JP2893146B2 - Coating device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating apparatus for applying a coating solution by rotating an object to be coated such as a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to a container to which a coating solution scattered by rotation adheres. The present invention relates to a coating device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid by rotating an object such as a semiconductor wafer, a resist rotary coating apparatus as shown in FIG. 7 has been tried. This coating apparatus includes a spin chuck 61 which is a rotation holding means for holding a semiconductor wafer 60 horizontally and rotating at high speed, a resist supply nozzle 62 for dropping a resist liquid as a coating liquid on the semiconductor wafer 60, and a spin chuck 61. The outer cup 63 and the inner cup 64 are provided so as to surround the semiconductor wafer 60.

The resist solution dropped from the resist supply nozzle 62 onto the semiconductor wafer 60 is applied to a spin chuck 61.
Is applied uniformly on the semiconductor wafer 60 by the rotation of
Excess resist solution is scattered in the peripheral direction of the semiconductor wafer 60 and adheres to the inner wall surfaces of the outer cup 63 and the inner cup 64. If the resist liquid layer adhering to the outer cup 63 and the inner cup 64 is left, the resist is gradually laminated and dried. If the resist is dried, the resist is peeled off from the cups 63 and 64 due to an impact or the like, and the semiconductor wafer 60 is contaminated. For this reason, the cups 63 and 64 are regularly removed and washed and removed. However, this operation is very troublesome and time-consuming.

[0004] Therefore, the coating device includes a cup 63,
A cleaning mechanism is provided for automatically removing the resist adhering to 64. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cups 63 and 64 are provided with an introduction path 65 for introducing the cleaning liquid L for dissolving the resist, and the cleaning liquid L introduced from the introduction path 65 around the cups 63 and 64. An annular supply path 66 for distributing and supplying the cleaning liquid L, a large number of small holes 67 for discharging the cleaning liquid L of the supply path 66 to the resist adhering surface are formed, and a joint 68 is formed in the introduction path 65. A tube 69 for introducing a cleaning liquid is connected through the intermediary. And the supply path 66
Is supplied through each small hole 67,
It flows down along the inner peripheral surface of the outer cup 63 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner cup 64.

In addition to the above, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-184.
No. 725, JP-A-59-212226 and JP-A-62-162.
No. 73629, JP-A-62-73630, JP-B-63
No. 41630 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-266565.

[0006]

However, in the above-described cleaning mechanism in the coating apparatus, the structure of the outer cup 63 and the inner cup 64 is complicated, not only expensive, but also difficult to process and mount. Hundreds of small holes 67
The cleaning liquid L flows through the path once flowing, so that the cleaning liquid L does not spread and flow uniformly over the entire peripheral surfaces of the cups 63 and 64, resulting in uneven cleaning. There was a problem. Furthermore, since the resist is dissolved and removed by flowing the cleaning liquid L little by little, the cleaning time is long and the consumption of the cleaning liquid L is large. Further, there is a possibility that a trouble such as a leak of the cleaning liquid L from the joint 68 or the like may occur. In addition to the above, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the scattering direction of the cleaning liquid, and the cup cannot be effectively cleaned.

An object of the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and to provide a coating apparatus having a simple structure capable of efficiently and efficiently cleaning a coating liquid in a short time with a small amount of a cleaning liquid. It is in.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be coated, and provided so as to surround the rotation holding means, in the coating apparatus having a container for preventing scattering of the coating liquid supplied to the medium to be coated, the times
A cleaning jig provided to the rolling holding means , to which a cleaning liquid for cleaning the coating liquid attached to the container is supplied, and a cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid toward the cleaning jig, A small amount of cleaning liquid is discharged onto the cleaning jig toward a plurality of locations of the container by rotating the rotation holding means.
Discharge holes capable of discharging in at least two directions are provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be coated, and provided so as to surround the rotation holding means to prevent the application liquid supplied to the object to be scattered. Coating device having a container for cleaning
Te, provided in the rotary holding means comprises a cleaning jig that cleaning liquid for cleaning the coating liquid adhering to the container is supplied, the cleaning jig has a reservoir capable of storing the washing solution Along with the rotation of the rotation holding means, the cleaning liquid in the storage section is directed to a plurality of locations of the container to wash the cleaning liquid.
Has discharge holes that can be discharged in at least two directions to discharge
It is characterized by that.

[0010] In the present invention, the discharge port is provided with the volume
At least two different angles perpendicular to the vessel
It is more preferable to provide the nozzles so that they can be ejected in the direction (claim 3).

The object to be coated includes a semiconductor wafer, a printed circuit board, an LCD substrate and the like, and is applied to an apparatus for performing a resist solution coating process, a developing solution coating process, an etching solution coating process, a magnetic liquid coating process, and the like. You.

