JPH081066A - Vacuum-sealing structure of rotary liquid chemicals treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely prevent the uneven wear of an annular sealing material and the deterioration of sealability. CONSTITUTION:A rotary cup 2 mounted with a substrate B on the upper face and formed corotatably around the center of a rotating shaft 23 and a driving motor 61 to rotate the cup 2 around the rotating shaft 23 are installed. Further, a liq. chemicals treating device 1 is formed by a suction passage 23a vertically bored in the shaft 23, a vacuum pump 81 communicating with the sucking passage 23a and sucking the air in the passage and a seal unit 9 externally fitted on the shaft 23, interposed communicably between the pump 81 and the passage 23a, with an annular sealing material 9a inserted into the inner peripheral surface and fixed to a lifting block 73; and a bearing 9b is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the seal unit 9 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention forms a thin film on the surface of a substrate such as a wafer, a mask or a liquid crystal panel, or develops the same in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices and masks, liquid crystal panels and the like. In a rotary chemical processing apparatus utilizing centrifugal force for etching or etching, a substrate is adsorbed and fixed in a vacuum and rotated to perform processing. The present invention relates to a vacuum seal structure that is interposed between an intake mechanism that sucks air in an intake passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a coating film is formed on a substrate such as a wafer by uniformly applying a chemical liquid such as a photosensitive liquid. A predetermined process is applied to such a coating film to manufacture a semiconductor product. The thickness of the coating film is usually as thin as several microns or less, and a uniform thickness is required, so that the above requirement can be satisfied.
The chemical liquid processing device 10 as shown in FIG.

As shown in this figure, the chemical treatment device 10
Is a rotary cup 20, a hood 30 that covers the upper surface of the rotary cup 20, a casing 40 that covers the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cup 20, and a drive motor 610 for rotating the rotary cup 20 about its axis. It has a configuration including. A drive motor 61 is provided at the center of the rotary cup 20.
A rotary shaft 230, which is also used as a drive shaft of No. 0, extends downward. The drive motor 610 is fixed to the lower portion of the bearing body 240 in which the large-diameter shaft portion 231 of the rotary cup 2 is fitted. Therefore, by rotating the drive motor 610, the rotary cup 20 rotates together with the rotary shaft 230.

The substrate B is placed on the upper surface of the rotary cup 20,
After the chemical liquid is dropped on it, the rotary cup 20 is covered with the hood 30 and is rotated at a high speed, whereby the chemical liquid is diffused radially from the center of rotation by the centrifugal force, and a uniform coating film is formed on the substrate B. .

A hood 3 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rotary cup 20.
Substrate mounting space S formed between 0 and the rotating cup 20.
A plurality of discharge holes 201 that communicate between the casing 4 and the outside are bored, and excess chemical liquid is introduced into the casing 4 through these discharge holes 201.
It is designed to be discharged into the recovery passage 401 provided at 0.

The rotating cup 2 can be rotated by high speed rotation.
The substrate B is vacuum-adsorbed on the surface of the rotary cup 20 so that the displacement of the substrate B arranged on the upper surface of 0 does not occur. In order to vacuum-adsorb the substrate B, a suction passage 230a that penetrates vertically is provided in the axial center portion of the rotary shaft 230. The rotary shaft 230 projects downward from the lower end of the drive motor 610, and a seal unit 90 surrounding the lower end of the rotary shaft 230 is fixed to the bottom of the drive motor 610.

The seal unit 90 includes a rotary shaft 23.
A shaft hole 910 into which the lower end of 0 is fitted is provided, and an annular seal material 9a is mounted between the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 910 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 230. An intake port 920 is provided below the shaft hole 910, and a suction mechanism (not shown) is connected to the intake port 920 via a union 93 and an intake pipe 82.

Therefore, the air in the suction passage 230a is sucked through the suction pipe 82, the union 93 and the suction port 920 by operating the suction mechanism (not shown), so that the upper opening of the suction passage 230a is closed. The substrate B placed on is attached to the surface of the rotary cup 20 by suction. Even if the rotary cup 20 is rotated around the axis in this state, the substrate B will not be displaced due to the suction fixation.

Also, the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 910 and the rotary shaft 230
Since the annular sealing material 9a is interposed between the outer peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface, the invasion of outside air into the intake port 920 is effectively suppressed, and a good vacuum state in the suction passage 230a is maintained.

