JP3325135B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and processing tank used therein - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a processing tank used for the same, and more particularly, to a silicon wafer, glass, etc. The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing predetermined processing (at least cleaning processing and drying processing) on various substrates such as substrates and electronic components, and a processing tank used for the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method for cleaning various substrates such as silicon wafers using hot water and drying the substrate surface after the cleaning, a method disclosed in, for example, JP-A-3-30330 is conventionally known. Methods are known. In the same publication, a substrate is housed in a chamber, hot water is injected into the chamber, the substrate is immersed in the hot water, and then the pressure in the chamber is reduced to the vapor pressure of the hot water or less, and the hot water is boiled. The substrate is cleaned by boiling under reduced pressure, pure water is injected into the chamber after the cleaning, and the substrate is rinsed and cleaned with the pure water.Then, the water in the chamber is discharged, and the inside of the chamber is evacuated. A substrate cleaning / drying method for drying a cleaned substrate is disclosed. Also,
The publication discloses a technique for effectively preventing dust from adhering to a substrate by supplying nitrogen gas into the chamber at the same time as discharging the water from the chamber when the water is discharged from the chamber.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-275412 discloses that a substrate is housed in a cleaning tank in a chamber, hot pure water is supplied into the cleaning tank from the bottom and overflows from the top, and hot pure water is supplied into the cleaning tank. The substrate is immersed in the rising water flow of the hot pure water for cleaning, and after the cleaning, the substrate is pulled out of the hot pure water, the hot pure water is discharged from the cleaning tank, and then the chamber is evacuated. A method of cleaning and drying a substrate so as to dry the substrate under reduced pressure is disclosed. In addition, the same publication discloses a technique for effectively preventing dust from adhering to a substrate by supplying heated and ionized nitrogen gas to the periphery of the substrate in a step of lifting the substrate from hot pure water. It has been disclosed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 3-3
In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 0330, the substrate is washed with warm water, rinsed with pure water, and then drained from the chamber with the substrate kept still. In this way, the substrate is drained while the substrate is stationary, and the liquid level in the chamber is lowered to remove water from around the substrate. Particles that have been removed and diffused into the liquid concentrate near the liquid surface. For this reason, when the liquid level falls on the surface of the stationary substrate, there is a problem that particles easily adhere to the surface of the substrate.

On the other hand, in the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-275412, after cleaning the substrate, the substrate is lifted from the pure water in a state where the pure water overflows from the upper portion of the cleaning tank. The particles removed from the surface and diffused into the pure water are discharged from the cleaning tank together with the pure water overflowing from the upper part of the cleaning tank, and the particles do not adhere to the substrate surface when the substrate is lifted. However, in the method disclosed in the same publication, a space for lifting the substrate is provided above the cleaning tank in the chamber,
That is, a drying space must be secured, and the internal volume of the chamber increases. As a result, there is a problem in that the size of the apparatus is increased and the cost is increased, and the time required to reach a predetermined degree of vacuum during depressurization is lengthened. Further, in this case, the transfer position of the substrate (the transfer position from or to another process) is located further above the chamber, so that the stroke of the lifter that raises and lowers the substrate in the chamber increases. As a result, there is a problem that the cost is increased and the strength of the lifter needs to be increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a processing tank used for the same, which can prevent particles from re-adhering to the substrate after cleaning the substrate, and can significantly reduce the internal volume of the decompression chamber. It is to be.

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A substrate processing apparatus for performing at least a cleaning process and a drying process on a substrate in the same chamber, wherein a processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals is housed in the chamber. The tank has an outer plate defining an outer wall,
A partition plate provided at a predetermined interval inside the outer plate and having a plurality of through holes formed on the surface thereof, a liquid injection tube connected to the bottom, and a liquid discharge tube connected to the outer plate. In the draining process performed after the cleaning of the substrate is completed, the pure water is continuously supplied from the liquid injection pipe into the processing tank, and the pure water stored in the processing tank is continuously discharged from the liquid discharge pipe. It is characterized by.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the drainage process, the amount of pure water injected into the processing tank per unit time is reduced per unit time of the pure water discharged from the processing tank. And a means for controlling the amount of pure water to be injected in order to reduce the amount according to the decrease in the amount of water.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the diameter of the through hole formed in the partition plate is reduced from the upper portion to the lower portion of the partition plate. I do.

