JP3958572B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for cleaning a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or glass for an LCD substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a processing system is used in which a processing liquid is supplied to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) to perform processing such as development, coating, and cleaning. The single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus provided in such a processing system holds a wafer substantially horizontally and performs a predetermined process with a processing liquid supplied from a nozzle or the like. In addition, this apparatus is provided with a spin chuck that can hold a wafer and rotate it in a horizontal plane, whereby the wafer is rotated and held, and the processing liquid supplied onto the processing surface is centrifugally applied to the entire processing surface. To diffuse. In such a case, the holding member is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer. For example, three holding members are provided on the spin chuck so that the central angle becomes 120 ° around the wafer, and the three holding members are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wafer to hold the wafer from the periphery. It was.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, since the position where the holding member abuts on the wafer is not changed during processing, there is a problem that processing unevenness occurs at the abutting portion. For example, in the wafer cleaning process, there has been a problem that the wafer periphery and bevel portion (peripheral portion of the wafer surface) cannot be effectively cleaned.
[0004]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of preventing uneven processing of a substrate.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus that holds a peripheral edge of a substrate by a plurality of holding members and rotates the substrate to process the plurality of holding members, Close the abutment parts to each other A holding state for holding the peripheral edge of the substrate; Open the abutment parts to each other A holding release mechanism for releasing the holding of the peripheral edge of the substrate, and a support mechanism for supporting the substrate when the plurality of holding members are in the released state, A control unit that controls operations of the holding release mechanism and the support mechanism, and the control unit controls the plurality of holding members to be released from the holding state and opens the contact portions to each other to form a peripheral edge of the substrate. The holding member is released, the substrate is lowered, the contact portions are closed to each other, and then the plurality of holding members are moved relative to the peripheral edge of the waiting substrate, and the contact portions are moved to each other. Open, raise the substrate, close the abutment parts to each other, and hold the periphery of the substrate at a location different from the location where it was held before the movement A substrate processing apparatus is provided. In such a substrate processing apparatus, for example, the plurality of holding members hold different positions on the peripheral edge of the substrate in the holding state before and after the movement. Therefore, in the process before the plurality of holding members move with respect to the peripheral edge of the substrate, the processing liquid can be supplied to the place where the moved holding member comes into contact. In the processing after the plurality of holding members move with respect to the substrate, the processing liquid can be supplied to the place where the holding member is in contact before the movement. Therefore, the processing unevenness of the substrate can be prevented.
[0007]
The support mechanism preferably supplies a liquid to the lower surface of the substrate and supports the substrate by utilizing the surface tension of the liquid. Furthermore, the liquid may be pure water. In this case, the solid can be supported without contacting the substrate. Therefore, the generation of particles can be prevented.
[0008]
The support mechanism may include at least three support members that contact and support the lower surface of the substrate. In this case, the substrate can be reliably supported.
[0009]
The support mechanism may include an under plate configured to be relatively close to a lower surface of the substrate held by the plurality of holding means. In this case, for example, a processing liquid film that uniformly contacts the entire lower surface of the substrate is formed and processed, and the consumption of the processing liquid can be saved.
[0010]
Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a holder for preventing lateral displacement of the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, the plurality of holding members are attached to the rotating plate, and an elastic member is provided to urge the plurality of holding members to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate. A force against the force urged by the elastic member may be applied to separate the holding member from the substrate.
[0011]
Further, according to the present invention, the peripheral edge of the substrate is held by a plurality of holding members, the substrate is rotated and processed, The holding members abutting on the periphery of the substrate are opened from each other to release the holding of the substrate periphery, the substrates supporting the lower surface are lowered to enter a standby state, the abutting portions are closed to each other, and then the plurality The holding member is moved relative to the periphery of the waiting substrate, the contact portions are opened to each other, the substrates supporting the lower surface are raised, the contact portions are closed to each other, and the periphery of the substrate is The substrate at a location different from the location held before the movement The substrate processing method is characterized in that the substrate is processed by rotating the substrate again.
[0014]
Further, when supporting the lower surface of the substrate, the under plate is relatively close to the lower surface of the substrate, a liquid is supplied between the lower surface of the substrate and the under plate, and the surface tension of the liquid is utilized. It is preferable to support the substrate.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described based on a substrate processing unit as a substrate processing apparatus configured to clean a peripheral portion and a back surface of a wafer as an example of a substrate. The cleaning treatment here includes removal and cleaning of the film stacked on the substrate. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cleaning processing system 1 incorporating substrate processing units 12 and 13 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. The cleaning processing system 1 includes a cleaning processing unit 2 that performs a cleaning process on the wafer W and a thermal process after the cleaning process, and a loading / unloading unit 3 that loads the wafer W into and out of the cleaning processing unit 2. .
[0016]
The carry-in / out unit 3 includes an in / out port 4 provided with a mounting table 6 on which a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers W, which can accommodate containers (carriers C) that can be accommodated substantially horizontally at predetermined intervals, are provided. , A wafer transfer unit 5 provided with a wafer transfer device 7 for delivering a wafer between the carrier C mounted on the mounting table 6 and the cleaning processing unit 2.
[0017]
The wafer W is loaded and unloaded through one side of the carrier C, and a lid that can be opened and closed is provided on the side of the carrier C. Further, the carrier C is provided with shelf boards for holding the wafers W at predetermined intervals on the inner wall, and 25 slots for accommodating the wafers W are formed. One wafer W is accommodated in each slot in a state where the surface (surface on which the semiconductor device is formed) is the upper surface (the surface that is the upper side when the wafer W is held horizontally).
[0018]
On the mounting table 6 of the in / out port 4, for example, three carriers C can be mounted in a predetermined position in the Y direction on the horizontal plane. The carrier C is placed with the side surface on which the lid is provided facing toward the boundary wall 8 between the in / out port 4 and the wafer transfer unit 5. A window portion 9 is formed in the boundary wall 8 at a position corresponding to the place where the carrier C is placed, and a window portion opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the window portion 9 with a shutter or the like is provided on the wafer transfer portion 5 side of the window portion 9. 10 is provided.
[0019]
The window opening / closing mechanism 10 can also open and close the lid provided on the carrier C, and simultaneously opens and closes the lid of the carrier C. The window opening / closing mechanism 10 is preferably provided with an interlock so that it does not operate when the carrier C is not placed at a predetermined position of the placement table. When the window 9 is opened and the wafer loading / unloading port of the carrier C communicates with the wafer transfer unit 5, the wafer transfer unit 7 provided in the wafer transfer unit 5 can access the carrier C, and the wafer W It is in a state where it can be transported. A wafer detection device (not shown) is provided above the window 9 so that the number and state of the wafers W accommodated in the carrier C can be detected for each slot. Such a wafer detection apparatus can be mounted on the window opening / closing mechanism 10.
[0020]
The wafer transfer device 7 disposed in the wafer transfer unit 5 is movable in the Y direction and the Z direction, and is configured to be rotatable in the XY plane (θ direction). The wafer transfer device 7 has a take-out / storage arm 11 that holds the wafer W, and the take-out / storage arm 11 is slidable in the X direction. In this way, the wafer transfer device 7 accesses the slots of any height of all the carriers C placed on the mounting table 6, and two upper and lower wafer transfer units 16 disposed in the cleaning processing unit 2. , 17, the wafer W can be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the cleaning processing unit 2 side, and conversely from the cleaning processing unit 2 side to the in / out port 4 side.
