JP4906418B2 - Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing system, and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a liquid film formed on the surface of various substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, and an optical disk substrate. The present invention relates to a frozen substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, and a substrate processing method.

  Conventionally, a technique of freezing a liquid film by cooling the substrate with the liquid film attached to the surface of the substrate is used as one of the processes for the substrate. In particular, such a freezing technique is used as part of a cleaning process for a substrate. That is, minute contaminants such as particles adhering to the substrate surface without collapsing the pattern formed on the substrate surface with the miniaturization, higher functionality, and higher accuracy of devices typified by semiconductor devices It has become increasingly difficult to remove. Therefore, particles adhering to the substrate surface are removed using the above-described freezing technique as follows.

  First, a liquid is applied to the substrate surface to form a liquid film on the substrate surface. Subsequently, the liquid film is frozen by cooling the substrate. As a result, a frozen film is formed on the surface of the substrate to which particles are attached. Finally, by removing the frozen film from the substrate, particles are removed from the substrate surface together with the frozen film.

  Here, freezing methods for freezing the liquid film adhering to the substrate surface include the following. For example, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the rotation holding unit sucks the back surface of the substrate and holds the substrate. Then, with the substrate held by the rotation holding unit, the rotation holding unit is cooled by supplying the coolant to the rotation holding unit. As a result, the substrate is indirectly cooled via the rotation holding unit, and the liquid film adhering to the substrate surface is frozen.

  Moreover, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the object to be cleaned is frozen by impregnating the object to be cleaned with water and then ejecting liquid nitrogen from the spray nozzle toward the object to be cleaned.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-31673 (FIG. 1) JP 2000-58494 A (page 4)

  By the way, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the substrate is indirectly cooled through the rotation holding unit. For this reason, in order to freeze the liquid film, it is necessary to reduce not only the liquid film but also the temperature of the rotation holding unit to a temperature until the liquid film is frozen. As a result, it took a relatively long time to freeze the liquid film. If the time until the liquid film is frozen as described above becomes long, the number of substrates that can be cleaned per unit time decreases, resulting in a problem that throughput is lowered.

  Moreover, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the object to be cleaned is frozen by ejecting liquid nitrogen as a refrigerant toward the object to be cleaned. Therefore, when a contaminant is contained in a refrigerant | coolant, there exists a problem that a to-be-cleaned object will be contaminated with a contaminant by contact with a to-be-cleaned object and a refrigerant | coolant.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, and a substrate processing method capable of freezing a liquid film formed on a substrate surface in a short time without contaminating the substrate surface. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention is a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for performing predetermined processing on a substrate, and is configured as follows to achieve the above object. That is, the substrate processing apparatus holds the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture by holding the peripheral edge of the substrate with the substrate surface on which the liquid film is formed facing upward, and is held by the substrate holding unit . Rotating means for rotating the substrate, and supplying a liquid refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of the liquid constituting the liquid film to the back surface of the substrate rotated by the rotating means, and bringing the liquid refrigerant into contact with the entire back surface of the substrate. And a liquid film freezing means for freezing the liquid film. Further, the substrate processing method includes a liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film on the surface of the substrate, and the substrate is held in a substantially horizontal posture by holding the peripheral edge of the substrate with the substrate surface on which the liquid film is formed facing upward. And a liquid film freezing step of freezing the liquid film by supplying a liquid refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of the liquid constituting the liquid film to the back surface of the substrate rotated while being held.

In the invention thus configured (substrate processing apparatus and method), the liquid refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of the liquid constituting the liquid film formed on the substrate surface is directly supplied to the back surface of the substrate. As a result, the substrate is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant in contact with the entire back surface . For this reason, the liquid film formed on the substrate surface can be frozen in a relatively short time. In addition, since the liquid film is frozen without bringing the liquid refrigerant into contact with the liquid film formed on the substrate surface, the contaminant adheres to the substrate surface even when the liquid refrigerant contains the contaminant. Can be prevented. Therefore, the liquid film can be frozen without contaminating the substrate surface.

  Here, when the liquid refrigerant is supplied to the back surface of the substrate while rotating the substrate, the liquid refrigerant flows due to the centrifugal force acting on the liquid refrigerant in contact with the substrate, and the liquid refrigerant is uniformly spread over the entire back surface of the substrate. For this reason, the liquid film formed on the substrate surface can be frozen uniformly. Further, by spreading the liquid refrigerant over the entire back surface of the substrate, the contact area between the substrate and the liquid refrigerant can be expanded. For this reason, the freezing time of the liquid film can be further shortened.

  Further, the frozen liquid film may be removed from the substrate surface. As a result, even if particles adhere to the substrate surface, the particles can be removed from the substrate surface together with the liquid film after freezing, and the substrate surface can be cleaned well. That is, freezing the liquid film adhering to the substrate surface expands the volume of the liquid film, weakening the adhesion between the substrate and the particles adhering to the substrate surface, or detaching the particles from the substrate surface. To do. Therefore, the particles in the liquid film can be easily removed from the substrate by removing the liquid film after freezing. Moreover, according to the present invention, the liquid film can be frozen in a relatively short time, so that the particles can be efficiently removed from the substrate surface, as will be described from the experimental results described later.

  Also, when removing the frozen liquid film from the substrate surface, physical cleaning that has a physical cleaning action on the substrate surface, chemical cleaning that has a chemical cleaning action, or a combination of physical cleaning and chemical cleaning Further cleaning (hereinafter referred to as “physical / chemical cleaning”) may be performed on the substrate surface. Thereby, the particles in the liquid film whose adhesion to the substrate is weakened or detached from the substrate surface can be effectively removed from the substrate, and the substrate surface can be cleaned well.

  Here, the liquid film freezing means for freezing the liquid film and the film removing means for removing the liquid film after freezing may be accommodated in the same processing chamber. According to this configuration, the freezing of the liquid film and the removal of the liquid film after freezing can be continuously performed without transporting the substrate, and the throughput can be improved. Moreover, according to the present invention, since the substrate is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant, the liquid film after freezing is compared with the prior art in which the substrate is indirectly cooled through the rotation holding unit (substrate holding means). The time required for removal can be shortened. That is, according to the prior art, cold heat is stored in the rotation holding unit when the substrate is cooled, and the temperature of the rotation holding unit needs to be raised when removing the liquid film after freezing. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the substrate holding means does not store cold heat more than necessary, and the liquid film after freezing can be removed from the substrate in a relatively short time. Furthermore, a liquid film forming means for forming a liquid film on the substrate surface may be provided, and the liquid film forming means, the liquid film freezing means, and the film removing means may be accommodated in the same processing chamber. Thereby, a series of cleaning processes (liquid film formation + liquid film freezing + film removal) can be integrally executed at the same location.