[0010] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1.
Oite further, the fixed substrate supporting means in the processing bath, and a vertically movable movable substrate support means in a processing tank Sotoma with the processing tank, when performing the drying process performed after the draining step is completed the substrate
During the drying process, the movable substrate is supported from the fixed substrate support means.
Transfer the substrate to the holding means .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals therein, and at least a cleaning process and a drying process are performed on each substrate in the same chamber. An outer plate defining an outer wall, a partition plate provided at a predetermined interval inside the outer plate, and having a plurality of through holes formed on the surface thereof, and a liquid injection pipe connected to a bottom portion, A liquid discharge pipe connected to the outer plate,
In a drain step performed after the cleaning of the substrate, pure water is continuously supplied from a liquid injection pipe, and pure water stored in a processing tank is continuously discharged from a liquid discharge pipe.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals therein, and at least a cleaning process and a drying process are performed on each substrate in the same chamber. In a drain step performed after cleaning of the substrate, the divided outer plate is formed by a plurality of rotatable rotating plates, and includes a divided outer plate defining an outer wall, and a liquid injection pipe connected to a bottom portion. It is characterized in that pure water is continuously supplied from the liquid injection pipe, and pure water stored in the processing tank is continuously discharged by rotating the rotating plate in order from the top.

[0013] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the same chamber.
Perform at least a cleaning process and a drying process on the substrate.
A substrate processing apparatus, which is housed in a chamber.
, A processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals
When a fixed substrate supporting means in the processing bath, and in the processing tank processing tank
And a vertically movable movable substrate support means in Hokama, washing of the substrate
When performing the drying process performed after the end of the cleaning process,
Substrate from fixed substrate support to movable substrate support during processing
Hand over.

The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7.
In the processing tank, the surface of the substrate is
IP that supplies isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to the surface
A introduction pipe is further provided.

[0015]

According to the first and fifth aspects of the present invention, when draining the inside of the processing tank after washing the substrate, the pure water is discharged from the outer plate while supplying the pure water from the bottom of the processing tank. ing. Here, since the inside of the processing tank is partitioned by the partition plate, the pure water in the space between the outer plate and the partition plate is discharged faster than the pure water in the space inside the partition plate. . As a result, a step occurs between the liquid level in the space between the outer plate and the partition plate and the liquid level in the space inside the partition plate. Therefore, in the space inside the partition plate, the pure water near the surface flows down into the space between the outer plate and the partition plate through the through hole formed in the partition plate. This is completely equivalent to a state where the liquid level overflows. As described above, since the level of pure water is constantly reduced while overflowing, particles floating on the surface of the pure water are discharged together with the overflow water, and the particles can be prevented from re-adhering to the surface of the substrate. In addition, since drainage can be performed while the substrate is stopped in the processing bath, there is no need to provide a space for lifting the substrate in the chamber, that is, a separate drying space, and the internal volume of the chamber can be reduced. As a result, the size of the device can be reduced and the price can be reduced. In addition, since the lift stroke of the lifter for moving the substrate up and down is shortened, the cost is reduced and the strength is advantageous.

In the drainage step, the amount of pure water injected per unit time must be smaller than the amount of pure water discharged per unit time. However, the amount of pure water discharged per unit time gradually decreases as the liquid level in the treatment tank decreases, that is, as the water pressure decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to control the amount of pure water injected per unit time by some method. Therefore, in the invention according to claim 2, in the draining step, the amount of pure water injected into the treatment tank per unit time is reduced according to the decrease in the amount of pure water discharged from the treatment tank per unit time. The injection amount of pure water is controlled to reduce the amount. Thus, drainage can be performed while always keeping the liquid level in the space between the outer plate and the partition plate lower than the liquid level in the space inside the partition plate.

