JP2601829B2 - Wet processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wet processing technique, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a wet processing technique including a developing process, an etching process, and a stripping process of a resist film. Things.

[Conventional technology]

An active matrix type liquid crystal display device is known. In a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal is sealed in a space (gap) formed between two upper and lower transparent glass substrates.

The liquid crystal corresponding to each pixel displaying an image is controlled by a transparent pixel electrode (ITO) arranged for each pixel and a common transparent pixel electrode (ITO) arranged commonly for each pixel. I have. The potential of the transparent pixel electrode arranged for each pixel is controlled by a thin film transistor, so-called TFT.

Each of the transparent pixel electrode and the thin film transistor is formed on a surface (liquid crystal side) of a lower transparent glass substrate.
The thin film transistor is formed by sequentially laminating a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, an i-type semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode on a surface of a transparent glass substrate. A scanning signal line (gate line) for selecting a thin film transistor is formed integrally with a gate electrode. The video signal line (drain line) is formed integrally with the drain electrode. The transparent pixel electrode is connected to a source electrode of the thin film transistor. The common transparent pixel electrode is formed on the surface (liquid crystal side) of the upper transparent glass substrate.

A wet processing technique (wet process) is used for pattern formation of each layer constituting a thin film transistor, a transparent pixel electrode, a common transparent pixel electrode, and the like of the liquid crystal display device. Wet processing technology mainly consists of development processing,
It is a general term for a series of processes of etching (wet etching) and stripping.

The development process is a process of forming a latent image of a pattern on a photoresist film applied on the layer, and then developing the photoresist film to form an etching mask. The etching process is a process of performing wet etching using the etching mask to form the layer in a predetermined pattern. The stripping process is a process of stripping and removing the etching mask.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Each of the developing process, the etching process, and the peeling process of the wet processing technique is performed by a so-called batch processing method. The batch processing method is a method in which a plurality of transparent glass substrates having a photoresist film coated on the above layer are stored in a substrate cassette, and each processing is performed in this state. In the substrate cassette, a transparent glass substrate is stored in an upright state so that the surface to be processed (the liquid crystal side surface) coated with the photoresist film is vertical.

The development process is completed by developing the photoresist film with a developing solution, repeating washing with water several times, drying with a rinser drier, and post-baking (hardening the photoresist film). This development process is performed by an operator carrying the substrate cassette and manually immersing (dipping) the substrate cassette in each processing liquid. The development process is performed by the operator based on a schedule listing the processing order and processing time. The etching process and the stripping process performed after the development process are performed by the same method as the development process.

According to the study of the present inventor, it has been confirmed that this type of wet processing technique performs each processing based on the judgment of the operator, so that each processing is slightly different, and stable wet processing is not performed. Was done. For example, an etching mask could not be surely formed in the developing process, and a defect caused by over-etching or insufficient etching in the etching process occurred frequently. As a result, the production yield of the liquid crystal display device decreases.

According to the study of the present inventor, in the above-described wet processing technology, the processing of the next stage is often stagnant, and it is not possible to smoothly perform each processing in order. That is, in the above-described wet processing technique, the stagnation time (waiting time) from the end of the development processing to the start of the etching processing or from the end of the etching processing to the start of the stripping processing becomes long. As a result, the time required for the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device becomes longer, and the time until the product is completed becomes longer. The current liquid crystal display device requires about 30 days to complete the product.

In order to solve such a problem, the present inventor has studied an integrated automatic line system for wet processing. This integrated automation line system employs the above-described batch processing method, and is configured to automatically immerse a substrate cassette containing a plurality of transparent glass substrates sequentially in each processing liquid.

However, since the surface to be processed of the transparent glass substrate housed in the substrate cassette is blocked by another transparent glass substrate, unevenness occurs in each of the developing process, the etching process, and the peeling process. In particular, since spray cleaning cannot be performed from both sides, ionic contaminants and foreign substances are carried into the next processing tank, and many processing tanks are required for removing dirt. Also,
In the drying process performed at the final stage of each process, radiant heat cannot be used, so that the surface to be processed of the transparent glass substrate cannot be sufficiently dried. That is, it is difficult to realize an integrated automation line system.

Therefore, the present inventor has proposed an integrated automation line system,
Consideration has been given to adopting a so-called single-wafer method in which transparent glass substrates are processed one by one. This integrated automated line system is configured to sandwich transparent glass substrates one by one with a collet, for example, and immerse them in a processing liquid. The transparent glass substrate is conveyed in the horizontal direction by a belt conveyor with the surface to be processed facing upward, and is immersed in the above-mentioned processing by spraying, showering, or the like with the surface to be treated facing upward.

However, the area occupied by the transfer of each processing liquid tank and the transparent glass substrate increases, so that the wet processing apparatus forming the integrated automated line system becomes large.
The integrated automated line system designed by the inventor reached a total length of about 70 [m]. That is, it is difficult to realize an integrated automation line system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of configuring an integrated automatic line system for wet processing in the wet processing technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of configuring an integrated automatic line system for wet processing including development processing, etching processing, and stripping processing in wet processing technology.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of performing stable wet processing and reducing the area occupied by the wet processing in the wet processing technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of realizing the mass production of the wet processing and reducing the size of the wet processing apparatus in the wet processing technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving a yield in manufacturing in a wet processing technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wet processing technique capable of reducing the time required for wet processing and the time required for completing a product.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a technique for simplifying the configuration of a wet processing apparatus, particularly a transfer apparatus for a substrate to be processed, in a wet processing technique.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention are as follows.
It will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means for solving the problem]

The outline of a typical invention disclosed in the present application is briefly described as follows.

That is, a wet processing apparatus that performs wet processing on the substrates that are transported one by one, and transport means that transports the substrates in a direction substantially parallel to the ground surface and in a direction perpendicular to the front and back surfaces thereof, A plurality of wet processing tanks filled with a wet processing liquid and arranged in parallel along the transport direction of the transport means, and a substrate lifting / lowering means which is disposed in each of the wet processing tanks and lowers and raises the substrate as it is And connecting means for collectively transferring the substrates arranged on each of the wet processing tanks to the substrate lifting / lowering means of each of the wet processing tanks by the transfer by the transfer means, and The substrate elevating means can set the time for immersing in the wet processing liquid according to the wet processing time of each substrate. It is an butterfly.

(Operation)

According to the above-described means, processing unevenness can be eliminated by the single-wafer method, and stable wet processing can be performed. Therefore, mass production of wet processing can be performed, and the wet processing is required by erecting a substrate to be processed. Since the occupied area can be reduced, the size of the apparatus can be reduced, and the driving device for transporting the substrate to be processed can be reduced, so that the transport device can be simplified. .

Further, the substrate to be processed can be sequentially transferred from the wet processing tank to the next wet processing tank, so that continuous wet processing can be realized.

In addition, since the substrate lifting / lowering means for each wet processing tank can set the time for immersing the substrate in the wet processing liquid according to the wet processing time of each substrate, the reliability of each wet processing is individually determined. Process can be performed.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described together with an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wet processing technique used in an active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

In all the drawings for describing the embodiments, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their repeated description will be omitted.

〔Example〕

(Embodiment I) FIG. 1 (schematic block diagram) schematically shows a wet processing apparatus provided with an integrated wet processing line system that is Embodiment I of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wet processing apparatus is mainly composed of an integrated automation line system including a developing section, an etching section (wet etching section), and a stripping section.

