JP6344277B2 - Liquid processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid processing apparatus that performs liquid processing by supplying a processing liquid from a nozzle to the surface of a substrate.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a liquid processing apparatus that performs processing by supplying a processing liquid such as a resist liquid to the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), which is a substrate, includes a plurality of cups each having a substrate holding portion therein. There may be a case where the wafer is processed in parallel in each cup. The nozzle for supplying the processing liquid to the wafer is shared between the plurality of cups, and is configured to move between these cups by the transport mechanism.

  Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a processing liquid is supplied by transporting nozzles in a standby unit separated in the front-rear direction to substrates on a plurality of substrate holding units arranged in the left-right direction, One nozzle is selected and held by the rotating arm from the plurality of nozzles arranged in the standby unit, and is transported to a position on the substrate. Each nozzle is connected to a flexible pipe for supplying a processing liquid, and these pipes are arranged in the standby section so as to extend in the left-right direction at a height position near the upper end of the cup of the substrate holding section.

In this configuration, for example, about 10 nozzles are arranged side by side, so it is necessary to secure a large space in the front-rear direction of the liquid processing apparatus, and when the number of nozzles increases, there is a concern about an increase in the size of the liquid processing apparatus. Is done.
Further, since the pipe is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the cup in the standby portion, if the pipe moves flexibly along with the nozzle when moving the nozzle, it tends to come into contact (interference) with the adjacent pipe in the standby position. Since the contact between the pipes occurs every time the treatment is performed, the pipes may be worn and particles may be generated or the pipes may be broken when the pipes deteriorate.

JP 2014-241382 A

  The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid processing apparatus including cup modules arranged in a lateral direction and a nozzle for supplying a processing liquid that is commonly used for these cup modules. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing the enlargement of the apparatus.

Therefore, the liquid processing apparatus of the present invention is
In a liquid processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid from a nozzle to the surface of a substrate and performs liquid processing,
A holding table for holding the substrate horizontally and a cup provided so as to surround the substrate on the holding table; a left cup module and a right cup module arranged side by side;
On the left side of the left cup module, a first nozzle group consisting of a plurality of nozzles standing in a standby position side by side on each side,
A first liquid supply pipe group consisting of a plurality of flexible liquid supply pipes each connected at one end to the plurality of nozzles and arranged side by side in a lateral direction;
On the right side of the right cup module, a second nozzle group consisting of a plurality of nozzles standing in a waiting position side by side on each side;
A second liquid supply pipe group composed of a plurality of flexible liquid supply pipes each connected at one end to the plurality of nozzles of the second nozzle group and arranged side by side;
The nozzle selected from the first nozzle group is moved between a standby position and a processing position for discharging a processing liquid to a substrate on a holding base of the cup module selected from the left cup module and the right cup module, Further, the nozzle selected from the second nozzle group is moved between a standby position and a processing position for discharging the processing liquid to the substrate on the holding base of the cup module selected from the left cup module and the right cup module. A nozzle moving mechanism,
The first liquid supply pipe group is provided so as to be routed to the rear, further bent to the right side, and to extend rightward on the rear side of the left cup module,
The second liquid supply pipe group is provided so as to be routed to the rear, further bent to the left side, and extending toward the left on the rear side of the right cup module ,
The first liquid supply pipe group and the second liquid supply pipe group are configured such that a portion bent from the lower side to the upper side moves in accordance with the movement of the corresponding nozzle.
Both ends of the liquid supply pipe are fixed to an upper part and a lower part with the bent part interposed therebetween, and the supply pipe is made of a rigid material configured to be stretchable as the bent part moves. A member for maintaining the standing posture of the liquid pipe is provided .

  In the present invention, the left cup module and the right cup module are arranged side by side so that the first nozzle group stands by on the left side of the left cup module and the second nozzle group stands on the right side of the right cup module. I am letting. The first liquid supply pipe group connected to the first nozzle group is routed to the rear area of the left cup module, is further bent to the right side, and is provided to extend in the right direction. Further, the second liquid supply pipe group connected to the second nozzle group is provided so as to be routed to the rear region, further bent to the left side, and extended in the left direction. As described above, since the first liquid supply pipe group and the second liquid supply pipe group can be arranged in the left-right direction in the rear area, the first liquid supply pipe can be arranged in a small space in the area. The group and the second liquid supply pipe group can be arranged, and the enlargement of the apparatus can be suppressed by suppressing the expansion of the apparatus in the front-rear direction.

It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the coating device which concerns on one Embodiment of the liquid processing apparatus of this invention. It is a vertical side view which shows a coating device. It is a vertical side view which shows an example of the cup module provided in a coating device. It is a vertical side view which shows an example of the nozzle and nozzle holding part which are provided in a coating device. It is a vertical side view which shows an example of the standby part provided in a coating device. It is a vertical side view which shows an example of the control part provided in a coating device. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a coating device. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a coating device. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the other example of a coating device. It is a side view which shows the further another example of a coating device. It is a cross-sectional top view which shows the coating device which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional top view which shows a coating device. It is a side view which shows an example of the liquid supply pipe | tube provided in a coating device. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows an example of a liquid supply pipe | tube.

