JPH10189522A - Tank and apparatus for treatment of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a substrate treatment apparatus, which maintains the discharge property of a contaminant (particles or the like) to the outside of a treatment tank, which prevents the corrosion of a treatment-liquid supply pipe itself, and which maintains the treatment quality of a substrate. SOLUTION: Left and right treatment-liquid discharge nozzles 9 are constituted for a resin material which is resistant to corrosion by a treatment liquid 2. As a result, the treatment-liquid discharge nozzles 9 and especially high-pressure slits 10 in which a liquid flow velocity is fast are not corroded by a chemical liquid, the generation of a contaminat from the treatment-liquid discharge nozzles 9 is prevented, the prescribed flow rate of a treatment liquid and its spouting speed from the slits 10 are not changed, and the flow of the treatment liquid due to them is not disturbed. As a result, the discharge efficiency of the contaminant (particles or the like) to the outside of a treatment tank 3 and the treatment quality of a substrate 4 such as an etching characteristic or the like are not lowered. In addition, since the body of the treatment tank 3 is constituted of quarts glass, the wettablity of an overflow face 15 is good, the treatment liquid is not repelled, and the contaminant can be discharged satisfactorily to the outside of the treatment tank 3 together with the treatment liquid 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing for immersing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer for a semiconductor device or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display and storing a processing liquid for performing various processes such as etching and cleaning on the surface. The present invention relates to a tank and a substrate processing apparatus using the substrate processing tank in a substrate processing unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a precision electronic substrate using a semiconductor wafer for a semiconductor device, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, or the like, a substrate is sequentially immersed in a plurality of processing tanks each storing various processing solutions. As a result, a series of various processes such as a chemical solution process and a water washing process are performed on the substrate. As this series of various processes, for example, there is a nitride film removal process, which is a phosphoric acid bath using a phosphoric acid solution as a chemical solution for nitride film removal, and since the nitride film removal function proceeds when phosphoric acid remains, After the substrate with the phosphoric acid solution is immersed in pure water, the pure water containing the phosphoric acid solution is discharged. Thereafter, new pure water is supplied while the wafer is housed, and the semiconductor wafer is further washed with water. The process is repeated by repeating the process of discharging the water several times, and further, the substrate is dried by spin-drying through a final washing bath. In addition to such a nitride film removing process, a series of various processes include a resist stripping process, an oxide film etching process, a light etching process, and a cleaning process before diffusion.

In contrast to such a multi-tank type substrate processing apparatus, a single-tank type substrate processing apparatus sequentially supplies different types of processing liquids to a processing tank and performs, for example, an etching process and a water washing process. Different treatments are performed sequentially using a single treatment tank.

[0004] In these multi-tank type chemical tanks such as a phosphoric acid tank, processing tanks such as a functional washing tank and a final washing tank, and single tank type processing tanks, etc., they are branched into two before entering the bottom of the processing tank. The processing liquid supply nozzle is disposed at the bottom thereof in parallel to the left and right. The pair of processing liquid supply nozzles are respectively provided with a plurality of ejection ports for discharging the processing liquid between the substrates on the substrate side from the lower left and right sides of the plurality of substrates immersed in the processing liquid. The processing liquid is spouted from each of the discharge ports between the substrates on the substrate side, and the processing liquid spouted from the left and right sides hits at the center of the tank and rises while forming a turbulent flow. It overflows from the upper opening. In this way, contaminants (particles and the like) generated by each processing are discharged out of the processing tank together with the processing liquid.

In this case, due to the problem of wettability with the processing solution,
The tank main body and the processing liquid supply nozzle disposed therein are made of quartz glass. This is because when the processing liquid in the processing tank overflows from the upper opening, the processing liquid can be satisfactorily overflowed without repelling the processing liquid because the overflow portion has good wettability, and Contaminants (particles and the like) can be satisfactorily discharged out of the processing tank together with the processing liquid.

Here, "good wettability" means that the contact angle between the solid such as the tank body and the treatment liquid is small.
The contact angle is the angle between the liquid surface and the solid surface when the liquid is in contact with the solid surface.

[0007]

As described above, in the above-mentioned conventional substrate processing tank, due to the problem of discharge of contaminants (particles, etc.) out of the processing tank, the material of the processing tank main body and the processing liquid supply nozzle is reduced. Quartz glass has been used, but depending on the type of chemical solution (for example, hydrofluoric acid) used, the processing tank body and the processing liquid supply nozzle are eroded. Is ejected, so that the flow rate of the processing liquid is high and the pressure is also high, so that the peripheral portion of the nozzle of the processing liquid supply nozzle is most strongly eroded and deformed. As described above, not only the most important processing liquid supply nozzle itself is eroded, but also becomes unusable, and there is a problem that pollutants (particles and the like) are generated by dissolution of the quartz glass in the chemical liquid. If the contaminants (such as particles) adhere to the surface of the substrate, the substrate is contaminated and the quality of the substrate deteriorates.

