JP3335527B2 - Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus - 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 method including a water washing step of washing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device in a processing tank and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a substrate processing apparatus of this kind, there is an apparatus called a substrate cleaning apparatus (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "FS") or an apparatus called a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as "FS").
A device called a wet station (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "WS")
and so on.

In general, the FS performs a chemical treatment (for example, an etching treatment with hydrofluoric acid) on a substrate in a treatment tank for a predetermined time, and then performs a water rinse (substrate with pure water) on the substrate in the same treatment tank. (Washing) for a predetermined time.

[0004] Further, the FL generally performs chemical solution treatment and water washing in the same processing tank in the same manner as the above-mentioned FS, and after the water washing, the substrate is pulled up from the processing tank and the processing tank is stored. It is configured to perform a drying process in the chamber.

Further, the WS has one or more sets of a processing tank (chemical tank) for chemical treatment and a processing tank (rinsing tank) for rinsing, and a substrate for transferring the substrate between the processing tanks. It has a transport mechanism. In WS, a series of processes are performed while changing the processing tank, such as performing a chemical processing in a chemical tank and transporting the substrate from the chemical tank to the washing tank by the substrate transfer mechanism and washing the substrate.

[0006]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. In the above FS or FL, particles separated from the substrate in the chemical solution treatment and particles washed out from the substrate at the time of subsequent water washing float in pure water of a single treatment tank, and the particles re-attach to the substrate in the water washing process. However, there was a problem that the finish of washing was poor. In the above-mentioned WS, since the chemical solution treatment and the water washing are performed in separate treatment tanks, the reattachment of particles to the substrate in the water washing step is somewhat reduced. However, when the substrate is transported from the chemical tank to the washing tank, the particles in the chemical tank are brought into the washing tank together with the substrate, or the particles are washed off from the substrate during the washing in the washing tank. The particles floated inside, and the particles re-adhered to the substrate in the washing step, and the finish of the washing was not good.

Therefore, conventionally, chemical treatment and washing with water are generally performed as follows.
While supplying liquid (chemical solution or pure water) from the bottom of the processing tank, the liquid overflows from the upper part of the processing tank and is discharged out of the processing tank to form an ascending liquid flow of the liquid in the processing tank to perform chemical processing. We wash with water. As a result of this treatment, the particles that are peeled off or washed away from the substrate and float on the liquid in the processing tank rise to the liquid surface with the rising liquid flow of the above liquid, and are processed together with the liquid that overflows from the upper part of the processing tank. Since the particles are discharged out of the tank, the re-adhesion of particles to the substrate during washing with water is reduced.

[0008] However, despite the fact that the chemical treatment and the water washing are performed in a state where the rising liquid flow of the above liquid is formed,
The fact is that particles remain on the washed substrate. This is because all of the particles that have risen to the liquid level are not discharged out of the processing tank, and the particles float on the liquid surface. When the substrate is lifted from the processing tank (washing tank) after washing with water, the particles float on the liquid surface. It is considered that the particles are reattached to the substrate. Therefore, for example, if the washing time is lengthened, and all the particles floating on the liquid surface are discharged out of the processing tank and then the substrate is lifted from the processing tank, the particles do not re-adhere to the substrate after the washing. I can expect that. However, if the washing time is lengthened in such a manner, the throughput of the entire process is deteriorated and the productivity is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to significantly reduce the adhesion of particles to a substrate and improve the finish of water washing without lowering productivity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing method and an apparatus therefor.

[0010]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. That is, in the substrate processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing method including the rinsing step of rinsing the substrate in a processing tank, the substrate is rinsed at a stage before the rinsing step is completed. A surfactant is supplied to the treatment tank, and after the supply of the surfactant is completed, the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing method of the first aspect, the water washing step is performed in a state where an ascending liquid flow is formed in the processing tank. And supplying the surfactant to the treatment tank is performed from above the treatment tank.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a processing tank for washing a substrate with water, wherein the surfactant supplies a surfactant to the processing tank for washing the substrate with water. Supplying means, for a predetermined time in the processing tank, while performing control to wash the substrate, at a stage prior to the end of the washing, to supply a surfactant to the processing tank, After supply is completed, control means for controlling the substrate to be washed with water in the remaining time of the washing step,
It is characterized by having.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the surfactant supply means supplies a surfactant from above the processing tank. And the control means controls the washing of the substrate in the processing tank so that the substrate is washed with a rising liquid flow in the processing tank.

