JPH11156246A - Treating liquid discharge nozzle of substrate treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a treating liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate treating device by which the whole treating surface of a substrate can be subjected to uniform treatment. SOLUTION: A treating liquid discharge nozzle 7 is provided with a discharge part 7a that plural discharge ports 7a1 -7a7 which are elliptic slots for discharging a developer are arranged in a single rank on the back surface thereof. When the developer is fed to the treating liquid discharge nozzle 7 from a liquid feeding pipe 8a, the developer is discharged from each of the discharge nozzles 7a1 -7a7 . At this time, the developer discharged from each individual discharge nozzle tapers off as it leaves the discharge nozzle. However, since the developer discharged from the whole discharge part 7a becomes in the shape of a belt toward the substrate as a whole, the treating liquid discharge nozzle 7 discharges the developer uniformly all over the treating surface of the substrate. As a result, the substrate can be subjected to uniform treatment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for treating 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 by applying a processing liquid to the substrate. The present invention relates to a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus that discharges, and more particularly, to a technique of uniformly discharging a processing liquid onto a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of processing liquid discharge nozzle, for example, a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate developing apparatus which discharges a developing liquid to a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “substrate”) to perform a developing process is known. is there. This processing liquid discharge nozzle will be described with reference to a front view shown in FIG. 13A and a side view shown in FIG.

[0005] The processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 shown in FIG. 13 has a discharge section for discharging the processing liquid to the substrate W on the lower surface thereof. This discharge section has one slit-shaped discharge port 80b having a length substantially equal to the diameter of the substrate in order to discharge the processing liquid in a strip shape toward the substrate W.
Communicates with the processing liquid reservoir 80a, which is a space inside the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80. Further, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80
Is supported by a support arm 81 having a liquid feed path 81a for feeding a processing liquid, and the liquid feed path 81a of the support arm 81 has a processing liquid reservoir 80a in a processing liquid discharge nozzle 80.
Is connected to the

[0004] The support arm 81 is attached to a drive mechanism (not shown) at the base end side. By being driven by this drive mechanism, the processing liquid discharge nozzle supported by the support arm 81 moves forward and backward in the X direction in a horizontal plane close to the substrate W.

When the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 is moved from a standby pot (not shown) at a standby position to a position close to the substrate W, the processing liquid is discharged from a developing tank (not shown) through a liquid feed path 81 a in a support arm 81. The developer Q is supplied to the reservoir 80a. The developer Q supplied to the processing liquid reservoir 80a is discharged in a strip shape from the slit-shaped discharge port 80b.

Further, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80
While moving upward in the X direction, the developing solution Q discharged in a strip shape is supplied to the entire processing surface of the substrate W as shown in FIG. The developer Q supplied to the substrate W is held on the substrate W by surface tension as shown in FIG.
It is in a so-called "fluid" state. The developing process using the developing solution Q is performed by the substrate W being stopped for a certain period of time in the state of being filled with the liquid. Thereafter, the substrate W is rotated at a high speed, and after removing the accumulated developer Q, a post-development process such as rinsing is performed, and a series of processes in the substrate developing device is completed.

[0007]

However, the prior art having such a structure has the following problems. In recent years, with the miniaturization of circuit patterns formed on substrates such as semiconductor wafers, the development accuracy of developing circuit patterns printed on resists has also been required to be higher. For example, there is a demand for uniformity of development processing on the processing surface of the substrate.

In order to perform a uniform development process on the processing surface of the substrate, it is necessary to satisfy at least the following conditions.
The developer is discharged uniformly over the entire processing surface. In addition, a predetermined amount of the developing solution is applied to the substrate within a short time due to a problem such as a developing reaction speed of the resist. Further, the developing solution is gently discharged onto the processing surface of the substrate, that is, the developing solution is flown on the substrate at the slowest possible flow rate.

In order to satisfy the above condition, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 described in the conventional example discharges the developing solution to the substrate W from the entire slit-shaped discharge port 80b having the entire length corresponding to the diameter of the substrate W. By doing so, the developing solution having a slow flow rate is evenly supplied to the entire processing surface of the substrate W, and a predetermined amount of the developing solution is filled within a predetermined time.

