JP3517180B2 - Coating and development processing system - 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 coating and developing treatment system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a resist coating process for forming a resist film on a wafer surface, an exposure process for irradiating a wafer with a pattern for exposure, and a development process for the exposed wafer. The development processing, the coating processing, the heating processing before and after the exposure processing, and the heating processing and the cooling processing performed after the development processing are performed. These processes are carried out by the respective processing devices provided individually, and these respective processing devices are integrated into one so that the series of processes can be carried out continuously, and constitute a coating and developing processing system. .

Usually, the coating / development processing system has a loader / unloader section for loading / unloading a substrate into / from the coating / development processing system, a coating treatment apparatus, a development treatment apparatus, a heat treatment apparatus, etc. And an interface section that is provided adjacent to an exposure processing apparatus outside the system that performs wafer exposure processing and that transfers wafers between the processing section and the exposure processing apparatus. ing.

When a wafer is processed in this coating and developing treatment system, in order to prevent impurities such as fine particles from adhering to the wafer, an air cleaner or the like is provided in the coating and developing treatment system. The air cleaned in 1. is supplied as a downflow, while the atmosphere in the coating and developing system is exhausted so that the wafer can be processed in a clean state.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in recent years,
In order to form a finer and more precise circuit pattern, an exposure technique using shorter wavelength light is being developed, and when the shorter wavelength light is used, there has been no problem until now. It is feared that impurities of a level such as oxygen, ozone, water vapor, water, organic substances, etc. may adversely affect the exposure process and a precise circuit pattern may not be formed.

Therefore, it is necessary to prevent impurities such as oxygen from adhering to the wafer at least when the wafer is subjected to exposure processing. Since impurities such as oxygen are included in the above, it is not possible to prevent the impurities from adhering to the wafer, and it is also impossible to remove the impurities adhering to the wafer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a coating and developing treatment system capable of removing molecular level impurities such as oxygen adhering to a substrate such as a wafer.

[0008]

According to the invention of claim 1, at least a coating treatment apparatus for forming a coating film on a substrate, a development treatment apparatus for developing the substrate, and a heat treatment apparatus for heat treating the substrate. And a processing unit having a first transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the coating processing device, the development processing device, and the thermal processing device, and an exposure process for performing at least the processing unit and the exposure process of the substrate. A coating / development processing system having an interface section having a second transfer device for transferring a substrate along a path between the apparatus and the apparatus, wherein the coating and development processing system is connected between the interface section and the exposure processing apparatus and is airtight. There is provided a coating and developing treatment system comprising: a delivery unit that can be closed; and a decompression device that decompresses the inside of the delivery unit to a predetermined set pressure.

As described above, by providing the transfer section which is connected between the interface section and the exposure processing apparatus and can be airtightly closed, and the depressurizing apparatus which depressurizes the transfer section, before the exposure processing. Further, the substrate passes through the inside of the transfer section, and at that time, the inside of the transfer section can be depressurized. Then, when the pressure in the transfer section is reduced, the impurities adhering to the surface of the substrate can be separated and removed. Therefore, it is possible to remove molecular level impurities such as oxygen from the substrate before the exposure processing, and even when the exposure processing is performed using light having a short wavelength, for example, a wavelength of 157 nm or less, the exposure processing is not disturbed by the impurities. Is preferably performed. Also, the solvent in the treatment liquid can be evaporated at the same time, and such treatment conventionally performed by heating can be simultaneously performed.

According to the invention of claim 1, claim 2
As described above, the transfer unit has a first path through which the substrate is transferred from the interface unit to the exposure processing apparatus, and a substrate that is transferred from the exposure processing apparatus to the interface unit. There may be a second path that passes through, and the first path and the second path may be configured to be depressurizable to a predetermined set pressure for each path.