The development processing unit is configured to develop the photoresist film applied to the liquid crystal side surface (processing surface) of the transparent glass substrate (processing substrate) SUB to form an etching mask. Transparent glass substrate SUB conveyed to the development processing section
The photoresist film applied to the surface is in a state where a latent image is formed. The application of the photoresist film is performed by, for example, a spinner.

The development processing unit is configured to automatically perform wet processing sequentially from the left side in the drawing in each wet processing tank disposed between the loader (supply stocker) 1 and the unloader (storage stocker) 10. . A plurality of wet processing tanks are arranged in the transport direction of the transparent glass substrate SUB. The transport of the transparent glass substrate SUB is performed in a single-wafer manner.

The transparent glass substrate SUB supplied from the loader 1 is
First, it is transported to the preliminary tank 2 and the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is cleaned.

Next, the photoresist film transported to the first developing tank 3 or the second developing tank 4 and applied to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is developed (dissolved) to form an etching mask. First
The developing tank 3 contains, for example, an organic alkali (tetramethylammonium hydroxide 2.4 [%]) or the like as a developing solution (wet processing solution). The second developing tank 4 contains, for example, an inorganic alkali (potassium hydroxide 6 [%]) or the like as a developing solution.

Next, the developing solution that has been sequentially transported to the first washing tank 5, the second washing tank 6, and the third washing tank 7 and adhered to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is washed.

Next, it is conveyed to the hot water drying tank 8 and is heated to about 80 [° C.]
After being heated and cleaned, hot air 8a is blown in the shape of an air knife to dry the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB. As the hot air 8a, for example, hot air of nitrogen gas is used so that a water mark (water spot) is not formed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.

Next, it is transported to the baking furnace 9 and subjected to post baking. Post baking is performed, for example, at a temperature of about 120 ° C. for 4 hours.
Perform for about [minutes]. Post baking is performed to harden the etching mask (photoresist film) and improve the film strength for the subsequent etching process.

 After that, it is stored in the unloader 10.

The etching unit (wet etching unit)
Using an etching mask formed of the photoresist film, the layer formed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is formed in a predetermined pattern. The etching unit is configured to automatically perform wet processing sequentially from the left side in the drawing in each wet processing tank disposed between the loader 10 and the unloader 19. A plurality of wet processing tanks are arranged in the transport direction of the transparent glass substrate SUB, similarly to the development processing section. The transport of the transparent glass substrate SUB is also performed in a single-wafer manner.

The transparent glass substrate supplied from the loader 10 is first conveyed to the preliminary tank 11, and the surface of the transparent glass substrate is cleaned. The loader 10 is configured to supply the transparent glass substrate SUB that has been subjected to wet processing (development processing) in the development processing section. This preliminary tank 11 activates the surface of the material of the layer forming the pattern (in the present embodiment, the material of the layer forming the pattern is a chromium layer, an aluminum layer, and a transparent electrode layer), and uniformly starts the etching in the etching tank. The preliminary tank 11 contains, for example, diluted hydrochloric acid as a wet treatment liquid.

Next, it is transported to the washing tank 12, and the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is washed.

Next, the layer is transported to the etching tank 13 and the layer on the surface of the transparent glass substrate is formed in a predetermined pattern using an etching mask formed of the photoresist film. This etching bath 13 is provided for each material of a layer forming a pattern.
There are multiple tanks. Since the wet processing apparatus of this embodiment uses three types of materials as described above, the etching tank 13A for chromium and the etching tank 1 for aluminum are used.
3B and an etching tank 13C for a transparent electrode. The etching bath 13A contains, for example, ceric ammonium nitrate as an etching solution (wet processing solution). The etching bath 13B contains, for example, H ₃ PO ₄ + HNO ₃ + CH ₃ COOH as an etching solution. Etching tank 13
C contains, for example, HNO ₃ + HCl as an etchant.

Next, the etchant that has been transported to the washing tank 14 and adhered to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is washed. Although not shown, the water washing 14 is provided with three types of washing tanks for each of the etching tanks 13A, 13B, and 13C.

Next, it is sequentially transported to the first hot pure water tank 15, the second hot pure water tank 16, and the third hot pure water tank 17, and cleans the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.

Next, after being conveyed to the hot water drying tank 18 and washed with hot pure water, hot air 18a is blown to dry the surface of the transparent glass substrate. As the hot air 18a, similarly to the hot air 8a, for example, hot air of nitrogen gas is used so that a water mark is not formed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.

 Next, it is stored in the unloader 19.

The stripping unit is configured to strip and remove the etching mask from the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.
The stripping section is configured to automatically perform wet processing sequentially from the left side in the drawing in each wet processing tank disposed between the loader 19 and the unloader 32. A plurality of wet processing tanks are arranged in the transport direction of the transparent glass substrate SUB similarly to the development processing section and the etching processing section, respectively. The transport of the transparent glass substrate SUB is also performed in a single-wafer manner.

The transparent glass substrate SUB supplied from the loader 19 is
First, it is transported to the baking furnace 20 and subjected to baking.
The baking is performed, for example, at a temperature of about 120 ° C. for about 4 minutes.

Next, it is sequentially transported to the first peeling tank 21 and the second peeling tank 22,
The etching mask formed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is peeled (dissolved). 1st peeling tank 21, 2nd peeling tank
22 contains, for example, a mixed solvent system (such as orthodichlorobenzene) as a stripping liquid (wet processing liquid).

Next, the stripping solution that has been sequentially transported to the first stripping solution removing tank 23, the second stripping solution removing tank 24, the third stripping solution removing tank 25, and the fourth stripping solution removing tank 26, and has adhered to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB. Dissolve. Each of the stripping solution removing tanks 23, 24, 25, 26 contains, for example, methylene chloride as a stripping removing solution (wet processing solution). The stripping / removing liquid in the fourth stripping liquid removing tank 26 is heated and evaporated by the heater H into the third stripping liquid removing tank 25, and the condensed liquid is passed through the water separator 26A. The second stripping solution removing tank 24 flows the stripping and removing liquid from the third stripping solution removing tank 25, and the first stripping solution removing tank 23 flows the stripping and removing liquid from the second stripping solution removing tank 24. The stripping solution in the first stripping solution removing tank 23 flows into the fourth stripping solution removing tank 26 and is circulated.
The stripping solution adhering to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is sequentially dissolved from the first stripping solution removing tank 23, and finally the fourth stripping solution removing tank.
Vapor cleaning is performed by the vapor of the stripping and removing liquid from 26.
In this vapor cleaning, when the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is relatively cooled, vapor adheres easily and the degree of cleaning is higher.

Next, it is conveyed to the hot pure water tank 27, and the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is washed with hot pure water. After that, the first hot pure water washing tank 28, the second hot pure water washing tank 29, and the third hot pure water washing tank 30 are washed. The substrates are sequentially transported to clean the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.

Next, after being conveyed to the hot water drying tank 31 and washed with hot pure water, hot air 31a is blown to dry the surface of the transparent glass substrate. Hot air 31a, like each of the hot air 8a, 18a,
Use hot air of nitrogen gas.

 Next, it is stored in the unloader 32.

By performing these series of development processing, etching processing, and stripping processing, the wet processing ends.

Next, a description will be given of a specific configuration of each unit constituting the integrated automatic line system of the wet processing apparatus described above.

