JPH10223591A - Substrate-treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a rotary motor from being exposed to a treating liquid atmosphere, with a simple structure. SOLUTION: A first low cover 7, provided with lower claws which hold the periphery of a substrate W from the bottom side is coupled with the rotor 2 of a first rotary motor 1 and rotated around the axial center J of the rotor 1. Under claws 17 which hold the periphery of the substrate W from the top side are installed to an upper cover 16 of an upper clamping section 14. The clamping section 14 is elevated/lowered through a pushing-up member 26 and switched to a holding attitude or retreating attitude, when the section 14 is elevated or lowered. While the substrate W held by the upper cover 16 which is in a holding attitude together with a lower cover 7, the substrate W is rotated around the axis J and a prescribed substrate treatment is performed on the substrate W by supplying the treating liquid. The splashes of the treating liquid which flies away from the periphery of the substrate W are received by the inner peripheral surfaces of the covers 7 and 16, guided to a waste liquid discharge port 9, and recovered in a waste liquid recycling tank 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for holding a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, and a substrate for an optical disk and rotating the substrate around a vertical axis. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process by supplying a liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a substrate processing apparatus of this type generally holds a substrate on a spin base and places the substrate at the center of the lower surface of the spin base, as in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-9607. The rotating shaft is connected, the rotating motor is linked to the lower part of the rotating shaft, and the rotating motor rotates the rotating shaft around the vertical axis, so that it is held together with the rotating shaft on the spin base and the spin base The rotated substrate is configured to be rotated around a vertical axis.

[0003] Substrate processing is performed by rotating a substrate held on the spin base around a vertical axis and supplying a processing liquid to the substrate from a nozzle or the like. The processing liquid is shaken off from the periphery of the substrate, and the droplets of the processing liquid are scattered around the substrate. Therefore, in this type of substrate processing apparatus, a cup is provided so as to cover the periphery of the spin base and the substrate held on the spin base, and the droplets of the processing liquid shaken off from the periphery of the substrate are removed from the cup. It is configured to be received by a splash guide portion formed on the inner peripheral surface and guided to a waste liquid outlet.

[0004]

However, the conventional apparatus having such a configuration has the following problems.

That is, in order to prevent the rotating motor from being exposed to the processing liquid atmosphere, the conventional apparatus has a cup provided around the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft is erected through the cup. However, the cup is fixed, the rotating shaft is rotatably penetrated through the fixed cup, and the processing liquid atmosphere in the cup is not leaked below the cup where the rotating motor is provided. And the sealing structure was complicated.

In the conventional apparatus, a rotary motor is provided below the held substrate to rotate the substrate via a rotary shaft, so that the height of the apparatus has to be increased. For this reason, for example, it has been an obstacle in stacking the devices in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a substrate processing apparatus which has a simple structure that can prevent a rotating motor from being exposed to a processing liquid atmosphere and can reduce the height of the apparatus. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a substrate processing apparatus for holding a substrate and rotating the substrate around a vertical axis and supplying a processing liquid to perform a predetermined process, a hollow portion having a central portion opened. A rotor having a hollow portion with a central portion opened, provided concentrically with the rotor,
A rotation motor having a hollow portion formed in the center, a guide member that receives a droplet of the processing liquid that is shaken off from the periphery of the substrate during the substrate processing, and guides the liquid to the waste liquid discharge port, and a peripheral member of the substrate from below. A lower nail to be in contact with, a holding tool including an upper nail to be in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate from above, a holding posture for holding the lower edge of the substrate in contact with and separating the lower nail and the upper nail,
A holding mechanism that switches the holding tool to a retracted position away from the periphery of the substrate, and the guide member is disposed on the hollow portion side of the rotary motor, and the guide member is connected to the rotor. The lower claw and the upper claw are disposed in a substrate processing space inside the guide member, and the lower claw and the upper claw are provided on the guide member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the guide member includes a lower guide member and an upper guide member, and the lower claw is attached to the lower guide member. The upper claw is provided on each of the upper guide members, and only one of the upper and lower guide members is connected to the rotor, and the other guide member is one of the guides connected to the rotor. The holding position for holding the substrate between the lower claw and the upper claw is configured to be able to be vertically moved toward and away from the member, and the holding position for holding the substrate above or below the lower end of the guide member connected to the rotor. It is characterized by having comprised so that it might become.