In this way, by providing two independent paths in the transfer unit, the substrate passes through the first path before the exposure processing and the substrate after the exposure processing passes through the second path. As a result, the substrate can be processed smoothly. Also,
By making it possible to set a predetermined pressure for each path, for example, the pressure in the first path is set to a relatively high degree of pressure reduction,
Since the pressure in the second path can be set to a relatively low degree of pressure reduction, the impurities adhering to the substrate are removed in the first path that passes before the exposure processing, and the second path that passes after the exposure processing is removed.
In the route (2), the inside of the second route can be cleaned to the extent that impurities are not newly attached to the substrate. Further, since it is possible to set a predetermined pressure for each path, it is possible to set the pressure that has the lowest degree of pressure reduction required for each path. For example, the pressure in the first path is set to a pressure with the lowest degree of pressure reduction capable of removing impurities adhering to the substrate, and the pressure in the second path is exposed by the atmosphere in the second path. The pressure can be set so that it does not flow into the device. Generally, when the degree of decompression is increased, airtightness is required, and the strength of the device is also required due to the pressure difference with the outside air. Therefore, decompressing more than necessary is not preferable in terms of design and cost, and can be done. It is important to control the degree of pressure reduction as long as possible. Further, by reducing the pressure in the first path to a predetermined pressure, the solvent in the treatment liquid can be evaporated at the same time, and such treatment conventionally performed by heating in the treatment section can be simultaneously performed. You can

According to the invention of claim 2, claim 3
As described above, the pressure in the first path may be set lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus. In this way, by setting the pressure in the first path lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus, it is possible to suppress the atmosphere in the first path from flowing into the exposure processing apparatus.
Therefore, the exposure processing apparatus, which requires a strict atmosphere for the exposure processing, is maintained in a clean atmosphere, and the exposure processing is appropriately performed.

Further, as in claim 4, the pressure in the second path may be set lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus. In this way, by making the pressure in the second path lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus,
Similarly to the third aspect, the atmosphere in the exposure processing apparatus is maintained in a clean state, and the exposure processing of the substrate is suitably performed.

In each of the coating and developing treatment systems according to claims 2 to 4 described above, as in claim 5, in the first path of the transfer section, a mounting section for mounting a substrate and the above-mentioned mounting section. Unit and a third transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the exposure processing apparatus are provided, and the second transfer device is configured to be able to transfer the substrate to at least the placement unit. You may do it.

As described above, by providing the placing section and the third transfer device in the first path, and further enabling the substrate to be transferred to the placing section by the second transfer apparatus, the interface can be improved. Since the substrate in the face portion can be transferred to the above-described mounting portion in the first path by the second transfer device, and the substrate on the mounting portion can be transferred to the exposure processing device by the third transfer device, The substrate is preferably transported from the interface section to the exposure device. Further, by providing the third transfer device in the first path, it is possible to remove impurities attached to the third transfer device and prevent the substrate from being contaminated due to the contamination of the transfer device. Note that the above-described process of depressurizing the inside of the first path and removing impurities from the substrate may be performed when the substrate is placed on the placing part, or inside the first path. It may be performed at another position, for example, while being transported to the third transport device.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 6
As described above, the placement unit may be provided with a holding unit that places and holds the substrate on the placement unit. As described above, by providing the holding means in the above-mentioned placing portion, the substrate is held in the above-mentioned placing portion, and the substrate is prevented from moving.
It is possible to reduce the pressure in the path. Therefore, when the pressure in the first path is reduced to remove the impurities from the substrate, the negative pressure prevents the substrate from floating, and the impurity removal process can be suitably performed.

In the inventions of claims 2 to 4 described above, as in claim 7, a high decompression chamber capable of adjusting a pressure lower than the pressure of the first path is provided in the first path. You may do it. In this way, by providing the high decompression chamber in the first path, the above-described impurity removal process on the substrate can be performed at a higher level in the high decompression chamber. In addition, the process of evaporating the solvent in the processing liquid can also be performed using the high decompression chamber. Further, a relatively high degree of pressure reduction is required to remove all impurities on the substrate, and high pressure reduction is preferable for the evaporation process of the solvent in the processing liquid. When the pressure is close to the normal pressure, the difference between the pressure required for removing impurities and the pressure in the exposure processing becomes large. Therefore, when the substrate is loaded into the exposure processing apparatus, the pressure in the first path from the exposure processing apparatus is increased. It is expected that a violent air flow will be generated toward the. Therefore, for example, the pressure in the first path in contact with the exposure processing apparatus is suppressed to a relatively low degree of pressure reduction, and the first
By separately providing a high decompression chamber capable of strongly removing impurities in the path, the pressure gradually increases, so that the generation of the air flow can be suppressed. It is preferable that a holding means for holding the substrate is provided in the high decompression chamber so that the substrate does not float up due to the negative pressure during decompression.

