JP2020035923A - Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent shortening of a tact time and corrosion (corrosion) in a metal wiring film that has become sensitive due to electrolytic corrosion.SOLUTION: A substrate processing method including a dry etching step S04 of dry etching a substrate W, and a wet rinsing step S22 of immersing the substrate in a rinsing liquid includes a dew point setting step S13 of setting a dew point to a reference value or less in a space in which a substrate is moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a technique suitable for use after chlorine-based dry etching.

  In dry etching of a metal wiring film (metal film) mainly composed of aluminum or the like, after plasma etching using a chlorine-based gas, the substrate is taken out to the atmosphere as it is, and chlorine adsorbed on the substrate and moisture in the air are removed. The corrosion of the metal wiring film occurs due to the influence of oxygen and oxygen. In order to prevent this, in metal dry etching, some anticorrosion treatment is required in a post-etching process. Typical anticorrosion processes include wet rinsing, oxygen plasma ashing, fluorine plasma treatment, or heat treatment.

  Patent Literature 1 describes a technique relating to wet rinsing by a single-wafer rinser using an aqueous solution of thiosulfate as an aqueous solution of dechlorination.

  Further, as described in Patent Literature 2, a technique is known in which a plurality of types of metals are stacked and used for wiring or the like.

JP 08-148466 A JP 2003-217867 A

  However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, wet rinsing with a dechlorinated aqueous solution is performed.However, after the dry etching process using a chlorine-based gas is completed and before the single wafer rinser, moisture in the atmosphere and chlorine gas on the substrate are removed. Does not prevent corrosion of the metal wiring film.

  Furthermore, it is conceivable to remove moisture in the atmosphere in a space in which the substrate is moved between the end of the dry etching process and the wet rinsing process, but in this case, in a rinser using an aqueous solution, the rinsing step of the single-wafer process is performed. If the moisture in the atmosphere is removed every time, the tact time becomes enormous, which is not practical.

  In particular, in a multilayer metal wiring in which a plurality of types of metals are stacked, the sensitivity of the multilayer metal wiring is increased due to the influence of different metal contact corrosion (electrolytic corrosion) between different metals, so that contact in an extremely short time or extremely It has been found that even a very small amount of water can cause corrosion (corrosion) sensitively.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to achieve the following objects.
1. Prevent the occurrence of corrosion (corrosion) in metal wiring films.
2. Reduce tact time.
3. To prevent corrosion (corrosion) in the metal wiring film that has become sensitive due to electrolytic corrosion.

  The present inventors have found that, in order to suppress the occurrence of corrosion after dry etching, the atmosphere in which the substrate is placed does not contain moisture from the time when dry etching is completed to the time when the wet rinsing treatment is immersed in the rinsing liquid. That is, it has been found that the occurrence of corrosion can be effectively prevented by setting the dew point during the movement of the substrate from etching to rinsing to a reference value or less, and the present invention has been completed as follows.

The substrate processing method of the present invention, a dry etching step of dry etching the substrate,
A wet rinsing step of immersing the substrate in a rinsing liquid,
A substrate processing method having
The above object has been achieved by providing a dew point setting step of setting a dew point to a reference value or less in a space where the substrate is moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step.
The substrate processing method of the present invention, a dew point measuring step of measuring the dew point of the space to move the substrate,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or less than the reference value, while moving the substrate from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or more than the reference value, a carry-out determination step of determining that the substrate is not moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
Can be provided.
In the present invention, a plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching step are stored,
It is preferable that a plurality of the substrates stored in the wet rinsing step are immersed in the rinsing liquid at a time.
In the substrate processing method of the present invention, a plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching step can be stored in a cassette.
Further, in the substrate processing method of the present invention, in the dew point setting step, the rinsing liquid is stored and sealed in a rinsing tank inside the space,
In the wet rinsing step, means for immersing the substrate in a rinsing liquid by releasing the hermetic seal of the rinsing bath may be employed.
In the substrate processing method of the present invention, before the dew point setting step, after the rinsing tank loading step of loading into the space with the rinsing tank sealed, and after the dew point setting step, the rinsing tank is sealed. A rinse tank unloading step of unloading from the space,
Can be provided.
The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, a dry etching chamber for dry etching the substrate,
A rinsing tank having a lid that can store and seal a rinsing liquid to be wet-rinsed by immersing the substrate,
A glove box capable of storing the rinse tank,
A dew point measurement gauge for measuring the dew point of the glove box,
A dew point setting unit for setting a dew point of the glove box,
An unloading unit that unloads the substrate processed in the dry etching chamber from the dry etching chamber to the rinse tank of the glove box,
Has,
When the carrying-out unit carries out the substrate from the dry etching chamber to the rinsing tank of the glove box,
The above problem was solved by the dew point setting unit setting the dew point inside the glove box measured by the dew point measurement gauge to a reference value or less.
Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention may include a cassette for storing a plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching chamber and immersing the substrates in the rinsing liquid in the rinsing tank at one time.

The substrate processing method of the present invention, a dry etching step of dry etching the substrate,
A wet rinsing step of immersing the substrate in a rinsing liquid,
A substrate processing method having
In a space where the substrate is moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step, a dew point setting step of setting a dew point to a reference value or less is provided.
Here, in order to rinse the substrate with the rinsing liquid in the wet rinsing step, the substrate is moved through a space to which the rinsing liquid is exposed, and then the substrate is brought into contact with the rinsing liquid, or the substrate is rinsed. It is necessary to immerse in the liquid. Therefore, immediately before the substrate is brought into contact with the rinsing liquid, the substrate is exposed to a space that is an atmosphere containing moisture generated from the rinsing liquid. However, by the dew point setting step, before moving the substrate from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step, in advance, by setting the dew point of the space where the substrate is moved to a reference value or less, by the dew point around the substrate The state where the dew point of the atmosphere is equal to or lower than the reference value can be maintained.
As a result, the space in which the substrate is moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step can be brought into a state that contains less moisture than the amount of moisture that causes corrosion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the etching gas such as chlorine remaining on the substrate in the dry etching from reacting with the moisture present in the space, thereby preventing the metal wiring on the substrate from being corroded or damaged.
The dew point of the space in which the substrate is moved is set to be equal to or less than the reference value as long as the dew point is maintained at least before and after the substrate is moved in the space. At other times such as maintenance such as liquid exchange, the dew point may rise.
The reference value of the dew point can be set in accordance with the sensitivity of the metal wiring to corrosion, that is, how much the metal wiring is easily corroded. This makes it possible to prevent corrosion (corrosion) or damage even on a substrate having a laminated metal wiring having high corrosion sensitivity and low corrosion resistance.

The substrate processing method of the present invention, a dew point measuring step of measuring the dew point of the space to move the substrate,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or less than the reference value, while moving the substrate from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or more than the reference value, a carry-out determination step of determining that the substrate is not moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
Having. With this, the dew point of the space where the substrate moves is measured, and if the measured dew point is not below the reference value, the dew point of the space where the substrate moves is reset so as to be below the reference value, and the measured dew point is When the value is equal to or less than the reference value, the substrate is moved and the wet rinsing process is performed, so that the occurrence of corrosion or the occurrence of damage can be reliably prevented.

In the present invention, a plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching step are stored,
A plurality of the substrates stored in the wet rinsing step are immersed in the rinsing liquid at a time. Accordingly, while the plurality of substrates are processed in the dry etching process and stored, the dew point in the space in which the substrate after the etching process is moved is set to a reference value or less as a dew point setting process, and corrosion is performed. (Corrosion) can be prevented. Furthermore, by performing dry etching processing on a plurality of substrates during the time when the dew point is set, corrosion (corrosion) can be prevented while the takt time in substrate processing is kept short.

  In the substrate processing method of the present invention, a plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching step are stored in a cassette. Thus, the dew point setting step of setting the dew point of the space in which the substrate is moved can be performed while each of the substrates after the dry etching is stored in the cassette. At the same time, the plurality of substrates processed in the dry etching process are moved together with the cassette, and the plurality of substrates and the cassette can be immersed in the rinsing liquid.

