JP3518953B2 - Rotary substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a photomask glass substrate, a liquid crystal display glass substrate, an optical disk substrate, etc. Resin, SOG
The present invention relates to a rotary substrate processing apparatus that discharges a processing liquid such as a liquid (Spin On Glass, also referred to as silica-based film forming material) to apply a coating process to the surface of a rotatable substrate, and particularly to a substrate holding means for holding a substrate. The present invention relates to a technique for cleaning the inner surface of a shatterproof cup disposed around it.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional rotary substrate processing apparatus of this type, a scattering prevention cup is provided so as to surround the periphery of a substrate holding means such as a spin chuck, and is used for spin coating of a processing liquid on a substrate. The scattered processing liquid is received by the scattering prevention cup and collected. By the way, when the treatment liquid scattered during the spin coating process adheres to the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup and is dried and solidified, the internal shape of the scattering prevention cup changes substantially and the coating performance is improved. In some cases, the solidified material of the processing liquid may become fine powder dust and float due to influences or vibrations during rotation, and adhere to the surface of the processing target substrate to contaminate the substrate. In order to prevent such an inconvenience, it is preferable to appropriately wash the processing liquid adhering to the inner surface of the shatterproof cup. The following means have been proposed and implemented as means for performing such cleaning.

(1) In the device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-1343, a liquid supply pipe for circulating a cleaning liquid is provided around a scattering prevention cup, and a plurality of conduits branched from the liquid supply pipe are scattered. The inner surface of the anti-scattering cup is cleaned by opening the inner surface of the anti-scattering cup and discharging the cleaning liquid from these openings to flow down the inner surface of the anti-scattering cup.

(2) In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-82435 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-66116, the cleaning jig detached during the normal spin coating process is used for cleaning the scattering prevention cup. It is mounted on a spin chuck for cleaning. Specifically, this cleaning jig having a substantially disc shape is provided with an internal space or a lower space to which the cleaning liquid is supplied, and the internal space or the lower space is provided with a peripheral portion of the cleaning jig through a large number of discharge ports. It is open to. While rotating the cleaning jig through a spin chuck, a cleaning liquid is supplied to the internal space or the lower space through a nozzle, and the cleaning liquid is ejected by a centrifugal force from a discharge port formed in a peripheral portion of the cleaning jig. The inner surface of the shatterproof cup is cleaned.

(3) In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-160017, the spin chuck itself is provided with a cleaning liquid guiding portion, and the cleaning liquid supplied from the outside is centrifugally jetted to the surroundings via the cleaning liquid guiding portion. The inner surface of the shatterproof cup is cleaned.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned conventional examples have the following problems. That is, according to the conventional example (1), the cleaning liquid ejected from the opening on the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup is cleaned by flowing down the inner surface of the cup, so that the cleaning liquid is vigorously jetted to clean the inner surface of the cup. Can not exert a good mechanical cleaning power. Therefore, there is a problem that the cleaning ability is relatively low and a large amount of cleaning liquid is required to obtain a sufficient cleaning effect.

According to the conventional example (2), since the cleaning liquid is centrifugally jetted toward the inner surface of the cup, mechanical cleaning power is added to the dissolving and cleaning performance of the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning performance is enhanced. It is necessary to hold and mount the cleaning jig on the spin chuck each time the cleaning process is performed, and it is necessary to remove and store the cleaning jig after the cleaning process. Therefore, it takes time to set up the cleaning process, and a dedicated space for storing the cleaning jig is required.
Further, the surface of the spin chuck is easily soiled by mounting the cleaning jig, and as a result, the back surface of the substrate mounted on the spin chuck may be contaminated.

According to the conventional example (3), since the spin chuck itself is provided with the cleaning liquid guiding portion, there is no inconvenience as seen in the conventional examples (1) and (2), and a high cleaning ability can be obtained. In order to bring the cleaning liquid guide portion closer to the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup, the spin chuck itself needs to have a large diameter. As a result, the spin chuck becomes large in size, and a large driving torque is required accordingly. Therefore, there is another problem that the spin chuck driving mechanism must have a large output. In particular, since the spin chuck is rotated at a high speed during a normal rotation process, it becomes difficult to control the number of rotations when the spin chuck becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a high cleaning ability for the scattering prevention cup, and does not require a dedicated space for attaching and detaching a cup cleaning jig or the storage thereof. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary substrate processing apparatus capable of rotatably driving only the substrate holding means with a low torque during normal substrate rotation processing.

