JP4260820B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method. More specifically, for example, a processing fluid such as a chemical liquid, a rinsing liquid, or a drying fluid is supplied to a target object such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for LCD to perform cleaning and drying. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that performs such processing.

  Generally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process or an LCD manufacturing process, a resist adhering to an object to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a wafer or the like) such as a semiconductor wafer or LCD glass or a residue (polymer or the like) after dry processing is removed. In addition, a cleaning / drying processing apparatus using a processing fluid such as a processing liquid or gas is widely used. The treatment liquid here is, for example, an organic solvent or a chemical liquid such as an organic acid or an inorganic acid and a rinsing liquid, and the gas is a dry gas or the like.

  As a conventional cleaning / drying processing apparatus of this type, for example, one processing chamber having an opening for loading / unloading wafers and the like on one side and a door for opening / closing the opening is disposed in the processing chamber. And a rotor for rotating a carrier containing a wafer or the like while being inclined with respect to the horizontal axis, a liquid supply means for supplying a liquid to the wafer or the like, and a gas supply means for supplying a gas to the wafer or the like Is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, there is also known one in which a processing chamber (chamber) can be removed during maintenance or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The cleaning / drying apparatus has a structure in which a motor and a nozzle are attached to an attachment plate together with the processing chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 3). In addition, gas / liquid separation means is provided in a drain / exhaust line communicating with the processing chamber to separate and discharge the processing liquid supplied to the processing (for example, see Patent Document 4). Moreover, what comprises a sensor in a gas-liquid separation part is also known (for example, refer patent document 5). According to this cleaning / drying apparatus, in a state where a cassette containing a plurality of wafers and the like is held by the rotor, the door is closed and the processing chamber is sealed, and then the rotor and wafers are rotated, and the liquid supply means Then, a cleaning process is performed by supplying a liquid to the wafer or the like, and after the cleaning process, the rotor and the wafer or the like are similarly rotated and a gas is supplied to the wafer or the like to perform a drying process. An apparatus that loads from the front side of the apparatus in a cassette-less manner is also known (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 and 7).

Further, as another processing apparatus, a single-wafer type spin processing apparatus including a plurality of upper-open processing chambers (cups) is also known (for example, see Patent Document 8).
US Patent No. 4300581 US Pat. No. 5,221,360 US Pat. No. 5,024,419 US Pat. No. 5,095,927 US Pat. No. 5,154,199 US Pat. No. 5,678,320 US Pat. No. 5,784,797 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-34902

  However, in the cleaning / drying processing apparatus as described above, since the cleaning process and the drying process are performed in one processing chamber, the cleaning liquid used for the cleaning process remains during the drying process, which hinders the drying process. As a result, there was a problem that the atmosphere during the drying process was disturbed. This problem also arises when one type of cleaning liquid is used. In particular, when a cleaning process is performed using a different type of processing fluid, for example, a chemical solution such as a resist stripping solution or a polymer removing solution, or a solvent for these chemical solutions. (For example, IPA: isopropyl alcohol), a rinsing liquid (for example, pure water) or a processing fluid such as a drying gas (for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) gas or clean air) is used for cleaning and drying processing. Or when a cleaning process is performed by sequentially supplying an acidic cleaning liquid (for example, SPM), pure water, and an alkaline cleaning liquid (for example, APM), processing fluids such as different types of chemicals react, There is a risk of cross contamination and contamination of the wafer and the like.

  As a method of solving the above problem, it is conceivable to carry out the treatment by transferring it to different treatment chambers depending on the type of the treatment fluid, but in such a method, there is a problem that the treatment efficiency is lowered, There is also a problem that the size of the apparatus is increased.

  In addition, the single wafer spin processing apparatus described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-34902 has a plurality of processing chambers (cups), so that it can prevent the processing fluids such as different types of chemical solutions from reacting to some extent. In addition, since the upper open cup is used, there is a problem that contamination of a wafer or the like to be processed cannot be sufficiently prevented.

This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and to prevent contamination of the object to be processed by the reaction of different kinds of treatment fluids, so as thereby improving the processing efficiency, and was set to downsizing of the device process The object is to provide an apparatus .

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a holding means for holding the object to be processed, and a plurality of processing chambers capable of sealingly sealing the object to be processed held by the holding means, A processing fluid supply means for supplying a processing fluid to the object to be processed; and a moving means for moving at least one of the plurality of processing chambers relative to the object to be processed; The inner atmosphere of at least one of the plurality of processing chambers and the inner atmosphere of the other processing chamber are formed to be separable from each other, and the processing chamber supports a holding unit. A first fixed wall, a second fixed wall facing the first fixed wall, and an inner member that is engageable between the first fixed wall and the second fixed wall via a seal member. A sealing member is provided between the first processing chamber formed by the cylindrical body and the inner cylindrical body. The first fixed wall, the second fixed wall, and the outer cylinder that can be engaged with the second fixed wall and the inner cylinder via a seal member are formed. And a second processing chamber .

  With this configuration, the plurality of objects to be processed held by the holding unit can be processed by supplying the processing fluid in the plurality of processing chambers, so that the objects to be processed are contaminated by different processing fluids. Can be prevented. In addition, since the atmosphere between the processing chambers is not mixed, cross-contamination caused by reaction of different processing fluids can be prevented.