  A coating apparatus 1 which is an embodiment of a liquid processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a cross-sectional plan view and a longitudinal side view of the coating apparatus 1, respectively. The coating device 1 includes a casing 11, and a left cup module 201 and a right cup module 202 are provided in the casing 11 so as to be aligned with each other in the left-right direction. For convenience of explanation, the arrangement direction of the cup modules 201 and 202 is the left-right direction (X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is the front-rear direction (Y direction in FIG. 1). The back side is the front and the near side is the back.

The left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 are configured in the same manner. As shown in FIG. 3, the spin chuck 21 that is a holding table that horizontally holds the wafer W that is a substrate, and the wafer W on the spin chuck 21. And a cup 22 provided so as to surround.
The spin chuck 21 is configured to adsorb and hold the center of the back surface of the wafer W and to be rotatable about a vertical axis by a rotation driving unit 211. The cup 22 is provided to prevent the processing liquid, the waste liquid, and the like from being scattered outside when performing the liquid processing described later. The cup 22 is provided with an opening 20 for loading and unloading the wafer W on the upper side thereof, and the lower side of the cup 22 is formed in a concave shape to be configured as an annular liquid receiving portion 23. Is connected. In the figure, reference numeral 25 denotes an exhaust pipe, and gas and liquid are separated by a side wall of the exhaust pipe 25.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 26 denotes an inclined wall extending toward the upper inner side of the cup 22, and 27 denotes a guide member. The inclined wall 26 and the guide member 27 have a role of guiding the attached processing liquid or the like to the liquid receiving portion 23. . The cup 22 includes three pins (only two are shown in FIG. 3) 28 and an elevating part 29 for raising and lowering the pins 28. By the cooperative operation of the pins 28 and an external transport mechanism (not shown). Then, the wafer W is delivered to the spin chuck 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cups 22 of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 are provided on the base 13 via the support portion 12, for example. Two transfer ports 14 are formed on the side wall of the housing 11 to deliver the wafer W to the spin chucks 21 of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202, and each transfer port 14 can be opened and closed by a shutter 15. It is configured.

In the left region (hereinafter referred to as “left region”) 16 of the left cup module 201, a first nozzle group 301 is provided that is composed of a plurality of nozzles 3 that are arranged side by side at the standby position. In this example, the first nozzle group 301 includes five nozzles 3 (3A to 3E), and these nozzles 3 are configured in the same manner. FIG. 3 shows the nozzle 3A as a representative.
The nozzle 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The nozzle 3 includes a tip portion 31 and is configured to discharge a processing liquid vertically downward from a discharge port 32 provided in the tip portion 31. An upper side of the distal end portion 31 forms a main body portion 33 held by a nozzle moving mechanism 6 described later. Inside the main body portion 33, a flow path 331 for supplying a processing liquid to the distal end portion 31 is formed. Is formed. The distal end portion 31 and the main body portion 33 are configured to be harder than a liquid supply pipe 34 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the nozzles 3 </ b> A to 3 </ b> E of the first nozzle group 301 are configured to stand by at a first standby unit 401 that forms a standby position. The first standby unit 401 is provided, for example, fixed on the base 13, and thus the position of the first standby unit 401 is fixed with respect to the left cup module 201. As shown in FIG. 5, five standby holes 41 are arranged in the upper part of the first standby unit 401 at intervals in the left-right direction. The front end portions 31 of the nozzles 3A to 3E respectively enter the standby holes 41 so that the nozzles 3A to 3E are held.

  Thus, when the nozzles 3A to 3E are made to wait on the first standby unit 401, the main body unit 33 is positioned above the first standby unit 401 so that the nozzle moving mechanism 6 can receive the main body unit 33 as will be described later. It has become. Further, at the processing position (hereinafter referred to as “left processing position”) for supplying the processing liquid to the discharge ports 32 of the nozzles 3A to 3E waiting in the first standby section 401 and the wafer W on the spin chuck 21 of the left cup module 201. The wafer W is provided on the same line so as to be aligned in the left-right direction with respect to the approximate center of the wafer W. Accordingly, as will be described later, when the nozzles 3A to 3E are held by the nozzle moving mechanism 6 and horizontally moved in the right direction, the discharge ports 32 of the nozzles 3A to 3E are positioned above the left processing position.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description of the nozzle 3 will be continued. In the upper part of the main body 33 above the discharge port 32, a transport recess 35 having a circular planar shape is formed. A large number of engaging recesses 36 are provided along the circumference of the side wall of the transport recess 35. The first standby unit 401 is not shown except in FIGS.

