<Overall configuration>
A substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a cassette station 2, a first processing station 3, an interface station 4, a second processing station 5, and a control device 6.

  In the cassette station 2, a cassette C that accommodates a plurality of glass substrates S (hereinafter, referred to as “substrates S”) is placed. The cassette station 2 transports the substrate S between the mounting table 10 on which a plurality of cassettes C can be mounted, the cassette C and the first processing station 3, and between the second processing station 5 and the cassette C. And a transfer device 11.

  The transfer device 11 includes a transfer arm 11a. The transfer arm 11a can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and can turn around the vertical axis.

  The first processing station 3 performs processing including application of a photoresist to the substrate S. The first processing station 3 includes an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 20, a scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 21, a preheat unit (PH) 22, an adhesion unit (AD) 23, and a first cooling unit. (COL) 24. These units 20 to 24 are arranged in a direction from the cassette station 2 to the interface station 4. Specifically, the excimer UV irradiation unit 20, the scrub cleaning unit 21, the preheat unit 22, the adhesion unit 23, and the first cooling unit 24 are arranged in this order.

  The first processing station 3 includes a photoresist coating unit (CT) 25, a reduced-pressure drying unit (DP) 26, a first heating unit (HT) 27, and a second cooling unit (COL) 28. These units 25 to 28 are arranged in the direction from the first cooling unit 24 to the interface station 4 in the order of the photoresist coating unit 25, the reduced-pressure drying unit 26, the first heating unit 27, and the second cooling unit 28. The first processing station 3 includes a roller transport mechanism 29 (see FIG. 2) and a transport device 30.

  The excimer UV irradiation unit 20 irradiates the substrate S with ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet light lamp that emits ultraviolet light, and removes organic substances attached to the substrate S.

  The scrub cleaning unit 21 cleans the surface of the substrate S with a cleaning member such as a brush while supplying a cleaning liquid (for example, deionized water (DIW)) to the substrate S from which organic substances have been removed. Further, the scrub cleaning unit 21 dries the substrate S cleaned by a blower or the like.

  The preheat unit 22 further heats the substrate S dried by the scrub cleaning unit 21 to further dry the substrate S.

  The adhesion unit 23 sprays hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) on the dried substrate S to perform a hydrophobic treatment on the substrate S.

  The first cooling unit 24 cools the substrate S by blowing cool air onto the substrate S that has been subjected to the hydrophobic treatment.

  The photoresist coating unit 25 supplies a photoresist liquid onto the cooled substrate S, and forms a photoresist film on the substrate S.

  The reduced-pressure drying unit 26 dries the photoresist film formed on the substrate S under a reduced-pressure atmosphere.

  The first heating unit 27 heats the substrate S on which the photoresist film has been dried, and removes a solvent and the like contained in the photoresist film.

  The second cooling unit 28 cools the substrate S by blowing cool air onto the substrate S from which the solvent or the like has been removed.

  Here, the roller transport mechanism 29 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating substrate transport by the roller transport mechanism 29 according to the embodiment.

  The roller transport mechanism 29 includes a plurality of rollers 29a and a plurality of driving devices 29b. The roller transport mechanism 29 rotates the rollers 29a by the driving device 29b, and transports the substrate S with the rotation of the rollers 29a. That is, the roller transport mechanism 29 transports the substrate S in a flat flow. The drive device 29b is, for example, an electric motor.

  The roller transport mechanism 29 transports the substrate S from the excimer UV irradiation unit 20 to the first cooling unit 24, as shown by an arrow L in FIG. Further, the roller transport mechanism 29 transports the substrate S from the first heating unit 27 to the second cooling unit 28 as shown by an arrow M in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the transfer device 30 includes a transfer arm 30a. The transfer arm 30a is capable of moving in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and turning around the vertical axis.

  The transfer device 30 transfers the substrate S from the first cooling unit 24 to the photoresist coating unit 25. The transfer device 30 transfers the substrate S from the photoresist coating unit 25 to the reduced-pressure drying unit 26. The transfer device 30 transfers the substrate S from the reduced-pressure drying unit 26 to the first heating unit 27. The transfer device 30 may include a plurality of transfer arms, and transfer of the substrate S between the units may be performed by different transfer arms.

