JPH09217183A - Etching device and etching method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the fluctuation in an etching rate and avert the pickup of dust on a work surface by supplying an etching liquid and washing liquid while rotating the work. SOLUTION: The work 2 held by a work holder 3 is rotated by a rotational driving mechanism 4 and the etching liquid is supplied in this state to the surface of the work 2 from an etching liquid supplying unit 5. As a result, the etching is executed by always the fresh etching liquid and, therefore, the stable etching rate is obtd. In addition, the pickup of the dust on the surface of the work 2 is averted. Further, the washing liquid is supplied to the front and rear surfaces of the work 2 from a washing liquid supplying unit 6 at the point of the time the etching treatment ends. Since the washing with flowing water is executed in the state of the etching liquid stilling remaining on the front and rear surfaces of the work 2, the pickup of the dust on the front surface of the work 2 is averted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called wet type etching apparatus and an etching method for etching a work using an etching solution.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, etching techniques include a wet etching method using a solution (etching solution) and a dry etching method using a gas (etching gas). Among them, the former wet etching method has advantages such as high material selectivity of etching rate, high processing capacity (throughput), no damage, and low cost of the apparatus. Mainly up to about 3 μm. It is used for fine pattern processing. By the way, the conventional wet etching method is a work (workpiece) to be etched.
The so-called dipping method has been predominantly used, in which a resist pattern is formed on the surface and then a work is immersed in an etching solution to chemically dissolve and remove a portion without a resist.

[0003]

However, in the wet etching by the dip method, the solution (etching solution) in the etching tank becomes dirty and the etching rate fluctuates during the repeated etching of many works.
There is an inconvenience that desired processing accuracy cannot be obtained. . In addition, it is necessary to periodically exchange the solution, and this exchange work is troublesome. Furthermore, when the work is pulled up from the etching tank, dust or the like floating in the solution or on the liquid surface adheres to the work surface, and the etched work is contaminated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an etching apparatus and an etching method capable of suppressing the fluctuation of the etching rate and avoiding the adhesion of dust to the surface of a work. Especially.

[0005]

The present invention has been made in order to achieve the above object, and is a work holder for holding a plate-like work to be etched substantially horizontally, and a rotation for rotating the work holder. A configuration including a drive mechanism, an etching liquid supply unit that supplies an etching liquid to the front surface of the work, and a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the front and back surfaces of the work is adopted.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the work held by the work holder is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism, and in this state, the etching liquid supply unit supplies the etching liquid to the surface of the work so that the new etching liquid is always used. Etching is performed, so that the etching rate becomes stable. Further, since the etching liquid is supplied while rotating the work, dust is prevented from adhering to the work surface. Further, when the etching process is completed, the cleaning liquid supply unit supplies the cleaning liquid to the front and back surfaces of the work, so that the running water cleaning is performed while the etching liquid still remains on the front and back surfaces of the work. Adhesion of dust to the work surface is avoided.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of an etching apparatus according to the present invention. The etching apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 roughly includes a work holder 3 that holds a plate-shaped work (metal plate or the like) 2 to be etched substantially horizontally, and the work holder 3.
It is composed of a rotation drive mechanism 4 for rotating the, a etching liquid supply unit 5, a cleaning liquid supply unit 6, and a drying unit 7 for drying the work 2.

The work holder 3 has a plurality of support arms 9 attached to the peripheral edge of a base plate 8 and a work retainer 10 rotatably attached to the upper ends of the arms. More specifically, the upper end portion of each support arm 9 has a stepped structure as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and the work support surface 11 on the lower side thereof receives the work 2. It has become. Further, grooves 12 for draining water are formed in the work supporting surface 11 in a predetermined pattern. On the other hand, the work retainer 10 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 13 provided at the upper end of the support arm 9, and can swing about the support shaft 13 as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. ing. Further, a claw portion 14 is formed at the front end of the work pressing member 10, and a weight 15 is attached to the rear end thereof. As a result, when the apparatus is stopped, the work clamp 10 is held at the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line in the figure by the weight of the weight 15, so that the claw portion 14 is separated from the work support surface 11.

On the other hand, holes (for example, through holes) 16 for mounting arms are provided in the peripheral portion of the base plate 8 at a predetermined pitch, and the mounting screws (not shown) are inserted into these holes 16 from the lower side. ) Is inserted and screwed into a hole (for example, a screw hole) on the lower end surface of the support arm 9,
Are fixed on the base plate 8. Further, the position of each hole 16 on the base plate 8 is set so as to correspond to various work shapes and sizes, and the type (shape, etc.) of the support arm 9 depends on what kind of work is to be handled. ) And its mounting position are selected appropriately. By adopting such a configuration, even if the work form handled changes,
Since it is possible to deal with various kinds of works by only exchanging the support arm 9, it becomes possible to process many kinds of works with one etching apparatus, and the time required for setup change accompanying work changes can be shortened.

