JP4645781B2 - Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention irradiates glass surfaces, semiconductors, resins, ceramics, metals, etc., and their combined surfaces with ultraviolet light, such as liquid crystal panel substrates, semiconductor wafers, magnetic disk substrates, optical disk substrates, PDP panels, etc. The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus using ultraviolet light irradiation for performing processing such as cleaning and etching.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, a TFT substrate constituting a transparent substrate constituting a liquid crystal panel has a circuit pattern including a transparent electrode or the like formed on its surface by a film forming means. In this substrate manufacturing process, processes such as cleaning, application of a developer, exposure, application of a stripping solution and removal thereof are repeated on the substrate surface. In these processes, a process for removing inorganic substances and organic substances from the substrate surface and reducing the contact angle of the substrate, such as a cleaning process, is performed by supplying a liquid to the substrate surface. It is common to do it. However, in recent years, such a process has also been performed in a dry process by irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light.
[0003]
In JP-A-5-224167, as a method for cleaning a glass substrate constituting a liquid crystal panel, prior to performing a wet process using a cleaning liquid, a process for irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light is performed. It is disclosed. In this known cleaning method, the surface of the substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet light from a low-pressure mercury lamp as a pre-process for cleaning the substrate by spraying a cleaning liquid. This ultraviolet light irradiation chemically removes organic substances adhering to the surface of the substrate and improves the wettability of the surface, that is, by reducing the contact angle, so that inorganic substances can be removed during cleaning by a shower or the like. It is designed to remove dirt efficiently. Here, the ultraviolet light irradiated from the low-pressure mercury lamp has a peak at approximately 185 nm and 254 nm, and organic substances adhering to the substrate surface are removed by the ultraviolet light having such peak wavelength characteristics. Can do.
[0004]
As a mechanism for cleaning organic matter by irradiation with ultraviolet light, the chemical bond in the organic matter is decomposed by the irradiation energy of ultraviolet light to lower the molecular weight and activate the decomposition product. At the same time, ozone is generated by the absorption of ultraviolet light by oxygen in the air, and this ozone is further converted into active oxygen. The activated organic pollutant reacts with oxidative decomposition with active oxygen. Finally to CO _x , H ₂ O, NO _x And the volatiles are removed by being released into the air. However, since the wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted from the low-pressure mercury lamp is 185 nm on the short wavelength side, even organic substances adhering to the substrate cannot be decomposed with strong chemical bond energy such as double bonds. There is. Therefore, in order to clean the substrate more completely, it is necessary to irradiate ultraviolet light having a shorter wavelength.
[0005]
In consideration of the above points, a method of using a dielectric barrier discharge lamp (hereinafter simply referred to as a discharge lamp) and irradiating the substrate surface with vacuum ultraviolet light from the discharge lamp to dry-clean the workpiece is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-. This is proposed in Japanese Patent No. 196303.
[0006]
Here, the cleaning method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-196303 generates an active oxidative decomposition product by a photochemical reaction using vacuum ultraviolet light and removes organic contaminants adhering to the surface of the substrate. Is. That is, by decomposing a chemical bond constituting an organic substance with ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 172 nm irradiated from a discharge lamp, the molecular weight is reduced and the decomposition product is activated. At the same time, oxygen in the air is decomposed by the action of ultraviolet light and converted into active oxygen, so that the activated organic pollutant is finally converted into CO by an oxidation reaction with this active oxygen. _x , H ₂ O, NO _x It is converted to a volatile substance such as the like and removed so as to be released into the air. As a result, the contact angle of the substrate is reduced.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, since the energy of ultraviolet light is consumed when decomposing oxygen in the air, when the discharge lamp and the substrate are separated from each other, the larger the distance between them, the greater the thickness of the air layer between them. The energy of the ultraviolet light reaching the substrate surface increases exponentially with increasing. As a result, the ability to activate organic substances on the substrate surface and the ability to generate active oxygen in the vicinity of the substrate surface are reduced, and the ability to remove organic substances is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is desirable that the ultraviolet light is not in contact with oxygen until it reaches the closest position of the substrate. For this purpose, the lamp house must be sealed in order to make the inside of the lamp house provided with the discharge lamp an inert gas atmosphere. Moreover, in order to be able to irradiate the substrate with ultraviolet light, a transparent window equipped with a window glass from which the ultraviolet light is emitted is provided in the lamp house. This window glass has to use an expensive material such as quartz glass from the viewpoint of ultraviolet light transmission efficiency and durability, and is excellent in durability. Since it deteriorates, there is a problem in terms of maintenance and the like, such that the window glass must be replaced at a certain frequency.