[0010]

The present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve such an object. That is, the rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holding means for holding the substrate, the rotation driving means for rotationally driving the substrate holding means around the vertical axis through the rotation axis, and the substrate on the substrate. A processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate, and a scattering prevention cup which is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the substrate holding means and which prevents the processing liquid supplied to the substrate from scattering as the substrate rotates. In a rotary substrate processing apparatus including: a cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid from above the scattering prevention cup; and a rotation shaft of the substrate holding means, which is inserted through the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means. A cup cleaning member formed with a cleaning liquid guide portion that leads to
While rotating the substrate, the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member come close to each other, and a scattering prevention cup surrounds the periphery of the substrate holding means, and at the time of cup cleaning, the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are separated from each other. Elevating means for moving the cup cleaning member and the scattering prevention cup relative to the substrate holding means so that the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup faces the outer peripheral portion of the cup cleaning member,
When the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are close to each other, the cup cleaning member and the rotary shaft are disengaged from each other, and when the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are separated from each other, the cup cleaning member and the rotary shaft are released. An engaging means for engaging and connecting and
It is characterized by having.

A rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 is the rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The cup cleaning member is characterized in that its upper surface is formed substantially flat.

Further, the rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 is the rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cleaning liquid guide portion of the cup cleaning member is
It is characterized in that it has an annular groove in plan view for receiving the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means.

[0013]

The operation of the invention described in claim 1 is as follows. During normal rotation processing of the substrate, the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are brought closer to each other by the elevating means, so that the engagement between the cup cleaning member and the rotation shaft of the substrate holding means is released. Therefore, only the substrate holding means is rotationally driven by the rotation driving means, and the processing liquid can be spin-coated on the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means. The processing liquid scattered around the substrate during the spin coating process is received and collected by the scattering prevention cup which is moved to a position surrounding the substrate holding means by the elevating means.

On the other hand, when cleaning the shatterproof cup,
The substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are separated from each other by the elevating means, so that the cup cleaning member and the rotation shaft of the substrate holding means are engaged and connected via the engaging means. Then, the outer peripheral portion of the cup cleaning member faces the inner surface of the shatterproof cup. When the rotation driving means is rotationally driven in this state, the rotational force is transmitted to the cup cleaning member via the rotary shaft, and the cup cleaning member can be rotationally driven.
Therefore, when the cleaning liquid is supplied from above the anti-scattering cup by the cleaning liquid supply means, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the cup cleaning member and the centrifugal force of the cup cleaning member can be applied to the cleaning liquid. Since the cleaning liquid supply means supplies the cleaning liquid to the cup cleaning member from above the scattering prevention cup, the loss at the time of supply is reduced as compared with the case where the cleaning liquid is supplied from below the cup cleaning member. In addition, it is possible to easily confirm whether or not the supply position is appropriate, and when it is inappropriate, it is possible to adjust to an appropriate position. Since this cleaning liquid is guided by the cleaning liquid guide portion and is spouted from the outer peripheral portion of the cup cleaning member to the surroundings by centrifugal force, the inner surface of the splash prevention cup can be effectively cleaned.

