JP2022170425A - Container, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the trouble of processing and the trouble of work associated with the processing when a substrate is processed by properly using a plurality of kinds of processing liquids.SOLUTION: A container includes a storage space forming portion in which a storage space for storing a processing liquid for processing a substrate is formed, an ejection port for the processing liquid provided in the storage space forming portion, and an entrance path forming portion provided in the storage space forming portion to form an entrance path that allows an entrance portion that is positioned inside the storage space forming portion and pressurizes the storage space to enter the inside of the storage space forming portion such that the processing liquid is ejected from the ejection port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a container, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, various processing liquids are supplied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), which is a substrate, by a substrate processing apparatus. Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus (coating apparatus) that supplies a resist (photoresist liquid) as a processing liquid to a substrate and forms a resist film by spin coating. This coating apparatus includes a storage tank that stores resist, a supply nozzle, and a supply pipe that connects the storage tank and the supply nozzle and has a bellows pump interposed therebetween.

JP-A-11-354419

The present disclosure provides a technology that can reduce the labor of processing and the labor of work associated with processing when processing a substrate using different types of processing liquids.

A container according to the present disclosure includes a storage space forming portion in which a storage space for storing a processing liquid for processing a substrate is formed;
an ejection port for the processing liquid provided in the storage space forming portion;
an entrance path that allows an entrance portion that is positioned inside the storage space forming portion and pressurizes the storage space to enter the inside of the storage space forming portion so that the treatment liquid is ejected from the ejection port; an approach path forming portion provided in the storage space forming portion for forming;
Prepare.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the labor of processing and the labor of work associated with processing when processing a substrate using different types of processing liquids.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a resist coating apparatus that is an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure; FIG. It is a top view of the said resist coating apparatus. It is a schematic side view of the said resist coating apparatus. 3 is a perspective view of a container and a conveying section provided in the resist coating apparatus; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container provided in the resist coating apparatus; FIG. It is a longitudinal side view of the said container. It is a longitudinal side view of the said conveyance part and a container. It is a longitudinal side view of the said conveyance part and a container. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a claw portion that constitutes the conveying portion; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container placement section provided in the resist coating apparatus; It is a longitudinal side view of the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is a top view of the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is a schematic plan view for demonstrating arrangement|positioning of the said container. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mounting|wearing procedure of the said container to the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mounting|wearing procedure of the said container to the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is a side view of the container nozzle which comprises the said container conveyed by the said conveyance part. It is a top view which shows the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is a top view which shows the said container arrangement|positioning part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing procedure of the wafer by the said resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing procedure of the wafer by the said resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing procedure of the wafer by the said resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing procedure of the wafer by the said resist coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the processing procedure of the wafer by the said resist coating apparatus.

A resist coating apparatus 1, which is an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, which are a schematic perspective view, a plan view, and a schematic side view, respectively. First, the outline of the configuration of the resist coating apparatus 1 will be described. The resist coating apparatus 1 supplies a resist as a processing liquid to a wafer W, which is a circular substrate, and forms a resist film by spin coating. This resist coating apparatus 1 includes a cup 11 , a container 2 , a transport section 6 , a container placement section 8 and a base 19 . Cup 11 surrounds wafer W during processing. A large number of containers 2 are arranged in the container arrangement portion 8, and different types of resist are stored in each container 2, for example. A container nozzle 20 constituting the container 2 is used as a tank and a nozzle for storing the resist.

The transfer unit 6 holds the container nozzle 20 of one container 2 selected from among many containers 2 , transfers the container 2 to a processing position on the wafer W, and discharges the resist onto the wafer W from the container nozzle 20 . The conveying unit 6 is configured to be able to pressurize and depressurize the inside of the container nozzle 20 so as to switch between discharging and stopping the discharging of the resist. The used container nozzle 20 is returned to the container placement unit 8 by the transport unit 6, and the wafers W successively transported to the resist coating apparatus 1 are processed using the resist according to the lot of the wafer W. It can be carried out.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the resist coating apparatus 1 will be described more specifically. The cup 11 is provided on the right side of the base 19, and the container placement section 8 is provided on the left side thereof. A spin chuck 12 serving as a mounting portion for the wafer W is provided in the cup 11. Therefore, the container placement portion 8 and the spin chuck 12 are provided side by side. The spin chuck 12, which is a mounting portion for the substrate, sucks the central portion of the rear surface side of the mounted wafer W to set the wafer W in a horizontal posture. The spin chuck 12 is connected to a rotation mechanism 13 , and the rotation mechanism 13 rotates the wafer W together with the spin chuck 12 around the vertical axis.

Hereinafter, when the cup 11 is viewed on the right side and the container placement portion 8 is viewed on the left side, the front side will be referred to as the front side, and the back side will be referred to as the rear side. A transfer area in which the wafer W is transferred by a transfer mechanism (not shown) is formed behind the base 19, and the wafer W is transferred from the transfer area onto the cup 11 by the transfer mechanism. The wafer W is transferred between the transfer mechanism on the cup 11 and the spin chuck 12 by lifting pins (not shown) provided in the cup 11 .

In this resist coating apparatus 1, the unnecessary resist film on the peripheral edge of the wafer W is removed with a solvent after the resist film is formed. On the right side of the cup 11, a waiting section 15 is provided in which the peripheral edge nozzle 14 for supplying the solvent stands by. The peripheral edge nozzle 14 is supported on the distal end side of an arm 16 extending forward and backward, and the proximal end side of the arm 16 is connected to the moving part 17 . The moving part 17 can move the rear side of the cup 11 to the left and right, and can move the arm 16 up and down. It is movable on and between the rims.

The container 2 will be described below with reference to the perspective views of FIGS. 4 and 5 and the longitudinal side view of FIG. The container 2 has a substantially vertically long cylindrical shape and is composed of a container body 21, a lower lid 31, an upper lid 41 and a partition member 51. The container nozzle 20 is composed of the container body 21, the upper lid 41 and the partition member 51. It is Each of the lower lid 31, the upper lid 41, and the partition member 51 is detachable from the container body 21. FIG. 4 shows the state with the lower lid 31 attached, and FIG. respectively shown. Each member constituting the container 2 is a coaxial circular member in a plan view, and is made of resin, for example.

Each member constituting the container 2 will be described below. First, the container main body 21 will be described. When the container 2 is used, the axis of the cylindrical portion 22 is vertical (vertical). In the following description of each part of the container 2, it is assumed that the axis of the cylindrical part 22 is vertical. A portion of the container body 21 below the cylindrical portion 22 is formed in a funnel shape. Specifically, the lower peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 22 is formed as an inclined wall 23 by extending downward toward the central axis of the cylindrical portion 22 . The lower end portion of the inclined wall 23 extends slightly vertically downward to form a tip portion 24, and the area surrounded by the tip portion 24 forms a discharge port 25 that opens downward.

