JP7368992B2 - Substrate processing equipment and brush storage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a brush storage container.

2. Description of the Related Art Substrate processing apparatuses that process substrates are known. For example, substrate processing apparatuses are used to manufacture semiconductor substrates or glass substrates. Typically, impurities, dirt, or particles generated during substrate processing are removed by cleaning. To thoroughly clean the substrate, it may be scrubbed with a brush. However, when a substrate is cleaned with a brush, the brush becomes dirty, so if another substrate is cleaned with this brush, the substrate may become dirty instead. For this reason, it is known to clean the brush when replacing the substrate (see Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 describes a substrate processing apparatus that includes a cleaning member that cleans a brush that cleans the top and back surfaces of a substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the brush moves to the cleaning member and is cleaned by the cleaning member when replacing the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, a cleaning liquid is supplied to the brush in a cleaning member disposed at a retracted position of the brush to clean the brush. This allows the brush to be kept clean.

International Publication No. 2010-283393

The result of cleaning the brush on the substrate affects not only the cleanliness of the brush but also the state of penetration of the cleaning liquid into the brush, in other words, the state of the liquid contained in the brush. Therefore, before using the brush, it is necessary to soak the brush in the cleaning solution for a long period of time until the penetration of the cleaning solution into the brush is saturated. Furthermore, even if the brush is immersed in the cleaning liquid for a long period of time, the cleaning liquid may not reach deep into the unevenness of the brush or the bristles of the brush. For this reason, it has been difficult and time consuming to adjust the state of the liquid contained in the brush used for brush cleaning of the substrate to a constant state.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a brush storage container that can adjust the state of the liquid contained in the brush.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding section, a brush processing section, and a brush-containing liquid adjustment section. The substrate holding section holds a substrate. The brush processing section has a brush, and processes the substrate held by the substrate holding section with the brush. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush. The brush-containing liquid adjustment section includes a container that stores a cleaning liquid, and a gas flow section that changes the air pressure inside the container while keeping the brush sealed in the container.

In one embodiment, the gas flow section lowers the pressure within the container below atmospheric pressure.

In one embodiment, the gas flow section increases the pressure within the container above atmospheric pressure.

In one embodiment, the container is provided with a through hole, and the gas flow section further includes a pipe connected to the through hole, and a valve that adjusts the flow of gas in the pipe.

In one embodiment, the brush-containing liquid adjustment section further includes a cleaning liquid distribution section that allows cleaning liquid to flow into the container.

In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a rinsing liquid supply unit that supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit.

In one embodiment, the container is supplied with the rinsing liquid as the cleaning liquid.

In one embodiment, the brush processing unit further includes a holder that holds the brush, an arm to which the holder is attached, and a moving unit that moves the arm, and the arm is in contact with the container. The brush is sealed within the container.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the brush storage container includes a housing that houses the brush, and a gas flow section that changes the air pressure inside the housing while keeping the brush sealed inside the housing. .
In one embodiment, the gas flow section lowers the air pressure inside the casing below atmospheric pressure, and then returns the air pressure inside the casing to atmospheric pressure.
In one embodiment, the gas flow section allows gas to flow into the interior of the housing to increase the air pressure inside the housing.

In one embodiment, the housing includes a container that stores cleaning liquid and a lid that engages with the container.

In one embodiment, the housing is provided with a through hole, and the gas flow section includes a pipe connected to the through hole, and a valve that adjusts the flow of gas in the pipe.

In one embodiment, the brush storage container further includes a cleaning liquid flow section for circulating cleaning liquid within the housing.

According to the present invention, the state of the liquid contained in the brush can be adjusted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing system of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush containing liquid adjustment part in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush containing liquid adjustment part in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. (a) to (e) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of brush-containing liquid adjustment processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush containing liquid adjustment part in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. (a) to (f) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of brush-containing liquid adjustment processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush containing liquid adjustment part in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. (a) to (f) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of brush-containing liquid adjustment processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush containing liquid adjustment part in the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush storage container of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the brush storage container of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a substrate processing apparatus and a brush storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and the description will not be repeated. Note that in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis that are perpendicular to each other may be described. Typically, the X and Y axes are parallel to the horizontal direction, and the Z axis is parallel to the vertical direction.

First, with reference to FIG. 1, a substrate processing system 100 including an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 100 of this embodiment.

The substrate processing system 100 processes a substrate W. The substrate processing system 100 includes a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 processes the substrate W so as to perform at least one of etching, surface treatment, imparting properties, forming a treated film, removing at least a portion of the film, and cleaning.

The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for a liquid crystal display device, a substrate for a plasma display, a substrate for a field emission display (FED), a substrate for an optical disk, a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a magneto-optical disk, or a photomask. including solar cell substrates, ceramic substrates, and solar cell substrates. For example, the substrate W has a substantially disk shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 includes, in addition to a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1, a fluid cabinet 100A, a fluid box 100B, a plurality of load ports LP, an indexer robot IR, and a center robot CR. , and a control device 101. The control device 101 controls the load port LP, indexer robot IR, and center robot CR.

Each of the load ports LP accommodates a plurality of stacked substrates W. The indexer robot IR transports the substrate W between the load port LP and the center robot CR. The center robot CR transports the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the substrate processing apparatus 1. Each of the substrate processing apparatuses 1 processes the substrate W by discharging a liquid onto the substrate W. The liquid includes a rinsing liquid and/or a medicinal liquid. Alternatively, the liquid may include other processing liquids. Fluid cabinet 100A contains liquid. Note that the fluid cabinet 100A may contain gas.

Specifically, the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 form a plurality of towers TW (four towers TW in FIG. 1) arranged so as to surround the center robot CR in plan view. Each tower TW includes a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 (three substrate processing apparatuses 1 in FIG. 1) stacked one above the other. Each fluid box 100B corresponds to a plurality of towers TW. The liquid in the fluid cabinet 100A is supplied to all the substrate processing apparatuses 1 included in the tower TW corresponding to the fluid box 100B via one of the fluid boxes 100B. Further, the gas in the fluid cabinet 100A is supplied to all the substrate processing apparatuses 1 included in the tower TW corresponding to the fluid box 100B via one of the fluid boxes 100B.

The control device 101 controls various operations of the substrate processing system 100. Control device 101 includes a control section 102 and a storage section 104. Control unit 102 has a processor. The control unit 102 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the control unit 102 may include a general-purpose computing machine.

Storage unit 104 stores data and computer programs. The data includes recipe data. The recipe data includes information indicating multiple recipes. Each of the plurality of recipes defines processing contents and processing procedures for the substrate W.

Storage unit 104 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is, for example, a semiconductor memory. The auxiliary storage device is, for example, a semiconductor memory and/or a hard disk drive. Storage unit 104 may include removable media. The control unit 102 executes a computer program stored in the storage unit 104 to perform a substrate processing operation.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 110 , a substrate holding section 120 , a rinsing liquid supply section 130 , a brush processing section 140 , and a brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 . Chamber 110 accommodates substrate W. The substrate holding section 120 holds the substrate W.

The chamber 110 is a substantially box-shaped housing having an internal space, and the inside and outside of the chamber 110 are partitioned. The chamber 110 is provided with a shutter and its opening/closing mechanism (not shown). Normally, the shutter is closed to block the atmosphere inside and outside the chamber 110. When the substrate W is carried into the chamber 110 by the central robot CR, or when the substrate W is carried out from the chamber 110, the shutter is opened. An FFU unit (fan filter unit) (not shown) is installed in the upper part of the chamber 110, and air or inert gas from which dust has been removed is supplied in a downward flow from the upper part of the chamber 110.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a so-called single-wafer type that holds the substrates W horizontally and processes them one by one, and the substrate processing apparatus 1 accommodates the substrates W one by one. The substrate W is accommodated within the chamber 110 and processed within the chamber 110. The chamber 110 accommodates at least a portion of each of the substrate holding section 120, the rinsing liquid supply section 130, the brush processing section 140, and the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150.

The substrate holding section 120 holds the substrate W. The substrate holding unit 120 holds the substrate W horizontally so that the upper surface (front surface) Wa of the substrate W faces upward and the back surface (lower surface) Wb of the substrate W faces vertically downward. Further, the substrate holding unit 120 rotates the substrate W while holding the substrate W. The substrate holding unit 120 rotates the substrate W while holding it.

For example, the substrate holder 120 may be a clamping type that clamps an end of the substrate W. Alternatively, the substrate holding section 120 may have any mechanism for holding the substrate W from the back surface Wb. For example, the substrate holding section 120 may be of a vacuum type. In this case, the substrate holding unit 120 holds the substrate W horizontally by adsorbing the center portion of the back surface Wb of the substrate W, which is a non-device forming surface, to the upper surface. Alternatively, the substrate holder 120 may combine a clamping type in which a plurality of chuck pins are brought into contact with the peripheral end surface of the substrate W and a vacuum type.

