JP4969327B2 - Liquid processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid processing apparatus that performs predetermined liquid processing on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

  In a semiconductor device manufacturing process and a flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing process, a process of supplying a processing liquid to a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate, which is a substrate to be processed, and performing liquid processing is frequently used. As such a process, for example, a cleaning process for removing particles or contamination attached to the substrate, a coating process of a photoresist solution or a developing solution in a photolithography process, and the like can be given.

  As such a liquid processing apparatus, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is held on a spin chuck, and a processing liquid is supplied to the front surface or front and back surfaces of the wafer while the substrate is rotated to perform front or back surface processing of the wafer. Things are known.

  In this type of apparatus, the processing liquid is usually supplied to the center of the wafer, and by rotating the substrate, the processing liquid is spread outward to form a liquid film, and the processing liquid is generally released. ing. A member such as a cup surrounding the outside of the wafer is provided so as to guide the processing liquid shaken off the substrate downward, so that the processing liquid shaken off from the wafer is quickly discharged. However, when a cup or the like is provided in this way, the processing liquid may scatter as mist and reach the substrate to cause defects such as watermarks and particles.

As a technique capable of preventing such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a processing liquid that receives a processing liquid scattered in the outer peripheral direction from a substrate so as to rotate integrally with a rotation support unit that rotates the substrate while being horizontally supported. There is disclosed a technique in which a receiving member is provided to receive a processing liquid and guide the processing liquid to the outside for recovery. In this Patent Document 1, the processing liquid receiving member includes, in order from the substrate side, a horizontal eaves part, an inclined guide part that guides the processing liquid outward and downward, a horizontal guide part that guides the processing liquid horizontally outward, and a vertical standing part. It has a wall to be installed, and discharges the processing liquid horizontally outside through a drain port provided at the corner of the processing liquid receiving member while driving the processing liquid into a narrow range and preventing the mist from reattaching to the substrate. Further, the liquid is drained through a groove extending outwardly inside the spacer disposed outside the processing liquid receiving member.
JP-A-8-1064

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the processing liquid receiving member that rotates together with the substrate drives the processing liquid into a narrow area outside the substrate, the spacer portion outside the substrate becomes large, and the footprint of the apparatus is reduced. It will be big. Moreover, exhaust must be performed together with the drainage, and a mechanism for separating the exhaust and drainage is required on the downstream side. In order to separate exhaust and drainage without providing a mechanism for separating exhaust and drainage, it is conceivable to provide a separate exhaust cup and drainage cup. Will have a large footprint. In addition, when exhausting the component vaporized from the processing liquid receiving member from the periphery of the processing liquid receiving member, the gas component is received by an annular exhaust cup, and the entire circumference is stagnate from one or several exhaust ports provided there. However, the above Patent Document 1 does not describe any such exhaust.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can reduce the footprint, eliminate the need for a special mechanism for separating exhaust and drainage, and uniformly over the entire circumference of the exhaust cup. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid processing apparatus that can be evacuated.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a substrate holding unit that can hold a substrate horizontally and rotate together with the substrate, surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and can rotate together with the substrate. Surrounding the outside of the rotating cup, a rotating cup that receives the shaken processing liquid, a rotating mechanism that integrally rotates the rotating cup and the substrate holding unit, a processing liquid supply mechanism that supplies the processing liquid to the substrate, and An annular drainage cup that receives and drains the processing liquid discharged from the rotating cup, and is provided concentrically with the drainage cup so as to accommodate the draining cup, and the rotation An annular exhaust cup for mainly taking in gas components from the cup and its surroundings; and an exhaust port connected to the exhaust cup so as to discharge the gas components taken into the exhaust cup Airflow wherein interposed between the bottom of the bottom and the exhaust cup drainage cup, to adjust the air flow to flow toward the exhaust port air flow of the gaseous component from the substantially entire circumference within the exhaust cup An adjustment mechanism is provided, and a liquid processing apparatus is provided.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said airflow adjustment mechanism can comprise the cyclic | annular buffer space provided concentrically with the said drain cup in the said exhaust cup, and connected to the said exhaust port. The exhaust port may be disposed in at least one place directly below the buffer space. The buffer space may be formed by hollowing out the bottom of the drain cup.