According to the invention of claim 7, claim 8
As described above, the second transfer device is configured to be able to carry out the substrate to at least the high decompression chamber, and the high decompression chamber and the exposure processing device are provided in the first path of the transfer section. A third transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate may be provided. Thus, by providing the third transfer device in the first path and allowing the second transfer device to carry the substrate out to the high decompression chamber, the substrate in the interface section is transferred to the second transfer device. Is transferred to the high decompression chamber in the first path by means of a third substrate
Since the transfer device can transfer the substrate to the exposure processing device, the transfer of the substrate from the interface portion to the exposure device is preferably performed. Further, by providing the third transfer device in the first path, it is possible to remove impurities attached to the third transfer device and prevent the substrate from being contaminated due to the contamination of the transfer device.

In the above-mentioned invention of claim 5, 6 or 8, as in claim 9, in the second path of the transfer section, a mounting table for mounting a substrate, the mounting table, and the exposure processing apparatus. A fourth transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate may be provided, and the second transfer device may be configured to be able to load and unload the substrate from at least the mounting table. As described above, the mounting table and the fourth mounting table are provided in the second path.
The transfer device is provided, and the second transfer device allows the substrate to be unloaded from the mounting table, so that the substrate after the exposure processing is transferred to the mounting table by the fourth transfer device. Since the substrate on the mounting table can be transported into the interface portion by the second transport device, the substrate can be suitably transported in the second path.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a coating and developing treatment system 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system 1, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system 1. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating / development processing system 1 carries in / out 25 wafers W to / from the coating / development processing system 1 from the outside in cassette units or carries the wafer W into / from a cassette C, for example. A cassette station 2 for loading and unloading, a processing station 3 as a processing unit in which various processing devices for performing a predetermined process on the wafer W in a single-wafer process in a coating and developing process are arranged in multiple stages, and adjacent to the processing station 3. An interface section 4 which is provided as a part of a path for transporting a wafer W between the processing station 3 and an exposure processing apparatus 6 provided outside the coating and developing processing system 1; Face part 4
And the exposure processing apparatus 6 are provided between the interface section 4 and the exposure processing apparatus 6, and the transfer section 5 that transfers the wafer W is integrally connected.

In the cassette station 2, a plurality of cassettes C can be placed in a line at a predetermined position on the cassette mounting table 7 in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1).
And this cassette arrangement direction (X direction) and cassette C
A wafer carrier 8 that can be moved in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction; vertical direction) of the wafers W accommodated in is provided movably along a carrier path 9 and is selective to each cassette C. You can access to.

The wafer carrier 8 has an alignment function for aligning the wafer W. The wafer carrier 8 is configured to be accessible to the extension device 32 and the adhesion device 31 belonging to the third processing device group G3 on the processing station 3 side as described later.

The processing station 3 is provided with a main transfer device 13 as a first transfer device at the center thereof, and various processing devices are arranged in multiple stages around the main transfer device 13 to form a processing device group. Are configured. In the coating and developing treatment system 1, four treatment device groups G1, G2, G
3 and G4 are arranged, and the first and second processing unit groups G
1, G2 are arranged on the front side of the development processing system 1, and the third
The third processing unit group G3 is disposed adjacent to the cassette station 2, and the fourth processing unit group G4 is connected to the interface unit 4
Is located adjacent to. Further, as an option, a fifth processing unit group G5 indicated by a broken line can be separately arranged on the back side. The main transfer device 13 can carry the wafer W into and out of various processing devices, which will be described later, arranged in the processing device groups G1, G3, G4, and G5.

In the first processing unit group G1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a resist coating unit 17 for coating a resist solution on the wafer W and a developing unit 18 for developing the wafer W after the exposure processing are provided. They are arranged in two stages in order from the bottom.
Similarly, in the case of the second processing device group G2, the resist coating device 19 and the developing processing device 20 are stacked in two stages in order from the bottom.

In the third processing unit group G3, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a cooling unit 3 for cooling the wafer W is used.
0, an adhesion device 31 for enhancing the fixability of the resist solution and the wafer W, an extension device 32 for temporarily holding the wafer W on standby, cooling devices 33, 34 for cooling the wafer W after development processing, and after the development processing Post-baking device 35, 3 for heating the wafer W
6 and the like are stacked in order from the bottom, for example, in 7 stages.

