JP4380942B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, a processing solution is supplied to a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate), and a cleaning process is performed. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for surface treatment that supplies a processing liquid to a formed substrate to perform a film removal process, and particularly relates to a technique for supplying a processing liquid containing ozone to perform surface treatment on the substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a mixed solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (referred to as CARO or SPM) is used in a process of removing a photoresist film in a photolithography process of manufacturing a semiconductor device. However, since such a mixed solution is a deleterious substance and is used at a high temperature, a great deal of effort is paid to safety. Furthermore, this liquid mixture is difficult to process waste liquid, and the cost and equipment load for that are large. In recent years, a simple and safe method for removing a photoresist film has been demanded for environmental considerations.
[0003]
Therefore, recently, attention has been focused on the use of ozone water obtained by dissolving ozone in pure water. According to this ozone water, it is said that the higher the dissolved concentration of ozone, the faster the peeling speed of the photoresist film and the higher the effect.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.
That is, there is a problem that the use of ozone water is not practical because the removal rate of the photoresist film is slow and the processing takes too much time. Therefore, it is difficult to replace conventional treatment with treatment with ozone water.
[0005]
Furthermore, in the apparatus according to the conventional example, the peeling process, the water washing process, and the drying process are performed, but the peeling process, the water washing process, and the drying process are processed in separate processing tanks. . For this reason, there is a problem that the area occupied when the apparatus is installed in a clean room is large, and there is a lack of profitability.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and improves the film removal capability by increasing the reaction rate of the treatment, and occupies the area occupied by the apparatus by treating the drying treatment in the same treatment tank. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of reducing the size of the substrate.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for applying a surface treatment to a substrate by causing the first processing solution in which ozone is dissolved to act on the substrate. A processing tank for storing the processing liquid and immersing the substrate, a substrate heating lamp for heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature higher than the first processing liquid, and a lower part of the substrate heating lamp are attached to the substrate. A drying lamp for drying the adhering second processing liquid, and a supporting unit that holds the substrate and is relatively movable at least between the first processing position in the processing tank and the second processing position above the first processing position. And a container that surrounds the processing tank , the substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp are attached to the inner wall of the container, and are disposed near the upper opening of the processing tank, 1st treatment liquid When the support means repeatedly moves between the first processing position and the second processing position, the entire surface of the substrate is heated with the substrate heating lamp to perform surface treatment, With the second processing liquid stored, the substrate heating lamp is turned off and the drying lamp is turned on, and when the supporting means moves from the first processing position to the second processing position, The second treatment liquid is dried by irradiating the drying lamp near the interface of the second treatment liquid surface.
[0008]
(Delete)
[0009]
Invention according to claim 2, in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate heating lamp and said drying lamp, a pair of lamps arranged opposite each other across the opening of the processing bath in each plan view It is characterized by having.
[0010]
A third aspect of the present invention is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect , wherein the substrate heating lamp heats the temperature of the substrate to 60 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the substrate heating lamp irradiates light over the entire surface of the substrate during heating.
[0012]
[Action]
The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows.
That is, the supporting means moves relative to the first processing position in the processing tank while holding the substrate, and immerses the substrate in the first processing liquid in the processing tank. Next, when the support means moves relative to the second processing position, the entire surface of the substrate is heated by the substrate heating lamp. As described above, the support means repeatedly moves between the first processing position and the second processing position, so that the immersion of the substrate in the first processing liquid containing ozone water and the heating of the substrate are alternately performed. To be done. Then, the substrate heating lamp is turned off and the drying lamp is turned on when the substrate is immersed in pure water as the second treatment liquid in the treatment tank and the substrate is moved from the pure water to the second treatment position. Then, the second processing liquid adhering to the substrate is dried by heating the interface between the second processing liquid surface and the substrate with a drying lamp attached to the lower part of the substrate heating lamp. Since the temperature of the first processing liquid can be made substantially the same as the temperature of the substrate, the reaction rate by the first processing liquid can be increased. In addition, since the temperature of the first treatment liquid is not positively increased, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the dissolved concentration of ozone due to the temperature rise of the first treatment liquid, and to bring the substrate into the second treatment position. Since the drying lamp is irradiated when moving, a drying process can be performed.
