JP4924467B2 - Processing apparatus, cleaning method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent particles from adhering to a substrate by shortening the time required for the washing process of a rectangular recessed portion into which the substrate is to be inserted in the substrate holding part. <P>SOLUTION: A coating unit is provided with a rectangular recessed portion 3 into which a rectangular substrate G is to be inserted, and a spin chuck S disposed freely rotatably about a vertical axis wherein a washing liquid is supplied along sides of the recessed portion to the rotating spin chuck S from a washing liquid nozzle 61 when the spin chuck S is washed, and then a gas for drying to enhance drying of the washing liquid is supplied along the sides of the recessed portion from a gas nozzle to the spin chuck S after the washing liquid is supplied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for cleaning a substrate holding unit that holds a rectangular substrate such as a mask substrate used in exposure of a technique called photolithography in a recess.

  In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and LCDs, a resist pattern is formed on a substrate by photolithography. In this process, a substrate exposure process is performed using a mask substrate on which a predetermined pattern is formed. The mask pattern on the surface of the mask substrate is first formed on the surface of the mask substrate made of glass, for example. Is applied to form a thin resist film, and then the resist film is exposed, followed by a development process to obtain a desired pattern.

  One technique for forming a resist film on the surface of the mask substrate is known by spin coating. In this method, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, while rotating the substrate G around the vertical axis by the spin chuck 10, a resist component and a solvent such as thinner are applied from the coating nozzle 11 to the center of the surface of the substrate G. The resist solution obtained by mixing is supplied. Thereby, the resist solution is spread on the surface of the substrate G by the centrifugal force of rotation to form a liquid film, and then the supply of the coating solution is stopped, and then the substrate G is further rotated to perform spin drying to evaporate the solvent. Thus, a thin resist film is formed.

  At this time, in order to improve the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness of the resist film, as described in Patent Literature 1, the resist film is provided along the recess 12 where the substrate is accommodated and the peripheral edge excluding the corner portion of the substrate G. The spin chuck 10 including the airflow adjusting member 13 and, for example, an arcuate cutout 14 at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate G is used. In the spin chuck 10, the substrate G is placed in the recess 12 so that the outside atmosphere does not hit the substrate G, and the air current is controlled during rotation, and thus the solvent in the plane of the substrate G is controlled. The degree of evaporation of the resist film is uniformed to improve the in-plane uniformity of the resist film thickness. Here, 15A in FIG. 19 is a holding pin for holding the bottom surface of the substrate G, and 15B is in contact with the side surface of the substrate G provided on the wall portion 12a of the recess 12 to rotate the spin chuck 10. This is a board fixing pin for preventing the board G from moving when the board is moved.

  By the way, the mask substrate G is a substrate for forming a pattern mask. If particles adhere to the substrate G, exposure is hindered by the particles, and the semiconductor is exposed using the mask substrate G as a pattern mask. All the wafers cannot be used. Therefore, in order to suppress the adhesion of particles to the mask substrate G, it is required to maintain the spin chuck 10 with high cleanliness. For example, after applying a resist solution to a predetermined number of substrates G, A cleaning process is periodically performed on the spin chuck 10.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 20, this cleaning process is performed by supplying the cleaning liquid to the position P <b> 11 where the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle 16 to the air flow adjusting member 13 and the wall 12 a of the recess 12 while the spin chuck 10 is rotated. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the position P12 where the cleaning liquid is supplied, the position P13 where the cleaning liquid is supplied to the bottom wall 12b of the concave portion 12, and the position P14 where the cleaning liquid is supplied to the rotation center of the concave portion 12. As the cleaning liquid nozzle 16, for example, a first nozzle 16A that supplies the cleaning liquid to the positions P11 to P13 and a second nozzle 16B that supplies the cleaning liquid to the center position P14 are used, and the first cleaning liquid nozzle 16A is used. Are moved in the order of the position P11 → position P12 → position P13, and the cleaning liquid is discharged at each position.

  Thus, when the first cleaning liquid nozzle 16A is arranged at the position P11 to position P13 and the cleaning liquid is supplied, the spin chuck 10 is rotated, so the locus of the cleaning liquid on the spin chuck 10 is as shown in FIG. It becomes a circle. Lines L11 to L13 are trajectories of the respective cleaning liquids when the first cleaning liquid nozzle 16 is disposed at the positions P11 to P13 and the cleaning liquid is supplied.

  By the way, since the wall 12a and the bottom wall 12b of the recess 12 are orthogonal to each other, a resist solution or the like is likely to be accumulated at the corner formed between the wall 12a and the bottom wall 12b. However, the concave portion 12 is rectangular, and the cleaning liquid cannot be directly sprayed on the entire wall portion 12a of the concave portion 12 by the method described above. Accordingly, the inner surface of the wall 12a of the recess 12 and the space between the wall 12a and the bottom wall 12b are difficult to clean.

  The holding pins 15A and the substrate fixing pins 15B of the substrate G described above are provided by embedding resin pins 15A and 15B in, for example, a metal plate. Enters. However, since the cleaning liquid cannot be directly supplied to the wall 12a as described above, the embedded portion of the pin 15B provided on the wall 12a is difficult to clean. In order to remove the resist solution and the like that are difficult to clean in this way, it is necessary to increase the cleaning time. As a result, the cleaning process takes time, and the throughput of the entire process is adversely affected. There is a problem that will end up.

  By the way, Patent Document 1 describes a cleaning unit for cleaning a spin chuck as described above. In this cleaning unit, while the spin chuck is rotated, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the surface of the airflow adjusting member, while the ultrasonic wave generating means provided on the back side of the airflow adjusting member is applied to the spin chuck. An ultrasonic vibration is applied to ultrasonically clean the spin chuck. However, also in this example, since the cleaning is performed by rotating the spin chuck without moving the cleaning liquid nozzle, the same problem as described above occurs and the problem of the present invention cannot be solved.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-79328 (FIG. 13, paragraphs 0043 to 0047)

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a time required for cleaning the rectangular concave portion into which the substrate is inserted in the substrate holding portion for holding the rectangular substrate. Is to suppress adhesion of particles to the substrate.