[0014]

The operation of the method according to the first aspect is as follows. That is, the surfactant is supplied to a treatment tank for washing the substrate at a stage before the end of the washing step. The rinsing step is performed by rinsing the substrate with water for a predetermined time. Then, after the end of the supply of the surfactant (stop of the supply), the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step. That is, assuming that the end timing of the washing step is TWE and the stop timing of the supply of the surfactant is TKE, TKE is temporally earlier than TWE. Also, the supply of the surfactant, for example,
It starts at the initial stage or the middle stage of the washing process. FS
In FL and FL, the chemical treatment is performed prior to the water washing step in the same treatment tank, and in such an apparatus, the supply of the surfactant may be started at an intermediate stage or the final stage of the chemical treatment.
The surfactant may be supplied to the processing tank from above the processing tank or from the bottom of the processing tank.

By performing such treatment, the adhesion of particles to the substrate can be greatly suppressed, and the finish of water washing has been improved. This is considered to be because the surfactant having a hydrophobic group and a hydrophilic group was blended into the particles, and as a result, the particles did not easily adhere to the substrate.

The above-mentioned surfactant is supplied to suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate. It is not performed for the purpose of improving the wettability of the substrate surface. Conversely, it is rather undesirable to end the water washing step with the surfactant attached to the substrate surface. Therefore, the substrate is washed with water after the completion of the supply of the surfactant, and the washing process is completed after the surfactant attached to the substrate is washed away.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the water washing step is performed in a state where a rising liquid flow is formed in the treatment tank. As a result, the liquid in the processing tank flows upward from the bottom of the processing tank, and overflows from the upper part of the processing tank and is discharged. Particles floating in the liquid in the processing tank are raised to the liquid level in the upper part of the processing tank by this rising liquid flow, and are discharged from the processing tank.
Then, in the above state, by supplying a surfactant from above the processing tank, particles raised on the liquid surface at the upper part of the processing tank are efficiently reformed (modified so as to be less likely to adhere to the substrate).
it can. Therefore, when the rinsing step is completed and the substrate is lifted from the processing tank, even if the substrate passes through the liquid surface, particles remaining on the liquid surface are unlikely to adhere to the substrate. The particles hardly adhere to the substrate, and the finish of the washing with water can be improved. Also, as described above, if the surfactant is supplied from above the processing tank in a state where the rising liquid flow is formed, the surfactant is unlikely to flow below the liquid surface, and is immersed in the liquid in the processing tank. The surfactant does not easily adhere to the substrate. Moreover, since the water washing is performed even after the supply of the surfactant is stopped, the supplied surfactant is discharged together with the liquid discharged from the upper portion of the processing tank, and the surfactant is added to the liquid surface when the water cleaning is completed. Since almost no residue remains, it is possible to prevent the surfactant from adhering to the substrate even when the substrate is pulled out of the processing bath.

A third aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for suitably and automatically performing the method of the first aspect of the present invention, and its operation is as follows. That is, the control means controls the water washing of the substrate in the processing tank for a predetermined time, controls the surfactant supply means, and adds the surfactant to the processing tank at a stage before the end of the water washing. Supply the agent. Then, after the supply of the surfactant is completed, the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for suitably and automatically performing the method of the second aspect of the present invention, and its operation is as follows. That is, the control means controls the water washing of the substrate in a state where the rising water flow is formed in the processing tank for a predetermined time in the processing tank, controls the surfactant supply means, and controls the surfactant supply before the end of the water washing. In this step, a surfactant is supplied from above the treatment tank. Then, after the supply of the surfactant is completed, the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step.

[0020]

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the processing tank portion is drawn in a vertical sectional view.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a surfactant is supplied from above the processing tank 1.
That is, the nozzle 2 is disposed above the processing tank 1. The nozzle 2 is connected to a pure water supply source 6 and a surfactant supply source 7 through conduits 3, 4, and 5. Opening / closing valves 8 and 9 are interposed in the pipelines 4 and 5, and by opening these on / off valves 8 and 9, the surfactant diluted with pure water is treated from the nozzle 2 into a shower tank. 1 is supplied.

At the bottom of the processing tank 1, a liquid supply pipe 10 for supplying a liquid (in this case, pure water) is attached. The liquid supply pipe 10 is connected to a pure water supply source 13 via a pipe 12 in which an on-off valve 11 is provided. By opening the on-off valve 11, pure water is supplied to the processing tank 1. Then, a rinsing step (rinsing of the substrate W for a predetermined time) is performed in a state where the substrate W is immersed in pure water of the processing tank 1,
When the rinsing step is completed, the substrate W is pulled up from the processing tank 1 by a lifting mechanism (not shown). During the rinsing step and during the lifting of the substrate W, the supply of pure water from the bottom of the processing tank 1 is continued, and the pure water overflows from the upper part of the processing tank 1 and the pure water flows into the processing tank 1. Is formed.

