JP2976082B2 - 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 such as a resist liquid to the surface of a plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a processing liquid is applied to a plate-like processing object using a conventional processing apparatus of this type, the processing liquid that has been shaken off from a rotating processing object and splashed off the inner wall of the cup. In order to prevent adherence to the surface of the processing object, for example, by exhausting air from the bottom of the cup, air (downflow in the clean room) is introduced into the cup from the upper opening, and the surface of the processing object is discharged. It generates an airflow that flows outward along.

Conventionally, a resist coating apparatus shown in FIG. 8 has been known as this type of apparatus. This apparatus suctions and holds a semiconductor wafer W (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) as an object to be processed, and a spin chuck 51 for horizontally rotating the semiconductor wafer W, and applies a processing liquid to the surface of the wafer W held on the spin chuck 51. A processing liquid supply nozzle 52 to be supplied, and an annular inner cup 5 arranged so as to surround the periphery of the spin chuck 51.
The main part is constituted by 3 and an outer cup 54 which surrounds the spin chuck 51 and the inner cup 53 to prevent the processing liquid from scattering.

[0004] The inner cup 53 is formed at the upper end of the upright portion 53a and a cylindrical upright portion 53a which is raised from the bottom of the outer cup 54 and substantially surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 51. Horizontal portion 53 constituting upper surface 57
b, an inclined portion 53c extending while being diagonally expanded downward from the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion 53b, and an inclined portion 53c
And an outer peripheral portion 53d extending from the outer peripheral portion of the outer cup 54 to the vicinity of the bottom of the outer cup 54. The outer cup 54 has a large opening at the top so that the wafer W can be taken in and out, and an exhaust port 55 and a drain port 56 are provided at the bottom. Also,
An annular partition member 58 is provided at the bottom of the outer cup 54 and surrounds the lower part of the periphery of the upright portion 53a.
The drainage port 56 is provided between the partition member 58 and the upright portion 53a of the inner cup 53, and is provided near the inner wall of the outer cup 54.

In the conventional resist coating apparatus configured as described above, when the inside of the outer cup 54 is evacuated through the exhaust port 55, the air A introduced from the upper opening of the outer cup 54 is applied to the surface of the wafer W. After being radially swept along
The partition member 5 descends between the inner cup 53 and the outer cup 54, between the outer peripheral portion 53d of the inner cup 53 and the partition member 58, and between the inner cup 53 and the partition member 58.
8 and the upright portion 53a, the exhaust gas is exhausted to the exhaust port 55. At the time of spin coating, the resist liquid that has been shaken off from the peripheral edge of the wafer W and scattered and hit the inner wall of the outer cup 54 in a mist shape flows radially along the surface of the wafer W and then descends as described above. It is conveyed by the flow of the air A, and is discharged together with the air A from the exhaust port 55. In addition, the resist liquid adhering to the inner wall of the outer cup 54 and forming a water droplet descends along the inner wall, accumulates at the bottom, and is discharged from the drain port 56.

[0006]

However, in this type of conventional apparatus, the flow of the air A on the side where the exhaust port 55 is provided is satisfactorily generated. The flow of the air A on the side opposite to 55 tends to be insufficient, and as a result, the mist-like resist solution that hits the inner wall of the outer cup 54 flies onto the surface of the wafer W without being completely transported downward. This causes a problem of lowering the uniformity of the coating film. The main cause of the insufficiency of the flow of the air A at a position farther from the exhaust port 55 is that, as a result of investigations by the present inventors, an annular shape formed between the outer cup 54 and the outer peripheral portion 53 d of the inner cup 53. And the annular channel formed between the outer peripheral portion 53d of the inner cup 53 and the partition member 58. That is, in the conventional device, the diameter of the outer peripheral portion 53d of the inner cup 53 is equal to the diameter of the outer cup 54 and the partition member 58.
It is considered that the outer flow path has a larger flow area than the inner flow path, so that the pressure loss caused by the flow path becomes more prominent as the distance from the exhaust port 5 increases.