The operation of the invention described in claim 2 is as follows. The flat portion of the cup cleaning member receives the cleaning liquid supplied from above and ejects the cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral portion by centrifugal force. By forming the upper surface of the cup cleaning member to be flat, the thickness can be reduced, so that the inertial force when the cup cleaning member is rotationally driven can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to employ a rotary drive means having a small drive torque. In addition, since it is possible to shorten the time required to reach a predetermined rotation speed from the stopped state during cup cleaning, the processing time can be shortened.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid supplied from above is once received by the annular groove of the cup cleaning member in plan view and guided to the outer peripheral portion thereof. As described above, the cleaning liquid is once received by the groove and then ejected to the outer peripheral portion, so that the cleaning liquid supplied to the portion directly below the cleaning liquid supply means is spread over the entire circumference by the groove, and almost the entire circumference of the cup cleaning member. The cleaning liquid can be spread almost uniformly over the entire area. Therefore,
The cleaning liquid can be evenly ejected from almost the entire circumference of the cup cleaning member. As a result, the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup can be uniformly washed over the entire circumference.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are vertical sectional views showing a schematic configuration of a rotary substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. In particular, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate rotating process, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a substrate carrying process, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cup cleaning process. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part in the cup cleaning step, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the cup cleaning member, and FIG. 6 shows a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cup cleaning member. It is a side view.

This rotary substrate processing apparatus is provided with a spin chuck 1 which holds a lower surface of a substrate W by suction and horizontally rotates about a vertical axis. Above the spin chuck 1, for example, a photoresist solution is applied to a substrate. The processing liquid supply nozzle 2 is provided near the center of rotation of W. In addition, the substrate W is attracted to and held on the spin chuck 1 around the substrate W.
A splash prevention cup 3 is provided so as to surround the photoresist liquid supplied to the above in order to prevent the photoresist liquid from splashing around. At the bottom of the scattering prevention cup 3, a drainage recovery drain 4a for recovering the scattered excess photoresist liquid, and an air flow containing mist and particles generated when the photoresist liquid scatters are exhausted. The exhaust port 4b is formed. The drainage pipes and exhaust ducts that are generally connected to the drainage recovery drain 4a and the exhaust port 4b are not shown. The spin chuck 1 corresponds to the substrate holding means of the present invention, and the processing liquid supply nozzle 2 corresponds to the processing liquid supply means of the present invention.

The spin chuck 1 is formed to have a diameter smaller than that of the substrate W and has a substantially circular shape in plan view. The spin chuck 1 is fitted to the upper end of the rotary shaft 6 of the electric motor 5 at the portion formed to project from the bottom. The electric motor 5 corresponds to the rotation driving means in the present invention.

The scattering prevention cup 3 is composed of the outer cup 3a.
And the inner cup 3b are formed in a double cylinder shape to form a base plate 7
Is locked to the outer edge of the. The base plate 7 is provided with a back rinse nozzle 8 for ejecting the cleaning liquid toward the back surface of the substrate W in order to clean and remove the photoresist liquid and the attached mist that have flown around the back surface of the substrate W during the rotation processing. It is set up. When the size of the substrate W is large, for example, when it is φ300 mm (12 inches), the cleaning area is large. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the back rinse nozzles 8 at four positions substantially orthogonal to each other in plan view. . The base plate 7 is attached to the elevating plate 11 whose bottom is supported by a pair of upper and lower cylinders 9 and 10 via a supporting member. The shatterproof cup 3 can be moved up and down in three steps by combining the expansion and contraction of the cylinders 9 and 10. These cylinders 9 and 10 correspond to the lifting means in the present invention.

A cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 for supplying a cleaning liquid from above to a cup cleaning member 13 which will be described later is disposed on the side of the scattering prevention cup 3. The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 is movable by a moving mechanism (not shown) as shown in FIG. The state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 is the standby position of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12, and the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 is the cleaning liquid supply position. In this way, during the rotation process, the scatter prevention cup 3 is located at the standby position laterally apart from the scatter prevention cup 3, and is configured to move to the supply position above the scatter prevention cup 3 only during cup cleaning. In the above, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from falling on the surface of the substrate W (so-called dripping) and adversely affecting the rotation process.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. The spin chuck 1 is attached to the rotary shaft 6 that is linked to the spin chuck 1.
The cup cleaning member 13 having a larger diameter than that is loosely inserted. The cup cleaning member 13 has a substantially circular shape in plan view, and is preferably made of a synthetic resin such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone), PP (polypropylene), PE (polyethylene), PVDF (teflon difluoride). It is formed. As will be described later, the cup cleaning member 13 has a through hole 14 through which the base plate 7 of the shatterproof cup 3 is inserted in order to avoid interference with the back rinse nozzle 8 when the base plate 7 is in a relatively elevated position. Has been formed. The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 1 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper surface of the cup cleaning member 13.
A cleaning liquid guide portion 15 is formed to receive the cleaning liquid supplied from the second nozzle 2 and guide the cleaning liquid to the outer peripheral portion thereof.