In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, the cooling unit 40, the wafers W before and after the exposure process are placed, the extension units 41 and 42 for temporarily holding the wafer W, and the wafer W after the exposure process are heated, and thereafter. Heating / cooling processing devices 43, 44, 45 for cooling to a predetermined temperature (PEB in FIG. 3
/ COL), heating / cooling processing devices 46 and 47 (PRE / COL in FIG. 3) for heating to evaporate the solvent in the resist solution and then cooling to a predetermined temperature, for example, in 8 stages from the bottom. Are stacked.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heating / cooling processing device 43 moves to a disk-shaped heat plate 51 for heating a substrate on a base 50 in its casing 43a, and to the heat plate 51. In addition, the cooling plate 52 that receives the wafer W from the heating plate 51 and cools it is provided. The heating / cooling process of the wafer W is continuously performed in the same apparatus so that the heat history given to the wafer W by heating can be always kept constant. Other heating / cooling devices 44-4
7 also has the same configuration.

As shown in FIG. 1, the interface section 4 is provided with a wafer carrier 55 as a second carrier in the center thereof. The wafer carrier 55 moves in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), Z direction (vertical direction), and θ.
It is configured so that it can freely rotate in the direction (rotational direction around the Z axis), and with respect to the extension devices 41 and 42, the peripheral exposure device 56, and the transfer unit 5 belonging to the fourth processing device group G4. The wafer W can be accessed and transferred to each of them.

The transfer section 5 has a tunnel shape and a rectangular cross section, is surrounded by a casing 5a which can be airtightly closed, and is constructed so as to easily depressurize the inside of the transfer section 5. The transfer unit 5 transfers the wafer W from the interface unit 4 to the exposure processing apparatus 6 through the first path 60, and transfers the wafer W from the exposure processing apparatus 6 to the interface unit 4. And a second path 61 that passes therethrough.

A partition plate 62 is provided between the first path 60 and the second path 61 so that airtightness is maintained for each path. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, intake pipes 65 and 66 for inhaling the atmosphere in each path are provided above the first path 60 and the second path 61, respectively. The intake pipes 65, 66 are connected to depressurizing devices 67, 68 for sucking the atmosphere in each path and reducing the pressure to a predetermined set pressure. In this way, each path is individually partitioned and the pressure can be set individually. Particularly, in the first path 60, the pressure in the first path 60 is reduced to form the resist film on the wafer W. Impurities such as attached oxygen can be removed. The first route 6
At 0, a gas supply means 69 for supplying an inert gas into the first path 60 is provided, and the inert gas is supplied into the first path 60 at a predetermined timing. The pressure can be restored. The inert gas does not contain impurities such as oxygen, ozone, water vapor, organic matter, etc., for example, nitrogen gas, neon gas or the like is used.

In the first route 60, the first route 6
The wafer W is temporarily placed in the wafer 0 and the wafer W is transferred from the wafer holder 70 to the exposure processing apparatus 6 and a wafer holder 70 for removing impurities such as oxygen adhering to the resist film on the wafer W. 3 and a wafer transfer mechanism 71 as a transfer device.

Here, the structure of the mounting portion 70 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 7, the mounting portion 70 is provided with a thick disk-shaped mounting board 75 supported by a support base 76. The mounting board 75 is provided with a plurality of suction ports 77 as holding means for sucking the wafer W and holding the wafer W on the mounting board 75. A suction device 78 for adsorbing the wafer W at a pressure lower than at least the pressure in the first path 60 is communicated with the suction port 77, and the suction force is adjusted according to the set pressure of the decompression device 67. The wafer W can be prevented from being lifted up by the suction force even if the wafer W is adjusted to reduce the pressure in the first path 60.

Further, the mounting board 75 has a temperature adjusting means 8 such as a Peltier element capable of adjusting the temperature of the mounting board 75.
0 is provided, the mounting board 75 is controlled to a predetermined temperature, and the temperature of the wafer W mounted on the mounting board 75 is set to the wafer W.
It can be maintained uniformly in the plane. An elevating pin 83 that is vertically movable in a through hole 82 provided in the mounting board 75 is provided below the mounting board 75 to elevate and lower the wafer W. The wafer W can be placed on the wafer carrier 75, and the wafer W can be transferred between the wafer carrier 55 and the wafer carrier mechanism 71.

On the other hand, in the second path 61, as shown in FIG. 1, a mounting table 90 for temporarily placing the wafer W, which has been subjected to the exposure processing, when the wafer W is transferred to the interface section 4.
And a wafer transfer mechanism 91 as a fourth transfer device for transferring the wafer W in the exposure processing apparatus 6 to the mounting table 90.

