JP3602225B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing by supplying a predetermined processing liquid such as a solvent to a substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display or the like, a photoresist liquid or the like is applied to a rectangular substrate such as a glass substrate having a thin film formed on a surface thereof. A removal process of removing is performed. As a substrate processing apparatus for dissolving and removing such an unnecessary thin film, for example, a substrate processing apparatus having a liquid discharge head for supplying a solvent having a configuration as shown in FIG. 7 is known (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-97067).
[0003]
The substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid discharge head 201 to which a plurality of tubular nozzles 200 are connected along a longitudinal direction, and a pipe 202 connected to the liquid discharge head 201 for feeding a solvent. Is what it is. This substrate processing apparatus discharges the solvent from the nozzle 200 while relatively moving the liquid discharge head 201 along the edge of the substrate B in the horizontal direction, and dissolves and removes the unnecessary thin film on the edge of the substrate B. That is, the liquid discharge head 201 has a liquid reservoir formed therein, and the solvent is supplied from a pressurized container (not shown) to the liquid reservoir via a pipe 202 in a pressurized state. A portion of the solvent is discharged from the nozzle 200 to the surface of the substrate B to dissolve and remove the unnecessary thin film at the edge. The pipe 202 is closed after dissolving and removing the unnecessary thin film, and the supply of the solvent from the pressurized container to the liquid discharge head 201 is stopped.
[0004]
By removing the unnecessary thin film at the edge of the substrate in this way, even if the transport mechanism for transporting the substrate grips the edge of the substrate, dust generation from the edge of the substrate can be prevented.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, even when the pipe 202 is closed and the supply of the solvent from the pressurized container is stopped, the solvent remains in the liquid reservoir in the liquid discharge head 201, Moreover, since the liquid reservoir is pressurized by the residual pressure, unnecessary solvent is discharged from the nozzle 200 until the liquid reservoir is reduced to the same pressure as the external pressure. There has been a problem that it adheres to an unnecessary portion or insufficient drying occurs in a subsequent drying step.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and suppresses unnecessary discharge of a processing liquid from a liquid discharge head after pressurized feeding of a predetermined processing liquid such as a solvent is stopped. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can perform the processing.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid discharge head having a liquid storage section for storing a processing liquid, a liquid discharge port communicating with the liquid storage section, and pressurized supply of the processing liquid to the liquid storage section of the liquid discharge head. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a liquid supply unit; an openable and closable communication unit that communicates a liquid reservoir of a liquid discharge head to the outside; and the communication unit when the processing liquid is supplied by the liquid supply unit. In a closed state, and when the supply of the processing liquid by the liquid supply means is stopped, pressure reduction control means for opening the communication means and communicating the liquid reservoir with the outside is provided. Things.
[0008]
According to the present invention, when the operation of the liquid supply unit is stopped, the communication unit that has been in the closed state is operated to be in the open state, so that the liquid reservoir of the liquid discharge head is communicated to the outside. In addition, the pressure in the liquid reservoir is reduced, and unnecessary discharge of the processing liquid from the liquid discharge head is suppressed.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, a pair of the liquid discharge heads are vertically arranged so as to sandwich a substrate for supplying a processing liquid, and the communication means is provided for each liquid discharge head. It is characterized by being carried out.
[0010]
According to the present invention, when a predetermined processing liquid is simultaneously supplied to both surfaces of the substrate and the operation of the liquid supply unit is stopped, the respective communication units are operated to connect the liquid reservoir of the liquid discharge head to the outside. Then, the pressure in the liquid reservoir is reduced. As a result, unnecessary discharge of the processing liquid from each liquid discharge head is suppressed, and supply of the processing liquid to both surfaces of the substrate is completed in a short time.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the invention, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement, the liquid discharge head is a pair arranged vertically so as to sandwich the edge of the substrate on which the coating solution is supplied to the surface, as the process liquid A solvent for dissolving the coating solution of the substrate is discharged, and a solvent waste liquid containing a dissolved substance at an edge of the substrate is passed through a solvent discharge flow path member disposed over the pair of liquid discharge heads. And a solvent discharging means for discharging the solvent to the outside of the system .
