JP3401141B2 - Substrate development processing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer,
A substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display (LCD) is held in a horizontal posture, a developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate in a stationary state, and the exposed photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate is developed. The present invention relates to a substrate development processing method and a substrate development processing apparatus used for carrying out the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor manufacturing process, an LCD manufacturing process, or the like, when developing an exposed photoresist film formed on a surface of a substrate, the substrate is held in a horizontal position and rotated about a vertical axis while spraying. Method of discharging a developing solution from a discharge nozzle to supply a uniform and sufficient amount of developing solution to the entire surface of a rotating substrate to develop a photoresist film (so-called spray phenomenon), and a horizontal posture of the substrate. While holding the substrate at a low speed and rotating it around the vertical axis at a low speed, the developer is gently supplied from the discharge nozzle onto the substrate, and the developer is spread over the entire surface of the substrate to form a developer layer, and the substrate is stopped. The method of developing the photoresist film (so-called paddle phenomenon) while rotating or rotating at low speed is generally performed. In the latter of these developing methods, it takes time from the supply of the developing solution to the surface of the substrate until the developing solution spreads over the entire surface of the substrate. For this reason, there is a problem in that the timing at which the photoresist film starts to be developed varies depending on the position of the substrate, which causes uneven development.

Therefore, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-18627, a substrate W is used as shown in the schematic view of FIG.
(Or while rotating), the rod-shaped liquid discharge nozzle 1 having a length equal to or larger than the maximum width of the substrate W (see FIG. 6).
(See the plan view of (B) of FIG. 2) is placed in parallel on the surface of the substrate W, and the liquid discharge nozzle 1 is made parallel to the surface of the substrate W while the developer 2 is dropped from the liquid discharge nozzle 1 onto the substrate. A developing method is disclosed in which the developer 2 is spread on the entire surface of the substrate W by sliding.

[0004]

By the way, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 63-63
As disclosed in JP-A-18627, in a developing method in which a developing solution is spread over the entire surface of the substrate to develop the photoresist film, in order to stop the development of the photoresist film by the developing solution, After a predetermined development time (for example, 1 minute) has elapsed since the developing solution was supplied, the substrate is rotated at a high speed to shake off the developing solution on the substrate by centrifugal force, and at the same time, a rinsing solution, for example, pure water is discharged from the nozzle. A method of discharging from the substrate to the surface of the substrate rotated and replacing the entire surface of the substrate with pure water to stop the development has been generally used. Therefore, the development of the photoresist film is stopped almost at the same time on the entire surface of the substrate.

However, as in the developing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-18627, while moving a liquid discharge nozzle having a length equal to or longer than the maximum width of the substrate in parallel with the surface of the substrate, When the developing solution is supplied from the dispensing nozzle to the surface of the substrate and the surface of the substrate is filled with the developing solution, as shown in FIG.
As shown in the schematic plan view of (B), there are portions of the photoresist film deposited on the entire surface of the substrate W, which come into contact with the developing solution first and portions which come into contact with the developing solution later. In FIG. 6B, the portion to which the developing solution has been supplied is indicated by diagonal lines. If the developing solution comes into contact with the photoresist film at different times depending on the position on the substrate to start development, the substrate will rotate at a high speed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the developing solution was supplied to the surface of the substrate, as in the conventional case. In this method, the developing solution is removed from the substrate and the rinse solution is discharged onto the surface of the rotated substrate to replace the entire surface of the substrate with pure water, and the development of the photoresist film is stopped simultaneously on the entire surface of the substrate. The development time of the photoresist film varies depending on the position on the substrate. As a result, there arise problems that uneven development occurs or that in-plane dimensional uniformity of the line width of the resist pattern cannot be obtained after development. In particular, when the substrate becomes large, it takes time for the liquid discharge nozzle to move from one end to the other end of the substrate, so that the difference in development time depending on the position on the substrate becomes large,
The problems of uneven development and non-uniformity of the line width dimension of the resist pattern become more serious.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a substrate in a state in which a developer supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate is held in a horizontal posture and is stationary Formed on the surface of a substrate in a method of treating a substrate by linearly moving the substrate from one end to the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate and supplying a developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate to fill the surface. Provided is a method in which the developing time of the developed photoresist film is almost equal at each position on the substrate, there is no fear of uneven development, and the in-plane uniformity of the line width of the resist pattern after development is obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate development processing apparatus capable of suitably carrying out such a method.

