JP6183137B2 - Liquid processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for performing liquid processing in a state where a substrate is held by a substrate holding unit.

  In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a cleaning device (liquid processing device) that uses a spin chuck to hold a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) as a substrate and supplies a cleaning liquid while rotating the wafer to clean the wafer is used. It has been.

  This type of cleaning apparatus includes a lifting member such as a lifter that transfers a wafer to and from an external transfer arm, and a position above a spin chuck (substrate holding unit) that rotatably holds the wafer, Some raise and lower the elevating member between positions below the spin chuck. However, if the cleaning liquid supplied to the wafer flows down and comes into contact with the elevating member lowered to the lower side, there is a risk of contaminating the contact portion with the wafer.

Here, Patent Document 1 describes a cleaning apparatus that cleans the entire back surface of a wafer using a brush while delivering the wafer between a spin chuck and two suction pads arranged at positions that do not overlap each other. . This cleaning apparatus is provided with a cover member that covers the upper side of the spin chuck retracted downward while the wafer is held by the suction pad, and the cleaning liquid that has flowed down from the upper side adheres to the spin chuck. To prevent that.
However, simply covering the top of the spin chuck with the cover member may cause mist generated from the spray of the cleaning liquid to enter from the lower side of the cover member and adhere to the spin chuck, and has the ability to prevent liquid from entering. It may not be enough.

JP2008-177541: Paragraphs 0048-0050, FIGS.

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid processing apparatus capable of reliably preventing the processing liquid from adhering to the elevating member.

The liquid processing apparatus of the present invention is a liquid processing apparatus that performs liquid processing by supplying a processing liquid to a substrate.
A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
A liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
An elevating member capable of moving up and down between a raised position above the substrate holding part and a lowered position below the substrate holding part;
A partition section that partitions the substrate holding section and the lowering position, and is provided with a passage port for the elevating member;
A lid that opens the passage opening when the elevating member is positioned above the partition, and closes the passage when the elevating member is positioned below the upper surface of the partition; Prepared ,
The substrate holding portion is provided so as to be rotatable about a base and a horizontal axis on the base, and the upper end portion is configured as a holding portion that presses a side peripheral portion of the substrate and operates below the rotation shaft. Comprising a mechanical chuck biased in a direction in which the holding portion presses the side peripheral portion of the substrate,
Pushing up the operating piece against the urging force of the holding part, providing a pushing member for releasing the holding of the substrate,
The lid is interlocked with the push-up member so that the lid is opened when the push-up member is placed at a position where the holding of the substrate is released, and is closed when the push-up member does not push up the operating piece. It is comprised by these.

The liquid processing apparatus may have the following configuration.
(A) on the upper surface of the front Symbol partition portion, provided rotatably in the rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, the grooved cam which a guide groove is formed along the outer peripheral surface, the tip is inserted into the guide groove And a driving pin that is connected to the push-up member and converts the raising / lowering operation of the push-up member into a rotation operation of the groove cam, and the lid portion is provided on a side peripheral surface of the groove cam. It is provided and moves around the rotation axis between a position for closing the passage opening and a position for opening the passage opening.
(B) Oite (a), the upper surface of the lid portion, the inclined surface lowered toward the position side opening from a position side to close the passage opening is formed.
( C ) Protruding portions that suppress the entry of the processing liquid that has flowed down to the upper surface of the partition portion are provided around the passage opening.
( D ) The elevating member is provided with a substrate support portion for supporting the substrate from the lower surface side and delivering the substrate conveyed from the outside to the substrate holding portion. The elevating member is provided with a sensor for detecting a posture in which the substrate is held by the substrate holding part.

  The present invention lowers the elevating member to a lowering position on the lower side of the partitioning portion disposed below the processing liquid supply surface with respect to the substrate, and covers the passage opening provided in this partitioning portion for allowing the elevating member to pass therethrough. Since it closes by a part, adhesion of the process liquid to a raising / lowering member can be prevented reliably.

