JP6491908B2 - Substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method for scrub cleaning a substrate with a roll cleaning tool while supplying a cleaning liquid (for example, chemical solution or pure water) to a substrate such as a wafer. The present invention also relates to a substrate processing apparatus provided with such a substrate cleaning apparatus.

  In recent years, scrub cleaning has been widely used in semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, particularly chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus cleaning apparatuses, which have the advantage that particles such as abrasive particles contained in polishing waste and polishing liquid can be efficiently dropped. Yes. In scrub cleaning, substrate cleaning with a roll cleaning tool having advantages such as not damaging the substrate, absorbing dirt such as polishing liquid, and having a high scraping effect is widely used.

  Cleaning of the substrate using the roll cleaning tool is performed by rotating the substrate and sliding the roll cleaning tool against the substrate while supplying a cleaning liquid (for example, chemical or pure water) to the substrate. As described above, the roll cleaning tool is brought into sliding contact with the surface of the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid, thereby removing particles such as polishing dust and abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid from the surface of the substrate. The particles removed from the substrate are adsorbed or accumulated in the roll cleaning tool or discharged from the substrate together with the cleaning liquid.

JP 2002-96037 A

  However, particles once accumulated in the roll cleaning tool may separate from the roll cleaning tool and reattach to the surface of the substrate during scrub cleaning of the substrate, thereby causing so-called back contamination. Furthermore, particles once separated from the substrate surface by the roll cleaning tool may reattach to the substrate surface before being discharged from the substrate together with the cleaning liquid.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus and a substrate cleaning method that can prevent back-contamination of a substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus provided with such a substrate cleaning apparatus.

One aspect of the present invention, for cleaning a substrate holding mechanism, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution based on plate held by the substrate holding mechanism, the substrate by sliding contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning solution And a suction system that is connected to the roll cleaning tool and sucks the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate. Is a substrate cleaning apparatus comprising: a cleaning liquid suction pipe connected to the roll cleaning tool; and a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention, the suction system is characterized in that it has a suction valve provided in front Symbol cleaning liquid suction pipe further.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a control unit that controls an operation of the suction valve, and the control unit is configured to perform the suction while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate. The valve is maintained in an open state.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the roll cleaning tool includes a shaft and a sponge member that covers an outer surface of the shaft, and the shaft is provided on a main flow path extending inside the shaft, and on an outer surface of the shaft. It has a plurality of openings and a plurality of branch channels which make the main channel and the plurality of openings communicate, and the cleaning fluid suction piping is connected to the main channel.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the substrate cleaning apparatus further includes an inner rinse liquid supply line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe, and a connection point between the cleaning liquid suction pipe and the inner rinse liquid supply line is the suction valve. And the roll cleaning tool.

In another aspect of the present invention, while supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle to the substrate, the roll cleaning tool is slidably brought into contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid, and the substrate is cleaned. While cleaning the substrate, the cleaning liquid is sucked from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool by the suction system connected to the roll cleaning tool, and the suction system is connected to the roll cleaning tool. And a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe .

Yet another aspect of the present invention comprises a polishing unit for polishing a substrate, and a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate which has been polished by the polishing unit, the substrate cleaning apparatus includes a base plate holding mechanism, the substrate a cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the holding mechanism, and the roll cleaning device for cleaning the substrate by sliding contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning solution, connected to the roll cleaning device, wherein A suction system for sucking the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate, and the suction system includes a cleaning liquid suction pipe connected to the roll cleaning tool; And a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe .
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the suction system further includes a suction valve provided in the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