  In order to achieve the above object, a substrate processing system according to the present invention is provided with a freezing unit having the same configuration as that of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, a separate unit from the freezing unit, and a liquid film. A film removing unit that removes the frozen film from the substrate surface and a transport unit that transports the substrate from the freezing unit to the film removing unit are provided. According to this configuration, the liquid film formed on the substrate surface is frozen without contamination of the substrate surface in the freezing unit. Thus, the substrate surface is covered with the frozen film while maintaining the state before freezing. Then, the substrate is transported to the film removal unit in a state where the substrate surface is covered with the frozen film in this way, and the frozen film is removed in the film removal unit. For this reason, during the period from the freezing of the liquid film to the removal of the frozen film, the frozen film can act as a protective film against the substrate surface and protect the substrate surface from contamination from the surrounding atmosphere. Therefore, the substrate can be stored or kept on standby while preventing contamination of the substrate surface using the frozen film as a protective film. Further, if necessary, the substrate surface can be exposed to the state before freezing by transporting the substrate to the film removal unit and removing the frozen film in the film removal unit.

  Here, the film removal unit performs physical cleaning on the substrate surface, chemical cleaning that has a chemical cleaning function, or cleaning that combines physical cleaning and chemical cleaning on the substrate surface. The frozen film may be removed from the surface of the substrate. Thereby, when removing the frozen film from the substrate surface, the contaminant can be effectively removed together with the frozen film even if the contaminant is attached to the substrate surface. For this reason, the substrate surface can be exposed in a clean state.

  In addition, as the “liquid refrigerant” used in the present invention, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution, alcohols, or liquid nitrogen can be used. In particular, it is preferable to use an ethylene glycol aqueous solution or alcohol as the liquid refrigerant. By using such a liquid as a liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant can be recovered and reused. Thereby, the usage-amount of a liquid refrigerant can be suppressed and cost reduction can be aimed at. As alcohols, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol can be used from the viewpoint of safety, price, etc., and ethyl alcohol is particularly preferable.

  According to this invention, the substrate is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant in contact with the back surface thereof. For this reason, the liquid film formed on the substrate surface can be frozen in a relatively short time. In addition, since the liquid film is frozen without bringing the liquid refrigerant into contact with the liquid film formed on the substrate surface, the contaminant adheres to the substrate surface even when the liquid refrigerant contains the contaminant. Can be prevented. Thereby, the liquid film can be frozen without contaminating the substrate surface.

  First, the case where the substrate processing apparatus and method for freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface according to the present invention is applied to a cleaning process for removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the substrate surface will be described. In such a cleaning process, particles adhering to the substrate surface are removed as follows. That is, the liquid film is frozen with the liquid film formed on the substrate surface. As a result, the liquid film expands in volume, and the adhesion force between the substrate and the particles adhering to the surface of the substrate is weakened, or the particles are detached from the substrate surface. Thereafter, the frozen liquid film is removed from the substrate surface, so that particles adhering to the substrate surface together with the liquid film are removed from the substrate surface.

<Relationship between cooling temperature and particle removal rate>
From the viewpoint of improving particle removal efficiency, the present inventor conducted various experiments and examinations focusing on the liquid film freezing process in a series of cleaning processes (liquid film formation + liquid film freezing + film removal). . Specifically, the relationship between the cooling temperature when freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface and the particle removal rate was evaluated.

  FIG. 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the cooling temperature and the particle removal rate when freezing the liquid film. The horizontal axis of FIG. 1 shows the cooling temperature when freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface. The lower the temperature (right direction on the paper), the longer the time until the liquid film freezes (hereinafter referred to as “freezing time”). This means it is getting shorter. On the other hand, the vertical axis in FIG. 1 indicates the particle removal rate, which is obtained by the following procedure.

  First, a wafer (wafer diameter: 200 mm) is forcibly contaminated using a single wafer processing apparatus (Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd., spin processor MP-2000). Specifically, a dispersion liquid in which particles (Si scraps) are dispersed is supplied to the wafer while rotating the wafer. Here, the amount of dispersion liquid, the number of wafer rotations, and the processing time are appropriately adjusted so that the number of particles adhering to the wafer surface is about 8000. Thereafter, the number (initial value) of particles (particle size: 0.1 μm or more) adhering to the wafer surface is measured. The number of particles is measured using a wafer inspection apparatus SP1 manufactured by KLA-Tencor, and the remaining area is evaluated by removing the edge area from the outer periphery of the wafer to 10 mm (edge cut).

  Next, deionized water (hereinafter referred to as “DIW”) is supplied to the wafer surface to form a liquid film (water film) on the wafer surface. The thickness of the liquid film thus formed was determined from the wafer weight before and after the liquid film was formed, and was about 20 μm (micrometer).

  Subsequently, the substrate is transferred to the freezer, and the liquid film is frozen in a freezer adjusted to a predetermined cooling temperature (temperature in the freezer). Then, the frozen substrate is carried into a substrate processing apparatus (MP-2000), and while rotating the wafer, DIW is supplied and the wafer is cleaned (rinsing treatment) for 30 seconds. Thereby, the frozen liquid film (frozen film) is thawed and removed from the wafer surface. Thereafter, the wafer is rotated at high speed to dry (spin dry) the wafer.

  Thus, the number of particles adhering to the surface of the wafer subjected to a series of cleaning processes (liquid film formation + liquid film freezing + film removal) is measured. Then, the removal rate is calculated by comparing the number of particles after the cleaning process with the number of initial particles (before the cleaning process) measured earlier (initial value).