It is a vertical side view of the liquid processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a cross-sectional top view of the said liquid processing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the upper part side of the spin chuck provided in the liquid processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the operation | movement which mounts a wafer in the said spin chuck. It is the 1st explanatory view showing the drive mechanism of the lid part which opens and closes the passage opening of a raising / lowering member. It is the 2nd explanatory view showing the drive mechanism of the above-mentioned lid part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the variation of the groove cam provided in the drive mechanism of the said cover part. It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism of the cover part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is 1st effect | action explanatory drawing of the drive mechanism of the cover part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a 2nd operation explanatory view of the lid drive mechanism concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the drive mechanism of the cover part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is 1st effect | action explanatory drawing of the drive mechanism of the cover part which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is 2nd effect | action explanatory drawing of the drive mechanism of the cover part which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, as an example of the embodiment of the liquid processing apparatus of the present invention, the surface (device formation surface) on which the semiconductor device circuit of the wafer W is formed is directed downward, while the back surface on which the circuit is not formed is directed upward. The configuration of the cleaning apparatus 1 (liquid processing apparatus) that cleans the back surface using a cleaning member will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 cleans the upper surface of the wafer W while supplying a rotatable spin chuck 2 for holding the wafer W and a cleaning liquid as a processing liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W in a housing 10. The cleaning member 41 and the cup 261 for receiving the cleaning liquid are provided. The case 10 is provided with a wafer W loading / unloading port 11 having a shutter 12 that can be freely opened and closed.

  The spin chuck 2 includes a disk-shaped rotating plate 21 and a chuck unit 22 (mechanical chuck) that is provided on the peripheral edge of the rotating plate 21 and holds the wafer W. A rotating shaft 23 extending in the vertical direction is connected to the center of the bottom surface side of the rotating plate 21, and a rotation driving unit 24 that rotates the rotating plate 21 around the vertical axis is provided at the base end portion of the rotating shaft 23. ing. The rotation drive unit 24 is configured by a motor, for example. The spin chuck 2 corresponds to the substrate holding portion of this example, and the rotary plate 21 corresponds to the base.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the chuck portions 22 are disposed at, for example, three locations at intervals in the peripheral portion of the rotating plate 21. The chuck portion 22 is rotated by a holding pin 221 (holding portion) that holds the wafer W shown in FIG. 1 and an operating piece 223 that moves the holding pin 221 between the holding position and the release position of the wafer W. The structure is connected via a shaft 222.

  At the upper end portion of the holding pin 221, a contact surface is formed to contact the side peripheral surface of the wafer W, and the holding pin 221 is arranged with the contact surface facing the radially inner side of the rotating plate 21. ing. A base end portion of the holding pin 221 is attached to the rotating plate 21 via a rotating shaft 222 extending in the horizontal direction, and the operating piece 223 is obliquely downward from the rotating shaft 222 toward the radially inner side of the rotating plate 21. It is growing out.

  The rotation shaft 222 is urged in a direction in which the upper end portion of the holding pin 221 moves inward in the radial direction of the rotating plate 21, and the urging force sandwiches the wafer W with the other holding pin 221. Then, the wafer W is held horizontally with a gap between the upper surface of the rotating plate 21 and a gap. An annular push-up plate 251 connected to the elevating mechanism 254 via a connecting plate 253 is provided at a position below each operating piece 223. The push-up plate 251 is a drive member that is raised and lowered by a drive force from the elevating mechanism 254 via the elevating bar 255 that penetrates the partition plate 271. When the push-up plate 251 is raised and the operating piece 223 is pushed up, the holding pin 221 rotates around the rotation shaft 222 and the holding pin 221 moves toward the outer side in the radial direction of the rotating plate 21. Is released (FIG. 4).

  The cup 261 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the spin chuck 2, receives the cleaning liquid shaken off from the rotating wafer W, and discharges the cleaning liquid to the outside through the drain pipe 263. A cylindrical inner wall portion 262 is provided inside the cup 261 so as to surround a space below the rotating plate 21, and pushes up the rotating shaft 23 of the spin chuck 2 and the operating piece 223 of the chuck portion 22. The plate 251 and the like are accommodated in a space inside the inner wall portion 262.

