JP5128975B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention immerses a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as a “substrate”) in a processing solution such as pure water or a chemical solution. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs surface treatment.

  Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and the like, a device that immerses a plurality of substrates (for example, 50 sheets) in a treatment solution such as pure water or a chemical solution and performs a surface treatment on the plurality of substrates collectively is a so-called batch. It is used as a type of substrate processing apparatus. Patent Document 1 discloses a batch type in which a plurality of substrates stacked and arranged at predetermined intervals are held in a standing position in a chemical solution tank for storing a chemical solution and a water washing tank for storing pure water, and an etching process and a surface cleaning process are performed. A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed.

JP 2002-346487 A

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a standard processing tank used in a conventional batch type substrate processing apparatus. A discharge nozzle 920 is disposed in the processing tank 900. The discharge nozzle 920 is a cylindrical nozzle provided with a plurality of discharge holes (not shown) along the longitudinal direction. The discharge nozzle 920 is arranged with its longitudinal direction along the horizontal direction. The processing liquid is supplied to the discharge nozzle 920 from a processing liquid supply source (not shown), and the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge hole of the discharge nozzle 920 to the processing tank 900. The processing liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle 920 is stored in the processing tank 900.

  The lifter 910 holds a plurality of substrates stacked and arranged at predetermined intervals in an upright posture. The lifter 910 moves up and down between a processing position where the plurality of substrates are immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank 900 and a lifting position lifted from the processing liquid. The lifter 910 keeps discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzle 920 while holding the plurality of substrates at the processing position, whereby a flow of the processing liquid is formed in the processing tank 900 and the surface treatment of the plurality of substrates proceeds.

  However, in the conventional processing tank as shown in FIG. 7, the flow rate of the processing liquid outside the array of the plurality of substrates held by the lifter 910, that is, in the region R in FIG. Since the region R is not directly related to the surface treatment of the substrate, a large flow rate here means that the flow of the treatment liquid is wasteful. In the conventional processing tank, the flow rate of the processing liquid between adjacent substrates held by the lifter 910 differs greatly depending on the position of the substrate. For this reason, not only the surface treatment efficiency of the substrate is reduced due to the wasteful flow of the treatment liquid, but also the surface treatment efficiency between a plurality of substrates may be different.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the surface processing efficiency by suppressing a useless processing liquid flow.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is a substrate processing apparatus for immersing a substrate in a processing solution to perform surface treatment of the substrate, a processing tank for storing the processing solution, and a longitudinal direction along the horizontal direction. In addition, a tubular discharge nozzle that is arranged in the lower part of the side wall surface of the processing tank and that discharges the processing liquid into the processing tank is arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the processing tank while holding the substrate. A holding mechanism that moves up and down between a treatment position immersed in the treatment liquid and a lifting position lifted from the treatment liquid, and an inner bottom portion of the treatment tank, outside the both ends of the plurality of discharge holes A holding plate that holds a plurality of substrates in an upright posture, and the guide plate includes a plurality of substrate holding members provided with engraving holding grooves. The holding mechanism lifts and lowers the substrate Characterized in that notches for the passage of said plurality of substrate holding members Rutoki is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the guide plate is detachably provided in the processing tank.

The invention of claim 3 is the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a plate support member attached to the processing tank and suspending the guide plate from above in the processing tank. Features.

  According to the present invention, since the guide plate is provided at a position facing the outside of both ends of the plurality of discharge holes of the tubular discharge nozzle, the discharge is discharged from the discharge nozzle to the processing tank and is directed to the outside. The flow of the treatment liquid is suppressed, and the surface treatment efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1. 3, 4, and 5 are cross-sectional views of the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, as seen from the II, II-II, and III-III lines. In addition, in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, in order to clarify the directional relationship, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing tank 10, a discharge nozzle 20, a lifter 30, a first guide plate 40 and a second guide plate 50. The processing tank 10 includes an inner tank 11 and an outer tank 12. The inner tank 11 stores a chemical solution or pure water containing hydrochloric acid (Hcl), sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ) or the like (chemical solution and pure water are collectively referred to as “treatment solution”) and performs surface treatment on the substrate W. This is a quartz tank. A quick drain mechanism (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the inner tank 11, and the processing liquid stored in the inner tank 11 can be forcibly and rapidly discharged.

  Two discharge nozzles 20, 20 are disposed at the lower part of the side wall surface of the inner tank 11. The two discharge nozzles 20 and 20 are cylindrical (tubular) supply pipes, and are arranged in the lower portions of the inner wall 11 facing each other along the longitudinal direction of the cylinder along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction). It is installed. The two discharge nozzles 20 and 20 are arranged in parallel at the same height position.

  The outer tub 12 is a quartz tub attached to the outer wall surface of the upper end portion of the inner tub 11. The outer tank 12 collects the processing liquid overflowing from the upper end of the inner tank 11. The processing liquid collected by the outer tank 12 is discharged to a drain line outside the apparatus. A cover (not shown) that covers the entire processing tank 10 is provided on the upper part of the outer tank 12.

