JPH06132210A - Treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a treatment device preventing an air flow sensor from being contaminated by treatment liquid mist for strictly controlling the flow velocity or flow rate of air flowing near the upper surface of a body to be treated. CONSTITUTION:A sensor 40 for detecting the amount of exhaust is laid out on the upstream side of an exhaust system and at a region where no treatment liquid scatters, for example, near an intake port 39 provided at the base of the bottom part of a cup 33. A butterfly valve 37 which is provided in an exhaust pipe 36 is controlled by a controller 38 driven by the detection signal which is transferred from the sensor 40.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid onto the upper surface of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a processing apparatus of this type, generally, when a processing liquid such as a resist is applied to an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), a wafer is applied in order to achieve uniform application. It is necessary to strictly control the flow velocity of the nearby air flow. Therefore, a heat ray sensor or a differential pressure sensor (Pitot tube) is arranged near the upper surface of the wafer to monitor the air flow near the wafer.

According to the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-69012, as shown in FIG.
It is mounted on a chuck 23, which is a rotation holding means arranged in the inside 2. An exhaust pipe 24 is connected to the cup 21 forming the processing chamber 22, and a damper 27 is provided here for managing the exhaust amount. A wind speed measuring device 25 is provided in the exhaust pipe 24. Based on the measured value of the wind speed measuring device 25, the controller 26 controls the motor 28, drives the damper 27, and finally the vicinity of the wafer W. Is configured to control the air flow of the.

According to the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-15721, as shown in FIG. 5, a branch pipe 30 is attached to the exhaust pipe 24 leading to the exhaust device 28. It is connected to the mass flow meter 29. Thereby, the flow velocity of the air flow in the tributary pipe 30 can be obtained, and the flow velocity of the air flow in the vicinity of the wafer W can be estimated from the flow velocity, and thus the air flow can be controlled.

[0005]

However, in the former device, that is, the known device shown in FIG. 4, since the measuring sensor is arranged in the air flow containing the mist, the sensor is contaminated by the mist of the treatment liquid, and the performance is deteriorated. . Therefore, the measurement accuracy is lowered, and it becomes impossible to strictly control the air flow.
This means that even if the sensor is configured as a hot wire type,
It also occurs when configured as a differential pressure type.

In the latter, that is, in the known device shown in FIG. 5, the exhaust pipe 2 leading from the cup to the exhaust device 28 is used.
When mist 4 is contaminated by mist and its cross-sectional area becomes small, the air flow in the vicinity of the wafer surface decreases, but the air flow in the tributary pipe 30 that is not contaminated by mist increases.
The mass flow meter 29 provided in the tributary pipe 30 judges that the air flow near the wafer is actually decreasing at this time, but determines that the air flow is increasing. As a result, the air flow near the wafer is increased. The control is performed so as to decrease.
Therefore, there arises a problem that the airflow cannot be controlled.

In order to solve this drawback, it has been proposed to cover the sensor with a mesh, but in any case, the portion to which the treatment liquid mist adheres must be regularly cleaned, which is necessary for maintenance of the apparatus. Had the problem of taking time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. For example, in a processing liquid coating apparatus for semiconductor wafers,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing device configured such that a flow rate sensor and a conduit for measuring a flow rate are not contaminated by a processing liquid mist and affect a measurement result.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, and the above-mentioned object. Assuming a processing apparatus having a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the processing body and an exhaust system for discharging the processing liquid not adhering to the object to be processed, the exhaust amount detection means is used as an exhaust system. It is arranged on the upstream side. This region is, for example, near the base of the bottom of the cup. In this case, it is preferable that the base is provided with an intake port and the exhaust amount detection means is arranged in a passage that connects the intake port and the lower surface side of the rotation holding means.

The second processing apparatus of the present invention, like the first processing apparatus, holds the object to be processed by rotation holding means, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, and the object to be processed. On the premise of a processing apparatus having a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface and an exhaust system for discharging the processing liquid not adhering to the object to be processed, upstream of the exhaust system near the upper surface of the object to be processed. The exhaust amount detecting means is movably disposed between the side and the outside of the exhaust system, and the cleaning portion of the exhaust amount detecting means is provided outside the exhaust system.

[0011]

The airflow flowing near the surface of the object to be processed flows in from the opening in the upper part of the cup, but if an air intake port is provided in the base of the bottom part of the cup, the airflow also flows in from this. This air flow
Although it does not flow near the object to be processed, it has a certain proportional relationship with the air flow near the surface. Moreover, since this intake port is on the back side of the object to be processed, and is on the upstream side of the exhaust flow, the exhaust amount detecting means is not contaminated by the processing liquid mist.