For example, the substrate holder 120 includes a spin base 121, a chuck member 122, a shaft 123, an electric motor 124, and a housing 125. The chuck member 122 is provided on the spin base 121. The chuck member 122 chucks the substrate W. Typically, the spin base 121 is provided with a plurality of chuck members 122.

Shaft 123 is a hollow shaft. The shaft 123 extends vertically along the rotation axis Ax. A spin base 121 is coupled to the upper end of the shaft 123. The substrate W is placed above the spin base 121.

The spin base 121 has a disk shape and supports the substrate W horizontally. The shaft 123 extends downward from the center of the spin base 121. Electric motor 124 provides rotational force to shaft 123. The electric motor 124 rotates the substrate W and the spin base 121 about the rotation axis Ax by rotating the shaft 123 in the rotational direction. Housing 125 surrounds shaft 123 and electric motor 124.

The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate W. Typically, the rinse liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinse liquid to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. By the rinsing process using the rinsing liquid, the chemical solution, impurities, etc. attached to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W can be washed away. The rinsing liquid supplied from the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 includes deionized water (DIW), carbonated water, electrolyzed ionized water, ozone water, ammonia water, hydrochloric acid water with a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 ppm to 100 ppm), Alternatively, it may contain either reduced water (hydrogen water).

The rinse liquid supply section 130 includes a pipe 130a, a valve 130b, and a nozzle 130n. The nozzle 130n discharges a rinse liquid onto the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. The nozzle 130n is connected to the pipe 130a. A rinsing liquid is supplied to the pipe 130a from a rinsing liquid supply source. The valve 130b opens and closes the flow path within the pipe 130a. The nozzle 130n is preferably configured to be movable relative to the substrate W.

The brush processing unit 140 processes the substrate W with a brush. The processing performed by the brush processing section 140 is also called scrub processing. The brush processing unit 140 comes into contact with the upper surface Wa of the substrate W and cleans the substrate W with a brush. Typically, during a period in which the brush processing section 140 cleans the substrate W with a brush, the rinsing liquid supply section 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W.

The brush processing section 140 includes a brush 142, a holder 144, an arm 146, and a moving section 148. Brush 142 is held in holder 144. Holder 144 is attached to arm 146. The moving unit 148 moves the arm 146.

The brush 142 cleans the substrate W. Here, the brush 142 cleans the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. For example, brush 142 is constructed from a porous material. Brush 142 may be spongy. Further, the brush 142 may be made of relatively hard resin. In one example, brush 142 is constructed from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Alternatively, the brush 142 may be configured by combining a plurality of members.

Alternatively, brush 142 may include multiple bristles.

For example, brush 142 may be hydrophobic. Alternatively, brush 142 may be semi-hydrophobic. Alternatively, brush 142 may be hydrophilic. In addition, since the brush 142 is hydrophobic or semi-hydrophobic, it is possible to suppress the brush 142 from being significantly deformed even if the brush treatment is performed together with the supply of the rinsing liquid.

The overall shape of the brush 142 may be any shape. For example, the brush 142 may have a cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the brush 142 may have a cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the brush 142 may have a thin cross shape.

Holder 144 holds brush 142. Brush 142 is attached to holder 144. Holder 144 is attached to the tip of arm 146.

Arm 146 includes a case 146a, a support shaft 146b, and a pressing portion 146c. The support shaft 146b projects downward in the Z-axis direction from the case 146a. A portion of the support shaft 146b is housed within the case 146a. A holder 144 is attached to the tip of the support shaft 146b.

The pressing portion 146c is housed within the case 146a. The pressing portion 146c presses the holder 144 and the brush 142 downward in the Z-axis direction via the support shaft 146b. Therefore, when the pressing part 146c presses the brush 142 while the brush 142 is in contact with the substrate W, the brush 142 can scrub the substrate W.

The pressing portion 146c includes an actuator that moves the support shaft 146b up and down along the Z-axis direction. For example, the pressing portion 146c includes an air cylinder.

The moving unit 148 moves the arm 146. The moving unit 148 moves the brush 142 between a substrate abutting position where the brush 142 abuts the substrate W and a retracted position away from the substrate W. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 is arranged at the retracted position. The moving unit 148 moves the brush 142 from the upper surface Wa of the substrate W to the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150. The amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in a brush-contained liquid adjusting section 150. Note that the brush 142 may be cleaned in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. Further, the moving unit 148 moves the brush 142 from the retreated position where the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 is arranged to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W.

The moving section 148 includes a horizontal moving section 148a that moves the arm 146 in the horizontal direction, and a vertical moving section 148b that moves the arm 146 in the vertical direction. The horizontal moving unit 148a moves the arm 146 in any direction within the XY plane. Further, the vertical moving section 148b moves the arm 146 in the Z-axis direction.

The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 is arranged at the retracted position of the brush 142.

Brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 includes a container 152 and a gas flow section 154. A cleaning liquid is stored in the container 152. The gas flow section 154 changes the air pressure inside the container 152 with the brush 142 sealed inside the container 152. Thereby, the cleaning liquid can be sufficiently permeated into the brush 142, and the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 can be adjusted.

For example, the cleaning liquid may be deionized water (DIW), carbonated water, electrolyzed ionized water, ozone water, ammonia water, hydrochloric acid water at a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 ppm to 100 ppm), or reduced water (hydrogen water). It may also include any of the following.

Further, the cleaning liquid may be a so-called chemical liquid. For example, the cleaning liquid may include SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution mixture). Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may contain an organic alkali (eg, TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide).

Note that the cleaning liquid may be the same as the rinsing liquid supplied by the rinsing liquid supply section 130. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be different from the rinsing liquid supplied by the rinsing liquid supply section 130.

The container 152 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. Container 152 stores cleaning liquid therein.

The brush 142 is housed in the container 152. The holder 144 may also be accommodated in the container 152 along with the brush 142. Container 152 accommodates brush 142 in a sealed state. The container 152 may be in contact with the arm 146 of the brush processing section 140 to form a sealed state.

The through hole 152p is provided in the container 152. The through hole 152p passes through a portion of the container 152. The through hole 152p communicates with the inside of the container 152.

The gas flow section 154 communicates with the internal space of the container 152. The gas flow section 154 circulates between the inside and the outside of the container 152 in a closed state. For example, the gas flow section 154 exhausts the gas inside the container 152. Thereby, the gas flow section 154 lowers the pressure inside the container 152 below atmospheric pressure. Alternatively, the gas flow section 154 supplies gas into the container 152. As a result, the gas flow section 154 increases the pressure inside the container 152 above atmospheric pressure.

Gas flow section 154 includes piping 155 and valve 156. Piping 155 is attached to container 152. Here, one end of the pipe 155 communicates with the through hole 152p. Valve 156 opens and closes the flow path within piping 155.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a cup 180. The cup 180 collects liquid scattered from the substrate W. The cup 180 moves up and down. For example, the cup 180 rises vertically upward to the side of the substrate W over a period in which the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies the rinsing liquid to the substrate W. In this case, the cup 180 collects the rinsing liquid scattered from the substrate W due to the rotation of the substrate W.

Further, when the period in which the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies the rinsing liquid to the substrate W ends, the cup 180 descends vertically downward from the side of the substrate W. Alternatively, when the spin drying period after the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies the rinsing liquid to the substrate W ends, the cup 180 descends vertically downward from the side of the substrate W.

As described above, the control device 101 includes the control section 102 and the storage section 104. The control unit 102 controls the substrate holding unit 120, the rinsing liquid supply unit 130, the brush processing unit 140, the brush-containing liquid adjustment unit 150, and/or the cup 180. In one example, the control section 102 controls the electric motor 124, the valve 130b, the pressing section 146c, the moving section 148, the valve 156, and the cup 180.

Note that the nozzle 130n of the rinse liquid supply section 130 may be movable. The nozzle 130n can be moved horizontally and/or vertically according to a movement mechanism controlled by the control unit 102. Note that in this specification, the moving mechanism may be omitted in order to avoid making the drawings excessively complex.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is suitably used for manufacturing a semiconductor device provided with a semiconductor. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is suitably used for cleaning and/or processing (for example, etching, changing characteristics, etc.) of semiconductor devices during the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Next, the substrate processing system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the substrate processing system 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 101 controls various operations of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The control device 101 controls the indexer robot IR, the center robot CR, the substrate holding section 120, the rinsing liquid supply section 130, the brush processing section 140, the brush containing liquid adjustment section 150, and the cup 180. Specifically, the control device 101 transmits control signals to the indexer robot IR, the center robot CR, the substrate holding section 120, the rinsing liquid supply section 130, the brush processing section 140, and the brush containing liquid adjustment section 150. It controls the indexer robot IR, the center robot CR, the substrate holding section 120, the rinsing liquid supply section 130, the brush processing section 140, the brush containing liquid adjustment section 150, and the cup 180.