In the invention according to claim 3, since the diameter of the through hole formed in the partition plate becomes smaller as going downward,
As the liquid level in the processing tank decreases, the amount of pure water flowing down from the space inside the partition plate to the space between the outer plate and the partition plate, that is, overflowing, decreases. Thereby, the balance between the amount injected into the processing tank and the amount of pure water discharged from the processing tank is adjusted.

In the invention according to claims 4 and 7 ,
Since the substrate support means may be fixed in the processing tank or movable between the inside and outside of the processing tank, if the substrate is transferred between both when performing the drying process of the substrate, the liquid remains at the edge of the substrate It can be dried uniformly without drying.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the processing tank is drained after the cleaning of the substrate is completed, the rotating plates constituting the divided outer plates are sequentially rotated from the top to store in the processing tank. The purified water is continuously discharged while maintaining the overflow state.

[0020]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the configuration of the processing tank housed in the decompression chamber. Note that the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment, in the same manner as a conventional cleaning / drying apparatus, can store various substrates (a silicon wafer for a semiconductor integrated circuit, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, Substrates for electronic components, etc.)
Cleaning and drying processes, and a chemical solution process for etching, resist film peeling, and the like can be performed in the same reduced-pressure chamber. This chemical treatment
Substrate is coated with various chemicals (sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid,
(Buffered hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, etc.). However, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention uses
It should be pointed out in advance that, similarly to the drying apparatus, only a cleaning process and a drying process for the substrate may be performed. In this case, the chemical treatment will be performed by another device as another process. Hereinafter, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, referring to FIG. 1, a processing tank 1 is detachably or fixedly housed in a decompression chamber 2. A plurality of sheets (for example,
(50 sheets) of substrates 3 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals. The decompression chamber 2 includes a main body 21 that houses the processing tank 1 and a lid 22 that is attached to an upper part of the main body 21. When the lid 22 is attached to the main body 21, the lid 22 and the main body 21 are brought into close contact by the action of the O-ring 23, and the inside of the decompression chamber 2 is closed. An IPA (isopropyl alcohol) introduction tube 24 is attached to the back surface of the lid 22. This I
The PA introduction pipe 24 is provided for the substrate 3 accommodated in the processing tank 1.
(Ie, the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1)
, And both ends thereof are connected to an external IPA supply source (not shown) through the lid 22.

Next, the configuration of the processing tank 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The outer wall of the processing tank 1 is defined by an outer plate 101 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. In addition, the upper part of the processing tank 1 is open, and the bottom part is formed in an inverted roof shape whose central part protrudes downward. The inverted roof-shaped ridge line 102 extends along the arrangement direction of the substrates 3. On the outer periphery of the upper part of the outer plate 101,
A receiving plate 103 is provided so as to surround the periphery. The receiving plate 103 forms an overflow groove 104 for receiving the liquid (pure water or chemical solution) overflowing from the processing tank 1 in cooperation with the upper peripheral edge of the outer plate 11. A hole is formed in the vicinity of the front end of the processing tank 1 and below the receiving plate 12, and one end of the overflow drain pipe 105 is connected to this hole. The other end of the overflow drain is
Although not shown, it is guided to the outside through the side surface of the main body of the decompression chamber 2. That is, the overflow groove 10
The pure water (or chemical solution) overflowing to 4 is discharged to the outside of the decompression chamber 2 via the overflow drain 105.