[0008]
Moreover, it is an active oxidative decomposition product produced | generated when a fluid containing oxygen is irradiated with vacuum ultraviolet light. Therefore, since only an oxidation reaction occurs with the organic substance adhering to the surface of the substrate, there is a problem that it may not be efficiently removed depending on the type of organic substance that can be removed from the substrate surface.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points. The object of the present invention is to prevent the ultraviolet light irradiated from the discharge lamp from being attenuated as much as possible until it reaches the closest position of the substrate, and to the substrate surface. It is to improve processing accuracy and processing efficiency.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object, the substrate processing method of the present invention includes a wet processing step in which water is supplied to the entire surface of the substrate, and a drying process that removes water film and water droplets while leaving adsorbed water on the substrate surface. A step of bringing the substrate into a processing chamber and reducing the amount of the substrate from the adsorbed water by irradiating the substrate surface with ultraviolet light in an inert gas atmosphere. Active species [H •] and oxidizing active species [• OH] are generated, and the active species [H •] and active species [• OH] are reacted with organic substances on the substrate surface. Surface treatment process for surface treatment of the substrate; A substrate high-temperature drying step of drying the substrate at a high temperature after the surface treatment step; It is characterized by including.
[0011]
First, water, not oxygen, is used as a substance that generates active species that are generated by ultraviolet light and react with organic substances attached to the substrate surface. When water is decomposed by the action of ultraviolet radiation, not only oxidizing active species [.OH] but also reducing active species [H.] are generated. Therefore, since not only an oxidation reaction but also a reduction reaction occurs for the organic matter adhering to the substrate surface, the organic matter can be decomposed and removed more effectively. Moreover, adsorbed water on the substrate surface is used. Therefore, it is only necessary to install a discharge lamp in the chamber and place the entire chamber in an inert gas atmosphere, and it is not necessary to introduce oxygen or the like. As a result, the attenuation of ultraviolet light can be remarkably suppressed. In addition, since the water decomposition reaction occurs at the nearest position on the surface of the substrate, the opportunity to react with the organic substance having a reduced molecular weight by decomposing the chemical bond is increased by the energy of ultraviolet light. Therefore, the processing accuracy and processing efficiency for the substrate are extremely high.
[0012]
Here, as the wet processing step, there is a wet cleaning step performed by supplying cleaning water (preferably pure water) to the substrate surface. Therefore, when this wet cleaning step and the surface treatment step using ultraviolet light are combined, extremely high cleaning performance is exhibited. Here, as specific examples of the wet cleaning process, there are shower cleaning, dipping into a cleaning tank, scrub cleaning, etc., and in any case, the cleaning water can be subjected to ultrasonic vibration. When the vibration is performed, the fine inorganic particles adhering to the substrate surface can be removed more efficiently.
[0013]
After the wet treatment, water is adsorbed on the substrate surface, but a water film is formed on the substrate surface and water droplets are attached. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the water film and water droplets from the substrate surface. This is why the drying process is provided after the wet treatment process. However, in the drying process, it is necessary to hold the adsorbed water on the substrate surface so as not to be removed. Therefore, heat drying Not done In addition, drying using an air knife, spin drying, and the like are preferable.
[0014]
The generation of the oxidizing active species [.OH] and the reducing active species [H.] is performed using the adsorbed water of the substrate, so that the ultraviolet light irradiation by the discharge lamp is performed in an inert gas atmosphere. be able to. As a result, the attenuation that occurs until the ultraviolet light reaches the position closest to the substrate can be suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, it is not necessary to seal the discharge lamp, and the ultraviolet light is directed to the substrate surface by reflecting the ultraviolet light in the open space or in the lamp house formed of the reflecting member and reflecting the ultraviolet light to the reflecting member. Can be condensed. As the lamp house, a window glass may be provided. However, since this window glass is made of an expensive material such as quartz glass that causes deterioration, this window glass is provided. You can also avoid it. It should be noted that it is desirable that lean air, oxygen, or the like be present in the space where the discharge lamp is placed.