Further, by making the exhaust amount detecting means movable, the exhaust amount detecting means can be arranged near the surface of the object to be processed, and the air flow in the vicinity can be directly measured. When the adhesion of the processing liquid is detected at regular intervals or by some means, the exhaust gas amount detection means is moved to the cleaning section and is cleaned there.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the entire semiconductor wafer processing apparatus according to the present invention. This processing apparatus mainly includes a processing mechanism unit 10 that performs various kinds of processing on an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) W, and a loading / unloading mechanism 1 that loads / unloads the wafer W into / from the processing mechanism unit 10. Parts are made up.

The loading / unloading mechanism 1 includes a wafer carrier 2 for storing an unprocessed wafer W, a wafer carrier 3 for storing a processed wafer W, an arm 4 for sucking and holding the wafer W, and an arm 4. Transfer of the wafer W between the moving mechanism 5 for moving the wafer W in the X (horizontal direction in FIG. 1), Y (forward and backward), Z (vertical) and θ (rotation) directions and the processing mechanism unit 10. And an alignment stage 6 for

The processing mechanism unit 10 is provided with a transfer mechanism 12 which is movable along a transfer path 11 formed in the X direction from the alignment stage 6. Transport mechanism 1
2, a main arm 1 movable in Y, Z and θ directions
3 is provided.

On one side of the transfer path 11, an adhesion processing mechanism 14 for performing adhesion processing to improve the adhesion between the wafer W and the resist liquid film, and the wafer W.
A pre-baking mechanism 15 for heating and evaporating the solvent remaining in the resist applied on the substrate and a cooling mechanism 16 for cooling the heat-treated wafer W are arranged. On the other side of the transfer path 11, a processing liquid coating mechanism 17 for coating a resist on the surface of the wafer W, and a surface for coating and forming a CEL film or the like on the resist on the wafer W to prevent light scattering during the exposure process. The coating layer coating mechanism 18 is arranged.

In the processing apparatus configured as described above, the unprocessed wafer W stored in the wafer carrier 2
Are carried out from here by the arm 4 of the carry-in / carry-out mechanism 1 and placed on the alignment stage 6. next,
The wafer W is held by the main arm 13 of the transfer mechanism 12 and transferred to each of the processing mechanisms 14-18. Then, the processed wafer W is returned to the alignment stage 6 by the main arm 13 and further transferred to the wafer carrier 3 by the arm 4 and stored therein.

2 and 3 show two configurations of the processing apparatus according to the present invention. Wafer W that is the object to be processed
Is adsorbed and held by a spin chuck 31 which is a rotation holding means, and is horizontally rotated (spinned) by the spin chuck 31 driven by a motor 31a. Above the wafer W, a processing liquid supply nozzle 32, which is a processing liquid supply unit, is arranged. The spin chuck 31 holding the wafer W is surrounded by a cup 33 including an outer cup 33a and an inner cup 33b. In this case, the outer cup 33a wraps around the peripheral portion of the spin chuck 31,
The processing liquid is prevented from scattering to the outside, and the inner cup 33b is
It is composed of two concentric cylindrical members, for example, an inner cylindrical portion 33c provided close to the spin chuck 31 and an outer cylindrical portion 33d hung from the peripheral portion of the wafer W, and the cup 33 is provided between them. Cylindrical member 3 protruding from the bottom of
An exhaust gas bypass is formed by 3e.

The outer cup 33a has a large opening at the top, through which the wafer W is loaded and unloaded. Further, two exhaust ports 35 are provided inside the cylindrical member 33e at the base portion of the bottom of the outer cup 33a, and one end of an exhaust pipe 36 of the exhaust system is connected to this. Exhaust pipe 36
The other end is connected to an exhaust device (not shown), and a butterfly valve 37 is provided on the way so that the opening degree can be adjusted. The butterfly valve 37 is driven by a controller 38 to control the exhaust amount, that is, the flow velocity of the air flow near the upper surface of the wafer W.

In the processing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, when the wafer W attracted and held by the spin chuck 31 is rotationally driven, a processing liquid, for example, a resist liquid is sprayed (dripping) from the processing liquid supply nozzle 32. At the same time, the exhaust device is driven to form a constant air flow near the surface of the wafer W from the center of the wafer W toward the periphery. The air flow is controlled by a butterfly valve 37 provided in the exhaust pipe 36. Thereby, the processing liquid is uniformly applied to the surface of the wafer W. The film thickness of the treatment liquid after drying is, for example, 1
The uniformity of about 30,000 Å ± 30 Å must be maintained, and particles must not be formed after drying due to the mist-like resist liquid adhering to the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, control of this air flow is extremely important. is there.

