JP4668088B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for continuously performing a predetermined series of processing on a thin plate substrate (hereinafter referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor substrate or a liquid crystal glass substrate.

Conventionally, as an apparatus for cleaning a flat display such as a plasma display, an apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 below has been proposed. In this cleaning device, an excimer ultraviolet irradiation device, a brush, a high flow rate shower, and an air knife are arranged in parallel in the substrate transport direction to perform each process continuously, and the configuration in which these processing parts are partitioned by an air curtain is adopted. Has been. According to this cleaning apparatus, the air curtain that partitions the processing units can be disposed close to each other in order to eliminate mutual interference that may occur between the processing units. Can be small.
JP 2002-172369 A

  However, when adopting a configuration in which the processing units are partitioned by an air curtain as in the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a large amount of air must be supplied to form the curtain. There is a problem that equipment is required and equipment costs and running costs are high. In addition, the higher the performance of a tool that wet cleans the substrate surface using physical force, the higher the energy acting on the substrate surface, and the amount of mist generated during processing increases. When a high-performance wet cleaning tool is used, a higher sealing effect than that obtained by an air curtain is required.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that further increases the sealing effect while reducing costs.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid processing unit including a dry processing unit that performs a dry process on a substrate, and a plurality of liquid processing tools that are arranged in parallel to the dry processing unit and perform a liquid process on the substrate. And a moving means for relatively moving the substrate from the dry processing section to each liquid processing tool of the liquid processing section, and a movement path of the substrate by the moving means between the dry processing section and the liquid processing section. In at least one of the first curtain forming means for forming a first fluid curtain for partitioning a space including the dry processing unit side and the liquid processing unit side between each liquid processing tool in the liquid processing unit, said space containing the moving path of the substrate by the moving means, and a second curtain forming means for forming a second fluid curtain for partitioning the substrate moving direction upstream and downstream sides, the first curtain The forming means includes a liquid curtain that is adjacent to each other in the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit, and that partitions the space as the first fluid curtain, and is closer to the dry processing unit than the liquid curtain. A liquid curtain forming portion and an air curtain forming portion that respectively form an air curtain that partitions the space at the position, and the second curtain forming means forms a liquid curtain that partitions the space as the second fluid curtain. To do .

According to this configuration, the air curtain formed by the first curtain forming unit (air curtain forming unit) partitions the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit, and at least between the respective liquid processing tools arranged in the liquid processing unit. by partitioning to form a liquid curtain by the second curtain forming means one, is at a location close to the dry treatment unit water droplets from entering the dry treatment unit is reliably prevented by the air curtain, it is used wet cleaning tools high There sealing effect is ensured by the liquid curtain at the point where high sealing effect is obtained. In addition, a high curtain is obtained by forming a liquid curtain between the dry processing section and the liquid processing section by the first curtain forming means (liquid curtain forming section). Since the air curtain is formed on the part side, the liquid curtain reliably separates the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit, while preventing water droplets from entering the dry processing unit. can do. In addition, since the liquid curtain is formed in the previous stage of the liquid processing unit, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the liquid processing by having a role of supplying the liquid as a preparation for the liquid processing to the substrate. It is possible to eliminate the need to provide a separate mechanism for supplying. Further, since the air curtain is formed only in the vicinity of the dry processing unit, the air curtain forming equipment and the amount of air used are relatively reduced, so that the cost required for forming the air curtain can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect , the second curtain forming means is provided only on the main surface side including the effective portion region of the substrate. .

The main surface including the effective area of the substrate is the main surface including the effective area where elements such as TFT (Thin Film Transistor) and filter elements of color filters are formed. Since it is the effective portion region portion where the processing failure occurs due to adhesion, in this configuration, the second curtain forming means is provided on the main surface including the effective portion region so that the processing failure occurs due to mist adhesion. Equipment costs are reduced by preventing the second curtain forming means from being provided on the main surface that does not include an effective area where troubles due to mist are not regarded as a problem while ensuring prevention.

Further, the invention according to claim 3, in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the liquid curtain forming unit and the air curtain forming part of the first curtain forming means, the substrate It is comprised so that it can contact / separate with respect to the said movement path | route.

