JP3492107B2 - Rotary developing device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotary developing device for developing a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A rotary developing device is used for developing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, and a glass substrate for an optical disk.

In this rotary developing device, a substrate is horizontally adsorbed and held on a suction type spin chuck connected to a vacuum piping line, a developing nozzle is moved above the substrate, and a developing solution is discharged onto the substrate. At this time, since the surface of the substrate is often in a state of easily repelling the developing solution, the developing solution is supplied to the photosensitive film on the substrate while rotating the substrate attracted by the spin chuck at a low speed in a horizontal posture.

The supplied developing solution is evenly spread over the entire surface of the substrate by the rotation of the substrate and comes into contact with the photosensitive film. The photosensitive film is developed by allowing the substrate to stand for a certain period of time while keeping the developing solution on the substrate due to surface tension (liquid puddle).

Thereafter, while the substrate is rotated at a predetermined speed, a pure water rinse liquid is supplied to the front surface of the substrate and the back surface of the substrate is washed with the back rinse liquid. After the pure water rinse liquid and the back rinse liquid are shaken off by the rotation of the substrate, the process is completed.

In the rotary type developing apparatus using such a suction type spin chuck, strong suction is performed in order to surely suck and hold the substrate during rotation, so that a suction mark remains on the back surface of the substrate. Further, when cleaning foreign matter such as particles (particles) attached to the back surface of the substrate with the back rinse liquid, the adsorption portion by the spin chuck and its surroundings cannot be sufficiently cleaned, and the back surface of the substrate is contaminated with the particles.

If the back surface of the substrate has suction marks or foreign matter adhered thereto, when the substrates are arranged in multiple stages in the carrier, the adhered material on the back surface of the upper substrate will drop downward and contaminate the surface of the lower substrate. I have something to do. Further, when the coating process and the exposure process of the photosensitive film on the front surface of the substrate are repeated in the step after the development process, if there is an adhered substance on the back surface of the substrate, focus abnormality may occur during the exposure process.

Therefore, there has been proposed a mechanical spin chuck that supports the back surface of the substrate and holds the outer peripheral end face of the substrate while transmitting the rotational force to the substrate. The mechanical spin chuck is mounted on a rotary stage that is driven to rotate in a horizontal position.
A plurality of support pins that vertically support the back surface of the substrate and a plurality of holding pins that contact the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate to regulate the horizontal position of the substrate and to transmit the rotational force to the substrate are provided.

Between each holding pin and the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate,
A slight gap is provided to facilitate the loading and unloading of the substrate. When the spin chuck is driven to rotate about the vertical axis, some of the holding pins are pressed against the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, and the substrate rotates together with the spin chuck with the center of the substrate slightly offset from the center of rotation. To do.

In this mechanical spin chuck, since the substrate is supported at a predetermined height on the rotary stage by a plurality of support pins, there is a gap between the substrate and the rotary stage. Therefore, the entire back surface of the substrate can be washed with the back rinse liquid, and the back surface of the substrate is not contaminated.

[0011]

However, in the above-described mechanical spin chuck, the developing solution accumulated on the substrate is likely to be spilled down along the holding pin which is in contact with the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate. As a result, the developing solution on the substrate becomes uneven, and the developing process becomes uneven. In addition, it is necessary to supply additional developer to make up for the developer that has spilled,
The developer consumption will increase.

Further, since the substrate rotates with the center of the substrate slightly decentered from the center of rotation, vibration due to load imbalance may occur, and the vibration may affect other substrate processing units. Further, since some of the plurality of holding pins are in contact with the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate, the end surface of the substrate and the holding pin are rubbed with each other when the substrate is taken out, and particles are easily generated. In particular, when the end face of the substrate strongly digs into the holding pin due to the rotation of the substrate, there is a possibility that the substrate may not be conveyed properly or the substrate may be damaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary developing device capable of rotating a substrate while keeping the center of the substrate coincident with the center of rotation and keeping the back surface of the substrate clean. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rotary developing device capable of smoothly taking out a substrate without generating particles and keeping the back surface of the substrate clean.

[0015]

A rotary developing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a substrate holding means for holding a substrate in a horizontal posture, and a substrate holding means which is rotationally driven around an axis in the vertical direction. And a developing solution supply means for supplying a developing solution onto the substrate held by the substrate holding means. The substrate holding means is arranged in a distributed manner at positions equidistant from the rotation member which is rotationally driven in a horizontal posture by the rotation driving means, and contacts the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate to hold the substrate in the horizontal direction. A plurality of holding members that are movable between a substrate holding position and a substrate opening position that is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate, and a plurality of holding members are driven to the substrate holding position when the rotation member is rotationally driven by the rotation driving means, and development is performed. look including a drive means for driving the plurality of holding members on the substrate the open position when stop of the rotary member after the supply of the developer onto the substrate by the liquid supplying means, the rotating member is stopped, was puddled onto a substrate Present
A plurality of holding members when the image liquid is stationary for a certain period of time
Is the substrate open position.

