JP2964113B2 - 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 solution such as a developing solution to a surface of a plate-like workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a processing liquid is applied to a plate-shaped processing object using a conventional apparatus of this type, the processing liquid that has been shaken off from a rotating processing object and scattered is rebounded on the inner wall of the cup. In some cases, they adhered to the surface of the treated body or scattered outside the cup. In order to prevent this, for example, by exhausting air from the bottom of the cup, air (downflow in the clean room) is introduced into the cup from its upper opening, and flows outward along the surface of the workpiece. An air current is generated (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-3549).

In a conventional developing apparatus of this type, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as an object to be processed is suction-held on a horizontally rotating spin chuck, and is processed by a processing liquid supply nozzle disposed above the wafer. A liquid, for example, a developer in the form of a spray is supplied. The spin chuck holding the wafer is surrounded by an annular cup.

[0004] The cup comprises a cup bottom, a cylindrical portion substantially surrounding the periphery of the spin chuck, and a horizontal portion forming the cup upper surface. The top of the cup is largely open so that a wafer can be inserted and removed, and the bottom has an exhaust port connected to a negative pressure source and a drain port for discharging liquid. A partition member is provided between the exhaust port and the drain port, so as to form a maze so that the processing liquid does not reach the exhaust port.

In the conventional developing device having the above-described structure, when the inside of the cup is evacuated through the exhaust port, the air introduced from the upper opening of the cup flows radially outward along the surface of the wafer. Later, the air is exhausted from the exhaust port through the cup cylindrical portion and the maze portion. The processing liquid shaken off from the periphery of the wafer during the rotation scatters and hits the inner wall of the cup, flows radially along the surface of the wafer as described above, and is conveyed by the descending air flow, and also has an exhaust port. Is discharged from The processing liquid that has adhered to the inner wall of the cup and has formed droplets descends along the inner wall, is collected at the bottom, and is discharged from the drain port. As a result, the processing liquid can be uniformly and appropriately applied to the plate-like object to be processed, and in that respect, this apparatus is excellent.

[0006]

However, in this type of conventional apparatus, a considerable amount of the mist-like processing liquid scatters outside the cup, and is shaken off from the rotating object to be processed. The liquid may rebound on the inner wall of the cup and adhere to the object again. In this case, there is a problem that the processing liquid is wasted and consumed, and that the coating liquid becomes uneven.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to reduce as much as possible the amount of the processing liquid scattered outside the cup and the amount of the processing liquid rebounding on the inner wall of the cup and re-adhering to the workpiece. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus having the above configuration.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a rotary holder for holding an object to be processed.
Holding means and a processing liquid from above the rotation holding means.
A processing apparatus provided with a rotating nozzle.
A cup surrounding the holding means and surrounded by this cup
Exhaust that connects the space containing the rotation holding means to a negative pressure source
A passage, a passage opening / closing means disposed in the exhaust passage,
Control means for controlling the opening and closing of the passage opening and closing means.
And protrudes radially inward from the upper edge of the cup
A horizontal protective wall is formed, and the horizontal
Extends to a position near the workpiece held by the rolling holding means
And a vertical protective wall that rises above the horizontal protective wall
Wherein the control means controls the processing liquid from the nozzle.
After a predetermined time after the supply of
Close and open the passage opening and closing means before the start of supply and a predetermined time before
The control is performed so as to open.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an object to be processed is held.
Rotation holding means, and a processing liquid from above the rotation holding means.
And a nozzle for supplying
The cup surrounding the rotation holding means and the cup
Connected to the negative pressure source
Exhaust passage and passage opening / closing disposed in the exhaust passage
Means, and control means for controlling the opening and closing of the passage opening and closing means.
And protruding radially inward from the upper edge of the cup.
Form a horizontal protective wall that protrudes, and from the tip of this horizontal protective wall
To the position near the object held by the rotation holding means.
Forming a vertical protective wall extending with this vertical protective wall
Open an opening communicating with the exhaust passage at an appropriate position on the wall,
The control means stops the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle.
Then, after a predetermined time, the passage opening / closing means is closed, and
Open the passage opening / closing means before the start of feeding and a predetermined time before
The control is performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an object to be processed is held.
Rotation holding means, and a processing liquid from above the rotation holding means.
And a nozzle for supplying
The cup surrounding the rotation holding means and the cup
Connected to the negative pressure source
Exhaust passage and passage opening / closing disposed in the exhaust passage
Means, and control means for controlling the opening and closing of the passage opening and closing means.
Comprising a collision radially inwardly from the upper edge of the cup
Form a horizontal protective wall that protrudes, and from the tip of this horizontal protective wall
To the position near the object held by the rotation holding means.
And extends vertically above the horizontal protective wall.
Form a protective wall and place it at an appropriate position on this vertical protective wall.
An opening communicating with the air passage is formed, and
After a predetermined time after the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle is stopped
Before closing the passage opening and closing means, and before starting the supply,
Control is performed so that the passage opening / closing means is opened before the time.
Sign.