  The air flow adjusting mechanism is disposed between the drain cup and the exhaust cup, and substantially includes an upper exhaust intake port of the exhaust cup positioned above the substrate holding portion and the buffer space. An annular outer ventilation resistance portion communicating with the entire circumference is provided, and the outer ventilation resistance portion can be set to give a predetermined ventilation resistance to the exhaust flow from the upper exhaust intake port. In this case, an annular member is disposed between the drainage cup and the exhaust cup corresponding to the outer ventilation resistance portion, and the outer ventilation resistance portion is uniform over the entire circumference of the annular member. It can be made to consist of a plurality of vent holes formed in. In addition, an annular outer annular space is formed between the outer wall of the drain cup and the outer wall of the exhaust cup, and the upper exhaust intake port and the outer ventilation resistance portion can be connected.

  Further, the air flow adjusting mechanism is disposed between the drain cup and the exhaust cup, and substantially includes a lower exhaust intake port of the exhaust cup positioned below the substrate holding portion and the buffer space. An annular inner ventilation resistance portion that communicates with the entire circumference, and the inner ventilation resistance portion is set so as to give a predetermined ventilation resistance to the exhaust flow from the lower exhaust intake port. Can do. In this case, a plurality of spacers are disposed between the drainage cup and the exhaust cup in correspondence with the inner ventilation resistance portion, and the inner ventilation resistance portion is uniform over the entire circumference between the spacers. It can consist of a plurality of openings formed. An annular inner annular space is formed between the inner wall of the drain cup and the inner wall of the exhaust cup, and the lower exhaust intake port and the inner ventilation resistance portion can be connected.

  According to the present invention, since the rotating cup that rotates together with the rotation of the substrate is provided, centrifugal force acts on the rotating cup, and the rebound of the mist of the processing liquid as in the case where the fixed cup is provided can be prevented. An annular drain cup is provided so as to surround the outer side of the rotating cup, and an exhaust cup is provided concentrically with the drain cup so as to accommodate the drain cup, so that the mist from the rotating cup rebounds. As a result, the drainage cup can be made smaller, and since it is accommodated in the exhaust cup, the space can be reduced by that amount, resulting in a smaller footprint of the apparatus. Further, drainage and exhaust can be performed separately from the drainage cup and the exhaust cup, and a special mechanism for separating the exhaust and drainage becomes unnecessary. And since the airflow adjustment mechanism for adjusting the airflow is provided so that the airflow of the gas component taken into the exhaust cup flows from almost the entire circumference toward the exhaust port, it is uniform over the entire circumference of the exhaust cup. It becomes possible to exhaust the air.

    Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary. Here, a case where the present invention is applied to a liquid processing apparatus that performs front and back surface cleaning of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) will be described.

  1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a processing liquid supply mechanism of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an exhaust / drainage part of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. 1. A plurality of liquid processing apparatuses 100 are incorporated in a liquid processing system (not shown), and a base plate 1, a wafer holding unit 2 that rotatably holds a wafer W that is a substrate to be processed, and a rotation of the wafer holding unit 2. A rotating motor 3 that rotates, a rotary cup 4 that is provided so as to surround the wafer W held by the wafer holder 2, and rotates with the wafer holder 2, and a surface treatment liquid supply that supplies a treatment liquid to the surface of the wafer W It has a nozzle 5, a back surface processing liquid supply nozzle 6 for supplying a processing liquid to the back surface of the wafer W, and an exhaust / drainage unit 7 provided at the peripheral edge of the rotating cup 4. A casing 8 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the exhaust / drainage unit 7 and the upper portion of the wafer W. At the upper part of the casing 8 is provided an airflow introduction part 9 for introducing an airflow from a fan filter unit (FFU) of the liquid processing system through an introduction port 9a provided on the side part, and the wafer holding part 2 A down flow of clean air is supplied to the wafer W held on the substrate.

  The wafer holding unit 2 includes a horizontally-rotating rotating plate 11 having a disk shape and a cylindrical rotating shaft 12 connected to the center of the back surface and extending vertically downward. A circular hole 11 a that communicates with the hole 12 a in the rotating shaft 12 is formed at the center of the rotating plate 11. And the raising / lowering member 13 provided with the back surface process liquid supply nozzle 6 is provided so that raising / lowering is possible in the hole 12a and the hole 11a. The rotating plate 11 is provided with holding members 14 for holding the outer edge of the wafer W, and as shown in FIG. 2, three of them are arranged at equal intervals. The holding member 14 is configured to hold the wafer W horizontally with the wafer W slightly floating from the rotating plate 11. The holding member 14 includes a holding portion 14a capable of holding the end surface of the wafer W, an attaching / detaching portion 14b extending from the holding portion 14a toward the center of the back surface of the rotating plate, and a rotating shaft for rotating the holding portion 14a in a vertical plane. 14c, and the upper end of the detachable portion 14b is pushed upward by a cylinder mechanism (not shown), whereby the holding portion 14a rotates outwardly and the holding of the wafer W is released. The holding member 14 is urged in a direction in which the holding portion 14a holds the wafer W by a spring member (not shown), and the wafer W is held by the holding member 14 when the cylinder mechanism is not operated.

  The rotating shaft 12 is rotatably supported by the base plate 1 via a bearing member 15 having two bearings 15a. A pulley 16 is fitted into the lower end of the rotating shaft 12, and a belt 17 is wound around the pulley 16. The belt 17 is also wound around a pulley 18 attached to the shaft of the motor 3. The rotating shaft 12 is rotated via the pulley 18, the belt 17 and the pulley 16 by rotating the motor 3.

  The surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5 is attached to the tip of the nozzle arm 22a while being held by the nozzle holding member 22, and passes through a flow path provided in the nozzle arm 22a from the treatment liquid supply mechanism 85 described later. A processing liquid or the like is supplied, and the processing liquid is discharged through a nozzle hole 5a provided therein. Examples of the processing liquid to be discharged include a chemical for wafer cleaning, a rinse liquid such as pure water, and the like. The nozzle holding member 22 is also provided with a dry solvent nozzle 21 for discharging a dry solvent typified by IPA, and discharges a dry solvent such as IPA through a nozzle hole 21a provided therein. It has become.

  As shown also in FIG. 2, the nozzle arm 22a is rotatably provided about the shaft 23 by the drive mechanism 81, and the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5 is centered on the wafer W by rotating the nozzle arm 22a. The wafer cleaning position on the upper and outer circumferences and the retracted position on the outside of the wafer W can be taken. The nozzle arm 22a can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 82 such as a cylinder mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a channel 83a is provided in the nozzle arm 22a, and the nozzle hole 5a of the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5 is connected to one end of the channel 83a. A pipe 84a is connected to the other end of the flow path 83a. On the other hand, a flow path 83b is also provided in the nozzle arm 22a, and the nozzle hole 21a of the dry solvent nozzle 21 is connected to one end of the flow path 83b. A pipe 84b is connected to the other end of the flow path 83b. A predetermined processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid supply mechanism 85 to the pipes 84a and 84b. The processing liquid supply mechanism 85, for example, a DHF supply source 86 that supplies dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF) that is an acid chemical liquid, and an SC1 supply source that supplies ammonia perwater (SC1) that is an alkaline chemical liquid as chemical liquids for cleaning processing. 87, a DIW supply source 88 that supplies, for example, pure water (DIW) as a rinsing liquid, and an IPA supply source 95 that supplies, for example, IPA as a dry solvent. Pipes 89, 90, 91 extend from the DHF supply source 86, the SC1 supply source 87, and the DIW supply source 88, and these pipes 89, 90, 91 are connected to the pipe 84a via open / close valves 92, 93, 94. ing. Therefore, by operating the on-off valves 92, 93, 94, ammonia superwater (SC1), dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF), and pure water (DIW) can be selectively supplied to the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5. Yes. In this case, a pipe 91 extending from the DIW supply source 88 is connected to the most upstream side of the pipe 84a. On the other hand, a pipe 84b extending from the flow path 83b is directly connected to the IPA supply source 95, and an open / close valve 96 is provided in the pipe 84b. Therefore, the IPA can be supplied to the dry solvent nozzle 21 by opening the opening / closing valve 96.

  The back surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 6 is provided at the center of the elevating member 13, and a nozzle hole 6a extending along the longitudinal direction is formed therein. A predetermined processing liquid is supplied from the lower end of the nozzle hole 6a by a processing liquid supply mechanism (not shown), and the processing liquid is discharged to the back surface of the wafer W through the nozzle hole 6a. Examples of the treatment liquid to be discharged include cleaning chemicals, rinse liquids such as pure water, and the like, similar to the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5. The processing liquid supply mechanism that supplies the processing liquid to the back surface processing liquid supply nozzle 6 can be configured in the same manner as the processing liquid supply mechanism 85 except for the IPA supply system. A wafer support 24 for supporting the wafer W is provided at the upper end of the elevating member 13. On the upper surface of the wafer support 24, there are three wafer support pins 25 (only two are shown) for supporting the wafer W. A cylinder mechanism 27 is connected to the lower end of the back surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 6 via a connection member 26. The wafer mechanism W is moved up and down by the cylinder mechanism 27 so that the wafer W is loaded. And unloading is performed.

  The rotary cup 4 has an annular flange 31 that extends obliquely upward inward from the upper end of the rotary plate 11 and a cylindrical outer wall 32 that extends vertically downward from the outer end of the flange 31. . As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 4, an annular gap 33 is formed between the outer wall portion 32 and the rotary plate 11, and the wafer W is transferred from the gap 33 to the rotary plate 11 and the rotary cup 4. At the same time, the processing liquid (mist) that is rotated and scattered is guided downward.

  A plate-shaped guide member 35 is interposed between the flange portion 31 and the rotating plate 11 at a position substantially the same height as the wafer W. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of openings 36 and 37 for allowing the processing liquid to pass therethrough are formed between the flange 31 and the guide member 35 and between the guide member 35 and the rotating plate 11, respectively. Spacer members 38 and 39 are arranged along the circumferential direction. The flange 31, the guide member 35, the rotating plate 11, and the spacer members 38 and 39 between them are screwed with screws 40.

  The guide member 35 is provided such that the front and back surfaces thereof are substantially continuous with the front and back surfaces of the wafer W. When the wafer 3 is rotated together with the wafer W by the motor 3 and the processing liquid is supplied from the surface processing liquid supply nozzle 5 to the center of the surface of the wafer W, the processing liquid is centrifuged by the centrifugal force. Is spread out from the periphery of the wafer W. The processing liquid shaken off from the surface of the wafer W is guided to the surface of the guide member 35 provided substantially continuously, discharged outward from the opening 36, and guided downward by the outer wall portion 32. Similarly, when the wafer holder 2 and the rotating cup 4 are rotated together with the wafer W and the processing liquid is supplied from the back surface processing liquid supply nozzle 6 to the center of the back surface of the wafer W, the processing liquid is subjected to the wafer W by centrifugal force. Is spread from the periphery of the wafer W. The processing liquid spun off from the back surface of the wafer W is guided to the back surface of the guide member 35 provided substantially continuously with the back surface of the wafer W, is discharged outward from the opening 37, and is guided downward by the outer wall portion 32. It is burned. At this time, since the centrifugal force acts on the processing liquid that has reached the spacer members 38 and 39 and the outer wall portion 32, they are prevented from returning to the inside as mist.

  Further, since the guide member 35 guides the processing liquid shaken off from the front surface and the back surface of the wafer W in this way, the processing liquid detached from the peripheral edge of the wafer W is not easily turbulent and rotates without causing the processing liquid to be misted. It can be led out of the cup 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 35 is provided with a notch 41 at a position corresponding to the wafer holding member 14 so as to avoid the wafer holding member 14.

  The rotating plate 11, the rotating cup 4, the spacer members 38 and 39, the screw 40, the guide member 35, and the like are formed of a resin such as PEEK, PTFE, PVC, PFA, PVDF, etc. from the viewpoint of chemical resistance.

  The exhaust / drainage unit 7 is mainly for recovering gas and liquid discharged from the space surrounded by the rotary plate 11 and the rotary cup 4, and as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. An annular drain cup 51 that receives the processing liquid discharged from the cup 4 and an exhaust cup 52 that is concentric with the drain cup 51 so as to accommodate the drain cup 51 are provided. These are formed of a resin such as PEEK, PTFE, PVC, PFA, PVDF and the like from the viewpoint of chemical resistance and the like, like the rotating cup 4 and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the drainage cup 51 includes a cylindrical vertical wall 53 that is vertically provided near the outer wall portion 32 on the outer side of the rotating cup 4, and a lower end of the vertical wall 53. And a lower side portion 54 extending inward from the portion. An inner side wall 54 a is formed vertically on the inner periphery of the lower side portion 54. An annular space defined by the vertical wall 53 and the lower side portion 54 serves as a processing liquid storage portion 56 that stores the processing liquid discharged from the rotating cup 4. Further, at the upper end of the vertical wall 53, a protruding portion 53 a that protrudes from the upper portion of the rotating cup 4 is provided in order to prevent the processing liquid from jumping out from the draining cup 51. A partition wall 55 that extends from the lower side portion 54 to the vicinity of the lower surface of the rotary plate 11 at a position corresponding to the outside of the holding member 14 of the processing liquid storage portion 56 and is provided in an annular shape along the circumferential direction of the drainage cup 51. have. Then, the processing liquid storage part 56 has a main cup part 56 a that receives the processing liquid discharged from the gap 33 and a sub cup that receives the processing liquid dropped from the vicinity of the holding part 14 a of the holding member 14 by the partition wall 55. The part 56b is separated. The bottom surface 57 of the processing liquid storage portion 56 is divided into a first portion 57a corresponding to the main cup portion 56a and a second portion 57b corresponding to the sub cup portion 56b by the partition wall 55, both of which are from the outside. It inclines so that it may rise toward the inner side (rotation center side). The inner end of the second portion 57b reaches a position corresponding to the inner side (rotation center side) of the holding portion 14a of the holding member 14. The partition wall 55 serves to prevent the airflow formed by the portion of the holding member 14 protruding below the rotating plate 11 from reaching the wafer W side with mist when the rotating plate 11 rotates. Have. The partition wall 55 is formed with a hole 58 for guiding the processing liquid from the sub cup portion 56b to the main cup portion 56a (see FIG. 1).