For this reason, the processing apparatus of the present invention accommodates a square substrate, has a side corresponding to the side of the substrate, and has a notched portion formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate. A substrate holding part provided with a concave part of the mold and rotatably provided around the vertical axis;
A cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the coating liquid is applied to the substrate and the substrate is unloaded ;
Cleaning liquid nozzle moving means for moving the cleaning liquid nozzle back and forth with respect to the substrate holding portion;
The cleaning liquid nozzle is moved in the advancing and retreating direction by the cleaning liquid nozzle moving means in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding part so as to supply the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding part. And means for controlling the distance.

  Here, a gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas for promoting drying of the cleaning liquid to the substrate holding part after the cleaning liquid is supplied, and a gas nozzle for moving the gas nozzle forward and backward with respect to the substrate holding part A moving direction of the gas nozzle by the gas nozzle moving unit in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit so as to supply the drying gas from the gas nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotating substrate holding unit. And a means for controlling the moving distance. Moreover, you may make it provide the chemical | medical solution nozzle for supplying the chemical | medical solution with higher volatility than the said washing | cleaning liquid with respect to the board | substrate holding part after the washing | cleaning liquid was supplied.

Further, the processing apparatus of the present invention is a generally square type in which a square substrate is accommodated , a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a notch is formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate. A substrate holding part provided with a concave part and rotatably provided around a vertical axis;
A cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the coating liquid is applied to the substrate and the substrate is unloaded ;
A gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas for accelerating the drying of the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the cleaning liquid is supplied;
Gas nozzle moving means for moving the gas nozzle back and forth with respect to the substrate holding portion;
The gas nozzle moving means moves the gas nozzle in the advancing and retracting direction in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit so that the drying gas is supplied from the gas nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit. And means for controlling.

  Here, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle along the length direction of the inner wall surface of the recess in the substrate holding portion. In addition, a chemical liquid nozzle may be provided for supplying a chemical liquid having a higher volatility than the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder before the cleaning liquid is supplied and the dry gas is supplied. A chemical nozzle moving means for advancing and retreating with respect to the substrate holding portion, and synchronized with the rotation of the substrate holding portion so as to supply the chemical solution from the chemical liquid nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding portion. And a means for controlling the movement distance of the chemical liquid nozzle in the advancing and retreating direction by the chemical liquid nozzle moving means. Furthermore, you may make it provide the coating liquid nozzle for supplying a coating liquid with respect to the board | substrate hold | maintained at the board | substrate holding | maintenance part.

In the cleaning method of the present invention, a square substrate is accommodated , a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a notch is formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate. In a method for cleaning a substrate holding portion provided with a recess of and provided rotatably around a vertical axis,
After the coating liquid is applied to the substrate by the coating liquid nozzle and the substrate is unloaded from the substrate holding unit, the substrate holding unit is rotated and the cleaning liquid nozzle is supplied to the substrate holding unit from the cleaning liquid nozzle.
This process, the synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding portion by controlling the moving distance of the moving direction of the cleaning nozzle, supplying a cleaning liquid along the sides of the recess in the substrate holder to be rotated And a step of supplying a cleaning liquid to the central portion of the recess .

  Furthermore, a step of supplying a drying gas for promoting drying of the cleaning liquid from the gas nozzle may be included in the substrate holding unit after the cleaning liquid is supplied. In the step of supplying the drying gas, The drying gas is supplied from the gas nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit by controlling the moving distance of the gas nozzle in the advancing and retracting direction in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit. It may be.

Furthermore, in the cleaning method of the present invention, a square substrate is accommodated , a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a notch is formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate. In a method for cleaning a substrate holding portion provided with a concave portion of a mold and provided to be rotatable around a vertical axis,
A step of applying the coating liquid to the substrate by the coating liquid nozzle, rotating the substrate holding section after the substrate is unloaded from the substrate holding section, and supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the substrate holding section;
Next, a step of supplying a drying gas for promoting drying of the cleaning liquid from the gas nozzle to the substrate holder after the cleaning liquid is supplied,
In the step of supplying the drying gas, the movement distance of the gas nozzle in the advancing / retreating direction is controlled in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding portion, thereby along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding portion. A drying gas is supplied.

  Further, the substrate holding unit supplied with the cleaning solution may include a step of supplying a chemical solution having higher volatility than the cleaning solution from the chemical solution nozzle. In the step of supplying the chemical solution, the substrate holding unit is rotated. The chemical solution may be supplied from the chemical solution nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit by controlling the movement distance of the chemical nozzle in the advancing and retreating direction in synchronization with the above.

  The storage medium of the present invention is a storage medium storing a computer program used in a processing apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a substrate holding unit and cleaning the substrate holding unit, and the program is a cleaning method described above. The step group is assembled so as to execute.

  According to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid is supplied along the side of the recess formed in the substrate holding part, for example, the inner wall surface of the recess or the corner between the inner wall surface and the bottom wall, It is supplied so that the cleaning liquid directly hits along the length direction. For this reason, even in a region where dirt easily adheres and is difficult to clean, such as the inner wall surface of the recess, the cleaning is performed quickly, and the time required for the cleaning process is shortened. Further, since the cleanliness of the concave portion is increased, it is possible to suppress the transfer of particles to the square substrate that is fitted and held in the concave portion.

  Further, after supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate holding part, since the drying gas is supplied along the side of the concave part in the substrate holding part, like the inner wall surface of the concave part, the corner part, etc. Even in an area where the cleaning liquid is difficult to scatter, the cleaning liquid is quickly dried, and the time required for the total cleaning process is reduced. Further, since the drying gas is blown onto the concave portion, particles remaining in the region are removed, so that it is possible to suppress the transfer of the particles to the square substrate that is fitted and held in the concave portion.