Specifically, the control unit 102 controls the indexer robot IR, and transfers the substrate W by the indexer robot IR.

The control unit 102 controls the center robot CR and delivers the substrate W by the center robot CR. For example, the central robot CR receives an unprocessed substrate W and carries the substrate W into one of the plurality of chambers 110. Moreover, the center robot CR receives the processed substrate W from the chamber 110 and carries out the substrate W.

The control unit 102 controls the substrate holding unit 120 to start the rotation of the substrate W, change the rotation speed, and stop the rotation of the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 can control the substrate holding unit 120 to change the rotation speed of the substrate holding unit 120. Specifically, the control unit 102 can change the rotation speed of the substrate W by changing the rotation speed of the electric motor 124 of the substrate holding unit 120.

The control unit 102 can control the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130 to switch the state of the valve 130b between an open state and a closed state. Specifically, the control unit 102 controls the valve 130b of the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 to open the valve 130b, thereby allowing the rinsing liquid flowing in the pipe 130a toward the nozzle 130n to pass. can. Further, the control unit 102 can stop the supply of the rinse liquid flowing in the pipe 130a toward the nozzle 130n by controlling the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130 and closing the valve 130b. .

The control unit 102 controls the pressing unit 146c to move the support shaft 146b along the Z-axis direction. Thereby, the control unit 102 can press the substrate W by bringing the brush 142 attached to the tip of the support shaft 146b into contact with the substrate W.

The control unit 102 controls the moving unit 148 to move the arm 146 in the horizontal direction and/or the vertical direction. Thereby, the control unit 102 can move the brush 142 attached to the tip of the arm 146 on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. Further, the control unit 102 can move the brush 142 attached to the tip of the arm 146 between the substrate contact position and the retreat position.

Further, the control unit 102 can control the valve 156 of the brush-containing liquid adjustment unit 150 to switch the state of the valve 156 between an open state and a closed state. Specifically, the control unit 102 can cause gas to flow through the pipe 155 by controlling the valve 156 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 and opening the valve 156. Further, the control unit 102 can stop the flow of gas in the pipe 155 by controlling the valve 156 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 to close the valve 156.

Further, the control unit 102 can move the cup 180. Specifically, the control unit 102 can move the position of the cup 180 to the side of the substrate holding unit 120 by controlling the cup 180 and raising the cup 180 in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the control unit 102 can move the cup 180 to the retracted position by controlling the cup 180 and lowering the cup 180 in the vertical direction.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is suitably used for manufacturing semiconductor devices. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is suitably used to process a substrate W used as a semiconductor device.

Next, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150.

As shown in FIG. 4, the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 includes a container 152 and a gas circulation section 154. Container 152 defines an interior space IS. Most of the interior space IS is surrounded by the container 152, but the interior space IS communicates with the outside from above the container 152.

Container 152 includes a bottom 152a, side 152b, and top 152c. The bottom portion 152a extends horizontally. The side portion 152b extends vertically upward (in the Z-axis direction) from the end of the bottom portion 152a. The upper portion 152c extends horizontally from the upper end of the side portion 152b. Note that an opening 152d is provided in the upper portion 152c. Internal space IS is surrounded by bottom 152a, side 152b, and top 152c. The cleaning liquid Lw is stored in the internal space IS of the container 152.

Here, the container 152 is provided with a through hole 152p. In one example, the through hole 152p is provided in the side portion 152b. Therefore, the inside and outside of the container 152 communicate with each other via the through hole 152p in the side portion 152b.

For example, the cleaning liquid Lw may be deionized water (DIW), carbonated water, electrolyzed ionized water, ozone water, ammonia water, hydrochloric acid water with a diluted concentration (for example, about 10 ppm to 100 ppm), or reduced water (hydrogen water). ).

Further, the cleaning liquid Lw may be a so-called chemical liquid. For example, the cleaning liquid Lw may include SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution mixture). Alternatively, the cleaning liquid Lw may contain an organic alkali (eg, TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide).

The through hole 152p is provided in the container 152. The through hole 152p passes through a portion of the container 152. The through hole 152p communicates with the inside of the container 152.

Container 152 stores cleaning liquid Lw. Note that the through hole 152p is arranged at a position higher than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw. As described later, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw, and the through hole 152p is arranged at a position higher than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw in which the brush 142 is immersed.

The gas flow section 154 communicates with the internal space IS of the container 152, and allows the gas in the internal space IS of the container 152 to flow therethrough. For example, the gas flow section 154 causes the gas inside the container 152 to flow out of the container 152. Alternatively, the gas flow section 154 allows gas from outside the container 152 to flow into the inside of the container 152.

Gas flow section 154 includes piping 155 and valve 156. Piping 155 is attached to container 152. Here, one end of the pipe 155 communicates with the through hole 152p. Further, the other end of the pipe 155 is connected to an air pressure adjustment source 160.

The atmospheric pressure adjustment source 160 exhausts the gas in the pipe 155 or supplies gas to the pipe 155. For example, the air pressure adjustment source 160 may be an exhaust device that exhausts gas. Alternatively, the atmospheric pressure adjustment source 160 may be a gas supply device that supplies gas. For example, the air pressure adjustment source 160 may be located in the fluid cabinet 100A or the fluid box 100B shown in FIG. Valve 156 opens and closes the flow path within piping 155.

As mentioned above, the air pressure adjustment source 160 may be an exhaust device. In this case, the air pressure adjustment source 160 exhausts the gas within the container 152.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in FIG. 5 has the same configuration as the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 described above with reference to FIG. 4, except that the gas flow section 154 includes an exhaust section 154a and an opening section 154b. have. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

The container 152 is provided with a through hole 152p1 and a through hole 152p2. Here, the through hole 152p1 and the through hole 152p2 are provided in the side portion 152b of the container 152. Therefore, the inside and outside of the container 152 communicate with each other via the through hole 152p1 and the through hole 152p2 in the side portion 152b.

Container 152 stores cleaning liquid Lw. Note that the through hole 152p1 and the through hole 152p2 are arranged at a position higher than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw. As described later, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw, and the through hole 152p1 and the through hole 152p2 are arranged at a position higher than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw in which the brush 142 is immersed.

The gas flow section 154 includes an exhaust section 154a and an open section 154b. The exhaust section 154a exhausts the gas inside the container 152. Further, the opening portion 154b opens the inside of the container 152 to the atmosphere, and returns the pressure inside the container 152 to atmospheric pressure.

The exhaust section 154a includes an exhaust pipe 155a and an exhaust valve 156a. Here, one end of the exhaust pipe 155a communicates with the through hole 152p1, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 155a connects to the exhaust device 162. For example, exhaust device 162 may be placed in fluid cabinet 100A or fluid box 100B shown in FIG.

The exhaust valve 156a is attached to the exhaust pipe 155a. The exhaust valve 156a opens and closes the flow path within the exhaust pipe 155a.

The open portion 154b includes an open pipe 155b and a release valve 156b. Here, one end of the open pipe 155b communicates with the through hole 152p2, and the other end of the open pipe 155b is open to the atmosphere.

The release valve 156b is attached to the release pipe 155b. The open valve 156b opens and closes the flow path within the open pipe 155b.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 by the brush contained liquid adjustment section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIGS. 6(a) to 6(e) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of the brush-containing liquid adjustment process by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(a), the cleaning liquid Lw is stored in the internal space IS of the container 152. One end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the through hole 152p1 of the container 152, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the exhaust device 162. Further, one end of the open pipe 155b is connected to the through hole 152p2 of the container 152, and the other end of the open pipe 155b is opened to the atmosphere.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 6(a), it is preferable that a pressure gauge 152m is attached to the container 152. The pressure gauge 152m measures the atmospheric pressure inside the container 152. The control unit 102 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) may perform control based on the measurement result of the atmospheric pressure inside the container 152. In the state shown in FIG. 6(a), the pressure gauge 152m indicates atmospheric pressure.

As shown in FIG. 6(b), the arm 146 is moved so that the brush 142 and holder 144 pass through the opening 152d of the container 152. Thereafter, the opening 152d of the container 152 is closed by the arm 146. As a result, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152, and the container 152 is sealed with the brush 142 accommodated therein.

As shown in FIG. 6(c), the exhaust section 154a exhausts the gas inside the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 discharges the gas from the container 152 by closing the open valve 156b and opening the exhaust valve 156a.

Although the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw, fine air bubbles are retained inside the brush 142. When the exhaust section 154a exhausts the gas inside the container 152, the air pressure inside the container 152 decreases. For example, the atmospheric pressure within the container 152 decreases from atmospheric pressure to a range of 10 kPa or more and 300 kPa or less. Due to the decrease in the air pressure inside the container 152, fine air bubbles appear in the cleaning liquid Lw from inside the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 6(d), the opening portion 154b opens the container 152 to the atmosphere. As a result, gas (atmosphere) flows into the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 closes the exhaust valve 156a and opens the open valve 156b, so that gas flows into the container 152 and the pressure in the container 152 increases to atmospheric pressure.

