JP2952626B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of an object such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In this type of processing apparatus, generally, when a processing liquid such as a resist is applied to an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), a wafer is required to realize uniform coating. It is necessary to strictly control the flow velocity of the nearby airflow. Therefore, a hot-wire sensor or a differential pressure sensor (Pitot tube) is disposed near the upper surface of the wafer to monitor the airflow near the wafer.

According to the apparatus described in JP-A-64-69012, as shown in FIG.
2 is mounted on a chuck 23 which is a rotation holding means disposed in the inside 2. An exhaust pipe 24 is connected to the cup 21 that forms the processing chamber 22, and a damper 27 is provided here for controlling the amount of exhaust. A wind speed measuring device 25 is provided in the exhaust pipe 24. Based on the measurement value of the wind speed measuring device 25, a controller 26 controls a motor 28 and drives a damper 27 to finally move the vicinity of the wafer W. It is configured to control the airflow.

According to the device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-15721, a tributary pipe 30 is attached to an exhaust pipe 24 leading to an exhaust device 28, as shown in FIG. It is connected to a mass flow meter 29. Thereby, the flow velocity of the air flow in the branch pipe 30 can be obtained, and the flow velocity of the air flow in the vicinity of the wafer W can be estimated from the flow velocity, so that the air flow can be controlled.

[0005]

However, in the former, that is, in the known device shown in FIG. 4, the measurement sensor is disposed in an air flow containing mist, so that the sensor is contaminated by the mist of the processing liquid, and the performance is deteriorated. . For this reason, the measurement accuracy is reduced, and strict airflow management becomes impossible.
This is true even if the sensor is configured as a hot wire sensor.
This also occurs when a differential pressure type is used.

Further, in the latter case, that is, in the known device shown in FIG.
When the surface area 4 is contaminated by mist and its cross-sectional area is reduced, the airflow near the wafer surface is reduced, but the airflow in the branch pipe 30 that is not contaminated by mist is increased.
At this time, the mass flow meter 29 provided in the branch pipe 30 judges that the airflow near the wafer is increasing although the airflow near the wafer is actually decreasing, and as a result, the airflow near the wafer is further increased. The control is performed so as to decrease.
For this reason, there is a problem that the airflow cannot be managed.

[0007] In order to solve this drawback, it has been proposed to cover the sensor with a mesh, but in any case, the portion to which the processing liquid mist has adhered must be periodically cleaned, and maintenance of the apparatus is required. Had a problem that it was troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and for example, in a processing liquid coating apparatus for a semiconductor wafer,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus configured such that a flow sensor and a conduit for measuring flow rate are not contaminated by a processing liquid mist and do not affect measurement results.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed; a cup surrounding the rotation holding means; Assuming a processing apparatus having a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the processing object, and an exhaust system for discharging the processing liquid scattered from the processing object ,
An intake port is provided, and the intake port and the lower surface side of the rotation holding means are provided.
The arrangement of the displacement detection means in the passage communicating with the
It is a sign.

A second processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises, like the first processing apparatus, a rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, Assuming a processing apparatus having a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface, and an exhaust system for discharging the processing liquid scattered from the object, an upstream side of an exhaust system near the upper surface of the object to be processed. An exhaust amount detecting means is movably provided outside the exhaust system, and a cleaning unit of the exhaust amount detecting means is provided outside the exhaust system.

In the present invention, the displacement detecting means is provided.
And a discharge amount detection position in the cup, the mosquito-up out of the cleaning section
It is preferable to form it so that it can be switched. In addition,
Displacement control means based on a detection signal from the flow rate detection means
Those who have a controller that controls and / or issues an alarm
Is preferred.

[0012]

The airflow flowing near the surface of the workpiece flows in through the opening at the top of the cup, but if a suction port is provided in the base at the bottom of the cup, the airflow also flows from here. This airflow is
Although it does not flow near the object to be processed, it clearly has a certain proportional relationship with the air flow near the surface. In addition, since the suction port is located on the back side of the object to be processed and on the upstream side of the exhaust flow, the exhaust amount detecting means is not contaminated by the processing liquid mist.

[0013] Further, by arranging the displacement detection means so as to be movable, the displacement detection means can be arranged near the surface of the object to be processed, and the air flow in the vicinity can be directly measured. At regular time intervals, or when the adhesion of the processing liquid is detected by any means, the exhaust amount detection means is moved to the cleaning unit, where it is cleaned.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an entire semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention. This processing apparatus mainly includes a processing mechanism unit 10 that performs various types of processing on an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) W, and a loading / unloading mechanism 1 that loads / unloads the wafer W into / from the processing mechanism unit 10. Unit is configured.