The opening and closing of each on-off valve is controlled by a control unit 100 composed of a microcomputer or the like.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a surfactant is supplied from the bottom of the processing tank 1.
That is, the pipe 15 connected to the surfactant supply source 14 is connected to the pipe 12, and the on-off valve 16 is connected to the pipe 15.
Is interposed. By opening the on-off valve 16 at an appropriate timing, a surfactant diluted with pure water from the pure water supply source 13 can be supplied to the treatment tank 1 at a predetermined timing. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1 and description thereof is omitted. Further, the water washing step and the lifting of the substrate W after the water washing step are performed by the same operation as in the first embodiment.

In the first and second embodiments, the treatment tank 1 is supplied to the treatment tank 1 at a stage prior to the end of the washing step in which pure water is continuously supplied from the pure water supply source 13 to the treatment tank 1. Supply surfactant (diluted with pure water). For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the surfactant may be supplied at an early stage of the washing step, or as shown in FIG. 3B, the surfactant may be supplied at an intermediate stage of the washing step. Good. Then, after the supply of the surfactant is completed (after the supply is stopped), the supply of the surfactant is performed at such a timing that the substrate W is washed with water in the remaining time of the washing step.

By supplying the surfactant as described above,
Adhesion of particles to the substrate W can be greatly suppressed, and washing with water after the supply of the surfactant can prevent the supplied surfactant from remaining on the surface of the substrate W even if it adheres to the surface of the substrate W.

As described above, the supply of the surfactant is performed to suppress adhesion of particles to the substrate W. It is not performed for the purpose of improving the wettability of the surface of the substrate W. Conversely, it is rather undesirable to end the washing step with the surfactant attached to the surface of the substrate W. Therefore, in this embodiment, the adhesion of particles to the substrate W is suppressed, and the surfactant is diluted and supplied so as not to remain on the surface of the substrate W. Such dilution concentrations include:
For example, the amount of the surfactant is about 1 per 1000 pure water. Note that the above-mentioned dilution concentration is at the stage of supplying to the processing tank 1, and the concentration of the surfactant in the processing tank 1 after being supplied to the processing tank 1 is further reduced. If the concentration of the surfactant in the treatment tank 1 is sufficiently low (thin enough to suppress adhesion of particles to the substrate W and not to remain on the surface of the substrate W), the surfactant may be used. The surfactant may be directly supplied without being diluted with pure water and supplied.

Further, in the case of the second embodiment, although the diluted surfactant is supplied to the processing tank 1, the supplied surfactant is supplied to the rising liquid flow of pure water in the processing tank 1. At the same time, the water flows from the bottom to the top of the processing tank 1, and at that time, the surfactant may come into contact with the substrate W immersed in the pure water of the processing tank 1. It is preferable that the surfactant supplied to the processing tank 1 does not touch the substrate W as much as possible. From that point, in the first embodiment, the surfactant is supplied from above the processing tank 1 in a state where the rising liquid flow of the pure water is formed in the processing tank 1, so that the processing tank 1 The surface active agent supplied to the substrate W immersed in pure water becomes difficult to touch. Further, in the first embodiment, the surfactant supplied to the processing tank 1 overflows from the upper part of the processing tank 1 and is discharged together with pure water at the time of washing after the surfactant is supplied. At the end of the process, almost no surfactant remains on the liquid surface QH (see FIG. 1). Therefore, even when the substrate W passes the liquid level QH when the substrate W is lifted after the water washing step, it is possible to prevent the surfactant from adhering to the substrate W.

As shown in FIG. 4, a drain pipe 21 provided with an on-off valve 20 is provided at the bottom of the processing tank 1 so that the substrate W is placed in the processing tank 1 during the washing step. Water washing may be performed so as to include a step of discharging the liquid in the processing tank 1 from the bottom of the processing tank 1 in a stationary state. Even in such a case, the surfactant supply mechanism 22 (nozzle 2, pipe lines 3 to 5, pure water supply 6, surfactant supply 7, on-off valves 8, 9) indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure or 23 (Surfactant supply source 14, pipe line 15, opening / closing valve 16) is provided to supply the surfactant to the processing tank 1 before the liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the bottom of the processing tank 1. By doing so, adhesion of particles to the substrate W can be significantly suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the surfactant is supplied automatically by the control unit 100. However, the on-off valves 8, 9 and the on-off valve 16 are manually opened and closed, and the The activator may be supplied manually.