Further, in this type of conventional apparatus, since the diameter of the peripheral portion of the upper surface 57 of the inner cup 53 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, as shown in FIG. The circulated air A easily flows between the back surface of the wafer W and the upper surface 7 of the inner cup 53, and the resist liquid adheres to the back surface of the wafer W and the upper surface 57 of the inner cup 53, and then is dried to generate particles. There was a problem of doing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and evacuates the apparatus well to prevent a processing liquid, such as a mist-like resist liquid, from flying to the front and back surfaces of an object to be processed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus capable of performing good processing by preventing the processing liquid from adhering to the back surface of the processing object.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be processed; and an outer cup surrounding the rotation holding means. An inner cup rising from the bottom of the outer cup so as to surround the lower part of the object holding portion of the rotation holding means, and an inner / outer double annular section defined by a partition member rising at the bottom of the outer cup. An exhaust port that opens to the inner annular flow path of the flow path, wherein the outer circumferential part hanging from the upper outer circumference of the inner cup divides the annular flow path into an outer annular flow path and an intermediate annular flow path. The flow passage and the intermediate annular flow passage are set to have the same flow passage area (claim 1).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus comprising: a rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be processed; an outer cup surrounding the rotation holding means; An inner cup rising from the bottom of the outer cup so as to surround the lower part of the outer cup. The inner cup has a cylindrical rising part surrounding the rotation holding means and an upper end formed at the upper end of the rising part. A horizontal portion whose outer peripheral edge extends in the radial direction in accordance with the diameter of the object to be processed, and a slope which is extended while being diagonally expanded downward at a predetermined angle from a slightly inner side of the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion. and parts, are provided with an outer peripheral portion which is suspended from the outer peripheral edge portion of the inclined portion, characterized in that (請
Claim 2).

In the present invention, the exhaust port may be of any depth as long as it opens into the inner annular flow path, but preferably a cylindrical flow rate interference portion having the same diameter as the opening of the exhaust port is provided. At the same time, it is better to make the depth of the flow rate interference part as long as possible.

The upper opening edge of the outer cup may be simply cut as long as it does not interfere with taking in and out of the object to be processed. It is better to form a V-shaped or U-shaped folded portion ( claim 3 ). The turning angle of the upper opening edge is preferably set to, for example, 45 ° to 60 ° with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0013]

According to the processing apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, when the inside of the outer cup is exhausted from the exhaust port,
The air introduced from the upper opening flows radially along the surface of the object to be processed, then descends between the inner cup and the outer cup, and the outer annular flow path, the intermediate annular flow path, The gas flows in the order of the inner annular flow path, reaches the exhaust port, and is exhausted to the outside of the apparatus. Since the flow path area of the outer annular flow path and the flow path area of the middle annular flow path are set to be equal, pressure loss due to the difference in flow path area is eliminated, and at a position away from the exhaust port. Can also generate air flow favorably. Therefore, the mist of the processing liquid hitting the inner wall of the outer cup can be satisfactorily transported by the flow of air.
The discharged gas can be prevented from flying to the surface of the object to be processed, and the uniformity of the coating film or the like can be improved.

According to the processing apparatus of the second invention, the inner cup has a cylindrical upright portion surrounding the rotation holding means, and the outer peripheral edge formed at the upper end of the upright portion has the outer peripheral edge to be processed. A horizontal portion extending in the radial direction according to the diameter of the body, an inclined portion extending while being diagonally expanded downward at a predetermined angle from a slightly inside of the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion, and an outer portion outside the inclined portion. By providing an outer peripheral part hanging down from the peripheral part,
The flow of air is rectified to prevent the processing liquid from adhering to the back surface of the object to be processed, the upper surface of the inner cup, and the rotation holding means. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the treatment liquid from adhering to the rear surface of the object to be processed and the upper surface of the inner cup and the generation of particles. In addition , the inclined portion of the inner cup is formed to have a diameter which is slightly diagonally lower than the inner peripheral edge of the horizontal portion, so that the air which is going to go around to the back side from the peripheral edge of the object to be processed is formed in the inner cup. It can be blocked at the back surface of the outer peripheral edge of the extended upper surface . Also, by forming a folded portion having a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section at a predetermined angle toward the outside of the opening at the upper opening edge of the outer cup, the mist is formed on the inner wall of the outer cup. and even treatment liquid rises event along the inner wall, it is possible to prevent movement by the folded portion, it is possible to prevent scattering onto the workpiece (claim 3).

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is applied to a resist coating and developing apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the resist coating and developing apparatus includes a processing mechanism unit 10 having a processing mechanism for performing various processing on an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer) W; Wafer W in unit 10
The main part is constituted by a carry-in / carry-out mechanism 1 for automatically carrying-in / carrying-out.