  The drainage cup 51 has an annular (flange-shaped) fixing portion 72 for fixing the drainage cup 51 to the bottom of the exhaust cup 52 at the bottom of the inner peripheral end thereof. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixing portion 72 has two positioning portions 73 and four screwing portions 74, and in the positioning portion 73, a resin positioning pin 73 a is attached to the receiving portion of the exhaust cup 52. Is inserted and the drainage cup 51 is positioned with respect to the exhaust cup 52, and is screwed by a resin screw 75 at the screwing portion 74. A spacer 76 is interposed in the positioning part 73 and the screwing part 74, and a gap 77 is uniformly formed between the fixing part 72 and the exhaust cup 52 over the entire circumference between the spacers 76. . In addition, the number of the positioning parts 73 and the screwing parts 74 is not limited to the said number, What is necessary is just two or more.

  Further, a portion 59 outside the fixed portion 72 of the lower portion 54 has a hollow portion 59 that is hollowed out upward from the bottom surface of the lower portion 54. The hollow portion 59 defines a thin and flexible cylindrical portion 79 extending upward from the fixed portion 72. The thickness of the cylindrical portion 79 is about 3 to 6 mm. Further, the hollow portion 59 forms an annular buffer space 78 provided concentrically with the drainage cup 51 in the exhaust cup 52 and connected to the exhaust port 70 as will be described later.

  By providing the fixing portion 72 on the inner peripheral side in this way, the high-temperature treatment liquid is discharged to the drain cup 51 that is essentially formed of a resin having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, and the drain cup 51 is thermally expanded. Even in this case, since the outer peripheral portion having a large thermal expansion is not constrained, the risk of damage to the drainage cup 51 due to the thermal expansion can be reduced. In addition, the fixing portion 72 is provided on the inner side of the processing liquid storage portion 56, and is less affected by heat due to the high temperature processing liquid. In addition, the thin and flexible cylindrical portion 79 has a function of suppressing the thermal effect on the fixing portion 72 when a high-temperature treatment liquid is used, and a function of absorbing deformation due to thermal expansion by bending. Thus, it is possible to prevent the screw 75 and the like from being damaged by the expansion of the treatment liquid due to the heat in the fixing portion 72 of the drainage cup 51.

  A drain outlet 60 is provided at the outermost portion of the lower side portion 54 of the drain cup 51 to drain from the processing liquid storage portion 56, and a drain pipe 61 is connected to the drain port 60. (See FIG. 1). The drainage pipe 61 is provided with a drainage switching unit (not shown), which is separated and collected or discarded according to the type of processing liquid. Note that a plurality of drain ports 60 may be provided.

  The exhaust cup 52 is provided so that the outer wall 64 provided perpendicular to the outer portion of the vertical wall 53 of the drain cup 51 and the inner portion of the holding member 14 are perpendicular to the upper end of the holding member 14. The inner wall 65, the bottom wall 66 provided on the base plate 1, and the upper wall 67 that is curved upward from the outer wall 64 and is provided so as to cover the upper side of the rotating cup 4. The exhaust cup 52 takes in mainly gas components in and around the rotary cup 4 from an annular inlet (upper exhaust intake port) 68 between the upper side wall 67 and the flange 31 of the rotary cup 4. Exhaust at. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, an exhaust port 70 is provided below the exhaust cup 52, and an exhaust pipe 71 is connected to the exhaust port 70. A suction mechanism (not shown) is provided on the downstream side of the exhaust pipe 71 so that the periphery of the rotary cup 4 can be exhausted. A plurality of exhaust ports 70 are provided, and can be switched and used in accordance with the type of treatment liquid. Alternatively, the exhaust port may be provided at one location, and a plurality of exhaust lines corresponding to the type of treatment liquid may be provided on the downstream side of the exhaust line connected to the exhaust port so as to be switchable.