The cleaning liquid guide portion 15 is formed in an annular shape in a plan view and has a groove-shaped annular opening portion 16 which opens upward.
And a storage part 17 for storing the cleaning liquid is formed therein. The cleaning liquid stored in the storage portion 17 has a large number of ejection ports 1 of the ejection portion 18 formed on the outer peripheral surface.
It is designed to be spouted from 9 by the centrifugal force. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the innumerable ejection ports 19 are formed so as to be dispersed in different directions in the vertical direction so that the cleaning liquid can be efficiently ejected in a wide range such as in the horizontal direction and slightly upward. . In addition, above the ejection portion 18, a collar portion 20 that projects toward the shatterproof cup 3 side.
Are formed. Further, the collar portion 20 is formed so as to also serve as a part of the upper portion of the inner cup 3b during the rotation processing shown in FIG. According to such a configuration, since it is integrated with the inner cup 3b during the rotation process, the rotation process of the substrate W is performed without interfering with the rectifying action of the air flow that flows into the scattering prevention cup 3 and flows down the peripheral portion of the substrate W. It can be suitably performed.

Further, by having such a collar portion 20, the distance between the shatterproof cup 3 and the cup cleaning member 13 can be made extremely narrow, and the gas can be ejected slightly upward from the ejection port 19 during cup cleaning. The cleaning liquid used is
As shown by a dotted arrow in (a), it is possible to prevent leakage and scattering outside the scattering prevention cup 3. If the cleaning liquid leaks out of the scattering prevention cup 3 as indicated by a dotted arrow, the spin chuck 1 located thereabove will be contaminated and the substrate W will be contaminated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cup cleaning member 13 is supported and supported by the base plate 7 when the base plate 7 of the scattering prevention cup 3 is in a relatively raised position, so that the scattering prevention cup 13 is supported. It is configured to move up and down integrally with the unit 3. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the shatterproof cup 3 is at the lower position, the small-diameter disk-shaped rotation transmitting portion 2 formed at the intermediate portion of the rotating shaft 6.
5 is supported and supported by the cup cleaning member 13
The pin 26 formed on the center side of the lower surface of the
The cup cleaning member 13 engages with the engaging hole 27 of the rotary shaft 6
It is designed to rotate together with. The rotation transmitting portion 25, the pin 26, and the engaging hole 27 described above correspond to the engaging means in the present invention.

The operation of the rotary substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described below. In the normal rotation processing step, as shown in FIG. 1, both cylinders 9 and 10 are extended to raise the scattering prevention cup 3 to the height of the spin chuck 1. Then, the photoresist liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate W from the processing liquid supply nozzle 2, and the substrate W is rotationally driven at a high speed to spin-coat the photoresist liquid. In addition, since the cup cleaning member 13 is integrated with the inner cup 3b as described above, the rotation process can be suitably performed without hindering the rectifying action. In this process, the scattered photoresist liquid is received by the scattering prevention cup 3 and collected. When the application of the photoresist liquid to the front surface of the substrate W is completed, the back rinse is performed by spraying and supplying the cleaning liquid from the back rinse nozzle 8 toward the back surface of the rotated substrate W. During this process, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 is in the standby position shown in FIG.

In this rotation processing step, the cup cleaning member 1
3 is received and supported by the base plate 7 and is a scattering prevention cup 3
And is in a position close to the spin chuck 1. At this time, since the cup cleaning member 13 and the rotation transmitting portion 25 are disengaged, the spin chuck 1
Even if is driven to rotate, the cup cleaning member 13 remains stopped. In the back rinse described above, a part of the cleaning liquid drops on the cup cleaning member 13 and is vaporized. However, since the cup cleaning member 13 is made of a synthetic resin having a small thermal conductivity and a large specific heat, Cleaning member 1
No. 3 does not decrease in temperature so much. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the temperature of the substrate W near the cup cleaning member 13 from decreasing, it is possible to coat and form a uniform photoresist film on the substrate W.