  Here, four wafers were prepared, and the above operation was performed so that only the cooling temperature differs for each wafer. That is, the liquid films formed on the four wafers were frozen with the cooling temperatures (temperatures in the freezer) different from each other. Thereby, the freezing time of the liquid film differs for each wafer, and the freezing time becomes shorter as the cooling temperature is lower.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1, the particle removal rate increases as the cooling temperature decreases, that is, as the freezing time decreases. Therefore, even if the liquid film is cooled and finally frozen, it can be said that freezing the liquid film in a relatively short time is advantageous in removing particles efficiently.

  Also, from the viewpoint of satisfactorily cleaning the substrate surface, it is not preferable to freeze the liquid film by supplying the coolant toward the substrate surface to be cleaned and bringing the coolant into contact with the liquid film. This is because the substrate surface is contaminated by the contaminant when the coolant contains the contaminant.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described knowledge, the liquid film formed on the substrate surface is frozen in a short time without contaminating the substrate surface. Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Substrate processing equipment>
FIG. 2 is a view showing an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. This substrate processing apparatus is a single wafer type substrate processing apparatus used for a cleaning process for removing contaminants such as particles adhering to a surface Wf of a substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer. More specifically, after the liquid film is formed on the substrate surface Wf on which the fine pattern is formed, the liquid film is frozen and then the frozen liquid film is removed from the substrate surface Wf. And a series of cleaning processes (liquid film formation + liquid film freezing + film removal).

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber 1 having a processing space for cleaning the substrate W therein, and the substrate W is placed in a substantially horizontal posture with the substrate surface Wf facing upward in the processing chamber 1. A spin chuck 2 (corresponding to the “substrate holding means” of the present invention) that is held and rotated, and a treatment liquid such as a chemical liquid or a rinse liquid such as pure water or DIW is applied to the surface Wf of the substrate W held on the spin chuck 2. A cleaning nozzle 3 for supplying and a two-fluid nozzle 5 for supplying droplets of the processing liquid to the substrate surface Wf are provided.

  The spin chuck 2 has a rotary support 21 connected to a rotation shaft of a chuck rotation mechanism 22 including a motor, and can rotate around a vertical axis by driving the chuck rotation mechanism 22. A disc-shaped spin base 23 is integrally connected to the upper end portion of the rotating column 21 by a fastening component such as a screw. Therefore, the spin base 23 rotates around the vertical axis by driving the chuck rotating mechanism 22 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4 that controls the entire apparatus. Thus, in this embodiment, the chuck rotating mechanism 22 functions as the “rotating unit” of the present invention.

  Near the periphery of the spin base 23, a plurality of chuck pins 24 for holding the periphery of the substrate W are provided upright. Three or more chuck pins 24 may be provided to securely hold the circular substrate W, and are arranged at equiangular intervals along the peripheral edge of the spin base 23. Each of the chuck pins 24 includes a substrate support portion that supports the peripheral portion of the substrate W from below, and a substrate holding portion that holds the substrate W by pressing the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W supported by the substrate support portion. Yes. Each chuck pin 24 is configured to be switchable between a pressing state in which the substrate holding portion presses the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W and a released state in which the substrate holding portion is separated from the outer peripheral end surface of the substrate W.

  When the substrate W is delivered to the spin base 23, the plurality of chuck pins 24 are released, and when the substrate W is cleaned, the plurality of chuck pins 24 are pressed. State. By setting the pressed state, the plurality of chuck pins 24 can grip the peripheral edge of the substrate W and hold the substrate W in a substantially horizontal posture at a predetermined interval from the spin base 23. As a result, the substrate W is held with the front surface (pattern forming surface) Wf facing upward and the back surface Wb facing downward.

  A first rotation motor 31 is provided outside the spin chuck 2. A first rotation shaft 33 is connected to the first rotation motor 31. A first arm 35 is connected to the first rotation shaft 33 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and the cleaning nozzle 3 is attached to the tip of the first arm 35. Then, the first rotation motor 31 is driven in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4, whereby the cleaning nozzle 3 is moved to a discharge position (position shown in FIG. 2) and a discharge position above the rotation center of the substrate W. It is possible to reciprocate between the standby position retracted from the side to the side.

  The cleaning nozzle 3 is connected to the chemical liquid supply unit 61 and the rinsing liquid supply unit 62 (FIG. 3), and the cleaning nozzle 3 is respectively supplied from the chemical liquid supply unit 61 and the rinsing liquid supply unit 62 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4. 3 is supplied with a chemical solution or DIW selectively as a rinse solution. As the chemical solution, for example, an SC1 solution (a mixed aqueous solution of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide solution) is used. Other examples of the rinsing liquid include an organic solvent such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ozone water in which ozone is dissolved in DIW, hydrogen water in which hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, and the like.

  A second rotation motor 51 is provided outside the spin chuck 2. A second rotation shaft 53 is connected to the second rotation motor 51, and a second arm 55 is connected to the second rotation shaft 53. A two-fluid nozzle 5 is attached to the tip of the second arm 55. The two-fluid nozzle 5 can be swung around the second rotation shaft 53 by driving the second rotation motor 51 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4. The two-fluid nozzle 5 discharges droplets of the processing liquid generated by mixing the processing liquid and gas in order to clean the substrate surface Wf.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the two-fluid nozzle. The two-fluid nozzle is a so-called external mixing type two-fluid nozzle that mixes DIW and nitrogen gas (N2) as treatment liquids in the air (external to the nozzle) to generate DIW droplets. The two-fluid nozzle 5 is inserted with a processing liquid discharge nozzle 502 having a processing liquid discharge port 521 inside the body 501. The processing liquid discharge port 521 is disposed on the upper surface portion 512 of the umbrella portion 511 of the two-fluid nozzle 5. For this reason, when DIW is supplied to the processing liquid discharge nozzle 502, DIW is discharged toward the substrate W from the processing liquid discharge port 521.

  A gas discharge nozzle 503 is provided in the vicinity of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 502 and defines a ring-shaped gas passage surrounding the processing liquid discharge nozzle 502. The front end of the gas discharge nozzle 503 is tapered and the nozzle opening faces the surface of the substrate W. For this reason, when nitrogen gas is supplied to the gas discharge nozzle 503, the nitrogen gas is discharged toward the substrate W from the gas discharge port 531 of the gas discharge nozzle 503.