[0021]
The cleaning processing unit 2 includes a main wafer transfer device 18, two wafer transfer units 16 and 17, two substrate processing units 12 and 13 according to the present embodiment, substrate cleaning units 14 and 15, and processing The heating / cooling unit 19 includes three heating units that heat-treat the subsequent wafer W and a cooling unit that cools the heated wafer W. The main wafer transfer device 18 is disposed so as to be accessible to all of the wafer transfer units 16 and 17, the substrate processing units 12 and 13, the substrate cleaning units 14 and 15, and the heating / cooling unit 19. The wafer transfer units 16 and 17 temporarily place the wafer W in order to transfer the wafer W to and from the wafer transfer unit 5.
[0022]
The cleaning processing unit 2 includes an electrical unit 23 that is a power source for operating the entire cleaning processing system 1, various devices disposed in the cleaning processing system 1, and a machine that controls the operation of the entire cleaning processing system 1. A control unit 24 and a chemical solution storage unit 25 for storing a predetermined processing solution to be sent to the substrate processing units 12 and 13 and the substrate cleaning units 14 and 15 are disposed. The electrical unit 23 is connected to a main power source (not shown). A fan filter unit (FFU) 26 for downflowing clean air is disposed on each unit and the main wafer transfer device 18 on the ceiling of the cleaning processing unit 2.
[0023]
By installing the electrical unit 23, the chemical storage unit 25, and the machine control unit 24 outside the cleaning processing unit 2 or by pulling them out, the wafer transfer units 16, 17 and main wafer transfer from this surface (Y direction) Maintenance of the apparatus 18 and the heating / cooling unit 19 can be easily performed.
[0024]
In the machine control unit 24, a control unit 24a that performs operation control of various mechanisms provided in the substrate processing unit 12 according to the present embodiment is installed. The control unit 24a is connected to various mechanisms provided in the substrate processing unit 12, and can transmit control signals to them to control the operation of the entire substrate processing unit 12. Also, in the machine control unit 24, a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of various mechanisms disposed in each substrate processing unit 13 or substrate cleaning unit 14, 15 is installed. Operation control of the entire cleaning units 14 and 15 is performed.
[0025]
The wafer transfer units 16 and 17 are used to temporarily place the wafer W in order to transfer the wafer W to and from the wafer transfer unit 5. The wafer transfer units 16 and 17 are arranged in two upper and lower stages. Are arranged in a stack. For example, the lower wafer transfer unit 17 is used to place a wafer W to be transferred from the in / out port 4 side to the cleaning processing unit 2 side, and the upper wafer transfer unit 16 is input from the cleaning processing unit 2 side. Can be used to place the wafer W to be transferred to the outport 4 side.
[0026]
A part of the downflow from the fan filter unit (FFU) 26 flows out toward the wafer transfer unit 5 through the wafer transfer units 16 and 17 and the space above the wafer transfer units 16 and 17. As a result, intrusion of particles or the like from the wafer transfer unit 5 to the cleaning processing unit 2 is prevented, and the cleanliness of the cleaning processing unit 2 is maintained.
[0027]
The main wafer transfer device 18 includes a cylindrical support body 30 that can be rotated by a rotational driving force of a motor (not shown), and a wafer transfer body 31 that is vertically movable along the inner side of the cylindrical support body 30. Have. The wafer transfer body 31 is rotated integrally with the rotation of the cylindrical support 30 and has three transfer arms 34 arranged in multiple stages that can move forward and backward independently. , 35, 36.
[0028]
The substrate processing units 12 and 13 are arranged in two upper and lower stages. Further, the substrate processing units 12 and 13 can perform cleaning of the back surface of the wafer W and removal processing and cleaning (Back-Bevel cleaning processing) of the peripheral portion of the front surface of the wafer W, and have the same configuration. Therefore, the structure of the substrate processing unit 12 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below using the substrate processing unit 12 as an example.
[0029]
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the substrate processing unit 12. The unit chamber 42 of the substrate processing unit 12 includes an outer chamber 43 having a sealed structure for storing the wafer W and an edge arm storage portion 44. An opening 45 is formed in the unit chamber 42, and a unit chamber mechanical shutter 46 that opens and closes the opening 45 by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) is provided. For example, the wafer W is opened from the opening 45 to the substrate processing unit 12 by the transfer arm 34. The unit chamber mechanical shutter 46 is opened when the is carried in and out. The mechanical shutter 46 for the unit chamber opens and closes the opening 45 from the inside of the unit chamber 42. Even when the inside of the unit chamber 42 becomes positive pressure, the atmosphere inside the unit chamber 42 leaks to the outside. Absent.
[0030]
An opening 47 is formed in the outer chamber 43, and an outer chamber mechanical shutter 48 that opens and closes the opening 47 by a cylinder drive mechanism (not shown) is provided. For example, the wafer W is opened from the opening 47 to the outer chamber 43 by the transfer arm 34. The outer chamber mechanical shutter 48 is opened when the is loaded / unloaded. The outer chamber mechanical shutter 48 may be opened and closed by an opening / closing mechanism common to the unit chamber mechanical shutter 46. The mechanical shutter 48 for the outer chamber opens and closes the opening 47 from the inside of the outer chamber 43, and even when the pressure in the outer chamber 43 becomes positive, the atmosphere inside the outer chamber 43 leaks to the outside. Absent.
[0031]
Further, an opening 49 is formed in the edge arm storage portion 44, and an edge arm storage portion shutter 50 that opens and closes the opening 49 by a driving mechanism (not shown) is provided. When the edge arm storage portion 44 is isolated from the outer chamber 43 in an atmosphere, the edge arm storage portion shutter 50 is closed. The edge arm storage shutter 50 opens and closes the opening 49 from the inside of the outer chamber 43, and even if the inside of the unit chamber 42 becomes positive pressure, the atmosphere inside the unit chamber 42 leaks to the outside. Does not appear.
[0032]
In the edge arm storage unit 44, an edge arm 60 capable of discharging a processing fluid such as a chemical solution, pure water, and N 2 gas is stored. The edge arm 60 is movable to the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by a spin chuck 71 described later housed in the outer chamber 43. The edge arm 60 is retracted in the edge arm storage unit 44 except during processing. When the edge arm 60 moves from the opening 49 into the outer chamber 43, the edge arm storage portion shutter 50 is opened.
[0033]
As shown in FIG. 4, the edge arm 60 is supplied with a chemical solution supply nozzle 61 for supplying a chemical solution for removing the metal film MC such as copper laminated on the surface of the wafer W and pure water for rinsing the peripheral portion. A pure water supply nozzle 62, an N2 gas supply nozzle 63 for supplying N2 gas for drying the periphery, a shielding plate 64 for preventing the processing liquid supplied from the edge arm 60 to the wafer W, and an edge A suction nozzle 65 is provided for sucking a processing fluid such as a chemical solution, pure water, and N 2 gas supplied from the arm 60 and an atmosphere generated during the processing. Further, a shielding plate 64, a chemical solution supply nozzle 61, a pure water supply nozzle 62, an N2 gas supply nozzle 63, and a suction nozzle 65 are arranged in this order from the center on a line connecting the center and the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Since the tips of the chemical solution supply nozzle 61, the pure water supply nozzle 62, and the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 are inclined toward the outer peripheral direction of the wafer W, the processing fluid supplied from the edge arm 60 smoothly flows to the outside of the wafer W. Flows out.