  The lifter 30 is a holding mechanism that immerses a set of a plurality of substrates W (for example, 50 substrates) in the processing liquid stored in the inner tank 11. The lifter 30 includes a lift drive unit 31, a lifter arm 32, and three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 that collectively hold a plurality of substrates W. The three substrate holding rods 33, 34, and 35 have base ends in the longitudinal direction fixed to the lifter arm 32, and distal ends are integrally connected by a connecting member 36. The three substrate holding rods 33, 34, and 35 are arranged in parallel to each other with the longitudinal direction set along the horizontal direction (X-axis direction).

  Each of the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 is fitted with the outer edge portion of the substrate W to hold the substrate W in a standing posture (a posture in which the normal line of the main surface of the substrate W is in the horizontal direction). The holding grooves are arranged and engraved in the X-axis direction at predetermined intervals. Each holding groove is a notch-shaped groove. The upper end of the lifter arm 32 is connected to the lift drive unit 31. The lifter arm 32 and the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the lift drive unit 31.

  With such a configuration, the lifter 30 is a processing liquid in which a plurality of substrates W held in parallel with each other in the X-axis direction by the three substrate holding rods 33, 34, and 35 are stored in the processing tank 10. It is possible to move up and down between a processing position immersed in the liquid and a lifting position lifted from the processing liquid. The elevating drive unit 31 can employ various known mechanisms such as an air cylinder, a feed screw mechanism using a ball screw, or a belt mechanism using a pulley or a belt.

  As described above, the two discharge nozzles 20 and 20 are cylindrical supply pipes, and a plurality of discharge holes 21 for discharging the processing liquid are arranged in a line on the cylindrical surface. The plurality of discharge holes 21 are formed obliquely upward, and the processing liquid supplied from the discharge nozzle 20 is discharged obliquely upward (toward the vicinity of the center portion of the inner tank 11). The arrangement pitch of the plurality of ejection holes 21 is the same as the pitch of the holding grooves carved in the three substrate holding rods 33, 34, 35, and each ejection hole 21 faces the intermediate position of the adjacent holding grooves. It is formed to do. Further, discharge holes 21 are also formed at positions facing the outer ends of both ends of the plurality of holding grooves (see FIG. 6).

  A chemical solution such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid or pure water is fed to the two discharge nozzles 20 and 20 from a treatment liquid supply mechanism (not shown). The processing liquid fed to the discharge nozzles 20 and 20 is discharged into the inner tank 11 from the plurality of discharge holes 21. By discharging the processing liquid from the discharge nozzles 20, 20 to the inner tank 11, the processing liquid is stored in the inner tank 11, and a plurality of substrates W are collectively held in the processing position by the lifter 30 in the processing liquid. Thus, the surface treatment and the cleaning treatment of each substrate W are performed.

  The first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are plate-like members formed of quartz. The first guide plate 40 is provided on the inner bottom portion of the inner tank 11 and further on the distal end side ((+ X) side) than the distal end portions of the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35. One second guide plate 50 is provided on the inner bottom of the inner tub 11 and slightly (+ X) side from the lifter arm 32.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing the arrangement positions of the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50. In the discharge nozzle 20, a plurality of discharge holes 21 are arranged along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), and the discharge holes 21 at both ends in the arrangement are engraved on the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35. It is provided outside the both ends of the holding groove, that is, at a position facing the outside from the stacked arrangement of the plurality of substrates W held by the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35. And the 1st guide plate 40 and the 2nd guide plate 50 are provided in the position which faces the outer side further than the discharge hole 21 of the both ends in the arrangement | sequence of the some discharge hole 21. As shown in FIG. More specifically, a plane (YZ plane) on which each of the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 is disposed and the two discharge nozzles 20, 20 are a plurality of discharges provided in each discharge nozzle 20. Crosses outside the array of holes 21. That is, the plane on which the first guide plate 40 is disposed and the two discharge nozzles 20, 20 are more than the most (+ X) side discharge holes 21 in the array of the plurality of discharge holes 21 provided in each discharge nozzle 20. Crosses on the (+ X) side. On the other hand, the plane on which the second guide plate 50 is disposed and the two discharge nozzles 20, 20 are the discharge holes 21 on the most (−X) side in the array of the plurality of discharge holes 21 provided in each discharge nozzle 20. Crosses further on the (−X) side.

  The first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are not in direct contact with the inner tub 11, and as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 and FIG. It is suspended from. The support members 41 and 51 are square members made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), and are attached to the outer tub 12 via hooking members 42 and 52, respectively. The latching members 42 and 52 may be fixed to the outer tub 12 so that the support members 41 and 51 can be detachably latched on the latching members 42 and 52, or the support members 41 and 51 and the latching member 42 and 52 may be integrally connected, and the latching members 42 and 52 may be detachably latched on the outer tub 12. In either case, the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are detachably provided in the processing tank 10. Further, the height positions of the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 in the processing bath 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the lengths of the support members 41 and 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the second guide plate 50 has notches for passing three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 when the lifter 30 moves up and down the plurality of substrates W. 50a is formed. The size of the notch 50a can be appropriately set according to the processing position of the substrate W and the height position of the second guide plate 50. Since the first guide plate 40 does not interfere with the three substrate holding rods 33, 34, and 35 when the lifter 30 moves up and down the plurality of substrates W, the first guide plate 40 is not provided with a notch. Not.