[0012]
According to the present invention, a solvent that dissolves the coating liquid is supplied to both sides of the edge of the substrate on which the coating liquid is supplied on the surface, and the solvent supplied to the edge of the substrate is a solvent waste liquid containing a dissolved substance. The liquid is discharged out of the system via a solvent discharge flow path member disposed over a pair of liquid discharge heads .
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the liquid discharge head is long and a plurality of liquid discharge ports are formed along a longitudinal direction. A supply port communicating with the liquid supply means at one end, and a pressure reducing port communicating with the communication means at the other end.
[0014]
According to the present invention, the processing liquid is supplied from the supply port at one end of the liquid discharge head when the liquid supply unit is operating, and the pressure is reduced from the pressure reduction port at the other end when the operation of the liquid supply unit is stopped. Is done.
[0015]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the liquid discharge head is long and has a slit-shaped liquid discharge port formed along the longitudinal direction. In one embodiment, one end has a supply port communicating with the liquid supply means, and the other end has a pressure reducing port communicating with the communication means.
[0016]
According to the present invention, the processing liquid is supplied from the supply port at one end of the liquid discharge head when the liquid supply unit is operating, and the pressure is reduced from the pressure reduction port at the other end when the operation of the liquid supply unit is stopped. Is done.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part thereof, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a solvent discharging means viewed from the left side of FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment forms a thin film on the surface of a substrate by applying a coating liquid such as a photoresist solution, and then dissolves and removes unnecessary thin films on the substrate edge by discharging a solvent to the edge of the substrate. The thin film forming means and the unnecessary thin film removing means are integrally provided.
[0018]
In these figures, a substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with an annular hood 2 surrounding an application processing space for applying a coating liquid such as a photoresist liquid on the surface of a substrate B, and is provided in the annular hood 2 and holds the substrate B. The substrate support means 3 which is rotatable in a state where the substrate B is rotatable, is configured to be movable between a retracted position where the substrate B can be raised and lowered and a coating liquid supply position on the substrate B, and the coating liquid supply position thereof. The coating liquid supply means 4 for supplying the coating liquid to the surface of the substrate B and the liquid supply means 4 are configured to be able to advance and retreat in a horizontal plane at the ascending position of the substrate B. It comprises a solvent discharging means 5 to be removed.
[0019]
The annular hood 2 has a flat shape with an open top, and has a circular bottom plate 21, an annular groove 22 extending along the outer peripheral edge of the bottom plate 21, and an outer peripheral edge of the annular groove 22. And an annular weir 23 projecting obliquely inward and upward from the part. The bottom of the annular groove 22 is set at a position lower than the bottom plate 21, and the upper edge of the annular weir 23 is set at a position higher than the bottom plate 21. As a result, a substrate storage space 24 surrounded by the annular weir 23 is formed above the bottom plate 21, and the substrate B is coated and the unnecessary thin film is removed in the substrate storage space 24. .
[0020]
A drain pipe 221 is connected to an appropriate position of the annular groove 22, and the excess coating liquid supplied to the surface of the substrate B from the coating liquid supply unit 4 and blown off by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate B is used as an annular weir. After being caught by 23 and collected by the annular groove 22, it is discharged through the drain pipe 221 to the outside of the system.
[0021]
The substrate support means 3 includes a support shaft 31 vertically penetrating a central portion of the bottom plate 21 of the annular hood 2, a rotation support plate 32 fixed to an upper end of the support shaft 31 and having a horizontal posture, and a support shaft 31. And a rotary elevating mechanism 33 provided at the lower end of the motor. The rotary elevating mechanism 33 includes a drive unit including a motor, gears, and the like (not shown). The drive shaft drives the support shaft 31 to move up and down. The rotation support plate 32 includes suction means and the like for preventing the substrate B mounted on the upper surface from being displaced and securely holding the substrate B, and sucks the substrate B from the lower surface of the mounted substrate B. I have. When the substrate B is supplied to and ejected from the rotation support plate 32, the substrate B is raised to an upper position by driving the rotation elevating mechanism 33 as shown by a solid line in FIG. When B is rotated, it is lowered to a lower position by the driving of the rotary elevating mechanism 33 as shown by a chain line in FIG.
