JPH03116819A - Manufacture of semiconductor device and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the dimensional variation of a resist pattern, and to contrive improvement in dimensional accuracy of the resist pattern by a method wherein, after a photosensitive treatment has been conducted on the photoresist coated on the substrate to be treated, the substrate is brought into an inert gas atmosphere. CONSTITUTION:In a sensitizing-developing treatment device 1a, the unloader of a sensitizing treatment section 2 has an additional function as the loader of a developing treatment section 6, end a carrier jig 3b arranged thereon is housed in a purge box 7. On the purge box 7, a through hole 8 is perforated, and when a developing treatment is conducted, inert gas such as nitrogen gas and the like is fed into the purge box 7 through the above-mentioned through hole 8. In order to conduct sensitizing and developing treatments, the prescribed quantity of nitrogen gas, for example, is fed into the purge box 7, sensitized wafers 4 are left in a nitrogen gas atmosphere until a developing treatment is conducted. As a result, the widening of the width of a resist pattern due to the obstruction of oxide reaction and the like of the sensitized part of the resist can be prevented. Consequently, dimensional accuracy of the pattern can sharply be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a technology for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and in particular to a technology that is effective when applied to photolithography technology in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices.

[Conventional technology]

Regarding the photolithography technology involved in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, for example, Ohmsha Co., Ltd., published November 30, 1980, rLSI Handbook JP253-P25
8, which describes the exposure and development of a photoresist (hereinafter referred to as resist).

The conventional exposure and development process will be explained with reference to FIG. Carrier jig 51a placed in the photosensitive processing unit 500 loader
For example, about 25 semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers) 52a each having a main surface coated with a resist before exposure are housed in the . During the photosensitive treatment, the wafer 52a is
The carrier jig 51a is sequentially transported from the bottom to the photosensitive treatment i50, where a predetermined pattern is transferred. The wafer 52b subjected to the photosensitive treatment is accommodated in a carrier jig 51b disposed in the unloader, and in this case, the wafers 52b are accommodated in order from above the carrier jig 51b. The developed wafer 52b is transported to the unloader of the development processing section 53, and is transferred to the carrier jig 51 disposed there.
It is designed to be housed in c.

Next, when the photosensitive process is completed, the carrier jig 51b is
It is transported to the loader of the development processing section 53.

By the way, conventionally, the wafer 52b has been left in the atmosphere after the wafer 52a is exposed to light and until it is developed. Then, during the development process, the wafers 52b of the carrier jig 51b are transported to the development process section 53 in order from the wafer 52b that was last exposed to light, that is, from the bottom of the carrier jig 51b, and the pattern transferred to the resist is transferred to the development process section 53. had been developed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, even if the wafers are in the same carrier jig that accommodates the wafers after the development process, they are left in the atmosphere after being exposed to light until they are subjected to the development process. The inventors have discovered that there is a problem in which resist pattern dimensions vary due to differences in time. It is assumed that this problem is caused by the resist reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere and becoming oxidized. For example, in the case of a positive resist, the resist pattern becomes wider in proportion to the standing time, but this is because the oxidation of the photosensitive parts of the resist progresses after exposure processing, and the oxidized parts are exposed to the developer during the development process. It is assumed that this is due to the fact that it remains undissolved.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that can suppress dimensional fluctuations of a resist pattern and improve the dimensional accuracy of the resist pattern.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means to solve the problem]

A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that, after subjecting the photoresist applied to the substrate to be processed to a photosensitive treatment, the substrate to be processed after the photosensitive treatment is housed in an inert gas cloud. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

The invention according to claim 2 provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern onto a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed and a development processing section that develops the pattern in the same processing chamber. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus has a structure in which a frame body is provided in the processing chamber to house the substrate to be processed after photosensitive processing in an inert gas atmosphere.

The invention according to claim 3 provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising, in the same processing chamber, a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern onto a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed, and a development processing section that develops the pattern. This is a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus structure in which the inside of the processing chamber is surrounded by an inert gas atmosphere.

The invention according to claim 4 is a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section in a processing chamber that transfers a predetermined pattern to a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed, wherein at least a photosensitive processing section is provided in the processing chamber after photosensitive processing. The structure of the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes a frame for accommodating a substrate to be processed in an inert gas atmosphere.