  In the embodiments described below, a processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described by taking as an example a configuration in which the processing apparatus is applied to a coating unit that performs a process of coating a rectangular substrate with a coating solution, such as a resist solution. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the coating unit, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an essential part thereof, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof. In the figure, S is a spin chuck that forms a substrate holding part for placing a square substrate G, for example, a mask substrate (reticle substrate). The mask substrate is, for example, a substrate for forming a pattern mask, and is, for example, a square with a side length of 152 ± 0.5 mm, a thickness of 6.35 mm, and a side length of 6 inches. A square glass substrate is used.

  In the figure, reference numeral 21 denotes a rotating shaft portion that is connected to the driving portion 22 and supports the spin chuck S so as to be rotatable and movable up and down. The upper portion of the rotating shaft portion 21 is used to suck and hold the spin chuck S. A suction part 23 is provided. The suction part 23 is for detachably connecting the spin chuck S to the rotary shaft part 21 and is constituted by, for example, a vacuum chuck. For example, when the evacuation unit 24 is operated, the spin chuck S is adsorbed and held by the vacuum adsorption force, and when the evacuation by the evacuation unit 24 is stopped, the adsorption force with respect to the spin chuck S is released, and thus the spin chuck S is attached to the rotating shaft portion 21. It is designed to be detachable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate mounting area of the spin chuck S is formed by a rectangular plate 31 that is slightly larger than the substrate G. Each side of the plate 31 has an edge line. The standing wall 32 is provided along. That is, the concave portion 3 is formed by the plate 31 and the standing wall 32, and the substrate G is accommodated in the concave portion 3. The plate 31 constitutes the bottom wall of the recess 3. Further, for example, an arc-shaped notch 33 is formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate G placed on the plate 31, and the substrate G is held in a state where the substrate G is held on the plate 31. These corners protrude outwards by about 3 to 7 mm, for example. Further, an airflow adjustment member 34 having a flat surface extending outward in the lateral direction so as to be substantially flush with the surface of the substrate G is provided on the upper edge of the standing wall 32.

  In the figure, reference numeral 35 denotes a protrusion for supporting the substrate G in a state of being slightly lifted from the surface of the plate 31 in order to prevent particles from adhering to the back surface of the substrate G, and reference numeral 36 denotes a spin chuck S. A substrate fixing (positioning) member for preventing the substrate G from moving when the substrate G is moved, and the substrate fixing member 36 also has a function of aligning so that the substrate G is held at a predetermined position. .

  Further, the coating unit includes a cup 4 provided so as to surround a side periphery of the spin chuck S, and a ring-shaped air flow regulating ring that surrounds the spin chuck S with a gap inside the cup 4. 41 is provided. The air flow restriction ring 41 is configured such that the front surface side is a flat surface and the outer surface on the back surface is inclined downward toward the outside, and between the air flow restriction ring 41 and the cup 4, A suction port 41a surrounding the periphery is formed.

  On the lower side of the spin chuck S, a disc 42 surrounding the rotation shaft portion 21 of the spin chuck S and a ring member 43 having a triangular cross section surrounding the periphery of the disc 42 are provided. On the lower side of the member 43, a recess 44 to which the exhaust passage 44a is connected is formed over the entire circumference. Further, a liquid receiving portion 46 to which a drainage passage 46 a is connected is provided outside the concave portion 44 through a partition wall 45.

  Further, a coating solution nozzle 51 for supplying a resist solution, which is a coating solution, to the surface of the substrate G held by the spin chuck S can be moved up and down by the coating solution nozzle moving means 52, and above the spin chuck S. 1 and 3 is configured to be movable in the X direction, and is configured to move between a position where the resist solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate G and a standby position outside the cup 4. .

  The application unit includes a cleaning nozzle unit 6 for cleaning the spin chuck S. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is supplied with a cleaning liquid 61 for supplying a cleaning liquid, for example, pure water, to wash away a dirt component such as a resist liquid adhering to the surface toward the surface of the spin chuck S. In order to accelerate the drying of the cleaning liquid on the surface of the spin chuck S toward the spin chuck S, a gas nozzle 62 for supplying a drying gas such as nitrogen (N 2) is provided.

  The cleaning liquid nozzle 61 and the gas nozzle 62 are supported by, for example, a common support portion 63 so as to be aligned in the X direction in FIGS. 1 and 3, and can be moved up and down by the drive mechanism 64 and on the upper side of the spin chuck S. 1 and 3 are provided so as to freely advance and retract in the X direction. The driving mechanism 64 constitutes a cleaning liquid nozzle moving means and a gas nozzle moving means, and the driving mechanism 64 causes the cleaning nozzle unit 6 to supply a cleaning liquid and a drying gas to the surface of the substrate G, and the cup 4. It is comprised so that it may move between stand-by positions outside.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 includes a main nozzle 61a and an auxiliary nozzle 61b, and these are attached to the support portion 63 so as to be aligned in the Y direction. In this example, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the main nozzle 61a is configured such that the nozzle tip portion 60 is inclined so that the cleaning liquid is discharged obliquely downward toward the left side in FIG. 3 in the X direction. The inclination angle is set to an angle at which the cleaning liquid can easily reach the standing wall 32 of the spin chuck S and the corner 30 between the standing wall 32 and the bottom wall (plate) 31.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary nozzle 61b is attached in an offset state to the support portion 63 so that the cleaning liquid is discharged obliquely downward toward the lower side in FIG. 3 in the Y direction. Thus, as will be described later, the cleaning liquid is supplied toward the rotation center of the spin chuck S.

  Such a cleaning liquid nozzle 61 and a gas nozzle 62 are in response to a command from the control unit 100 to be described later so as to supply a cleaning liquid or a drying gas along the side of the recess 3 formed in the rotating spin chuck S. Based on this, the drive mechanism 64 controls the drive. In other words, in synchronism with the rotational position of the spin chuck S, the forward and backward distances of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 and the gas nozzle 62 in the X direction change, and thus the cleaning liquid or the drying gas flows from the respective nozzles 61 and 62 along the side of the recess 3. It is controlled to be supplied.

