JPH07297160A - Cleaning equipment for substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress uneven cleaning while reducing the consumption of cleaning liquid. CONSTITUTION:The cleaning equipment for substrate comprises a rotary table 2 for holding a substrate 1 horizontally, and a mobile cleaning liquid feeding section 3. The mobile cleaning liquid feeding section 3 comprises a nozzle part 20 movable horizontally with respect to the rotary table 2, wherein the nozzle part 20 is provided with a slit extending perpendicularly to the moving direction. The nozzle par 20 feeds a cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate while moving in the horizontal direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the surface of a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Semiconductor wafers, glass rectangular substrates for liquid crystals,
2. Description of the Related Art A substrate cleaning apparatus is used to supply a cleaning liquid such as pure water to the surface of a substrate such as a color filter substrate to clean the substrate surface. A conventional substrate cleaning apparatus has a spin chuck that holds a substrate horizontally and is rotatable, and a capillary type nozzle that ejects a cleaning liquid from a fixed position on the outer peripheral side of the spin chuck. Here, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the nozzle onto the substrate surface while rotating the spin chuck to clean the substrate surface.

An apparatus has also been proposed in which a movable nozzle for supplying a cleaning liquid is provided, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the center of a substrate rotated by the movable nozzle, and the cleaning liquid is diffused to the outer peripheral side to clean the substrate surface. There is.

[0004]

In the conventional substrate cleaning apparatus using the ejection nozzle of the capillary type, since the supply range of the cleaning liquid is narrow, a plurality of nozzles are required to supply the cleaning liquid to the entire surface of the substrate. . This complicates the device configuration such as piping. Further, when supplying the cleaning liquid from the fixed ejection nozzle, it is necessary to increase the discharge pressure of the cleaning liquid, which causes the cleaning liquid to bounce on the surface of the substrate, increasing the consumption of the cleaning liquid and increasing the amount of the cleaning liquid. Washing unevenness occurs between the contact part and the non-contact part. Further, in the conventional cleaning apparatus, since the cleaning liquid is rapidly supplied to the surface of the substrate, a rapid chemical change may occur between the cleaning liquid and the film formed on the surface, which may adversely affect the film.

An object of the present invention is to reduce uneven cleaning due to splashing of the cleaning liquid on the surface of the substrate in a substrate cleaning apparatus that supplies the cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder to clean the surface. A further object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus capable of reducing the consumption of cleaning liquid in the substrate cleaning apparatus as compared with the conventional apparatus.

[0006]

A substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for cleaning the surface of a substrate, and is provided with a substrate holding section for horizontally holding the substrate and a cleaning liquid supply means. The cleaning liquid supply unit is movable in the horizontal direction relative to the substrate holding unit, has a slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejection unit extending in a direction intersecting the relative movement direction, and the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejection unit with respect to the substrate holding unit. It is a means for supplying the cleaning liquid to the substrate surface from the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharger while relatively moving in the horizontal direction.

It is preferable to further include a cleaning liquid jet nozzle fixedly arranged on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holding portion for jetting the cleaning liquid, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate holding portion. The cleaning liquid supply means preferably has a flow rate control valve for controlling the supply amount of the cleaning liquid.

When the substrate has a rectangular shape, it is preferable that the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharger has a length substantially the same as the length of the side of the substrate in the direction in which the slit extends. It is preferable that the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting section is relatively movable toward and away from the substrate holding section.

[0009]

In the substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, while the cleaning liquid supply means moves horizontally relative to the substrate holding portion,
The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate surface from the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharger. The cleaning liquid is supplied from a slit-shaped discharge portion provided so as to extend in a direction intersecting the relative movement direction.

Here, since the cleaning liquid supply means supplies the cleaning liquid to the surface of the substrate through the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting portion while moving relative to the substrate, compared with the conventional case where the cleaning liquid is supplied from the jet nozzle. As a result, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly supplied to the substrate surface, and uneven cleaning is reduced. Moreover, since the cleaning liquid is supplied through the slit-shaped ejection portion, the amount of the cleaning liquid can be reduced. Furthermore, it is easier to control the flow rate as compared with the supply by the ejection nozzle.