  According to the present invention, particles such as polishing scraps and abrasive grains removed from the surface of the substrate by the roll cleaning tool are immediately removed from the substrate together with the cleaning liquid through the roll cleaning tool. Since the suction force is generated in the roll cleaning tool during the cleaning of the substrate, the particles accumulated in the roll cleaning tool are difficult to separate from the roll cleaning tool. Moreover, the particles once removed from the substrate are sucked together with the cleaning liquid before being reattached to the surface of the substrate and are taken into the roll cleaning tool. Therefore, back contamination of the substrate can be prevented.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the roll cleaning tool shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows a washing | cleaning standby state. It is a figure which shows a scrub cleaning state. It is a figure which shows a drain state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of the board | substrate cleaning apparatus shown by FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating other embodiment of a board | substrate washing | cleaning apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the rinse tank for performing the self-cleaning of a roll cleaning tool in a standby position.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus includes a substantially rectangular housing 1, and the interior of the housing 1 is divided into a load / unload unit 2, a polishing unit 3, and a cleaning unit 4 by partition walls 1a and 1b. Has been. The load / unload unit 2, the polishing unit 3, and the cleaning unit 4 are assembled independently and exhausted independently. The substrate processing apparatus also includes a control unit 5 that controls the substrate processing operation.

  The load / unload unit 2 includes two or more (four in this embodiment) front load units 20 on which wafer cassettes for stocking a large number of wafers (substrates) are placed. These front load portions 20 are arranged adjacent to the housing 1 and are arranged along the width direction (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) of the substrate processing apparatus. The front load unit 20 can be equipped with an open cassette, a SMIF (Standard Manufacturing Interface) pod, or a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod). Here, SMIF and FOUP are sealed containers that can maintain an environment independent of the external space by accommodating a wafer cassette inside and covering with a partition wall.

  Further, a traveling mechanism 21 is laid along the front load unit 20 in the load / unload unit 2, and a transfer robot (loader) that can move along the arrangement direction of the wafer cassette on the traveling mechanism 21. 22 is installed. The transfer robot 22 can access the wafer cassette mounted on the front load unit 20 by moving on the traveling mechanism 21. The transfer robot 22 has two hands on the upper and lower sides. The upper hand is used when returning the processed wafer to the wafer cassette, and the lower hand is used when taking out the wafer before processing from the wafer cassette. The upper and lower hands can be used properly. Furthermore, the lower hand of the transfer robot 22 is configured to be able to reverse the wafer by rotating around its axis.

  Since the load / unload unit 2 is an area where it is necessary to maintain the cleanest state, the pressure inside the load / unload unit 2 is higher than any of the outside of the substrate processing apparatus, the polishing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4. Is always maintained. The polishing unit 3 is the most dirty region because slurry is used as the polishing liquid. Therefore, a negative pressure is formed inside the polishing unit 3, and the pressure is maintained lower than the internal pressure of the cleaning unit 4. The load / unload unit 2 is provided with a filter fan unit (not shown) having a clean air filter such as a HEPA filter, a ULPA filter, or a chemical filter. From the filter fan unit, particles, toxic vapor, Clean air from which toxic gases have been removed is constantly blowing out.

  The polishing unit 3 is a region where the wafer is polished (flattened), and includes a first polishing unit 3A, a second polishing unit 3B, a third polishing unit 3C, and a fourth polishing unit 3D. The first polishing unit 3A, the second polishing unit 3B, the third polishing unit 3C, and the fourth polishing unit 3D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate processing apparatus as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first polishing unit 3A includes a polishing table 30A to which a polishing pad 10 having a polishing surface is attached, and polishing while holding the wafer and pressing the wafer against the polishing pad 10 on the polishing table 30A. A top ring 31A for polishing, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32A for supplying a polishing liquid or a dressing liquid (for example, pure water) to the polishing pad 10, and a dresser 33A for dressing the polishing surface of the polishing pad 10. And an atomizer 34A for spraying a mixed fluid of liquid (for example, pure water) and gas (for example, nitrogen gas) or a liquid (for example, pure water) to the polishing surface in the form of a mist.