[0010]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. The substrate is held by lower claws and upper claws. The lower claws and the upper claws are disposed in the substrate processing space inside the guide member and provided on the guide member. The guide member is disposed on the hollow side of the rotary motor and is connected to a rotor of the rotary motor. When the rotor is rotated about the vertical axis with respect to the stator, the guide member is rotated about the vertical axis together with the rotor, and the substrate held by the lower claws and the upper claws is vertically moved together with the guide members. Rotated around the axis of the direction.
The processing liquid is supplied to the substrate held and rotated around the vertical axis, and a predetermined substrate processing is performed. The droplets of the processing liquid that are shaken off from the peripheral edge of the substrate during the substrate processing are received by the guide member and guided to the waste liquid discharge port. Since the rotary motor is provided outside the guide member and is isolated from the substrate processing space, the rotary motor is prevented from being exposed to the processing liquid atmosphere. In addition, since the rotary motor is disposed in the side space of the substrate held by the guide member and the lower and upper claws, the rotation motor is disposed in a lower space of the held substrate than in the conventional device in which the rotary motor is disposed. The height of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, since there are no obstacles such as a rotating motor below the held board,
Substrate processing can be performed simultaneously on both sides of the substrate.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the lower guide member and the upper guide member are brought close to each other, whereby the lower claws and the upper claws provided on the respective guide members are brought close to each other to hold the substrate.
Then, the rotating motor is rotated to rotate the held substrate, and a processing liquid is supplied to perform a predetermined substrate processing.
When the lower guide member and the upper guide member are separated from each other, the lower and upper claws are separated from each other, and the holding of the substrate is released. At this time, if the lower guide member is connected to the rotor, if the holding position for holding the substrate with the lower claws and the upper claws is higher than the upper end of the lower guide member, the separated lower Since the holding position is provided in a space between the upper end of the guide member and the lower end of the upper guide member, the substrate transfer mechanism is provided from the side through a gap between the upper end of the separated lower guide member and the lower end of the upper guide member. The substrate transfer arm moves forward and backward to carry in and out the substrate and transfer the substrate to and from the holder. Also, if the upper guide member is connected to the rotor, if the holding position is lower than the lower end of the upper guide member, the distance between the upper end of the separated lower guide member and the lower end of the upper guide member is reduced. The substrate transfer arm advances and retreats from the side through the gap, so that the substrate can be loaded and unloaded and the substrate can be transferred to and from the holder.

The loading and unloading of a substrate into and from this type of substrate processing apparatus and the transfer of the substrate to and from a holder are generally performed as follows.
Since the substrate transfer arm of the substrate transfer mechanism is moved back and forth from the side, it is possible to carry in and out the substrate to and from the apparatus and to transfer the substrate to and from the apparatus using a conventionally used substrate transfer mechanism. .

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship of a first lower cover, lower claws, upper claws and the like.

In FIG. 1, a first rotary motor 1 for rotating a substrate W held in a horizontal posture around a vertical axis J is centered on an axis J having a hollow portion having an open central portion. The rotor includes a ring-shaped rotor 2 and a stator 3 having a hollow portion with an open central portion and provided concentrically around the same axis J as the rotor 2 as a central axis.
A plurality of permanent magnets 4 are embedded in the rotor 2 along the outer peripheral surface, and a large number of coils 5 facing the permanent magnets 4 are assembled in the stator 3. By switching and controlling the polarity of the magnetic field generated by passing an alternating current through the coil 5,
The rotor 2 is driven to rotate around the axis J in a fixed direction with respect to the stator 3. A pressurized gas is supplied from a gas buffer 6 to a fitting portion between the rotor 2 and the stator 3 so that the rotor 2 is held and rotated in a floating state. The stator 3 is supported by, for example, the device frame F.

The applicant of the present invention has proposed a rotary motor having this configuration as Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-266436. In the rotary motor configured as described above, the rotor 2 and the stator 3 are hollow at the center. , A hollow portion of any size can be formed at the center. The hollow portion of the first rotary motor 1 of the embodiment is formed larger than the size of the substrate W.

A substantially cylindrical first lower cover 7 as a lower guide member is disposed in a hollow portion of the first rotary motor 1, and is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the rotor 2 of the first rotary motor 1. The outer peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7 is connected to the first lower cover 7 so that the first lower motor 7 rotates about the axis J together with the rotor 2 by the rotation of the first rotary motor 1. Also, the first
A flange portion 7 a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower cover 7 so as to cover the upper surface of the first rotary motor 1.