However, due to the recent increase in the size of the substrate, the discharge port 80b of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 cannot be moved due to the warpage of the substrate, the height difference between both ends of the substrate due to the inclination of the substrate when being held by a spin chuck, or the like. , Cannot be disposed close to the processing surface of the substrate W. For example, when a processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 is arranged close to a large substrate and development processing is performed, when the processing liquid discharge nozzle 8 moves on the substrate W, the processing surface of the substrate and the processing liquid discharge nozzle 8 causes problems such as scratching the substrate W due to contact with the lower surface of the substrate 8.

If the mounting position of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 is raised to solve the above problem, as shown in FIG. 15, the developing solution Q discharged from the slit-shaped discharge port 80b is close to the discharge port 80b. Although the flow becomes a band-like flow having substantially the same width as the discharge port 80b, a phenomenon in which the developer collects at the center as the distance from the discharge port 80b increases occurs. For this reason, there are portions where the developer does not directly contact both ends on the substrate. The developer supplied to the central portion on the substrate flows into this portion as a result. However, this developing solution is a developing solution that has already been subjected to development at the central portion of the substrate, that is, the developing performance has deteriorated. For this reason, there arises a problem that the uniformity of the developing process is varied between a portion to which the developing solution is directly applied and a portion which is not.

By providing a plurality of circular discharge ports in a row instead of the slit-shaped discharge ports 80b formed in the discharge portion of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80, the mounting position of the processing liquid discharge nozzle can be increased. Even in this case, the processing liquid can be uniformly discharged to the entire processing surface of the substrate. However, since the total opening area of the plurality of circular discharge ports is smaller than the total opening area of the slit-shaped discharge ports 80b, a predetermined amount of the developer is supplied to the substrate in a short time, and In order to increase the flow rate, it is necessary to increase the flow rate of the developer discharged from each of the circular discharge ports. As a result, there is another problem that the developer strongly strikes the substrate and damages the resist film on the substrate. Further, when the liquid is poured on the substrate by a high-velocity developing solution, the flow of the developing solution in the puddle becomes relatively intense. There is also a problem that variation occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is directed to a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus capable of discharging a processing liquid uniformly and quietly over the entire surface of a substrate in a short time. The purpose is to provide.

[0014]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus provided with a discharge part for discharging a processing liquid in a band shape as a whole toward a substrate, wherein the discharge part has a plurality of discharge ports. Are arranged substantially in a row, and each of the discharge ports is formed by a long hole which is a hole having a long portion and a short portion having different aspect ratios.

In the present invention, the long hole means a hole having a long portion and a short portion having different aspect ratios. For example, a hole having an oval rectangular shape, an elliptical shape, a trapezoidal shape, an iron array shape, or the like is used. It shows. In addition, the long part corresponds to the long diameter in the case of an oblong hole, the long side in the case of a rectangular long hole, and the longest part in other shapes. Means

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the discharge port is a substantially oval long hole.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the discharge portion is arranged such that long portions of the discharge ports are linearly arranged. Each discharge port is arranged in a row.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the discharge portion is arranged such that long portions of the discharge ports are arranged in parallel with each other. Each discharge port is arranged in a row.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the discharge portion is arranged such that a long portion of each of the discharge ports is arranged in a direction in which the discharge ports are arranged. The discharge ports are arranged in a row so as to be inclined with respect to.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, the discharge section includes the plurality of discharge ports arranged in a plurality of rows. They are arranged and configured.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the discharge unit is configured by arranging the discharge ports of each row in a staggered manner. Things.

[0022]

The operation of the first aspect of the invention is as follows. The processing liquid discharged from each discharge port which is a long hole gradually tapers as the distance from the discharge port increases, but the discharge section in which a plurality of discharge ports are arranged in substantially a row faces the substrate. The processing liquid is discharged in a belt shape without tapering as a whole.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the discharge section in which the plurality of discharge ports, which are substantially oval-shaped long holes, are arranged substantially in a row, is formed in a strip shape as a whole toward the substrate. Is discharged.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of discharge ports arranged in a row such that the long portions of the respective discharge ports are arranged in a straight line form a uniform band shape as a whole toward the substrate. Discharge the processing liquid.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of outlets arranged in a row such that the long portions of the outlets are arranged in parallel to each other have a large total opening area, so that the flow velocity can be reduced. A relatively large amount of the processing liquid is discharged in a strip shape as a whole toward the substrate without speeding up.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the processing liquid discharged from each of the discharge ports whose long portions are inclined acts so as to mutually complement the taper of the processing liquid discharged from the adjacent discharge port. Therefore, the discharge unit discharges a relatively large amount of the processing liquid toward the substrate as a whole without increasing the flow rate.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of discharge ports arranged in a plurality of rows in the discharge section are formed in a strip shape as a whole toward the substrate, so that a larger amount of the processing liquid can be supplied without increasing the flow rate. Discharge