One end side of the first liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E prepared for each nozzle is connected to each of the nozzles 3A to 3E constituting the first nozzle group 301, and these first liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E are connected. The 1st liquid supply pipe group 341 is constituted (refer to Drawing 1 and Drawing 2).
The first liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E are made of a flexible material such as a fluororesin, for example, and the main body 33 of each of the corresponding nozzles 3 </ b> A to 3 </ b> E waiting in the first standby unit 401, for example. From the rear side, one end is connected. Thus, when the nozzles 3A to 3E are made to wait on the first standby section 401, the plurality of first liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 are respectively in the left region 16. They are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 are routed to a rear area (hereinafter referred to as “rear area”) 17 of the left cup module 201. Further, it is further bent to the right and is provided so as to extend rearward of the left cup module 201 in the right direction, and is restricted by the first restricting portion 501. As will be described in detail later, the first restricting portion 501 is provided near the center of the arrangement of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 are configured such that the height position of the left region 16 of the left cup module 11 is higher than the rear region 17. Has been. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first liquid supply pipe group 341 in the rear region 17 is left at the height position in the vicinity of the base 13 from the first restricting portion 501. When the left side region 16 is reached, it rises in the height direction of the cup 22 and is arranged to extend forward at a height position near the upper end of the cup 22. 7 and 8 are for explaining the arrangement and movement of the liquid supply pipe 34. The first restricting portion 501, the first waiting portion 401, the second restricting portion 502 and the second waiting portion which will be described later are used. 402 and the nozzle moving mechanism 6 are not shown.

  Subsequently, returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the nozzle 3 and the liquid supply pipe 34 of the right cup module 202 will be described. In the right region (hereinafter referred to as “right region”) 18 of the right cup module 202, there is provided a second nozzle group 302 composed of a plurality of nozzles 3 standing in the left and right positions and waiting at the standby position. In this example, the second nozzle group 302 includes five nozzles 3F to 3J, and these nozzles 3F to 3J are configured in the same manner as the nozzles 3A to 3E of the first nozzle group 301.

  The nozzles 3F to 3J of the second nozzle group 302 are configured to stand by at a second standby unit 402 (see FIG. 2) that forms a standby position. The second standby unit 402 is configured in the same manner as the first standby unit 401, and is fixed on the base 13, for example, so that its position is fixed with respect to the right cup module 202. Then, at the processing position (hereinafter referred to as “right processing position”) for supplying the processing liquid to the discharge ports 32 of the nozzles 3F to 3J waiting on the second standby section 402 and the wafer W on the spin chuck 21 of the right cup module 202. The wafer W is provided on the same line so as to be aligned in the left-right direction with respect to the approximate center of the wafer W. Thus, as will be described later, when the nozzles 3F to 3J are held by the nozzle moving mechanism 6 and horizontally moved to the left, the discharge ports 32 of the nozzles 3F to 3J are positioned above the right processing position. Note that the second standby unit 402 is not shown except in FIG.

  One end side of the second liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J prepared for each nozzle is connected to each of the nozzles 3F to 3J constituting the second nozzle group 302. The second liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J are made of a flexible material like the first liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E. For example, the second liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J are provided on the respective main body parts 33 that wait on the second nozzle standby part 402. On the other hand, one end thereof is connected from the rear side. In this way, when the second standby unit 402 is waiting for the nozzles 3F to 3J, the plurality of second liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J constituting the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are arranged in the right region 18 respectively. They are arranged side by side in the direction.

Further, the liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J constituting the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are routed to the rear region 17 of the right cup module 202 and further bent to the left side so that the rear side of the right cup module 202 is directed leftward. It is provided so as to extend toward the front, and is restricted by the second restriction portion 502. The second restricting portion 502 is located near the center of the arrangement of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202, and is located on the right side of the first restricting portion 501.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> F to 34 </ b> J constituting the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are, for example, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 in the rear region 17. They are arranged on the same line so as to extend on the extension line. In “arranged on the same line”, a part of the liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J of the second liquid supply pipe group 342 is arranged on the extension line of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E of the first liquid supply pipe group 341. Including overlapping cases.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second liquid supply pipe group 342 is configured such that the height position of the right region 18 of the right cup module 11 is higher than the rear region 17. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> F to 34 </ b> J of the second liquid supply pipe group 342 in the rear region 17 are located near the base 13 from the second restriction portion 502. It is arranged to extend rightward at the height position, rises in the height direction of the cup 22 when reaching the right region 18, and is arranged to extend forward at a height position near the upper end of the cup 22. .

  The nozzle moving mechanism 6 moves the nozzles 3A to 3E selected from the first nozzle group 301 between the first standby unit 401 and the left processing position or the right processing position, and from the second nozzle group 302. The selected nozzles 3F to 3J are configured to move between the second standby unit 402 and the left processing position or the right processing position. The nozzle moving mechanism 6 includes a guide rail 61, a horizontal moving part 62, and a vertical moving part 63 as shown in FIG. The guide rail 61 is laid in a straight line along the left and right direction (X direction) on the rear side of the first and second liquid supply pipe groups 341 and 342 in the rear region 17. 61 is configured to be movable along the line 61. The vertical moving portion 63 is provided on the horizontal moving portion 62 so as to be movable up and down, and includes a holding member 64 extending horizontally to the front side. For convenience, the illustration of the nozzle moving mechanism 6 other than FIG. 1 is omitted.

  A nozzle holding portion 65 is provided on the front end side of the back surface of the holding member 64, and the nozzle holding portion 65 is configured as a circular protrusion. Referring to FIG. 4, a space 66 is provided inside the nozzle holding portion 65, and the side wall of the nozzle holding portion 65 can be protruded and retracted on the surface of the side wall according to the pressure of the space 66. Many joint protrusions 67 are provided in the circumferential direction. In FIG. 4, only two engagement protrusions 67 are displayed.

