JP3490283B2 - Thick film forming apparatus and thick film forming 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 thick film forming apparatus and a method therefor, for example, a coating film forming apparatus such as a resist coating apparatus for coating a semiconductor substrate surface, a coating film forming method, and a wiring pattern. Apparatus and method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of applying a resist to the surface of a substrate to be processed such as a silicon wafer or a glass substrate, the substrate to be processed is rotated at a high speed while being held on a holding member, and the resist solution is dripped on the substrate. The spin coating method, in which a thin film is stretched by centrifugal force, is widely used.

In the field of semiconductor devices, there is a strong demand for higher processing capacity, so it is necessary to increase the radius of one substrate to be processed and increase the degree of integration. Further, miniaturization is reaching the limit, and it is necessary to make the thickness of the resist film as thin as possible in order to obtain the focus latitude and the exposure dose latitude while pursuing the manufacturing latitude, that is, the resolution.

For example, in order to manufacture a semiconductor device having an arithmetic processing capacity of several giga, it is necessary to form a resist film having a film thickness of 0.4 μm or less.

[0005]

However, in the conventional spin coating method, when the size of the substrate to be processed is increased, the velocity at the outer peripheral edge portion of the substrate to be processed becomes faster, which causes turbulent air flow. Since the film thickness of the resist film is likely to change due to the turbulent flow, the resolution is lowered.

The decrease in resolution is fatal to increase the degree of integration of semiconductors, and it is difficult to obtain a coating film having a film thickness of 0.5 μm or less by the spin coating method. Therefore, a semiconductor of several giga or more is manufactured. However, there is a problem that the conventional spin coating method naturally has its limits.

Further, in the conventional spin coating method, a resist solution is applied to the entire surface of the substrate to be processed to form a resist film over the entire surface. However, it is actually necessary to form the resist film in a circular shape. Of the substrate to be processed, only the portion where the semiconductor element is to be formed, and it is not necessary to form a resist film on other peripheral portions.

Therefore, there is a problem that the resist solution and thinner are wastefully consumed because the resist film is formed even in an unnecessary portion.

Further, an extra step of removing an unnecessary portion of the resist film is required, or the once removed resist film pieces float in the air and act as particles, which adversely affects the semiconductor manufacturing process. There is also a problem.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and the coating agent is applied to a very thin film without rotating the substrate to be processed as in the spin coating method. An object of the present invention is to provide a thick film forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a thick film forming apparatus capable of forming a coating film only on a necessary portion of a substrate to be processed.

[0012]

In order to solve such a problem, a thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided with a holding means for holding a substrate to be processed and a position opposed to the holding means. And a plate-shaped member provided with a through hole, means for filling the through hole with a coating agent, and means for injecting gas from the back of the plate-shaped member toward the through hole.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 2 is
The thick film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for moving the plate-like member with respect to the holding means.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 3 is
The thick film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for moving the holding means with respect to the plate-shaped member.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 4 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, means for moving the positions of the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. It is provided with a means for filling a coating agent and a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 5 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. A filling device that fills the coating agent, a second moving device that moves the position of the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, a gas supply system that supplies gas to the nozzle, and the first and second movements. The device and the filling device are driven in synchronism with the gas injection of the gas supply system to control the drive amount of the first moving device and the control device that forms a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed. And a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the film thickness of the coating film.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 6 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. A filling device that fills the coating agent, a second moving device that moves the position of the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, a gas supply system that supplies gas to the nozzle, and the first and second movements. The device and the filling device are driven in synchronism with the gas injection of the gas supply system to adjust the drive amount of the control device for forming a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed and the drive amount of the second moving device. And a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the film thickness of the coating film.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 7 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. A filling device that fills the coating agent, a second moving device that moves the position of the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, a gas supply system that supplies gas to the nozzle, and the first and second movements. A control device that drives the device and the filling device in synchronization with the injection of gas in the gas supply system to form a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed; and a gas supplied from the gas supply system to the nozzle. A film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the flow velocity to adjust the film thickness of the coating film.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 8 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. A filling device that fills the coating agent, a second moving device that moves the position of the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, a gas supply system that supplies gas to the nozzle, and the first and second movements. A controller for driving the apparatus and the filling device in synchronism with the injection of gas in the gas supply system to form a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed; and a nozzle supplied with gas from the gas supply system. And a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the film thickness of the coating film by adjusting the number.