  On the upper side of the exhaust port 70, an annular buffer space 78 is provided concentrically with the drain cup 51 in the exhaust cup 52 by a hollowed portion 59 of the drain cup 51. In other words, the exhaust port 70 is disposed at least at one place directly below the buffer space 78 and is directly connected to the buffer space 78. Furthermore, an annular outer annular space 99a is formed between the vertical wall 53, which is the outer wall of the drain cup 51, and the outer wall 64 of the exhaust cup 52. The bottom of the drain cup 51 and the exhaust cup are also formed. An annular airflow adjustment member (ventilation resistance portion) 97 in which a large number of ventilation holes 98 are formed in the circumferential direction is provided on the outer portion of the exhaust port 70 between the bottom portion 52 and the bottom portion 52. The air flow adjusting member 97 is set so as to give a predetermined ventilation resistance to the exhaust flow from the inlet (upper exhaust intake port) 68 of the exhaust cup 52. The introduction port 68 communicates with the annular buffer space 78 through the outer annular space 99a and the airflow adjusting member 97 over the entire circumference.

The configuration as described above functions as an air flow adjusting mechanism for adjusting the air flow of the gas component taken into the exhaust cup 52 and exhausting the air from the exhaust port 70 uniformly. That is, the exhaust flow is guided downward uniformly over the entire circumference through the outer annular space 99a which is an annular space, and is given pressure loss, that is, resistance by the air flow adjusting member 97 having a large number of air holes 98, It is introduced into the buffer space 78 in a distributed state. The buffer space 78 provides a space having a sufficient capacity over the entire circumference in the exhaust cup 52 above the exhaust port 70, so that the buffer space 78 is separated from the exhaust port 70 (location opposite to the exhaust port 70). Also, the pressure loss with respect to the airflow is small (resistance to the airflow is small). As a result, the airflow is prevented from being formed in the exhaust cup 52 in a biased manner, and it becomes possible to exhaust air relatively uniformly from the entire circumference toward the exhaust port 70 regardless of the distance from the exhaust port 70. . On the contrary, if there is no restriction on the airflow to the exhaust port 70, the exhaust is performed only from the vicinity of the exhaust port 70, and the portion far from the exhaust port 70 is difficult to exhaust.
Further, the gas component taken in from the introduction port (upper exhaust intake port) 68 flows not only in the outer annular space 99a but also in the treatment liquid storage part 56 of the drainage cup 51. For this reason, the exhaust cup 52 takes in gas components from the lower side of the wafer holding unit 2 and exhausts them. Specifically, an annular inner annular space 99 b is formed between the inner wall 54 a of the drain cup 51 and the inner wall 65 of the exhaust cup 52. An annular gap 69a between the upper end portion of the inner wall 65 and the bottom portion of the rotating plate 11, and an annular gap 69b between the upper end portion of the partition wall 55 of the draining cup 51 and the bottom portion of the rotating plate 11, It becomes a lower exhaust intake port for introducing a gas component into the inner annular space 99b. Further, a gap 77 is uniformly formed over the entire circumference by the spacer 76 between the fixed portion 72 and the exhaust cup 52 on the inner peripheral side of the drain cup 51, and a predetermined ventilation resistance against the exhaust flow. Is set to give
Such a configuration also functions as an air flow adjusting mechanism for adjusting the air flow of the gas component taken into the exhaust cup 52 and exhausting the air from the exhaust port 70 uniformly. As a result, the exhaust flow is guided uniformly from the processing liquid storage portion 56 through the inner annular space 99b and the gap 77 to the annular buffer space 78 over the entire circumference, and the exhaust is relatively uniformly discharged from the exhaust port 70. Will be able to do.

  The space between the airflow adjusting member 97 and the bottom of the outer peripheral portion of the drainage cup 51 is not fixed and is slidable. That is, the drain cup 51 has an inner peripheral portion fixed to the exhaust cup 52 via a fixing portion, while a bottom portion of the outer peripheral portion is slidably supported on the bottom portion of the exhaust cup 52 and is not restrained in the radial direction. It is in. For this reason, as described above, even when a high-temperature treatment liquid is supplied to the drainage cup 51 and the outer peripheral portion thereof undergoes a large thermal expansion, no restraining force is exerted.

  Thus, the processing liquid is guided to the drainage cup 51 through the rotating cup 4, the gas component is guided from the introduction port 68 to the exhaust cup 52, and the drainage liquid from the drainage cup 51 and the exhaust cup 52 Since the exhaust is performed independently, it is possible to guide the drainage and the exhaust in a separated state. Further, even if mist leaks from the drain cup 51, the exhaust cup 52 surrounds the periphery thereof, so that it is quickly discharged through the exhaust port 70, and the mist is reliably prevented from leaking outside.