[0022]
The coating liquid supply means 4 includes a rotating arm 41 having a nozzle 411 for discharging a coating liquid such as a photoresist liquid, a coating liquid tank 42 storing the coating liquid, and a coating liquid in the coating liquid tank 42. A feed pump 43 for feeding the arm 41 is provided. The pivot arm 41 pivots about a base support shaft 412 between a retracted position outside the substrate B shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a coating liquid supply position on the substrate B shown by a chain line. When the supply pump 43 is driven at the application liquid supply position and the application liquid is supplied to the rotating arm 41, the application liquid is discharged from the nozzle 411 onto the substrate B. ing.
[0023]
The solvent discharging means 5 is disposed at a position above the annular hood 2 and is disposed at a position corresponding to the opposed edges of the substrate B held on the rotating support plate 32 raised to the upper position. ing. As shown in FIG. 3, each solvent discharging means 5 includes a pair of supports 51 and 52 fixed on the main body frame F, and a pair of guide shafts 53 disposed between the pair of supports 51 and 52. , 54 (the guide shaft 53 is not visible in FIG. 3; see FIG. 1), a movable frame 55 slidably mounted on the guide shafts 53, 54, and mounted on the movable frame 55. A pair of link mechanisms 57, 58 driven by a motor 56, and a liquid ejection head 59 supported by pins at the ends of the link mechanisms 57, 58 are provided. A gear 562 is connected to a rotation shaft 561 of the motor 56, and a gear 563 having the same shape is meshed with the gear 562. The link mechanisms 57 and 58 have their base ends connected to shafts connected to the gears 562 and 563, respectively. 59 is moved forward and backward with respect to the substrate B. That is, the liquid discharge head 59 is moved by the link mechanisms 57 and 58 to the solvent discharge position at the edge of the substrate B and the retreat position separated from the substrate B on the rotary support plate 32 to enable the supply and discharge of the substrate B. Move forward and backward between
[0024]
The solvent discharging means 5 has a swing mechanism as described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a motor 511 is provided in one support body 51, and a rotation shaft thereof is connected to a disk 513 via a bevel gear mechanism 512. One end of a link 514 is eccentrically pin-connected to the disc 513, and the other end of the link 514 is pin-connected to one end of a rod 515. The other end of the rod 515 is connected to one end of the movable frame 55. In this configuration, when the disk 513 is rotationally driven by the motor 511, the link 514 is reciprocally driven along a straight line. Thus, the movable frame 55 reciprocates along the guide shafts 53 and 54, and the liquid discharge head 59 swings along the edge of the substrate B. As a result, the solvent discharged from the discharge port of the liquid discharge head 59 is evenly supplied to the edge of the substrate B.
[0025]
The liquid discharge head 59 is formed slightly longer than the long side of the substrate B, and its structure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a sectional view of the liquid discharge head 59 and a piping system, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the inside of the upper liquid discharge head 59a shown in FIG. In these figures, the liquid discharge head 59 includes an upper liquid discharge head 59a that discharges the solvent from above the edge of the substrate B downward and a lower liquid discharge head that discharges the solvent from below the edge of the substrate B upward. A discharge head 59b is provided, and both liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b are arranged vertically so as to sandwich the substrate B. Each of the liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b is configured by surface-bonding two long plate members 591 and 592 having different thicknesses. On one surface side of one of the plate members 591, a concave groove 591a is formed along the longitudinal direction except for the periphery, and a small diameter communicating with the concave groove 591a and the external space is formed on one edge in the width direction. Are formed at a predetermined pitch in the longitudinal direction. The surface of the one plate member 591 and the other plate member 592 are surface-joined, so that the concave grooves 591a constitute a liquid reservoir 593, and a large number of grooves 591b form a large number of liquids communicating the liquid reservoir 593 with the external space. A discharge port 594 is formed.
[0026]
The solvent is pressurized and supplied to the liquid reservoir 593 from the liquid supply means 60 including the pressurized container 61 and the like. That is, the pipe 62 led out of the pressurized container 61 is connected to the pipe 64 via the filter 63. The pipe 64 is branched in two directions, and one branch pipe 641 is connected to one end of the pipe 65 via the control valve V1. The pipe 65 is provided with a flow meter M1 and a control valve V2 for adjusting the flow rate. The other end of the pipe 65 is connected to one end of the liquid reservoir 593 of the upper liquid ejection head 59a in the longitudinal direction. The other branch pipe 642 of the pipe 64 is connected to one end of the pipe 67 via a control valve V3. The pipe 67 is provided with a flow meter M2 and a control valve V4 for adjusting the flow rate. The other end of the pipe 67 is connected to one end of the liquid reservoir 593 of the lower liquid discharge head 59b in the longitudinal direction. That is, the upper and lower liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b have supply ports at one ends thereof which communicate with the liquid supply means 60.