  In FIG. 4, 68 and 69 are a gas supply unit and an exhaust unit, respectively, which supply gas to the space 66 and exhaust from the space 66 in accordance with control signals from the control unit 100, thereby adjusting the pressure in the space 66. The engagement protrusion 67 is projected and retracted. The illustration of the gas supply unit 68 and the exhaust unit 69 other than those in FIG. 4 is omitted. In a state where the engaging protrusion 67 is submerged in the side wall surface of the nozzle holding part 65, the nozzle holding part 65 enters and retreats with respect to the conveyance concave part 35 of the nozzle 3. When the engagement protrusion 67 protrudes from the side wall surface of the nozzle holding portion 65 in a state where the nozzle holding portion 65 has entered the conveyance recessed portion 35, the engagement holding portion 65 engages with the engagement recessed portion 36. Accordingly, the holding member 64 can hold the nozzles 3A to 3J. Then, the selected nozzle 3 is held by moving the holding member 64 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by the horizontal moving unit 62 and the vertical moving unit 63, and the left processing position of the left cup module 201 and the right processing of the right cup module 202. The nozzle 3 is conveyed to the position.

  The first restricting portion 501 and the second restricting portion 502 are configured in the same manner, and by restricting the positions of the base end sides of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34F on the base 13, the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34F are already provided. Arranged as described. The first regulating unit 501 and the second regulating unit 502 connect the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J and the pipes 37A to 37J on the upstream side of the first and second regulating units 501 and 502, respectively, and adjust the temperature. It has a function to do.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows a part of the first restricting portion 501, and the first restricting portion 501 will be described as an example with reference to this figure. The first restricting portion 501 includes a restricting portion main body 51 fixed to the base 13, and processing liquid supply paths 52 </ b> A to 52 </ b> E are formed in the restricting portion main body 51 for the respective liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E. . FIG. 6 shows a processing liquid supply path 52A. The regulating body 51 is provided with a liquid supply pipe 34A so as to be connected to the downstream end of the processing liquid supply path 52A, and the upstream end of the processing liquid supply path 52. A pipe 37A is provided so as to be connected.

  The liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J in this example have a triple pipe structure, and inner flow paths 53A to 53J (53A only shown) which are flow paths for supplying a temperature control fluid are provided around the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J. And outer channels 54A to 54J (only 54A is shown), which are channels for discharging the temperature control fluid, are provided. In the restricting portion main body 51, channels 55A to 55J (only 55A is shown) and 56A to 56J (only 56A is shown) communicating with the inner channels 53A to 53J and the outer channels 54A to 54J, respectively, are formed. Temperature regulating fluid supply passages 57A to 57J (only 57A shown) are connected to the restricting portion main body 51 so as to communicate with the flow passages 55A to 55J, respectively, and the temperature is controlled so as to communicate with the flow passages 56A to 56J. The fluid conditioning discharge paths 58A to 58J (only 58A is shown) are connected to each other. The inner flow paths 53A to 53J and the outer flow paths 54A to 54J are connected at the tip of the nozzles 3A to 3J, and the temperature control fluid that reaches the tip of the nozzle via the inner flow paths 53A to 53J is outside. It is configured to return to the first and second regulating portions 501 and 502 via the flow paths 54A to 54J. The liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J do not necessarily have a triple pipe structure.

Processing liquid supply mechanisms 38A to 48J are connected to the upstream side of the first and second restricting portions 501 and 502, as shown in FIG. 5 by taking the first restricting portion 501 as an example. Except for FIG. 5, illustration of the pipes 37 </ b> A to 37 </ b> J upstream of the first and second restricting portions 501 and 502 is omitted.
In this way, by connecting the base end sides of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J to the first and second restricting portions 501 and 502, respectively, the positions of the base end sides of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J are on the base 13. Be regulated. Moreover, since the position of the front end side of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J is regulated by the first and second standby portions 401 and 402 via the nozzles 3A to 3J, respectively, when the nozzles 3A to 3J are in the standby position, The liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J are always arranged as described above.

  The processing liquid supply mechanisms 38A to 38J include a processing liquid storage unit, a pump for pumping the processing liquid downstream, a mass flow controller for controlling the flow rate of the processing liquid to be pumped, a valve, and the like. In accordance with a control signal output from the control unit 100 described later, supply / disconnection of the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply mechanisms 38A to 38J to the nozzles 3A to 3J is controlled independently of each other. In eight of these processing liquid supply mechanisms 38A to 38J, for example, the storage portions of the processing liquid supply mechanisms 38A to 38E and 38H to 38J, different types of resist solutions are stored, and the nozzles 3A to 3E and 3H are stored. -3J supplies different resist solutions to the wafer W. Further, for example, thinner and pure water are stored in the storage portions of the treatment liquid supply mechanisms 38F and 38G, respectively, and these are discharged through the nozzles 3F and 3G. The thinner and pure water are so-called prewetting processing solutions that are supplied to the wafer W in order to increase the wettability of the resist solution on the wafer W before the resist solution is supplied to the wafer W. Any of the water is supplied to the wafer W.