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, and an arm for holding the wafer W by suction.
A moving mechanism 5 for moving the arm 4 in X, Y (horizontal), Z (vertical) and θ (rotation) directions;
Stage 6 on which wafers are aligned and wafers W are transferred to and from processing mechanism unit 10
And

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 movably in the Y, Z and θ directions.
Is 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 solvent remaining in the resist applied to the wafer W are heated and evaporated. A pre-bake mechanism 15 for cooling the wafer W 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 on the surface of the wafer W (processing apparatus of the present invention)
In order to prevent diffused light reflection during the exposure process,
And a surface coating layer coating mechanism 18 for coating and forming a CEL film or the like on the resist.

In the resist coating and developing apparatus configured as described above, first, the unprocessed wafer W is unloaded from the wafer carrier 2 by the arm 4 of the loading / unloading mechanism 1 and placed on the alignment stage 6. Is done. Then
The wafer W on the alignment stage 6 is transferred to the transfer mechanism 12
Of each of the processing mechanisms 14 to 1
8. Then, the processed wafer W is returned to the alignment stage 6 by the main arm 13, and
Further, the wafer is transported by the arm 4 and stored in the wafer carrier 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the processing apparatus 17 of the present invention comprises a spin chuck 21 which is a rotation holding means for horizontally holding and holding a semiconductor wafer W as a plate-shaped object to be processed and horizontally rotating the same. A processing liquid supply nozzle 22 that is moved onto the spin chuck 21 to supply a resist liquid as a processing liquid to the surface of the wafer W, and concentrically surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 21 below the wafer holding portion 21A. The main part is composed of an annular inner cup 29 arranged and an outer cup 30 surrounding the spin chuck 21 and the inner cup 29 to prevent the processing liquid from scattering outside the apparatus.

The inner cup 29 is erected from the bottom of the outer cup 30 and substantially surrounds the periphery of the spin chuck 21. The inner cup 29 is formed at the upper end of the erected part 29a. A horizontal portion 29b having the same outer diameter as the wafer W and an inclined portion 2 extending diagonally downward from the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion 29b.
9c and the outer cup 30 from the outer peripheral edge of the inclined portion 29c.
And an outer peripheral portion 29d hanging down near the bottom portion.
The inner cup 29 defines an inner / outer double annular flow path (inner annular flow path 35, outer annular flow path 36) having a lower portion communicating with the inner peripheral portion of the outer cup 30. The outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 31 of the horizontal portion 29b of the inner cup 29 is located at the same position as the edge of the wafer W so as to prevent the resist liquid from entering the back surface of the wafer W. In addition, the inclined part 2
The angle α of 9c with respect to the horizontal plane is set to α = 30 ° to 45 ° (see FIG. 4).

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 and a drain port 33 described later are provided at the bottom. Outer cup 30
The upper opening edge portion 30a has a folded portion 30b having a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section toward the outside of the opening.
The turning angle β of the turning portion 30b is β = 45 ° to 60 °.
° (see FIG. 5). An annular partition member 34 is provided at the bottom of the outer cup 30 and surrounds the lower part of the periphery of the upright portion 29a. An intermediate annular channel 37 is formed between the inner annular channel 35 and the outer annular channel 36. ing. The exhaust port 32 is opened in the inner annular channel 35, and the drainage port 33 is opened in the vicinity of the outer annular channel 36. The height of the partition member 34 is set slightly higher than the lower end of the outer peripheral portion 29d of the inner cup 29.

The distance between the inner peripheral wall of the outer cup 30 and the outer peripheral part 29d of the inner cup 29 is smaller than the distance between the partition member 34 and the outer peripheral part 29d of the inner cup 29 by a predetermined distance.
Thus, the flow passage area S1 of the outer annular flow passage 36 and the flow passage area S2 of the intermediate annular flow passage 37 are set to be equal (see FIG. 3).

The exhaust port 32 is provided with a cylindrical flow velocity interference part 42 having the same diameter as 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 in order to prevent the flow of the air A near the exhaust port 32 from becoming extremely stronger than the flow away from the exhaust port 32, and has a length (depth). The longer the length is, the more effective the flow velocity averaging becomes. A damper 39 for adjusting the displacement is provided in the middle of the pipe 38. The damper 39 is driven by a damper driving device (not shown) based on an exhaust gas flow rate detected by an exhaust gas flow rate sensor 41 attached to the upper wall of the outer cup 30 in an inner space so as to accurately control the exhaust gas flow rate. Can be used. The drain port 33 is connected to a drain tank (not shown) via a pipe 40.