A center portion of the height of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 swells toward the outside of the cylindrical portion 22 to form an annular handle 26 . Above the handle 26 on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 , the central axis of the cylindrical portion 22 is used as a helical axis, and a helical protrusion along the outer peripheral surface is formed to form a male screw 27 . A first protrusion 28 and a second protrusion 29 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 below the handle 26, respectively. The first projection 28 and the second projection 29 are formed by projecting in opposite directions from each other on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 180° with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical portion 22 . and are each circular when viewed in the projecting direction. The first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 are provided at the same height, and the first protrusion 28 is longer than the second protrusion 29 . That is, the first projection 28 has a larger amount of projection from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22 .

Next, the lower lid 31 will be explained. The lower lid 31 is composed of a vertically standing cylindrical portion 32 and a bottom plate 33 closing the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 32 . The central portion of the upper surface of the bottom plate 33 swells to form a protrusion 34 . Two circumferentially spaced positions of the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 32 are notched downward to form grooves 35 . These grooves 35 are formed at positions different by 180° from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 32, and are formed so that the first projection 28 and the second projection 29 of the cylindrical portion 22 can be inserted. ing. The groove 35 is formed in a keyhole shape. Specifically, the width of the upper portion of the groove 35 narrows slightly as it goes downward, and the width of its lower end is slightly larger than the diameter of the circle when the first projection 28 and the second projection 29 are viewed in the projecting direction. small. The lower side of the groove 35 is formed in a circular shape, and its size is substantially the same as the size of the circle when the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 are viewed in the projecting direction. Therefore, it can be seen that a constricted portion that narrows the width of the groove 35 is provided on the way downward.

Two horizontal plate-shaped engaging protrusions 36 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 32 . These engaging projections 36 are provided for attaching the lower lid 31 to the container placement portion 8 . The two engaging protrusions 36 are formed by protruding in opposite directions when viewed from the central axis of the cylindrical portion 32, and are formed to protrude in directions different by 90° from the central axis with respect to the groove 35. there is The engaging protrusion 36 is formed below the lower end of the groove 35 .

Attachment of the lower lid 31 to the container body 21 will be described. With the lower lid 31 and the container body 21 separated from each other, their central axes are aligned, and each position of the first projection 28 and the second projection 29 overlaps the groove 35 when viewed in the axial direction. Then, by moving the container body 21 relatively close to the lower lid 31 along the axial direction, the first protrusions 28 and the second protrusions 29 enter the respective grooves 35 . By pressing the container body 21 toward the lower lid 31 from this state, the first projection 28 and the second projection 29 move beyond the constricted portion of the groove 35 and into the depth of the groove 35. The first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 and the groove 35 are fitted (engaged) with each other, and the relative positions of the lower lid 31 and the container body 21 are fixed. In this fixed state, the projection 34 enters the discharge port 25 of the container body 21 and the tip portion 24 comes into contact with the bottom plate 33 of the lower lid 31, thereby sealing the discharge port 25. That is, the discharge port 25 is closed from below by the lower lid 31 , and the resist in the container body 21 does not leak from the discharge port 25 . Further, in such a fixed state, the tip of the first protrusion 28 penetrates the groove 35 and protrudes from the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 32 of the lower lid 31 .

By applying a force along the axial direction so as to move the container body 21 relatively away from the lower lid 31, the first projection 28 and the second projection 29 cross the constricted portion to reach the entrance of the groove 35. , the fitting is released, and the lower lid 31 is removed from the container body 21 . As will be described later, the lower lid 31 is fixed to the container placement portion 8 , and in this state, the conveying portion 6 holding the container nozzle 20 including the container body 21 moves up and down with respect to the lower lid 31 . Thereby, such mating and mating release are performed.

Next, the upper lid 41 will be described. The upper lid 41 has a vertically standing cylindrical portion 42 and an upper wall 43 provided so as to cover the upper side of the cylindrical portion 42 . In the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 , a spiral groove portion is formed along the inner peripheral surface with the central axis of the cylindrical portion 42 as a spiral axis, forming a female screw 44 . By screwing the female screw 44 and the male screw 27 of the container body 21 together, the upper lid 41 is attached and fixed to the container body 21 . A circular recess 45 is provided on the upper surface of the upper wall 43 . This recessed portion 45 is used for holding the container nozzle 20 by the conveying portion 6, but since it will be described in detail later, it will be briefly described here. , and the O-ring 67 constituting the conveying section 6 is in close contact. By such close contact, the flat surface forms a sealing surface for sealing the inside of the container nozzle 20 from the outside. Since the bottom surface of the concave portion 45 is the sealing surface, the sealing surface is provided on the container body 21 at a position overlapping the container body 21 .

A circular opening 46 that penetrates the upper lid 41 and opens upward is provided in the center of the recess 45 . Note that the centers of the recess 45 and the opening 46 are positioned on the central axis of the container 2 . A later-described air supply/exhaust pipe 68 constituting the conveying unit 6 is inserted into the container nozzle 20 through the opening 46 . Pressure control by pressurization and decompression in the container nozzle 20 described above is performed by supplying and exhausting air from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 which is an entrance portion entering the container nozzle 20 . Accordingly, the upper wall 43 of the upper lid 41 is configured as an entrance path forming portion for forming the opening 46 that is the entrance path for allowing the supply/exhaust pipe 68 to enter the container nozzle 20 .

By twisting the upper lid 41 with respect to the container main body 21 around the axis of the container 2 by an operator, the above-described screwing can be released. be. The first projection 28 and the second projection 29 provided on the container main body 21 serve not only to fix the lower lid 31 to the container main body 21, but also to attach and detach the upper lid 41 and the container main body 21. It also has the function of preventing the worker's hand from slipping on the outer peripheral surface of the container body 21 . That is, when holding the side surface of the container body 21 with one hand and pinching the side surface of the upper lid 41 with the other hand to twist the upper lid 41, the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 may be pushed by the operator. Since it is easy to hold the container main body 21 so as not to rotate by being caught by a finger, the upper lid 41 can be easily attached and detached. Note that the first protrusion 28 is also used to determine whether or not the container nozzle 20 is present in the container placement portion 8, but the details will be described later.

Next, the partition member 51 will be described. The partition member 51 is arranged inside the cylindrical portion 22 of the container main body 21 and has a plate-like body portion 52 that extends laterally within the cylindrical portion 22 . The main body portion 52 has a circular shape in plan view, and the peripheral edge of the main body portion 52 extends upward along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 22, and the upper end spreads outward to form a flange portion 53. . The partition member 51 is fixed to the upper lid 41 and the container body 21 by sandwiching the flange portion 53 between the lower surface of the upper wall 43 of the upper lid 41 and the upper end of the cylindrical portion 22 of the container body 21 . The space in the container body 21 is vertically partitioned by the body portion 52, and the space below the body portion 52 is defined as a storage space 54 in which the resist is stored. The resist is stored so that its liquid level does not come into contact with the partition member 51 . The opening 46 of the upper lid 41 opens into the upper space partitioned by the partition member 51, and the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 enters the container 2 through the opening 46. A tip (lower end) of the partition member 51 is located above the body portion 52 . A plurality of through-holes are provided at positions near the periphery of the body portion 52 at intervals in the circumferential direction of the body portion 52, and are formed as communication holes 55 that allow the upper side and the lower side of the partition member 51 to communicate with each other. ing. The communication hole 55 is provided at a position not overlapping the opening 46 in plan view.