  Next, the operation of the liquid processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the wafer W is delivered from the transfer arm (not shown) onto the support pins 25 of the wafer support 24 in a state where the elevating member 13 is raised. Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the elevating member 13 is lowered to a position where the wafer W can be held by the holding member 14, and the wafer W is chucked by the holding member 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5 is moved from the retracted position to the wafer cleaning position.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 7 (d), the motor 3 rotates the holding member 2 together with the rotary cup 4 and the wafer W, while performing predetermined processing from the surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 5 and the back surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 6. The liquid is supplied and the wafer W is cleaned.

  In this wafer cleaning process, the processing liquid is supplied from the front surface processing liquid supply nozzle 5 and the back surface processing liquid supply nozzle 6 to the front and back surfaces of the wafer W, and the cleaning liquid spreads outside the wafer W by centrifugal force. It is shaken off from the periphery.

  In this wafer cleaning process, since the cup provided so as to surround the outside of the wafer W is the rotating cup 4 that rotates together with the wafer W, when the processing liquid shaken off from the wafer W hits the rotating cup 4. In addition, centrifugal force acts on the treatment liquid, and scattering (misting) unlike the case of the fixed cup hardly occurs. Then, the processing liquid that has reached the rotating cup 4 is guided downward, and is discharged from the gap 33 to the main cup portion 56 a of the draining cup 51. On the other hand, since a hole for inserting the holding portion 14 a is provided at the attachment position of the holding member 14 of the rotating plate 11, the processing liquid is dropped from that portion into the sub-cup portion 56 b of the draining cup 51. Then, the processing liquid received in the drain cup 51 in this manner is discharged from the drain port 60 through the drain pipe 61. Further, the exhaust cup 52 mainly receives gas components in and around the rotary cup 4 from an inlet 68 that forms an annular shape between the upper wall 67 of the rotary cup 4 and the flange 31 of the rotary cup 4. The exhaust is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 71.

  Thus, due to the presence of the rotating cup 4, the drainage cup 51 may be as small as it can be drained, and the drainage cup 51 and the exhaust cup 52 are provided independently of each other, and the drainage and exhaustion are provided. Are separately taken out and discharged separately from the drainage port 60 and the exhaust port 70, so there is no need to provide a special mechanism for separating the exhaust and drainage. Moreover, since the drain cup 51 is provided in the state accommodated in the exhaust cup 52, it is possible to reduce the space while having a structure for taking in the exhaust and drain separately. As a result, the footprint of the apparatus can be reduced. Can be small. Further, since the drain cup 51 is accommodated in the exhaust cup 52, even if the mist of the processing liquid leaks from the drain cup 51, it can be trapped by the exhaust cup 52, and the mist of the processing liquid is discharged outside the apparatus. Can be prevented from being scattered and adversely affected.

  By the way, if it is attempted to flow the gas component flowing into the exhaust cup 52 to the exhaust port 70 with almost no restriction, only the portion close to the exhaust port 70 is exhausted, and the portion far from the exhaust port 70 is hardly exhausted. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the airflow is uniformly guided downward along the entire circumference through the outer annular space 99 a, and the pressure loss of the air holes 98 of the airflow adjustment member 97 is reduced. That is, it is introduced into the annular buffer space 78 in a state of being dispersed by resistance. As a result, the airflow is prevented from being formed in the exhaust cup 52 in a biased manner, and it becomes possible to exhaust air relatively uniformly from the entire circumference toward the exhaust port 70 regardless of the distance from the exhaust port 70. .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the gas component taken in from the inlet 68 flows not only in the outer annular space 99 a but also in the treatment liquid storage portion 56 of the drain cup 51, and further inside the drain cup 51. Through the exhaust port 70. On the other hand, an inner wall 54 a is vertically formed inside the drain cup 51, an inner annular space 99 b is formed between the inner wall 65 of the exhaust cup 52, and the inner peripheral side of the drain cup 51. A gap 77 is formed between the fixed portion 72 and the exhaust cup 52. In this case, the airflow is uniformly guided downward from the processing liquid storage portion 56 through the inner annular space 99 b over the entire circumference, and is introduced into the annular buffer space 78 in a state of being dispersed by the resistance of the gap 77. As a result, the airflow is prevented from being formed in the exhaust cup 52 in a biased manner, and it becomes possible to exhaust air relatively uniformly from the entire circumference toward the exhaust port 70 regardless of the distance from the exhaust port 70. . Since the airflow that reaches the exhaust port 70 through the inner annular space 99b is less than the airflow that reaches the exhaust port 70 through the outer annular space 99a, the airflow adjustment member 97 provided outside is not provided with a member. The air flow can be sufficiently uniformed by the annular space 99b and the gap 77.

