JP2022188558A - Substrate processing system and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To propose a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method that can prevent deformation and contamination of the back side of a surface to be processed.SOLUTION: A substrate processing system for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate includes a protective film forming unit that forms a protective film on the back surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate, a substrate processing unit that processes the surface to be processed of the substrate, and a protective film removing unit that removes the protective film from the back surface of the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of devices for realizing miniaturization of wiring patterns in semiconductor integrated circuits is progressing. In the process of forming these semiconductor integrated circuits, foreign matter such as fine particles and dust may adhere to the semiconductor integrated circuit. Foreign matter attached to the semiconductor integrated circuit causes a short circuit between wirings and a malfunction of the circuit. Therefore, in order to improve the reliability of semiconductor integrated circuits, a substrate (for example, a wafer) to be processed is cleaned to remove foreign matter from the processed surface of the substrate.

Foreign matter such as fine particles and dust as described above may also adhere to the rear surface of the wafer. In recent years, polishing processes using fine particles such as ceria abrasive grains have been developed, but since ceria is extremely fine, the conventional substrate cleaning process removes it from the substrate surface to a sufficiently satisfactory level. I have found that it can be difficult at times. When such foreign matter adheres to the back surface of the wafer, the wafer separates from the stage reference plane of the exposure apparatus or the wafer front surface tilts with respect to the stage reference plane. Misalignment may occur. In some cases, a plurality of wafers are stacked and stored. likely to move. In order to prevent such problems, conventionally, a substrate processing apparatus for polishing or cleaning the back surface of a wafer has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the back surface of the substrate is held upward, and the back surface of the substrate is polished by pressing a polishing tape against the back surface of the substrate while supplying a polishing liquid to the substrate surface. is configured as

JP 2014-150178 A

However, when the back surface of the wafer is cleaned with a roll sponge or the like, there is a possibility that abrasive grains accumulated on the roll sponge will adhere to the back surface of the substrate, and fine foreign matter may be generated on the back surface of the substrate. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus, the back surface of the substrate may be vacuum-sucked when the surface to be processed of the substrate is subjected to a process such as polishing of the entire back surface. In such a case, there is a risk that the unevenness will be transferred to the back surface of the substrate by vacuum suction, resulting in deformation of the back surface. Furthermore, in the apparatus for polishing the back surface or the bevel, foreign substances such as fine polishing dust are generated on the back surface of the surface to be processed, that is, on the front surface on which contact wiring and the like are formed. It is possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method capable of preventing deformation and contamination of the back surface of the surface to be processed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is proposed a substrate processing system for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate, the substrate processing system forming a protective film on the rear surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate. , a substrate processing unit for processing the surface to be processed of the substrate, and a protective film removing unit for removing the protective film from the back surface of the substrate. According to such a substrate processing system, the surface to be processed can be processed while the protective film is formed on the back surface of the substrate. As a result, deformation, contamination, etc. of the back surface of the surface to be processed can be prevented.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is proposed a substrate processing method for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate, the substrate processing method comprising forming a protective film on the rear surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate, The method is characterized in that the surface to be processed of the substrate is processed, and the protective film is removed from the back surface of the substrate. According to such a substrate processing method, the same effects as those of the substrate processing system described above can be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a top view which shows an example of the whole structure of the substrate processing system of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows a substrate processing part typically. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a top ring; 4A is a plan view showing the washing unit 4, and FIG. 4B is a side view showing the washing unit 4. FIG. It is a flow chart which shows an example of a substrate processing method of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a protective film formation module typically. It is a figure which shows another example of a protective film formation module typically. It is a figure which shows an example of a protective film removal module typically. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing another example of a protective film removing module; It is a figure which shows an example of the polishing process in the polishing apparatus of a modification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions of the same or similar elements may be omitted in the description of each embodiment. Also, the features shown in each embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as long as they are not mutually contradictory.

<Substrate processing system>
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing system of the present embodiment is configured as a polishing apparatus (CMP apparatus) 1000 that polishes a surface of a substrate (wafer) to be processed. The substrate processing system is not limited to the polishing apparatus 1000, and may be, for example, a buffing apparatus that buffs the surface to be processed, a cleaning apparatus that cleans the surface to be processed, or a dicing apparatus that separates the substrate. may be

Further, the substrate processing system is not limited to one in which the front surface on which contact wiring and the like are formed is the surface to be processed, and the substrate processing system may be one in which processing is performed by using the back surface of the front surface as the surface to be processed. . In the following description, the “back surface” means the back surface of the surface to be processed that is processed by the substrate processing system. In other words, when the substrate processing system treats the back side of the front side as the surface to be processed, the front side on which the contact wiring and the like are formed is the "back side." Furthermore, although a round substrate will be described below as an example, the substrate is not limited to a round shape, and may be square such as a square. Further, the substrate is not limited to a semiconductor substrate, and may be a glass substrate used for a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

As shown in FIG. 1, a polishing apparatus (CMP apparatus) 1000, which is an example of a substrate processing system, includes a substantially rectangular housing 1. As shown in FIG. The interior of the housing 1 is partitioned into a load/unload unit 2, a polishing unit 3, and a cleaning unit 4 by partition walls 1a and 1b. The load/unload unit 2, polishing unit 3, and cleaning unit 4 are independently assembled and independently evacuated. Although details will be described later, the cleaning unit 4 includes a protective film forming chamber 300 for forming a protective film on the back surface of a substrate (wafer) and a protective film removing chamber 400 for removing the protective film. The cleaning unit 4 also includes a power supply section that supplies power to the polishing apparatus, and a control device 5 that controls processing operations.