A role of the partition member 51 will be described. As described above, air is supplied and exhausted by the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 entering the container nozzle 20 . Suppose that the resist splashes from the liquid surface and adheres to the inside of the supply/exhaust pipe 68 due to the supply/exhaust or the vibration of the container nozzle 20 during transportation. As described above, different types of resist are stored in each container 2, and the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is shared for each container 2. Therefore, the resist adhering in one container 2 can be transferred to other containers. 2 may be mixed into the resist. However, by providing the partition member 51 having the communication hole 55 at a position deviated from the opening 46 in plan view as described above, the resist is prevented from adhering to the air supply/exhaust pipe 68, and the resist is accumulated by air supply/exhaust. The pressure in space 54 can be varied. As described above, the material of the partition member 51 is, for example, resin like the material of the other members constituting the container 2, but it may be made of other materials, such as rubber. can.

Returning to FIGS. 1 to 3, the conveying section 6 will be described. The conveying unit 6 is composed of a moving unit 61 , an elevating unit 62 , an arm 63 , an air supply/exhaust unit 64 and a gripping unit 7 . The moving part 61 can move left and right in front of the cup 11 . The lifting section 62 is connected to the left side of the moving section 61 and extends forward so that it can be vertically moved up and down by the moving section 61 . A base end portion of an arm 63 is provided on a tip portion (rear end portion) of the elevating portion 62, and rotates around an axis R1 along a vertical direction (vertical direction) provided at the tip portion of the elevating portion 62. is movable. The tip side of the arm 63 extends horizontally. Therefore, the distal end side of the arm 63 can move left and right, can move up and down, and can turn about the axis R1 forming a turning axis. A solvent supply nozzle 60 is provided at the tip of the arm 63, and the solvent supply nozzle 60 ejects the solvent vertically downward. This solvent is for surface modification (pre-wetting) of the wafer W before resist coating, and is supplied to the entire surface of the wafer W by spin coating.

An air supply/exhaust part 64 and a grip part 7 are provided at the tip of the arm 63. These will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 4 and the longitudinal side views of FIGS. The air supply/exhaust part 64 includes a container connecting part 66, an O-ring 67, an air supply/exhaust pipe 68, branch paths 69A and 69B, valves V1 and V2, a gas supply source 60A and an exhaust source 60B.

The container connecting portion 66 is a circular member protruding downward from the tip of the arm 63, and the diameter of the lower end thereof is enlarged. The lower end portion of the container connecting portion 66 has, for example, a diameter equal to that of the concave portion 45 so that it can be recessed into and retreated from the concave portion 45 of the upper lid 41 of the container 2 as will be described later. They are formed substantially the same.

An annular groove is provided along the circumference of the container connecting portion 66 on the lower surface of the container connecting portion 66, and an O-ring 67 as a sealing portion is embedded in this annular groove. The previously described air supply/exhaust pipe 68 is provided so as to vertically penetrate the center of the container connection portion 66 , and the tip of the supply/exhaust pipe 68 protrudes from the lower surface of the container connection portion 66 . Therefore, the O-ring 67 is positioned above the lower end of the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 and is provided so as to surround the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 in plan view. The air supply/exhaust pipe 68 is formed to have a diameter substantially equal to that of the opening 46 so that it can move forward and backward with respect to the container nozzle 20 through the opening 46 of the upper lid 41 . there is

One end of the flow path is connected to the upper side of the air supply/exhaust pipe 68, and the other end of the flow path branches into two to form branch paths 69A and 69B. The branch path 69A is connected via a valve V1 to the gas supply source 60A, and the branch path 69B is connected via a valve V2 to an exhaust source 60B constituted by, for example, an ejector. Both of the valves V1 and V2 are closed, or one of them is opened. When the valve V1 is opened, nitrogen gas, which is an inert gas, is supplied as a gas from the tip of the supply/exhaust pipe 68, and when the valve V2 is opened, the gas is exhausted from the tip of the supply/exhaust pipe 68.

The gripping portion 7 is composed of three claw portions 71 and a drive mechanism (not shown) provided at the distal end portion of the arm 63 . Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to FIG. These claw portions 71 are provided at positions separated by 120° from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 in a plan view, are equidistant from the supply/exhaust pipe 68, and are arranged rotationally symmetrical to each other. 7 and 8 , for convenience of illustration, cross sections oriented 120° away from the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 are shown on the same plane, so that the two claw portions 71 are arranged symmetrically so as to sandwich the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 . It is shown.

The claw portion 71 is vertically long and formed in an upside-down L shape when viewed from the side. Specifically, the claw portion 71 extends horizontally away from the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 and then bends downward. A lower end portion of the claw portion 71 slightly protrudes toward the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 in plan view to form a support portion 72 . The support portion 72 has a role of supporting the handle 26 of the container body 21 from below when the claw portion 71 grips the container body 21 . The upper end of each claw portion 71 is connected to the previously described drive mechanism, and the drive mechanism moves each claw portion 71 to an open position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. ) and a holding position relatively close to the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 7). Note that FIG. 9 shows the claw portion 71 in the open position.

A procedure in which the conveying unit 6 mounts the container nozzle 20 constituting the container 2 and conveys the container 2 will be described. The lower lid 31 is attached to the container nozzle 20, and the lower lid 31 is fixed to the container placement portion 8 as described above. The arm 63 descends while the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is positioned above the opening 46 of the upper lid 41 of the container 2 and the claw 71 is positioned at the open position. Note that FIG. 4 above shows the arm 63 during this descent. Then, the lower end of the container connection portion 66 is recessed into the recess 45 of the upper lid 41 of the container 2, and the O-ring 67 is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the opening 46 on the bottom surface of the recess 45. The tip (lower end) of 68 enters the container body 21 and is positioned on the partition member 51 . The position of the container nozzle 20 with respect to the arm 63 in such a state is defined as the mounting position. FIG. 7 shows the container nozzle 20 in this installed position.

At the mounting position described above, the O-ring 67 of the container connecting portion 66 seals the gap between the bottom surface of the container connecting portion 66 and the bottom surface of the concave portion 45 of the upper lid 41 . As a result, the storage space 54 inside the container nozzle 20 and the space outside the container nozzle 20 can communicate with each other through the gap and the gap between the supply/exhaust pipe 68 and the inner peripheral edge of the opening 46 . prevented. Therefore, even if air is supplied and exhausted by the air supply/exhaust pipe 68, the outflow of gas to the outer space and the inflow of gas from the outer space are prevented. In this manner, the O-ring 67 is configured to allow the storage space 54 to be pressurized and depressurized more reliably.