In addition, since the switching between the first and second processing chambers can be performed only by the switching movement of the inner cylinder body and the outer cylinder body, the switching use of the first and second processing chambers can be facilitated. Throughput can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the processing apparatus according to claim 1, to form a part of the processing chamber at the cylindrical body, is formed in a tapered shape that widens toward one end of the tubular body, the tubular A treatment fluid drainage port and an exhaust port are provided on the body expansion side portion.

  With this configuration, the liquid adhering to the processing chamber wall is efficiently moved to the expansion side by the tapered portion of the cylinder forming a part of the processing chamber and the air flow generated by the rotating holding means. Can be discharged.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect , the moving means moves the processing chamber between a surrounding position that surrounds the object to be processed and a standby position that is different from the surrounding position. It is characterized by doing.

  With this configuration, vibration due to movement of the object to be processed can be prevented, and damage to the object to be processed can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the moving means moves a plurality of processing chambers on the same axis.

  With this configuration, the installation space for the processing chamber can be reduced and the apparatus can be downsized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, at least one processing chamber of the plurality of processing chambers is projected and retracted so as to surround another processing chamber. It is formed to be polymerizable.

With this configuration, the installation space for the processing chamber can be reduced and the apparatus can be miniaturized as in the case of the above-described fourth aspect .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a heat insulating coating made of a fluororesin is formed on the inner surface of the processing chamber.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the cylindrical body constituting the processing chamber is made of a fluororesin.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, when high-temperature processing is performed in the processing chamber, it is possible to prevent heat from being released from the cylindrical body or the like constituting the processing chamber. Therefore, when high temperature treatment is performed again, reheating is facilitated and temperature loss can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  1) According to the first aspect of the invention, the object to be processed can be prevented from being contaminated by different processing fluids, and the atmosphere between the processing chambers is not mixed. Contamination can be prevented.

2) Further , according to the first aspect of the invention , the first and second processing chambers can be switched only by the switching movement of the inner cylinder body and the outer cylinder body. It is possible to facilitate the use of switching chambers, and the throughput can be improved.

3) According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid adhering to the processing chamber wall is efficiently expanded by the tapered portion of the cylinder forming a part of the processing chamber and the air flow generated by the rotating holding means. Since it can move to the side and discharge | emit, processing efficiency can be improved further.

4) According to the invention of claim 3 , since the moving means moves the processing chamber between the surrounding position surrounding the object to be processed and the standby position different from the surrounding position, the movement of the object to be processed Can be prevented, and damage to the object can be reduced.

5) According to the invention described in claim 4 , by moving the plurality of processing chambers on the same axis, it is possible to reduce the installation space of the processing chamber and to reduce the size of the apparatus.

6) According to the invention described in claim 5, as in the invention described in claim 4 , the installation space of the processing chamber can be reduced and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

7) According to the inventions of claims 6 and 7 , when high temperature processing is performed in the processing chamber, it is possible to prevent heat from being released from the cylindrical body constituting the processing chamber, so that high temperature processing is performed again. Reheating becomes easy and temperature loss can be reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In this embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a semiconductor wafer cleaning / drying processing apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a cleaning / drying processing system to which a processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

  The cleaning / drying processing system includes a loading / unloading unit for loading and unloading a container, for example, a carrier 1, which horizontally stores a plurality of, for example, 25, wafers W (hereinafter referred to as “wafers W”) as processing objects. 2, a processing unit 3 that liquid-processes and dry-processes the wafer W, and an interface unit 4 that is positioned between the loading / unloading unit 2 and the processing unit 3 and that transfers the wafer W, adjusts its position, changes its posture, and the like. And is mainly composed. A carrier stock 5 for temporarily storing an empty carrier 1 and a carrier cleaner 6 for cleaning the carrier 1 are disposed beside the loading / unloading unit 2 and the interface unit 4.

  The carry-in / carry-out unit 2 is disposed at one end of the cleaning / drying apparatus, and is provided with a carrier carry-in unit 2a and a carrier carry-out unit 2b.

  The interface unit 4 is provided with a carrier mounting table 7. Between the carrier mounting table 7 and the carry-in / carry-out unit 2, the carrier 1 received from the carrier carry-in unit 2 a Carrier conveying means 8 for conveying the carrier 1 on the carrier stock 5 and conveying the carrier 1 on the carrier mounting table 7 to the carrier carry-out portion 2b or the carrier stock 5 is provided. Further, the interface section 4 is provided with a transfer path 9 connected to the processing section 3, and a wafer transfer means such as a wafer transfer chuck 10 is movably disposed in the transfer path 9. The wafer transfer chuck 10 receives an unprocessed wafer W from the inside of the carrier 1 on the carrier mounting table 7 and then transfers the processed wafer W to the processing unit 3. The processed wafer W processed by the processing unit 3 is transferred to the carrier 1. It is comprised so that it can carry in.

