JP3481416B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and method for performing processing such as development on a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel or a plasma display panel, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional continuous single-wafer type wet processing apparatus, while a substrate is conveyed at a constant speed by using a roller or a conveyor, a processing solution such as a developing solution or an etching solution is supplied to the substrate for development. After performing a wet treatment such as etching or etching, pure water is supplied to the substrate to perform a water washing treatment, and finally, the moisture attached to the substrate is removed by an air knife to complete the treatment. At the start of the wet processing, the processing liquid is supplied to the conveyed substrate in a spray or curtain shape, and at the end of the wet processing, the rinse liquid is supplied to the substrate to which the processing liquid is attached. The treatment liquid is removed from the substrate by operating an air knife.
Further, in the water washing process, the washing liquid is supplied to the conveyed substrate in a spray or curtain form so that the treatment liquid remaining on the substrate surface is replaced with pure water, and the treatment liquid is transferred to the substrate surface. Completely removed from.

[0003]

However, in the conventional apparatus, in order to achieve effective water removal in the final step of removing water with an air knife, the substrate transfer speed must be relatively low. This has been a cause of uneven processing on the substrate surface during wet processing. That is, when the substrate transfer speed is relatively low, the processing time and the processing characteristics are not sufficiently uniform in the plane of the substrate due to the variations in the supply and removal of the processing liquid, and the processing unevenness is likely to occur. Was becoming.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of reducing the occurrence of processing unevenness on the substrate surface.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, a substrate processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention starts the processing of the substrate in the substrate processing apparatus for carrying out a predetermined processing on the substrate while transporting the substrate. At the time of finishing the processing of the substrate,
A processing unit that transfers a substrate at a higher speed than during processing, and a processing unit that is located downstream of the processing unit with respect to the transfer of the substrate, and is being washed when starting washing the substrate after treatment and when finishing washing the substrate. And a water washing section that conveys the substrate at a higher speed than the above.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 is characterized in that the processing section supplies a liquid containing a chemical to the surface of the substrate to process the substrate.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention is arranged at a rear stage side of the substrate transfer with respect to the water washing section, and is capable of accommodating at least one substrate after the water washing, and a substrate transfer chamber more than the substrate transfer chamber. It further comprises an air knife part arranged on the rear side with respect to the transportation of the substrate and for removing the cleaning water from the substrate after the water washing.

A substrate processing method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined processing on a substrate while transporting the substrate, the processing being performed when starting the processing of the substrate and when finishing the processing of the substrate. It is characterized in that the substrate is transported at a higher speed than medium, and the substrate is transported at a higher speed than during the rinsing when starting the rinsing of the treated substrate and terminating the rinsing of the substrate.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the structure of a substrate cleaning apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention. This substrate cleaning apparatus includes a developing unit 10 for developing a substrate, a water washing unit 30 for substituting pure water for the developing solution remaining on the substrate surface after development, and a substrate after cleaning with pure water. And a drying unit 50 that removes pure water from the surface and dries it. The operations of the developing unit 10, the water washing unit 30, and the drying unit 50 are controlled by the control unit 70.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the front structure of the developing section 10 of the apparatus shown in FIG. The developing unit 10 includes a loading unit 11 into which a pre-cleaned substrate is loaded, a pre-wetting unit 13 that supplies a developing solution to the surface of the substrate WF transported from the loading unit 11 as a pre-treatment, and a pre-treatment unit. The shower developing unit 15 that sprays the developing solution onto the surface of the substrate WF to perform the shower development, and the draining unit 17 that easily removes the developing solution from the surface of the substrate WF after the immersion.

The feeding section 11 is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers R arranged immediately below the conveying path PA at appropriate intervals.
These transport rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization with the motor M1 to transport the substrate in the loading section 11 at a predetermined speed. A first pendulum sensor S1 for electromagnetically outputting the displacement of a pendulum type element, which is arranged so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the transport path PA, is arranged at the entrance side of the input section 11 in order to detect the presence or absence of a substrate. ing.