[0034]
When supplying a chemical solution from the chemical solution supply nozzle 61 to the wafer W and when supplying pure water from the pure water supply nozzle 62, N2 gas is supplied from the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 at the same time. Further, before the supply of the chemical solution or pure water is started, the supply of N2 gas from the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 is started. In this case, the chemical solution or pure water is pushed away toward the outer periphery of the wafer W by the N 2 gas, and the chemical solution or pure water is prevented from flowing toward the center side of the wafer W. Since the tip of the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 is directed toward the outer periphery of the wafer W, the chemical solution or pure water can be effectively pushed out of the wafer W by the N2 gas.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 5, in the outer chamber 43, for example, three holding members 70 that hold the periphery with the surface of the wafer W as an upper surface, and three holding members 70 are rotated and moved to the three holding members 70. A spin chuck 71 that rotates the wafer W held at the periphery, and a holding release mechanism 74 that causes the three holding members 70 to hold the periphery of the wafer W and to release the hold of the periphery of the wafer W are arranged. Yes. In addition, an under plate 75 that moves up and down relatively with respect to the height at which the lower surface (back surface) of the wafer W is positioned when the periphery of the wafer W is held by the three holding members 70 is disposed. Furthermore, the inner cup 80 surrounding the periphery of the wafer W in a state where the peripheral edge is held by the three holding members 70 (peripheral holding state) and the upper surface (front surface) of the wafer W whose peripheral edge is held by the three holding members 70. A top plate 82 that moves up and down relatively is provided. Connected to the bottom of the outer chamber 43 is an outer chamber discharge pipe (not shown) for discharging the liquid droplets in the outer chamber 43.
[0036]
The spin chuck 71 includes a rotating plate 83 to which three holding members 70 are attached, and a rotating cylinder 84 connected to the lower portion of the rotating plate 83. A belt 87 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 84. By rotating the belt 87 by a motor 88, the entire spin chuck 71 rotates and the holding member 70 rotates on the circumference. It is like that.
[0037]
As shown in FIG. 9, holding members 70 are arranged at three locations around the rotation plate 83 so that the central angle is 120 °, and the wafer W is held from the periphery by these three holding members 70. It can be done. In addition, wafer holders 90 are arranged at three locations around the rotating plate 83 so that the central angle becomes 120 °. The three wafer holders 90 surround the periphery of the wafer W, and the lateral shift of the wafer W occurs. Is to prevent.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 6, the three holding members 70 that hold the wafer W at the periphery are provided in a direction substantially parallel to the rotation plate 83 and a vertical arm 91 provided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rotation plate 83. It has an L shape with parallel parallel arms 92. A holding member shaft 97 for attaching the holding member 70 configured in an L shape in this manner so as to be swingable in a substantially vertical plane with respect to the rotating plate 83 is provided. The vertical arm 91 protrudes above the rotating plate 83, the parallel arm 92 is provided below the rotating plate 83, and the peripheral edge of the rotating plate 83 is formed at an inner angle portion that forms a substantially right angle between the vertical arm 91 and the parallel arm 92. It is arranged so as to sandwich it. An abutting portion 95 that abuts on the periphery of the wafer W is provided at the upper end portion of the vertical arm 91. A compression spring 96 that biases the peripheral edge of the wafer W is provided between the parallel arm 92 and the rotary plate 83.
[0039]
The compression spring 96 has one end in contact with the rotating plate 83 and the other end in contact with the parallel arm 92. The compression spring 96 gives the parallel arm 92 a force in a direction away from the rotation plate 83, and uses this force to bring the contact portion 95 provided on the vertical arm 91 close to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The contact portions 95 of the two holding members 70 can be closed to each other.
[0040]
The holding release mechanism 74 includes a holding member opening / closing pin 100 that moves up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). The holding member opening / closing pin 100 can move up and down relatively with respect to the lower surface of the parallel arm 92 disposed below the rotary plate 83. When the holding member opening / closing pin 100 is raised, a force against the force applied to the parallel arm 92 by the compression spring 96 is applied, and the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 can be opened. On the other hand, when the holding member opening / closing pin 100 is lowered, the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 can be closed to each other by the force applied by the compression spring 96 to the parallel arms 92. As described above, the three contact portions 95 can be opened and closed by the vertical movement of the holding member opening / closing pin 100 of the holding release mechanism 74.
[0041]
When holding the periphery of the wafer W, the holding member opening / closing pins 100 are raised so that the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 are opened to each other, and the contact portions 95 are surrounded by the periphery. The wafer W is moved, and then the holding member opening / closing pins 100 are lowered to close the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70, and the contact portions 95 are brought into contact with the periphery of the wafer W. When releasing the holding of the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the holding member opening / closing pins 100 are raised as shown in FIG. 7 to open the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 to each other, as shown in FIG. The wafer W is retracted from a position surrounded by the contact portion 95 at the periphery. As described above, by raising and lowering the holding member opening / closing pin 100, the three contact portions 95 are opened and closed with each other, and the three holding members 70 are held (the holding state) and the wafer W is released. (Release state).
[0042]
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the holding release mechanism 74 includes three first holding member opening / closing pins 100a and three second holding member opening / closing pins 100b. The holding member opening / closing pins 100a are arranged at three locations below the rotary plate 83 so that the central angle is the same as the angle formed by the three holding members 70, that is, the central angle is 120 °. Similarly, the holding member opening / closing pins 100b are also arranged at three positions below the rotating plate 83 so that the central angle is the same as the angle formed by the three holding members 70, that is, the central angle is 120 °. In addition, the holding member opening / closing pin 100a and the holding member opening / closing pin 100b adjacent to each other are arranged so that the central angle is 10 °, for example. These six holding member opening / closing pins 100 are simultaneously moved up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown) of the holding release mechanism 74.
[0043]
When the spin chuck 71 rotates, the three holding members 70 rotate relative to the holding member opening / closing pins 100a and 100b. That is, the three holding members 70 are arranged at positions where the three abutting portions 95 are opened / closed by the three holding member opening / closing pins 100a (first opening / closing positions) and three abutting portions by the three holding member opening / closing pins 100b. It is possible to rotate and move between positions that open and close 95 (second opening and closing positions). As shown in FIG. 9 (a), when the three holding members 70 are moved to the first opening / closing positions, the three holding member opening / closing pins 100a abut against the parallel arms 92, respectively. By simultaneously moving the opening / closing pins 100a up and down, the three contact portions 95 are opened and closed with each other, and the periphery of the wafer W is held or released. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the three holding members 70 are moved to the second opening / closing positions, the three holding member opening / closing pins 100b abut against the parallel arms 92. By simultaneously moving the holding member opening / closing pins 100b up and down, the three contact portions 95 are opened and closed, and the periphery of the wafer W is held or released.
[0044]
The under plate 75 is connected to an under plate shaft 110 that penetrates from the inside of the rotary cylinder 84 to the rotary plate 83. The under plate shaft 110 is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal plate 111, and the horizontal plate 111 is moved up and down in the vertical direction integrally with the under plate shaft 110 by an elevating mechanism 112 made of an air cylinder or the like. Further, the under plate 75 is disposed at a position surrounded by the three holding members 70. Therefore, the under plate 75 is movable up and down in a state where it is lowered and separated from the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 and in a state where it is raised and close to the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70. . While the under plate 75 is fixed to a predetermined height, an elevator mechanism (not shown) is connected to the rotating cylinder 84 and the entire spin chuck 71 is moved up and down in the vertical direction, so that the under plate 75 is moved to three holding members. It may be movable up and down relatively with respect to 70.