A divergent and substantially cylindrical second lower cover 8 is disposed so as to face the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7, and a lower end of the first lower cover 7 and a second lower cover 8 are arranged. Lower cover 8
An annular gap between the lower end of the ring and the lower end is formed as a waste liquid discharge port 9. An annular waste liquid recovery path 10 having a multi-stage structure (two stages in the figure) configured to receive the waste liquid discharged from the waste liquid discharge port 9 opposite to the waste liquid discharge port 9.
(10a, 10b) are provided. Each waste liquid collection path 1
0 is connected to one end of the waste liquid recovery drain 11 (11a, 11b). Each waste liquid collection drain 11 (1
The other end of each of the waste liquid collection tanks 12 (12a, 12b) is connected to the other waste liquid collection tank 12 (12a, 12b), and the waste liquid collected at each of the waste liquid collection drains 10a, 10b is separated into individual waste liquid collection tanks 12a, 12b. Can be collected at The waste liquid collecting passages 10 (10a, 10b) are configured to be able to move up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown). The waste liquid collecting passages 10a, 10b facing the waste liquid outlet 9 and receiving the waste liquid discharged from the waste liquid outlet 9 are selectively provided. It can be switched to. With this configuration, for example, when a plurality of types of processing liquids are used for substrate processing, each type of processing liquid can be separated and collected. In the case where the treatment liquid is not separated and collected, the waste liquid collection path 10 may be configured in one stage. A suction mechanism (not shown) is connected to the waste liquid collecting drain 11 (11a, 11b), and is connected to the waste liquid collecting drain 11 (11a, 11b).
a, 11b), through the waste liquid recovery path 10 (10a, 10b), and through the waste liquid discharge port 9, forcibly exhausting the substrate processing space SS described later.

At a plurality of locations (three locations at 120 ° intervals in the figure) on the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7, the substrate W is located above the upper ends of the first rotary motor 1 and the first lower cover 7. The left and right lower claws 13 are provided so as to project diagonally inward and upward (substrate W side). As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, the distal end of each lower claw 13 is supported by a support portion 13a that supports the periphery of the substrate W from obliquely below, and contacts the side of the periphery of the substrate W. A horizontal regulating portion 13b for regulating the horizontal position of the substrate W is provided. The supporting portion 13a and the horizontal regulating portion 13b are formed in an edge shape as shown in the figure, and are brought into point contact (or line contact) with the periphery of the substrate W to be held by the lower claws 13 of the periphery of the substrate W. It is preferable that the processing liquid is desirably drained at the portion. In addition, the supporting portion 13a supports the periphery of the substrate W from obliquely below and does not go around the lower surface (usually the rear surface) of the substrate W, so that the processing on the lower surface of the substrate W can be performed favorably without obstacles. It is configured as follows. Further, the horizontal regulating portion 13b may not be provided on the lower claw 13 side, but may be provided on an upper claw side described later.

Above the first lower cover 7, the upper grip 1
4 are provided. The upper gripping portion 14 has a ring-shaped upper gripping ring portion 15, an upper cylindrical member formed integrally with the upper gripping ring portion 15, and having a divergent shape. Inner side (substrate W side) at multiple locations (three locations at 120 ° intervals in the figure) on the peripheral surface
An upper claw 17 protruding toward the upper cover 16, and a flared substantially cylindrical magnet base 18 screwed to a flange 16 a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 16.

A permanent magnet 19 is embedded on the upper surface of the upper gripping ring portion 15 over the entire circumference, and a plurality of positions (for example, six positions at 60 ° intervals) on the lower surface are screwed to push-up members 26 described later. Fitting projection 2 of the member 27
A fitting recess 15a that fits into 7a is provided.

The upper cover 16 is disposed between the first lower cover 7 and each of the lower claws 13. When the substrate W is held as shown in FIG. 1 and the substrate W is held as shown in FIG. 1, the first lower grip portion 14 is positioned between the lower end of the upper cover 16 and the lower end of the magnet base 18. It is configured such that the upper end of the cover 7 enters the state. The inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 and the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7
When the substrate is processed by supplying the processing liquid while rotating it around the axis J in the vertical direction, it receives the processing liquid splashed off from the periphery of the substrate W and guides it to the waste liquid discharge port 9 below. It is configured to serve as a splash guide portion. Thus, the first rotary motor 1 is
Is arranged outside the lower cover 7 and the upper cover 16 and is separated from the substrate processing space SS inside the first lower cover 7 and the upper cover 16. There is no direct exposure to the processing solution atmosphere in the SS. Therefore, it is not necessary to impart chemical resistance to the members constituting the first rotary motor 1, and the manufacture of the first rotary motor 1 is facilitated, and the cost can be reduced. In the state where the substrate W is held, a slight gap is formed between the upper end of the first lower cover 7 and the lower part of the upper grip portion 14, but as shown in FIG. Since the upper end of the first lower cover 7 enters between the lower part and the lower end of the magnet base 18 to form a labyrinth seal, the mist of the processing liquid is prevented from leaking from that part to the outside. ing. Furthermore, even if the mist of the processing liquid leaks from that portion, the upper surface of the first rotary motor 1 is covered by the flange portion 7a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7, so that The first rotary motor 1 is devised so as not to cause inconvenience such as being corroded by the processing liquid (chemical liquid). The upper cover 16, the first lower cover 7, the second lower cover 8, and an upper atmosphere blocking member 4 described below.
0, the space surrounded by the lower atmosphere shielding member 50 is the substrate processing space SS, and the surfaces of the members forming the substrate processing space SS are configured to have chemical resistance, and are placed in the substrate processing space SS. Each lower nail 13 and each upper nail 17 are made of a chemical-resistant material.