Next, a carrying step for carrying out the processed substrate W or carrying in the unprocessed substrate W will be described with reference to FIG. First, only the upper cylinder 9 of the pair of cylinders 9 and 10 is contracted to set the shatterproof cup 3 to 1
Lower by steps. Then, the substrate is transported by a transport robot (not shown) or the like with only the spin chuck 1 protruding above the scattering prevention cup 3. At this time, the cup cleaning member 13 is supported by the base plate 7 and descends to the middle stage.

Next, the step of cleaning the scattering prevention cup 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this process, both the cylinders 9 and 10 are contracted so that the scattering prevention cup 3
Is greatly lowered. At this time, the cup cleaning member 13 that has descended together with the scattering prevention cup 3 has a structure shown in FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotation transmitting portion 25 arranged on the rotary shaft 6 receives and stops the rotation, and thereafter, only the shatterproof cup 3 descends. As a result, the cup cleaning member 1
The cleaning liquid guide portion 15 formed on the outer peripheral portion of 3 is held at a height position facing between the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b in the scattering prevention cup 3. Further, at this time, the pin 26 of the cup cleaning member 13 engages with the engagement hole 27 of the rotation transmitting portion 25, and the cup cleaning member 13 can rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 6. Further, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 at the standby position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3 is moved by the moving mechanism (not shown) to the supply position shown by the solid line in FIG.

In this state, while rotating the cup cleaning member 13 together with the spin chuck 1 via the rotary shaft 6,
The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12. The supplied cleaning liquid passes through the annular opening 16 and is stored in the storage portion 17, but is spouted from the spouting portion 18 toward the outer peripheral direction by the centrifugal force to wash the inner surfaces of the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, from the ejection portion 18 of the cup cleaning member 13, horizontal and upward ejection ports 19 are provided.
Since the cleaning liquid is spouted from the inside, the entire inner surfaces of the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b of the scattering prevention cup 3 are uniformly washed. It should be noted that by rotating the cup cleaning member 13 at a high speed, the cleaning effect of the outer cup 3a substantially facing the cleaning liquid guide portion 15 is further enhanced, and subsequently the cup cleaning member 13 is
It is also possible to further enhance the cleaning effect of the inner cup 3b located below the cleaning liquid guide portion 15 by decreasing the rotation speed of. Further, since the collar portion 20 is formed on the outermost peripheral portion of the cup cleaning member 13 as described above, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience caused by the cleaning liquid ejected upward leaking to the outside of the outer cup 3a. it can.

In the above-mentioned cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 while rotating the cup cleaning member 13.
However, the cleaning liquid may be supplied while the cup cleaning member 13 is stopped, and then the cup cleaning member 13 may be rotationally driven. With this configuration, the cleaning liquid can be evenly distributed over the entire circumference of the storage unit 17, and the cleaning liquid can be uniformly ejected from the ejection unit 18 when the cup cleaning member 13 is rotationally driven. Therefore, the entire inner circumferences of the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b can be cleaned almost uniformly.

In the above apparatus, since the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 is configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the cup cleaning member 13 from above, the supply position of the cleaning liquid can be easily confirmed visually. Therefore, in the case where there is an inconvenience that the amount of the cleaning liquid ejected from the cup cleaning member 13 becomes insufficient due to the improper supply position of the cleaning liquid to the cup cleaning member 13, the inconvenience can be avoided by adjusting the position. can do.

Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the configuration in which only one cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 is provided has been described, but as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 is also provided on the opposite side of the center of rotation. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be supplied from the two cleaning liquid supply nozzles 12. According to such a configuration, the cleaning liquid can be supplied more evenly over the entire circumference of the storage portion 17, so that the entire inner circumferences of the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b can be uniformly cleaned, as in the above-described example. The number of cleaning liquid supply nozzles 12 may be appropriately set according to the volume of the storage portion 17 of the cup cleaning member 13 and the size of the substrate W related to the size of the cup cleaning member 13.