  Similarly, the second polishing unit 3B includes a polishing table 30B to which the polishing pad 10 is attached, a top ring 31B, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32B, a dresser 33B, and an atomizer 34B. The third polishing unit 3C includes a polishing table 30C to which the polishing pad 10 is attached, a top ring 31C, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32C, a dresser 33C, and an atomizer 34C. The fourth polishing unit 3D includes a polishing table 30D to which the polishing pad 10 is attached, a top ring 31D, a polishing liquid supply nozzle 32D, a dresser 33D, and an atomizer 34D.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 4 is divided into a first cleaning chamber 190, a first transfer chamber 191, a second cleaning chamber 192, a second transfer chamber 193, and a drying chamber 194. In the first cleaning chamber 190, an upper primary cleaning unit and a lower primary cleaning unit arranged along the vertical direction are arranged. Similarly, in the second cleaning chamber 192, an upper secondary cleaning unit and a lower secondary cleaning unit arranged in the vertical direction are arranged. In the drying chamber 194, an upper drying unit and a lower drying unit arranged in the vertical direction are arranged. A first transfer robot that can move up and down is arranged in the first transfer chamber 191, and a second transfer robot that can move up and down is arranged in the second transfer chamber 193.

  Since the cleaning unit 4 includes two primary cleaning units and two secondary cleaning units, a plurality of cleaning lines for cleaning a plurality of wafers in parallel can be configured. The cleaning line is a movement path when one wafer is cleaned by a plurality of cleaning units inside the cleaning unit 4. For example, two parallel cleaning lines can clean and dry multiple (typically two) wafers almost simultaneously.

  As a primary cleaning unit and / or a secondary cleaning unit, a substrate cleaning apparatus is used that scrubs a wafer by rubbing a roll cleaning tool on both the front and back surfaces of the wafer in the presence of a cleaning liquid. As a drying unit, a spin drying apparatus is used that dries a substrate by holding the wafer, blowing IPA vapor from a moving nozzle to dry the wafer, and rotating the wafer at a high speed.

  The wafer is polished by at least one of the polishing units 3A to 3D. The polished wafer is cleaned by the primary cleaning unit and the secondary cleaning unit, and the cleaned substrate is dried by the drying unit.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is used as a primary cleaning unit and / or a secondary cleaning unit installed in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate cleaning apparatus includes four holding rollers 71, 72, 73, and 74 that hold a peripheral portion of a wafer W that is an example of a substrate and rotate the wafer W about its axis. A substrate holding mechanism 52; cylindrical roll sponges (roll cleaning tools) 77, 78 that contact the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W; and rotation mechanisms 80, 81 that rotate the roll sponges 77, 78 about their axes. The upper pure water supply nozzles 85 and 86 for supplying pure water to the upper surface of the wafer W and the upper chemical liquid supply nozzles 87 and 88 for supplying chemical liquid to the upper surface of the wafer W are provided. Although not shown, a lower pure water supply nozzle that supplies pure water to the lower surface of the wafer W and a lower chemical solution supply nozzle that supplies chemicals to the lower surface of the wafer W are provided. The chemical liquid and pure water in the present embodiment are examples of cleaning liquid for cleaning the wafer W, and the above-described upper chemical liquid supply nozzles 87 and 88, upper pure water supply nozzles 85 and 86, lower chemical liquid supply nozzle, and lower The side pure water supply nozzle constitutes a cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies the cleaning liquid to the wafer W.

  The axial centers of the roll sponges 77 and 78 extend parallel to the surface of the wafer W held by the holding rollers 71, 72, 73 and 74. The holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 can be moved in the direction approaching and separating from the wafer W by a driving mechanism (for example, an air cylinder) (not shown). Furthermore, at least two of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 are connected to a roller rotation mechanism (not shown).

  Only one end of the roll sponges 77 and 78 may be supported in a cantilever manner by the rotation mechanisms 80 and 81, or both ends of the roll sponges 77 and 78 are supported using a roll arm (not shown). May be. The roll arm includes, for example, an arm portion that extends from the rotation mechanisms 80 and 81 along the longitudinal direction of the roll sponges 77 and 78, and a support portion that extends in the vertical direction from the arm portion. One ends of the roll sponges 77 and 78 are supported by the rotation mechanisms 80 and 81, and the other ends of the roll sponges 77 and 78 are rotatably supported by the support portion.

  A rotating mechanism 80 that rotates the upper roll sponge 77 is attached to a guide rail 89 that guides its vertical movement. The rotating mechanism 80 is supported by a load generating mechanism 82, and the rotating mechanism 80 and the upper roll sponge 77 are moved in the vertical direction by the load generating mechanism 82. Although not shown, a rotating mechanism 81 for rotating the lower roll sponge 78 is also supported by the guide rail, and the rotating mechanism 81 and the lower roll sponge 78 are moved up and down by a load generating mechanism. . As the load generating mechanism, for example, a motor driving mechanism using a ball screw or an air cylinder is used. The rotation mechanisms 80 and 81, the load generation mechanism 82, and the load generation mechanism (not shown) for moving the lower roll sponge 78 up and down are connected to the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1). The operation of the load generating mechanism is controlled by the control unit 5.

  When cleaning the wafer W, the roll sponges 77 and 78 move in directions close to each other and come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W. The position where the roll sponges 77 and 78 are in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W is the cleaning position of the roll sponges 77 and 78. Although not shown, the wafer W may be rotated in a vertical posture by using a substrate holding mechanism that holds the wafer W vertically. In this case, the roll sponges 77 and 78 are moved in the horizontal direction.

  After the cleaning of the wafer W is completed, the roll sponges 77 and 78 may be moved to the standby position using a moving mechanism (not shown). The standby position of the upper roll sponge 77 is, for example, on the side (lateral direction) or above (vertical direction) the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 of the substrate holding mechanism 52. The standby position of the lower roll sponge 78 is, for example, below (vertical direction) the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 of the substrate holding mechanism 52. When the standby position of the roll sponge 77 is on the side of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74, the roll sponge 77 moves up in the horizontal direction after rising from the cleaning position and reaches the standby position. Wait at. When the standby positions of the roll sponges 77 and 78 are above and below, the roll sponges 77 and 78 rise and fall from the cleaning position to the standby position, respectively, and stand by at the standby position. When the standby position of the roll sponge 77 is on the side of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74, the roll sponge 77 moves from the cleaning position to the horizontal direction and then descends to reach the standby position. However, there is a case of waiting at the standby position.

  The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a suction system 60 connected to the roll sponges 77 and 78. The suction system 60 is configured to suck a chemical solution, which is an example of a cleaning solution, from the wafer W through the roll sponges 77 and 78 while the roll sponges 77 and 78 are cleaning the wafer W. As shown in FIG. 2, the suction system 60 includes a gas-liquid separation tank 61, a vacuum line 64 connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 61, and roll sponges (roll cleaning tools) 77 and 78. And a cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 connected to the. The cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 has branch pipes 62a and 62b connected to roll sponges 77 and 78, respectively. The branch pipes 62a and 62b of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 branch at a branch point 62c. The branch pipe 62a is connected to the upper roll sponge 77, and the branch pipe 62b is connected to the lower roll sponge 78. The end of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 opposite to the branch pipes 62 a and 62 b is connected to the gas-liquid separation tank 61. Therefore, the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 is connected to the vacuum line 64 via the gas-liquid separation tank 61.

  Although not shown, the vacuum line 64 is connected to a vacuum system or a vacuum pump installed in a factory where the substrate processing apparatus is installed. A suction valve 69 is provided in the branch pipe 62 a of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62, a suction valve 70 is provided in the branch pipe 62 b of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62, and a vacuum original valve 66 is provided in the vacuum line 64. The suction valve 69, the suction valve 70, and the vacuum main valve 66 are connected to the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1), and the opening and closing operations of the suction valve 69, the suction valve 70, and the vacuum main valve 66 are performed by the control unit 5. Be controlled. The opening / closing operation of the suction valve 69 is controlled by the control unit 5 independently of the opening / closing operation of the suction valve 70.

  A vent pipe 90 is connected to the top of the gas-liquid separation tank 61, and a drain pipe 93 is connected to the bottom of the gas-liquid separation tank 61. A vent valve 91 is disposed in the vent pipe 90, and a drain valve 94 is disposed in the drain pipe 93. The ventilation valve 91 and the drain valve 94 are connected to the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1), and the opening / closing operations of the ventilation valve 91 and the drain valve 94 are controlled by the control unit 5.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the roll sponge 77 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the roll sponge 77 includes a columnar shaft 77a and a cylindrical sponge member 77b that covers the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 77a. The sponge member 77b may be made of a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) sponge, or may be made of a nonwoven fabric in which fibers are hardened with a resin or the like and fine holes are formed by gaps between the fibers. The sponge member 77b made of PVA sponge easily removes fine particles present on the surface of the wafer W. Since the sponge member 77b made of non-woven fabric is harder than the PVA sponge, it is possible to remove particles that are firmly attached to the surface of the wafer W.

  The configuration of the lower roll sponge 78 is the same as that of the upper roll sponge 77, but the sponge member of the lower roll sponge 78 is made of the same material as the sponge member 77b of the upper roll sponge 77. Alternatively, they may be made of different materials. For example, the sponge member 77b of the upper roll sponge 77 may be made of PVA, while the sponge member of the lower roll sponge 78 may be made of a nonwoven fabric.

  The shaft 77a has a main channel 77c extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 77a therein. The main flow path 77c is formed on the central axis of the shaft 77a. A plurality of openings 77d are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 77a. The shaft 77a further includes a plurality of branch channels 77e that allow the main channel 77c and the openings 77d to communicate with each other. The openings 77d are arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the shaft 77a, and are arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 77a. Each branch channel 77e extends from the main channel 77c to the opening 77d in the radial direction of the shaft 77a.

  One end of the main flow path 77c is connected to the branch pipe 62a of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 of the suction system 60, and the other end is closed. The main flow path 77 c and the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 are connected by a seal member 68. The seal member 68 has a function of sealing a gap between the main flow path 77c and the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 while allowing the roll sponge 77 to rotate around its axis. As such a seal member 68, for example, a rotation seal such as Dynalip (registered trademark) seal is preferably used.

  Next, the cleaning process of the wafer W will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, at least two of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 are roller rotating mechanisms (with a peripheral edge of the wafer W held by the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74. This causes the wafer W to rotate about its axis. With the suction valve 69, the suction valve 70, the vent valve 91, and the drain valve 94 closed, the control unit 5 opens the vacuum main valve 66 and connects the gas-liquid separation tank 61 and a part of the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62. Create a vacuum.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a chemical solution as a cleaning solution is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W from the upper chemical solution supply nozzles 87 and 88 and the lower chemical solution supply nozzle (not shown). Further, the control unit 5 opens the suction valve 69 and the suction valve 70 to form a vacuum in the roll sponges 77 and 78. In this state, the roll sponges 77 and 78 are slidably contacted with the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W while rotating around the axis thereof, so that the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W are cleaned in the presence of a chemical solution.

  While the roll sponges 77 and 78 are cleaning the wafer W, the control unit 5 keeps the suction valve 69, the suction valve 70, and the vacuum main valve 66 open, and the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94. Keep closed. Therefore, during the cleaning of the wafer W, the suction system 60 sucks the chemical liquid that is the cleaning liquid from the wafer W. More specifically, the chemicals present on the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W are sucked through the roll sponges 77 and 78, and the sponge members 77 b, the branch flow passages 77 e, the main flow passage 77 c, and the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 of the roll sponges 77 and 78. Are transferred to the gas-liquid separation tank 61 in this order. The chemical liquid sucked from the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W is stored in the gas-liquid separation tank 61.

  After scrub cleaning, rinsing of the wafer W is performed by supplying pure water as another example of the cleaning liquid from the upper pure water supply nozzles 85 and 86 and the lower pure water supply nozzle (not shown) to the rotating wafer W. Done. The rinsing of the wafer W may be performed while the roll sponges 77 and 78 are in sliding contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, or may be performed with the roll sponges 77 and 78 being separated from the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W. When rinsing the wafer W while the roll sponges 77 and 78 are in sliding contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, pure water is supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W in the same manner as the wafer cleaning using the chemical solution described above. However, pure water is sucked from the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W by the suction system 60 through the roll sponges 77 and 78. Both the chemical solution and pure water used in this embodiment constitute a cleaning solution for cleaning the wafer W.