Further, in the substrate processing method of the present invention, in the dew point setting step, the rinsing liquid is stored and sealed in a rinsing tank inside the space,
In the wet rinsing step, the sealing of the rinsing bath is released, and the substrate is immersed in a rinsing liquid. Thus, in the dew point setting step, the rinsing bath is kept in a sealed state, and it is possible to prevent the moisture from evaporating from the rinsing liquid into the space in which the substrate moves and the dew point from rising. Further, in the wet rinsing step, before the substrate is immersed in the rinsing liquid stored in the rinsing tank and corrosion (corrosion) occurs, the etching gas such as chlorine adhering to the substrate is quickly neutralized by the rinsing liquid (forceless). To prevent the occurrence of corrosion.

In the substrate processing method of the present invention, before the dew point setting step, after the rinsing tank loading step of loading into the space with the rinsing tank sealed, and after the dew point setting step, the rinsing tank is sealed. A rinse tank unloading step of unloading from the space,
Having. Thus, the sealed rinsing tank is carried into the space in which the substrate is moved, and the dew point in the space in which the substrate is moved can be set in this state. Further, by carrying out the sealed rinsing tank from the space in which the substrate is moved, it is possible to prevent the rinse liquid from being unnecessarily evaporated and the dew point in the space in which the substrate is moved from rising.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, a dry etching chamber for dry etching the substrate,
A rinsing tank having a lid that can store and seal a rinsing liquid to be wet-rinsed by immersing the substrate,
A glove box capable of storing the rinse tank,
A dew point measurement gauge for measuring the dew point of the glove box,
A dew point setting unit for setting a dew point of the glove box,
An unloading unit that unloads the substrate processed in the dry etching chamber from the dry etching chamber to the rinse tank of the glove box,
Has,
When the carrying-out unit carries out the substrate from the dry etching chamber to the rinsing tank of the glove box,
The dew point setting unit sets a dew point inside the glove box measured by the dew point measurement gauge to a reference value or less. By setting the dew point inside the glove box around the rinsing tank to be equal to or lower than the reference value, it is possible to maintain a state in which the dew point of the atmosphere around the moving substrate is equal to or lower than the reference value.
As a result, in the glove box in which the substrate moves from the dry etching chamber to the rinsing bath, it is possible to make the glove box contain less moisture than the amount of moisture that causes corrosion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the etching gas such as chlorine remaining on the substrate in the dry etching from reacting with the moisture present in the glove box, thereby preventing the metal wiring on the substrate from being corroded or damaged.
In addition, a rinsing tank with a lid closed and sealed is carried into the glove box, and in this state, the dew point in the glove box can be set. Further, by carrying out the sealed rinsing tank from the glove box, it is possible to prevent the rinse liquid from being unnecessarily evaporated and the dew point in the glove box from rising.
It should be noted that one or a plurality of rinsing tanks can be arranged in the glove box. Even in this case, the lid should be opened in the rinsing bath only during the time for immersing the substrate in the rinsing bath, and the lid should be closed at other times and other rinsing baths. Thus, it is possible to prevent the rinse liquid from being unnecessarily evaporated and the dew point in the glove box from rising.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention has a cassette for storing a plurality of substrates processed in the dry etching chamber and immersing the substrates in the rinsing liquid in the rinsing tank at one time. Thus, the dew point of the glove box can be set to be equal to or less than the reference value while the dry-etched substrates are stored in the cassettes. At the same time, the plurality of substrates processed in the dry etching chamber are moved together with the cassette, and the plurality of substrates and the cassette can be immersed in the rinsing liquid. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for the plurality of substrates and the cassette to move inside the glove box.
Further, while processing the plurality of substrates in the dry etching chamber and storing them in the cassette, the dew point in the glove box may be set to a reference value or less to prevent the occurrence of corrosion (corrosion). it can. Furthermore, by performing dry etching processing on a plurality of substrates during the time when the dew point of the glove box is set, corrosion (corrosion) can be prevented while the takt time in substrate processing is kept short.

  According to the present invention, the tact time can be shortened, the occurrence of corrosion (corrosion) can be reliably prevented, and the corrosion (corrosion) can be prevented even in a metal wiring film that has become sensitive due to electrolytic corrosion. It is possible to achieve the effect that generation can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a substrate processing method according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. 5 is an image showing an embodiment of the substrate processing method according to the present invention. 5 is an image showing an embodiment of the substrate processing method according to the present invention. 5 is an image showing an embodiment of the substrate processing method according to the present invention. It is an image showing the occurrence of corrosion in a rinser. It is an image showing the occurrence of corrosion in a rinser. It is a graph which shows humidity (dew point) change in a rinser.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a substrate processing apparatus.

  The substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that performs a dry etching process on a substrate W and performs a neutralization process with a rinsing liquid. Further, the substrate processing apparatus 10 may perform a pre-process and a post-process.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a dry etching chamber 11, a transfer chamber 12, a cassette chamber 13, a glove box 14, a removal chamber 15, a pre-processing unit 16, It has a post-processing unit 17 and sealing units 18a to 18e that can seal them.
In FIG. 1, the dry etching chamber 11, the transfer chamber 12, and the cassette chamber 13 are shown in plan view, and the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 are shown in side view. .

The dry etching chamber 11 performs dry etching of the substrate W with an etching gas such as a chlorine gas. The dry etching chamber 11 can be hermetically sealed.
The dry etching chamber 11 includes an etching gas supply unit 11a for supplying an etching gas, an exhaust unit 11b for exhausting the inside of the dry etching chamber 11, and a substrate holding unit (not shown) on which the substrate W can be mounted and subjected to an etching process. And are provided. The dry etching chamber 11 may have a high-frequency electrode capable of applying a high frequency to the substrate W and a power supply.

Further, the etching gas supply unit 11a may be capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas, a cleaning gas for cleaning the dry etching chamber 11, and the like, in addition to the etching gas.
The exhaust part 11b can have not only the function of exhausting the dry etching chamber 11 but also the function of removing moisture in the dry etching chamber 11, that is, reducing the dew point.

  The dry etching chamber 11 is hermetically connected to the transfer chamber 12 by a sealing portion 18a such as a door valve. The dry etching chamber 11 and the transfer chamber 12 can exchange a substrate W with each other.

  The transfer chamber 12 is hermetically connected to the cassette chamber 13 by a sealing portion 18b such as a door valve. The cassette chamber 13 and the transfer chamber 12 can exchange a substrate W with each other. The transfer chamber 12 can be sealed.

A transfer device (transfer robot) 12 a is disposed inside the transfer chamber 12.
The transfer device 12a has a rotating shaft, a robot arm attached to the rotating shaft, a robot hand formed at one end of the robot arm, and a vertical moving device.

  The robot arm includes first and second active arms that can bend relative to each other, and first and second driven arms. The transfer device 12a can move the substrate W, which is the transfer object, between the dry etching chamber 11, the transfer chamber 12, and the cassette chamber 13. In addition, as the transfer device 12a, an additional moving unit that moves the robot arm to the rotation axis and the horizontal position or further moves the substrate W in the horizontal direction can be provided.

The transfer chamber 12 is connected to an exhaust unit 12b that exhausts the inside of the transfer chamber 12.
The exhaust unit 12b can have not only the function of exhausting the transfer chamber 12 but also the function of removing moisture in the transfer chamber 12, that is, reducing the dew point.
The transfer chamber 12 may be provided with a gas supply unit capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas, a cleaning gas for cleaning the transfer chamber 12, and the like.

The cassette chamber 13 is hermetically connected to the glove box 14 by a sealing portion 18c such as a door valve. The cassette chamber 13 can be sealed.
The cassette chamber 13 is hermetically connected to the pre-processing unit 16 by a sealing unit 18f such as a door valve.