[0010]

By the way, in order to ensure a sealed state in the seal unit 90, the axis of the rotary shaft 230 and the center of the shaft hole 910 should be aligned with a micron-order error. Is required, but
Such a thing is very difficult. Therefore, the rotary shaft 2
When 30 is rotated at high speed, the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal material 9a is unevenly worn due to the slight eccentricity, and the sealing performance of the annular seal material 9a is impaired.

If the sealing performance of the annular sealing material 9a is impaired, the suction passage 230a cannot be made to have a predetermined vacuum degree, and the force for sucking and holding the substrate B on the rotary cup 20 is weakened. In the worst case, There is a problem in that the substrate B is peeled off from the surface of the rotary cup 20 and jumps out, and crashes into the peripheral portion of the rotary cup 20 and the hood 30 to be damaged.

Further, it may be necessary to provide a rotation detecting mechanism or the like at the lower end of the rotary shaft 230. In such a case, a lateral hole communicating from the surface of the rotary shaft 230 to the suction passage 230a is bored, and the suction passage 230a is opened through this lateral hole.
The internal air is drawn horizontally and the rotary shaft 23
0 is projected from the seal unit 90, and the rotation detection mechanism and the like are provided in this portion.

However, when such a horizontal pulling system is adopted, the rotating shaft becomes long and the eccentricity and vibration increase, and the rotating shaft 230 is radially attracted or pressed when the suction operation is turned on and off. Therefore, there is a problem in that the lateral deflection of the rotating shaft 230 increases due to the repeated pushing and pulling, which promotes uneven wear of the annular sealing material 9a and deterioration of the sealing performance.

It is also conceivable to apply a magnetic fluid seal mechanism to the above seal unit. The magnetic fluid sealing mechanism is a sealing mechanism to which a so-called magnetic fluid is applied, in which the surfaces of ferromagnetic fine particles are densely covered with surfactant molecules and dispersed in a solvent at a high density.

When applying this magnetic fluid, the annular seal material 9a is provided in the shaft hole 910 of the seal unit 90.
Instead of the above, an annular permanent magnet having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 230 is provided, and the magnetic fluid is placed in a gap formed between the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 230 and the inner peripheral surface of the annular permanent magnet. May be interposed. By doing so, the magnetic fluid is in a state of being tightly packed in the magnetic path formed in the gap, and a good sealing effect is obtained.

By using such a magnetic fluid seal mechanism, it is possible to flexibly cope with eccentric rotation of the rotary shaft 230, but such a seal mechanism has a problem that it is very expensive. .

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and is a vacuum seal for an inexpensive rotary chemical liquid treatment apparatus capable of effectively suppressing uneven wear of the annular seal material and deterioration of the sealability. It is intended to provide a structure.

[0018]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum seal structure for a rotary chemical processing apparatus, wherein a vacuum mount structure for supporting a substrate for chemical processing is provided on an upper portion of the vacuum seal structure, and a bearing body rotates about an axis. A vertically rotatable shaft rotatably supported, a suction passage bored from the upper surface to a midway position in the vertical direction on the vertical rotation shaft, and a suction mechanism that communicates with the suction passage and sucks air in the passage. A cylindrical shape that is inserted into the vertical rotation shaft so as to be able to communicate between the suction mechanism and the suction passage, has an annular seal member fitted to the inner peripheral surface thereof, and is fixed to the bearing body. In the rotary chemical liquid treatment device comprising the seal unit of, one or a plurality of radially extending communication holes communicating with the suction passage are formed in the vertical rotation shaft,
An annular intake port surrounding the communication hole is formed in the seal unit, the annular intake port is communicated with the suction mechanism, and a bearing is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the seal unit and the outer peripheral surface of the vertical rotation shaft. It is characterized by being interposed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum seal structure for a rotary chemical solution treating apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, in which the annular intake port has a lateral vent hole. A perforated annular spacer is provided, and the annular sealing material is provided above and below the spacer.

[0020]

According to the vacuum seal structure of the rotary chemical liquid processing apparatus of the first aspect, since the bearing is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the seal unit and the outer peripheral surface of the vertical rotary shaft, the vertical rotary shaft is provided. At least in a portion facing the seal unit, the bearing makes the axial center of the vertical rotation shaft and the center of the seal unit coincide with each other, and in other portions, even if the vertical rotation shaft is eccentric, The portion surrounded by the seal unit is not eccentric, and therefore, the eccentric wear of the annular seal material and the deterioration of the sealing property due to the eccentric rotation around the axis of the vertical rotation shaft are effectively suppressed.