  The cleaning member 41 is held at the distal end portion of the arm portion 42, and the base end portion of the arm portion 42 is supported by the rotation shaft 43. The rotation shaft 43 is configured to be rotatable around the vertical axis by the rotation drive unit 44, and the upper process of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2 is performed by rotating the arm unit 42 around the rotation axis 43. The cleaning member 41 can be moved between a position (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) and a retracted position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) retracted from above the wafer W. The rotary shaft 43 is provided with a lifting mechanism (not shown), and when moving between the processing position and the retracted position, the cleaning member 41 is temporarily raised and lowered so as not to collide with the cup 261. I try to let them.

  The cleaning member 41 is made of, for example, a substantially circular columnar sponge formed of a resin such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) or PP (polypropylene), or a nylon brush. In addition, a rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the cleaning member 41 around the vertical axis may be provided, and the cleaning process may be performed while rotating the cleaning member 41.

  The arm portion 42 that holds the cleaning member 41 is provided with a liquid flow path (not shown) that opens at a connection portion with the cleaning member 41. This liquid flow path is provided with a cleaning liquid supply provided with an on-off valve 32. The cleaning liquid supply source 33 is connected via a line 31. A cleaning liquid such as DIW (DeIonized Water) is stored in the cleaning liquid supply source 33, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the wafer W through the cleaning member 41. The cleaning liquid supply source 33, the cleaning liquid supply line 31, the liquid flow path in the arm part 42, and the opening of the liquid flow path in the cleaning member 41 constitute the liquid supply part of this example.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, on the lower side of the peripheral portion of the rotating plate 21, for example, three elevating members 54 made of a rod-like member extending in the vertical direction are mutually connected along the circumferential direction of the rotating plate 21. They are arranged at intervals. A support member 52 (substrate support portion) having an inclined surface for transferring the wafer W between the external transfer arm and the chuck portion 22 is provided at the upper end portion of each elevating member 54.

  The lower part of each elevating member 54 is connected to a common connecting plate 55 that is formed in, for example, an annular shape surrounding the rotation driving unit 24, and each supporting plate 55 is supported by moving the connecting plate 55 up and down by an elevating mechanism 56. The members 52 can be raised and lowered at the same distance at the same time. When retreating to the lower side of the rotating plate 21, the elevating member 54, the support member 52, and the fiber sensor 51 are accommodated in a space inside the inner wall portion 262 described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, notches 211 are provided in the peripheral portion of the rotary plate 21 corresponding to the positions where the elevating members 54 are arranged. The cutout portion 211 stops at a position where it is disposed on the upper side of the elevating member 54. Each elevating member 54 passes through the notch 211 and projects the support member 52 from the lower side to the upper side of the rotating plate 21 and moves the support member 52 to the position where the wafer W is transferred to and from the external transfer arm. It can be raised (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 2, the arrangement position of the elevating member 54 is set so as not to interfere with the arrangement position of the chuck portion 22.

  Further, a fiber sensor 51 for detecting the level of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2 is provided at the upper end of each elevating member 54. The fiber sensor 51 is used as a set of one provided with a light projecting unit 511 and one provided with a light receiving unit 512. For example, the light projecting unit 511 guides light incident from a light source (not shown) through an optical fiber, and projects light in the horizontal direction using the end face of the optical fiber as the light projecting unit 511. On the other hand, the light receiving unit 512 is an optical fiber connected to a light receiving unit (not shown) provided with a photoelectric conversion element, and the light projected from the light projecting unit 511 is incident on the tip surface of the optical fiber. The light receiving unit can detect the amount of light received via the light receiving unit 512 and output a signal indicating the amount of received light to the control unit 6 described later.