  Next, operation | movement of the substrate processing apparatus 1 provided with the said structure is demonstrated. First, the lifter 30 raises the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 to the lifting position. A plurality of substrates W are collectively delivered to the three substrate holding rods 33, 34, 35 raised to the lifting position by a transfer robot (not shown). Each of the plurality of substrates W is held in an upright position by being inserted into the holding grooves formed in the substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35. Subsequently, the three substrate holding bars 33, 34, and 35 holding the plurality of substrates W are lowered to the processing position in the processing tank 10 by the lifter 30.

  A processing liquid discharged from the two discharge nozzles 20, 20 is stored in the inner tank 11 of the processing tank 10, and the plurality of substrates W lowered to the processing position by the lifter 30 are immersed in the processing liquid. The In a state where the plurality of substrates W are held at the processing position, the processing liquid is continuously discharged from the discharge holes 21 of the two discharge nozzles 20 and 20. As a result, a processing liquid flow (upflow) is formed in the inner tank 11 from the lower side to the upper side, and the surface processing of the plurality of substrates W proceeds by the processing liquid flow. The processing liquid overflowing from the upper end of the inner tank 11 by the upflow flows into the outer tank 12 and is collected.

  At this time, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 outside the both ends in the arrangement of the plurality of discharge holes 21, so that the discharge is performed from the discharge holes 21. The treatment liquid is prevented from moving outward ((+ X) side and (−X) side) from the stacked arrangement of the plurality of substrates W. For this reason, the useless flow of the processing liquid toward the region where the substrate W does not exist is suppressed, and the surface treatment efficiency of the substrate W is improved. Further, as a result of suppressing the flow of useless processing liquid, the flow speed of the processing liquid between adjacent substrates W held by the three substrate holding rods 33, 34, and 35 is substantially uniform regardless of the position of the substrate W. It becomes.

  For example, when the processing liquid is a cleaning liquid such as pure water, the particle discharge efficiency is increased and there is no difference in the particle discharge efficiency among the plurality of substrates W. In addition, when the processing solution is an etching solution such as hydrofluoric acid, there is no difference in the etching rate among the plurality of substrates W.

  After the surface treatment for a predetermined time is completed, the lifter 30 raises the plurality of substrates W from the processing position to the lifting position. Thereafter, the plurality of substrates W that have been raised to the lifting position are received by a transfer robot (not shown), whereby the processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is completed.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are suspended from above by the support members 41 and 51. However, the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are directly connected to the inner tank. 11 may be detachably mounted on the inner wall surface. Even in this case, if the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 are provided at positions opposite to the outside of both ends in the arrangement of the plurality of discharge holes 21, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Can do.

  Further, the material of the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 is not limited to quartz, but may be formed of other materials according to the type of the processing liquid. For example, when the treatment liquid is hydrofluoric acid, the first guide plate 40 and the second guide plate 50 may be formed of a resin material such as vinyl chloride.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part structure of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the II line | wire of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the II-II line of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen from the III-III line | wire of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the arrangement position of a 1st guide plate and a 2nd guide plate. It is a figure which shows the standard process tank currently used for the conventional batch type substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Processing tank 11 Inner tank 12 Outer tank 20 Discharge nozzle 21 Discharge hole 30 Lifter 33, 34, 35 Substrate holding rod 40 First guide plate 41, 51 Support member 42, 52 Hanging member 50 Second guide plate 50a Notch W Substrate

Claims (3)

A substrate processing apparatus for performing surface treatment of a substrate by immersing the substrate in a processing solution,
A treatment tank for storing the treatment liquid;
A tubular discharge nozzle arranged in the lower part of the side wall surface of the processing tank along the horizontal direction and arranged with a plurality of discharge holes for discharging the processing liquid into the processing tank along the longitudinal direction;
A holding mechanism that moves up and down between a processing position immersed in the processing liquid in the processing tank and a lifting position lifted from the processing liquid while holding the substrate;
A guide plate provided at a position facing the outer side of both ends of the plurality of discharge holes at the inner bottom of the processing tank;
Equipped with a,
The holding mechanism has a plurality of substrate holding members provided with engraved holding grooves for holding the plurality of substrates in an upright posture,
The substrate processing apparatus , wherein the guide plate is provided with a notch through which the plurality of substrate holding members pass when the holding mechanism moves up and down the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the guide plate is detachably provided in the processing tank . In the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement,
A substrate processing apparatus , further comprising a plate support member attached to the processing tank and suspending the guide plate from above in the processing tank .

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