[0013]
The substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp are attached to the inner wall of the container surrounding the processing tank, and heat the substrate or dry the second processing liquid adhering to the substrate.
[0014]
According to invention of Claim 2 , light is irradiated with respect to a board | substrate with the board | substrate heating lamp and drying lamp which were opposingly arranged on either side across the opening of a processing tank.
[0015]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the surface temperature at the time of heating the substrate may be set according to the processing target such as the processing speed and the coating film, but is preferably in the range of 60 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. If it is in this range, the peeling action of the coating film by ozone can be efficiently generated in the first treatment liquid.
[0016]
According to invention of Claim 4 , a substrate heating lamp can irradiate light so that the whole surface of a board | substrate may be covered, and it can heat uniformly over the whole surface of a board | substrate.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, which strips a photoresist film deposited on a substrate.
[0018]
In this substrate processing apparatus, a processing tank 1 for performing chemical treatment such as peeling treatment and cleaning treatment with pure water on a substrate W is provided in a sealed chamber 3. A pair of processing liquid injection pipes 5 for supplying a chemical liquid, pure water, or a processing liquid containing them is attached to the lower part of the processing tank 1. The treatment liquid injection tube 5 is closed at one end side, and has a large number of ejection holes 5a arranged in parallel on the side surface, and ejects liquid introduced from the other end side from each ejection hole 5a. A processing liquid injection pipe 5 is attached to the processing tank 1 so that each of these ejection holes 5 a is desired in the processing tank 1.
[0019]
A processing liquid supply unit 9 is connected to the other end of the processing liquid injection pipe 5 via a pipe 7. The treatment liquid supply unit 9 is configured to selectively switch between pure water and one or more kinds of chemical liquids, and to supply at least a first treatment liquid containing ozone and a second treatment liquid consisting of pure water only. Has been.
[0020]
The treatment liquid supply unit 9 includes a mixing valve 11 and an on-off valve 13 in the pipe 7, and further includes a pure water supply source 15 that communicates with the pipe 7. The mixing valve 11 is connected to chemical pipes 17a to 17d for supplying various chemical liquids, and open / close valves 19a to 19d are attached to the pipes.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, as an example, hydrofluoric acid (HF), hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ), ammonia (NH ₃ ), and ozone (O ₃ ) are supplied to the chemical liquid pipes 17a to 17d. The
[0022]
An overflow tank 21 is attached to the upper outer periphery of the processing tank 1. The overflow tank 21 receives and collects a processing liquid (chemical liquid, pure water, or a mixed liquid thereof) overflowing from the upper part of the processing tank 1. At the bottom, a discharge port 21 a is formed, and the received processing liquid is drained through a pipe 25 having an on-off valve 23.
[0023]
A drain port 27 is formed at the bottom of the processing tank 1. The drainage port 27 communicates with a pipe 31 having an opening / closing valve 29, and the processing liquid in the processing tank 1 is drained by opening the opening / closing valve 29.
[0024]
The sealed chamber 3 includes a main body 3a and a lid 3b configured to be openable and closable with respect to the main body 3a. The substrate W is taken in and out with the lid portion 3b opened with respect to the main body portion 3a, while the sealed chamber 3 is sealed with the lid portion 3b closed.
[0025]
A pair of nozzles 33 for injecting an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is attached inside the sealed chamber 3. An inert gas supply source 39 is communicated with the pair of nozzles 33 via a pipe 37 having an on-off valve 35. By opening the on-off valve 35, the inside of the sealed chamber 3 is purged with an inert gas.
[0026]
Further, an exhaust port 41 is provided at the bottom of the sealed chamber 3. The exhaust port 41 communicates with a vacuum suction source via a pipe 45 provided with an on-off valve 43. The gas in the sealed chamber 3 is sucked through the exhaust port 41, and the inside of the sealed chamber 3 is decompressed depending on the process.
[0027]
In the sealed chamber 3, a substrate support mechanism 47 that arranges and supports a plurality of substrates W at regular intervals is provided. The substrate support mechanism 47 includes a support member 47a for contacting and supporting the lower edge of the substrate W, and can be moved up and down by a lift mechanism (not shown).
[0028]
The substrate support mechanism 47 corresponding to the support means of the present invention has a first processing position P1 (of the substrate support mechanism 47 shown in FIG. 1) where the substrate W is completely immersed in a state where the processing liquid is stored in the processing tank 1. Position) and a second processing position P2 above the first processing position. Note that, during the photoresist film peeling process, the substrate support mechanism 47 is repeatedly moved between the first processing position P1 and the second processing position P2 at predetermined time intervals. Further, when the pure water cleaning process is completed and the substrate support mechanism 47 is pulled up, the substrate support mechanism 47 is controlled so as to rise from the first processing position P1 to the second processing position P2 at a relatively low speed.
[0029]
A substrate heating lamp 51 is attached to the inner wall of the main body 3a of the sealed chamber 3 at the height of the second processing position P2. In the present embodiment, in order to irradiate light efficiently, the pair of substrate heating lamps 51 are arranged to face each other across the upper opening of the processing tank 1 in plan view, and arranged in two stages in the vertical direction. That is, the two pairs of substrate heating lamps 51 are attached to face each other. The substrate heating lamp 51 is, for example, a rod-shaped halogen lamp, and has an output of 3 kW, a wavelength of 1.3 to 3 μm, and an irradiation angle that can be adjusted in three stages. The irradiation angle and irradiation range of the substrate heating lamp 51 are preferably adjusted so that light is irradiated onto the entire surface of the substrate W when the substrate W is positioned at the second processing position P2. . By adjusting in this way, the entire surface of the substrate W can be heated uniformly, so that the processing can be performed uniformly on the entire surface of the substrate W.
[0030]
The surface temperature of the substrate W at the time of temperature rise by the substrate heating lamp 51 may be set according to the processing speed and the processing target such as the photoresist film, but is preferably in the range of 60 ° C. or more and less than 100 ° C., more Preferably it is about 80 degreeC. By setting to this temperature, the peeling action by ozone contained in the first treatment liquid can be efficiently generated, so that surface treatment can be performed efficiently.
[0031]
A drying lamp 53 is attached below the substrate heating lamp 51. The mounting position is near the upper opening of the processing tank 1 and is adjusted so that the light is irradiated near the interface between the second processing liquid and the substrate W when the substrate W is pulled up. The drying lamp 53 in the present embodiment employs the same lamp as the substrate heating lamp 51 described above.
[0032]
Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. In the following description, an example in which a peeling process is performed on the substrate W on which the photoresist film is applied will be described. Further, it is assumed that the on-off valves 19a to 19d for supplying the chemical liquid are all closed.
[0033]
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 3b of the sealed chamber 3 is opened, and a plurality of substrates W are mounted on the substrate support mechanism 47 that has been raised to the second process P2 from a transport mechanism (not shown). Put. When the substrate W is placed, the lid 3b is closed and the sealed chamber 3 is closed.
[0034]
Next, the on-off valve 13 is opened, and the treatment tank 1 is filled with pure water. Further, the substrate holding mechanism 47 is lowered while the pure water rising liquid flow is formed, and the substrate W is immersed in the pure water rising liquid flow (FIG. 3). Alternatively, after the plurality of substrates W are lowered into the processing tank 1 together with the substrate holding mechanism 47, the on-off valve 13 is opened to fill the processing tank 1 with pure water, and an ascending liquid flow is formed.
[0035]
At this time, the on-off valve 23 is opened, and the pure water overflowing from the upper part of the treatment tank 1 is received and collected by the overflow tank 21, and the collected pure water passes through the pipe 25. Then drained.
[0036]
With the ascending liquid flow formed by pure water as described above, the on-off valve 19d of the processing liquid supply unit 9 is opened, and ozone is poured into the chemical liquid pipe 17d at a predetermined flow rate. Thereby, pure water containing ozone is supplied to the treatment tank 1 as the first treatment liquid. If this state is maintained for a predetermined time, the pure water in the treatment tank 1 is replaced with the first treatment liquid containing ozone.
[0037]
After the pure water in the processing tank 1 is replaced with the first processing liquid, the substrate holding mechanism 47 is repeatedly moved up and down over the first position P1 and the second position P2. The speed at this time is about several centimeters per second, stops at the second position P2 for a predetermined time, heats to a predetermined temperature, and then descends again to the first processing position P1. That is, the states of FIGS. 3 and 4 are repeated for a predetermined time. As a matter of course, the substrate heating lamp 51 is lit in advance and stabilized before this processing.
[0038]
A predetermined peeling process is performed on the substrate W by performing the above process for a predetermined time. Thus, the substrate support mechanism 47 repeatedly moves between the first processing position P1 and the second processing position P2, so that the substrate W is immersed in the first processing liquid containing ozone water, and the substrate The heating of W is performed alternately. As a result, the temperature of the first processing liquid can be made substantially the same as the temperature of the substrate W, so that the reaction rate by the first processing liquid can be increased and the ability to remove the photoresist film can be improved. In addition, since the temperature of the first treatment liquid containing ozone is not actively increased, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the dissolved concentration of ozone accompanying the temperature increase of the first treatment liquid.
[0039]
When the peeling process for a predetermined time is completed, the on-off valve 19d is closed to stop the injection of ozone from the chemical liquid pipe 17d into the mixing valve 11. As a result, only the pure water that is the second treatment liquid is supplied to the treatment tank 1, and the inside of the treatment tank 1 is replaced with pure water after a certain time. By maintaining this for a predetermined time, the pure water cleaning process of rinsing the first processing liquid adhering to the substrate W with pure water is completed.
[0040]
Next, the substrate heating lamp 51 is turned off and the drying lamp 53 is turned on. When the irradiation of the drying lamp 53 is sufficiently stabilized, the substrate support mechanism 47 is raised to the second position at a lower speed than the above-described repeated raising and lowering (FIG. 5).
[0041]
Since the light from the drying lamp 53 is irradiated in the vicinity of the interface between the substrate W and the pure water surface, when moving to the second processing position, the pure water adhering to the substrate W is dried, and is applied to the substrate W. A drying process is performed. Therefore, the photoresist film peeling process and the drying process can be completed in the same substrate processing apparatus, and a separate drying apparatus is not required. Therefore, the area occupied by the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.
[0042]
Next, the drying lamp 53 is turned off, and the open / close valve 29 is opened to drain the pure water in the treatment tank 1 (FIG. 6). Thereby, the peeling process of the photoresist film with respect to the board | substrate W is completed.
[0043]
When the substrate W is loaded into the sealed chamber 3 and positioned at the second processing position P2, the on-off valve 43 is opened, the inside of the sealed chamber 3 is vacuumed to reduce the pressure, and the on-off valve 35 May be purged by supplying the inert gas from the nozzle 33 to the sealed chamber 3.
[0044]
< Reference example>
In the above-described embodiment apparatus, the substrate heating lamp 51 and the drying lamp 53 are attached to the inner wall of the hermetic chamber 3, but a configuration as shown in FIG. 7 is shown as a reference example .
[0045]
That is, the lamp holding unit 61 configured to be movable up and down similarly to the substrate support mechanism 47 is provided, and two pairs of substrate heating lamps 51 and drying lamps 53 are attached to a pair of lamp houses 63 in an inclined posture. May be. When the substrate W is heated, the substrate W is positioned near the second position P2 shown in FIG. Further, when the substrate W is dried, the lamp house 63 is lowered to near the liquid level of the processing tank 1 and the substrate support mechanism 47 is raised at a relatively low speed. At this time, the substrate support mechanism 47 configures the lamp house 63 so as to rise between the pair of lamp houses 63.
[0046]
The present invention can be modified as follows.