  According to the fiber sensor 51 described above, the wafer W blocks a part of the optical path 50 projected in different directions as shown in FIG. 3 according to the posture of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2. When the state changes, it can be detected as a change in the amount of received light in each light receiving unit 512. Of course, the light projecting unit 511 may be configured by a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and the light receiving unit 512 may be configured by a light receiving element such as a photodiode.

  The cleaning device 1 of the present example including the lifting member 54 provided with the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 described above is provided with a mechanism for preventing the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 from being contaminated by the cleaning liquid. Hereinafter, the configuration of the mechanism will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, on the lower side of the push-up plate 251 that operates the chuck portion 22, a partition plate that partitions the rotary plate 21 side and the lowered position (FIG. 1) of the elevating member 54 and the rotation drive unit 4. 271 (partition section) is provided. For example, the partition plate 271 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the periphery of the rotation shaft 23 of the spin chuck 2, and even if the cleaning liquid flows from the rotation plate 21 side or mist enters, the partition plate 271 uses the upper surface as a liquid receiving surface. Prevents the cleaning liquid from flowing downward. A drainage groove (not shown) for discharging the cleaning liquid that has flowed down on the partition plate 271 is provided at the peripheral edge on the upper surface side of the partition plate 271. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the partition plate 271 is fixed on the rotation drive unit 24 that rotates the rotary plate 21, but the partition plate 271 may be fixed to the floor surface of the cleaning apparatus 1 or the like.

  The partition plate 271 is provided with a passage port 272 for allowing the elevating members 54 to pass therethrough corresponding to the arrangement positions of the elevating members 54 (positions below the notches 211 shown in FIG. 2). . Protruding portions 273 for preventing the cleaning liquid that has flowed down on the partition plate 271 from entering the passage ports 272 are provided at the edge portions of the passage ports 272.

Further, the partition plate 271 includes a lid portion 282 that closes the passage port 272 in order to prevent the cleaning liquid from entering the passage port 272, and the lid portion 282 is provided when the elevating member 54 passes through the passage port 272. A drive mechanism for opening the passage opening 272 by interlocking is provided.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the lid 282 and its drive mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 6 (a) are side views of the lid 282 and the like, and FIGS. 5 (b) and 6 (b) are plan views of these viewed from the upper surface side.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the lid 282 is provided on the upper surface of the partition plate 271, and is held on the side peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotor 281 that is rotatable around a rotation shaft 284 that extends in the vertical direction. . As shown in FIG. 5B, the lid 282 is configured in a shape that can cover the entire passage 272 including the protruding portion 273 from the upper side when it moves above the passage 272. Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lid portion 282 does not generate particles due to contact with the protruding portion 273 when moving, and prevents the cleaning liquid from entering the passage port 272. It is disposed on the upper side of the protruding portion 273 through a sufficiently narrow gap of about several mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, on the upper surface of the lid portion 282, a position (the position shown in FIG. 5B) where the passage port 272 is closed by the lid portion 282 (a position where the passage port 272 is opened). An inclined surface that is lowered toward the position (position shown in FIG. 6B) is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, a guide groove 283 is engraved on the side surface of the rotor 281 in a spiral shape. On the other hand, the above-described partition plate 271 that performs the opening / closing operation of the chuck portion 22 is provided with a drive pin 252 that is disposed so as to protrude laterally toward the side peripheral surface of each rotor 281. The front end of the drive pin 252 protruding in the lateral direction is inserted into the guide groove 283 described above. Then, the force with which the tip of the drive pin 252 hits the upper or lower wall surface of the guide groove 283 in conjunction with the raising / lowering operation of the push-up plate 251 is converted into a force for rotating the rotor 281.

