JPH10256116A - Treatment liquid supplying nozzle for substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent continuous drip and to wash a tip in a short time by making the tip ultrahydrophilic. SOLUTION: A treatment liquid supplying nozzle of a substrate treating device ejects developer onto the surface of a substrate. A tip 7 in which an ejecting orifice 7b for ejecting developer is formed is made of an ultrahydrophilic material. That is to say, the outer regions and the underside of the tip 7 is made of an ultrahydrophilic layer S. Accordingly, the contact angle of these parts is almost 0 deg. and a portion D of developer adhered to the parts spreads as a thin film instead of forming spherical drops and the problem of continuous drip is prevented. Also, since the cleaning liquid is conformable to the tip 7, the adhered developer can be easily removed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing solution and a photoresist for a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, and a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate). Liquid, polyimide resin, SOG (Spin On Glas
s) The present invention relates to a processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus for supplying a processing liquid such as a liquid and performing processing on a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a processing liquid supply nozzle of a conventional substrate processing apparatus, for example, a processing liquid supply nozzle which discharges a developing liquid from a discharge hole formed in a lower surface of a tip portion to a substrate located therebelow is exemplified. The tip of the above-mentioned processing liquid supply nozzle is generally integrally formed of a fluororesin such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or PTCFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene). In such a substrate processing apparatus, the tip of the processing liquid supply nozzle is moved above the rotation center of the substrate, and while rotating the substrate having the exposed photoresist film, a predetermined amount of the developer is supplied from the discharge holes. To perform a development process.

[0003]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. That is, the developing solution is discharged from the discharge hole, but a part (droplet) of the developing solution scattered on the substrate surface rebounds and adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the leading end portion, or from the discharging hole to the outer peripheral surface of the leading end portion. Adheres by wrapping around due to surface tension. When the droplets adhere to the leading end in this way, when the processing liquid supply nozzle is moved above the substrate, the droplets suddenly fall on the surface of the substrate (so-called “falling”), causing uneven development. Cause it to occur.

In addition, if the liquid droplets attached to the tip are left as they are, they are dried and generate particles, which causes a problem that the substrate is contaminated. Therefore, for example, a droplet suction mechanism that removes liquid droplets by suctioning the tip of the processing liquid supply nozzle every time the supply of the developing solution to one substrate is completed, or by blowing gas to the tip portion It is common practice to provide a droplet removal mechanism for blowing and removing droplets. However, since the droplets are often firmly attached to the tip, it takes a long time to completely remove the droplets by using such a mechanism so that no residue is generated. There is. If it takes a long time to remove the droplets, the operation rate of the device will decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by making the tip portion super-hydrophilic,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus, which can prevent drips and can clean a tip portion in a short time.

[0006]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. In other words, the processing liquid supply nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 is a processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus that discharges a processing liquid onto a surface of a substrate, and has a discharge hole for discharging the processing liquid. The part is formed of a superhydrophilic material.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid supply nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the discharge hole is formed on a side surface of the tip. It is characterized by having.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid supply nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the discharge hole is formed at a lower surface of the tip portion. It is characterized by comprising a base, and a flow-down member formed so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the base, and through which the processing liquid discharged from the discharge hole flows down the flared slope.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the superhydrophilic material has a contact angle. Is 10 ° or less.