  On the other hand, the processing unit 3 is provided with a processing apparatus 20 according to the present invention for removing resist, polymer, and the like attached to the wafer W. The processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the processing apparatus 20 includes a rotatable holding means for holding the wafer W, for example, a rotor 21, a motor 22 that is a driving means for rotating the rotor 21 around a horizontal axis, and a rotor 21. A plurality of, for example, two processing chambers (first processing chamber, second processing chamber) that surround the wafer W held by the inner chamber 23 and the outer chamber 24, and the inner chamber 23 or the outer chamber 24. A supply means 50 for a processing fluid such as a resist stripping solution and a polymer removal liquid, a supply means 60 for a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and a processing liquid such as a rinsing liquid such as pure water. Supply means 70 (rinse liquid supply means) 70 or dry gas (dry fluid) supply means 80 such as nitrogen (N 2) or an inert gas such as nitrogen (N 2). Means 50 and dry fluid supply means 80 are shown. }, And a moving means for switching the inner cylinder 25 constituting the inner chamber 23 and the outer cylinder 26 constituting the outer chamber 24 to an enclosing position of the wafer W and a standby position away from the enclosing position of the wafer W, for example, The first and second cylinders 27 and 28 and the wafer W are received from the wafer transfer chuck 10 and transferred to the rotor 21, and are also received from the rotor 21 and transferred to the wafer transfer chuck 10. And the main part is composed.

  The motor 22 and the processing fluid supply means 50, 60, 70, 80 in the processing apparatus 20 configured as described above (in FIG. 1, the chemical solution supply means 50 and the dry fluid supply means 80 are shown. }, The wafer delivery hand 29 and the like are controlled by a control means such as a central processing unit 30 (hereinafter referred to as CPU 30).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotor 21 is connected to a drive shaft 22a of a horizontally arranged motor 22 in a cantilevered manner, and holds the wafer W so that the processing surface is vertical, and is horizontal. It is formed to be rotatable around an axis. In this case, the rotor 21 includes a first rotating plate 21a having a rotating shaft 21A coupled to the drive shaft 22a of the motor 22 via a coupling 22b, and a second rotation facing the first rotating plate 21a. A plate 21b, a plurality of, for example, four fixed holding rods 31 installed between the first and second rotating plates 21a and 21b, and holding grooves 31a arranged on the fixed holding rods 31 (see FIG. 10). It is composed of a pair of presser bars 32 which are switched between a presser position and a non-presser position by a lock means (not shown) and a lock release means (not shown) for pressing the upper portion of the held wafer W. The rotating shaft 21A of the rotor 21 is rotatably supported by the first fixed wall 34 via a bearing 33, and is moved to the motor 22 side by a labyrinth seal 35 connected to the bearing 33 on the first fixed wall side. The generated particles or the like are configured not to enter the processing chamber (see FIG. 3). The motor 22 is housed in a fixed cylinder 36 that is connected to the first fixed wall 34. The motor 22 is controlled so as to be able to selectively and repeatedly perform a predetermined high speed rotation, for example, 100 to 3000 rpm and a low speed rotation, for example, 1 to 500 rpm, based on a program stored in the CPU 30 in advance. In this case, the rotation speed of the low-speed rotation and a part of the rotation speed of the high-speed rotation overlap, but the low-speed rotation and the high-speed rotation are set corresponding to the viscosity of the chemical solution. Low-speed rotation and high-speed rotation do not overlap (the same applies to the following description). The low-speed rotation here means a low speed compared with the rotation speed when the chemical solution that has contacted the wafer W is shaken off by centrifugal force. Conversely, the high-speed rotation means that the supplied chemical solution is sufficient on the wafer W. This means that the rotation speed is higher than the rotation speed that can be contacted to such an extent that it can react to the above.

  Therefore, since the motor 22 may be overheated by switching between high speed rotation and low speed rotation many times, the motor 22 is provided with a cooling means 37 for suppressing overheating. As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling means 37 is provided with a circulating cooling pipe 37a piped around the motor 22, a part of the cooling pipe 37a and a part of the cooling water supply pipe 37b. The heat exchanger 37c cools the refrigerant liquid sealed in the cooling pipe 37a. In this case, as the refrigerant liquid, an electrically insulating and heat conductive liquid such as ethylene glycol is used so that the motor 22 does not leak even if it leaks. The cooling means 37 is controlled by the CPU 30 so that it can operate based on a signal detected by a temperature sensor (not shown). The cooling means 37 does not necessarily have the structure as described above. For example, an air cooling type or an electric type using a Peltier element can be used.

  On the other hand, the processing chamber, for example, the inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) includes a first fixed wall 34, a second fixed wall 38 that faces the first fixed wall 34, and the first fixed wall 34. And the inner cylinder 25 that engages with the second fixed wall 38 via the first and second seal members 40a and 40b, respectively. That is, the inner cylinder 25 is moved to a position surrounding the wafer W together with the rotor 21 by the extension operation of the first cylinder 27 as a moving means, and the first seal member is interposed between the inner cylinder 25 and the first fixed wall 34. The inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) is formed in a state of being sealed via the second sealing wall 40b and sealed with the second fixed wall 38 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 3). (See FIG. 6). Further, the first cylinder 27 is configured to be moved to the outer peripheral side position (standby position) of the fixed cylinder 36 by the contraction operation (see FIGS. 4, 5, and 7). In this case, the distal end opening of the inner cylinder 25 is sealed with the first fixed wall 34 via the first seal member 40 a, and the base end of the inner cylinder 25 is an intermediate part of the fixed cylinder 36. The atmosphere of the chemical liquid remaining in the inner chamber 23 is prevented from leaking to the outside by being sealed through a third seal member 40c provided around the inner wall.

