JP2022045904A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To surely remove mist of leaked chemical liquid even if the mist of the chemical liquid leaks to an outside of a guard through an inner side of an upper end part of the guard.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus 1 comprises: a cylindrical guard 53A that receives liquid scattered to an outer side from a substrate W; a chamber 12 that surrounds the guard 53A; a separation board 81 that vertically separates a space surrounding the guard 53A in the chamber 12; and an exhaust duct that sucks air inside the guard 53A and air on a lower side of the separation board 81 into an upstream end arranged below the separation board 81 in the chamber 12, and exhausts the air to an outside of the chamber 12. The separation board 81 comprises: an outer periphery end 81o separate to an inner side from an inner periphery surface 12i of the chamber 12; and an inner periphery end surrounding the guard 53A. A guard lifting unit lifts the guard 53A to change the shortest distance from the inner periphery end (an inner periphery surface 83i) of the separation board 81 to the guard 53A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and a substrate processing method. The substrate may include, for example, a semiconductor wafer, an FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrate such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, or a photomask substrate. , Ceramic substrates, solar cell substrates, etc. are included.

In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and FPDs, substrate processing devices that process substrates such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates for FPDs are used. The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a spin chuck that rotates while holding the substrate horizontally, and SPM (a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution) toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. It houses a nozzle that discharges, a nozzle that discharges the rinse liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck, a tubular guard that catches the liquid scattered outward from the substrate, a spin chuck, a guard, and the like. It has a chamber.

The upper end of the guard surrounds the substrate in a plan view. The guard is placed in either a lower position where the upper end of the guard is located below the substrate, a liquid receiving position where the upper end of the guard is located above the substrate, or an upper position above the liquid receiving position. Will be done. When the SPM is supplied to the substrate, the guard is arranged at an upper position where the upper end of the guard is sufficiently separated from the upper surface of the substrate. When the SPM on the substrate is washed away with the rinsing liquid, the guard is arranged at the liquid receiving position where the vertical distance from the upper surface of the substrate to the upper end of the guard is reduced.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-032728

When a treatment liquid such as a chemical liquid or a rinse liquid is discharged toward a rotating substrate, mist of the treatment liquid is generated above the substrate or around the substrate. When the generated chemical mist leaks out of the guard through the inside of the upper end of the guard, an atmosphere containing the leaked chemical mist and the leaked mist-like chemical (hereinafter collectively referred to as "chemical atmosphere"). ) May adhere to the inner surface of the chamber and change into particles. The chemical atmosphere may flow toward the substrate and adhere to the substrate. When the substrate is carried out of the chamber or carried into the chamber, the chemical atmosphere may adhere to the substrate. These can cause contamination of the substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is used when supplying SPM to a substrate in order to prevent an atmosphere containing a mist of a chemical solution such as SPM from leaking out of the guard through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard. , The guard is raised to an extremely high position. However, depending on the substrate processing apparatus, it may not be possible to arrange the guard at such a high position.
Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of reliably removing the leaked chemical liquid mist even if the chemical liquid mist leaks out of the guard through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard. To provide.

The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is a substrate holding means for horizontally holding a substrate and a vertical rotation of the substrate held by the substrate holding means through a central portion of the substrate. A substrate rotating means that rotates around an axis, a chemical liquid nozzle that discharges a chemical liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and an upper end portion that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view. A cylindrical guard including a cylindrical inclined portion extending diagonally upward toward the upper end portion, and a tubular guard for receiving the liquid scattered outward from the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and the guard. A chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard, an outer peripheral end inwardly separated from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and a space around the guard in the chamber. A partition plate that partitions up and down, a guard elevating unit that changes the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by raising and lowering the guard, and a guard elevating unit that is arranged below the partition plate in the chamber. A substrate processing apparatus including an exhaust duct that includes the upstream end and sucks the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate into the upstream end and discharges the gas to the outside of the chamber. be.

According to this configuration, a partition plate is arranged around the guard. The outer peripheral edge of the partition plate is separated inward from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber, and the inner peripheral edge of the partition plate surrounds the guard. When the guard elevating unit raises and lowers the guard, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard increases or decreases. This can increase or decrease the pressure drop in the path between the guard and the divider.

The exhaust duct sucks the gas inside the guard and the gas under the partition plate from the upstream end of the exhaust duct into the inside of the exhaust duct. The gas on the upper side of the guard passes downward inside the upper end portion of the guard and is sucked into the exhaust duct. The gas on the upper side of the partition plate passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate, and is sucked into the exhaust duct.

When the guard elevating unit reduces the shortest distance from the inner peripheral edge of the partition plate to the guard, the pressure loss in the path between the guard and the partition plate increases, so that the gas passing inside the upper end of the guard The flow rate increases. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of chemical mist that leaks out of the guard through the inside of the upper end of the guard.
When the guard elevating unit increases the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard, the pressure loss in the path between the guard and the partition plate is reduced, so that the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate is reduced. Flow rate increases. Even if the chemical mist leaks out of the guard, the leaked mist will pass downward at least one of the gap between the chamber and the divider and the gap between the guard and the divider. It is sucked into the exhaust duct. As a result, the leaked mist can be reliably removed.

Focusing on the atmosphere inside the guard is important to prevent the mist of the chemical solution from leaking out of the guard. Focusing on the atmosphere above the guards and dividers is important for removing the leaked chemical mist. Therefore, it is important to balance the exhaust, that is, to change the location where the exhaust is focused, in order to reduce the contamination of the substrate and the chamber.

By raising and lowering the guard and changing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard, it is possible to change the location where the exhaust is focused between the inside of the guard and the guard and the upper part of the partition plate. Therefore, if the guard is raised and lowered according to the progress of the processing of the substrate, the atmosphere of the place where the mist of the chemical solution may exist can be focused on, and the contamination of the substrate and the chamber can be reduced.
The invention according to claim 2 is to control the rinsing liquid nozzle for discharging the rinsing liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means and the guard elevating unit to release the chemical liquid on the substrate. The claim further comprises a control device that makes the shortest distance when the rinsing liquid discharged from the rinsing liquid nozzle replaces the shortest distance larger than the shortest distance when the chemical liquid nozzle discharges the chemical liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1.

According to this configuration, the chemical solution on the substrate is replaced with a rinse solution. If the chemical mist leaks out of the guard, the chemical atmosphere floats above the guard and divider as the rinse nozzle is ejecting the rinse. When the rinse liquid nozzle discharges the rinse liquid, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is larger than when the chemical liquid nozzle discharges the chemical liquid. Thereby, the chemical liquid atmosphere floating above the guard and the partition plate can be sucked into at least one of the gap between the chamber and the partition plate and the gap between the guard and the partition plate.

Rinse solution means a liquid other than a chemical solution. A specific example of the rinsing liquid is a water-containing liquid containing water as a main component. The water-containing liquid may be water such as pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized Water)). That is, the concentration of water in the water-containing liquid may be 100% or substantially 100%. If the concentration is low (for example, 10 to 100 ppm), the water-containing liquid may contain a substance other than water. The rinse liquid may be a liquid other than the water-containing liquid as long as there is no problem in the quality of the substrate even if the mist of the rinse liquid adheres to the chamber or the substrate. For example, an organic solvent (liquid) such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or HFE (hydrofluoroether) may be a rinsing solution.

The invention according to claim 3 has an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in a space below the partition plate in the chamber, and an opening in the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, and the exhaust duct. An exhaust hole through which the gas discharged from the chamber passes through, and an exhaust relay hole through which the gas moving from the outside of the outer peripheral surface to the inside of the inner peripheral surface passes through, which is open on the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a tubular outer wall.

According to this configuration, a tubular outer wall surrounds the guard underneath the divider. The gas that has passed through the inside of the upper end of the guard passes through the exhaust hole and the exhaust duct of the tubular outer wall and is discharged to the outside of the chamber. The gas that has passed between the guard and the partition plate also passes through the exhaust hole and the exhaust duct of the cylindrical outer wall and is discharged to the outside of the chamber. Therefore, these gases are discharged out of the chamber without passing through the exhaust relay holes in the cylindrical outer wall.

On the other hand, the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate passes through the exhaust relay hole of the tubular outer wall and moves from the outside of the tubular outer wall to the inside of the tubular outer wall. The gas then passes through the exhaust holes and exhaust ducts of the cylindrical outer wall and is expelled out of the chamber. Therefore, the gas around the tubular outer wall moves from the outside of the tubular outer wall to the inside of the tubular outer wall, and then from the inside of the tubular outer wall to the outside of the tubular outer wall.

In this way, the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate passes through the exhaust relay hole of the tubular outer wall, and then passes through the exhaust hole and the exhaust duct of the tubular outer wall. The path through which the gas flowing in between is larger than the path through the inside of the upper end of the guard. Therefore, it is possible to increase the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard and the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate.

By increasing the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end of the guard, the mist of the chemical liquid leaking to the outside of the guard can be reduced. Further, even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks out of the guard, the leaked mist flows from the upper end of the guard around it. The inner peripheral edge of the partition plate is located closer to the guard than the outer peripheral edge of the partition plate. Therefore, by increasing the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate, the mist of the leaked chemical solution can be removed more reliably.

The invention according to claim 4 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the exhaust hole of the tubular outer wall.
According to this configuration, the area of the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the area of the exhaust hole of the tubular outer wall. The gas that has passed inside the upper end of the guard and the gas that has passed between the guard and the partition plate do not pass through the exhaust relay hole, whereas the gas that has passed between the chamber and the partition plate is exhausted. It passes through the relay hole and then through the exhaust hole and the exhaust duct. Therefore, the pressure loss in the path through which the gas flowing between the chamber and the partition plate passes is large. As a result, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion of the guard and the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate can be further increased.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the tubular outer wall opens at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in the space below the partition plate in the chamber, and at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. A tubular body including a through hole, and a movable cover held by the tubular body in a state of covering a part of the through hole and movable with respect to the tubular body. The third or fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the exhaust relay hole is formed by the through hole of the tubular body and the movable cover, and the opening degree changes depending on the position of the movable cover with respect to the tubular body. It is a substrate processing device.

According to this configuration, an exhaust relay hole through which gas flowing from the outside of the tubular outer wall to the inside of the tubular outer wall passes is formed by a through hole penetrating the tubular body and a movable cover covering a part of the through hole. Has been done. When the movable cover is moved with respect to the tubular body, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole increases or decreases. This makes it possible to change the exhaust balance. That is, the balance between the exhaust gas passing inside the upper end portion of the guard, the exhaust gas passing between the guard and the partition plate, and the exhaust gas passing between the chamber and the partition plate can be changed.

The movable cover may be a slide cover that moves in parallel along the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body, or may be an opening / closing cover that opens and closes around a horizontal or vertical straight line. When the movable cover is a slide cover, moving the movable cover with respect to the tubular body changes the area of the portion of the through hole of the tubular body that is not covered by the movable cover. When the movable cover is an open / close cover, moving the movable cover with respect to the tubular body changes the size of the gap between the tubular body and the movable cover. As a result, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole increases or decreases.

In the invention according to claim 6, the outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross section, and the partition plate moves up and down the space around the guard in the chamber. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate includes a horizontal portion for partitioning and a cylindrical vertical portion extending downward from the horizontal portion, and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion has a vertical linear cross section. When the guard is arranged at an upper processing position that surrounds the vertical portion of the guard and the vertical portion of the guard faces the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion horizontally, the inner peripheral end of the partition plate is arranged. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the distance from the guard to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion.

According to this configuration, the horizontal portion of the partition plate divides the space around the guard in the chamber up and down, and the vertical portion of the partition plate extends downward from the horizontal portion. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion surrounds the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard in a plan view. When the guard is moved to the upper processing position, the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is arranged inside the vertical portion and faces the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion horizontally.