[0010]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. Since the tip of the processing liquid supply nozzle is formed of a superhydrophilic material, the surface of the tip has a very small contact angle, and the attached droplets of the processing liquid spread in a thin film without becoming spherical on the surface. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tip portion from gradually flowing down due to vibration, own weight, or the like like a spherical droplet. In addition, since the surface of the tip portion is much more easily adapted to the aqueous solution than the treatment liquid due to the hydrophilicity, the cleaning liquid easily enters the interface between the processing liquid and the tip surface when the tip portion is washed. Therefore, the processing liquid adhering to the tip can be easily separated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the discharge hole is formed on the side surface of the tip portion and the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate from the discharge hole, the processing liquid is arced from the side. Is discharged onto the substrate in such a manner as to draw, so that the impact when the processing liquid reaches the substrate can be reduced as compared with a nozzle having a discharge hole on the lower surface of the tip. Therefore, for example, when supplying the developing solution to the exposed photoresist film, it is possible to avoid a disadvantage that the photoresist film is damaged. On the other hand, the processing liquid tends to adhere and remain in the vicinity of the discharge hole on the side surface of the front end, but since the contact angle is extremely small on the surface of the front end, the processing liquid spreads in a thin film shape, and the processing liquid spreads at the front end. It is possible to prevent the surface from flowing down. In addition, since the surface of the tip portion is much more easily adapted to the aqueous solution than the processing liquid, the cleaning liquid can easily enter the surface to which the processing liquid is attached during cleaning, and the processing liquid can be easily separated.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid discharged from the discharge hole formed on the lower surface of the base is:
The liquid is discharged onto the substrate by flowing down the slope of the skirt of the flow-down member which is formed to project downward from the lower surface. Therefore, as compared with a nozzle having a discharge hole on the lower surface of the distal end portion, the impact when the processing liquid reaches the substrate can be further reduced, and inconvenience at the time of discharging the processing liquid can be avoided. On the other hand, the processing liquid is particularly likely to adhere and remain on the falling member that once receives the processing liquid, but since the contact angle of the surface of the tip including the falling member is extremely small, the processing liquid spreads in a thin film form, It is possible to prevent the treatment liquid from flowing down the surface of the tip.
In addition, since the surface of the distal end portion is extremely easily adapted to the aqueous solution due to the hydrophilicity, the cleaning liquid easily enters the interface between the processing liquid and the surface of the falling member when cleaning the distal end portion.
Therefore, the processing liquid attached to the falling member can be easily separated.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, PTFE generally used as a material for forming the tip portion is used.
Fluororesins such as (polytetrafluoroethylene) and PTCFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene) have a very large contact angle of about 110 ° and low hydrophilicity. When the contact angle is 10 ° or less, water does not repel at all. Therefore, by using a superhydrophilic material having a contact angle of 10 ° or less, the hydrophilicity can be extremely increased. Therefore, the attached processing liquid spreads in a very thin film shape, the processing liquid hardly flows down the front end surface, and the cleaning liquid easily enters the interface between the processing liquid and the front end surface.

As the superhydrophilic material having a contact angle of 10 ° or less, a thin film obtained by combining a titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) photocatalyst with a special composition (hereinafter, simply referred to as a titanium oxide photocatalyst thin film) is exemplified. Then, when this coating is formed on the tip portion and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the tip portion having an extremely small contact angle as described above can be obtained.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a rotary substrate developing apparatus employing a processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral W denotes a substrate having a photoresist film on the surface of which a predetermined pattern has been exposed. The back surface of the substrate W is vacuum-sucked by the spin chuck 1 and is suction-supported in a horizontal posture. The lower surface of the spin chuck 1 is operatively connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 2, and drives the substrate W to rotate in a horizontal plane. Around the spin chuck 1, a scattering prevention cup 3 for preventing the developer discharged on the surface of the substrate W from scattering around and collecting the scattering developer is arranged. The spin chuck 1 and the scattering prevention cup 3 transfer the substrate W between a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) and the spin chuck 1 when loading an unprocessed substrate W or unloading a processed substrate W. It is designed to move up and down relative to each other so that it can move. That is, when performing the development process, the spin chuck 1 moves into the scattering prevention cup 3 as shown by a solid line in the figure, and when the substrate W is transported, the spin chuck 1 moves as shown by a two-dot chain line in the figure. Are projected above the scattering prevention cup 3.

In the vicinity of an opening formed in the upper center of the scattering prevention cup 3, a processing liquid supply nozzle 5 for discharging a developing liquid to the substrate W is provided. This processing liquid supply nozzle 5
A tip portion 7 is provided at a portion directed downward, from which the developer is discharged onto the substrate W. Moving mechanism 9
Is a supply position (solid line in the figure) above the substrate W;
The processing liquid supply nozzle 5 moves over a standby position (dotted line in the drawing) that is separated to the side of the substrate W, and further moves over a cleaning position and an irradiation position described later in the standby position. At the standby position, a standby pot 11 for storing the distal end portion 7 of the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 is provided, and ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet irradiation unit 20 including a light source such as a mercury lamp are guided through an optical fiber 21. Cleaning liquid supply unit 2
The cleaning liquid is supplied from 2.