The cassette chamber 13 and the glove box 14 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.
The cassette chamber 13 and the preprocessing unit 16 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.

The cassette chamber 13 is connected to an exhaust unit 13b that exhausts the inside of the cassette chamber 13.
The exhaust unit 13b can have not only the function of exhausting the cassette chamber 13 but also the function of removing moisture in the cassette chamber 13, that is, reducing the dew point.
The cassette chamber 13 may be provided with a gas supply unit capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas or a cleaning gas for cleaning the cassette chamber 13.

  In the cassette chamber 13, a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W that have been pre-processed can be loaded from the pre-processing unit 16 and placed thereon. The cassette chamber 13 can transfer the substrates W one by one from the cassette C to the dry etching chamber 11 by the transfer device 12a. Further, the cassette chamber 13 can store the substrates W, on which the dry etching process has been completed, one by one in the cassette C by the transfer device 12a.

The cassette chamber 13 is provided with a cassette unloading section (unloading section) 13c capable of unloading the cassette C to the glove box 14.
The cassette unloading section 13c is capable of unloading the cassette C from the cassette chamber 13 to the glove box 14 in cooperation with a cassette unloading section 14c of the glove box 14 described later. Specifically, a known transfer robot having a robot hand is used as the transfer unit 13c, and a known shape that engages with a robot hunt is used as the cassette C. The transfer robot may be provided in the glove box 14 as described later.

  The pre-processing unit 16 is configured to perform a process prior to the dry etching in the dry etching chamber 11, such as forming a metal wiring layer on the substrate W, applying a resist on the metal wiring layer, and forming a resist pattern. Such a pre-processing as described above can be performed. The pre-processing unit 16 may be configured to perform other processing.

The preprocessing section 16 has a configuration in which a plurality of substrates W on which predetermined preprocessing has been completed are stored in a cassette C, and a cassette loading section capable of loading the cassette C into the cassette chamber 13.
Further, the pre-processing unit 16 can be integrated with the substrate processing apparatus 10, or the pre-processing unit 16 can be a separate body separated from the substrate processing apparatus 10.

The glove box 14 is capable of rinsing the substrate W so as not to cause corrosion.
The glove box 14 includes a rinsing tank 19, a dew point measuring gauge 14a, a dew point setting unit 14b, a cassette unloading unit (unloading unit) 14c, and a rinsing tank moving unit 14d.

  The glove box 14 is tightly connected to the take-out chamber 15 by a sealing portion 18d such as a door valve. The glove box 14 can be closed. The dew point can be set inside the glove box 14.

The glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.
The glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 can exchange a rinse tank 19 in a sealed state with each other.

The glove box 14 is connected to a dew point measurement gauge 14a for measuring a dew point inside the glove box 14.
As the dew point measuring gauge 14a, for example, a known gauge can be adopted.

The glove box 14 is connected to a dew point setting unit 14b that exhausts the inside of the glove box 14 and sets a dew point inside the glove box 14.
The dew point setting unit 14b has a function of removing moisture inside the glove box 14, that is, lowering the dew point, and can also exhaust the glove box 14.
The dew point setting unit 14b can remove moisture inside the glove box 14, that is, lower the dew point, based on the dew point measurement result output from the dew point measurement gauge 14a.

  The dew point setting unit 14b may be capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas accompanying dehumidification inside the glove box 14. Further, the dew point setting unit 14b may be provided with a gas supply unit capable of supplying a cleaning gas or the like for cleaning the glove box 14.

The glove box 14 is provided with a cassette unloading section (unloading section) 14 c which can load the cassette C from the cassette chamber 13 and move it to the rinsing tank 19.
The cassette unloading section 14c is movable in cooperation with the cassette unloading section 13c of the cassette chamber 13 to a position where the cassette C loaded into the glove box 14 from the cassette chamber 13 is immersed in the rinsing tank 19. Specifically, a known transfer robot having a robot hand is used as the transfer unit 14c, and a known shape that engages with a robot hunt is used as the cassette C. Note that a known transfer robot may be employed for the transfer unit 14c, and the cassette C may be transferred from the cassette chamber 13 to the glove box 14.

  Here, the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a, the cassette unloading unit 13c, and the cassette unloading unit 14c constitute an unloading unit that unloads the substrate W from the dry etching chamber 11 to the rinse tank 19 of the glove box 14.

The glove box 14 is provided with a rinsing bath moving unit 14 d that can move the rinsing bath 19 between the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15.
The rinsing bath moving unit 14d is capable of moving the rinsing bath 19 between the glove box 14 and the taking-out chamber 15 in cooperation with a rinsing bath moving unit 15d of the taking-out room 15 described later.

The rinsing tank 19 stores a rinsing liquid 19r to be wet-rinsed. The rinsing tank 19 is sized so that the substrate W together with the cassette C can be immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r. The rinsing tank 19 has a lid 19a that can be sealed.
The rinsing tank 19 is closed by closing the lid 19a so that the moisture evaporated from the rinsing liquid 19r does not diffuse to the outside. The rinsing tank 19 can immerse the plurality of substrates W stored in the cassette C in the rinsing liquid 19r by opening the lid 19a.

  The take-out chamber 15 carries out the rinse tank 19 from the glove box 14. In the take-out chamber 15, the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is opened, and the cassette C immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r is taken out of the rinsing tank 19 to take out a plurality of substrates W. Thereby, the plurality of substrates W can be taken out of the rinsing tank 19 without changing the dew point inside the glove box 14. Note that the take-out chamber 15 may not be engaged with the glove box 15, and the rinse layer 19 may be carried out of the glove box 14 by a known configuration and carried into the take-out chamber 15.

The take-out chamber 15 is provided with a rinsing bath moving unit 15d that can move the rinsing bath 19 between the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15.
The rinsing bath moving unit 15d is capable of moving the rinsing bath 19 between the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 in cooperation with the rinsing bath moving unit 14d of the glove box 14.

The take-out chamber 15 is provided with a rinsing liquid supply unit 15a that supplies a rinsing liquid 19r to the rinsing tank 19.
A plurality of rinse tanks 19 can be stored in the take-out chamber 15. For example, in order to take out the substrate W from the rinsing bath 19 that has moved from the glove box 14 to the take-out chamber 15 and to immerse the next cassette C, the rinsing bath 19 that moves with the glove box 14 is rinsed. Preparations for supplying the rinsing liquid 19r from the supply section 15a can be made.

An exhaust unit 15 b that exhausts the inside of the extraction chamber 15 is connected to the extraction chamber 15.
The exhaust unit 15b can have a function of not only exhausting the extraction chamber 15 but also removing moisture in the extraction chamber 15, that is, reducing the dew point.
The extraction chamber 15 may be provided with a gas supply unit capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas or a cleaning gas for cleaning the extraction chamber 15.

  The take-out chamber 15 is connected to the post-processing section 17 by a sealing section 18e such as a door valve.

  The post-processing unit 17 is configured to perform a process subsequent to the rinsing process for dry etching in the rinsing bath 19. The post-processing unit 17 performs a predetermined process such as drying the substrate W after the rinsing process, ashing the substrate W, heating the substrate W, cleaning the substrate W, or forming a further metal wiring and pattern. Post-processing may be performed. It should be noted that the post-processing unit 17 may be configured to perform other processing.

The post-processing unit 17 has a configuration in which a plurality of substrates W having undergone the rinsing process are housed in a cassette C, and a cassette unloading unit capable of unloading the cassette C from the unloading chamber 15.
Alternatively, the post-processing unit 17 may be configured to include a substrate unloading unit that can unload a plurality of substrates W stored in the cassette C and having been subjected to the rinsing process from the cassette C and unload the substrates W from the unloading chamber 15. .

  In addition, the post-processing unit 17 can be integrated with the substrate processing apparatus 10, or the post-processing unit 17 can be a separate body separated from the substrate processing apparatus 10.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the substrate W is subjected to dry etching, and furthermore, while the occurrence of corrosion is suppressed, the substrate W is immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r after the dry etching to perform wet rinsing. .