The rotary drive mechanism 4 is formed by connecting a drive motor 18 to the lower end of a cylindrical rotating body 17, and the above-mentioned base plate 8 is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the rotating body 17. Of these, a belt wheel 19 is coaxially attached to the lower end of the rotating body 17. On the contrary,
A belt wheel 20 is also attached to the output shaft of the drive motor 18, and a toothed belt (timing belt or the like) 21 is bridged between the two belt wheels 19 and 20. As a result, when the drive motor 18 is driven, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating body 17 via the toothed belt 21, so that the work holder 3 (base plate 8) can be rotated integrally with the rotating body 17. .

Further, in the structure of the rotary drive mechanism 4, an AC servomotor is adopted as the drive motor 18 serving as a rotary drive source, and the rotational speed of the work holder 3 is changed according to the drive current given to the AC servomotor. Is variable over a wide range from low speed to high speed. In addition,
As another form of the speed changing means, for example, a stepping motor may be adopted instead of the AC servo motor, and the rotation speed of the work holder 3 may be changed according to the number of drive pulses given to the stepping motor.

The etching liquid supply unit 5 supplies the etching liquid to the surface (the upper surface in the figure) of the work 2 set in the work holder 3, and this is supplied to a swing type cylinder (swing cylinder: made by KOGANEI) 22. The pipe 23 is mounted, and the nozzle portion 24 on the tip side thereof is arranged downward (to the work holder 3 side). An etching liquid supply source (not shown) is connected to the base end of the pipe 23, and the etching liquid supplied from the source is discharged from the nozzle portion 24 through the pipe 23.

The cleaning liquid supply unit 6 includes a work holder 3
The cleaning liquid such as pure water is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the work 2 set in the above.
Similarly to the above, the pipe 26 is attached to the swing type cylinder 25, and the nozzle portion 27 on the tip side thereof is arranged downward. A cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is connected to the base end of the pipe 26, and the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source is discharged from the nozzle portion 27 through the pipe 26. Further, a pipe 28 for supplying a cleaning liquid is also incorporated in the rotating body 17 of the rotary drive mechanism 4 in order to wash away the etching liquid and the like spilled around the back surface of the work 2. The nozzle portion 29 of the pipe 28 is arranged upward, and the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source is also discharged from the nozzle portion 29 through the pipe 28.

Here, a scattering prevention cup 30 is provided outside the work holder 3 so as to surround the work holder 3. The cup 30 serves as a barrier to prevent mist (liquid) scattered from the peripheral portion of the work 2 from adhering to unnecessary parts in the apparatus, and at the same time prevents the mist from bouncing from the inner wall surface of the cup to the work 2. It is a thing. Therefore, the angle of the inner wall surface of the cup 30 is appropriately set according to the relative positional relationship with the work 2 so that the mist scattered there always avoids the work 2 and bounces downward.

Further, the nozzle portions 24 and 27 of the pipes 23 and 26 mounted on the respective cylinders 22 and 25 are swung by the cylinders 22 and 25, as shown in FIG. (Indicated by a solid line) and an area deviated from the work 2, that is, an area outside the opening diameter φ of the cup 30 (indicated by a chain double-dashed line in the drawing) in this case.

The drying unit 7 includes, in addition to the spin drying means by the rotation driving mechanism 4, an upper lid 32 of the apparatus main body 31.
The blowout nozzle 33 is provided. The blowing nozzle 33 is disposed directly above a nozzle portion 29 for pure water supply incorporated in the rotating body 17, and is opposed to an inert gas (for example, nitrogen gas, or helium or argon) supplied from a gas supply source (not shown). Noble gas such as) is sprayed onto the work 2.

By the way, the positional relationship between the nozzle portions 24 and 27 for discharging the etching liquid and the cleaning liquid and the blowing nozzle 33 for the inert gas is as shown in FIG.
3 is located at the center of the work 2, and the nozzle portions 24 and 27 are located in the center area of the work 2 so as to sandwich it. Further, a drain pipe 34 and an exhaust pipe 35 are built in the bottom of the cup 30, and for safety reasons, the exhaust pipe 3 is also attached to the side wall of the device body 31.
6 is incorporated.