As described above, the fine air bubbles inside the brush 142 escape from the brush 142 to the outside. Therefore, when the opening part 154b opens the inside of the container 152 to the atmosphere, the cleaning liquid Lw can sufficiently penetrate into the inside of the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 6E, the brush 142 and holder 144 move away from the opening 152d of the container 152 by moving the arm 146 away from the opening 152d of the container 152. Brush 142 is then used for brushing. As described above, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in the brush containing liquid adjusting section 150.

According to this embodiment, since the pressure inside the container 152 housing the brush 142 is once reduced and then opened, the brush 142 expels air bubbles from inside, allowing the cleaning liquid Lw to permeate inside the brush 142. Therefore, the cleaning liquid Lw can be permeated into the brush 142 in a short period of time, and even if the immersion time of the brush 142 is short, the cleaning liquid Lw can be efficiently permeated into the brush 142.

For example, in order to maintain the shape of the brush 142 while maintaining an appropriate height, the brush 142 may be made of hydrophobic or semi-hydrophobic resin. Even in this case, according to the present embodiment, the brush 142 can be expanded to the maximum extent by allowing the cleaning liquid Lw to penetrate into the brush 142 in a short period of time. Therefore, the preparation period before brushing can be shortened.

In the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. The number of through holes 152p provided in the container 152 may be one. For example, the exhaust section 154a and the opening section 154b may perform exhaustion and opening through one through hole 152p of the container 152, respectively. For example, the through hole 152p1 of the exhaust pipe 155a and the exhaust valve 156a are connected, and the through hole 152p2 of the open pipe 155b and the open valve 156b are connected, and the connected portion is one through hole. You may also contact.

Next, substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, in step S110, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate W. The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130.

In step S110A, the substrate W is brushed. Typically, the brush processing unit 140 performs brush processing on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W using the brush 142. At this time, the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies the rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 causes the moving unit 148 to move the arm 146 while keeping the valve 130b of the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 open, and causes the pressing unit 146c to press the brush 142 against the substrate W.

Before the brush processing in step S110A, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. The amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted before supplying the rinse liquid to the substrate W. For example, the adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be completed immediately before the supply of the rinsing liquid to the substrate W in step S110 is completed.

In step S120, the substrate W is spin-dried. During spin drying, the rotational speed of the substrate is increased more than the rotational speed of the substrate W during brush processing. This dries the rinsing liquid and cleaning liquid Lw for the substrate W. In the manner described above, the substrate W can be cleaned.

For example, after brush treatment, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted in the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150. Adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be started before the start of spin drying. Alternatively, adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may not be started until processing of the next substrate W is started.

Adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be performed during any period other than when the substrate W is being brushed. For example, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted before brushing the substrate W. Alternatively, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted after brushing the substrate W. Alternatively, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted based on the number of substrates W processed, the usage time of the brush 142, the elapsed time since the amount of liquid contained immediately before the brush 142 was adjusted, and/or the amount of liquid contained in the substrate processing apparatus 1. It may be performed depending on the idling time.

In adjusting the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 in the brush contained liquid adjusting section 150, the degree of pressure reduction in the brush containing liquid adjusting section 150, the time required for adjusting the amount of contained liquid, etc. are set to optimal values according to the material of the brush 142. May be set. For example, when the material of the brush is hydrophobic, water is less likely to penetrate into the uneven portions of the brush than when the material of the brush is hydrophilic. Therefore, when the material of the brush is hydrophobic, the pressure may be strongly reduced in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150, and when the material of the brush is hydrophilic, the pressure may be reduced weakly. Considering that reducing the pressure to a low value consumes a large amount of pump power and takes a long time to reach the target pressure reduction value, it is necessary to As far as possible, by strongly reducing the pressure in the brush containing liquid adjusting section 150, the time required to adjust the amount of containing liquid can be shortened.

In addition, in the explanation mentioned above with reference to FIG. 7, the brushing process of step S110A was performed after the rinsing liquid supply of step S110, but this embodiment is not limited to this. The brushing process in step S110A may be performed at the same time as the rinsing liquid supply in step S110. Alternatively, the brushing process in step S110A may be performed without supplying the rinsing liquid in step S110. For example, when a rinsing liquid is used as the cleaning liquid Lw for the brush 142, the brush 142 can be brushed together with the rinsing liquid using the immersed cleaning liquid Lw.

In the description given above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the gas flow section 154 includes the exhaust section 154a and the opening section 154b, and the atmospheric pressure inside the container 152 changes within a range of atmospheric pressure or lower. This embodiment is not limited to this. The air pressure within the container 152 may vary to a range above atmospheric pressure.

Next, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in FIG. 8 has the same configuration as the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 described above with reference to FIG. 5, except that the gas flow section 154 further includes an intake section 154c. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150, the gas flow section 154 further includes an intake section 154c in addition to the exhaust section 154a and the open section 154b. The air intake part 154c can change the pressure inside the container 152 to be higher than atmospheric pressure.

The container 152 is provided with a through hole 152p3 in addition to the through hole 152p1 and the through hole 152p2. Here, the through hole 152p3 is also provided in the side portion 152b of the container 152. Therefore, the inside and outside of the container 152 communicate with each other via the through hole 152p3 in the side portion 152b.

The intake section 154c includes an intake pipe 155c and an intake valve 156c. An intake valve 156c is attached to the intake pipe 155c. Here, one end of the intake pipe 155c is in communication with the through hole 152p3, and the other end of the intake pipe 155c is connected to the gas supply device 164. The gas supply device 164 supplies gas to the inside of the container 152 via the intake pipe 155c. For example, the gas supply device 164 supplies air to the interior of the container 152. Alternatively, the gas supply device 164 may supply an inert gas. For example, inert gas includes nitrogen. Note that the gas supply device 164 may be placed in the fluid cabinet 100A or the fluid box 100B shown in FIG. 1. The intake valve 156c opens and closes a flow path within the intake pipe 155c.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a brush-containing liquid adjustment process by the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIGS. 9(a) to 9(f) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of the brush-containing liquid adjustment process by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9(a), the cleaning liquid Lw is stored in the internal space IS of the container 152. One end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the through hole 152p1 of the container 152, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the exhaust device 162. One end of the open pipe 155b is connected to the through hole 152p2 of the container 152, and the other end of the open pipe 155b is opened to the atmosphere. One end of the intake pipe 155c is connected to the through hole 152p3 of the container 152, and the other end of the intake pipe 155c is connected to the gas supply device 164. Note that a pressure gauge 152m may be attached to the container 152.

As shown in FIG. 9(b), the arm 146 is moved so that the brush 142 and holder 144 pass through the opening 152d of the container 152. Thereafter, the opening 152d of the container 152 is closed by the arm 146. As a result, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152, and the container 152 is sealed with the brush 142 accommodated therein.

As shown in FIG. 9(c), the intake section 154c allows gas to flow into the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 closes the exhaust valve 156a and the release valve 156b while opening the intake valve 156c, so that gas flows into the container 152. Therefore, the pressure in the container 152 increases to exceed atmospheric pressure.

When the suction section 154c causes gas at a pressure exceeding atmospheric pressure to flow into the container 152, the air pressure inside the container 152 increases. For example, the pressure inside the container 152 increases from atmospheric pressure to a range of 10 kPa or more and 300 kPa or less. Due to the increase in the air pressure inside the container 152, the cleaning liquid Lw sufficiently permeates into the interior of the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 9(d), the exhaust section 154a exhausts the gas inside the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 closes the open valve 156b and the intake valve 156c, and opens the exhaust valve 156a, thereby exhausting the gas in the container 152.

Fine air bubbles are held inside the brush 142. When the exhaust section 154a exhausts the gas inside the container 152, the air pressure inside the container 152 decreases. For example, the atmospheric pressure within the container 152 is lower than atmospheric pressure in a range of 10 kPa or more and 300 kPa or less. Due to the decrease in the air pressure inside the container 152, fine air bubbles appear in the cleaning liquid Lw from inside the brush 142.

As described above, the cleaning liquid Lw sufficiently permeates into the interior of the brush 142 due to the intake air before exhaustion. Therefore, when the exhaust section 154a exhausts the container 152, dirt attached to the liquid that has sufficiently penetrated into the brush 142 is discharged from the brush 142 into the cleaning liquid Lw.

As shown in FIG. 9(e), the opening portion 154b opens the container 152 to the atmosphere. For example, the control unit 102 closes the exhaust valve 156a and the intake valve 156c and opens the release valve 156b, thereby opening the container 152 to the atmosphere. Therefore, air is sucked into the container 152, and the pressure in the container 152 returns to atmospheric pressure.