With the container nozzle 20 positioned at the mounting position described above, the claw portion 71 moves from the open position to the gripping position. At this holding position, the side surfaces of the claws 71 press the side surface of the handle 26 of the container nozzle 20 toward the central axis of the container nozzle 20, thereby holding the container nozzle 20 and fixing it at the mounting position. Further, the support portion 72 at the lower end of the claw portion 71 at the grasping position is in contact with the lower surface of the handle 26 . When the arm 63 is lifted while gripping (holding) the container nozzle 20 in this manner, the handle 26 is pulled up by the support portion 72 of the claw portion 71, and the lower lid 31 described with reference to FIGS. and the container nozzle 20 are disengaged, the lower lid 31 is removed from the container nozzle 20 . FIG. 8 shows the container nozzle 20 with the lower lid 31 removed as such. When attaching the lower lid 31 to the container nozzle 20, the operation is performed in reverse order to the above-described procedure. Supplementally, during this operation, the container nozzle 20 is pressed downward by the container connecting portion 66 due to the downward movement of the arm 63 , so that the container nozzle 20 is fitted to the lower lid 31 again.

During the period in which the lower lid 31 is removed from the container nozzle 20 as described above, the air is exhausted through the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 except for the period during which the resist is discharged from the container nozzle 20, and the pressure in the storage space 54 is reduced. This reduced pressure prevents the resist from flowing down unnecessarily from the discharge port 25 of the container nozzle 20 even when the lower lid 31 is removed.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, a laser beam irradiation section 73 and a light receiving section 74 are provided below the tip of the arm 63. 2 constitute a detection mechanism. As indicated by the dotted arrow in the drawing, the irradiation unit 73 irradiates the light receiving unit 74 with laser light in the horizontal direction. The light receiving unit 74 transmits a detection signal to the control unit 100, which will be described later, according to whether or not the laser light is received. When the container nozzle 20 is positioned at the mounting position, the upper lid 41 of the container nozzle 20 blocks the optical path of the laser beam, and when the container nozzle 20 is not positioned at the mounting position, the blocking of the optical path occurs. do not have. Therefore, the control unit 100 can determine whether or not the container nozzle 20 is normally held (whether the container nozzle 20 has fallen from the mounting position) while the transport unit 6 transports the container nozzle 20 .

Next, in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2 which have already been described, see FIG. 10 which is a perspective view of the container placement portion 8 as seen from the front, FIG. 11 which is a side view as seen from the rear, and FIG. and explain. In this example, 26 containers 2 are arranged in the container arrangement section 8 . The container placement section 8 is composed of a horizontal plate-shaped placement section main body 81 and a horizontal plate-shaped detection mechanism placement section 82 provided below the placement section main body 81 . The detection mechanism mounting portions 82 are connected to each other with a vertical gap therebetween by a connecting portion 83 . The placement portion main body 81 has a circular opening 84 . Twenty-six openings 84 are provided in the same number as the containers 2 arranged in the container arranging portion 8 , and form a arranging area for the containers 2 each accommodating the bottom portion of the lower lid 31 . The detection mechanism mounting portion 82 is provided with a detection mechanism 9 for detecting whether or not the lower lid 31 of the container 2 is attached to the opening 84 . A detection mechanism 9 serving as a first detection mechanism is provided for each opening 84 .

In this example, the openings 84 are arranged in rows in the left-right direction, five rows are provided in the front-rear direction, and the intervals between the openings 84 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction are the same. The columns are numbered sequentially from the front row to the rear row, with the frontmost row being the first row. Six openings 84 are provided for the first to fourth rows, and two openings 84 are provided for the fifth row. As for the 1st to 4th rows, the rearward row is positioned closer to the right, that is, closer to the cup 11 . The right opening 84 in the fifth row is positioned slightly to the left of the right opening 84 in the fourth row.

By forming the openings 84 as described above, each container 2 arranged in the openings 84 can be placed in a band-like region R2 forming an arc around the axis R1 in plan view as shown in FIG. , and can be gripped by the claw portions 71 of the conveying portion 6 that can move left and right and turn. Assuming that the distance between the axis R1 in plan view and the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 is R3, the placement of the container 2 for gripping as described above will be supplemented. In a plan view, the center of each container 2 is centered on the axis R1 when the axis R1 is positioned at the leftmost end within a range in which the axis R1 can be horizontally moved by the moving part 61 of the transport part 6, and the radius is R3. and the arc whose center is the axis R1 and whose radius is R3 when the axis R1 is located at the rightmost end.

Returning to FIGS. 10 to 12, the arrangement portion main body 81 forming the opening 84 will be further described. As shown in FIG. 11, the arrangement portion main body 81 is composed of a lower plate 85 and an upper plate 86 which are laminated to each other. A hole is formed in each. Two portions of the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge of the through hole in the lower plate 85 are notched. A notch 87A on the upper surface of the lower plate 85 is shown in FIG.

The upper plate 86 is provided so as to cover a portion of the notch 87 and leave the other portion uncovered, thereby forming a groove along the outer periphery of the opening 84. 88 and an inlet 89 opening upward so as to communicate with the groove 88 is formed. More specifically, the through hole of the upper plate 86 has a shape in which a part of the circle is slightly notched toward the outside. The cutouts of the top plate 86 are also formed on the front side and the rear side, respectively, and are shown as cutouts 87B. At the hole edge of the through hole of the upper plate 86, the portion shifted clockwise along the circumference of the through hole in plan view with respect to the notch 87B gradually increases in height when viewed counterclockwise. It is bent upward to form an inclined portion 80 .

A portion of the upper plate 86 shifted clockwise from the inclined portion 80 covers the notch 87A and forms the groove 88 as described above. The notch 87B of the upper plate 86 and the notch 87A of the lower plate 85 overlap each other, so that the entry port 89 is formed at a position shifted counterclockwise with respect to the inclined portion 80. As shown in FIG. Since the lower plate 85 and the upper plate 86 are configured as described above, two inlets 89 , two inclined portions 80 and two grooves 88 are formed for one opening 84 . The two entrances 89 are arranged so that the two engagement projections 36 of the lower lid 31 of the container 2 can be inserted from above and placed on the cutouts 87A on the lower plate 85. They are provided so as to sandwich the center of the opening 84 .

Next, the detection mechanism 9 will be explained. The detection mechanism 9 is composed of a detection body 91 and a detection mechanism main body 92 . A portion on the right side of the peripheral edge of each opening 84 of the placement portion main body 81 is notched so as to face the outside of the opening 84 . Assuming that this notch is 93 , the detection body 91 is provided in the notch 93 . The detection body 91 is configured in the shape of a thick rod extending upward, and the side surface on the rear side of the upper end portion is configured as an inclined surface 94 that rises from the rear to the front. The lower side of the detection body 91 extends downward and is connected to a detection mechanism main body 92 provided on the detection mechanism mounting portion 82 .