The nozzle portions 24 and 27 are provided in the central area of the work 2 and the outer area of the cup 30 which is separated from the central area.
As for the means for moving the nozzle arms 34, 35 that move on the same straight line as shown in FIG. 5, for example, in addition to using the swing type cylinders 22, 25.
Nozzle portions 24 and 27 are provided at the tip of the cup so that they can be arranged both in the central area of the work 2 (shown by the solid line in the figure) and the outer area of the cup 30 (shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure). However, various forms are conceivable, such as a cylinder that swings up and down and nozzle portions 24 and 27 are provided. However, as described above, the horizontally swinging cylinders 22 and 25 and the nozzle arm 3 moving on the same line.
If the nozzle portions 24 and 27 are provided on the nozzles 7 and 38, the nozzle portions 24 and 27 can be scanned on the work 2, which is more preferable. Further, regarding the positional relationship between the nozzles, the nozzle portion 27 for the cleaning liquid is also used.
Is opposed to the center of the workpiece 2 and is fixed to the upper lid 32, and other nozzles are arranged in the vicinity thereof, and various modifications are possible.

Next, the operation procedure of the etching apparatus 1 having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the work 2 to be etched is set on the work holder 3 (step: S1). In this case, the work 2 is loaded into the apparatus body 31 with the upper lid 32 removed from the apparatus body 31, and the cup 30
The work 2 is placed on the work support surface 11 of the support arm 9 with the nozzle portions 24 and 27 standing by in the outer area. Further, when the work 2 is set in this way, the upper lid 32 is attached to the apparatus main body 31 and the blowing nozzle 33 is opposed to the surface of the work 2.

Next, by driving the drive motor 18, the work holder 3 and the base plate 8 are integrated with the rotating body 17.
Is rotated at a low speed (for example, 10 to 200 rpm), and in cooperation with this, the work 2 is rotated at a low speed. (S2). At this time, the work retainer 1 supported on the upper end of the support arm 9
In the case of 0, the weight 15 on the rear end side is lifted by the centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the base plate 8. Then, by swinging the work clamp 10 around the support shaft 13, the claw portion 1
4 falls and presses work 2 from above. This allows
Since the rotating work 2 is reliably pushed by the work retainer 10, displacement of the work 2 on the work support surface 11 is prevented.

Then, the cylinder 22 on the side of the etching liquid supply unit 5 is swung to advance the nozzle portion 24 for supplying the etching liquid from the above-mentioned standby position to the central area of the work 2 (S3). As a result, the nozzle portion 24 is in a state of facing the work 2.

Next, while the work 2 is rotated at a low speed as described above, the etching liquid supplied from the etching liquid supply source (not shown) is discharged from the nozzle portion 24 to supply the etching liquid to the surface of the work 2. To do. As a result, the etching liquid is spread over the entire surface of the rotating work 2, so that a predetermined portion of the work 2, that is, a portion having no resist is removed by the chemical dissolution action. At this time, the etching liquid scattered from the peripheral portion of the work 2 adheres to the inner wall surface of the cup 30 and flows down, and is discharged from the drain pipe 34 at the bottom of the cup 30 to the outside of the apparatus. From this, for the anticorrosion treatment (for example, Teflon coating, etc.) of the component parts of the apparatus against the etching liquid, the cup 30 is mainly used.
Since it only has to be done for the inside, there is an advantage in terms of equipment cost.

Incidentally, the operation of discharging the etching liquid from the nozzle portion 24 may be carried out continuously or intermittently. Further, the position of the nozzle portion 24 during the etching process may be fixed to the central area of the work 2, but if the nozzle portion 24 is scanned on the work 2 by the swing motion of the cylinder 22, for example, the work 2 Since the etching liquid can be more uniformly and efficiently supplied to the surface of, it is more preferable.

Here, the rotation speed of the work 2 during the etching process may be appropriately set according to the surface tension of the etching solution used. That is, when an etching solution having a relatively small surface tension is used, the rotation speed of the work 2 is set to a lower speed, and when an etching solution having a large surface tension is used, the rotation speed of the work 2 is increased accordingly. Set to. As a result, even when etching solutions having different surface tensions are used, the work 2
A smooth flow of etching solution can be formed on the surface of the.

After that, when a specified time has elapsed since the supply of the etching liquid was started, the supply of the etching liquid from the nozzle portion 24 is stopped (S5), and subsequently, the etching operation is performed by the swing operation of the cylinder 22. The supply nozzle portion 24 moves from the central area of the work 2 to the outer area of the cup 30, that is, to the standby position (S6). Next, the cylinder 25 on the side of the cleaning liquid supply unit 6 is swung, and the nozzle portion 27 for supplying the cleaning liquid is advanced from the standby position to the central area of the work 2 (S7). As a result, the nozzle portion 27 is in a state of facing the work 2. The nozzle portion 24 for supplying the etching liquid
The retreat operation and the advancing operation of the cleaning liquid supply nozzle portion 27 may be performed simultaneously.