The number of rotations of the spin chuck 1 by the electric motor 2 and the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 by the moving mechanism 9
, The ultraviolet irradiation from the ultraviolet irradiation unit 20, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 22, and the like are controlled by the control unit 25 as a whole. Further, the control unit 25 uses a timer 2 to determine the elapsed time from the time when the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 performs the ultraviolet irradiation processing at the irradiation position.
Reference numeral 7 indicates that when the elapsed time matches a preset re-hydrophilization treatment time (described later), an ultraviolet irradiation treatment described later is performed.

Next, the tip 7 of the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2 viewed from below.

The tip portion 7 having a downward tapering shape has a processing liquid flow passage 7a through which the developer flows, and a discharge hole 7b communicating with the processing liquid flow passage 7a formed on the lower surface thereof. Is formed. The outer peripheral surface of the tip 7 to which the developer may adhere is formed of the superhydrophilic layer S. In this example, in order to form the superhydrophilic layer S,
A superhydrophilic material is adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the tip. In addition,
When the contact angle is 10 ° or less, water is not repelled at all. Therefore, a super hydrophilic material having a contact angle of 10 ° or less is preferable. As such a material, for example, a titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) photocatalytic thin film is used. Can be obtained.

Next, the standby pot 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The standby pot 11 includes a mortar-shaped cleaning cup 12 for cleaning and removing the developer adhering to the tip 7.
And an irradiation cup 16 for irradiating the superhydrophilic layer S formed on the distal end portion 7 with ultraviolet light to make the superhydrophilic layer superhydrophilic, and these are housed in an outer container 19 having a U-shaped vertical cross section. Have been. The position where the cleaning cup 12 is provided corresponds to the above-described cleaning position CP, and the position where the irradiation cup 16 is provided corresponds to the above-described irradiation position EP.

The above-mentioned cleaning cup 12 has a receiving portion 12a for receiving the leading end portion 7, supplying the cleaning liquid from the upper outer peripheral surface thereof, and guiding and collecting the cleaning liquid in which the developer is dissolved. And an annular supply path 12
b is formed. On the inner peripheral side of the supply path 12b, a cleaning nozzle 12c that opens over the entire periphery of the storage section 12a and is directed obliquely upward is formed. Supply path 1
A cleaning liquid is supplied to 2b from a cleaning liquid supply unit 22 via a supply pipe 12d, and the cleaning liquid is jetted from a cleaning nozzle 12c. The jetted cleaning liquid is guided by the bottom surface of the storage section 12a, and is discharged and collected through the drainage port 12e.

The above-mentioned irradiation cup 16 has a concave mirror portion 16a for accommodating the distal end portion 7. A donut-shaped light-shielding member 16b made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided on the upper inner peripheral surface at an interval in the up-down direction, and the bottom is guided by ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation section 20. The end face of the optical fiber 21 is fixed. Optical fiber 2
Above one end face, the convex mirror section 16 supports and contacts the discharge hole 7b of the tip section 7 on the upper surface, and reflects and scatters ultraviolet rays from the optical fiber 21 toward the concave mirror section 16a on the lower surface.
c is fixed by a resin 16d that transmits ultraviolet light.

The irradiation cup 16 arranged at the irradiation position EP accommodates the distal end portion 7 and irradiates a certain amount of ultraviolet rays to the superhydrophilic layer S. As described above, the superhydrophilic layer S in the present embodiment is formed by irradiating the titanium oxide photocatalytic thin film with ultraviolet rays, but as the time elapses, the contact angle gradually increases and the hydrophilicity decreases. . Therefore, for example, the tip portion 7 is periodically moved to the irradiation position EP every several tens of hours to irradiate ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet ray irradiation treatment is performed so that the contact angle becomes almost 0 ° again and the surface becomes superhydrophilic. Has become. The ultraviolet irradiation processing is performed when the control unit 25 refers to the timer 27 and the elapsed time coincides with a preset re-hydrophilization processing time.

Next, the operation of the rotary substrate developing apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described. A substrate W having a photoresist film on which a predetermined pattern has been exposed is adsorbed and supported on the spin chuck 1, and the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 is at a cleaning position CP.

The "development processing" control section 25 moves the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 from the cleaning position CP by the moving mechanism 9,
It moves to the supply position shown by the solid line in FIG. Next, while the electric motor 2 is controlled to rotate the substrate W at a constant speed, a developing solution of a constant temperature is supplied from the tip 7 of the processing liquid supply nozzle 5. After the supply of the predetermined amount of the developing solution is completed, a rinsing process is performed by supplying a rinsing solution from a supply nozzle (not shown), and the rotation of the electric motor 2 is switched to a high-speed rotation so that the substrate W
Shake off and dry. After that, the unprocessed substrate W is carried in while the substrate W processed as described above is carried out,
From the time when the supply of the developing solution is completed to the time when the unprocessed substrate W is carried in, the cleaning process of the distal end portion 7 is performed as follows.