  In the interface station 4, the substrate S on which the photoresist film has been formed by the first processing station 3 is transferred to the external exposure device 8 and the second processing station 5. The interface station 4 includes a transport device 31 and a rotary stage (RS) 32.

  The external exposure device 8 includes an external device block 8A and an exposure device 8B. The external device block 8A removes the photoresist film on the outer peripheral portion of the substrate S by an edge exposure device (EE). Further, the external device block 8A writes predetermined information on the substrate S exposed to the circuit pattern by the exposure device 8B using a titler (TITLER).

  The exposure device 8B exposes the photoresist film using a photomask having a pattern corresponding to the circuit pattern.

  The transfer device 31 includes a transfer arm 31a. The transfer arm 31a can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and can turn around the vertical axis.

  The transfer device 31 transfers the substrate S from the second cooling unit 28 to the rotary stage 32. The transport device 31 transports the substrate S from the rotary stage 32 to the peripheral exposure device of the external device block 8A, and transports the substrate S from which the photoresist film on the outer peripheral portion has been removed to the exposure device 8B.

  Further, the transport device 31 transports the substrate S exposed to the circuit pattern from the exposure device 8B to the titler of the external device block 8A. Then, the transfer device 31 transfers the substrate S on which the predetermined information is written from the titler to the developing unit (DEV) 40 of the second processing station 5.

  The second processing station 5 performs processing including development. The second processing station 5 includes a developing unit 40, a second heating unit (HT) 41, a third cooling unit (COL) 42, an inspection unit (IP) 43, and a roller transport mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2). Is provided. These units 40 to 43 are arranged in the direction from the interface station 4 to the cassette station 2 in the order of the developing unit 40, the second heating unit 41, the third cooling unit 42, and the inspection unit 43.

  The developing unit 40 develops the exposed photoresist film with a developing solution (an example of a processing solution). Further, the developing unit 40 rinses the developing solution on the substrate S, on which the photoresist film has been developed, with the rinsing liquid, and dries the rinsing liquid. The developing unit 40 collects and reuses the developer used for the development. The developing unit 40 removes bubbles contained in the collected developer using a defoaming device 50 described later.

  The second heating unit 41 heats the substrate S on which the rinsing liquid has been dried, and removes the solvent remaining in the photoresist film and the rinsing liquid.

  The third cooling unit 42 cools the substrate S by blowing cool air onto the substrate S from which the solvent and the rinsing liquid have been removed.

  The inspection unit 43 performs an inspection on the cooled substrate S, such as measurement of a critical dimension (CD) of a photoresist pattern (line).

  The substrate S inspected by the inspection unit 43 is transferred from the second processing station 5 to the cassette C of the cassette station 2 by the transfer arm 11a of the transfer device 11.

  The configuration of the roller transport mechanism 44 is the same as that of the roller transport mechanism 29 in the first processing station 3, and a description thereof will be omitted. The roller transport mechanism 44 transports the substrate S from the developing unit 40 to the inspection unit 43 as indicated by an arrow N. That is, the roller transport mechanism 44 transports the substrate S having the exposed photoresist film formed on the surface thereof in a flat flow.

  The control device 6 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 6A and a storage unit 6B. The storage unit 6B is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

  The control unit 6A includes a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM, an input / output port, and various circuits. The CPU of the microcomputer implements control of each of the stations 2 to 5 by reading and executing a program stored in the ROM.

  The program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium, and may be installed in the storage unit 6B of the control device 6 from the storage medium. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

<Configuration of defoaming device>
Next, the defoaming device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the defoaming device 50 according to the embodiment.

  The defoaming device 50 removes bubbles contained in the developer collected by the collecting pan 60. The developer from which bubbles have been removed by the defoaming device 50 is reused for substrate processing.