Each of the upper claws 17 is provided at a position facing the center of each of the pair of lower claws 13 on the left and right sides.
As shown in (b) and (c), a grip 17a that presses the peripheral edge of the substrate W from obliquely above is provided. The substrate W is held at a plurality of peripheral edges by the support portions 13a of the lower claws 13 and the grip portions 17a of the upper claws 17, and the horizontal position is regulated by the horizontal regulation portions 13b to hold the substrate W. It is configured to take a holding posture. The substrate holding force for holding the substrate W by gripping the peripheral edge of the substrate W by the support portion 13a of each lower claw 13 and the grip portion 17a of each upper claw 17 depends on the weight of the entire upper grip portion 14 and the weight of the magnet described later. Obtained by suction and repulsion. In addition, the holding part 17a
Is formed in an edge-like shape as shown in the figure similarly to the supporting portion 13a and the horizontal regulating portion 13b of the lower claw 13, and is brought into point contact (or line contact) with the peripheral edge of the substrate W to form the substrate W. It is preferable that the processing liquid is desirably drained at a portion held by the upper claw 17 on the peripheral edge. Also, the grip 17
a is configured so that the periphery of the substrate W is held obliquely from above and does not wrap around the upper surface (usually the surface) of the substrate W, so that the processing on the upper surface of the substrate W can be performed favorably without obstacles. ing. Further, in FIG. 2, one upper claw 17 is provided at each location, but as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of left and right upper claws 17 is provided at each location.
3 and a plurality of upper claws 17 may be provided. With this configuration, when holding the substrate W having a notch, as shown in FIG. 4, even if the notch N is located at any one of the lower nail 13 and the upper nail 17, Since W is gripped from above and below by other claws, the notched substrate W can be reliably held.

On the upper end surface of the first lower cover 7 facing the lower surface of the flange portion 16a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 16, a plurality of protrusions 20 (three at 120 ° intervals in FIG. 2) are provided. Is provided. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of recesses 21 (three at 120 ° intervals) are also provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 16a on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 so as to face each of the projections 20. Each pair of protrusions 20 and recesses 21 facing each other
Are engaged with each other.

With such a configuration, the first rotary motor 1 is driven to rotate in the holding posture,
When the lower claws 13 are rotated about the axis J together with the first lower cover 7, and the held substrate W is rotated about the axis J, the entire upper grip portion 14 is moved to the first lower cover 7. In addition, the rotation about the axis J following each lower claw 13 is further ensured. In particular, at the time of rotation acceleration or rotation deceleration when rotating the substrate W, the first lower cover 7
Even if the relative speed between the lower claws 13 and the upper gripping portion 14 is deviated, since the first lower cover 7 and the upper gripping portion 14 are engaged, the first lower cover 7 and the upper The upper grip 14 is rotated integrally with each lower claw 13, and the lower claw 13 is rotated.
In addition, the upper claws 17 can be prevented from rubbing against the substrate W held by the claws 13, 17, and damage to the substrate W and generation of particles can be prevented.

The upper grip 14 is lowered, and the upper claw 1 is moved downward.
7 is in contact with the substrate W, the substrate W is held by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17, and the lowering of the upper grip portion 14 is stopped.
As shown in FIG. 5, each projection 20 is provided with an opposing recess 21.
Is loosely fitted to and engaged. At this time, the flange portion 16a
A slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the projection and the upper end surface of the first lower cover 7, and the distance B1 between the base end and the upper end of the projection 20 is
The distance between the base end of the projection 20 and the bottom of the pair of recesses 21 is smaller than B2, so that the upper end surface of each projection 20 and the bottom surface of the recess 21 opposed thereto are always in non-contact. It is configured to be. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pair of projections 20 and the recesses 21 are engaged with each other, the first outer surface of the projections 20 and the first inner surface of the pair of recesses 20 repel each other. Magnets 22 and 23 are embedded in the lower cover 7 and the flange portion 16a, respectively. With the above configuration, in a state where each pair of the recesses 21 and the projections 20 are engaged with each other, the outer peripheral surface of each projection 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 21 opposed thereto are not in contact with each other. Generation of particles due to rubbing can be suppressed. In addition, even when the outer surface of each projection 20 and the inner surface of the pair of concave portions 21 are to be displaced by inertial force during rotation acceleration or rotation deceleration during rotation of the substrate W, magnet 22,
23, the displacement is prevented by the repulsive force of the projections 23, and the outer peripheral surface of each projection 20 and the concave 21
Can be maintained in a non-contact state with the inner peripheral surface, and generation of particles due to friction between members can be suppressed. In the figure, the first
The projection 20 is provided on the lower cover 7 side, and the flange 16a is provided.
Although the recess 21 is provided on the side of the first lower cover 7, the projection 20 and the recess 21 may be provided on the side of the first lower cover 7, and the projection 20 engaging with the projection 20 may be provided on the side of the flange 16 a. And the recess 21 may be provided in a mixed manner.