The thick film forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 9 is
A holding member for holding the substrate to be processed, and a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole,
A nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that its tip faces the plate-shaped member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, and a through hole of the plate-shaped member. A filling device that fills the coating agent, a second moving device that moves the position of the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, a gas supply system that supplies gas to the nozzle, and the first and second movements. A control device that drives the device and the filling device in synchronization with the gas injection of the gas supply system to form a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed, and a coating device that the filling device fills the plate-shaped member. A film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the filling density of the agent to adjust the film thickness of the coating film.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of forming a thick film of the present invention, a step of filling a through hole of a plate member with a coating agent, and moving the through hole of the plate member filled with the coating agent to a gas injection position. And a step of moving a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed to the gas injection position, and a step of injecting gas from behind the through hole of the plate-shaped member filled with the coating agent.

In the thick film forming apparatus of the present invention, the holding means and the plate-shaped member are opposed to each other, and the coating agent in the through-hole of the plate-shaped member is jetted by injecting gas from behind the plate-shaped member. Since it is made to adhere to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed.

In the thick film forming apparatus of the second aspect, the plate-shaped member is moved with respect to the holding means so that the substrate to be processed and the plate-shaped member face each other, and the coating agent in the through hole of the plate-shaped member is applied. Since the gas is jetted from the back of the plate-like member to fly and adhere onto the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed. .

Further, since the coating material is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the plate-like member with respect to the holding means, it is possible to perform treatment only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be treated. .

In the thick film forming apparatus of the third aspect, the holding means is moved with respect to the plate-shaped member so that the plate-shaped member and the substrate to be processed are opposed to each other, and the coating agent in the through-hole of the plate-shaped member is applied. Since the gas is jetted from the back of the plate-like member to fly and adhere onto the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed. .

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion of the plate-shaped member while sequentially moving the holding means with respect to the plate-shaped member, only the necessary portion of the substrate to be processed can be treated. .

In the thick film forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating material is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

In the thick film forming apparatus of the fifth aspect, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating agent is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the drive amount of the first moving device to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed. The thickness of the film can be adjusted.

In the thick film forming apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating agent is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the drive amount of the second moving device to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed. The thickness of the film can be adjusted.

In the thick film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-like member so that the tip end faces the plate-like member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply system to the nozzle to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed. Therefore, the film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted.

In the thick film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is equipped with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the number of nozzles supplied with gas from the gas supply system to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed onto the substrate to be processed. Therefore, the film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted.

In the thick film forming apparatus of the ninth aspect, the substrate to be processed is moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, An extremely thin coating film can be formed without the need for rotation.

Further, since the coating material is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, since this thick film forming apparatus is equipped with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the filling density of the coating agent with which the plate-shaped member is filled to adjust the film thickness of the coating film, The film thickness can be adjusted.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for forming a thick film, the substrate to be processed is moved so that a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed is opposed to the gas ejecting means, and the substrate is disposed between the gas ejecting means and the substrate to be processed. Since the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate member is made to fly by the gas jetted from the gas jetting means and adheres to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, A thin coating film can be formed.

Further, since the substrate to be processed is sequentially moved so that the coating material is adhered only to a predetermined portion,
The coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

[0046]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic structure of a thick film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this thick film forming apparatus, an injector 10 for injecting an inert gas such as nitrogen gas toward a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafer") W as a substrate to be processed is substantially horizontal. The injector 10 is arranged so as to come close to the surface of the set wafer W.
In the gap between the wafer W and the wafer W, an application agent holding board (hereinafter, simply referred to as “board”) 20 as a plate-shaped member for holding the application agent is arranged substantially parallel to the wafer W. One end of the board 20 is fixed to a board moving device (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “moving device”) 40 as a second moving device, and the board moving device 40 moves in the horizontal direction by the operation of the moving device 40. There is.

An application agent dispenser (hereinafter simply referred to as "dispenser") for supplying and filling the application agent to the board 20 at the end of the board 20 opposite to the part fixed to the moving device 40. 30 are provided.
Although not shown in FIG. 1, a cleaner for cleaning and drying the board 20 is disposed near the board 20 in addition to the injector 10 and the dispenser 30, as will be described later.