  Next, the cleaning liquid and nitrogen gas supply system will be described. The main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 are connected to a cleaning liquid source 65 via a supply path 63a having a flow rate control unit 63b, and the gas nozzle 62 has a supply path 62a having a flow rate control unit 62b. To a gas source for drying, for example, a nitrogen gas source 66. The coating solution nozzle 51 is connected to a coating solution source, for example, a resist solution source 67, via a supply path 51a provided with a flow rate control unit 51b. The flow rate control units 62b, 63b, and 51b each include a valve and a flow rate adjustment unit. If these are the supply system 50, the supply system 50 is based on a command from the control unit 100 described later, The flow rate and supply / cutoff of the resist solution and nitrogen gas can be controlled.

  In the above, the drive mechanism 22, the exhaust means 24, the coating liquid nozzle moving means 52, the drive mechanism 64, the supply system 50, the pressure adjusting unit (not shown) provided in the exhaust path 44a, etc. It is controlled by the control unit 100 that controls the operation. The control unit 100 includes, for example, a computer having a program storage unit (not shown). The substrate G received from an external transport means is transferred to the spin storage S, or a resist solution is applied to the substrate G. Or a computer program having a group of steps (commands) for the operation of performing the cleaning process on the spin chuck S. And when the said computer program is read by the control part 100, the control part 100 controls operation | movement of an application | coating unit. The computer program is stored in the program storage unit while being stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnetic optical disk, or a memory card.

  Here, the transfer means 7 for transferring the substrate G to the spin chuck S will be described with reference to FIG. The mask substrate G holds the C surface G0 of the substrate G by the transfer means 7. The C plane G0 refers to an inclined surface formed between the side surface and the bottom surface of the corner of the mask substrate G as shown in the figure. The transport means 7 includes a pair of arm members 71 that surround the outer periphery of the spin chuck S with a gap, and further, a notch portion of the spin chuck S is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the arm member 71. A substrate support piece 72 for supporting the C surface G0 at the corner of the substrate G protruding from 33 from the back surface side is provided so as to protrude inward. In this example, the transport unit 7 also serves as a transport unit that transports the spin chuck S. When transporting the spin chuck S, as shown in FIG. 5B, for example, the central region in the length direction of the airflow adjusting member 34 of the spin chuck S is supported from the back side by the substrate support piece 72 of the arm member 71. It has come to be. At this time, each size is set so that the suction portion 23 can move up and down inside the arm member 71.

  When the substrate G is transferred to the spin chuck S by such a transport means 7, the spin chuck S is positioned above the cup 4, and the arm member 71 holding the substrate G is placed above the spin chuck S. The spin chuck S is rotated so that the notch 33 faces the corner of the substrate G held by the arm member 71 while entering the side. Then, the arm member 71 is lowered, the substrate G is transferred to the spin chuck S, and the arm member 71 is retracted below the spin chuck S. Further, the substrate G is transferred from the spin chuck S to the arm member 71 by the reverse operation.

  When the spin chuck S is transported by the transport means 7, the spin chuck S is positioned above the cup 4 and is supported by a predetermined position (substrate support piece 72) of the airflow adjustment member 34 of the spin chuck S. The spin chuck S is rotated so that the position) corresponds to the substrate support piece 72 of the arm member 71. Then, the exhaust unit 24 of the adsorption unit 23 is stopped, and the adsorption of the spin chuck S is released. Thereafter, the arm member 71 is made to enter the lower side of the spin chuck S, and then the arm member 71 is lifted to deliver the spin chuck S to the arm member 71.

  On the other hand, when the spin chuck S held by the arm member 71 is transferred to the coating unit, the suction portion 23 is first positioned above the cup 4. Then, the arm member 71 that holds the spin chuck S enters the upper side of the suction portion 23 and then is lowered, whereby the spin chuck S is delivered from the arm member 71 to the suction portion 23. Next, the exhaust unit 24 of the adsorption unit 23 is operated to adsorb and hold the spin chuck S in the adsorption unit 23, and then the spin chuck S is lowered to a predetermined position.

  Based on the configuration described above, the resist solution coating process on the substrate G performed in the coating unit and the operation of cleaning the spin chuck S performed after the coating process will be described with reference to FIGS. explain. First, the substrate G is transferred from the transport means 7 to the spin chuck S by the operation described above. Next, the spin chuck S is lowered to a predetermined position, and the resist liquid, which is a coating liquid, is discharged from the coating liquid nozzle 51 toward the center of the substrate G while rotating the spin chuck S at a predetermined number of rotations (step S1, FIG. 7 (a)). The resist solution on the surface of the substrate G flows toward the outer edge side by the action of centrifugal force, and surplus resist solution on the substrate G is further shaken off. Next, while the coating solution nozzle 51 is moved backward, evaporation of thinner contained in the resist solution on the surface of the substrate G is promoted for a predetermined time, and a resist film having a thickness of, for example, 0.6 μm is formed on the surface of the substrate G by the remaining resist component. Is done. The substrate G on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the transfer means 7 by the above-described operation, and is transferred to the next process.

  After such a coating process is performed a predetermined number of times, for example, 5 times, the substrate G is transferred to the transfer means 73 and unloaded from the coating unit (step S2), and then the spin chuck S is cleaned. This cleaning process is performed, for example, with the inside of the cup 4 set to a pressure of about 200 Pa. First, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 9A, in the state where the spin chuck S is rotated at a rotational speed of about 5 rpm, for example, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 along the line L1. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S so as to be supplied, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b (step S3). This line L1 is, for example, a supply locus of the cleaning liquid along the side of the recess 3 on the surface of the airflow adjusting member 34.

