JP4327537B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

As an apparatus for performing a predetermined process on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, there is an apparatus described in Patent Document 1, for example. The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a nozzle that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate, a pipe that guides the processing liquid to the nozzle, a nozzle gripping part that is movable by gripping the nozzle, and a nozzle gripping part that is attached to the substrate. Moving means for moving between an upper position (discharge position) and a standby position outside the substrate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-256127

  However, in such an apparatus, when the nozzle is moved between the upper position (discharge position) of the substrate and the standby position outside the substrate, the pipe connected to the moving nozzle is positioned at the standby position. Contact with processing liquid piping connected to other nozzles or other parts may damage those parts or generate particles in the apparatus due to the contact.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of avoiding that a pipe connected to a moving nozzle interferes with other parts. Objective.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of spin chucks that hold and rotate a substrate, and a plurality of spin chucks arranged in parallel to the sides of the substrate held by the spin chuck are arranged on the surface of the substrate held by the spin chuck. A nozzle for discharging a treatment liquid, a flexible treatment liquid supply pipe connected to each of the nozzles, and one nozzle among the plurality of nozzles in a direction in which the nozzles are arranged in parallel; Moving means for moving between a discharge position facing the substrate surface held by the spin chuck and a standby position away from the substrate surface by moving in a direction crossing the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in parallel; due to movement in a direction parallel of the nozzle of the nozzle, the nozzle in the processing liquid supply pipe is spaced than the region to follow to move in a direction parallel nozzle area Characterized in that it comprises a regulating member for limiting the movement in the direction in parallel of the nozzle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, one end of the restricting member is pivotally supported in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in parallel. The end is composed of an arm member that is coupled to a portion that is separated from a region that follows the movement of the nozzles in the processing liquid supply pipes in the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in parallel .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus of the first aspect, the regulating member follows the movement of the nozzle in the processing liquid supply pipe in the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in parallel when the nozzle is used. It consists of a plate member that partitions between regions separated from the region.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the restriction member that restricts the movement of the processing liquid supply pipe in the parallel direction of the nozzle in accordance with the movement of the nozzle in the parallel direction is provided, it is connected to the moving nozzle. It is possible to avoid the processing liquid supply pipe to be interfered with other parts.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the regulating member is pivotally supported such that one end thereof is swingable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in parallel, and the other end is coupled to each of the processing liquid supply pipes. Since it is made of a member, even when the processing liquid supply pipe is deformed as the nozzle moves spatially, deformation of the processing liquid supply pipe is restricted, and interference with other parts can be avoided. .

  In the invention according to claim 3, since the restricting member is composed of a plate member for partitioning between the processing liquid supply pipes, the processing liquid is supplied as the nozzle moves spatially while having a simple configuration. Even when the tube is deformed, deformation of the processing liquid supply tube is restricted, and interference with other components can be avoided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

  This substrate processing apparatus has a chamber 1 for processing a substrate W therein and ten nozzles 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d arranged in parallel to the side of the substrate W arranged in the chamber 1. , 21e, 21f, 21g, 21h, 21i, 21j (hereinafter, the ten "nozzles 21a to 21j" are collectively referred to as "nozzle 21") and the processing liquid connected to each of the nozzles 21a to 21j Supply pipes 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f, 22g, 22h, 22i, and 22j (hereinafter, the ten "treatment liquid supply pipes 22a to 22j" are collectively referred to as "treatment liquid supply pipe 22") A nozzle gripping member 23 that grips one of the ten nozzles 21 and an X-axis shift that moves the nozzle 21 gripped by the nozzle gripping member 23 in the X-axis direction. A mechanism 30, a Y-axis moving mechanism 40 that moves the nozzle 21 held by the nozzle holding member 23 in the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis moving mechanism 50 that moves the nozzle 21 held by the nozzle holding member 23 in the Z-axis direction. And arm members 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e, and 24f as restricting members that restrict the movement of the treatment liquid supply pipe 22 in the parallel direction of the nozzle 21 in accordance with the movement of the nozzle 21 in the parallel direction. 24g, 24h, 24i, 24j (hereinafter, the ten "arm members 24a to 24j" are collectively referred to as "arm members 24").

  The nozzle 21 is for discharging a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate W disposed in the chamber 1. Each nozzle 21 is for supplying a processing liquid from a processing liquid tank (not shown), is connected to each processing liquid supply pipe 22, and is connected to the processing liquid tank via the processing liquid supply pipe 22. Moreover, each nozzle 21 is supported on the nozzle mounting member 26 shown in FIG. 2 in a standby state.

  The nozzle gripping member 23 has a nozzle gripping portion 23 a for coupling with the nozzle 21. The nozzle gripping member 23 is connected to the X axis moving mechanism 30. The X-axis moving mechanism 30 is connected to the Z-axis moving mechanism 50, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 50 is further connected to the Y-axis moving mechanism 40. For this reason, the nozzle gripping member 23 is movable in the three axis directions of these X axis, Y axis, and Z axis.

  The X-axis moving mechanism 30 includes a rotation motor (not shown), a drive pulley 31 connected to the rotation motor, a synchronization belt 33, and a driven pulley 32 that rotates in synchronization with the drive pulley by the synchronization belt 33. The synchronization belts 33 and 36 are connected to the nozzle gripping member 23, and the nozzle gripping member 23 can be moved in the X-axis direction as the synchronization belts 33 and 36 are driven by the rotation of the rotary motor in the X-axis drive mechanism 30. It becomes.

  The Z-axis moving mechanism 50 includes a cylinder 51 that can expand and contract in the Z-axis direction and a slide member (not shown). This slide member is connected to the X-axis moving mechanism 30. With this configuration, the X-axis moving mechanism 30 can be moved in the Z-axis direction as the cylinder 51 expands and contracts.

  The Y-axis moving mechanism 40 includes a rotation motor (not shown), a drive pulley 41 connected to the rotation motor, a synchronization belt 43, and driven pulleys 42a and 42b that rotate in synchronization with the drive pulley by the synchronization belt 43. . The synchronization belt 43 is connected to the Z-axis drive mechanism 50, and the Z-axis movement mechanism 50 can be moved in the Y-axis direction as the synchronization belt 43 is driven by the rotation of the rotary motor in the Y-axis drive mechanism 40. Become.

  With the configuration of the X-axis moving mechanism 30, the Y-axis moving and subsequent 40, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 50 described above, the nozzle gripping member 23 connected to the X-axis moving mechanism 30 has the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. It is possible to move in the axial direction.

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing how the nozzle 21 moves in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the arm member 24, the processing liquid supply pipe 22, and the locking member 25 for coupling them in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  One end of the arm member 24 is pivotally supported only in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzles 21 are arranged in parallel, and the other end is coupled to the processing liquid supply pipe 22 by a locking member 25. For this reason, even when the nozzle 21 moves in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction as described above, the deformation of the processing liquid supply pipe 22 connected to the nozzle 21 that moves with the nozzle 21 is It is restricted only in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzles 21 are arranged in parallel. Thereby, it can avoid that the said process liquid supply pipe | tube 22 interferes with the other nozzle 21, the process liquid supply pipe | tube 22 etc. which are connected to them. As a result, the processing liquid supply pipe 22 connected to the moving nozzle 21 is prevented from coming into contact with other parts, thereby damaging those parts and generating particles in the apparatus due to the contact. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the arm member 24 has a prismatic shape, and the locking member 25 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the arm member 24. Will not cause.

  FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state around the anti-scattering cup 12 in the chamber 1 in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a plan view thereof.

  The chamber 1 is connected to a gas supply mechanism for supplying a gas to the inside and a gas discharge mechanism for discharging the internal gas in order to prevent the substrate from being contaminated by the processing liquid remaining inside. During the processing of the substrate W, it is preferable that gas supply and exhaust are always performed in the anti-scattering cup 12 in order to keep the inside clean. However, during a certain period immediately after the start of applying the processing liquid to the substrate W, the processing liquid applied to the substrate W may be uneven due to the gas flow caused by the supply and exhaust of the gas. For this reason, this gas discharge mechanism does not pass the anti-scattering cup exhaust pipe 80 connected to the exhaust port 122a of the anti-scattering cup 12 for discharging the gas that has passed through the anti-scattering cup 12 and the anti-scattering cup 12. Two exhaust pipes including a chamber exhaust pipe 90 connected to the exhaust port 2 of the chamber 1 for exhausting gas are provided.

  The anti-scatter cup exhaust pipe 80 and the chamber exhaust pipe 90 are connected to the large exhaust pipe 200 via the damper 100. The damper 100 is selectively connected to either the scattering prevention cup exhaust pipe 80 or the chamber exhaust pipe 90. For example, when the scattering prevention exhaust pipe 80 is connected to the large exhaust pipe 200 by the damper 100, the gas supplied into the chamber 12 passes through the scattering prevention cup 12 and exhausts to the large exhaust pipe 200. Is done. For this reason, the inside of the anti-scattering cup 12 can be kept clean. On the other hand, when the chamber exhaust pipe 90 is connected to the main exhaust pipe 200 by the damper 100, the gas supplied into the chamber 12 does not pass through the anti-scattering cup 12, and the main source has a sense of crisis 200. Is exhausted. For this reason, an inappropriate air flow is not generated in the anti-scattering cup 12, and the pressure in the chamber 12 can be made constant. Thereby, it becomes possible to prevent the contaminated gas from flowing into the chamber 90. In addition, the exhaust amount to the large exhaust pipe 200 can be made constant. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the amount of other exhaust gas connected to the large exhaust pipe 200 from being changed. Here, the large exhaust pipe 200 is a large exhaust pipe connected to the factory exhaust equipment.

  In the chamber 1, the spin chuck 11 that rotates while holding the substrate W, the anti-scattering cup 12 that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and the anti-scattering cup 12 are raised and lowered with respect to the spin chuck 11. Cylinder 70 as an elevating mechanism, a stopper 71 for limiting a lower limit in the elevating operation of the anti-scattering cup 12, a pressing member 61 for pressing the anti-scattering cup 12 from above, and an elevating and lowering of the pressing member 61 A pressing member raising / lowering mechanism 60 for moving is provided.

  The spin chuck 11 is connected to a vacuum pump and a rotary motor (not shown). For this reason, when the substrate W is placed on the spin chuck 11, the substrate W is sucked and held and is rotatable about the shaft 11 a.

  The anti-scattering cup 12 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body for the purpose of cleaning and the like. The scattering prevention cup 12 includes an upper cup 121 and a lower cup 122. For this reason, it becomes possible to form in the shape which surrounds a board | substrate easily. In addition, the upper portion of the anti-scattering cup 12 that is considered to have a high degree of contamination and fatigue can be separated from the lower portion that is considered to have a relatively low degree of contamination and fatigue. For this reason, it becomes possible to replace | exchange the upper cup 121 and the lower cup 122 easily. Further, the upper cup 121 and the lower cup 122 constituting the scattering prevention cup 12 are combined in the vertical direction. For this reason, it becomes possible to raise the airtightness in the junction part of these components by the press of the press member 61 demonstrated in detail later.

  The upper cup 121 has an opening 121a through which the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11 can pass. The lower cup 122 has an exhaust port 122 a connected to the exhaust pipe 80 and a waste liquid port 122 b connected to the waste liquid pipe 81. Further, the lower cup 122 is connected to an elevating cylinder 70 that can be expanded and contracted. Therefore, when the upper cup 121 and the lower cup 122 are combined to form the scattering prevention cup 12, a substrate processing position where the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11 is disposed inside the scattering prevention cup 12, It is possible to raise and lower the anti-scattering cup 12 relative to the spin chuck 11 between the substrate transfer position where the substrate W is disposed outside the anti-scattering cup 12.

  The pressing member 61 has a hole 61a through which the substrate W held by the spin chuck 11 can pass at a position corresponding to the opening 121a of the scattering prevention cup 12 when the scattering prevention cup 12 is pressed. . And this press member 61 is connected with the press member moving mechanism 60 demonstrated in detail later, and, thereby, can be moved up and down.

  The pressing member moving mechanism 60 includes an elevating cylinder 62 connected to the pressing member 61, two sensors 63 attached to the elevating cylinder 62 and capable of detecting the height position of the pressing member 61, and the elevating movement of the pressing member 61. And a guide rail 64 (see FIG. 8).

  One of the two sensors 63 is disposed at a position corresponding to the highest position in the up-and-down movement of the pressing member 61. The other sensor 63b is disposed at a position corresponding to the lowest position in the up-and-down movement of the pressing member 61. For this reason, it becomes possible to detect a malfunction of the apparatus such as a mounting defect of the anti-scattering cup 12. Specifically, when it is determined by the sensor 63b that the pressing member 61 has not reached the lowest position, this defect is notified.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how the nozzle 21 moves in the substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  In the substrate processing apparatus described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the regulating member that restricts the movement of the nozzle 21 of the processing liquid supply pipe 22 in the direction in which the nozzle 21 moves in parallel with the movement of the nozzle 21 in the direction in which the nozzle 21 is arranged in parallel. Although the arm member 24 is used, as shown in FIG. 14, the regulating member may be made up of a plurality of plate members 27 that partition the processing liquid supply pipes 22 connected to the nozzles 21.