In the case where a cleaning liquid jet nozzle fixedly arranged on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holding portion for jetting the cleaning liquid and a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate holding portion are further provided,
The substrate surface can be cleaned in a short time by the conventional cleaning with the jet nozzle after the cleaning is gently performed by the cleaning liquid supplied from the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejection unit. When the cleaning liquid supply means further has a flow rate control valve for controlling the supply amount of the cleaning liquid, by controlling the flow rate, gentle cleaning and rapid cleaning can be performed by one device. In addition, the flow rate can be controlled more accurately.

When the substrate has a rectangular shape, the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting portion has a length substantially equal to the length of the side of the substrate in the direction in which the slit extends, and the scanning is performed once (relative movement).
The front surface of the substrate surface can be cleaned with. When the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharger can be moved closer to and away from the substrate holder, the reaction speed of the substrate surface during cleaning can be controlled.

[0013]

1 and 2 show a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the substrate cleaning device is
A rotary table 2 as a substrate holding means for mounting and holding the rectangular substrate 1, a moving cleaning liquid supply unit 3, and a fixed cleaning liquid supply unit 4
It has and. The outer circumference of the rotary table 2 in the radial direction is covered with a cover 10, and the outer circumference of the cover 10 is further outside.
Covered with 1. A waste liquid collection case 12 is provided below the turntable 2.

The turntable 2 is rotatable about a vertical axis P, and a plurality of support pins 13 projecting upward are provided on the upper surface of the turntable 2. A pair of positioning pins 14 are provided on the upper surface of the turntable 2 so as to correspond to the four corners of the rectangular substrate 1. A motor 15 is provided below the turntable 2.
Is provided, and its output shaft 16 is connected to the rotary base 2 via a mounting member 17. Mobile cleaning liquid supply unit 3
Is a nozzle unit 20, a horizontal support member 21 and a vertical support member 22 that support the nozzle unit 20, an up-and-down drive mechanism 23 (see FIG. 4) for raising and lowering the nozzle unit 20, and a horizontal movement member. A horizontal drive mechanism 24 and a cleaning liquid supply system 25 for supplying the cleaning liquid to the nozzle portion 20 (see FIG. 3).
And have.

As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle portion 20 is of an inverted house type, and has a slit 20a extending along the short side of the rectangular substrate 1 on the lower surface. Further, a supply passage 20b is formed inside in the vertical direction, and the lower end thereof communicates with the slit 20a. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle portion 20 and its slit 20a are formed to be slightly longer than the short side of the substrate 1. The horizontal support members 21 are provided on both sides of the nozzle portion 20, and the vertical support members 22 are the horizontal support members 2.
1 is provided so as to extend downward from both ends. As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical drive mechanism 23 is provided on one end side of the horizontal support member 21, and has a rack 26 fixed to the tip of the horizontal support member 21 and a pinion 2 that meshes with the rack 26.
7 and 7. The pinion 27 is fixed to the output shaft 29 of the motor 28. The horizontal drive mechanism 24 includes a ball screw 30 extending in the horizontal direction and a motor 31 for driving the ball screw 30. A nut (not shown) provided at the lower end of the vertical support member 22 meshes with the ball screw 30. A guide member 32 is arranged parallel to the ball screw 30 on the side facing the ball screw 30.

With this structure, the nozzle portion 20 is
The vertical drive mechanism 23 can move toward and away from the substrate 1, and the horizontal drive mechanism 24 can move the substrate 1 in the long side direction. Cleaning liquid supply system 25
Is, as shown in FIG.
connected to b. Further, the cleaning liquid supply system 25 is provided with a flow control valve 33 and a flow meter 34.

The fixed cleaning liquid supply section 4 has ejection nozzles 40 provided at a plurality of locations inside the outer peripheral cover 11. The plurality of ejection nozzles 40 are arranged toward the rotary shaft core P of the rotary base 2, respectively. These ejection nozzles 40
A cleaning liquid supply system 25 is connected to. Next, the cleaning operation will be described.

First, the substrate 1 is placed at a predetermined position on the turntable 2 and positioned and held by the positioning pins 14. Next, the vertical drive mechanism 23 is driven to adjust the distance between the nozzle unit 20 and the substrate 1. Next, the cleaning liquid is supplied while the flow rate of the cleaning liquid is adjusted by the flow control valve 33, and at the same time, the horizontal drive mechanism 24 is driven to move the nozzle portion 20 in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the slit 20a of the nozzle unit 20
The entire surface of the substrate is cleaned with the cleaning liquid supplied from When cleaning is performed by the moving cleaning liquid supply unit 3, the rotation of the rotary table 2 is stopped.