  1, 2, 7, and 8 is a film removal nozzle 39 that discharges thinner onto the peripheral portion of the wafer W on which the resist film is formed and removes the resist film on the peripheral portion. The cup modules 201 and 202 are provided. Reference numeral 391 denotes an arm, which supports the film removal nozzle 39 at its tip. Reference numeral 392 denotes a rotating unit that is provided at the base of the arm 391 and rotates the arm 391 about the vertical axis. The film removal nozzle 39 is retracted to the outside of the cup 22 except when the thinner liquid is discharged.

  The coating apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit 100 including a computer. The control unit 100 includes a program storage unit (not shown). In this program storage unit, a program made of software, for example, in which an instruction is set so that a coating process described in the operation described later is performed is stored. . By reading this program to the control unit 100, the control unit 100 outputs a control signal to each unit of the coating apparatus 1. As a result, operations such as transfer of the wafer W between the external transfer mechanism and the spin chuck 21 by the pins 28, transfer of the nozzles 3A to 3J, discharge of the resist solution, thinner solution, and pure water are performed. As described above, the resist coating process can be performed on the wafer W. This program is stored in the program storage unit while being stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnetic optical disk, or a memory card.

  Subsequently, a coating process performed in the coating apparatus 1 will be described. In the coating apparatus 1, for example, the processes are sequentially performed from the wafer W that has been transferred to the cup 22 first. Further, the user of the coating apparatus 1 sets which nozzle to perform processing of, for example, the nozzles 3A to 3E and 3H to 3J for each lot of the wafer W via an operation unit (not shown) provided in the control unit 100. And whether to perform pre-wetting with thinner liquid or pure water can be set.

  For example, a case where the wafer W is transferred in the order of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202, resist coating processing is performed in this order, and pre-wetting is performed using a thinner solution will be described as an example. First, the transfer port 14 is opened, and the wafer W is delivered to the spin chuck 21 of the left cup module 201 by the cooperative operation of the external transfer mechanism and the raising and lowering of the pins 28. Close. Next, the transfer mechanism transfers the next wafer W of the lot to the right cup module 202.

  On the other hand, thinner liquid is supplied to the wafer W of the left cup module 201 from the nozzle 3F. At this time, as described above, the nozzle holding unit 65 holds the main body 33 of the nozzle 3F in the second standby unit 402, whereby the nozzle 3F is selected by the nozzle moving mechanism 6 and moved to the left processing position. The At this time, the liquid supply pipe 34 </ b> F routed along with the movement of the nozzle 3 </ b> F is higher than the height position of the second liquid supply pipe group 342 when the nozzle 3 </ b> F is placed on the second standby unit 402. Move through position. That is, the main body 33 is held and lifted by the nozzle moving mechanism 6, passes through the region on the upper side of the right cup module 202, moves to the upper side of the left processing position, and then descends to a predetermined height position. Accordingly, when the nozzle 3F moves to the left processing position, as shown in FIG. 7, the liquid supply pipe 34F extends to the right side from the second restricting portion 502 and is further bent upward and drawn to the left. Become.

  Thus, the thinner is supplied to the wafer W from the nozzle 3F located at the left processing position, and the wafer W is rotated to spread the thinner on the peripheral edge of the wafer W by centrifugal force. Thereafter, the nozzle 3F is transported to the second standby unit 402 by the nozzle moving mechanism 6, and then the nozzle moving mechanism 6 moves to the first standby unit 401 to select and hold the nozzle 3A, and the nozzle 3A is left processed. Transport to position.

The liquid supply pipe 34 </ b> A routed along with the movement of the nozzle 3 </ b> A is higher than the height position of the first liquid supply pipe group 341 when the nozzle 3 </ b> A is placed in the first standby unit 401. Move through. That is, the main body 33 is held and lifted by the nozzle moving mechanism 6, passes through the region on the upper side of the left cup module 201, moves to the upper side of the left processing position, and then descends to a predetermined height position. Therefore, when the nozzle 3A moves to the left processing position, the liquid supply pipe 34A extends from the first restricting portion 501 to the left, is further bent upward, and is drawn to the right.
In this way, by rotating the wafer W while discharging the resist solution from the nozzle 3A located at the left processing position to the wafer W, the resist solution is spread over the peripheral edge of the wafer W by centrifugal force to form a resist film.

  Also for the wafer W of the right cup module 202, first, the nozzle moving mechanism 6 holds the nozzle 3F in the second standby unit 402 and conveys it to the right processing position, and discharges the thinner liquid onto the wafer W to obtain the thinner liquid. The liquid film is formed (see FIG. 8). Then, after the nozzle 3F is transported to the second standby unit 402 by the nozzle moving mechanism 6, the nozzle 3A in the first standby unit 401 is held and moved to the right processing position, and the resist solution is discharged onto the wafer W. To form a resist film.

  Here, the nozzles 3A and 3F have been described as an example. However, the nozzles 3A to 3E selected and held from the first nozzle group 301 by the nozzle moving mechanism 6 are connected to the first standby unit 401 and the left processing position or Moved to and from the right processing position. The nozzles 3F to 3J selected from the second nozzle group 302 are moved between the second standby unit 402 and the left processing position or the right processing position. At this time, the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E drawn along with the movement of the nozzles 3A to 3E of the first nozzle group 301 are the first when the nozzles 3A to 3E are placed on the first standby unit 401. It is configured to pass through a position higher than the height position of one liquid supply pipe group 341. When the nozzles 3A to 3E of the first nozzle group 301 move to the left processing position and the right processing position, they extend from the first restricting portion 501 to the left, bend further upward, and are drawn to the right. become.