Further, when the ejection port of the processing liquid supply nozzle is eroded by the chemical solution, the shape of the ejection port changes, and a predetermined flow rate of the processing liquid from the ejection port and its ejection direction cannot be obtained. Substrate processing such as uneven flow of the processing solution inside, reducing the efficiency of discharging contaminants (particles, etc.) out of the processing tank, and further deteriorating the etching characteristics due to the chemical solution There was a problem that the quality deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and prevents substrate processing by preventing erosion of the processing liquid supply nozzle itself while maintaining the ability to discharge contaminants (particles, etc.) out of the processing tank. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing tank and a substrate processing apparatus capable of maintaining quality.

[0010]

The substrate processing bath of the present invention comprises:
By supplying the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit provided in the tank main body, the processing liquid is stored in the tank main body, and the substrate to be processed is immersed in the processing liquid to perform the predetermined processing, and In the substrate processing tank in which the processing liquid overflows from a predetermined outlet of the tank main body, the tank main body is formed of quartz glass, and the processing liquid supply unit is formed of a resin material having corrosion resistance to the processing liquid. It is characterized by the following.

According to the above configuration, since the processing liquid supply unit is made of a corrosion resistant resin material for the processing liquid, the processing liquid supply unit is not eroded by the chemical solution, and there is no change in the shape of the processing liquid supply unit. Therefore, generation of contaminants (particles and the like) due to the erosion is prevented, and stable substrate processing performance can be maintained. In other words, the flow rate of the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply unit and the flow direction of the processing liquid due to the direction in which the processing liquid is ejected are not disturbed. Processing quality can be maintained. Moreover, since the tank main body is made of quartz glass, the overflow portion has good wettability, and the overflow can be satisfactorily performed without repelling the processing liquid. Therefore, contaminants (particles and the like) generated in the tank can be satisfactorily discharged out of the processing tank together with the processing liquid from the overflow portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a substrate processing section for immersing a substrate in a processing liquid and performing various types of processing on the surface of the substrate. A processing tank is provided.

According to the above configuration, the substrate processing tank according to the first aspect is easily adaptable to a substrate processing apparatus, and most preferably maintains the dischargeability of contaminants (such as particles) out of the processing tank. Erosion of the important processing liquid supply unit can be prevented, and high-quality substrate processing can be maintained.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which a substrate processing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Here, a single-tank type substrate processing apparatus in which a semiconductor wafer is used as a substrate to be processed and an etching process and a washing process are performed by a single device will be described as an example.

In FIG. 1, a substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with a processing tank 3 for storing a processing liquid 2, and a substrate 4 is immersed in the stored processing liquid 2 such as a hydrofluoric acid solution. Thus, various processes such as etching are performed. The processing tank 3 is formed in, for example, a box shape having an opening at an upper portion and a rectangular cross section. The entire tank is configured to receive a processing liquid due to a problem of discharging contaminants (particles and the like) out of the processing tank. It is made of quartz glass with good wettability.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 holds the substrate 4 and moves up and down with respect to the processing tank 3 so that the substrate 4
There is provided a handling device 5 for immersing or exposing in the processing solution 2 in the processing tank 3. The handling device 5 includes a back plate 6 and a substrate holding unit 8 including three arm members 7 whose longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the back plate 6 at the lower end of the back plate 6. These three
Grooves extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm member 7 are formed on the upper surface of the arm member 7, and the substrate 4 is held by each groove. Further, a plurality of these grooves are formed in the longitudinal direction of the arm member 7, and the plurality of grooves hold the main surfaces of the plurality of substrates 4 at a predetermined distance in a state where they are parallel to each other.

Further, the handling device 5 receives the substrate 4 from a transport means (not shown) in a state of being raised with respect to the processing tank 3, and at the time of substrate processing, the handling device 5 descends and removes the substrate 4 from the processing liquid in the processing tank 3. 2 is immersed. When the substrate processing is completed, the handling device 5 is lifted to expose the substrate 4 from the processing liquid 2, and in this state, the transport unit transports the substrate 4 to the next step.