As described above, before exhaustion, fine air bubbles were retained inside the brush 142, but due to exhaustion, the fine air bubbles escaped from the inside of the brush 142 into the cleaning liquid Lw. Therefore, when the opening portion 154b opens the inside of the container 152 to the atmosphere, the cleaning liquid Lw permeates into the inside of the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 9(f), the brush 142 and holder 144 move away from the opening 152d of the container 152 by moving the arm 146 away from the opening 152d of the container 152. Brush 142 is then used for brushing. As described above, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 can be adjusted in a short period of time in the brush containing liquid adjusting section 150 so that the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is the same every time. Typically, after cleaning a certain substrate W and before cleaning the next substrate W, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150.

In addition, in the explanation mentioned above with reference to FIG. 9, although the atmospheric pressure in the container 152 was changed in the order of the intake part 154c, the exhaust part 154a, and the opening part 154b, this embodiment is not limited to this. The exhaust section 154a may exhaust the container 152 before the intake section 154c supplies gas to the container 152. Alternatively, the opening section 154b may open the container 152 after the supply of gas by the intake section 154c and the exhaustion by the exhaust section 154a are alternately repeated multiple times. By repeating gas supply and exhaust a plurality of times, the brush 142 can be sufficiently cleaned and the cleaning liquid Lw can be sufficiently permeated into the brush 142.

Note that, as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9, the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 adjusts the content in the brush 142 after brushing the substrate W and before brushing another substrate W. Although the amount of liquid applied was adjusted, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted before brushing the substrate W. Typically, brushes are consumable items and are replaced with new brushes as they wear out through use. If brush treatment is performed using a new brush as is when replacing the brush, while the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is small, the amount of liquid contained increases as the brush cleaning process progresses. In order to suppress changes in the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142, it is preferable to adjust the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 in advance before using the brush 142. Furthermore, even if the brush 142 has not been used for a long time, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 has decreased, so before using the brush 142, adjust the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 in advance. It is preferable to leave it there.

Next, substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 6, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. Here, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 newly attached to the holder 144 is adjusted.

First, as shown in step Sa, the brush 142 is attached to the holder 144. Alternatively, a holder 144 holding the brush 142 is attached to the arm 146. Typically, brush 142 is new and unused.

As shown in step Sb, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted. When the moving unit 148 moves the brush 142 to the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150, the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 starts adjusting the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142.

Step Sb includes a brush-containing liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, an intake step Sb4, an exhaust step Sb6, and an opening step Sb8. Here, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in the order of a brush content liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, an intake step Sb4, an exhaust step Sb6, and an opening step Sb8.

In the brush-containing liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152. The moving unit 148 moves the arm 146 to the retracted position so that the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150. When the arm 146 comes into contact with the upper part 152c of the container 152, the container 152 is sealed with the brush 142 accommodated therein.

In the intake step Sb4, gas is supplied to the container 152. The control unit 102 supplies gas to the container 152 by opening the intake valve 156c of the intake unit 154c. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes higher than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, even if there is dirt on the brush 142 attached to the holder 144, the dirt on the brush 142 oozes into the cleaning liquid Lw.

In the exhaust step Sb6, the gas inside the container 152 is exhausted. The control unit 102 opens the exhaust valve 156a of the exhaust unit 154a to exhaust the container 152. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes lower than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, air bubbles existing inside the brush 142 appear in the cleaning liquid Lw from the brush 142.

In the opening step Sb8, the container 152 is opened to the atmosphere. The control unit 102 opens the release valve 156b of the opening portion 154b to open the container 152 to the atmosphere. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes equal to atmospheric pressure. At this time, the cleaning liquid Lw penetrates into the interior of the brush 142.

After step Sb, brush processing is started as shown in step Sc. The moving unit 148 moves the arm 146 so that the brush 142 moves from the retracted position to the substrate abutting position to brush the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. At this time, since the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in advance, the brush 142 can properly clean the substrate W. As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the substrate W can be appropriately cleaned with the brush 142 sufficiently permeated with the cleaning liquid Lw.

Note that in the explanation given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10, the cleaning liquid Lw in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 was not replaced when the substrate processing apparatus 1 was driven, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. The cleaning liquid Lw in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 may be replaced when the substrate processing apparatus 1 is driven.

Next, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in FIG. 11 has the same configuration as the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 described above with reference to FIG. 5, except that it further includes a cleaning liquid distribution section 157. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

The brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 further includes a cleaning liquid distribution section 157 in addition to the container 152 and the gas distribution section 154. The cleaning liquid flow section 157 allows the cleaning liquid to flow into the container 152. Further, the cleaning liquid flow section 157 allows the cleaning liquid to flow out from the container 152.

The container 152 is provided with a through hole 152q1 and a through hole 152q2. The through hole 152q1 and the through hole 152q2 penetrate a portion of the container 152. Through hole 152q1 and through hole 152q2 communicate the inside and outside of container 152. Here, the through hole 152q1 and the through hole 152q2 are provided in the side portion 152b of the container 152. Therefore, the inside and outside of the container 152 communicate with each other via the through hole 152q1 and the through hole 152q2 in the side portion 152b.

Typically, through-hole 152q1 and through-hole 152q2 are provided at opposing positions in container 152. However, the height of the through hole 152q1 in the container 152 may be different from the height of the through hole 152q2 in the container 152.

Container 152 stores cleaning liquid Lw. Note that the through hole 152q1 and the through hole 152q2 are arranged at a position lower than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw. As described later, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw, but the through holes 152q1 and 152q2 may be arranged at positions lower than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw in which the brush 142 is immersed.

The cleaning liquid distribution section 157 includes an inflow pipe 158a, an outflow pipe 158b, an inflow valve 159a, and an outflow valve 159b.

An inflow valve 159a is attached to the inflow pipe 158a. Here, one end of the inflow pipe 158a communicates with the through hole 152q1, and the other end of the inflow pipe 158a connects to a cleaning liquid supply source. The inflow valve 159a opens and closes the flow path within the inflow pipe 158a.

An outflow valve 159b is attached to the outflow pipe 158b. Here, one end of the outflow pipe 158b communicates with the through hole 152q2, and the other end of the outflow pipe 158b connects to the waste liquid tank. The outflow valve 159b opens and closes the flow path within the outflow pipe 158b.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 11, and FIG. 12, the adjustment of the liquid contained in the brush 142 by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIGS. 12(a) to 12(f) are schematic diagrams showing the flow of the brush-containing liquid adjustment process by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the cleaning liquid Lw is stored in the internal space IS of the container 152. One end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the through hole 152p1 of the container 152, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 155a is connected to the exhaust device 162. Further, one end of the open pipe 155b is connected to the through hole 152p2 of the container 152, and the other end of the open pipe 155b is opened to the atmosphere.

As shown in FIG. 12(b), the arm 146 is moved so that the brush 142 and holder 144 pass through the opening 152d of the container 152. Thereafter, the opening 152d of the container 152 is closed by the arm 146. Thereby, the container 152 is sealed with the brush 142 accommodated therein. The brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152.

As shown in FIG. 12(c), the gas flow section 154 discharges the gas inside the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 discharges the gas from the container 152 by closing the open valve 156b and opening the exhaust valve 156a.

Although the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid, fine air bubbles are retained inside the brush 142. When the gas flow section 154 discharges the gas inside the container 152, the air pressure inside the container 152 decreases, and fine air bubbles appear from inside the brush 142 to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 12(d), the gas flow section 154 allows gas to flow into the container 152. For example, the control unit 102 closes the exhaust valve 156a and opens the open valve 156b, so that gas flows into the container 152 and the pressure in the container 152 increases to atmospheric pressure.

The fine air bubbles that were inside the brush 142 escape from the brush 142 to the outside. Therefore, when the opening portion 154b opens the inside of the container 152 to the atmosphere, the cleaning liquid Lw permeates into the inside of the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 12E, the arm 146 moves away from the opening 152d of the container 152, thereby causing the brush 142 and the holder 144 to move away from the opening 152d of the container 152. Brush 142 is then used for brushing.

As shown in FIG. 12(f), after the brush 142 and holder 144 start moving out of the container 152, new cleaning liquid Lw is supplied into the container 152, and the original cleaning liquid Lw is discharged. The control unit 102 opens the inflow valve 159a and the outflow valve 159b, so that the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152 is discharged and new cleaning liquid Lw is supplied into the container 152. As described above, the brush 142 can be cleaned in the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150, and the dirty cleaning liquid Lw can be replaced with a new cleaning liquid Lw.

According to this embodiment, after the brush-containing liquid adjustment unit 150 cleans the brush 142, the cleaning liquid Lw is replaced with a new cleaning liquid. Therefore, even when the brush 142 is washed multiple times, the brush containing liquid adjusting section 150 can clean the brush 142 and adjust the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142.