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the discharge section in which the discharge ports of each row are arranged in a staggered manner, the processing liquid discharged from each discharge port causes the processing liquid of each discharge port to taper. Discharges a larger amount of processing liquid toward the substrate in a more uniform band shape as a whole.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. In this embodiment, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a semiconductor wafer)
A substrate developing apparatus provided with a processing liquid discharge nozzle for discharging a developing liquid as a processing liquid to a (substrate) will be described as an example. The present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus that discharges an appropriate processing liquid to a processing surface of a substrate and performs processing on the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 2, this substrate developing device
A spin chuck 1 for holding a substrate W in a horizontal position is provided. The spin chuck 1 is connected to an electric motor 5 via a rotating shaft 3 and is connected to a vacuum line (not shown) to hold the substrate W by vacuum suction. The spin chuck 1 rotates around the rotation center P1 while holding the substrate W by the rotation drive of the electric motor 5.

An inner cup 2 is provided around the spin chuck 1 so as to surround the substrate W held by the spin chuck 1. The inner cup 2 is configured to be able to move up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown).
When the substrate W is driven to rotate, the liquid developer rises to prevent the developer liquid accumulated on the substrate W from scattering around. At this time, the developer scattered in the inner cup 2 is collected by a waste liquid collecting structure (not shown) provided in the inner cup 2. When the rotation of the substrate W is completed, the inner cup 2 is lowered so as to allow the substrate W to be unloaded from the spin chuck 1. A substantially square outer cup 4 is provided around the inner cup 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, standby pots 6a and 6b are provided on both sides of the outer cup 4 for a processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 described later to wait. Further, a guide rail 10 is provided beside the outer cup 4. A nozzle driving mechanism 9 slidably mounted along the guide rail 10 supports a support arm 8 that cantileverly supports the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 in a vertically movable manner. By the sliding movement of the nozzle driving mechanism 9, a processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 described later can be moved forward and backward in the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, a liquid feed pipe 8a integrally formed inside the support arm 8 is connected to a processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 which is supported by the support arm 8 in a cantilever manner.
Further, the liquid supply pipe 8a is provided at the base end of the support arm 8,
It is connected to a developer supply line 11 a connected to the developer tank 11. In the middle of the developer supply line 11 a, the developer supply line 11
An opening / closing valve 13 for opening and closing a is provided. A nitrogen pressurizing line 11b for pressurizing the developing solution Q stored therein is connected to the developing solution tank 11 connected to the developing solution supply line 11a. The electric motor 5, the nozzle driving mechanism 9, the on-off valve 13, and the like described below are connected to the control unit 12, and the moving amount of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7, the number of rotations of the substrate W, and the discharge of the developing liquid are controlled. Timing and the like are totally controlled.

Next, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 as a main part of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
4 showing an AA enlarged cross section of FIG.

The processing liquid discharge nozzle (hereinafter simply referred to as “nozzle”) 7 has a discharge section 7 a on its lower surface for discharging the processing liquid Q toward the substrate W. The discharge unit 7a
Plurality major axis of the long hole of the oval is the discharge port 7a ₁ ~7a ₇ (in this seven in the embodiment) is constructed by arranging so as to be arranged in a straight line. Each of the oblong holes has, for example, a minor diameter of "0.3 to 1.0 mm" and a major diameter of "250 mm".

As shown in FIG. 4, inside the nozzle 7,
A processing liquid reservoir 7b for storing the developing solution Q sent from the liquid sending pipe 8a, and a liquid guide path 7c for guiding the developing solution Q to the discharge unit 7a are provided.

According to the nozzle 7, the developing solution Q supplied downward from the liquid feed pipe 8a into the processing liquid reservoir 7b changes its flow upward on the floor surface of the processing liquid reservoir 7b.
Flows into the liquid guide passage 7c, is guided to the discharge port 7a ₁ ~7a _7, it is discharged from the discharge port 7a ₁ ~7a _7.