  In this configuration, the gap between the curtain forming portion and the substrate can be changed as necessary, and as a result, the sealing performance can be adjusted.

Further, the invention according to claim 4, in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, detachably curtain forming unit is for moving parallel to the other curtain portion.

  In this configuration, the curtain forming portion can be brought into contact with and separated from the substrate with a simple configuration.

The invention described in Claim 5, Oite substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first curtain forming means, said liquid curtain so as to be directed to the liquid processing part side And forming the air curtain .

In this configuration, since the first curtain forming means forms the liquid curtain and the air curtain toward the liquid processing unit, the air flow and the liquid flow generated by these curtains are directed toward the liquid processing unit, such as mist and dust. Intrusion into the dry processing part is reliably prevented.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects , the dry processing section and the liquid processing section are moved by the moving means. The substrate is disposed at a position where processing can be performed simultaneously with respect to the substrate.

  According to this configuration, since the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit are arranged at a position where each processing by the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit can be performed simultaneously on one substrate, each processing is completed in a short time. In addition, the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 7 is a substrate processing apparatus , comprising: an ultraviolet irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate with ultraviolet rays; a brush processing unit that performs brush processing on the substrate; and a gas and a liquid on the substrate. A two-fluid supply unit for supplying two fluids, a rinse unit for rinsing the main surface of the substrate, a gas spraying unit for blowing gas against the main surface of the substrate , the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush processing unit, two-fluid supply unit, and a moving means for relatively moving the substrate in that order with respect to the rinsing unit and the gas blowing portion, for forming a first fluid curtain for partitioning between said UV irradiating unit and the brush unit a first curtain forming means, and a second curtain forming means for forming a second fluid curtain for partitioning each between and between the rinse section and the gas blowing portion between said brush section the two-fluid supply unit Less Also provided, and, for one substrate to be moved by said moving means, executes the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush unit, the two-fluid supply unit, the processing by the rinsing section and the gas blowing section at the same time The first curtain forming means is adjacent to each other in the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing are used as the first fluid curtain. A liquid curtain for partitioning the unit and an air curtain for forming an air curtain for partitioning between the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit at a position closer to the ultraviolet irradiation unit than the liquid curtain. The second curtain forming means forms a liquid curtain as the second fluid curtain .

In this configuration, the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit are partitioned by an air curtain, and at least the brush processing unit and the two-fluid supply unit and the rinse unit and the gas spraying unit are partitioned by a liquid curtain. In the vicinity of the UV irradiation part where dry treatment is performed, the air curtain reliably prevents water droplets from entering the UV irradiation part, and the liquid curtain is high in places where a high cleaning effect is required using a wet cleaning tool The sealing effect can be ensured . In addition, since a high sealing property is obtained by partitioning the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit by a liquid curtain, the ultraviolet irradiation unit side is partitioned by the air curtain rather than the liquid curtain. In addition, it is possible to prevent water droplets of the liquid curtain from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit while reliably partitioning the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit with the liquid curtain. Further, since the air curtain is formed only in the vicinity of the ultraviolet irradiation section, the air curtain forming equipment and the amount of air used are relatively reduced, so that the cost required for forming the air curtain can be reduced. In addition, each processing unit is disposed at a position where each processing by the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush processing unit, the two-fluid supply unit, the rinsing unit, and the gas spraying unit can be performed simultaneously on one substrate. Can be completed in a short time, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an air curtain is formed and partitioned at a location close to the dry processing unit to reliably prevent water droplets from entering the dry processing unit, and a high wet cleaning tool is used. In places where a sealing effect is required, a high sealing effect can be secured with a liquid curtain. In addition, a high curtain seal against the mist of the liquid processing unit is obtained by partitioning the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit with a liquid curtain. The partition prevents water droplets in the liquid curtain from entering the dry processing unit, so that the liquid processing unit can reliably enter the dry processing unit while ensuring high sealing performance against the mist. It can be prevented. In addition, the liquid curtain forming section can be given a role of supplying the liquid as a preparation for the liquid processing to the substrate to increase the efficiency of the liquid processing, and it is necessary to provide another mechanism for supplying the liquid before the liquid processing. It becomes possible to lose. In addition, since the air curtain is formed only in the vicinity of the dry processing unit, the air curtain forming equipment and the amount of air used are relatively small, and the cost required for forming the air curtain can be reduced. Thereby, the cost reduction for curtain formation and the improvement of a sealing effect can be made to make compatible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the main surface including the effective area can be provided with the second curtain forming means to prevent the occurrence of processing failure due to mist adhesion, while the problem due to mist adhesion is problematic. Since the second curtain forming means is not provided for the main surface that does not include the effective portion region that is not performed, the equipment cost can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to achieve more optimal sealing performance by adjusting the gap between the curtain forming portion and the substrate as necessary.