The mounting table 90 is formed in a disk shape,
An elevating mechanism 93 for elevating the wafer W to be placed is provided near the center thereof. And this lifting mechanism 9
3, the wafer W can be transferred between the mounting table 90 and the wafer transfer mechanism 91 or the wafer transfer body 55.

A passing port 95 is provided at a position of the casing 5a of the transfer section 5 facing the placing section 70 on the interface section 4 side.
5, the wafer W can be transferred from the interface section 4 to the mounting section 70. In addition, the passage opening 95 can be freely opened and closed, and the first passage 60
A shutter 96 for maintaining the airtightness inside is provided,
The shutter 9 is provided only when the wafer W passes through the passage opening 95.
6 is open, and at other times, the shutter 96 is closed.

Further, a passage opening 97 is provided at a position facing the mounting table 90 on the interface 4 side of the casing 5a.
Is provided, and the wafer W can be transferred from the mounting table 90 into the interface section 4 by the wafer transfer body 55. In addition, a shutter 98 is provided at the passage opening 97 so that the passage opening 97 can be opened and closed and the airtightness in the second path 61 is maintained. Only when the wafer W passes through the passage opening 97, the shutter 98 is provided. 98 is designed to be opened.

An exposure processing device 6 for performing an exposure process on the wafer W is provided adjacent to the transfer section 5 as shown in FIG. The exposure processing apparatus 6 is hermetically sealed by a casing 6a of the exposure processing apparatus 6 so that the atmosphere inside the exposure processing apparatus 6 can be strictly controlled. In addition, a passing port 10 for loading the wafer W from the first path 60 is provided on the delivery section 5 side of the casing 6 a.
0, and a passage port 101 for carrying the wafer W out to the second path 61. Each of these passage ports 100,
101 is provided with shutters 102 and 103 for opening and closing the passage openings 100 and 101, respectively, and for maintaining the airtightness in the transfer section 5.

Next, the process of the photolithography process performed in the coating and developing treatment system 1 configured as described above will be described.

First, before the processing of the wafer W is started,
The pressure in each path of the transfer unit 5, that is, the first path 60 and the second path 61 is adjusted to a pressure P1 lower than the pressure P2 in the exposure processing apparatus 6 by the pressure reducing devices 67 and 68. Then, the atmosphere in each path is prevented from flowing into the exposure processing apparatus 6, and thereafter the state is maintained.

Then, when the processing of the wafer W is started,
First, in the cassette station 2, the wafer carrier 7 takes out one unprocessed wafer W from the cassette C,
It is carried into the adhesion device 31 of the processing station 3.

Next, in the adhesion device 31, the wafer W coated with the adhesion enhancer such as HMDS for improving the adhesion with the resist solution is transferred by the main transfer device 13 to the cooling device 30 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. To be done. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating device 17 or 19 and subjected to resist coating processing. Then, the wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the heating / cooling processing device 46 or 47 (PRE / COL in FIG. 3) and subjected to heating / cooling processing for evaporating the solvent in the resist liquid. It At this time, the heat treatment and the cooling treatment are not sequentially performed by the respective devices provided individually, but by performing the heat treatment and the cooling treatment in a single device such as the heat treatment and cooling treatment devices 46 and 47, Since the time from the heat treatment of W to the heat treatment of W can be made constant at all times, the thermal history given to the wafer W by heating can be made the same between the wafers W. Further, in this embodiment, all heating and cooling processes performed from the resist coating process to the developing process are performed by the heating / cooling device 43 to.
Since 47 is used, the time required from resist coating to development processing can be made the same for all wafers W.

Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the extension device 41, and is transferred from the extension device 41 to the peripheral exposure processing device 56 in the interface section 4 by the wafer transfer body 55. Then, the wafer W whose peripheral portion has been exposed by the peripheral exposure device 56 is transferred to the wafer carrier 5 again.
5 and is conveyed from the passage port 95 to the placement unit 70 in the first path 60 of the delivery unit 5. At this time, when the shutter 96 is temporarily opened and the wafer W is transferred to the mounting portion 70, the shutter 96 is closed again and the first path 60 is opened.
The airtightness inside is maintained.

Then, when the wafer W is transferred to the lift pins 83 of the mounting portion 70 and mounted on the mounting board 75 as shown in FIG. 7, the suction device 78 operates and the wafer W is mounted. It is adsorbed on the platen 75. The suction force of the suction device 78 at this time is set so that the wafer W does not move even if the inside of the first path 60 is reduced to a pressure P3 described later. Also,
At this time, the mounting board 75 is maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 ° C. by the temperature adjusting means 80, and the uniformity of the temperature within the wafer surface is maintained.