<Load/Unload Unit>
The load/unload unit 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes two or more (four in this embodiment) front load sections 20 on which wafer cassettes stocking a large number of substrates are placed. These front load sections 20 are arranged adjacent to the housing 1 and arranged along the width direction (perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of the polishing apparatus. The front load section 20 can be loaded with an open cassette, a SMIF (Standard Manufacturing Interface) pod, or a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). Here, the SMIF and the FOUP are sealed containers that contain wafer cassettes and are covered with partition walls to maintain an environment independent of the external space.

Further, a travel mechanism 21 is laid along the line of the front load section 20 in the load/unload unit 2 . Two transfer robots (loaders, transfer mechanisms) 22 are installed on the traveling mechanism 21 so as to be movable along the direction in which the wafer cassettes are arranged. The transfer robot 22 can access the wafer cassette mounted on the front loading section 20 by moving on the traveling mechanism 21 . Each transport robot 22 has two upper and lower hands. The upper hand is used when returning processed wafers to the wafer cassette. The lower hand is used when unprocessed wafers are taken out of the wafer cassette. In this way, the upper and lower hands can be used separately. Furthermore, the lower hand of the transfer robot 22 is configured to be able to turn over the wafer.

Since the load/unload unit 2 is an area that must be kept clean, the pressure inside the load/unload unit 2 is higher than the outside of the polishing apparatus, the polishing unit 3, and the cleaning unit 4. is maintained at all times. The polishing unit 3 is the dirtiest area because slurry is used as the polishing liquid. Therefore, a negative pressure is formed inside the polishing unit 3 and maintained lower than the internal pressure of the cleaning unit 4 . The load/unload unit 2 is provided with a filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter such as a HEPA filter, ULPA filter or chemical filter. Clean air from which particles, toxic vapors, or toxic gases have been removed is constantly blown out from the filter fan unit.

<Polishing unit>
The polishing unit 3 in one embodiment of the invention is the area where polishing (planarization) of the wafer takes place. The polishing unit 3 is an example of a substrate processing section in a substrate processing system. The polishing unit 3 includes a first polishing module 3A, a second polishing module 3B, a third polishing module 3C, and a fourth polishing module 3D. The first polishing module 3A, the second polishing module 3B, the third polishing module 3C, and the fourth polishing module 3D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the polishing apparatus, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first polishing module 3A includes a polishing table 30A to which a polishing pad (polishing tool) 10 having a polishing surface is attached, and a wafer which holds and presses the polishing pad 10 on the polishing table 30A. polishing liquid supply nozzle 32A for supplying polishing liquid or dressing liquid (for example, pure water) to the polishing pad 10; and a dresser for dressing the polishing surface of the polishing pad 10. 33A and an atomizer that ejects a mixed fluid of liquid (e.g., pure water) and gas (e.g., nitrogen gas) or liquid (e.g., pure water) to remove slurry and polishing products on the polishing surface, and polishing pad residue due to dressing. 34A and.

Similarly, the second polishing module 3B includes a polishing table 30B, a top ring 31B, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32B, a dresser 33B, and an atomizer 34B. The third polishing module 3C includes a polishing table 30C, a top ring 31C, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32C, a dresser 33C, and an atomizer 34C. The fourth polishing module 3D includes a polishing table 30D, a top ring 31D, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32D, a dresser 33D, and an atomizer 34D.

Since the first polishing module 3A, the second polishing module 3B, the third polishing module 3C, and the fourth polishing module 3D have the same configuration, only the first polishing module 3A will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the first polishing module 3A. The top ring 31A is supported by a top ring shaft 36. As shown in FIG. A polishing pad 10 is attached to the upper surface of the polishing table 30A. The upper surface of polishing pad 10 forms a polishing surface for polishing wafer W. FIG. Fixed abrasive grains may be used instead of the polishing pad 10 . The top ring 31A and polishing table 30A are configured to rotate about their axes as indicated by arrows. The wafer W is held by vacuum suction on the lower surface of the top ring 31A. In this embodiment, a protective film 40 is formed on the back surface (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the wafer W, and the wafer W is held by the top ring 31A with the protective film 40 interposed therebetween. The protective film 40 will be described later in detail. During polishing, while the polishing liquid is supplied from the polishing liquid supply nozzle 32A to the polishing surface of the polishing pad 10, the surface to be processed (lower surface in FIG. 2) of the wafer W to be polished is held by the top ring 31A. is pressed against the polishing surface of the