The cleaning jig is made of a material having a low specific gravity such as Delrin and Teflon (both are trade names) so as not to be affected by a cleaning liquid such as a solvent which dissolves the coating liquid and to be able to rotate at high speed by a rotation supporting means. ) Or vinyl chloride. Further, for example, in the case where the discharge jig of the cleaning jig is rotated and scanned by the rotation supporting means, for example, one or more discharge holes may be provided at the upper, middle, and lower positions.
Is located above and below the horizontal discharge holes.
Discharge hole upward at a predetermined angle, and discharge in the horizontal direction
A downward discharge hole at a predetermined angle below the hole, and a vertical
And a downward discharge hole .

[0013]

The cleaning jig placed on the rotation holding means is supplied with the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply means in advance or during rotation by the rotation holding means. The cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning jig is collected on the peripheral edge side of the cleaning jig by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the rotation holding means, and further receives the rotational force and centrifugal force by the rotation of the rotation holding means, The cleaning liquid is discharged and scattered from the discharge holes at high speed and collides with the inner surface of the cup. The cleaning liquid is temporarily stored in the storage unit, and the cleaning liquid having a large momentum is continuously discharged from the discharge hole, for example, so that the coating liquid attached to the inner surface of the cup is quickly cleaned and removed. Further, by forming a plurality of discharge holes in the vertical direction (up and down) facing the cup, the cleaning liquid is widely sprayed on the inner surface of the cup.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is applied to a resist film forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resist film forming apparatus includes a processing mechanism unit 10 provided with a processing mechanism for performing various processes on an object to be coated, for example, a semiconductor wafer 60 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer); It mainly comprises a loading / unloading mechanism 1 for automatically loading / unloading the wafer 60 into / from the processing mechanism unit 10.

The carry-in / carry-out mechanism 1 is used to move the wafer 60 before processing.
, A wafer carrier 3 for storing a processed wafer 60, an arm 4 for sucking and holding the wafer 60, and an arm 4 for X, Y (horizontal), Z (vertical) and θ (rotation) ), And the processing mechanism unit 10 in which the wafer 60 is aligned and the wafer 60 is aligned.
And an alignment stage 6 between which the wafer 60 is transferred.

The processing mechanism unit 10 is provided with a transport mechanism 12 movably along a transport path 11 formed in the X direction from the alignment stage 6. Transport mechanism 1
2 has a main arm 13 which is movable in the Y, Z and θ directions.
Is provided. On one side of the transport path 11, an adhesion processing mechanism 14 for performing an adhesion process for improving the adhesion between the wafer 60 and the resist liquid film;
A pre-bake mechanism 15 for heating and evaporating a solvent remaining in the resist applied to the wafer 60 and a cooling mechanism 16 for cooling the heated wafer 60 are provided. Further, on the other side of the transfer path 11, a coating mechanism 17 for coating a resist on the surface of the wafer 60, and a CEL film or the like formed on the resist of the wafer 60 by coating in order to prevent irregular reflection of light during the exposure process. Surface coating layer applying mechanism 18
And are arranged.

First, the unprocessed wafer 60 is unloaded from the wafer carrier 2 by the arm 4 of the loading / unloading mechanism 1 and placed on the alignment stage 6. Then
The wafer 60 on the alignment stage 6 is transferred to the transfer mechanism 1
2 are held by the main arm 13 and the processing mechanisms 14 to
18 is conveyed. Then, the processed wafer 60 is returned to the alignment stage 6 by the main arm 13, further transported by the arm 4, and stored in the wafer carrier 3.

Next, a coating mechanism (or coating device) 17
Will be described. The coating mechanism 17 is a spin coater,
As shown in FIG. 2, a spin chuck 20, which is a rotation holding means for holding and rotating a wafer 60 (not shown in FIG. 2) by suction, for example, is provided. The motor 21 is connected,
The rotation of the spin chuck 20 can be controlled at a desired rotation speed by the spin motor 21. Further, a bottom plate 22 is provided on the lower periphery of the spin chuck 20, and an outer cup 23 and an inner cup 24 are provided on the bottom plate 22 so as to surround the wafer 60 mounted on the spin chuck 20. I have. The outer cup 23 and the inner cup 24 are formed to be inclined downward toward the outside in the radial direction of the spin chuck 20 so as to guide the resist liquid to the bottom plate 22. The bottom plate 22 is provided with a gentle inclination, and a drain pipe 25 for discharging a resist solution or the like is connected to the bottom of the bottom plate 22. The bottom plate 22 is provided with an annular partition wall 26 for preventing infiltration of drainage.
An exhaust pipe 27 for exhausting the inside of the cup is connected to the bottom plate 22 inside.