  As a result, when the drive pin 252 is moved up and down in the guide groove 283, the lid portion is between the position where the passage port 272 is closed (FIG. 5B) and the position where the passage port 272 is opened (FIG. 6B). 282 moves. From this point of view, the rotor 281 and the drive pin 252 constitute a cam mechanism, the rotor 281 that holds the lid 282 corresponds to a groove cam, and the raising / lowering operation of the drive member (push-up plate 251) is rotated. It corresponds to a conversion member to be converted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration is connected to a control unit 6 that performs overall control of the entire operation. The control unit 6 includes a computer having a CPU and a storage unit (not shown). The storage unit operates the cleaning device 1, that is, the transfer of the wafer W to the spin chuck 2, the lifting operation of the lifting member 54, and the fiber sensor 51. Records a program in which a group of steps (commands) for the operation of detecting the level of the wafer W by using the cleaning member 41 and the operation of supplying the cleaning liquid to the rotating wafer W is performed. . This program is stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnetic optical disk, or a memory card, and installed in the computer therefrom.

  The operation of the cleaning apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. The operation of the cleaning device 1 is controlled by the control unit 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit. When the external transfer arm has transferred the wafer W to be processed, the control unit 6 opens the shutter 12 and causes the transfer arm to enter the housing 10. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the push-up plate 251 pushes up the operating piece 223 of the chuck portion 22 and makes the holding pin 221 stand by at the release position. Further, as the push-up plate 251 moves upward, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotor 281 moves the lid 282 to a position where the passage opening 272 is opened, and each lifting member 54 passes through the passage opening 272. It can be done.

  When the transfer arm that has entered the housing 10 stops at the rising position above the rotating plate 21, the lifting mechanism 56 operates to raise the three lifting members 54 simultaneously. The arrangement position of the elevating member 54 is set at a position where it does not interfere with the transfer arm. When the support member 52 is lifted higher than the height position at which the transfer arm holds the wafer, the wafer W is moved from the transfer arm to the support member 52. Is delivered (FIG. 4). The transfer arm that has transferred the wafer W to the support member 52 is retracted from the inside of the housing 10, and then the shutter 12 is moved to close the loading / unloading port 11.

  The wafer W transferred to the support member 52 moves to the processing position of the wafer W by its own weight while being guided by the inclined surface. Since the base end portion of the elevating member 54 provided with the support member 52 is attached to the common connecting plate 55, the support member 52 is always arranged at the same height position. Accordingly, the wafer W guided by the three inclined surfaces gradually lowering from the radially outer side to the inner side of the rotating plate 21 is stabilized in a substantially horizontal posture and supported by the support member 52.

  When the wafer W is delivered to the support member 52, the control unit 6 lowers the support member 52 from the support member 52 to a position where the wafer W is delivered to the holding pins 221 of the chuck unit 22. The wafer W can be placed on the upper surface of the holding pins 221 waiting at the release position. When the control member 6 further lowers the support member 52, the wafer is transferred from the support member 52 to the holding pins 221. W is delivered. When the elevating member 54 is further lowered and the light projecting unit 511 and the light receiving unit 512 of the fiber sensor 51 are moved to the holding height of the wafer W by the holding pins 221, the holding posture of the wafer W such as the horizontal degree is detected.

  When the wafer W is held at an inclination from the allowable range, the control unit 6 raises the support member 52 again to lift the wafer W and then mounts it on the holding pins 221 or generates an alarm. To report. On the other hand, when the inclination of the wafer W is within the allowable range, the control unit 6 ends the detection of the holding state, and moves the entire lifting member 54 including the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 on the lower side of the partition plate 271. Lower to the lowered position (Fig. 1).

  When the elevating member 54 is lowered to the lowered position, the control unit 6 lowers the push-up plate 251 and moves the holding pins 221 from the release position to the wafer holding position. As a result, the wafer W is held by the three holding pins 221 so as to be sandwiched from the side, and is held by the spin chuck 2 with a gap between the upper surface of the rotating plate 21.

  In conjunction with the lowering operation of the push-up plate 251, the drive pin 252 inserted in the guide groove 283 of the rotor 281 moves downward to rotate the rotor 281. As a result, the lid portion 282 moves to the upper side of the passage port 272, and the passage port 272 is closed by the lid portion 282. At this time, as described above, an inclined surface that is lowered from the position side where the passage port 272 is closed toward the position side where the passage port 272 is opened is formed on the upper surface of the lid 282 (FIG. 6A) Even if the cleaning liquid adheres to the surface, the cleaning liquid is shaken off in the direction away from the passage opening 272 when the lid 282 moves toward the passage opening 272.