Further, although the through hole 152q2 is provided in the side portion 152b of the container 152 in FIGS. 11 and 12, the through hole 152q2 may be provided in the bottom portion 152a of the container 152. By providing the through hole 152q2 for discharging the cleaning liquid Lw in the bottom portion 152a of the container 152, clogging of the cleaning liquid Lw can be suppressed when the cleaning liquid Lw is discharged.

Note that the cleaning liquid distribution section 157 preferably uses the rinsing liquid used in the rinsing liquid supply section 130 as the cleaning liquid. When using the rinsing liquid supplied from the rinsing liquid supply section 130 as the cleaning liquid, the pipe 155 of the gas distribution section 154 may be connected to the pipe 130a of the rinsing liquid supply section 130.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 13 is similar to the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above with reference to FIG. It has the same configuration as the configuration to which the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 described above with reference to No. 11 is applied. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 13, the cleaning liquid distribution section 157 of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 further includes a communication pipe 158c. The communication pipe 158c connects the pipe 130a of the rinse liquid supply section 130 and the inflow pipe 158a of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150. Thereby, the rinsing liquid can be supplied to the container 152 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 as the cleaning liquid.

According to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, by sharing the rinsing liquid of the rinsing liquid supply section 130 with the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150, the rinsing liquid supply section 130 does not supply the rinsing liquid during brush processing. However, the substrate W can be brushed using a rinsing liquid.

In addition, in the description mentioned above with reference to FIG. 13, although the rinsing liquid of the rinsing liquid supply part 130 was used in common with the brush containing liquid adjustment part 150, this embodiment is not limited to this. The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 may be removed from the chamber 110 by omitting the valve 130b and the nozzle 130n of the rinsing liquid supply unit 130. Even in this case, since the brush 142 permeates the rinse liquid in the brush-containing liquid adjustment unit 150, the substrate W is brushed using the rinse liquid even if the rinse liquid supply unit 130 does not supply the rinse liquid during brush processing. can.

Note that in the description given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13, the brush treatment was performed together with the rinsing liquid, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The brush treatment may be performed together with not only the rinsing liquid but also another treatment liquid.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 14 has the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above with reference to FIG. 13, except that it further includes a chemical supply section 132. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 14, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chemical solution supply section 132 in addition to a rinse liquid supply section 130. The chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies a chemical liquid to the substrate W. Typically, the chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies a chemical liquid to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. By the rinsing treatment using a chemical solution, the rinsing solution, impurities, etc. adhering to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W can be washed away. The chemical solution supplied from the chemical solution supply section 132 may include SC1 (ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution mixed solution). Alternatively, the chemical solution may contain an organic alkali (eg, TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide).

At least a portion of the chemical solution supply section 132 is housed within the chamber 110. The chemical supply unit 132 includes a pipe 132a, a valve 132b, and a nozzle 132n. The nozzle 132n discharges a chemical onto the upper surface Wa of the substrate W. The nozzle 132n is connected to the pipe 132a. A chemical solution is supplied to the pipe 132a from a supply source. The valve 132b opens and closes the flow path within the pipe 132a. It is preferable that the nozzle 132n is configured to be movable with respect to the substrate W.

The nozzle 132n of the chemical solution supply section 132 may be movable. The nozzle 132n can be moved horizontally and/or vertically according to a movement mechanism controlled by the control unit 102. Note that in this specification, the moving mechanism is omitted to avoid making the drawings excessively complex.

Here, the communication pipe 158c connects the pipe 132a of the chemical solution supply section 132 and the inflow pipe 158a of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150. As a result, the chemical liquid is supplied to the container 152 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 as a cleaning liquid.

The brush processing unit 140 processes the substrate W with a brush. The brush processing unit 140 comes into contact with the upper surface Wa of the substrate W and cleans the substrate W with a brush. Typically, during the period in which the brush processing unit 140 cleans the substrate W with a brush, the chemical liquid supply unit 132 may supply the chemical liquid to the upper surface Wa of the substrate W.

Next, substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 14, and 15. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 15, in step S110, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate W. The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130.

In step S112, a chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W. The chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies a chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 closes the valve 130b of the rinsing liquid supply unit 130, and opens the valve 132b of the chemical liquid supply unit 132.

In step S112A, the substrate W is brushed. Typically, the brush processing unit 140 performs brush processing on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W using the brush 142. At this time, the chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies the chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 causes the moving unit 148 to move the arm 146 while keeping the valve 132b of the chemical solution supply unit 132 open, and causes the pressing unit 146c to press the brush 142 against the substrate W.

Before the brushing process in step S112A, the amount of cleaning liquid Lw contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in the brush-contained liquid adjusting section 150. For example, the brush-containing liquid adjustment unit 150 adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 using a chemical liquid as the cleaning liquid Lw. The amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be adjusted before supplying the chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the adjustment of the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 may be completed immediately before the supply of the chemical liquid to the substrate W is completed.

In step S120, the substrate W is spin-dried. During spin drying, the rotational speed of the substrate is increased more than the rotational speed of the substrate W during brush processing. Thereby, the rinsing liquid, chemical liquid, and cleaning liquid Lw of the substrate W are dried. In the manner described above, the substrate W can be cleaned.

Note that in the description given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15, the substrate W was brush-treated with one type of treatment liquid, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The substrate W may be brush-treated with multiple types of treatment liquids. In this case, a plurality of brushes 142 may be used depending on the number of processing liquids.

Furthermore, in the description given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes one brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The substrate processing apparatus 1 may include two or more brush-containing liquid adjusting sections.

Next, with reference to FIG. 16, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. Refer to FIG. 5, except that the substrate processing apparatus 1 in FIG. 16 includes a first brush processing section 140A, a second brush processing section 140B, a first brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150A, and a second brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150B. It has the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 16, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first brush processing section 140A and a second brush processing section 140B. The first brush processing section 140A and the second brush processing section 140B have similar configurations.

Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150A and a second brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150B. The first brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150A and the second brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150B have similar configurations. The first brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150A adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142A of the first brush processing section 140A. Further, the second brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150B adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142B of the second brush processing section 140B.

The first brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150A includes a container 152A and a gas circulation section 154A. The first cleaning liquid Lw1 is stored in the container 152A. For example, as the first cleaning liquid Lw1, one of a rinsing liquid and a chemical liquid is used.

The second brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150B includes a container 152B and a gas circulation section 154B. The second cleaning liquid Lw2 is stored in the container 152B. For example, the other of the rinsing liquid and the chemical liquid is used as the second cleaning liquid Lw2.

The second cleaning liquid Lw2 in the container 152B is preferably different from the first cleaning liquid Lw1 in the container 152A. However, the second cleaning liquid Lw2 in the container 152B may be the same as the first cleaning liquid Lw1 in the container 152A.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 16, and FIG. 17, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 17, in step S110, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate W. The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130.

In step S110A, the substrate W is brushed. Typically, the first brush processing unit 140A performs brush processing on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W using a brush 142A. At this time, the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies the rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 moves the arm 146A to the moving unit 148A of the first brush processing unit 140A while keeping the valve 130b of the rinsing liquid supply unit 130 open, and moves the brush 142A to the pressing unit 146c on the substrate W. to be pressed.

Before the brush treatment, the amount of the first cleaning liquid Lw1 contained by the brush 142A is adjusted in the first brush contained liquid adjusting section 150A.

In step S112, a chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W. The chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies a chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 132b of the chemical solution supply unit 132. Moreover, before supplying the chemical solution to the substrate W, the first brush processing section 140A ends the brush processing. After the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W, the amount of the first cleaning liquid Lw1 contained in the brush 142A may be adjusted in the first brush containing liquid adjusting section 150A.

In step S112A, the substrate W is brushed. Typically, the second brush processing unit 140B performs brush processing on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W using a brush 142B. At this time, the chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies the chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 moves the arm 146B to the moving unit 148B of the second brush processing unit 140B while keeping the valve 132b of the chemical solution supply unit 132 open, and causes the pressing unit 146c to move the brush 142B to the substrate W. to press.

Before brush processing, the amount of the second cleaning liquid Lw2 contained in the brush 142B is adjusted in the second brush contained liquid adjustment section 150B.