The pre-wetting section 13 also has a plurality of conveying rollers R arranged immediately below the conveying path PA at appropriate intervals. These conveying rollers R are rotationally driven by a motor M2 in synchronization with each other. The substrate in the wet section 13 is conveyed at a predetermined speed. A nozzle 42, which will be described later, is located on the upper surface side of the substrate on the inlet side of the pre-wet portion 13.
Roller 1 for dispersing the developer discharged from the substrate onto the substrate surface
31 and the roller 1 by discharging the developing solution onto the roller 131.
And a nozzle 133 for infiltrating 31 with a developing solution. The developing solution stored in the lower tank 19 is appropriately supplied to the nozzle 133 via the pump P1.
On the outlet side of the pre-wet portion 13, a second structure having the same structure as the first pendulum sensor S1 is provided to detect the presence or absence of the substrate.
A pendulum sensor S2 is arranged.

The shower developing section 15 also includes a plurality of conveying rollers R immediately below the conveying path PA. These conveying rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization by motors M3 and M4, and are located in the shower developing section 15. The substrate is transported at a predetermined speed. A shower nozzle 151 for injecting the developer from the lower tank 19 onto the surface of the substrate being conveyed via the pump P2 is provided above the conveyance path PA.

The liquid draining section 17 also includes a plurality of transport rollers R immediately below the transport path PA.
Is synchronously rotated by a motor M5 and conveys the substrate in the liquid draining section 17 at a predetermined speed. A third pendulum sensor S3 is arranged on the inlet side of the liquid draining section 17 to detect the presence or absence of the substrate. On the outlet side of the liquid draining section 17, a pair of liquid draining rollers 171 are arranged above and below the transport path PA. When the substrate passes through the liquid draining rollers 171, the developer is substantially removed from the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the front structure of the cleaning section 30 and the drying section 50 of the apparatus shown in FIG. Since the cleaning unit 30 efficiently rinses the developed substrate WF with water,
It is divided into a first water washing section 31 that performs the first stage circulating water washing, a second water washing section 35 that performs the second stage circulating water washing, and a third water washing section 37 that performs the final direct water washing.

The first water washing section 31 is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers R immediately below the conveying path PA, and these conveying rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization by a motor M6.
The substrate in the water washing section 31 is conveyed at a predetermined speed. Cleaning water jet nozzles 311 are provided above and below the transport path PA. The cleaning water injection nozzle 311 has a pump P3.
Is connected, and the cleaning water in the circulating water tank 38 is supplied via this pump P3. This circulating water tank 38
The cleaning water stored in is to collect and reuse the cleaning water used for cleaning in the second water cleaning section 35. A fourth pendulum sensor S4 is arranged on the inlet side of the first water washing section 31 to detect the presence or absence of the substrate.

The second water washing section 35 is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers R immediately below the conveying path PA. These conveying rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization by a motor M7,
The substrate in the water washing section 35 is transported at a predetermined speed. Cleaning water jet nozzles 351 are provided above and below the transport path PA. The cleaning water jet nozzle 351 has a pump P4.
Is connected, and the wash water in the circulating water tank 39 is supplied via this pump P4. The cleaning water stored in the circulating water tank 39 is pure water used for cleaning in the third water cleaning section 37.

The third washing section 37 is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers R immediately below the conveying path PA, and these conveying rollers R are rotationally driven by a motor M8 in synchronization with each other.
The substrate in the water washing section 37 is transported at a predetermined speed. Direct liquid nozzles 371 for directly injecting direct pure water from a pure water source onto the surface of the substrate are provided above and below the transfer path PA for finishing cleaning of the substrate. This direct liquid nozzle 37
1 is connected to a pure water source via a flow meter 372 and an air valve 373. The fifth pendulum sensor S5 is provided on the outlet side of the third washing section 37 to detect the presence or absence of the substrate.
Are arranged.

The drying section 50 has a substrate transfer chamber 51 on the front side and an air knife chamber 53 on the rear side.

The substrate transfer chamber 51 on the upstream side has a transfer path PA.
A plurality of transfer rollers R are provided immediately below the drive roller R, and these transfer rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization by a motor M9 to transfer the substrate in the substrate transfer chamber 51 at a predetermined speed. The substrate transfer chamber 51 is the substrate sent out from the third water washing section 37 immediately after the completion of the water washing, and is the air knife chamber 5
It has a space for storing one or more substrates immediately before being dried, which are sent to the substrate 3.