  When the controller 6 lowers the entire elevating member 54 to the lowered position, the controller 6 rotates the wafer W to a predetermined rotational speed, moves the cleaning member 41 to the center of the wafer W, and reaches a position where it contacts the upper surface of the wafer W. At the same time, the cleaning liquid is supplied and the cleaning process is started. Then, the cleaning member 41 is moved from the central portion side to the peripheral portion side of the wafer W while rotating the arm portion 42, and the entire surface of the wafer W is cleaned.

  The cleaning liquid supplied to the upper surface of the rotating wafer W flows on the upper surface of the wafer W from the central side toward the peripheral side by the action of centrifugal force, reaches the outer edge thereof, and substantially horizontally toward the cup 261. Shake off. At this time, the partition plate 271 is provided above the lifting member 54 including the fiber sensor 51 and the support member 52, the lifting mechanism 56 of the lifting member 54, and the rotation driving unit 24 of the chuck portion 22. Even if the cleaning liquid flows down to the lower side of the rotating plate 21 through the notch 211 or the like, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from adhering to these devices.

  Further, a projecting portion 273 is provided around a passage port 272 provided to allow the elevating member 54 to pass therethrough, and prevents the cleaning liquid that has flowed down to the partition plate 271 from entering, and the passage port 272 itself is also closed by the lid portion 282. It has been. Therefore, even if the splash of the cleaning liquid that has flowed down to the partition plate 271 floats as a mist, the mist hardly enters the passage port 272, and the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 are kept clean. It is.

  When the cleaning of the entire surface of the wafer W is completed, the control unit 6 raises the cleaning member 41 and moves it to the retracted position, while the rotating wafer W is rinsed with DIW or the like from a rinse nozzle (not shown). The liquid is supplied, and the top surface of the wafer W is rinsed. After performing the rinsing process for a predetermined time, the supply of the rinsing liquid is stopped, the rotational speed of the wafer W is increased, and spin drying is performed to shake off the rinsing liquid remaining on the upper surface of the wafer W. After completing the spin drying, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped.

  When the cleaning process for the wafer W is completed, the control unit 6 raises the push-up plate 251 to release the holding of the wafer W by the holding pins 221 and opens the passage opening 272. Thereafter, the support member 52 is raised, and the wafers W are sequentially transferred from the holding pins 221 to the support member 52 and from the support member 52 to the transfer arm that has entered the housing 10 in the reverse order from the loading. The wafer W carried out from the cleaning apparatus 1 is reversed by, for example, an external reversing apparatus, and then accommodated in a carrier with the back surface of the cleaned wafer W facing downward.

  The cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment has the following effects. The control unit 6 lowers the elevating member 54 to a lowering position on the lower side of the partition plate 271 disposed below the rotating plate 21 constituting the spin chuck 2 where the cleaning process is performed, and is provided on the partition plate 271. The passage 272 for allowing the elevating member 54 to pass is closed by the lid portion 282. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the treatment liquid from adhering to the elevating member 54 and the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 provided in the elevating member 54.

  In the present embodiment, the holding operation of the holding portion 22 and the opening / closing operation of the lid portion 282 are linked, but the relationship between the holding degree of the holding portion 22 and the opening / closing degree of the lid portion 282 is related to the guide groove of the rotor 281. It can be arbitrarily determined by changing the shape. Here, FIGS. 7A to 7C schematically show development views in which the side peripheral surface of the rotor 281 is developed in a plane. The spiral guide groove 283 provided on the side peripheral surface is not limited to the case where the inclination is constant as shown in FIG. For example, when the guide groove 283a in FIG. 7B is changed in the middle, the holding pin 221 is in the holding position when the lid 282 moves to a position immediately before the passage opening 272 starts to be covered. Compared to the force for holding the wafer W, for example, more than half of the force can be applied to the wafer W from the holding pins 221.