Further, in FIG. 1, the wafer W disposed under the board 20 is placed on the transfer device 50, and the table 51 on the transfer device 50 is mounted by a vacuum mechanism or the like.
It is fixed to. As will be described later, this transfer device 50
X for the injector 10 while holding the wafer W.
Direction, Y direction, Z direction, and θ direction.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a view showing the state of the thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment seen from the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the thick film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, a top plate 80 having an air outlet 81 for supplying clean air is arranged above the apparatus,
A horizontal bottom plate 70 is arranged at the bottom of the device. Clean air constantly flows from the upper side to the lower side in the drawing from the air outlet 81 in the upper portion of the thick film forming apparatus, and this air constantly keeps a constant temperature and humidity in the thick film forming apparatus. It is maintained and kept in a clean environment that contains almost no dust.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the top plate 80 is
A discharge head H that discharges the coating material onto the wafer W is arranged in the space between the bottom plate 70 and the bottom plate 70 on the right side of the drawing, and the carrier device 50 accesses the discharge head H. Then, the wafer W is transferred and the wafer W is positioned.

Next, the ejection head H will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, an ejection head H is disposed inside the thick film forming apparatus.
On the lower side, a space is formed in which a transfer device 50 described later can enter and leave.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vertical cross section of the ejection head H.

The ejection head H is provided with a plurality of nozzles 11 for ejecting gas downward in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the wafer W. The plurality of nozzles 11 are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. FIG. 5 is a view showing the nozzle 11 and the board 20 viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4, and the board 20 is drawn as a vertical sectional view.

Further, a gas supply system (not shown) S for supplying gas to the nozzle 11 is connected to the nozzle 11. In this gas supply system S, a gas cylinder containing an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, a pipe for supplying the gas from this gas cylinder, an on-off valve provided in the middle of this pipe, and the flow rate of the gas are adjusted. A regulator and the like are provided. The main ones of these regulators are those that can be driven electrically, and the opening and closing of valves and the flow rate of gas can be adjusted as appropriate by sending signals from a control device described later. Therefore, as will be described later, it is also possible to adjust the gas injection rate from the nozzle 11 by adjusting the gas flow rate to adjust the film thickness of the coating film, which is advantageous. In addition, in this embodiment, nitrogen is used as the gas. The optimum value of the jet speed of this gas varies depending on the diameter and thickness of the through hole 21 provided in the board 20 described later, the type and viscosity of the coating agent used, etc. To find and use the optimum value. Generally, the pressure during gas injection is 1 kg / cm
² or less, for example, 0.3 kg / c in this embodiment.
It was set to m ² .

Further, this gas supply system includes a plurality of nozzles 1.
It is also possible to independently turn on / off the gas supply for each of 1, 11, .... In that case, some of the nozzles 11, 11, ...
By supplying the gas only to 1, the density of the coating material discharged onto the wafer W can be made variable, and thereby the thickness of the coating film can be adjusted.

A board 2 is provided between the nozzle 11 and the wafer W.
0 is set. The board 20 is a rectangular thin plate-shaped metal member having a large number of minute through holes 21 formed therein, and the coating agent is conveyed from a dispenser 30 described later to the nozzle 11 in a state where the through holes 21 are filled with the coating agent. It is a thing.

The material of the board 20 is required to have a contact angle θ of 25 ° to 70 ° when the coating agent is applied. Therefore, various materials such as metal and resin can be used, but the surface may be coated with a fluororesin so as to exhibit a predetermined contact angle. The diameter and plate thickness of the through hole 21 are determined by the type and viscosity of the coating agent to be filled, but generally the diameter of the through hole is 0.0
It is preferable to use one having a range of 1 mm to 0.5 mm, and it is preferable to use one having a plate thickness of 50 to 200% of the diameter of the through hole. As an example, in the present embodiment, a plate material made of stainless steel having a thickness of 0.1 mm and coated with Teflon is used, and the diameter is 0.
A 1 mm one was used.

Similarly, the distance from the upper surface of the board 20 to the tip of the nozzle is generally preferably in the range of 0.1 mm to 10 mm. If this distance is less than 0.1 mm, it becomes difficult to secure the positioning accuracy of the board with respect to the nozzle 11, or the tip of the nozzle 11 becomes dirty due to the application agent that should have been discharged onto the nozzle 11 itself. When this distance exceeds 10 mm, the injected gas diffuses before reaching the board 20, which adversely affects adjacent coating particles. Therefore, for example, in this embodiment, this distance is set to 3 mm.