  The liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J that move in accordance with the movement of the nozzles 3F to 3J of the second nozzle group 302 are the second liquid supply when the nozzles 3F to 3J are placed in the second standby unit 402. It is configured to pass through a position higher than the height position of the tube group 342. When the nozzles 3F to 3J of the second nozzle group 302 move to the left processing position and the right processing position, they extend to the right side from the second restricting portion 502, and are bent upward and drawn in the left direction. become.

  Thinner is supplied from the film removal nozzle 39 to the peripheral portions of the wafers W of the cup modules 201 and 202 on which the resist films are thus formed, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the resist solution was supplied. The resist film is removed. The rotation of the wafer W from which the peripheral edge resist film has been removed is stopped and carried out of the coating apparatus 1 by the transport mechanism.

  In this example, the thinner 3F is supplied to the wafer W of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 by the nozzle 3F, and then the resist liquid is transferred to the wafer W of the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 by switching to the nozzle 3A. You may supply. Further, after supplying the thinner liquid to the wafer W of the left cup module 201 by the nozzle 3F, the resist liquid is supplied to the wafer W of the left cup module 201 by switching to the nozzle 3A. Next, the nozzle 3F may be changed to the nozzle 3F again to supply the thinner liquid to the wafer W of the right cup module 202, and then the nozzle 3A may be changed to supply the resist liquid to the wafer W of the right cup module 202. In the above example, the pre-wet nozzles for supplying the thinner and cleaning liquids are provided in the second nozzle group 302, but these pre-wet nozzles are not limited to the first nozzle group 301 and the second nozzle group 302. It may be provided separately.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 are arranged side by side with each other, the first nozzle group 301 is made to wait on the left side of the left cup module 201, and the right cup module 202 The second nozzle group 302 is waiting on the right side. The first liquid supply pipe group 341 connected to the first nozzle group 301 is provided so as to be routed to the rear region 17 and further bent to the right side so as to extend the rear region 17 in the right direction. The second liquid supply pipe group 342 connected to the second nozzle group 302 is provided so as to be routed to the rear region 17 and further bent to the left side so as to extend the rear region 17 leftward. Therefore, since the first liquid supply pipe group 341 and the second liquid supply pipe group 342 can be arranged separately in the left-right direction in the rear area 17, each of the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A˜ 34E and 34F-34J can be arrange | positioned, the enlargement of the front-back direction of the apparatus 1 can be suppressed, and the enlargement of the apparatus 1 can be suppressed.

  In addition, as described above, the liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J constituting the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are arranged on the extension line of the liquid supply pipes 34A to 34E constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 in the rear region 17. By arranging on the same line so as to extend, the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> J can be arranged in a smaller space in the rear region 17.

  Further, in the rear region 17, the height positions of the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> E of the first liquid supply pipe group 341 and the liquid supply pipes 34 </ b> F to 34 </ b> J of the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are set near the base 13. Yes. When moving the nozzles 3A to 3E, for example, 3A, of the first nozzle group 301, the liquid supply pipe 34A of the nozzle 3A extends to the left from the first restricting portion 501, and is further bent upward and pulled rightward. It becomes a state to be turned. For this reason, when the nozzle 3A is moved, only the liquid supply pipe 34A of the nozzle A is drawn at a high position in the rear region 17, which is higher than the liquid supply pipes 34B to 34J of the other nozzles 3B to 3J. Move in different areas. Thereby, interference with the liquid supply pipe 34B of the slur 3B adjacent to the liquid supply pipe 34A drawn along with the nozzle 3A is suppressed.

  Similarly, when moving the nozzles 3F to 3J of the second nozzle group 302, the liquid supply pipes 34F to 34J of the nozzles 3F to 3J extend to the right side from the second restricting portion 502, and are bent further upward to the left. It is the same because it is drawn in the direction. Further, since the positions of the first liquid supply pipe group 341 and the second liquid supply pipe group 342 are restricted by the first restriction part 501 and the second restriction part 502 in the rear region 17, the nozzle 3A. When .about.34J is in the standby position, the positions of the flexible liquid supply pipes 34A to 34J are restricted, and the arrangement state can be maintained. Further, the movement of the liquid supply pipe 34A of the nozzle 3A accompanying the movement of the nozzles 3A to 3J, for example, 3A is limited. Further, even when the flexible nozzle 3A moves, it moves flexibly, and even if there is an influence of vibration or the like on the liquid supply pipes 34B to 34J of the other nozzles 3B to 3J, the supply of the adjacent nozzle 3B is performed. It is also possible to prevent the liquid pipe 34B from moving and coming into contact with each other.