According to invention of Claim 4 , a curtain formation part can be made to contact / separate with respect to a board | substrate, maintaining the state of a curtain favorable with simple structure.

According to the invention described in claim 5 , since the first curtain forming means forms the liquid curtain and the air curtain toward the liquid processing section, the air flow and the liquid flow generated by these curtains are directed toward the liquid processing section. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent mist and dust from entering the dry processing section.

According to the invention described in claim 6 , since the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit are disposed at a position where each processing by the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit can be performed simultaneously on one substrate, each processing Can be completed in a short time, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a high sealing effect is ensured by a liquid curtain at a location where a high cleaning effect is required by using a wet cleaning tool, and air is provided at a location close to an ultraviolet irradiation unit where dry treatment is performed. The curtain can reliably prevent water droplets from entering the ultraviolet irradiation section. In addition, a high sealing property is obtained by further partitioning the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit with a liquid curtain, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit side is partitioned by the air curtain from the liquid curtain. Therefore, while the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit are reliably partitioned by the liquid curtain, water droplets on the liquid curtain are prevented from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit. Further, since the air curtain is formed only in the vicinity of the ultraviolet irradiation section, the air curtain forming equipment and the amount of air used are relatively small, and the cost required for forming the air curtain can be reduced. In addition, each processing unit is disposed at a position where each processing by the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush processing unit, the two-fluid supply unit, the rinsing unit, and the gas spraying unit can be performed simultaneously on one substrate. Can be completed in a short time, and the installation area of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view conceptually showing an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes, in the apparatus main body 10, an ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, a cleaning mechanism 120 including a brush processing unit 12, a two-fluid supply unit 13 and a rinsing unit 14, and a gas spraying unit 15. The ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 are arranged in this order in the substrate transport direction A.

  In each part of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinsing unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15, a substrate transport mechanism (moving unit) 16 including a plurality of transport rollers for transporting the substrate is provided. It has been. The transport roller forming the substrate transport mechanism 16 has a plurality of rollers attached to a rotation shaft extending in the width direction of the substrate B (direction intersecting the substrate transport direction A in FIG. 1), and a drive source such as a motor (not shown). To rotate with the rotating shaft. The substrate B placed on the transport roller is successively transferred and transported by a plurality of transport rollers arranged in the substrate transport direction A, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse The part 14 and the gas blowing part 15 are conveyed in this order.

  Each of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinsing unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 is provided with an opening serving as a substrate passage port on the side wall at the upstream end in the substrate transport direction. The substrate B is successively transferred from the processing unit on the upstream side in the substrate transport direction to the processing unit on the downstream side by rotating the transport roller near the substrate passage opening. The opening may be provided with an openable / closable shutter.

  Each of the substrate transport mechanisms 16 includes a mechanism for transporting the substrate B by sandwiching the substrate B from above and below by transport rollers provided in a pair of upper and lower, and a mechanism for transporting the substrate B by supporting only the back surface of the substrate B with the transport rollers Is adopted according to the processing contents of each processing unit.

  The ultraviolet irradiation unit (an example of the dry processing unit) 11 irradiates the substrate B with ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 111 to decompose and remove organic substances adhering to the substrate B (an example of the dry processing). .

  The cleaning mechanism (an example of a liquid processing unit) 120 performs a cleaning process (an example of a liquid process) on the substrate B transported from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. As described above, the cleaning mechanism 120 includes the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, and the rinse unit 14 (these are examples of a wet cleaning tool).