Hereinafter, embodiments for specifically embodying the present invention will be described.

[0033]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. In the drawing, the chamber and the processing tank are drawn in a vertical sectional view. Also, in the figure, portions common to the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the description thereof is omitted.

The first embodiment is an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a substrate cleaning / drying apparatus (FL). In this apparatus, a treatment tank 1, a lifter 31, a gas supply nozzle 32, a surfactant supply nozzle 2 and the like are provided in a closed chamber 30. An opening 33 for carrying in / out the substrate W is provided on the upper surface of the closed chamber 30. Further, an openable / closable lid 34 that opens the opening 33 only when the substrate W is carried in and out is provided. When the lid 34 is closed, the inside of the chamber 30 is hermetically sealed.

A drain / exhaust port 35 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 30. This drain / exhaust port 35 is
Fluid drain 38 is connected through lines 36 and 37 and exhaust duct 40 is connected through lines 36 and 39.
Is connected to the On-off valve 4 is installed in pipes 37 and 39
1 and 42 are interposed, and a water ring vacuum pump 4
3 is also interposed. By opening the on-off valve 41, the liquid overflowing from the upper part of the processing tank 1 is drained, and by opening the on-off valve 42, the inside of the chamber 30 is forcibly evacuated.

A pipe 46 connected to the chemical supply source 44 and provided with an opening / closing valve 45 is connected to the pipe 12 connected to the liquid supply pipe 10. On-off valve 45
By opening, a predetermined chemical solution (for example, hydrofluoric acid or the like) can be supplied into the processing tank 1 from the bottom of the processing tank 1. As a result, chemical treatment and water washing can be performed in the treatment tank 1 continuously.

An inert gas supply source 51 is connected to the nozzle 32 through a pipe 50 in which a filter 47, a heater 48, and an on-off valve 49 are interposed. In addition, pipe 5
A branch pipe 55 in which open / close valves 52 and 53 and an organic solvent vapor supply unit 54 are interposed is connected to 0. By opening the on-off valve 49 and closing the on-off valves 52 and 53, an inert gas (such as nitrogen gas) heated by the heater 48 and purified by the filter 47 can be supplied into the chamber 30. Further, the on-off valve 49 is closed, and the on-off valves 52, 53
Is opened, the vapor of the organic solvent is heated by the heater 48 using the inert gas as a carrier,
And then supplied into the chamber 30. The organic solvent vapor supply unit 54 includes a heater 54
In step a, the organic solvent is heated to generate vapor of the organic solvent. As the organic solvent, alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ketones, ethers, and the like are used.

The lifter 31 is configured to be able to move up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). The lifter 31 supports the substrate W, and the substrate W is raised and lowered between a rising position shown by a solid line in the figure and a lowering position shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. The loading of the substrate W is performed as follows. First, the lid 34 is opened, and the substrate transport mechanism (not shown) is opened.
The substrate W is carried into the chamber 30 through the
Is set on the lifter 31 that has been raised. When the substrate transfer mechanism is retracted out of the chamber 30, the lid 3
4 closes. When the substrate W is carried in, the lifter 31 descends and puts the substrate W into the processing tank 1. In this state, chemical treatment and washing are performed. Then, when the washing is completed, the lifter 31 moves up to position the substrate W at the ascending position, where a drying process is performed. When the drying process is completed, the lid 3
4 is opened, the substrate transport mechanism enters from the opening 33, and the processed substrate is taken out from the lifter 31. Then, when the substrate transport mechanism carries the substrate W out of the chamber 30 through the opening 33, the lid 34 closes.

A drain 56 is provided at the bottom of the processing tank 1. The drain 56 is connected to a drain 59 via a conduit 58 in which an on-off valve 57 is interposed. By opening the on-off valve 57, the liquid in the processing tank 1 can be discharged from the bottom of the processing tank 1.

In the first embodiment, the nozzle 2, the pipe 3,
4 and 5, a pure water supply source 6, a surfactant supply source 7, and a surfactant supply mechanism 22 including on-off valves 8, 9 and the like. 15,
It may be configured to include a surfactant supply mechanism 23 including the on-off valve 16 and the like.