An upflow pipe 106 is provided near the front end of the processing tank 1 and below the processing tank 1. Although not shown, one end of the upflow tube 106 is connected to the decompression chamber 2.
Is guided to the outside through the side surface of the main body, and connected to a supply source of pure water and a chemical solution. The other end of the upflow pipe 106 branches right and left at the front end of the processing tank 1, and is connected to inner injection pipes 107 provided on both left and right sides of the processing tank 1. An outer injection tube 108 is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the inner injection tube 107 at a predetermined interval. The left and right injection outer tubes 108 extend along the direction in which the substrates 3 are arranged, and connect the bottom of the processing tank 1 and the left and right sides. A plurality of holes 107a are formed on the outer periphery of the inner injection tube 107 at predetermined intervals along the axial direction. Each hole 107a is open in a direction opposite to the substrate 3 in the processing tank. A plurality of slits 108a are formed on the outer periphery of the outer injection tube 108 at predetermined intervals. Each slit 108a is open toward the direction of the substrate 3 in the processing tank. The slits 108a are arranged so as to be located between the respective substrates 3. Note that the left and right inner injection pipes 107 and outer injection pipes 108 are terminated near the rear end of the processing tank 1.

On the left and right sides of the outer plate 101, obliquely above the outer injection tube 108, a drainage tube 109 in the tank is provided. One end of the in-tank drain pipe 109 is connected to a hole 110 formed on the left and right sides of the outer plate 101. The left and right in-tank drain pipes 109 are integrated in the vicinity of the front end of the processing tank 1, and the other ends are guided to the outside through a main body side surface of the decompression chamber 2 (not shown). As a result, the liquid in the processing tank is discharged to the outside through the tank drain pipe 109. It should be noted that a three-way switching valve 6 as shown in FIG.
Is attached. The three-way switching valve 6 is configured to be able to switch to one of three discharge positions, that is, a minute drain position, a normal drain position, and an exhaust position. At the minute drainage position, the liquid in the processing tank is discharged little by little. At the normal draining position, the liquid in the processing tank is discharged by a larger amount than the minute draining position. At the exhaust position, the gas in the processing tank is exhausted.

Inside the processing tank 1, a pair of left and right substrate supporting portions 111 is fixedly provided. These substrate support portions 11
The two end portions are fixed to the front end side surface portion and the rear end side surface portion of the inner wall of the outer plate 101. A plurality of grooves are formed in each of the substrate support portions 111 at predetermined intervals. By inserting the substrate 3 into these grooves, the substrate 3 is positioned and supported in the processing tank.

A pair of left and right partition plates 112 facing the left and right side surfaces of the outer plate 101 at predetermined intervals are provided inside the processing tank 1. In each partition plate 112, a plurality of holes 112a are formed in a matrix. The height of the bottom of each partition plate 112 is the
Is higher than the upper position of each slit 108a.
The flow of the liquid (especially, pure water) emitted from is not obstructed.

Further, a lifter 4 is provided in connection with the processing tank 1 as described above. The lifter 4 includes a substrate guide 4
1 and a lifting device 42 for raising and lowering the substrate guide 41
And a connecting plate 43 for connecting the lifting device 42 and the substrate guide 41. In the board guide 41,
A plurality of grooves are formed at the same pitch as the grooves formed in the substrate support portion 111 described above. By inserting the substrate 3 into these grooves, the substrate 3 is positioned and supported.