  The defoaming device 50 includes a first defoaming device 51 and a second defoaming device 52. The developer recovered by the recovery pan 60 is supplied to the first defoaming device 51 via a recovery pipe 61. The developer from which some of the bubbles have been removed by the first defoaming device 51 is supplied to the second defoaming device 52 via a connection pipe 62.

  The recovery pan 60 is provided below the roller 44 a and recovers the developer overflowing from the substrate S filled by the supply nozzle 63 and the developer drained by the air knife 64. A plurality of recovery pans 60 may be provided.

  Next, the first defoaming device 51 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the first defoaming device 51 according to the embodiment.

  The first defoaming device 51 is a defoaming filter tank, and removes impurities such as a photoresist and a surfactant and a part of bubbles from the developer. The first defoaming device 51 includes a tank 70, a partition plate 71, and a plurality of filters 72.

  The tank 70 is divided by a partition plate 71 into a first chamber 70A and a second chamber 70B below the first chamber 70A. The developer recovered by the recovery pan 60 is supplied to the first chamber 70A via the recovery pipe 61. A vent pipe 73 is connected to the ceiling surface of the first chamber 70A, and exhaust is performed through the vent pipe 73. A filter 72 attached to a partition plate 71 is provided in the first chamber 70A.

  The developing solution that has passed through the filter 72 is supplied to the second chamber 70B. A connection pipe 62 that supplies the developer to the second defoaming device 52 is connected to the second chamber 70B.

  The partition plate 71 partitions the inside of the tank 70 into a first chamber 70A and a second chamber 70B. The partition plate 71 is formed with a through hole 71a penetrating in the vertical direction, and the lower end of the filter 72 is inserted into the through hole 71a.

  The filter 72 is formed in a plate shape, for example, and is supported by the partition plate 71. The lower end of the filter 72 is exposed to the second chamber 70B.

  The filter 72 removes impurities such as a photoresist and a surfactant contained in the developer when the developer passes. The filter 72 removes some of the bubbles contained in the developer when the developer passes. That is, the filter 72 filters impurities and some of the bubbles. The filter 72 supplies the filtered developer from the lower end to the second chamber 70B.

  The filter 72 is oscillated by an oscillating device (not shown) every predetermined time. Thereby, the bubbles attached to the filter 72 separate from the filter 72 and float.

  Next, the second defoaming device 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the second defoaming device 52 according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the second defoaming device 52 in a section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. In FIG. 6, the heater 83 and the water jacket 84 are omitted.

  The second defoaming device 52 includes a tank 80, a pump 81, a plurality of rotating blades 82, a heater 83, and a water jacket 84.

  The tank 80 (an example of a storage tank) stores a developing solution (an example of a processing solution) used for substrate processing. The tank 80 is formed in a cylindrical shape. An exhaust pipe 85 is connected to the ceiling surface 80a of the tank 80. The tank 80 is evacuated by an exhaust device (not shown) through an exhaust pipe 85 and has a negative pressure. A vent pipe 86 is inserted near the center of the ceiling surface 80a of the tank 80. The tip of the vent pipe 86 is provided near the liquid level of the developer in the tank 80. The bubbles collected near the center of the tank 80 are sucked by a pump (not shown) through the vent pipe 86.

  The connection pipe 62 is connected to the upper side of the side peripheral surface 80b of the tank 80. The connection pipe 62 is provided so as to supply the developer into the tank 80 along the tangential direction of the tank 80. That is, the connection pipe 62 (an example of the inflow pipe) causes the developing solution (an example of the processing liquid) to flow into the tank 80 (an example of the storage tank) along the vortex flow.

  Further, a suction pipe 87 is connected to the side peripheral surface 80 b of the tank 80 below the connection point of the connection pipe 62, and a discharge pipe 88 is connected below the suction pipe 87. The suction pipe 87 and the discharge pipe 88 are connected to a pump 81. The developer in the tank 80 is sucked into the pump 81 via the suction pipe 87 and is discharged from the pump 81 into the tank 80 via the discharge pipe 88.