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A developer supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate is supplied in parallel with the surface of the substrate held in a horizontal position from the developer supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developer supply at the other end. A rinse liquid supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate after a predetermined time has elapsed after the developer was supplied linearly to the end position and the developer was supplied from the developer supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate. Is moved linearly from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developing solution supply end position at the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate that is held in a horizontal posture and is stationary. The rinse liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate to stop the development of the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the developing method according to the first aspect, after the developing solution is supplied from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate, the substrate is rotated by a predetermined angle around the vertical axis. It is characterized in that the rinse liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate by rotating, and after the rotation, the rinse liquid supply nozzle arranged at a position facing the developing liquid supply start position at one end of the substrate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the developing method according to the first or second aspect, the rinse liquid supply nozzle is inclined so that its lower end side projects in the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle. The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is
It is characterized in that it is set to be higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle to the substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the development processing method according to the first or second aspect, the rinse supply nozzle is inclined such that the lower end side thereof projects in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle. The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is smaller than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate holding means for holding a substrate having a photoresist film formed on its surface in a horizontal posture, and a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate. A developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution to the surface of the substrate held by the means, and the developing solution supply nozzle at one end of the substrate in parallel with the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means and being stationary. A substrate provided with a developer supply nozzle moving means for linearly moving from the supply start position to the developer supply end position at the other end so that the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate. In the developing processing apparatus, the rinse liquid supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate and supplying the rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means, and the rinse liquid supply nozzle. Is moved linearly from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developing solution supply end position at the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means and in a stationary state, The developer is supplied to the entire surface from the liquid supply nozzle, and after a lapse of a predetermined time, the rinse liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate from the rinse liquid supply nozzle to stop the development of the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate. And a rinsing liquid supply nozzle moving means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the developing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the developing solution supply nozzle and the rinse solution supply nozzle are arranged so as to form a predetermined angle with the substrate as a center in a plan view. Also, a rotation driving means for rotating a substrate holding means for holding the substrate having the developing solution supplied to the entire surface from the developing solution supply nozzle about a vertical axis, and the substrate rotated by the rotating drive means. An angular position detection unit that detects the angular position of the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate held by the holding unit, and the substrate is started at the one end of the substrate based on the detection result of this angular position detection unit. Rotation stop means for stopping the position at an angular position facing the rinse liquid supply nozzle is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the development processing apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the rinse liquid supply nozzle is held while being inclined so that the lower end side thereof projects in the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle. The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the developing treatment apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the rinse liquid supply nozzle is inclined so that the lower end side thereof projects in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply means nozzle. The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is smaller than the relative moving speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate.

In the method of developing a substrate according to the first aspect of the present invention, after the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate and a predetermined time has elapsed, the rinse solution supply nozzle is parallel to the substrate and developed by the developing solution supply nozzle. The rinse liquid is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate by linearly moving from one end position of the substrate where the supply of the liquid is started to the other end position of the substrate where the supply of the developer is completed. Therefore, in the photoresist film deposited on the entire surface of the substrate, the rinse liquid is supplied earlier to stop the development by the developing solution, and the portion that comes into contact with the developing solution earlier is stopped by the developing solution. The rinsing liquid is supplied to the contact portion at a later time, and the development by the developing liquid is stopped. As a result, the development time of the photoresist film is almost equal at each position on the substrate.

In the development processing method of the invention according to claim 2,
Since the standby position of the developing solution supply nozzle and the standby position of the rinse solution supply nozzle can be different from each other, the space can be effectively used by appropriately selecting the arrangement relationship of both nozzles.