In the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above, the outer cup 30 is
When the inside is evacuated, the air A introduced from the upper opening of the outer cup 30 flows radially along the surface of the wafer W, and then descends between the inner cup 29 and the outer cup 30, The outer annular flow path 36, the intermediate annular flow path 37, and the inner annular flow path 35 flow in this order to reach the exhaust port 32, and the damper 39
It is exhausted through. Channel area S1 of outer annular channel 36
And the flow path area S2 of the intermediate annular flow path 37 are set to be equal to each other, so that the pressure loss between the inner and outer flow paths due to the difference in flow path area is suppressed to a small value, and the imbalance of exhaust due to the position of the exhaust port 32 is reduced. Is reduced, and the exhaust flow rate is made uniform over the entire area of the outer annular flow path 36. Further, since the flow velocity interference portion 22 is provided between the exhaust port 32 and the pipe, the flow of the air A can be favorably generated even at a position away from the exhaust port 32. Therefore, outer cup 3
The mist-like resist liquid hitting the inner wall of the wafer W can be satisfactorily conveyed and discharged by the flow of the air A, thereby preventing the resist liquid from flying to the surface of the wafer W and improving the uniformity of the coating film.

Further, since the damper 39 is driven based on the detected value of the exhaust flow rate by the exhaust flow rate sensor 21 and the exhaust flow rate is always appropriately controlled, a turbulent flow occurs in the exhaust flow due to too strong exhaust gas. Inconveniences such as uneven streamlines and striations in the resist film do not occur. Further, since the inclination angle α of the inclined portion 29c of the inner cup 29 is set to 30 ° to 45 °, the flow of the air A is rectified and the back surface of the wafer W and the upper surface 3 of the inner cup 29 are formed.
1. Further, the adhesion of the resist liquid to the spin chuck 21 can be prevented. Further, since the folded portion 30b having the predetermined folding angle β is formed at the upper opening edge portion 30a of the outer cup 30 as described above, the mist-like resist solution hitting the inner wall of the outer cup 30 can be completely removed. Even if it rises along one inner wall, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to prevent the further movement by the folded portion 30 b and to prevent the wafer from scattering on the wafer W.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part in the second embodiment.

The processing apparatus according to the second embodiment includes a wafer W
In this case, it is possible to more reliably prevent the resist liquid from entering between the inner cup 29 and the upper surface 31 of the inner cup 29. That is, the outer peripheral edge 31 extending radially outward in accordance with the diameter of the wafer W is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 31 of the inner cup 29.
a and the inclined portion 29c is provided slightly inside the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion 29b. With this configuration, the outer peripheral edge 31a of the upper surface of the inner cup 29 extends radially outward in accordance with the diameter of the wafer W. The outer peripheral edge 31 of the upper surface from which the air A to be turned around is extended.
a can be blocked on the back surface. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the resist liquid from adhering to the back surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the inner cup 29, and to prevent the generation of particles due to the adhered and dried resist.

In the second embodiment, the outer cup 30
Are formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Sand
The upper opening edge 30a of the outer cup 30 is located outside the opening.
A folded portion 30b having a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section
Is formed. The turning angle β of the turning portion 30b is
β is set in the range of 45 ° to 60 ° (see FIG. 5).
See). Also, the outer cup 30 has a bottom portion around the upright portion 29a.
An annular partition member 34 surrounding the lower portion is provided, and an inner ring is provided.
Intermediate annular channel 3 between the annular channel 35 and the outer annular channel 36
7 are formed. Then, the exhaust gas is
The opening 32 is opened, and a drain port is provided near the outer annular flow path 36.
33 is open. Note that the height of the partition member 34 is
Set slightly higher than the lower end of the outer periphery 29d of the cup 29
Have been. Further, the inner peripheral wall of the outer cup 30 and the inner cup 2
9 is spaced from the outer peripheral portion 29d by the partition member 34 and the inner cup.
A predetermined interval narrower than the interval between the outer peripheral portion 29d and the outer peripheral portion 29d.
And the flow path area of the outer annular flow path 36
S1 and the passage area S2 of the intermediate annular passage 37 are set equal.
(See FIG. 3). In the second embodiment,
The other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the case where the plate-like object is a semiconductor wafer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is also applicable to a case where a processing liquid is similarly spin-coated on an LCD substrate or a printed substrate. You can do it. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the spin coating device is applied to the resist coating device has been described. However, it is needless to say that the spin coating device can be applied to, for example, an etching liquid coating device or a device for performing a magnetic liquid coating process in addition to the resist coating device. is there.