The air knife chamber 53 on the rear stage side has a transport path P.
A plurality of transport rollers R are provided immediately below A, and these transport rollers R are rotationally driven in synchronization by a motor M10 to transport the substrate in the air knife chamber 53 at a predetermined speed. Air knives 531 for spraying high-pressure nitrogen gas onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate to blow off the pure water on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate to drain the substrate surface are appropriately disposed above and below the transfer path PA.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the moving speed of the substrate inside the apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, where the horizontal axis indicates the position within the apparatus and the vertical axis indicates time. The solid line L1
Indicates the movement of the leading edge of the substrate that is initially loaded, and the solid line L
2 shows the movement of the tip of the next substrate.

The substrate, the tip of which is inserted in the loading section 11 provided in the developing section 10, moves at the initial transport speed V1 corresponding to the speed of the motor M1.

Next, when it is determined that the detection output of the first pendulum sensor S1 is switched to OFF and the entire substrate is taken into the loading section 11, the motor M1 is accelerated and M2 is simultaneously rotated at high speed. As a result, the substrate moves at a relatively high transport speed V2 and is fed into the pre-wet portion 13 and gradually subjected to pre-wet development from the leading end side.

Next, the detection output of the second pendulum sensor S2 is switched to ON, and the front end of the substrate is moved to the pre-wet portion 13.
At the stage when it is determined that
The motors M2 to M5 are rotated at low speed. As a result, the substrate moves at the transport speed V3, which is slower than the above-described transport speed V2, and the shower development is performed on the substrate. In addition,
The transport speed V3 is equal to the original transport speed V1.

Next, the detection output of the third pendulum sensor S3 is switched to OFF so that the rear end of the substrate is the shower developing unit 1.
At the stage when it is judged that the value of 5 has been exceeded, the motors M5 and M6 are simultaneously rotated at high speed. As a result, the substrate moves at a comparatively high transport speed V4, and the developer is drained and pure water is replaced with respect to this substrate. In this case, the carrying speed V4 is equal to the carrying speed V2 during the pre-wet development.

Next, when it is determined that the detection output of the fourth pendulum sensor S4 has been switched to OFF and the entire substrate has been taken into the first water washing section 31, the motor M6 is decelerated and rotated at a low speed. As a result, the substrate moves at a relatively low transfer speed V5, and the water is reliably washed. At this time, the motors M7 and M8 also have rotational speeds corresponding to the low speed rotation of the motor M6. The transport speed V5 is equal to the initial transport speed V1 (that is, the transport speed V3 during shower development).

Next, when it is determined that the detection output of the fifth pendulum sensor S5 is switched to ON and the front end of the substrate has entered the substrate transfer chamber 51, the motors M8 and M9 are simultaneously rotated at high speed. As a result, the substrate has a relatively high transfer speed V.
It moves at 6 and the washing with water for this substrate is completed. In this case, the carrying speed V6 is the carrying speed V4 when the liquid is drained (that is, the carrying speed V during the pre-wet development).
It is equal to 2).

Next, when it is determined that the detection output of the fifth pendulum sensor S5 is switched to OFF and the entire substrate is taken into the substrate transfer chamber 51, the motor M9 is decelerated. As a result, the substrate moves at a relatively low transfer speed V7,
The air knife 531 drains the surface of the substrate. At this time, the motor M10 has a rotation speed corresponding to the low speed rotation of the motor M2. The transport speed V7 is equal to the original transport speed V1.