Further, one or a plurality of radially extending communication holes communicating with the suction passage are formed in the vertical rotating shaft, and the seal unit is formed with an annular intake port corresponding to the communication holes. Since the communication hole of the rotary shaft is surrounded by the annular intake port, no matter which phase the communication hole is positioned by the rotation of the rotary shaft, the communication hole is in communication with the annular intake port, and is always connected. It is possible to effectively suck the air in the suction passage and maintain the vacuum state in the suction passage while the degree of vacuum does not change.

According to the vacuum seal structure of the rotary type chemical liquid treatment device of the above-mentioned claim 2, the annular intake port is provided with an annular spacer having ventilation holes bored in the lateral direction, and the annular intake port is formed by this spacer. Since it is formed, the annular sealing material is sucked by the suction force of the vacuum, and the suction port is effectively prevented from being blocked.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of a rotary chemical liquid processing apparatus to which the vacuum seal structure of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA. As shown in these figures, the chemical treatment device 1 includes a disk-shaped rotary cup (mounting table) 2, a hood 3 that covers the upper surface of the rotary cup 2, a casing 4 in which the rotary cup 2 is fitted, and a hood 3. Used for attaching and detaching the hood attaching / detaching mechanism 5 for attaching / detaching the rotating cup 2, the cup rotating mechanism 6 for rotating the rotating cup 2, and the elevating mechanism 7 for raising / lowering the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21, and for adsorbing and fixing the substrate B on the surface of the rotating cup 2. It has a basic structure including a suction mechanism 8 and a seal unit 9 interposed between the suction mechanism 8 and the rotary cup 2.

The rotary cup 2 comprises a medium diameter shaft portion 21 and an annular dish portion 22. The upper surface of the annular dish portion 22 is dimensioned so as to be flush with the upper surface of the medium diameter shaft portion 21 or slightly flush with the upper surface of the medium diameter shaft portion 21. B is placed so as to coincide with the central axis of the medium diameter shaft portion 21. An annular weir portion (outer peripheral wall) 22a protruding upward is provided on the outer peripheral edge portion of the annular dish portion 22, and the annular weir portion 22a receives the hood 3. A substrate mounting space S is formed in a portion surrounded by the annular weir portion 22a with the hood 3 attached.

A plurality of small-diameter discharge holes 201, which are inclined obliquely downward from the substrate mounting space S toward the outside, are formed at predetermined intervals on the peripheral surface of the lower portion of the annular weir 22a. Excess chemical liquid in the substrate mounting space S is discharged to the outside through the hole 201.

A concentric rotating shaft (vertical rotating shaft) 23 is rotatably coupled to the lower portion of the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21. A suction passage 23a penetrating the middle diameter shaft portion 21 and the rotation shaft (vertical rotation shaft) 23 is formed in the shaft center portion, and the lower end portion of the rotation shaft 23 is operated by operating the vacuum pump shown in FIG. Board B through an intake pipe 82 connected to
Is adsorbed and fixed to the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21.

The rotary cup 2 is fixed to the large-diameter shaft portion 24 with the small-diameter portion of the medium-diameter shaft portion 21 fitted in the cylindrical hole of the cylindrical large-diameter shaft portion 24. A flange portion 24a is formed on an upper portion of the large diameter shaft portion 24, and the annular dish portion 22 of the rotary cup 2 is fixed to the flange portion 24a.

The lower portion of the large-diameter shaft portion 24 is fitted into the mounting hole P1 formed in the support frame P, and the support cylinder 25 having the flange (bearing body) 25a on the outer peripheral surface thereof is supported by the bearing 26.
It is fitted through. Therefore, the rotary cup 2 is rotatable about the axis of the rotary shaft 23 with respect to the support base P.