When the guard is placed in the upper processing position, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion. In other words, when the guard is placed in the upper processing position, the distance in the radial direction (direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the substrate) from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is the partition. It corresponds to the shortest distance from the inner peripheral edge of the plate to the guard. Therefore, the pressure loss in the path between the guard and the partition plate mainly depends on the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard.

Both the cross section of the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard and the cross section of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion are vertical. Further, since the vertical portion extends downward from the horizontal portion, the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion is arranged below the horizontal portion. In other words, the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion has a certain length in the vertical direction. Therefore, the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard can be horizontally opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion without precisely controlling the position of the guard in the vertical direction, and passes between the guard and the partition plate. The pressure loss in the path can be easily adjusted.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the partition plate, and a support plate for supporting the inner peripheral ring. 6 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, which is movable with respect to the support plate and the guard in the radial direction which is the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis.
According to this configuration, the inner ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion is supported by the support plate. The inner ring is radially movable with respect to the support plate. When the inner peripheral ring is moved radially with respect to the support plate, the inner peripheral ring is moved radially with respect to the guard, and is radially from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard. The distance changes. Therefore, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard can be changed, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate can be increased or decreased.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the vertical length of the facing range in which the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard horizontally face each other is the rotation axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, which increases in the circumferential direction, which is a circumferential direction, as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct.
According to this configuration, the vertical length (corresponding to the length L1 shown in FIG. 6) of the facing range in which the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard horizontally face each other is all. It is not constant but changing over the circumference. The distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard. Therefore, the pressure drop in the path between the guard and the partition plate is not constant but variable over the entire circumference.

If the pressure drop in the path between the guard and the divider is small near the exhaust duct (the resistance to the gas passing downward through the gap between the guard and the divider is small near the exhaust duct). The suction force for sucking gas toward the exhaust duct is significantly reduced near the exhaust duct, and the suction force transmitted to a position distant from the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction is significantly reduced. Since the length of the facing range in the vertical direction increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, the pressure loss in this path increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the suction force transmitted to a position distant from the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, and it is possible to improve the uniformity of the suction force in the circumferential direction.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard in the radial direction orthogonal to the rotation axis is the above. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, which decreases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, which is the direction around the rotation axis.
According to this configuration, the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard is not constant but changes over the entire circumference. The distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the smallest between the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard. Therefore, the pressure drop in the path between the guard and the partition plate is not constant but variable over the entire circumference.

If the pressure drop in the path between the guard and the partition plate is small near the exhaust duct, the suction force that sucks the gas toward the exhaust duct is greatly reduced near the exhaust duct, and from the upstream end of the exhaust duct. The suction force transmitted to a position distant in the circumferential direction is significantly reduced. Since the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical part of the partition plate to the vertical part of the outer peripheral surface of the guard decreases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, the pressure loss in this path is exhausted. It increases as it approaches the upstream end of the duct in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the suction force transmitted to a position distant from the upstream end of the exhaust duct in the circumferential direction, and it is possible to improve the uniformity of the suction force in the circumferential direction.

The invention according to claim 10 includes a step of rotating the substrate around a vertical rotation axis passing through a central portion of the substrate while holding the substrate horizontally, and a step of discharging a chemical solution toward the rotating substrate. , A step of receiving the chemical liquid scattered outward from the substrate by a tubular guard including an upper end portion surrounding the substrate in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion extending diagonally upward toward the upper end portion. And the gas inside the guard, including an outer peripheral end inwardly separated from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber surrounding the guard, and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, around the guard in the chamber. The step of sucking into the upstream end of the exhaust duct arranged below the partition plate that divides the space into upper and lower parts and discharging the gas to the outside of the chamber, and the gas under the partition plate are discharged to the upstream of the exhaust duct. The shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lowering the guard after stopping the step of sucking into the end and discharging it to the outside of the chamber and stopping the discharge of the chemical solution to the substrate. A substrate processing method, including steps of increasing the distance.

According to this method, the chemical solution is discharged toward the rotating substrate. Then lower the guard. As a result, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is increased, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the guard and the partition plate is reduced. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing between the guard and the partition plate increases. Even if the chemical mist leaks out of the guard, the leaked mist will pass downward at least one of the gap between the chamber and the divider and the gap between the guard and the divider. It is sucked into the exhaust duct. As a result, the leaked mist can be reliably removed.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the inside of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of the substrate processing apparatus along the line II-II shown in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram which looked at the inside of the processing unit provided in the substrate processing apparatus horizontally. It is a schematic plan view which shows the inside of a processing unit. It is a schematic plan view which shows the inside of a processing unit. It is an enlarged view which enlarged a part of FIG. It is an enlarged view which further enlarged a part of FIG. It is an external view which looked at the cylindrical outer wall in the direction of the arrow VII shown in FIG. It is a schematic plan view which looked at the processing cup and a partition plate from above. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the flow of a gas in a processing unit. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of a substrate processing apparatus. It is a process drawing for demonstrating an example of the processing of a substrate executed by a substrate processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the position of the 1st guard and the 2nd guard at the time of supplying a chemical solution to a substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the position of the 1st guard and the 2nd guard at the time of supplying a rinse liquid to a substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the position of the 1st guard and the 2nd guard at the time of drying a substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows the vertical cross section of the processing cup provided in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the vertical sectional view of the processing cup and the partition plate which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the vertical sectional view of the processing cup and the partition plate which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the horizontal sectional view of the processing cup which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the horizontal sectional view of the processing cup and the exhaust duct which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the inside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of the substrate processing apparatus 1 along the line II-II shown in FIG.
The substrate processing device 1 is a single-wafer processing device that processes disk-shaped substrates W such as semiconductor wafers one by one. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 uses a load port LP that supports a carrier CA accommodating a plurality of substrates W and a substrate W conveyed from the carrier CA on the load port LP as a processing liquid or a processing gas. Includes a processing unit 2 that processes with a processing fluid such as, a transfer system 5 that conveys the substrate W between the carrier CA on the load port LP and the processing unit 2, and a control device 3 that controls the substrate processing device 1. .. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a plurality of load port LPs and a plurality of processing units 2 are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The plurality of load port LPs are arranged horizontally in a straight line.

The plurality of processing units 2 form a plurality of tower TWs including the plurality of processing units 2 stacked one above the other. FIG. 1 shows an example in which four tower TWs are formed. Half of the plurality of tower TWs are arranged on the right side of the linear transport path 4, and the other half of the plurality of tower TWs are arranged on the left side of the transport path 4. As shown in FIG. 2, in this example, each tower TW includes six processing units 2 stacked one above the other. Therefore, 24 processing units 2 are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The upper processing unit 2 of all the tower TWs constitutes the upper processing unit group, and the lower processing units 2 of all the tower TWs constitute the lower processing unit group. When the number of processing units 2 constituting one tower TW is an odd number, the processing unit 2 in the middle may belong to either the upper processing unit group or the lower processing unit group. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper 12 processing units 2 form the upper processing unit group, and the lower 12 processing units 2 form the lower processing unit group.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 5 has a board mounting portion 6 on which the board W to be transported between the carrier CA on the load port LP and the processing unit 2 is temporarily placed, and a board mounting portion 6 on the load port LP. It includes an indexer robot IR that conveys the substrate W between the carrier CA and the substrate mounting portion 6, and a center robot CR that conveys the substrate W between the substrate mounting portion 6 and the processing unit 2.

The substrate mounting portion 6 is arranged between the indexer robot IR and the center robot CR in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate mounting portion 6 includes an upper substrate mounting portion 6u and a lower substrate mounting portion 6L that overlap each other in a plan view. The upper board mounting portion 6u is arranged above the lower board mounting portion 6L. The upper substrate mounting portion 6u temporarily holds the substrate W transported between the upper processing unit group and the carrier CA. The lower substrate mounting portion 6L temporarily holds the substrate W transported between the lower processing unit group and the carrier CA.

In both the upper substrate mounting portion 6u and the lower substrate mounting portion 6L, the unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 on which the unprocessed substrate W is placed and the treated substrate mounting portion on which the processed substrate W is placed are placed. Including 8. The unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 and the treated substrate mounting portion 8 overlap each other in a plan view. The unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 is arranged above the processed substrate mounting portion 8. The unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 may be arranged below the processed substrate mounting portion 8 in at least one of the upper substrate mounting portion 6u and the lower substrate mounting portion 6L.

The unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 and the treated substrate mounting portion 8 both include a plurality of supporting portions that horizontally support the plurality of substrates W so as to be vertically overlapped with each other. The support portion may be a plurality of pins in contact with the lower surface of the substrate W, or may be a pair of rails extending horizontally on the right side and the left side of the substrate W. The substrate W can enter the unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 from either the indexer robot IR side or the center robot CR side, and the processed substrate mounting portion can be entered from either the indexer robot IR side or the center robot CR side. It is possible to enter within 8.

The indexer robot IR is arranged between the substrate mounting portion 6 and the load port LP in a plan view. The indexer robot IR includes one or more hand Hi that horizontally support the substrate W. The hand Hi can move in parallel in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The hand Hi can rotate 180 degrees or more around a vertical straight line. The hand Hi can carry in and out the substrate W to any carrier CA on the plurality of load port LPs, and the substrate W can be transferred to any of the unprocessed substrate mounting portions 7 and the treated substrate mounting portions 8. Can be carried in and out.

As shown in FIG. 2, the center robot CR includes an upper center robot CRu that conveys the substrate W between the upper board mounting portion 6u and the upper processing unit group, and the lower board mounting portion 6L and the lower processing unit. Includes a lower center robot CRL that transports the substrate W to and from the group. The upper center robot CRU is arranged above the lower center robot CRL. The upper center robot CRU and the lower center robot CRL are arranged in a transport path 4 formed between a plurality of tower TWs.

Both the upper center robot CRU and the lower center robot CRL include one or more hand Hc that horizontally support the substrate W. The hand Hc can move in parallel in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The hand Hc can rotate 180 degrees or more around a vertical straight line.
The hand Hc of the upper center robot CRu can carry in and out the substrate W to any of the processing units 2 belonging to the upper processing unit group, and can carry in and out the unprocessed substrate mounting portion 7 of the upper substrate mounting portion 6u and the processing. The board W can be carried in and out of the finished board mounting portion 8. The hand Hc of the lower center robot CRL can carry in and out the substrate W to any of the processing units 2 belonging to the lower processing unit group, and the unprocessed substrate mounting portion of the lower substrate mounting portion 6L. The substrate W can be carried in and out of the 7 and the processed substrate mounting portion 8.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the inside of the processing unit 2 as viewed horizontally. 4A and 4B are schematic plan views showing the inside of the processing unit 2. In FIG. 4B, the partition plate 81 is omitted, and the tubular outer wall 70 is shown in a horizontal cross section located between the partition plate 81 and the exhaust duct 78. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3 which is further enlarged. FIG. 7 is an external view of the tubular outer wall 70 viewed in the direction of arrow VII shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the processing cup 52 and the partition plate 81 as viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 2 has a box-shaped chamber 12 having an internal space and a vertical rotation axis A1 passing through the central portion of the substrate W while horizontally holding one substrate W in the chamber 12. It includes a spin chuck 21 that is rotated around, and a plurality of nozzles that supply a treatment liquid such as a chemical liquid or a rinse liquid to the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the chamber 12 includes a box-shaped partition wall 13 provided with a carry-in / carry-out port 13b through which the substrate W passes, and a shutter 17 for opening / closing the carry-in / carry-out port 13b. As shown in FIG. 3, the chamber 12 further includes a straightening vane 18 arranged below the air outlet 13a that opens on the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13. The FFU 11 (fan filter unit 11) that sends clean air (air filtered by a filter) is arranged above the air outlet 13a. The air vent 13a is provided at the upper end of the chamber 12, and the exhaust duct 78, which will be described later, is arranged at the lower end of the chamber 12. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is arranged inside the chamber 12, and the downstream end of the exhaust duct 78 is arranged outside the chamber 12.