[0027]
The upper and lower liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b are provided with openable and closable communication means 70 for connecting the liquid reservoir 593 to an external space. The communication means 70 includes a pipe 71 having one end connected to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the liquid reservoir 593, and a control valve V5 connected to the other end of the pipe 71. That is, the upper and lower liquid ejection heads 59a and 59b have decompression ports at the other ends communicating with the communication means 70. Further, a solvent discharging means 80 is provided on the plate member 591 side, which is the back side of the liquid discharge head 59. The solvent discharge means 80 is provided by evacuating air in the solvent discharge flow path member 81 and a solvent discharge flow path member 81 disposed over both the upper liquid discharge head 59a and the lower liquid discharge head 59b. An exhaust blower 82 is provided for discharging a solvent waste liquid containing a dissolved substance after cleaning the substrate edge to the outside of the system. The solvent discharge channel member 81 is connected to one end of the pipe 83. The other end of the pipe 83 is connected to one end of a pipe 84 via a control valve V6, and the other end of the pipe 84 is connected to a drain box 85 for separating waste liquid and exhaust gas. One end of a pipe 86 is connected to the drain box 85, and the other end of the pipe 86 is connected to an exhaust blower 82.
[0028]
The control unit 90 controls opening and closing of the control valves V1, V3, V5, and V6. The control valves V2 and V4 are manually adjusted for opening and closing. The control unit 90 includes a CPU, a ROM, and the like. The ROM stores a program for controlling the entire operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The CPU controls the operation of each control valve of the piping system, the motor of each means, and the like via a drive circuit according to the program.
[0029]
The solvent may be, for example, ketones such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone, esters such as ethyl acetate and butyl acetate, and aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene and benzene when the coating solution is a photoresist solution. And halogenated hydrocarbons such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene. When the coating liquid is a dye, warm water at 30 to 60 ° C., lower alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, and propanol, and acetone are used.
[0030]
The substrate processing apparatus 1 configured as described above operates as follows. First, the rotation lifting mechanism 33 is operated to raise the rotation support plate 32 to an upper position, and the substrate B is placed on the rotation support plate 32. Thereafter, the rotation support plate 32 is lowered to the lower position, and then the rotating arm 41 at the retracted position is moved to the application liquid supply position of the substrate B, and the substrate B is moved from the nozzle 411 of the rotation arm 41 of the application liquid supply means 4 to the substrate B. A predetermined amount of the coating liquid is discharged to the central portion of the surface. Thereafter, the rotating arm 41 is moved to the retracted position, and the rotating support plate 32 is rotated in the annular hood 2 to diffuse and move the coating solution in the outer peripheral direction of the substrate B by centrifugal force. Form a thin film of the coating solution. At this time, a thin film is inevitably formed also on the front edge and the rear edge of the substrate B. The thin film is formed on the rear surface edge because the coating liquid diffused and moved on the front surface wraps around the substrate rear surface. Excess coating liquid is blown off from the substrate B by centrifugal force, captured by the annular weir 23 of the annular hood 2, and discharged out of the system from the drain pipe 221. When the thin film is formed on the outer surface of the substrate B, the rotation support plate 32 stops rotating and rises to the upper position.