[0031]

As described above, according to the processing apparatus of the present invention, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

1) According to the processing apparatus of the first aspect, since the flow passage area of the outer annular flow passage and the flow passage area of the intermediate annular flow passage are set to be equal, the pressure loss due to the difference in the flow passage area is reduced. The air flow can be satisfactorily generated even at a position distant from the exhaust port. Therefore, the mist of the processing liquid hitting the inner wall of the outer cup is conveyed and discharged well by the flow of air, preventing it from flying to the surface of the object to be processed and improving the uniformity of the coating film and the like. Can be done.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the inner cup has a cylindrical upright portion surrounding the rotation holding means and an outer peripheral edge formed at the upper end of the upright portion. A horizontal portion extending in the radial direction according to the diameter of the body, an inclined portion extending while being diagonally expanded downward at a predetermined angle from a slightly inside of the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion, and an outer portion outside the inclined portion. Since the outer peripheral part which is hung from the peripheral part is provided, the flow of air is rectified and the back surface of the object to be processed and the upper surface of the inner cup,
Further, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from adhering to the rotation holding means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the processing liquid from adhering to the back surface of the processing target and the upper surface of the inner cup, and to more reliably prevent generation of particles.

Further, the inclined portion of the inner cup, since the diameter formed obliquely downward slightly from the inner peripheral edge portion of the horizontal portion, the air to be Mawarikomo on the back side of the peripheral portion of the specimen - an inner and It can be blocked on the back surface of the outer peripheral edge of the extended upper surface of the cup. Also, by forming a folded portion having a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section at a predetermined angle toward the outside of the opening at the upper opening edge of the outer cup, the mist is formed on the inner wall of the outer cup. and even treatment liquid rises event along the inner wall, it is possible to prevent movement by the folded portion, it is possible to prevent scattering onto the workpiece (請
Claim 3 ).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an entire resist coating and developing apparatus having a processing apparatus according to the present invention.

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

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing an inclined portion of an inner cup according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the upper opening of the outer cup according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a conventional processing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view showing a portion IX in FIG. 8;

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Spin chuck (rotation holding means) 29 Inner cup 29a Standing part 29b Horizontal part 29c Inclined part 29d Outer part 30 Outer cup 30a Upper opening edge 30b Folded part 31a Upper outer edge 32 Exhaust port 34 Partition member 35 inner annular flow path 36 outer annular flow path 37 intermediate annular flow path S1 flow area of outer annular flow path S2 flow area of intermediate annular flow path W Wafer (plate-shaped workpiece)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01L 21/027 G03F 7/16 502 B05C 11/08

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotating and holding means for holding and rotating an object to be processed, an outer cup surrounding the rotating and holding means, and an outer cup for enclosing a lower portion of an object to be processed of the rotating and holding means. An inner cup that rises from the bottom, and an exhaust port that opens to the inner annular flow path of the inner and outer dual annular flow path defined by the partition member that rises at the bottom of the outer cup; A process characterized in that the annular flow path is divided into an outer annular path and an intermediate annular flow path at an outer peripheral portion hanging down from the outer circumference, and the flow path areas of the outer annular flow path and the intermediate annular flow path are set to be equal. apparatus. 2. A rotation holding means for holding and rotating an object to be processed, an outer cup surrounding the rotation holding means, and an outer cup surrounding the object to be processed held by the rotation holding means. An inner cup rising from the bottom, wherein the inner cup has a cylindrical rising portion surrounding the rotation holding means, and an outer peripheral edge formed at an upper end of the rising portion has an outer peripheral edge of the object to be processed. A horizontal portion extending in the radial direction in accordance with the diameter, an inclined portion extending while being diagonally expanded downward at a predetermined angle from a slightly inside of the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal portion, and an outer peripheral edge of the inclined portion A processing device, comprising: an outer peripheral portion that is further suspended. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a bent portion having a V-shaped or U-shaped cross section is formed at a predetermined angle toward the outside of the opening at an upper opening edge of the outer cup. A processing device, comprising: