JP4271109B2 - Coating, developing device, resist pattern forming method, exposure device and cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a coating unit that coats a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer, and a developing unit that supplies a developing solution to the substrate after the liquid layer is formed on the surface and is subjected to immersion exposure, and develops the substrate. The present invention relates to a coating and developing apparatus, an exposure apparatus that performs immersion exposure on a semiconductor wafer, and a cleaning apparatus.

  Conventionally, in the photoresist process, which is one of the semiconductor manufacturing processes, a resist is applied to the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), the resist is exposed in a predetermined pattern, and then developed to create a resist pattern. is doing. Such processing is generally performed using a system in which an exposure apparatus is connected to a coating / developing apparatus that performs resist coating / development.

  In recent years, device patterns have been increasingly miniaturized and thinned, and accordingly, there is an increasing demand for increasing the exposure resolution. Therefore, while developing the exposure technology using extreme ultraviolet exposure (EUVL) (= Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography), electron beam projection exposure (EPL) (Electron Projection Lithofraphy) and fluorine dimer (F2), existing light sources such as argon fluoride (ArF) and krypton fluoride (KrF) to improve the exposure technique and increase the resolution, a method of exposing in a state where a liquid phase that transmits light is formed on the surface of the substrate (hereinafter referred to as “immersion exposure”) Considered. In the semiconductor and manufacturing equipment industry, there is a strong movement to extend the life of ArF exposure equipment as much as possible for financial reasons, using ArF up to 45 nm, and showing that EUV will be postponed further Some are. Immersion exposure is a technique that transmits light through ultrapure water, for example, and uses the feature that the wavelength of ArF at 193 nm is substantially 134 nm in water because the wavelength is shorter in water.

  An exposure apparatus that performs this immersion exposure will be briefly described with reference to FIG. First, a lens 10 is provided at the front end portion of the exposure means 1 disposed so as to face the surface of a wafer held in a horizontal posture by a holding mechanism (not shown), for example, the wafer W with a gap therebetween. On the outside of the substrate, there are a supply port 11 for supplying a solution such as water for forming a liquid layer on the surface of the wafer W, and a suction port 12 for sucking and collecting the water supplied to the wafer W. Is provided. In this case, while supplying water to the surface of the wafer W from the supply port 11, this water is collected by the suction port 12, thereby forming a liquid film (water film) between the lens 10 and the surface of the wafer W. Is done. Light emitted from a light source (not shown) and passed through the lens 10 passes through the liquid film and is irradiated onto the wafer W, whereby a predetermined circuit pattern is transferred to the resist. Subsequently, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the exposure means 1 is slid sideways while a liquid film is formed between the wafer W and the exposure is performed at a position corresponding to the next transfer area (shot area) 13. The circuit pattern is sequentially transferred onto the surface of the wafer W by arranging the means 1 and repeating the operation of irradiating light. The shot area 13 is shown larger than the actual area.

  However, the photoresist process to which the above-described immersion exposure is applied has the following problems. In other words, the wafer processing in the photoresist process is performed in a clean room where a downflow is formed, but it is difficult to completely eliminate particles in the processing space. Here, for example, a case is considered where particles adhere to the resist of a wafer that has undergone a resist coating process, and the wafer is subjected to immersion exposure in that state. When a liquid film is formed on the surface of the resist with respect to the wafer, the particles travel along the liquid film and move on the resist surface. As described above, the exposure means moves together with the liquid film, and the resist pattern is sequentially transferred onto the wafer surface. Therefore, even if the part where the particles are attached is a part of the wafer, exposure is hindered by the particles every time it is transferred. Will be. As a result, accurate transfer of the resist pattern is hindered, and defective portions of the resist pattern are scattered on the wafer.

  On the other hand, as one problem of immersion exposure, there is a concern that the resist is eluted on the liquid film side and the eluted components remain on the wafer. In particular, after the exposure is completed, the liquid film on the wafer is discharged from the peripheral edge. However, since the peripheral edge portion of the wafer has a bevel structure, the possibility that the eluted component does not spill and stay on the inclined surface of the peripheral edge portion is not low. .

  In addition, since a liquid film is formed on the wafer surface, and the liquid film or droplets tend to adsorb particles, the probability that particles will adhere to the wafer after immersion exposure is higher than in normal exposure processing. The liquid film used at the time of immersion exposure becomes droplets and tends to remain attached to the inclined surface of the peripheral edge of the wafer, so that particles are easily adsorbed on the peripheral edge.

  For this reason, there is a high possibility that particles will adhere to the peripheral portion of the wafer after immersion exposure. For this reason, the wafer will adhere to the transfer arm when the wafer is returned to the coating and developing apparatus side. This may be scattered in the processing unit or transferred to another wafer to cause particle contamination. Also, if particles adhere to the surface of the wafer, the temperature of the part where the particles are attached during the heat treatment is different from the temperature of other parts, especially the acid catalyst generated during exposure to chemically amplified resist During the heat treatment for diffusing in the resist, the adhesion of particles affects the line width of the pattern. Further, the pattern may be damaged by particles adhering to the wafer during the development process.

  As described above, immersion exposure has a particular problem with respect to particle adhesion. In order to solve the problem, after applying the photoresist, before the immersion exposure and / or after the immersion exposure and before the heat treatment, the wafer is cleaned by the cleaning unit to remove particles. It is effective. In this case, in a processing block called a process block in which a coating unit and a developing unit are arranged, there is a situation where it is necessary to increase the throughput by increasing the number of original processing units as much as possible. It is advisable to arrange the cleaning unit in an interface block that bridges the process block and the exposure apparatus.

  As a well-known unit for cleaning a wafer, so-called spin cleaning is generally used, which is combined with a coating unit or a developing unit, rotates the wafer while supplying a cleaning liquid to the center of the wafer, and then shakes and drys. .

  However, in order to collect the scattered cleaning liquid, such a drying apparatus needs to be provided with a cup body in which a recess is formed over the entire lower side of the table on which the wafer is placed. Further, when a suction device or the like is provided to reliably capture the scattered cleaning liquid in the cup body, the cleaning unit is further increased in size. Therefore, it is not practical to arrange such a cleaning unit in the processing block because it requires a large space, and space must be saved in the interface block as much as possible. Therefore, such a large cleaning unit is arranged. Design to do is difficult to adopt.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that discharges a cleaning liquid from above near both ends of a wafer to flow on the wafer, and then sucks and dries with a developing solution from a suction mechanism provided above the center of the wafer. It is disclosed. However, even in such an apparatus, the used cleaning liquid flows down from the edge of the wafer. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a cup body having an opening on the upper side so as to surround the wafer, and the cup body has hindered downsizing of the apparatus.

JP 2004-95708 A (8th, 9th page, 12th page, 20th page)

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, the purpose thereof is a photoresist process including immersion exposure, after resist application, before immersion exposure or after immersion exposure, It is possible to remove particles adhering to the wafer before development with a simple structure, and while satisfying the requirement of removing particles derived by performing immersion exposure, space saving of the coating, developing device or exposure device can be achieved. It is to provide a technology that does not have a risk of obstructing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning a wafer with a simple structure.

  The present invention includes a coating unit that coats a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer, and a developing unit that forms a liquid layer on the surface and supplies the developer to the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and develops the semiconductor wafer. In the coating and developing apparatus, the semiconductor wafer includes a cleaning unit for cleaning the resist after applying a resist and before immersion exposure, the cleaning unit holding a semiconductor wafer horizontally, and holding the wafer The cleaning liquid discharge port is formed so as to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the portion and has a length corresponding to the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port to the surface of the semiconductor wafer is sucked For this purpose, a nozzle part is provided on both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port, and includes a suction port having a length substantially the same as the cleaning liquid discharge port. A rotation mechanism that relatively rotates the holding portion about the vertical axis, and a position where the nozzle portion is cleaned facing the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding portion and a retreat position where the nozzle portion is retracted from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. And a moving mechanism for moving the head.

  In the present invention, the “cleaning liquid discharge port” is not limited to the slit-shaped discharge port, and includes a discharge hole group in which a large number of discharge holes are arranged. If the cleaning liquid discharge port is made longer than “the length corresponding to the approximate diameter of the semiconductor wafer”, the cleaning liquid spills only from the discharge port protruding from the wafer, and there is no technical meaning. A case where the length is longer than “a length corresponding to a substantially diameter” is also included in the scope of the right of the present invention.

  Further, for example, after applying a resist on the surface of the semiconductor wafer using the coating and developing apparatus, a liquid layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, immersion exposure is performed, and then the developer is supplied to the surface of the wafer. A resist pattern forming method comprising: developing a resist after applying a resist to a semiconductor wafer and before immersion exposure, the cleaning step holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on a wafer holder; Then, the step of relatively positioning the nozzle part so as to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and then the nozzle while discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge port provided in the nozzle part to the surface of the semiconductor wafer A step of sucking the cleaning liquid from a suction port provided in the section to clean the band-shaped region along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and then rotating the wafer holder sequentially A resist pattern forming method characterized by comprising the steps of cleaning the band-like region in the same manner as the step in the rotation position is performed. In the resist pattern forming method, the cleaning liquid may be discharged while rotating the wafer continuously, without being limited to rotating the wafer intermittently.

  In another invention, a coating unit for applying a resist to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, a developing unit for supplying a developer to the semiconductor wafer after being subjected to immersion exposure by forming a liquid layer on the surface, and developing, The coating and developing apparatus includes a cleaning unit for cleaning a semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before development, and the cleaning unit includes a wafer holding unit that horizontally holds the semiconductor wafer, and the wafer. A rotation mechanism for rotating the holding unit around a vertical axis, a U-shaped part formed so as to surround a peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding unit, and an upper surface part and a lower surface part of the U-shaped part The upper cleaning liquid discharge port and the lower cleaning liquid discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid from the inner side of the semiconductor wafer to the peripheral edges of the semiconductor wafer, respectively, and the lower cleaning liquid discharge port are provided for sucking the cleaning liquid into the lower surface portion of the U-shaped part. When the central side of the semiconductor wafer as viewed from the front is the front, the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is provided at least on the front side and the three sides on both sides, and on the side surface of the U-shaped part, and sucks the cleaning liquid. And a moving mechanism for moving the U-shaped portion between a cleaning position surrounding the periphery of the semiconductor wafer and a retracted position retracted from the cleaning position. To do.

  For example, the U-shaped portions may be provided so as to face each other in the diameter direction of the semiconductor wafer. The lower cleaning liquid discharge port is formed as an elongated discharge port extending from the inner side to the outer side of the semiconductor wafer, and the lower suction port includes portions extending along the discharge port on both sides of the lower cleaning liquid discharge port. It may be.

  For example, after applying a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer using the coating and developing apparatus, a liquid layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, immersion exposure is performed, and then the developer is supplied to the surface of the wafer and developed. In the resist pattern forming method, the semiconductor wafer includes a cleaning process for cleaning after immersion exposure and before developing, the cleaning process holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the wafer holder, A step of relatively positioning the U-shaped portion so as to surround a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding portion, and subsequently an upper cleaning liquid discharge port and a lower portion provided in the U-shaped portion. From the step of discharging the cleaning liquid from the side cleaning liquid discharge port to both peripheral edges of the semiconductor wafer, the suction port surrounding the lower cleaning liquid discharge port, and the suction port provided on the side surface of the U-shaped part, Washing A step of sucking a cleaning liquid while the step of discharging the wafer is performed, and a step of rotating the wafer holding unit to clean the peripheral portion of the entire circumference of the semiconductor wafer. The resist pattern forming method is implemented. In the resist pattern forming method, the cleaning liquid may be discharged while rotating the wafer continuously, without being limited to rotating the wafer intermittently.

  In another invention, a coating unit for applying a resist to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, a developing unit for supplying a developer to the semiconductor wafer after being subjected to immersion exposure by forming a liquid layer on the surface, and developing, In the coating and developing apparatus, the semiconductor wafer includes a cleaning unit that performs cleaning after immersion exposure and before development, the cleaning unit holding a semiconductor wafer horizontally, and the wafer A cleaning liquid discharge port that is formed to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the holding unit and has a length substantially equivalent to the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port to the surface of the semiconductor wafer is sucked In order to do so, a nozzle part is disposed on both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port, and includes a suction port having substantially the same length as the cleaning liquid discharge port. A rotation mechanism that relatively rotates the holding portion around a vertical axis, and a U-shaped portion that is provided at both ends of the nozzle portion so as to surround a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding portion. And a lower cleaning liquid discharge port that discharges the cleaning liquid from the inside of the lower surface of the U-shaped part to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer, and a suction for suctioning the cleaning liquid provided on the side surface of the U-shaped part. And a moving mechanism for moving the nozzle portion between a cleaning position facing the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding portion and a retreat position retracted from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. And

  The coating / developing apparatus may include a suction port for sucking a cleaning liquid in a lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion. For example, the suction port is provided so as to surround the lower cleaning liquid discharge port from at least three sides of the front side and both sides when the central portion side of the semiconductor wafer is viewed from the lower side as viewed from the lower cleaning liquid discharge port. Here, the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is formed as an elongated discharge port extending from the inner side to the outer side of the semiconductor wafer, and the lower suction port is a part extending along the discharge port on both sides of the lower cleaning liquid discharge port. May be provided.

  Further, for example, after applying a resist on the surface of the semiconductor wafer using the coating and developing apparatus, a liquid layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, immersion exposure is performed, and then the developer is supplied to the surface of the wafer. The resist pattern forming method includes: a cleaning process for cleaning the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before the development, the cleaning process holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the wafer holder; Then, the step of making the nozzle portion face the semiconductor wafer and relatively positioning the U-shaped portions provided at both ends of the nozzle portion so as to surround the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer, and then the nozzle portion While discharging the cleaning liquid from the provided cleaning liquid discharge port onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer, the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction port provided in the nozzle portion, and is along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer. And a step of cleaning the like region, and the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction port provided on the side surface of the U-shaped part while discharging the cleaning liquid from the inside of the lower surface of the U-shaped part to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer. A resist pattern forming method comprising: a step, and a step of sequentially rotating the wafer holding portion to clean the belt-like region at each rotational position and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer in the same manner as in the above step. To be implemented. In the resist pattern forming method, the cleaning liquid may be discharged while rotating the wafer continuously, without being limited to rotating the wafer intermittently.

  In each of the coating and developing apparatuses described above, the rotation mechanism may be controlled so as to intermittently rotate the wafer holding unit in order to sequentially wash the band-like region along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer by the nozzle unit. In this case, the cleaning liquid may be discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port in the process of sequentially rotating the wafer intermittently. However, the cleaning liquid may be discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port while continuously rotating the wafer. Further, each of the coating and developing devices described above reciprocates to reciprocate the nozzle part relative to the wafer holding part in the tangential direction of the semiconductor wafer when the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port. A mechanism may be provided. Here, the moving mechanism may also serve as the reciprocating mechanism.

  Further, the coating and developing apparatus includes, for example, a processing block including the coating unit and the developing unit, and an interface block interposed between the processing block and an exposure machine that performs immersion exposure on the semiconductor wafer. The cleaning unit may be provided in the interface block.

  Each of the coating and developing apparatuses includes a processing block including the coating unit and the developing unit, and an interface block interposed between the processing block and an exposure machine that performs immersion exposure on the semiconductor wafer. The cleaning unit may be provided in the interface block.

  The resist pattern forming method includes a step of reciprocally moving the nozzle portion relative to the wafer holding portion in the tangential direction of the semiconductor wafer when the cleaning solution is discharged from the cleaning solution discharge port. Also good. Furthermore, the resist pattern forming method described above may include a step of heating the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before development, and the cleaning step may be performed before the step of heating.

  In another aspect of the invention, in the exposure apparatus that performs immersion exposure by forming a liquid layer on the surface of a semiconductor wafer coated with a resist, the above-described cleaning unit is provided.

  Still another invention is characterized in that the cleaning device comprises the above-described cleaning unit.

  According to the present invention, the surface of the wafer is cleaned by the cleaning unit after the resist coating and before the immersion exposure. Therefore, the particles adhering to the surface of the wafer get on the liquid layer during the immersion exposure. Problems caused by moving each exposure area can be avoided, and the resist pattern can be accurately transferred. Since the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction ports arranged on both sides while discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge port having a length corresponding to the approximate diameter of the wafer, the cleaning liquid may spill from the wafer surface. Absent. Therefore, in the cleaning unit, there is no need to provide a cup body for recovering the cleaning liquid around the wafer holder, and the unit can be saved in space, and as a result, the coating and developing apparatus can be prevented from being enlarged.

  According to another invention, the periphery of the wafer is cleaned after immersion exposure, and after immersion exposure, droplets remain on the periphery of the wafer and particles are likely to adhere. By cleaning the portion, particle contamination in the process after immersion exposure can be prevented. Then, the peripheral portion of the wafer is sandwiched by the U-shaped portion formed so as to surround the peripheral portion of the wafer, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the upper surface portion of the U-shaped portion to the peripheral portion of the wafer and sucked from the side surface portion, The cleaning liquid is discharged from the lower cleaning liquid discharge port on the lower surface of the U-shaped portion to the back side of the peripheral edge of the wafer, and the discharge port is sucked by a suction port that surrounds the three sides. There is no spilling from the mold part. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a cup body for collecting the cleaning liquid around the wafer holding portion, and the space for the cleaning unit can be saved, and as a result, the application and development apparatus can be prevented from being enlarged.

  According to still another aspect of the invention, since the peripheral portion and the surface of the wafer are cleaned by the cleaning unit after the immersion exposure, even if the dissolved product remains on the surface of the wafer after the immersion exposure, it is removed by the cleaning unit. It is possible to prevent particle contamination in the process after immersion exposure. In the cleaning unit, as described above, there is no risk of the cleaning liquid spilling from the surface of the wafer, and the U-shaped part formed so as to surround the peripheral edge of the wafer is used to discharge and suck the cleaning liquid. Therefore, there is no fear that the cleaning liquid spills out from the U-shaped portion, and the enlargement of the coating and developing apparatus can be avoided in the same manner.

  Furthermore, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, since the above-described cleaning unit is provided, it is possible to clean the wafer before and / or after immersion exposure, and avoid the enlargement of the exposure apparatus. it can.

  Since the cleaning apparatus of the present invention uses the above-described cleaning unit, it can be small and have a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, an example of the entire configuration of a resist pattern forming apparatus including a cleaning unit that cleans a wafer after liquid resist application and before immersion exposure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a resist pattern forming apparatus in which a coating / developing apparatus including a wafer cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to an exposure apparatus that performs immersion exposure, and FIG. It is a perspective view. In the figure, B1 is a carrier mounting part for carrying in / out a carrier 2 in which, for example, 13 wafers W are hermetically stored, and a carrier station 20 having a mounting part 20a on which a plurality of carriers 2 can be placed side by side. In addition, an opening / closing part 21 provided on the wall surface in front of the carrier station 20 and a delivery means A1 for taking out the wafer W from the carrier 2 via the opening / closing part 21 are provided.

  A processing unit (processing block) B2 surrounded by a casing 22 is connected to the back side of the carrier mounting unit B1, and heating / cooling units are sequentially arranged in this processing unit B2 from the front side. Main transfer means A2 and A3 for transferring the wafer W between the three shelf units U1, U2 and U3 and the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are alternately arranged. That is, the shelf units U1, U2, U3 and the main transfer means A2, A3 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction when viewed from the carrier mounting portion B1, and an opening for wafer transfer (not shown) is formed at each connection portion. Thus, the wafer W can freely move in the processing block B2 from the shelf unit U1 on one end side to the shelf unit U3 on the other end side. The main transport means A2 and A3 include one surface portion on the shelf units U1, U2 and U3 side arranged in a line in the front and rear direction as viewed from the carrier placement portion B1, and one surface on the right side liquid processing unit U4 and U5 side which will be described later. It is placed in a space surrounded by a partition wall 23 composed of a part and a back part forming one surface on the left side. In the figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a temperature / humidity adjusting unit including a temperature adjusting device for the treatment liquid used in each unit, a duct for adjusting the temperature / humidity, and the like.

  The shelf units U1, U2, and U3 are configured by laminating various units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of the processing performed in the liquid processing units U4 and U5 in a plurality of stages, for example, 10 stages. Includes a heating unit (PAB) (not shown) for heating (baking) the wafer W, a cooling unit for cooling the wafer W, and the like. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid processing units U4 and U5 are provided on an anti-reflection film coating unit (BARC) 26, a resist coating unit (COT) 27, and a wafer W on a chemical solution storage unit such as a resist and a developer. A developing unit (DEV) 28 and the like for supplying a developing solution and performing development processing are stacked in a plurality of stages, for example, five stages.

  An exposure unit B4 is connected to the back side of the shelf unit U3 in the processing unit B2 via an interface unit (interface block) B3. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the interface unit B3 is composed of a first transfer chamber 3A and a second transfer chamber 3B provided in the front and rear between the processing unit B2 and the exposure unit B4. A first wafer transfer unit 31 and a second wafer transfer unit 32 are provided. The first wafer transfer unit 31 includes an arm 31A that can move up and down, rotate about a vertical axis, and move forward and backward. The second wafer transfer unit 32 includes an arm 32A that can move up and down and rotate about a vertical axis.

  Furthermore, in the first transfer chamber 3A, two transfer units (TRS3) 37, each having two cooling plates, for example, are provided on the right side as viewed from the carrier mounting portion B1 side with the first wafer transfer portion 31 in between. A precision temperature control unit (CPL2) 39 and a heating / cooling unit (PEB) 38 for post-exposure baking (PEB) processing of the wafer W that has been subjected to immersion exposure are provided, for example, vertically stacked. On the other hand, on the left side, two buffer cassettes (SBU) 34 and 35 for temporarily storing a plurality of, for example, 13 wafers W are provided, for example, continuously in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the second transfer chamber 3B, a stage 4 that forms a wafer holding unit related to the cleaning unit 100 is provided on the left side of the central portion as viewed from the carrier mounting portion B1 side. The cleaning unit refers to a group of components that contribute to the cleaning process of the wafer W. In the present embodiment, all the components are provided in the second transfer chamber 3B. The stage 4 is provided on a drive mechanism 41 including a rotation mechanism installed at a lower portion in the second transfer chamber 3B via a shaft portion 42 standing in a vertical direction. The stage 4 is composed of a vacuum chuck that sucks and sucks the central portion on the back surface side of the wafer W, and is configured to rotate around the vertical axis while holding the wafer W by the drive mechanism 41. The stage 4 also serves as a delivery stage for delivering the wafer W from the arm 40 on the exposure unit B4 side to the coating and developing device side arm 31A.

  A nozzle unit 5 relating to the cleaning unit is provided further to the left of the stage 4 (Y direction in FIG. 3) as viewed from the carrier mounting unit B1 side. The nozzle portion 5 includes a top plate 51 and U-shaped portions 52 and 52 provided at both ends of the top plate 51, respectively, and the top plate 51 faces the stage 4 in a horizontal posture. It is comprised so that it can move horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

  The arm 40 on the exposure unit B4 side is configured to be movable up and down, rotatable about a vertical axis, and movable back and forth.

  Next, the nozzle unit 5 constituting a part of the cleaning unit and its peripheral part will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, the top plate 51 of the nozzle unit 5 is configured as a belt-like plate whose length in the longitudinal direction is longer than the diameter of the wafer W.

FIG. 5 is a view of the top plate 51 as viewed from the lower surface, and a large number of discharge holes 53 are provided linearly along the longitudinal direction at the center of the top plate 51. The length between both ends of the discharge hole 53 group is set to be substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer W, and the diameter of each of the discharge holes 53 is preferably 0.1 mm to 3 mm, more preferably 0.5 mm. ~ 1 mm. In this example, the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 is formed by a large number of discharge hole 53 groups, but the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 may be a slit having a length substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer W.
On both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54, suction ports 55 and 56 having a length substantially equal to the length of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 are formed in a slit shape along the cleaning liquid discharge port 54, respectively. The width of the suction port 4G is preferably 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm, more preferably 5.0 to 10.0 mm. The distance between the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 and the suction ports 55 and 56 is preferably 2.0 to 20.0 mm, and more preferably 5.0 to 10.0 mm.

  FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle portion 5 shown in FIG. 4 as viewed by cutting the top plate 51 and the lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion 52. As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 communicates with the cleaning liquid supply pipe 54a at the center in the longitudinal direction of the top board 51 through a passage in the top board 51. The cleaning liquid supply pipe 54a is connected via a valve 54b. The cleaning liquid supply source 54c is connected. The suction ports 55 and 56 communicate with suction pipes 55a and 56a located on both sides of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 54a through a passage in the top plate 51. These suction pipes 55a and 56a are joined together in the middle of the valve. It is connected to suction means 55c such as an ejector pump through 55b. In FIG. 6, each passage in the top plate 51 looks like one (a total of three), but actually it extends in the length direction of the top plate 51 in the middle, and the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 and the suction port 55. Alternatively, it is formed as a space that communicates with the suction port 56.

  If it says roughly, the both ends of the top plate 51 will be bent at a right angle downward, and the lower end will be folded inward at a right angle, and the top plate 51 and the top plate 51 may be slightly inwardly folded. In other words, this nozzle portion 5 may be said to have a structure in which U-shaped portions 52, 52 are provided at both ends of the top plate 51, and this specification will be described as such a configuration.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the U-shaped portion 52. The portions of the U-shaped portion 52 that are opposed to each other in the vertical direction are referred to as an upper surface portion and a lower surface portion, respectively. When the central portion side of the wafer W is viewed from the U-shaped portion 52 as the front side for convenience, A slit-like cleaning liquid discharge port 61 having a length of about 10 mm, for example, extending in the front-rear direction is formed at the center in the left-right direction. Note that the upper surface portion corresponds to both end portions of the top plate 51, and therefore is not given a reference numeral. The rear end side of the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 is located directly below the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the wafer W can be cleaned by the cleaning liquid discharge port 61. A suction port 62 is provided around the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 so as to surround the front and both sides in a U-shape, and the suction port 62 extends along the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 on both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port 61. Are formed to extend to substantially the same length.

  The cleaning liquid discharge port 61 corresponds to the lower surface cleaning liquid discharge port, and may have a plurality of discharge holes arranged in the length direction without being slit-shaped. The suction port 62 is for sucking the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 to the back side of the wafer W. If the suction is reliably performed even if it is not a continuous U-shaped suction port, the suction port 62 is not necessary. For example, it may be a continuous U-shaped suction port. Here, the width of the slit of the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 is preferably 0.05 to 1.0 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Further, the distance between the second cleaning liquid discharge port 61 and the suction port 62 is preferably 2.0 to 20.0 mm, and more preferably 5.0 to 10.0 mm.

  A connection unit 63 is joined to the lower surface portion 60 of each U-shaped portion 52, and a cleaning liquid supply pipe 64 and a suction pipe 65 are connected to the connection unit 63. The cleaning liquid discharge port 61 in the lower surface portion 60 communicates with the cleaning liquid supply pipe 64 through a passage formed in the connection unit 63, and the suction port 62 is a passage different from the passage formed in the connection unit 63. Through the suction pipe 65. The proximal ends of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 64 and the suction pipe 65 are connected to the cleaning liquid supply system 54c and the suction means 55c shown in FIG. 6, respectively.

  Further, a suction port 66 (see FIG. 6) for sucking the cleaning liquid on the upper side and the lower side of the wafer W is formed on the side surface portion of each U-shaped portion 52, and this suction port 66 is connected via a suction tube 67. The suction means 55c shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the nozzle unit 5 has a cleaning position in which the wafer W is cleaned by a moving mechanism 58 such as a ball screw mechanism via an arm 57, and a retreat position that does not interfere with the delivery of the wafer W on the stage 4. It can be moved horizontally between.

  The operation of the above-described embodiment will be described focusing on the process of cleaning the wafer W. Assuming that immersion exposure is performed on the wafer W as described in FIG. 15 in the background art item in the exposure unit B4, the wafer W is transferred by the transfer unit 40 (see FIG. 1) ( 8A), the stage 4 is placed on the stage 4 so that the center thereof coincides with the center of the wafer W. The stage 4 sucks and sucks the central portion of the back surface of the wafer W, so that the wafer W is held horizontally on the stage 4. Then, after the arm of the transfer unit 40 is retracted (FIG. 8B), the nozzle unit 5 is transferred from the retracted position to the cleaning position by the moving mechanism 58, that is, the peripheral portion of the wafer W in the cavity of the U-shaped unit 52. Is transported to the position where it is inserted through the space. At this cleaning position, the U-shaped portion 52 surrounds the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 formed linearly on the top plate 51 matches the diameter of the wafer W ( FIG. 8 (c) and FIG. 4).

  Next, a cleaning liquid, for example, pure water is supplied from the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 of the top plate 51 to the surface of the wafer W, and the suction ports 55 and 56 on both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 are in a suction state. Also in the U-shaped portion 52, pure water is supplied from the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 of the lower surface portion 60 to the back surface side of the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the suction port 62 of the lower surface portion and the suction port 66 of the side surface portion are in a suction state. Thus, the cleaning of the surface and peripheral edge of the wafer W is started. The suction timing is substantially the same as or slightly before the supply of pure water.

  The state of cleaning on the surface of the wafer W will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic longitudinal front view of the top plate 51 cut along the width direction when cleaning the wafer W. In the top plate 51, pure water is discharged from the cleaning liquid. It is discharged from the outlet 54 onto the surface of the wafer W. The discharged pure water diffuses to both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 while filling the space between the surface of the wafer W and the lower surface of the top plate 51, for example. Here, since suction is performed from the suction port 62 on both sides, the pure water is sucked into the suction port 62 and does not spill from the wafer W.

  Further, the state of cleaning at the peripheral portion of the wafer W will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the slit-like lower cleaning liquid discharge port 61 in the U-shaped portion 52 to the back surface of the peripheral portion of the wafer W. At this time, since suction is performed from the suction port 66 on the side surface of the U-shaped part 52, a part of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the back surface is sucked into the suction port 66 along the suction flow. A part of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the back surface falls downward, but from a suction port 62 provided in a U-shape on the front side (center side of the wafer W) and both sides of the lower cleaning solution discharge port 61. Inhaled. Further, the cleaning liquid sprayed and scattered from the end of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 on the top plate 51 side to the periphery of the wafer W is sucked from the suction port 66 of the side surface portion. For this reason, the back surface of the peripheral portion of the wafer W is cleaned without spilling the cleaning liquid from the U-shaped portion 52.

  Thus, the cleaning liquid is performed on the wafer W. In this cleaning liquid process, the nozzle unit 5 is moved back and forth horizontally along the tangential direction of the wafer W as shown in FIG. While done. FIG. 12 shows an example of the positional relationship between the peripheral edge of the wafer W and the lower cleaning liquid discharge port 61 and the suction port 62 in the U-shaped portion 52 in this reciprocal movement, and corresponds to this reciprocal movement range. 12, the belt-like region indicated by the dotted line 200 is cleaned.

  At this time, the end portions of the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 and the lower cleaning liquid discharge port 61 of the top plate 51 are disengaged from the peripheral edge of the wafer W, and the cleaning liquid from these discharge ports 54 and 61 respectively is the lower surface portion and the upper surface portion of the U-shaped portion 52. However, the air is sucked from the suction port 66 on the side surface portion and the suction port 62 on the lower surface portion 60, and does not spill from the nozzle portion 5. The central angle θ of the wafer W corresponding to the movement region of the cleaning liquid discharge ports 54 and 61 when the nozzle unit 5 reciprocates is set to 30 degrees, for example, but is not limited to this angle. As for the reciprocating movement, the reciprocating movement is performed once so as to cover one side of the belt-like region, but the reciprocating movement may be performed twice or more.

  Thus, when the band-shaped region in the wafer W is cleaned as described above, the discharge of the cleaning liquid is stopped, and the stage 4 is rotated by the central angle θ of the wafer W corresponding to the moving region of the cleaning liquid discharge ports 54 and 61 ( In FIG. 11B, after that, the cleaning liquid is discharged to similarly clean the wafer W, specifically, the belt-like region. Then, the wafer W is sequentially rotated by an angle θ to perform cleaning at each position. When cleaning at the final angular position (FIG. 11C) is completed, the nozzle unit 5 is retracted from the wafer W (FIG. 11D). )), The arm of the transfer unit 32 of the interface unit B3 receives the wafer W from the stage 4 (FIG. 11E), and is transferred to a unit for performing PEB in the processing unit B2.

  In the drawing, the space between the wafer W and the top plate 51 is widely described for convenience, but in actuality, this interval is, for example, about 0.5 to 5 mm, and the cleaning liquid supplied to the surface of the wafer W does not remain on the surface. Since the cleaning liquid on the back surface side of the peripheral edge of the wafer W is also sucked from the suction port 66 on the side surface of the U-shaped portion 52, droplets remain on the wafer W. Absent. In the present invention, a drying mechanism that blows dry gas onto the surface of the wafer W may be provided integrally with the nozzle unit 5 or separately. As the drying mechanism, for example, a configuration in which a drying gas supply port is provided along the longitudinal direction on both sides of the suction ports 55 and 56 of the top plate 51 of the nozzle unit 5 can be employed.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the periphery of the wafer is cleaned after immersion exposure, and after immersion exposure, droplets remain on the periphery of the wafer and particles are likely to adhere. By cleaning the peripheral edge of the wafer, particle contamination in the process after immersion exposure can be prevented. Further, even if the dissolved product generated during the immersion exposure remains on the surface of the wafer, it can be removed, and particle contamination in the process after the immersion exposure can be prevented. Although cleaning of the wafer W after immersion exposure is preferably performed before the heating step performed before development, for example, in a system for developing the wafer W without heating, it is necessary to perform it before development. It is.

  Since the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction ports 55 and 56 arranged on both sides while discharging the cleaning liquid to the surface of the wafer W from the cleaning liquid discharge port 54 having a length corresponding to the approximate diameter of the wafer W, the cleaning liquid is attracted to the wafer. Does not spill from the surface. Further, as already described in detail, since the cleaning liquid discharged to the peripheral edge of the wafer W is also sucked from the suction ports 62 and 63 of the U-shaped part 52, the cleaning liquid does not spill from the U-shaped part 52. For this reason, since it is not necessary to install a cup body for collecting the cleaning liquid around the space, space can be saved. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the coating and developing apparatus incorporating the cleaning unit from becoming large.

  Further, as in the above-described embodiment, it is preferable in that the nozzle part 5 is reciprocated, so that there is no possibility that unwashed parts are generated, and reliable cleaning can be performed. However, the nozzle part 5 is reciprocated. Instead, for example, the wafer W may be intermittently rotated at a fine angular pitch, and the cleaning liquid may be discharged at each angular position, or the wafer W may be continuously rotated at a low rotational speed such that the cleaning liquid does not spill out. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be discharged.

  Further, in the U-shaped portion 52, the distance between the lower surface portion 60 and the wafer W may be narrowed so that the gap between them is filled with the cleaning liquid. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a space is formed in the surface and the cleaning liquid is scattered. In these cases, it is important to arrange the suction port so that the cleaning liquid can be reliably sucked without dropping down. From this point of view, when the three sides of the lower cleaning liquid discharge port 54 are surrounded by the suction port 62 and the suction port 66 is provided on the side surface as in the embodiment, the discharge is performed as detailed in the explanation of the operation. This is a desirable configuration because the cleaning liquid discharged from the outlet 54 can be reliably sucked.

  In addition, paying attention to the fact that particles easily adhere to the peripheral edge of the wafer W after immersion exposure, a cleaning unit that cleans only the peripheral edge of the wafer W without cleaning the surface of the wafer W may be used. . In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, an example in which the U-shaped portions 71 and 72 having the same structure facing each other can be horizontally moved by the moving mechanisms 73 and 74 can be given. The lower surface side and the side surface side of the U-shaped portions 71 and 72 have the same configuration as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and the upper surface portion may have the same configuration as the lower surface portion, for example. Only a cleaning liquid discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid may be provided on the surface, and no suction port may be provided. In such a configuration, the cleaning liquid discharge port on the upper surface side corresponds to the upper cleaning liquid discharge port in the present invention.

  Further, in the present invention, for example, a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer W before immersion exposure may be provided in the interface unit B3. In this case, the nozzle unit 5 having the same structure as that shown in FIG. 4 may be used to have the same configuration as that of the previous embodiment, but cleaning of the surface of the wafer W is particularly important before immersion exposure. Therefore, the U-shaped portion 52 may be removed from the nozzle portion 5 shown in FIG. In this case, although depending on the suction force of the suction port, for example, by rotating the wafer W continuously or intermittently without reciprocating the nozzle unit 5, the viewpoint of reliably sucking the cleaning liquid from the suction port. Is preferable. Alternatively, in the nozzle portion 5 shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning liquid discharge port 61 and the suction port 62 on the lower surface side of the U-shaped portion 52 may be excluded.

  FIG. 13 shows an example in which a cleaning unit is provided in the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for cleaning the wafer W before immersion exposure is performed. The cleaning unit includes a stage 81, a drive mechanism 82, a nozzle portion 83 having no U-shaped portion, and the like. The stage 81 is moved from the arm of the transport unit 32 on the interface B3 side to the arm of the transport unit 40 on the exposure unit B4 side. It also serves as a delivery stage to which the wafer W is delivered. The nozzle portion 83 is moved between a cleaning position positioned on the wafer W and a retracted position retracted from the wafer W by a moving mechanism (not shown).

  In the processing unit B2 of the coating and developing apparatus, liquid processing, heating, and cooling system processing units are arranged as densely as possible so as to reduce the size and improve the throughput. It is advisable to provide it at the interface B3 rather than at B2.

  The cleaning unit described so far is an invention of the cleaning device itself, and in this case, there is an effect that a small and simple structure can be obtained. Further, such a cleaning unit is not provided in the coating / developing apparatus, but is provided on the exposure unit B4 side, and can also be established as an invention of an exposure apparatus provided with a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer W before and / or after immersion exposure. In this case, the above-described effects can be obtained.

1 is a plan view showing a coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a coating and developing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the interface part of the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the nozzle part which comprises the washing | cleaning unit integrated in the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is a bottom view which shows an example of the top plate in the said nozzle part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the said nozzle part. It is a cross-sectional top view of the U-shaped part in the said nozzle part. It is explanatory drawing which showed the dynamics of the said nozzle part and a wafer before washing | cleaning. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the said nozzle part at the time of washing | cleaning. It is a side view of the said nozzle part at the time of washing | cleaning. It is explanatory drawing which showed the dynamics of the said nozzle part and a wafer after completion | finish of washing | cleaning from the time of washing | cleaning. It is explanatory drawing which showed the washing | cleaning area | region of the U-shaped part in the said nozzle part. It is a perspective view which shows the washing | cleaning unit of the resist pattern formation apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the washing | cleaning unit of the resist pattern formation apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the exposure means for carrying out immersion exposure of a wafer. It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the wafer surface is immersion-exposed by the said exposure means.

Explanation of symbols

W Wafer 1 Exposure means 10 Lens 11 Supply rod 12 Suction port 13 Transfer area (shot area)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Cleaning unit 4 Stage 40 Arm 41 Drive mechanism 42 Shaft part 5 Nozzle part 51 Top plate 52 U-shaped part 54 Cleaning liquid discharge port 54a Cleaning liquid supply pipe 54b Valve 54c Cleaning liquid supply source 55 Suction port 55a Suction pipe 55b Valve 55c Suction means 56 Suction port 56a Suction tube 57 Arm 58 Moving mechanism 60 Lower surface portion 61 Cleaning liquid discharge port 63 Connection unit 64 Cleaning liquid supply tube 65 Suction tube 66 Suction port 67 Suction tube 71 U-shaped portion 72 U-shaped portion 73 Moving mechanism 74 Moving mechanism 81 Stage 82 Drive mechanism 83 Nozzle

Claims (18)