The film thickness sensor 70 is installed inside the polishing table 30 and rotates together with the polishing table 30 . The film thickness sensor 70 is configured to acquire film thickness signals in a plurality of regions including the central portion of the wafer W each time the polishing table 30 rotates once. Examples of the film thickness sensor 70 include an optical sensor and an eddy current sensor. During polishing of the wafer W, the film thickness sensor 70 obtains a film thickness signal while traversing the surface of the wafer W. FIG. This film thickness signal is an index value that directly or indirectly indicates the film thickness of the wafer W, and changes as the film thickness of the wafer W decreases. The film thickness sensor 70 is connected to the controller 5 so that the film thickness signal is sent to the controller 5 . The controller 5 terminates the polishing of the wafer W when the film thickness of the wafer W indicated by the film thickness signal reaches a predetermined target value.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the top ring 31A in one embodiment. Since the top rings 31B to 31D have the same structure as the top ring 31A, only the top ring 31A will be described. The top ring 31A includes a top ring body 23 connected to the top ring shaft 36 via a free joint 19 and a retainer ring 24 (not shown in FIG. 2) arranged below the top ring body 23 .

Below the top ring main body 23, a flexible membrane (elastic membrane) 25 that abuts on the protective film 40 formed on the back surface of the wafer W, and a chucking plate 26 that holds the membrane 25 are arranged. Between the membrane 25 and the chucking plate 26, four pressure chambers C1, C2, C3, C4 are provided. Pressure chambers C1, C2, C3 and C4 are formed by membrane 25 and chucking plate 26. As shown in FIG. The central pressure chamber C1 is circular and the other pressure chambers C2, C3, C4 are annular. These pressure chambers C1, C2, C3 and C4 are arranged concentrically. Each of the pressure chambers C1 to C4 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown) so that the internal pressure can be varied independently of each other.

<Transport Mechanism>
Next, a transport mechanism for transporting wafers will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the first linear transporter 6 is arranged adjacent to the first polishing module 3A and the second polishing module 3B. The first linear transporter 6 has four transport positions (first transport position TP1, second transport position TP2, third transport position in order from the load/unload unit side) along the direction in which the polishing modules 3A and 3B are arranged. TP3 and a fourth transfer position TP4). A second linear transporter 7 is arranged adjacent to the third polishing module 3C and the fourth polishing module 3D. The second linear transporter 7 has three transport positions (fifth transport position TP5, sixth transport position TP6, seventh transport position in order from the load/unload unit side) along the direction in which the polishing modules 3C and 3D are arranged. TP7) is a mechanism for transferring a wafer.

Wafers are transported by the first linear transporter 6 to the polishing modules 3A and 3B. The top ring 31A of the first polishing module 3A moves between the polishing position and the second transfer position TP2 by swinging the top ring head. The transfer of the wafer to the top ring 31A is performed at the second transfer position TP2. Similarly, the top ring 31B of the second polishing module 3B moves between the polishing position and the third transfer position TP3, and the transfer of the wafer to the top ring 31B is performed at the third transfer position TP3. The top ring 31C of the third polishing module 3C moves between the polishing position and the sixth transfer position TP6, and the transfer of the wafer to the top ring 31C is performed at the sixth transfer position TP6. The top ring 31D of the fourth polishing module 3D moves between the polishing position and the seventh transfer position TP7, and the transfer of the wafer to the top ring 31D is performed at the seventh transfer position TP7.

A lifter 11 for receiving wafers from the transfer robot 22 is arranged at the first transfer position TP1. A wafer is transferred from the transfer robot 22 to the first linear transporter 6 via the lifter 11 . A shutter (not shown) is provided on the partition wall 1a between the lifter 11 and the transfer robot 22. When the wafer is transferred, the shutter is opened so that the transfer robot 22 transfers the wafer to the lifter 11. It's becoming A swing transporter 12 is arranged between the first linear transporter 6 , the second linear transporter 7 and the cleaning unit 4 . The swing transporter 12 has a hand that can move between the fourth transport position TP4 and the fifth transport position TP5. Wafer transfer from the first linear transporter 6 to the second linear transporter 7 is performed by a swing transporter 12 . The wafer is transported by the second linear transporter 7 to the third polishing module 3C and/or the fourth polishing module 3D. Also, the wafer polished by the polishing unit 3 is transported to the cleaning unit 4 via the swing transporter 12 .

The first linear transporter 6 and the second linear transporter 7 each have a plurality of transport stages (not shown), as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-50436. Thereby, for example, a transfer stage for transferring an unpolished wafer to each transfer position and a transfer stage for transferring a polished wafer from each transfer position can be used properly. Accordingly, the wafer can be quickly transported to the transport position, polishing can be started, and the wafer after polishing can be quickly sent to the cleaning unit.

<Washing unit>
4A is a plan view showing the washing unit 4, and FIG. 4B is a side view showing the washing unit 4. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cleaning unit 4 here includes a roll cleaning chamber 190, a first transfer chamber 191, a pen cleaning chamber 192, a second transfer chamber 193, a protective It is divided into a film forming chamber 300 , a third transfer chamber 195 and a protective film removing chamber 400 . A cleaning unit is an example of a substrate cleaning section in a substrate processing system.