[0011]

According to the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the flow of air from the upper opening of the cup to the exhaust port becomes smooth, and the upper opening becomes smaller.
And since the gap between the cup and the object to be processed becomes narrower,
The flow velocity of the air in these portions increases. As a result, the mist-like processing liquid scattered above the object to be processed is smoothly and quickly conveyed to the space below the object to be processed.

The control means for opening and closing the passage opening / closing means opens and closes the passage opening / closing means at an optimum time based on information such as start and stop of spraying of the nozzles. That is, at the start of spraying, the passage opening / closing means is opened a predetermined time before that,
Start the exhaust. On the other hand, when the spraying is stopped, the passage starting means is kept open for a predetermined time thereafter, and the exhaust is continued. This makes it impossible for the mist-like processing liquid scattered above the object to be scattered to the outside.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an entire resist coating / developing apparatus including a processing apparatus according to the present invention. The resist coating / developing apparatus includes, as a main part, a processing mechanism unit 10 for performing various processes on a wafer W. And a loading / unloading mechanism 1 for automatically loading and unloading the wafer W into and from the processing mechanism unit 10.

The loading / unloading mechanism 1 includes a wafer carrier 2 for storing a wafer W before processing, a wafer carrier 3 for storing a processed wafer W, an arm 4 for holding the wafer W by suction, and an arm 4 for holding the wafer W. A moving mechanism 5 for moving in X, Y (horizontal), Z (vertical) and θ (rotation) directions;
Are aligned, and an alignment stage 6 for transferring the wafer W to and from the processing mechanism unit 10 is provided.

The processing mechanism unit 10 has a transport mechanism 12 that is movable from the alignment stage 6 along a transport path 11 formed in the X direction. The transport mechanism 12 includes X,
Main arm 1 movable in Y, Z (vertical) and θ directions
3 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 subjected to the heat treatment are arranged. On the other side of the transfer path 11, a processing liquid application mechanism 17 for applying a resist liquid to the surface of the wafer W, a developing mechanism 18 for developing a resist film having a predetermined pattern exposed, and a resist liquid are applied. And a stepper mechanism 19 for exposing a predetermined pattern to the surface of the wafer W.

In the resist coating and developing apparatus configured as described above, first, the unprocessed wafer W is taken out of the wafer carrier 2 by the arm 4 of the loading / unloading mechanism 1 and placed on the alignment stage 6. . Next, the wafer W on the alignment stage 6 is held by the main arm 13 of the transfer mechanism 12, and the processing mechanisms 14 to 19
Are sequentially conveyed to The processed wafer W is returned to the alignment stage 6 by the main arm 13 again, and further transferred to the wafer carrier 3 by the arm 4 and stored therein.

In the resist coating and developing apparatus configured as described above, the stepper mechanism 19 has a chuck 19a for holding the wafer W by suction. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding surface of the chuck 19a has, for example,
A plurality of concentric annular ridges 19b are provided, and an exposure process is performed after focusing on the surface of the wafer W placed on the annular ridges 19b. Note that the stepper mechanism 19 may be provided outside without being incorporated, and may be configured to exchange the wafer W via an interface mechanism (not shown).

