JPH02227162A - Coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the quality, yield and productivity of an object to be treated by performing the exhaustion of a coating agent discharge system in a coating apparatus constituted so as to discharge an excessive liquid coating agent to the outside and perform the ventilation in a cup. CONSTITUTION:A liquid coating agent is applied and diffused to the surface to be treated of an object 25 to be treated rotating in a cup 11 at a high speed and the excessive liquid coating agent is discharged to the outside and the ventilation in the cup 17 is performed through an exhaust pine 18 and a coating agent discharge pine 20 is allowed to communicate with the exhaust pipe 18 through a pipe 23. As a result, since the adhesion of the scattered liquid coating agent to the object to be treated can be prevented, the quality, yield and productivity of the object to be treated can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a coating device for resist solution, developer solution, etc.

(Prior art) Processes such as resist coating and developer coating on objects to be processed such as semiconductor wafers are performed in a clean room that constantly supplies a vertical laminar flow to prevent the generation of fine dust. It is being said.

FIG. 2 shows, as an example of such an apparatus used in a lean room, a resist coating apparatus used when coating a resist on the surface of a semiconductor wafer.

As shown in the figure, the resist coating apparatus is equipped with a cup 2 having an opening 1 at the top and an inwardly inclined shape. The bottom edge of the cup 2 is connected to a cylindrical exhaust tube 3 whose end is connected to an exhaust mechanism (not shown), and a drain box 4 made of vinyl chloride or the like that accommodates the resist after use. A continuous cylindrical discharge pipe 5 is provided.

Further, a spindle insertion hole 6 is formed in the center of the cup 2.

A wafer chuck 8 made of resin or the like is inserted into the spindle insertion hole 6 and holds the semiconductor wafer 7 in a suction manner. A spindle motor 10 is installed which operates within the vehicle.

A resist supplying vibrator 11 made of tetrafluoroethylene resin, SO8, etc. is arranged above the opening 1 of the cup 2, and one end of this resist supplying vibe 11 is provided with a resist temperature for adjusting the temperature of the resist. A regulator 12 is attached, and a resist dropping nozzle 13 for dropping resist onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer 7 from the opening 1 toward the center of the semiconductor wafer 7 is provided at the other end.

Furthermore, the illustration above the opening 1 of the cup 2 is omitted. A temperature/humidity control unit 15 is arranged to forcibly take in the vertical laminar flow 14 supplied from the ceiling and then control the temperature, humidity, etc. of the vertical laminar flow 14 .

When applying a resist to the semiconductor wafer 7 using the resist coating apparatus having such a configuration, first, the vertical laminar flow 14 is forcibly introduced into the temperature/humidity control section 15, and the temperature and humidity of the introduced vertical laminar flow 14 are controlled. It is discharged under control and fed into the cup 2.

Next, the semiconductor wafer 7 is transported onto the wafer chuck 8 by a belt or the like, and then placed at a predetermined position on the wafer chuck 8, and then is attracted and held by a vacuum mechanism (not shown) to obtain a suction force.

At this time, in order to facilitate the transportation of the semiconductor wafer 7,
The cup 2 has been lowered in advance, and after sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer 7, the cup 2 is raised.

Thereafter, resist is dropped from the resist dropping nozzle 13 onto the center of the semiconductor wafer 7 held by suction.

Here, this resist is sent from a resist supply source (not shown) to a resist temperature regulator 12, and is heated to a temperature of, for example, 24° C. by circulating constant temperature water inside this resist temperature regulator 12.
It is adjusted to the extent. At this time, the temperature of about 10 cc of resist is adjusted at once, but by circulating the resist in a serpentine or spiral shape, the temperature adjustment capacity is increased, so the temperature can be adjusted more efficiently.

Then, about 3 cc of resist whose temperature has been adjusted to a set temperature by the resist temperature regulator 12 is dropped onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer 7 from the resist dropping nozzle 13.

After this, the spindle motor 10 is adjusted to 400 rpm, for example.
The semiconductor wafer 7 is rotated at high speed through the output shaft 9, and the dropped resist is spread by centrifugal force.

Ventilation within the cup 2 during such processing is performed by an exhaust mechanism (not shown) via the exhaust pipe 3 according to a set program.

In addition, the resist scattered by the rotation of the semiconductor wafer 7 is
Since it bounces downward due to the inner surface of the cup 2 which is inclined inward, it is stored in the drain box 4 via the discharge pipe 5.

This process is continued to dry the resist diffused onto the semiconductor wafer 7.

Next, the semiconductor wafer 7 whose surface has been coated with a resist and dried is conveyed by a belt or the like to an exposure apparatus (not shown).
Here, pattern exposure is performed on the surface.