The hood 3 includes a hood body 31, a cylindrical grip portion 32 having a central portion of the hood body 31 protruding upward, and a bulging edge portion 33 in which an outer peripheral edge portion of the hood body 31 bulges upward. It consists of This bulge 33
Is provided corresponding to the annular weir portion 22a, and the bottom portion of the bulging edge portion 33 contacts the upper surface portion of the annular weir portion 22a to close the rotary cup 2. On the top portion of the grip portion 32, the body portion 3 under the hood attachment / detachment mechanism 5 to enable attachment / detachment operation is performed.
A collar portion 32b having a diameter larger than that of 2a is formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the upper surface of the annular weir 22a formed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cup 2, there are two strips of an inner protrusion 27 and an outer protrusion 28 which are annular and have a rectangular cross section. Projections are provided at predetermined intervals in the radial direction. Then, O is generated between the inner protrusion 27 and the outer protrusion 28.
The ring 204 is fitted and the seal structure is formed.

An annular discharge band hole 41 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the casing 4 facing the discharge hole 201 of the rotary cup 2. The opening of the discharge band hole 41 is provided so as to face the discharge hole 201 formed in the annular dam portion 22a,
The unnecessary chemical liquid discharged from the substrate mounting space S of the rotary cup 2 is introduced into the recovery passage 401 through the discharge band hole 41. A vertical hole 42 is provided downward in a part of the recovery passage 401 in the circumferential direction, and unnecessary chemical liquid accumulated in the recovery passage 401 is discharged to the outside through the vertical hole 42.

In addition, in the chemical liquid processing apparatus 1, the hood attaching / detaching mechanism 5 is provided for attaching / detaching the hood 3 to / from the rotary cup 2.
Is provided. The hood attaching / detaching mechanism 5 is surrounded by the casing 4 and closes the hood 3, a lid 51, an L-shaped arm 52 having a horizontal arm fixed to the lid 51, and the L-shaped arm 52.
It is composed of a cylinder 53 that moves the character arm 52 up and down. The cylinder 53 is placed vertically, and the upper end of a cylinder rod 54 protruding from the top of the cylinder 53 is L-shaped.
It is fixed to the vertical arm of the letter arm 52.

The grip portion 32 is provided at the center of the lid 51.
An insertion hole 51b having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the body portion 32a and smaller than the flange portion 32b is provided, and a cover portion 51a for accommodating the flange portion 32b therein is provided at the center of the lid 51. ing. When the lid 51 is pulled up by the cylinder 53, the edge of the fitting hole 51b engages with the flange 32b, and the hood 3 is also pulled up.

In order to rotate the rotary cup 2 around the axis of the rotary shaft 23, a cup rotating mechanism 6 is provided below the support frame P. This cup rotation mechanism 6
Is a drive motor 61, a drive pulley 62 provided so as to rotate together with the drive shaft of the drive motor 61, and the large-diameter shaft portion 2
4 and the ball spline 63a, a driven pulley 63 provided so as to rotate together, and a belt 64 stretched between the drive pulley 62 and the driven pulley 63.

A spline is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 23, and a ball spline 63a meshing with the spline is fitted and fixed to the lower portion of the cylindrical hole of the large diameter shaft portion 24. The driven pulley 63 is fixed so as to rotate together with the large diameter shaft portion 24 and the ball spline 63a. Therefore, the rotational force of the drive motor 61 is transmitted to the large-diameter shaft portion 24 and the ball spline 63a via the drive pulley 62, the belt 64, and the driven pulley 63, and is also transmitted to the rotary shaft 23 via the ball spline 63a. The rotating cup 2 including the medium diameter shaft portion 21 and the annular dish portion 22 is adapted to rotate.

An elevating mechanism 7 is provided below the rotary shaft 23. The lifting mechanism 7 includes a second cylinder 71 vertically installed near the lower end of the rotary shaft 23, a lifting block 73 coupled to the upper end of a cylinder rod 72 of the second cylinder 71, and the lifting block 73.
And a guide rail 74 extending in the vertical direction for guiding the vertical movement of the.

The elevating block 73 has a hook shape in a side view, and an upper portion thereof is a bearing portion 73a extending in the horizontal direction. The tip end side of the bearing portion 73a is bifurcated, and an upper bearing 73b is formed on the upper side of the fork and a lower bearing (bearing body) 73c is formed on the lower side thereof. And
The upper bearing 73b is connected to the rotary shaft 23 via the bearing 73d.
Is connected to the lower part of the rotary shaft 23 by operating the second cylinder 71 to move the cylinder rod 72 up and down. When the rotary shaft 23 is lifted by the operation of the second cylinder 71, the coupling state between the medium-diameter shaft portion 21 and the large-diameter shaft portion 24 provided on the top of the second cylinder 71 is released, and the medium-diameter shaft portion 21. Only the circular plate 22 moves upward with respect to the annular dish 22, so that the substrate B can be easily placed and picked up.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction mechanism 8 is composed of a vacuum pump 81 and an intake pipe 82 arranged between the vacuum pump 81 and the suction passage 23a of the rotary shaft 23. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2, showing a cross section of the seal unit, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the inside of the seal unit. As shown in these drawings, the seal unit 9 according to the present invention is provided between the intake pipe 82 and the lower end of the rotary shaft 23.
Is intervening.