[0015]
As described above, since the adsorbed water is not removed from the substrate surface in the drying step, the substrate is not completely dried. Therefore, when complete drying is required, the substrate may be dried at a high temperature in a heating furnace or the like after the surface treatment process.
[0016]
Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention is disposed in the substrate transport path, and is disposed on the downstream side of the cleaning water supply chamber having a wet processing means for supplying water to the entire surface of the substrate. A drying chamber provided with substrate drying means for removing the water film and water droplets adhering to the substrate surface by the wet treatment means and leaving the surface adsorbed water, and disposed downstream of the drying chamber; A dielectric barrier discharge lamp is mounted, and reducing active species [H.multidot.H from the adsorbed water on the surface of the substrate by ultraviolet light irradiated from the dielectric barrier discharge lamp in an inert gas atmosphere to the substrate. ] And oxidizing active species [.OH] and the active species [H.], active species [.OH] and organic substances on the substrate surface are reacted with each other. A processing chamber having a substrate surface processing means for A high-temperature heat drying chamber provided on the downstream side of the processing chamber for drying the substrate at a high temperature; It is characterized by having a configuration comprising
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the substrate processing is described as cleaning the substrate, but the present invention can also be applied to processing other than this.
[0018]
First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an apparatus for carrying out the substrate processing method of the present invention.
The substrate S as an object to be cleaned is made of a thin plate made of, for example, glass, semiconductor, synthetic resin, ceramics, metal or the like, and has a square shape or a circular shape as a planar shape. The process of processing a substrate according to the present invention is composed of four processes. The first step is a wet cleaning step 1 provided with wet cleaning means, then the second step is a substrate drying step 2 for drying the substrate S, and the third stage is a surface provided with substrate surface processing means. This is a processing step, that is, a dry cleaning step 3. Furthermore, the high temperature drying step 4 follows the dry cleaning step 3. And in order to convey the board | substrate S to each of these processes 1-4 sequentially, it consists of a roller conveyor, a belt conveyor, etc., and the conveyance conveyor 10 as a conveyance means of the board | substrate S is provided.
[0019]
First, the wet cleaning process 1 which is the first processing process is to clean the surface of the substrate S (one surface or both surfaces, the same applies hereinafter). As a cleaning method, for example, shower cleaning or in a cleaning water tank Dipping cleaning performed by dipping in the substrate, and scrub cleaning performed by sliding the brush against the surface of the substrate S during shower cleaning or dipping cleaning. When performing shower cleaning or dipping cleaning, the cleaning water can be appropriately subjected to ultrasonic vibration. In any type, it is necessary to use pure water substantially free of impurities as the cleaning water. FIG. 1 shows a shower cleaning means. The shower cleaning means includes a cleaning water supply pipe 11 provided at the upper part (or upper and lower parts) of the transport conveyor 10 and having a length that extends at least in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate S. A number of injection ports 12 are formed in the supply pipe 11. One or more cleaning water supply pipes 11 are provided in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor 10.
[0020]
Therefore, the surface of the substrate S transported by the transport conveyor 10 is first subjected to wet cleaning. As a result, the inorganic particles adhering to the surface of the substrate S are washed away. And in order to remove this inorganic substance more reliably, efficiently and completely, it is desirable to ultrasonically vibrate the washing water sprayed from the washing water supply pipe 11. Here, the contaminants attached to the substrate S include not only the inorganic substances described above but also organic contaminants. However, in the wet cleaning step 1, it is not always necessary to completely remove the organic contaminants.