The distance from the lower surface of the board 20 to the upper surface of the wafer W is generally preferably in the range of 0.2 mm to 100 mm. This is because if the distance is less than 0.2 mm, the coating material discharged from the through holes will adhere to the board 20 again, and conversely, the distance will be 10 mm.
This is because if it exceeds 0 mm, the coating material particles discharged from the through holes 21 will diffuse and it will be difficult to adhere the coating material particles to a predetermined portion of the wafer W in a concentrated manner. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, the distance from the lower surface of the board 20 to the front surface of the wafer W is set to 5 mm.

The coating agent with which the through hole 21 of the board 20 is filled is not particularly limited, and a liquid or other coating agent can be used. When using a liquid coating agent, the viscosity when filling is 50 cp to 300 cp (centipoise /
25 ° C) is preferred. This is because if it is less than 50 cp, it becomes difficult to be held in the through hole 21 and drops from the through hole 21, while if it exceeds 300 cp, it may not be possible to sufficiently discharge with the force of the gas injected from the nozzle 11. Because there is. Therefore, for example, in the present embodiment, a resist liquid which is a liquid coating agent of 100 cp is used.

The through hole 2 of the board 20 can be used also when a coating agent other than liquid, for example, a powdery or granular coating agent is used.
It can be sufficiently applied by appropriately modifying the shape, size, material, supporting method, etc. of 1.

The board 20 is arranged in the gap between the nozzle 11 and the wafer W, and is in the horizontal direction in a state where it is not in contact with either the nozzle 11 or the wafer W, more specifically, in the left and right directions in FIG. It is arranged so that it can move. Then, it is reciprocated between a dispenser 30 and a cleaner 60, which will be described later. The driving source that gives the driving force for this reciprocating movement is the moving motor 41 disposed at the right end position of the head H in FIG.

A ball screw 42 is attached to the rotary shaft of the moving motor 41, and a holder 43 is attached to the tip opposite to the ball screw 42. One end of the board 20 is clamped by a slit portion 43a provided under the holder 43.

Accordingly, when the moving motor 41 is operated to rotate the rotary shaft, the ball screw 42 converts the linear motion into a linear motion in a direction parallel to the rotary shaft, and this linear motion is transmitted to the holder 43 and then the board 20 to be transmitted to the board 20. Is moved in the direction of arrow B in the figure. Then, since the moving direction of the holder 43 is also reversed by reversing the rotation direction of the moving motor 41, the board 20 can be reciprocated as shown by the arrow B.

The amount of movement of the board 20 is accurately detected by a sensor (not shown), and the movement of the board 20 is controlled based on the amount of movement grasped by the sensor.

In FIG. 4, a dispenser 30 is arranged to the left of the nozzle 11. The dispenser 30 is a device for filling the through hole 21 of the board 20 with a coating material such as a resist. As a specific filling method, a known method such as a press-fitting method, a suction method, a dipping method, or a roller rubbing method can be used. Therefore, it is appropriately selected according to the type, viscosity, and other characteristics of the coating agent to be filled.

For example, in the thick film forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the coating material contained in the coating material reservoir (not shown) is pressed from above and pushed out from the hole (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the board 2.
A press-fitting type for filling the 0 through hole 21 is adopted.

If a filling device having a structure in which the number of holes provided on the bottom surface is variable is adopted, the board 2 is used.
It is possible to change the filling density when filling the zero through hole 21. Therefore, the density of the coating material discharged onto the wafer W can be made variable, and the effect of adjusting the film thickness of the coating film can be obtained, which is preferable.

A cleaner 60 is adjacent to the right side of the nozzle 11 in FIG. The cleaning device 6 is provided in the cleaner 60.
1 and the drying device 62 are built in. The cleaning device 61 is for cleaning the board 20, and after filling with the dispenser 30, the coating material is discharged to clean the board 20 in which the through holes 21 are empty with a solvent or other cleaning agent. The board 20 cleaned by the drying device 62 is dried so that the coating material can be filled again.

The types and structures of the cleaning device 61 and the drying device 62 can be appropriately selected and used from existing ones according to the type, viscosity and other characteristics of the coating agent. For example, in the present embodiment, a cleaning device 61 that sprays a solvent for cleaning and a drying device 6 that sprays with warm air for drying.
2 is adopted.