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the substrate processing method according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate processing method in the present embodiment includes a pre-processing step S01, a cassette loading step S02, a substrate transfer step S03, a dry etching step S04, a substrate transfer step S05, a rinsing tank Loading step S12, dew point setting step S13, dew point measuring step S14, discharging step S15, cassette discharging step S21, dipping step (wet rinsing step) S22, rinsing tank discharging step S23, and cassette removing step S31. And a post-processing step S32.

  The pre-processing step S01 illustrated in FIG. 2 is performed by the pre-processing unit 16 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. The pre-processing step S01 is a step before the dry etching in the dry etching chamber 11. The pre-processing step S01 can be a predetermined pre-processing such as, for example, forming a metal wiring layer on the substrate W, applying a resist on the metal wiring layer, and forming a resist pattern. In addition, as the pre-processing step S01, processing other than these can be performed.

  In the pre-processing step S01, a plurality of substrates W are stored in the cassette C when predetermined pre-processing is completed.

In the cassette loading step S02 shown in FIG. 2, the cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W in the preprocessing step S01 is transferred to the cassette chamber 13 by the cassette loading section from the preprocessing section 16 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Bring in.
In the cassette loading step S02, the sealed portion 18f is opened, and the cassette C is loaded into the cassette chamber 13. Thereafter, the sealing portion 18f is closed to close the cassette chamber 13.

  In the cassette loading step S02, the sealing section 18b and the sealing section 18c are sealed, and the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the transfer chamber 12 and the glove box 14.

  In the cassette loading step S02, after the cassette C is loaded, the inside of the sealed cassette chamber 13 is evacuated by the exhaust unit 13b. At this time, moisture in the cassette chamber 13 is removed from the cassette chamber 13 by the exhaust unit 13b. That is, in the cassette chamber 13, the dew point inside the cassette chamber 13 is lowered to the reference value or less by the exhaust unit 13b.

The substrate transfer step S03 shown in FIG. 2 is performed from the cassette C loaded into the cassette chamber 13 in the cassette loading step S02 so that dry etching can be performed in the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. One substrate W is moved to the dry etching chamber 11.
At this time, the substrate W is moved by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a disposed inside the transfer chamber 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  In the substrate transfer step S03, first, the sealing unit 18b and the sealing unit 18a are opened, and one substrate W is selected from the plurality of substrates W stored in the cassette C and picked up by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a. Then, the single substrate W is moved to the dry etching chamber 11.

  At this time, the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 are kept in a state where moisture in the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 has been removed in advance by the exhaust unit 12b and the exhaust unit 11b. That is, the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 are maintained in a state where the dew point in the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 has been reduced to the reference value or less in advance by the exhaust unit 12b and the exhaust unit 11b.

  Further, in the substrate transfer step S03, the sealing section 18f and the sealing section 18c are sealed, and the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the pre-processing section 16 and the glove box 14.

In the dry etching step S04 shown in FIG. 2, in the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, dry etching is performed on the substrate W carried in in the substrate transfer step S03.
At this time, the sealing portion 18a is closed, the inside of the dry etching chamber 11 is exhausted by the exhaust portion 11b, and the etching gas is supplied to the dry etching chamber 11 by the etching gas supply portion 11a. At the same time, a gas such as a purge gas may be supplied to the dry etching chamber 11 by the etching gas supply unit 11a in addition to the etching gas.
The etching gas can be, for example, a gas containing chlorine.
Further, the sealing portion 18b may or may not be closed.

In the substrate transfer step S05 shown in FIG. 2, in the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is moved to the cassette C in the chamber 13.
At this time, the substrate W is moved by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a disposed inside the transfer chamber 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  In the substrate transfer step S05, first, the inside of the dry etching chamber 11 is evacuated by the exhaust unit 11b with the closed portion 18a closed. At the same time, a purge gas such as a nitrogen gas may be supplied to the dry etching chamber 11 by the etching gas supply unit 11a in addition to the etching gas.

  Next, in the substrate transfer step S05, the sealing portion 18b and the sealing portion 18a are opened, and one substrate W placed in the dry etching chamber 11 is picked up by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a. The substrate W is stored in the cassette C.

  At this time, the etching gas in the dry etching chamber 11 is completely removed from the inside of the dry etching chamber 11 by the exhaust unit 11b. At the same time, the transfer chamber 12 is kept in a state where the moisture inside the transfer chamber 12 has been sufficiently removed by the exhaust unit 12b.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described substrate transfer step S03, dry etching step S04, and substrate transfer step S05 are repeated to perform dry etching on all the substrates W stored in the cassette C.

  In the rinsing tank loading step S12 shown in FIG. 2, the rinsing tank 19 is loaded from the take-out chamber 15 into the glove box 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 by the rinsing tank moving unit 14d and the rinsing tank moving unit 15d.

  In the rinsing tank carrying-in step S12, the rinsing tank 19 is previously filled with a necessary amount of the rinsing liquid 19r in the take-out chamber 15. At the same time, the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is closed, and the sealed rinsing tank 19 is taken out of the chamber 15 into the glove box 14.

  Here, in the rinsing tank carrying-in step S12, the sealing section 18c is closed to shut off the cassette chamber 13 from the glove box 14. This prevents the rinsing tank loading step S12 from affecting the substrate transfer step S03, the dry etching step S04, and the substrate transfer step S05 performed in the cassette chamber 13 or the like.

In the rinsing tank loading step S12, the sealing section 18d is opened, and the rinsing tank 19 is loaded from the removal chamber 15 by the rinsing tank moving section 14d and the rinsing tank moving section 15d.
When the rinse tank 19 is carried into the glove box 14, the sealing portion 18e can be closed.

Further, it is preferable that moisture in the extraction chamber 15 be removed by the exhaust unit 15b before the sealing unit 18d is opened in the rinsing tank loading step S12. Here, the inside of the take-out chamber 15 can be evacuated for removing moisture, but the internal pressure of the take-out chamber 15 may be set equal to the internal pressure of the glove box 14.
It should be noted that the removal of water inside the extraction chamber 15 by the exhaust unit 15b may not be performed.

  In the rinsing tank carrying-in step S12, after the rinsing tank 19 is carried in, the sealing portion 18d is closed and the glove box 14 is taken out of the take-out chamber 15 to be shut off.

  In this state, it is preferable that moisture inside the glove box 14 be removed by the dew point setting unit 14b before the sealing unit 18d is opened. Here, the inside of the glove box 14 can be evacuated for removing moisture, but the internal pressure of the glove box 14 can be set equal to the pressure set in the cassette unloading step S21 described later.

  In the dew point setting step S13 shown in FIG. 2, moisture is removed inside the glove box 14 by the dew point setting unit 14b of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. At the same time, the dew point setting unit 14b sets the dew point inside the glove box 14.

  At this time, the dew point setting unit 14b exhausts the inside of the glove box 14 for dehumidification (removal of water) inside the glove box 14. At the same time, the dew point setting unit 14b can supply a gas such as a purge gas into the glove box 14.

  In the dew point setting step S <b> 13, with the rinsing tank 19 being carried into the glove box 14, the sealing part 18 d is closed and the glove box 14 is taken out of the chamber 15. At the same time, the sealing portion 18c is closed to shut off the glove box 14 from the cassette chamber 13.

In the dew point setting step S13, the lid 19a of the rinsing bath 19 is closed, and the rinsing bath 19 is kept sealed inside the glove box 14.
The dew point setting unit 14b sets the dew point inside the glove box 14 to a range in which a metal wiring layer or the like formed on the substrate W in the cassette unloading step S21 described below does not cause corrosion (corrosion).

Therefore, in the dew point setting step S13, the dew point setting unit 14b can appropriately change and set the dew point setting range inside the glove box 14 depending on the sensitivity of the metal wiring layer formed on the substrate W.
For example, when processing a substrate W having a wiring in which different types of metals having high corrosion sensitivity are stacked, the range is set lower than when processing a substrate W in which a single-layer metal wiring is formed. The dew point setting unit 14b can set the dew point inside the glove box 14.