  Each plate member 27 is fixed so that the plane thereof is perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzles 21 are arranged in parallel. For this reason, even when the nozzle 21 moves in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction as described above, the deformation of the processing liquid supply pipe 22 connected to the nozzle 21 that moves with the nozzle 21 is In the direction in which the nozzles 21 are arranged in parallel, the nozzles 21 are restricted within a range partitioned by the plate members 27. Thereby, it can avoid that the said process liquid supply pipe | tube 22 interferes with the other nozzle 21, the process liquid supply pipe | tube 22 etc. which are connected to them. As a result, the processing liquid supply pipe 22 connected to the moving nozzle 21 is prevented from coming into contact with other parts, thereby damaging those parts and generating particles in the apparatus due to the contact. can do.

  With such a configuration, even when the processing liquid supply pipe 22 is deformed as the nozzle 21 moves spatially, the deformation of the processing liquid supply pipe 22 is restricted even though the configuration is simple. Interference with other parts can be avoided.

  Further, in the substrate processing apparatus described above, the arm member 24 has a prismatic shape, and the locking member 25 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the arm member 24. However, the arm member 24 is a cylinder. Even if it is a shape or another column shape, it may be the locking member 25 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the arm member 24.

It is a top view which shows the principal part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a front view which shows the principal part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows a mode that the nozzle 21 in the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention moves. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the nozzle 21 in the substrate processing apparatus concerning this invention moves. It is a perspective view which shows the arm member 24 in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention, the process liquid supply pipe | tube 22, and the locking member 25 which couple | bonds these. It is a sectional side view which shows the mode of the scattering prevention cup 12 periphery in the chamber 1 in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the mode of the periphery of the scattering prevention cup 12 in the chamber 1 in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the nozzle 21 in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention moves.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chamber 2 Exhaust port 11 Spin chuck 12 Splash prevention cup 21 Nozzle 22 Processing liquid supply pipe 23 Nozzle holding member 24 Arm member 25 Locking member 26 Nozzle mounting base 27 Plate member 30 X-axis drive mechanism 31 Drive pulley 32 Driven pulley 33 Synchronization Belt 40 Y-axis drive mechanism 41 Drive pulley 42 Driven pulley 43 Synchronous belt 50 Z-axis drive mechanism 51 Cylinder 60 Press member lifting mechanism 61 Press member 62 Lift cylinder 63 Sensor 70 Cylinder 71 Stopper 80 Splash prevention cup exhaust pipe 81 Waste liquid pipe 90 Chamber Exhaust pipe 100 Damper 121 Upper cup 122 Lower cup 200 Main exhaust pipe

Claims (3)

A spin chuck that rotates while holding the substrate;
A plurality of nozzles arranged in parallel to the sides of the substrate held by the spin chuck and for discharging a processing liquid to the substrate surface held by the spin chuck;
A treatment liquid supply pipe having flexibility and connected to each nozzle;
By moving one of the plurality of nozzles in a direction in which the nozzles are juxtaposed and in a direction crossing the direction in which the nozzles are juxtaposed, a discharge position facing the substrate surface held by the spin chuck, and Moving means for moving between a standby position away from the substrate surface; and
In the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in a region separated from the region following the movement of the nozzles in the processing liquid supply pipe in the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in line with the movement of the nozzles in the direction in which the nozzles are arranged in parallel. A restricting member that restricts movement of the
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
One end of the restricting member is pivotally supported in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the plurality of nozzles are arranged in parallel, and the other end is moved in a direction in which the nozzles in the processing liquid supply pipes are arranged in parallel with the nozzles. board processing apparatus comprising a arm member that binds to particular track away portions than the region. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The said regulating member is a substrate processing apparatus which consists of a board member which partitions off between the area | regions separated from the area | region which tracks that the said nozzle in the said process liquid supply pipe | tube at the time of nozzle use moves to the direction where a nozzle parallels .

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