In the roll cleaning chamber 190, an upper roll cleaning module 201A and a lower roll cleaning module 201B are arranged along the vertical direction. The upper roll cleaning module 201A is arranged above the lower roll cleaning module 201B. The upper roll cleaning module 201A and the lower roll cleaning module 201B are cleaning machines that clean the wafer by pressing two rotating roll sponges against the front and back surfaces of the wafer while supplying cleaning liquid to the front and back surfaces of the wafer. A temporary wafer table 204 is provided between the upper roll cleaning module 201A and the lower roll cleaning module 201B.

Inside the pen cleaning chamber 192, an upper pen cleaning module 202A and a lower pen cleaning module 202B are arranged along the vertical direction. The upper pen wash module 202A is positioned above the lower pen wash module 202B. The upper pen cleaning module 202A and the lower pen cleaning module 202B clean the wafer by pressing a rotating pencil sponge against the surface of the wafer and swinging it in the radial direction of the wafer while supplying cleaning liquid to the surface of the wafer. machine. A temporary wafer table 203 is provided between the upper pen cleaning module 202A and the lower pen cleaning module 202B. A temporary placement table 180 for the wafer W, which is placed on a frame (not shown), is arranged on the side of the swing transporter 12 . The temporary placement table 180 is arranged adjacent to the first linear transporter 6 and positioned between the first linear transporter 6 and the cleaning unit 4 .

The upper roll cleaning module 201A, the lower roll cleaning module 201B, the upper pen cleaning module 202A, the lower pen cleaning module 202B, and the temporary placement table 203 are fixed to a frame (not shown) via bolts or the like.

The protective film forming chamber 300 includes an upper protective film forming module (protective film forming section) 300A and a lower protective film forming module (protective film forming section) 300B. The upper protective film forming module 300A and the lower protective film forming module 300B are mechanisms for forming the protective film 40 on the rear surface of the surface to be processed of the wafer W to be processed in the polishing apparatus 1000 prior to processing. The protective film forming module is not limited to two modules, and one module or three or more modules may be provided.

The protective film removing chamber 400 includes an upper protective film removing module (protective film removing section) 400A and a lower protective film removing module (protective film removing section) 400B. The upper protective film removing module 400A and the lower protective film removing module 400B are mechanisms for removing the protective film 40 from the rear surface of the wafer W that has been processed. The protective film removing module is not limited to two modules, and one module or three or more modules may be provided.

A drying module for drying the wafer W may be further arranged in the protective film removing chamber 400 . In addition, the cleaning unit 4 may be provided with a drying chamber for drying the wafer W separately from the protective film removing chamber 400 . Furthermore, the protective film forming chamber 300 and the protective film removing chamber 400 are not limited to being provided separately, and may be provided in the same space.

A vertically movable first transfer robot (transfer mechanism) 209 is arranged in the first transfer chamber 191 . A vertically movable second transfer robot 210 is arranged in the second transfer chamber 193 . A vertically movable third transfer robot (transfer mechanism) 213 is arranged in the third transfer chamber 195 . The first transport robot 209, the second transport robot 210, and the third transport robot 213 are movably supported by support shafts 211, 212, and 214 extending in the vertical direction. The first transport robot 209 , the second transport robot 210 , and the third transport robot 213 have drive mechanisms such as motors inside, and are vertically movable along the support shafts 211 , 212 , and 214 . ing. The first transfer robot 209 has two upper and lower hands, like the transfer robot 22 . The first transport robot 209 is arranged at a position where its lower hand can access the temporary placement table 180 described above, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 4A. When the lower hand of the first transport robot 209 accesses the temporary placement table 180, a shutter (not shown) provided on the partition wall 1b is opened.

The first transport robot 209 includes a temporary placing table 180, an upper roll cleaning module 201A, a lower roll cleaning module 201B, a temporary placing table 204, an upper pen cleaning module 202A, a lower pen cleaning module 202B, and a temporary placing table 203, to transport the wafer W between. The first transfer robot 209 uses the lower hand when transferring wafers before cleaning (wafers with slurry attached), and uses the upper hand when transferring wafers after cleaning.

The second transport robot 210 transports the wafer W between the upper roll cleaning module 201A, the lower roll cleaning module 201B, the temporary placement table 204, the upper protective film forming module 300A, and the lower protective film forming module 300B. works like The second transport robot 210 has two upper and lower hands.

The third transport robot 213 transports the wafer W between the upper pen cleaning module 202A, the lower pen cleaning module 202B, the temporary placement table 203, the upper protective film removing module 400A, and the lower protective film removing module 400B. works like Since the third transfer robot 213 transfers only cleaned wafers, it has only one hand. The transfer robot 22 shown in FIG. 1 takes out the wafer from the upper protective film removing module 400A or the lower protective film removing module 400B using the upper hand, and returns the wafer to the wafer cassette. When the upper hand of the transfer robot 22 accesses the protective film removing modules 400A and 400B, a shutter (not shown) provided on the partition wall 1a is opened.