The operation of transferring the wafer W to the ejection head H is performed by the transfer device 50. As shown in FIG. 3, in this transfer device 50, a table 51 for holding a wafer W is horizontally mounted on a rotation shaft 52 of a rotation drive unit 53, and the rotation drive unit 53 has a transfer unit 54.
Fixed on top of. The rotary drive unit 53 has a table 5
Since the rotary motor M1 (not shown) for rotating 1 around the rotary shaft 52 in the θ direction is built in, the table 51 can rotate in the θ direction. The wafer W can be held in a fixed state on the table 51 by a known means such as vacuum suction or a mechanical holding mechanism. In addition, the table 51 is mounted inside the rotation drive unit 53.
A motor M2 (not shown) that vertically moves in the direction is provided.

On the other hand, the transport section 54 is provided with motors M3 and M4 as second moving devices for displacing the bottom plate 70 in the X and Y directions of FIG. For example, the motors M3 and M4 as the second moving device
Examples of the known mechanism include a ball screw and a stepping motor. In the present embodiment, this second
Is driven by using stepping motors (not shown) M1 to M4 that move in the X direction, the Y direction, the Z direction, and the θ direction.

Therefore, the wafer W held on the table 51 can be moved in the X direction, Y direction, Z direction and θ direction by the transfer device 50. In this embodiment, the wafer W is positioned by moving or operating the transfer device 50 with respect to the ejection head, but the ejection head H side is a mechanism that moves with respect to the fixed wafer W. Alternatively, both the transfer device 50 and the ejection head H may be displaceable, and the wafer W and the ejection head H may be relatively displaced by the movement of both.

With such a structure, the transfer device 50 can accurately position the held wafer W with respect to the ejection head H in the X, Y, and Z directions, and also rotates in the θ direction. Therefore, any part of the upper surface of the wafer W can be accurately set with respect to the ejection head H.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the gas supply system S,
The motor 41, the motors M1 to M4 of the transport device 50, the dispenser 30, the cleaning device 61, and the drying device 62 are connected to a control device 90, and are collectively controlled by the control device 90.

Next, the operation of the thick film forming apparatus of this embodiment having the above structure will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the thick film forming apparatus of this embodiment.

When the main switch of the thick film forming apparatus of this embodiment is turned on to start the apparatus, first, the wafer W is placed and held on the table 51 of the transfer apparatus 50 by the transfer arm (not shown) (step).

Next, the transfer device 50 moves on the bottom plate 70 to position the wafer W with respect to the ejection head H (step). This positioning is an operation of accurately setting the portion of the wafer W to be coated at the ejection position below the nozzle 11 of the ejection head H, and high positional accuracy is required.

In parallel with this step, the through hole 21 of the board 20 is filled with the coating agent from the dispenser 30, and the board 20 is moved to fill the through hole 2 with the coating agent.
The portion 1 is set right under the nozzle 11 (step).

When the positioning of the wafer W and the setting of the board 20 are completed, the gas supply system is operated to supply the nitrogen gas to the nozzle 11 and eject the nitrogen gas from the nozzle 11 (step).

Each time the nitrogen gas is jetted and the coating material is discharged, the controller 90 determines whether or not the uncoated portion of the portion of the wafer W that needs to be coated remains (step). A portion of the wafer W that needs to be coated is input in advance to the storage device of the controller 90 via an input device (not shown) such as an optical recording device or a terminal device. Then, when the uncoated portion remains, the wafer W is further moved and positioned again (step).

On the other hand, the through hole 21 that has been injected with nitrogen gas
Since the coating agent disappears from the above, the board 20 is sequentially moved to set the portion of the through-hole 21 filled with the coating agent at the position directly below the nozzle 11 (step), and thereafter, discharge is performed in the same manner as described above (step). The above operation is repeated until there is no uncoated portion of the portion that needs to be coated.

When the coating of the portion requiring coating is completed, the whole process is completed.

In parallel with the above coating process, when the coating material in the through hole 21 of the board 20 is exhausted, the board 20 is moved to the cleaner 60 side, the cleaning device 61 sprays a solvent to clean, and further the drying device. The washed board 20 is moved toward 62, and hot air is blown here to dry it. Then, the cleaned and dried board 20 is moved to the dispenser 30 again, where the through hole 21 is filled with the coating material again, and then sequentially moved to the lower side of the nozzle 11 to supply the coating material.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing a state where the nitrogen gas is injected from the nozzle 11 in the above step.