In step S120, the substrate W is spin-dried. During spin drying, the rotational speed of the substrate is increased more than the rotational speed of the substrate W during brush processing. This dries the rinsing liquid and chemical liquid on the substrate W. Note that, before spin drying, the second brush processing section 140B ends the brush processing. After starting spin drying, the amount of the second cleaning liquid Lw2 contained in the brush 142B may be adjusted in the second brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150B. As described above, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142A of the first brush processing section 140A and the brush 142B of the second brush processing section 140B can be adjusted.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 13, the inflow pipe 158a of the cleaning liquid distribution part 157 is connected to the pipe 130a of the rinsing liquid supply part 130, and in the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Although the inflow pipe 158a of the section 157 was connected to the pipe 132a of the chemical solution supply section 132, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The inflow pipe 158a of the cleaning liquid distribution section 157 may be connected to both the pipe 130a of the rinse liquid supply section 130 and the pipe 132a of the chemical solution supply section 132.

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 18 is different from that shown in FIGS. It has the same configuration as the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above with reference to 14. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the cleaning liquid distribution section 157 of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 further includes a communication pipe 158c, a communication pipe 158d, a valve 158e, and a valve 158f. The communication pipe 158c connects the pipe 130a of the rinse liquid supply section 130 and the inflow pipe 158a of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150. A valve 158e is attached to the communication pipe 158c. The valve 158e opens and closes the flow path within the communication pipe 158c. By opening the valve 158e, the control unit 102 can allow the rinsing liquid to flow through the communication pipe 158c toward the inflow pipe 158a.

The communication pipe 158d connects the pipe 132a of the chemical solution supply section 132 and the inflow pipe 158a of the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150. A valve 158f is attached to the communication pipe 158d. The valve 158f opens and closes the flow path within the communication pipe 158d. By opening the valve 158f, the control unit 102 can allow the chemical solution to flow through the communication pipe 158d toward the inflow pipe 158a.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, adjustment of the liquid contained in the brush by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of substrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. Note that step Sa and step Sb in FIG. 19 are similar to step Sa and step Sb in FIG. 10. Here, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 newly attached to the holder 144 is adjusted.

First, as shown in step Sa, the brush 142 is attached to the holder 144. Alternatively, a holder 144 holding the brush 142 is attached to the arm 146. Typically, brush 142 is new and unused.

As shown in step Sb, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted. When the moving unit 148 moves the brush 142 to the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150, the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150 starts adjusting the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142.

Step Sb includes a brush-containing liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, an intake step Sb4, an exhaust step Sb6, and an opening step Sb8. Here, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 is adjusted in the order of a brush content liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, an intake step Sb4, an exhaust step Sb6, and an opening step Sb8.

In the brush-containing liquid adjustment preparation step Sb2, the brush 142 is immersed in a rinsing liquid as the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152. The control unit 102 supplies the rinsing liquid to the container 152 by opening the valve 158e and the inflow valve 159a.

The moving unit 148 moves the arm 146 to the retracted position so that the brush 142 is immersed in the rinsing liquid in the container 152 of the brush-containing liquid adjusting unit 150. When the arm 146 comes into contact with the upper part 152c of the container 152, the container 152 is sealed with the brush 142 accommodated therein.

In the intake step Sb4, gas is supplied to the container 152. The control unit 102 supplies gas to the container 152 by opening the intake valve 156c of the intake unit 154c. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes higher than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, even if there is dirt on the brush 142 attached to the holder 144, the dirt on the brush 142 seeps into the rinsing liquid in the container 152.

In the exhaust step Sb6, the gas inside the container 152 is exhausted. The control unit 102 opens the exhaust valve 156a of the exhaust unit 154a to exhaust the container 152. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes lower than atmospheric pressure. Therefore, air bubbles existing inside the brush 142 appear from the brush 142 into the rinsing liquid in the container 152.

In the opening step Sb8, the container 152 is opened to the atmosphere. The control unit 102 opens the release valve 156b of the opening portion 154b to open the container 152 to the atmosphere. As a result, the pressure of the gas within the container 152 becomes equal to atmospheric pressure. At this time, the rinsing liquid in the container 152 permeates into the interior of the brush 142.

After step Sb, a rinsing liquid is supplied to the substrate W in step S110. The rinsing liquid supply unit 130 supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 130b of the rinse liquid supply unit 130. On the other hand, the control unit 102 closes the valve 158e.

In step S112, a chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W. The chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies a chemical liquid to the substrate W. For example, the control unit 102 opens the valve 132b of the chemical solution supply unit 132. Further, the control unit 102 opens the valve 158f, the inflow valve 159a, and the outflow valve 159b to replace the dirty rinsing liquid in the container 152 with the chemical liquid.

In step S112A, the substrate W is brushed. Typically, the brush processing unit 140 performs brush processing on the upper surface Wa of the substrate W using the brush 142. At this time, the chemical liquid supply unit 132 supplies the chemical liquid to the substrate W. Further, the brush 142 is impregnated with a chemical solution. For example, the control unit 102 causes the moving unit 148 to move the arm 146 while keeping the valve 132b of the chemical solution supply unit 132 open, and causes the pressing unit 146c to press the brush 142 against the substrate W. At this time, since the brush 142 was previously cleaned with a rinsing liquid and then immersed in the chemical solution, the brush 142 can properly clean the substrate W. As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment, the substrate W can be appropriately cleaned with the brush 142 sufficiently impregnated with the chemical solution.

In step S120, the substrate W is spin-dried. During spin drying, the rotational speed of the substrate is increased more than the rotational speed of the substrate W during brush processing. This dries the rinsing liquid and chemical liquid on the substrate W. In the manner described above, the substrate W can be cleaned. Moreover, by replacing the cleaning liquid Lw in the container 152 from the rinsing liquid with a chemical liquid, a new brush 142 can be cleaned with the rinsing liquid, and the chemical liquid can be used as the cleaning liquid Lw used during brush processing.

In addition, in the description given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19, the container 152 includes an upper portion 152c as well as a bottom portion 152a and side portions 152b, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Container 152 may not have an upper portion 152c. In this case, the arm 146 of the brush processing section 140 comes into contact with the tip of the side portion 152b of the container 152, so that the container 152 can be sealed.

Further, in the explanation given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19, the arm 146 of the brush processing section 140 comes into contact with the upper part 152c of the container 152, so that the container 152 is in a sealed state. Not limited.

Next, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150. The brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 in FIG. 20 has the same configuration as the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 described above with reference to FIG. 4, except that the container 152 further includes an opening/closing section 152s. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 20, the container 152 further includes a bottom portion 152a, a side portion 152b, a top portion 152c, and an opening/closing portion 152s. The opening/closing part 152s is attached to the upper part 152c of the container 152. The opening/closing part 152s is movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the upper part 152c of the container 152. The opening/closing part 152s is movable so as to close the opening 152d of the container 152.

With the brush 142 and holder 144 passing through the opening 152d of the container 152, the opening/closing section 152s is moved to close. Here, the opening/closing section 152s moves until it comes into contact with the arm 146. Therefore, the opening 152d of the container 152 is closed by the arm 146 and the opening/closing part 152s.

Note that in the description given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20, the brush 142 cleans the upper surface Wa of the substrate W, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. The brush 142 may clean the side surface of the substrate W.

Furthermore, in the explanation given above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20, the brush-containing liquid adjusting section 150 is placed in the substrate processing apparatus 1, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. When the substrate processing apparatus 1 appropriately processes a large amount of substrates, it is necessary to replace the brushes regularly. In this case, it is preferable that the newly replaced brush be stored in a state where it is sufficiently immersed in the cleaning liquid. For this reason, the brush-containing liquid adjustment section 150 is preferably used as a storage container for storing brushes before use.

Next, with reference to FIG. 21, the brush storage container 200 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of the brush storage container 200. Brush storage container 200 is used to store brushes 142. Typically, the brush storage container 200 is opened when the brush 142 of the brush processing section 140 in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is replaced.

Further, the brush storage container 200 stores the brush 142 used in the substrate processing apparatus 1 with the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 adjusted. For example, the brush storage container 200 holds the holder 144 together with the brush 142 to adjust the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142.

As shown in FIG. 21, the brush storage container 200 includes a housing 210 and a gas circulation section 220. The housing 210 has a hollow shape. A brush 142 is housed inside the housing 210. Here, the holder 144 is housed in the housing 210 together with the brush 142.

The housing 210 can be kept in a sealed state while housing the brush 142 therein. Therefore, the brush 142 is held inside the housing 210 without getting dirty. However, when using the brush 142, the housing 210 is released from the sealed state.

It is preferable that a pressure gauge 210m is attached to the housing 210. The pressure gauge 210m measures the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 210.

The housing 210 includes a bottom portion 210a, a side portion 210b, and an upper portion 210c. The bottom portion 210a extends along the XY plane. The side portion 210b extends in the Z-axis direction from the end of the bottom portion 210a. Upper portion 210c extends horizontally from the upper end of side portion 210b. The cleaning liquid Lw is stored in an internal space IS surrounded by the bottom 210a, the side 210b, and the top 210c.

The housing 210 is provided with a through hole 210p. The through hole 210p passes through a part of the housing 210. Here, the through hole 210p is provided in the side portion 210b. The through hole 152p communicates with the inside of the housing 210.