[0021]
Here, the substrate S may be configured to be transported in a horizontal state by the transport conveyor 10, but as shown in FIG. 2, in the wet cleaning process 1, the substrate S is inclined at a predetermined angle in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. An inclined conveyer 10a that conveys the substrate S is provided, and pure water that is vibrated with ultrasonic waves by the shower cleaning means is jetted while the substrate S is conveyed in an inclined state by the inclined conveyer 10a. You can also. Therefore, the shower cleaning means in this case is configured to mount a predetermined number of mounting members 14, 14,. Can be configured. The main support member 13 is configured to incline the entire shower cleaning means by a predetermined angle according to the angle of the substrate S transported by the inclined transport conveyor 10a, and the mounting member 14 is a substrate of each cleaning water injector 15 The angle with respect to S can be finely adjusted.
[0022]
As described above, in the wet cleaning process 1, the cleaning water sprayed from the cleaning water injector 15 and applied to the substrate S is quickly discharged along the inclination of the substrate S by tilting the substrate S. Is done. As a result, fresh cleaning water is always supplied to the substrate S to improve the cleaning efficiency, and after passing through the wet cleaning process 1, substantially no cleaning water remains on the surface of the substrate S. No state.
[0023]
Next, in the drying step 2, the cleaning water supplied in the wet cleaning step 1 and attached to the surface of the substrate S is removed and dried. Therefore, in the wet cleaning process 1, when the inclined transfer conveyor 10a shown in FIG. 2 is provided, the horizontal transfer state is returned to the stage before entering the drying process 2. Here, various methods for drying the substrate S are known. There is spin drying or the like performed by rotating the substrate S at a high speed, but the illustrated drying method shows that the drying is performed by the air knife effect. 3 and 4 show a specific configuration of the substrate drying means using the air knife effect.
[0024]
In these drawings, reference numeral 20 denotes an air knife nozzle. The air knife nozzle 20 has a long and narrow casing 21, and a pressurized air chamber 22 (FIG. 3) into which pressurized air is introduced into the casing 21. Are indicated by reference numerals 22U and 22L.). An air outflow passage 23 is formed in the side surface of the casing 21, and the tip of the air outflow passage 23 is a narrow slit-shaped nozzle port 24. The air outflow passage 23 (denoted by reference numerals 23U and 23L in FIG. 3) has a passage length necessary for rectification so as to form a thin line when air is ejected from the nozzle port 24. is there. Further, one or a plurality of air supply pipes 25 for supplying pressurized air into the pressurized air chamber 22 are connected to the casing 21. The air knife nozzle 20 is disposed in the drying chamber 26, and a pure water supply chamber 27 is provided on the upstream side of the drying chamber 26. Then, the drying chamber 26 is kept at a positive pressure, and the pure water supply chamber 27 is kept at a negative pressure.
[0025]
Here, in order to dry both the front and back surfaces of the substrate S, the air knife nozzles 20 are arranged up and down across the transport path of the substrate S. Therefore, when the air knife nozzle for drying the upper side, that is, the front side is 20 U, the air knife nozzle for drying the lower side, that is, the back side is 20 L, and the nozzle ports are 24 U and 24 L, the air knife nozzles 20 U and 20 L are The substrate S is located on a surface that is separated from both the front and back surfaces by an equal distance and parallel to these surfaces. Further, the depression angle of the air ejected from the nozzle opening 24U in the air knife nozzle 20U is the same as the elevation angle of the nozzle opening 24L of the air knife nozzle 20L, and is predetermined toward the rear side in the conveying direction of the substrate S by the conveyor means 10. It is arranged to have an angle of. In addition, the air knife nozzles 20U and 20L are not arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate S, but are inclined at a predetermined angle θ in the plane described above. Further, the nozzle openings 24U, 24L of the air knife nozzles 20U, 20L extend over the entire length in the direction intersecting the transport direction with respect to the surface of the substrate S transported on the conveyor means 10.
[0026]
Accordingly, when the substrate S from which the contaminants, particularly inorganic particles removed from the surface of the substrate S in the wet cleaning step 1 which is the previous step are transferred, is transferred to the air knife drying step 2, the air knife nozzle It is dried so that the moisture adhering to the surface of the substrate S is removed by the action of 20. For this purpose, the air knife nozzle 20 constituting the air knife drying step 2 is brought into a state in which pressurized air is ejected, and the substrate S transported by the transport conveyor 10 enters the pressurized air ejection region by the air knife nozzle 20. The air knife nozzle 20 ejects pressurized air in the form of a thin curtain and is incident on the surface of the substrate S at a predetermined angle. By controlling this angle, the substrate S The cleaning water adhering to the surface is peeled off and pushed out rearward in the transport direction of the substrate S. As a result, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the surface of the substrate S.