  Further, the outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber) includes a first fixed wall 34 with a seal member 40b interposed between the inner cylinder 25 moved to the standby position, a second fixed wall 38, The outer cylinder body 26 is formed between the second fixed wall 38 and the inner cylinder body 25 through the fourth and fifth seal members 40d and 40e. That is, the outer cylinder 26 is moved to a position surrounding the wafer W together with the rotor 21 by the extension operation of the second cylinder 28 as a moving means, and the fourth seal member is interposed between the outer cylinder 26 and the second fixed wall 38. The outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber) is formed in a state of being sealed through the fifth seal member 40e located outside the tip end portion of the inner cylinder 25 while being sealed through the 40d. (See FIG. 7). Further, the second cylinder 28 is configured to be moved to the outer peripheral side position (standby position) of the fixed cylinder 36 by the contraction operation of the second cylinder 28 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). In this case, a fifth seal member 40e is interposed between the base end portions of the outer cylinder body 26 and the inner cylinder body 25 and sealed. Accordingly, since the inner atmosphere of the inner chamber 23 and the inner atmosphere of the outer chamber 24 are separated from each other in a gas-watertight state, different processing fluids react without the atmosphere in both the chambers 23 and 24 being mixed. Cross contamination that occurs can be prevented.

  The first to fifth sealing members 40a to 40e are formed by a sealing mechanism that encloses compressed air in, for example, a synthetic rubber hollow packing that is swellably attached to one of the objects to be sealed. Yes.

  Both the inner cylinder body 25 and the outer cylinder body 26 configured as described above are formed in a tapered shape that expands toward the tip, and as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first and second cylinder bodies face each other on the same horizontal line. It is slidably mounted along a plurality of parallel guide rails 39A (three cases are shown in the drawing) installed on one fixed wall 34, second fixed wall 38 and apparatus side wall 39. The first and second cylinders 27 and 28 are formed to be concentrically movable and superposed on each other by the expansion and contraction operations of the first and second cylinders 27 and 28. Thus, when the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26 are formed in a tapered shape that expands toward one end, the rotor 21 is rotated in the inner cylinder 25 or the outer cylinder 26 during processing. The generated airflow flows spirally to the expansion side, and the internal chemicals can be easily discharged to the expansion side. In addition, by setting the inner cylinder body 25 and the outer cylinder body 26 to be superposed on the same axis, the installation space for the inner cylinder body 25, the outer cylinder body 26, the inner chamber 23, and the outer chamber 24 can be reduced. In addition, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  The inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26 are made of stainless steel. Further, a heat insulating layer such as polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical body 25, and the chemical solution and the vapor of the chemical solution used for processing in the inner chamber 23 are cooled by the heat insulating layer. It is comprised so that it can prevent.

  On the other hand, among the processing fluid supply means, a chemical solution, for example, a polymer removal liquid supply means 50 includes a chemical liquid supply nozzle 51 mounted in the inner cylinder 25 and a chemical liquid supply, as shown in FIGS. And a pump 54, a filter 55, a temperature regulator 56, and a chemical solution supply valve 57 interposed in a chemical solution supply line 53 connecting the chemical solution supply nozzle 51 and the chemical solution supply unit 52. In this case, the chemical supply unit 52 includes a chemical supply source 58, a chemical supply tank 52a for storing a new chemical supplied from the chemical supply source 58, and a circulation supply tank 52b for storing a chemical supplied for processing. The first liquid drain pipe 42 is connected to the first liquid drain port 41 provided at the lower part of the expansion side portion of the inner chamber 23 in both the chemical liquid supply tanks 52a and 52b, A circulation line 90 is connected to the first drain pipe 42 via a switching valve (switching means) not shown. A first exhaust port 43 is provided at the upper part of the expansion side portion of the inner chamber 23. The first exhaust port 43 has a first exhaust pipe provided with an opening / closing valve (not shown). 44 is connected. In addition, a temperature adjusting heater 52c is disposed outside the supply tanks 52a and 52b so that the chemical solution in the supply tanks 52a and 52b is maintained at a predetermined temperature. Further, the chemical solution supply nozzle 51 is positioned outside the outermost wafer W and between the wafers W so that the chemical solution can be uniformly supplied to a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers W held by the rotor 21. The nozzle is formed by a shower nozzle having 26 nozzle holes (not shown), and a chemical solution is ejected in a substantially fan shape from each nozzle hole. Accordingly, by supplying the chemical solution from the nozzle hole of the chemical solution supply nozzle 51 toward the wafer rotating with the rotor 21, the chemical solution can be uniformly supplied to a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers W held by the rotor 21. . In addition, when supplying a chemical | medical solution only to the surface side of the wafer W, 25 nozzle holes may be sufficient. Here, a case has been described in which the rotor 21 holds 25 wafers W at the same interval as when stored in the carrier 1. However, for example, 50 sheets are stored in the rotor 21 at half the interval during storage of the carrier. May be held. In this case, the number of nozzle holes is 51 or 50.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a chemical solution solvent, for example, IPA supply means 60 includes a supply nozzle 51 (which will be represented by the chemical solution supply nozzle 51 hereinafter) that also serves as the chemical solution supply nozzle mounted in the inner cylinder 25, and a solvent. A pump 54A, a filter 55A, and an IPA supply valve 63 are provided in the supply section 61 and an IPA supply pipe 62 connecting the supply nozzle 51 and the chemical solution supply section 52. The chemical solution solvent here is a liquid that does not react with the chemical solution and does not react with the rinsing liquid used in the subsequent process, and the chemical solution adhering to the wafer W or the chamber is roughly divided by the solvent of the chemical solution. Anything that can be washed away is acceptable. In this case, the solvent supply unit 61 includes a supply source 64 of a solvent, for example, IPA, an IPA supply tank 61a for storing new IPA supplied from the IPA supply source 64, and a circulation supply for storing IPA used for processing. The first drainage pipe connected to the first drainage port 41 provided in the lower part of the expansion side portion of the inner chamber 23 is formed in both the IPA supply tanks 61a and 61b. A circulation line 90 is connected to 42 through a switching valve (switching means) (not shown).