The resist solution is applied by a spin chuck 2
The wafer 60 is placed on the wafer 60, a resist solution is dropped from a resist supply nozzle (not shown) on the upper surface of the wafer 60, and the spin chuck 20 is rotated. If this resist solution coating process is repeated many times, the scattered resist is
3 and adhere to the inner cup 24. Therefore, in this embodiment, an automatic cleaning mechanism is provided. Thus, it is possible to automatically program the cleaning process. That is, using the cleaning jig 30, the resist liquid adhering to the cup wall surface is cleaned and removed.

The cleaning jig 30 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The inside of the cleaning jig 30 has a hollow structure. In particular,
As shown in FIG. 3, a receiving portion 31 capable of storing a cleaning liquid,
Lid 32 attached to cover the upper opening of receiving portion 31
Consists of As a material, Delrin (trade name) having solvent resistance and light specific gravity may be used. The shape is not necessarily the same as the wafer 60, but may be a square shape, and can be selected depending on the cleaning effect. Also, the material is preferably other than Delrin, such as a metal Al plate. At the time of cleaning the cup, a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid L (for example, thinner), for example, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 40 is provided above the center of the spin chuck 20 as shown in FIG. An introduction port 33 is formed at the center of the lid 32 in order to introduce the flowing down cleaning liquid L into the cleaning jig 30. A conical projection 34 is formed at the center of the receiving portion 31 to which the cleaning liquid L is applied, in order to uniformly distribute and supply the cleaning liquid L to the entire inner periphery of the cleaning jig 30 and to prevent the cleaning liquid L from splashing. ing. Further, a storage portion 35 that can store the cleaning liquid L collected by centrifugal force is formed on the outer peripheral side in the cleaning jig 30.
Further, the washing liquid L collected in the storage unit 35 is supplied to the cup 23,
For example, a plurality of discharge holes 36 are formed in order to supply, for example, discharge to a plurality of locations in the vertical direction (up-down direction) with respect to 24. These discharge holes include a discharge hole 36 b formed horizontally on the peripheral wall of the receiving portion 31, a discharge hole 36 a formed above the horizontal direction by a predetermined angle from the horizontal, and a radially outward upward, and a bottom wall of the receiving portion 31. And a discharge hole 36c formed downward at a predetermined angle from the horizontal in the radial direction and a discharge hole 36d formed downward in the vertical direction.
These discharge holes 36 a to 36 d are provided at three positions at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the receiving portion 31.

The cup cleaning is performed after the resist coating process has been performed a predetermined number of times, or at the beginning of a lot. At this time, a standby station (not shown) provided above the alignment stage 6, the cooling mechanism 16, and the like.
The cleaning jig 30 that has been waiting is held by the main arm 13 and placed on the spin chuck 20. Further, a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 40 is set in place of the resist supply nozzle (not shown) used in the resist liquid application processing. Then, the cleaning liquid L flows down from the nozzle 40 and is supplied into the cleaning jig 30 from the inlet 33. The rotation center of the cleaning jig 30 is desirable for the introduction port 33. In addition, it supplies also during rotation of the spin chuck 20. When the cleaning jig 30 is stopped or is being rotated at a low speed by the drive of the spin chuck 20, the cleaning liquid in the storage section 35 mainly flows down from the discharge holes 36d, and the inner cup 24 is cleaned. Further, when the cleaning jig 30 is rotated at a medium speed and a high speed, the cleaning liquid L collected in the storage unit 35 by centrifugal force.
Is mainly discharged from the discharge holes 36a, 36b and 36c at a high speed. The cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge holes 36a and 36b collides with the inner peripheral surface of the outer cup 23 to clean the resist liquid. The cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge holes 36c hits the outer peripheral upper surface of the inner cup 24 to clean the inner cup 24.

As described above, the cleaning liquid L moving to the outer peripheral portion by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cleaning jig 30 is temporarily stored in the storage section 35, and the stored cleaning liquid L is discharged from the discharge hole 36. Therefore, a large amount of the cleaning liquid L can be sprayed continuously at a high speed to some extent, and effective cleaning can be performed. In addition, a predetermined angle (elevation angle,
Since a plurality of discharge holes 36 having an inclination angle are formed, the cleaning liquid L can be sprayed over a wide range of the outer cup 23 and the inner cup 24.

In the above embodiment, the ejection holes 36a to 36a
Although 6d is provided at three locations in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. 3, it may be provided at only one location in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. This is because the cleaning jig 30 is rotationally scanned by the spin chuck 20, and the ejection holes (ejection hole group) 36
Is reduced, the discharge flow rate from one discharge hole 36 can be increased. In this case, the cleaning liquid L is supplied to one discharge hole 36.
It is preferable to provide a partition wall 37 as shown in FIG. The reason why the partition wall 37 extends to the side opposite to the discharge hole 36 is also to take into account the balance during rotation. As described above, the number of the discharge holes 36a to 36d may be one, but omitting any one of these discharge holes reduces the range of the cleaning liquid L injected and supplied to the cups 23 and 24.