As shown in FIG. 8, the nitrogen gas sprayed by the nozzle 11 discharges the coating material R filled in the through hole 21 of the board 20 toward the wafer W. The discharged coating material R collides with the wafer W, and the impact at this time spreads in the horizontal direction in the figure to cover the surface of the wafer W, and the film thickness in the vertical direction decreases to a desired film of 0.4 μm or less. A coating film having a thickness of, for example, about 0.1 μm can be obtained.

Next, the relationship between the distance between the through holes 21 of the board 20 and the film thickness of the coating film will be described.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view in the vicinity of the nozzle 11.

When the coating material particles R discharged from one through hole 21 hit the surface of the wafer W, the impact spreads horizontally and the film thickness decreases. At this time, the cross section of the coating film is curved. Therefore, the film thickness at the position directly below the nozzle 11 is maximized, and the film thickness decreases as the distance from the position directly below the nozzle 11 increases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, by setting the distance between two adjacent through holes 21 to an appropriate value, peripheral portions having thin film thicknesses are overlapped with each other to form a uniform film thickness. Coating film is formed.

By applying this principle, the film thickness can be adjusted. That is, when the movement amount of the transport device 50 with respect to the nozzle 11 is changed, the interval between the coating material particles that are sequentially ejected is changed, and thus the interval between the two adjacent through holes 21 is changed. It will be in the same state as. For example, when the movement amount of the transfer device 50 is reduced, the gap between the coating film formed on the surface of the wafer W by the first discharge and the coating film formed by the second discharge is narrowed, so that two coating films are formed. The overlapping portion becomes large and the coating film becomes thick.

On the contrary, when the movement amount of the transfer device 50 is increased, the coating film formed on the surface of the wafer W by the first discharge,
Since the space between the second coating film and the coating film formed by the second ejection is wide, the overlapping portion between the two coating films is small and the film thickness of the coating film is thin. By utilizing this principle, the film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted by changing the movement amount of the transport device 50.

It is also possible to adjust the film thickness by changing the moving amount of the board 20 instead of changing the moving amount of the carrier device 50. For example, considering a case where the nozzles 11 are arranged in two rows in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the board 20, the coating agent in the through holes 21 is consumed by two rows in one injection, and thus the coating agent is applied every time. In order to discharge the liquid,
2d, which is twice the If this moving amount is set to a half of d, an empty through hole 21 faces directly below the nozzle 11 in one row on the downstream side of the nozzles 11 in two rows, so that gas is ejected from the nozzles 11 in two rows. However, only one row of the coating material is discharged onto the wafer W. Therefore, by changing the moving amount of the board 20 from 2d to d, the discharge density of the coating material can be halved, and the film thickness can be adjusted accordingly.

As described above in detail, in the thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment, the plurality of fine through holes 2 of the board 20 are provided.
The coating agent filled in No. 1 is discharged by the force of the gas jetted from the nozzle 11 and the coating agent particles are spread in the direction of the surface of the wafer W by the impact force when hitting the surface of the wafer W. Since the film is formed, the coating film can be formed without rotating the wafer W. Therefore, since the film thickness does not change due to the influence of the turbulent air flow generated by the rotation of the wafer W, it is possible to form an extremely thin coating film that cannot be obtained by the conventional spin coating method. Further, in the thick film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the coating material is discharged by positioning the coating material particles so that the portions of the wafer W on which the coating film is to be formed face each other at the discharging position. There is no waste of forming a coating film even on the necessary part. Therefore, the usage amount of the coating agent can be saved. In addition, since the work of removing the coating film from unnecessary portions of the coating film is not required, the number of steps can be reduced and the removed coating film becomes dust (particles), which reduces the cleanliness in the clean room. Can be prevented in advance.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

That is, in the above embodiment, the resist thick film forming apparatus for the wafer W has been described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to other apparatuses such as a cleaning apparatus.

Further, in the above embodiment, the wafer W is sequentially moved with respect to the nozzle 11. However, the position of the wafer W may be fixed and the position of the nozzle 11 relative to this may be moved. The wafer W and the wafer W may both be movable, and the relative position between them may be changed.

In the above embodiment, a rectangular plate-like member is used as the board 20, and the wafer W is reciprocated between the dispenser 30, the nozzle 11, the cleaning device 61, the drying device 62 and the wafer W arranged in a line. , The disk 20 is used as the board 20, the dispenser 30, the nozzle 1
1. The cleaning device 61 and the drying device 62 may be circumferentially arranged around the center of the disc, and the disc-shaped board 20 may be rotated.