  When the cleaning liquid is supplied in this manner, the spin chuck S is rotated, so that the cleaning liquid spreads outward due to the centrifugal force of the rotation, and a liquid film of the cleaning liquid is formed on the entire air flow adjusting member 34. The The cleaning liquid is shaken off by the centrifugal force and scattered further outward, but due to the movement of the cleaning liquid, dirt components such as the resist liquid adhering to the airflow adjusting member 34 are peeled off and scattered together with the cleaning liquid. To go. Further, in the region where the cleaning liquid is supplied, due to the impact when the cleaning liquid hits, the dirt component adhering to the region is easily peeled off and is quickly removed.

  Here, the movement of the main nozzle 61a will be described with reference to FIGS. For convenience of illustration, FIG. 11 shows a case where only the main nozzle 61 a is used and the cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge of the recess 3. In this example, the position shown in FIG. 11A shows the case where the rotation position of the spin chuck S is 0 degree. That is, in FIG. 11, the rotation position where the position P of the outer edge of the airflow adjustment member 34 is located directly below the rotation center O is 0 degree.

  At this time, the main nozzle 61a is, for example, in a position to supply the cleaning liquid to the center 38 in the length direction of the line edge 37a on one side of the recess 3, and the distance between the driving mechanism 64 and the main nozzle 61a at this time is R And Then, while rotating the spin chuck S, the main nozzle 61a is moved to supply the cleaning liquid along the line edge 37. The spin chuck S rotates, for example, counterclockwise, for example, as shown in FIG. When the rotation position is 45 degrees, the distance between the main nozzle 61a and the drive mechanism 64 is the shortest, and the distance becomes R−r.

  Further, while rotating the spin chuck S, the main nozzle 61a is moved to supply the cleaning liquid along the line edge 37b. For example, as shown in FIG. 11C, the rotation position of the spin chuck S is 90 degrees. Then, the distance between the main nozzle 61a and the drive mechanism 64 returns to R again. Thus, when the rotational position is 0 degree, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, 360 degrees, the distance between the main nozzle 61a and the drive mechanism 64 is R, and the rotational positions are 45 degrees, 135 degrees, 225 degrees, When the angle is 315 degrees, the distance between the main nozzle 61a and the drive mechanism 64 is Rr. Further, in this example, when the spin chuck S rotates counterclockwise, the cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge 37a of the recess 3 until the rotation position is 0 degree to 45 degrees, and the rotation position is 45 degrees to 135 degrees. The cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge 37b of the recess until the rotation angle, and the cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge 37c of the recess until the rotation position is 135 degrees to 225 degrees, and the rotation position is from 225 degrees to 315 degrees. The cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge 37d of the recess, and the cleaning liquid is supplied along the line edge 37a of the recess until the rotational position is 315 to 360 degrees. The relationship between the rotational position and the distance at this time is as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 9B, the cleaning liquid is moved along the line L2 from the main nozzle 61a of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 in a state where the spin chuck S is rotated at a rotational speed of about 5 rpm, for example. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S so that the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b (step S2). This line L2 is a locus of the cleaning liquid when, for example, the cleaning liquid is supplied along the length direction with respect to the inner surface of the standing wall 32 of the recess 3. At this time, since the tip of the main nozzle 61a is configured to supply the cleaning liquid obliquely downward as described above, for example, the rising wall 32 of the recess 3 or the rising wall 32 and the bottom wall 31 The cleaning liquid is also supplied so as to directly contact the corner 30 of the boundary. When the cleaning liquid is supplied in this way, the cleaning liquid directly hits the inner surface of the upright wall 32. Therefore, due to the impact when the cleaning liquid hits, the dirt component adhering to the region easily peels off and is quickly removed. The

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9C, with the spin chuck S rotated at, for example, about 100 rpm, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 along the line L3. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is arranged at a predetermined position so as to be supplied, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b (step S5). This line L3 is a locus of the cleaning liquid when, for example, the cleaning liquid is supplied onto an inscribed circle inscribed in the standing wall 32 of the recess 3.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 10A, the spin chuck S is rotated at a rotational speed of about 200 rpm, for example, from the auxiliary nozzle 61b of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 to the rotational center of the recess 3. The cleaning liquid nozzle unit 6 is moved so as to supply the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b (step S6). Here, since the auxiliary nozzle 61b is provided in an offset state to the support portion 63 as described above, the cleaning nozzle unit 6 is disposed so that, for example, the main nozzle 61a is positioned above the rotation center of the recess 3. Then, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the auxiliary nozzle 61 b to the rotation center of the recess 3.

  When the cleaning liquid is supplied in this way, the spin chuck S is rotated, so that the cleaning liquid spreads outward due to the centrifugal force of the rotation, and a liquid film of the cleaning liquid is formed on the entire recess 3. Then, the cleaning liquid is shaken off by the centrifugal force and scattered further outward, but due to the movement of the cleaning liquid, the dirt component remaining in the recess 3 is peeled off and scattered together with the cleaning liquid.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8C and FIG. 10B, the drying gas (N _{2) is} fed from the gas nozzle 62 along the line L2 while the spin chuck S is rotated at a rotational speed of about 10 rpm, for example. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S so as to supply gas), and N ₂ gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 62 (step S7). At this time, since the tip of the gas nozzle 62 is configured to supply N ₂ gas obliquely downward as described above, for example, N is also applied to the standing wall 32 of the recess 3 and the corner 30. _Two gases are supplied so that they directly hit each other. By rotating the spin chuck S, the cleaning liquid and N ₂ gas move along the upright wall 32 and are expelled from the notch 33. Further, by blowing N ₂ gas, drying of the cleaning liquid in the region is promoted.