Further, the pattern-exposed semiconductor wafer 7 is conveyed by a belt or the like to a developing processing apparatus (not shown), where it is held by suction with a wafer chuck with the surface to be developed of the semiconductor wafer 7 facing upward. Then, while the motor connected to the wafer chuck is stopped or rotated at a low speed, a developer is supplied to the surface to be developed using a spray nozzle or the like, and then the semiconductor wafer 7 is rotated at a higher speed by the driving force of the motor. As a result, the developer supplied to the surface to be developed is removed by centrifugal force, and a pattern with a thickness of about several μm is formed.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional coating apparatus described above, the semiconductor wafer 7 is
Since the cup 2 rotates at a high speed such as 000 rpm, turbulence is generated within the cup 2. Therefore, due to the turbulence, the resist that was scattered by the rotation of the semiconductor wafer 7 and bounced downward by the inner surface of the cup 2 flies up and adheres to the surface of the semiconductor wafer 7.

In this way, if the resist adheres to the surface of the semiconductor wafer 7, the thickness of the resist will become uneven and the exposure of the exposure device will be out of focus, which will affect the quality and yield of the semiconductor wafer 7. There was a problem that productivity decreased.

The present invention was made in response to these circumstances, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating device that can improve the quality, yield, and productivity of objects to be processed.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The coating device of the present invention applies and diffuses a liquid coating agent onto the surface to be treated of an object to be treated that rotates at high speed in a cup, and removes excess liquid coating agent. In a coating device that discharges ventilation to the outside and also exhausts ventilation inside the cup, the coating agent discharge system is exhausted.

(Function) In the coating device of the present invention, by exhausting excess coating agent from the discharge system, negative pressure can be created inside the discharge system. The coating agent can be reliably taken in, thereby preventing the scattered liquid coating agent from adhering to the object to be processed.

(Example) Hereinafter, details of an example in which the coating apparatus of the present invention is applied to a resist processing apparatus will be described based on the drawings.

A cup 1 having an opening 16 at the top and slanting inward.
A cylindrical exhaust pipe 18 whose end is connected to an exhaust mechanism (not shown) is provided at the edge of the lower surface of the exhaust pipe 7 . Further, a cylindrical discharge pipe 20 is provided at the edge of the lower surface thereof, and the end thereof is connected to a drain box 19 made of vinyl chloride or the like that accommodates the used resist. Cylindrical discharge pipe 20
includes an inclined piece 21 that prevents the resist from coming back inside.
A trap 22 having a diameter is attached, and the cylindrical exhaust pipe 20 and the cylindrical exhaust pipe 18 communicate with each other via the trap 22 and the vibe 23.

Further, a spindle insertion hole 24 is formed in the center of the cup 17.

A wafer chuck 26 made of resin or the like is inserted into the spindle insertion hole 24 and holds a semiconductor wafer 25 in a suction manner. A spindle motor 28 is installed which operates within the range.

Above the opening 16 of the cup 17 is a resist supplying vibrator 29 made of tetrafluoroethylene resin or SUS.
A resist temperature regulator 30 for adjusting the temperature of the resist is attached to one end of this resist supply pipe 29, and a resist temperature regulator 30 for adjusting the temperature of the resist is attached to the other end of the resist supply pipe 29. A resist dropping nozzle 31 for dropping resist is provided.

Further, above the opening 16 of the cup 17, a temperature/humidity control section 33 is disposed that controls the temperature, humidity, etc. of the vertical laminar flow 32 that is forcibly taken in from the ceiling (not shown). ing.

Next, the operation of the resist coating apparatus having such a configuration will be explained.

When applying resist to the semiconductor wafer 25 , first, a vertical laminar flow 32 is forcibly taken into the temperature/humidity control unit 33 , and the temperature and humidity of the taken vertical laminar flow 32 are controlled and discharged, and then the temperature and humidity are discharged into the cup 17 . Send it in.

Next, the semiconductor wafer 25 is conveyed to the top of the wafer chuck 26 by a belt or the like, and then placed at a predetermined position on the wafer chuck 26. After that, a vacuum mechanism (not shown) obtains a suction force to suction and hold the semiconductor wafer 25. do. At this time, in order to facilitate the transportation of the semiconductor wafer 25,
The cup 17 has been lowered in advance, and after sucking and holding the semiconductor wafer 25, the cup 17 is raised.

Thereafter, resist is dropped onto the center of the held semiconductor wafer 25 from the resist dropping nozzle 31.