The control unit 100 controls the opening and closing of the lid 34, the lifting and lowering of the lifter 31, and the opening and closing of each on-off valve.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

Although the timing chart of FIG. 6 shows the operation from the chemical solution processing, the loading of the substrate W and the loading of the substrate W into the processing tank 1 are performed as described above. When the substrate W is loaded, the heated and cleaned inert gas is supplied into the chamber 30, and the supply of the inert gas is continued thereafter. Prior to the introduction of the substrate W into the processing tank 1, pure water is supplied from the bottom of the processing tank 1, the pure water overflowing from the upper part of the processing tank 1 is drained, and the pure water rising liquid is supplied to the processing tank 1. Form a flow. Then, with the rising liquid flow of the pure water being formed, the lifter 31 descends, and the substrate W is loaded into the processing tank 1.

Now, an ascending liquid flow of pure water is formed in the processing tank 1 and the opening / closing valve 45 is opened in a state where the substrate W is immersed therein, and the chemical solution together with the pure water flows from the bottom of the processing tank 1. It is supplied and the chemical treatment is started. And for a predetermined time,
When the chemical is supplied, the on-off valve 45 is closed to stop the supply of the chemical, and the chemical processing ends. By the completion of the chemical solution treatment, only the pure water is supplied into the treatment tank 1,
The water washing process starts. In the first embodiment, the on-off valve 8 and the on-off valve 8
9 (or on-off valve 16) is opened to start supplying the surfactant to the processing tank 1, and when the surfactant is supplied for a predetermined time, the on-off valves 8, 9 (or on-off valve 16) Is closed, and the supply of the surfactant to the processing tank 1 is stopped. Then, after the supply of the surfactant is stopped, the substrate W is washed with water in the remaining time of the washing step.

Before the rinsing step is completed, the supply of the vapor of the organic solvent into the chamber 30 is started. When the rinsing step is completed, the lifter 31 rises and the substrate W is removed from the processing tank 1.
And a drying process is performed. The lifting of the substrate W is also performed in a state where the rising water flow of the pure water is formed. When the lifting of the substrate W is completed, the supply of the pure water is stopped, the pure water in the processing tank 1 is drained from the bottom of the processing tank 1, and the chamber 30 is forcibly evacuated to reduce the pressure in the chamber 30. I do. At this time, the supply of the inert gas may be completely stopped, or the inert gas may be supplied with a supply amount smaller than the exhaust amount (dotted line in FIG. 6). When the drying by reducing the pressure in the chamber 30 is completed, the forced evacuation in the chamber 30 is stopped, the supply of the inert gas at a predetermined amount is restarted, and the pressure in the chamber 30 is returned to the atmospheric pressure to release the reduced pressure. . Thereafter, the substrate W is carried out.

The inventor conducted the following comparative experiment using the apparatus of the first embodiment to confirm the effect of the present invention.

First, in the procedure shown in FIG. 6, an experiment was conducted in which a chemical solution treatment, water washing, and drying treatment were performed without supplying a surfactant. In this experiment, the washing step was performed for 15 minutes.
As a result, about 500 particles adhered to the surface of the dried substrate W.

Next, an experiment was conducted in which the apparatus was operated according to the procedure shown in FIG. In this experiment, one washing step was performed.
5 minutes, the surfactant (treatment tank 1)
(From above) and the surfactant was supplied for 1 minute. Then, after the supply of the surfactant was stopped, the substrate W was washed with water for 14 minutes remaining in the washing step. Further, the surfactant was diluted with the surfactant at a ratio of 1 per 1000 pure water to supply the surfactant. As a result, particles adhering to the surface of the substrate W after drying are reduced to about 10%.
It was drastically reduced to about one.

As is clear from the results of this comparative experiment,
By supplying the surfactant at a predetermined timing, it is possible to significantly suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate W without particularly lengthening the washing time, and without reducing the productivity.
The washing finish can be improved.

In the timing chart of FIG. 6, the surfactant is supplied at the same time as the start of the water washing step. For example, as shown in FIG. May be supplied. In this embodiment and the following second embodiment, the chemical treatment and the water washing are continuously performed in the same treatment tank 1. Therefore, the surfactant may be supplied during the chemical treatment or from the chemical treatment to the water washing. . However, during the chemical treatment, the particles are separated from the substrate W and are discharged one after another into the liquid in the treatment tank 1. If particles are discharged into the liquid in the processing tank 1 after the supplied surfactant is discharged together with the liquid overflowing from the upper part of the processing tank 1, there is a possibility that the particles adhere to the substrate W. . Therefore, in order to more effectively realize the present invention, it is preferable to supply the surfactant in a state where the particles are exhausted to some extent and the particles are suspended on the liquid surface. Considering these points, if the surfactant is supplied during chemical treatment or from chemical treatment to washing, the surfactant should be supplied from the final stage of chemical treatment or from the final stage of chemical treatment to the initial stage of washing. Is preferred.