  The brush processing unit 12 is in contact with both main surfaces of the substrate B and swings so as to clean both main surfaces of the substrate B, and before and after cleaning the substrate B by the swing brush 121. And a pair of upper and lower cleaning liquid supply nozzles 122 for supplying a cleaning liquid made of pure water to both main surfaces of the substrate B. The substrate B introduced into the brush processing unit 12 receives the cleaning liquid supplied from each cleaning liquid supply nozzle 122 and passes between the pair of swinging upper and lower swinging brushes 121 so that both main surfaces are cleaned and relatively large. Particles are removed. The cleaning liquid is not limited to pure water, and may be a chemical liquid or the like.

  The two-fluid supply unit 13 applies a pressure to a liquid made of pure water and sprays the liquid onto the substrate in the form of a mist, thereby spraying two fluids of liquid fluid and gas fluid to clean the main surface of the substrate B. Are provided on both main surface sides of the substrate B. The two-fluid supply unit 13 performs a finishing cleaning process, and removes relatively small particles from the substrate B that could not be removed by the previous cleaning process by jetting two fluids from the two-fluid nozzle 131.

  The rinse unit 14 includes rinse liquid supply nozzles 141 that supply a rinse liquid made of pure water to both main surfaces of the substrate B after passing through the two-fluid supply unit 13 on both main surface sides of the substrate B. Dirt and cleaning liquid remaining on the main surface of the substrate B are washed away by the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 141. The rinse liquid is not limited to pure water, and may be a chemical liquid or the like.

  The gas spraying unit 15 removes the rinsing liquid remaining on the main surface of the substrate B after the cleaning process by the cleaning mechanism 120 and performs a drying process. The gas blowing unit 15 has a pair of air knives 151 facing each other up and down across the substrate transport path. The pair of air knives 151 have thin slits extending in the substrate width direction (direction intersecting the substrate transport direction), and gas is blown from the slits to both main surfaces (front and back surfaces) of the substrate B in a curtain shape at a high pressure. As a result, the rinse liquid remaining on both main surfaces of the substrate B is removed. Thus, the drying process for the substrate B is completed.

  Between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism 120, an air curtain forming nozzle (an example of a curtain forming unit) 21 that forms an air curtain that partitions the space into an upstream side and a downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate B is provided on the substrate B. It is provided at a position relative to both main surfaces. The air curtain forming nozzle 21 is provided over the width direction of the substrate B and has an air injection slit extending in the width direction. The air curtain forming nozzle 21 forms an air curtain from the air curtain forming nozzle 21 to the main surface of the substrate B by injecting an air flow in a curtain shape from the air injection slit to the main surface of the substrate B. By this air curtain, the space including the transport path of the substrate B by the substrate transport mechanism 16 between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism 120 is upstream and downstream in the substrate transport direction (that is, cleaned with the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 side). And the mechanism 120 side). The air curtain forming nozzle 21 blocks air flow between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism 120 by the air curtain, and prevents mist generated by the cleaning mechanism 120 from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. To do.

  A liquid curtain forming nozzle (liquid curtain forming means) 22 is provided between the brush processing unit 12 and the two-fluid supply unit 13 to form a liquid curtain that divides the space into the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate B. Yes. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 is provided over the width direction of the substrate B and has a liquid discharge slit extending in the width direction. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 forms a liquid curtain from the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 to the main surface of the substrate B by spraying a cleaning liquid made of pure water in a curtain shape on the main surface of the substrate B. Note that the cleaning liquid forming the liquid curtain is not limited to pure water, and may be another cleaning liquid. However, it is preferable that the liquid is the same type as the liquid used in the processing unit disposed on the downstream side closest to the position where the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 is disposed. By this liquid curtain, a space between the brush processing unit 12 and the two-fluid supply unit 13 and including the substrate B transport path by the substrate transport mechanism 16 is partitioned into an upstream side and a downstream side in the substrate transport direction. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 (1) blocks the flow of airflow between the brush processing unit 12 and the two-fluid supply unit 13 by the liquid curtain, and the mist generated in one processing unit is the other processing unit. To prevent intrusion. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 (2) blocks the liquid flowing on the main surface of the substrate with the liquid curtain and prevents the liquid on the main surface from flowing out to the processing section on the upstream side or the downstream side of the liquid curtain. Thus, it is possible to prevent the cleaning effect from being adversely affected by the interference between the liquids of the adjacent processing units.