In the rotary developing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotary member of the substrate holding means is rotationally driven around the vertical axis by the rotary driving means, and the developing solution is applied onto the substrate held by the substrate holding means. The developer is supplied by the supply means. When the rotary member is rotationally driven by the rotary driving means, the driving means drives the plurality of holding members to the substrate holding position. As a result, the plurality of holding members contact the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate to hold the substrate in the horizontal direction. In this case, since the plurality of holding members are arranged at positions equidistant from the rotation center of the rotating member, the center of the substrate exactly matches the rotation center. This prevents the generation of vibration due to the center of the substrate being eccentric from the center of rotation.

After the developing solution is supplied onto the substrate by the developing solution supply means, the rotating member is stopped and the developing solution is deposited on the substrate.
Multiple holdings when the developer is static for a certain time
The member is in the substrate open position. At this time, since the plurality of holding members are separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate, the developer supplied onto the substrate does not spill down along the plurality of holding members. Therefore, the developing solution is uniformly held on the substrate, and uniform developing processing can be performed. Further, the consumption of the developing solution is reduced.

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

The rotary developing device according to the second invention is
In the configuration of the rotary developing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the driving unit drives the plurality of holding members to the substrate open position when the substrate is loaded into or unloaded from the substrate holding unit.

In this case, since the plurality of holding members are separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate when the substrate is carried in and out, it is possible to prevent the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate from rubbing against the plurality of holding members and generating particles. In addition, since the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate does not bite into the plurality of holding members, defective conveyance of the substrate and damage to the substrate are prevented.

In the rotary developing device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the rotary developing device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the driving means drives the plurality of holding members by magnetic force. In this case, particles due to friction between members do not occur.

A rotary developing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the rotary developing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein each of the plurality of holding members has a vertical rotation axis. A support portion rotatably attached to the rotating member, and a holding portion eccentrically provided with respect to the rotation axis of the support portion so as to come into contact with the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate as the support portion rotates. It is a waste.

In this case, the holder can be easily moved between the substrate holding position and the substrate open position by rotating the supporting portion.

A rotary developing device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the rotary developing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the substrate holding means is disposed on the rotating member and the back surface of the substrate is provided. A plurality of supporting members for supporting the substrate, a discharge port arranged substantially in the center of the rotating member of the substrate holding unit, and a cleaning liquid discharging unit for discharging the cleaning liquid to the back surface of the substrate.

In this case, since the substrate is supported by the plurality of supporting members at a predetermined height above the rotating member, there is a gap between the substrate and the rotating member. Therefore, the entire back surface of the substrate can be sufficiently washed with the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection port of the cleaning liquid ejection means.

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

[0031]

1 is a sectional view of a rotary developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a plan view of the main part of the rotary developing device of FIG.

In FIG. 1, the rotation holder 1 comprises a circular plate-shaped rotation stage 2. The rotary stage 2 has a motor 3
It is horizontally fixed to the tip of the shaft 4 and is driven to rotate about a vertical axis.

An annular support 5 is fixed on the upper surface of the rotary stage 2, and a plurality of substrate support pins 6 for supporting the back surface of the substrate 100 are provided on the annular support 5. Further, a plurality of substrate holding pins 7 that regulate the horizontal position of the substrate 100 are attached to the rotary stage 2 by bearings 8 so as to be rotatable around an axis in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of substrate holding pins 7 are equally spaced from the rotation center P of the rotation holding unit 1 of FIG. A rod-shaped permanent magnet 9 described later is attached to the lower portion of each substrate holding pin 7. An annular wall portion 10 is provided on the periphery of the rotary stage 2.
Is provided.

An annular magnet 11 is arranged below the rotary stage 2. The annular magnet 11 includes a magnet support member 12 that is vertically movable by a driving device (not shown).
It is fixed to.

Further, the rotary stage 2 has a plurality of through holes 1
3 is formed. An elevating pin 14 is arranged below these through holes 13 so as to be vertically movable by an air cylinder (not shown). These elevating pins 14 pass through the through holes 13 of the rotary stage 2 and ascend when the substrate 100 is transferred to and from the substrate transfer device (not shown), and come into contact with the back surface of the substrate 100 to move the substrate 100 upward. Push up.