On the inner peripheral surface of the magnet base 18, a permanent magnet 24 is embedded all around. A permanent magnet 25 is buried all around the outer peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7 so as to face the magnet 24. These magnets 24,
Numerals 25 have opposite polarities, and in the holding posture, the upper grip 14 is attracted to the first lower cover 7 side to pull the upper claws 17 downward.
Also, the holding force of the substrate W by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17 is obtained by the suction force of No. 5.

Above the upper grip 14, a ring-shaped push-up member 26 is provided. This push-up member 2
At a plurality of locations (e.g., six locations at 60 ° intervals) on the lower surface of 6, an L-shaped member 27 in front view is screwed so as to go around the lower surface of the upper grip ring 15 of the upper grip 14. I have. The tip of the member 27 has an upper grip 14
Fitting recess 1 provided on the lower surface of upper grip ring 15
A fitting protrusion 27a that fits with the fitting 5a is provided. Further, a permanent magnet 28 is buried on the entire lower surface of the push-up member 26 so as to face the permanent magnet 19 buried on the upper surface of the upper grip ring 15 of the upper grip 14. These magnets 19 and 28 are opposed to each other with the same polarity, and in the holding posture, the upper gripping part 14 is separated from the lifting member 26 to press the upper claws 17 downward, and the magnets 19 and 28 Also, the holding force of the substrate W by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17 is obtained by the repulsive force.

The push-up member 26 is configured to be able to move up and down by an actuator such as an air cylinder (not shown). When the push-up member 26 is raised to a predetermined height, the fitting concave portion 15a and the fitting protrusion 27a are fitted. As a result, the entire upper grip portion 14 is lifted upward, and as shown in FIG. 6, each upper claw 17 takes a retracted posture separated upward from each lower claw 13. In this evacuation position,
First lower cover 7 and each lower claw 13, and upper grip portion 14
, Ie, a gap between the upper end of the first lower cover 7 and the lower end of the upper cover 16, the substrate W is loaded and unloaded from the side of the apparatus. Delivery of W, that is, delivery of the unprocessed substrate W to each lower claw 13 and removal of the processed substrate W from each lower claw 13 are performed. The transfer of the substrate W is performed, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a substrate transfer arm 30 having a Y-shape in plan view.
This is performed by a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) having
The substrate transfer arm 30 shown in the figure has a plurality (three in the figure) of substrate support pins 30a that support the lower surface of the substrate W by point contact.
Are provided on the upper surface, and a plurality of (four in the figure) horizontal regulating portions 30b for regulating the horizontal position of the peripheral edge of the substrate W at a plurality of locations are provided. The substrate transport mechanism is configured to be able to move the substrate transport arm 30 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The horizontal and vertical movements of the substrate transport arm 30 are combined to load and unload the substrate W into and out of the apparatus. The transfer of the substrate W to the lower claws 13 is performed.

When the lifting member 26 is lowered from the retracted position, the upper grip portion 14 is lowered accordingly, and during the downward movement, each upper claw 17 is moved to each lower claw 1.
3 contacts the periphery of the substrate W supported by the upper gripping portion 14
Is stopped. The push-up member 26 is at a position slightly lower than the height position where the lowering of the upper grip portion 14 is stopped, that is, as shown in FIG. 1, the fitting state of the fitting recess 15 a and the fitting projection 27 a is changed. Disengagement, push-up member 26
Is stopped at a height position where a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the upper grip ring portion 15 and the upper surface of the upper grip ring portion 15, and the push-up member 26 is supported by the actuator in a suspended fishing state at that position and assumes a holding posture. . In this holding posture, the holding force of the substrate W by each of the lower claws 13 and each of the upper claws 17 is, as described above, the own weight of the entire upper grip portion 14 and the magnet 24,
It is obtained by the attractive force of 25 and the magnetic force consisting of the repulsive force of the magnets 19 and 28, and the holding of the substrate W is further ensured. The first lower cover 7 and the upper grip 14
The shape and the position where the magnets are provided are appropriately designed so that the substrate holding force is obtained by the repulsive force of the magnet provided on the first lower cover 7 and the magnet provided on the upper grip portion 14. Alternatively, two or more sets of magnets may be provided on the first lower cover 7 and the upper holding portion 14 so that the substrate holding force is obtained by the attractive force and the repulsive force of the magnets.