  According to the present embodiment, particles such as polishing scraps and abrasive grains removed from the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W by the roll sponges 77 and 78 immediately pass through the roll sponges 77 and 78 together with the cleaning liquid (chemical and / or pure water). W is removed by suction from the upper and lower surfaces of W. Since the suction force is generated in the roll sponges 77 and 78 during the cleaning of the wafer W, the particles accumulated in the roll sponges 77 and 78 are not easily separated from the roll sponges 77 and 78. Moreover, the particles once removed from the wafer W are sucked together with the cleaning liquid before being reattached to the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W, and taken into the roll sponges 77 and 78. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the back contamination of the wafer W can be prevented.

  The cleaned wafer W is taken out from the substrate holding mechanism 52 and transferred to the drying unit in the drying chamber 194 shown in FIG. Until the next wafer is transferred to the substrate holding mechanism 52, the cleaning liquid (chemical solution and / or pure water) stored in the gas-liquid separation tank 61 is discharged from the gas-liquid separation tank 61. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 5 closes the suction valve 69, the suction valve 70, and the vacuum main valve 66, and opens the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94. The internal space of the gas-liquid separation tank 61 communicates with the clean atmosphere in the clean room through the vent pipe 90, while the cleaning liquid is discharged from the gas-liquid separation tank 61 through the drain pipe 93. In order to discharge the cleaning liquid from the gas-liquid separation tank 61 in a short time, compressed air may be supplied to the gas-liquid separation tank 61 through the vent pipe 90.

  When the cleaning liquid is completely discharged, the controller 5 closes the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, after the next wafer is held by the substrate holding mechanism 52, the control unit 5 opens the vacuum main valve 66. The suction valve 69 and the suction valve 70 remain closed. Thus, the cleaning standby state shown in FIG. 4, the scrub cleaning state shown in FIG. 5, and the drain state shown in FIG. 6 are repeated. The discharge of the cleaning liquid from the gas-liquid separation tank 61 shown in FIG. 6 may be performed every time one wafer is cleaned, or may be performed after cleaning a plurality of wafers.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the suction system 60 of the substrate cleaning apparatus may include a common suction valve 75 with roll sponges 77 and 78 instead of the suction valves 69 and 70 arranged in the branch pipes 62a and 62b, respectively. Good. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a modification of the substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. The suction valve 75 is located between the branch point 62 c and the gas-liquid separation tank 61. The suction valve 75 is connected to the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1) described above, and the opening / closing operation of the suction valve 75 is controlled by the control unit 5.

  The opening / closing operation of the suction valve 75 is the same as the opening / closing operation of the suction valves 69, 70 described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. More specifically, the control unit 5 closes the suction valve 75 in the cleaning standby state and the drain state, and opens the suction valve 75 in the scrub cleaning state. Further, the opening and closing operations of the vacuum main valve 66, the vent valve 91, and the drain valve 94 of the present embodiment are the same as those described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. This is the same as the opening / closing operation of the drain valve 94. More specifically, the control unit 5 opens the vacuum main valve 66 and closes the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94 in the cleaning standby state, and maintains the vacuum main valve 66 in the scrub cleaning state to open the vent. Leave valve 91 and drain valve 94 closed. In the drain state, the control unit 5 closes the vacuum main valve 66 and opens the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94. In the scrub cleaning state, the suction valve 75 and the vacuum main valve 66 are opened by the control unit 5, so that the cleaning liquid present on the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer W is sucked through the roll sponges 77 and 78 and transferred to the gas-liquid separation tank 61. Is done.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, both roll sponges 77, 78 are connected to the suction system 60, but only the upper roll sponge 77 that cleans the polished surface of the wafer W is the suction system 60. May be connected. When only the upper roll sponge 77 is connected to the suction system 60, the branch pipe 62b and the suction valve 70 are omitted in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the branch pipe 62b is omitted in the embodiment shown in FIG. Is done.