  The discharge trajectory of nitrogen gas discharged in this way intersects the DIW discharge trajectory from the processing liquid discharge port 521. That is, the liquid (DIW) flow from the processing liquid discharge port 521 collides with the gas (nitrogen gas) flow at the collision site G in the mixing region. The gas flow is discharged so as to converge at the collision site G. This mixed region is a space at the lower end of the body 501. For this reason, the DIW is quickly formed into droplets by the nitrogen gas colliding with it in the immediate vicinity of the DIW discharge direction from the processing liquid discharge port 521. In this way, cleaning droplets are generated.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the description will be continued. The rotary support 21 of the spin chuck 2 is a hollow shaft. A processing liquid supply pipe 25 for supplying a processing liquid to the back surface Wb of the substrate W and a refrigerant supply pipe 26 for supplying a liquid refrigerant to the substrate back surface Wb are inserted into the rotary column 21. The processing liquid supply pipe 25 and the refrigerant supply pipe 26 extend to a position close to the lower surface (back surface Wb) of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2. A processing liquid nozzle 27 is provided at the front end of the processing liquid supply pipe 25 to discharge the processing liquid toward the lower surface central portion of the substrate W, while the lower surface central portion of the substrate W is provided at the front end of the coolant supply pipe 26. A refrigerant nozzle 28 is provided for discharging liquid refrigerant toward the head.

  The treatment liquid supply pipe 25 is connected to the chemical liquid supply unit 61 and the rinse liquid supply unit 62, and a chemical liquid such as an SC1 solution (a mixed aqueous solution of ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide solution) is supplied from the chemical liquid supply unit 61 to the rinse liquid. A rinse liquid such as DIW or ozone water is selectively supplied from the supply unit 62. The refrigerant supply pipe 26 is connected to a refrigerant supply unit 64, and an ethylene glycol aqueous solution, alcohols, or liquid nitrogen is supplied from the refrigerant supply unit 64 as a liquid refrigerant. In particular, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution or alcohol is preferably used as the liquid refrigerant in order to recover and reuse the liquid refrigerant supplied to the substrate W as described later. As alcohols, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol can be used from the viewpoints of safety, price, and the like, and ethyl alcohol is particularly preferable.

  In this embodiment, as will be described later, the liquid film is frozen by discharging the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant nozzle 28 to the substrate back surface Wb in a state in which the liquid film by DIW is formed on the substrate surface Wf. Therefore, the liquid refrigerant adjusted to a temperature lower than the freezing point (freezing point) of DIW constituting the liquid film is used. Thus, in this embodiment, the refrigerant nozzle 28 functions as the “liquid film freezing means” of the present invention.

  A gap between the inner wall surface of the rotating column 21 and the outer wall surface of the processing liquid supply pipe 25 and the refrigerant supply pipe 26 forms a cylindrical gas supply path 29. The gas supply path 29 is connected to the gas supply unit 65 and can supply nitrogen gas to a space formed between the spin base 23 and the substrate back surface Wb. In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 65, but air or other inert gas may be discharged.

  The spin chuck 2 is accommodated in the casing 7. A receiving member 71 is fixedly attached around the casing 7. Cylindrical partition members 73a, 73b, 73c are erected on the receiving member 71. A space between the outer wall of the casing 7 and the inner wall of the partition member 73a forms a first drainage tank 75a, and a space between the outer wall of the partition member 73a and the inner wall of the partition member 73b serves as a second drainage tank 75b. The space between the outer wall of the partition member 73b and the inner wall of the partition member 73c forms the third drainage tank 75c.

  The bottoms of the first drain tank 75a, the second drain tank 75b, and the third drain tank 75c are formed with discharge ports 77a, 77b, 77c, respectively, and each discharge port is connected to a different drain. ing. For example, in this embodiment, the first drainage tank 75a is a tank for recovering the used liquid refrigerant, and communicates with a recovery drain for recovering and reusing the liquid refrigerant. The second drainage tank 75b is a tank for collecting used chemical liquid, and communicates with a recovery drain for collecting and reusing the chemical liquid. Furthermore, the third drainage tank 75c is a tank for draining used rinse liquid (DIW or ozone water), and communicates with a waste drain for disposal processing.

  A splash guard 8 is provided above the drainage tanks 75a to 75c. The splash guard 8 is provided to be movable up and down with respect to the rotation axis (vertical axis) of the spin chuck 2 so as to surround the periphery of the substrate W held in the spin chuck 2 in a substantially horizontal posture. The splash guard 8 has a shape that is substantially rotationally symmetric with respect to the rotation axis of the spin chuck 2, and includes three guards 81, 82, 82 that are arranged concentrically with the spin chuck 2 from the radially inner side toward the outer side. 83. The three guards 81, 82, 83 are provided such that the height decreases in order from the outermost guard 83 toward the innermost guard 81, and the upper ends of the guards 81, 82, 83 are in the vertical direction. It arrange | positions so that it may be settled in the surface extended to.

  The splash guard 8 is connected to the guard lifting mechanism 85 (FIG. 3), and operates the lift driving actuator (for example, an air cylinder) of the guard lifting mechanism 85 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4. 8 can be moved up and down with respect to the spin chuck 2. In this embodiment, the splash guard 8 is lifted and lowered stepwise by driving the guard lifting mechanism 85, whereby the liquid refrigerant and the processing liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W are divided into the first to third drain tanks 75a to 75c. It can be drained separately.

  A groove-shaped first guide portion 81 a that is inwardly opened in a cross-sectional shape is formed on the upper portion of the guard 81. Then, by positioning the splash guard 8 at the highest position (hereinafter referred to as “first height position”) when supplying the liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant discharged from the rotating substrate W is received by the first guide portion 81a, It is guided to the first drain tank 75a. Specifically, the splash guard 8 is disposed so that the first guide portion 81a surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2 as the first height position, so that the substrate W is discharged from the rotating substrate W. The liquid refrigerant is guided to the first drain tank 75a through the guard 81.

  In addition, an inclined portion 82 a that is inclined obliquely upward from the radially outer side to the inner side is formed on the upper portion of the guard 82. Then, by placing the splash guard 8 at a position lower than the first height position (hereinafter referred to as “second height position”) when supplying the chemical liquid, the chemical liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W is received by the inclined portion 82a. , Guided to the second drainage tank 75b. Specifically, as the second height position, the splash guard 8 is arranged so that the inclined portion 82a surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2, so that the chemical solution scattered from the rotating substrate W is guarded. It passes between the upper end portion of 81 and the upper end portion of the guard 82 and is guided to the second drainage tank 75b.