The detection body 91 can move up and down with respect to the detection mechanism main body 92, and the amount of protrusion of the detection mechanism main body 92 upward from the placement portion main body 81 via the notch 93 can be changed. The detection mechanism main body 92 is configured to urge the detection body 91 upward, and the height position of the detection body 91 when no force is applied against the urging force is defined as the upper position. Although not shown, the detection mechanism main body 92 includes a laser beam irradiation portion and a light receiving portion for receiving the laser beam. The optical path of this laser beam extends in the lateral direction and overlaps the elevation area at the lower end of the detection body 91 . When the detection body 91 is positioned at the raised position, the optical path is opened and laser light is supplied to the light receiving section.

When the detection body 91 is pushed downward against the urging force from the detection mechanism main body 92 and lowered to a predetermined height position (referred to as a lower position), the optical path is blocked and light to the light receiving section is blocked. The supply of laser light is stopped. The light receiving portion of the detection mechanism main body 92 transmits a detection signal corresponding to the presence or absence of light reception of the laser beam to the control portion 100 which will be described later.

Next, attachment of the container 2 to the container placement portion 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. FIG. 14 shows how engagement is formed between the lower lid 31 of the container 2 and the container locating portion 8, looking at the container locating portion 8 from the front. FIG. 15 shows how the height of the detection body 91 changes in parallel with the formation of this engagement, viewing the container placement section 8 from the right. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the container 2 is shown in each of the upper, middle, and lower stages, and the same stage shows the state of the container 2 at the same point in time.

The container 2 is positioned over the opening 84 of the container placement portion 8 , and the engagement projection 36 of the lower lid 31 is aligned with the entry port 89 . At this time, the first projection 28 of the container nozzle 20 is positioned on the right side (the side where the detection body 91 is provided with respect to the opening 84) (upper stages in FIGS. 14 and 15). The container 2 is lowered with respect to the opening 84 , the lower end of the container 2 is inserted into the opening 84 , and the engagement protrusion 36 is inserted into the lower plate 85 forming the placement portion main body 81 of the container placement portion 8 through the inlet 89 . place it on top. At this time, the height of the inclined surface 94 of the detection body 91 located at the upper position and the height of the first projection 28 of the lower lid 31 are aligned (middle stages of FIGS. 14 and 15). Then, the container 2 is rotated clockwise in plan view. By this rotation, the engaging protrusions 36, which are the engaging portions, enter the grooves 88, which are the engaged portions, and engage with each other, thereby fixing the container 2 to the container placement portion 8 (bottom of FIG. 14). The inclined portion 80 described above serves as a guide for allowing the engaging projection 36 to easily enter the groove 88 as the container 2 rotates.

During the rotation of the container 2 in the process of forming the engagement, the first projection 28 abuts against the inclined surface 94 of the detection body 91, and further rotation of the container 2 causes the inclined surface 94 to be pressed by the first projection 28. be done. By pressing the inclined surface 94 in the lateral direction, the detection body 91 descends so that the first projection 28 climbs the inclined surface 94 . Then, the above-described engagement is formed, and the detection body 91 is positioned at the lower position, blocking the optical path of the detection mechanism main body 92 as described above (lower part of FIG. 15). It should be noted that the attachment of the container 2 to the container placement portion 8 is performed by a worker. When removing the container 2 from the container placement portion 8, the operator performs the procedure in reverse order to the installation.

Regarding the container nozzle 20 constituting the container 2 attached to the container placement portion 8 as described above, the arm 63 is gripped by the claw portion 71 and lifted as described with reference to FIGS. removed from the When the container nozzle 20 is removed in this way and the interference by the first protrusion 28 is released, the detection body 91 is moved to the raised position by the biasing force received from the detection mechanism main body 92 (see FIG. 16). When the container nozzle 20 is attached to the lower lid 31, the container nozzle 20 is lowered by the arm 63. At this time, the first protrusion 28 contacts the inclined surface 94 and is pushed downward, and the detection body 91 is pushed downward. returns to the lowered position, the optical path of the detection mechanism main body 92 is blocked.

By attaching and detaching the container nozzle 20 to and from the lower lid 31 in this manner, the height of the detection body 91 is switched between the upper position and the lower position, so that the detection output from the light receiving unit of the detection mechanism main body 92 to the control unit 100 is detected. signal is switched. Therefore, the control unit 100 can detect the attachment/detachment state of the container nozzle 20 with respect to each of the lower lids 31 . As described above, when the container nozzle 20 is positioned at the position where the lower lid 31 is attached, the presence or absence of the first projection 28 is detected by the detection mechanism 9 (first detection mechanism). The presence/absence of the container nozzle 20 at the position where the is made is detected.

As described above, the detection mechanism 9 is provided for each opening 84 forming the arrangement area of the container 2, so the control unit 100 can detect the presence or absence of the container nozzle 20 for each arrangement area. Therefore, it is possible to monitor whether or not the container nozzle 20 used for processing is normally removed from the lower lid 31 by the arm 63 . In addition, it is possible to prevent the problem that the conveying unit 6 operates to return the container nozzle 20 being held by the conveying unit 6 to the lower lid 31 to which the container nozzle 20 is attached in the container placement unit 8 . can.

The container placement section 8 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18 as well. A guide 101 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the base 19 of the resist coating apparatus 1 , and a slider 102 whose left and right edges are connected to the guide 101 is provided. As for the general shape of the slider 102, in a plan view, it is a concave horizontal plate-like body whose rear side is open. 103. As for the container placement section 8 , the right and left edges of the placement section main body 81 are supported on the slider 102 , and the detection mechanism placement section 82 is placed in the notch 103 .

An operator can slide the slider 102 along the guide 101 between a rearward position and a forward position. Since the container placement portion 8 also moves together with the slider 102 , the slider 102 is a slide member that changes the relative front-rear position of the container placement portion 8 with respect to the cup 11 and the spin chuck 12 . The arrangement of the containers 2 in the container arrangement portion 8 described so far with reference to FIG. line up. By moving the slider 102 to the front position, the front row of the containers 2 in the container placement portion 8 is positioned ahead of the front end of the cup 11 as shown in FIG. 17, for example.

The placement portion main body 81 and the slider 102 are detachable via a fixing mechanism (not shown). When performing maintenance such as replacement of the container 2 on the container arranging portion 8, the container arranging portion 8 is removed from the slider 102 moved to the front position as described above (see FIG. 18). Since the container arranging portion 8 can be moved and removed from the slider 102 in this manner, the worker can easily attach and detach the container 2 from the container arranging portion 8 as described with reference to FIGS. . In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the slider 102 is located at the rear position, and therefore the container 2 is arranged at the position described with reference to FIG. 13 and the like.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a liquid drain port 111 is provided at a position sandwiched between the container placement portion 8 and the cup 11 from the left and right. More specifically, in plan view, the drain port 111 is arranged between the container 2 in the fifth row in the container arrangement portion 8 and the rear side of the center of the cup 11 . The drainage port 111 is in the shape of a circular cup, the inside of which is connected to a drainage channel (not shown), and the liquid supplied to the drainage port 111 flows into the drainage channel and is removed.