In the development processing method of the invention according to claim 3,
Since the relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle toward the photoresist film surface on the surface of the substrate to the substrate is higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle to the substrate, the rinse liquid Compared with the case where the supply nozzle moves while being held vertically to the substrate, the rinse liquid is vigorously ejected onto the photoresist film surface. Therefore, the rinsing solution effectively scrapes out the residue of the resist generated by the development of the photoresist film and the resist components dissolved in the developing solution.

In the development processing method of the invention according to claim 4,
The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle toward the photoresist film surface on the surface of the substrate is lower than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate. Compared with the case where the supply nozzle moves while being held perpendicularly to the substrate, the rinse liquid is gently discharged onto the photoresist film surface. Therefore, even if the resist pattern formed by development is likely to be damaged depending on the type of photoresist, it is possible to eliminate the risk of damage to the resist pattern due to the discharge pressure of the rinse liquid.

In the development processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 5,
The developing solution supply nozzle moving means moves the developing solution supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate to one end of the substrate in parallel with the surface of the substrate which is held in a horizontal position by the substrate holding means and is stationary. It is linearly moved from the developing solution supply start position to the developing solution supply end position at the other end. As a result, the developing solution is supplied from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate, and the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate is developed. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, the rinse liquid supply nozzle moving means moves the rinse liquid supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate to a stationary state by holding the rinse liquid supply nozzle in a horizontal posture by the substrate holding means. The substrate is linearly moved in parallel with the surface from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developing solution supply end position at the other end. As a result, the rinse liquid is supplied from the rinse liquid supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate, and the development of the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate is stopped.
Therefore, in the photoresist film deposited on the entire surface of the substrate, the rinse liquid is supplied earlier to stop the development by the developing solution, and the portion that comes into contact with the developing solution earlier is stopped by the developing solution. The rinsing liquid is supplied to the contact portion at a later time, and the development by the developing liquid is stopped. As a result, the development time of the photoresist film is almost equal at each position on the substrate.

In the developing processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 6,
Since the developing solution supply nozzle and the rinse solution supply nozzle are arranged so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the substrate in plan view, the space can be effectively used. Further, in this apparatus, after the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate, the substrate holding means is rotated about the vertical axis by the rotation driving means, and at this time, the angular position detecting means
The angular position of the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate held by the substrate holding means is detected. The rotation stopping means stops the substrate based on the detection result of the angular position detecting means when the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate faces the rinse solution supply nozzle. Therefore, the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate and the rinse solution supply start position coincide with each other.

In the development processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 7,
The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle toward the photoresist film surface on the surface of the substrate is higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate. Therefore, as compared with the case where the rinse liquid supply nozzle is held perpendicular to the substrate and moved, the rinse liquid is ejected to the surface of the photoresist film more vigorously, and therefore the rinse liquid causes the development of the photoresist film. The resist residue and the resist component dissolved in the developing solution are effectively scraped.

In the development processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 8,
The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle toward the photoresist film surface on the surface of the substrate is lower than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate. Therefore, as compared with the case where the rinse liquid supply nozzle is held and moved perpendicularly to the substrate, the rinse liquid is gently discharged to the photoresist film surface. Therefore, depending on the type of the photoresist, the resist pattern formed by development may be changed. Even when the resist pattern is easily damaged, it is possible to prevent the resist pattern from being damaged by the discharge pressure of the rinse liquid.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As a constitution of an apparatus for carrying out the method for developing a substrate according to the present invention, a substrate having an exposed photoresist film deposited on the surface thereof is schematically shown in FIG. 1 as an example. Spin chuck 1 for holding W in a horizontal position
0, a rotation support shaft 12 vertically provided at the center of the lower surface side of the spin chuck 10 to rotatably support the spin chuck 10 about a vertical axis, and a substrate held on the spin chuck 10 by rotating the rotation support shaft 12. In addition to a spin motor (not shown) for rotating W about a vertical axis, a developer supply nozzle 14 and a rinse solution supply nozzle 16 are provided. In FIG. 1, 18 is a standby pot and 20 is a recovery pot. In addition, although not shown, the side of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 in order to recover the cleaning liquid scattered from above the substrate W to the surroundings. A cup is arranged so as to surround the lower side and the lower side.

The developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinsing solution supply nozzle 16 each have a rod-like shape and are held in a horizontal posture, although their detailed structures are not shown, and the discharge width is equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate W. have. That is, the developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 1
When the substrate W has a circular shape like a semiconductor wafer, each 6 has a slit-shaped discharge port having a length equal to or longer than the diameter of the substrate W at the lower end, and the substrate W is L
When it has a short shape like a glass substrate for CD,
The lower end of the substrate W has a slit-shaped ejection port having a length equal to or longer than the width of the substrate W in the direction orthogonal to the developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 16. Although not shown, the developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 16 are separately provided at one end of the substrate W in a state where the lower ends of the nozzles are brought close to the surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10. A developer supply nozzle moving mechanism and a rinse liquid supply nozzle moving mechanism for linearly moving from the position to the other end position are provided.

Next, the procedure of developing the substrate using the developing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, with the substrate W held by the spin chuck 10 being stationary,
The developing solution supply nozzle 14 is linearly moved from one end position to the other end position of the substrate W in parallel with the surface of the substrate W, and the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate W from the slit-shaped ejection port at the lower end of the developing solution supply nozzle 14. Supply in liquid film form. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the developer 2 is spread on the substrate W by surface tension so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate W on which the photoresist film is formed, and the developer layer 22 is formed. It is formed. The moving speed of the developing solution supply nozzle 14 at this time is, for example, 50 to 5
00 mm / sec, preferably about 200 mm / sec. Further, the discharge flow rate of the developing solution is not constant because it is necessary to change the discharging width of the developing solution supply nozzle 14 depending on the size of the substrate W, but when developing a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 8 inches, For example, it is about 2.5 l / min. An optimum value of the distance between the lower end of the developer supply nozzle 14 and the surface of the substrate W varies depending on the moving speed of the developer supply nozzle 14, the type of the developer, and the like.
Is appropriately selected within the range of, but is, for example, about 0.5 mm.

The developer layer 2 covers the entire surface of the substrate W.
After the formation of No. 2, the substrate W is kept still for a predetermined time, and the photoresist film on the surface of the substrate W is developed by the developing solution deposited on the substrate W. At this time, in order to eliminate bubbles in the developing solution layer 22, the developing solution deposited on the substrate W is continuously rotated or intermittently at a low speed such that the developing solution is not shaken off from the substrate W by centrifugal force. You may make it rotate.

After the developing solution layer 22 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate W and a predetermined time has passed, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is moved to the substrate W while the substrate W is stationary as shown in FIG. Developer supply nozzle 1 for the substrate W parallel to the surface of
4 is linearly moved from one end position where the supply of the developing solution is started to the other end position where the supply of the developing solution is completed, and the rinse solution is supplied from the slit-shaped ejection port at the lower end of the rinse solution supply nozzle 16 to the surface of the substrate W. For example, pure water is discharged to stop the development of the photoresist film by the developing solution. When the substrate W is rotated at a low speed when the development of the photoresist film by the developing solution proceeds, one end position of the substrate W at which the rinsing solution supply nozzle 16 starts to supply pure water is located at the developing solution. It is necessary to control the rotation angle of the substrate W so as to coincide with the one end position of the substrate W at which the supply of the developing solution by the supply nozzle 14 is started. This control may be performed according to the device configuration and operation described later.

The moving speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is made equal to the moving speed of the developer supply nozzle 14. By doing so, deionized water is sequentially discharged on the substrate W in the direction in which the developing solution was sequentially supplied, and the development of the photoresist film is stopped. Therefore, the substrate W
The development processing time of the photoresist film becomes uniform over the entire surface of the. However, the moving speed of the rinse solution supply nozzle 16 does not necessarily need to be exactly the same as the moving speed of the developer supply nozzle 14, and may be adjusted slightly depending on the development result.