  On the other hand, the rinsing liquid, for example, pure water supply means 70, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 8, includes a pure water supply nozzle 71 attached to the second fixed wall 38, a pure water supply source 72, A supply pump 74 and a pure water supply valve 75 are provided in a pure water supply pipe 73 connecting the water supply nozzle 71 and the pure water supply source 72. In this case, the pure water supply nozzle 71 is disposed outside the inner chamber 23 and so as to be located inside the outer chamber 24, and the inner cylinder 25 moves backward to the standby position, and the outer cylinder When the body 26 moves to a position surrounding the rotor 21 and the wafer W to form the outer chamber 24, the body 26 is located in the outer chamber 24 and is configured to supply pure water to the wafer W. Yes.

  Further, a second drain port 45 is provided at the lower part of the expansion side portion of the outer chamber 24, and the second drain port 45 is provided with a second drain valve that is not shown. A drain pipe 46 is connected. The second drain pipe 46 is provided with a specific resistance meter 47 for detecting the specific resistance value of pure water, and the specific resistance value of pure water subjected to rinsing treatment by the specific resistance meter 47. Is detected, and the signal is transmitted to the CPU 30. Therefore, the specific resistance meter 47 monitors the condition of the rinsing process, and after the appropriate rinsing process is performed, the rinsing process can be terminated.

  A second exhaust port 48 is provided in the upper part of the expansion side portion of the outer chamber 24, and the second exhaust port 48 is provided with a second exhaust through an on-off valve (not shown). A tube 49 is connected.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, the drying fluid supply means 80 includes a drying fluid supply nozzle 81 attached to the second fixed wall 38, a drying fluid such as a nitrogen (N2) supply source 82, An on-off valve 84, a filter 85, and an N2 temperature regulator 86 are provided in a dry fluid supply line 83 connecting the dry fluid supply nozzle 81 and the N2 supply source 82, and the dry fluid supply line is provided. A branch line 88 branched from the IPA supply line 62 is connected to the secondary side of the N2 temperature controller 86 at 83 via a switching valve 87. In this case, the dry fluid supply nozzle 81 is located outside the inner chamber 23 as well as the pure water supply nozzle 71, and is disposed so as to be located inside the outer chamber 24. Is retracted to the standby position, and the outer cylinder 26 moves to a position surrounding the rotor 21 and the wafer W to form the outer chamber 24. And a mixed fluid of IPA can be supplied in a mist form. In this case, after drying with a mixed fluid of N2 gas and IPA, drying is further performed only with N2 gas. Although the case where the dry fluid is a mixed fluid of N2 gas and IPA has been described here, only the N2 gas may be supplied instead of the mixed fluid.

  Note that the pumps 54 and 54A, the temperature regulator 56, the N2 temperature regulator 86, the chemical liquid supply valve 57, and the IPA supply valve 63 in the chemical liquid supply means 50, IPA supply means 60, pure water supply means 70, and dry fluid supply means 80. The switching valve 87 is controlled by the CPU 30 (see FIG. 2).

  In addition, the processing apparatus 20 comprised as mentioned above is arrange | positioned in the processing space which has a filter unit (not shown) above, and clean air is always flowing down.

  Next, an operation mode of the cleaning / drying processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. First, the carrier 1 containing the unprocessed wafer W loaded into the carrier loading section 2 a of the loading / unloading section 2 is transferred onto the carrier mounting table 7 by the carrier transfer means 8. Next, the wafer transfer chuck 10 is moved onto the carrier mounting table 7 to carry out the wafer W from the inside of the carrier 1, and the received wafer W is placed above the processing device 20 of the processing unit 3, that is, the inner cylinder 25 and The outer cylinder 26 is conveyed to a position above the rotor 21 in a state where the outer cylinder 26 is retracted to the standby position. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the wafer delivery hand 29 is raised to receive the wafer W carried by the wafer carrying chuck 10, and then lowered to deliver the wafer W onto the fixed holding rod 31 of the rotor 21. After that, the wafer delivery hand 29 moves to the original position. After delivering the wafer W onto the fixed holding rod 31 of the rotor 21, a locking means (not shown) is activated and the wafer pressing rod 32 moves to the upper edge of the wafer W to hold the upper portion of the wafer W (see FIG. 5). ).

  When the wafer W is set on the rotor 21 as described above, the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26 move to a position surrounding the rotor 21 and the wafer W as shown in FIG. A wafer W is accommodated therein. In this state, first, a chemical solution is supplied to the wafer W to perform a chemical treatment. In this chemical treatment, after supplying the chemical solution for a predetermined time, for example, several tens of seconds while rotating the rotor 21 and the wafer W at a low speed, for example, 1 to 500 rpm, the supply of the chemical solution is stopped. The chemical solution adhering to the surface of the wafer W is spun off and removed by rotating at high speed, for example, 100 to 3000 rpm for several seconds. The chemical solution processing is completed by repeating the chemical solution supply step and the chemical solution shaking step several times to several thousand times. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, when the N2 knife nozzle 100 is disposed in the inner cylindrical body 25 and N2 gas is blown from the N2 knife nozzle 100 when the chemical solution is shaken off, The chemical solution can be shaken off or removed quickly. In this case, the N2 knife nozzle 100 may be connected to the N2 supply source 82 of the dry fluid supply means 80 via an on-off valve (not shown).