[0045]
The underplate 75 is provided with a lower surface supply passage 115 that supplies a processing fluid such as a cleaning liquid or pure water or a processing fluid such as a dry gas (N2 gas), for example, through the underplate shaft 110. Further, the lower surface supply path 115 supplies a liquid such as pure water for supporting the lower surface of the wafer W. When the liquid layer PL is formed between the upper surface of the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W, the wafer W can be supported on the liquid layer PL by utilizing the surface tension of the liquid layer PL. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the wafer W floats on the liquid layer PL, and the wafer W can be supported only from the lower surface. In this case, since the solid is supported without contacting the wafer W, generation of particles can be prevented. In the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the support mechanism for supporting the lower surface of the wafer W is configured by the under plate 75 and the lower surface supply path 115. Note that a cleaning chemical used for cleaning the wafer W can be used as the liquid for the liquid layer PL.
[0046]
Further, since the under plate 75 is disposed inside the three wafer holders 90, the wafer W supported by the liquid layer PL is in a state where the periphery is surrounded by the three wafer holders 90. When the wafer W floating on the liquid layer PL moves laterally from a predetermined position on the upper surface of the underplate 75, the peripheral side surface of the wafer W comes into contact with one of the wafer holders 90, so that the wafer W is laterally moved. Even if it moves, it does not move outward from the position surrounded by the three wafer holders 90. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the wafer W supported on the lower surface from being laterally displaced from the under plate 75.
[0047]
When the wafer W is loaded into the outer chamber 43 and delivered to the spin chuck 71, and when the wafer W is received from the spin chuck 71 and unloaded from the outer chamber 43, the under plate 75 is lowered. Thus, a state (standby state) is established in which the three holding members 70 are separated from the contact portions 95 and are on standby. In this case, a sufficient gap is formed between the position (height) of the wafer W held by the under plate 75 and the three holding members 70, and the transfer arms 34, 35, 36 have a sufficient amount of spin chuck. The wafer W can be delivered to 71 or the wafer W can be received from the spin chuck 71.
[0048]
When performing processing on the lower surface of the wafer W, the under plate 75 is raised to a position close to the lower surface of the wafer W held by the three holding members 70 (processing position). Then, the processing fluid is supplied from the lower surface supply path 115. That is, a narrow gap is formed between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W, and a processing fluid is supplied to the gap. When, for example, the cleaning chemical solution is supplied from the lower surface supply path 115, the cleaning chemical solution is spread over the entire lower surface of the wafer W in a narrow gap, and a liquid film of the cleaning chemical solution that uniformly contacts the entire lower surface of the wafer W is formed. In this way, when the cleaning chemical liquid is deposited in the gap to form a liquid film, the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid can be prevented from being deformed by the surface tension. For example, if the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid collapses, a non-contact portion of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid occurs on the lower surface of the wafer W, or bubbles are mixed in the liquid film, resulting in poor cleaning. However, by depositing the cleaning chemical liquid in a narrow gap, it is possible to maintain the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid and prevent poor cleaning.
[0049]
When forming the liquid layer PL, the under plate 75 is raised to form a gap between the lower surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the under plate 75, and a liquid such as pure water is supplied to the gap from the lower surface supply path 115. . Further, when each holding member 70 is in a position where it is released by the holding release mechanism 74, the holding of the periphery of the wafer W can be released, and the lower surface can be supported by the liquid layer PL (lower surface support state). . The wafer W in the lower surface supported state moves the under plate 75 up and down to come into contact with the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 and hold the periphery (periphery holding position), and the contact portion 95. It can move up and down to a position (standby position) where it waits further below. The wafer W supported on the lower surface by the under plate 75 is always surrounded by the three wafer holders 90 even when the wafer W moves up and down by raising and lowering the under plate 75, so that the lateral displacement of the wafer W is prevented. When the liquid layer PL is excluded, the wafer W in a state in which the periphery is held by the three holding members 70 (periphery holding state) is rotated relative to the under plate 75 by the spin chuck 71, and the liquid layer is subjected to centrifugal force. PL is discharged toward the outer periphery of the wafer W.
[0050]
As shown in FIG. 8, even if the three contact portions 95 are closed when the wafer W in the lower surface support state is in a standby state (lower surface support standby state), the three holding members 70 and the under plate 75 are closed. In addition, a sufficient space is formed between the wafer W in the lower surface support standby state and the three holding members 70 and the wafer W in the lower surface support standby state are not in contact with each other. Accordingly, the three holding members 70 can move relative to the periphery of the wafer W without contacting the wafer W in the lower surface support standby state by the rotation of the spin chuck 71.
[0051]
When the spin chuck 71 rotates clockwise (clockwise) when viewed from above, the three holding members 70 rotate clockwise relative to the holding member opening / closing pins 100a and 100b. In this case, the control unit 24a controls the three holding members 70 from the holding state to the released state by the three holding member opening / closing pins 100b. That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, each of the three holding members 70 in the holding state is stopped at the first opening / closing position (above the three holding member opening / closing pins 100a), and the holding member opening / closing pin 100a is raised. As a result, the contact portions 95 are opened, and the three holding members 70 are released. On the other hand, a liquid layer PL is formed between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W, and the wafer W is controlled from the peripheral holding state to the lower surface supporting state. Then, the wafer W is set in a state of being waited downward from the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 (lower surface support standby state). Thereafter, the abutment portions 95 are closed by lowering the holding member opening / closing pin 100a. When the spin chuck 71 is rotated clockwise as viewed from above by the control of the control unit 24a, the three holding members 70 move clockwise relative to the peripheral edge of the waiting wafer W and are held. It moves clockwise relative to the member opening / closing pins 100a and 100b. Then, under the control of the control unit 24a, the three holding members 70 in the released state are stopped at the second opening / closing positions (above the holding member opening / closing pins 100b) as shown in FIG. By raising the pin 100b, the contact portions 95 are left open. Then, the under plate 75 is raised to move the wafer W from the standby position to the peripheral holding position, so that the peripheral edge is surrounded by the contact portion 95. Thereafter, the holding member opening / closing pins 100 b are lowered to close the contact portions 95 to each other, and the contact portions 95 are brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer W. In this way, the three holding members 70 can be held again, and the peripheral holding state where the wafer W is held by the three holding members 70 can be achieved. The contact part 95 after moving with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W in standby comes into contact with a part moved clockwise than the part contacted before moving.
[0052]
When the spin chuck 71 rotates counterclockwise (counterclockwise) when viewed from above, the three holding members 70 rotate counterclockwise relative to the holding member opening / closing pins 100a and 100b. In this case, the control unit 24a stops the three holding members 70 in the holding state at the second opening / closing position, and puts the three holding members 70 into the released state from the holding state by the three holding member opening / closing pins 100b. Further, by forming the liquid layer PL on the lower surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is changed from the peripheral edge holding state to the lower surface supporting state, and the holding member 70 is rotationally moved counterclockwise with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W in the lower surface supporting standby state. Then, the three holding members 70 in the released state are stopped at the first opening / closing position, and the three holding members 70 are changed from the released state to the holding state by the holding member opening / closing pins 100a. The contact part 95 after moving with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W in standby comes into contact with a part that has moved counterclockwise from a part that has contacted before moving.