The shaft 4 of the motor 3 is composed of a hollow body, and the back rinse nozzle 15 for backside cleaning is provided inside the shaft 4.
Has been inserted. The back rinse nozzle 15 penetrates the rotary stage 2 and projects to the back surface side of the substrate 100. A cup 16 is arranged around the rotation holding unit 1 so as to be vertically movable.

A developing nozzle 17 for ejecting a developing solution is provided above the rotation holding unit 1 so as to be movable in the vertical and horizontal directions. The developing nozzle 17 stands by at a position separated from above the substrate 100 before and after the developing process, and moves to above the central portion of the substrate 100 during the developing process.

The controller 18 controls a series of operations such as rotation and stop of the motor 3, raising and lowering of the magnet support member 12, discharge of the developing solution from the developing nozzle 17, discharge of the back rinse solution from the back rinse nozzle 15. Controlled.

In this embodiment, the rotation holding unit 1 corresponds to the substrate holding means, the motor 3 corresponds to the rotation driving means, and the developing nozzle 17 corresponds to the developing solution supplying means. The rotary stage 2 corresponds to a rotary member, and the substrate holding pin 7 corresponds to a holding member. Further, the permanent magnet 9, the annular magnet 11 and the control unit 18 constitute a driving means. The substrate support pin 6 corresponds to a support member, and the back rinse nozzle 15 corresponds to a cleaning liquid ejecting unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate holding pin 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate holding pin 7 has a columnar supporting portion 2
1, a columnar (rod-shaped) pin member 22, a connecting shaft portion 2
3 and the magnet housing 24. The pin member 22 is provided on the upper surface of the support portion 21 so as to be eccentric with respect to the center of the support portion 21. The magnet housing portion 24 is fixed to the lower portion of the support portion 21 via the connecting shaft portion 23. A rod-shaped permanent magnet 9 is housed in the magnet housing portion 24.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views for explaining the operation of the substrate holding pin 7. FIG. 4A is a partial sectional view of the substrate holding pin 7 and its peripheral portion, and FIG. It is a top view.

At the time of delivery of the substrate 100 and after the puddle of the developing solution, as shown in FIG. At this time, the magnetic force line B formed by the annular magnet 11 is oriented in the direction from the outside of the rotary stage 2 toward the center at the height at which the permanent magnet 9 is installed. Therefore, the north pole of the permanent magnet 9 is attracted toward the center of the rotary stage 2.
As a result, as shown in FIG.
Rotates in the direction of arrow X, and the outer peripheral surface of the pin member 22 separates from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate 100.

When the substrate 100 rotates, as shown in FIG. 5A, the annular magnet 11 moves up and approaches the rotary stage 2. Therefore, the south pole of the permanent magnet 9 is the annular magnet 11
Is attracted to the N pole. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, the substrate holding pin 7 rotates in the direction of the arrow Y, the outer peripheral surface of the pin member 22 abuts the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate 100, and the substrate 100 is held horizontally. To be done.

Next, the operation during the developing process in the rotary developing apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the annular magnet 11 is raised and the substrate 100 is held horizontally by the plurality of substrate holding pins 7 (step S1). At this time, since the plurality of substrate holding pins 7 are arranged at the same distance from the rotation center of the rotary stage 2, the center of the substrate 100 is set to the rotary stage 2.
Exactly coincides with the rotation center of (the rotation center of the substrate 100).

After that, the rotation holding unit 1 is rotationally driven by the motor 3, and the substrate 100 rotates at a low speed around the axis in the vertical direction (step S2). In this state, the developing nozzle 17
The developing solution is discharged from the substrate 100 onto the substrate 100 (step S
3). By the rotation of the substrate 100, the developing solution is uniformly spread on the entire surface of the substrate 100.

After that, the rotation of the rotation holder 1 is stopped (step S4). When the rotation of the substrate 100 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular magnet 11 descends and the substrate holding pin 7 is opened (step S5). In this case, since the pin member 22 of the substrate holding pin 7 is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate 100, the developing solution puddle on the substrate 100 does not spill down along the pin member 22. In this state, the developing solution is stopped for a certain period of time (step S6). As a result, the development of the photosensitive film on the substrate 100 proceeds.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the annular magnet 11 is raised and the substrate 100 is held horizontally by the substrate holding pins 7 (step S7). Then, the rotation holding unit 1 is rotationally driven by the motor 3, and the substrate 100 rotates at a predetermined speed (step S8). The pure water rinse liquid is supplied onto the substrate 100 from a pure water supply nozzle (not shown) to perform pure water rinse on the surface of the substrate 100, and the back rinse liquid is discharged from the back rinse nozzle 15 to discharge the substrate 1
The back surface of 00 is washed (step S9).