Above the drain port 111 is a standby area for waiting the container nozzle 20 and the solvent supply nozzle 60 held by the arm 63. If necessary, the container nozzle 20 and the solvent supply nozzle 60 located in the standby area are separated from each other. Resist and solvent are discharged to the drainage port 111 . The supply of the resist and solvent toward the drainage port 111 is so-called dummy dispensing, which is not intended for processing the wafer W. FIG.

By arranging the drainage port 111 that forms the waiting area in this way to be positioned between the container arrangement portion 8 and the cup 11, after the conveying portion 6 has gripped the container nozzle 20, the container nozzle 20 is placed in the cup. The standby area is located before going to 11. Therefore, after the dummy dispensing is performed on the held container nozzle 20, the container nozzle 20 can be quickly transferred onto the wafer W for processing. After the wafer W is processed, the container nozzle 20 is once moved to the standby area and waited, and then the subsequent wafer W is processed. In addition, the container nozzle 20 can be moved above the wafer W for processing. Therefore, by arranging the drain port 111 in this way, it is possible to improve the throughput of the apparatus.

The resist coating apparatus 1 includes a control section 100 configured by a computer. The control unit 100 has a program, and a control signal is sent from the control unit 100 to each unit of the resist coating apparatus 1 according to the program. With this control signal, each operation such as grasping and releasing the gripping of the container nozzle 20 by the conveying unit 6, conveying the container nozzle 20, pressurizing and decompressing the inside of the container nozzle 20, and rotating the spin chuck 12 is controlled. A series of processes to be described later are performed. The above program incorporates instructions (each step) to control the operation of each part in this manner and to proceed with the processing of the wafer W, which will be described later. This program is stored in a storage medium such as a compact disc, hard disk, memory card, DVD, or the like and installed in the control unit 100 .

Further, the control section 100 monitors the detection signal output from the light receiving section 74 of the transport section 6 and the detection signal output from each detection mechanism 9 as described above. Further, the control unit 100 includes an alarm output unit that outputs an alarm to that effect when an abnormality occurs by voice output or screen display. For example, an alarm is output when a detection signal indicating that the container nozzle 20 is not held is output during a period in which the container nozzle 20 is supposed to be held by the conveying unit 6 . Further, for example, when the container nozzle 20 is held by the conveying unit 6 and the detecting mechanism 9 at the position to which the container nozzle 20 is returned outputs a detection signal indicating that the container nozzle 20 is at that position, an alarm is output. be done.

Next, the procedure for processing the wafer W in the resist coating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 23. FIG. The arm 63 does not hold the container nozzle 20, and the solvent supply nozzle 60 is positioned in the waiting area above the liquid discharge port 111. is stopped (Fig. 19). The claw portion 71 of the arm 63 is positioned at the open position, and dummy dispensing from the solvent supply nozzle 60 is performed.

After that, information about the lot of wafers W to be transferred to the resist coating apparatus 1 is transmitted from a host computer (not shown) to the control unit 100 . The arm 63 forming the transport unit 6 moves up and down, moves in the left and right direction, and rotates in cooperation with each other to move the arm 63 above the container 2 in which the resist for processing the lot is stored in the container placement unit 8 to a predetermined position. The air supply/exhaust part 64 of the arm 63 is positioned at the height. When exhaust from the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 constituting the air supply/exhaust part 64 is started, the arm 63 descends, and as described with reference to FIG. are connected, and the storage space 54 in the container nozzle 20 is sealed from the outside. Since the container nozzle 20 is positioned at the mounting position, the optical path between the irradiation section 73 and the light receiving section 74 provided on the arm 63 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 9 is blocked. In addition, the storage space 54 is decompressed by the exhaust from the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 . Then, the claw portion 71 moves to the gripping position, and the container nozzle 20 is gripped (FIG. 20).

Subsequently, the arm 63 is lifted, and the container nozzle 20 is lifted together with the arm 63 as described with reference to FIG. moves from the lower position to the upper position. When the grasped container nozzle 20 is positioned in the standby area above the liquid discharge port 111 by the coordinated movement of the arm 63 such as vertical movement, horizontal movement, and rotation, the discharge from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is stopped. Air supply is started and the storage space 54 is pressurized. Thereby, dummy dispensing from the container nozzle 20 is performed. That is, the resist is discharged to the drainage port 111 (FIG. 21).

When a predetermined amount of resist is discharged to the liquid discharge port 111, the supply of air from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is stopped and the exhaust is started, the pressure in the storage space 54 is reduced, and the discharge of the resist is stopped. That is, dummy dispensing stops. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating apparatus 1 by the transfer mechanism, and the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W is held by the spin chuck 12 by suction. The arm 63 moves up and down, moves in the horizontal direction, and rotates, and the solvent supply nozzle 60 is positioned above the central portion of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. Then, the solvent is discharged to the central portion of the wafer W, the wafer W is rotated, and the solvent is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W by spin coating.

Subsequently, the container nozzle 20 is positioned at the processing position above the central portion of the wafer W instead of the solvent supply nozzle 60 by the rotation and lateral movement of the arm 63 . As in the dummy dispensing, when the exhaust from the air supply/exhaust pipe 68 is stopped and the air supply is started, the storage space 54 is pressurized, and the resist R is discharged to the center of the rotating wafer W. The resist R is applied to the entire surface of the wafer W by spin coating (FIG. 22). When a predetermined amount of resist is discharged, the supply of air from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is stopped and the exhaust is started to reduce the pressure in the storage space 54, and the resist R is discharged from the container nozzle 20 in the same manner as when the dummy dispensing is stopped. stops. The resist R applied to the wafer W is dried to form a resist film. Movement of arm 63 moves container nozzle 20 back to the waiting area above drain port 111 (FIG. 23). The solvent is supplied to the peripheral portion of the rotating wafer W from the peripheral portion nozzle 14 moved onto the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and after the resist film is removed from the peripheral portion, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. After that, the wafer W is unloaded from the resist coating apparatus 1 by the transport mechanism.

Subsequently, a wafer W belonging to the same lot as the previously processed wafer W is transferred to the resist coating apparatus 1 and held on the spin chuck 12 . The movement of the arm 63 causes the solvent supply nozzle 60 and the container nozzle 20 to move onto the wafer W again, and the same processing as the processing performed on the wafer W previously is performed. Thus, the solvent supply nozzle 60 and the container nozzle 20 are moved between the waiting area and the wafer W, and the wafers W of the same lot that are sequentially transferred are repeatedly processed.