Each of the loaders or unloaders 1, 10, 19, and 33 provided in each of the processing units is configured as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part showing a front part of a developing section of the wet processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the loader 1. Loader or unloader 1,10,19,
Since each of the 33 has basically the same structure, the loader 1
Is illustrated only and described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the loader (supply stocker) 1 removably supports a substrate holding jig (substrate holding means) 40 for holding the transparent glass substrate SUB in a single-wafer manner. It is configured. The loader 1 mainly includes a pair of jig supports 1A, a jig support 1B, a moving table 1C, and a moving device 1D.

The jig support 1A is attached to the jig support 1B, and is configured to dispose a plurality of substrate holding jigs 40 in the transport direction and detachably support the jigs. The jig support 1A
It is composed of a light aluminum alloy that is relatively lightweight and has high mechanical strength. Also, the jig support 1A may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel or a resin material such as a peak (polyethyl-telketone) material.

The jig support 1B is configured to be detachably mounted on the moving table 1C.

The moving table 1C is configured to move the jig support 1B in the carrying direction (the direction of arrow A) of the transparent glass substrate SUB by the driving device 1D. This movement is performed so that after one substrate holding jig 40 is conveyed, the next substrate holding jig 40 is located at that position.

The driving device 1D mainly includes a rack 1E fixed to the moving table 1C, a pinion 1F engaged with the rack 1F, and a step motor 1G for rotating the pinion 1F stepwise.

The substrate holding jig 40 for holding the transparent glass substrate SUB in a single-wafer manner is configured as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a front view of the substrate holding jig 40, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the substrate holding jig 40.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a substrate holding jig (substrate holding means) 40 is configured to hold the transparent glass substrate SUB in a single-wafer manner. That is, the substrate holding jig 40
Is configured to hold one transparent glass substrate SUB so that the surface (the surface to be processed) is not blocked by another transparent glass substrate SUB during wet processing. The substrate holding jig 40 is configured to hold the transparent glass substrate SUB such that the surface (the surface to be processed) is substantially vertical.

The board holding jig 40 mainly includes two holding sides 40A and 40B,
It comprises a supported portion 40C, a transferred portion 40D, and holding members 40E to 40G. Each of the holding sides 40A and 40B is configured to intersect at a predetermined angle, for example, an angle of about 90 [degrees]. That is, the holding sides 40A and 40B are formed in an L-shape or a V-shape. For example, the substrate holding jig 40 for holding a rectangular transparent glass substrate SUB (270 × 200 [mm]) of about 10 [inch] has a long holding side 40A of, for example, 350 [mm].
The holding side 40B on the short side is configured with a dimension of about 300 [mm]. Each of the holding sides 40A and 40B is made of, for example, a high melting point metal material (titanium in the present embodiment) so as to withstand various wet processing liquids and withstand heating by the baking furnaces 9 and 20. Further, each of the holding sides 40A and 40B may be made of a resin material such as a peak material.

The holding side 40A has two holding members 40E and 40F and a holding side 40B.
Is provided with one holding member 40G. That is, the substrate holding jig 40 is provided with a total of three holding members 40E to 40G. Each of the holding members 40E to 40G is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a groove having a reverse trapezoidal cross section is formed in a circumferential portion thereof as shown in FIG. The holding members 40E to 40G each having a cylindrical shape are configured such that the transparent glass substrate SUB can be smoothly mounted on the substrate holding jig 40 from the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Each of the grooves of the holding members 40E to 40G has an end portion (side β, γ shown in FIG. 4) of the transparent glass substrate SUB.
) Are configured to engage by their own weight. The transparent glass substrate SUB has two different sides (side β,
γ), is held by three-point support based on the three holding members 40E to 40G. The transparent glass substrate SUB held by the three-point support in this manner includes the holding members 40E to 40E.
Each of the 40G grooves is sandwiched between the grooves so that there is no play due to its own weight, and can be configured to be detachable. That is, the transparent glass substrate SUB is held in a stable state with the substrate holding jig 4
It can be detachably held at zero. Holding members 40E-40
Each of G is made of, for example, a fluorine resin material. Also,
Each of the holding members 40E to 40G can be made of a resin material such as a peak material, and when each of the holding sides 40A and 40B is made of the same resin material, they can be molded integrally therewith. .

The transparent glass substrate SUB is configured to be mounted on the substrate holding jig 40 by a transfer device (not shown) that holds and transfers the rear surface facing the front surface by vacuum suction.

The supported portion 40C is integrally formed with each of the holding sides 40A and 40B. The supported portion 40C is a jig supporting portion 1 of the loader 1.
The substrate holding jig 40 is configured to be in contact with A and to support the substrate holding jig 40 on the loader 1. In addition, the supported portion 40C is configured to support the substrate holding jig 40 even during wet processing.

The transported section 40D is formed in a convex shape, and the loader 1
Then, the substrate holding jig 40 is configured to be stably transferred to each wet processing tank. Although described later, the transfer finger portion 42A of the transfer device 42 is configured to abut the transferred portion 40D.

The board holding jig 40 has a holding side 40A, a holding side 40B, and a supported part.
Each of the transfer member 40C, the transferred portion 40D, and the holding members 40E to 40G is integrally molded. In other words, the substrate holding jig
40 is not only composed of a simple structure, but also very easy to form.

As described above, in the wet processing apparatus, the transparent glass substrate SUB (substrate to be processed) is held in a single-wafer manner, and the surface (target surface) of the transparent glass substrate SUB is held so as to be substantially vertical. By configuring the substrate holding jig (substrate holding means) 40, the surface is always exposed during the wet processing, the unevenness of the wet processing can be eliminated, and the stable wet processing can be performed. Since the transparent glass substrate SUB can be erected and the area occupied by the wet processing can be reduced, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

Further, the substrate holding jig 40 can immediately drain the wet processing liquid by holding the transparent glass substrate SUB upright (substantially vertical). That is,
In each wet processing, the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is dried better (because it is faster), so that the next wet processing can be immediately performed, and the time required for completing the product can be reduced. . In addition, in each wet processing, since the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is dried well, the next wet processing can be immediately performed,
There is no longer any need to bring the previous wet processing liquid into the next wet processing liquid. In addition, in each wet treatment, the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is dried well, so that the use of a combustible solvent such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) which accelerates the drying can be stopped. Can be enhanced.

The substrate holding jig 40 is configured so that each of the holding sides 40A and 40B has a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and is configured to hold the transparent glass substrate SUB obliquely. The transparent glass substrate SUB held at an angle is such that one corner (the corner c shown in FIG. 4) around it is located at the lowest position with respect to the other corners (the corners a, b, and d). Is set to
That is, the substrate holding jig 40 is configured to be able to hold the transparent glass substrate SUB such that the wet processing liquid adhered to the surface (the surface to be processed) dripping substantially from one point (corner c).

As described above, the substrate holding jig 40 includes the transparent glass substrate SUB
Is held obliquely, liquid dripping can be positively generated from one point (corner c) of the transparent glass substrate SUB, so that the wet processing liquid can be drained more immediately.

Further, the substrate holding jig 40 is, as shown in FIG.
The transparent glass substrate SUB is configured to be held at a position where the surface (the surface to be processed) of the transparent glass substrate SUB does not exist in the direction in which the attractive force acts. That is, the substrate holding jig 40
The side β where the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB does not exist in the direction in which the attractive force acts is held on the holding side 40A with the holding members 40E and 40F interposed therebetween, and the side γ is held on the holding side 40B with the holding member 40G interposed. It is configured to hold in.