The partition wall 13 includes a cylindrical side wall 15 surrounding the spin chuck 21, an upper wall 14 arranged above the spin chuck 21, and a lower wall 16 arranged below the spin chuck 21. The lower surface of the upper wall 14 corresponds to the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13, and the upper surface of the lower wall 16 corresponds to the floor surface of the partition wall 13. The air outlet 13a is provided on the upper wall 14, and the carry-in / carry-out outlet 13b is provided on the side wall 15.

The straightening vane 18 divides the internal space of the chamber 12 into an upper space Su above the straightening vane 18 and a lower space SL below the straightening vane 18. The upper space Su between the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13 and the upper surface of the straightening vane 18 is a diffusion space in which clean air diffuses. The lower space SL between the lower surface of the straightening vane 18 and the floor surface of the partition wall 13 is a processing space in which the substrate W is processed. The spin chuck 21 is arranged in the lower space SL. The vertical distance from the floor surface of the partition wall 13 to the lower surface of the straightening vane 18 is longer than the vertical distance from the upper surface of the straightening vane 18 to the ceiling surface of the partition wall 13.

The FFU 11 sends clean air to the upper space Su via the air outlet 13a. The clean air supplied to the upper space Su hits the straightening vane 18 and diffuses the upper space Su. The clean air in the upper space Su passes through a plurality of through holes penetrating the straightening vane 18 up and down, and flows downward from the entire area of the straightening vane 18. The clean air supplied to the lower space SL is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 and discharged from the chamber 12. As a result, a uniform downward flow (downflow) of clean air flowing downward from the straightening vane 18 is formed in the lower space SL. The processing of the substrate W is performed in a state where a downward flow of clean air is formed.

The spin chuck 21 includes a plurality of chuck pins 22 that horizontally sandwich the substrate W, and a disk-shaped spin base 23 that supports the plurality of chuck pins 22. The spin chuck 21 further includes a spin shaft 24 extending downward from the central portion of the spin base 23, an electric motor 25 for rotating a plurality of chuck pins 22 and the spin base 23 by rotating the spin shaft 24, and an electric motor 25. Includes a chuck housing 26 that surrounds the.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spin base 23 includes a circular upper surface 23u arranged below the substrate W and a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 23o extending downward from the outer periphery of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. The outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26 extends downward from the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is parallel to the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is separated from the lower surface of the substrate W. The upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is concentric with the substrate W. The outer diameter of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 is larger than the outer diameter of the substrate W. The chuck pin 22 projects upward from the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of nozzles include a first chemical solution nozzle 27 that discharges the first chemical solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W, and a second chemical solution nozzle 31 that discharges the second chemical solution toward the upper surface of the substrate W. And include. The plurality of nozzles further include a central nozzle 44 that discharges the processing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate W, and a lower surface nozzle 35 that discharges the processing liquid toward the lower surface of the substrate W. The center nozzle 44 and the lower surface nozzle 35 are examples of a rinse liquid nozzle that discharges the rinse liquid toward the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate W. In FIG. 3, the first chemical solution is DHF (dilute hydrophobic acid), the second chemical solution is SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution mixed solution), and the rinse solution is pure water (deionized water: DIW (Deionized Water)). An example is shown.

The first chemical solution nozzle 27 may be a scan nozzle capable of moving the collision position of the processing liquid with respect to the substrate W within the upper surface or the lower surface of the substrate W, or may move the collision position of the processing liquid with respect to the substrate W. It may be a fixed nozzle that cannot be used. The same applies to other nozzles. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first chemical solution nozzle 27 and the second chemical solution nozzle 31 are scan nozzles, and the central nozzle 44 and the lower surface nozzle 35 are fixed nozzles.

The first chemical solution nozzle 27 is connected to a first chemical solution pipe 28 that guides the first chemical solution to the first chemical solution nozzle 27. When the first chemical solution valve 29 interposed in the first chemical solution pipe 28 is opened, the first chemical solution is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the first chemical solution nozzle 27. Similarly, the second chemical solution nozzle 31 is connected to the second chemical solution pipe 32 that guides the second chemical solution to the second chemical solution nozzle 31. When the second chemical liquid valve 33 interposed in the second chemical liquid pipe 32 is opened, the second chemical liquid is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the second chemical liquid nozzle 31.

The first chemical solution is sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, aqueous ammonia, hydrogen peroxide solution, organic acid (for example, citric acid, oxalic acid, etc.), organic alkali (for example, TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide). Etc.), a liquid containing at least one of a surfactant and an antioxidant, or other liquids. The same applies to the second chemical solution.

Although not shown, the first chemical solution valve 29 has a valve body provided with an annular valve seat through which the chemical solution passes, a valve body movable with respect to the valve seat, and a closed position where the valve body contacts the valve seat. And an actuator that moves the valve body between the valve body and the open position away from the valve seat. The same applies to other valves. The actuator may be a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator, or may be an actuator other than these. The control device 3 opens and closes the first chemical solution valve 29 by controlling the actuator.

The first chemical solution nozzle 27 is connected to a first nozzle moving unit 30 that moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The first nozzle moving unit 30 includes a horizontally extending first nozzle arm 30a to which the first chemical solution nozzle 27 is attached to the tip thereof. The first nozzle moving unit 30 has a processing position in which the chemical liquid discharged from the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W by moving the first nozzle arm 30a, and the first chemical liquid nozzle 27 is viewed in a plan view. The first chemical solution nozzle 27 is horizontally moved between the retracted position located around the spin chuck 21 and the retracted position.

Similarly, the second chemical solution nozzle 31 is connected to the second nozzle moving unit 34 that moves the second chemical solution nozzle 31 in at least one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The second nozzle moving unit 34 includes a second nozzle arm 34a having a second chemical solution nozzle 31 attached to the tip thereof and extending horizontally. The second nozzle moving unit 34 has a processing position in which the chemical liquid discharged from the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W by moving the second nozzle arm 34a, and a plan view of the second chemical liquid nozzle 31. The second chemical solution nozzle 31 is horizontally moved between the retracted position located around the spin chuck 21 and the retracted position.

The first nozzle moving unit 30 may be a swivel unit that horizontally moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 along an arcuate path passing through the central portion of the substrate W in a plan view, or may be a swivel unit that moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 horizontally in a plan view. It may be a slide unit that horizontally moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 along a linear path passing through the central portion. The same applies to the second nozzle moving unit 34. FIG. 4A shows an example in which both the first nozzle moving unit 30 and the second nozzle moving unit 34 are swivel units.

The lower surface nozzle 35 includes a disk portion arranged between the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23 and the lower surface of the substrate W, and a cylindrical portion extending downward from the disk portion. The tubular portion of the lower surface nozzle 35 is inserted into a through hole that vertically penetrates the central portion of the spin base 23. The tubular portion of the lower surface nozzle 35 extends vertically along the rotation axis A1. The liquid discharge port of the lower surface nozzle 35 is open at the center of the upper surface of the disk portion of the lower surface nozzle 35. When the substrate W is held by the spin chuck 21, the liquid discharge port of the lower surface nozzle 35 faces the center of the lower surface of the substrate W vertically.

The bottom surface nozzle 35 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 36 that guides the rinse liquid to the bottom surface nozzle 35. When the rinse liquid valve 37 interposed in the rinse liquid pipe 36 is opened, the rinse liquid is continuously discharged upward from the discharge port of the lower surface nozzle 35. The rinse liquid discharged from the bottom nozzle 35 is pure water. The rinse solution is IPA (isopropyl alcohol), carbonated water, electrolytic ionized water, hydrogen water, ozone water, hydrochloric acid water having a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm), and diluted concentration (for example, about 10 to 100 ppm). It may be either ammonia water.

The inner peripheral surface of the spin base 23 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower surface nozzle 35 form a cylindrical gas flow path 38 extending vertically. The lower tubular passage includes a central opening 38o that opens at the center of the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. The disk portion of the lower surface nozzle 35 is arranged above the central opening 38o and overlaps the central opening 38o in a plan view. The gas flow path 38 is connected to a gas pipe 39 that guides the inert gas to the central opening 38o of the spin base 23. When the gas valve 40 interposed in the gas pipe 39 is opened, the inert gas is continuously discharged upward from the central opening 38o of the spin base 23. The inert gas discharged from the central opening 38o of the spin base 23 is nitrogen gas. The inert gas may be a gas other than nitrogen gas such as helium gas or argon gas.

The processing unit 2 further includes a blocking member 41 arranged above the spin chuck 21. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the blocking member 41 is a disk-shaped blocking plate. The blocking member 41 is a disk portion horizontally arranged above the spin chuck 21. The blocking member 41 may further include a tubular portion extending downward from the outer periphery of the disc portion. The blocking member 41 is horizontally supported by a cylindrical support shaft 42 extending upward from the central portion of the blocking member 41. The center line of the blocking member 41 is arranged on the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W. The lower surface of the blocking member 41 is a facing surface facing the upper surface of the substrate W. The lower surface of the blocking member 41 is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate W and has an outer diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the substrate W.

The blocking member 41 is connected to a blocking member elevating unit 43 that vertically raises and lowers the blocking member 41. The blocking member elevating unit 43 positions the blocking member 41 at an arbitrary position within the range from the retracted position (position shown in FIG. 3) to the processing position. The processing position is a close position where the lower surface of the blocking member 41 is close to the upper surface of the substrate W to a height at which the hand Hc (see FIG. 1) of the center robot CR cannot enter between the substrate W and the blocking member 41. The retracted position is a separated position in which the blocking member 41 retracts to a height at which the hand Hc of the center robot CR can enter between the blocking member 41 and the substrate W. The treatment position includes a liquid treatment position (position shown in FIGS. 12A to 12B) and a drying treatment position (position shown in FIG. 12C). The liquid treatment position is a position between the drying treatment position and the retracting position.

The central nozzle 44 supplies a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or a processing gas to the substrate W through a central opening 47o that opens at the central portion of the lower surface of the blocking member 41. The central nozzle 44 extends up and down along the rotation axis A1. The central nozzle 44 is inserted into a through hole that vertically penetrates the central portion of the blocking member 41. The inner peripheral surface of the blocking member 41 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the central nozzle 44 at intervals in the radial direction (direction orthogonal to the rotation axis A1). The central nozzle 44 moves up and down together with the blocking member 41. The discharge port of the central nozzle 44 that discharges the processing fluid is arranged above the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41.

The center nozzle 44 is connected to a rinse liquid pipe 45 that guides the rinse liquid to the center nozzle 44. When the rinse liquid valve 46 interposed in the rinse liquid pipe 45 is opened, the rinse liquid is continuously discharged downward from the discharge port of the central nozzle 44. The rinse liquid discharged from the central nozzle 44 passes through the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 and collides with the upper surface of the substrate W. The rinse liquid discharged from the central nozzle 44 is pure water. The above-mentioned rinse liquid other than pure water may be discharged from the central nozzle 44.

The inner peripheral surface of the blocking member 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the central nozzle 44 form a cylindrical gas flow path 47 extending vertically. The gas flow path 47 is connected to a gas pipe 48 that guides the inert gas to the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41. When the gas valve 49 interposed in the gas pipe 48 is opened, the inert gas is continuously discharged downward from the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41. The inert gas discharged from the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 is nitrogen gas. The inert gas may be a gas other than nitrogen gas such as helium gas or argon gas.

The processing unit 2 includes a cylindrical processing cup 52 that surrounds the spin chuck 21. The processing cup 52 includes a plurality of guards 53 that receive the treatment liquid scattered outward from the substrate W, a plurality of cups 68 that receive the treatment liquid guided downward by the plurality of guards 53, all guards 53, and all of them. Includes a tubular outer wall 70 that surrounds the cup 68. FIG. 3 shows an example in which two guards 53 and two cups 68 are provided, and the outermost cup 68 is integrated with the second guard 53 from the outside.