The discharge flow rate of pure water from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is about the same as the discharge flow rate of the developing solution or slightly higher than the discharge flow rate of the developing solution. For example, when the discharge flow rate of the developing solution is 2.5 l / min, the discharge flow rate of pure water is set to about 4.0 l / min. The distance between the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 and the surface of the substrate W may be the same as in the case of supplying the developing liquid, but the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is placed on the substrate W. In order to avoid contamination of the discharge port at the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16, it is preferable to separate the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 from the surface of the substrate W by a distance that does not come into contact with the developing solution, for example, about 5 mm or more. desirable.

Since the purpose of this pure water discharge step by the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is to stop the development of the photoresist film by the developer, all the developer existing on the surface of the substrate W is removed. It is not necessary to replace with pure water. This is because when the pure water is supplied to the surface of the substrate W on which the developing solution is deposited, the developing solution on the substrate W is diluted with the pure water, so that the normality of the developing solution is lowered. This is because the development reaction of the photoresist, which is sensitive to changes in the normality of the liquid, is immediately stopped. Further, the developing solution remaining on the substrate W and the resist component dissolved in the developing solution may be washed off from the substrate W in the next step.

When the discharge of pure water onto the surface of the substrate W is completed,
As shown in FIG. 2D, while rotating the substrate W,
Pure water 26 is supplied to the central portion of the substrate W from the pure water supply nozzle 24 similar to that provided in the conventional apparatus or to the substrate W.
Is supplied to the central portion and other portions of the substrate W and the surface of the substrate W is washed for a predetermined time to wash away the developing solution remaining on the substrate W and the resist component dissolved in the developing solution from the substrate W. Instead of the pure water supply nozzle 24, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 may be used to clean the surface of the substrate W. In this case, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16
To a position whose longitudinal direction coincides with the diametrical direction of the substrate W (in the case of a short substrate, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is positioned on a straight line passing through the intersection of two diagonal lines of the substrate). The surface of the substrate W may be cleaned by ejecting pure water onto the surface of the substrate W from the slit-shaped ejection openings at the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 while rotating the substrate W and stopping the movement.

When the cleaning of the surface of the substrate W is completed, the supply of pure water to the substrate W is stopped, and then the substrate W is rotated at a high speed as shown in FIG. Spin dry. This completes a series of development processing steps.

Next, in the development processing apparatus whose schematic structure is shown in FIG. 3, the standby position of the developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 1 are shown in the plan view of FIG.
The standby position of 6 is 18 degrees from each other with respect to the rotation center of the substrate W.
They are arranged so as to form an angle of 0 °. Then, the rotation support shaft 12 of the spin chuck 10 is provided with a means for detecting the rotation angle position thereof, for example, an encoder 30. Further, a controller 32 that receives a signal from the encoder 30 and controls the spin motor 28 is provided.

A procedure for developing the substrate using the developing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described. Supplying the developing solution to the surface of the substrate W and photoresist film formed on the substrate W by the developing solution. The respective developing steps (see (a) and (b) of FIG. 2) are performed in the same manner as in the case of using the apparatus shown in FIG. In this apparatus, after the developing solution has been deposited on the entire surface of the substrate W and a predetermined time has passed, the substrate W is slowly rotated, and the controller 32 causes the spin motor 28 to move based on a signal output from the encoder 30. By the control signal being sent, the substrate W is stopped at an angular position where one end position of the substrate W at which the supply of the developing solution by the developing solution supply nozzle 14 is started is opposed to the standby position of the rinse solution supply nozzle 16. When the substrate W is rotated at a low speed when the development of the photoresist film by the developing solution is advanced, the substrate W is continuously rotated and the substrate W is supplied with the developing solution after a predetermined time elapses. The start position may be stopped at an angular position facing the standby position of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16. Then, as in the case described above, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 1 with the substrate W stationary.
6 is moved linearly in parallel with the surface of the substrate W from one end position of the substrate W, which is the developing solution supply start position, to the other end position of the substrate W, which is the development solution supply end position. Water is discharged to stop the development of the photoresist film with the developing solution, and then the substrate W is washed with pure water and spin-dried.