Further, at the bottom of the processing tank 3, a pair of left and right processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 as processing liquid supply units for supplying the processing liquid 2 into the processing tank 3 is provided. The nozzle 9 is entirely made of, for example, PEEK (polyetheretherketone), PVC (polyvinylchloride), PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene), PFA (ethylenetetrafluoride-perfluoroalkylvinylether copolymer resin), and PTFE (polystyrene). It is made of a resin material having chemical resistance (corrosion resistance) such as tetrafluoroethylene) and PVDF (vinylidene fluoride). As described above, any resin material that can be used as a material of these processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 can be used as long as it has resistance to the processing liquid, but the resin material itself contains few impurities. PE
It is desirable to use EK (polyetheretherketone).

Here, the reason why the main body portion of the processing tank 3 is not made of a corrosion-resistant resin material is that the main body portion of the processing tank 3 does not have a high flow velocity of the processing liquid as compared with the processing liquid discharge nozzle 9, so that the erosion by the chemical solution is not performed. This is because the effect of the above is small and the main body of the processing tank 3 is made of quartz glass so as to maintain good discharge of contaminants (such as particles) out of the processing tank 3. That is, in the case where the main body of the processing tank 3 is made of a resin material, the overflow of the resin is not good because the wettability of the resin to the processing liquid 2 is lower than that of quartz, and the discharge of the contaminants out of the processing tank 3 is good. This is because the processing quality of the substrate 4 is deteriorated. In addition, the surface of quartz is extremely smooth, but the surface of the resin is slightly uneven, so there is a high possibility that contaminants will remain on the unevenness.
When the main body of the processing tank 3 is made of a resin material, the contaminants are hardly discharged to the outside of the processing tank 3 and the processing quality of the substrate 4 is deteriorated.

The processing liquid discharge nozzle 9 has an outer tube 11 having a slit 10 opening into the processing liquid 2, and an inner pipe having an opening 12 provided therein and opening substantially on the opposite side to the slit 10. It has a double pipe structure including a pipe 13. The inner pipe 13 is connected to a processing liquid supply system 14, and during various processing of the substrate 4, the processing liquid 2 is supplied from the inner pipe 13 to the processing tank 3 through the outer pipe 11, and such processing is performed. As the supply of the liquid 2 is continuously performed, the processing liquid 2 overflows over the overflow surface 15 of the upper opening of the processing tank 3 and is discharged together with contaminants such as particles dropped from the substrate 4. Has become. At this time, the processing liquid 2 supplied to the inner tube 13 once collides with the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube 11 and then jets into the processing tank 3 through the narrow slit 10 (or a plurality of jet ports). In the processing tank 3, uniform convection of the processing liquid 2 is obtained.

The processing liquid supply system 14 includes a processing liquid supply pipe 16 connected to the left and right processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 and a branched chemical liquid supply pipe 17 which joins the processing liquid supply pipe 16.
And an opening / closing valve 18 arranged in the middle of the chemical supply pipe 17, a pure water supply source (not shown) for supplying pure water to the treatment liquid supply pipe 16, and a chemical supply to the chemical supply pipe 17. When the substrate 4 is washed with water, the opening / closing valve 18 is closed so that only pure water is supplied to the processing tank 3 through the processing liquid supply pipe 16 and the processing liquid discharge nozzle 9. During the etching process, the opening / closing valve 18 is opened, and a chemical solution (such as a hydrofluoric acid solution) is mixed from the chemical solution supply pipe 17 into the pure water in the treatment liquid supply pipe 16 so that a predetermined concentration of the chemical solution is obtained. Is generated and supplied to the processing tank 3 through the processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 on the left and right sides.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below. First, the left and right processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 are supplied from a pure water supply source.
The pure water is supplied into the processing tank 3 via. At this time, the contaminants in the processing tank 3 are discharged out of the processing tank 3 beyond the overflow surface 15 of the processing tank 3.

When the pure water overflows from the processing tank 3, the handling device 5, which has received the substrate 4 from the transfer means, descends from the elevated state, and immerses the held substrate 4 in the pure water. Thereafter, the opening / closing valve 18 in the middle of the chemical liquid supply pipe 17 connected to the chemical liquid supply source (not shown) is opened, and the chemical liquid having a predetermined concentration is mixed with the pure water in the processing liquid supply pipe 16. 9 and is supplied into the processing tank 3. By continuing this, the pure water in the processing tank 3 is replaced with the chemical solution. In this embodiment,
Hydrofluoric acid for etching is used as the chemical. At this time, contaminants (particles) generated by the etching process using the chemical liquid efficiently float on the surface together with the upward flow due to the convection. Furthermore, since the supply of the chemical solution is continued, the chemical solution overflows beyond the overflow surface 15 of the processing tank 3, and contaminants (particles) are discharged to the outside of the processing tank 3 together with the chemical solution. Become.