  Similarly, on the upper part of the guard 83, an inclined portion 83a that is inclined obliquely upward from the radially outer side to the inner side is formed. Then, the rinsing liquid that scatters from the rotating substrate W is caused by the inclined portion 83a by positioning the splash guard 8 at a position lower than the second height position (hereinafter referred to as “third height position”) when supplying the rinsing liquid. It is received and guided to the third drainage tank 75c. Specifically, as the third height position, the splash guard 8 is disposed so that the inclined portion 83a surrounds the periphery of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2, so that the rinsing liquid scattered from the rotating substrate W can be obtained. It passes between the upper end of the guard 82 and the upper end of the guard 83 and is guided to the third drainage tank 75c.

  Further, by positioning the spin chuck 2 from the upper end portion of the splash guard 8 at a position lower than the third height position (hereinafter referred to as “retracted position”), the substrate transfer means (not shown) is not moved. It is possible to place the processed substrate W on the spin chuck 2 and receive the processed substrate W from the spin chuck 2.

  A disc-shaped blocking member 9 having an opening at the center is provided above the spin chuck 2. The blocking member 9 has a lower surface (bottom surface) that faces the substrate surface Wf and is substantially parallel to the substrate surface Wf. The planar size of the blocking member 9 is equal to or greater than the diameter of the substrate W. The blocking member 9 is attached substantially horizontally to a lower end portion of a support shaft 91 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the support shaft 91 is rotatably held around a vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W by an arm 92 extending in the horizontal direction. . The arm 92 is connected to a blocking member rotating mechanism 93 and a blocking member lifting mechanism 94.

  The blocking member rotating mechanism 93 rotates the support shaft 91 around the vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate W in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 4. The blocking member rotating mechanism 93 is configured to rotate the blocking member 9 in the same rotational direction as the substrate W and at substantially the same rotational speed in accordance with the rotation of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2.

  Further, the blocking member elevating mechanism 94 can cause the blocking member 9 to face the spin base 23 in the vicinity of the spin base 23 according to an operation command from the control unit 4, or to separate the blocking member 9. Specifically, the control unit 4 operates the blocking member elevating mechanism 94 so that when the substrate W is carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus, the separation position above the spin chuck 2 (the position shown in FIG. 2). ) To raise the blocking member 9. On the other hand, when a predetermined process is performed on the substrate W, the blocking member 9 is lowered to a facing position set very close to the surface Wf of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 2.

  The support shaft 91 is finished in a hollow shape, and a gas supply path 95 communicating with the opening of the blocking member 9 is inserted into the support shaft 91. The gas supply path 95 is connected to the gas supply unit 65, and nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 65. In this embodiment, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply path 95 to the space formed between the blocking member 9 and the substrate surface Wf during the drying process after the cleaning process for the substrate W. A liquid supply pipe 96 communicating with the opening of the blocking member 9 is inserted into the gas supply path 95, and a nozzle 97 is coupled to the lower end of the liquid supply pipe 96. The liquid supply pipe 96 is connected to the rinse liquid supply unit 62, and DIW is supplied as the rinse liquid from the rinse liquid supply unit 62, so that DIW can be discharged from the nozzle 97 toward the substrate surface Wf. .

  Next, a cleaning process operation in the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. First, the control unit 4 positions the splash guard 8 at the retracted position, and causes the spin chuck 2 to protrude from the upper end portion of the splash guard 8. In this state, when an unprocessed substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 1 by a substrate transport unit (not shown), a cleaning process is performed on the substrate W. Here, a fine pattern may be formed on the substrate surface Wf. That is, the substrate surface Wf is a pattern formation surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate W is carried into the processing chamber 1 with the substrate surface Wf facing upward and is held by the spin chuck 2. Subsequently, the blocking member 9 is positioned from the separated position to the facing position. As a result, the substrate surface Wf is covered in the state of being close to the substrate facing surface of the blocking member 9 and is blocked from the ambient atmosphere of the substrate W.

  The control unit 4 arranges the splash guard 8 at the third height position, drives the chuck rotating mechanism 22 to rotate the spin chuck 2, and supplies DIW from the nozzle 97 to the substrate surface Wf. The DIW supplied to the substrate surface is spread over the entire surface by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the substrate W, and a part of the DIW is shaken off the substrate. As a result, a liquid film (water film) having a predetermined thickness is formed on the entire surface of the substrate W (FIG. 5A; liquid film forming step). When forming the liquid film, it is not an essential requirement to shake off part of the DIW supplied to the substrate surface Wf as described above. For example, the liquid film may be formed on the substrate surface Wf without shaking the DIW from the substrate W with the rotation of the substrate W stopped or with the substrate W rotated at a relatively low speed. Thus, in this embodiment, the nozzle 97 functions as the “liquid film forming means” of the present invention.

  The formation of the liquid film on the substrate surface Wf is not limited to the supply of DIW from the nozzle 97, and the cleaning nozzle 3 may be used. That is, DIW may be supplied from the cleaning nozzle 3 to the substrate surface Wf after the cleaning nozzle 3 is positioned at the discharge position in a state where the blocking member 9 is disposed at the separation position.

  Thus, when the liquid film forming step is completed, the control unit 4 places the splash guard 8 at the first height position. Then, the substrate W is rotated at an appropriate rotational speed while discharging the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant nozzle 28 toward the center of the substrate back surface Wb (FIG. 5B). Thereby, the liquid refrigerant flows due to the centrifugal force acting on the liquid refrigerant in contact with the substrate W, and the liquid refrigerant uniformly spreads over the entire back surface of the substrate W. As a result, the entire substrate is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant in contact with the back surface Wb, and the liquid film formed on the substrate surface Wf is frozen in a relatively short time (liquid film freezing step). The term “appropriate number of revolutions” here means a number of revolutions that does not allow the liquid refrigerant to wrap around the periphery of the substrate surface Wf while spreading the liquid refrigerant over the entire back surface of the substrate W. . This is because if the liquid refrigerant wraps around the substrate surface Wf, contamination by the refrigerant may occur. By setting the number of revolutions in this way, the liquid refrigerant supplied to the substrate back surface Wb is discharged from the substrate W without contacting the liquid film formed on the substrate surface Wf. The liquid refrigerant discharged from the substrate W is collected in the first drainage tank 75a and reused as appropriate. Thereby, the running cost required for the freezing process can be greatly reduced.