[0053]
In this way, the control unit 24a for controlling the rotation of the spin chuck 71, the raising / lowering of the holding member opening / closing pins 100a, 100b of the holding release mechanism 74, the raising / lowering of the under plate 75, and the liquid supply of the lower surface supply passage 115 The three holding members 70 are raised from the holding state by raising the holding member opening / closing pins 100a of 74, and then the three holding members 70 are again lowered by lowering the holding member opening / closing pins 100b of the holding release mechanism 74. Before the wafer is held, the three holding members 70 and the periphery of the wafer W are relatively moved by the rotation of the spin chuck 71. The three holding members 70 can hold the periphery of the wafer W at different locations. Before the three holding members 70 are moved with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the processing liquid can be supplied to a position where the moved holding members 70 come into contact. After the three holding members 70 are moved with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the processing liquid can be supplied to the place where the holding member 70 before the movement contacts. Therefore, both the places where the three holding members 70 come into contact before the movement and the places where the three holding members 70 come into contact after the movement can process all the peripheral edges of the wafer W, thereby preventing uneven processing of the wafer W.
[0054]
The inner cup 80 is lowered to project the spin chuck 71 upward from the upper end of the inner cup 80 to transfer the wafer W, and the cleaning chemical solution that surrounds the spin chuck 71 and the wafer W and is supplied to both surfaces of the wafer W. And the processing fluid can be moved up and down to prevent the processing fluid from being scattered around. When lowering the inner cup 80 and transferring the wafer W to the spin chuck 71, the under plate 75 is positioned at the standby position and the top plate 82 is positioned at the retracted position. By doing so, a sufficient gap is formed between the under plate 75 and the top plate 82 for transferring the wafer W to the spin chuck 71. Connected to the bottom of the inner cup 80 is an inner cup discharge pipe (not shown) for discharging the liquid droplets in the inner cup 80.
[0055]
The top plate 82 is connected to the lower end of the top plate rotating shaft 120 and is rotated by a rotating shaft motor 122 installed on the horizontal plate 121. The top plate rotating shaft 120 is rotatably held on the lower surface of the horizontal plate 121, and the horizontal plate 121 is moved up and down in the vertical direction by a rotating shaft lifting mechanism 123 formed of an air cylinder or the like fixed to the upper portion of the outer chamber 43. Therefore, the top plate 82 can be moved up and down to a position away from the upper surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 71 (retreat position) and a position close to it (processing position) by the operation of the rotary shaft elevating mechanism 123. . As shown in FIG. 3, the diameter of the top plate 82 is smaller than the diameter of the wafer W, and the edge arm 60 can process the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The top plate 82 is provided with an upper surface supply path 125 for supplying, for example, N 2 gas, penetrating the top plate rotating shaft 120. Above the outer chamber 43, N2 gas supply means 126 for supplying N2 gas into the outer chamber 43 is provided.
[0056]
In the substrate processing unit 12, the control unit 24 a includes an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) of the unit chamber mechanical shutter 46, an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) of the outer chamber mechanical shutter 48, an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) of the edge arm storage shutter 50, edge A driving mechanism (not shown) that moves the arm 60, an on-off valve (not shown) that discharges the processing fluid from the edge arm 60, a holding release mechanism 74 that puts and holds the three holding members 70 in a holding state, and a motor 88 that rotates the spin chuck 71. A lifting mechanism 112 that lifts and lowers the underplate 75, an on-off valve that discharges the processing fluid from the lower surface supply passage 115, a lifting mechanism (not shown) that lifts and lowers the inner cup 80, a rotary shaft motor 122 that rotates the top plate 82, and a top plate 82 Times to raise and lower A control signal is transmitted to the shaft elevating mechanism 123, an on-off valve for discharging the processing fluid from the upper surface supply path 125, an on-off valve (not shown) for discharging N2 from the N2 gas supply means 126, and the like, thereby controlling the operation of the entire substrate processing unit 12. Do.
[0057]
The substrate processing unit 13 provided in the cleaning processing system 1 has the same configuration as that of the substrate processing unit 12, and cleans the back surface of the wafer W, removes the peripheral portion of the front surface of the wafer W, and cleans the peripheral portion (Back). -Bevel washing process). The substrate cleaning units 14 and 15 are configured to clean both surfaces of the wafer W with various cleaning liquids and perform a drying process.
[0058]
In this cleaning processing system 1, first, a carrier C storing, for example, 25 wafers W each not yet cleaned by a transfer robot (not shown) is placed on the in / out port 4. Then, the wafers W are taken out one by one from the carrier C placed on the in / out port 4 by the take-out / storage arm 11, and the wafers W are transferred from the take-out / storage arm 3 to the main wafer transfer device 7. Then, the wafer W is appropriately carried into the substrate processing unit 12 or 13 by the transfer arm 34, and the rear surface of the wafer W, the peripheral portion removal processing on the front surface of the wafer W, and the peripheral portion are cleaned. Further, contaminants such as particles which are appropriately carried into the substrate cleaning unit 14 or 15 and adhere to the wafer W are cleaned and removed. The wafer W that has been subjected to the predetermined cleaning process is again unloaded from the substrate processing units 12 and 13 or the substrate cleaning units 14 and 15 by the main wafer transfer device 7 and transferred to the take-out and storage arm 11 again. It is stored in.
[0059]
Here, the processing in the substrate processing unit 12 will be described as a representative of the substrate processing units 12 and 13. As shown in FIG. 5, first, the unit chamber mechanical shutter 46 and the outer chamber mechanical shutter 47 are opened, and the carrier arm 34 holding the wafer W is moved into the apparatus. On the other hand, the spin chuck 71 is stopped with the three holding members 70 positioned at the first opening / closing positions. Then, the holding member opening / closing pin 100a is raised to keep the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 open from each other. Further, the under plate 75 is lowered to a position away from the three abutting portions 95 that abut on the wafer W to be in a standby state. Further, the inner cup 80 is lowered to cause the wafer W and the three holding members 70 to relatively protrude upward. The top plate 82 is raised in advance and is located at the retracted position. The edge arm storage shutter 50 is closed.
[0060]
The main wafer transfer device 18 lowers the transfer arm 34 to a predetermined position between the three contact portions 95 and waits for the wafer W. Then, the holding member opening / closing pin 100a is lowered to close the three contact portions 95 to each other, and the contact portion 95 is brought into contact with the periphery of the wafer W supported by the transfer arm 34 so that the periphery of the wafer W It is held by the holding member 70. That is, the wafer W is held in the periphery and the three holding members 70 are held. The wafer W is held with the surface on which the semiconductor device is formed as the upper surface. The transfer arm 34 transfers the wafer W to the holding member 70, then withdraws from the inside of the outer chamber 43 and the unit chamber 42, and closes the unit chamber mechanical shutter 46 and the outer chamber mechanical shutter 47 after exiting.