The seal unit 9 has a rotary shaft 2 inside.
A cylindrical unit main body 9x having a shaft hole 91 into which the lower end of the shaft 3 is fitted, and a plurality of units provided between the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 91 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 23 of the unit main body 9x. The annular sealing material 9a and a pair of upper and lower bearings 9b arranged above and below the plurality of annular sealing materials 9a.

The intake port 9 communicating with the inside of the shaft hole 91 from the outside is provided at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the unit body 9x.
2'is drilled. A female screw portion in which a female screw is screwed is formed on the outer inner peripheral surface of the intake port 92 ', and the union 9 to which the intake pipe 82 is connected is formed in the female screw portion.
3, the vacuum pump 81 and the shaft hole 91 of the unit body 9x are in communication with each other, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the annular sealing material 9 is used.
a is provided with two above the intake port 92 'and two below, and a total of four are installed, and the upper bearing 9b is disposed further above the upper annular seal material 9a, and the lower annular seal is provided. A lower bearing 9b is provided below the material 9a. Therefore, the upper annular sealing material 9
A space (annular intake port 92) is formed between a and the lower annular seal material 9a.

In this embodiment, an annular spacer 95 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is fitted into the annular intake port 92, and the annular intake port 92 is formed by the presence of the spacer 95, and a vacuum is formed. The annular sealing material 9a is sucked by the suction force of the
Is blocked from blocking. The spacer 95 is composed of a ring body, and an annular ventilation groove 95c is formed on the outer periphery thereof. A plurality of vent holes 95b communicating with the annular intake port 92 are provided at appropriate positions on the inner annular wall 95a of the ventilation groove 95c. Therefore, no matter what phase the spacer 95 is attached to, the opening of the ventilation groove 95c formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spacer 95 must be the inlet port 9 of the unit body 9x.
It will be in a state of facing 2 '.

If an annular protrusion corresponding to the annular wall 95a is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the unit body 9x, the annular intake port 92 can be formed without using the spacer 95.
Can be formed.

Further, between the bearing 9b and the annular seal material 9a adjacent to the bearing 9b, there is provided a spacer 96 consisting of a simple ring body to prevent the inner ring of the bearing 9b and the annular seal material 9a from coming into contact with each other. There is.

A collar portion 9y is provided on the upper portion of the unit body 9x, and the seal unit 9 is attached to the upper bearing 73b of the elevating block 73 by the bolt 94 to attach the seal unit 9 to the elevating block 73.
Is to be fixed.

On the other hand, in the portion of the rotary shaft 23 corresponding to the annular intake port 92, a plurality of communication holes 23b radially communicating from the suction passage 23a to the outside are formed. Therefore, the vacuum pump 81 and the suction passage 23 a of the rotary shaft 23
Is an intake pipe 82, a union 93, an intake port 92 ',
They are in communication with each other through the ventilation hole 95b of the spacer 95, the intake port 92 inside the spacer 95, and the communication hole 23b of the rotary shaft 23.

In this embodiment, two annular seal members 9a are provided above and below the spacer 95, but the number of annular seal members 9a is not limited to two, and a sufficient sealing effect is ensured. If one is required, one may be provided, or three or more may be provided if a better sealing effect is expected. Further, it is not necessary to make the numbers of the upper and lower annular sealing materials 9a equal. In addition, in this embodiment,
Although a pair of bearings 9b are provided above and below the annular seal material 9a, the bearings 9b are not limited to a pair of upper and lower bearings, and may be provided only above or below.

Since the rotary type chemical treatment device to which the vacuum seal structure of the present invention is applied is constructed as described above, first, in order to form a coating film on the surface of the substrate B, first, FIG.
As indicated by the chain double-dashed line, the cylinder 53 is actuated to operate the cylinder rod 54, the L-shaped arm 52, and the bowl portion 51.
The lid 51 is raised via a. Then, the prone bowl portion 51a lifts the hood 3 upward while the collar portion 32b of the grip portion 32 is picked up, and the substrate mounting space S of the rotating cup 2 is placed.
Is exposed to the outside.