  When the liquid film freezing step is performed in this manner, the volume of the liquid film that has entered between the substrate surface Wf and the particles increases (when water at 0 ° C. becomes ice at 0 ° C., the volume is about 1.1. The particles are separated from the substrate surface Wf by a minute distance. As a result, the adhesion force between the substrate surface Wf and the particles is reduced, and further, the particles are detached from the substrate surface Wf. At this time, even if a fine pattern is formed on the substrate surface Wf, the pressure applied to the pattern by the volume expansion of the liquid film is equal in all directions, that is, the force applied to the pattern is canceled out. Therefore, it is possible to selectively remove only the particles from the substrate surface Wf without peeling or collapsing the pattern.

  When the freezing of the liquid film is completed after the lapse of the predetermined time, the control unit 4 places the splash guard 8 at the third height position. Then, DIW is supplied as a rinse liquid from the nozzle 97 and the processing liquid nozzle 27 to the front surface Wf and the back surface Wb of the substrate W. As a result, the frozen film on the substrate surface Wf is thawed by DIW. Further, the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the substrate W acts on the frozen film and the DIW supplied to the substrate surface Wf. As a result, the frozen film containing particles is removed from the substrate surface Wf and discharged out of the substrate (FIG. 5C; film removal step). Thus, in this embodiment, the nozzle 97 functions as the “film removal means” of the present invention.

  As for the substrate back surface Wb, DIW spreads over the entire back surface by the rotation of the substrate W, and the substrate back surface Wb is rinsed. Therefore, contaminants such as particles can be removed not only from the substrate surface Wf but also from the entire substrate W. Further, even when condensation occurs on the spin base 23, the chuck pins 24, and the like in the liquid film freezing step, they are washed away by DIW supplied to the front and back surfaces of the substrate W. The used rinse liquid (DIW) shaken off from the substrate W is guided to the third drain tank 75c and discarded.

  Here, when an ethylene glycol aqueous solution or alcohol is used as the liquid refrigerant, the substrate back surface Wb may be contaminated by these organic substances. In this case, organic contaminants can be removed from the substrate back surface Wb by supplying ozone water as the rinse liquid to the substrate back surface Wb. In this case, the final rinse treatment using DIW is performed on the substrate back surface Wb after the rinse treatment using ozone water.

  In the film removal step, it is preferable to rotate the blocking member 9 together with the rotation of the substrate W. Thereby, the liquid adhering to the blocking member 9 is shaken off, and it is possible to prevent the mist-like processing liquid from entering the space formed between the blocking member 9 and the substrate surface Wf from the periphery of the substrate.

  Thus, when the film removal step is completed, the control unit 4 increases the rotation speeds of the motors of the chuck rotating mechanism 22 and the blocking member rotating mechanism 93 to rotate the substrate W and the blocking member 9 at high speed. Thereby, the drying process (spin drying) of the substrate W is executed (FIG. 5D). Further, in this drying process, by supplying nitrogen gas from the gas supply paths 95 and 29, a space sandwiched between the blocking member 9 and the substrate surface Wf and between the spin base 23 and the substrate back surface Wb are provided. The sandwiched space is a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Thereby, the drying of the substrate W is promoted, and the drying time can be shortened.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, when the liquid film formed on the substrate surface Wf is frozen, the liquid coolant is directly supplied to the substrate back surface Wb, so that the substrate W contacts the back surface Wb. It is cooled directly by the liquid refrigerant that is liquid. Therefore, the liquid film can be frozen in a relatively short time. Therefore, as will be described with reference to FIG. 1, the particle removal rate can be improved and the substrate W can be effectively cleaned. Further, since the liquid film is frozen without bringing the liquid refrigerant into contact with the liquid film, even when the liquid refrigerant contains a contaminant, the contaminant can be prevented from adhering to the substrate surface Wf.

  Further, according to this embodiment, since the liquid refrigerant is supplied to the substrate back surface Wb while rotating the substrate W, the liquid refrigerant is spread over the entire substrate back surface, and the liquid film can be frozen uniformly. Further, by spreading the liquid refrigerant over the entire back surface of the substrate, the contact area between the substrate W and the liquid refrigerant can be expanded. For this reason, the whole substrate is efficiently cooled, the freezing time of the liquid film can be further shortened, and particles can be effectively removed from the substrate surface Wf.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the liquid film forming process, the liquid film freezing process, and the film removing process are continuously executed in the same processing chamber 1. Therefore, a series of cleaning processes (liquid film formation + liquid film freezing + film removal) can be integrally executed at the same place without transporting the substrate, and throughput can be improved. Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the substrate W is directly cooled by the liquid refrigerant, the frozen film is compared with the prior art in which the substrate W is indirectly cooled through the rotation holding unit (substrate holding means). The time required for removal can be shortened. That is, according to the prior art, when the substrate W is cooled, cold heat is stored in the rotation holding unit, and the temperature of the rotation holding unit needs to be increased when removing the frozen film. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the substrate holding means does not store cold heat more than necessary, and the frozen film can be removed from the substrate W in a relatively short time.

  In the above embodiment, the frozen film is removed by rinsing the substrate W with DIW, but the frozen film is removed by performing chemical cleaning on the substrate surface Wf as follows. Also good. That is, after freezing the liquid film, the control unit 4 disposes the splash guard 8 at the second height position, disposes the cleaning nozzle 3 at the discharge position, and transfers the SC1 solution from the cleaning nozzle 3 to the substrate surface Wf. Supply. Here, since the zeta potential (electrokinetic potential) of the solid surface in the SC1 solution has a relatively large value, the space between the substrate surface Wf and the particles on the substrate surface Wf is filled with the SC1 solution. A large repulsive force acts between the substrate surface Wf and the particles. Therefore, the detachment of particles from the substrate surface Wf can be further facilitated, and the particles can be effectively removed from the substrate surface Wf. In this case, the cleaning nozzle 3 functions as the “film removing means” of the present invention.