In this case, if particles adhere to the back surface of the wafer W during focusing, the particles enter between the lower surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the annular ridge 19b, and the wafer W and the surface of the chuck 19a come into contact with each other. Horizontal alignment may be hindered, and a focus error may occur to hinder the exposure processing. It has been confirmed that the largest cause of the adhesion of the particles is contact with the holding portion of the arm W when the wafer W is unloaded from the wafer carrier 2 by the arm 4 of the loading / unloading mechanism 1.

Then, as a means for solving this problem,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a concentric annular ridge 4a is formed on the wafer holding surface of the arm 4 at a position not overlapping the annular ridge 19b of the stepper chuck 19a. Therefore, even if particles adhere to the lower surface of the wafer W while being held by the arm 4, the particles are located in the grooves between the annular ridges 19b, so that the upper surface of the annular ridge 19b of the stepper chuck 19a and the wafer W The horizontal position of the wafer W is not hindered by entering the space between the lower surface and the wafer W, so that a focus error in the stepper can be prevented.

In the above description, the stepper chuck 1
Although the case where the holding surface on the upper surface 9a is the annular ridge 19b has been described, even when a holding surface having an arbitrary shape such as a radial or lattice shape is provided other than the annular ridge 19b, the The holding surface of the chuck 19a and the holding surface 4a of the arm 4 may be provided at positions that do not match each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing apparatus 18 according to the present invention comprises a spin chuck 21 as a rotation holding means for horizontally sucking and holding a wafer W and horizontally rotating the wafer W, and moving the wafer W onto the spin chuck 21 to rotate the wafer W. A processing liquid supply nozzle 22 for spraying a processing liquid, for example, a developer, onto the surface of W
When an annular inner cup 29 which are arranged concentrically so as to surround the periphery and below the wafer holder 21a of the spin chuck 21, the treatment liquid to the spin chuck 21 and the inner cup 29 surrounds the outside of the apparatus The main part is composed of the outer cup 30 for preventing scattering.

The inner cup 29 is erected from the bottom of the outer cup 30 and substantially surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 21, and is formed at the upper end of the erected part 29a. , An inclined portion 29c extending diagonally downward from a little inside the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion 29b, and the outer cup 30 extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the inclined portion 29c. And an outer peripheral portion 29d extending to the vicinity of the bottom portion. Each part 29a, 29b, 29c, 29d of the inner cup and the peripheral wall, bottom, and partition member 34 of the outer cup 30,
Three concentric annular flow paths 36, 37, and 35 are defined and defined, and these annular flow paths 36, 37, and 35 are continuous, thus forming a maze.

The outer cup 30 has a large opening at the top so that the wafer W can be taken in and out, and an exhaust port 32 at the bottom.
The exhaust port 32 communicates with the inner annular flow path 35, and the drain port 33 communicates with the outer annular flow path 36.

A cylindrical flow velocity interference part 42 having the same diameter as the exhaust port 32 is connected to the exhaust port 32, and a pipe 38 having a smaller diameter than the exhaust port 32 is connected to the tip of the flow velocity interference part 42.
The flow velocity interference part 42 is provided to make the flow of the air A near the exhaust port 32 smooth. A damper 39, which is a passage opening / closing means for controlling the exhaust flow, is provided in the pipe 38 so as to be openable and closable. The damper 39 is controlled by a control device 44 via a solenoid 43. The control device 44 is electrically connected to the supply driving unit 22 a of the processing liquid supply nozzle 22.

In the present embodiment, the edge of the upper opening of the outer cup 30 is formed by a horizontal protection wall 30a extending radially inward.
And a vertical protection wall 30b extending downward from the tip of the horizontal protection wall 30a. In this case, the vertical protection wall 30
The leading end of b is very close to the outer periphery of the wafer W, and a narrow gap is formed between the leading end of the vertical portion and the outer periphery of the wafer W. Also, the vertical protective wall 3 of the outer cup 30
0b is provided at an appropriate position in the annular passages 36, 3 which are exhaust passages.
An opening 30d is formed to communicate with the ports 7 and 35.
The air A flows to the exhaust port 32 through the opening 30d,
(C) the airflow flowing in the gap between the W and the vertical protection wall 30b;
Tries to fly out of the cup with another airflow
Processing to stay in the upper part of mist or outer cup 30
Liquid mist is efficiently transported to the exhaust side.
You.