In this state, if the second cylinder 71 is further operated to raise the elevating block 73, this rise raises the medium diameter shaft portion 21 via the rotary shaft 23, and the upper surface portion thereof is placed in the substrate mounting space. It is in a state of protruding from S to the outside.
In this state, the substrate B is accurately placed on the upper surface of the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21 by a robot arm (not shown) or by manual operation, and a predetermined amount of chemical solution is dropped on the surface of the substrate B.

When the vacuum pump 81 is operated,
The air in the suction passage 23a of the rotary shaft 23 is formed by connecting holes 23b radially formed in the rotary shaft 23, an annular intake port 92 formed inside the spacer 95, and a unit body 9x.
Is sucked by the vacuum pump 81 through the intake port 92 ', the union 93 and the intake pipe 82 provided on the side wall of the suction passage 23a, and the inside of the suction passage 23a is in a vacuum state. The substrate B placed on the surface of the medium diameter shaft portion 21 of the cup 2 has a suction passage 23a.
Is sucked in the direction of, and is attracted and fixed to the surface of the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21 by this suction force.

After that, the second cylinder 71 is operated in the opposite manner to lower the intermediate diameter shaft portion 21 and bring it into flush with the annular dish portion 22 again. Then, the cylinder 53 is operated in the opposite manner to lower the hood 3 to close the substrate mounting space S. The suction of the substrate B may be performed after the hood 3 is closed, that is, before the rotation of the rotary cup 2 is started.

When the drive motor 61 of the cup rotating mechanism 6 is driven while the vacuum pump 81 is continuously operated, the rotational drive is performed via the drive pulley 62, the belt 64, the driven pulley 63 and the ball spline 63a. Is transmitted to the rotary shaft 23 and the large-diameter shaft portion 24, and the rotary cup 2 connected thereto is rotated at a predetermined speed. However, the substrate B placed on the rotary cup 2 is moved by the vacuum pump 81. Since it is adsorbed and fixed by the operation, it will not be displaced and will not jump out from the surface of the rotary cup 2.

The chemical liquid dropped on the substrate B by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary cup 2 is thinly diffused in the radial direction, and the substrate B is
A coating film is formed on the surface of. The excess chemical liquid shaken off from the substrate B is discharged from the discharge hole 201 formed in the annular weir portion 22a of the rotary cup 2 and introduced into the recovery passage 401 via the discharge band hole 41 of the casing 4. , Is led out from the vertical hole 42.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, the rotation driving of the drive motor 61 is stopped, and the cylinder 53 is driven to move the cylinder rod 54 upward, whereby the hood 3 is lifted and a coating film on the rotary cup 2 is formed. Immediately after the substrate B is exposed. In this state, the second cylinder 7
The cylinder rod 72 rises by the operation of No. 1 and the medium-diameter shaft portion 21 of the rotary cup 2 rises via the rotary shaft 23 coupled to this cylinder rod 72, and the substrate B placed thereon is placed on the substrate. It is pushed out from the storage space S. Then, the substrate B is similarly taken out from the rotary cup 2 by a robot arm or the like and transferred to the next step. By repeating the above operation, a uniform coating film of the chemical liquid is sequentially formed on the surface of the substrate B.

In the present invention, the bearing 9b is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 91 of the seal unit 9 and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 23. Even if the center of the shaft hole 91 is eccentric with respect to the center of the shaft hole 91, it is restricted by the bearing 9b.
The center of the vertical axis of the rotary shaft 23 and the center of the rotary shaft 23 are forced to coincide with each other. Therefore, the contact state between the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal member 9a and the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 23 is always constant, and the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal member 9a due to the eccentric rotation of the rotary shaft 23 as in the prior art is kept constant. Uneven wear is effectively suppressed, and as a result, the life of the annular sealing material 9a is dramatically improved, which is extremely effective in reducing maintenance costs.

Since the eccentricity of the rotary shaft 23 does not occur,
The pressure with which the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal material 9a presses the outer peripheral surface of the rotary shaft 23 does not change in the circumferential direction of the annular seal material 9a, and therefore the pressing force is partially different in the circumferential direction as in the prior art. It is possible to always realize a stable sealing effect without causing uneven sealing effect.