  FIG. 8 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the substrate cleaning apparatus. The substrate cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 8 further includes an inner rinse liquid supply system 100 for rinsing (rinsing) the roll sponges 77 and 78 from the inside thereof. The inner rinse liquid supply system 100 is provided, and instead of the suction valves 69 and 70 disposed in the branch pipes 62a and 62b, the configuration of the present embodiment except that the common suction valve 75 is provided by the roll sponges 77 and 78, respectively. Is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the inner rinse liquid supply system 100 includes an inner rinse liquid supply line 102 connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 and an inner rinse liquid supply valve 103 provided in the inner rinse liquid supply line 102. Prepare. Although not shown, the inner rinse liquid supply line 102 is connected to an inner rinse liquid supply source such as a pure water supply port installed in a factory where the substrate processing apparatus is installed. The inner rinse liquid supply line 102 is connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62 at a connection point 105. In the present embodiment, a suction valve 75 shown in FIG. 7 is provided in place of the suction valve 69 and the suction valve 70 shown in FIG. The connection point 105 is located between the suction valve 75 and the roll sponges 77 and 78. That is, the suction valve 75 is located between the connection point 105 and the gas-liquid separation tank 61. The inner rinse liquid supply valve 103 and the suction valve 75 are connected to the control unit 5 (see FIG. 1), and the opening and closing operations of the inner rinse liquid supply valve 103 and the suction valve 75 are controlled by the control unit 5.

  In order to supply the inner rinse liquid (for example, pure water) to the roll sponge 77, the controller 5 opens the inner rinse liquid supply valve 103 after closing the suction valve 75. The vacuum main valve 66 may be closed or open. When the inner rinse liquid supply valve 103 is opened, the inner rinse liquid is supplied into the roll sponges 77 and 78 through the inner rinse liquid supply line 102 and the cleaning liquid suction pipe 62. The inner rinse liquid flows in this order through the main flow path 77c, the branch flow path 77e, the opening 77d, and the sponge member 77b (see FIG. 3) of the roll sponges 77 and 78, and is discharged to the outside of the roll sponges 77 and 78. The inner rinse liquid rinses away the particles accumulated in the sponge member 77 b and removes the particles from the roll sponges 77 and 78. In this way, the self-cleaning of the roll sponges 77 and 78 is performed.

  The self-cleaning of the roll sponges 77 and 78 is performed after the cleaned wafer W is taken out of the substrate holding mechanism 52 and before the next wafer is transferred to the substrate holding mechanism 52. Self-cleaning is performed when the roll sponges 77 and 78 are in the standby position described above. The self-cleaning may be performed simultaneously with the discharge of the cleaning liquid (chemical liquid and / or pure water) from the gas-liquid separation tank 61. In this case, the vacuum source valve 66 is further closed by the control unit 5, and the vent valve 91 and the drain valve 94 are opened. By such self-cleaning of the roll sponges 77 and 78, the maintenance or replacement frequency of the roll sponges 77 and 78 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 9, instead of the inner rinse liquid supply system 100 described above, a rinse tank 120 may be provided at the standby position of the upper roll sponge 77. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a rinsing tank 120 that performs self-cleaning of the upper roll sponge 77 at the standby position.

  The rinsing tank 120 is disposed at a standby position on the side of the holding rollers 71, 72, 73, 74 of the substrate holding mechanism 52. As shown in FIG. 9, a rinse liquid made of pure water or the like is stored in the rinse tank 120. A cleaning member 122 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the roll sponge 77 is disposed in the rinse tank 120. The cleaning member 122 of the present embodiment is a cleaning plate made of a quartz plate, a sapphire glass plate, or the like. The surface of the cleaning member 122 with which the outer peripheral surface of the roll sponge 77 comes into contact is a flat and smooth plane whose surface roughness is strictly controlled.

  The roll sponge 77 is moved to the rinse tank 120 by a moving mechanism (not shown), and is immersed in the rinse liquid in the rinse tank 120. Further, the roll sponge 77 is pressed against the cleaning member 122 while rotating around its axis, whereby particles accumulated in the roll sponge 77 are discharged into the rinse liquid. By such self-cleaning of the roll sponge 77, the maintenance or replacement frequency of the roll sponge 77 can be reduced. Since the surface of the cleaning member 122 with which the outer peripheral surface of the roll sponge 77 comes into contact is a flat and smooth flat surface, the wear of the roll sponge 77 can be reduced compared to a rough flat surface with surface irregularities. Further, the particles discharged from the roll sponge 77 hardly accumulate on the surface of the cleaning member 122. Therefore, since the roll sponge 77 is not contaminated by the particles remaining on the surface of the cleaning member 122, the self-cleaning of the roll sponge 77 can be effectively performed.