When the supply of the developing solution is completed, the control unit 25 moves the processing solution supply nozzle 5 to the cleaning position CP by the moving mechanism 9. In this state, a part of the developing solution supplied from the discharge hole 7b through the processing liquid flow path 7a due to scattering on the surface of the substrate W during supply and surface tension and the like, as shown in FIG. It adheres to the periphery of the discharge hole 7b. However, the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 7 has a super hydrophilic layer S
Is formed, the contact angle is almost 0 °, and the developer D spreads and adheres as a thin film-shaped droplet instead of a spherical droplet. Therefore, the attached developer D can be prevented from gradually flowing down the front end portion 7 due to vibrations and own weight caused by movement or the like, and "dropping" falling on the surface of the substrate W can be prevented.

By the way, in the case of the conventional example in which the superhydrophilic layer S is not formed, as shown in FIG. 6, the droplet of the developer D becomes spherical and adheres to the periphery of the discharge hole 7b. The developer D that adheres in a spherical state as described above easily flows downward on the outer peripheral surface tapered downward due to its own weight or vibration, and causes “dropping” which suddenly falls.

[Cleaning Process] As shown in FIG. 7, at the cleaning position CP, the tip 7 of the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 is connected to the cleaning cup 1.
It is stored in the second storage section 12a. The control unit 25 feeds the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 22 under pressure, and causes the cleaning nozzle 12c to jet the cleaning liquid C toward the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 7. As a result, the cleaning liquid C is supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 7,
Since the superhydrophilic layer S is formed, the cleaning liquid C is more easily adapted to the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion 7 than the developing liquid D adhered thereto. Therefore, the cleaning liquid C easily enters the interface between the attached developer D and the outer peripheral surface of the tip 7, and the attached developer D can be easily separated from the tip 7. Therefore, the time required for cleaning the front end portion 7 can be reduced, the developer can be quickly supplied to the next substrate W, and the operation rate of the apparatus can be improved.

Further, the jetted cleaning liquid C contains the superhydrophilic layer S
, The developer D is uniformly spread on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion 7, so that the attached developer D can be completely removed without generating a residue. The cleaning solution C in which the developer D is dissolved is:
It is discharged from the drain port 12e and collected.

As described above, the "cleaning process" of the tip portion 7 is performed.
After that, the “development process” for the unprocessed substrate W is sequentially performed alternately with the “cleaning process”. When sequentially performing the “development processing” in this manner, the control unit 25 reads the elapsed time with reference to the timer 27, and when the time reaches the “re-hydrophilic processing time”, By controlling the moving mechanism 9, the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 is moved to the irradiation position EP, and "ultraviolet irradiation processing" is performed.

[Ultraviolet Irradiation Processing] As shown in FIG. 8, after the tip 7 has moved to the irradiation position EP, the control unit 25 opens a shutter (not shown) built in the ultraviolet irradiation unit 20 to disconnect the optical fiber 21. The ultraviolet rays are guided to the irradiation cup 16 through the irradiating cup. A part of the ultraviolet ray V emitted from the optical fiber 21 passes through the resin 16d and directly reaches the superhydrophilic layer S, and most of the ultraviolet ray V passes through the resin 16d and is reflected and scattered by the convex mirror portion 16c. Later, the light is reflected by the concave mirror portion 16a and reaches the superhydrophilic layer S. In this manner, by irradiating the ultraviolet ray V for a certain period of time and applying a sufficient amount of the ultraviolet ray V to the superhydrophilic layer S, the contact angle can be restored to 0 ° and the superhydrophilic state can be achieved again. The ultraviolet rays V irradiated upward are prevented from leaking to the outside by the double light shielding member 16b disposed above the concave mirror portion 16a. No negative effects.

By continuously performing the “development processing” and the “cleaning processing” on the substrate W while periodically performing the “ultraviolet irradiation processing” as described above, it is possible to prevent “drips” from occurring. Shortening of the cleaning time can be maintained for a long time.