In the configuration of FIG. 2, an intake port 39 is provided around the spin chuck 31 at the bottom of the outer cup 33a, and a sensor 40 which is an exhaust amount detecting means is attached to one edge of the intake port 39. This sensor 4
The detection signal from 0 is transmitted to the controller 38. The sensor 40 is adapted to measure the flow velocity or flow rate of the air flow passing through the air intake port 39 toward the back surface of the wafer W. In this case, since the airflow flowing from the opening of the outer cup 33a and the airflow flowing from the intake port 39 are exhausted by the common exhaust port 35, the flow rate of the airflow passing through the intake port 39 and the flow rate of the airflow near the surface of the wafer W are different from each other. Has a predetermined proportional relationship, it is possible to estimate (calculate) the flow velocity or flow rate of the air flow near the surface of the wafer W by measuring the flow velocity or flow rate of the air flow passing through the intake port 39.
By controlling the opening of the butterfly valve 37 based on this, the air flow near the surface of the wafer W can be maintained (set) constant. Further, when the air flow is abnormally lowered, the controller 38 issues an alarm and
By taking measures such as closing the butterfly valve 37, the air flow near the surface of the wafer W can be strictly controlled. Moreover, since the sensor 40 is arranged on the back surface side of the wafer W in the region where the resist liquid does not scatter, and is arranged in the region on the upstream side of the air flow portion where the mist-like resist liquid exists. Also, it is not contaminated by the processing liquid. In the above embodiment, the case where the sensor 40 is arranged in the vicinity of the intake port 39 has been described, but the sensor 40 does not necessarily have to be arranged in the vicinity of the intake port 39 and the intake port 39 and the spin chuck 31 are not necessarily arranged. You may arrange | position in any of the paths which connect with a lower surface side.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration of FIG. 3, the sensor 41 is attached via an arm 43 to a pivot 42 arranged above the edge of the upper opening of the outer cup 33a, and is mounted on the upstream side of the exhaust system by a switching drive mechanism (not shown). Outer cup 3
It is arranged to be movable manually or automatically between the inside of 3a and the outside of the exhaust system, that is, the outside of the outer cup 33a. A cleaning container 44, which is a cleaning unit, is arranged near the pivot 42 outside the exhaust system. A cleaning liquid such as a resist solvent is contained in the cleaning container, and the sensor 41 is inserted into the cleaning container 44 to be cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

Since the other parts in FIG. 3 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

With the above-described structure, the sensor 41 can directly measure the air flow near the surface of the wafer W, and based on this, the butterfly valve 37 can be controlled and the air flow can be strictly controlled. it can. In this case, the sensor 41 is easily polluted by the treatment liquid, so that the sensor 41 is swung around the pivot 42 manually or automatically by the switching drive mechanism and immersed in the cleaning liquid periodically or when there is an abnormality in the measurement. As a result, the sensor 41 is cleaned, so that the sensor 41 can be returned to its original position and the measurement can be maintained again.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the object to be processed is a semiconductor wafer has been described, but the present invention can be applied to, for example, glass substrates, LCDs, CDs, metal plates, etc. other than semiconductor wafers. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the processing liquid is a resist has been described, but a processing liquid other than the resist, for example, a cleaning liquid, a developing liquid, an etching liquid, and other chemical liquids can also be applied.

[0027]

As described above, since the processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

1) According to the processing apparatus of the present invention described in claims 1 and 2, the sensor is not contaminated by the processing liquid, and the airflow can be measured with high accuracy. As a result, the treatment liquid can be applied uniformly, particles can be prevented from being generated, and maintenance-free can be achieved.

2) According to the processing apparatus of the present invention as set forth in claim 3, even if the sensor is contaminated with the processing liquid, it can be immediately cleaned, so that the air flow can be measured with high accuracy. As a result, the treatment liquid can be applied uniformly as in the case of 1), particles can be prevented from being generated, and maintenance-free can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an entire semiconductor wafer processing apparatus having a processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing another configuration of the processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a known processing liquid coating device.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a known processing liquid coating apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W semiconductor wafer (object to be processed) 17 processing liquid application mechanism 31 spin chuck (rotation holding means) 32 processing liquid supply nozzle (processing liquid supply means) 33 cup 33a outer cup 33b inner cup 35 exhaust port 36 exhaust pipe 37 butterfly valve 38 Controller 39 Intake port 40 Sensor (exhaust amount detection means) 41 Sensor (exhaust amount detection means) 42 Pivot 43 Arm 44 Cleaning container (cleaning section)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rotation holding means for holding an object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the object to be processed, and an attachment to the object to be processed. A processing apparatus having an exhaust system that discharges the processing liquid that has not been processed, characterized in that an exhaust amount detection means is arranged upstream of the exhaust system. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an intake port is provided at the bottom of the cup, and the exhaust amount detection means is disposed in a passage that connects the intake port and the lower surface side of the rotation holding means. 3. A rotation holding means for holding the object to be processed, a cup surrounding the rotation holding means, a processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the object to be processed, and a cup attached to the object to be processed. In the processing apparatus having an exhaust system for discharging the processing liquid that has not been processed, the exhaust amount detecting means is provided movably between the upstream side of the exhaust system near the upper surface of the object to be processed and the outside of the exhaust system. The processing apparatus, wherein the cleaning unit of the exhaust amount detecting means is provided in the.