Here, the rotational position of the spin chuck S and the advance / retreat distance of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 by the driving mechanism 64 when supplying the cleaning liquid along the lines L1 to L3 to the control unit 100, in this example, the driving mechanism 64 and The distance to the main nozzle 61a is stored in association with each other as a table. Further, the rotational position of the spin chuck S is associated with the advance / retreat distance of the gas nozzle 62 by the drive mechanism 64 when supplying the N ₂ gas along the line L2, in this example, the distance between the drive mechanism 64 and the main nozzle 61a. Store as a table. Then, during the cleaning process and the supply of N ₂ gas, the drive mechanism 64 moves the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 and the gas nozzle 62 in the forward / backward direction in synchronization with the rotational position of the spin chuck S based on the stored data. The distance is controlled. As described above, the control unit 100 corresponds to a means for controlling the moving distance of the cleaning liquid nozzle in the forward / backward direction by the cleaning liquid nozzle moving means and a means for controlling the moving distance of the gas nozzle in the forward / backward direction by the gas nozzle moving means.

  In such a method, in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, the moving distance of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 by the drive mechanism 64 is controlled so that the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 causes the side of the recess 3 of the spin chuck S to move. A cleaning liquid is supplied along the line. For this reason, it is possible to spray the cleaning liquid directly on the inner surface of the standing wall 32 of the recess 3 or on the corner portion 30 between the wall portion 32 and the bottom wall 31. Also, the cleaning liquid can be directly sprayed on the embedded portion of the substrate fixing member 36 provided on the standing wall 34 of the recess 3. In this way, conventionally, dirt components such as resist solutions are likely to adhere, and since it is possible to spray the cleaning liquid directly on areas that were difficult to clean, the dirt components in these parts are easily removed, The contamination component of the spin chuck S can be efficiently removed in a short cleaning time.

  In addition, in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, the moving distance of the gas nozzle 62 in the advancing / retreating direction by the drive mechanism 64 is controlled, whereby the gas nozzle 62 uses the drying gas along the side of the recess 3 of the spin chuck S. A certain nitrogen gas is supplied. For this reason, due to the structure of the recess 3, the inner surface of the standing wall 32 of the recess 3 and the corner between the standing wall 32 and the bottom wall 31, which are regions where the cleaning liquid is difficult to blow off even when the spin chuck S is rotated at high speed, Since nitrogen gas can be directly supplied to 30 etc., this portion of the cleaning liquid is blown away by purging the nitrogen gas. As a result, the drying of the region that is difficult to dry is promoted, and the processing time of the entire cleaning process such as supplying the cleaning liquid → drying the cleaning liquid can be shortened. Further, even if particles remain on the inner surface of the standing wall 32 of the recess 3 or the corners 30, the particles can be scattered and removed by the purge of the nitrogen gas.

  Thus, by supplying a cleaning liquid along the side of the recess 3 or blowing nitrogen gas, dirt components such as a resist solution adhering to the recess 3 can be removed with a high removal rate secured. For this reason, when the substrate G is inserted into the recess 3 during the next coating process of the substrate G, the transfer of particles to the substrate G can be suppressed. Here, the mask substrate G is a substrate for pattern formation as described above, and the allowable number of particles is strictly limited, but by suppressing the adhesion of particles at this stage, the particles to other units are This is effective because it is prohibited to bring

In the above, as the cleaning liquid, in addition to the pure water described above, a mixed liquid of alcohol and water such as IPA (isopropyl alcohol) can be used, and the drying gas is dry air other than N ₂ gas. be able to. In the present invention, it is not always necessary to supply N ₂ gas from the gas nozzle 62. Further, the region where the N ₂ gas is blown from the gas nozzle 62 may be the rotation center of the lines L1 to L3 and the recess 3 as in the above-described supply portion of the cleaning liquid. Furthermore, the gas nozzle 62 does not necessarily change its advance / retreat distance in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, and has a circular shape as indicated by lines L11 to L13 shown in FIG. locus may be supplied with N ₂ gas while drawing a.

Furthermore, the cleaning nozzle 61 does not necessarily change the advance / retreat distance in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, and has a circular locus as indicated by lines L11 to L13 in FIG. After that, the cleaning liquid is supplied in the same manner as described above, and then the N ₂ gas is supplied along the side of the recess 3, that is, along all or any of the lines L1 to L3, in the same manner as the above-described cleaning liquid supply location. Good. Even in such a case, since the drying time is shortened, the total cleaning time is shortened, and by spraying N ₂ gas, particles adhering to the region along the side of the recess 3 are removed. This is because the cleanliness of the region can be increased because it is blown away and removed.

  Next, another example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This example includes a chemical nozzle 68 for supplying a chemical solution having higher volatility than the cleaning liquid. For example, the chemical nozzle 68 is incorporated in the cleaning nozzle unit 6 and supported by a common support 63, and is configured to be movable up and down and to advance and retreat in the X direction shown in FIG. Similarly to the main nozzle 61a of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61, the chemical liquid nozzle 68 is also configured so that the tip thereof is inclined. In this example, the drive mechanism 64 corresponds to the chemical nozzle moving means, and the control unit 100 corresponds to the means for controlling the movement distance of the chemical nozzle in the advance / retreat direction by the chemical nozzle moving means.

And as said chemical | medical solution, when cleaning liquid is a pure water, alcohol, such as IPA, ozone water, the liquid mixture of alcohol and water, etc. can be used. As shown in FIG. 14, the chemical liquid is supplied to the spin chuck S before the supply of the cleaning liquid and the N ₂ gas. FIG. 14A shows the same process (the process of supplying the cleaning liquid to the rotation center of the recess 3) as in FIG. 8B described above, and the chemical liquid is supplied after the completion of this process (FIG. 14). 14 (b)). For example, the chemical solution is supplied in a state where the spin chuck S is rotated at a rotational speed of, for example, about 5 rpm, and the chemical solution is supplied along the lines L1 to L3, for example, similarly to the above-described cleaning liquid supply position. The cleaning nozzle unit 6 is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, and the chemical solution is supplied from the chemical solution nozzle 67. It is also supplied to the center of rotation of the recess 3.