The first transport robot 209 of the cleaning unit 4 includes an upper roll cleaning module 201A, a lower roll cleaning module 201B, an upper pen cleaning module 202A, a lower pen cleaning module 202B, a temporary placement table 203, and a temporary placement table 204. The wafer W is transported between The second transport robot 210 transports the wafer W between the upper roll cleaning module 201A, the lower roll cleaning module 201B, the upper protective film forming module 300A, the lower protective film forming module 300B, and the temporary placement table 204. The third transport robot 213 transports the wafer W between the upper pen cleaning module 202A, the lower pen cleaning module 202B, the upper protective film removing module 400A, the lower protective film removing module 400B, and the temporary placement table 203.

In this embodiment, in the cleaning unit 4, the protective film forming chamber 300, the roll cleaning chamber 190, the pen cleaning chamber 192, and the protective film removing chamber 400 are arranged in order from the farthest from the load/unload unit 2. Although an example of arranging is shown, it is not limited to this. The layout of the protective film forming chamber 300, the roll cleaning chamber 190, the pen cleaning chamber 192, and the protective film removing chamber 400 can be appropriately selected according to the wafer quality and throughput. Moreover, in this embodiment, an example in which the protective film forming modules 300A and 300B and the protective film removing modules 400A and 400B are provided separately is shown, but the modules may be provided in common. In addition, in the present embodiment, a roll cleaning module and a pen cleaning module were described as modules for cleaning the wafer W, but the modules are not limited to these, and buffing, two-fluid jet cleaning (2FJ cleaning), or megasonic Washing can also be performed. In the buff polishing, the wafer W and the buff pad 502 are moved relative to each other while the buff pad is in contact with the wafer W, and a polishing liquid such as slurry is interposed between the wafer W and the buff pad to polish the processing surface of the wafer W. It is to be removed. In the two-fluid jet cleaning, fine droplets (mist) put on high-speed gas are ejected from a two-fluid nozzle toward the wafer W to collide with each other, and a shock wave generated by the collision of the fine droplets with the surface of the wafer W is used. It removes (cleans) particles and the like from the wafer W surface. Megasonic cleaning removes adhered particles such as particles by applying ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid and applying an action force due to the vibration acceleration of the cleaning liquid molecules.

Next, a substrate processing method according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a substrate processing method. In this embodiment, the substrate processing method shown in FIG. may be performed by an operator or the like.

First, the polishing apparatus 1000 forms the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer (substrate) W prior to processing the surface to be processed of the wafer W (S12). In this embodiment, this process is performed in the upper protective film forming module 300A or the lower protective film forming module 300B. Prior to forming the protective film 40, the protective film forming module 300A and the lower protective film forming module 300B remove foreign matter from the back surface of the wafer W by blowing gas from a gas supply port (not shown) onto the back surface of the wafer W. etc. may be removed. The protective film 40 may be affected by foreign matter such as polishing dust adhering to the back surface of the wafer W or irregularities being formed on the back surface of the wafer W during the processing of the surface to be processed of the wafer W in the polishing apparatus 1000 and the transport of the wafer W. This is provided to prevent Here, the protective film 40 is preferably made of a water-soluble material. In this way, it is possible to preferably prevent the protective film 40 from remaining on the back surface of the wafer W by cleaning the wafer W after removing the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W.

As the protective film 40, for example, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PSF (polysulfone), PES (polyethersulfone), PEI (polyetherimide), PI (polyimide), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PE ( polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate), PA (polyamide), PAA (polyacrylamide), polyketone, cellulose mixed ester, polyvinylidene fluoride, PSQ (polystyrene quaternary ammonium salt), polyethyleneimine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, amino group-containing cationic poly(meth)acrylic acid ester, amino group-containing cationic poly(meth)acrylamide, polyamineamide-epichlorohydrin, polyallylamine, polydicyandiamide, chitosan, cationized chitosan, amino group-containing cationized starch, It can be formed from one or more materials of amino group-containing cationized cellulose, amino group-containing cationized polyvinyl alcohol, and acid salts of the above polymers.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the upper protective film forming module 300A. In addition, in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 described later, the back surface of the wafer W is hatched for easy understanding. Further, since the lower protective film forming module 300B has the same configuration as the upper protective film forming module 300A, only the upper protective film forming module (simply referred to as "protective film forming module") 300A will be described below. explain. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the protective film forming module 300A has four supporting members 301 for supporting the outer circumference of the wafer W and a nozzle 306 for supplying a liquid protective material to the back surface of the wafer W. doing. The support member 301 is, for example, a spindle, a chuck, or the like. The wafer W can be rotated by rotating the spindle, chuck, or the like. The protective film forming module 300A shown in FIG. 6 is configured to form the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W by spin coating. That is, the protective film forming module 300A supplies the liquid protective material to the back surface of the wafer W from the nozzle 306, and spreads the protective material on the back surface of the wafer W by rotating the wafer W. FIG. Then, the protective film 40 is formed by drying the protective material. Here, the supply speed of the protective material from the nozzle 306, the rotation speed of the wafer W, the drying time, and the like may be determined in advance by experiments or the like based on the material of the protective material, the size of the wafer W, and the like. As another example, the protective film forming module 300A rotates the wafer W while moving the nozzle 306 between the center and the edge of the wafer W to supply the liquid protective agent from the nozzle 306 to the wafer. A protective film 40 may be formed on the W rear surface. In this case, the movement of the nozzle 306 is increased at positions near the center of the wafer W, and the movement of the nozzle 306 is decreased at positions away from the center of the wafer W, thereby increasing the supply amount of the protective agent per unit area. Uniformity may be achieved.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the protective film forming module 300A. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the protective film forming module 300A is configured to form the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W by attaching the film 41 to the wafer W supported by the support member 301. As shown in FIG. Here, the film 41 may be attached to the back surface of the wafer W using a jig such as a hand (not shown). Alternatively, the film 41 may be adhered to the back surface of the wafer W while being held by vacuum suction or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the film 41 is moved to stick the film 41 on the back surface of the wafer W. A film 41 may be attached. Moreover, the film 41 may be attached to the back surface of the wafer W by the stickiness of the film 41 itself, or may be attached to the back surface of the wafer W using an adhesive. It should be noted that the adhesive is preferably water-soluble. In this way, by cleaning the wafer W after removing the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W, it is possible to preferably prevent the adhesive from remaining on the back surface of the wafer W.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the support member 301 supports the wafer W so that the back surface of the wafer W faces upward. The wafer W may be supported so as to face downward. In such a case, the position of the nozzle 306 for supplying the liquid protective material and the ejection strength of the protective material should be determined so as to supply the protective material to the back surface of the wafer W. FIG. Also, although the support member 301 is composed of four members that support the outer peripheral surface of the wafer W, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the protective film forming module 300A may support the surface to be processed of the wafer W, or may be configured to support the wafer W using magnetism, the Bernoulli effect, or the like.