  Here, when the first nozzle group 301 and the second nozzle group 302 are arranged between the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202, as shown in FIG. The liquid pipe 34 collides with the liquid supply pipe 34 of another nozzle 3. Specifically, in the configuration of FIG. 9, in order to reduce the space in the front-rear direction of the rear region 17, the liquid supply pipe 34 constituting the first liquid supply pipe group 341 is in the vicinity of the left end of the left cup module 202. To the right at the height position near the base 13, then bend up in the region between the left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202, and further forward at the height position near the upper end of the cup 22. Are arranged as follows. On the other hand, the liquid supply pipes 34F to 34 constituting the second liquid supply pipe group 342 extend from the vicinity of the right end of the right cup module 202 to the left at the height position near the base 13, and then the left cup module 201 and the right cup. It is arranged to bend upward in the region between the modules 202 and extend forward at a height position near the upper end of the cup 22.

  In such a configuration, for example, when the nozzle 3 of the first nozzle group 301 is moved to the left processing position of the left cup module 201, or the nozzle 3 of the second nozzle group 302 is moved to the right processing position of the right cup module 202. In the case of movement, interference with the liquid supply pipe 34 of the other nozzle 3 can be suppressed. However, when the nozzle 3 of the first nozzle group 301 is moved to the right processing position, even if the nozzle 3 is lifted above the other nozzles 3 at the standby position (position shown in FIG. 9), the supply at the standby position is not performed. Since the liquid pipe 34 is near the upper end of the cup 22, the liquid supply pipe 34 of the moving nozzle 3 interferes with the liquid supply pipes 34 of the other nozzles 3.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the nozzle 3 moves, interference (contact) between the liquid supply pipe drawn along with the nozzle 3 and the liquid supply pipes of other nozzles at the standby position is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent generation of particles caused by wear of the liquid supply pipes due to repeated contact between the liquid supply pipes, and a decrease in life due to progress of deterioration of the liquid supply pipes.

  As described above, in the above example, as shown in FIG. 10, the height position of the liquid supply pipe 34 in the rear region 17 and the height of the first and second liquid supply pipe groups 341 and 342 in the left region 16 and the right region 18. You may make it arrange | position by aligning the position. In this case, the height position at the time of movement of the liquid supply pipe 34 drawn along with the nozzle 3 when the nozzle 3 moves and the height position of the liquid supply pipe 34 of the other nozzle 3 in the rear region 17 Is close. For this reason, when the nozzle 3 is moved, it easily interferes with the liquid supply pipe 34 of the nozzle 3 and the other liquid supply pipes 34 in the rear area 17, but the space in the front-rear direction of the rear area 17 can be reduced. This is because the size can be increased.

  Next, another embodiment that suppresses interference between a liquid supply pipe that moves with the nozzle and a liquid supply pipe of an adjacent nozzle when the nozzle moves will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are configuration examples of the coating apparatus 101 of this embodiment, and the following description will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment. The left cup module 201 and the right cup module 202 are configured in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and a standby position of a nozzle group 71 including a plurality of, for example, ten nozzles 3 is set in the rear region 17. The nozzle 3 is configured in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and one end side of the liquid supply pipe 81 is connected to the main body portion 33 of the nozzle, and the liquid supply pipe 81 extends rightward in the rear region 17 and the right cup module. It is configured to be bent downward around the center of 202.

  The nozzle moving mechanism 9 includes a guide rail 91 laid so as to extend in the left-right direction (X direction), and a moving portion 92 provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction along the guide rail 91 and freely movable up and down. ing. A rotating arm 94 configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis is attached to the moving portion 92 via a support member 93, and a nozzle holding portion 65 (not shown) is provided on the back surface of the rotating arm 94. . Thus, the nozzle 3 in the standby position is selected and held by the nozzle moving mechanism 9 and is transported to the left processing position of the left cup module 201 or the right processing position of the right cup module 202.

FIG. 13A is a side view of the liquid supply pipe 81 when in the standby position as viewed from the back side of the rear region 17. In this way, each liquid supply pipe 81 includes a portion 82 (hereinafter referred to as a “bent portion”) that is bent from the lower side to the upper side when viewed from the side, and the bent portion 82 is moved along with the movement of the corresponding nozzle 3. Is configured to move.
All the liquid supply pipes 81 are provided such that the upstream liquid supply pipe 81 and the downstream liquid supply pipe 81 overlap each other in the vertical direction, and the liquid supply pipe 81 is bent as shown in FIG. It is provided in the inside of the bendable tubular member 83 from the downstream side to the upstream side of 82. The tubular member 83 has a square cross section, for example, and is made of stainless steel, for example.