Next, the set pressure of the decompression device 67 is changed to a pressure P3 lower than P1, and the intake pipe 65 is further strengthened.
The atmosphere in the first path 60 starts to be sucked from. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, an air flow is formed in the first path 60, and the impurities attached to the wafer W are discharged from the intake pipe 65 together with the air flow. The decompression device 6 at this time
The set pressure P3 of 7 is preferably 800 Pa or less in order to remove impurities adhering to the wafer W.

Then, after the impurities on the wafer W are removed for a predetermined time, the set pressure of the decompression device 67 is changed to P1 again. Then, the gas supply means 69 is operated, the inert gas is supplied into the first path 60, and the pressure in the first path 60 is restored to P1.

Next, the suction of the wafer W by the suction port 77 is released, and the wafer W is lifted by the lift pins 83 and transferred to the wafer transfer mechanism 71. Then, when the shutter 102 of the casing 6 a of the exposure processing apparatus 6 is opened, the wafer W is loaded into the exposure processing apparatus 6.

Thereafter, the wafer W is exposed to a predetermined pattern in the exposure processing device 6. Then, the exposed wafer W is transferred to the wafer transfer mechanism 91 in the second path 61.
Then, it is carried out of the exposure processing apparatus 6 into the second path 61 through the passage opening 101. At this time, the shutter 10
3 is temporarily opened, and when the wafer W passes, it is closed again, and the airtightness in the second path 61 is maintained.

The wafer W carried into the second path 61 is moved to the mounting table 90, transferred to the elevating mechanism 93 of the mounting table 90, and temporarily mounted on the mounting table 90.

Then, the wafer W is transferred from the mounting table 90 through the opening 97 of the shutter 98 by the wafer transfer body 55, and through the interface section 4 to the extension device 42 in the processing station 3. To be done. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the heating / cooling processing device 43, 44, or 45 by the main transfer device 13, and the heating / cooling processing after the exposure processing is sequentially performed.

After that, the wafer W is transferred to the developing processing device 18 or 20 and developed. Then, the developed wafer W is transferred to the post-baking device 35 or 36.
And then heated to the cooling device 33 or 34 and cooled to a predetermined temperature. And the third
Is transferred to the extension device 32 of the processing device group of
From there, it is returned to the cassette C of the cassette station 2 by the wafer carrier 7. With the above steps, a series of photolithography steps are completed.

According to the above embodiment, the transfer section 5 which can be closed in an airtight manner is provided between the interface section 4 and the exposure processing apparatus 6, and the pressure in the first path 60 of the transfer section 5 is controlled. Since the decompression device 67 for decompressing is provided, the wafer W
Passes through the inside of the first path 60 before being exposed to light, and at that time, the inside of the first path 60 can be depressurized,
Impurities such as oxygen attached to the resist film on the wafer W can be removed.

Further, since the transfer section 5 is divided into two paths, that is, the first path 60 and the second path 61, the wafer W is transferred from the interface section 4 to the exposure processing apparatus 6 for exposure processing. The process from the device 6 back to the interface unit 4 is performed smoothly.

Further, the first route 60 and the second route 61
Since the pressure reducing devices 67 and 68 are provided for each of the routes, the pressure in the first route 60 is set to the pressure P3 at which impurities on the wafer W are removed, while the pressure in the second route 61 is exposed. The pressure P1 at which the atmosphere in the second passage 61 does not flow into the device 6 can be set to different pressures.

Since the pressure P1 in the transfer section 5 is always set lower than the pressure P2 in the exposure processing apparatus 6, the atmosphere in the transfer section 5 is set in the exposure processing apparatus 6 in which the atmosphere is strictly controlled. Inflow can be prevented.

First, since the mounting portion 70 is provided in the path 60 and the suction port 77 is provided in the mounting portion 70, when the impurities are removed from the wafer W, the wafer W can be mounted and fixed. it can. Therefore, when the inside of the first path 60 is decompressed, it is possible to prevent the wafer W from floating due to the negative pressure.