[0061]
First, a cleaning process for the back surface of the wafer W is performed. The inner cup 80 is raised, and the three holding members 70 and the wafer W are surrounded. The under plate 75 is raised and brought close to the lower surface of the wafer W. A gap of about 0.5 to 3 mm, for example, is formed between the under plate 75 moved to the processing position and the lower surface of the wafer W (back surface of the wafer W) held by the spin chuck 71. On the under plate 75, for example, the cleaning chemical liquid is gently exuded from the lower surface supply path 115 and supplied to the gap. When the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid that uniformly contacts the entire lower surface of the wafer W is formed, the supply of the cleaning chemical liquid is stopped and the lower surface of the wafer W is cleaned.
[0062]
In this case, the spin chuck 71 rotates at a relatively low rotational speed (for example, about 10 to 30 rpm) such that the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical solution does not collapse, and rotates the wafer W held by the three holding members 70. Let As the wafer W rotates, a liquid flow is generated in the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid, and this liquid flow prevents stagnation in the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid and improves the cleaning efficiency. When the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid is about to collapse, a new liquid is supplied to appropriately repair the shape of the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid. In this way, consumption of cleaning chemicals is saved. The liquid droplet of the cleaning chemical liquid is dropped from the periphery of the underplate 75, while the cleaning chemical liquid is continuously supplied through the lower surface supply path 115, so that the liquid film of the cleaning chemical liquid is always replaced with a brand new cleaning chemical liquid. It is also possible to carry out a suitable cleaning chemical treatment. In this case as well, it is recommended to supply new solution as gently as possible to reduce the amount of cleaning chemicals.
[0063]
On the other hand, when forming the liquid film by depositing the cleaning chemical in the gap, the cleaning chemical is circulated from the periphery of the back surface of the wafer W to the surface of the wafer W (the surface of the metal film MC), and a peripheral portion described later. A cleaning chemical solution is supplied to the periphery of the surface of the wafer W to be removed. Then, simultaneously with the cleaning process on the back surface of the wafer W, the peripheral surface cleaning process on the front surface of the wafer W is performed.
[0064]
Thereafter, the spin chuck 71 rotates, for example, at 2000 rpm for 5 seconds. That is, the cleaning chemical liquid accumulated on the wafer W is sprinkled down into the inner cup 80 and discharged from the inner cup discharge pipe. Next, N 2 gas is supplied between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W from the lower surface supply path 115 for 10 seconds, for example, and the cleaning chemical atmosphere under the wafer W is discharged. By supplying the N 2 gas, the droplets of the cleaning chemical liquid can be removed from the back surface of the wafer W. It is also possible to collect only the cleaning chemical solution from the discharged cleaning chemical solution atmosphere, N2 gas, and cleaning chemical liquid droplets, and reuse it.
[0065]
Thereafter, a peripheral portion removing process step of removing the corners of the metal film MC laminated on the surface of the wafer W with a chemical solution is performed. The peripheral portion removal processing step includes a front peripheral portion removal processing step in which the peripheral portion removal processing is performed in a peripheral holding state before the three holding members 70 are moved relative to the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the three holding members 70. The peripheral member removal process is performed in the holding member moving step of moving the wafer relative to the peripheral edge of the wafer W and the peripheral holding state after the three holding members 70 are moved relative to the peripheral edge of the wafer W. And a rear peripheral portion removing process step.
[0066]
First, in the front peripheral portion removal processing step, the top plate 82 moves to the processing position. Further, the edge arm storage portion shutter 50 is opened, the edge arm 60 is moved to a predetermined position above the peripheral portion of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 71, and the N 2 gas supply nozzle 63 starts supplying N 2 gas. Next, supply of pure water by the pure water supply nozzle 62 and supply of the chemical solution by the chemical solution supply nozzle 61 are started. Then, a peripheral portion removing process is performed in which the corners of the metal film MC stacked on the surface of the wafer W are removed with a chemical solution.
[0067]
During the peripheral portion removing process, the spin chuck 71 rotates at a rotational speed of about 300 rpm, for example, clockwise when viewed from above. The lower surface supply path 115 continues to discharge N 2 gas and supplies N 2 gas between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W. Further, N 2 gas is supplied from the upper surface supply path 125 of the top plate 82 that has been lowered to the processing position. The N 2 gas supplied by the upper surface supply path 125 prevents the chemical solution supplied by the chemical solution supply nozzle 61 and the chemical solution atmosphere generated during the peripheral portion removal process from flowing into the central surface of the wafer W. That is, the N2 gas supplied from the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 and the upper surface supply path 125 effectively prevents the chemical liquid from flowing into the surface on the center side of the wafer W. Furthermore, supplying N 2 gas from the upper surface supply path 125 has an effect of preventing the generation of watermarks on the surface of the wafer W. Further, during the peripheral portion removal process, N 2 gas is supplied from the N 2 gas supply means 107 to form a down flow in the outer chamber 43. The space between the upper surface of the top plate 82 and the outer chamber 43 is filled with N 2 gas, and the chemical solution atmosphere is prevented from rising to the upper part in the outer chamber 43. Therefore, the chemical solution is prevented from remaining in the outer chamber 43 after the peripheral portion removing process.
[0068]
When the predetermined removal amount is reached, the chemical supply from the chemical supply nozzle 61 is stopped, and the removal process is stopped. Next, the supply of pure water by the pure water supply nozzle 62 is stopped, and finally, the supply of N 2 gas by the N 2 gas supply nozzle 63 is stopped. And the N2 gas supply of the lower surface supply path 115 is stopped. Thereafter, the rotation of the spin chuck 71 is stopped. At this time, the spin chuck 71 is stopped so that each of the three holding members 70 stops at the first opening / closing position.
[0069]
Thereafter, a holding member moving step is performed. First, pure water is supplied from the lower surface supply path 115 between the under plate 75 adjacent to the lower surface of the wafer W and the lower surface of the wafer W to form a pure water liquid layer PL. When the liquid layer PL having a sufficient liquid amount is formed between the lower surface of the wafer W and the upper surface of the under plate 75, the supply of pure water from the lower surface supply path 115 is stopped. Then, the holding member opening / closing pins 100a are raised, the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 are opened, and the contact portions 95 are separated from the peripheral edge of the wafer W. In this way, the three holding members 70 are released, and the lower surface of the wafer W is supported on the upper surface of the under plate 75 using the surface tension of the liquid layer PL.
[0070]
Subsequently, the under plate 75 is lowered to move the wafer W in the lower surface supported state to the standby position. At this time, since the contact portion 95 is separated from the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the peripheral edge of the wafer W is moved from the peripheral edge holding position to the lower standby position with a sufficient margin without contacting the holding member 70. Then, the wafer W is set in a state of being waited downward from the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 (lower surface support standby state).
[0071]
When the peripheral edge of the wafer W moves downward with respect to the contact portion 95, the holding member opening / closing pins 100a are lowered, and the contact portions 95 of the three holding members 70 are closed to each other. When the spin chuck 71 rotates clockwise as viewed from above, the spin chuck 71 rotates clockwise around the stationary under plate 75 and under plate shaft 110. As a result, the three holding members 70 together with the spin chuck 71 move clockwise relative to the peripheral edge of the standby wafer W at the standby position. Also, the three holding members 70 move clockwise relative to the holding member opening / closing pin 100a and the holding member opening / closing pin 100b. Then, the spin chuck 71 is rotated to a position where the contact portions 95 can be opened and closed by the three holding member opening / closing pins 100b. That is, the holding member opening / closing pin 100a and the holding member opening / closing pin 100b rotate at an angle of a central angle made with respect to the rotation center, for example, 1 to 10 °. In this way, the spin chuck 71 is stopped so that the three holding members 70 are stopped at the second opening / closing positions.