The loading / unloading mechanism 1 includes a wafer carrier 2 for storing the unprocessed wafer W, a wafer carrier 3 for storing the processed wafer W, an arm 4 for holding the wafer W by suction, and Transfer mechanism 5 for moving in X (horizontal direction in FIG. 1), Y (front and rear), Z (vertical) and θ (rotation) directions, and transfer of wafer W between processing apparatus unit 10 and alignment of wafer W And an alignment stage 6 for performing the following.

The processing mechanism unit 10 is provided with a transport mechanism 12 movable along a transport path 11 formed in the X direction from the alignment stage 6. Transport mechanism 1
2 is a main arm 1 movable in Y, Z and θ directions.
3 are provided.

On one side of the transfer path 11, an adhesion processing mechanism 14 for performing an adhesion process for improving the adhesion between the wafer W and the resist liquid film, and a wafer W
A pre-bake mechanism 15 for heating and evaporating the solvent remaining in the resist applied to the wafer and a cooling mechanism 16 for cooling the wafer W after the heat treatment are arranged. On the other side of the transfer path 11, a processing liquid application mechanism 17 for applying a resist to the surface of the wafer W, and a surface for applying and forming a CEL film or the like on the resist of the wafer W in order to prevent light scatter during the exposure process A coating layer application mechanism 18 is provided.

In the processing apparatus configured as described above, the unprocessed wafer W stored in the wafer carrier 2 is processed.
Is carried out from here by the arm 4 of the carry-in / carry-out mechanism 1 and mounted on the alignment stage 6. next,
The wafer W is held by the main arm 13 of the transfer mechanism 12 and transferred to each of the processing mechanisms 14 to 18. Then, the processed wafer W is returned to the alignment stage 6 by the main arm 13, further transferred to the wafer carrier 3 by the arm 4, and stored therein.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show two configurations of the processing apparatus according to the present invention. Wafer W to be processed
Is held by suction on a spin chuck 31 serving as a rotation holding means, and is horizontally rotated (self-rotated) by a spin chuck 31 driven by a motor 31a. Above the wafer W, a processing liquid supply nozzle 32 as processing liquid supply means is arranged. The spin chuck 31 holding the wafer W is surrounded by a cup 33 including an outer cup 33a and an inner cup 33b. In this case, the outer cup 33a wraps around the spin chuck 31 and
The processing liquid is prevented from scattering to the outside, and the inner cup 33b is
And a concentric cylindrical member, for example, an inner cylindrical portion 33c provided close to the spin chuck 31 and an outer cylindrical portion 33d provided hanging down from a peripheral portion of the wafer W. Cylindrical member 3 protruding from the bottom of
3e forms an exhaust gas detour.

The outer cup 33a has a large opening in the upper part, through which the wafer W is taken in and out. In addition, two exhaust ports 35 are provided inside the cylindrical member 33e at the base portion at the bottom of the outer cup 33a, and one end of an exhaust pipe 36 of an exhaust system is connected here. Exhaust pipe 36
The other end is connected to an exhaust device (not shown) , and a butterfly valve 37 serving as an exhaust amount adjusting means is provided in the middle of the exhaust device so as to adjust the opening degree. The butterfly valve 37 is driven by a controller 38 to control the amount of exhaust gas, that is, the flow velocity of the airflow near the upper surface of the wafer W.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, when the wafer W sucked and held by the spin chuck 31 is driven to rotate, a processing liquid, for example, a resist liquid is sprayed (dropped) from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32. At the same time, the exhaust device is driven to form a constant airflow from the center of the wafer W to the peripheral portion near the surface of the wafer W. The air flow is managed by a butterfly valve 37 provided in the exhaust pipe 36. Thereby, the processing liquid is uniformly applied to the surface of the wafer W. The film thickness of the treatment liquid after drying is, for example, 1
This air flow control is extremely important because it must have a uniformity of about 000 angstroms ± 30 angstroms and must not form particles after drying by adhering a mist-like resist solution to the surface of the wafer W. is there.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, an intake port 39 is provided around the spin chuck 31 at the bottom of the outer cup 33a, and a sensor 40 serving as a displacement detection means is attached to one edge of the intake port 39. This sensor 4
The detection signal from 0 is transmitted to the controller 38. The sensor 40 measures the flow velocity or flow rate of the airflow passing through the air inlet 39 toward the back surface of the wafer W. In this case, the airflow flowing from the opening of the outer cup 33a and the airflow flowing from the intake port 39 are exhausted by the common exhaust port 35, so that the flow rate of the airflow passing through the intake port 39 and the flow rate of the airflow near the wafer W surface are reduced. Has a predetermined proportional relationship, it is possible to estimate (calculate) the flow velocity or flow rate of the air flow near the surface of the wafer W by measuring (detecting) the flow velocity or flow rate of the air flow passing through the intake port 39. , Based on this detection signal, the butterfly valve 3
By controlling the opening of 7, the airflow near the surface of the wafer W can be kept constant (set). If the airflow is abnormally reduced, an alarm is issued by the controller 38 and the airflow near the wafer W surface can be strictly controlled by taking measures such as closing the butterfly valve 37. Moreover, this sensor 4
0 is disposed on the back surface side of the wafer W in a region where the resist liquid does not scatter, and is disposed in a region upstream of the airflow portion where the mist-like resist liquid is present.
There is no contamination by the processing liquid. In the above embodiment, the case where the sensor 40 is disposed in the vicinity of the intake port 39 has been described.
Need not be disposed in the vicinity of the spin chuck 31, and may be disposed in any of the passages communicating the intake port 39 and the lower surface side of the spin chuck 31.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the sensor 41 is attached to a pivot 42 disposed above the edge of the upper opening of the outer cup 33a via an arm 43, and is provided with a switching drive mechanism (not shown) on the upstream side of the exhaust system. Outer cup 3
It is manually or automatically movable between an exhaust amount detection position in 3a and a cleaning unit, which will be described later, outside the exhaust system, that is, outside the outer cup 33a. A cleaning container 44 as a cleaning unit is disposed near the pivot 42 outside the exhaust system. A cleaning liquid such as a resist solvent is contained in the cleaning container, and a sensor 41 is inserted into the cleaning container 44 to be cleaned by the cleaning liquid.