Further, not only the wafer W but also the LCD substrate,
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to the coating film formation and treatment on the exposure mask substrate.

It can also be applied to the formation of wiring patterns, and even when applied to the formation of a heater pattern with a width of 1 mm using a silver paste material for the coating film, the uniformity of the line width and film thickness can be ensured, and the conventional unit length Resistance value variation 5
% Improved to 0.2%, and the calorific value distribution could be greatly improved.

[0105]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention of claim 1, the holding means and the plate member are opposed to each other, and the coating agent in the through hole of the plate member is applied to the plate member. Since the gas is jetted from behind to be attached to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plate-shaped member is moved with respect to the holding means so that the substrate to be processed and the plate-shaped member face each other, and the coating agent in the through-hole of the plate-shaped member. To
Since the gas is ejected from the back of the plate member to fly and adhere to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed.

Further, since the coating material is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the plate member with respect to the holding means, it is possible to perform the treatment only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be treated. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the holding means is moved with respect to the plate-shaped member so that the plate-shaped member and the substrate to be processed face each other, and the coating agent in the through-hole of the plate-shaped member. To
Since the gas is ejected from the back of the plate member to fly and adhere to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and an extremely thin coating film can be formed.

Further, since the coating agent is applied only to a predetermined portion while the holding means is sequentially moved with respect to the plate-shaped member, it is possible to perform processing only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed. .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to form an extremely thin coating film without the need to rotate.

Further, since the coating agent is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved by moving the holding member and the plate-shaped member with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to form an extremely thin coating film without the need to rotate.

Further, since the coating material is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the drive amount of the first moving device to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed, and therefore, it is optional. The film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted at the location.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member such that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to form an extremely thin coating film without the need to rotate.

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be treated, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be treated.

Further, since this thick film forming apparatus is equipped with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the drive amount of the second moving device to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed, it is optional. The film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted at the location.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to form an extremely thin coating film without the need to rotate.

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply system to the nozzle to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed. Therefore, the film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted at any place. According to the present invention of claim 8, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member, and the predetermined substrate to be processed is moved. The substrate is rotated because the coating agent filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is made to fly by the gas ejected from the nozzle and adheres onto the substrate to be treated, It is not necessary and can form an extremely thin coating film.

Further, since the coating material is applied only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is provided with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the number of nozzles supplied with gas from the gas supply system to change the coating density of the coating agent sprayed on the substrate to be processed. Therefore, the film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted at any place.

According to the present invention of claim 9, the holding member and the plate-shaped member are moved with respect to the nozzle arranged behind the plate-shaped member so that the tip end faces the plate-shaped member. Since a predetermined portion of the substrate is opposed to the nozzle and the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate-like member is blown by the gas ejected from the nozzle to adhere to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to form an extremely thin coating film without the need to rotate.

Further, since the coating agent is adhered only to a predetermined portion while sequentially moving the substrate to be processed, the coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, this thick film forming apparatus is equipped with a film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the filling density of the coating agent with which the plate-like member is filled to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. The film thickness of the coating film can be adjusted with.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the substrate to be processed is moved so that a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed is opposed to the gas jetting means, and the gas jetting means and the substrate to be processed are arranged between the gas jetting means and the substrate to be processed. Since the coating material filled in the through hole of the plate member provided is made to fly by the gas jetted from the gas jetting means and adheres to the substrate to be processed, it is not necessary to rotate the substrate to be processed, and A very thin coating film can be formed.

Further, since the substrate to be processed is sequentially moved so that the coating material is attached only to a predetermined portion,
The coating film can be formed only on a necessary portion of the substrate to be processed.