When the processing of the last wafer W of the lot is completed, the container nozzle 20 is positioned above the lower lid 31 attached to the container nozzle 20 . Subsequently, the conveying unit 6 is operated in a manner opposite to that of removing the lower lid 31, attaching the lower lid 31 to the container nozzle 20, releasing the grip of the container nozzle 20, and removing the container nozzle from the attachment position of the arm 63. 20 is released, exhaust from the supply/exhaust pipe 68 is stopped in sequence, and the arm 63 moves so that the solvent supply nozzle 60 is positioned at the standby position. That is, it returns to the state shown in FIG. When processing the wafers W of the subsequent lot, the same operation as the processing of the previous lot is performed except that the container nozzle 20 of the container 2 corresponding to the lot is gripped by the arm 63 .

By the way, in applying the resist to the wafer W, as described in Patent Document 1, a nozzle and a supply source (tank) of the resist are connected by a pipe, and the resist is discharged from the nozzle by a pump interposed in the pipe. It is conceivable to have a device configuration that However, if processing is performed using a plurality of types of resist in such an apparatus configuration, when switching the resist to be used, the tank will be replaced with one that stores the necessary resist. It takes time and effort to connect to the piping. When replacing the tank in such a way, in order to prevent the resist supplied to the wafer W from being contaminated by other resists or from being mixed with air bubbles, it is necessary to wash the pipes with the washing liquid and remove the washing liquid from the pipes. , work such as filling the pipe with resist is required. Therefore, there is a possibility that a great deal of time and effort will be required for the preparations (work associated with the processing) before the processing is performed.

In addition to replacing the above tanks, a plurality of piping systems are provided in which the nozzles and tanks are connected and valves and pumps are interposed. It is conceivable to provide a resist. However, since such a piping system requires a relatively large space, the number that can be installed in the apparatus is limited. Therefore, the types of resists that can be used in the apparatus are limited by the number of piping systems, and there is a possibility that sufficient types of resists cannot be used. In addition, it is conceivable that an operator supplies the resist to the wafer W manually. In other words, it is conceivable that the operator tilts the bottle containing the desired resist on the wafer W and supplies it each time processing is performed. However, in such a case, when a plurality of wafers W are to be processed in succession, the worker must always be on standby near the apparatus, which causes a great deal of labor and burden on the worker.

As described above, the container nozzle 20 constituting the container 2 is provided with the discharge port 25 , the resist storage space 54 and the opening 46 . According to the resist coating apparatus 1 , the supply/exhaust pipe 68 constituting the conveying section 6 can move forward and backward with respect to the container nozzle 20 through the opening 46 , and the storage space 54 is can be switched between pressurization and decompression. Therefore, the resist can be discharged from the discharge port 25 only when necessary, and leakage of the resist from the discharge port 25 is prevented in other cases. Further, by the gripping portion 7 provided in the conveying portion 6, it is possible to freely switch between holding the container nozzle 20 on the conveying portion 6 and releasing the holding. Further, since the processing liquid (resist in this example) in the container nozzle 20 is pressurized and supplied by the supply/exhaust pipe 68 as described above, the transfer section 6 is provided with a gas pipe for pressurization and decompression. There is no need to provide a pipe for passing the processing liquid. Therefore, the resist coating apparatus 1 can select an arbitrary container 2 as described above, transfer the container nozzle 20 constituting the container 2 onto the wafer W, and perform resist coating. Therefore, compared with the case of performing the manual work, the labor of the worker is reduced, and the labor of the work accompanying the above-described processing such as cleaning of the pipes is also reduced. Furthermore, according to the resist coating apparatus 1, there is no need to install a piping system for each type of resist, and the number of types of usable resist can be increased simply by increasing the number of containers 2 to be installed. Therefore, there is an advantage that a large number of containers 2 can be installed in the container placement section 8 as illustrated, and processing can be performed by selecting from a large number of types of resists.

Further, the container 2 is provided with a lower lid 31 that can be attached and detached by moving the container nozzle 20 up and down. Outflow is prevented. Since the lower lid 31 is provided, the inside of the container nozzle 20 does not need to be decompressed except during the transportation by the transportation section 6 . In other words, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for decompressing the inside of the container nozzle 20 in the container placement section 8 where the container 2 is placed, which is advantageous in that the device configuration can be simplified. Since the lower lid 31 is detachable from the container placement portion 8, the container 2 can be replaced with respect to the container placement portion 8 while maintaining a state in which the resist does not flow out from the discharge port 25. can be easily done. Therefore, together with the configuration of the container arranging section 8 which is movable and detachable from the apparatus as described above, the container 2 in the resist coating apparatus 1 can be easily replaced. As described above, the container placement portion 8 can be moved back and forth by the slider 102 and can be removed from the device while positioned at the front position. Even if there is, it is advantageous because the load on the worker for attaching and detaching the container 2 is reduced.

Further, the container nozzle 20 is provided with a first protrusion 28 for fitting the container nozzle 20 to the lower lid 31, and the first protrusion 28 is also used to form an engagement with the lower lid 31. . Since the first projection 28 is configured to perform each role in this manner, the outer peripheral portion of the container nozzle 20 is prevented from becoming complicated in configuration. As a result, an increase in the size of the outer peripheral portion is prevented, a large number of container nozzles 20 can be densely arranged in the container arrangement portion 8, and this contributes to enhancing the selectivity of usable resists. A handle 26 is provided along the circumferential direction of the container nozzle 20 , and an upper lid 41 is provided on the upper side of the handle 26 . It is configured as a sealing surface that comes into close contact with the O-ring 67 of the . Therefore, when the handle 26 is gripped by the claw portion 71 and the support portion 72 constituting the claw portion 71 supports the handle 26 from below, the O-ring 67, which is an elastic body, allows the upper lid 41 to move relative to the container body 21. is pressed toward Therefore, the upper lid 41 is less likely to loosen with respect to the container main body 21, and there is an advantage in that a high degree of airtightness for the inside of the container nozzle 20 can be obtained during transportation. The handle 26 of the container nozzle 2 is not limited to a ring shape as long as it can hold the container nozzle 20. For example, the handle 26 may be projections formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container body 21 at intervals in the circumferential direction. may Even in that case, the O-ring 64 can be used to grip the container nozzle 20 so that the upper lid 41 is pressed relatively toward the container body 21 as described above.

By the way, although the container 2 may be disposable, it may be refilled with resist after use and reused. In such reuse, since the upper lid 41 is detachably attached to the container body 21 as described above, it is possible to easily refill the container, which is advantageous. In addition, the partition member 51 is provided in the container 2 as described above so as to prevent the resist from adhering to the supply/exhaust pipe 68 due to the pressure change in the container 2 and the vibration during transportation as described above. It has become. However, the contamination can be prevented by adjusting the air supply/exhaust amount or suppressing the vibration by adjusting the transport speed. Therefore, the container 2 may be configured without the partition member 51 .