By the above operation, the developing solution can be supplied to the substrate whose front end reaches the pre-wet portion 13 and is moved at high speed by the motors M1 and M2, and the rear end is the shower developing portion. Take off 15 and motor M
5. The developer can be drained and pure water can be replaced with respect to the substrate that is moving at high speed by M6. Therefore, the supply of the developing solution, the draining of the developing solution, and the deionized water replacement become quick, and the time difference between the developing solution being supplied to the substrate front end and the developing solution being supplied to the substrate rear end, The time difference between the drainage and deionized water replacement at the leading edge and the drainage and deionized water replacement at the substrate trailing edge can both be shortened, and the start and end timings of the development process can be made almost uniform at each part of the substrate. They can be matched with each other, and development unevenness that occurs on the surface of the substrate can be reduced. Further, by making the transport speeds V2 and V4 substantially equal to each other, the time from when the developing solution is supplied to the front end of the substrate until the draining and the pure water replacement is performed and the developing solution is supplied to the rear end of the substrate. The time from the drainage to the deionized water replacement can be made to substantially match, and the time when the developer acts on the front end of the substrate and the time when the developer acts on the rear end of the substrate are almost equal. The development unevenness can be reduced more effectively. Moreover, when the substrate is resting on the shower developing unit 15, the transporting speed V3 of the substrate can be appropriately changed over a wide range from V1 to V2 based on the control signal from the control unit 70. The time can be changed over a relatively wide range. Also, for the substrate whose rear end has reached the liquid draining portion 17 and is being moved at high speed by the motors M5 and M6,
The washing water in the first washing section 31 can be supplied, and the tip ends of the third washing section 37 to remove the motors M8 and M9.
Thus, the supply of cleaning water can be stopped for the substrate that is moving at a high speed. Therefore, the supply of the cleaning water and the stop of the cleaning water become quick, and the time difference between the supply of the cleaning water to the front end of the substrate and the supply of the cleaning water to the rear end of the substrate, the supply of the cleaning water to the front end of the substrate The time difference between when the cleaning is stopped and when the supply of cleaning water to the rear end of the substrate is stopped can be shortened, and the start and end timings of the cleaning process can be made to match at each part of the substrate. It is possible to reduce cleaning unevenness that occurs at the same time. Further, the transport speed V
By making 4 and V6 substantially coincide with each other, the time from the supply of the cleaning water to the substrate front end to the stop is almost equal to the time from the supply of the cleaning water to the substrate rear end to the stop. The time when the cleaning water acts on the front end of the substrate and the time when the cleaning water acts on the rear end of the substrate can substantially coincide with each other, and development unevenness can be more effectively reduced. In the air knife chamber 53, the air knife 531
However, the moving speed of the substrate at this time is V7, which can be sufficiently slowed down, and the drying process is surely performed.

The transport speed will be described below using specific numerical examples. Assuming that the length of the substrate in the transport direction is 700 mm, a transport defect in which the front and rear substrates overlap with each other is likely to occur unless a space of about 100 mm is provided. Therefore, 32s
If the substrates are processed with a capacity of 1 / sheet, the transport speed of the substrates must be 800/32 = 25 mm / s or more. On the other hand, in order to sufficiently drain the substrate with the air knife 531 in the drying unit 70, the transport speed of the substrate needs to be 33.3 mm / s or less. In order to meet the above conditions, the transport speed range is 25
It is necessary to set it to mm / s-33.3 mm / s.

In this embodiment, the feeding speed is V1 =
The motor M1 is controlled so that the speed is 25 mm / s, and the transport speeds V2, V3, and
V4 is V1 = 25 mm / s or more (for example, V2 = V4 =
The motors M1 to M6 are controlled so that 167 mm / s and V3 = 25 mm / s). Further, the motors M6 to M8 are controlled so that the transport speed V5 during cleaning in the transport path PA becomes equal to V1 = 25 mm / s, and the transport speed V6 at the end of cleaning is V4 = 16 at the start of cleaning.
The motors M8 and M9 are controlled so as to be equal to 7 mm / s. Further, the motors M9 and M10 are controlled so that the transport speed V7 during drying by the air knife 531 is equal to 25 mm / s which is equal to or less than the upper limit value.

In this case, the cleaning process time T1 of the front end of the substrate in the cleaning unit 30 is the first to third cleaning units 31, 3
If each of the conveyance paths 5 and 37 is 800 mm and the distance from both ends of the water washing section 30 to the fourth and fifth pendulum sensors S4 and S5 is 50 mm, T1 = 750/167 + 1600 /
25 + 50/167 = 68.8 s, and the water washing treatment time T2 at the rear end of the substrate is T2 = 50/167 + 16.
00/25 + 750/167 = 68.8s, and both are equal T1 = T2. That is, the washing time in each part of the substrate is uniform.

In the above description, the transport speeds V2, V4 and V6 at the time of supplying and draining the developing solution are set to constant values of 167 mm / s.
However, V2 = V4 = V6 = 25 mm / s to 167 m
It is also possible to adjust in the range of m / s.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in an apparatus that performs various wet treatments on the surface of a substrate by supplying various treatment liquids containing a chemical such as an etching liquid to the substrate, the supply of the treatment liquid to the substrate and the removal of the treatment liquid from the substrate can be performed quickly. In this way, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of processing unevenness that tends to occur in each part of the substrate, and to start the washing of the substrate after the treatment and to finish the washing of the substrate at a higher speed than during washing. By carrying it, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of washing unevenness that tends to occur in each part of the substrate.