Above the substrate W held by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17, a disk-shaped upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is provided. A support shaft 41 is integrally connected to the upper surface of the upper atmosphere shielding member 40 coaxially with the axis J, and an upper end of the support shaft 41 is connected to the support arm 42 so as to be rotatable around the axis J. . The support arm 42 is configured to be able to move up and down by an actuator such as an air cylinder (not shown), and the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is configured to be able to move up and down via the support arm 42 and the support shaft 41. The atmosphere blocking member 40 is brought close to the upper surface of the held substrate W to a predetermined distance, while the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 can be retracted upward when the substrate W is transferred. . Upper atmosphere blocking member 4
A processing liquid supply port 43 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the substrate W so that a processing liquid is supplied from a processing liquid supply source (not shown) via a processing liquid supply path 44 so that the processing liquid can be ejected and supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W. Is configured. A gas supply port 45 is provided around the processing liquid supply port 43, and a gas such as an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or dry air is supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) via a gas supply path 46. The gas can be supplied to the space between the upper surface of the substrate W and the lower surface of the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 adjacent thereto. On the upper surface side of the upper atmosphere blocking member 40, a second rotary motor 47 is provided. The second rotating motor 47 includes the ring-shaped rotor 2 and the ring-shaped stator 3 provided concentrically with the ring-shaped rotor 2, similarly to the first rotating motor 1. The support shaft 41 is connected to the support shaft 41, and the support shaft 41 and the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 are configured to be rotatable around the axis J. The stator 3 is supported by, for example, a support arm 42. The second rotary motor 47 is disposed above the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and is placed outside the substrate processing space SS, and is disposed outside the substrate processing space SS.
The inside is forcibly evacuated downward, and the mist of the processing liquid in the substrate processing space SS does not flow around the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and flows upward.
7 is not exposed to the atmosphere of the processing liquid, and the second rotary motor 47 does not have to be configured with chemical resistance.

Below the substrate W held by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17, a disc-shaped lower atmosphere shielding member 50 is disposed in close proximity. This lower atmosphere shielding member 50
The shaft 51 is integrally connected coaxially with the shaft core J to the lower surface of the shaft 51. A processing liquid supply port 52 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50, and a processing liquid is supplied from a processing liquid supply source (not shown) through a processing liquid supply path 53, and the substrate W
The processing liquid can be spouted and supplied to the lower surface of the substrate. A gas supply port 5 is provided around the processing liquid supply port 52.
And a gas supply path 5 from a gas supply source (not shown).
5, a gas such as an inert gas or dry air is supplied to supply a gas to a space between the lower surface of the substrate W and the upper surface of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 adjacent thereto. . On the lower surface side of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50, a third rotating motor 56 is provided. Similarly to the first rotary motor 1, the third rotary motor 56 includes a ring-shaped rotor 2 and a ring-shaped stator 3 provided concentrically with the ring-shaped rotor 2. The shaft 51 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 are connected to the shaft 51 so as to be rotatable around the axis J. The stator 3
For example, it is supported by the device frame F. The lower atmosphere blocking member 50 is also configured to be able to move up and down so that the substrate W
May be configured so as to be able to arbitrarily change the interval with the lower surface of the.

The peripheral portion of the lower atmosphere shielding member 50 and the upper end of the second lower cover 8 are not in contact with each other, but a labyrinth seal mechanism 58 is provided at this portion, and the processing liquid in the substrate processing space SS is provided. Is hard to leak out of this portion to the outside of the substrate processing space SS. Further, the lower surface of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 has a cylindrical cover member covering the entire outer peripheral surface of the third rotary motor 56. Since the 59 is provided integrally, the third rotating motor 56 is sufficiently suppressed from being exposed to the atmosphere of the processing liquid, and the third rotating motor 56 does not need to be configured with chemical resistance. The upper end of the second lower cover 8 is connected to the lower atmosphere shielding member 5.
0, the second lower cover 8 is configured to rotate around the axis J together with the lower atmosphere shielding member 50, and the upper end of the second lower cover 8 and the lower atmosphere shielding member 50 are connected to each other. A gap may be eliminated at a connection portion with the peripheral portion.