[0027]
Here, the water knife and the water droplets are removed from the surface of the substrate S by the air knife nozzle 20, and the water molecules are held in a state of being adsorbed on the surface of the substrate S. That is, the adsorbed water is dried on the surface of the substrate S to be dried, and the adsorbed water is maintained in a substantially uniformly distributed state over the entire surface of the substrate S. The reason why the water film and the water droplets are removed is to allow the ultraviolet light applied to the substrate S to reach the entire surface of the substrate S in the dry cleaning step 3 described later. This is because if water droplets or the like are attached, dry cleaning of the portion becomes insufficient.
[0028]
The reason why the pure water supply chamber 27 in which the drying chamber 26 in which the air knife nozzle 20 is disposed is maintained at a positive pressure and in a negative pressure state on the upstream side is provided when the substrate S is carried into the drying chamber 26. In order to prevent the surface of the substrate S from being partially dried, mist or the like generated when the substrate S is dried by the action of the air knife nozzle 20 is prevented from reattaching to the substrate S.
[0029]
As described above, the substrate S dried by the action of the air knife nozzle 20 and having adsorbed water attached to the surface thereof is further transported by the transport conveyor 10 and proceeds to the dry cleaning step 3. Here, in the dry cleaning step 3, the substrate S is subjected to surface cleaning by ultraviolet irradiation. This dry cleaning step 3 includes a discharge lamp as a substrate surface treatment means. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show a schematic configuration of this discharge lamp.
[0030]
That is, in the figure, 31 is a discharge lamp. The discharge lamp 31 includes a quartz glass tube 34 formed in a cylindrical shape from an inner tube portion 32 and an outer tube portion 33 that are integrally formed of quartz glass. The inside of the quartz glass tube 34 becomes a sealed discharge space 35. Inside the inner tube portion 32, a metal electrode 36 made of a cylindrical metal plate is fixedly provided on the inner tube portion 32. A wire mesh electrode 37 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube portion 33. An AC power supply 38 is connected between the metal electrode 36 and the metal mesh electrode 37. Further, the inside of the inner pipe portion 32 is used as a passage for a cooling fluid (for example, cooling water) for cooling the metal electrode 36.
[0031]
A discharge gas is sealed inside the quartz glass tube 34, and when an alternating high voltage is applied between the metal electrode 36 and the wire mesh electrode 37, the dielectric between the inner tube portion 32 and the outer tube portion 33 is applied. Discharge plasma (dielectric barrier discharge) is generated, and the discharge plasma excites atoms of the discharge gas to enter a plasma discharge state. Then, when returning from the plasma discharge state to the ground state, plasma discharge light emission occurs. The emission spectrum at this time varies depending on the discharge gas sealed in the quartz glass tube 34, but when xenon (Xe) gas is used, it becomes monochromatic light having a center wavelength at 172 nm. If argon (Ar) gas is used as the discharge gas, the center of the emission wavelength is 126 nm, which is shorter than the wavelength of the low-pressure mercury lamp. Since the metal electrode 36 functions as a reflector and the wire mesh electrode 7 functions substantially as a transparent electrode, the short wavelength ultraviolet light is irradiated from the outer tube 33 side. In this case, the xenon gas filling pressure is set to about 350 Torr, for example.
[0032]
Next, the above discharge lamp 31 is mounted in the lamp house 41 as shown in FIG. The lamp house 41 is provided in a processing chamber 42 provided in the middle of the transfer path of the substrate S by the transfer conveyor 10. The lamp house 41 is composed of a container having an open lower end, and one to a plurality of discharge lamps 31 (three discharge lamps in the drawing) are provided inside. Here, the lower end portion of the lamp house 41 faces the surface of the substrate S transported by the transport conveyor 10 in a non-contact state, and this lower portion is open.