  The present invention can be variously modified without being limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a liquid processing apparatus that performs front and back surface cleaning of a wafer has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a liquid processing apparatus that performs cleaning processing on only the front surface or only the back surface. Further, the liquid processing is not limited to the cleaning processing, and other liquid processing may be performed. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case where a semiconductor wafer is used as a substrate to be processed has been described. Needless to say, it is applicable.

  The present invention is effective for a cleaning apparatus for removing particles and contamination adhering to a semiconductor wafer.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a liquid processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part cut away. Schematic which shows the process liquid supply mechanism of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the exhaust_gas | exhaustion part of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the attachment state of the rotating cup and guide member of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. The top view which shows the fixing | fixed part of the drainage cup of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the processing operation of the liquid processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the exhaust path of the exhaust cup of the liquid processing apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Base plate 2; Wafer holding part 3; Rotating motor 4; Rotating cup 5; Surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 6; Back surface treatment liquid supply nozzle 7; Exhaust / drainage part 8; Casing 9; Rotating shaft 13; Elevating member 14; Holding member 22; Nozzle holding member 22a; Nozzle arm 31; Gutter 32; Outer wall 33; Gap 35; Guide member 51; Drain cup 52; Exhaust cup 53; ; Lower side portion 54a; inner wall 77; gap 79; cylindrical portion 97; airflow adjusting member 98; vent hole 99a; outer annular space 99b; inner annular space 100; liquid processing apparatus W;

Claims (10)

A substrate holding unit that holds the substrate horizontally and can rotate with the substrate;
A rotating cup that surrounds the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, is rotatable with the substrate, and receives the processing liquid shaken off from the substrate;
A rotation mechanism for integrally rotating the rotary cup and the substrate holding part;
A processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate;
An annular drainage cup which is provided so as to surround the outer side of the rotating cup and receives and drains the processing liquid discharged from the rotating cup;
An annular exhaust cup which is provided concentrically with the drain cup so as to accommodate the drain cup, and which mainly takes in gas components from the rotary cup and its surroundings;
An exhaust port connected to the exhaust cup so as to discharge the gaseous component taken into the exhaust cup;
An air flow that is interposed between the bottom of the drain cup and the bottom of the exhaust cup and adjusts the air flow so that the air flow of the gas component flows from substantially the entire circumference toward the exhaust port in the exhaust cup. A liquid processing apparatus comprising an adjustment mechanism.   2. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airflow adjusting mechanism includes an annular buffer space provided concentrically with the drainage cup in the exhaust cup and connected to the exhaust port. .   The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust port is disposed at least at one place directly below the buffer space.   The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the buffer space is formed by hollowing out a bottom portion of the draining cup.   The airflow adjustment mechanism is disposed between the drain cup and the exhaust cup, and substantially surrounds the upper exhaust intake port of the exhaust cup and the buffer space located above the substrate holding part. An annular outer ventilation resistance portion communicating with each other is provided, and the outer ventilation resistance portion is set so as to give a predetermined ventilation resistance to the exhaust flow from the upper exhaust intake port. Item 5. The liquid processing apparatus according to any one of Items 2 to 4.   An annular member is disposed between the draining cup and the exhaust cup corresponding to the outer ventilation resistance portion, and the outer ventilation resistance portion is uniformly formed over the entire circumference of the annular member. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of ventilation holes.   6. The annular outer annular space is formed between the outer wall of the drain cup and the outer wall of the exhaust cup, and the upper exhaust intake port and the outer ventilation resistance portion are connected to each other. The liquid processing apparatus as described.   The air flow adjusting mechanism is disposed between the drain cup and the exhaust cup, and substantially includes a lower exhaust intake port of the exhaust cup and a buffer space located below the substrate holding unit. An annular inner ventilation resistance portion that communicates over the entire circumference is provided, and the inner ventilation resistance portion is set so as to give a predetermined ventilation resistance to the exhaust flow from the lower exhaust intake port. The liquid processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7.   A plurality of spacers are disposed between the drain cup and the exhaust cup corresponding to the inner ventilation resistance portion, and the inner ventilation resistance portion is uniformly formed between the spacers over the entire circumference. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, comprising a plurality of openings.   9. The annular inner annular space is formed between the inner wall of the drain cup and the inner wall of the exhaust cup, and connects the lower exhaust intake port and the inner ventilation resistance portion. Or the liquid processing apparatus of Claim 9.

Images