  The suction pipe 87 is provided so as not to hinder the flow of the developer in the tank 80. For example, the suction pipe 87 is connected to the side peripheral surface 80b of the tank 80 so as to suck the developer along the flow of the vortex. That is, the suction pipe 87 is provided so as to extend in a tangential direction of the tank 80 from a connection point with the tank 80.

  The discharge pipe 88 is connected to the lower end of the side peripheral surface 80b of the tank 80, that is, near the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80, and discharges the developer toward the rotary blade 82. The discharge pipe 88 is connected to the side peripheral surface 80b so as to discharge the developer from the same height as the rotary blade 82, for example.

  A supply pipe 89 is connected to a side peripheral surface 80b of the lower tank 80. The supply pipe 89 supplies the developer in the tank 80 to the supply nozzle 63 (see FIG. 3). The tank 80 is also a developer supply source for supplying a developer to the substrate S via the supply nozzle 63. That is, the supply pipe 89 (an example of a discharge pipe) is connected to the lower tank 80 (an example of a storage tank), and the developing solution (an example of the processing liquid) used for substrate processing is discharged from the tank 80 and discharged. The developer is supplied to the substrate S. The supply pipe 89 may be connected to the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80.

  The pump 81 sucks the developer in the tank 80 through the suction pipe 87. That is, the pump 81 sucks the developing solution (an example of the processing solution) from above the rotating blade 82. Then, the pump 81 discharges the developer into the tank 80 via the discharge pipe 88, and circulates the developer in the tank 80. That is, the pump 81 circulates the developer (an example of a processing liquid) stored in the tank 80 (an example of a storage tank) in the tank 80, and discharges the developer toward the rotating blade 82. The pump 81 rotates the rotary blade 82 by the discharged developer. The pump 81 generates a vortex in the tank 80 by the discharged developer.

  The rotary blade 82 is attached to a support portion 82a rotatably supported on the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80. That is, the rotating blades 82 are rotatably attached to the tank 80 (an example of a storage tank).

  The rotary blade 82 receives the developing solution discharged from the discharge pipe 88 and rotates together with the supporting portion 82a. As the rotating blades 82 rotate, a vortex of the developer is generated in the tank 80. That is, the rotating blades 82 are rotated by the developing solution (an example of the processing solution) discharged from the pump 81, and generate a vortex of the developing solution in the tank 80 (an example of the storage tank). The vortex is also generated by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88. The number, the shape, the angle with respect to the supporting portion 82a, and the like of the rotating blades 82 are set so that a vortex of the developing solution is generated in the tank 80.

  The heater 83 is provided in the tank 80 and heats the developer. The water jacket 84 is provided, for example, to cover the side peripheral surface 80b of the tank 80 and the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80, and cools the developer. The temperature of the developer is adjusted by heating with a heater 83 and cooling with a water jacket 84. The developer is adjusted to a predetermined temperature suitable for development. That is, the heater 83 and the water jacket 84 (an example of a temperature adjusting unit) adjust the temperature of the developer (an example of the processing liquid) in the tank 80 (an example of the storage tank).

<Defoaming treatment>
Next, a defoaming process in the defoaming device 50 according to the embodiment will be described.

  The developer collected by the collection pan 60 generates bubbles when falling into the collection pan 60 or moving through the collection pipe 61. Therefore, the collected developer contains bubbles. Further, since the collected developer contains impurities such as a photoresist and a surfactant, bubbles are easily generated.

  When the developing solution containing bubbles is supplied to the substrate S from the supply nozzle 63, the bubbles are stagnated on the substrate S, and the development of the portion where the bubbles adhere does not proceed, and there is a possibility that a product defect may occur. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 according to the embodiment performs a defoaming process.

  The collected developer is first supplied to the first chamber 70A of the tank 70 of the first defoaming device 51 via the collection pipe 61. The filter 72 removes impurities and some of the bubbles from the developer supplied to the first chamber 70A. The filter 72 is vibrated by a vibration device (not shown) every predetermined time. Thus, the bubbles attached to the filter 72 move away from the filter 72 and move upward. Thus, the first defoaming device 51 can remove bubbles from the developer.