As described above, the substrate holding jig 40 holds the transparent glass substrate SUB at a position where the surface does not exist in the direction in which the attractive force acts, thereby holding the holding member 40 on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.
Liquid dripping of the wet processing liquid from each of E, 40F, and 40G can be eliminated. Therefore, the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB can reduce wet processing unevenness. When the transparent glass substrate SUB is held at a position (side α, δ) where the surface exists in the direction in which the attractive force acts, the transparent glass substrate SUB
The wet processing liquid from the holding member drips on the surface of the substrate.

Further, as described above, the substrate holding jig 40 is configured to hold the transparent glass substrate SUB by two holding sides 40A and 40B intersecting at a predetermined angle.

As described above, the substrate holding jig 40 can freely change the size of the transparent glass substrate SUB by holding the transparent glass substrate SUB by the two holding sides 40A and 40B. In other words, the substrate holding jig 40 can freely and stably hold not only 10 [inch], but also a transparent glass substrate SUB of a larger or smaller size.
Being able to freely change the size of the transparent glass substrate SUB can diversify the wet processing process. That is, the wet processing process is not limited to the liquid crystal display device, and can be applied to a transparent glass substrate for forming a reticle or a photomask, and a semiconductor wafer (semiconductor substrate) for forming a semiconductor device. Further, since the substrate holding jig 40 holds the transparent glass substrate at three points supported by the three holding members 40E to 40G, the size of the transparent glass substrate SUB can be freely changed also in this regard.

Further, the substrate holding jig 40 is formed in an L-shape or a V-shape so as to intersect each of the holding sides 40A and 40B holding the transparent glass substrate SUB, so that the wet adhering to the substrate holding jig 40 itself is achieved. Since the treatment liquid can be positively dripped from the intersecting point, the liquid can be drained immediately.

The substrate holding jig 40 for holding the transparent glass substrate SUB is transported from the loader 1 to an elevating device 41 provided for each wet processing tank, as shown in FIG. 6 (a front view of the elevating device). The substrate holding jig 40 transferred to the elevating device 41 is immersed in a wet processing liquid in a wet processing tank.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lifting device 41 mainly includes a vertical moving table 41A, a jig support 41B, a rotation preventing member 41C, and a vertical driving device 41D.

The vertical moving table 41A is formed in an L-shape, and a part thereof is formed integrally (or as a separate member) with the jig support 41B. The vertical moving table 41A is configured to support the substrate holding jig 40 with the jig supporting portion 41B interposed therebetween. The jig support portion 41B is configured to abut on the supported portion 40C of the substrate holding jig 40. Jig support part 41B of this contact part
Is formed in a concave shape in order to stably support the supported portion 40C of the substrate holding jig 40.

The vertical moving table 41A has holding sides 40A and 40A of the substrate holding jig 40.
At a position corresponding to the intersection with B, a rotation preventing member 41C is provided. The rotation preventing member 41C is formed in a concave shape so as to define the positions of the holding sides 40A and 40B of the substrate holding jig 40 from both sides. The rotation prevention member 41C is configured to stably hold the substrate holding jig 40 so as not to rotate.

Each of the vertical moving table 41A, the jig support 41B, and the rotation preventing member 41C is made of a metal material such as titanium steel or other high melting point metal, a peak material, and a hooker resin so as to withstand at least the wet processing liquid to be used. And the like.

The other part of the vertical moving table 41A is connected to the vertical driving device 41D. The vertical driving device 41D is configured to move the vertical moving table 41A in the vertical direction (the direction of arrow B).
That is, the vertical driving device 41D supports the substrate holding jig 40 conveyed near the insertion port of the wet processing tank,
Insert this substrate holding jig 40 into the wet processing tank (down)
Then, the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB can be subjected to wet processing. The vertical drive device 41
D is configured so that the transparent glass substrate SUB that has been subjected to the wet processing is moved (raised) again to the vicinity of the insertion port, and the substrate holding jig 40 can be transported to the next wet processing tank. The up-down driving device 41D is configured by, for example, an air cylinder. Further, the vertical drive device 41D may be constituted by a lifting mechanism including a hydraulic cylinder and a step motor. The driving of the vertical driving device 41D, that is, the elevation of the vertical moving table 41A, is sequence-controlled by a microcomputer (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 (partial cross-sectional perspective views of the developing tank), the developing tank 3 (or 4) of the developing section as the wet processing tank moves the substrate holding jig 40 and the elevating device 41 up and down. It is configured such that the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB can be wet-processed with the base 41A and the like interposed. That is, the developing tank 3 is basically formed of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped having an insertion port for the transparent glass substrate SUB on the upper side. Developing tank 3
Is configured such that the transparent glass substrate SUB can be inserted in a single-wafer manner and the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is inserted substantially vertically.

A liquid tank section for retaining a developing solution (wet processing liquid) is formed at the bottom of the developing tank 3. The amount of the developer in the liquid tank portion exceeding the reference level is discharged to the spare tank 3B by the liquid amount maintaining mechanism 3A, so that the reference level is always maintained. The liquid amount maintaining mechanism 3A is fixed to a side wall of the developing tank 3 by, for example, welding. The bottom of the developing tank 3 is formed in a V-shape so as to collect the contaminants in one place in order to prevent the contaminants in the developer from settling. At the bottom of the developing tank 3, a discharge valve 3C for discharging the developing solution is provided.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, the developer discharged to the preliminary tank 3B is supplied (circulated) to the developing tank 3 through the pump P and the filter F as shown in FIG.
As described above, by forming the spare tank 3B in the developing tank 3 and circulating the developing solution, the substantial amount of the developing solution can be increased, so that the size of the developing tank 3 can be reduced. In other words, the developing tank 3 has a large amount of developing solution despite its small size, so that stable developing processing can be performed.
Note that a spare tank 4B is provided in the developing tank 4 of the developing section. Spare tank 11 of spare tank 11 in etching section
a, spare tanks 13a-13 for each of the etching tanks 13A-13C
c is provided. Preliminary tanks 21A and 22B are provided in the stripping tanks 21 and 22, respectively, of the stripping section.

A processing liquid spraying device 3D is configured between the insertion opening of the transparent glass substrate SUB of the developing tank 3 and the liquid tank section. The processing liquid spraying device 3D is configured to spray the developing liquid on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB that has been subjected to the development processing in the liquid tank portion of the developing tank 3. As the developer to be sprayed, a new solution is used. Although the supply source of the processing liquid spraying device 3D is not shown, a supply tank for supplying a developing liquid of a new liquid, a control valve for controlling the amount of the supplied developing liquid, and supplying the developing liquid (arrow C) Supply pipe). The supply pipe of the processing liquid spraying device 3D is provided on the outer periphery of the developing tank 3, and the developing liquid is blown out from the outlet formed on the side wall of the developing tank 3 (blows out in the direction of arrow D). . That is, since the supply pipe of the processing liquid spraying device 3D is piped to the outer peripheral portion, the inner surface of the developing tank 3 becomes flat, and it is very easy to clean the inner surface during maintenance.