In the dew point setting step S13, the dew point inside the glove box 14 can be changed and set according to the reactivity of the dry etching gas or the like.
For example, when processing the substrate W with a dry etching gas having a high reactivity to moisture, the range is set to be lower than when processing the substrate W with a dry etching gas having a low reactivity to moisture. The dew point setting unit 14b can set the dew point inside the glove box 14.

In the dew point measuring step S14 shown in FIG. 2, the moisture content inside the glove box 14, that is, the dew point inside the glove box 14, is measured by the dew point measuring gauge 14a of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.
In the dew point measuring step S <b> 14, with the rinsing tank 19 being carried into the glove box 14, the sealing part 18 d is closed and the glove box 14 is taken out of the chamber 15. At the same time, the sealing portion 18c is closed to shut off the glove box 14 from the cassette chamber 13.

  At the same time, in the dew point measuring step S14, the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is closed, and the rinsing tank 19 is kept sealed inside the glove box 14.

The rinsing tank loading step S12, the dew point setting step S13, and the dew point measuring step S14 are performed in parallel with the pretreatment step S01, the cassette loading step S02, the substrate transfer step S03, the dry etching step S04, and the substrate transfer step S05. Can be.
In particular, in the rinsing tank loading step S12, the dew point setting step S13, and the dew point measuring step S14, the substrate transfer step S03, the dry etching step S04, and the substrate transfer step S05 are repeated to perform dry etching processing on a plurality of substrates W. You can do it in parallel while doing it.

The unloading determination step S15 illustrated in FIG. 2 determines whether the dew point inside the glove box 14 measured by the dew point measurement gauge 14a of the substrate processing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is equal to or less than a reference value in the dew point measurement step S14. I do.
Here, when the dew point inside the glove box 14 measured by the dew point measuring gauge 14a is equal to or less than the reference value, the process proceeds to the cassette unloading step S21.

  If the dew point inside the glove box 14 measured by the dew point measuring gauge 14a is not below the reference value, the process returns to the dew point setting step S13, and the dew point inside the glove box 14 is below the reference value. The setting unit 14b performs dehumidification processing inside the glove box 14.

In the carry-out determination step S15, the sealing unit 18d is closed and the glove box 14 is closed from the take-out chamber 15 with the rinse tank 19 carried into the glove box 14. At the same time, the sealing portion 18c is closed to shut off the glove box 14 from the cassette chamber 13.
At the same time, in the unloading determination step S15, the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is closed, and the rinsing tank 19 is kept sealed inside the glove box 14.

  In the cassette unloading step S21 shown in FIG. 2, the cassette unloading section (unloading section) 13c and the cassette unloading section (unloading section) are transferred from the cassette chamber 13 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. By 14c, the cassette C containing the processed substrate W is carried out to the glove box 14 having a lowered dew point.

At this time, the glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13 are communicated by opening the sealing portion 18c. At the same time, the sealing part 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 is taken out of the chamber 15.
Further, in the cassette unloading step S21, the sealing section 18f and the sealing section 18b are sealed, and the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the pre-processing section 16 and the transfer chamber 12.

  In the cassette unloading step S21, the inside of the cassette chamber 13 is exhausted in advance by the exhaust unit 13b so that the gas inside the cassette chamber 13 is sufficiently exchanged, and the etching gas and the like remaining in the cassette chamber 13 are sufficiently reduced.

In the dipping step (wet rinsing step) S22 shown in FIG. 2, the cassette C unloaded from the cassette chamber 13 in the cassette unloading step S21 in the glove box 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. D) dipping into the rinsing bath 19 by 14c.
Here, when immersing the cassette C in the rinsing tank 19, first, the lid 19 a of the rinsing tank 19 is opened. Thereafter, the cassette C is quickly immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r of the rinsing tank 19. Thereafter, the lid 19a is closed as soon as possible.

  At this time, by opening the lid 19 a, the gas containing water accumulated above the rinsing liquid 19 r in the rinsing tank 19 diffuses into the glove box 14.

  However, since the time from the opening of the lid 19a to the immersion of the substrate W in the rinsing liquid 19r is extremely short, the reaction between the etching gas such as chlorine and moisture on the substrate W hardly occurs. Etching gas such as chlorine is neutralized.

  Thereby, it is confirmed that the inside of the glove box 14 has a reduced dew point in the dew point measuring step S14, and that the inside of the glove box 14 has a reduced dew point in the unloading determination step S15. Therefore, in the immersion step S22, it is possible to maintain a state in which the reaction between the etching gas such as chlorine and moisture on the substrate W hardly occurs.

  Therefore, occurrence of corrosion (corrosion) in the immersion step (wet rinsing step) S22 can be prevented.

  In the immersion step (wet rinsing step) S22, the sealing part 18c is closed to shut off the glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13. At the same time, the sealing part 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 is taken out of the chamber 15.

  In the rinsing tank unloading step S23 shown in FIG. 2, the rinsing tank 19 in which the cassette C immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r in the immersion step S22 is stored in the glove box 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is carried out to the removal chamber 15 by the tank moving section 14d and the rinsing tank moving section 15d. At the same time, in the rinse tank unloading step S23, the lid 19a of the rinse tank 19 is closed, and the sealed rinse tank 19 is taken out of the glove box 14 and carried out to the chamber 15.

  Here, in the rinsing tank unloading step S23, the sealing section 18c is closed to shut off the cassette chamber 13 from the glove box 14. Thus, when the lid 19a is opened in the immersion step S22, the gas containing moisture diffused from the rinse tank 19 to the glove box 14 does not affect the cassette chamber 13.

In the rinsing tank unloading step S23, the sealing section 18d is opened, and the rinsing tank 19 is unloaded to the unloading chamber 15 by the rinsing tank moving section 14d and the rinsing tank moving section 15d.
In the rinsing tank unloading step S23, after the rinsing tank 19 is unloaded to the unloading chamber 15, the sealing portion 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 and the unloading chamber 15 are shut off.
When the rinsing bath 19 is carried into the take-out chamber 15, the sealing portion 18e can be closed.

Further, it is preferable that moisture in the extraction chamber 15 be removed by the exhaust unit 15b before the sealing unit 18d is opened in the rinse tank unloading step S23. Here, the inside of the take-out chamber 15 can be evacuated for removing moisture, but the internal pressure of the take-out chamber 15 may be set equal to the internal pressure of the glove box 14.
It should be noted that the removal of water inside the extraction chamber 15 by the exhaust unit 15b may not be performed.

  In the cassette removal step S31 shown in FIG. 2, in the removal chamber 15 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the cassette C is taken out from the rinsing tank 19 carried out to the removal chamber 15 in the rinsing tank carrying out step S23.

  In the cassette removal step S31, the cover 19a of the rinse tank 19 is first opened in the removal chamber 15. Thereafter, the cassette C immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r in the rinsing tank 19 is taken out. After that, necessary processing such as filling the rinsing tank 19 with a new rinsing liquid 19r is performed. The rinsing tank 19 is closed by closing the lid 19a.

  At this time, by opening the lid 19 a, the gas containing moisture diffuses into the extraction chamber 15 from the inside of the rinsing tank 19. At the same time, the gas containing moisture diffuses from the cassette C and the substrate W taken out of the rinsing bath 19 into the take-out chamber 15.

However, in the wet rinsing process in the rinsing tank 19, the neutralization is almost finished at the moment when the substrate W is immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r. For this reason, the substrate W taken out in the take-out chamber 15 hardly reacts with the etching gas such as chlorine and moisture.
Therefore, the occurrence of corrosion in the cassette removal step S31 can be prevented.

  In the cassette removal step S31, the sealing portion 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 and the removal chamber 15 are shut off.

  In the post-processing step S32 shown in FIG. 2, the substrate taken out of the rinsing tank 19 in the cassette taking-out step S31 is transported to the post-processing section 17 in the take-out chamber 15 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. , A step subsequent to the wet rinsing process for dry etching in the rinsing bath 19 is performed.