Here, this resist is sent to a resist temperature regulator 30 from a resist supply source (not shown), and is heated to a temperature of 24°C, for example, by circulating constant temperature water inside this resist temperature regulator 30.
It is adjusted to the extent. At this time, the temperature of about 10 cc of resist is adjusted at once, but by circulating the resist in a serpentine or spiral shape, the temperature adjustment capacity is increased, so the temperature can be adjusted more efficiently.

Then, about 3 cc of resist whose temperature has been adjusted to a set temperature by the resist temperature regulator 30 is dropped onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer 25 from the resist dropping nozzle 31. Thereafter, the spindle motor 28 is driven at, for example, about 4000 rpm to rotate the semiconductor wafer 25 at high speed via the output shaft 27.
The dropped resist is spread by centrifugal force.

Ventilation within the cup 17 during such processing is performed by an exhaust mechanism (not shown) via the exhaust pipe 18 according to a set program. Further, the resist scattered by the high-speed rotation of the semiconductor wafer 25 is bounced downward by the inner surface of the cup 17, and then is stored in the drain box 19 via the cylindrical discharge pipe 20.

At this time, since the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 is communicated with the exhaust pipe 18 via the pipe 23, the inside of the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 becomes negative due to suction and force from an exhaust mechanism (not shown) attached to the exhaust pipe 18. It becomes a pressure state. As a result, the resist that has entered the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 after bouncing downward by the inner surface of the cup 17 is stored in the drain box 19 without being blown back by the turbulence generated by the high-speed rotation of the semiconductor wafer 25. be done. In addition, the inclined piece 21 of the trap 22 attached to the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 allows
It is possible to more reliably prevent the resist that has once entered the inside of the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 from returning.

This process is continued to dry the resist spread on the semiconductor wafer 25.

Subsequently, the semiconductor wafer 25 whose surface has been coated with a resist and dried is conveyed by a belt or the like to an exposure apparatus (not shown), where the surface is subjected to pattern exposure.

Further, the pattern-exposed semiconductor wafer 25 is conveyed by a belt or the like to a developing processing apparatus (not shown), where it is suction-held by a wafer chuck with the surface to be developed of the semiconductor wafer 25 facing upward. Then, while stopping or rotating the motor connected to the wafer chuck at low speed, a developer is supplied to the surface to be developed using a spray nozzle, etc.
Thereafter, the semiconductor wafer 25 is rotated at high speed by the driving force of the motor. As a result, the developer supplied to the surface to be developed is removed by centrifugal force, and a pattern with a thickness of about several μm is formed.

In this way, in this embodiment, the cylindrical exhaust pipe 20 and the cylindrical exhaust pipe 18 are communicated via the pipe 23, so that
Since the inside of the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 is brought into a negative pressure state by the suction force of the exhaust mechanism (not shown) attached to the exhaust pipe 18, the resist that has rebounded downward by the inner surface of the cup 17 can be reliably taken in. This makes it possible to prevent the resist from adhering to the semiconductor wafer 25.

As a result, the resist film thickness can be made uniform, which can prevent out-of-focus exposure in the exposure equipment used in the next process, and further improve the uniformity of development in the development equipment used in the next process. This can also improve the quality, yield, and productivity of the semiconductor wafers 25. Also, the inclined piece 2 of the trap 22
1, it is also possible to more reliably prevent the resist that has once entered the inside of the cylindrical discharge pipe 20 from coming back.

Further, the resist coating apparatus of this embodiment can also maintain the atmosphere inside the cup 17 constant even when the temperature and humidity within the clean room fluctuate by using the temperature and humidity control section 33 provided in this apparatus.

In this example, the case where the present invention is applied to a resist coating device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and may be applied to other coating devices such as a developing device. It can also be improved.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the coating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent scattered resist from adhering to the object to be processed, thereby improving the quality, yield, and productivity of the object to be processed. can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment in which the coating device of the present invention is applied to a resist coating device, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional resist coating device. 16... Opening, 17... Cup, 18... Cylindrical exhaust pipe, 19... Drain box, 20... Cylindrical exhaust pipe, 21... Inclined piece, 22... Trap ,
23... Pipe, 24... Spindle insertion hole, 25
... Semiconductor wafer, 26 ... Wafer chuck, 27
...Output shaft, 28...Spindle motor, 29...
・Resist supply pipe, 30...Resist temperature controller, 32...Vertical laminar flow, 33...Temperature and humidity control department Applicant: Tokyo Electron Co., Ltd. Chill Kyushu Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney: Satoshi Suyama -

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a coating device that applies and diffuses a liquid coating agent onto the surface to be treated of an object to be treated that rotates at high speed in a cup, discharges the excess liquid coating agent to the outside, and exhausts ventilation in the cup, A coating device characterized in that the coating agent discharge system is evacuated.