<Second Embodiment> Next, the processing liquid supply nozzle 5
Next, an embodiment having a tip portion 7 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 will be described. 9 is a partially broken longitudinal sectional view of the distal end portion 7, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The other configuration except for the distal end portion 7 and the standby pot 11 is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted.

The distal end portion 7 has a columnar appearance, and has one processing liquid flow passage 7a extending in the vertical direction and radially as viewed in plan from the lower end of the processing liquid flow passage 7a to the side. together they are formed branched five branch flow paths 7a ₁ therein, communicating with these branch flow paths 7a ₁ 5
One discharge hole 7b is formed on the lower side surface. Further, a superhydrophilic layer S is formed on the outer peripheral surface and the arc-shaped lower surface of the tip portion 7 where the developer may adhere, as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the washing cup 12 of the standby pot 11 has a storage portion 12 formed in a cylindrical recess.
a, a lower surface nozzle member 12f having an upper outer shape similar to the shape of the lower surface of the distal end portion 7 is protruded from one portion of the side surface. On top of the lower surface nozzle member 12f, is formed with a lower surface nozzle 12f ₁ for injecting a cleaning liquid to the lower surface of the front end portion 7, here the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply section 22 via a supply tube 12d _1. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 12c on the upper portion of the distal end portion 7, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the lower surface nozzle 12f ₁ on the lower surface, the cleaning solution on the entire distal end portion 7 are supplied.

The irradiation cup 16 has a concave mirror portion 16a for accommodating the distal end portion 7, and a convex mirror portion 16c for reflecting and scattering ultraviolet rays from the optical fiber 21 is separated from the lower surface of the distal end portion 7 by a resin 16d. Is fixed. The ultraviolet light emitted from the optical fiber 21 is reflected by the convex mirror 16c.
The light is radiated to the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 7 through the concave mirror portion 16a, and is reflected and scattered between the arc-shaped lower surface of the distal end portion 7 and the upper surface of the convex mirror portion 16c to be uniformly irradiated over the entire distal end portion 7. It has become so.

[0038] When supplying a developing solution from the cleaning solution supply nozzle 5 having a distal end portion 7 as described above for the substrate W, the developer of five discharge holes 7b through the process liquid passage 7a and the branch flow path 7a ₁ is Discharged. The developer is supplied to the discharge holes 7
The liquid is discharged from b toward the side and reaches the surface of the substrate W in an arc. Therefore, as compared with the nozzle for supplying the developer from directly above as in the first embodiment described above,
The impact on the surface of the substrate W can be reduced. Therefore, the developing process can be appropriately performed without damaging the exposed photoresist film formed on the surface of the substrate W.

In a state where the supply of the developing solution is stopped, FIG.
As shown in (5), a part of the developing solution D adheres to the periphery of the five discharge holes 7b and the lower surface immediately below. However, since the superhydrophilic layer S is formed on the outer peripheral surface and the lower surface of the tip portion 7, the developer D spreads and adheres as a thin film-shaped droplet. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outer peripheral surface and the lower surface of the distal end portion 7 from gradually flowing down due to vibration and own weight,
It is possible to prevent "dropping".

Incidentally, in the case of the conventional example in which the superhydrophilic layer S is not formed, as shown in FIG. 13, the droplet of the developing solution D becomes spherical, and the peripheral portion of the discharge hole 7b and the vicinity of the discharge hole 7b are formed. Remarkably adheres to the lower surface. The developer D that adheres in a spherical state as described above tends to flow down due to its own weight or vibration, causing “dropping”, and can reduce the damage of the impact of the developer while causing poor development. become.

"Cleaning Process" (FIG. 11) To clean the tip 7, first move the tip 7 to the cleaning position CP, and then supply the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 22 to the cleaning nozzle 12c and the cleaning nozzle 12c. Bottom nozzle 12f ₁
Spray the cleaning liquid from Since the superhydrophilic layer S is formed on the outer peripheral surface and the lower surface of the tip portion 7, the cleaning solution C is more easily adapted to the cleaning solution D than the attached developer solution D, and the attached developer solution D is removed from the tip portion 7. It can be easily removed. Therefore, the time required for cleaning can be reduced, and the operation rate of the apparatus can be improved. Further, since the cleaning liquid C is uniformly spread over the entire front end portion 7 by the action of the superhydrophilic layer S, the developer D attached thereto can be completely removed without generating a residue.