[0072]
Next, the holding member opening / closing pin 100b is raised to open the three contact portions 95 with each other. At this time, the three contact portions 95 are open to each other until the peripheral edge of the wafer W is moved upward with a sufficient margin without contacting the holding member 70. Then, the under plate 75 and the wafer W in a state where the lower surface is supported are moved upward, and the wafer W is stopped at the peripheral holding position held by the holding member 70.
[0073]
Next, the holding member opening / closing pin 100 b is lowered to close the three contact portions 95 to each other, and the contact portion 95 is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the wafer W. The contact portion 95 after moving in the clockwise direction relative to the peripheral edge of the waiting wafer W comes into contact with the portion moved in the clockwise direction from the portion in contact with the wafer W before moving. In this way, the three holding members 70 change from the released state to the held state again. Further, by moving with respect to the periphery of the wafer W, different positions on the periphery of the wafer W can be held before and after the movement with respect to the periphery of the wafer W on standby.
[0074]
Thereafter, the spin chuck 71 is rotated, and N 2 gas is supplied from the lower surface supply path 115 between the lower surface of the wafer W and the under plate 75 adjacent to the lower surface of the wafer W, so that the lower surface of the wafer W and the under plate 75 The liquid layer PL in between is discharged. That is, the relative rotation with respect to the under plate 75 of the spin chuck 71 applies a centrifugal force to move the liquid layer PL in the outer peripheral direction of the wafer W, and pushes the liquid layer PL in the outer peripheral direction with N 2 gas. The spin chuck 71 rotates at a rotation speed of about 300 rpm, for example.
[0075]
Subsequently, a rear peripheral portion removing process is performed. The lower surface supply path 115 continues the N 2 gas supply between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W. The N2 gas supply nozzle 63 provided on the edge arm 60 moved to a predetermined position starts supply of N2 gas, and then supplies pure water by the pure water supply nozzle 62 and chemical liquid by the chemical liquid supply nozzle 61. Start. Then, the corners of the metal film MC laminated on the surface of the wafer W are removed to a final predetermined removal amount. For example, the removal amount in the front peripheral portion removal processing step is half of the final predetermined removal amount, the remaining removal amount is processed in the rear peripheral portion removal processing step, and the final predetermined amount in the peripheral portion removal processing step is processed. Remove until the removal amount. In the rear peripheral portion removal processing step, the same processing as in the front peripheral portion removal processing step is performed. The top plate 82 descends to the processing position and supplies N 2 gas from the upper surface supply path 125. Further, N 2 gas is supplied from the N 2 gas supply means 107 to form a down flow in the outer chamber 43.
[0076]
When the predetermined removal amount is reached, first, the chemical solution supply from the chemical solution supply nozzle 61 is stopped, and the removal process is stopped. The N2 gas supply nozzle 63 continues to supply N2 gas, and the pure water supply nozzle 62 continues to supply pure water. Thereby, the peripheral portion rinsing process for rinsing the peripheral portion of the wafer W with pure water is started. On the other hand, pure water is supplied between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W from the lower surface supply path 115. Thus, the peripheral portion and the back surface of the wafer W are rinsed to wash away the chemical solution. In the rinsing process, the lower surface of the wafer W is supported by the under plate 75, and the three holding members 70 are brought into the peripheral holding state by the holding member opening / closing pins 100b from the position where the holding member opening / closing pins 100a are released from the peripheral holding state. By moving to the position, the locations held by the three holding members 70 may be changed alternately so that pure water is supplied to the entire periphery of the wafer W.
[0077]
Even during the rinsing process, the top plate 82 is lowered to the processing position, and N 2 gas is supplied from the upper surface supply path 125. The N 2 gas supplied by the upper surface supply path 125 prevents the pure water supplied by the pure water supply nozzle 62 and the water vapor atmosphere generated during the peripheral rinse process from flowing into the center side surface of the wafer W. Thus, pure water is prevented from flowing into the central surface of the wafer W by the N2 gas supplied from the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 and the upper surface supply path 125. Further, when N 2 gas is supplied from the upper surface supply path 125, there is an effect of preventing the generation of a watermark on the surface of the wafer W.
[0078]
When the rinsing process is completed, the supply of pure water through the pure water supply nozzle 62 and the lower surface supply path 115 is stopped. The N2 gas supply nozzle 63 continues to supply N2 gas to the peripheral portion of the wafer W and performs peripheral portion drying processing. On the other hand, N 2 gas is supplied from the lower surface supply path 115 between the under plate 75 and the lower surface of the wafer W to perform the back surface drying process. When the peripheral portion drying process and the back surface drying process are completed, the supply of N2 gas by the N2 gas supply nozzle 63 and the lower surface supply path 115 is stopped, and the top plate 82 is raised to the retracted position.
[0079]
After the drying process, the edge arm 60 moves into the edge arm storage section 44, and the edge arm storage section shutter 50 is closed. The rotation of the spin chuck 71 is stopped, and the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. Next, the wafer W is unloaded from the substrate processing unit 12. The unit chamber mechanical shutter 46 and the outer chamber mechanical shutter 47 are opened, and the main wafer transfer device 18 causes the transfer arm 34 to enter the device. The inner cup 80 is lowered to cause the wafer W and the three holding members 70 to relatively protrude upward. In addition, the under plate 75 is lowered to a position away from the wafer W held at the height of the three contact portions 95 and enters a standby state. The spin chuck 71 is stationary with the three holding members 70 positioned on the three holding member opening / closing pins 100a. Then, at a predetermined position where the transfer arm 34 receives the wafer W, it comes into contact with the wafer W and stands by. In this state, when the holding member opening / closing pin 100 a is raised and the three contact portions 95 are opened, the wafer W is supported by the transfer arm 34. Thus, the transfer arm 34 receives the wafer W from the three holding members 70 and moves out of the apparatus.
[0080]
According to the substrate processing apparatus 12, in the front peripheral portion removal processing step before the holding member moving step for moving the three holding members 70 with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W, the moved holding member 70 is brought into contact with the portion. Treatment liquid can be supplied. In the rear peripheral portion removal processing step after the holding member moving step, the processing liquid can be supplied to the place where the holding member 70 before moving contacts. Therefore, processing unevenness of the wafer W can be prevented.
[0081]
Although an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described here. For example, the number of holding members 70 is not limited to three, and may be three or more. The same number of holding member opening / closing pins 100a and 100b as the holding member 70 are installed, and the central angle formed by the plurality of holding member opening / closing pins 100a and the central angle formed by the plurality of holding member opening / closing pins 100b are plural. It is made to be the same size as the central angle formed by the holding member 70. For example, the holding members 70 may be arranged at four locations so that the central angle is 90 °. In this case, the holding member opening / closing pins 100a are arranged at four locations so that the central angle is 90 °, and the holding member opening / closing pins 100b are also arranged at four locations so that the central angle is 90 °. That is, the abutting portions 95 of the holding members 70 are opened and closed with respect to each other such that the holding member opening / closing pins 100 are brought into contact with the parallel arms 92 of the holding members 70. Note that the number of wafer holders 90 is not limited to three, and can be installed by changing the shape as appropriate.