Further, since the wafer transfer mechanism 71 capable of transferring the wafer W to the placing unit 70 and the exposure processing apparatus 6 is provided in the first path 60, the wafer W is removed when impurities on the wafer W are removed. Impurities attached to the transfer mechanism 71 are also removed, and the wafer transfer mechanism 71 can be maintained in a clean state. Therefore, the wafer W is prevented from being contaminated by the impurities attached to the wafer transfer mechanism 71.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the suction port 77 is provided in the mounting portion 70 as the holding means for the wafer W, but other holding means such as an electrostatic chuck, a so-called mechanical chuck, or the like is mounted in the mounting portion 70. May be used. The holding means may be provided at a position other than the mounting table 70 in the first path 60, for example, at the wafer transfer mechanism 71 or the like. In this case, the above-described impurity removal processing is performed while the wafer W is held by the holding means.

Further, the process of evaporating the solvent in the resist solution performed by the heating / cooling devices 46 and 47 may be performed in the first path 60 of the transfer section 5. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the heating / cooling devices 46 and 47 (P
Instead of RE / COL), a heating / cooling device 105 (PEB / COL) for performing heating / cooling processing after exposure and a heating processing device 106 for performing heating processing after development processing are provided.
A cooling processing device 107 for cooling the wafer W after the heat treatment after exposure is added to the processing device group G3. Then, when the wafer W is mounted on the mounting portion 70 in the first path 60, the pressure in the first path 60 is reduced to a predetermined pressure at which the solvent of the resist solution evaporates, for example, 133 Pa. The solvent in the liquid is evaporated, and at that time, the above-mentioned treatment for removing impurities is performed. By doing so, both the solvent evaporation process and the impurity removal process can be performed at the same time only by reducing the pressure of the transfer section 5 to a predetermined pressure. Therefore, the conventional heating / cooling device 4
The processing performed in steps 6 and 47 can be performed in the first path 60 of the transfer unit 5. Further, since another heat treatment device can be added instead of the device for solvent evaporation treatment, the processing capacity in the processing station 3 is improved. It should be noted that the heating / cooling device 4 can be installed without increasing other heat treatment devices.
Even when 6 and 47 are omitted, the number of heat treatment devices can be reduced, and the processing station 3 as a whole can be made compact.

Further, in the above embodiment, the entire inside of the first passage 60 was depressurized to P3 to remove impurities, but a high decompression chamber is provided in the first passage 60, and the high depressurization chamber is provided. The pressure in the chamber may be reduced to P3, and the pressure of the entire first passage 60 may be set to a pressure higher than P3, for example, P4. Hereinafter, such a case will be described as a second embodiment.

First route 11 in the second embodiment
In FIG. 2, for example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a high decompression chamber 110 configured to hermetically close the inside of the chamber is provided in place of the mounting portion 70 described in the above embodiment. . In addition, the high decompression chamber 110 includes the high decompression chamber 11
A decompression means 111 for decompressing the inside of 0 is provided, and the atmosphere of the high decompression chamber 100 can be decompressed by suction from above the high decompression chamber 100. In addition, the first route 112
A wafer transfer mechanism 113 as a third transfer device that allows the wafer W to be transferred by accessing the high decompression chamber 110 and the exposure processing apparatus 6 is provided therein. The wafer transfer body 55 of the interface unit 4 can transfer the wafer W to the high decompression chamber 110.

When the wafer W is transferred to the high decompression chamber 110 in the first path 112 having the above structure,
The decompression means 111 operates and the pressure in the high decompression chamber 110 becomes P
The pressure is reduced to 3. Then, at this time, the first route 112
The pressure inside is reduced from P1 and higher than P3, P4
(P3 <P4 <P1 <P2, P2 is the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus 6). The wafer W is placed in the high decompression chamber 11
Impurities are removed in 0, and thereafter, the impurities are removed from the high decompression chamber 110, passed through the first path 112 at pressure P4, and transported into the exposure processing apparatus 6 at pressure P2.

The high decompression chamber 110 is thus provided, and the pressure in the first path 112 until the wafer W is transferred from the high decompression chamber 110 into the exposure processing apparatus 6 is set to P4 (P3 <P
By setting 4 <P2), the pressure is gradually recovered to P3 to P2.
When the wafer is transported, the atmosphere in the exposure processing apparatus 6 is suppressed from flowing into the first path 112. Also,
The process of evaporating the solvent in the resist solution, which is performed by the heating / cooling devices 46 and 47, can be performed in the high decompression chamber 110.

The embodiment described above is a coating / developing system for the wafer W in the photolithography process of the semiconductor wafer device manufacturing process. However, the present invention is a coating / developing process for a substrate other than a semiconductor wafer, for example, an LCD substrate. It can also be applied to systems.