  Further, the SC1 solution may be supplied from the processing liquid nozzle 27 to the substrate back surface Wb simultaneously with the supply of the SC1 solution to the substrate surface Wf. Thereby, even when the organic contaminant by the supply of a liquid refrigerant has adhered to the substrate back surface Wb, the organic contaminant can be removed from the substrate W by the chemical cleaning action of the SC1 solution. After cleaning with the SC1 solution, DIW is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the substrate W, and a rinsing process with DIW is performed.

  Further, the frozen membrane may be thawed and removed as follows. That is, after freezing the liquid film, the control unit 4 supplies the droplet of DIW to the substrate surface Wf while the two-fluid nozzle 5 is swung above the substrate W with the blocking member 9 disposed at the separated position. To do. Thereby, the droplet collides with the particle adhering to the substrate surface Wf, and the particle is physically removed (physical cleaning) by the kinetic energy of the droplet. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove particles from the substrate surface Wf and to clean the substrate surface Wf satisfactorily. In this case, the two-fluid nozzle 5 functions as the “film removing means” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, liquid (DIW) is supplied to the substrate surface Wf in the processing chamber 1 to form a liquid film on the substrate surface Wf. However, the substrate W on which the liquid film has been formed on the substrate surface Wf in advance is used. It may be carried into the processing chamber 1.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transition to the film removal process is immediately performed after the completion of the freezing of the liquid film. However, the tact time may be adjusted by shifting the transition timing to the film removal process to the rear side. In this case, the substrate W stands by inside the apparatus while the frozen film is formed, but the frozen film functions as a protective film. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate surface Wf from being contaminated.

  In the above embodiment, after freezing the liquid film, the frozen liquid film (frozen film) is removed in the frozen state. However, the frozen liquid film may be removed while the frozen film is thawed. . However, it is advantageous to remove the liquid film (frozen film) after freezing in a frozen state in order to efficiently remove particles adhering to the substrate surface Wf. That is, by freezing the liquid film, the adhesion force of the particles to the substrate surface Wf is weakened and detached, but as the frozen film melts, the adhesion force to the substrate surface Wf increases and reattachment occurs. To come. Therefore, by removing the frozen film from the substrate surface Wf before the frozen film is melted, it is possible to avoid reattaching particles detached from the substrate surface Wf to the substrate surface Wf. As a result, particles can be efficiently removed from the substrate surface Wf.

  In the above embodiment, cleaning with the SC1 solution (SC1 cleaning) is performed as chemical cleaning mainly having a chemical cleaning action on the substrate surface Wf. However, as chemical cleaning executed in the present invention, , Not limited to SC1 cleaning. For example, as the chemical cleaning, wet cleaning using an alkaline solution other than the SC1 solution, an acidic solution, an organic solvent, a surfactant, or the like as a processing liquid, or a combination of them as an appropriate processing liquid can be used.

  In the above embodiment, cleaning with droplets (droplet cleaning) using a two-fluid nozzle is performed as physical cleaning mainly having a physical cleaning action on the substrate surface Wf. The physical cleaning performed is not limited to droplet cleaning. For example, scrub cleaning for cleaning the substrate W by bringing a brush, sponge, or the like into contact with the substrate surface Wf as physical cleaning, particles adhering to the substrate surface Wf are vibrated and detached by ultrasonic vibration, or processing liquid Examples thereof include cavitation generated inside and ultrasonic cleaning for cleaning the substrate W by causing bubbles to act on the substrate surface Wf.

  Furthermore, the frozen liquid film may be removed from the substrate surface Wf by performing cleaning that combines physical cleaning and chemical cleaning, if necessary, on the substrate surface Wf. For example, the SC1 solution may be brought into contact with the substrate surface Wf, and bubbles may be generated in the SC1 solution to perform cleaning while supplying the bubbles to the substrate surface Wf. That is, you may make it perform the cleaning combined with the chemical cleaning by SC1 solution, and the physical cleaning using the physical action which a bubble has. Further, in the treatment liquid droplet cleaning using the two-fluid nozzle, a chemical solution having a chemical action on the substrate surface Wf may be used as the treatment liquid. According to this structure, the cleaning combined with the chemical cleaning using the chemical solution and the physical cleaning using the kinetic energy of the droplets is executed.

  In the above embodiment, when performing physical cleaning by discharging liquid droplets from a two-fluid nozzle, droplet cleaning is performed using a so-called external mixing type two-fluid nozzle. The droplet cleaning may be performed using a so-called internal mixing type two-fluid nozzle. That is, the processing liquid and the gas may be mixed inside the two-fluid nozzle to generate cleaning droplets and discharged from the nozzle discharge port toward the substrate W.

<Substrate processing system>
In the above embodiment, the case where the substrate processing apparatus and method for freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface according to the present invention is applied to a cleaning process for removing contaminants such as particles adhering to the substrate surface has been described. The application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a liquid film (frozen film) frozen using the substrate processing apparatus and method according to the present invention may be used as a protective film for protecting the substrate surface. Hereinafter, a substrate processing system using a frozen film as a protective film will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 is a plan layout view showing an embodiment of the substrate processing system according to the present invention. In this substrate processing system, the freezing unit 10 and the cleaning unit 20 are arranged apart from each other by a certain distance, and the substrate carrying mechanism 30 (corresponding to the “carrying unit” of the present invention) is arranged between them. . Among these, the freezing unit 10 is a unit that executes a liquid film freezing step for freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface. The cleaning unit 20 is a unit that performs a film removal step of cleaning the substrate surface and removing the frozen liquid film (frozen film), and functions as the “film removal unit” of the present invention. Then, the substrate on which the liquid film on the surface has been frozen in the freezing unit 10 is transported to the cleaning unit 20 by the substrate transport mechanism 30, and the frozen film is removed from the substrate surface in the cleaning unit 20.