Further, the structure of the cleaning section 30 is arbitrary, and it is not necessary to separate the cleaning section 30 into the first cleaning section 31 to the third cleaning section 37 as in the embodiment, and it is possible to use only a single cleaning tank. is there.

[0037]

As is apparent from the above description, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the substrate processing is started and when the substrate processing is finished, the substrate is transferred at a higher speed than during the processing. Since the unit is provided, the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate and the removal of the processing liquid from the substrate can be performed quickly, and even when the substrate has to be transported at a relatively low speed during the processing, It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of processing unevenness that tends to occur in each part of the substrate. Further, in the apparatus of claim 1,
Since the substrate is provided with a water washing unit which is arranged on the downstream side with respect to the conveyance of the substrate with respect to the processing unit and which conveys the substrate at a higher speed than during the water washing when starting the water washing of the substrate after the treatment and ending the water washing of the substrate, For each part, the timing of the start of washing and the end of washing can be matched almost exactly. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of uneven washing with water, which is likely to occur in each part of the substrate.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of the second aspect, since the processing unit supplies the liquid containing the chemical to the surface of the substrate to process the substrate, the substrate is transferred from the processing unit to the water washing unit. The processing can be easily stopped, the substrate can be uniformly processed, and the substrate is not excessively processed.

Further, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer chamber is arranged on the rear side with respect to the transfer of the substrate with respect to the water washing section, and is capable of accommodating one substrate after the water washing, and the substrate transfer chamber rather than the substrate transfer chamber. Since it is further provided with an air knife part which is disposed on the rear side with respect to the transportation of the substrate and removes the cleaning water from the substrate after washing with water, the substrate coming out of the washing part can be temporarily stored in the substrate transport chamber, and During the period when the washing is finished,
The substrate can be transported at a higher speed than during the washing process.
Moreover, when the substrate coming out of the substrate transfer chamber is sent to the air knife part, the transfer speed of the substrate can be made relatively low, so that the removal of water from the substrate in the air knife part can be made effective. Further, since the substrate transfer chamber is interposed between the air knife portion and the water washing portion, it is possible to suppress the generation of water mist and backflow generated in the air knife portion.

Further, according to the substrate processing method of the fourth aspect, when the substrate processing is started and when the substrate processing is finished, the substrate is transported at a higher speed than during the processing, so that the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate. The process liquid can be quickly removed from the substrate, and even if the substrate has to be transported at a relatively low speed during the process, the occurrence of process unevenness that is likely to occur in each part of the substrate is prevented. It can be effectively prevented. Further, according to the method of claim 4, when starting the washing of the treated substrate and finishing the washing of the substrate, the substrate is conveyed at a higher speed than that during the washing, so that the washing of each part of the substrate is started and stopped. It is possible to match the timing of the end of washing with water almost exactly. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of uneven washing with water, which is likely to occur in each part of the substrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a main part of the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a main part of the apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the operation of the apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Development Department 11 Input section 13 Pre-wet part 15 dip section 17 Drainer 30 Washing department 31 First flush section 35 Second Washing Section 37 Third Washing Section 50 Drying section 51 Substrate transfer chamber 53 Air knife room 531 air knife R roller

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Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate while transporting the substrate, wherein the substrate is processed at a higher speed than during processing when the processing of the substrate is started and when the processing of the substrate is finished. And a processing unit for transporting the substrate, which is arranged on a rear stage side with respect to the transportation of the substrate with respect to the processing unit, and when starting the washing of the substrate after the treatment and ending the washing of the substrate, the speed is higher than during washing. And a water washing unit for transporting the substrate. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section supplies a liquid containing a chemical to a surface of the substrate to process the substrate. 3. A substrate transfer chamber, which is disposed on a rear side with respect to the transfer of the substrate with respect to the water washing section and is capable of accommodating at least one washed substrate, and a rear side with respect to the transfer of the substrate with respect to the substrate transfer chamber. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air knife unit that is disposed in the substrate and removes the cleaning water from the substrate after being rinsed with water. 4. A substrate processing method for carrying out a predetermined process on a substrate while transporting the substrate, wherein the substrate is processed at a higher speed than at the time of starting the process of the substrate and ending the process of the substrate. The substrate processing method is characterized in that the substrate is transported at a higher speed than when the substrate is being rinsed, when starting to rinse the substrate after the treatment and when finishing the rinse of the substrate.