  In the chemical solution processing step, as the chemical solution supplied first, the chemical solution stored in the circulation supply tank 52b is used, and this first used chemical solution is discarded from the first drain pipe 42, and the subsequent processing. The chemical solution supplied to circulates and supplies the chemical solution stored in the supply tank 52b. Then, at the end of the chemical processing, the new chemical supplied from the chemical supply source 58 into the supply tank 52a is used, and the chemical processing ends.

  In the chemical treatment process, the chemical used for the chemical treatment is discharged to the first drain port 41, and the operation of a switching valve (not shown) causes the circulation line 45 of the chemical supply unit 52 or the The gas discharged from the chemical liquid is exhausted from the first exhaust pipe 44 via the first exhaust port 43 while being discharged to the one drain pipe 42.

  After performing the chemical treatment, the wafer W is housed in the inner chamber 23 and rotated at a low speed, for example, 1 to 500 rpm from the chemical supply nozzle 51 that also serves as the IPA supply nozzle of the IPA supply means 60. After supplying the IPA for a predetermined time, for example, several tens of seconds, the supply of IPA is stopped, and then the rotor 21 and the wafer W are rotated at a high speed, for example, 100 to 3000 rpm for several seconds to shake off the IPA adhering to the wafer W surface. Remove. The chemical solution removal process is completed by repeating the IPA supply process and the IPA swing-off process several times to several thousand times. Also in this chemical solution removal process, the IPA stored in the circulation supply tank 61b is used as the first supplied IPA in the same manner as in the chemical solution processing step, and the IPA used first is the first drainage liquid. The IPA discarded from the pipe 42 and used for the subsequent processing circulates and supplies the IPA stored in the supply tank 61b. Then, at the end of the chemical removal process, the new IPA supplied from the IPA supply source 64 into the supply tank 61a is used, and the chemical removal process ends.

  In the chemical solution removal process, the IPA subjected to the chemical solution removal process is discharged to the first drain port 41, and the operation of a switching valve (not shown) causes the circulation line 90 of the solvent supply unit 61 or the first flow line 90 to be discharged. While being discharged to the drain pipe 42, the IPA gas is exhausted from the first exhaust pipe 44 via the first exhaust port 43.

  After the chemical processing and the rinsing processing are completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the inner cylinder 25 is retracted to the standby position, and the rotor 21 and the wafer W are surrounded by the outer cylinder 26, that is, the wafer W is placed in the outer chamber 24. Is housed. Therefore, even if liquid is dropped or dropped from the wafer W processed in the inner chamber 23, it can be received by the outer chamber 24. In this state, first, a rinsing liquid, for example, pure water, is supplied to the rotating wafer W from the pure water supply nozzle 71 of the rinsing liquid supply means, and is rinsed. The pure water subjected to the rinsing process and the removed IPA are discharged from the second drain pipe 46 through the second drain port 45. The gas generated in the outer chamber 24 is discharged to the outside from the second exhaust pipe 49 via the second exhaust port 48.

  After the rinsing process is performed for a predetermined time in this manner, the N2 gas and IPA are supplied from the N2 gas supply source 82 and the IPA supply source 64 of the drying fluid supply means 80 while the wafer W is housed in the outer chamber 24. By supplying the mixed fluid to the rotating wafer W and removing pure water adhering to the wafer surface, the wafer W and the inside of the outer chamber 24 can be dried. In addition, after the drying process is performed with the mixed fluid of N2 gas and IPA, only the N2 gas is supplied to the wafer W, so that the drying of the wafer W and the inside of the outer chamber 24 can be performed more efficiently.

  As described above, after the chemical processing, chemical removal processing, rinsing processing, and drying processing of the wafer W are completed, the outer cylinder 26 moves back to the standby position on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylindrical body 25, while unlocking not shown. The means operates to retract the wafer pressing bar 32 from the pressing position of the wafer W. Then, the wafer delivery hand 29 rises and receives the wafer W held by the fixed holding rod 31 of the rotor 21 and moves upward of the processing apparatus 20. The wafer W moved to the upper side of the processing apparatus is received by the wafer transfer chuck 10, transferred to the interface unit 4, and transferred into the carrier 1 on the carrier mounting table 7. The carrier 1 containing the processed wafers W is transferred to the carrier unloading section 2b by the carrier transfer means 8, and then transferred to the outside of the apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, the rotor 21, the inner cylindrical body 25, and the outer cylindrical body 26 are disposed on the horizontal axis, and the processing surface of the wafer W is rotated in the vertical direction, so that the chemical processing, the chemical removal processing, and the rinsing processing are performed. However, the rotor 21, the inner cylindrical body 25, and the outer cylindrical body 26 are arranged on the vertical axis, and the processing surface of the wafer W is rotated in the horizontal direction to perform the chemical processing and the chemical removal. You may make it perform a process, a rinse process, and a drying process.

  In the above embodiment, the inner chamber 23 is surrounded by the first fixed wall 34, the second fixed wall 38, and the inner cylinder 25, but these first fixed wall 34, second fixed wall It is preferable to form a heat-insulating film made of, for example, a fluororesin on the inner surfaces of 38 and the inner cylinder 25.