The two guards 53 concentrically surround the spin chuck 21. The two cups 68 also concentrically surround the spin chuck 21. In the following, the outermost guard 53 is referred to as a first guard 53A, and the remaining guard 53 is referred to as a second guard 53B. Similarly, the outermost cup 68 is referred to as the first cup 68A, and the remaining cup 68 is referred to as the second cup 68B. The first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are collectively referred to as a guard 53, and the first cup 68A and the second cup 68B are collectively referred to as a cup 68.

As shown in FIG. 5, the guard 53 includes a cylindrical portion 54 surrounding the spin chuck 21 and a cylindrical ceiling portion 60 extending diagonally upward from the cylindrical portion 54 toward the rotation axis A1. The ceiling portion 60 includes a cylindrical inclined portion 61 extending diagonally upward toward the rotation axis A1, a circular horizontal portion 62 extending horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 61 toward the rotation axis A1, and a ceiling portion 60. It includes a circular folded portion 63 protruding downward from the inner peripheral end of the horizontal portion 62 corresponding to the peripheral end. The cylindrical portion 54 of the first guard 53A and the cylindrical portion 54 of the second guard 53B surround the spin chuck 21 concentrically. The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A is arranged above the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B.

The inner peripheral portion of the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral portion of the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B corresponds to the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the upper end portion of the second guard 53B form a circular opening surrounding the substrate W and the spin base 23 in a plan view. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is smaller than the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A may be equal to the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B are larger than the outer diameter of the spin base 23 and the blocking member 41.

The cylindrical portion 54 of the guard 53 includes a cylindrical upper vertical portion 55 extending vertically downward from the ceiling portion 60. The cylindrical portion 54 of the first guard 53A extends downward from the ceiling portion 60 in addition to the upper vertical portion 55, and has a cylindrical outer vertical portion 56 that concentrically surrounds the upper vertical portion 55 and an outer side. It includes a base ring 57 provided at the lower end of the vertical portion 56. In addition to the upper vertical portion 55, the cylindrical portion 54 of the second guard 53B has a cylindrical intermediate inclined portion 58 extending diagonally downward from the inner peripheral surface of the upper vertical portion 55 toward the rotation axis A1 and an intermediate inclined portion 58. Includes a cylindrical lower vertical portion 59 that extends vertically downward from the lower end portion of the.

As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A has a cylindrical vertical portion 65 having a vertical linear cross section and an outwardly convex arcuate cross section extending upward from the upper end of the vertical portion 65. Includes a cylindrical arc portion 66 having a cylindrical arc portion 66 and a cylindrical inclined portion 67 having a linear cross section extending diagonally upward from the upper end of the arc portion 66 toward the rotation axis A1. The vertical portion 65 is an outer peripheral surface of the outer vertical portion 56 of the first guard 53A. The inclined portion 67 is an outer peripheral surface of the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A. The arc portion 66 is an outer peripheral surface of a joint portion between the outer vertical portion 56 of the first guard 53A and the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cup 68 has a cylindrical inner wall portion 69i surrounding the spin chuck 21, a cylindrical outer wall portion 69o surrounding the inner wall portion 69i at intervals in the radial direction, and a lower end portion of the inner wall portion 69i. Includes a circular bottom wall portion 69b extending from the outer wall portion 69o to the lower end portion. The inner wall portion 69i, the outer wall portion 69o, and the bottom wall portion 69b form an annular liquid receiving groove that opens upward. The liquid received by the guard 53 flows down into the liquid receiving groove. The drainage port for draining the liquid in the cup 68 is opened on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 69b.

The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A extends downward from the upper vertical portion 55 of the second guard 53B. The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A surrounds the lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B. The inner wall portion 69i of the first cup 68A is arranged outside the outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B.
The inner wall portion 69i of the second cup 68B is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26. The outer peripheral surface of the chuck housing 26 includes a tapered portion 26t that gradually tapers toward the upper end of the chuck housing 26. The inner wall portion 69i of the second cup 68B is arranged inside the lower end (outer peripheral end) of the tapered portion 26t, and overlaps the tapered portion 26t in a plan view. The outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B is arranged outside the lower end of the tapered portion 26t.

The upper vertical portion 55 of the first guard 53A is inserted between the inner wall portion 69i and the outer wall portion 69o of the first cup 68A. The lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B is inserted between the inner wall portion 69i and the outer wall portion 69o of the second cup 68B. The first guard 53A is separated from the first cup 68A and is not in contact with the first cup 68A. Similarly, the second guard 53B is away from the second cup 68B and is not in contact with the second cup 68B. The treatment liquid received by the first guard 53A passes through the upper vertical portion 55 of the first guard 53A and enters the first cup 68A. The treatment liquid received by the second guard 53B passes through the lower vertical portion 59 of the second guard 53B and enters the second cup 68B.

The first guard 53A and the second guard 53B can move up and down with respect to the partition wall 13 of the chamber 12. The first cup 68A is integrated with the second guard 53B and moves up and down together with the second guard 53B. The first cup 68A is a member different from the second guard 53B, and may be fixed to the partition wall 13. The second cup 68B is fixed to the partition wall 13. The bottom wall portion 69b of the second cup 68B is separated upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12 (the floor surface of the partition wall 13; the same applies hereinafter). The bottom wall portion 69b of the first cup 68A is also separated upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12.

The tubular outer wall 70 extends upward from the floor surface of the chamber 12. The upper end of the tubular outer wall 70 is arranged above the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23. The upper end of the tubular outer wall 70 is arranged below the substrate W. The inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the tubular outer wall 70 are vertical. The inner peripheral surface 70i of the tubular outer wall 70 concentrically surrounds the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A at intervals in the radial direction. The outer peripheral surface 70o of the tubular outer wall 70 is separated inward from the side wall 15 of the chamber 12 (the side wall 15 of the partition wall 13; the same applies hereinafter). The inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the tubular outer wall 70 may be a cylindrical surface concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A, or may be formed in an arc shape concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. It may include two or more strips and two or more connecting planes connecting the two or more strips.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of guards 53 are connected to a guard elevating unit 51 that individually raises and lowers the plurality of guards 53 in the vertical direction. The guard evacuation unit 51 positions the guard 53 at an arbitrary position within the range from the processing position to the retracted position. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are arranged in the retracted position. The processing position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is arranged above the holding position of the substrate W on which the substrate W held by the spin chuck 21 is arranged. The retracted position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is arranged below the holding position of the substrate W.

The processing position includes an upper processing position (position shown in FIG. 12A) and a lower processing position (position shown in FIG. 12B). Both the upper processing position and the lower processing position are positions where the upper end of the guard 53 is arranged above the holding position of the substrate W. The upper processing position is a position above the lower processing position. As for the upper processing position of the second guard 53B located inside the first guard 53A, the folded portion 63 of the first guard 53A located at the upper processing position is the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A and the ceiling of the second guard 53B. It is a position that closes the entrance of the gap between the portion 60 and the portion 60. In the lower processing position of the second guard 53B, the folded portion 63 of the first guard 53A located at the lower processing position is a gap between the ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A and the ceiling portion 60 of the second guard 53B. It is a position that blocks the entrance of.

When supplying the processing liquid to the rotating substrate W, at least one guard 53 is arranged at the processing position. When the treatment liquid is supplied to the substrate W in this state, the treatment liquid is shaken off from the substrate W to the outside. The shaken-off processing liquid collides with the inner surface of the guard 53 horizontally opposed to the substrate W, and is guided to the cup 68 corresponding to the guard 53. As a result, the treatment liquid discharged from the substrate W is collected in the cup 68.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 2 includes an exhaust duct 78 for discharging the gas in the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 is connected to the tubular outer wall 70. The exhaust duct 78 is arranged below the substrate W. The exhaust duct 78 penetrates the side wall 15 of the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 extends horizontally from the tubular outer wall 70 to the outside of the chamber 12. The exhaust duct 78 is connected to an exhaust facility provided in a factory where the substrate processing device 1 is installed. The gas (including mist-like liquid) in the chamber 12 is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 through the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 by the suction force of the exhaust equipment, and is guided toward the exhaust equipment by the exhaust duct 78.

The exhaust duct 78 is inserted into an exhaust hole 72 that penetrates the tubular outer wall 70 in the radial direction. The exhaust duct 78 projects from the inner peripheral surface 70i of the tubular outer wall 70. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is arranged inside the tubular outer wall 70. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is arranged outside the outer peripheral end of the first guard 53A. The upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 forms an exhaust port for sucking the gas in the chamber 12. If the exhaust port of the exhaust duct 78 and the discharge hole 72 of the tubular outer wall 70 overlap, the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 may be connected to the outer peripheral surface 70o of the tubular outer wall 70. The number of exhaust ports formed in the exhaust duct 78 is one. A plurality of exhaust ports may be formed in the exhaust duct 78.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tubular outer wall 70 includes a tubular body 71 surrounding the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B, and a slide cover 75 attached to the tubular body 71. The inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 71 correspond to the inner peripheral surface 70i and the outer peripheral surface 70o of the tubular outer wall 70. The discharge hole 72 (see FIG. 3) is formed in the tubular body 71. The slide cover 75 covers a part of the through hole 74 that penetrates the tubular body 71 in the radial direction. The through hole 74 of the tubular body 71 and the slide cover 75 form an exhaust relay hole 73 through which gas flowing from the outside of the tubular outer wall 70 to the inside of the tubular outer wall 70 passes.

The slide cover 75 is arranged on the outside of the tubular outer wall 70, and is fixed to the tubular outer wall 70 by bolts 77. As shown in FIG. 7, the bolt 77 is inserted into the elongated hole 76 formed in the slide cover 75. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the elongated hole 76 of the slide cover 75 extends in the circumferential direction (direction around the rotation axis A1). The slide cover 75 can move with respect to the cylindrical outer wall 70 within a range in which the bolt 77 and the elongated hole 76 can move relative to each other.

The exhaust relay hole 73 corresponds to a portion of the through hole 74 of the tubular body 71 that is not covered with the slide cover 75. When the bolt 77 that fixes the slide cover 75 to the tubular outer wall 70 is loosened and the slide cover 75 is moved with respect to the tubular outer wall 70, the area of the portion of the through hole 74 covered by the slide cover 75 changes. As a result, the area of the exhaust relay hole 73 is adjusted. After that, when the bolt 77 is tightened, the slide cover 75 is fixed to the tubular outer wall 70 again.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the through hole 74 and the slide cover 75 have a quadrangular shape, and the slide cover 75 is movable in the circumferential direction. If the area of the through hole 74 that is not blocked by the slide cover 75 is small, a vertically extending slit is formed by the tubular outer wall 70 and the slide cover 75. This slit corresponds to the exhaust relay hole 73. The area of the exhaust relay hole 73 is smaller than the area of the exhaust port formed by the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. The area of the exhaust relay hole 73 may be larger than the area of the exhaust port.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the tubular outer wall 70 includes a cylindrical portion 91 that concentrically surrounds the first guard 53A in a plan view, and a pair of protruding portions 92 that protrude outward from the cylindrical portion 91. The pair of protrusions 92 are arranged on opposite sides of the rotation axis A1 corresponding to the rotation center of the substrate W in a plan view. The inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 directly faces the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A at intervals in the radial direction in a plan view. The distance between the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction is constant or substantially constant. The discharge hole 72 (see FIG. 3) and the through hole 74 (see FIG. 5) described above penetrate the cylindrical portion 91 in the radial direction. The exhaust duct 78 extends from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 91 toward the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12.