The method of forming the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and various known methods may be employed. For example, the protective film 40 is formed on the back surface of the wafer W by combining a film forming method such as a solvent casting method, a transfer method, a printing method, etc., and a combination of heat treatment and mechanical treatment such as rolling and stretching as necessary. may

Refer to FIG. 5 again. After forming the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W, the polishing apparatus 1000 processes the surface of the wafer W to be processed (S14). In the polishing apparatus 1000 of this embodiment, the surface of the wafer W to be processed is polished by the polishing unit 3 . In the polishing apparatus 1000 of this embodiment, since the protective film 40 is formed on the back surface of the wafer W, the back surface of the wafer W can be prevented from being contaminated when the surface to be processed of the wafer W is processed. Further, deformation of the back surface of the wafer W can be prevented when the wafer W is held or transported, such as by vacuum suction by the top ring 31A.

Then, after performing the processing on the surface to be processed of the wafer W, the polishing apparatus 1000 removes the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W (S16). In this embodiment, this process is performed in the upper protective film removal module 400A or the lower protective film removal module 400B. Here, the removal of the protective film 40 by the upper protective film removing module 400A and the lower protective film removing module 400B may be performed while the wafer W is being cleaned by the cleaning unit 4 . Specifically, the protective film 40 may be removed after the surface to be processed of the wafer W is cleaned by the cleaning unit 4, and the back surface of the wafer W may be cleaned after the protective film 40 is removed. . The protective film 40 may be removed after the surface to be processed of the wafer W is cleaned and dried by the cleaning unit 4, and the back surface of the wafer W may be cleaned after the protective film 40 is removed. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the wafer W may be cleaned by the cleaning unit 4 after the protection film 40 is removed by the protection film removal modules 400A and 400B.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the upper protective film removing module 400A. Since the lower protective film removal module 400B has the same configuration as the upper protective film removal module 400A, only the upper protective film removal module (simply referred to as "protective film removal module") 400A will be described below. explain. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the protective film removal module 400A has four support members 302 for supporting the outer periphery of the wafer W and a peeling mechanism 307 for peeling the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W. . The peeling mechanism 307 is configured, for example, to peel the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W using a peeling jig such as a hand, tweezers, or a spatula. The protective film removing module 400A may supply a chemical or the like between the wafer W and the protective film 40 to facilitate the separation when the protective film 40 is removed from the back surface of the wafer W.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the protective film removing module 400A. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the protective film removal module 400A includes four support members 302 for supporting the wafer W, and nozzles 308 for applying a removing liquid for removing the protective film 40 to the protective film 40. ,have. The support member 302 is, for example, a spindle, a chuck, or the like. The wafer W can be rotated by rotating the spindle, chuck, or the like. The removal liquid is a liquid for dissolving and removing the protective film 40, and a liquid selected based on the material of the protective film 40 can be used. As an example, the removing liquid is water, gas dissolved water, ammonia, ammonia hydrogen peroxide, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), choline, ammonium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, or ozone water. It may be selected from at least one. The protective film removal module 400A may also include a heater for heating the removal liquid. When removing the protective film 40 by applying the removing liquid to the protective film 40 , the removing liquid is not limited to completely dissolving the protective film 40 . For example, the subsequent cleaning in the cleaning unit 4, for example, the action of the lower roll cleaning module 201B, may dissolve the protective film 40 to such an extent that the protective film 40 can be removed. Further, the wafer W may be rotated by the supporting member 302 when the removing liquid is applied to the protective film 40 . By doing so, it is considered that the removing liquid can be applied to the entire protective film 40 . In the example shown in FIG. 9, the protective film removing module 400A ejects the removing liquid from the nozzle 308 to the protective film 40 to act on it, but it is not limited to such an example. For example, the protective film removing module 400A may allow the removing liquid to act on the protective film 40 by immersing the wafer W in a liquid tank containing the removing liquid.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the support member 302 supports the wafer W so that the back surface of the wafer W faces downward. The wafer W may be supported so as to face upward. Also, although the support member 302 is composed of four members that support the outer peripheral surface of the wafer W, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the protective film removal modules 400A and 400B may support the surface to be processed of the wafer W, or may be configured to support the wafer W using magnetism or the like. Also, the method of removing the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and various known methods may be employed.