  The developer from which impurities and some of the bubbles have been removed via the filter 72 is supplied to the second chamber 70B, and the tank of the second defoaming device 52 is connected via the connection pipe 62 connected to the second chamber 70B. 80. That is, the tank 80 (an example of a storage tank) is supplied with a developing solution (an example of a processing solution) from which impurities and a part of bubbles have been removed by the first defoaming device (an example of a defoaming filter tank). .

  In the second defoaming device 52, a vortex of the developer is generated by the rotating blades 82 rotated by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88 and the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88. Therefore, bubbles contained in the developer collect around the center of the tank 80.

  In the second defoaming device 52, the bubbles collected near the center of the tank 80 and the developer containing the bubbles are discharged to the outside via the vent pipe 86. This removes bubbles from the developer. Therefore, when the developer is reused, the second defoaming device 52 can suppress the inclusion of bubbles in the developer used for substrate processing.

  The inside of the tank 80 of the second defoaming device 52 is set at a negative pressure via an exhaust pipe 85. Therefore, the bubbles contained in the developing solution expand and the removal of the bubbles from the developing solution becomes easy.

  Further, the developer is supplied to the tank 80 from the connection pipe 62 along the vortex flow of the developer. Therefore, the second defoaming device 52 can suppress generation of bubbles when supplying the developer to the tank 80.

  A supply pipe 89 for supplying the developer to the supply nozzle 63 is connected to the tank 80 of the second defoaming device 52 on the lower side peripheral surface 80b. Therefore, the second defoaming device 52 can suppress the developer supplied from the supply nozzle 63 from containing bubbles.

  As described above, the defoaming device 50 can suppress the inclusion of bubbles in the developer and can suppress the occurrence of product defects.

<Modification>
Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described.

  The second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example (Part 1) includes, as the rotating blade 90, a plurality of first rotating blades 91 and a plurality of second rotating blades 92, as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a second defoaming device 52 according to a modified example (Part 1).

  The first rotating blade 91 is attached to the support 82a. The first rotary blade 91 is rotatably attached to the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80 via the support portion 82a. The first rotary blade 91 receives the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88 and rotates together with the support 82a. That is, the first rotating blades 91 receive the developing solution (an example of the processing solution) discharged from the pump 81 and rotate. The first rotating blade 91 is formed in a shape that is easily rotated by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88.

  The second rotating blade 92 is attached to a shaft 93 attached to the support portion 82a, and is provided above the first rotating blade 91. That is, the first rotating blade 91 and the second rotating blade 92 are provided side by side in the vertical direction. The second rotating blades 92 rotate integrally with the first rotating blades 91 to generate a vortex of a developer (an example of a processing liquid). The second rotating blade 92 has a shape different from that of the first rotating blade 91, and is formed in a shape in which a vortex of the developer is more easily generated than the first rotating blade 91.

  That is, the first rotating blade 91 has a function of rotating mainly by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88, and the second rotating blade 92 has a function of mainly generating a vortex of the developer.

  As described above, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example includes the first rotating blade 91 and the second rotating blade 92 having different shapes as the rotating blade 90. Thereby, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example can easily generate a vortex of the developer. In addition, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example can increase the flow velocity of the vortex, collect bubbles near the center of the tank 80, and confirm that bubbles are contained in the developer to be reused. Can be suppressed.

  In the second defoaming device 52 according to the modification, a partition plate may be provided between the first rotating blade 91 and the second rotating blade 92. In the partition plate, a through-hole penetrating in the up-down direction is formed. The second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example discharges the developer into a chamber formed by the partition plate, the bottom surface 80c of the tank 80, the side peripheral surface 80b of the tank 80, and the first rotating blade 91.

  Thereby, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example can suppress the developer discharged into the chamber from leaking from the chamber. Therefore, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example can easily rotate the first rotating blade 91 by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88, and can easily generate a vortex of the developer. . Further, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modification can increase the flow velocity of the vortex, collect the bubbles near the center of the tank 80, and confirm that the bubbles are included in the reused developer. Can be suppressed.