Further, the film thickness can be arbitrarily adjusted within the substrate to be processed by changing the parameters of the film thickness adjusting device at a predetermined portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a thick film forming apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view of the thick film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment as seen from the horizontal direction.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a vertical cross section of the ejection head according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross section near the nozzle of the thick film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the thick film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the thick film forming apparatus of this embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross section showing a state when nitrogen gas is jetted from a nozzle of the thick film forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view in the vicinity of a nozzle of the thick film forming apparatus of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

W wafer 11 nozzles 20 boards 21 through holes 30 dispensers 41 moving motor M1-M4 motor 50 carrier 90 Control device

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kazuhiro Takeshita Kazuhiro Takeshita 2655 Tsukyu, Kikuyo-cho, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Kumamoto Plant (72) Inventor Katsuya Okumura 8 Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Address: Toshiba Yokohama Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinichi Ito, 8 Shinsita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Toshiba Co., Ltd. Yokohama Works (56) Reference JP-A-5-234875 (JP, A) JP HEI 7-307282 (JP, A) JP-A-60-85522 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/027 H01L 21/31

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A holding means for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding means and having a through hole, and a means for filling the through hole with a coating agent, A thick film forming apparatus, comprising means for injecting a gas from the back of the plate-like member toward the through hole. 2. The thick film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for moving the plate-like member with respect to the holding means. 3. The thick film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for moving the holding means with respect to the plate-shaped member. 4. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole, and a plate-like member with its tip facing the plate-like member. A nozzle arranged behind the member, a means for moving the positions of the holding member and the plate-like member with respect to the nozzle, means for filling a through hole of the plate-like member with a coating agent, and a gas for the nozzle. A thick film forming apparatus, comprising: 5. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole, and a plate-like member with its tip facing the plate-like member. A nozzle disposed behind the member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, a filling device that fills the through-hole of the plate-shaped member with a coating agent, and the nozzle The second moving device for moving the position of the plate-shaped member, a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle, the first and second moving devices, and the filling device for the gas of the gas supply system. And a control device for driving a film to be formed on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed in synchronism with the jetting of the film, and a film thickness adjustment for adjusting the driving amount of the first moving device to adjust the film thickness of the film. An apparatus for forming a thick film, comprising: 6. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole, and a plate-like member with its tip facing the plate-like member. A nozzle disposed behind the member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, a filling device that fills the through-hole of the plate-shaped member with a coating agent, and the nozzle The second moving device for moving the position of the plate-shaped member, a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle, the first and second moving devices, and the filling device for the gas of the gas supply system. Control device that drives in synchronization with the jetting of the film to form a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed, and film thickness adjustment that adjusts the drive amount of the second moving device to adjust the film thickness of the coating film. An apparatus for forming a thick film, comprising: 7. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole, and a plate-like member with its tip facing the plate-like member. A nozzle disposed behind the member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, a filling device that fills the through-hole of the plate-shaped member with a coating agent, and the nozzle The second moving device for moving the position of the plate-shaped member, a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle, the first and second moving devices, and the filling device for the gas of the gas supply system. And a control device for driving a film to be formed on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed in synchronism with the jetting of the film, and adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply system to the nozzle to adjust the film thickness of the film. And a film thickness adjusting device for Film forming apparatus. 8. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and having a through hole, and a plate-like member having a tip end facing the plate-like member. A nozzle disposed behind the member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, a filling device that fills the through-hole of the plate-shaped member with a coating agent, and the nozzle The second moving device for moving the position of the plate-shaped member, a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle, the first and second moving devices, and the filling device for the gas of the gas supply system. Control device that drives in synchronization with the jetting of the substrate to form a coating film on a predetermined portion of the substrate to be processed, and the thickness of the coating film is adjusted by adjusting the number of nozzles to which gas is supplied from the gas supply system. Thick film adjusting device Forming apparatus. 9. A holding member for holding a substrate to be processed, a plate-like member provided at a position facing the holding member and provided with a through hole, and a plate-like member with its tip facing the plate-like member. A nozzle disposed behind the member, a first moving device that moves the position of the holding member with respect to the nozzle, a filling device that fills the through-hole of the plate-shaped member with a coating agent, and the nozzle The second moving device for moving the position of the plate-shaped member, a gas supply system for supplying gas to the nozzle, the first and second moving devices, and the filling device for the gas of the gas supply system. Of the coating film by controlling the filling density of the coating agent filled in the plate-shaped member by the filling device, which is driven in synchronization with the injection of A film thickness adjusting device for adjusting the thickness, That thick-film forming apparatus. 10. A step of filling a through hole of a plate-shaped member with a coating agent, a step of moving the through hole of the plate-shaped member filled with a coating agent to a gas injection position, and a predetermined portion of a substrate to be processed, A method of forming a thick film, comprising: a step of moving to a gas injection position; and a step of injecting gas from behind a through hole of the plate-like member filled with a coating agent.