In the liquid tank portion of the developing tank 3, the processing liquid spraying device 3D constantly supplies a constant amount of new liquid developer and the liquid amount maintaining mechanism 3A constantly discharges a constant amount of developing liquid. The concentration can be kept constant. In other words, in the developing process in the developing tank 3, the concentration of the developing solution can be constantly maintained at a constant level, so that the developing conditions can be constantly maintained at a constant level and a stable developing process can be performed.

The developing tank 3 is made of a resin material such as vinyl chloride so as to withstand the developing solution. The washing tanks 5, 6, and 7 at the next stage of the developing tank 3 and the etching tank 13 of the etching section are also made of a resin material. Hot water drying tank 8,1 as wet processing tank
8, 32 and the hot pure water tanks 15, 16, 17, 27, etc. are made of a metal material such as stainless steel.

As described above, in the wet processing apparatus, the developing tank (wet processing tank) 3 into which the transparent glass substrate SUB can be inserted in a single-wafer manner and in a state where the surface is substantially vertical is formed. A processing solution spraying device 3D for spraying the developing solution between the insertion portion of the transparent glass substrate SUB of the developing bath 3 and the liquid bath portion. After the development processing is performed in the liquid tank section, unevenness in the development processing can be eliminated by the developer sprayed from the processing liquid spraying device 3D, so that the wet processing can be stably performed.

Further, as described above, in the wet processing apparatus, by using a new liquid for the developing solution sprayed from the processing liquid spraying apparatus 3D, the new liquid can be constantly sprayed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB. Can be performed more stably. Further, by supplying the developing solution of the new solution sprayed from the processing solution spraying device 3D to the liquid tank as it is, the concentration of the developing solution can be kept constant, so that the developing process can be performed more stably.

Rinse tanks 5, 6, 7, 12, 14 as wet treatment tanks, hot pure water tank 1
Each of 5,16,17,27,28,29,30
) Is configured as shown in FIG. 8 (schematic sectional view of a wet processing tank). The washing tank 5 is basically the same as the developing tank 3 except that the washing liquid is jetted from the bottom of the liquid tank part to overflow the entire surface of the liquid in the liquid tank part. The washing tank 5 is configured to discharge contaminants having a low specific gravity, particularly of resin, by overflow. As in the case of the developing tank 3, a processing liquid spraying device 5D is configured between the insertion port of the transparent glass substrate SUB of the washing tank 5 and the liquid tank section.

Each of the hot water drying tanks 8, 18, and 31 as a wet processing tank (hereinafter, representatively referred to as a hot water drying tank 8) is basically the same as the water washing tank 5, but instead of the processing liquid spraying device 5, It constitutes a hot air blowing device 8A. The hot air blowing device 8A is provided with a hot air 8a (18a, 31a) in order to accelerate drying on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB.
a) is blown like an air knife.

Rinsing tank 14, hot pure water tank 15-17 of the etching processing section,
The so-called cleaning tanks of the stripping solution removing tanks 23 to 25 and the hot and pure water washing tanks 28 to 30 in the stripping section are denoted by reference numeral US in FIG. 1 (the specific structure is not shown). ), An ultrasonic vibration device is connected. The ultrasonic vibration device is configured to ultrasonically vibrate the wet processing liquid (cleaning liquid) in the liquid tank section of these cleaning tanks in the direction of arrow E as shown in FIG.

As described above, the processing liquid spraying device 5D is formed in the wet processing tank particularly used as the cleaning tank, and the ultrasonic vibration device is connected to the wet processing tank, so that the wet pressure applied by the processing liquid spraying device 5D is applied. Since the processing liquid (cleaning liquid) can be sprayed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB, foreign substances can be surely removed, and ultrasonic vibration can be applied to the cleaning liquid in the liquid tank by an ultrasonic vibration device. Therefore, fine contaminants adhering to the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB can be reliably removed. That is, the cleaning effect can be enhanced.

Each of the preliminary tank 1 of the developing section and the preliminary tank 11 of the etching section as a wet processing tank is basically the same as the developing tank 3, except that the processing tank spraying device 3D is not provided and only the liquid tank section is provided. It is composed of

The etching tank 13 (13A to 13C) of the etching processing section as a wet processing tank is basically the same as the developing tank 3, but is constituted only by a processing liquid spraying device without providing a liquid tank section.

The post-baking process performed in the baking furnace 9 of the developing section shown in FIG. 1 is performed in a state where the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is substantially vertical, as in each wet processing tank. That is, the baking furnace 9 inserts the transparent glass substrate SUB upright and inserts the heater 9
Post-baking is performed by heating with A. The baking furnace 20 for performing the baking processing of the peeling processing section is configured similarly to the baking furnace 9 described above.

In this manner, the baking furnace 9 (or the baking furnace 9 (or
By configuring (20), the area occupied by the baking furnace 9 can be reduced, so that the wet processing apparatus can be downsized.

Further, by arranging the heater 9A of the baking furnace 9 (or 20) so as to face the front and back surfaces of the transparent glass substrate SUB, respectively, it is possible to uniformly heat each of the front and back surfaces of the transparent glass substrate SUB. As a result, the distribution of stress due to heating becomes uniform, and the transparent glass substrate SUB does not warp. As a result, the transparent glass substrate SU
Since damage to B and damage to each layer can be reduced, the production yield in wet processing can be improved.

The transparent glass substrate SUB such as from the loader 1 to the wet processing tank and from the wet processing tank to the next wet processing tank.
The transfer of the (substrate holding jig 40) is performed by the transfer device 42 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. The transfer device 42 mainly includes unit moving members 42Aa, 42Ab, 42Ac,..., Transfer finger portions 42B,
Connecting member 42C, X direction driving device 42D, Y direction driving device 42E
It is composed of

The unit moving member 42A is provided between the wet processing tank and the next wet processing tank, such as between the loader 1 and the preliminary tank 2 in the developing processing section, between the preliminary tank 2 and the developing tank 3, and the like. It is individually configured to be located. Each unit moving member 42A
Is provided with a transfer finger portion 42B that engages with the transferred portion 40D of the substrate holding jig 40 and individually transfers the substrate holding jig 40. The transfer finger portion 42B is connected to the substrate holding jig 40.
It is formed in a concave shape so that it can be stably engaged with the transported portion 40D. The unit moving member 42A is
It is configured integrally with 2B (or configured with a separate member).
Each of the unit moving member 42A and the transfer finger portion 42B is made of a metal material, such as stainless steel, which withstands various wet processing liquids and has high mechanical strength.

Each unit moving member 42A configured for each of the wet processing tanks is connected by a connecting member 42C. The connecting member 42C is configured for each processing unit, for example, each of a development processing unit, an etching processing unit, and a peeling processing unit. If necessary, a plurality of connecting members 42C may be formed in the developing section. This connecting member 42 is connected to each connected unit moving member.
It is configured to move 42A in a lump.

The connecting member 42 is connected to an X-direction driving device 42D for transferring the transparent glass substrate SUB in the transfer direction (arrow X direction). The X-direction drive device 42D is provided in the transport direction (x ₂ ),
Each unit moving member 42A connected by the connecting member 42 is moved in each of the opposite conveyance directions (x ₁ ).

The X-direction drive device 42D is connected to a Y-direction drive device 42E that moves the transparent glass substrate SUB (substrate holding jig 40) up and down (in the direction of the arrow Y). This Y-direction drive device 42E
Each unit moving member 42A connected by the connecting member 42 is moved in the upward direction (y ₁ ) and the downward direction (y ₂ ).