  Similarly, a liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 is also provided between the two fluid supply unit 13 and the rinse unit 14 and between the rinse unit 14 and the gas spraying unit 15 to discharge the rinse liquid and form a liquid curtain. Yes. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 disposed between the two-fluid supply unit 13 and the rinse unit 14 also exhibits the operations shown in the above (1) and (2).

  As described above, by disposing the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 at a position between each of the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinsing unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 to form a liquid curtain, Ensuring a higher mist blocking property than when using an air curtain, the energy applied to the main surface of the substrate B as the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinsing unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 is high. It becomes possible to use a high-performance tool with a large amount of generation. In addition, since the cleaning liquid or rinsing liquid used for forming the liquid curtain can be collected and reused by a waste liquid collection tank (not shown), an air curtain forming section is installed at the above position to The running cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a configuration in which the mist is blocked by the curtain is adopted.

  Each liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 is provided on the main surface side including the effective part region of the substrate B. The main surface including the effective portion region of the substrate B is a main surface including the effective portion region where an element such as a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) or a filter element of a color filter is formed. In the embodiment, the upper surface of the substrate B is a main surface including the effective portion region of the substrate B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 are applied to one substrate B transported by the substrate transport mechanism 16. Are arranged close to a position where the processing of each part can be executed simultaneously. Such close arrangement can be realized by the processing of the processing units not interfering with each other by the air curtain formed by the air curtain forming nozzle 21 and the liquid curtain formed by each liquid curtain forming nozzle 22. Is.

  Next, the air curtain forming nozzle 21 will be described. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the air curtain forming nozzle 21. The air curtain forming nozzle 21 is attached to a side wall 125 that partitions the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism 120 via an attachment plate 125a. The attachment plate 125a is inclined at the lower end thereof toward the substrate transport direction A. Therefore, the air ejection slit 21 a provided at the tip of the air curtain forming nozzle 21 is directed in the substrate transport direction A. As described above, since the air curtain forming nozzle 21 prevents the mist generated by the cleaning mechanism 120 from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, air injection performance at a pressure as high as that of an air knife is not required. Further, the air curtain forming nozzle 21 is also attached to the attachment plate 125 a whose lower end is inclined toward the substrate transport direction A on the back side of the substrate B. In FIG. 2, illustration of an air pipe that supplies air curtain forming air to the air curtain forming nozzle 21 is omitted.

  Each air curtain forming nozzle 21 disposed on both main surfaces of the substrate B ejects air toward the substrate transport direction A to form an air curtain that goes in the same direction, thereby generating the air curtain itself. Since the airflow is directed to the cleaning mechanism 120 on the downstream side in the substrate conveyance direction A, it is reliably prevented that mist or the like carried by the airflow of the air curtain enters the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11.

  FIG. 3A shows another embodiment of the air curtain forming nozzle 21. The air curtain forming nozzle 21 shown in this figure has two nozzles (first nozzles) having air injection slits 21a parallel to each other on both upper and lower sides of a mounting plate 125a whose front end is directed downstream in the substrate transport direction A. The second air curtain forming part) 211, 212 is provided.

  Among these nozzles 211 and 212, a nozzle 211 (referred to as a first nozzle 211) located on the lower side (upstream side) is fixedly provided to the mounting plate 125a. On the other hand, the nozzle 212 (referred to as the second nozzle 212) located on the upper side (downstream side) is movable (contactable / separable) between a position approaching and separating from the movement path of the substrate B. It is configured. That is, it is slidable with respect to the mounting plate 125a, specifically, is provided to be movable in parallel with respect to the first nozzle 211 in the air injection direction (direction orthogonal to the air injection slit 21a). As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle tips of both nozzles 211 and 212 are aligned, the second nozzle 212 protrudes forward of the first nozzle 211 as shown by the solid line in FIG. As shown by the middle one-dot chain line, the arrangement of the second nozzle 212 can be changed over the state in which the second nozzle 212 is pulled backward from the first nozzle 211.