The invention according to claim 5 is a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising, in a processing chamber, a development processing section that develops a predetermined pattern transferred to a photoresist of a substrate to be processed after photosensitive processing, wherein the processing This apparatus has a structure for manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which a frame body is provided in a room to house at least a substrate to be processed in an inert atmosphere before being developed.

The invention according to claim 6 provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which a resist coated on a substrate to be processed is subjected to photosensitive treatment, and then the substrate to be processed is transported to the next processing section while immersed in a liquid. be.

The invention according to claim 7 provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising: a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern to a resist applied to a substrate to be processed; and a development processing section that develops the pattern; The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus has a structure in which a transport means for transporting the processed substrate after photosensitive treatment while being immersed in a liquid is provided on the transport path of the processed substrate from the processing section to the development processing section. .

[Effect]

According to the above-mentioned means, the oxidation reaction of the resist applied to the substrate to be processed after the photosensitive treatment is prevented, so the fluctuation in the dimensions of the resist pattern that is assumed to be caused by the oxidation reaction of the resist is suppressed, and the dimensional accuracy is can be significantly improved.

[Example 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a case in which a wafer after exposure treatment is left in the atmosphere and in an inert gas atmosphere. FIG. 2 is a graph diagram comparing the state of resist pattern dimensions in the case where the resist pattern is left as it is;

The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of Example 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a photosensitive/developing processing apparatus 1a in which photosensitive processing and development processing are performed consistently.

For example, a wafer (to be processed) whose main surface is coated with a positive resist (not shown) is placed on the carrier jig 3a disposed in the photosensitive processing section 20 loader provided in the processing chamber of the photosensitive/developing processing apparatus 1a. A plurality of substrates) 4 are housed in parallel in the height direction of the carrier jig 3b. The photosensitive processing unit 2 is a processing unit that transfers a predetermined pattern onto the resist applied to the wafer 4, and the photosensitive processing unit 2 transfers a predetermined pattern to the resist applied to the wafer 4.
The carrier jig 3b is transported to the unloader for photosensitive processing R2 by the operation of the transport bell) 5a, and is placed there.
It is designed to be accommodated in

The conveyor bell) 5a is designed to move in both left and right directions by the rotation of the rotating part 5b, and during photosensitive processing,
The wafer 4 after photosensitive processing is transported from the photosensitive processing section 2 to the carrier jig 3b, and during the development process, the wafer 4 is transferred to the carrier jig 3b.
The wafer 4 stored in the 1:e storage is transported to the development processing section 6.

Further, the carrier jig 3b is mechanically connected to a drive system (not shown), and is movable in the vertical direction in the figure. By moving the carrier jig 3b up and down, it is possible to set the accommodation position of the wafer 4 after exposure processing in the carrier jig 3b and to select a predetermined wafer 4 accommodated in the carrier jig 3b. . For example, carrier jig 3b
By moving the wafers 4, the wafers 4 are placed in the order in which they were exposed to light.
It is also possible to transport it to the development processing section 6.

In the photosensitive/development processing apparatus 1a of the first embodiment, the unloader of the photosensitive processing section 2 also serves as the loader of the development processing section 60, and the carrier jig 3b disposed there.
is housed in the purge box 7. A through hole 8 is opened in the purge box 7, and an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied into the purge box 7 through the through hole 8 during exposure and development processing. That is, in the photosensitive/developing processing apparatus 1a of the first embodiment, during the photosensitive and developing processes, it is possible to always maintain the atmosphere in which the wafer 4 is left after the photosensitive process and before the developing process to be surrounded by an inert gas atmosphere. It has a structure. Although not shown, for example, post exposure bake (FEB
), the FEB section is also in a nitrogen gas atmosphere.

The development processing section 6 is a processing section that develops the pattern transferred to the resist by photosensitive processing, and the wafer 4 that has been subjected to the development processing is transported to the unloader of the development processing section 6.
It is accommodated in a carrier jig 3C placed there.

As described above, in such a photosensitive/developing device 1a, photosensitive,
To perform the development process, for example, a predetermined amount of nitrogen gas is supplied into the purge box 7 to make the atmosphere inside the purge box 7 an inert gas atmosphere.

That is, by leaving the wafer 4 that has been subjected to photosensitive treatment in a nitrogen gas atmosphere until it is subjected to development processing, the oxidation reaction of the photosensitive portion of the resist is hindered, and the resist pattern becomes wider. Prevent it from being put away. FIG. 2 is a graph comparing the dimensional state of the resist pattern when the wafer 4 after exposure treatment is left in the air and when it is left in an inert gas atmosphere. The two-dot chain line indicates the case where the wafer 4 is left in the atmosphere. As can be seen from the figure, when the wafer 4 is left in the atmosphere, the resist pattern becomes wider in proportion to the standing time, whereas when the wafer 4 is left in the nitrogen atmosphere,
It remains a constant value regardless of the length of time it is left unused.

In this way, according to the first embodiment, the wafer 4 after the photosensitive treatment
By leaving it in a nitrogen gas atmosphere until it is subjected to development processing, the oxidation reaction of the resist applied to the main surface of the wafer 4 after exposure processing is hindered. Variations in the dimensions of the resist pattern that are assumed to be caused by this are suppressed, making it possible to significantly improve the dimensional accuracy. Furthermore, since the stability of the resist pattern is improved, it becomes possible to stabilize the access distribution rate and the like during exposure and development processing.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, taken in the wafer transport direction, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken in a direction perpendicular to FIG. 3. It is.

The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of Example 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the second embodiment, a transport means 9 is provided between the photosensitive processing section 2 and the development processing section 6 of the photosensitive/developing processing apparatus lb for transporting the wafer 4 immersed in a liquid after the photosensitive processing.
is provided. The conveyance means 9 employs, for example, a single-wafer submerged conveyance system.

A liquid tank 10 constituting the transport means 9 contains a liquid 11 such as pure water. A plate 12 is provided in the liquid 1 for transporting the wafer 4 after photosensitive processing to the development processing section 6.

A hollow passage 13 is formed inside the plate body 12 . An opening 14 communicating with the hollow passage 13 is formed in the lower part of the plate 12, and the liquid 11 for wafer transfer is supplied from a liquid supply source (not shown) to the hollow passage through the opening 14 and the pipe 15. It is designed to be supplied to the inside of 13. Furthermore, a plurality of liquid ejection holes 16 are formed in the upper part of the plate 12 in two rows, for example, along the direction in which the plate 12 extends. The liquid ejection hole 16 is formed diagonally upward in the advancing direction with respect to the transport direction of the wafer 4, and the wafer 4 is floated from the upper surface of the plate 12 by the liquid 11 for wafer transport ejected from this hole. In this state, it is conveyed to the development processing section 6 side. The wafer 4 is guided by the transport guide 17 and the flange portion 17H of the id 17 to be transported.

As described above, in such a photosensitive/developing device lb, photosensitive,
To perform development processing, proceed as follows.

First, the wafer 4 after being exposed to light is submerged in a liquid in a liquid tank 10 . Then, the liquid 11 for wafer transport is ejected obliquely upward in the forward direction with respect to the transport direction of the wafer 4 from the liquid jet hole 16 via the pipe line 15, the opening 14, and the hollow passage 13. Then, due to this ejection force, the wafer 4 is pushed onto the plate 12.
It moves to the development processing section 6 side while floating above the upper surface.

That is, by conveying the photosensitive wafer 4 immersed in a liquid to the development processing section 6, the oxidation reaction of the photosensitive portion of the resist, etc. is hindered, and the resist pattern becomes wide. prevent. After the wafer 4 is thus transported to the development processing section 6 and the pattern transferred to the resist is developed, the wafer 4 is housed in the carrier jig 3C.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, by transporting the wafer 4 after the photosensitive treatment to the development processing section 6 while immersed in the liquid, the main body of the wafer 4 after the photosensitive treatment is This prevents the oxidation reaction of the resist applied to the surface.
Fluctuations in the dimensions of the resist pattern, which are assumed to be caused by the oxidation reaction of the resist, are suppressed, making it possible to significantly improve the dimensional accuracy.

Furthermore, since the wafer 4 is transported while immersed in the liquid, it is possible to significantly reduce the adhesion of foreign matter such as dust.

As above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained based on Examples, but it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Not even.

For example, in the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the inert gas is nitrogen gas, but the inert gas is not limited to this and various changes can be made. For example, argon gas or helium gas may be used.

Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a photosensitive/development processing apparatus in which photosensitive processing and development processing are performed consistently is explained, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a photosensitive apparatus, Alternatively, it can also be applied to a developing device. At this time, in the case of a photosensitive device, at least the unloader side may be provided with an inert gas atmosphere. Also,
In the case of a developing device, at least the loader side may be provided with an inert gas atmosphere.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a case was explained in which the atmosphere between the photosensitive treatment and the development treatment was an inert gas cloud, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the entire processing chamber of a photosensitive/developing processing apparatus may be surrounded by an inert gas cloud.

Further, in the second embodiment, the case where the liquid was pure water was explained, but the invention is not limited to this.
For example, any solution that does not contaminate the wafer and does not react with the resist applied to the wafer may be used.

In the above explanation, the invention made by the present inventor was mainly applied to the field of application, which is the field of application, which is the background of the invention, which is the exposure and development of a resist coated on the main surface of a wafer. For example, it is also possible to apply the present invention to photo-sensing and developing treatment techniques for resists coated on the main surface of masks for manufacturing semiconductor devices.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Among the inventions disclosed in this application, the effects obtained by typical inventions are briefly described below.

That is, according to the present invention, since the oxidation reaction of the resist applied to the substrate to be processed after photosensitive treatment is prevented, the variation in the dimensions of the resist pattern that is assumed to be caused by the oxidation reaction of the resist is suppressed, and the dimensions of the resist pattern are reduced. It becomes possible to significantly improve accuracy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a case where a wafer after photosensitive treatment is left in the atmosphere and a case where it is left in an inert gas atmosphere. A graph comparing the states of resist pattern dimensions, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, cut in the wafer transport direction, and FIG. 4 is the same as that of FIG. FIG. 5, which is a sectional view taken in the right angle direction, is an explanatory diagram illustrating the conventional photosensitive and developing processing steps. 1.1'a, lb... Photosensitive/development processing equipment (semiconductor device manufacturing equipment), 2... Photosensitive processing section, 3a to 3C...
・Carrier jig, 4...Uni/X (substrate to be processed), 5
a... Conveyor belt, 5b... Rotating section, 6... Development processing section, 7... Purge box, 8... Through hole, 9
...Transporting means, 10...Liquid tank, 11...Liquid, 1
2... Plate body, 13... Hollow path, 14... Opening part,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15... Pipe line, 16... Liquid ejection hole, 17... Conveyance guide, 17a... Flange part, 50... Photosensitive processing part, 51a-51G... Carrier jig, 52a, 5
2b... Semiconductor wafer, 53... Development processing section. 52a Figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor device characterized in that, after photoresist applied to a substrate to be processed is exposed to light, the substrate to be processed after the exposure treatment is housed in an inert gas atmosphere. Production method. 2. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern onto a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed and a development processing section that develops the pattern in the same processing chamber, wherein the processing 1. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that a frame is provided in a room to house a substrate to be processed after photosensitive processing in an inert gas atmosphere. 3. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern onto a photoresist applied to a substrate to be processed and a development processing section that develops the pattern in the same processing chamber, wherein the processing A semiconductor device manufacturing device characterized by having an inert gas atmosphere inside the room. 4. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section in a processing chamber for transferring a predetermined pattern onto a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed, wherein at least the substrate to be processed after photosensitive processing is not placed in the processing chamber. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that it is provided with a frame housed in an active gas atmosphere. 5. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a development processing section in a processing chamber for developing a predetermined pattern transferred to a photoresist of a substrate to be processed after photosensitive processing, wherein at least a development processing section is provided in the processing chamber. 1. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, comprising a frame for accommodating a previous substrate to be processed in an inert atmosphere. 6. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which comprises subjecting a photoresist applied to a substrate to be processed to a photosensitive process, and then transporting the substrate to the next processing section while immersed in a liquid. 7. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising a photosensitive processing section that transfers a predetermined pattern to a photoresist coated on a substrate to be processed, and a development processing section that develops the pattern, wherein the development processing is performed from the photosensitive processing section. 1. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that a transporting means for transporting a substrate to be processed after photosensitive treatment while being immersed in a liquid is provided on a transport path for the substrate to be processed to the substrate.