  The embodiment described above is described for the purpose of enabling the person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiment can be naturally made by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but is to be construed in the widest scope according to the technical idea defined by the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 1a, 1b Partition 2 Load / unload part 3 Polishing part 3A 1st grinding | polishing unit 3B 2nd grinding | polishing unit 3C 3rd grinding | polishing unit 3D 4th grinding | polishing unit 4 Cleaning part 10 Polishing pad 20 Front load part 21 Traveling mechanism 22 Conveyance Robot (loader)
30A, 30B, 30C, 30D Polishing table 31A, 31B, 31C, 31D Top ring 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D Polishing liquid supply nozzle 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D Dresser 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D Atomizer 52 Substrate holding mechanism 60 Suction system 61 Gas-liquid separation tank 62 Cleaning liquid suction pipe 62a Branch pipe 62b Branch pipe 62c Branch point 64 Vacuum line 66 Vacuum source valve 68 Seal member 69 Suction valve 70 Suction valve 71, 72, 73, 74 Holding roller 75 Suction valve 77, 78 Roll cleaning tool (roll sponge)
77a Shaft 77b Sponge member 77c Main flow path 77d Opening 77e Branch flow path 80, 81 Rotating mechanism 82 Load generating mechanism 85, 86 Upper pure water supply nozzle (cleaning liquid supply nozzle)
87,88 Upper chemical supply nozzle (cleaning liquid supply nozzle)
89 Guide rail 90 Ventilation pipe 91 Ventilation valve 93 Drain pipe 94 Drain valve 100 Inner rinse liquid supply system 102 Inner rinse liquid supply line 103 Inner rinse liquid supply valve 105 Connection point 120 Rinse tank 122 Cleaning member 190 First cleaning chamber 191 First Transfer chamber 192 Second cleaning chamber 193 Second transfer chamber 194 Drying chamber W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (8)

A substrate holding mechanism;
A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution based on plate held by the substrate holding mechanism,
A roll cleaning tool for cleaning the substrate by sliding contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid;
A suction system connected to the roll cleaning tool and sucking the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate;
The suction system is
A cleaning liquid suction pipe connected to the roll cleaning tool;
And a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe. The suction system, board cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a suction valve provided in the cleaning solution suction pipe further. The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a control unit that controls the operation of the suction valve,
The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit maintains the suction valve in an open state while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate. The roll cleaning tool includes a shaft and a sponge member that covers an outer surface of the shaft,
The shaft has a main channel extending inside the shaft, a plurality of openings provided on an outer surface of the shaft, and a plurality of branch channels that communicate the main channel with the plurality of openings,
The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid suction pipe is connected to the main flow path. The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes an inner rinse liquid supply line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe,
The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a connection point between the cleaning liquid suction pipe and the inner rinse liquid supply line is located between the suction valve and the roll cleaning tool. While supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle to the substrate, the roll cleaning tool is brought into sliding contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid to clean the substrate,
While the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate, the cleaning liquid is sucked from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool by a suction system connected to the roll cleaning tool,
The suction system is
A cleaning liquid suction pipe connected to the roll cleaning tool;
And a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe. A polishing unit for polishing a substrate;
A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the substrate polished by the polishing unit,
The substrate cleaning apparatus includes:
A substrate holding mechanism;
A cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
A roll cleaning tool for cleaning the substrate by sliding contact with the substrate in the presence of the cleaning liquid;
A suction system connected to the roll cleaning tool and sucking the cleaning liquid from the substrate through the roll cleaning tool while the roll cleaning tool is cleaning the substrate;
The suction system is
A cleaning liquid suction pipe connected to the roll cleaning tool;
And a vacuum line connected to the cleaning liquid suction pipe.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the suction system further includes a suction valve provided in the cleaning liquid suction pipe.

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