In this embodiment and the following second embodiment, the chemical treatment and the water washing are continuously performed in the same treatment tank 1. Therefore, at the end of the chemical treatment (the start of the water washing), the inside of the treatment tank 1 is stopped. This is a state in which the liquid is mixed with the chemical. This chemical is
Although the water is gradually discharged from the upper part of the processing tank 1 by the pure water supplied in the washing step, the state in which the liquid chemical in the processing tank 1 is mixed with the pure water cannot be replaced at a high speed. Since the washing step includes a step of replacing the liquid mixed with the chemical solution with pure water only, it has been generally difficult to shorten the washing time in the past. However, if the rinsing step is performed as described below, the rinsing time can be reduced. That is, when the chemical solution treatment is completed and the process proceeds to the washing step, the liquid in the treatment tank 1 is temporarily removed in the initial stage.
Drain from the bottom. Prior to discharging the liquid in the processing tank 1 from the bottom, a surfactant is supplied. Then, following the discharge of the liquid in the processing tank 1 from the bottom, pure water is supplied from the bottom of the processing tank 1 and the substrate W is supplied in the rising liquid flow.
Wash with water. In this case, the liquid containing the chemical solution can be replaced with pure water only at high speed, and the washing time can be reduced. Further, due to the discharge of the liquid in the processing tank 1 from the bottom, the particles floating in the liquid of the processing tank 1 and on the liquid surface are discharged from the bottom of the processing tank 1 at once. In addition, since the surfactant is supplied before the liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the bottom, it is possible to prevent particles from adhering to the substrate W when the liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the bottom. it can. Then, the substrate W is washed with the rising liquid flow of clean pure water formed after the liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the bottom portion, so that the finish of the water washing is extremely good. In addition, when particles are newly floating in the pure water of the processing tank 1 due to being washed off from the substrate W at the time of washing with the rising liquid flow of the pure water formed after the liquid in the processing tank 1 is discharged from the bottom. The surfactant may be supplied at an initial stage of washing with the rising liquid flow of the pure water.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. In the figure, the processing tank portion is drawn in a vertical sectional view. Also, in the figure, the first,
Portions common to the second embodiment and the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, and description thereof is omitted.

In the second embodiment, a substrate cleaning apparatus (FS)
This is an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. This apparatus is substantially the same as the first embodiment (FL) except that the drying processing is not performed in the chamber in which the processing tank 1 is stored. In addition,
In the apparatus of the second embodiment, washing and chemical treatment may be performed with hot pure water heated to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, a pipe 63 connected to a hot pure water supply source 61 and provided with an on-off valve 62 is provided.
Is connected to a pipe 12 connected to the liquid supply pipe 10. Also in the second embodiment, the processing tank 1 and the lifter 31 may be configured to be housed in a chamber (not shown). In this case, the chamber is usually closed as in the first embodiment. It is not a chamber but an open chamber that is not hermetically sealed.

The operation of the apparatus according to the second embodiment is executed in the timing chart of FIG. 6 in which the supply of the inert gas, the supply of the organic solvent, the drainage of pure water, the drying under reduced pressure, and the release under reduced pressure are omitted. . That is, the chemical solution treatment, the supply of the surfactant, and the rinsing are performed, and when the rinsing is completed, the substrate W is pulled up from the processing tank 1 in a state where the rising liquid flow of the pure water is formed, and the substrate W is unloaded.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the adhesion of particles to the substrate W can be largely suppressed, and the finish of water washing can be improved without lowering the productivity. it can.

In the second embodiment, since the drying process is not performed, the drain port 56 for discharging the pure water during the drying process (discharging of the pure water from the bottom of the processing tank 1) and the open / close valve 5 are provided.
7, the pipe 58, the drain 59, and the like are not provided. However, in order to discharge the liquid in the processing tank 1 from the bottom of the processing tank 1 in order to speed up the replacement of the chemical liquid with the pure water as described above, the drain port 56, the on-off valve 57, and the pipe 58 are required. , A drainage drain 59 or the like.