  By doing in this way, when performing a high temperature chemical | medical solution process in the inner chamber 23, discharge | release of the heat | fever from the inner cylinder 25 grade | etc., Can be prevented. Therefore, when the high temperature chemical treatment is performed again, reheating is facilitated and temperature loss can be reduced.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 can be adopted as the cylinder for reducing the temperature loss. Here, FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a state before assembly, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state after assembly. In this case, the cylindrical body 200 has a cylindrical portion 201 made of a fluororesin such as tetrafluoroethylene or PFA (tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer). The cylindrical portion 201 is provided with a drain groove 202 that gradually deepens from one side to the other side at the bottom thereof. At both ends of the cylindrical portion 201, annular reinforcing rings 203 and 204 are provided. The reinforcing rings 203 and 204 are also made of a fluororesin such as tetrafluoroethylene or PFA, and are joined to the cylindrical portion 201 by welding.

  One reinforcing ring 204 is provided with a drain port 205, which is connected to the drain groove 202 when joined to the cylindrical portion 201 so that the processing liquid can be discharged. A pair of reinforcing bars 206 made of, for example, stainless steel or aluminum is stretched between the reinforcing rings 203 and 204 at both ends of the cylindrical portion 201, and both ends thereof are fixed with screws 207.

  Even in such a cylindrical body 200, the cylindrical portion 201 made of ethylene tetrafluoride or the like has a heat insulating effect. Therefore, when high temperature chemical treatment is performed again, reheating becomes easy and temperature loss can be reduced. it can.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a case has been described in which the processing chamber is formed of two chambers, an inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) and an outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber). It is also possible to perform processing in a plurality of processing chambers of three or more chambers using three or more cylindrical bodies similar to the inner cylindrical body 25 and the outer cylindrical body 26.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing another form of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. This processing apparatus is a four-fold structure of the cylinder, whereas the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 has a double structure of the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26. In this processing apparatus, a first cylinder 301 similar to the inner cylinder 25 shown in FIG. 3 covers the space between the first fixed wall 34 and the second fixed wall 38. The first cylindrical body 301 is also formed so as to increase in diameter as the distance from the motor 22 increases. Both ends in the axial direction of the first cylindrical body 301 are hermetically sealed to the first fixed wall 34 and the second fixed wall 38 via seal members 340a and 340b. A first supply nozzle 310 extends in the axial direction from the end of the first cylinder 301 on the motor 22 side inside the first cylinder 301. A second cylinder 302 is disposed outside the first cylinder 301. Both ends of the second cylinder 302 are sealed to both ends of the first cylinder 301 via seal members 350a and 350b. A second supply nozzle 320 is also provided inside the second cylinder 302. Further, similarly, the third cylinder 303 is disposed outside the second cylinder 302 and the fourth cylinder 304 is disposed outside the third cylinder 303. Both ends are sealed by seal members 360a and 360b; 370a and 370b. Further, third and fourth supply nozzles 330 and 340 are provided inside the third and fourth cylinders 303 and 304, respectively.

  The second fixed wall 38 extends outward in the radial direction, and a seal member 370c is provided at the outer end thereof. The seal member 370 c seals between the outer end portion of the second fixed wall 30 and the outer periphery of the front end portion of the fourth cylindrical body 304.

  In addition, the 1st-4th drainage ports 401-404 are provided in the lower end part of the 1st-4th cylinders 301-304, respectively. These drainage ports 401 to 404 are disposed so as to be inserted into and removed from holes (not shown) provided in the second fixed wall 38. Then, drainage is received by drainage receptacles 405 to 408 that receive drainage from these drainage ports 401 to 404, and this drainage is discharged via the drainage pipe 410.

  Moreover, the 1st-4th exhaust ports 421-424 are provided in the upper end part of the 1st-4th cylinders 301-304, respectively. These exhaust ports 421 to 424 are disposed so as to be insertable / removable through holes (not shown) provided in the second fixed wall 38, and exhaust through the exhaust pipe 430 from the respective front end portions. It is like that.

  In order to perform a chemical (chemical) process, an IPA process, a pure water process or a drying process using the processing apparatus having such a configuration, first, the wafer W is held by the fixed holding bar 31 and the presser bar 32, and the wafer W is held. Cleaning is performed by injecting a chemical from the first supply nozzle 310 in the first cylindrical body 301 while rotating. Next, the first cylinder 301 is moved backward toward the motor 22, and IPA is supplied from the second supply nozzle 320 in the second cylinder 302 to perform cleaning with IPA. Next, the second cylinder 302 is moved backward, and cleaning is performed by injecting pure water from the third supply nozzle 330 in the third cylinder 303. Thereafter, the third cylinder 303 is retracted, and a dry gas such as N 2 gas or cleaning air is supplied from the fourth supply nozzle 340 in the fourth cylinder 304 to dry the wafer W. In the above process, the drainage is discharged from the first to fourth drainage ports 401 to 404, and the exhaust is exhausted from the first to fourth exhaust ports 421 to 424.

  As described above, in this processing apparatus, the chemical solution (chemical) processing, the IPA processing, the pure water processing, and the drying processing can be performed separately in separate cylinders without moving the wafer W itself. it can. Accordingly, the treatment can be performed effectively, and the cleaning medium can be prevented from being mixed and cross contamination can be prevented.