Each protrusion 92 includes an outermost wall 94 arranged outside the cylindrical portion 91 and a pair of side walls 93 extending from the cylindrical portion 91 to the outermost wall 94. In a horizontal cross section, the side wall 93 extends linearly from the inner end of the side wall 93 to the outer end of the side wall 93. The outermost wall 94 extends from the outer end of one side wall 93 to the outer end of the other side wall 93. The distance between the inner surface of the outermost wall 94 in the radial direction and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is larger than the distance between the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction. The angle of the corner portion formed by the inner surface of the side wall 93 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is, for example, 90 degrees or approximately 90 degrees.

The guard elevating unit 51 is housed in a pair of protrusions 92 of the tubular outer wall 70. The guard elevating unit 51 includes an elevating actuator 98 that converts energy such as electric power and air pressure into movement of the output unit, and a transmission mechanism 95 that transmits the movement of the output unit of the elevating actuator 98 to the guard 53. Two elevating actuators 98 and two transmission mechanisms 95 are provided for each guard 53. The two transmission mechanisms 95 corresponding to the same guard 53 are arranged on opposite sides of the rotation axis A1. The two transmission mechanisms 95 are arranged between one protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A, and the remaining two transmission mechanisms 95 are arranged between the other protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A. ing.

The elevating actuator 98 may be a linear actuator that converts energy into linear motion of the output unit, or may be a rotary actuator that converts energy into rotary motion of the output unit. When the elevating actuator 98 is a rotary actuator such as an electric motor, the transmission mechanism 95 includes a conversion mechanism that converts the rotation of the output unit of the elevating actuator 98 into the movement of the guard 53 in the vertical direction. The conversion mechanism may be a ball screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism, or may be other than these.

FIG. 4B shows an example in which the elevating actuator 98 is an electric motor and the conversion mechanism of the transmission mechanism 95 is a rack and pinion mechanism. The rack and pinion mechanism includes a pinion 97 that is rotationally driven by an elevating actuator 98 and a rack shaft 96 that moves axially in response to rotation of the pinion 97. The two rack shafts 96 are arranged between one protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A, and the remaining two rack shafts 96 are located between the other protrusion 92 and the first guard 53A. Is located in. The four rack shafts 96 are supported in a vertical position.

The two rack shafts 96 corresponding to the first guard 53A are connected to the first guard 53A via brackets provided for each rack shaft 96. The two rack shafts 96 corresponding to the second guard 53B (see FIG. 5) are connected to the second guard 53B via brackets provided for each rack shaft 96. When the elevating actuator 98 rotates the pinion 97, the rack shaft 96 moves upward or downward with respect to the pinion 97 by the amount of movement corresponding to the rotation angle of the pinion 97, and the movement of the rack shaft 96 is transmitted to the guard 53. .. The control device 3 (see FIG. 1) controls the two elevating actuators 98 corresponding to the same guard 53 to move the first guard 53A or the second guard 53B to an arbitrary position within the range from the processing position to the retracted position. To make it stand still.

As shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 2 includes a partition plate 81 that vertically partitions the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12. The partition plate 81 is arranged around the first guard 53A. The partition plate 81 includes an inner peripheral ring 83 that faces the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A horizontally, and a support plate 82 that supports the inner peripheral ring 83. The inner peripheral ring 83 and the support plate 82 surround the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral ring 83 is fixed to the support plate 82. The inner peripheral ring 83 and the support plate 82 partition the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12 up and down.

The support plate 82 is arranged above the tubular outer wall 70. The support plate 82 is placed on the tubular outer wall 70 and is supported by the tubular outer wall 70. The support plate 82 is fixed to the partition wall 13 of the chamber 12. The support plate 82 may be an integral member or a plurality of divided bodies. The upper surface of the support plate 82 is a horizontal plane from the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 to the outer peripheral end of the support plate 82. The upper surface of the support plate 82 may be a flat inclined surface extending diagonally upward or diagonally downward toward the rotation axis A1 of the substrate W, or may be inclined with respect to a horizontal and flat horizontal portion and a horizontal plane. It may include an inclined portion.

The outer peripheral surface of the support plate 82 corresponds to the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81. The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is arranged along the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 (the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 15 of the partition wall 13; the same applies hereinafter). The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is horizontally separated from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 and faces the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 horizontally. The size of the outer gap Go between the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12 and the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is constant or substantially constant regardless of the location. The outer gap Go is larger than the thickness of the substrate W and smaller than the shortest distance in the radial direction from the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81.

The inner peripheral ring 83 includes a vertical portion 85 that faces the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction, and a horizontal portion 84 that extends from the vertical portion 85 toward the support plate 82. The vertical portion 85 is arranged inside the support plate 82 and is surrounded by the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 overlaps the support plate 82 in a plan view and is in contact with the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 projects from the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 toward the first guard 53A. The horizontal portion 84 is arranged above the support plate 82. The horizontal portion 84 may be arranged below the support plate 82. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the horizontal portion 84 corresponds to the upper end of the partition plate 81. The upper end of the partition plate 81 is arranged below the substrate W.

The vertical portion 85 surrounds the first guard 53A in a plan view. The vertical portion 85 is arranged above the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A and overlaps the base ring 57 in a plan view. The inner diameter of the vertical portion 85 is larger than the outer diameter of the outer vertical portion 56 of the first guard 53A and smaller than the outer diameter of the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 is concentric with or substantially concentric with the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A.

The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 corresponds to the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. The inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is vertical from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. The upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is arranged below the substrate W. The upper end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is arranged above the upper end of the tubular outer wall 70. The lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is arranged below the upper end of the tubular outer wall 70. The lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is arranged above the lower end of the outer peripheral surface 23o of the spin base 23.

As described above, the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are stationary at arbitrary positions within the range from the upper processing position to the retracted position. The lower processing position is a position between the upper processing position and the retracting position. Both the upper processing position and the lower processing position are positions where the upper end of the guard 53 is arranged above the substrate W. The retracted position is a position where the upper end of the guard 53 is arranged below the substrate W.

Regardless of the position of the first guard 53A, at least a part of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is arranged at the same height as the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. As shown in FIG. 6, when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the vertical portions 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A are spaced apart in the radial direction to form the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. Facing horizontally. Since both the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 are vertical, at this time, the cylindrical inner gap Gi extending vertically becomes the first guard 53A. It is formed between the inner peripheral ring 83 and the inner ring 83. When the first guard 53A is placed in the upper processing position, the vertical portion 85 is separated upward from the base ring 57 of the first guard 53A.

When the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is closest to the first guard 53A among the partition plates 81. Therefore, the inner clearance Gi between the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 and the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is the largest of the gaps between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81. Corresponds to a small minimum gap. The radial distance from the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A corresponds to the size D1 of the inner gap Gi.

The inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 corresponds to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81. The inner gap Gi between the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 and the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is larger than the thickness of the substrate W, and is from the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 to the partition plate 81. It is smaller than the shortest radial distance to the inner peripheral end 81i. The inner gap Gi may be smaller or larger than the outer gap Go (see FIG. 5), or may be equal to the outer gap Go.

If the inner diameter of the vertical portion 85 and the outer diameter of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A are constant, the size D1 of the inner gap Gi and the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi (cross section of the inner gap Gi along the horizontal plane). Area) is constant regardless of the height of the first guard 53A (the position of the first guard 53A in the vertical direction; the same applies hereinafter). On the other hand, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi (the length L1 of the inner gap Gi in the vertical direction; the same applies hereinafter) changes according to the height of the first guard 53A. For example, when the first guard 53A is positioned above the position shown in FIG. 6, the inner gap Gi becomes longer in the vertical direction.

When the height of the first guard 53A is changed within the range in which the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A horizontally faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, the size D1 of the inner gap Gi and the disconnection occur. The area does not change, and the length L1 of the inner gap Gi increases or decreases. The length L1 of the inner gap Gi and the height of the first guard 53A are in a direct proportional relationship. That is, when the first guard 53A is moved up and down, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi increases or decreases by a value obtained by multiplying the movement amount of the first guard 53A by a positive constant. Therefore, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi can be easily adjusted as compared with the case where at least one of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is inclined at an angle. can.

When the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, even if the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally at intervals in the radial direction. Alternatively, it does not have to face the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally. That is, the upper end of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A may be arranged below the lower end of the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83. When the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally at intervals in the radial direction, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi is such that the first guard 53A is on the upper side. Shorter than when placed in the processing position.

When the first guard 53A is arranged at either the upper processing position or the lower processing position, the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 causes the first guard 53A to be in the retracted position. Greater than when placed. The pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 changes according to the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi. If the cross-sectional area of the inner gap Gi is the same, this pressure loss changes according to the length L1 of the inner gap Gi. Therefore, when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is such that the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position. Greater than when.

The inner peripheral ring 83 may be an integral member or a plurality of divided bodies. The inner peripheral ring 83 may be integrated with the support plate 82. In this case, the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 may extend downward from the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided into three arc-shaped divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, and each divided ring 83r is fixed to the support plate 82 by a bolt 87.

The bolt 87 for fixing the split ring 83r to the support plate 82 is inserted into the elongated hole 86 provided in the split ring 83r. The elongated hole 86 of the dividing ring 83r extends radially. The dividing ring 83r can move with respect to the support plate 82 within a range in which the bolt 87 and the elongated hole 86 can move relative to each other. When the bolt 87 is loosened and the split ring 83r is moved radially to the support plate 82, the radial portion from the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A to the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 is formed. The distance changes. Thereby, the size D1 of the inner gap Gi and the cross-sectional area can be adjusted.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the flow of gas in the processing unit 2. In the following, reference will be made to FIGS. 3 and 9. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are arranged at the upper processing position.
The exhaust duct 78 is connected to an exhaust facility provided in a factory where the substrate processing device 1 is installed. The gas above the first guard 53A is attracted toward the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A by the suction force of the exhaust equipment, and passes downward inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The airflow F1 in FIG. 9 shows an airflow passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The gas that has passed through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A has passed through the inside and the lower side of all the guards 53, or has passed between two guards 53 that are radially adjacent to each other, and then the exhaust duct. It is sucked into 78.

On the other hand, since the inner peripheral ring 83 constituting the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 is separated from the first guard 53A, an inner gap Gi is formed between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81. , The gas on the upper side of the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is attracted toward the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 by the suction force of the exhaust equipment, and passes downward through the inner gap Gi. .. The airflow F2 in FIG. 9 indicates an airflow passing through the inner gap Gi. The gas that has passed through the inner gap Gi is sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

Further, an exhaust relay hole 73 penetrating the tubular outer wall 70 in the radial direction is formed in the tubular outer wall 70, and the support plate 82 constituting the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is separated from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12. Therefore, the gas on the upper side of the partition plate 81 is attracted to the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 by the suction force of the exhaust equipment, and passes downward through the outer gap Go. After that, this gas is sucked into the inside of the tubular outer wall 70 from the exhaust relay hole 73, and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. The airflow F3 in FIG. 9 shows an airflow that passes through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81, and then passes through the exhaust relay hole 73.

The size of the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 is constant regardless of the height of the first guard 53A. On the other hand, the size D1 (see FIG. 6) of the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 changes according to the height of the first guard 53A. Further, when the height of the first guard 53A is changed within the range in which the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A horizontally faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, the length L1 of the inner gap Gi is further changed. Only (see FIG. 6) changes. Therefore, by changing the height of the first guard 53A, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi can be changed, and the flow rate of the gas flowing into the inner gap Gi can be changed.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the substrate processing device 1.
The control device 3 is a computer including a computer main body 3a and a peripheral device 3d connected to the computer main body 3a. The computer main body 3a includes a CPU 3b (central processing unit) that executes various instructions and a memory 3c that stores information. The peripheral device 3d includes a storage 3e for storing information such as a program P, a reader 3f for reading information from the removable media RM, and a communication device 3g for communicating with other devices such as a host computer.