Coating and development comprising: a coating unit for coating a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer; and a developing unit for supplying a developing solution to the semiconductor wafer after liquid exposure is formed on the surface and immersion exposure is performed. In the device
It is equipped with a cleaning unit that performs cleaning before applying immersion exposure after applying resist to the semiconductor wafer.
The washing unit is
A wafer holder for holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally;
A cleaning liquid discharge port formed so as to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding unit and having a length corresponding to the approximate diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port to the surface of the semiconductor wafer A suction nozzle having a length substantially the same as that of the cleaning liquid discharge port, disposed along both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port.
A rotation mechanism for rotating the wafer holding portion relative to the nozzle portion relative to the vertical axis;
A moving mechanism for moving the nozzle part between a cleaning position facing the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding part and a retreat position retracted from the surface of the semiconductor wafer;
A coating and developing apparatus comprising: Coating and development comprising: a coating unit for coating a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer; and a developing unit for supplying a developing solution to the semiconductor wafer after liquid exposure is formed on the surface and immersion exposure is performed. In the device
A cleaning unit that cleans the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before development,
The washing unit is
A wafer holder for holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally;
A rotation mechanism for rotating the wafer holder around a vertical axis;
A U-shaped part formed so as to surround the peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding part;
An upper cleaning liquid discharge port and a lower cleaning liquid discharge port for discharging a cleaning liquid from the inside of the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion to both peripheral edges of the semiconductor wafer;
Provided in the lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion for sucking the cleaning liquid, and when the central portion side of the semiconductor wafer as viewed from the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is the front, the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is at least on the front side and both sides A lower suction port surrounded from three sides,
A side suction port provided on a side surface of the U-shaped part for sucking a cleaning liquid;
A coating and developing apparatus, comprising: a moving mechanism that moves the U-shaped portion between a cleaning position that surrounds a peripheral edge of a semiconductor wafer and a retracted position that is retracted from the cleaning position.   3. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the U-shaped portions are provided so as to face each other in the diameter direction of the semiconductor wafer. The lower cleaning liquid discharge port is formed as an elongated discharge port extending from the inside to the outside of the semiconductor wafer,
4. The coating / developing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lower suction port includes portions extending along the discharge port on both sides of the lower cleaning solution discharge port. Coating and development comprising: a coating unit for coating a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer; and a developing unit for supplying a developing solution to the semiconductor wafer after liquid exposure is formed on the surface and immersion exposure is performed. In the device
A cleaning unit that cleans the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before development,
The washing unit is
A wafer holder for holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally;
A cleaning liquid discharge port formed so as to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding unit and having a length corresponding to the approximate diameter of the semiconductor wafer, and the cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port to the surface of the semiconductor wafer A suction nozzle having a length substantially the same as that of the cleaning liquid discharge port, disposed along both sides of the cleaning liquid discharge port.
A rotation mechanism for rotating the wafer holding portion relative to the nozzle portion relative to the vertical axis;
A U-shaped part provided at both ends of the nozzle part and formed so as to surround a peripheral part of a semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding part;
A lower cleaning liquid discharge port for discharging a cleaning liquid from the inside of the lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer;
A suction port provided on a side surface of the U-shaped part for sucking a cleaning liquid;
A moving mechanism for moving the nozzle part between a cleaning position facing the surface of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding part and a retreat position retracted from the surface of the semiconductor wafer;
A coating and developing apparatus comprising:   Provided in the lower surface portion of the U-shaped portion for sucking the cleaning liquid, and when the central portion side of the semiconductor wafer as viewed from the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is the front, the lower cleaning liquid discharge port is at least on the front side and both sides 6. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a suction port surrounding from three sides. The lower cleaning liquid discharge port is formed as an elongated discharge port extending from the inside to the outside of the semiconductor wafer,
7. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the lower suction port includes portions extending along the discharge port on both sides of the lower cleaning liquid discharge port.   8. The rotation mechanism is controlled so as to rotate the wafer holding portion intermittently in order to sequentially wash the band-like region along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer by the nozzle portion. Coating and developing equipment.   9. A reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating a nozzle portion relative to the wafer holding portion in a tangential direction of the semiconductor wafer when the cleaning solution is discharged from the cleaning solution discharge port. The coating and developing apparatus according to any one of the above.   The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the moving mechanism also serves as the reciprocating mechanism.   A processing block including the coating unit and the developing unit; and an interface block interposed between the processing block and an exposure machine that performs immersion exposure on the semiconductor wafer. The cleaning unit is provided in the interface block. The coating / developing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coating / developing apparatus is provided. In a resist pattern forming method, after applying a resist to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the semiconductor wafer and performing immersion exposure, and then supplying a developing solution to the surface of the wafer to develop it.
After the resist application to the semiconductor wafer, it is equipped with a cleaning process to perform cleaning before immersion exposure.
The washing step includes
Holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the wafer holder;
Thereafter, the step of relatively positioning the nozzle portion according to claim 1 to face the surface of the semiconductor wafer;
Next, while discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge port provided in the nozzle part to the surface of the semiconductor wafer, the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction port provided in the nozzle part, thereby cleaning the belt-shaped region along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer. And a process of
Subsequently, the wafer holding unit is sequentially rotated, and the band-shaped region at each rotation position is cleaned in the same manner as in the above process,
A resist pattern forming method comprising: In a resist pattern forming method, after applying a resist to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the semiconductor wafer and performing immersion exposure, and then supplying a developing solution to the surface of the wafer to develop it.
After a liquid immersion exposure for a semiconductor wafer, it has a cleaning process for cleaning before developing.
The washing step includes
Holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the wafer holder;
Next, the step of relatively positioning the U-shaped portion according to claim 2 so as to surround a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holding portion;
Subsequently, a step of discharging the cleaning liquid from the upper cleaning liquid discharge port and the lower cleaning liquid discharge port provided in the U-shaped part to the peripheral edges of the semiconductor wafer, respectively.
A step of sucking the cleaning liquid while the step of discharging the cleaning liquid from the suction port surrounding the lower cleaning liquid discharge port and the suction port provided on the side surface of the U-shaped part;
Rotating the wafer holder to perform cleaning of the peripheral edge over the entire circumference of the semiconductor wafer;
A resist pattern forming method comprising: In a resist pattern forming method, after applying a resist to the surface of a semiconductor wafer, forming a liquid layer on the surface of the semiconductor wafer and performing immersion exposure, and then supplying a developing solution to the surface of the wafer to develop it.
After a liquid immersion exposure for a semiconductor wafer, it has a cleaning process for cleaning before developing.
The washing step includes
Holding the semiconductor wafer horizontally on the wafer holder;
Next, the step of causing the nozzle portion described in claim 5 to face the semiconductor wafer and relatively positioning the U-shaped portions provided at both ends of the nozzle portion so as to surround the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer;
Thereafter, the cleaning liquid is sucked from the suction port provided in the nozzle part while the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge port provided in the nozzle part to clean the belt-shaped region along the diameter of the semiconductor wafer. And a process of
Sucking the cleaning liquid from the suction port provided in the side surface of the U-shaped part while discharging the cleaning liquid from the inside of the lower surface of the U-shaped part to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer;
Subsequently, the wafer holding unit is sequentially rotated to clean the belt-like region at each rotational position and the back surface peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer in the same manner as in the above step,
A resist pattern forming method comprising:   15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of reciprocally moving the nozzle portion relative to the wafer holding portion in a tangential direction of the semiconductor wafer when the cleaning solution is being discharged from the cleaning solution discharge port. The resist pattern formation method in any one.   16. The method according to claim 12, further comprising a step of heating the semiconductor wafer after immersion exposure and before development, wherein the cleaning step is performed before the step of heating. Resist pattern forming method. In an exposure apparatus that forms a liquid layer on the surface of a semiconductor wafer coated with a resist and performs immersion exposure,
An exposure apparatus comprising the cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11. A cleaning apparatus comprising the cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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