[0047]
(1) In the above description, the substrate W moves up and down between the first processing position P1 and the second processing position P2 together with the substrate support mechanism 47, but the processing tank 1, the substrate heating lamp 51, and the drying are performed. The lamp 53 may be moved up and down in the sealed chamber 3 so that the substrate W is relatively moved to the first processing position P1 and the second processing position P2.
[0048]
(2) In the above embodiment, the substrate heating lamp 51 and the drying lamp 53 are switched according to the processing, but all the lamps may be turned on during heating and drying.
[0049]
(3) In the above description, the photoresist film peeling process has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to, for example, etching, cleaning, and drying processes. is there.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the support means repeatedly moves between the first processing position and the second processing position, so that the first containing ozone water can be obtained. The immersion of the substrate in the treatment liquid and the heating of the substrate are alternately performed. As a result, the temperature of the first treatment liquid can be made substantially the same as the temperature of the substrate, so that the reaction rate by the first treatment liquid can be increased and the film removal ability can be improved. In addition, since the temperature of the first processing liquid is not positively increased, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the dissolved concentration of ozone due to the temperature increase of the first processing liquid. Further, when the substrate is moved to the second processing position, the substrate heating lamp is turned off and the drying lamp is turned on, so that the drying process can be performed by the drying lamp attached to the lower portion of the substrate heating lamp. . Therefore, the processing can be completed in the same substrate processing apparatus, and a separate drying apparatus is not necessary. Therefore, the area occupied by the device can be reduced.
[0051]
Further , by attaching the substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp to the inner wall of the container, the substrate can be heated and the second treatment liquid adhering to the substrate can be dried.
[0052]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp are arranged to face each other across the opening of the processing tank, so that the substrate can be efficiently irradiated with light.
[0053]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the temperature of the substrate is heated to 60 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. and immersed again in the first treatment liquid, a film peeling action due to ozone can be efficiently generated. it can. Therefore, surface treatment can be performed efficiently.
[0054]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the substrate heating lamp irradiates light so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate, so that the entire surface of the substrate can be heated uniformly, and the entire surface of the substrate is uniformly processed. It is possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory view when a substrate is carried in.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation during a peeling process.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation during a peeling process.
FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram during a drying process.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation at the end.
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a reference example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing tank 3 ... Sealed chamber 5 ... Processing liquid injection pipe 9 ... Processing liquid supply part 11 ... Mixing valve 21 ... Overflow tank 47 ... Substrate support mechanism (support means)
P1 ... First processing position P2 ... Second processing position 51 ... Substrate heating lamp 53 ... Drying lamp

Claims (4)

In a substrate processing apparatus for applying a surface treatment to a substrate by applying a first treatment liquid in which ozone is dissolved to the substrate,
A treatment tank for storing a second treatment liquid composed of a first treatment liquid and pure water and immersing the substrate;
A substrate heating lamp for heating the temperature of the substrate to a predetermined temperature higher than that of the first treatment liquid;
A drying lamp attached to a lower part of the substrate heating lamp and drying the second treatment liquid adhering to the substrate;
Supporting means for holding the substrate and capable of relative movement at least between the first processing position in the processing tank and the second processing position above the first processing position ;
A container enclosing the treatment tank ,
The substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp are attached to the inner wall of the container, and are disposed near the upper opening of the processing tank,
The substrate heating lamp heats the entire surface of the substrate when the support means repeatedly moves between the first processing position and the second processing position with the first processing liquid stored in the processing tank. In the state where the surface treatment is performed and the second treatment liquid is stored in the treatment tank, the substrate heating lamp is turned off and the drying lamp is turned on. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein when moving to the processing position, the second processing liquid is dried by irradiating the drying lamp near the interface between the substrate and the second processing liquid surface. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate heating lamp and the drying lamp each include a pair of lamps arranged to face each other across the opening of the processing tank in plan view. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The substrate heating lamp heats the substrate to 60 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The substrate heating lamp irradiates light over the entire surface of the substrate during heating.

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