The control device 3 is connected to an input device and a display device. The input device is operated when an operator such as a user or a maintenance person inputs information to the board processing device 1. The information is displayed on the screen of the display device. The input device may be any of a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel, or may be a device other than these. A touch panel display that also serves as an input device and a display device may be provided in the substrate processing device 1.

The CPU 3b executes the program P stored in the storage 3e. The program P in the storage 3e may be pre-installed in the control device 3, may be sent from the removable media RM to the storage 3e through the reader 3f, or may be external to the host computer or the like. It may be sent from the device to the storage 3e through the communication device 3g.

The storage 3e and the removable media RM are non-volatile memories that retain storage even when power is not supplied. The storage 3e is, for example, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive. The removable media RM is, for example, an optical disk such as a compact disk or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card. The removable media RM is an example of a computer-readable recording medium on which the program P is recorded. Removable media RM is a non-transitory tangible media.

The storage 3e stores a plurality of recipes. The recipe is information that defines the processing content, processing conditions, and processing procedure of the substrate W. The plurality of recipes differ from each other in at least one of the processing contents, processing conditions, and processing procedures of the substrate W. The control device 3 controls the board processing device 1 so that the board W is processed according to the recipe specified by the host computer. The control device 3 is programmed to execute each step described later.

FIG. 11 is a process diagram for explaining an example of the processing of the substrate W executed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the following, reference will be made to FIGS. 3 and 11.
The substrate W to be processed is a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer. The surface of the substrate W corresponds to a device forming surface on which a device such as a transistor or a capacitor is formed. The substrate W may be a substrate W in which a pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate W which is a pattern forming surface, or may be a substrate W in which a pattern is not formed on the surface of the substrate W.

When the substrate W is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1, a carry-in step (step S1 in FIG. 11) of carrying the substrate W into the chamber 12 is performed.
Specifically, in a state where the blocking member 41 is located in the retracted position, all the guards 53 are located in the retracted position, and all the scan nozzles are located in the retracted position, the center robot CR (FIG. 1) allows the hand Hc to enter the chamber 12 while supporting the substrate W with the hand Hc. Then, the center robot CR places the substrate W on the hand Hc on the plurality of chuck pins 22 with the surface of the substrate W facing upward. After that, a plurality of chuck pins 22 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, and the substrate W is gripped. After placing the substrate W on the spin chuck 21, the center robot CR retracts the hand Hc from the inside of the chamber 12.

Next, the gas valve 49 and the gas valve 40 are opened, and the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 and the central opening 38o of the spin base 23 start discharging nitrogen gas. As a result, the space between the substrate W and the blocking member 41 and the space between the substrate W and the spin base 23 are filled with nitrogen gas. On the other hand, the cutoff member elevating unit 43 lowers the cutoff member 41 from the retracted position to the liquid processing position, and the guard elevating unit 51 raises at least one guard 53 from the retracted position to the processing position. After that, the electric motor 25 is driven and the rotation of the substrate W is started (step S2 in FIG. 11).

Next, a first chemical solution supply step of supplying DHF, which is an example of the first chemical solution, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S3 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, the first nozzle moving unit 30 moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 from the retracted position in a state where the blocking member 41 is located at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 is located at the processing position. Move to the processing position. After that, the first chemical solution valve 29 is opened, and the first chemical solution nozzle 27 starts discharging the DHF. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the first chemical solution valve 29 is opened, the first chemical solution valve 29 is closed and the discharge of DHF is stopped. After that, the first nozzle moving unit 30 moves the first chemical solution nozzle 27 to the retracted position.

The DHF discharged from the first chemical solution nozzle 27 collides with the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the first chemical solution supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. Therefore, DHF is supplied to the entire upper surface of the substrate W, and a liquid film of DHF covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When the first chemical solution nozzle 27 is discharging the DHF, the first nozzle moving unit 30 moves the liquid landing position so that the landing position of the DHF with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W passes between the central portion and the outer peripheral portion. Alternatively, the liquid landing position may be stationary at the central portion.

Next, a first rinse liquid supply step of supplying pure water, which is an example of the rinse liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S4 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened and the central nozzle 44 discharges pure water in a state where the cutoff member 41 is located at the liquid treatment position and at least one guard 53 is located at the treatment position. To start. Before the discharge of pure water is started, the guard elevating unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 in order to switch the guard 53 for receiving the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44 collides with the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the first rinse liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The DHF on the substrate W is washed away by the pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44. As a result, a liquid film of pure water covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened, the rinse liquid valve 46 is closed and the discharge of pure water is stopped.

Next, a second chemical solution supply step of supplying SC1 which is an example of the second chemical solution to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S5 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, the second nozzle moving unit 34 moves the second chemical solution nozzle 31 from the retracted position in a state where the blocking member 41 is located at the liquid processing position and at least one guard 53 is located at the processing position. Move to the processing position. After that, the second chemical solution valve 33 is opened, and the second chemical solution nozzle 31 starts discharging SC1. Before the discharge of SC1 is started, the guard elevating unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 in order to switch the guard 53 for receiving the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the second chemical solution valve 33 was opened, the second chemical solution valve 33 is closed and the discharge of SC1 is stopped. After that, the second nozzle moving unit 34 moves the second chemical solution nozzle 31 to the retracted position.

The SC1 discharged from the second chemical solution nozzle 31 collides with the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the second chemical solution supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W by centrifugal force. The pure water on the substrate W is replaced with SC1 discharged from the second chemical solution nozzle 31. As a result, a liquid film of SC1 covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When the second chemical liquid nozzle 31 is discharging SC1, the second nozzle moving unit 34 moves the liquid landing position so that the liquid landing position of SC1 with respect to the upper surface of the substrate W passes between the central portion and the outer peripheral portion. Alternatively, the liquid landing position may be stationary at the central portion.

Next, a second rinse liquid supply step of supplying pure water, which is an example of the rinse liquid, to the upper surface of the substrate W is performed (step S6 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened and the central nozzle 44 discharges pure water in a state where the cutoff member 41 is located at the liquid treatment position and at least one guard 53 is located at the treatment position. To start. Before the discharge of pure water is started, the guard elevating unit 51 may vertically move at least one guard 53 in order to switch the guard 53 for receiving the liquid scattered outward from the substrate W. The pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44 collides with the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate W rotating at the second rinse liquid supply speed, and then flows outward along the upper surface of the substrate W. The SC1 on the substrate W is washed away by the pure water discharged from the central nozzle 44. As a result, a liquid film of pure water covering the entire upper surface of the substrate W is formed. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the rinse liquid valve 46 is opened, the rinse liquid valve 46 is closed and the discharge of pure water is stopped.

Next, a drying step of drying the substrate W by rotating the substrate W is performed (step S7 in FIG. 11).
Specifically, in a state where at least one guard 53 is located at the processing position, the blocking member elevating unit 43 lowers the blocking member 41 from the liquid processing position to the drying processing position. In this state, the electric motor 25 accelerates the substrate W in the rotational direction, and has a high rotational speed (for example, several thousand rpm) higher than the rotational speed of the substrate W in the period from the first chemical solution supply step to the second rinse solution supply step. The substrate W is rotated by. As a result, the liquid is removed from the substrate W and the substrate W dries. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of high-speed rotation of the substrate W, the electric motor 25 stops rotating. As a result, the rotation of the substrate W is stopped (step S8 in FIG. 11).

Next, a carry-out step (step S9 in FIG. 11) of carrying out the substrate W from the chamber 12 is performed.
Specifically, the blocking member elevating unit 43 raises the blocking member 41 to the retracted position, and the guard elevating unit 51 lowers all the guards 53 to the retracted position. Further, the gas valve 49 and the gas valve 40 are closed, and the central opening 47o of the blocking member 41 and the central opening 38o of the spin base 23 stop the discharge of nitrogen gas. After that, the center robot CR causes the hand Hc to enter the chamber 12. The center robot CR supports the substrate W on the spin chuck 21 with the hand Hc after the plurality of chuck pins 22 release the grip of the substrate W. After that, the center robot CR retracts the hand Hc from the inside of the chamber 12 while supporting the substrate W with the hand Hc. As a result, the processed substrate W is carried out from the chamber 12.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate W. FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when the substrate W is dried.

As shown in FIG. 12A, when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W, the guard 53 located on the outermost side of all the guards 53, that is, the first guard 53A is rotated while being positioned at the upper processing position. The chemical solution is discharged toward the upper surface of the substrate W. At this time, the second guard 53B may be arranged at an upper processing position where the second guard 53B is close to the first guard 53A, or the second guard 53B is arranged at a retracted position away from the first guard 53A. You may be. FIG. 12A shows an example in which both the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are arranged in the upper processing position.

If the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is within the range horizontally facing the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83, the upper processing position of the first guard 53A is the first chemical solution on the substrate W. It may be different between the time of supply (first chemical solution supply step (step S3 in FIG. 11)) and the time of supplying the second chemical solution to the substrate W (second chemical solution supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11)). .. Further, if the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the position of the second guard 53B differs between when the first chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W and when the second chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W. It may be the same or it may be the same.

As described above, the area of the opening formed inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the size of the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 are irrelevant to the height of the first guard 53A. On the other hand, when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 becomes the smallest. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is reduced. Instead, at least one of the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the gas passing through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 increases.

The flow rate of gas passing through the inside of the upper end 53u of the first guard 53A is referred to as "central flow rate", and the flow rate of gas passing through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is referred to as "inner flow rate". , The flow rate of the gas passing through the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 is defined as "outer flow rate", respectively. In the state shown in FIG. 12A, the inner flow rate is smaller than the outer flow rate (inner flow rate <outer flow rate), and the sum of the inner flow rate and the outer flow rate is equal to or less than the central flow rate (inner flow rate + outer flow rate ≤ central flow rate). However, the relationship between the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is not limited to this.

FIG. 12B shows an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate W. When the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate W in at least one of the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11), the first guard 53A is subjected to lower treatment. While being positioned at the position, the rinse liquid is discharged toward the upper surface of the rotating substrate W. At this time, the second guard 53B may be arranged at the lower processing position or may be arranged at the retracted position. FIG. 12B shows an example in which both the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B are placed in the lower processing position.

The lower treatment position of the first guard 53A may be different or the same in the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (step S6 in FIG. 11). You may. Further, if the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position, the position of the second guard 53B is the first rinse liquid supply step (step S4 in FIG. 11) and the second rinse liquid supply step (FIG. 11). It may be different from step S6) or may be the same.

When the first guard 53A is placed in the lower processing position, the pressure loss of the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is smaller than when the first guard 53A is located in the upper processing position. The inner flow rate increases as compared with the case where the first guard 53A is located at the upper processing position. In the state shown in FIG. 12B, the inner flow rate is equal to or less than the outer flow rate (inner flow rate ≤ outer flow rate), and the sum of the inner flow rate and the outer flow rate is equal to or greater than the central flow rate (inner flow rate + outer flow rate ≥ central flow rate). However, the relationship between the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is not limited to this.

FIG. 12C shows an example of the positions of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B when the substrate W is dried. When the substrate W is dried in the drying step (step S7 in FIG. 11), the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B may be arranged at any of the upper processing position, the lower processing position, and the retracting position. FIG. 12C shows an example in which the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position and the second guard 53B is arranged at the retracted position. The state shown in FIG. 12C is different from the state shown in FIG. 12A in that the second guard 53B is arranged at the retracted position.

In the state shown in FIG. 12A, the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes through the inside and the lower side of the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B, whereas in the state shown in FIG. 12C. , The gas that has passed inside the upper end 53u of the first guard 53A passes between the first guard 53A and the second guard 53B. Despite these differences, the relationship between the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is the same between the state shown in FIG. 12A and the state shown in FIG. 12C. However, the relationship between the central flow rate, the inner flow rate, and the outer flow rate is not limited to this.