  In the post-processing step S32, for example, predetermined post-processing such as drying of the substrate W after the rinsing process, ashing on the substrate W, heat treatment of the substrate W, or further metal wiring formation and pattern formation may be performed. it can. In addition, as the post-processing step S32, processing other than these can be performed.

  In the post-processing step S32, the sealing portion 18e is opened, the plurality of substrates W after the rinsing process are stored in the cassette C, and the cassette C is taken out of the removal chamber 15 by the cassette unloading portion of the post-processing portion 17. It can be carried out to the processing unit 17.

  Alternatively, in the post-processing step S32, the plurality of substrates W that have been stored in the cassette C and the rinsing process has been completed are opened and removed from the cassette C by the substrate carrying-out section of the post-processing section 17 in the post-processing step S32. It can be carried out from the chamber 15 to the post-processing unit 17.

  In the post-processing step S32, the sealing part 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 are shut off.

  Thereby, the substrate processing in the present embodiment ends.

  According to the substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus 10 in the present embodiment, the dew point inside the glove box 14 is measured in the dew point measuring step S14, and if the measured dew point is not below the reference value, the dew point setting step In S13, the dew point inside the glove box 14 is reset to be equal to or less than the reference value. When the measured dew point is equal to or less than the reference value, the substrate W is moved to the glove box 14 in the unloading determination step S15. By performing the wet rinsing step (immersion step) S22, corrosion (corrosion) or damage can be reliably prevented.

  In this way, by closing the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 until immediately before the cassette C containing the substrates W is immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r inside the glove box 14, the space to which the rinsing liquid 19r is exposed. Can be limited to the inside of the rinsing tank 19. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the moisture evaporated from the rinsing liquid 19 r in the rinsing tank 19 from diffusing into the glove box 14. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the dew point inside the glove box 14 from rising.

  In the dew point setting step S13, the rinsing bath 19 is closed, and the moisture is newly evaporated from the rinsing liquid 19r inside the glove box 14 in which the substrate W moves, so that the dew point inside the glove box 14 rises. Can be prevented.

  In the dew point setting step S13, before moving the substrate W from the dry etching step S04 to the immersion step (wet rinsing step) S22, the dew point inside the glove box 14 where the substrate W is moved is set to a reference value or less in advance. By doing so, the state where the dew point of the atmosphere around the substrate W is equal to or lower than the reference value can be maintained.

  As a result, the space inside the glove box 14 in which the substrate is moved from the dry etching step S04 to the immersion step (wet rinsing step) S22 can be brought into a state that contains less moisture than the amount of moisture that causes corrosion. .

  Therefore, even if the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is opened and the gas containing moisture inside the rinsing tank 19 diffuses into the glove box 14, the gas inside the rinsing tank 19 is kept inside the glove box 14. On the other hand, since it is small, it does not rise to the dew point where corrosion occurs in the space inside the glove box 14.

  Further, in the wet rinsing step (immersion step) S22, before the substrate W was immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r stored in the rinsing tank 19 and corrosion (corrosion) occurred, the substrate W was quickly attached to the substrate W by the rinsing liquid 19r. The etching gas such as chlorine can be neutralized (neutralized) to prevent corrosion (corrosion).

  For this reason, immediately before the substrate W is brought into contact with the rinsing liquid 19r, the substrate W is exposed to an atmosphere having a high dew point including water generated from the rinsing liquid 19r for a long time so that corrosion (corrosion) occurs. There is no.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the etching gas such as chlorine remaining on the substrate W due to the dry etching from reacting with the moisture existing in the space, thereby preventing the metal wiring on the substrate W from being corroded or damaged.

  As described above, since the dew point in the atmosphere immediately before immersion in the rinsing liquid 19r can be controlled in the substrate W after the dry etching, even if the substrate W has a heterogeneous metal laminated wiring in which corrosion is likely to occur, Corrosion can be prevented from occurring.

  The reason why the dew point inside the glove box 14 for moving the substrate W is set to be equal to or lower than the reference value is that the dew point is maintained at least before and after the substrate W is moved inside the glove box 14. The dew point may rise after the immersion step (wet rinsing step) S22 or during other times such as maintenance of the rinsing tank carrying-in step S12 for replacing the rinsing liquid 19r.

  The reference value of the dew point can be set in accordance with the sensitivity of the metal wiring to corrosion, that is, how much the metal wiring is easily corroded. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of corrosion (corrosion) or the occurrence of damage even in a substrate W having a laminated metal wiring having high corrosion sensitivity and low corrosion resistance.

  Further, while the plurality of substrates W are processed in the dry etching process steps S03, S04, and S05 and stored in the cassette C, the dew point in the glove box 14 is set to a reference value or less in a dew point setting step S13. Thus, occurrence of corrosion (corrosion) can be prevented. Furthermore, dry etching is performed on a plurality of substrates W during the time when the dew point is set, so that corrosion (corrosion) can be prevented while the takt time in the processing of the substrates W is kept short.

  The plurality of substrates W having been subjected to the dry etching are stored in the cassette C, and the plurality of substrates W are moved together with the cassette C and immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r. It is possible to prevent a difference in the time required for moving the substrate W, and to reduce the time required for moving between the substrates W in a space having a high dew point.

  In the rinse tank loading step S12, the rinse tank 19 sealed in the glove box 14 is loaded, and in this state, the dew point in the space where the substrate W moves can be set. Also, by carrying out the sealed rinse tank 19 from the glove box 14 in the rinse tank carry-out step S23, it is possible to prevent the rinse liquid 19r from being unnecessarily evaporated and the dew point in the glove box 14 from rising. .

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the substrate processing method and the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the difference from the above-described first embodiment is in respect of the cassette chamber. The other components corresponding to those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. .

As shown in FIG. 2, in the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a cassette chamber 13 and a cassette chamber 13A are connected to a transfer chamber 12, and a pre-processing unit 16 is connected to the cassette chamber 13A.
In FIG. 2, the dry etching chamber 11, the transfer chamber 12, the cassette chamber 13, and the cassette chamber 13A show planes, and the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 show the planes. Shows the side.

  The transfer chamber 12 is hermetically connected to the cassette chamber 13 by a sealing portion 18b such as a door valve. The transfer chamber 12 is hermetically connected to the cassette chamber 13A by a sealing portion 18f such as a door valve. The cassette chamber 13 and the transfer chamber 12 can exchange a substrate W with each other. The cassette chamber 13A and the transfer chamber 12 can exchange a substrate W with each other. The transfer chamber 12 can be sealed.

The cassette chamber 13 is hermetically connected to the glove box 14 by a sealing portion 18c such as a door valve. The cassette chamber 13 can be sealed.
The cassette chamber 13A is hermetically connected to the pre-processing unit 16 by a sealing unit 18g such as a door valve.

The cassette chamber 13 and the glove box 14 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.
The cassette chamber 13A and the preprocessing unit 16 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.

An exhaust unit 13Ab that exhausts the inside of the cassette chamber 13A is connected to the cassette chamber 13A.
The exhaust part 13Ab can have not only the function of exhausting the cassette chamber 13A but also the function of removing moisture in the cassette chamber 13A, that is, the function of lowering the dew point.
The cassette chamber 13A may be provided with a gas supply unit capable of supplying a gas such as a purge gas or a cleaning gas for cleaning the cassette chamber 13A.

  In the cassette chamber 13A, a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W that have been preprocessed can be loaded from the preprocessing unit 16 and placed. The cassette chamber 13A can transfer the substrates W one by one from the cassette C to the dry etching chamber 11 by the transfer device 12a.

  In the cassette chamber 13, a cassette C for accommodating a plurality of substrates W on which dry etching has been completed can be placed. The cassette chamber 13 can store the substrates W, on which the dry etching process has been completed, one by one in the cassette C by the transfer device 12a.