[0066]

According to claims 1 to 9, before the exposure processing,
Since it is possible to remove molecular level impurities such as oxygen, ozone and organic substances and impurities such as fine particles that have adhered to the coating film on the substrate, the exposure process is preferably performed without being affected by the impurities and the yield is improved. Is planned. Further, since the solvent in the coating liquid can be evaporated at the same time as the impurity removing process, the throughput can be improved.

In particular, by providing a high decompression chamber capable of more strongly removing impurities in the first passage of the transfer part, the substrate is passed from the high decompression chamber into the first passage. Since it is possible to recover the pressure stepwise when it is transported into the exposure processing apparatus, it is possible to suppress the generation of a violent air flow due to the pressure difference and to suppress the fluctuation of the atmosphere in the exposure processing apparatus and the first path. . Therefore, the time for adjusting to the predetermined atmosphere in the exposure processing apparatus and the first path is shortened, so that the throughput is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outer appearance of a coating and developing treatment system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a heating / cooling processing device in the coating and developing processing system 1 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view schematically showing a plane of the coating and developing treatment system of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a vertical cross section showing a configuration of a placement section in the transfer section.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement example of a heating / cooling processing device in the coating / developing processing system 1 when the solvent of the resist solution is subjected to evaporation processing in the transfer section.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an appearance of a coating and developing treatment system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a vertical cross section viewed from the exposure processing apparatus, showing the inside of the delivery section of the coating and developing processing system of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Coating and developing system 4 Interface section 5 Delivery department 6 Exposure processing equipment 60 First route 61 Second route 67,68 Pressure reducing device 70 Placement part W wafer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Takahiro Kitano 2655 Tsukyu, Kikuyo-cho, Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture Tokyo Electron Kyushu Co., Ltd. Kumamoto Business Office (56) Reference Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-144600 (JP, A) Kaihei 11-204396 (JP, A) JP-A-4-242952 (JP, A) International Publication 01/020650 (WO, A2) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21 / 027 H01L 21/68

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coating treatment apparatus for forming a coating film on at least a substrate, a development treatment apparatus for developing the substrate, a heat treatment apparatus for heat treatment of the substrate, and a coating treatment apparatus, a development treatment apparatus and a heat treatment for these. A first transporting device for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the apparatus; and a first transporting device for transporting the substrate through a path between at least the processing unit and an exposure processing device that performs the exposure processing of the substrate. A coating / developing processing system having an interface section having two transfer devices, wherein a transfer section connected between the interface section and the exposure processing apparatus and capable of being airtightly closed, and a predetermined inside of the transfer section. And a decompression device for decompressing to the set pressure. 2. The transfer unit transfers a substrate from the interface unit to the exposure processing apparatus when the substrate is transferred, and a substrate is transferred from the exposure processing apparatus to the interface unit. And a second path that passes when the first path and the second path are configured such that each of the first path and the second path can be depressurized to a predetermined set pressure. 1. The coating and developing treatment system described in 1. 3. The coating and developing treatment system according to claim 2, wherein the pressure in the first path is set lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus. 4. The coating and developing treatment system according to claim 2, wherein the pressure in the second path is set lower than the pressure in the exposure processing apparatus. . 5. A mounting part for mounting a substrate on the first path of the transfer part, and a third transfer device for loading / unloading the substrate to / from the mounting part and the exposure processing apparatus. 5. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second transfer device is configured to transfer the substrate to at least the placement unit. Development processing system. 6. The coating and developing treatment system according to claim 5, wherein the placing unit is provided with a holding means for holding the substrate on the placing unit. 7. The high decompression chamber capable of adjusting a pressure lower than the pressure of the first passage is provided in the first passage, and the high pressure reducing chamber is provided. The coating and developing treatment system described in any one of 1. 8. The second transfer device is configured to carry out the substrate to at least the high decompression chamber, and the high decompression chamber and the exposure chamber are provided in a first path of the transfer section. 8. A third transfer device for loading and unloading a substrate is provided for the processing device.
The coating and developing treatment system described in. 9. The second path of the transfer section is provided with a mounting table on which a substrate is mounted, a mounting table and a fourth transfer device for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the exposure processing apparatus. 9. The coating and developing treatment system according to claim 5, wherein the second transfer device is configured to carry out the substrate from at least the mounting table. .