FIGS. 4 to 10 are diagrams showing the operation state of the substrate processing apparatus according to the above embodiment for each process. The operation of the above embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, the substrate transfer / loading step will be described with reference to FIG. The transfer robot 5 grips a plurality of substrates 3 on which other processes have been completed by the chuck 51 and transfers the substrates 3 to an upper position of the substrate processing apparatus. At this time, the lid 22 is removed from the decompression chamber 2 and the substrate guide 41 is removed.
Is lifted to the upper position of the decompression chamber 2 by the lifting device 42. Next, the transfer robot 5
Is placed on the substrate guide 41, the chuck 51 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, and the substrate 3 is released. Thus, the substrate 3 is supported by the substrate guide 41. Next, the lifter 4 lowers the substrate guide 41 by the lifting device 42. When the substrate guide 41 is lowered to a position lower than the substrate support 111 inside the processing tank, the substrate 3 is transferred from the substrate guide 41 to the substrate support 111, and
Supports the substrate 3. Then, cover 2
2 is covered. At this time, the operation of the O-ring 23 seals the decompression chamber 2 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the chemical treatment step will be described with reference to FIG. In the chemical processing step, a chemical is supplied to the upflow pipe 106 from a chemical supply source (not shown) outside the decompression chamber. The upflow pipe 106 guides the supplied chemical solution to the inner injection pipe 107. The chemical solution guided into the injection inner tube 107 is filled in each hole 1 formed in the injection inner tube 107.
07a, flows out into the outer injection tube 108, and further flows out into the processing tank 1 through each slit 108a formed in the outer injection tube 108. Since the chemical liquid is continuously supplied to the upflow pipe 106 from an external chemical liquid supply source, the liquid level in the processing tank gradually increases, and eventually overflows from the upper part of the processing tank. The overflowed chemical solution flows into the overflow groove 104 and overflows into the overflow drain pipe 105.
Is discharged to the outside of the decompression chamber 2. Therefore, the substrate 3 is always immersed in a new chemical solution. At this time, the three-way switching valve 6 in FIG. 3 is switched to the minute drainage position, and the chemical solution is also discharged little by little from the drainage pipe 109 in the tank. Thereby, the outer plate 101 and the partition plate 11
The chemical solution does not stay between the treatment tank 2 and the concentration with the chemical solution in the processing tank. If a certain amount of reaction time is required, as in the case of etching, the injection of the chemical is stopped when the liquid level reaches a predetermined level in order to reduce the amount of the chemical used. In this case, the three-way switching valve 6 is used. (That is, do not switch to any of the discharge positions), and the discharge of the chemical solution from the in-tank drain pipe 109 may be stopped.

Next, the cleaning step will be described with reference to FIG. In the cleaning step, pure water is supplied to the upflow pipe 106 from a pure water supply source (not shown) outside the decompression chamber. The upflow pipe 106 guides the supplied pure water to the injection inner pipe 107. The pure water guided into the injection inner pipe 107 is filled with each hole 10 formed in the injection inner pipe 107.
From 7a, it flows into the inside of the outer injection tube 108. The pure water that has flowed into the outer injection tube 108 is jetted into the processing tank 1 from each slit 108 a formed in the outer injection tube 108.
Here, since each slit 108a is arranged so as to be located between the substrates 3 arranged in the processing tank, the pure water jetted from each slit 108a flows into the space between the substrates. Further, since a substrate supporting plate 41a extending along the arrangement direction of the substrates 3 is formed at the center of the substrate guide 41, the horizontal pure water flow spouted from each slit 108a hits the substrate supporting plate 41a. The direction is changed to an upward flow. Therefore, a pure water flow is generated between the substrates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 5, and the surfaces of the substrates are evenly cleaned. At this time, the chemical solution and pure water that overflowed from the upper part of the processing tank flow into the overflow groove 104 and are discharged to the outside of the decompression chamber 2 through the overflow drain pipe 105. Therefore, the particles removed from the substrate surface by the cleaning and diffused into the pure water do not stay on the liquid surface but are efficiently discharged to the outside together with the overflow water. At this time, the three-way switching valve 6 in FIG. 3 is switched to the minute drainage position. As a result, the chemical solution retained between the outer plate 101 and the partition plate 112 is efficiently discharged to the outside through the in-tank drain pipe 109. Since pure water is continuously supplied to the upflow pipe 106 from an external pure water supply source, the concentration of the chemical solution in the processing tank gradually decreases, and the liquid in the processing tank eventually becomes pure water only. Then, when the amount of particles contained in the discharged pure water becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the cleaning process ends.