  Further, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modified example (No. 2) includes, as the rotating blade 95, a plurality of first rotating blades 96 and a plurality of second rotating blades 97, as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a second defoaming device 52 according to a modification (No. 2).

  The first rotary blade 96 is attached to the support portion 82a, and is provided, for example, radially outside the tank 80. The second rotary blade 97 is attached to the support portion 82a, and is provided radially inward of the first rotary blade 96. The first rotating blade 96 has a function of rotating mainly by the developer discharged from the discharge pipe 88, and the second rotating blade 97 has a function of mainly generating a vortex of the developer.

  As described above, the second defoaming device 52 according to the above-described modified example has the first rotating blades 91 and 96 and the second rotating blades 92 and 97 having different shapes, thereby facilitating the vortex flow of the developer. And bubbles contained in the developer can be removed. Further, the second defoaming device 52 according to the modification can increase the flow velocity of the vortex, collect the bubbles near the center of the tank 80, and confirm that the bubbles are included in the reused developer. Can be suppressed.

  In the second defoaming device 52 according to another modification, a heater 83 (an example of a temperature adjusting unit) is connected to a discharge pipe 88 (an example of a pipe) that connects a tank 80 (an example of a storage tank) and a pump 81. It may be provided. Thereby, the second defoaming device 52 according to another modified example can use a temperature control pump for adjusting the temperature of the developer as the pump 81.

  Further, the defoaming device 50 described above may be applied to a device that collects a diluted developer. Further, the defoaming device 50 described above is not limited to the developer, and may be applied to an apparatus that collects another processing solution different from the developer. Further, the above-described defoaming device 50 may be applied to a device for degassing carbon dioxide or the like contained in the processing liquid.

<Effect>
The defoaming device 50 includes a tank 80 (an example of a storage tank) for storing a developer (an example of a processing liquid) used for substrate processing, a rotating blade 82 rotatably attached to the tank 80, and a tank 80. A pump 81 that circulates the stored developer in a tank 80 and discharges the developer toward a rotary blade 82 is provided. The rotating blade 82 is rotated by the developer discharged from the pump 81, and generates a vortex of the developer in the tank 80.

  In other words, the defoaming device 50 is used for the substrate processing, in which the developer stored in the tank 80 is circulated in the tank 80 by the pump 81, and the rotating blade 82 rotatably attached to the tank 80 is pumped. Generating a vortex of the developer in the tank 80 by rotating the developer with the developer discharged from the nozzle 81 as a defoaming method.

  Thereby, the defoaming device 50 can collect the bubbles contained in the developer near the center of the tank 80, and can remove the bubbles contained in the developer. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress the inclusion of bubbles in the reused developer, and can suppress the occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S due to the bubbles adhering to the substrate S. Further, for example, the defoaming device 50 can generate a vortex of the developer without providing a complicated drive mechanism such as a motor for rotating the rotary blade 82 below the tank 80. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can reduce costs.

  The pump 81 sucks the developer from above the rotating blades 82. Accordingly, when the developer is sucked by the pump 81, the defoaming device 50 can suppress the rotation of the rotary blade 82 from decreasing. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can increase the flow velocity of the vortex, can collect bubbles near the center of the tank 80, and can suppress inclusion of bubbles in the developer to be reused. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S.

  The defoaming device 50 includes a supply pipe 89 (an example of a discharge pipe) that is connected to the lower tank 80 and discharges the developer used for substrate processing from the tank 80.

  Thereby, the defoaming device 50 can suppress that the developer supplied from the supply nozzle 63 and reused contains bubbles. Therefore, occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S can be suppressed.

  The defoaming device 50 includes a connection pipe 62 (an example of an inflow pipe) that allows the developer to flow into the tank 80 along a vortex flow.

  Thereby, the defoaming device 50 can suppress the generation of bubbles when supplying the developer to the tank 80, and can suppress the bubbles from being included in the reused developer. . Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S.