  The above substrate processing system is effective in the following cases from the viewpoint of preventing contamination of the substrate surface. For example, when the substrate is transported to another processing unit (or apparatus) after cleaning in the cleaning unit 20, the processing tact does not match between the cleaning unit 20 and the other processing unit, so In some cases, the substrate cannot be immediately transferred to the processing unit. In this case, the substrate is left in a state where the cleaned substrate surface is exposed to the ambient atmosphere, and the substrate surface may be contaminated during that time. Therefore, contamination of the substrate surface Wf can be prevented by performing the following treatment.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the substrate processing system of FIG. First, the liquid film formed on the surface Wf in the freezing unit 10 is frozen in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. That is, a liquid refrigerant is supplied to the substrate back surface Wb to freeze the liquid film without contaminating the substrate surface Wf (FIG. 7A). Thereby, the substrate surface Wf is covered with the frozen liquid film (frozen film) while maintaining the state before freezing. Then, the substrate W is put on standby until the processing tact between the cleaning unit 20 and another processing unit (not shown) matches (FIG. 7B). Specifically, after cleaning in the cleaning unit 20 described later, the substrate W is put on standby until the substrate W can be transported immediately from the cleaning unit 20 to another processing unit. Thereafter, the substrate transport mechanism 30 transports the substrate W to the cleaning unit 20 in a state where the substrate surface Wf is covered with the frozen film (FIG. 7C). Then, the frozen film is removed in the cleaning unit 20 and the substrate surface Wf is exposed, but the substrate W is immediately transferred from the cleaning unit 20 to another processing unit (FIG. 7D). Therefore, contamination of the substrate surface Wf can be prevented without leaving the substrate surface Wf exposed.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the substrate surface Wf is covered with the frozen film from the freezing of the liquid film to the removal of the frozen film. For this reason, the frozen film can act as a protective film for the substrate surface Wf to protect the substrate surface Wf from contamination from the surrounding atmosphere. Therefore, the substrate W can be stored or kept on standby while preventing contamination of the substrate surface Wf using the frozen film as a protective film. Further, if necessary, the substrate surface Wf can be exposed in a state before freezing by transporting the substrate W to the cleaning unit 20 and removing the frozen film in the cleaning unit 20.

  Also in this embodiment, when the frozen film is removed from the substrate surface Wf, physical cleaning that has a physical cleaning action on the substrate surface Wf, chemical cleaning that has a chemical cleaning action, or physical cleaning and chemical cleaning. A combination of cleaning and cleaning may be performed on the substrate surface Wf to remove the frozen film from the substrate surface Wf. Thereby, even if the contaminant adheres to the substrate surface Wf, the contaminant can be effectively removed together with the frozen film. For this reason, the substrate surface Wf can be exposed in a clean state.

  In the substrate processing system according to the above embodiment, the substrate W is transported from the freezing unit 10 to the cleaning unit 20 using the frozen film on the substrate as a protective film, but the transport destination of the substrate W is not limited to this. For example, a storage unit for storing the substrate W in a frozen state as a transfer destination of the substrate W may be used. In this case, the storage unit includes a film removing unit that removes the frozen film, so that the frozen film can be removed as needed to take out the substrate W from the storage unit.

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for freezing a liquid film formed on the entire surface of a substrate including a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for an optical disk, etc. It can be applied to a system and a substrate processing method.

It is a graph which shows the relationship between the cooling temperature at the time of freezing a liquid film, and a particle removal rate. It is a figure showing one embodiment of a substrate processing device concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of a two-fluid nozzle. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 1 is a plan layout view showing an embodiment of a substrate processing system according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of the substrate processing system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing chamber 2 ... Spin chuck (substrate holding means)
3 ... Cleaning nozzle (film removing means, liquid film forming means)
5 ... Two-fluid nozzle (membrane removal means)
10 ... Freezing unit 20 ... Cleaning unit (membrane removal unit)
22 ... Chuck rotating mechanism (rotating means)
28 ... Refrigerant nozzle (liquid film freezing means)
30 ... Substrate transport mechanism (transport unit)
97 ... Nozzle (film removing means, liquid film forming means)
W ... Substrate Wf ... Substrate surface Wb ... Substrate back surface

Claims (11)

In a substrate processing apparatus for freezing a liquid film formed on a substrate surface,
A substrate holding means for holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal posture by gripping the peripheral edge of the substrate with the substrate surface on which the liquid film is formed facing upward;
Rotating means for rotating the substrate held by the substrate holding means;
The liquid refrigerant having a temperature lower than the freezing point of the liquid constituting the liquid film is supplied to the back surface of the substrate rotated by the rotating means, and the liquid refrigerant is brought into contact with the entire back surface of the substrate to form the liquid film. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a liquid film freezing means for freezing. Further comprising Claim 1 Symbol mounting substrate processing apparatus film removing means for removing the liquid film after freezing the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding means. The film removing means performs physical cleaning on the substrate surface, chemical cleaning having a chemical cleaning action, or cleaning combining the physical cleaning and the chemical cleaning on the substrate surface. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus removes the frozen liquid film from the substrate surface. The liquid film freezing means and the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 wherein are housed in the same processing chamber and the film removing means. A liquid film forming means for supplying the liquid to the substrate surface held by the substrate holding means to form the liquid film on the substrate surface;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the liquid film forming unit, the liquid film freezing unit, and the film removing unit are accommodated in the same processing chamber. A freezing unit having a substrate processing apparatus having the same configuration as claimed in claim 1 Symbol placement,
A film removing unit that is provided separately from the freezing unit and removes the frozen film on which the liquid film is frozen from the substrate surface;
A substrate processing system comprising: a transport unit that transports the substrate from the freezing unit to the film removal unit. The film removal unit performs physical cleaning on the substrate surface, chemical cleaning having a chemical cleaning function, or cleaning combining the physical cleaning and the chemical cleaning on the substrate surface. The substrate processing system according to claim 6, which is applied to remove the frozen film from the surface of the substrate. In the substrate processing method for freezing the liquid film formed on the substrate surface,
A liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film on the substrate surface;
Forming the liquid film on the back surface of the substrate on which the liquid film is rotated while maintaining the substrate surface which is formed in a substantially horizontal position the substrate by gripping the periphery of the substrate in a state where the upward A substrate processing method comprising: a liquid film freezing step of supplying a liquid refrigerant having a temperature lower than a freezing point of the liquid and bringing the liquid refrigerant into contact with the entire back surface of the substrate to freeze the liquid film. . The liquid film substrate processing method according to claim 8 Symbol mounting further comprises a film removal step of removing the liquid film after freezing from the substrate surface after freezing process. The substrate processing method according to claim 9 , wherein the liquid film forming step, the liquid film freezing step, and the film removing step are continuously performed in the same processing chamber. The liquid refrigerant, the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 ethylene glycol solution or alcohols.

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