[0031]
When the rotation support plate 32 is raised to the upper position, the liquid discharge head 59 at the retreat position of the solvent discharging means 5 moves forward to the substrate B side, and the edge of the substrate B is moved to the upper liquid discharge head 59a and the lower liquid discharge head. When it reaches the position sandwiched by 59b, the forward movement is stopped at that position. In this state, the control valve V6 of the solvent discharging means 80 is opened, and the exhaust blower 82 is operated to suck the air in the solvent discharging flow path member 81 through the pipes 83 and 84, the drain box 85 and the pipe 86. . At the same time, the control valves V1 and V3 are opened, and each control valve V5 is closed. The pressurized container 61 is pressurized by introducing a pressurized gas such as nitrogen gas in advance. For this reason, the solvent in the pressurized container 61 is supplied to the branched pipes 65 and 67 at the final positions via the pipe 62 and the like, and is sent to the respective liquid reservoirs 593 of the upper liquid discharge head 59a and the lower liquid discharge head 59b. Supplied under pressure. Accordingly, the inside of each liquid reservoir 593 is also in a pressurized state, and the solvent is discharged from each liquid discharge port 594. The discharged solvent dissolves the unnecessary thin film on both side edges of the substrate B. The solvent in which the unnecessary thin film is dissolved is sucked into the solvent discharge flow path member 81 and discharged to the drain box 85 through the pipes 83 and 84 as waste liquid.
[0032]
When the unnecessary thin film on the edge of the substrate B is dissolved and removed, the introduction of the pressurized gas such as the nitrogen gas into the pressurized container 61 is stopped, and the control valves V1 and V3 are closed to move to the liquid reservoir 593. Is stopped. At the same time, the control valve V5 of each communication means 70 which has been closed until now is opened, and each liquid reservoir 593 is in communication with the outside. As a result, the pressure inside each liquid reservoir 593 is reduced, and unnecessary discharge from the discharge port 594 due to residual pressure after the supply of the solvent is stopped is suppressed. The diameter of the pipe 71 is appropriately set to a value corresponding to the diameter and the number of the liquid discharge ports 594 so that the pressure inside each liquid reservoir 593 is reduced and unnecessary discharge from the liquid discharge ports 594 is suppressed. Is done. It should be noted that the time required to open the control valve V5 of the communication means 70 is, for example, about 2 seconds to 5 seconds, and then the control valve V5 may be closed.
[0033]
Thereafter, the liquid discharge head 59 is moved backward to the retracted position, and the rotation support plate 32 is rotated by 90 ° so that the edge from which the unnecessary thin film has not been removed is directed to the liquid discharge head 59 side. It moves forward again and the solvent is discharged in the same manner as described above, and the unnecessary thin film on the edge is dissolved and removed. When the unnecessary thin film is dissolved and removed, the supply of the solvent is stopped in the same manner as described above. When the unnecessary thin films on all the edges of the substrate B are dissolved and removed, the liquid discharge head 59 moves back to the retreat position, and the substrate B is unloaded from the rotary support plate 32 by a substrate unloading robot or the like (not shown). The above operation is repeatedly performed.
[0034]
Note that the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may employ the following various embodiments.
[0035]
That is, in the above embodiment, the liquid discharge head 59 is formed to be slightly longer than the long side of the substrate B, but instead of using such a liquid discharge head, one that is shorter than each side of the substrate B is employed. Alternatively, the unnecessary thin film may be dissolved and removed while moving the liquid discharge head from one end to the other along the edge of the substrate B.
[0036]
In the above-described embodiment, the liquid discharge ports 594 of the liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b are formed by surface-bonding two plate members 591 and 592, but a conventional tubular nozzle is used. May be used. Further, the liquid discharge ports 594 of each of the liquid discharge heads 59a and 59b may be formed in a slit shape.
[0037]
Further, in the above embodiment, the thin film forming means and the unnecessary thin film removing means are integrally provided. However, the thin film forming means is configured in another apparatus, and the unnecessary thin film removing means is used as the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. It is also possible to use only means.
[0038]
Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to one that removes unnecessary thin films, but may be used in various applications as long as it is a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined processing by supplying a predetermined processing liquid to the surface of a substrate. Applicable. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a photoresist liquid 101 is supplied from a pipe 100 to a liquid reservoir 103 of a liquid discharge head 102 in a pressurized state, and is supplied from a slit-shaped liquid discharge port 104 to the surface of the substrate B. The present invention is also applicable to an apparatus in which the photoresist liquid 101 is supplied to relatively move the liquid ejection head 102, and the photoresist liquid 101 is applied to a predetermined region on the surface of the substrate B to form a thin film.