In the apparatus of the second embodiment, for example,
By configuring as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of (two or more) different chemical solutions (chemical solutions A, B,..., N) can be supplied from the bottom of the processing tank 1 so that the chemical solution treatment with the plurality of chemical solutions is performed. Sometimes they do. In this case, the processing procedure is usually the chemical A
, Washing with water, washing with chemical solution B, washing with water,..., Washing with chemical solution N, washing with water, and lifting the substrate W. At this time, the supply of the surfactant may be performed in association with each washing, and the adhesion of particles to the substrate W may be suppressed at each washing. You may make it perform only by the last and last water washing. Even if particles adhere to the substrate W due to water washing in the middle, if the particles are washed away in the last water washing and the adhesion of the particles to the substrate W can be suppressed in the last water washing, the final finish is good. Then, the lifting of the substrate W from the processing tank 1 is performed only after the last washing with water. Therefore, in order to improve the final finish, it is sufficient to supply the surfactant at least in the last washing. It should be noted that the first embodiment may be configured so that a plurality of types of chemicals can be used in the same manner, and the operation in that case, the supply of the surfactant, and the like can be said to be the same as those described above. .

<Third Embodiment> FIG. 9 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. In the drawings, portions common to the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and description thereof is omitted.

The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wet station (WS). This apparatus is provided with at least one set of a treatment tank (chemical tank) 1a for chemical treatment and a treatment tank (rinse tank) 1b for washing (only one set is shown in the figure, but at least two sets are provided). There is also)
A drying unit 70, a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) for transporting a substrate between the processing tanks 1a and 1b, and the drying unit 70 are also provided.

In the chemical solution tank 1a, the chemical solution processing is performed in a state where the rising liquid flow of the chemical solution is formed. Therefore, for example, as shown in the figure, a receiving portion 71 for receiving the chemical solution overflowing from the upper portion of the chemical solution tank 1a is provided on the upper portion of the chemical solution tank 1a, and the chemical solution received by the receiving portion 71 is sucked by the pump 72. The chemical is circulated such that the chemical is supplied from the bottom of the chemical tank 1a through the filter 73. Then, the substrate W is immersed in the rising liquid flow of the chemical solution for a predetermined time, and the chemical solution processing is performed.

A pure water supply source 76 is connected to the bottom of the washing tank 1b through a pipe 75 in which an on-off valve 74 is interposed, and pure water is supplied from the bottom of the washing tank 1b. Tank 1
The pure water overflowing from the upper portion b is discharged to form a rising liquid flow of the pure water. Then, the substrate W is immersed in the rising liquid flow of the pure water for a predetermined period of time to perform water washing. In the apparatus of this embodiment, the washing tank 1b is provided with a surfactant supply mechanism 22 or 23.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the surfactant is supplied at a predetermined timing during the washing step.

The drying unit 70 dries the wet substrate W after washing with water by rotating the substrate W at a high speed or using heat from a heat source.

The substrate transport mechanism transports the substrate W as indicated by the dotted arrow in the figure. That is, first, the substrate W is immersed in the rising liquid flow of the chemical solution in the chemical solution tank 1a. And
When the chemical solution treatment for a predetermined time is completed, the substrate W is pulled up from the chemical solution tank 1a, transported to the washing tank 1b, and immersed in the rising liquid flow of pure water in the washing tank 1b. When the rinsing for a predetermined time is completed, the substrate W is pulled up from the rinsing tank 1b,
The substrate W is transported to the drying unit 70, and the substrate W is charged into the drying unit 70 to perform a drying process. The dried substrate W is taken out by the substrate transport mechanism.

Incidentally, this kind of WS may be constituted by a carrier system or may be constituted by a carrierless system. The carrier method is a method in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in a carrier and transported by a substrate transport mechanism, a chemical solution treatment in a chemical solution tank 1a, a water washing in a water washing tank 1b, and a drying unit 7.
This is a method in which drying at 0 is performed. In the carrierless system, a plurality of substrates W are supported and transported by a substrate transport mechanism without using a carrier, and the substrate W is attached to a substrate supporting member provided in the chemical solution tank 1a, the washing tank 1b, and the drying unit 70. Is a method in which chemical treatment, washing with water, and drying are performed in a state where is supported.
The present invention is applicable regardless of whether the WS is configured by the carrier system or the carrierless system.

In the WS, the chemical treatment and the water washing are performed in separate treatment tanks (the chemical tank 1a and the washing tank 1b), but the finish of the water washing has not been said to be good. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the surfactant is supplied at a predetermined timing during the rinsing step in the rinsing tank 1b. Therefore, the substrate W is washed during rinsing or when the substrate W is lifted after rinsing. Particles can be greatly reduced from adhering to
The finish of the washing was improved.