Here, since the distance between the nozzle portion 20 and the substrate surface, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid and the moving speed of the nozzle portion 20 can be adjusted, the cleaning state can be adjusted according to the type of the chemical liquid applied to the substrate surface. it can. Moreover, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate, and uneven cleaning can be reduced. After the cleaning by the moving cleaning liquid supply unit 3 is completed, the nozzle unit 20 is retracted from the position facing the substrate 1. Next, the turntable 2 is rotated, and in this state, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the jet nozzle 40 to the central portion of the substrate 1. The cleaning liquid supplied to the central portion of the substrate 1 diffuses outward due to centrifugal force,
The substrate surface is cleaned.

When the cleaning process is completed, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the fixed cleaning unit 4 is stopped and the rotation of the rotary table 2 is continued. As a result, the cleaning liquid on the substrate surface is shaken off by the centrifugal force, and the drying process is performed. [Other Embodiments] (a) Although the fixed cleaning liquid supply unit 4 is provided in the above embodiment, the substrate surface may be cleaned only by the moving cleaning liquid supply unit 3. (B) Instead of the fixed cleaning liquid supply unit 4, a movable nozzle type cleaning liquid supply unit may be provided. (C) In the above embodiment, the supply system of the cleaning liquid to be supplied to the moving cleaning liquid supply unit 3 and the supply system of the cleaning liquid to be supplied to the fixed cleaning liquid supply unit 4 are the same. The cleaning liquid may be supplied. (D) In the above-described embodiment, the slit 20a formed of a single elongated opening was formed in the nozzle portion 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and instead of the slit 20a, the nozzle portion 20 is formed. It is also possible to use a device in which a large number of pores are arranged in a slit shape to form a slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge part, or a device in which a large number of needle nozzles are arranged to form a slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge part.

[0021]

As described above, in the substrate cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the surface of the substrate through the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting section that moves relative to the substrate. It becomes possible to supply the cleaning liquid uniformly to the surface of the substrate as compared with the case where the cleaning liquid is supplied, and uneven cleaning is reduced. Further, since the cleaning liquid is supplied through the slit-shaped ejection portion, the consumption amount of the cleaning liquid can be reduced. Moreover, it becomes easy to control the amount of the cleaning liquid.

In the case where a cleaning liquid ejection nozzle is separately provided on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holding portion and a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding portion is further provided, the ejection nozzle is ejected after the cleaning is gently performed by the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejection portion. The substrate surface can be cleaned in a short time by cleaning with. When the cleaning liquid supply means further has a flow rate control valve for controlling the supply amount of the cleaning liquid, gentle cleaning and abrupt cleaning can be switched within one cleaning liquid supply means. When rinsing, first perform a gentle cleaning to dilute the developing solution on the substrate surface, and then perform a rapid cleaning to replace the developing solution with the cleaning solution. It is possible to prevent such occurrence.

In the case where the substrate is rectangular, if the length of the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge portion is set to be substantially the same as the length of the side of the substrate, the entire surface of the substrate can be cleaned by one relative movement. When the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting unit can freely move toward and away from the substrate holding unit, the reaction speed of the substrate surface during cleaning can be controlled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional configuration diagram of a substrate cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the substrate cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a nozzle unit and a cleaning liquid supply system.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional schematic configuration diagram showing a vertical drive mechanism of a nozzle portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Rotating table 3 Moving cleaning liquid supply unit 4 Fixed cleaning liquid supply unit 15 Motor 20 Nozzle unit 20a Slit 23 Vertical drive mechanism 24 Horizontal drive mechanism 25 Cleaning liquid supply system 33 Flow control valve 40 Jet nozzle

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface of a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding section for holding the substrate horizontally; and a relative movement in a horizontal direction relative to the substrate holding section. A slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge part extending in a direction intersecting the direction, and while moving the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge part in the horizontal direction relative to the substrate holding part, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharge part onto the substrate surface. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising: a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid. 2. A fixed arrangement is provided on the outer peripheral side of the substrate holding portion,
The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning liquid ejection nozzle that ejects and supplies the cleaning liquid, and a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate holding unit. 3. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply means has a flow rate control valve for controlling the supply amount of the cleaning liquid. 4. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a rectangular shape, and the slit-shaped cleaning liquid ejecting portion has a length substantially equal to a length of a side of the substrate in a direction in which the slit extends. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slit-shaped cleaning liquid discharger is relatively movable toward and away from the substrate holder.