In the above embodiment, the ejection holes 36a-3a
Although 6d is formed along the radial direction, that is, radially, it may be formed so as to be inclined from the radial direction. In this manner, the cleaning liquid L discharged from the discharge hole 36 in a substantially tangential direction of the cleaning jig 30 is formed by the rotation direction and the inclination direction and the angle of the discharge hole with respect to the rotation direction of the spin chuck 20 and the rotation speed of the spin chuck 20. It is also possible to change the protruding direction to the radial direction side.

In the above embodiment, the discharge hole 36 is formed by piercing the wall of the cleaning jig 30. However, the discharge hole may be formed by extending the nozzle from the storage section 35. Further, the cleaning jig is not limited to a disk shape but may be an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape. Further, the cleaning jig need not be a disk shape as long as it can be placed on the spin chuck 20 so as to be held. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the cleaning jig is selected from the scattering state of the cleaning liquid, for example, 300 to 3000R.
PM is desirable.

As another embodiment of the cleaning jig described above, the cleaning jig may be configured as shown in FIG. The cleaning jig 130 has a cleaning liquid L
And a discharge port 136 for the cleaning liquid L. Then, the cleaning jig 130 is suction-held on the spin chuck 20, and the cleaning liquid L is discharged from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 140 arranged near the spin chuck 20 to introduce the cleaning liquid into the storage unit 135.

Since the cleaning operation and the like are the same as those in the previous embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, since the cleaning jig which is mounted on the rotation holding means and discharges the cleaning liquid from the rotation holding means toward the cup is provided, the cleaning liquid is provided from the conventional cup top. Compared to the method of flowing
The structure can be simplified. Further, since the cleaning jig may be placed on the rotation holding means as in the case of the object to be coated, no special handling is required, and the cleaning can be easily automated. Also, once the cleaning liquid is stored in the storage section, the cleaning liquid having a large momentum can be continuously discharged from the discharge hole toward a plurality of portions of the cup , so that the coating liquid adhered to the cup surface can be effectively removed. In addition to being able to be cleaned and removed in a short time, the amount of cleaning liquid used can be reduced. Further, by forming a plurality of discharge holes in the vertical direction (up and down) facing the cup, the cleaning liquid is sprayed and supplied to the cup surface widely and uniformly, so that the cleaning unevenness can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing one embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a resist film forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing a coating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a cleaning jig according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side sectional view showing a part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the cleaning jig according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing still another embodiment of the cleaning jig according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a conventional resist coating apparatus.

8 is a sectional perspective view showing a part of the outer cup of FIG. 6 in an enlarged manner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 spin chuck (rotation holding means) 23 outer cup 24 inner cup 30, 130 cleaning jig 31 receiving part 32 lid part 33 introduction port 34 projection 35, 135 storage part 36 (36a to 36d), 136 discharge hole 40, 140 cleaning liquid Supply nozzle (cleaning liquid supply means) L Cleaning liquid

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be coated, and a container provided so as to surround the rotation holding means for preventing scattering of a coating liquid supplied to the object to be coated. A coating jig provided with the rotation holding means and supplied with a cleaning liquid for cleaning the coating liquid attached to the container;
Cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid toward the cleaning jig, wherein the cleaning liquid is discharged to the cleaning jig toward a plurality of locations of the container by rotation of the rotation holding means.
A coating apparatus characterized by having discharge holes capable of discharging in at least two directions . 2. A rotating and holding means for holding and rotating an object to be coated, and a container provided to surround the rotating and holding means for preventing scattering of a coating liquid supplied to the object to be coated. A cleaning jig provided on the rotation holding means and supplied with a cleaning liquid for cleaning the coating liquid attached to the container, wherein the cleaning jig is a storage device capable of storing the cleaning liquid. And discharging the cleaning liquid from the storage section toward a plurality of locations of the container by rotation of the rotation holding means.
A coating apparatus having discharge holes capable of discharging in at least two directions . 3. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
And the discharge hole has a different angle in the vertical direction with respect to the container.
Is provided so as to be able to discharge in at least two directions.
Coating equipment. 4. A coating according to any one of claims 1 to 3
In the cloth apparatus, the discharge hole is a horizontal discharge hole and the horizontal discharge hole.
An upward discharge hole at a predetermined angle above the outlet hole and the horizontal
Downward discharge holes at a predetermined angle below the discharge holes in the direction,
Characterized by having a vertically downward discharge hole.
Coating device.