The preprocessing section 16 has a configuration in which a plurality of substrates W on which predetermined preprocessing has been completed are stored in a cassette C, and a cassette loading section capable of loading the cassette C into the cassette chamber 13A.
Further, in the cassette chamber 13A, after all the substrates W stored in the loaded cassette C are transferred to the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11, the empty cassette C is returned to the preprocessing unit 16. Can be.

The glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13 can exchange a cassette C containing a plurality of substrates W with each other.
After a predetermined number of substrates W subjected to the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11 are stored in the loaded cassette C in the cassette chamber 13, the cassette C can be transferred to the glove box 14. .

Therefore, different cassettes C are placed in the cassette chamber 13 and the cassette chamber 13A, respectively.
As described above, the cassette C in the cassette chamber 13 and the cassette C in the cassette chamber 13A are not exchanged with each other.
Therefore, the cassette C storing the substrate W before the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11 and the cassette C storing the substrate W after the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11 are different cassettes C.
Similarly, the cassette C in which the substrates W immersed in the rinsing tank 19 in the glove box 14 are stored is a different cassette C from the cassette C in which the substrates W after pre-processing in the pre-processing unit 16 are stored. is there.

  Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the substrate processing method in the present embodiment includes a pre-processing step S01, a cassette loading step S02, a substrate transfer step S03, a dry etching step S04, a substrate transfer step Step S05, rinsing tank loading step S12, dew point setting step S13, dew point measuring step S14, unloading determining step S15, cassette unloading step S21, immersion step S22, rinsing tank unloading step S23, cassette unloading step It has S31 and a post-processing step S32.

  The pre-processing step S01 illustrated in FIG. 2 is the same as the first embodiment, and is performed by the pre-processing unit 16 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. In the pre-processing step S01, a plurality of substrates W are stored in the cassette C when predetermined pre-processing is completed.

In the cassette loading step S02 shown in FIG. 2, the cassette C containing the plurality of substrates W in the preprocessing step S01 is transferred to the cassette chamber 13A by the cassette loading section from the preprocessing section 16 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Bring in.
In the cassette loading step S02, the sealed portion 18g is opened, and the cassette C is loaded into the cassette chamber 13A. After that, the sealing section 18g is closed to close the cassette chamber 13.

  In the cassette loading step S02, the sealing portion 18f is sealed, and the cassette chamber 13A is shut off from the transfer chamber 12.

  In the cassette loading step S02, after the cassette C is loaded, the inside of the sealed cassette chamber 13A is evacuated by the exhaust unit 13Ab. At this time, moisture in the cassette chamber 13A is removed from the cassette chamber 13A by the exhaust unit 13Ab. That is, in the cassette chamber 13A, the dew point inside the cassette chamber 13A is reduced to the reference value or less by the exhaust unit 13Ab.

The substrate transfer step S03 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and is performed in the cassette loading step S02 so that dry etching can be performed in the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. One substrate W is moved from the cassette C carried into the cassette chamber 13A to the dry etching chamber 11.
At this time, the substrate W is moved by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a disposed inside the transfer chamber 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

In the substrate transfer step S03, the sealing portion 18b is sealed, and the transfer chamber 12 and the cassette chamber 13 are shut off.
At the same time, in the substrate transfer step S03, the sealing unit 18f and the sealing unit 18a are opened, and the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a transfers one substrate W from the plurality of substrates W stored in the cassette C of the cassette chamber 13A. The substrate W is selectively picked up and moved to the dry etching chamber 11.

  At this time, the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 are kept in a state where moisture in the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 has been removed in advance by the exhaust unit 12b and the exhaust unit 11b. That is, the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 are maintained in a state where the dew point in the transfer chamber 12 and the dry etching chamber 11 has been reduced to the reference value or less in advance by the exhaust unit 12b and the exhaust unit 11b.

  In the substrate transfer step S03, the sealing section 18g is sealed, and the cassette chamber 13A is shut off from the preprocessing section 16.

The dry etching step S04 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The dry etching step S04 is performed on the substrate W carried in the substrate transfer step S03 in the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. A dry etching process is performed.
Further, the sealing portion 18f may or may not be closed.

The substrate transfer step S05 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the dry etching chamber 11 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Is moved from the dry etching chamber 11 to the cassette C in the cassette chamber 13.
At this time, the substrate W is moved by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a disposed inside the transfer chamber 12 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  In the substrate transfer step S05, first, the inside of the dry etching chamber 11 is evacuated by the exhaust unit 11b with the closed portion 18a closed. At the same time, a purge gas such as a nitrogen gas may be supplied to the dry etching chamber 11 by the etching gas supply unit 11a in addition to the etching gas.

  Next, in the substrate transfer step S05, the sealing portion 18b and the sealing portion 18a are opened, and one substrate W placed in the dry etching chamber 11 is picked up by the transfer device (transfer robot) 12a. The substrate W is stored in the cassette C of the cassette chamber 13.

  At this time, the etching gas in the dry etching chamber 11 is completely removed from the inside of the dry etching chamber 11 by the exhaust unit 11b. At the same time, the transfer chamber 12 is kept in a state where the moisture inside the transfer chamber 12 has been sufficiently removed by the exhaust unit 12b.

In the present embodiment, the above-described substrate transfer step S03, dry etching step S04, and substrate transfer step S05 are repeated to perform dry etching on all the substrates W stored in the cassette C.
At this time, while the dry etching step S04 is repeated, the sealing portion 18f may or may not be closed. Further, when the last dry etching step S04 is started and the substrates W stored in the cassette C of the cassette chamber 13A are exhausted, it is preferable to close the sealing portion 18f.

Next, the sealing unit 18f is closed and the sealing unit 18g is opened, and the cassette C in which the stored substrate W has run out is returned from the cassette chamber 13A to the pre-processing unit 16.
Further, a plurality of substrates W to be subjected to the next etching process are stored in the cassette C returned to the pre-processing unit 16.

  The rinsing tank carrying-in step S12 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as in the first embodiment.

  The dew point setting step S13 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as the first embodiment.

  The dew point measuring step S14 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as the first embodiment.

  The unloading determination step S15 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as the first embodiment.

  The cassette unloading step S21 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Based on the determination in the unloading determination step S15, the cassette unloading section (unloading) is performed from the cassette chamber 13 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. Unit 13c and the cassette unloading unit (unloading unit) 14c unload the cassette C storing the processed substrate W to the glove box 14 having a reduced dew point.

  At this time, the glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13 are communicated by opening the sealing portion 18c. At the same time, the sealing part 18d is closed, and the glove box 14 is taken out of the chamber 15.

  Further, in the cassette unloading step S21, the sealing portion 18b is sealed, and the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the transfer chamber 12.

  In the cassette unloading step S21, the inside of the cassette chamber 13 is exhausted in advance by the exhaust unit 13b so that the gas inside the cassette chamber 13 is sufficiently exchanged, and the etching gas and the like remaining in the cassette chamber 13 are sufficiently reduced.

  In the cassette unloading step S21, the sealing portion 18f may or may not be closed. Further, the sealing section 18f is closed, the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the preprocessing section 16, and a plurality of substrates W to be subjected to the next etching process are stored during the cassette unloading step S21. Can also be performed.

  The immersion step S22 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as in the first embodiment.

  The rinse tank unloading step S23 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as the first embodiment.

  The cassette removal step S31 shown in FIG. 2 is the same as the first embodiment.

  The post-processing step S32 shown in FIG. 2 is the same step as the first embodiment.

  After the cassette unloading step S21, a new empty cassette C is inserted into the cassette chamber in any one of or all of the dipping step S22, the rinsing tank unloading step S23, the cassette removing step S31, and the post-processing step S32. 13. Preferably, the loading of the new cassette C into the cassette chamber 13 can be performed simultaneously with the rinsing tank loading step S12.