The other parts in FIG. 3 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

With the above configuration, the sensor 41 can directly measure the air flow near the surface of the wafer W, control the butterfly valve 37 based on the measured air flow, and strictly manage this air flow. it can. In this case, since the sensor 41 is easily contaminated by the processing liquid, the switching drive mechanism swings the sensor 41 around the pivot 42 manually or automatically when the measurement is abnormal, and the sensor 41 is immersed in the cleaning liquid. As a result, the sensor 41 is washed, so that the sensor 41 can be returned to the original position again and the measurement can be maintained again.

In the above embodiment, the case where the object to be processed is a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to glass substrates, LCDs, CDs, metal plates, etc. other than semiconductor wafers. In the above embodiment, the case where the processing liquid is a resist has been described. However, a processing liquid other than the resist, such as a cleaning liquid, a developing liquid, an etching liquid, and other chemical liquids, can be applied.

[0028]

As described above, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

1) According to the processing apparatus of the first aspect , the sensor is not polluted by the processing liquid, and the air flow can be measured with high accuracy. This enables uniform application of the processing liquid, prevents generation of particles, and achieves maintenance-free operation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention , even if the sensor is contaminated with the processing liquid, it can be washed immediately, so that the air flow can be measured with high accuracy. As a result, a uniform application of the processing liquid is enabled as in 1), the generation of particles can be prevented, and maintenance-free operation can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an entire processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer having the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing another configuration of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a known processing liquid application device.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a known processing liquid application device.

[Explanation of symbols]

W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed) 17 Processing liquid coating mechanism 31 Spin chuck (rotation holding means) 32 Processing liquid supply nozzle (processing liquid supply means) 33 Cup 33a Outer cup 33b Inner cup 35 Exhaust port 36 Exhaust pipe 37 Butterfly valve ( Exhaust amount adjusting means) 38 Controller 39 Inlet 40 Sensor (Exhaust amount detecting means) 41 Sensor (Exhaust amount detecting means) 42 Pivot 43 Arm 44 Cleaning container (Washing part)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the object to be processed, and a scattering from the object to be processed. A processing apparatus having an exhaust system for discharging the processed processing liquid, wherein an intake port is provided at the bottom of the cup, and the intake port and the rotation
Displacement detection means is provided in a passage communicating with the lower side of the holding means.
A processing device characterized by being arranged . 2. A rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the object to be processed, and a scattering from the object to be processed. An exhaust system for discharging the treated liquid, wherein an exhaust amount detecting means is movably disposed between the upstream side of the exhaust system and the outside of the exhaust system near the upper surface of the object to be processed, and the exhaust system is provided outside the exhaust system. A processing apparatus comprising a cleaning unit of an exhaust amount detection means. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said exhaust amount detecting means is provided with an exhaust gas in a cup.
Switchable to the quantity detection position and the washing section outside the cup
3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing is performed. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said detection means outputs a detection signal from said displacement detection means.
Control of the displacement control means and / or a warning
3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a trawler.
On-board processing equipment.