"Ultraviolet irradiation treatment" (FIG. 11) "Development treatment"
When the re-hydrophilization treatment time is reached, the tip 7
Is moved to an irradiation position EP to perform an ultraviolet irradiation process. That is, ultraviolet light is irradiated from the optical fiber 21 and the concave mirror portion 1 is irradiated.
6a, the convex mirror portion 16c, and a predetermined amount of ultraviolet rays are radiated to the entire tip portion 7 by reflection and scattering of the lower surface of the tip portion 7. As a result, the contact angle can be restored to 0 ° and superhydrophilization can be achieved again, and the prevention of “drips” and the reduction of the cleaning time can be maintained for a long period of time, as in the first embodiment described above. .

Third Embodiment Next, the processing liquid supply nozzle 5
Next, an embodiment provided with a tip portion 7 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 will be described. FIG. 14 is a view of FIG. 15 viewed from below. The configuration excluding the tip 7 is the same as that of the above-described second embodiment.

The front end portion 7 has five processing solution flow passages 7a through which the developing solution flows, and a base portion 7c formed on the lower surface with discharge holes 7b communicating with the respective processing solution flow passages 7a. And a flow-down member 7d having a flared slope that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the base 7c. The flow-down member 7d acts to temporarily receive the developer discharged from the five discharge holes 7b on the inclined surface and to reduce the impact of the developer on the surface of the substrate W.
Therefore, the impact on the surface of the substrate W can be reduced as compared with the nozzle for supplying the developing solution from directly above as in the first embodiment described above, and a large amount of the impact can be achieved as compared with the second embodiment. The developer can be supplied to the substrate W.
Therefore, development processing can be performed more appropriately without damaging the photoresist film on the surface of the substrate W.

As in the above-described embodiments, the portion where the developer may adhere is formed of the superhydrophilic layer S. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface and lower surface of the base 7c of the distal end portion 7 and the outer peripheral surface and lower surface of the flow-down member 7d are formed of the superhydrophilic layer S.

In a state where the supply of the developing solution is stopped, FIG.
As shown in (5), a part of the developer D adheres to the periphery of the five discharge holes 7b and the flow-down member 7d. However, since the superhydrophilic layer S is formed on these, the developer D spreads and adheres as thin film-shaped droplets. Therefore,
It is possible to suppress the tip portion 7 from gradually flowing down due to vibration or own weight, and it is possible to prevent “dropping”.

Incidentally, in the case of the conventional example in which the superhydrophilic layer S is not formed, the droplet of the developing solution D becomes spherical as shown in FIG. Notably adheres to surface / periphery / lower surface. The developer D that adheres in a spherical state as described above tends to flow down due to its own weight or vibration, causing “dropping”, and can alleviate the damage caused by the impact of the developer while reducing the development failure. Will happen.

The "cleaning process" and the "ultraviolet irradiation process" of the end portion 7 configured as described above can be performed by the standby pot 11 of the above-described second embodiment, and have the same effects as those of the second embodiment. Can be played.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the processing liquid supply nozzle of the rotary type substrate developing apparatus for supplying the developing liquid and performing the developing processing has been described as an example. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a processing liquid supply nozzle of a rotary substrate coating apparatus for forming a coating. In this case, a light-shielding member that prevents ultraviolet rays from entering from the discharge holes 7b so that the coating liquid stored in the processing liquid flow path 7a is not exposed to light during the ultraviolet irradiation processing in the irradiation cup 16 of the standby pot 11 described above. It is necessary to arrange such.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the superhydrophilic layer S is formed in a portion where the developing solution may adhere, but the tip 7 is formed integrally with the superhydrophilic material. It may be.

In each of the above embodiments, the control unit 25 detects that the re-hydrophilization processing time has been reached by the timer 27 and controls the moving mechanism 9 and the ultraviolet irradiation unit 20 to automatically execute the ultraviolet irradiation processing. Although performed, it may be performed manually by an operator. For example, the control unit 2
When it is detected that the time 5 has reached the re-hydrophilization treatment time, this is notified and the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 is moved to the standby position to temporarily stop the apparatus. Then, the operator removes the distal end portion 7 from the processing liquid supply nozzle 5 and irradiates ultraviolet rays by an appropriate method.

In the above embodiment, the standby pot 1
1, the irradiation cup 16 was provided, and the ultraviolet irradiation treatment was performed when the re-hydrophilization treatment time passed. However, when the superhydrophilic layer S did not change with time, the treatment was performed manually as described above. In the case of performing the above, the above-described configuration is obviously unnecessary.