[0082]
The holding member opening / closing pin 100 may be a member in which the adjacent holding member opening / closing pin 100a and the holding member opening / closing pin 100b are integrated. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, an arc shape along the trajectory of the parallel arm 92 that is rotated by the rotation of the spin chuck 71 may be used. The arc-shaped holding member opening / closing pin 100 'has a constant height when raised. The three holding member opening / closing pins 100 'are brought into contact with and raised from the three parallel arms 92, respectively, so that the three contact portions 95 are opened to each other, and the parallel arms 92 are brought into contact with the holding member opening / closing pins 100'. If the three holding members 70 are rotated and moved relative to the holding member opening / closing pin 100, the three abutting portions 95 are rotated and moved in the open state. Accordingly, the three holding members 70 can be moved with respect to the peripheral edge of the wafer W supported from the lower surface while the three contact portions 95 are opened from each other. In this case, the lower plate 75 and the wafer W supported on the lower surface by the under plate 75 are not lowered with respect to the three holding members 70, and can be kept on standby while the lower surface is supported at the position where the peripheral edge is released. .
[0083]
A plurality of support members 130 that contact the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the wafer W may be provided on the upper surface of the under plate 75. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the support member 130 is disposed so that the central angle is 120 ° in the peripheral portion of the under plate 75, and the lower surface of the wafer W is separated from the periphery by the three support members 130. It can be held. Further, the three support members 130 are provided at positions shifted from the lower sides of the three holding members 70 so as not to contact the three holding members 70 when the under plate 75 is raised. As shown in FIG. 12, each support member 130 has a slope inclined toward the outside of the wafer W, and the slope is brought into contact with a corner portion constituted by the peripheral surface and the bottom surface of the wafer W. The wafer W can be supported by the two support members 130. In this case, since the corner of the wafer W is brought into contact with the inclined surface of the support member 130, the contact area with the wafer W is minimized. Therefore, even when the support member 130 that is a solid is brought into contact with the wafer W and supported, generation of particles is suppressed. The number of support members 130 is not limited to three, and may be three or more. For example, the support members 130 may be arranged at four locations so that the center angle is 90 °. The plurality of support members 130 may support the wafer W from which the peripheral edge of the wafer W is released from the lower surface. In addition, the surface tension of the liquid layer PL is used to support the wafer W on the upper surface of the under plate 75, and when the three support members 130 are brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the wafer W, the wafer W is stably and reliably supported. And the occurrence of lateral shift of the wafer W can be suppressed.
[0084]
In the present embodiment, the wafer W in the lower surface support state is stopped and the three holding members 70 are moved with respect to the peripheral edge. However, the three holding members 70 are stopped and the wafer W in the lower surface support state is rotated. By doing so, the three holding members 70 may be moved relative to the periphery of the wafer W. For example, the under plate shaft 110 is provided with a rotation driving device, and the under plate 75 is configured to be rotatable. Further, the wafer W is brought into the lower surface support state by the three support members 130 provided on the upper surface of the under plate 75. Thereby, the wafer W in the lower surface support state can be rotated. Also in this case, the periphery of the wafer W can be held at different locations before and after the three holding members 70 move relative to the periphery of the wafer W, and move relative to each other. The locations where the three abutment portions 95 abut each other before and after moving can be processed.
[0085]
The present invention is not limited to a substrate processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid to perform a metal film removal process or a cleaning process, and may perform other processes on a substrate using various other processing liquids. good. The substrate is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, but may be other LCD substrate glass, a CD substrate, a printed substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like.
[0086]
【The invention's effect】
According to the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention, since the plurality of holding members can be moved relative to the peripheral edge of the substrate, the location where the holding members abut can be changed. In the process before the movement, the treatment liquid can be supplied to the place where the moved holding member comes into contact. In the processing after the plurality of holding members move with respect to the substrate, the processing liquid can be supplied to the place where the holding member before movement contacts. Therefore, the processing unevenness of the substrate can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cleaning processing system.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a cleaning processing system.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate processing unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an edge arm.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an enlarged configuration of an upper portion of the spin chuck.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the lower surface of the wafer is supported.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the under plate supporting the lower surface of the wafer is lowered and the contact portions are closed to each other.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a positional relationship among a wafer, a holding member, a wafer holder, and a holding member opening / closing pin.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory view illustrating a holding member opening / closing pin in another embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory view illustrating a support member provided on an under plate in another embodiment.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a support member and a wafer.
[Explanation of symbols]
C career
MC metal film
PL liquid layer
W wafer
1 Cleaning system
2 Cleaning section
3 carry-in / out section
12, 13 Substrate processing unit
14,15 Substrate cleaning unit
18 Main wafer transfer device
24 Machine control unit
24a Control unit
34, 35, 36 Transfer arm
42 Unit chamber
43 Outer chamber
44 Edge arm storage
50 Shutter for edge arm storage
60 Edge Arm
61 Chemical supply nozzle
62 Pure water supply nozzle
63 N2 gas supply nozzle
70 Holding member
71 Spin chuck
74 Holding release mechanism
75 Under plate
82 Top plate
83 Rotating plate
90 Wafer holder
91 Vertical arm
92 Parallel arms
95 Contact part
96 Compression spring
97 Holding member shaft
100, 100a, 100b Holding member opening / closing pin
115 Bottom supply path

Claims (9)

A substrate processing apparatus for holding a peripheral edge of a substrate by a plurality of holding members and rotating the substrate for processing,
A plurality of holding members that are in a holding state in which the contact portions are closed to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate and in a released state in which the contact portions are opened to release the peripheral edge of the substrate; A support mechanism for supporting the substrate when the holding member is in the released state,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the holding release mechanism and the support mechanism;
Under the control of the control unit, the plurality of holding members are released from the holding state, the contact parts are opened from each other, and the holding of the substrate periphery is released,
Lowering the substrate, closing the abutment portions together,
Next, the plurality of holding members are moved relative to the periphery of the waiting substrate,
Open the abutting parts to each other, raise the substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the contact portions are closed to each other and the periphery of the substrate is held at a location different from the location held before the movement. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism supplies a liquid to the lower surface of the substrate and supports the substrate using a surface tension of the liquid. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid is pure water. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism includes at least three support members that contact and support the lower surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism includes an under plate configured to be relatively close to a lower surface of the substrate held by the plurality of holding units. . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holder that prevents lateral displacement of the substrate. A plurality of holding members are attached to the rotating plate, and an elastic member for biasing the plurality of holding members to hold the peripheral edge of the substrate is provided,
  The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding release mechanism applies a force that resists the force urged by the elastic member to separate the holding member from the substrate. The peripheral edge of the substrate is held by a plurality of holding members, the substrate is rotated and processed, and then the contact portions where the holding member contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate are opened to release the holding of the peripheral edge of the substrate,
  The substrate supporting the lower surface is lowered to enter a standby state, and the contact portions are closed to each other,
  Next, the plurality of holding members are moved relative to the periphery of the waiting substrate,
  Open the abutting portions to each other, raise the substrate supporting the lower surface,
  A substrate processing method characterized in that the contact portions are closed to each other, the substrate is held at a location different from the location where the periphery of the substrate is held before the movement, and the substrate is rotated again. When supporting the lower surface of the substrate, the under plate is relatively close to the lower surface of the substrate, a liquid is supplied between the lower surface of the substrate and the under plate, and the substrate is mounted using the surface tension of the liquid. The substrate processing method according to claim 8, wherein the substrate processing method is supported.

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