The operation of the apparatus having the above configuration will be described below. The upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is retracted upward, the push-up member 26 is raised, and the upper grip portion 14 is raised to a retracted posture. In this state, the unprocessed substrate W is carried in and delivered to each lower claw 13. When the transfer of the substrate W is completed, the push-up member 26 is lowered to a holding position in which the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17 hold the substrate W, and the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is lowered to hold the held substrate W. Close to the upper surface of. Next, the first to third rotating motors 1, 4
7 and 56 are rotated to rotate the substrate W held by the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40, and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 around the axis J. A processing liquid such as a cleaning liquid is supplied to both surfaces of the substrate W from 52, and a predetermined substrate processing such as a cleaning processing is performed. At this time, if necessary, the gas supply port 4
The substrate processing may be performed by supplying a gas from 5, 54.
During the substrate processing, the processing liquid is shaken off from the periphery of the rotating substrate W, and the splashed-out processing liquid is received by the inner peripheral surfaces of the upper cover 16 and the first lower cover 7, The waste liquid is guided to the lower waste liquid outlet 9 and collected in the waste liquid recovery tank 12. Similarly, splashes of the processing liquid that are shaken off from the periphery of the rotating upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and lower atmosphere blocking member 50 are also received by the inner circumferential surfaces of the upper cover 16 and the first lower cover 7, and the lower waste liquid is removed. It is guided to the discharge port 9 and collected in the waste liquid collection tank 12. Further, the lower claws 13 are rotated around the axis J together with the first lower cover by the rotation drive of the first rotary motor 1, but these lower claws 13 are scattered in the circumferential direction. The rotation of each of the lower claws 13 cuts off the air in the substrate processing space SS. However, since the upper cover 16 is disposed on the outer periphery of each of the lower claws 13, the substrate processing space is rotated by the rotation of each of the lower claws 13. Turbulence in the airflow in the SS is suppressed and there is no particular problem.

When the substrate processing by supplying the processing liquid is performed for a predetermined time, the supply of the processing liquid is stopped, and only the rotation of the substrate W, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40, and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 is performed.
The processing liquid adhering to the substrate W is shaken off to dry the substrate W. If gas is supplied from the gas supply ports 45 and 54 during the drying process, the drying of the substrate W is accelerated, and the drying process is accelerated. In addition, the substrate W, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40, and the lower atmosphere blocking member 5 which are being rotated during the drying.
Splashes of the processing liquid shaken off from the periphery of the zero
And is received by the first lower cover 7, guided to the waste liquid outlet 9 below, and collected in the waste liquid recovery tank 12.

After the drying process is performed for a predetermined time, the rotation of the first to third rotary motors 1, 47 and 56 is stopped to end the substrate processing, and the dried substrate W, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40, The rotation of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 is stopped. Then, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is retracted upward, the push-up member 26 is raised, the upper gripping portion 14 is raised to the retracted position, and the processed substrate W is taken out from each lower claw 13 and carried out. Then, the next unprocessed substrate W is carried in, the substrate processing is performed on the substrate W in the same manner as described above, and the same processing is repeated thereafter.

In a state in which the substrate W is not held, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 is lowered to approach the lower atmosphere blocking member 50, and the processing is performed while rotating the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50. Liquid supply port 4
By jetting and supplying the cleaning liquid from 3 and 52, the lower surface of the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the upper surface of the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 can be automatically cleaned. Further, the processing liquid supply port 43,
If the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 are rotated after the supply of the cleaning liquid from the nozzle 52 is stopped, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 can be automatically dried after cleaning. . If gas is supplied from the gas supply ports 45 and 54 during this drying, the drying process of the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 can be promoted.

If the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 is configured to be able to move up and down, the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 can be automatically cleaned. That is, the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 cleaned as described above are brought close to each other, and while the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 are being rotated, the processing liquid supply port 43, When the cleaning liquid is spouted and supplied from 52, a clean cleaning liquid that is shaken off from the periphery of the upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 is sprayed on the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16, and the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 is automatically cleaned. The upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 are moved up and down in synchronization with each other to adjust the relative position of the upper cover 16 and the lower atmosphere blocking member 50 relative to the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16. By displacing, the entire inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 can be cleaned. Further, if the above-described cleaning operation is continued even after the cleaning of the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16 is completed, the clean cleaning liquid is also applied to the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7 via the inner peripheral surface of the upper cover 16. Then, the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7 can be automatically cleaned. Further, if the adjacent upper atmosphere blocking member 40 and lower atmosphere blocking member 50 can be moved up and down to the inside of the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7, the inner peripheral surface of the first lower cover 7 is automatically cleaned more accurately. can do.

According to the above embodiment, the first lower cover 7 as a guide member is provided on the hollow portion side of the first rotary motor 1.
And the upper cover 16 is arranged, the substrate W is held in the substrate processing space SS inside the substrate processing, and the substrate processing is performed, and the substrate W is rotated together with the first lower cover 7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rotation motor for rotating the substrate from being exposed to the treatment liquid atmosphere with a simple structure. Further, the first rotary motor 1 is disposed in a space beside the substrate W held by the first lower cover 7, the upper cover 16, and the lower claws 13 and the upper claws 17, so that the held substrate W The height of the apparatus can be made lower than that of a conventional apparatus in which a rotary motor is disposed in the space below the substrate, and substrate processing can be performed on both surfaces of the substrate at the same time.