The conveying unit 6 of the resist coating apparatus 1 is not limited to providing the gripping unit 7 described above to hold the container nozzle 20. For example, a mechanism for holding the container nozzle 20 by sucking the upper lid 41 of the container 2 is provided. It may be configured such that it can be freely attached to and detached from the attachment position described above. In addition, a groove is formed on the inner peripheral side surface of the recessed portion 45 in the upper lid 41 of the container 2 , and a projecting protrusion is provided on the side peripheral surface of the container connecting portion 66 of the conveying portion 6 . When the container connecting portion 66 is recessed into the recess 45 , the projection protrudes from the side peripheral surface of the container connecting portion 66 and engages with the groove of the recess 45 . It may be configured to hold. As described above, the attachment/detachment mechanism for the container nozzle 20 provided in the conveying section 6 is not limited to the grasping section 7 .

Further, the arm 63 that constitutes the transport section 6 can move not only left and right, but also can move back and forth as well as left and right by rotating the arm 63 on the tip side of the arm 63 . However, the arm 63 may not be rotated, and the containers 2 may be arranged in a row in the left-right direction in accordance with the left-right movement area of the arm 63 . However, since the gripping portion 7 can move back and forth as described above, a large number of containers 2 can be installed, which is advantageous. The layout of the containers 2 in the container arranging portion 8 is not limited to the above-described example, as long as the arms 63 can receive the respective containers 2 . can be set. In addition, the configuration in which a plurality of containers 2 are arranged in the container arrangement portion 8 is not limited, and only one container may be arranged. For example, the container placement portion 8 may be provided with a lid connected to a drive mechanism so as to be movable between a position above the container 2 that closes the opening 46 and the outside of the container 2. good. Therefore, the opening 46 of the container nozzle 20 is not limited to being open all the time, and the entrance portion exemplified as the air supply/exhaust pipe 48 can be made to enter the interior as the entrance passage forming portion constituting the container 2 . It should be configured as follows.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present disclosure is not limited to a configuration in which a resist is applied to form a resist film. For example, the container 2 contains various processing liquids such as a coating processing liquid for forming an antireflection film, a coating processing liquid for forming an insulating film, a developing liquid, a cleaning liquid for wafers W, and an adhesive for bonding wafers W together. can be stored and processed.

In addition, the embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as an example and not restrictive in all respects. The above embodiments may be omitted, substituted, changed and combined in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

W Wafer 2 Container 20 Container nozzle 25 Discharge port 46 Opening 54 Storage space

Claims (19)

a storage space forming part in which a storage space for storing a processing liquid for processing a substrate is formed;
an ejection port for the processing liquid provided in the storage space forming portion;
an entrance path that allows an entrance portion that is positioned inside the storage space forming portion and pressurizes the storage space to enter the inside of the storage space forming portion so that the treatment liquid is ejected from the ejection port; an approach path forming portion provided in the storage space forming portion for forming;
container with The discharge port opens downward,
2. The container according to claim 1, further comprising a lower lid which is detachable from the storage space forming portion and closes the discharge port from below when attached to the storage space forming portion. 3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the lower lid is provided with an engaging portion for detachably engaging the lower lid with a container placement portion on which the container is placed. The storage space forming part is provided with a protrusion that is detected by a detection mechanism provided in the container placement part in a state where the storage space forming part is positioned at a position where the lower lid engaged with the container placement part is mounted. 4. A container according to claim 3. The lower lid is provided with a groove that fits with the protrusion,
5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the lower lid is attached to the storage space forming portion by fitting the protrusions into the grooves. A partition member is provided for partitioning the space surrounded by the storage space forming part into an upper space facing the approach path and a lower space forming the storage space,
6. The container according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the partition member is provided with a through-hole that communicates the upper space and the lower space at a position that does not overlap with the entrance path in a plan view. 7. The container according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the storage space forming part comprises a container body in which the discharge port is formed, and an upper lid that is detachable from the container body and has the storage space forming part. container as described. a mounting portion for mounting the substrate;
a storage space forming part in which a storage space for storing a processing liquid for processing the substrate is formed; a discharge port for the processing liquid provided in the storage space forming part; a container arranging part in which a container is arranged, comprising an approach path forming part for forming an approach path;
a transport unit including an attachment/detachment mechanism for the storage space forming unit, and transporting the storage space forming unit between a processing position where the processing liquid is ejected onto the substrate from the ejection port and the container placement unit;
In order to switch between the ejection of the treatment liquid from the ejection port and the suspension of the ejection of the treatment liquid, the storage space forming portion is inserted through the entrance path into the storage space forming portion attached to the transfer portion. an entrance section provided in the conveying section to perform pressurization and decompression;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the attachment/detachment mechanism includes a gripping portion that grips the storage space forming portion. A plurality of the containers are arranged in the container arrangement portion,
10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the transfer section mounts a container selected from the plurality of containers. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the conveying portion is rotatable, and the plurality of containers are provided in a band-like region forming an arc around the pivot axis of the conveying portion. The discharge port opens downward,
The container includes a lower lid that closes the discharge port from below when attached to the storage space forming part,
According to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the conveying unit ascends and descends with the storage space forming unit mounted thereon, and attaches and detaches the lower lid arranged on the container placement unit to and from the storage space forming unit. A substrate processing apparatus as described. 13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the container placement portion is provided with a first detection mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of the storage space forming portion at a position where the lower lid is attached. In order to detachably engage the lower lid with the container locating portion, the container locating portion is provided with an engaged portion that engages with an engaging portion provided on the lower lid. 14. The substrate processing apparatus according to Item 12 or 13. The conveying portion is located above the lower end of the entrance portion and surrounds the entrance portion in plan view, and seals the storage space at a mounting position where the storage space forming portion is mounted on the conveying portion. 15. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein a sealing portion is provided in close contact with an outer peripheral portion of said entrance path of said storage space forming portion for the purpose of this. A cup surrounding the substrate mounted on the mounting portion is provided,
16. According to any one of claims 8 to 15, wherein a standby area for waiting the container held by the transport unit is provided between the container and the cup arranged in the container placement unit in plan view. substrate processing equipment. 17. Assuming that the direction in which the container arranging portion and the placing portion are aligned is the left-right direction, a slide member is provided for changing the relative front-rear position of the container arranging portion with respect to the placing portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of . 18. The conveying section is provided with a second detection mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of the storage space forming section at a mounting position where the storage space forming section is mounted on the conveying section. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1. placing the substrate on the placing part;
To constitute a container arranged in the container arrangement part, to form a storage space in which a processing liquid for processing the substrate is stored, and to form an ejection port for the processing liquid and an entrance path to the inside. A step of attaching and detaching the storage space forming portion including the approach path forming portion to and from the conveying portion by an attaching and detaching mechanism provided in the conveying portion;
a step of transporting the storage space forming part attached to the transport part by the transport part to a processing position where the treatment liquid is ejected from the ejection port onto the substrate;
The storage space is pressurized and depressurized by an entrance section that has entered the interior of the storage space forming section attached to the conveying section through the entrance path, and the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port. a step of switching between stopping and discharging;
A substrate processing method comprising:

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