Each of the X-direction drive device 42D and the Y-direction drive device 42E is configured by, for example, an air cylinder. Also, the X-direction driving device 42
Each of the D and Y direction driving devices 42E may be constituted by a transport mechanism including a hydraulic cylinder and a step motor.

As described above, in the wet processing apparatus, the transparent glass substrate SUB is a single-wafer type and the wet processing tank into which the surface is substantially vertical can be inserted.
A plurality of unit moving members 42A for transporting the transparent glass substrate SUB from the wet processing tank to the next wet processing tank in the transport direction are configured for each wet processing tank, and a unit for each wet processing tank is provided. The moving members 42A are connected by the connecting members 42C, and the common driving devices 42D and 42E for transporting the transparent glass substrate SUB are connected to the plurality of connected unit moving members 42A, so that a unit between each wet processing tank is provided. Moving member
Since there is no need to provide a drive device for each 42A, the number of drive devices can be reduced, and the transfer device 42 can be simplified.

Further, since the transparent glass substrate SUB (substrate holding jig 40) can be sequentially transferred from the wet processing tank to the next wet processing tank, continuous wet processing can be realized.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport device 42 is provided with a stopper member 42F at a position close to the loader 1. The stopper member 42F is configured to regulate the operation of the unit moving member 42Aa so that the substrate holding jig 40 can be individually conveyed from the loader 1.

Next, the operation of the wet processing apparatus will be briefly described.

First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the jig support 1B is mounted on the moving table 1C of the loader 1. Jig support
On 1B, a plurality of substrate holding jigs 40 each supporting a transparent glass substrate SUB in a single-wafer manner are supported. Moving table 1C
The substrate holding jig 40 supported by the jig support 1B is moved stepwise by being driven in the transport direction by the driving of the driving device 1D.

The substrate holding jig 40 at the leading end in the transfer direction that moves stepwise
Is driven by the X-direction drive unit 42D and the Y-direction drive unit 42E, is supported by the transfer finger portion 42B of the unit moving member 42Aa, and is transferred to the jig support portion 41B of the elevating device 41 of the preliminary tank 2.

Next, by lowering the vertical moving table 41A of the lifting device 41,
The surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB is cleaned in the liquid tank section of the preliminary tank 2.

When the cleaning in the preparatory tank 2 is completed, the substrate holding jig 40 is moved to the vicinity of the insertion port of the preparatory tank 2 (transfer start and end positions) by raising the vertical moving table 41A of the elevating device 41. Then, the transparent glass substrate SUB that has been cleaned in the preliminary tank 2 by the next unit moving member 42Ab is transported to the next developing tank 3. When the substrate holding jig 40 is transferred from the preliminary tank 2 to the developing tank 3, the substrate holding jig 40 is newly transferred from the loader 1 to the preliminary tank 2, and continuous processing is performed.

The substrate holding jig 40 conveyed to the developing tank 3 is similarly inserted into a developing solution tank by the elevating device 41 and performs a developing process on the photoresist film on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB. After a lapse of a predetermined time, the processing liquid spraying device 3 is synchronized with the operation of lifting the transparent glass substrate SUB from the liquid tank portion of the developing tank 3.
By D, a new developing solution is sprayed on the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB. The spraying of the developing solution by the processing solution spraying device 3D may be performed at the stage of inserting the transparent glass substrate SUB into the developing tank 3.

When the developing process in the developing tank 3 is completed, the substrate holding jig 40 is further transported to the next developing tank 4. As described above, when the transparent glass substrate SUB is sequentially transported to the wet processing tank and the substrate holding jig 40 is stored in the unloader 10, the developing process (wet process) is completed.

The tact of the transfer device 42 (tact of the unit moving member 42A) is set based on the longest wet processing time in the developing processing section. The wet processing time of each wet processing tank is controlled by controlling the driving of the lifting / lowering device 41 in sequence.

Thereafter, an etching process and a peeling process are sequentially performed, and a series of wet processes is completed. In addition, in the etching processing section, each of the preliminary tank 11 and the etching tank 13 is configured to be able to automatically change each wet processing tank according to the processing because the wet processing liquid differs depending on the layer to be etched.

Further, after the integrated wet processing of the development processing unit is completed by the wet processing apparatus, the substrate holding jig 40 (transparent glass substrate SUB) stored in the unloader 10 can be transferred to the dry etching apparatus.

Next, a specific structure of an active matrix type color liquid crystal display device in which wet processing is actually performed by the wet processing apparatus of this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. I do.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the active matrix type liquid crystal display device, a pixel having a thin film transistor TFT and a transparent pixel electrode ITO is formed on the inner surface (liquid crystal side) of a lower transparent glass substrate SUB1. The transparent glass substrate SUB1 has a thickness of, for example, about 1.1 [mm].

Each pixel is arranged in an intersection area between a scanning signal line (gate signal line or horizontal signal line) GL and a video signal line (drain signal line or vertical signal line) DL. Scan signal line GL
Extend in the column direction and are arranged in a row direction.
The video signal lines DL extend in the row direction and are arranged in a plurality in the column direction.

The thin film transistor TFT of each pixel mainly has a gate electrode G
T, an insulating film GI, an i-type semiconductor layer AS, and a pair of a source electrode SD1 and a drain electrode SD2.

The gate electrode GT is formed of a single-layer first conductive film g1. The first conductive film g1 is formed, for example, using a chromium (Cr) film formed by sputtering and having a thickness of about 1000 [Å].

The scanning signal line GL is formed of a composite film including a first conductive film g1 and a second conductive film g2 provided thereon. The first conductive film g1 of the scanning signal line GL is formed in the same manufacturing process as the first conductive film g1 of the gate electrode GT, and is integrally formed. The second conductive film g2 is, for example, an aluminum (Al) film formed by sputtering,
It is formed with a thickness of about 00 [Å]. The second conductive film g2 is configured to reduce the resistance value of the scanning signal line GL and increase the signal transmission speed (pixel selection speed).

Further, the scanning signal line GL is configured such that the width of the second conductive film g2 is smaller than the width of the first conductive film g1. That is, the scanning signal line GL is configured so that the step shape of the side wall is reduced and the surface of the insulating film GI on the scanning signal line GL can be flattened.

The insulating film GI is used as a gate insulating film of the thin film transistor TFT. The insulating film GI is formed above the gate electrode GT and the scanning signal line GL. The insulating film GI is, for example,
Using a silicon nitride film formed by plasma CVD, 3000
It is formed with a film thickness of about [Å].

The i-type semiconductor layer AS is used as a channel forming region of the thin film transistor TFT. The i-type semiconductor layer AS is formed of an amorphous silicon film or a polycrystalline silicon film.
It is formed with a film thickness of about 3000 [Å].

Source electrode SD1 and drain electrode of thin film transistor TFT
SD2 is provided separately on the i-type semiconductor layer AS.

Each of the source electrode SD1 and the drain electrode SD2 is configured by sequentially stacking a first conductive film d1, a second conductive film d2, and a third conductive film d3 from the lower side in contact with the i-type semiconductor layer AS. The first conductive film d1, the second conductive film d2, and the third conductive film d3 of the source electrode SD1 are formed in the same manufacturing process as that of the drain electrode SD2.