  The second nozzle 212 is supported so as to be slidable along a flat guide surface formed on the mounting plate 125a. Although not shown, the second nozzle 212 is fixed to the mounting plate 125a with bolts, for example. Then, by making the bolt hole a long hole, the second nozzle 212 can be fixed at an arbitrary position in the sliding direction within the long hole.

  According to such a configuration of the air curtain forming nozzle 21, the air is ejected from the first and second nozzles 211 and 212 to form a double air curtain, whereby the sealing performance is improved, and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. Intrusion of mist, etc. into the can be prevented more reliably. In particular, by offsetting the second nozzle 212 with respect to the first nozzle 211, it is possible to slightly change the air pressure or the like acting on the substrate B, and accordingly, according to the processing conditions such as the conveyance speed of the substrate B. In addition, a more optimal air curtain can be formed, and as a result, the intrusion of mist or the like into the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 can be more reliably prevented.

  In the air curtain forming nozzle 21 shown in FIG. 3, the second nozzle 212 is configured to be slidable, but conversely, only the first nozzle 211 may be slidable with respect to the mounting plate 125a. Good. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, it is good also as a structure which provided both the nozzles 211 and 212 with respect to the attachment board 125a so that each could be slid separately. According to the configuration in which both the nozzles 211 and 212 are slidable as described above, the degree of freedom in adjusting the air pressure or the like with respect to the substrate B is improved. There is an advantage that it can be formed.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the curtain forming nozzle. In the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above, an air curtain forming nozzle 21 that forms an air curtain is provided at a position between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism 120. Instead, an air curtain and a liquid curtain are provided. The curtain forming means ( corresponding to the first curtain forming means of the present invention ) 23 for forming both of them may be provided at this position. In this embodiment, the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 corresponds to the second curtain forming means of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, a liquid curtain forming nozzle (liquid curtain forming portion) 231 having a performance equivalent to that of the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22 described above is attached to the mounting plate 125a whose front end is directed downstream in the substrate transport direction A. A curtain forming portion 23 having an air curtain forming nozzle (air curtain forming portion) 232 having the same performance as the air curtain forming nozzle 21 described above is attached. The liquid curtain forming nozzle 231 is provided downstream of the air curtain forming nozzle 232 in the substrate transport direction A, that is, on the cleaning mechanism 120 side. The air curtain forming nozzle 232 includes the liquid curtain forming nozzle 231, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, and the like. Between the two.

  In the configuration of this embodiment, the liquid curtain formed by the liquid curtain forming nozzle 231 (1) blocks the mist generated by the cleaning mechanism 120 with high sealing performance, and (2) air formed by the air curtain forming unit 232. The curtain further reliably blocks mist from the cleaning mechanism 120 and prevents water droplets or the like of the liquid curtain formed by the liquid curtain forming nozzle 231 from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. Thereby, the mist from the cleaning mechanism 120 can be blocked with higher sealing performance while preventing water droplets or the like from entering the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11. Further, upstream of the cleaning mechanism 120 in the substrate transport direction A, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate B to form a liquid curtain. Therefore, before the cleaning by the cleaning mechanism 120, the cleaning liquid as the preparation is supplied to the substrate B. The efficiency of the cleaning process can be increased.

  In addition, when the transport of the substrate B is stopped for some reason while the substrate B is approaching the curtain forming unit 23, the control unit (not shown) increases the amount of air injected from the air curtain forming nozzle 232. Control may be performed. For example, two supply paths for supplying air to the air curtain forming nozzle 232 are provided, and each of the supply paths is provided with any one of the supply paths when the substrate B is transported normally. When the substrate B is stopped when the valve is opened and air is supplied from the supply path, both valves of the two supply paths are opened to supply air from the two supply paths, and the air curtain forming nozzle 232 is opened. Increase the amount of air supplied to the

  If transport stops when the substrate B is approaching the curtain forming portion 23, the liquid existing on the main surface of the substrate B will not be transported downstream together with the substrate B. There is a possibility that the liquid moves toward the upstream side. In particular, when the substrate B is transported in a posture in which the substrate B is inclined in a direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction, the liquid on the main surface of the substrate B flows to the lower end of the substrate B side, It is conceivable that it becomes easier to enter the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 side through the side end portion. In such a case, the amount of air injected from the air curtain forming nozzle 232 is increased, and the shielding property between the upstream side and the downstream side of the curtain is improved, so that the liquid on the main surface of the substrate B is irradiated with ultraviolet rays on the upstream side. Entering the part 11 is reliably prevented.