By supplying the chemical liquid while rotating the spin chuck S in this way, the chemical liquid spreads over the entire surface of the spin chuck S, and the entire surface is covered with a liquid film of the chemical liquid, thus volatilizing due to the diffusion of the chemical liquid. A less volatile cleaning solution is replaced with a highly volatile chemical solution. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 14C, a process similar to that of FIG. 8C described above (a process of spraying N ₂ gas along the side of the recess 3 and rotating the spin chuck S at a high speed). Is done. At this time, since the entire surface of the spin chuck S is covered with a highly volatile chemical solution in the previous step, the chemical solution evaporates quickly, drying is promoted, and the drying time can be further shortened. Moreover, even if particles are attached to the spin chuck S by the supply of the chemical solution, the particles are removed.

Here, the supply position of the chemical solution may be one of the rotation center of the line L1 to the line L3 and the recess 3. Further, the chemical nozzle 67 does not necessarily change the advance / retreat distance in synchronization with the rotation of the spin chuck S, and has a circular trajectory as indicated by lines L11 to L13 in FIG. You may supply a chemical | medical solution so that it may draw. Further, since the drying is promoted by the supply of the chemical solution, the supply of the N ₂ gas from the gas nozzle 62 may be omitted.

  Further, another example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the spin chuck S is cleaned by a dedicated cleaning unit. Since the spin chuck S is detachably provided by the suction portion 23 as described above, the spin chuck S is transported to the cleaning unit by the transport means 7 at a predetermined timing, and the spin chuck S is cleaned here. Is done. This cleaning unit is configured in the same manner as this coating unit, for example, except that the air flow adjusting ring 41 is not provided in the above-described coating unit. In this cleaning unit, the same reference numerals are given to parts having the same configuration as the above-described coating unit. Then, the suction unit 23 is positioned above the cup 4, the spin chuck S is received by the transport means 7, is sucked and held by the suction unit 23, and the spin chuck S is cleaned in the same manner as described above.

  Next, the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in which the processing apparatus of the present invention is incorporated will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. In this system, an exposure apparatus is connected to a coating and developing apparatus, and B1 in the figure is a carrier block for carrying in and out a carrier C in which, for example, five substrates, for example, mask substrates G are stored. The carrier block B1 includes a carrier placement portion 81 on which the carrier C is placed and a delivery means 82.

  The delivery means 82 takes out the substrate G from the carrier C and can move left and right, back and forth, and move up and down so as to deliver the removed substrate G to the processing unit B2 provided on the back side of the carrier block B1. It is individualized so that it can rotate around the vertical axis. In the center of the processing section B2, the above-described transport means 7 is provided. For example, the coating unit 83 and the developing unit 84 of the present invention are disposed on the right side when viewed from the back of the carrier block B1, for example. Shelf units U1, U2, and U3 in which heating / cooling units and the like are stacked in multiple stages are arranged on the front side, the back side, and the left side, respectively. The shelf units U1 to U3 are configured by stacking a plurality of processing units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of a resist solution coating process. For example, in addition to a heating unit and a cooling unit, a substrate G transfer unit, replacement A storage unit, a spin chuck cleaning unit, and the like, which form a substrate holding portion of the spin chuck, are allocated vertically.

  The transport means 7 is configured to be movable up and down, to be movable back and forth, and to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and has a role of transporting the substrate G between the shelf units U1 to U3, the coating unit 83, and the developing unit 84. However, in FIG. 17, the delivery means 82 and the transport means 7 are not drawn for convenience.

  The processing unit B2 is connected to an exposure apparatus B4 via an interface unit B3. The interface unit B3 includes a transfer unit 85. The transfer unit 85 is configured to be movable up and down, to the left and to the right and to the front and rear, and to be rotatable about a vertical axis, for example, between the processing unit B2 and the exposure apparatus B4. The substrate G is transferred between them.

  The flow of the substrate G in such a substrate processing apparatus will be described. First, the carrier C is carried into the carrier mounting portion 81 from the outside, and the substrate G is taken out from the carrier C by the transfer means 82. The board | substrate G is delivered to the conveyance means 7 via the delivery unit of the shelf unit U1 from the delivery means 82, and is sequentially conveyed to a predetermined unit. For example, the coating unit 83 performs a coating process of a resist solution in which the components of the coating film are dissolved in a solvent.

  Subsequently, the substrate G is transferred by the transfer means 7 to the transfer means 85 of the interface unit B3 via the transfer unit of the shelf unit U2, and is transferred to the exposure apparatus B4 by the transfer means 85 and subjected to a predetermined exposure process. Thereafter, the substrate G is transported to the processing unit B2 via the interface unit B3, and the developing solution is accumulated in the developing unit 84, and a predetermined developing process is performed. The substrate G is heated and cooled before and after the resist solution coating process and before and after the development process. The substrate G on which the predetermined circuit pattern is thus formed is returned to, for example, the original carrier C through the transport unit 7 and the transfer unit 82.

  In the above, the supply position of the cleaning liquid or the drying gas from the cleaning liquid nozzle 61 or the gas nozzle 62 may be a position along the side of the concave portion 3, and is not limited to the position along the lines L1 to L3. The cleaning liquid nozzle 61, the gas nozzle 62, and the chemical nozzle 63 are configured to move forward and backward by a common drive mechanism 64. However, separate cleaning liquid nozzle moving means, gas nozzle moving means, and chemical liquid nozzle moving means may be provided. . The shapes of the main nozzle 61a and the auxiliary nozzle 61b of the cleaning liquid nozzle 61, the gas nozzle 62, and the chemical liquid nozzle 63 are not limited to the above-described examples, and for example, a two-fluid nozzle or a megasonic nozzle can be used.