The arrangement angle between the developing solution supply nozzle 14 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 16 is 180 ° as shown in FIG. 4A, and the arrangement relationship with other equipment is taken into consideration. It may be designed as appropriate, and may be 90 °, for example, as shown in FIG. Further, after the substrate W is rotated, the substrate W is stopped at an angular position where one end position of the substrate W at which the supply of the developing solution by the developing solution supply nozzle 14 is started is opposed to the rinse solution supply nozzle 16. The control mechanism is not limited to the one configured to detect the rotational angle position of the rotary support shaft 12 by using the encoder 30 as in the above embodiment, and various known techniques may be used.

Further, as shown in the schematic view of FIG. 5, it is possible to provide a mechanism for tilting and holding the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is held so as to be inclined such that the lower end side thereof projects in the nozzle movement direction, and is discharged from the slit-shaped discharge port at the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16. The relative ejection speed of pure water to the substrate W is set to be higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 to the substrate W. As a result, as compared with the case where the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is held and moved perpendicularly to the substrate W,
Pure water is ejected vigorously onto the surface of the photoresist film on the surface of the substrate W, so that the debris of the resist generated by the development of the photoresist film and the resist components dissolved in the developing solution are effectively treated by the pure water. Will be scratched out. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 1
6 is held so as to be inclined such that the lower end side thereof projects in the direction opposite to the nozzle movement direction, and the relative discharge speed of pure water discharged from the slit-shaped discharge port at the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 to the substrate W is It may be smaller than the relative moving speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 with respect to W. In this case, compared with the case where the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is held and moved perpendicularly to the substrate W,
Even if the pure water is gently discharged onto the photoresist film surface and the resist pattern formed after development is easily damaged, the damage of the resist pattern due to the pure water discharge pressure is prevented. be able to. Whether the rinse liquid supply nozzle 16 is held perpendicular to the substrate, tilted toward the nozzle movement direction, or tilted toward the opposite side to the nozzle movement direction may be appropriately selected depending on the type of photoresist used and the like.

[0039]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION A developer supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of a substrate is moved linearly from one end of the substrate to the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate which is held stationary in a horizontal posture. In the case of developing the substrate by the method of supplying the developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate and piling the developing solution, when the method of the invention according to claim 1 is used, Since the development time of the photoresist film formed on the surface is almost the same at each position on the substrate, there is no concern of uneven development, and the in-plane uniformity of the line width of the resist pattern after development is obtained. Will be done.

In the development processing method of the invention according to claim 2,
By appropriately selecting the arrangement relationship between the developing solution supply nozzle and the rinse solution supply nozzle, the space can be effectively used and the apparatus can be downsized.

In the developing method of the invention according to claim 3,
Prior to normal cleaning after development, the rinse liquid effectively scrapes off the resist residue and the resist components dissolved in the developer that accompany the development of the photoresist film, thus enhancing the cleaning effect on the substrate. .

In the development processing method of the invention according to claim 4,
Even if the resist pattern formed after the development is likely to be damaged, the resist pattern is prevented from being damaged by the discharge pressure of the rinse liquid.

When the apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the invention is used, the developer supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate is parallel to the surface of the substrate which is held in a horizontal position and is stationary. When the substrate is developed by linearly moving the substrate from one end to the other end and supplying the developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate to develop the substrate, the photo formed on the surface of the substrate Since the development time of the resist film is substantially equal at each position on the substrate, there is no concern that development unevenness will occur, and in-plane dimensional uniformity of the line width of the resist pattern in the developing solution can be obtained.

In the developing processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the space is effectively used and the size is reduced.

In the developing processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 7,
Prior to normal cleaning after development, the rinse liquid effectively scrapes out the resist residue and the resist components dissolved in the developer that accompany the development of the photoresist film, thus enhancing the cleaning effect on the substrate. be able to.

In the development processing apparatus of the invention according to claim 8,
Even if the resist pattern formed after the development is likely to be damaged, it is possible to prevent the resist pattern from being damaged by the discharge pressure of the rinse liquid.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus for carrying out the substrate development processing method of the invention according to claim 1.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a main part for explaining a procedure of performing a development process on a substrate using the development processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a main part showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus for carrying out the development processing method of the invention according to claim 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an arrangement relationship between a developing solution supply nozzle and a rinse solution supply nozzle of the development processing apparatus.