The first conductive film d1 uses a chromium film formed by sputtering and has a thickness of 500 to 1000 [Å] (in this embodiment, 600 [Å]).
(About the same thickness). The chromium film is formed in a range that does not exceed about 2000 [Å] because the stress increases when the chromium film is formed thick. The chromium film has good contact with the i-type semiconductor layer AS. The chromium film is formed by a second
It forms a so-called barrier layer that prevents aluminum of the conductive film d2 from diffusing into the i-type semiconductor layer AS. First conductive film d1
In addition to chromium film, refractory metals (Mo, Ti, Ta, W)
Film, refractory metal silicide (MoSi ₂ , TiSi ₂ , TaSi ₂ , WSi ₂ )
It may be formed of a film.

The second conductive film d2 uses an aluminum film formed by sputtering, and has a thickness of 3000 to 4000 [Å] (in the present embodiment, 3000 to 4000 [Å]).
[膜厚]. The aluminum film has less stress than the chromium film and can be formed to have a large thickness, and is configured to reduce the resistance values of the source electrode SD1, the drain electrode SD2, and the video signal line DL.
That is, the second conductive film d2 is configured to increase the operation speed of the thin film transistor TFT and increase the signal transmission speed of the video signal line DL. As the second conductive film d2, in addition to the aluminum film, silicon (S
i), an aluminum film containing copper (Cu) or titanium (Ti) as an additive.

The third conductive film d3 is formed using a transparent conductive film (ITO: Nesa film) formed by sputtering and having a film thickness of 1000 to 2000 [Å] (in this embodiment, a film thickness of about 1200 [Å]). I do. The third conductive film d3 forms the source electrode SD1, the drain electrode SD2, and the video signal line DL, and also forms the transparent pixel electrode ITO.

Each of the first conductive film d1 of the source electrode SD1 and the first conductive film d1 of the drain electrode SD2 has a larger size on the channel forming region side than the upper second conductive film d2 and the third conductive film d3. I have. The first conductive film d1 is composed of the first conductive film d1 and the second conductive film
Even if a mask misalignment occurs in the manufacturing process between d2 and the third conductive film d3, the size (first conductive film d1 to third conductive film d3) is larger than that of the second conductive film d2 and the third conductive film d3. (The respective channel forming region sides may be on-the-line). First conductive film d of source electrode SD1
1. Each of the first conductive films d1 of the drain electrode SD2 is configured to define the gate length L of the thin film transistor TFT.

The source electrode SD1 is connected to the transparent pixel electrode ITO as described above. The source electrode SD1 is formed along the step shape of the i-type semiconductor layer AS (a step corresponding to a film thickness obtained by adding the film thickness of the first conductive film g1 and the film thickness of the i-type semiconductor layer AS). Specifically, the source electrode SD1 is connected to the i-type semiconductor layer AS
A first conductive film d1 formed along the stepped shape of the first conductive film d1, and a second conductive film d2 formed on the upper side of the first conductive film d1 with the side connected to the transparent pixel electrode ITO being smaller in size.
The third conductive film d3 is connected to the first conductive film d1 exposed from the second conductive film. The first conductive film d1 of the source electrode SD1 has good adhesion to the i-type semiconductor layer AS, and is mainly configured as a barrier layer against diffusion from the second conductive film d2. Since the second conductive film d2 of the source electrode SD1 cannot form a thick chrome film of the first conductive film d1 due to an increase in stress and cannot overcome the step of the i-type semiconductor layer AS, the second conductive film d2 is It is configured to get over. That is, the step coverage is improved by forming the second conductive film d2 to be thick. Since the second conductive film d2 can be formed thick, it greatly contributes to a reduction in the resistance value of the source electrode SD1 (the same applies to the drain electrode SD2 and the video signal line DL). Since the third conductive film d3 cannot get over the step shape caused by the i-type semiconductor layer AS of the second conductive film d2, the third conductive film d3 is exposed to the first conductive film d1 by reducing the size of the second conductive film d2. It is configured to connect. The first conductive film d1 and the third conductive film d3 not only have good adhesiveness, but also have a small step at the connection between them, so that they can be reliably connected.

The drain electrode SD2 is formed integrally with the video signal line DL, and is formed in the same manufacturing process.

The transparent pixel electrode ITO is provided for each pixel, and constitutes one of the pixel electrodes of the liquid crystal display unit. The transparent pixel electrode ITO is connected to the source electrode SD1 of the thin film transistor TFT.

On the thin film transistor TFT and the transparent pixel electrode ITO, a protective film PSV1 is provided. The protective film PSV1 is mainly formed to protect the thin film transistor TFT from moisture and the like, and uses a film having high transparency and good moisture resistance. The protective film PSV1 is formed of, for example, a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film formed by plasma CVD, and has a thickness of about 8000 [Å].

On top of the protective film PSV1 on the thin film transistor TFT, an i-type semiconductor layer where external light is used as a channel formation region
A shielding film LS is provided so as not to be incident on the AS.
The shielding film LS has a high shielding property against light, for example, is formed of an aluminum film, a chromium film, or the like.
It is formed to a thickness of about [Å].

The liquid crystal LC is defined and enclosed in a lower alignment film ORI1 and an upper alignment film ORI2 for setting the direction of liquid crystal molecules in a space formed between the lower transparent glass substrate SUB1 and the upper transparent glass substrate SUB2. .

The lower alignment film ORI1 is formed above the protective film PSV1 on the lower transparent glass substrate SUB1 side.

On the inner (liquid crystal side) surface of the upper transparent glass substrate SUB2, a color filter FIL, a protective film PSV2, a common transparent pixel electrode ITO, and the upper alignment film ORI2 are sequentially laminated and provided.

The common transparent pixel electrode ITO has a lower transparent glass substrate SUB
One side faces the transparent pixel electrode ITO provided for each pixel, and is configured integrally with another adjacent common transparent pixel electrode ITO.

The color filter FIL is configured by coloring a dye on a dyed base material formed of a resin material such as an acrylic resin.
The color filter FIL is configured for each pixel at a position facing the pixel and is dyed separately.

The protective film PSV2 is provided in order to prevent the dye obtained by dyeing the color filter FIL into different colors from leaking into the liquid crystal LC. The protective film PSV2 is formed of, for example, a transparent resin material such as an acrylic resin or an epoxy resin.

In this liquid crystal display device, the respective layers on the lower transparent glass substrate SUB1 side and the upper transparent glass substrate SUB2 side are separately formed, then the upper and lower transparent glass substrates SUB1 and SUB2 are overlapped, and the liquid crystal LC is sealed between the two. Assembled by

The center part in FIG. 9 shows a cross section of one pixel part,
The left side shows the cross section of the left edge portion of the transparent glass substrates SUB1 and SUB2 where the lead wiring exists. The right side shows a cross section of a portion where no extraction wiring exists at the right edge portion of the transparent glass substrates SUB1 and SUB2.

The sealing material SL shown on the left and right sides of FIG.
It is configured to seal the LC, and is formed along the entire periphery of the transparent glass substrates SUB1 and SUB2 except for the liquid crystal sealing port (not shown). The sealing material SL is formed of, for example, an epoxy resin.

The common transparent pixel electrode IT on the upper transparent glass substrate SUB2 side
O is connected to the lead wiring layer formed on the lower transparent glass substrate SUB1 side by the silver paste material SIL at least at one location. This lead-out wiring layer is formed in the same manufacturing process as the above-described gate electrode GT, source electrode SD1, and drain electrode SD2.