When the chemical solution collides with the upper surface of the substrate W, mist of the chemical solution is generated. When the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate W collides with the inner surface of the guard 53, the chemical solution mist is also generated. When the substrate W is in the chamber 12, a downflow of clean air is formed in the chamber 12, and the exhaust duct 78 sucks the gas in the chamber 12. Therefore, the mist of the chemical solution is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A without leaking to the outside of the first guard 53A. Further, when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W, the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position as shown in FIG. 12A to increase the central flow rate, so that the mist of the chemical solution is more reliably discharged from the exhaust duct. It is sucked into 78.

After supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W, the rinse solution is supplied to the substrate W. When supplying the rinse liquid to the substrate W, the first guard 53A is arranged at the lower processing position as shown in FIG. 12B to increase the inner flow rate, so that a small amount of chemical mist is placed on the first guard. Even if the liquid leaks out of the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the 53A, the atmosphere including the leaked chemical mist and the leaked mist-like chemical liquid (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as “chemical liquid atmosphere”). Is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 or the outer gap Go between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81.

On the other hand, when the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the central flow rate, that is, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is reduced. When the rinse solution is supplied to the substrate W, the mist of the rinse solution such as pure water is generated instead of the mist of the chemical solution. Therefore, even if the mist of the rinsing liquid leaks out of the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, the chamber 12 and the substrate W are not contaminated.

Even if a small amount of chemical mist leaks out of the first guard 53A when the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W, when the substrate W starts to dry, all or almost all the chemical solution atmosphere is in the exhaust duct 78. It is being sucked. Even if the chemical atmosphere remains, the residual amount is extremely small. Therefore, as in the example shown in FIG. 12C, the substrate W may be dried while the first guard 53A is located at the upper processing position. In this case, it is possible to prevent the mist generated by the drying of the substrate W from leaking to the outside of the first guard 53A through the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. If there is a concern that the chemical atmosphere remains at the start of drying the substrate W, the substrate W may be dried while the first guard 53A is positioned at the lower processing position or the retracted position.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the partition plate 81 is arranged around the first guard 53A. The outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 is separated inward from the inner peripheral surface 12i of the chamber 12, and the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 surrounds the first guard 53A. When the guard elevating unit 51 raises and lowers the first guard 53A, the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A increases or decreases. Thereby, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased or decreased.

The exhaust duct 78 sucks the gas inside the first guard 53A and the gas below the partition plate 81 from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 into the inside of the exhaust duct 78. The gas above the first guard 53A passes downward inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. The gas on the upper side of the partition plate 81 passes downward through at least one of the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, and is inside the exhaust duct 78. Is sucked into.

When the guard elevating unit 51 reduces the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A, the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases. The flow rate of gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the guard 53A increases. As a result, the amount of mist of the chemical solution leaking out of the first guard 53A through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A can be reduced.

When the guard elevating unit 51 increases the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A, the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 decreases, so that the first guard elevating unit 51 reduces the pressure loss. The flow rate of gas passing between the guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases. Even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks out of the first guard 53A, the leaked mist is the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81. Passes downward at least one of the above and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. As a result, the leaked mist can be reliably removed.

It is important to intensively suck the atmosphere inside the first guard 53A in order to prevent the mist of the chemical solution from leaking to the outside of the first guard 53A. It is important to intensively suck the atmosphere above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 in order to remove the mist of the leaked chemical solution. Therefore, it is important to balance the exhaust, that is, to change the location where the exhaust is focused, in order to reduce the contamination of the substrate W and the chamber 12.

If the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A is changed by raising and lowering the first guard 53A, the inside of the first guard 53A and the upper side of the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be changed. It is possible to change the location where the exhaust is focused between. Therefore, if the first guard 53A is moved up and down according to the progress of the processing of the substrate W, the atmosphere of the place where the mist of the chemical solution may exist can be focused on, and the contamination of the substrate W and the chamber 12 can be reduced. ..

In this embodiment, the chemical solution on the substrate W is replaced with a rinse solution. When the chemical mist leaks out of the first guard 53A, the chemical atmosphere is above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 when the central nozzle 44, which is an example of the rinse liquid nozzle, is discharging the rinse liquid. Float. When the central nozzle 44 discharges the rinsing liquid, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A is larger than when the chemical liquid nozzle discharges the chemical liquid. As a result, the atmosphere of the chemical liquid floating above the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is at least one of the gap between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 and the gap between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81. Can be sucked into.

In the present embodiment, the tubular outer wall 70 surrounds the first guard 53A under the partition plate 81. The gas that has passed through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A passes through the exhaust hole 72 of the tubular outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged to the outside of the chamber 12. The gas that has passed between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 also passes through the exhaust hole 72 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged to the outside of the chamber 12. Therefore, these gases are discharged to the outside of the chamber 12 without passing through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the tubular outer wall 70.

On the other hand, the gas that has passed between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the tubular outer wall 70 and moves from the outside of the tubular outer wall 70 to the inside of the tubular outer wall 70. After that, this gas passes through the exhaust hole 72 of the tubular outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78, and is discharged to the outside of the chamber 12. Therefore, the gas around the tubular outer wall 70 moves from the outside of the tubular outer wall 70 to the inside of the tubular outer wall 70, and then moves from the inside of the tubular outer wall 70 to the outside of the tubular outer wall 70.

In this way, the gas that has passed between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes through the exhaust relay hole 73 of the tubular outer wall 70, and then passes through the exhaust hole 72 of the tubular outer wall 70 and the exhaust duct 78. Therefore, the path through which the gas flowing between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes has a larger pressure loss than the path through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. Therefore, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased.

By increasing the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, the mist of the chemical solution leaking to the outside of the first guard 53A can be reduced. Further, even if the mist of the chemical solution leaks out of the first guard 53A, the leaked mist flows around the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A. The inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 is arranged closer to the first guard 53A than the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81. Therefore, by increasing the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, the mist of the leaked chemical solution can be removed more reliably.

In the present embodiment, the area of the exhaust relay hole 73 of the tubular outer wall 70 is smaller than the area of the exhaust hole 72 of the tubular outer wall 70. The gas that has passed through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the gas that has passed between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 do not pass through the exhaust relay hole 73, whereas the chamber 12 and the partition plate have passed. The gas that has passed between the 81 and the exhaust gas passes through the exhaust relay hole 73, and then passes through the exhaust hole 72 and the exhaust duct 78. Therefore, the pressure loss in the path through which the gas flowing between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81 passes is large. As a result, the flow rate of the gas passing through the inside of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A and the flow rate of the gas passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be further increased.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust relay hole 73 through which the gas flowing from the outside of the tubular outer wall 70 to the inside of the tubular outer wall 70 passes through the through hole penetrating the tubular body 71 and a slide cover covering a part of the through hole. It is formed by 75 and. When the slide cover 75, which is an example of the movable cover, is moved with respect to the tubular body 71, the opening degree of the exhaust relay hole 73 changes, and the pressure loss of the exhaust relay hole 73 increases or decreases. This makes it possible to change the exhaust balance. That is, the exhaust gas that passes inside the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A, the exhaust gas that passes between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81, and the exhaust gas that passes between the chamber 12 and the partition plate 81. You can change the balance of.

In the present embodiment, the horizontal portion 84 of the partition plate 81 vertically partitions the space around the first guard 53A in the chamber 12, and the vertical portion 85 of the partition plate 81 extends downward from the horizontal portion 84. There is. The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 surrounds the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in a plan view. When the first guard 53A is moved to the upper processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is arranged inside the vertical portion 85 and faces the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 horizontally.

When the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A is the vertical portion 65 and the vertical portion 85 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. The smallest between the inner peripheral surface. In other words, when the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A is the partition plate. It corresponds to the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of 81 to the first guard 53A. Therefore, the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is mainly the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. Depends on.

The cross section of the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A and the cross section of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 are both vertical. Further, since the vertical portion 85 extends downward from the horizontal portion 84, the lower end of the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 is arranged below the horizontal portion 84. In other words, the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 has a certain length in the vertical direction. Therefore, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A can be horizontally opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 without precisely controlling the position of the first guard 53A in the vertical direction. The pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be easily adjusted.

In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral ring 83 including the horizontal portion 84 and the vertical portion 85 is supported by the support plate 82. The inner peripheral ring 83 is radially movable with respect to the support plate 82. When the inner peripheral ring 83 is moved radially with respect to the support plate 82, the inner peripheral ring 83 is moved radially with respect to the first guard 53A, and the outer peripheral surface of the first guard 53A is moved from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85. The radial distance to the vertical portion 65 of the surface 64 changes. Therefore, the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81 to the first guard 53A can be changed, and the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be increased or decreased. can.

Next, the second embodiment will be described.
The main difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that three guards 53 are provided in one processing cup 52.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a vertical cross section of the processing cup 52 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, a configuration equivalent to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 12C described above is designated by the same reference numeral as in FIG. 1 and the like, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The three guards 53 concentrically surround the spin chuck 21. The outermost guard 53 is the first guard 53A, the inner guard 53 of the first guard 53A is the second guard 53B, and the inner guard 53 of the second guard 53B is the third guard 53C. The form of the second guard 53B is the same as that of the first guard 53A according to the first embodiment. The form of the third guard 53C is the same as that of the second guard 53B according to the first embodiment. That is, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an additional guard 53 (first guard 53A according to the second embodiment) is arranged outside the first guard 53A according to the first embodiment.

The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A has a cylindrical inclined portion 61 extending diagonally upward toward the rotation axis A1 and a circular horizontal portion 62 extending horizontally from the upper end of the inclined portion 61 toward the rotation axis A1. include. The ceiling portion 60 of the first guard 53A may include a circular folded portion 63 protruding downward from the inner peripheral end of the horizontal portion 62 corresponding to the inner peripheral end of the ceiling portion 60.
The cylindrical portion 54 of the first guard 53A includes a cylindrical upper vertical portion 55 extending vertically downward from the ceiling portion 60, and a base ring 57 provided at the lower end portion of the upper vertical portion 55. The inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is larger than the diameter of the substrate W and larger than the outer diameter of the spin base 23. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the inner diameter of the upper end portion 53u of the first guard 53A is equal to the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the second guard 53B and smaller than the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the third guard 53C.

The guard elevating unit 51 (see FIG. 3) individually elevates the first guard 53A, the second guard 53B, and the third guard 53C in the vertical direction between the upper processing position and the retracting position. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the first guard 53A, the second guard 53B, and the third guard 53C are arranged at the upper processing position. When the first guard 53A is arranged at the upper processing position, the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces the inner peripheral surface 83i of the inner peripheral ring 83 horizontally with a radial interval, and is a cylinder extending vertically. An inner gap Gi is formed between the first guard 53A and the inner ring 83. As a result, the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 increases. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment can exhibit the same effect as the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the chemical solution may be supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W instead of the upper surface of the substrate W. Alternatively, the chemical solution may be supplied to both the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate W. In these cases, the chemical solution may be discharged to the lower surface nozzle 35.

When the rinsing liquid is being discharged toward the substrate W, the first guard 53A is not placed at the lower processing position, but after the rinsing liquid is stopped being discharged, the first guard 53A is placed at the lower processing position. It may be arranged.
The spin chuck 21 is not limited to the mechanical chuck that brings a plurality of chuck pins 22 into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the substrate W, but by adsorbing the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W, which is a non-device forming surface, to the upper surface 23u of the spin base 23. It may be a vacuum chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally. The spin chuck 21 may be a Bernoulli chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by an attractive force generated by Bernoulli's theorem, or may be an electrostatic chuck that holds the substrate W horizontally by an electric force. ..

The opening degree of the exhaust relay hole 73 of the tubular outer wall 70 may be constant. In this case, the slide cover 75, which is an example of the movable cover, may be omitted.
The exhaust relay hole 73 may be omitted from the tubular outer wall 70. In this case, a gap may be provided between the upper end of the tubular outer wall 70 and the lower surface of the partition plate 81, and at least one of the lower end of the tubular outer wall 70 and the floor surface of the chamber 12.