[0039]
In this apparatus, the liquid discharge head 102 is not provided with a large number of liquid discharge ports, but is provided with a single wide slit-shaped liquid discharge port. When the feeding is stopped, the unnecessary photoresist liquid 101 is discharged from the liquid discharge port 104 due to the residual pressure in the liquid reservoir 103. However, the liquid discharge head 102 is provided with an openable and closable communication means having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, which connects the liquid reservoir 103 to the outside. Unnecessary ejection of the photoresist liquid 101 is suppressed by stopping the supply of the liquid 101 and simultaneously connecting the liquid reservoir 103 to the outside.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement is provided an openable communication means for communicating the liquid reservoir portion of the liquid discharge head to the outside, and a communicating means when the feeding processing liquid in the closed state, supply of the processing solution Since the communication means is opened when the feeding is stopped , the pressure in the liquid reservoir is reduced when the pressurized feeding of the processing liquid is stopped, and the pressurized feeding of the processing liquid is stopped. Unnecessary discharge of the processing liquid from the liquid discharge head after the discharge is suppressed.
[0041]
In the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the liquid discharge heads are vertically arranged in a pair so as to sandwich the substrate, and the communication means is provided in each of the liquid discharge heads, so that the processing liquid from each liquid discharge head is unnecessary. Discharge can be suppressed, and the processing liquid can be supplied to both surfaces of the substrate in a short time.
[0042]
3. Symbol mounting substrate processing apparatus, a pair arranged vertically so as to sandwich the edge of the substrate which the liquid discharge head is provided in the coating liquid to the surface, discharging the solvent for dissolving the coating solution of the substrate as the processing liquid And a solvent discharging means for discharging the solvent waste liquid containing the dissolved substance at the edge of the substrate to the outside of the system through the solvent discharge flow path member. It can be discharged out of the system by the discharging means .
[0043]
The substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth and fifth aspects has a supply port at one end of the liquid discharge head and a pressure reducing port at the other end which communicates with the communication means. The processing liquid can be supplied to the liquid reservoir from the supply port at one end of the liquid discharge head when the feeding means is operating, and the processing liquid can be supplied from the pressure reducing port at the other end to the liquid reservoir when the operation of the liquid feeding means is stopped. Can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a main part of the substrate treatment apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a solvent discharge unit of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid discharge head and a piping system constituting a solvent discharge unit of the substrate treatment apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a front view of the inside of an upper liquid ejection head constituting the liquid ejection head of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a liquid discharge head portion of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a liquid discharge head portion of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Annular hood 3 Substrate support means 4 Application liquid supply means 5 Solvent discharge means 59, 102 Liquid discharge heads 593, 103 Liquid storage parts 594, 104 Discharge ports 60 Liquid supply means 70 Communication means 80 Solvent discharge means 90 Control unit

Claims (5)

A liquid discharge head having a liquid storage section for storing the processing liquid, a liquid discharge port communicating with the liquid storage section, and a liquid feeding means for pressurizing and feeding the processing liquid to the liquid storage section of the liquid discharge head. Substrate processing equipment,
An openable and closable communication means for communicating the liquid reservoir of the liquid discharge head to the outside; and a closed state when the processing liquid is supplied by the liquid supply means, and the processing liquid by the liquid supply means. And a pressure reduction control means for opening the communication means when the feeding of the liquid is stopped and for connecting the liquid reservoir to the outside. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the liquid discharge heads are arranged vertically so as to sandwich a substrate for supplying a processing liquid, and the communicating means is provided in each liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head is disposed in a pair at the top and bottom so as to sandwich an edge of the substrate supplied with the coating liquid on the surface, and discharges a solvent that dissolves the coating liquid on the substrate as the processing liquid. And a solvent discharging means for discharging a solvent waste liquid containing a dissolved substance at an end edge of the liquid discharging head out of the system through a solvent discharging flow path member disposed over the pair of liquid discharging heads. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 1. The liquid discharge head is long and has a plurality of liquid discharge ports formed along the longitudinal direction, and has a supply port at one end communicating with the liquid supply means, and a communication port at the other end with the communication means. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pressure reducing port. The liquid discharge head is long and has a slit-shaped liquid discharge port formed along the longitudinal direction, has a supply port communicating with the liquid supply means at one end, and the communication means at the other end. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a decompression port communicating with the substrate.

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