  In the liquid supply pipe 81, both end portions of the expansion / contraction member 84 are fixed to an upper part and a lower part with the bent part 82 interposed therebetween. The expandable member 84 is made of a rigid material such as stainless steel that can be expanded and contracted with the movement of the bent portion 82, and is a member for maintaining the standing posture of the liquid supply pipe 81. For example, the telescopic member 84 includes a rail member 841 and a moving member 842 that moves along the rail member 841. In this example, a first hinge member 85 is provided on the upper surface of the tubular member 83 located below with the bent portion 82 interposed therebetween, via a fixing portion 851, and located above the bent portion 82. A second hinge member 86 is provided on the lower surface side of the tubular member 83 via a connecting member 861 at a portion immediately downstream of the tubular member 83. Both end portions of the elastic member 84 are fixed to the first hinge member 85 and the second hinge member 86, respectively. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  13A is a standby position, FIGS. 11 and 13B are positions where the nozzle 3 is moved to the left processing position of the left cup module 201, and FIGS. 12 and 13C are right cup modules 202. Each of the liquid supply pipes 81 at the position to move the nozzle 3 to the right processing position is shown. When the nozzle 3 is moved from the standby position to the left processing position and the right processing position in this way, the bent portion 82 moves and its position and shape change. With this movement, the first hinge member 85 and Each opening degree of the second hinge member 86 and the length of the elastic member 84 are automatically changed. For this reason, even if the nozzle 3 moves, the position of the liquid supply pipe 81 in the front-rear direction (Y direction) is always regulated, so that the standing position of the liquid supply pipe 81 is maintained, and the upper liquid supply pipe 81 and the lower side A state in which the liquid supply pipe 82 on the side overlaps with each other in the vertical direction is maintained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13A, the standing posture of the liquid supply pipe 81 is maintained by the expansion / contraction member 84 with respect to the nozzle 3 in the standby position. Therefore, when moving a certain nozzle 3, even if there is an influence such as vibration caused by the movement of the liquid supply pipe 81 drawn along with the nozzle 3, the nozzle 3 in the standby position Since the standing posture of the liquid supply pipe 81 is maintained, interference between the liquid supply pipes 81 of the nozzle 3 is suppressed.

  In the above, the expansion / contraction member 84 may be provided so as to fix both ends thereof directly to the liquid supply pipe 81. Moreover, you may make it apply the structure which maintains the standing posture of the liquid supply pipe | tube 34 by this expansion-contraction member 84 to the coating device 1 shown in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the first liquid supply pipe group 341 and the second liquid supply pipe group 342 arranged in the left-right direction in the rear region 17 are provided so as to bend from the lower side to the upper side, and the tubular member 83 is provided in the liquid supply pipe 34. Provide. Then, both ends of the elastic member 84 are provided so as to be fixed to the upper part and the lower part, respectively, with the bent part 82 interposed therebetween.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the liquid supply pipe 34 includes the bent portion 82 that bends from the lower side to the upper side, the upper liquid supply pipe 34 is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the cup 22. Therefore, as described above, when the nozzle 3 moves, the liquid supply pipe 34 of the nozzle 3 is likely to interfere with the liquid supply pipes 34 of other nozzles 3 in the standby position. Therefore, by providing the expansion / contraction member 84 and maintaining the standing posture of the liquid supply pipe 34, interference between the liquid supply pipe 34 drawn along with the nozzle 3 and the other liquid supply pipes 81 when the nozzle 3 moves is prevented. It is effective to suppress.

  In each of the above examples, two cup modules are provided in the apparatus, but two or more even numbers, for example, four may be provided. Further, the number of nozzles constituting the first nozzle group and the second nozzle group may be different from each other. Furthermore, the processing solution supplied to the wafer W is not limited to a resist solution, and may be, for example, a chemical solution for forming an antireflection film, a chemical solution for forming an insulating film, or a developing solution.

W Wafer 1 Coating Device 100 Control Unit 201 Left Cup Module 202 Right Cup Module 21 Spin Chuck 22 Cup 3 Nozzle 301 First Nozzle Group 302 Second Nozzle Group 34 Supply Pipe 341 First Supply Pipe Group 342 Second Liquid supply tube group 401 first standby unit 402 second standby unit 6 nozzle moving mechanism

Claims (1)

In a liquid processing apparatus that supplies a processing liquid from a nozzle to the surface of a substrate and performs liquid processing,
A holding table for holding the substrate horizontally and a cup provided so as to surround the substrate on the holding table; a left cup module and a right cup module arranged side by side;
On the left side of the left cup module, a first nozzle group consisting of a plurality of nozzles standing in a standby position side by side on each side,
A first liquid supply pipe group consisting of a plurality of flexible liquid supply pipes each connected at one end to the plurality of nozzles and arranged side by side in a lateral direction;
On the right side of the right cup module, a second nozzle group consisting of a plurality of nozzles standing in a waiting position side by side on each side;
A second liquid supply pipe group composed of a plurality of flexible liquid supply pipes each connected at one end to the plurality of nozzles of the second nozzle group and arranged side by side;
The nozzle selected from the first nozzle group is moved between a standby position and a processing position for discharging a processing liquid to a substrate on a holding base of the cup module selected from the left cup module and the right cup module, Further, the nozzle selected from the second nozzle group is moved between a standby position and a processing position for discharging the processing liquid to the substrate on the holding base of the cup module selected from the left cup module and the right cup module. A nozzle moving mechanism,
The first liquid supply pipe group is provided so as to be routed to the rear, further bent to the right side, and to extend rightward on the rear side of the left cup module,
The second liquid supply pipe group is provided so as to be routed to the rear, further bent to the left side, and extending toward the left on the rear side of the right cup module ,
The first liquid supply pipe group and the second liquid supply pipe group are configured such that a portion bent from the lower side to the upper side moves in accordance with the movement of the corresponding nozzle.
Both ends of the liquid supply pipe are fixed to an upper part and a lower part with the bent part interposed therebetween, and the supply pipe is made of a rigid material configured to be stretchable as the bent part moves. A liquid processing apparatus comprising a member for maintaining a standing posture of a liquid pipe .

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