According to the substrate processing system and the substrate processing method described above, the protective film 40 is formed on the back surface of the wafer W in the protective film forming module 300A. Then, the surface to be processed of the wafer W is processed in the polishing unit 3, and the protective film 40 is removed from the back surface of the wafer W in the protective film removing module 400A. As a result, the surface of the wafer W to be processed can be processed while preventing contamination and deformation of the back surface of the wafer W. FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, since the protective film 40 is water-soluble, it is possible to preferably prevent the protective film 40 from remaining on the back surface of the wafer W by cleaning the wafer W after removing the protective film 40 .

(Modification)
In the above-described embodiment, the protective film forming modules 300A and 300B for forming the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W and the protective film removing modules 400A and 400B for removing the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W are provided. is provided in the cleaning unit 4. However, it is not limited to such an example, and at least one of the protective film forming modules 300A and 300B and the protective film removing modules 400A and 400B may be provided in the load/unload unit 2 or the polishing unit 3. . For example, the protective film forming module 300A may be configured to form the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W while the wafer W is held by the lower hand of the transfer robot 22 described above. In this case, the protective film 40 may be formed by attaching the film 41 to the back surface of the wafer W as the wafer W is turned over by the transfer robot 22 . Also, the protective film forming module 300A may be configured to adhere the protective film 40 to the rear surface of the wafer W using the top ring 31A described above. That is, the protective film forming module 300A may form the protective film 40 by holding the film 41 on the top ring 31A and attaching the film 41 to the back surface of the substrate W. FIG. In this case, the film 41 can be adhered to the back surface of the wafer W by controlling the pressure in the pressure chambers C1 to C4. It is considered that it can be suitably suppressed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the protective film forming modules 300A and 300B and the protective film removing modules 400A and 400B are provided within the polishing apparatus 1000 . However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and includes a protective film forming apparatus (protective film forming unit) for forming the protective film 40 on the back surface of the wafer W and a protective film forming unit for removing the protective film 40 from the back surface of the wafer W. At least one of the protective film removing device (protective film removing section) and the polishing device 1000 may be provided separately.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, by pressing the polishing pad 10 against the wafer W, the surface to be processed of the wafer W is polished. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and as an example, instead of using the polishing pad 10, or in addition, the surface to be processed of the wafer W may be polished by blasting. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of polishing processing in the polishing apparatus of the modified example. As shown in FIG. 10, the modified polishing apparatus includes an injection mechanism 35 having a plurality of injection ports 35a facing the surface (front surface) of the wafer W to be processed. As an example, the plurality of injection ports 35a may be arranged in a straight line along the radial direction of the wafer W. As the wafer W rotates, the polishing liquid (blasting material) is sprayed from the injection port 35a onto the surface of the wafer W to be processed, whereby the surface of the wafer W to be processed is polished (blasted). The injection of the polishing liquid from the injection mechanism 35 is performed by moving at least one of the polishing table 30A supporting the wafer W and the injection mechanism 35 so as to change the injection position on the surface to be processed. may be broken.

The present invention can also be described as the following forms.
[Mode 1] According to mode 1, there is provided a substrate processing system for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate, wherein the substrate processing system forms a protective film on the back surface of the surface to be processed in the substrate. , a substrate processing unit for processing the surface to be processed of the substrate, and a protective film removing unit for removing the protective film from the back surface of the substrate. According to the first aspect, the surface to be processed can be processed while the protective film is formed on the back surface of the substrate. As a result, deformation, contamination, etc. of the back surface of the surface to be processed can be prevented.

[Mode 2] According to Mode 2, in Mode 1, the protective film forming section applies a liquid protective material to the back surface of the substrate and dries it to form the protective film.

[Mode 3] According to Mode 3, in Mode 2, the protective film forming section forms the protective film on the back surface of the substrate as the substrate rotates.

[Mode 4] According to Mode 4, in Mode 1, the protective film forming section forms the protective film by attaching a film to the back surface of the substrate.

[Mode 5] According to Mode 5, in Modes 1 to 4, the protective film removing section removes the protective film by causing a removing liquid to act on the protective film.

[Mode 6] According to Mode 6, in Modes 1 to 5, the protective film removing section removes the protective film by peeling the protective film from the back surface of the substrate.