Further, according to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the board transfer arm of the board transfer mechanism is provided from the side through the gap between the upper end of the first lower cover 7 and the lower end of the upper cover 16 which are separated. The substrate W can be moved forward and backward to carry the substrate W in and out of the apparatus and transfer the substrate W to the lower claws 13. 13 can be transferred.

In the above embodiment, the upper claws 17 (the upper cover 1)
6) The side is moved up and down with respect to the lower claw 13 (first lower cover 7) to switch between the holding posture and the retreating posture. )
The side may be moved up and down with respect to the upper claw 17 (upper cover 16) to switch between the holding posture and the retracting posture.

In the above-described embodiment, the holding force for holding the substrate W is obtained by the weight of the upper grip portion 14 and the attractive force and the repulsive force of the magnet in addition to the holding force. The weight may be obtained only with the weight of 14 weights.

In the above embodiment, the substrate processing is provided with the upper atmosphere blocking member 40. However, the processing liquid is applied from the nozzle to the upper surface of the held substrate W without using the upper atmosphere blocking member 40. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is supplied to perform the substrate processing on the upper surface of the substrate W, or a cleaning tool such as a cleaning brush is applied to the upper surface of the substrate W to perform the brush cleaning process. Similarly, the present invention can be applied to a case where appropriate substrate processing is performed on the lower surface of the substrate W without using the lower atmosphere blocking member 50.
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the substrate processing is performed on both surfaces of the substrate W is illustrated, but the present invention in which only the substrate processing is performed on any one surface of the substrate W can be applied. It is.

In the above embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus for performing substrate processing on a circular substrate has been exemplified. However, a substrate processing apparatus for performing substrate processing on a square substrate such as a glass substrate for a photomask or a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display is described. The present invention can be similarly applied to the present invention.

[0044]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the guide member is provided on the hollow portion side of the rotary motor, and the substrate is held in the substrate processing space inside the guide member. In addition, the configuration is such that the substrate is processed and the substrate is rotated together with the guide member, so that the rotation motor can be prevented from being exposed to the processing liquid atmosphere with a simple structure. Also, since the rotating motor is disposed in the guide member and the side space of the substrate held by the lower and upper claws,
Since the height of the device can be made lower than that of the conventional device in which a rotating motor is arranged below the held substrate, there is no obstacle such as the rotating motor below the held substrate. It is easier to perform simultaneous double-sided processing.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the guide member is divided into a lower guide member and an upper guide member, and the upper and lower guide members are separated from each other with the upper and lower guide members separated from each other. The substrate transfer arm of the substrate transfer mechanism is configured to advance and retreat from the side of the substrate transfer mechanism from the side thereof so that the substrate can be loaded into and unloaded from the apparatus and the substrate can be transferred to and from the holder. The substrate transfer mechanism can be used to carry the substrate in and out of the apparatus and to transfer the substrate to the holder.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a first lower cover, a lower nail, an upper nail, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view and a front view showing a configuration of a lower nail and an upper nail.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a modification in which a plurality of lower claws and upper claws are provided at the same position.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a main part showing a configuration in which a first lower cover and an upper grip are engaged with each other.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a state in a retracted position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Rotary motor for rotating the held substrate 2: Rotor 3: Stator 7: First lower cover 9: Waste liquid discharge port 13: Lower claw 14: Upper grip 16: Upper cover 17: Upper claw 26: Push-up member W: Substrate SS: Substrate processing space

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for holding a substrate, rotating the substrate around a vertical axis, and supplying a processing liquid to perform a predetermined process, comprising: a rotor having a hollow portion having an open central portion; A rotating motor having a hollow portion formed in the center portion, the rotating motor having a hollow portion formed in the center portion, the stator being provided concentrically with the rotor, and having a hollow portion formed in the center portion. A holding member including a guide member that receives the splash of the processing liquid that is shaken off and guides it to the waste liquid discharge port, a lower claw that contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate from below, and an upper claw that contacts the peripheral edge of the substrate from above. And a holding mechanism that switches the holding tool between a holding posture for holding the peripheral edge of the substrate by bringing the lower nail and the upper nail into contact with each other and holding the peripheral edge of the substrate, and a retracting posture away from the peripheral edge of the substrate. Is disposed on the hollow side of the rotary motor, Connecting the guide member to the rotor, disposing the lower claw and the upper claw in a substrate processing space inside the guide member, and providing the lower claw and the upper claw on the guide member; A substrate processing apparatus. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member includes a lower guide member and an upper guide member, the lower claw being the lower guide member, and the upper claw being the upper guide member. Respectively, and only one of the upper and lower guide members is connected to the rotor, and the other guide member is vertically connected to and separated from one of the guide members connected to the rotor. The lower claw and the upper claw are configured so that a holding position for holding the substrate is located above or below the upper end of the guide member connected to the rotor. Substrate processing apparatus.