By detecting the holding posture of the wafer W by the fiber sensor 51 in this state, the posture detection can be performed under a condition close to the state after the wafer W is held by the holding pins 221. Then, after detecting the holding posture of the wafer W, when the fiber sensor 51 is retracted to the lower side of the partition plate 271 and the push-up plate 251 (drive pin 252) is further lowered, the wafer is placed on the holding pin 221 at the holding position. W is held and the passage opening 272 is closed by the lid 282.
The guide groove 283b shown in FIG. 7C guides the lid 282 not to start moving until a certain amount of force is applied to the wafer W from the holding pins 221 as in the example of FIG. 7B. This is an example in which a groove 283b is formed. As described above, by changing the guide groove 283b, the fiber sensor 51 is positioned above the upper surface of the partition plate 271 until the wafer W is held. Detection is possible.
In the above embodiment, the lid 282 closes the passage port 273 after the elevating member 54 is lowered to a predetermined lowering position (FIG. 1). However, the timing for closing the lid 282 is not limited to this, and the elevating member 54 only needs to be positioned below the upper surface of the partition plate 271. For example, there may be an operation such that the lid 282 starts to close the passage port 273 while the tip of the fiber sensor 51 passes through the passage port 273.

8 to 10 show examples of the drive mechanism of the lid 282 according to the second embodiment. Here, components having the same functions as those of the cleaning apparatus 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in these drawings (the same applies hereinafter).
As shown in FIG. 8, the lid portion 282 of this example is held on the side peripheral surface of the rotary spring 291 arranged to extend in the horizontal direction. The rotary spring 291 is rotatably supported by a support base 293 disposed on the partition plate 271 (not shown in FIG. 8), and the rotary spring 291 further moves the lid 282 in a direction to open the passage port 272. It is so energized. Further, the rotary spring 291 is provided with an operating piece 292 that is operated by a drive pin 252a provided on the push-up plate 251.

  When the push-up plate 251 is lowered when holding the wafer W by the holding pins 221, the operating piece 292 is pushed down by the driving pins 252 a, the rotating spring 291 is rotated, and the passage opening 272 is closed by the lid 282 ( FIG. 9). Here, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the distal end portion of the drive pin 252a of this example is extendable and biased in the direction in which the distal end portion extends. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, when the operating piece 292 moves to a position where it is upward, the tip of the drive pin 252a extends and the state where the operating piece 292 is locked can be maintained.

  The opening / closing operation of the lid 282 may not be interlocked with the operation of holding and releasing the wafer W by the holding pins 221 using the push-up plate 251. For example, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 11, a rotation motor 285 that rotates the rotation shaft 284 of the rotor 281 is provided on the lower surface side of the partition plate 271 as a drive mechanism for the lid 282.

  Furthermore, as shown in the fourth embodiment in FIGS. 12 and 13, a drive mechanism that opens and closes the lid 282 in conjunction with the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting and lowering member 54 may be provided. In this example, the base end portion of the lid portion 282 is supported by a winding spring 286 that is supported by the support base 288 and extends in the lateral direction. Similar to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the winding spring 286 is biased so as to move the lid 282 in the direction of opening the passage opening 272, and one end side of the wire 289 is connected. Yes. The wire 289 connected to the winding spring 286 is guided by pulleys 287 and 274 provided on the lid 282 and the partition plate 271, and the other end is connected to a hook ring 57 provided on the side wall of the elevating member 54. Has been.

  With such a configuration, when the elevating member 54 is lowered to the lowering position below the partition plate 271, the wire 289 wound around the winding spring 286 is pulled out, and the fully extended wire 289 is covered with the lid portion via the pulley 287. By lowering 282 downward, the lid 282 closes the passage opening 272 (FIG. 12). On the other hand, when the elevating member 54 is raised toward the ascending position, the wire 289 is wound around the take-up spring 286, and when the elevating member 54 is further raised, the force with which the wire 289 pulls the lid portion 282 weakens and passes. The lid 282 moves in the direction to open the mouth 272 (FIG. 13).