[0033]
A gas supply pipe 43 is connected to the processing chamber 42 in which the lamp house 41 is installed, and an inert gas such as nitrogen gas not containing water vapor is supplied from the gas supply pipe 43. An inlet 44 is provided to introduce the substrate S into the processing chamber 42, and an outlet 45 is provided to carry the dry-cleaned substrate S out of the processing chamber 42. Further, in order to prevent nitrogen gas or humidified inert gas from being released to the outside from the inlet portion 44 and the outlet portion 45, pressure chambers 46 are formed in the inlet portion 44 and the outlet portion 45, and these pressure chambers are formed. 46 is maintained at a slightly higher pressure than the inside of the processing chamber 42 by pressurized air supplied from a pipe 47. Further, exhaust pipes 48 for forcibly exhausting gas are connected to the processing chamber 42, whereby the inside of the processing chamber 42 is controlled so as to always have a constant pressure.
[0034]
The gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 43 into the processing chamber 42 may contain not only the inert gas described above but also oxygen or water vapor. However, in order to suppress the energy loss of the ultraviolet light irradiated from the discharge lamp 31, the concentration of these oxygen or water vapor needs to be suppressed low. In other words, the oxygen and water vapor added in this way are to exert an auxiliary function in dry-drying the substrate S. In addition, it is desirable to guide the ultraviolet light from the discharge lamp 31 in the direction toward the substrate S as much as possible by coating the inner surface of the lamp house 41 with a reflective film or the like. When oxygen or water vapor is mixed with the inert gas, a window glass that transmits ultraviolet light is attached to the side of the lamp house 41 facing the substrate S, and the inside of the lamp house 41 is filled with the inert gas. It is also possible to make it. Furthermore, the pressure chamber 46 can be brought into a negative pressure state by supplying a negative pressure suction force to the pipe 47 instead of supplying pressurized air. Thus, when the pressure chamber 46 is brought into a negative pressure state, gas flows from the inlet portion 44 and the outlet portion 45 to the pressure chamber 46 side. Therefore, the pressure chamber 46 and the piping 47 exhibit an exhaust function in the processing chamber 42. In this case, it is not necessary to connect the exhaust pipe 48 to the processing chamber 42.
[0035]
In this dry cleaning step 3, organic pollutants that were not removed or not completely removed in the wet cleaning step 1 are removed to completely clean the substrate S and reduce its contact angle. To be processed. The surface treatment for the substrate S is performed using the action of the adsorbed water adhering to the surface of the substrate S from which the water film or water droplets have been removed by air knife drying and the ultraviolet light irradiated from the discharge lamp 31. It will be.
[0036]
Thus, when the substrate S is guided into the processing chamber 42 by the transfer conveyor 10, the adsorbed water is decomposed by the action of radiation by the ultraviolet light emitted from the discharge lamp 31. As a result, reducing active species [H.] and oxidizing active species [.OH] are generated on the surface of the substrate S and in the vicinity thereof. In addition, contaminants composed of organic substances adhering to the surface of the substrate S are decomposed by the irradiation energy of ultraviolet light having a short wavelength. The decomposition product of water is decomposed in this manner to cause a reduction reaction and an oxidation reaction with the pollutant having a low molecular weight. As a result, the organic matter decomposed by the ultraviolet light is quickly and reliably converted into a volatile substance, and this volatile substance is discharged from the processing chamber 42 to the outside through the exhaust pipe 48.
[0037]
Here, since ultraviolet light acts on water, oxidizing active species [.OH] and reducing active species [H.] are generated. As a result, the organic substance adhering to the surface of the substrate S decomposed by the action of ultraviolet light causes an oxidation reaction and a reduction reaction by these oxidizing active species [.OH] and reducing active species [H.]. Therefore, a wide variety of organic substances can be reliably reduced in molecular weight. Therefore, the organic substance is removed from the surface of the substrate S more efficiently and reliably. Moreover, since the discharge lamp 31 is provided in an inert gas atmosphere, the ultraviolet light irradiated from the discharge lamp 31 is not substantially attenuated to the position closest to the substrate S. Since it acts on the adsorbed water on the surface of the substrate S, the oxidizing active species [.OH] and the reducing active species [H.] are intensively generated on the surface of the substrate S and in the vicinity thereof. Accordingly, the action of the oxidizing active species [.OH] and the reducing active species [H.] on the organic substance adhering to the surface of the substrate S becomes more direct, and the organic substances are reduced in molecular weight and volatilized. Is significantly promoted. As a result, surface treatment such as cleaning of the substrate S can be performed with high accuracy and efficiency.