Furthermore, as a result of performing the cleaning process by rotating the cup cleaning member 13 only in a fixed direction as described above,
When uneven cleaning occurs on the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup 3, the cup cleaning member 13 is rotated on one side to perform cleaning, and the cup cleaning member 13 is rotated on the other side. You may make it perform the 2nd washing | cleaning process which wash | cleans. By thus rotating the cup cleaning member 13 in the forward and reverse directions, the ejection portion 1 of the cup cleaning member 13 is rotated.
The deviation due to the centrifugal force is canceled when the jetting trajectory of the cleaning liquid jetted from No. 8 is seen in a plan view. As a result, uneven cleaning can be suppressed.

Further, the large number of ejection ports 19 formed in the cleaning liquid guide portion 15 may be slit-shaped ejection ports 19 formed along the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). By adopting such a jet port 19, the cleaning liquid can be jetted over a wide range in the vertical direction.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the cup cleaning member 13
A modified example will be described. This cup cleaning member 30
Is substantially different from the cup cleaning member 13 described above in that the upper part thereof is formed to be substantially flat.

The cleaning liquid guide portion 31 is composed of an annular groove 32 which is an annular shallow groove in a plan view, and a flat portion 33 which is formed flat from the annular groove 32 to the peripheral portion of the cup cleaning member 30. . In the cleaning process of the scattering prevention cup 3, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 12 toward the annular groove 32 while rotating the cup cleaning member 30. The supplied cleaning liquid fills the annular groove 32 over the entire circumference thereof, but the overflowing cleaning liquid is jetted from the flat portion 33 to the entire inner surfaces of the outer cup 3a and the inner cup 3b by centrifugal force.
Even if the cup cleaning member 30 is configured in this manner, the same effect as that of the cup cleaning member 13 described above can be obtained.

In the cup cleaning member 13 described above, the thickness of the cup cleaning member 13 is increased and the inertial force is increased due to the formation of the storage portion 17 which is a deep recess.
Since only the shallow annular groove 32 is formed in the cup cleaning member 30, the thickness of the cup cleaning member 30 can be reduced. Therefore, the inertial force can be reduced, and even if the driving torque of the electric motor 5 is small, it can be adopted. Further, in the cleaning step, the cup cleaning member 30 is rotated and driven at a predetermined rotation speed, but since the inertial force is small, the rotation is started until the rotation speed reaches the predetermined rotation speed. The time can be shortened. Therefore, the time required for the cleaning process can be shortened and the operating rate of the apparatus can be improved. Further, since the inertial force is small, it is suitable when the number of rotations of the cup cleaning member is changed as described above or when normal rotation and reverse rotation are performed.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8, by forming the ejection groove 34 radially from the annular groove 32 toward the peripheral edge of the cup cleaning member 30, the ejection groove 34 has a depth similar to that of the annular groove 32. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be given directionality.

In the above modification, the annular groove 32 is formed in the cup cleaning member 30. However, the cup cleaning member 30 having a completely flat upper surface may be formed without forming such a groove. According to such a configuration, the cup cleaning member 3 is further provided.
Since 0 can be formed thinner, the inertial force can be further reduced.

Further, as an engaging means for integrating the cup cleaning member 30 and the rotating shaft 6, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a recess 3 formed in the central lower surface of the cup cleaning member 30.
The pin 5 may be configured to be engaged with the pin 37 penetrating the rotary shaft 6.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cup cleaning member 13 is moved downward so that the rotation shaft 6 of the spin chuck 1 and the cup cleaning member 13 are moved through the rotation transmitting portion 25.
, And the cup cleaning member 13 are engaged and coupled via the rotation transmission portion 25 by raising the rotary shaft 6 to wash the scattering prevention cup 3. May be configured to perform.

[0043]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the invention described in claim 1, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The cleaning liquid supplied to the cup cleaning member is sprayed to the surroundings by the centrifugal force of the cup cleaning member to clean the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup. You can gain the ability.