[0057]

According to the vacuum seal structure of the rotary type chemical liquid processing device of the first aspect of the present invention, the bearing is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the seal unit and the outer peripheral surface of the vertical rotary shaft. , At least in the part of the vertical rotation shaft facing the seal unit, the shaft center of the vertical rotation shaft is aligned with the center of the seal unit by the bearing, and in other parts, even if the vertical rotation shaft is eccentric. Even if there is, the portion surrounded by the seal unit is not eccentric, and therefore, the uneven wear of the annular seal material and the deterioration of the sealing property due to the eccentric rotation around the axis of the vertical rotation shaft are effectively suppressed.

Therefore, the life of the annular sealing material is remarkably extended, the maintenance cost can be reduced, and the detachment of the substrate due to the deterioration of the sealing property is effectively suppressed, and the safety of the operation of the apparatus is improved. improves.

Further, one or a plurality of radially extending communication holes communicating with the suction passage are bored in the vertical rotation shaft, and the seal unit is formed with an annular intake port corresponding to the communication holes. Since the communication hole of the rotary shaft is surrounded by the annular intake port, no matter which phase the communication hole is positioned by the rotation of the rotary shaft, the communication hole is in communication with the annular intake port, and is always connected. It is possible to effectively suck the air in the suction passage and maintain the vacuum state in the suction passage while the degree of vacuum does not change.

According to the vacuum seal structure of the rotary type chemical liquid treatment device of the second aspect of the present invention, the annular intake port is provided with an annular spacer having laterally vented holes, and the spacer allows the annular intake air to be introduced. Since the port is formed, the annular sealing material is suctioned by the suction force of the vacuum, effectively preventing the suction port from being blocked.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of a rotary chemical processing apparatus to which a vacuum seal structure according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a vacuum seal structure according to the present invention.

5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a sectional view for explaining a vacuum seal structure of a conventional rotary type chemical liquid processing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chemical liquid processing apparatus 2 Rotation cup (mounting table) 21 Medium diameter shaft part 22 Annular dish part 22a Annular weir part (outer peripheral wall) 201 Discharge hole 204 O ring 23 Rotation shaft (vertical rotation shaft) 23a Suction passage 23b Communication hole 24 Large Diameter shaft part 25 Supporting cylinder 25a Flange (bearing body) 26 Bearing 27 Inner protrusion 28 Outer protrusion 29 Fitting groove 3 Hood 31 Hood main body 32 Gripping portion 33 Bulging edge 4 Casing 41 Discharging band hole 401 Recovery passage 5 Hood attachment / detachment Mechanism 51 Lid 52 L-shaped arm 53 Cylinder 54 Cylinder rod 6 Cup rotating mechanism 61 Drive motor 62 Drive pulley 63 Driven pulley 7 Lifting mechanism 71 Second cylinder 72 Cylinder rod 73 Lift block 73 8 Suction mechanism 81 Vacuum pump 82 Intake pipe 9 Seal unit 9a Annular seal material 9b Bearing 91 Shaft hole 92 Intake port 93 Union 94 Intake pipe

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location H01L 21/306 21/68 P

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vertical rotation shaft, which supports a mounting base of a substrate to be treated with a chemical solution on an upper portion thereof and is rotatably supported by a bearing body about an axis, and a vertical rotation shaft from an upper surface to an intermediate position in the vertical direction. A perforated suction passage, a suction mechanism that communicates with the suction passage to suck the air in the suction passage, and the suction mechanism and the suction passage that are externally fitted to the vertical rotation shaft can communicate with each other. In the rotary chemical liquid treatment device comprising a cylindrical seal unit fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the annular seal member and fixed to the bearing body, the vertical rotary shaft is provided with the suction passage. One or a plurality of communicating holes extending in the radial direction are bored, and an annular intake port surrounding the communicating hole is formed in the seal unit, and the annular intake port is communicated with the suction mechanism and the seal is provided. Vertical rotation with the inner surface of the unit A vacuum seal structure for a rotary chemical processing apparatus, characterized in that a bearing is interposed between the shaft and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft. 2. The ring-shaped intake port is provided with a ring-shaped spacer having a vent hole formed in the lateral direction, and the ring-shaped sealing material is provided above and below the spacer. Vacuum seal structure of the rotary type chemical liquid treatment device.