In the processing unit 18 of the present invention configured as described above, the control unit 44 receives a signal from the supply driving unit 22a, compares the signal with information stored in advance, and calculates the control signal. The signal is transmitted to the solenoid 43. Then, when the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle 22 is started, the damper 39 is opened approximately three seconds beforehand to start exhausting. On the other hand, when the supply of the processing liquid is stopped, the damper 3
9, the damper 39 is closed almost two seconds after the supply of the processing liquid is stopped. Note that the time is variable in accordance with the actual process conditions, and the time can be specified by a timer provided in the control device 44.

[0028] As described above, the air A introduced from the upper opening of the outer cup 30 when opening the damper 39, Ru <br/> flows radially toward the wafer peripheral direction along the surface of the wafer W On the other hand, it flows to the exhaust port 32 side through the opening 30d ,
It descends through between the inner cup 29 and the outer cup 30, and the outer annular channel 36, the intermediate annular channel 37, and the inner annular channel 3
5, the air reaches the exhaust port 32, and is exhausted through the damper 39. In this case, since the gap between the outer periphery of the wafer W and the lower end of the vertical protection wall 30b is narrow, the flow rate of the air A in this portion is high, and the vertical protection wall 30b
The flow of the air A in this portion is smoothed by the action of Therefore, the mist-like processing liquid sprayed from the nozzle 22 and the mist-like processing liquid colliding with the inner wall of the outer cup 30 are satisfactorily conveyed and discharged by the flow of the air A in this portion, and are re-emitted onto the wafer W. Adhesion is prevented, and uniformity of the developed film can be improved. Further , due to the time control of the damper 39 as described above, the mist-like processing liquid scatters outside the cup and adheres to and contaminates peripheral components and the like. It can be prevented from adhering to the wafer W inside.

The cross-sectional view of a processing apparatus of a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the mist of the processing liquid is prevented from scattering outward. That is, the outer cup 30 has a radius
Protection wall 30a extending inward in the direction
A horizontal protection wall extends downward from the tip of the wall 30a.
A vertical support having an upright portion 30c that rises above 30a
This is the case where the protective wall 30b is formed. This configuration
Thus , for example, the flow of the air A introduced by the upright portion 30c is rectified, and the mist of the processing liquid can be more effectively prevented from being scattered outward . In addition, the standing part 30
By providing c, the exhaust flow in the outer cup 30 is made uniform and stable, so that the entire outer cup 30 can be kept compact. In the second embodiment, the other parts 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.

FIG . 5 shows a processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown in cross section. The third embodiment is based on the first embodiment.
This is a case where the example and the second embodiment are combined. Sand
That is, similarly to the second embodiment, the outer portion having the upright portion 30c is provided.
An exhaust passage is provided at an appropriate position on the vertical protection wall 30b of the cup 30.
Opening 30d communicating with the annular flow paths 36, 37, 35
And the air A is exhausted through the opening 30d.
2 to the side, and fly out of the cup with this separate airflow.
Mist to be scattered or stays in the upper part inside the outer cup 30
The mist of the processing solution to be transported to the exhaust side efficiently
This is the case. In the third embodiment,
Other parts are the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals,
Omitted.

With this configuration, the upright portion 3
0c, for example, to rectify the flow of the introduced air A
It is possible to effectively prevent the mist of the processing solution from scattering outside.
Can Rutotomoni, gap between the wafer W and the vertical protection wall 30b
Outside the cup with the airflow of a different system from the airflow flowing through the
Mist that is about to scatter and accumulates in the upper part of the outer cup 30
Efficiently transports the mist of the processing liquid to be retained to the exhaust side
Can be done.