(2) By moving the cup cleaning member and the scattering prevention cup relative to the substrate holding means, the cup cleaning member is automatically engaged with and connected to the rotary shaft of the substrate holding means, and the engagement thereof is performed. Since it is released, it is not necessary to attach and detach the cup cleaning member each time the cup cleaning process is performed, and the cup cleaning process time can be shortened. Further, the labor and space for storing the cup cleaning member are unnecessary, which is advantageous in handling and facility management.

(3) During normal substrate rotation processing, the cup cleaning member and the rotation shaft of the substrate holding means are disengaged from each other, so that only the substrate holding means can be driven with a low torque. The load on the means can be reduced, and the control of the rotation speed can be facilitated.

(4) Since the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cup cleaning member from above the scattering prevention cup,
Compared to the configuration in which the cleaning liquid is supplied from below the cup cleaning member, the loss when supplying the cleaning liquid can be reduced.

(5) Since the arrival position of the cleaning liquid supplied to the cup cleaning member from above can be easily confirmed, if the position is inappropriate, the position of the cleaning liquid supply means is adjusted. As a result, the cleaning liquid can reach an appropriate position. Therefore, the cup cleaning process can always be appropriately performed.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, since the inertial force of the cup cleaning member can be reduced,
The rotation driving means having a small driving torque can be adopted, and the number of rotations of the cup cleaning member can quickly reach the number of rotations during the processing, so that the time required for the cup cleaning processing can be shortened. it can.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid can be evenly distributed over substantially the entire circumference of the cup cleaning member by the annular groove in plan view, and the cleaning liquid can be evenly distributed over the entire circumference of the cup cleaning member. The cleaning liquid can be spouted on. Therefore, the inner surface of the shatterproof cup can be uniformly washed over substantially the entire circumference, and the cup can be washed appropriately.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rotary substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment, showing a rotary processing step.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a substrate transfer process of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a cup cleaning process of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part in a cup cleaning step.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a cup cleaning member of the embodiment apparatus.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of a cup cleaning member.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a modified example of the cleaning liquid guide portion of the cup cleaning member.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a modified example of the cup cleaning member.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Spin chuck (substrate holding means) 2 ... Treatment liquid supply nozzle (treatment liquid supply means) 3… Shatterproof cup 5 ... Electric motor (rotation driving means) 6 ... Rotation axis 9, 10 Cylinder (elevating means) 12 ... Cleaning liquid supply nozzle (cleaning liquid supply means) 13, 30 ... Cup cleaning member 15, 31 ... Cleaning liquid guide 25 ... Rotation transmission part (engagement means) 26 ... Pin (engaging means) 27 ... Engaging hole (engaging means)

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-5-160017 (JP, A) JP-A-5-82435 (JP, A) JP-A-4-322420 (JP, A) JP-A-7-31923 (JP , A) JP-A-61-294819 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/027

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A substrate holding means for holding a substrate, a rotation driving means for rotatably driving the substrate holding means around a vertical axis through a rotary shaft, and a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid onto the substrate. In the rotary substrate processing apparatus, which is provided so as to surround the substrate holding means, and a scattering prevention cup that prevents the processing liquid supplied to the substrate from scattering with the rotation of the substrate, A cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid from above the scattering prevention cup, and a cup provided with a cleaning liquid guide portion which is inserted through a rotation shaft of the substrate holding means and guides the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means to an outer peripheral portion. When the cleaning member and the substrate are rotated, the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member come close to each other, and a scattering prevention cup surrounds the substrate holding means. The substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are separated from each other, and the cup cleaning member and the scattering prevention cup are moved up and down relative to the substrate holding means so that the outer surface of the cup cleaning member faces the inner surface of the scattering prevention cup. When the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are brought closer to each other, the cup cleaning member and the rotating shaft are disengaged from each other, and when the substrate holding means and the cup cleaning member are separated from each other, the cup cleaning is performed. A rotary substrate processing apparatus comprising: a member and an engaging unit that engages and connects the member with the rotating shaft. 2. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cup cleaning member has a substantially flat upper surface. 3. The rotary substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cleaning liquid guide portion of the cup cleaning member has an annular groove in plan view for receiving the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means. A rotary substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above.