The partition plate 81 may be a flat plate having a constant thickness from the outer peripheral end 81o of the partition plate 81 to the inner peripheral end 81i of the partition plate 81. That is, the inner peripheral ring 83 may be omitted, and the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 may be extended toward the first guard 53A. In this case, the upper processing position of the first guard 53A is a position where the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A faces the inner peripheral surface of the support plate 82 corresponding to the inner peripheral end of the support plate 82 horizontally. There may be.

At least one of the cylindrical outer wall 70 and the partition plate 81 may be omitted.
When the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided into a plurality of divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, as shown in FIG. 14, the divided ring closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction among the plurality of divided rings 83r. The vertical portion 85 of the 83r may be longer than the vertical portion 85 of the other dividing ring 83r (see the white arrow). Instead of or in addition to this, as shown in FIG. 15, among the plurality of division rings 83r, the vertical portion 85 of the division ring 83r closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction is divided into other divisions. It may be closer to the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A in the radial direction than the vertical portion 85 of the ring 83r (see the white arrow).

The suction force for sucking the gas toward the exhaust duct 78 becomes weaker as the distance from the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction increases. Increasing the pressure loss in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 alleviates such a decrease in suction force. However, if the pressure loss in this path is increased over the entire circumference of the first guard 53A, the flow rate of the gas that passes through the inner gap Gi between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78 increases. It will decrease.

By lengthening the vertical portion 85 of the split ring 83r downward only near the exhaust duct 78, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is increased only near the exhaust duct 78. Can be made to. Similarly, by bringing the vertical portion 85 of the split ring 83r radially closer to the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A only near the exhaust duct 78, the pressure in the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 The loss can be increased only near the exhaust duct 78. As a result, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the suction force depending on the circumferential distance from the exhaust duct 78 while reducing the decrease in the flow rate of the gas that passes through the inner gap Gi and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

When the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided into three or more divided rings 83r arranged in the circumferential direction, if not all the divided rings 83r, the two or more divided rings 83r are divided into at least one of FIGS. 14 and 15. It may be formed as shown. The inner peripheral ring 83 may be equally divided or may be unequally divided. In the latter case, the shortest split ring 83r in the circumferential direction may be arranged at a position closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction. By doing so, when at least one of the structure shown in FIG. 14 and the structure shown in FIG. 15 is adopted, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 is finely adjusted. easy.

At least one of the structure shown in FIG. 14 and the structure shown in FIG. 15 may be adopted without dividing the inner peripheral ring 83. Specifically, in the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83, only the portion closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction and its vicinity may be lengthened downward. Instead of or in addition to this, in the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83, only the portion closest to the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 in the circumferential direction and its vicinity are radially along the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A. You may bring it closer to.

Regardless of whether the inner peripheral ring 83 is divided or not divided, the vertical length of the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 is gradually or continuously increased toward the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. It may be increased, or the radial distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion 85 of the inner peripheral ring 83 to the vertical portion 65 of the outer peripheral surface 64 of the first guard 53A (the size D1 of the inner gap Gi shown in FIG. 6). Corresponds to) may be gradually or continuously reduced as it approaches the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78. By doing so, the pressure loss of the path passing between the first guard 53A and the partition plate 81 can be changed stepwise or continuously.

As shown in FIG. 16, the angle between the inner surface of the protruding portion 92 of the tubular outer wall 70 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 may be set to a value exceeding 90 degrees in a horizontal cross section. .. In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 16, the tangent line at the circumferential end E1 of the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is defined as the tangent line TL1. The angle formed by the inner surface 93i of the side wall 93 with respect to the tangent TL1 may gradually or continuously increase as it approaches the outermost wall 94. In FIG. 16, the angle formed by the inner surface of the protruding portion 92 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is about 140 degrees, and the angle formed by the inner surface 93i of the side wall 93 with respect to the tangent line TL1 approaches the outermost wall 94. Therefore, an example showing an increase from about 30 degrees (angle θ11 shown in FIG. 16) to about 40 degrees (angle θ12 shown in FIG. 16) is shown.

All side walls 93 may be formed in this way, or only some side walls 93 may be formed in this way. For example, of the pair of protrusions 92, only the pair of side walls 93 of the protrusions 92 closer to the exhaust duct 78 may be formed in this way. By forming at least one side wall 93 in this way, the resistance of the gas flowing between the first guard 53A and the tubular outer wall 70 toward the exhaust duct 78 can be reduced from the protrusion 92, and the exhaust gas can be exhausted. It is possible to reduce the decrease in suction force depending on the circumferential distance from the duct 78.

As shown in FIG. 17, the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 of the cylindrical outer wall 70 in a horizontal cross section is an obtuse angle (greater than 90 degrees, more than 180 degrees). May be a small value). In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 17, the tangent line at the circumferential end E2 of the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is defined as the tangent line TL2. The angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 with respect to the tangent TL2 may be gradually or continuously increased as the distance from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 is along the exhaust duct 78. In FIG. 17, the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 and the inner peripheral surface 91i of the cylindrical portion 91 is about 110 degrees, and the angle formed by the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 with respect to the tangent line TL2 is. An example is shown in which the temperature increases from about 75 degrees (angle θ21 shown in FIG. 17) to about 80 degrees (angle θ22 shown in FIG. 17) as the distance from the upstream end 78u of the exhaust duct 78 increases along the exhaust duct 78.

In the horizontal cross section shown in FIG. 17, the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 intersects the tubular outer wall 70 at two intersections. The inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 may be formed as described above at both of these two intersections, or the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 may be formed as described above at only one of the two intersections. You may. By forming the inner peripheral surface 78i of the exhaust duct 78 at at least one of the two intersections as described above, the gas flowing between the first guard 53A and the cylindrical outer wall 70 toward the exhaust duct 78 can be generated. The resistance received from the cylindrical portion 91 can be reduced.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W is counterclockwise, and the gas flowing clockwise between the first guard 53A and the cylindrical outer wall 70 is the intersection on the left side (the one-dot chain line in FIG. 17). It passes through the portion surrounded by the rectangle) and is sucked into the exhaust duct 78. Therefore, in the structure shown in FIG. 17, the resistance applied to the gas flowing in the direction opposite to the rotation direction Dr of the substrate W can be reduced, and the gas flowing in such a direction can be efficiently sucked into the exhaust duct 78.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to an apparatus for processing a disk-shaped substrate W, and may be an apparatus for processing a polygonal substrate W.
Two or more of all the above configurations may be combined. Two or more of all the steps described above may be combined.
In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

1: Substrate processing device 3: Control device 12: Chamber 12i: Chamber inner peripheral surface 21: Spin chuck (board holding means)
25: Electric motor (board rotation means)
27: First chemical solution nozzle (chemical solution nozzle)
31: Second chemical solution nozzle (chemical solution nozzle)
35: Bottom nozzle (rinse liquid nozzle)
44: Center nozzle (rinse liquid nozzle)
51: Guard elevating unit 53A: First guard (guard)
53u: Upper end of the first guard 61: Inclined portion of the guard 65: Vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard 70: Cylindrical outer wall 70i: Inner peripheral surface of the tubular outer wall 70o: Outer peripheral surface of the tubular outer wall 71: Cylindrical body 72: Exhaust hole 73: Exhaust relay hole 74: Through hole 75: Slide cover (movable cover)
78: Exhaust duct 78u: Upstream end of exhaust duct 81: Partition plate 81i: Inner peripheral end of partition plate 81o: Outer peripheral end of partition plate 82: Support plate 83: Inner peripheral ring 84: Horizontal part of inner peripheral ring 85: Inner Vertical part of the peripheral ring A1: Rotation axis D1: Size of inner gap Gi: Inner gap Go: Outer gap W: Substrate

Claims (10)

A board holding means that holds the board horizontally,
A substrate rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means around a vertical rotation axis passing through a central portion of the substrate.
A chemical solution nozzle that discharges a chemical solution toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and a chemical solution nozzle.
The upper end portion that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding means in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion extending diagonally upward toward the upper end portion are included and held by the substrate holding means. A cylindrical guard that catches the liquid scattered outward from the board,
A chamber including an inner peripheral surface surrounding the guard,
A partition plate including an outer peripheral end inwardly separated from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and partitioning the space around the guard in the chamber up and down.
A guard elevating unit that changes the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by raising and lowering the guard.
Including the upstream end arranged below the partition plate in the chamber, the gas inside the guard and the gas below the partition plate are sucked into the upstream end and discharged to the outside of the chamber. A board processing device, including an exhaust duct. A rinse liquid nozzle that discharges the rinse liquid toward the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and a rinse liquid nozzle.
By controlling the guard elevating unit, the shortest distance when the chemical liquid on the substrate is replaced with the rinse liquid discharged from the rinse liquid nozzle is the shortest distance when the chemical liquid nozzle is discharging the chemical liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device that is larger than the shortest distance. Gas discharged from the chamber through the exhaust duct, which is open at the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard and the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface in the space under the partition plate in the chamber. A tubular outer wall including a passing discharge hole and an exhaust relay hole that is open on the inner and outer peripheral surfaces and through which gas moving from the outside of the outer peripheral surface to the inside of the inner peripheral surface passes. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exhaust relay hole of the cylindrical outer wall is smaller than the exhaust hole of the tubular outer wall. The tubular outer wall is a cylindrical body including an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface surrounding the guard in a space below the partition plate in the chamber, and a through hole opened in the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. And a movable cover held by the cylindrical body in a state of covering a part of the through hole and movable with respect to the tubular body.
The third or fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the exhaust relay hole is formed by the through hole of the tubular body and the movable cover, and the opening degree changes depending on the position of the movable cover with respect to the tubular body. Board processing equipment. The outer peripheral surface of the guard includes a cylindrical vertical portion having a vertical linear cross section.
The partition plate includes a horizontal portion that vertically partitions the space around the guard in the chamber, and a cylindrical vertical portion extending downward from the horizontal portion.
The inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate has a vertical linear cross section, and surrounds the vertical portion of the guard in a plan view.
When the guard is arranged at an upper processing position where the vertical portion of the guard faces the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion horizontally, the distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard is the guard. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is the smallest between the vertical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion. The partition plate includes an inner peripheral ring including the horizontal portion and the vertical portion of the partition plate, and a support plate for supporting the inner peripheral ring.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inner peripheral ring is movable with respect to the support plate and the guard in a radial direction which is a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis. The vertical length of the facing range in which the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate and the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard horizontally face each other is the circumferential direction in the direction around the rotation axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, which increases as it approaches the upstream end of the exhaust duct. The distance from the inner peripheral surface of the vertical portion of the partition plate to the vertical portion of the outer peripheral surface of the guard in the radial direction orthogonal to the rotation axis is the circumferential direction in the direction around the rotation axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the amount decreases as the exhaust duct approaches the upstream end. A step of rotating the board around a vertical axis of rotation passing through the center of the board while holding the board horizontally.
The step of discharging the chemical solution toward the rotating substrate,
A step of receiving the chemical solution scattered outward from the substrate by a tubular guard including an upper end portion that surrounds the substrate in a plan view and a cylindrical inclined portion that extends diagonally upward toward the upper end portion. ,
The gas inside the guard includes an outer peripheral end inwardly separated from the inner peripheral surface of the chamber surrounding the guard and an inner peripheral end surrounding the guard, and the space around the guard in the chamber is included. A step of sucking into the upstream end of an exhaust duct arranged below the partition plate that divides the upper and lower parts and discharging it to the outside of the chamber.
A step of sucking the gas under the partition plate into the upstream end of the exhaust duct and discharging it to the outside of the chamber.
A substrate processing method comprising a step of increasing the shortest distance from the inner peripheral end of the partition plate to the guard by lowering the guard after stopping the discharge of the chemical solution to the substrate.

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