JP2702697B2 - Processing device and processing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing technique, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a technique for removing a photoresist adhered to a semiconductor wafer. 2. Description of the Related Art A technique for removing photoresist adhering to a semiconductor wafer is disclosed in "Electronic Materials" published by the Industrial Research Council, Ltd., November 10, 1981.
81, separate pages, pp. 137-148. [0003] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices,
When removing the photoresist masking the semiconductor wafer in a predetermined pattern after the etching processing of the semiconductor wafer, a photoresist removing apparatus having the following structure is used instead of the oxygen plasma method in which the semiconductor wafer may be damaged. May be used. That is, a semiconductor wafer is positioned on a mounting table provided in a processing chamber, heated to a relatively low temperature by a heater provided in the mounting table, and a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone flows through the processing chamber. Further, by irradiating the surface of the semiconductor wafer with ultraviolet rays or the like, oxygen or ozone is excited, and oxidizing a photoresist made of an organic substance or the like by nascent oxygen or the like generated when ozone is dissociated. And remove it. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-7936 discloses a processing apparatus in which a processing vessel is separated by an optical window in order to prevent a light source from coming into direct contact with a reaction gas. In the apparatus, a light source is provided on the upper wall of the processing container. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the photoresist removing apparatus having the above-described structure, the removal rate of the photoresist attached to the semiconductor wafer is generally low, and the processing requires a relatively long time. The present inventor has found that there is a disadvantage that there is a disadvantage that a relatively large amount of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone is required, and that there is a disadvantage that the productivity in the operation of removing the photoresist attached to the semiconductor wafer is low. Was. An object of the present invention is to provide a processing technique capable of improving productivity. The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for Solving the Problems] Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, typical ones will be briefly described as follows. In other words, the processing vessel has a base for supporting the processing target and rotating the processing target, and the processing fluid containing ozone is directed toward the surface of the processing target at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the base. Supplied. [Operation] The processing fluid is supplied to the processing object at a position eccentric with respect to the rotation center of the table while the processing object supported on the table is rotated. The processing fluid containing ozone and ozone is uniformly and efficiently supplied to the surface of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, and the processing is performed quickly. [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the processing device is configured as a photoresist removing device. A mounting table 2 is provided substantially horizontally on the bottom of the processing container, that is, the main body 1. On the mounting table 2, for example, an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer having a surface coated with a photoresist or the like. 3 is removably positioned. The mounting table 2 is rotatable in a horizontal plane, and is configured such that the object 3 to be mounted is rotated at a predetermined speed about its center as a rotation center as shown in the figure. You. A heater (not shown) is provided inside the mounting table 2 so that the processing target 3 is heated to a predetermined temperature. In this case, a transparent guide plate 4 made of, for example, synthetic quartz glass is provided near the upper portion of the mounting table 2.
A structure in which a flow path 5 having a relatively small gap is formed between the processing object 3 disposed on the mounting table 2 and the processing table 3, disposed opposite to the mounting table 2 via the processing object 3. Have been. The guide plate 4 divides the inside of the main body 1 as a processing container into a space A as a light source room and a space B as a processing room in which the mounting table 2 is provided, as shown in the drawing. The mounting table 2 is configured to be displaceable relative to the guide plate 4 by a displacement mechanism (not shown), and the gap of the flow path 5 can be adjusted to a desired value. At the guide plate 4, a nozzle 6 is opened at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the workpiece 3, and a processing fluid 7 made of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone flows through the nozzle 6. It is configured to be supplied to the passage 5 in a laminar flow. In the vicinity of the upper surface of the guide plate 4, there are provided a plurality of light sources 8, such as low-pressure mercury lamps, which are arranged to bend along the surface of the guide plate 4, and constitute a processing fluid 7. Ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range that excites oxygen, ozone, and the like that pass through the guide plate 4 and
The surface is irradiated with light. A plurality of exhaust ports 9 are provided on the bottom side surface of the main body 1 so that the space between the guide plate 4 and the bottom surface of the main body 1 is exhausted inside the main body 1. In the space A above the guide plate 4 where the light source 8 is located, for example, a nitrogen gas atmosphere, that is, an atmosphere containing no oxygen, is radiated from the light source 8 and transmitted through the guide plate 4. While ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range irradiated on the surface of the workpiece 3 are transmitted through the atmosphere existing between the light source 8 and the guide plate 4, they are prevented from being absorbed and attenuated by oxygen in the atmosphere. Have been. Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, the mounting table 2 is lowered so that the gap between the mounting table 2 and the upper guide plate 4 is relatively large, and after the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is mounted through an entrance (not shown) of the main body 1. A flow path 5 having a relatively narrow width is formed over the entire surface of the processing target 3 between the processing target 3 and the guide plate 4 which are raised and positioned on the mounting table 2. Thereafter, the processing object 3 located on the mounting table 2 is heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater (not shown) provided on the mounting table 2, and the processing object 3 is moved together with the mounting table 2. Rotated. Further, a processing fluid 7 composed of a mixed gas of oxygen and ozone or the like is supplied through a nozzle 6 to a flow path 5 composed of the object 3 and the guide plate 4. The processing fluid 7 is circulated in a laminar flow over the entire surface of the processing target 3, and ultraviolet light in a predetermined wavelength range is transmitted from the light source 8 to the surface of the processing target 3 through the guide plate 4. . Then, a photoresist or the like made of an organic substance and the like adhered to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is generated by dissociation of oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 excited by ultraviolet rays. It is oxidized by nascent oxygen or the like, is vaporized and removed as carbon dioxide gas or water vapor, and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 9. Here, in the above-described oxidizing and removing process of the photoresist, oxygen of a relatively short life generated during the dissociation of oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 is generated near the surface of the workpiece 3. Efficient supply is important from the viewpoint of improving the removal rate of the photoresist and the like, but in this embodiment, the guide plate 4 uses
A relatively narrow flow path 5 through which the processing fluid 7 flows is formed between the processing fluid 7 and the guide plate 4. Nascent oxygen and the like generated by being excited by ultraviolet rays from the substrate 3 are efficiently supplied to the surface of the object 3 to be processed, and the photoresist or the like adhering to the surface of the object 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is removed for a relatively short time. It is oxidized and removed within. Further, since the guide plate 4 is provided, the processing fluid 7 is intensively supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the target workpiece 3 and does not dissipate to the outside.