[Mode 7] According to Mode 7, in Modes 1 to 6, the substrate processing system has a substrate cleaning section for cleaning the substrate, and the protective film removing section removes the substrate by the substrate cleaning section. The protective film is removed during cleaning of the .

[Mode 8] According to Mode 8, in Modes 1 to 7, the protective film is water-soluble. According to Mode 8, it is possible to preferably prevent the protective film from remaining on the back surface of the substrate by washing after removing the protective film from the back surface of the substrate.

[Mode 9] According to Mode 9, in Modes 1 to 8, the protective film is PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PSF (polysulfone), PES (polyethersulfone), PEI (polyetherimide), or PI (polyimide). , PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PE (polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate), PA (polyamide), PAA (polyacrylamide), polyketone, cellulose mixed ester, polyvinylidene fluoride, PSQ (polystyrene quaternary ammonium salt) , polyethylenimine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, amino group-containing cationic poly(meth)acrylic acid ester, amino group-containing cationic poly(meth)acrylamide, polyamineamide-epichlorohydrin, polyallylamine, polydicyandiamide, chitosan, It is formed from one or more materials of cationic chitosan, cationic starch containing amino groups, cationic cellulose containing amino groups, cationic polyvinyl alcohol containing amino groups and acid salts of the above polymers.

[Mode 10] According to Mode 10, in Mode 5, the removal liquid is at least one of water, gas-dissolved water, ammonia, ammonia hydrogen peroxide, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), choline, and ammonium hydroxide. selected from

[Embodiment 11] According to Embodiment 11, in Embodiments 1 to 10, the processing in the substrate processing section is any one of substrate polishing processing, grinding processing, entire back surface polishing processing, bevel polishing processing, or substrate cleaning processing. It is characterized by being one.

[Mode 12] According to Mode 12, there is provided a substrate processing method for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate, wherein a protective film is formed on the back surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate, and The surface is treated to remove the protective film from the back surface of the substrate. According to form 10, the same effects as those of the substrate processing apparatus of form 1 can be obtained.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described embodiment of the present invention is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In addition, any combination of the embodiments and modifications is possible within the scope of solving at least part of the above-described problems or achieving at least part of the effects, and is described in the scope of claims and the specification. Any combination or omission of each component is possible.

3 Polishing unit 4 Cleaning unit 5 Controller 10 Polishing pad 22 Transfer robot 31A Top ring 190 Roll cleaning chamber 192 Pen cleaning chamber 300 Protective film forming chambers 300A, 300B Protective film forming module (protective film forming part)
306 Nozzle 307 Jig 308 Nozzle 400 Protective film removing chambers 400A, 400B Protective film removing module (protective film removing unit)
1000... Polishing device W... Wafer (substrate)

Claims (12)

A substrate processing system for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate,
a protective film forming unit for forming a protective film on the back surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate;
a substrate processing unit for processing the surface to be processed of the substrate;
a protective film removing unit for removing the protective film from the back surface of the substrate;
A substrate processing system comprising: 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said protective film forming section applies a liquid protective material to said back surface of said substrate and dries it to form said protective film. 3. The substrate processing system according to claim 2, wherein said protective film forming section forms said protective film on said back surface of said substrate while rotating said substrate. 2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said protective film forming section forms said protective film by attaching a film to said back surface of said substrate. 5. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said protective film removing section removes said protective film by causing a removing liquid to act on said protective film. 6. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein said protective film removing section removes said protective film by peeling said protective film from said back surface of said substrate. The substrate processing system has a substrate cleaning section for cleaning the substrate,
The protective film removing unit removes the protective film while the substrate is being cleaned by the substrate cleaning unit.
The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said protective film is water-soluble. The protective film includes PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PSF (polysulfone), PES (polyethersulfone), PEI (polyetherimide), PI (polyimide), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PE (polyethylene), PC ( polycarbonate), PA (polyamide), PAA (polyacrylamide), polyketone, cellulose mixed ester, polyvinylidene fluoride, PSQ (polystyrene quaternary ammonium salt), polyethyleneimine, polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, amino group-containing cationic poly (Meth)acrylic acid esters, amino group-containing cationic poly(meth)acrylamides, polyamineamide-epichlorohydrin, polyallylamine, polydicyandiamide, chitosan, cationized chitosan, amino group-containing cationized starch, amino group-containing cationized 9. The substrate processing system of any one of claims 1 to 8, formed from one or more materials of cellulose, cationic polyvinyl alcohol containing amino groups, and acid salts of said polymers. The removal liquid is at least one of water, gas-dissolved water, ammonia, ammonia hydrogen peroxide, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), choline, ammonium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone water. 6. The substrate processing system of claim 5, selected from: 11. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the process in the substrate processing section is any one of polishing process, grinding process, whole back surface polishing process, bevel polishing process, or substrate cleaning process. 1. The substrate processing system according to claim 1. A substrate processing method for processing a surface to be processed of a substrate, comprising:
forming a protective film on the back surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate;
subjecting the surface to be processed of the substrate to processing;
removing the protective film from the back surface of the substrate;
A substrate processing method characterized by:

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