  Assuming that the transfer of the substrate B is stopped, the timing of increasing the air injection amount from the air curtain forming nozzle 232 is (1) the elapsed time after the substrate B enters the cleaning mechanism 120, or the substrate B is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 120. When the cleaning mechanism 120 is unloaded from the time when it reaches the predetermined time as counted by a timer (not shown), or (2) the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and the cleaning mechanism in the substrate transport direction 120, that is, when a substrate detection sensor (such as an optical sensor) is provided in the vicinity of the curtain forming unit 23 and the presence of the substrate B is detected by this sensor continues for a preset time. That's fine.

  Although not shown, the curtain forming unit 23 shown in FIG. 5 is either the liquid curtain forming nozzle 231 or the air curtain forming nozzle 232, as with the air curtain forming nozzle 21 shown in FIGS. One side or both may be slidable with respect to the mounting plate 125a. According to this configuration, it is possible to individually adjust the gap between the liquid curtain forming nozzle 231 or the air curtain forming nozzle 232 and the substrate B, so that a curtain having higher sealing properties according to the processing conditions of the substrate B is formed. It becomes possible to do.

  By the way, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in each of the above embodiments, the transport posture of the substrate B by the substrate transport mechanism 16 is not particularly limited. However, even if the transport posture of the substrate B is a horizontal posture, it is inclined (for example, orthogonal to the substrate transport direction). For example, a posture in which the substrate B is tilted in the direction in which the substrate B is tilted (however, it is not limited to the tilted posture).

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the air curtain formation nozzle 21 and the curtain formation part 23 shall form the curtain which goes to the downstream of the board | substrate conveyance direction A, this invention is not limited to the said structure, For example, the curtain may be formed at another angle (an angle close to vertical or the like) with respect to the main surface of the substrate B.

  In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 are provided for each substrate B transported by the substrate transport mechanism 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, Each process by the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse unit 14, and the gas blowing unit 15 can be performed at different timings.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, it is made to move the board | substrate B with respect to each process part of the ultraviolet irradiation part 11, the brush process part 12, the two fluid supply part 13, the rinse part 14, and the gas spraying part 15 by the board | substrate conveyance mechanism 16. However, instead of this, a transport mechanism for moving the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinsing unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 is provided. In addition, a configuration in which the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11, the brush processing unit 12, the two-fluid supply unit 13, the rinse unit 14, and the gas spraying unit 15 move may be employed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the liquid curtain formation nozzle 22 is provided between the two fluid supply part 13 and the rinse part 14, the liquid curtain formation provided between this two fluid supply part 13 and the rinse part 14 is provided. The nozzle 22 can be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the dry processing unit is described by taking the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 as an example. However, the dry processing unit is not limited to the ultraviolet irradiation unit 11 and is a plasma gasified at normal pressure. The present invention can also be applied to a plasma processing unit, an ozone gas supply unit, and the like.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the two-fluid supply part 13 is employ | adopted as a process part with which the washing | cleaning mechanism 120 is equipped, this was made into the ultrasonic cleaning process part, the high pressure water flow (high pressure jet) process part, etc. Even in this case, the present invention can be applied. As shown in the above embodiment, if the processing unit and the other adjacent processing unit are blocked by the liquid curtain by the liquid curtain forming nozzle 22, a large amount of mist generated by these processing units is generated. It is possible to effectively block and prevent mist from entering the adjacent processing unit.

  3 and 4, the air curtain forming nozzle 21 is configured to relatively translate the nozzles 211 and 212. However, the air curtain forming nozzle 21 does not necessarily need to be translated. However, according to the configuration for parallel movement as in the embodiment, the arrangement is simple, and the arrangement of the nozzles 211 and 212 can be changed while keeping the air injection direction and position constant. There is an advantage that the gap between the nozzle 212 and the substrate B can be adjusted while keeping the air curtain in a good state.