Can be reduced. As described above, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) A transparent guide plate 4 is arranged in the vicinity of the mounting table 2 on which the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is located along the surface of the workpiece 3, and Surface and guide plate 4
A relatively narrow flow path 5 through which the processing fluid 7 flows in a laminar flow is formed, and the nozzle 6 for supplying the processing fluid 7 is positioned eccentrically from the rotation center of the workpiece 3. Since the structure is opened through the guide plate 4,
Oxygen and ozone constituting the processing fluid 7 are dissociated by ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range which are transmitted through the transparent guide plate 4 and irradiated, and the nascent oxygen is generated. The processing fluid 7 is efficiently supplied to the surface of the object 3, and the photoresist adhering to the surface of the object 3 is quickly oxidized and removed. As a result, the amount of the processing fluid 7 used is reduced without being dissipated, and as a result, the productivity in removing the photoresist or the like adhered to the surface of the workpiece 3 such as a semiconductor wafer is improved. (2) As a result of the above (1), it is possible to increase the number of objects 3 to be processed such as semiconductor wafers processed per unit time, and to incorporate them into an actual semiconductor device manufacturing line. it can. (3) As a result of the above (1), there is no need to provide an unnecessarily large ozone production facility, and the apparatus can be reduced in cost and size. (4) As a result of the above (1), since the nozzle 6 is opened at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the workpiece 3, for example, the nozzle 6 corresponding to the center of the opening of the nozzle 6 Irregularities in removal of the photoresist adhering to the surface of the processing object 3 due to the formation of turbulent flow of the processing fluid 7 on the surface of the processing object 3 are avoided.
The photoresist on the surface can be uniformly removed. (5) Since the space A in which the light source 8 is located inside the main body 1 is in a nitrogen gas atmosphere,
For example, compared to the case where the space A is the normal atmosphere, ultraviolet rays in a predetermined wavelength range emitted from a light source 8 such as a low-pressure mercury lamp are absorbed by oxygen in the atmosphere while reaching the guide plate 4 and attenuated. Is avoided, and it becomes possible to irradiate the surface of the processing object 3 with ultraviolet light of a predetermined wavelength range having higher illuminance. (6) By displacing the mounting table 2 relative to the guide plate 4, the gap between the guide plate 4 and the workpiece 3 can be changed. The flow path 5 having an optimum width can be formed according to the type of the photoresist, the composition of the processing fluid 7, and the like, and the work of attaching and detaching the workpiece 3 to and from the mounting table 2 can be easily performed. As described above, the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say. For example, the nozzle may be inclined with respect to the surface of the workpiece, and the light source may be embedded inside the guide plate. In the above description, the case where the invention made by the present inventor is mainly applied to the photoresist removal processing of a semiconductor wafer, which is the background field of application, has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be widely applied to technologies that require efficient supply of a processing fluid to a processing object. [Effects of the Invention] Of the inventions disclosed by the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows. That is, under the condition that the processing object supported by the mounting table is rotated by driving the mounting table, the processing fluid is applied to the processing object at a position eccentric with respect to the rotation center of the mounting table. As a result, the processing fluid containing oxygen and ozone is efficiently supplied to the surface of the object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer. Since the amount of the processing fluid used is reduced without being intensively supplied to the surface and dissipated to the outside, the productivity in the removal processing of the photoresist and the like attached to the surface of the processing object can be improved. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Description of Signs] 1 Main body 2 Mounting table 3 Workpiece 4 Guide plate 5 Flow path 6 Nozzle 7 Processing fluid 8 Light source 9 Exhaust port

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A processing chamber, provided in the processing chamber, the center supports the object to be processed
A table that rotates the unit about a rotation center ; an ozone generation source; and a process that opens toward the surface of the processing target at a position eccentric from the rotation center of the processing target and includes ozone generated from the ozone generation source. A nozzle for supplying a fluid to the surface of the object to be processed. 2. And processing container, provided in the processing container, therein to support an object to be processed
A table that rotates about a central portion as a center of rotation, a guide plate that forms a flow path with a predetermined gap between the surface of the object to be processed, an ozone generation source, and a position eccentric from the center of rotation of the object to be processed And a nozzle for opening a processing fluid containing ozone generated from the ozone generation source to the guide plate in the above. 3. And processing container, provided in the processing container, therein to support an object to be processed
A table rotating about a central portion as a center of rotation, a guide plate forming a flow path of a predetermined gap between the surface of the object to be processed, an ozone generation source, and an eccentric position at a position eccentric from the center of rotation of the table. A nozzle that opens to the guide plate toward the surface of the object to be processed and supplies a processing fluid containing ozone generated from the ozone generation source; and a nozzle disposed near the surface of the guide plate along the surface of the guide plate. And a light source for irradiating the surface of the object to be processed with light for exciting the processing fluid through the guide plate. 4. A step of rotating the processing object by rotating the processing table under a state where the processing object is supported on a table provided in the processing container; anda processing fluid containing ozone generated from an ozone generation source. Supplying the material to the surface of the object at a position eccentric from the center of rotation of the table, and performing the processing of the surface of the object with the processing fluid. .