After the pure water rinse liquid and the back rinse liquid are shaken off by the rotation of the substrate 100, the rotation of the substrate 100 is stopped (step S10). After the development processing is completed, as shown in FIG. 4, the annular magnet 11 is lowered and the substrate holding pin 7 is opened (step S11). Lifting pin 14
Goes through the through hole 13 of the rotary stage 2 and ascends, comes into contact with the back surface of the substrate 100, and further pushes the substrate 100 upward. In this state, the substrate 100 is delivered to the substrate transfer device (not shown).

As described above, in the rotary development processing apparatus of this embodiment, since the back surface and the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate 100 are held in the point contact state or the line contact state, the entire back surface of the substrate 100 is cleaned. It becomes possible to do. As a result, particles on the back surface of the substrate 100 are significantly reduced.

Further, the substrate holding pin 7 is used when the developing solution is poured.
Since the pin member 22 is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate 100, the developer does not spill down along the pin member 22. As a result, the developing solution is uniformly held on the surface of the substrate 100, uniform developing processing is performed, and the consumption amount of the developing solution is reduced.

Further, when the substrate 100 is rotated, the substrate 100
Since the center of and the center of rotation coincide exactly, vibration due to load imbalance does not occur. Therefore, stable rotation processing is performed.

Further, since the pin member 22 of the substrate holding pin 7 is separated from the outer peripheral end face of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is carried in and out, the outer peripheral end face of the substrate 100 rubs against the pin member 22 of the substrate holding pin 7 and particles are generated. This is prevented, and the substrate 100 is prevented from being improperly conveyed or damaged by the substrate 100 biting into the pin member 22 of the substrate holding pin 7.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a rotary developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the rotary developing device of FIG.

3 is a perspective view of a substrate holding pin in the rotary developing device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view and a plan view showing a state in which a pin member of a substrate holding pin is separated from an outer peripheral end face of a substrate.

5A and 5B are a partial cross-sectional view and a plan view showing a state where a pin member of a substrate holding pin is in contact with an outer peripheral end face of a substrate.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation during a developing process in the rotary developing device of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 rotation holder 2 rotation stages 3 motor 4 shafts 6 board support pins 7 Board holding pin 9 Permanent magnet 11 annular magnet 15 Back rinse nozzle 17 Development nozzle 21 Support 22 pin member

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-2-278713 (JP, A) JP-A-63-153839 (JP, A) JP-A-6-291030 (JP, A) JP-A-57- 207571 (JP, A) JP-A-6-155213 (JP, A) JP-A-1-222512 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 63-6728 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/027 G03F 7/30 502 H01L 21/68

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substrate holding means for holding a substrate in a horizontal posture, a rotation driving means for rotatably driving the substrate holding means around a vertical axis, and a developing solution on the substrate held by the substrate holding means. A developing solution supplying means for supplying the developing solution, the substrate holding means, the rotating member being rotationally driven in a horizontal posture by the rotational driving means, and the substrate holding means being distributed and arranged at positions equidistant from a rotation center of the rotating member, A plurality of holding members that are movable between a substrate holding position that abuts the outer peripheral end face of the substrate to hold the substrate in the horizontal direction and a substrate open position that is separated from the outer peripheral end face of the substrate; The plurality of holding members are driven to the substrate holding position when the rotary member is rotationally driven, and the plurality of holding members are provided when the rotary member is stopped after the developing solution is supplied to the substrate by the developing solution supply unit. Driving means for driving the substrate to the substrate open position, the rotating member is stopped, the plurality of holding members and the substrate open position when the developing solution on the substrate is stationary for a certain period of time. A rotary developing device characterized in that Wherein said drive means comprises a substrate carrying-time and claim 1 Symbol placement rotary developing the plurality of holding members during unloading and drives the substrate open position to the substrate holding means apparatus. Wherein said driving means according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for driving the plurality of holding members by magnetic force
The rotary developing device described. 4. Each of the plurality of holding members includes a supporting portion attached to the rotating member so as to be rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, and an outer periphery of the substrate according to the rotation of the supporting portion. rotary developing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a holding portion provided eccentrically with respect to the rotation axis of the support portion so as to abut against the end face. 5. The substrate holding means further includes a plurality of support members arranged on the rotating member to support the back surface of the substrate, and the substrate holding means is arranged substantially at the center of the rotating member of the substrate holding means. rotary developing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, further comprising a cleaning liquid discharging means for discharging a washing liquid to the rear surface of the recording head having an ejection outlet and said substrate.