It is sectional drawing which shows the processing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the spin chuck used for the said processing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the said processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cleaning liquid nozzle used for the said processing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the conveyance means which delivers a board | substrate with respect to the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing which shows the washing | cleaning method of the spin chuck performed with the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the said processing apparatus. It is process drawing which showed the mode of the spin chuck and the washing | cleaning liquid nozzle at the time of washing | cleaning. It is a characteristic view showing the relationship between the rotation position of the spin chuck during cleaning and the advance / retreat distance of the cleaning liquid nozzle. It is process drawing which shows the washing | cleaning method of the spin chuck which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is process drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the processing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows embodiment of the application | coating and developing apparatus to which the processing apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a perspective view of the said coating and developing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional spin chuck. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of said spin chuck. It is sectional drawing and a top view for demonstrating the washing | cleaning method of the conventional spin chuck.

Explanation of symbols

W Wafer S Spin chuck 3 Recess 31 Plate (Bottom wall)
32 Standing wall 34 Airflow adjusting member 4 Cup 51 Coating liquid nozzle 52 Coating liquid nozzle moving means 6 Cleaning nozzle unit 61 Cleaning liquid nozzle 61a Main nozzle 61b Auxiliary nozzle 62 Gas nozzle 64 Drive mechanism 67 Chemical liquid nozzle 100 Control unit

Claims (15)

A rectangular substrate is housed , and a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a substantially rectangular recess having a notch formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate is provided around the vertical axis. A substrate holder provided rotatably on the substrate,
A cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the coating liquid is applied to the substrate and the substrate is unloaded ;
Cleaning liquid nozzle moving means for moving the cleaning liquid nozzle back and forth with respect to the substrate holding portion;
The cleaning liquid nozzle is moved in the advancing and retreating direction by the cleaning liquid nozzle moving means in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding part so as to supply the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding part. And a means for controlling the distance. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid nozzle is configured such that a tip of the cleaning liquid is inclined so that the cleaning liquid is discharged obliquely downward from the inner side to the side of the recess. A gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas for accelerating the drying of the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the cleaning liquid is supplied;
Gas nozzle moving means for moving the gas nozzle back and forth with respect to the substrate holding portion;
The gas nozzle moving means moves the gas nozzle in the advancing and retracting direction in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit so that the drying gas is supplied from the gas nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit. processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein further comprising means for controlling the. The process according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a chemical nozzle for supplying a chemical liquid having a higher volatility than the cleaning liquid to the substrate holding unit after the cleaning liquid is supplied. apparatus. A rectangular substrate is housed , and a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a substantially rectangular recess having a notch formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate is provided around the vertical axis. A substrate holder provided rotatably on the substrate,
A cleaning liquid nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the coating liquid is applied to the substrate and the substrate is unloaded ;
A gas nozzle for supplying a drying gas for accelerating the drying of the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder after the cleaning liquid is supplied;
Gas nozzle moving means for moving the gas nozzle back and forth with respect to the substrate holding portion;
The gas nozzle moving means moves the gas nozzle in the advancing and retracting direction in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit so that the drying gas is supplied from the gas nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit. And a control device. The processing according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 , and 5 , wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle along the length direction of the inner wall surface of the recess in the substrate holding portion. apparatus. The processing apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a chemical nozzle for supplying a chemical liquid having a higher volatility than the cleaning liquid to the substrate holder before the cleaning liquid is supplied and the dry gas is supplied. . A chemical nozzle moving means for moving the chemical nozzle forward and backward with respect to the substrate holder;
The chemical solution nozzle moving means moves the chemical nozzle in the advancing and retreating direction in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding unit so as to supply the chemical solution from the chemical solution nozzle along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding unit. The processing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a unit for controlling the distance. A rectangular substrate is housed , and a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a substantially rectangular recess having a notch formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate is provided around the vertical axis. In the method of cleaning the substrate holder provided rotatably in the
After the coating liquid is applied to the substrate by the coating liquid nozzle and the substrate is unloaded from the substrate holding unit, the substrate holding unit is rotated and the cleaning liquid nozzle is supplied to the substrate holding unit from the cleaning liquid nozzle.
This process, the synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding portion by controlling the moving distance of the moving direction of the cleaning nozzle, supplying a cleaning liquid along the sides of the recess in the substrate holder to be rotated And a step of supplying a cleaning liquid to the central portion of the recess .   The cleaning method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of supplying a drying gas for promoting drying of the cleaning liquid from the gas nozzle to the substrate holding unit after the cleaning liquid is supplied.   In the step of supplying the drying gas, the movement distance of the gas nozzle in the advancing / retreating direction is controlled in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding portion, thereby along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding portion. The cleaning method according to claim 10, wherein a drying gas is supplied. A rectangular substrate is housed , and a side corresponding to the side of the substrate is formed, and a substantially rectangular recess having a notch formed at a position corresponding to the corner of the substrate is provided around the vertical axis. In the method of cleaning the substrate holder provided rotatably in the
A step of applying the coating liquid to the substrate by the coating liquid nozzle, rotating the substrate holding section after the substrate is unloaded from the substrate holding section, and supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the substrate holding section;
Next, a step of supplying a drying gas for promoting drying of the cleaning liquid from the gas nozzle to the substrate holder after the cleaning liquid is supplied,
In the step of supplying the drying gas, the movement distance of the gas nozzle in the advancing / retreating direction is controlled in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding portion, thereby along the side of the recess in the rotated substrate holding portion. A cleaning method comprising supplying a drying gas.   The cleaning method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprising a step of supplying a chemical liquid having a higher volatility than the cleaning liquid from the chemical liquid nozzle to the substrate holding unit supplied with the cleaning liquid.   In the step of supplying the chemical liquid, the movement distance of the chemical liquid nozzle in the advancing / retreating direction is controlled in synchronization with the rotation of the substrate holding section, thereby along the side of the concave portion in the rotated substrate holding section. The cleaning method according to claim 13, wherein a chemical solution is supplied. A storage medium storing a computer program used in a processing apparatus for supplying a cleaning liquid to a substrate holding unit and cleaning the substrate holding unit,
15. A storage medium characterized in that the program includes a group of steps so as to execute the cleaning method according to claim 9.

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