Further, in the above embodiment, the superhydrophilic layer S is formed only on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion 7;
The superhydrophilic layer S may be formed also on the inner surface of the branch flow path 7a ₁ . As a result, the processing liquid becomes extremely easy to be adapted to the inner surface, so that the processing liquid spreads uniformly on the inner surface and flows down. Therefore, it is possible to avoid such a problem that the processing liquid adheres to one part of the inner surface and solidifies, and the solidified liquid drops on the substrate surface to make the processing uneven or contaminate the substrate. Further, even if the processing liquid adheres and solidifies on one part of the inner surface, the inner surface of the processing liquid flow passage 7a can be easily formed by merely immersing the tip portion 7 in an aqueous solution without physically cleaning with a brush or the like. Can be washed.

[0054]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the tip of the processing liquid supply nozzle is made super-hydrophilic so that the attached processing liquid gradually flows down. Can be prevented, and "falls" can be prevented. Furthermore, the cleaning liquid easily enters the interface between the surface of the tip and the processing liquid, and the processing liquid attached to the tip can be easily separated, so that the processing liquid that has adhered to the cleaning liquid in a short time without generating a residue can be removed. It can be completely removed. Therefore, generation of particles due to the attached droplets can be prevented, and the time required for cleaning can be shortened, so that the operation rate of the apparatus can be increased.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the impact at the time of discharging the processing liquid, to prevent "dropping", and to adhere without causing a residue by a short-time cleaning. The treated solution can be completely removed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid inconvenience at the time of discharging the processing liquid, prevent generation of particles due to liquid droplets, and shorten the cleaning time.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the same effect as the second aspect of the invention can be obtained while further reducing the impact at the time of discharging the processing liquid.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the use of a super-hydrophilic material having a contact angle of 10 ° or less makes it possible to extremely increase the hydrophilicity of the tip portion. This can be almost completely prevented, and the cleaning liquid can easily enter the interface between the attached processing liquid and the tip. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the "dropping", and it is possible to almost completely remove the attached processing solution without generating a residue by washing in a shorter time. Therefore, generation of particles due to liquid droplets can be further prevented, and the time required for cleaning can be further shortened, so that the operation rate of the apparatus can be further increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a rotary substrate developing apparatus employing a processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially broken longitudinal sectional view showing a processing liquid supply nozzle according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2 as viewed from below.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a configuration of a standby pot.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where droplets are attached.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional example in a state where droplets are attached.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a cleaning process of a processing liquid supply nozzle.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an ultraviolet irradiation process of a processing liquid supply nozzle.

FIG. 9 is a partially broken longitudinal sectional view showing a processing liquid supply nozzle according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a standby pot.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state where droplets are attached.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a conventional example in a state where droplets are attached.

FIG. 14 is a partially broken longitudinal sectional view showing a processing liquid supply nozzle according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a view of FIG. 14 as viewed from below.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state where droplets are attached.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a conventional example in a state where droplets are attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

W ... Substrate S ... Super water-repellent layer D ... Developer 1 ... Spin chuck 2 ... Electric motor 3 ... Scatter prevention cup 5 ... Treatment liquid supply nozzle 7 ... Tip 7a ... Treatment liquid flow path 7a ₁ ... Branch flow path 7b ... Discharge hole 7c ... Base 7d ... Downflow member 11 ... Stand-by pot 12 ... Cleaning cup C ... Cleaning liquid 16 ... Irradiation cup V ... Ultraviolet 20 ... Ultraviolet irradiation part 22 ... Cleaning liquid supply part CP ... Cleaning position EP ... Irradiation position

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus for discharging a processing liquid onto a surface of a substrate, wherein a tip portion having a discharge hole for discharging the processing liquid is formed of a superhydrophilic material. Processing liquid supply nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus. 2. The processing liquid supply nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole is formed on a side surface of the tip of the nozzle. . 3. The processing liquid supply nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tip portion is formed so as to protrude downward from a lower surface of the base portion, the lower surface of the base portion having the discharge hole opened on the lower surface. A processing liquid supply nozzle for a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a flow-down member through which a processing liquid discharged from a discharge hole flows down an inclined surface having a skirt. 4. The processing liquid supply nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the superhydrophilic material has a contact angle of 10 ° or less. Processing liquid supply nozzle.