[0038]
By the way, in the dry cleaning process 3, the adsorbed water on the substrate S is converted into the oxidizing active species [.OH] and the reducing active species [H.], but not all of the adsorbed water is converted. These active species are chemically unstable, and when the action of ultraviolet light is lost, they are recombined to return to the water state. That is, in the drying process 2, adsorbed water remains on the surface of the substrate S, and this adsorbed water still remains on the surface of the substrate S after the dry cleaning process 3, so that the adsorbed water is finally removed. When it is necessary to completely remove moisture from the substrate S, a high temperature drying step 4 is provided after the dry cleaning step 3. In the high temperature drying step 4, a heating furnace 50 is provided, and the substrate S transported by the transport conveyor 10 is heated and dried in the heating furnace 50. In this way, the water adsorbed on the surface of the substrate S is removed by a process performed after removing the contaminants from the surface of the substrate S and reducing the contact angle on the surface, for example, a process such as application of a developer. In the case where the presence of no influence has no influence, the high temperature drying step can be omitted.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, there are effects such as improving the processing accuracy and processing efficiency such as cleaning the surface of the substrate, removing contaminants from the surface, and reducing the contact angle.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a wet cleaning process.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an air knife nozzle.
FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an air knife nozzle.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a dielectric barrier discharge lamp used in the dry cleaning process of the present invention.
6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram in a dry cleaning process by ultraviolet light irradiation.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Wet cleaning process
2 Substrate drying process
3 Dry cleaning process
4 High temperature drying process
10 Conveyor
11 Washing water supply pipe
20, 20U, 20L Air knife nozzle
21 Casing
22, 22U, 22L Pressurized air chamber
23, 23U, 23L Air outflow passage
24, 24U, 24L nozzle opening
25 Air supply piping
26 Drying chamber
31 Discharge lamp
41 Lamphouse
42 Processing chamber
43 Gas supply pipe
S substrate

Claims (4)

A wet treatment process performed by supplying water to the entire surface of the substrate;
A drying process for removing water film and water droplets, leaving the adsorbed water on the substrate surface;
Reducing active species from the adsorbed water on the surface of the substrate by carrying the substrate into the processing chamber and irradiating the substrate surface with ultraviolet light in an inert gas atmosphere in the processing chamber. The surface of the substrate is generated by generating [H.] and an oxidizing active species [.OH] and reacting these active species [H.] and active species [.OH] with organic substances on the substrate surface. A surface treatment process for performing the treatment ;
A substrate high-temperature drying step of drying the substrate at a high temperature after the surface treatment step .   2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the wet processing step performs wet cleaning performed by supplying cleaning water over the entire surface of the substrate.   3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the drying step is to remove cleaning water from the substrate surface using an air knife. A cleaning water supply chamber disposed in a substrate transfer path and provided with a wet processing means for supplying water to the entire surface of the substrate;
A drying chamber provided downstream of the cleaning water supply chamber and provided with a substrate drying means for removing water film and water droplets adhering to the substrate surface by the wet processing means and leaving adsorbed water on the surface;
Located on the downstream side of the drying chamber, mounted with a dielectric barrier discharge lamp, and adsorbing the surface of the substrate by ultraviolet light irradiated from the dielectric barrier discharge lamp in an inert gas atmosphere. Reducing active species [H.] and oxidizing active species [.OH] are generated from water, and these active species [H.] and active species [.OH] are reacted with organic substances on the substrate surface. In this way, a processing chamber provided with a substrate surface processing means for performing a surface treatment of the substrate ,
A substrate processing apparatus , comprising: a high-temperature heat drying chamber provided at a downstream side of the processing chamber for drying the substrate at a high temperature .

Images