When a new cassette C is loaded into the cassette chamber 13, the substrate W is stored in the glove box 14 of the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 3 by the cassette unloading unit (unloading unit) 13 c and the cassette unloading unit (unloading unit) 14 c. The empty cassette C that has not been processed is carried out to the cassette chamber 13.
In this case, the dew points of the glove box 14 and the cassette chamber 13 do not need to be lowered.

  When carrying in a new cassette C from the glove box 14 to the cassette chamber 13, the sealing portion 18 b is closed, and the cassette chamber 13 is shut off from the transfer chamber 12.

In the present embodiment, the cassette chamber 13 and the cassette chamber 13A are provided as separate chambers, and different cassettes C are placed in the cassette chamber 13 and the cassette chamber 13A, respectively.
Thus, the cassette C of the cassette chamber 13 and the cassette C of the cassette chamber 13A are not exchanged with each other. Therefore, the cassette C storing the substrate W before the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11 and the cassette C storing the substrate W after the etching process in the dry etching chamber 11 are different cassettes C. Similarly, the cassette C in which the substrates W immersed in the rinsing tank 19 in the glove box 14 are stored is a different cassette C from the cassette C in which the substrates W after pre-processing in the pre-processing unit 16 are stored. is there. Therefore, it is possible to prevent corrosion (corrosion) or damage.

  In the above embodiment, the cassette chambers 13 and 13A and the transfer chamber 12 are separate chambers, but they may be formed as the same chamber.

  In the above embodiment, the substrate W is moved using the cassette C. However, a configuration without using the cassette C may be adopted. Even in this case, the dew point in the atmosphere around the substrate W from the dry etching process to the rinsing process is controlled to a reference value or less.

  In the above-described embodiment, the substrate W is immersed in the rinsing bath 19; however, the rinsing process may be performed by using a single-wafer spin rinser. Even in this case, the dew point in the atmosphere around the substrate W from the dry etching process to the rinsing process is controlled to a reference value or less.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described device configuration as long as the dew point in the atmosphere around the substrate W after the dry etching process can be controlled.

  Hereinafter, examples according to the present invention will be described.

  As a specific example of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the present invention, a corrosion occurrence confirmation test will be described.

<Experimental example 1>
Using the substrate processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, a dry etching process and a rinsing process were performed.

Hereinafter, the specifications in the dry etching process and the rinsing process will be described.
Substrate dimensions: Φ200mm
Substrate type; Lithium niobate substrate Metal wiring; Molybdenum, aluminum laminated metal wiring film thickness; 0.4 μm
Metal wiring width: 1 μm
Etching gas; chlorine gas; 10-100%
Etching time: 300 sec
Etching temperature: 20 ° C
Glove box dew point; -35 ° C or less Number of batch substrates: 25 rinse solution; Sodium thiosulfate; 2 wt%
Rinse processing time: 600 sec
Rinse treatment temperature: 20 ° C

After the completion of the dry etching process and the rinsing process, the wiring layer on the substrate surface was observed by SEM.
The results are shown in FIGS.

  In this experimental example, the dew point (humidity) in the glove box was measured.

  As a result, the dew point (humidity) in the glove box was kept at −35 ° C. or less while the substrate was moved to be immersed in the rinsing liquid.

  From this result, it can be seen that by controlling the dew point, no corrosion occurs in the laminated metal wiring and no damage to the laminated metal wiring occurs.

<Experimental example 2>
For comparison, a dry etching process and a rinsing process using a single wafer spin rinser were performed.
The conditions of the substrate and the dry etching process are the same as those in Experimental Example 1. After the etching was completed, the substrate was moved to a single wafer spin rinser in which a rinsing liquid was dropped in an atmosphere in which a nitrogen gas was injected.

The rinsing liquid and rinsing conditions were the same as those in Experimental Example 1.
In this experimental example, the spin rinser has a known configuration.

After the completion of the dry etching process and the rinsing process, the wiring layer on the substrate surface was observed by SEM.
The results are shown in FIGS.

In this experimental example, the dew point (humidity) of the spin rinser was measured.
The result is shown in FIG.

In addition, the conversion example of humidity, temperature, and dew point is shown below.
Temperature (° C); Humidity (%); Dew point (° C)
20 10 -12
20 50 9
20 1 -33

  As shown in FIG. 9, it can be seen that the dew point (humidity) in the glove box during the movement of the substrate to the spin rinser is not maintained at −35 ° C. or less.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Substrate processing apparatus 11 ... Dry etching chamber 11a ... Etching gas supply part 11b ... Exhaust part 12 ... Transfer chamber 12a ... Transfer device (transfer robot)
12b ... exhaust unit 13, 13A ... cassette chamber 13b, 13Ab ... exhaust unit 13c ... cassette unloading unit (unloading unit)
14 glove box 14a dew point measuring gauge 14b dew point setting unit 14c cassette unloading unit (unloading unit)
14d rinsing tank moving unit 15 take-out chamber 15a rinsing liquid supply unit 15b exhaust unit 15d rinsing bath moving unit 16 pre-processing unit 17 post-processing units 18a to 18g sealing unit 19 rinsing bath 19a lid 19r Rinsing liquid W Substrate C Cassette

The take-out chamber 15 carries out the rinse tank 19 from the glove box 14. In the take-out chamber 15, the lid 19a of the rinsing tank 19 is opened, and the cassette C immersed in the rinsing liquid 19r is taken out of the rinsing tank 19 to take out a plurality of substrates W. Thereby, the plurality of substrates W can be taken out of the rinsing tank 19 without changing the dew point inside the glove box 14. Note extraction chamber 15 may not be engaged with the glove box 14, carries the rinsing tank 19 of the glove box 14 in a known configuration may be carried into extraction chamber 15.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a cassette chamber 13 and a cassette chamber 13A are connected to a transfer chamber 12, and a pre-processing unit 16 is connected to the cassette chamber 13A.
In FIG. 3 , the planes of the dry etching chamber 11, the transfer chamber 12, the cassette chamber 13, and the cassette chamber 13A are shown, and the glove box 14 and the take-out chamber 15 are the same. Shows the side.

Claims (8)

A dry etching step of dry etching the substrate,
A wet rinsing step of immersing the substrate in a rinsing liquid,
A substrate processing method having
A substrate processing method, comprising a dew point setting step of setting a dew point to a reference value or less in a space where the substrate is moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step. A dew point measuring step of measuring the dew point of the space in which the substrate is moved,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or less than the reference value, while moving the substrate from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
When the dew point measured in the dew point measurement step is equal to or more than the reference value, a carry-out determination step of determining that the substrate is not moved from the dry etching step to the wet rinsing step,
2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, comprising: A plurality of the substrates processed in the dry etching step are stored,
3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the substrates stored in the wet rinsing step are immersed in the rinsing liquid at a time.   4. The substrate processing method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of substrates processed in the dry etching step are stored in a cassette. In the dew point setting step, the rinse liquid is stored and sealed in a rinse tank inside the space,
5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the wet rinsing step, the sealing of the rinsing bath is released, and the substrate is immersed in a rinsing liquid. 6. Before the dew point setting step, a rinsing tank loading step of loading the rinsing tank into the space with the rinsing tank sealed, and after the dew point setting step, a rinsing tank unloading from the space with the rinsing tank sealed. Process and
6. The substrate processing method according to claim 5, comprising: A dry etching chamber for dry etching the substrate,
A rinsing tank having a lid that can store and seal a rinsing liquid to be wet-rinsed by immersing the substrate,
A glove box capable of storing the rinse tank,
A dew point measurement gauge for measuring the dew point of the glove box,
A dew point setting unit for setting a dew point of the glove box,
An unloading unit that unloads the substrate processed in the dry etching chamber from the dry etching chamber to the rinse tank of the glove box,
Has,
When the carrying-out unit carries out the substrate from the dry etching chamber to the rinsing tank of the glove box,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the dew point setting unit sets a dew point inside the glove box measured by the dew point measurement gauge to a reference value or less.   8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a cassette for storing the plurality of substrates processed in the dry etching chamber and immersing the substrates in the rinsing liquid in the rinsing tank at one time.