5A is a schematic diagram for explaining the developing treatment method of the invention according to claim 3; FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram for explaining the developing treatment method of the invention according to claim 4; It is a figure.

6A and 6B are views for explaining a conventional substrate developing method, in which FIG. 6A is a schematic front view of an essential part of the apparatus, and FIG. 6B is a schematic plan view of the essential part of the apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Spin chuck 12 rotation spindle 14 Developer supply nozzle 16 Rinsing liquid supply nozzle 22 Developer layer 28 spin motors 30 encoder 32 controller W board

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/027

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A developing solution supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate is provided in parallel with the surface of the substrate which is held in a horizontal position and is stationary from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate. A method for developing a substrate, in which the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate is developed by linearly moving the developer solution to the end position and supplying the developer solution from the developer solution nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate. After the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate from the developing solution supply nozzle for a predetermined time, the rinse solution supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate is held in a horizontal position and stopped. In parallel with the surface of the substrate in the state, it is linearly moved from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developing solution supply end position at the other end, and from the rinse solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate. By supplying a rinse liquid, a developing method of processing a substrate, characterized in that to stop the development of the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate. 2. A developing solution is supplied from a developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate, and then the substrate is rotated around a vertical axis by a predetermined angle, and after the rotation, the developing solution is supplied to one end of the substrate. The substrate development processing method according to claim 1, wherein the rinse liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate by a rinse liquid supply nozzle arranged at a position facing the start position. 3. The rinse liquid supply nozzle is inclined so that its lower end side projects in the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle,
Of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle,
3. The method of developing a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the relative ejection speed with respect to the substrate is set to be higher than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate. 4. The rinse supply nozzle is inclined such that the lower end side thereof projects in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle, and the relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is 3. The method of developing a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the relative speed of movement of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is smaller than that of the rinse liquid supply nozzle. 5. A substrate holding means for holding a substrate having a photoresist film formed on its surface in a horizontal posture, and a substrate having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate and held by the substrate holding means. A developing solution supply nozzle for supplying a developing solution to the surface of the substrate, and the developing solution supply nozzle from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate held stationary by the substrate holding means. A developing solution supply nozzle moving means for linearly moving the developing solution supply end position to supply the developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate, A rinse liquid supply nozzle having a discharge width equal to or larger than the diameter or width of the substrate and supplying a rinse liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means; The surface of the substrate is moved linearly from the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate to the developing solution supply end position at the other end in parallel with the surface of the substrate that is held in a stationary state and is stationary. A rinsing solution is supplied from the rinsing solution supply nozzle to the entire surface of the substrate after a predetermined time has elapsed after the developing solution is supplied to the entire surface so that the development of the photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate is stopped. A substrate development processing apparatus, which is provided with a liquid supply nozzle moving means. 6. A developer supply nozzle and a rinse solution supply nozzle are arranged so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the substrate in a plan view, and the developer is supplied to the entire surface from the developer supply nozzle. Rotational drive means for rotating the substrate holding means for holding the substrate around the vertical axis, and an angular position of the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate held by the substrate holding means rotated by the rotational drive means. And a rotation stop means for stopping the substrate at an angular position where the developing solution supply start position at one end of the substrate faces the rinse solution supply nozzle based on the detection result of the angular position detection means. The development processing apparatus for a substrate according to claim 5, further comprising: 7. The relative discharge speed of the rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate, wherein the rinse liquid supply nozzle is held so as to be inclined such that the lower end side thereof projects in the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply nozzle. The developing processing apparatus for a substrate according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the relative moving speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate is higher than that of the rinsing liquid supply nozzle. 8. A substrate of rinse liquid discharged from the lower end of the rinse liquid supply nozzle, wherein the rinse liquid supply nozzle is held slanted so that the lower end side thereof projects in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the rinse liquid supply means nozzle. Relative discharge speed to
7. The development processing apparatus for a substrate according to claim 5, wherein the developing liquid supply nozzle has a moving speed lower than the relative movement speed of the rinse liquid supply nozzle with respect to the substrate.