After the etching process has been performed for a certain period of time, the open / close valve 18 of the processing liquid supply system 14 is closed, and pure water is supplied into the processing tank 3. When the pure water is supplied, the chemical solution in the processing tank 3 is discharged to the outside of the processing tank 3 due to the overflow, while the pure water is stored in the processing tank 3, whereby the substrate 4 is subjected to a water washing process. . At this time, similarly to the etching process, the replacement of the chemical solution with the pure water and the ejection of the particles are also performed favorably, and the pure water overflows from the overflow surface 15 of the processing tank 3 and the particles generated by the water washing process are removed. The water is efficiently discharged to the outside of the processing tank 3 together with the pure water.

When such a water washing process is completed, the handling device 5 is raised, and the substrate 4 is transferred to the next step by the transfer means.

Therefore, since the left and right processing liquid discharge nozzles 9 are made of a corrosion-resistant resin material for the processing liquid, the processing liquid discharge nozzles 9, particularly the slit 10 having a high liquid flow rate and high pressure, are used.
Is not eroded by the chemical solution, thereby preventing the generation of contaminants (particles and the like) from the processing liquid discharge nozzle 9, and the predetermined processing liquid flow rate from the slit 10 and the jetting direction of the processing liquid are not changed. The flow of the processing liquid 2 is not disturbed. As a result, the processing quality of the substrate 4 such as the efficiency of discharging contaminants (such as particles) out of the processing tank 3 and the etching characteristics does not decrease. Moreover, since the main body of the processing tank 3 is made of quartz glass, the chemical liquid causes some erosion to generate contaminants (particles and the like), but the overflow surface 15 has good wettability and does not repel the processing liquid 2. Also, contaminants (particles and the like) generated in the processing tank 3 can be satisfactorily discharged out of the processing tank 3 together with the processing liquid 2 from the overflow surface 15.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment,
This is an example of a single-tank type substrate processing apparatus to which the substrate processing tank 3 according to the present invention is applied, and specific configurations of the substrate processing apparatus and the processing tank can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is. For example, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to the single-tank type substrate processing apparatus 1 but also to a multi-tank type substrate processing apparatus. In short, the configuration of the present invention may be any type of substrate processing apparatus that performs processing while immersing the substrate 4 in the processing liquid 2 and overflowing the processing liquid 2, and performing one or more types of substrate processing. It goes without saying that it can be easily applied to the processing apparatus.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the processing liquid supply section is made of a corrosion-resistant resin material for the processing liquid and the tank body is made of quartz glass, the processing liquid supply section is not eroded by the chemical solution. In addition to preventing the generation of contaminants (particles and the like) due to this erosion, the flow of the processing liquid due to deformation of the processing liquid supply unit does not occur, and the contaminants (particles and the like) are discharged out of the processing tank. The processing quality of the substrate such as efficiency and etching characteristics can be maintained at a high level. In addition, the overflow part is made of quartz glass, which has good wettability and discharges contaminants (particles, etc.) out of the processing tank well. can do.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
The substrate processing tank described in (1) can be easily adapted to the substrate processing apparatus, and the erosion of the most important processing liquid supply unit is prevented while maintaining the discharge property of contaminants (such as particles) out of the processing tank. As a result, high-quality substrate processing can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which a substrate processing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 2 Processing liquid 3 Processing tank 4 Substrate 9 Processing liquid discharge nozzle 10 Slit 11 Outer pipe 13 Inner pipe 14 Processing liquid supply system 15 Overflow surface 16 Processing liquid supply pipe 17 Chemical liquid supply pipe 18 Opening / closing valve

Claims (2)

[Claims] A processing liquid is supplied from a processing liquid supply section provided in a tank main body, whereby the processing liquid is stored in the tank main body, and a substrate to be processed is immersed in the processing liquid to perform a predetermined processing. In the substrate processing tank for performing processing liquid and overflowing the processing liquid from a predetermined outlet of the tank main body, the tank main body is made of quartz glass, and the processing liquid supply unit is a resin material having corrosion resistance to the processing liquid. A substrate processing tank characterized by comprising: 2. A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate processing section for immersing a substrate in a processing liquid to perform various types of processing on the surface thereof, wherein the substrate processing section according to claim 1 is provided in the substrate processing section. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.