  In this processing apparatus, chemical liquid (chemical) processing, IPA processing, pure water processing, and drying processing have been described as examples, but it is needless to say that the processing apparatus can be applied to other processing.

  In the above embodiment, the chemical liquid supply nozzle 51 (also serving as the IPA supply nozzle) is disposed in the inner cylinder 25, and the pure water supply nozzle 71 and the dry fluid supply nozzle 81 are connected to the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder. 26, the case where it is attached to the second fixed wall 38 has been described, but the chemical solution supply nozzle 51 (also serving as the IPA supply nozzle) is used as the second fixed wall outside the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26. 38, the pure water supply nozzle 71 and the dry fluid supply nozzle 81 may be disposed in the outer cylindrical body 26. Alternatively, the chemical liquid supply nozzle 51 (also serving as the IPA supply nozzle), the pure water supply nozzle 71, and The drying fluid supply nozzle 81 may be disposed in the inner cylinder 25 and the outer cylinder 26.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case where the chemical treatment and chemical removal processing are performed in the inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) and the rinsing processing and drying processing are performed in the outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber) will be described. However, the processing method of the present invention is not necessarily limited to such a processing method. For example, chemical processing using different types of chemicals can be performed in the inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) and the outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber). In this way, different types of chemicals are mixed in different processing chambers, ie, the inner chamber 23 (first processing chamber) and the outer chamber 24 (second processing chamber) using different types of chemicals. Can prevent cross contamination.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the maximum number of wafers W accommodated in the rotor 21 is processed has been described. However, the number of wafers smaller than the maximum number accommodated in the rotor 21 may be reduced if necessary. It is also possible to perform the process of W.

  In the above embodiments, the case where the processing apparatus and the processing method according to the present invention are applied to a semiconductor wafer cleaning / drying processing apparatus has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to LCD glass substrates other than semiconductor wafers. is there.

1 is a schematic plan view of a cleaning / drying processing apparatus to which a processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram of the processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the receipt state of the wafer in this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the delivery state of the wafer to the rotor in this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the chemical | medical solution process in the inner chamber in this invention, and a chemical | medical solution removal process. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the rinse process and drying process in the outer chamber in this invention. It is a schematic piping diagram which shows the piping system in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the inner cylinder body and outer cylinder body in this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the said inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. It is a perspective view which shows the gas-liquid separation means in this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the state before the assembly of another structure of the cylinder in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state after the assembly of the said cylinder. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows another form of the processing apparatus which concerns on this invention.

W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)
21 Rotor (Rotation holding means)
22 Motor (drive means)
23 inner chamber (first processing chamber)
24 Outer chamber (second processing chamber)
25 Inner cylinder 26 Outer cylinder 27, 28 Cylinder (moving means)
29 Wafer delivery hand (object to be processed delivery means)
30 CPU (control means)
34 First fixed wall 37 Cooler (cooling means)
38 2nd fixed wall 40a-40e Seal member 41 1st drainage port 42 1st drainage pipe 43 1st exhaust port 44 1st exhaust pipe 45 2nd drainage port 46 2nd drainage Pipe 47 Resistivity meter 48 Second exhaust port 49 Second exhaust pipe 50 Chemical liquid supply means 51 Chemical liquid supply nozzle (IPA supply nozzle)
60 IPA supply means (solvent supply means)
70 Pure water supply means (rinse solution supply means)
71 Pure water supply nozzle 80 N2 gas supply means (dry fluid supply means)
81 dry fluid supply nozzle 200 cylinder 310 first supply nozzle 320 second supply nozzle 330 third supply nozzle 340 fourth supply nozzle 401 to 404 first to fourth drainage ports 421 to 424 first to first 4th exhaust port

Claims (7)

Holding means for holding the object to be processed;
A plurality of processing chambers capable of surrounding the object to be processed held by the holding means in a sealed state;
Processing fluid supply means for supplying a processing fluid to the object to be processed;
A moving means for moving at least one of the plurality of processing chambers relative to the object to be processed;
The inner atmosphere of at least one of the plurality of processing chambers and the inner atmosphere of another processing chamber are formed to be separable from each other ,
The processing chamber is
The first fixed wall that supports the holding means, the second fixed wall that faces the first fixed wall, and the first fixed wall and the second fixed wall that are engaged via a seal member. A first processing chamber formed with a matable inner cylinder;
The seal member is interposed between the first fixed wall, the second fixed wall, the second fixed wall, and the inner cylinder through a seal member. And a second processing chamber formed by a matable outer cylinder . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
A part of the processing chamber is formed in a cylindrical body, and is formed in a tapered shape that expands toward one end of the cylindrical body, and a drain port and an exhaust port for processing fluid are formed on the expanded side portion of the cylindrical body. The processing apparatus characterized by providing. The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The processing apparatus is characterized in that the moving means moves the processing chamber between an surrounding position surrounding the object to be processed and a standby position different from the surrounding position. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The processing apparatus, wherein the moving means moves a plurality of processing chambers on the same axis. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A processing apparatus, wherein at least one processing chamber of the plurality of processing chambers is formed so as to be capable of appearing and overlapping so as to surround another processing chamber. In the processing apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 ,
A processing apparatus, wherein a heat insulating coating made of a fluororesin is formed on the inner surface of the processing chamber. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The processing apparatus characterized in that the cylindrical body constituting the processing chamber is made of a fluororesin.

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