In the above embodiment, the case where the object to be processed is a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to surface treatment of a glass substrate other than a semiconductor wafer, an LCD, a CD substrate and the like. Further, the processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to apparatuses for cleaning processing, etching processing and the like in addition to the developing processing.

[0033]

As described above, the processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, so that the following effects can be obtained.

1) The mist-like processing solution is scattered around.
Can be prevented , and the processing liquid can be prevented from becoming particles and adhering to the wafer. As a result, the uniformity of the processing film of the object to be processed can be significantly improved as compared with the conventional one, and the yield of products can be improved.

2) Raise the vertical protection wall above the horizontal protection wall.
By standing up, the mist of the processing liquid can be more reliably prevented from being scattered outward by the upright portion. Further, by providing the upright portion, the entire cup can be reduced in size.

3) Connect the exhaust passage to the vertical protective wall of the outer cup.
By drilling an opening through, it is possible to convey the mist of the treatment liquid with the air flow through the opening further to efficiently exhaust side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an entire apparatus including a processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an object transfer arm and a stepper chuck in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 spin chuck (rotation holding means) 22 processing liquid supply nozzle 29 inner cup 30 outer cup 30a horizontal protection wall 30b vertical protection wall 30c rising part 30d opening 32 exhaust port 38 pipe 39 damper (passage opening / closing means) 43 solenoid 44 control device ( Control means)

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-174848 (JP, A) JP-A-4-49615 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01L 21/027 G03F 7/30

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A processing apparatus comprising: a rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed; and a nozzle for supplying a processing liquid from above the rotation holding means; and a cup surrounding the rotation holding means; An exhaust passage connecting a space containing the rotation holding means surrounded by the negative pressure source, a passage opening / closing means disposed in the exhaust passage, and a control means for controlling opening / closing of the passage opening / closing means, Forming a horizontal protective wall protruding inward in the radial direction from the upper edge of the cup;
Extending to a position near the object to be processed held by the means
Both form a vertical protective wall that rises above the horizontal protective wall
And, said control means, after stopping the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle, closing the passage opening and closing means after a predetermined time, and before the start of supply, the control to open the passage opening and closing means before a predetermined time A processing device for performing the following. 2. A rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed,
And a nozzle for supplying the processing liquid from above the rotation holding means.
In the processing apparatus provided, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means and a cup
Therefore, the space for containing the rotation holding means is connected to the negative pressure source.
Exhaust passage to be connected and a passage opening disposed in the exhaust passage.
Closing means and control means for controlling opening and closing of the passage opening and closing means
And a horizontal support projecting radially inward from the upper edge of the cup.
A protective wall is formed, and the rotation is held from the tip of this horizontal protective wall.
Extending to a position near the object to be processed held by the means
A direct protection wall is formed, and the vertical protection wall is located at an appropriate position.
An opening communicating with the exhaust passage is formed in the nozzle, and the control means stops the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle.
Then, after a predetermined time, the passage opening / closing means is closed, and
Open the passage opening / closing means before the start of feeding and a predetermined time before
A processing device for performing control. 3. A rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed,
And a nozzle for supplying the processing liquid from above the rotation holding means.
In the processing apparatus provided, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means and a cup
Therefore, the space for containing the rotation holding means is connected to the negative pressure source.
Exhaust passage to be connected and a passage opening disposed in the exhaust passage.
Closing means and control means for controlling opening and closing of the passage opening and closing means
And a horizontal support projecting radially inward from the upper edge of the cup.
A protective wall is formed, and the rotation is held from the tip of this horizontal protective wall.
Extending to a position near the object to be processed held by the means
Both form a vertical protective wall that rises above the horizontal protective wall
And communicates with the exhaust passage at an appropriate position on the vertical protection wall.
An opening bored, said control means stops the supply of the processing liquid from the nozzle
Then, after a predetermined time, the passage opening / closing means is closed, and
Open the passage opening / closing means before the start of feeding and a predetermined time before
A processing device for performing control.