Next, the drainage process which is a feature of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drainage process, the three-way switching valve 6 in FIG. 3 is switched to the normal drainage position. On the other hand, the injection of pure water from the external pure water supply source to the treatment tank is still continued. At this time, by making the pure water injection amount per unit time smaller than the pure water discharge amount per unit time (pure water injection amount <pure water discharge amount), the outer plate 1
There is a difference between the liquid level in a space between the first partition 01 and the partition plate 112 (hereinafter, referred to as a partition space) and the liquid level in a space inside the partition plate 112 (hereinafter, referred to as an inside space). . That is, the liquid level in the partition space is lower than the liquid level in the inner space. Therefore, the pure water in the inner space is filled with the hole 1 in the partition plate 112 near the surface.
It falls into the partition space via 12a (see FIG. 2). Therefore, the liquid level of the pure water in the processing tank always falls while maintaining the overflow state. by this,
The particles floating on the surface of the pure water are discharged together with the overflow water, and the particles can be prevented from re-adhering to the surface of the substrate 3. That is, the same effect as the conventional technique of pulling the substrate out of pure water whose surface always overflows (that is, the technique disclosed in JP-A-5-275412) can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 7, when the liquid level in the processing bath is completely lower than that of the substrate 3, the injection of pure water is stopped, and the pure water in the processing bath is discharged.

Next, the drying step will be described with reference to FIG. In the drying step, IPA vapor is supplied to the IPA introduction pipe 24 from an external IPA supply source (not shown). I
The PA introduction pipe 24 jets the supplied IPA vapor evenly toward each substrate 3. On the surface of each substrate 3, water droplets are replaced with IPA vapor. That is, since IPA lowers the surface tension of water droplets attached to the substrate surface, the water droplets flow down from the substrate surface by their own weight. At this time, the three-way switching valve 6 in FIG. 3 is switched to the exhaust position. As a result, excess gas in the decompression chamber is exhausted, and the IPA gas is efficiently dispersed on each substrate. Note that as long as it is water-soluble and has a property of reducing the surface tension of water droplets remaining on the substrate, a vapor of another organic solvent may be used instead of the IPA vapor. Further, instead of such an organic solvent vapor, heated steam may be sprayed to dry the substrate surface. When the replacement of the water droplets with the IPA on the substrate surface is completed, the supply of the IPA vapor is stopped. On the other hand, the evacuation operation via the in-tank drain pipe 109 is continued. Thereby, the pressure inside the processing tank is reduced. As a result, the boiling point of the IPA vapor decreases, and the IPA that has been replaced with pure water on the substrate surface evaporates quickly, and the substrate surface dries in a short time.

At this time, the substrate support 111 and the substrate 3
IPA to remove water droplets that are likely to remain on the contact area
After a certain period of time has passed by supplying steam, the substrate guide 41
Is slightly raised to receive the substrate 3 and the substrate support 111
The portion where the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 are in contact is exposed, and the portion can be dried well.

Next, the substrate unloading / transporting step will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG.
2 is removed, and the substrate guide 41 is raised by the lifter 4. As shown in FIG. 10, when the substrate guide 41 moves up to the upper position of the decompression chamber, the transfer robot 5 holds the substrate 3 by the chuck 51 and transfers the substrate 3 to another position.