The gas circulation section 220 circulates between the inside and the outside of the housing 210. For example, when the casing 210 is in a sealed state, the gas flow section 220 causes the gas inside the casing 210 to flow out of the casing 210. Alternatively, the gas flow section 220 allows gas from outside the housing 210 to flow into the inside of the housing 210. The gas flow section 220 changes the air pressure inside the housing 210 with the brush 142 sealed inside the housing 210. Thereby, the cleaning liquid can be sufficiently permeated into the brush 142.

Gas flow section 220 includes piping 221 and valve 222. One end of the pipe 221 communicates with the through hole 210p. Further, the other end of the pipe 221 can be connected to the air pressure adjustment source 160.

For example, when an exhaust device is connected to the piping 221 as the air pressure adjustment source 160, the sealed casing 210 is connected to the exhaust device through the through hole 210p, so when the valve 222 is opened, the casing 210 The internal gas is exhausted to the outside of the housing 210 through the through hole 210p. As a result, the air pressure inside the housing 210 decreases, so that air bubbles inside the brush 142 can seep into the cleaning liquid Lw. After that, when the casing 210 is opened to use the brush 142, the air pressure inside the casing 210 returns to atmospheric pressure, so that the cleaning liquid Lw can sufficiently penetrate into the inside of the brush 142.

Alternatively, when a gas supply unit is connected to the pipe 221 as the pressure adjustment source 160, the sealed case 210 is connected to the gas supply unit via the through hole 210p, so when the valve 222 is opened, the gas is , flows into the housing 210 through the through hole 210p. This increases the air pressure inside the housing 210, allowing the cleaning liquid Lw to penetrate into the brush 142.

Note that the housing 210 changes from a closed state to an open state. When the housing 210 is in the open state, the brush 142 can be taken out from the housing 210 and the brush 142 can be stored in the housing 210. The housing 210 changes from a closed state to an open state by separating into a plurality of parts.

Housing 210 includes a container 212 and a lid 214. A portion of the container 212 is open. Lid 214 covers the opening of container 212. This allows the housing 210 to be in a sealed state. The upper part of the container 212 and the lid 214 form an upper part 210c of the housing 210. The lid 214 engages with the container 212 so as to close the opening while the brush 142 or the brush 142 and the holder 144 are housed in the housing 210. Note that here, the through hole 210p is provided on the side of the container 212.

A brush 142 is attached to the lid 214. Here, the brush 142 is attached to the lid 214 together with the holder 144. Specifically, a support shaft 214a is attached to the lid 214. The support shaft 214a extends vertically downward. A holder 144 that holds the brush 142 is attached to the support shaft 214a. The brush 142 is held in a state immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw inside the container 212 by the lid 214 and the support shaft 214a. Note that since the brush 142 is held by the lid 214 and the support shaft 214a, the position of the brush 142 does not change within the container 212.

For example, the container 212 and the lid 214 are each formed with grooves and protrusions that spiral around each other. By engaging the groove of one of the container 212 and the lid 214 with the protrusion of the other, the lid 214 can be tightened to the container 212, and the housing 210 can be formed in a sealed state.

According to the brush storage container 200 of this embodiment, the cleaning liquid Lw can be sufficiently permeated into the brush 142 even while the brush 142 is being stored. Furthermore, according to the brush storage container 200, even while the brush 142 is being stored, the air pressure can be changed to clean dirt existing inside the brush 142. Therefore, after replacing the brush 142 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the brush 142 can be used immediately.

In addition, although the brush storage container 200 shown in FIG. 21 was able to circulate the gas inside the housing 210 while keeping the housing 210 sealed, the present embodiment is not limited to this. The brush storage container 200 may be able to circulate the liquid within the housing 210 while keeping the housing 210 hermetically sealed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 22, the brush storage container 200 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of the brush storage container 200. The brush storage container 200 in FIG. 22 has the same configuration as the brush storage container 200 described above with reference to FIG. 21, except that it further includes a cleaning liquid distribution section 230. Therefore, duplicate descriptions will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

In addition to the casing 210 and the gas flow section 220, the brush storage container 200 further includes a cleaning liquid flow section 230. The cleaning liquid distribution section 230 allows the cleaning liquid to flow into the housing 210 and causes the cleaning liquid to flow out from the housing 210.

The housing 210 is provided with a through hole 210q1 and a through hole 210q2. The through hole 210q1 and the through hole 210q2 penetrate a part of the housing 210. Through hole 210q1 and through hole 210q2 communicate the inside and outside of housing 210. Here, the through hole 210q1 and the through hole 210q2 are provided in the side portion 210b of the housing 210. Therefore, the inside and outside of the housing 210 communicate with each other via the through hole 210q1 and the through hole 210q2 in the side portion 210b.

Typically, through-hole 210q1 and through-hole 210q2 are provided at opposing positions in housing 210. However, the height of the through hole 210q1 in the housing 210 may be different from the height of the through hole 210q2 in the housing 210.

The housing 210 stores the cleaning liquid Lw. Note that the through hole 210q1 and the through hole 210q2 are arranged at a position lower than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw. As described later, the brush 142 is immersed in the cleaning liquid Lw, but the through holes 210q1 and 210q2 may be arranged at positions lower than the upper limit of the cleaning liquid Lw in which the brush 142 is immersed.

The cleaning liquid distribution section 230 includes an inflow pipe 231a, an outflow pipe 231b, an inflow valve 232, and an outflow valve 232b. An inflow valve 232a is attached to the inflow pipe 231a. Here, one end of the inflow pipe 231a communicates with the through hole 210q1, and the other end of the inflow pipe 231a can be connected to a cleaning liquid supply source. The inflow valve 232a opens and closes the flow path within the inflow pipe 231a.

An outflow valve 232b is attached to the outflow pipe 231b. Here, one end of the outflow pipe 231b communicates with the through hole 210q2, and the other end of the outflow pipe 231b can be connected to a waste liquid tank. The outflow valve 232b opens and closes the flow path within the outflow pipe 231b.

According to the brush storage container 200 of this embodiment, the cleaning liquid Lw can be replaced even while the brush 142 is being stored. Therefore, even while the brush 142 is being stored, the amount of liquid contained in the brush 142 can be adjusted appropriately and the contained liquid can be replaced appropriately.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components of different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. For ease of understanding, the drawing mainly shows each component schematically, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the diagram may differ from the actual one for convenience of drawing. may be different. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and are not particularly limited, and various changes can be made without substantially departing from the effects of the present invention. be.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is suitably used for a substrate processing apparatus and a brush storage container.

1 Substrate processing apparatus 100 Substrate processing system 110 Chamber 120 Substrate holding section 130 Rinse liquid supply section 140 Brush processing section 150 Brush-containing liquid adjustment section 152 Container 154 Gas distribution section 200 Brush storage container 210 Housing 212 Container 214 Lid 220 Gas distribution section W board

Claims (14)

a substrate holding part that holds the substrate;
a brush processing unit having a brush and processing the substrate held by the substrate holding unit with the brush;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a brush-containing liquid adjusting section that adjusts the amount of liquid contained in the brush;
The brush-containing liquid adjusting section includes:
a container for storing cleaning liquid;
and a gas flow section that changes the air pressure inside the container while the brush is hermetically sealed inside the container. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow section lowers the pressure inside the container below atmospheric pressure. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow section increases the pressure inside the container to be higher than atmospheric pressure. The container is provided with a through hole,
The gas flow section is
Piping connected to the through hole;
The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a valve that adjusts the flow of gas within the pipe. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brush-containing liquid adjustment section further includes a cleaning liquid distribution section that allows cleaning liquid to flow into the container. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a rinsing liquid supply unit that supplies a rinsing liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rinsing liquid is supplied to the container as the cleaning liquid. The brush processing section is
a holder that holds the brush;
an arm to which the holder is attached;
further comprising a moving part that moves the arm,
8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brush is hermetically sealed within the container by the arm coming into contact with the container. A casing that seals and accommodates the brush;
A brush storage container comprising: a gas flow section for changing the air pressure inside the housing while keeping the brush sealed inside the housing. The brush storage container according to claim 9, wherein the gas flow section lowers the air pressure inside the casing below atmospheric pressure, and then returns the air pressure inside the casing to the atmospheric pressure. The brush storage container according to claim 9, wherein the gas flow section allows gas to flow into the interior of the housing to increase the air pressure inside the housing. The casing is
a container for storing cleaning liquid;
The brush storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , comprising a lid that engages with the container. The housing is provided with a through hole,
The gas flow section is
Piping connected to the through hole;
The brush storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 12 , further comprising a valve that adjusts the flow of gas within the pipe. The brush storage container according to any one of claims 9 to 13 , further comprising a cleaning liquid distribution section for distributing the cleaning liquid inside the housing.

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