The respective layers of the alignment films ORI1 and ORI2, the transparent pixel electrode ITO, the common transparent pixel electrode ITO, the protective films PSV1 and PSV2, and the insulating film GI are formed inside the sealing material SL. Polarizer POL
Is the lower transparent glass substrate SUB1 and the upper transparent glass substrate SUB2
Are formed on the respective outer surfaces.

Table 1 at the end of the specification shows a schedule of an example of a wet process to be performed on the active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

As shown in Table 1, the first and second wet processing steps are steps for forming a pattern of the gate electrode GT of the thin film transistor TFT. The gate electrode GT is, as described above,
The second conductive film g2 is laminated on the first conductive film g1. The numbers described in the processing schedule correspond to the numbers of the loader 1 and the wet processing tank described above.

In the third wet processing step, the thin film transistor TFT i
This is a step of forming a pattern of the mold semiconductor layer AS.

The fourth wet processing step is a step of forming a pattern of the insulating film GI of the thin film transistor TFT.

The fifth and sixth wet processing steps include the thin film transistor TF
This is a step of forming respective patterns of the T source electrode SD1 and the drain electrode SD2.

The seventh wet processing step is a step of forming a pattern of a transparent electrode (or a common transparent electrode) ITO.

The eighth wet processing step is a step of forming the protective film PSV.

The ninth wet processing step is a step of forming a pattern of the light shielding film LS.

When an aluminum Al layer containing an additive such as titanium Ti or silicon Si is used as the layer, a residual treatment for removing the additive is performed.

As described above, in the wet processing apparatus, the substrate holding jig (substrate holding means) 40 for holding the transparent glass substrate SUB in a single-wafer manner and holding the surface of the transparent glass substrate SUB substantially vertical, By providing the transparent glass substrate SUB held by the holding jig 40 with a wet processing means for performing a wet processing, it is possible to eliminate wet processing unevenness and perform a stable wet processing.
Since the wet processing can be mass-produced and the area required for the wet processing can be reduced, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

(Embodiment II) The present embodiment II is a second embodiment of the present invention in which the wet processing apparatus is configured to support and transport the substrate holding jig with high accuracy and to have high stability during transport. It is.

FIG. 10 (partial perspective view) shows a main part of a wet processing apparatus provided with an integrated wet processing line system that is Embodiment II of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 10, the wet processing apparatus of the present embodiment is configured such that the cross section of each of the supported portion 40C and the transferred portion 40D of the substrate holding jig 40 is V-shaped. The jig support portion 1 of the loader 1 that contacts the supported portion 40C of the substrate holding jig 40
A, each of the jig support portions 41B (not shown) of the lifting device 41 of each wet processing tank is similarly formed in a V-shape. The transfer device 4 that contacts the transferred portion 40D of the substrate holding jig 40
The second transfer finger portion 42B is similarly formed in a V-shape.

As described above, the wet processing apparatus is configured such that the supported portion 40C of the substrate holding jig 40 is formed in a V shape, and the jig support portion 1A of the loader 1 is formed in a V shape so as to be fitted thereto. The substrate holding jig 40 can be supported on the loader 1 with high precision, and can be stably held so that the substrate holding jig 40 does not rotate. The same effect can be obtained for the lifting device 41. Further, the same effect can be obtained for the transport device 42.

In the present invention, each of the developing unit, the etching unit, and the peeling unit may be independently configured as a wet processing apparatus. That is, in the present invention, each of a wet processing apparatus dedicated to development processing, a wet processing apparatus dedicated to etching processing, and a wet processing apparatus dedicated to stripping processing may be configured.

In addition, the present invention provides a method for mounting a substrate holding jig 40 used in a wet processing apparatus on the surface (processed surface) of a transparent glass substrate SUB.
May be configured to be able to hold a plurality of sheets in a single-wafer manner without being interrupted by another transparent glass substrate SUB during wet processing. Specifically, the substrate holding jig 40 can be configured to be able to hold two transparent glass substrates SUB (single wafer type) such that the back surfaces of the two transparent glass substrates SUB face each other. it can. Further, the substrate holding jig 40 can be configured such that each of the two transparent glass substrates SUB can be arranged on the same plane (sheet-fed type) and held.

Further, the present invention mainly comprises a wet treatment tank,
Alternatively, the unit moving member 42A of the transfer device 42 may be a detachable unit, and a plurality of the units may be arranged to constitute a wet processing device. The wet processing apparatus unitized as described above can freely increase or decrease the number of wet processing tanks, so that versatility is improved.

Further, in the present invention, as the wet processing tank, an etching processing tank and a cleaning tank for aluminum may be formed of a transparent glass material. In this case, the etching state and the cleaning state of the transparent glass substrate SUB can be observed.

As described above, the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. Of course.

For example, the present invention is not limited to a glass substrate of an active matrix type liquid crystal display device, but can be applied to a wet processing technique used for a glass substrate of a time division type liquid crystal display device.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a wet processing technique for a semiconductor substrate constituting a semiconductor wafer.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a wet processing technique for a printed wiring board.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a wet processing technique for a transparent glass substrate such as a reticle or a photomask used for a photolithography technique or an optical lens.

[Effects of the Invention] The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

In the wet processing technology, the configuration of the transfer device that transfers the substrate to be processed can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an outline of a wet processing apparatus provided with an integrated automatic line system for wet processing which is Embodiment I of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front part of a development processing section of the wet processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the wet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a front view of a substrate holding jig used in the wet processing apparatus, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the substrate holding jig, FIG. 6 is a front view of an elevating device of the wet processing apparatus, and FIG. 7 is a partial sectional perspective view of a wet processing tank of the wet processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wet processing tank of the wet processing apparatus, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of an active matrix type color liquid crystal display device to which wet processing is actually performed by the wet processing apparatus. Figure 10 Is a partial perspective view of a wet treatment apparatus having a consistent automation line system of the wet process is Embodiment II of the present invention. In the figure, 1,10,19,32 ... loader or unloader, 2 to 8,11
... 18,21-27,28-31 ... wet processing tank, 9,20 ... bake furnace, 3D, 5D ... processing liquid spraying device, 40 ... substrate holding jig, 40A, 40B ... holding side, 40E-40G …… Holding member, 41…
… Elevating device, 41A …… Vertical moving table, 41B …… Jig support,
42 ... Transfer device, 42A ... Unit moving member, 42B ... Transfer finger portion, 42C ... Connecting member, 42D, 42E ... Driving device,
SUB: A transparent glass substrate (substrate to be processed).

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A wet processing apparatus for performing wet processing on substrates conveyed one by one, wherein the substrates are conveyed in a direction substantially horizontal to the ground surface and in a direction perpendicular to the front and back surfaces thereof. Means, a plurality of wet processing tanks which are filled with a wet processing liquid and are arranged in parallel along the transport direction of the transport means, and each of which is disposed in each of the wet processing tanks and lowers and raises the substrate as it is A substrate elevating unit, and a connecting unit that collectively transfers the substrates arranged on the respective wet processing tanks to the substrate elevating unit of the respective wet processing tanks by the transfer by the transfer unit, The substrate elevating means for each tank can set the time for immersing the substrate in the wet processing liquid according to the wet processing time of each substrate. Wet processing apparatus according to claim and. 2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is a transparent substrate of a liquid crystal display device in which transparent substrates disposed to face each other via a liquid crystal are surrounded. Wet processing equipment.