Subsequently, when the work 2 is rotated at a predetermined rotation speed, for example, pure water having a small surface tension is used as the cleaning liquid, it is 50.
While rotating at ˜80 rpm, pure water supplied from a cleaning liquid supply source (not shown) is discharged toward the work 2 from the upper and lower nozzle portions 27 and 29 facing each other (S8). At this time, if the rotation speed of the work 2 is different from the setting condition of the etching process, the drive current to the drive motor 18 is changed (level down or level up) prior to the cleaning process to set the specified rotation speed. . As a result, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the rotating work 2 from the nozzle portions 27 and 29, so that the etching liquid remaining on the front surface of the work and the etching liquid spilled over to the back surface of the work are washed away by the cleaning liquid. . Also,
The cleaning liquid thus supplied to the front and back surfaces of the work 2 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from the drain pipe 34 at the bottom of the cup 30. Incidentally, during this cleaning process, it is preferable that the upper nozzle portion 27 is scanned on the work 2 by the swing operation of the cylinder 25, as in the above etching process.

Thereafter, when a prescribed time has elapsed since the supply of the cleaning liquid was started, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the nozzle portions 27 and 29 is stopped (S9), and subsequently the cylinder 25
By the swing motion of the nozzle portion 27 for supplying the cleaning liquid
Moves from the central area of the work 2 to the outer area (standby position) of the cup 30 (S10).

When the cleaning process of the work 2 is completed in this way,
The drive current supplied to the drive motor 18 is changed (leveled up) to move the work holder 3 and the work 2 at high speed.
For example, the workpiece 2 is rotated at 1000 to 4000 rpm.
(S11), the inert gas (nitrogen gas or the like) supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) is blown onto the work 2 from the blowing nozzle 33 to blow-dry the work 2 (S12). At this time, in the space inside the cup 30 in which the work 2 is set, a flow of the inert gas from the blowout nozzle 33 toward the exhaust pipe 35, that is, a downflow is formed, so that the work is synergized with the spin drying. 2 is dried very efficiently. Further, since the groove 12 for draining water is formed on the workpiece supporting surface 11 (see FIG. 2) of the workpiece holder 3, the draining effect at the peripheral portion of the workpiece 2 by spin drying becomes extremely high.

After that, when the prescribed time has elapsed, the supply of the inert gas from the blowing nozzle 33 is stopped (S13), and the supply of the drive current to the drive motor 18 is cut off to stop the rotation of the work 2 ( S14). At this time,
As the rotation of the work 2 is stopped, the work clamp 10 moves the weight 15
Since the claw portion 14 on the tip end side thereof is separated from the work 2, the holding state of the work 2 is automatically released. Finally, remove the upper lid 32 from the device body 31,
The etched work 2 is taken out from the work holder 3 (S15). This completes a series of processes in the etching apparatus 1.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the plate-like work to be etched is held substantially horizontally by the work holder, and the work is rotated together with the work holder by the rotation drive mechanism. Since the etching liquid is supplied to the surface of the work by the etching liquid supply unit, the etching process of the work is always performed with the new etching liquid, so that the work can be processed at a stable etching rate. Further, since the etching liquid is supplied while rotating the work, it is possible to avoid dust from adhering to the work surface during the etching process. Furthermore, when the etching process is completed, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the work by the cleaning liquid supply unit, so that the work cleaning process is performed with the etching liquid remaining on the front and back surfaces of the work. Also, it is possible to avoid dust from adhering to the work surface. As a result, the processing accuracy of the work by wet etching is improved, and a remarkable effect such as a reduction in the amount of dust attached to the etched work is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of an etching apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view (1) of the work holder.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view (No. 2) of the work holder.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship between nozzles.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another arrangement example of nozzles.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Etching Device 2 Work 3 Work Holder 4 Rotational Drive Mechanism 5 Etching Solution Supply Unit 6 Cleaning Solution Supply Unit 7 Drying Unit 30
cup

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A work holder that holds a plate-shaped work to be etched substantially horizontally, a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the work holder, and an etching solution supply unit that supplies an etching solution to the surface of the work. An etching apparatus comprising: a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the front and back surfaces of the work. 2. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drying unit for drying the work. 3. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a scattering prevention cup is provided so as to surround the work holder. 4. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation driving mechanism has means for changing a rotation speed of the work holder. 5. A method of etching a plate-shaped work using an etching solution, wherein the etching solution is supplied to the surface of the work while the work is rotated to perform the etching process, and the etching process is performed. Immediately after, the etching method is characterized in that a cleaning liquid is supplied to the front and back surfaces of the rotating work to perform a cleaning process.