As described above, in the drainage process, the amount of pure water injected per unit time needs to be smaller than the amount of pure water discharged per unit time. However, the amount of pure water discharged per unit time gradually decreases as the liquid level in the treatment tank decreases, that is, as the water pressure decreases. Therefore, it is necessary to control the amount of pure water injected per unit time by some method. An example of a control mechanism used for this will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, a liquid level sensor 71 is provided inside the processing tank 1. This liquid level sensor 71
Is supplied with a minute amount of an inert gas such as nitrogen through a micro pressure gauge 72. Therefore, bubbles of the nitrogen gas are discharged from the tip of the liquid level sensor 71. The liquid level sensor 71 is covered with a hollow columnar cover 76 in order to prevent the substrate from being adversely affected by nitrogen gas bubbles. The micro pressure gauge 72 measures the current liquid level in the processing tank by detecting the discharge pressure of the nitrogen gas from the liquid level sensor 71. The arithmetic circuit 73 calculates the current amount of pure water to be injected into the processing tank per unit time based on the measurement result of the micro pressure gauge 72. The calculation result of the calculation circuit 73 is
It is provided to the electropneumatic regulator 74 and is converted to pilot air pressure. The pressure regulator 75 controls the pressure of the pure water supplied to the upflow pipe 106, that is, the amount of the pure water injected into the processing tank, by the pilot air pressure.
With this, according to the decrease in the liquid level in the processing tank,
The amount of pure water injected into the treatment tank is reduced, and the relationship of (pure water injection amount <pure water discharge amount) is always established.

The above control mechanism is merely an example, and the balance between the amount of pure water injected and the amount of discharged pure water may be adjusted by another method. For example, the partition plate 112
The diameter of the hole 112a formed in the hole may be reduced from the upper part to the lower part. In this case, when the liquid level in the processing tank is high, the amount of pure water flowing down from the inner space to the partitioning space increases, and conversely, when the liquid level in the processing tank is low, The amount of pure water flowing down from the space to the partition space is reduced, and the balance between the amount of pure water injected and the amount of discharged pure water is adjusted.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the processing tank. In the processing tank of this embodiment, an ultrasonic vibrator 8 composed of a piezo element or the like is attached at the bottom center. At the time of cleaning, by driving this ultrasonic vibrator,
Ultrasonic waves propagate in the processing bath, thereby enhancing the effect of cleaning each substrate 3. The other configuration of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
And the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 13 shows still another embodiment of the processing tank. The processing tank of this embodiment is not provided with the partition plate 112 like the processing tank 1 shown in FIG. Instead, the outer wall of the processing tank 100 is constituted by the divided outer plate 120. The divided outer plate 120 is constituted by a plurality of rotating plates each of which can rotate independently. When any of the rotating plates is rotated outward from the initial position (in a state of standing vertically), a gap is formed in the outer wall at that portion, and pure water in the processing tank is discharged to the outside. I have. Then, by rotating each rotating plate outward in order from the top, the liquid level can be lowered while maintaining the overflow state of the pure water surface.

[0040]

According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to lower the level of pure water while constantly overflowing the liquid level while keeping the substrate stationary in the processing tank. As a result, the particles floating on the surface of the pure water are discharged together with the overflow water, and the particles can be prevented from re-adhering to the surface of the substrate. In addition, there is no need to separately provide a space for lifting the substrate in the chamber, that is, a drying space. Therefore, the size and cost of the device can be reduced. In addition, since the lift stroke of the lifter for moving the substrate up and down is shortened, the cost can be reduced and the strength is advantageous.

Further, according to the second aspect of the invention, in the drainage process, the amount of pure water injected into the treatment tank per unit time is reduced by the amount of pure water discharged from the treatment tank per unit time. As the pure water injection amount is controlled so as to decrease according to the above, the liquid level in the space between the outer plate and the partition plate is always kept lower than the liquid level in the space inside the partition plate. While draining can be done.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the diameter of the through-hole formed in the partition plate is made smaller as going downward, and the space inside the partition plate becomes lower as the liquid level in the processing tank becomes lower. The amount of pure water flowing into the space between the outer plate and the partition plate from the outside is reduced so that the amount of pure water injected into the treatment tank and the amount of pure water discharged from the treatment tank The balance can always be adjusted to an appropriate relationship.