In some cases, a plurality of sets of the chemical solution tank 1a and the washing tank 1b are provided, and a chemical solution treatment using a plurality of types of chemical solutions may be performed. In this case, for example, similarly to the chemical treatment with a plurality of types of chemicals in the first and second embodiments, the chemical treatment with the chemical A, the water washing, the chemical treatment with the chemical B, the water washing,. Washing and drying are performed. Each chemical solution treatment is performed in a separate chemical solution tank 1a,
Each washing is performed in a separate washing tank 1b. At this time,
Surfactant supply mechanism 22 or 23 to all washing tanks 1b
May be provided in each washing step, but a surfactant supply mechanism 22 or 23 is provided only in the washing tank 1b before drying, and the surfactant is provided only in the last washing step. An agent may be supplied.

In the third embodiment, the chemical treatment and the rinsing are performed in separate treatment tanks. However, when the substrate W is transferred from the chemical tank 1a to the rinsing tank 1b, the chemical is washed together with the substrate W in the rinsing tank 1b. And the chemical solution may be mixed into the pure water of the washing tank 1b. In such a case, the processing time of the washing step may be set long, including the time until the liquid in the washing tank 1b returns to pure water only. In such a case, the liquid in the washing tank 1b can be discharged from the bottom of the washing tank 1b, and the liquid mixed with the chemical solution in the washing tank 1b is discharged from the bottom of the washing tank 1b at an initial stage of the washing step. Then, the supply of pure water from the bottom of the washing tank 1b is restarted, and a rising liquid flow of the pure water is formed in the washing tank 1a to perform washing. Can be replaced at a high speed, and the processing time of the washing step can be reduced. In this case, if the surfactant is supplied to the washing tank 1b before the liquid in the washing tank 1b mixed with the chemical is discharged from the bottom of the washing tank 1b, the substrate is discharged when the liquid is discharged. Adhesion of particles to W can be suppressed. Also, when the surfactant is supplied in the initial stage or the like during the washing with the rising liquid flow of the pure water again after the discharge of the liquid, the final finish of the substrate W is extremely good. Becomes

[0068]

As is clear from the above description, according to the substrate processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention, an interface is provided in a processing tank for rinsing the substrate before the rinsing step is completed. Since the activator was supplied, it was possible to greatly suppress the adhesion of particles to the substrate while keeping the time for water washing the same as or shorter than the conventional case. Therefore, it was possible to improve the finish of water washing without lowering the productivity.
Further, since the substrate is washed with water during the remaining time of the washing step after the end of the supply of the surfactant, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the surfactant supplied to the processing tank remains even after the end of the washing.

According to the substrate processing method of the second aspect of the present invention, the water washing step is performed in a state where a rising water flow is formed in the processing tank, and the surfactant is supplied to the processing tank from above the processing tank. Since the process is performed, the adhesion of particles to the substrate can be more appropriately suppressed, and the surfactant supplied to the processing tank can be appropriately prevented from being attached to the substrate.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention is preferably used.
In addition, a substrate processing apparatus that can be automatically performed can be realized.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing method according to the second aspect of the present invention is preferably used.
In addition, a substrate processing apparatus that can be automatically performed can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of each embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of each embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a main configuration of a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Treatment tank 1b: Rinse tank 14: Pure water supply source 15: Pipe line 15: Open / close valve 22, 23: Surfactant supply mechanism 100: Control unit W: Substrate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/304 B08B 3/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substrate processing method including a rinsing step of rinsing a substrate in a processing tank, wherein a surfactant is supplied to a processing tank for rinsing the substrate at a stage before the rinsing step is completed. After the supply of the surfactant is completed, the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the water washing step is performed in a state where an ascending liquid flow is formed in the processing tank, and a surfactant is supplied to the processing tank. A substrate processing method performed from above the processing bath. 3. A substrate processing apparatus provided with a processing tank for washing a substrate with water, a surfactant supply means for supplying a surfactant to the processing tank for washing the substrate with water, and a substrate for a predetermined time in the processing tank. A surfactant is supplied to the treatment tank at a stage before the end of the water washing, and the substrate is washed with water for the remaining time of the washing step after the end of the supply of the surfactant. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: control means for performing control so as to perform the control. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the surfactant supply unit is configured to supply a surfactant from above the processing tank, and the control unit performs the processing. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein control is performed such that washing of a substrate in a tank is performed with an ascending liquid flow formed in the processing tank.