  The air curtain forming nozzle 21 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 has a pair of nozzles 211 and 212. Of course, if necessary, three or more nozzles are arranged to form a multiple air curtain. You may make it form.

1 is a side view conceptually showing an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a side view which shows the outline of an air curtain formation nozzle. It is a figure which shows the other example of an air curtain formation nozzle typically ((a) is the state in which the 1st nozzle and the 2nd nozzle were located in a line, (b), the 2nd nozzle was offset with respect to the 1st nozzle. Each state). It is a figure which shows typically the other example of an air curtain formation nozzle. It is a side view which shows the outline of a curtain formation nozzle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 11 Ultraviolet irradiation part 120 Cleaning mechanism 12 Brush processing part 13 Two-fluid supply part 14 Rinse part 15 Gas spraying part 151 Air knife 16 Substrate conveyance mechanism 21 Air curtain formation nozzle 21a Air injection slit 211 First nozzle 212 Second nozzle 22 Liquid curtain forming nozzle 23 Curtain forming portion 231 Liquid curtain forming nozzle 232 Air curtain forming nozzle 111 UV lamp 125 Side wall 125a Mounting plate 141 Rinse liquid supply nozzle B Substrate

Claims (7)

A dry processing unit for performing dry processing on the substrate;
A liquid processing unit that is provided in parallel with the dry processing unit and has a plurality of liquid processing tools for performing liquid processing on the substrate;
Moving means for relatively moving the substrate from the dry processing unit to each liquid processing tool of the liquid processing unit;
A first fluid curtain is formed between the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit to divide a space including a substrate moving path by the moving unit into the dry processing unit side and the liquid processing unit side . First curtain forming means;
In at least one of between the liquid processing tools in the liquid processing section, a space including the moving path of the substrate by the moving means, the second to form a second fluid curtain for partitioning the substrate moving direction upstream and downstream Curtain forming means ,
The first curtain forming means includes a liquid curtain that is adjacent to each other in the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the dry processing unit and the liquid processing unit, and partitions the space as the first fluid curtain, and the liquid curtain is more than the liquid curtain. A liquid curtain forming part and an air curtain forming part for forming an air curtain for partitioning the space at a position on the dry processing part side,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second curtain forming unit forms a liquid curtain that partitions the space as the second fluid curtain . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second curtain forming unit is provided only on a main surface side including an effective portion region of the substrate. At least one of the liquid curtain forming unit and the air curtain forming part of the first curtain forming means, also claim 1, characterized in that it is configured to be separable with respect to the path of movement of the substrate 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the contactable / separable curtain forming portion moves in parallel with respect to another curtain forming portion . The first curtain forming means, the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the liquid processing section and the liquid to face the side curtains and claims 1 to 4 you and forming the air curtain. Said dry section and the liquid processing section are all of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that disposed on the same time processing can be located with respect to one substrate to be moved by said moving means the substrate processing apparatus according to an item or. An ultraviolet irradiation unit for irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet rays;
A brush processing unit that performs brush processing on the substrate;
A two-fluid supply unit for supplying two fluids including a gas and a liquid to the substrate;
A rinse part for rinsing the main surface of the substrate;
A gas blowing part for blowing gas against the main surface of the substrate;
Moving means for relatively moving the substrate in that order with respect to the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush processing unit, the two-fluid supply unit, the rinse unit, and the gas spray unit;
First curtain forming means for forming a first fluid curtain that partitions between the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit;
At least a second curtain forming means for forming a second fluid curtain for partitioning between the brush processing unit and the two fluid supply unit and between the rinse unit and the gas spraying unit, and the movement For each substrate moved by the means, the ultraviolet irradiation unit, the brush processing unit, the two-fluid supply unit, the rinsing unit, and the gas spraying unit are simultaneously executed,
The first curtain forming unit is adjacent to each other in the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit, and is located between the ultraviolet irradiation unit and the brush processing unit as the first fluid curtain. A liquid curtain forming part and an air curtain forming part for forming an air curtain for partitioning between the ultraviolet irradiation part and the brush processing part at a position closer to the ultraviolet irradiation part than the liquid curtain are provided. ,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the second curtain forming means forms a liquid curtain as the second fluid curtain .

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