  The defoaming device 50 includes a heater 83 for adjusting the temperature of the developer in the tank 80, and a water jacket 84 (an example of a temperature adjusting unit).

  Thereby, the defoaming device 50 can adjust the temperature of the developer. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can perform development using a developer having a temperature suitable for development.

  The heater 83 is provided in a discharge pipe 88 (an example of a pipe) that connects the tank 80 and the pump 81. Thus, the defoaming device 50 can use the pump 81 for generating the vortex of the developer in the tank 80 as a temperature control pump for adjusting the temperature of the developer.

  The rotating blades 90 and 95 receive the developer discharged from the pump 81 and rotate. The first rotating blades 91 and 96 rotate together with the first rotating blades 91 and 96 to generate a vortex of the developer. Two rotating blades 92 and 97 are provided. Specifically, the second rotating blade 92 is provided above the first rotating blade 91. Alternatively, the second rotating blade 97 is provided radially inward of the first rotating blade 96.

  Thereby, the defoaming device 50 can easily generate the vortex of the developer, increase the flow velocity of the vortex, and collect bubbles near the center of the tank 80. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress the inclusion of bubbles in the reused developer. Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S.

  The defoaming device 50 includes a first defoaming device 51 (an example of a defoaming filter tank) that removes impurities and a part of bubbles from the developer. The tank 80 is supplied with the developer from which impurities and some of the bubbles have been removed by the first defoaming device 51.

  Accordingly, the defoaming device 50 can remove bubbles by the first defoaming device 51 and the second defoaming device 52, and can suppress the inclusion of bubbles in the reused developer. . Therefore, the defoaming device 50 can suppress occurrence of a product defect of the substrate S.

  It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. Indeed, the above-described embodiment can be embodied in various forms. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, and changed in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

1 Substrate processing device 60 Recovery pan 50 Defoaming device 51 First defoaming device (defoaming filter tank)
52 Second defoaming device 62 Connection pipe (inflow pipe)
72 filter 80 tank (storage tank)
81 Pump 82 Rotating blade 83 Heater (temperature adjustment unit)
84 water jacket (temperature control part)
87 Suction pipe 88 Discharge pipe (piping)
89 Supply piping (discharge piping)

Claims (11)

A storage tank for storing the processing liquid used for substrate processing,
Rotating blades rotatably attached to the storage tank,
A pump configured to circulate the processing liquid stored in the storage tank in the storage tank and discharge the processing liquid toward the rotating blades;
With
The rotating blades are
A defoaming device that is rotated by the processing liquid discharged from the pump and generates a vortex of the processing liquid in the storage tank. The rotating blades are
A first rotating blade that rotates by receiving the processing liquid discharged from the pump;
The defoaming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second rotating blade that rotates integrally with the first rotating blade and generates a vortex of the processing liquid. The second rotating blade is
The defoaming device according to claim 2, wherein the defoaming device is provided above the first rotary blade. The second rotating blade is
The defoaming device according to claim 2, wherein the defoaming device is provided radially inward of the first rotary blade. The pump is
The defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processing liquid is sucked from above the rotating blades. The defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a discharge pipe connected to the lower storage tank and discharging the processing liquid used for the substrate processing from the storage tank. The defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an inflow pipe for causing the treatment liquid to flow into the storage tank along the vortex flow. The defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a temperature adjusting unit configured to adjust a temperature of the processing liquid in the storage tank. The temperature adjustment unit,
The defoaming device according to claim 8, wherein the heater is provided in a pipe connecting the storage tank and the pump. Defoaming filter tank for removing impurities and a part of bubbles from the treatment liquid,
The defoaming device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the processing liquid from which the impurities and a part of the foam have been removed by the defoaming filter tank is supplied to the storage tank. A step of circulating the processing liquid stored in the storage tank by a pump in the storage tank, which is used for substrate processing;
Rotating the rotating blades rotatably attached to the storage tank with the processing liquid discharged from the pump to generate a vortex of the processing liquid in the storage tank.

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