  Here, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, an example in which only the fiber sensor 51 is provided at the upper end portion of the elevating member 54 is shown. As described above, it is not essential to provide both the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 in the elevating member 54, and only one of them may be provided. Further, a mechanism other than the support member 52 and the fiber sensor 51 such as a CCD camera for observing the state of the upper surface of the wafer W may be provided on the elevating member 54.

  Further, the elevating member 54 is not limited to being disposed on the outer side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 2. For example, the lid portion 282 may be provided at a passage port through which lift pins that move up and down while holding the bottom surface of the wafer W are passed.

  In addition to the case of using a plate-like member like the partition plate 271, for example, the partition section is provided with a side wall extending downward from the peripheral edge of the partition plate 271, and the elevating member 54, the rotation drive unit 24, and the like. You may surround from the side and prevent the cleaning liquid mist from entering.

  In addition to these, the type of substrate processed by the liquid processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the example of a semiconductor wafer, and may be a glass substrate for FPD (Flat Panel Display). Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid processing apparatus that performs liquid processing by supplying a cleaning liquid without using the cleaning member 41 with the device formation surface facing the upper surface. Further, the mechanism and method of the liquid treatment are not limited, and for example, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus that does not have a rotation mechanism as long as it includes a partition unit having the same function as the above embodiment. It is.

W Wafer 1 Cleaning device 2 Spin chuck 21 Rotating plate 22 Chuck portion 221 Holding pin 23 Rotating shaft 251 Push-up plate 252 Driving pin 271 Partition plate 272 Passing port 273 Projecting portion 281 Rotor 282 Lid portion 283 Guide groove 51 Fiber sensor 52 Support member 54 Lifting member

Claims (6)

In a liquid processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate and performs liquid processing,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
A liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
An elevating member capable of moving up and down between a raised position above the substrate holding part and a lowered position below the substrate holding part;
A partition section that partitions the substrate holding section and the lowering position, and is provided with a passage port for the elevating member;
A lid that opens the passage opening when the elevating member is positioned above the partition, and closes the passage when the elevating member is positioned below the upper surface of the partition; Prepared ,
The substrate holding portion is provided so as to be rotatable about a base and a horizontal axis on the base, and the upper end portion is configured as a holding portion that presses a side peripheral portion of the substrate and operates below the rotation shaft. Comprising a mechanical chuck biased in a direction in which the holding portion presses the side peripheral portion of the substrate,
Pushing up the operating piece against the urging force of the holding part, providing a pushing member for releasing the holding of the substrate,
The lid is interlocked with the push-up member so that the lid is opened when the push-up member is placed at a position where the holding of the substrate is released, and is closed when the push-up member does not push up the operating piece. It is comprised in the liquid processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A groove cam provided on the upper surface of the partition portion so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction and having a guide groove formed along an outer peripheral surface thereof, and a tip portion thereof is inserted into the guide groove. An end portion connected to the push-up member, and a drive pin that converts the raising and lowering operation of the push-up member into a rotation operation of the groove cam,
The lid is provided on the side peripheral surface of the grooved cam, wherein a position for closing the passage opening, between the passage open mouth located in claim 1, characterized in that to move about the rotational axis Liquid processing equipment. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein an inclined surface is formed on the upper surface of the lid portion so as to become lower from a position side where the passage port is closed toward a position where the passage port is opened. The liquid processing according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a protrusion is provided around the passage opening to prevent the processing liquid that has flowed down on the upper surface of the partition portion from entering. apparatus. Wherein the lifting member supports the substrate from the lower surface side, one of claims 1, characterized in that the substrate supporting portion for receiving and transferring the substrates that are transported by the substrate holding portion is provided 4 from the outside The liquid processing apparatus as described in any one. Wherein the elevating member, the substrate liquid processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sensor for detecting the posture held by the substrate holding section is provided .

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