Further, according to the fourth and seventh aspects of the present invention, since the two substrate support means change the substrate during the drying process, there is no portion where the substrate and the support means are always in contact, and the entire substrate is uniformly dried. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view showing a configuration of a processing tank housed in a decompression chamber in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a three-way switching valve attached to the in-tank drain pipe 109 in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation state at the time of carrying / loading a substrate in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view showing an operation state in a chemical solution processing step and a cleaning step of the substrate in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation state in a drainage step in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation state at the end of a drainage process in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation state in a substrate drying step in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation state when the substrate is unloaded in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation state at the time of transferring a substrate in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a mechanism for controlling the amount of pure water injected in conjunction with a decrease in the liquid level.

FIG. 12 is a view showing another embodiment of the processing tank.

FIG. 13 is a view showing still another embodiment of the processing tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing tank 101 ... Outer plate 106 ... Upflow pipe 107 ... Injection inner pipe 108 ... Injection outer pipe 109 ... Drain pipe in tank 111 ... Substrate support part 112 ... Partition plate 112a ... Hole 2 ... Decompression chamber 24 ... IPA introduction Tube 3 ... Substrate 4 ... Lifter 71 ... Liquid level sensor 8 ... Ultrasonic vibrator 120 ... Split outer plate

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing at least a substrate cleaning process and a drying process in a same chamber, wherein a processing tank in which a plurality of the substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals in the chamber. Is stored, the processing tank, an outer plate defining an outer wall, provided at a predetermined interval inside the outer plate, and a partition plate having a plurality of through holes formed on the surface thereof, A liquid injection pipe connected to a bottom portion; and a liquid discharge pipe connected to the outer plate. In a draining process performed after the cleaning of the substrate, pure water is continuously supplied from the liquid injection pipe into the processing tank. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the pure water stored in the processing tank is continuously discharged from the liquid discharge pipe. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the draining step, the amount of pure water injected into the processing tank per unit time is reduced according to a decrease in the amount of pure water discharged from the processing tank per unit time. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pure water injection amount control unit. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the through-hole formed in the partition plate is reduced from an upper portion to a lower portion of the partition plate. 4. Further, the fixed substrate supporting means of the processing bath, the processing and the processing tank Bei example a vertically movable movable substrate support means in Sotoma tank, said to be performed the following draining process is completed the substrate Drying process
When performing, during the drying process, the fixed substrate support means
Transferring the substrate to the movable substrate supporting means from
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1. 5. A processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals and at least a cleaning process and a drying process are performed on each substrate in the same chamber, and define an outer wall. An outer plate, a partition plate provided at a predetermined interval inside the outer plate and having a plurality of through-holes formed on a surface thereof; a liquid injection pipe connected to a bottom portion; and a connection to the outer plate. In a drain step performed after the cleaning of the substrate is completed, pure water is continuously supplied from the liquid injection pipe, and pure water stored in the processing tank from the liquid discharge pipe is provided. A treatment tank characterized by being continuously discharged. 6. A processing tank in which a plurality of substrates are arranged at a predetermined interval and at least a cleaning process and a drying process are performed on each substrate in the same chamber. Constituted by a plurality of possible rotating plates,
And a divided outer plate defining an outer wall; and a liquid injection pipe connected to a bottom portion. In a draining step performed after washing of the substrate, pure water is continuously supplied from the liquid injection pipe, and A processing tank, wherein the pure water stored in the processing tank is continuously discharged by rotating the moving plate in order from the top. 7. At least a substrate in the same chamber.
A substrate processing apparatus that performs plate cleaning and drying.
A plurality of the substrates accommodated in the chamber and
Are arranged at predetermined intervals, fixed substrate support means in the processing tank, and a movable substrate supporter which can be moved up and down between the processing tank and the outside of the processing tank.
And a stage, line drying process performed after the cleaning process the end of the substrate
During the drying process,
A substrate processing apparatus for delivering the substrate to the movable substrate supporting means;
Place. 8. The drying treatment provided in the treatment tank.
At this time, isopropyl alcohol (IP
8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising an IPA introduction pipe for supplying A).
A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.