The developer Q discharged from the discharge portion 7a of the nozzle 7 toward the substrate W is discharged as a band toward the substrate W as shown in FIG. In addition, each discharge port 7a
Developer ejected from _{1 ~7a 7} is the distance from the discharge port 7a _n as shown in FIG. 6, and has a tapered shape. However, the taper of each outlet 7
is intended to occur at a ₁ ~7a _7, when viewed from the substrate W, the discharge portion 7a as a whole as described above,
The developer Q is uniformly discharged in a belt shape.

Next, the operation of the substrate developing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. When a substrate W carried in by a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) is placed on the spin chuck 1, the spin chuck 1 suction-holds the substrate W. Almost at the same time, the nozzle driving mechanism 9
The support arm 8 is raised, and the nozzle 7 supported by the support arm 8 is pulled up from the standby pot 6a. Further, when the nozzle drive mechanism 9 moves along the guide rail 10 to move the nozzle 7 to the development processing start position in the outer cup 4, the support arm 8 is lowered to move the nozzle 7 to the processing start height. Bring up to.

Here, the control unit 12 opens the opening / closing valve 13 and supplies the developing solution Q in the developing solution tank 11 to the nozzle 7 through the processing solution supply line 11a and the solution sending pipe 8a. The nozzle 7 discharges the developer Q from the discharge unit 7a at the same time as the developer Q is supplied.

When the discharge of the developing solution Q from the nozzle 7 starts, the nozzle drive mechanism 9 moves at a constant speed in the X direction along the guide rail 10 again. Along with this movement, the nozzle 7 discharges the developing solution Q onto the substrate W while moving in the X direction at a constant speed above the substrate W. The discharged developer Q is held on the substrate W by the surface tension (liquid buildup). At this time, the developer Q discharged from the nozzle 7 toward the substrate W is discharged as a band as a whole as described above.

The nozzle 7 passes over the substrate W and
When it comes to a position outside the range, the control unit 12 closes the opening / closing valve 13 and ends the discharge of the developer Q from the nozzle 7. Then, when the nozzle 7 reaches the movement stop position in the outer cup 4, the nozzle driving mechanism 9 stops once, raises the nozzle 7, moves to the other standby pot 6b, and moves the nozzle 7 to the standby pot. 6b.

The spin chuck 1 maintains the developing solution Q, which has been loaded on the substrate W, in this state for a certain period of time. At this time, the developing process is performed on the substrate W with the developing solution Q. After a certain period of time, the spin chuck 1 rotates at a high speed to shake off the developer Q on the substrate W after the inner cup 2 for preventing the developer Q from scattering around. Thereafter, after a post-development process such as rinsing is performed, the inner cup 2 is lowered, the substrate W is unloaded by the substrate transfer mechanism, and a series of development processes is completed.

The substrate processing apparatus provided with the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 as described above discharges the developing liquid Q in a belt shape as a whole toward the substrate W, so that the developing performance always deteriorates over the entire processing surface of the substrate W. Undeveloped developer Q can be discharged almost uniformly without increasing the flow rate. As a result, uniform development processing can be performed on the entire processing surface of the substrate W. Also, the substrate W
Since the developer is gently supplied on the top, the resist film is not damaged.

<Second Embodiment> Next, an embodiment using a processing liquid discharge nozzle as shown in FIG. 7 will be described. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8A is a partially enlarged view when the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 is viewed from the front, and FIG. 8B is a side view thereof. Portions common to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, a discharge portion 7 for discharging the developing solution Q
1a. Discharge unit 71a is the major axis of the discharge port 71a ₁ ～71A _n are configured arranged so in a row so as to be parallel to each other is a long hole of n oval. As shown in FIG. 8A, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 including the discharge portion 71 is configured such that the developer Q
Is discharged. In addition, each of the discharge ports 71 a _{1 to} 71
developer ejected from a _n, upon observation of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 from the side, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), as compared with the case where viewed from the front, it is a wide state in the X direction. Therefore, as compared with the first embodiment, the total opening area of the discharge ports can be further increased, so that the flow rate of the developer Q discharged from each discharge port can be further reduced. The impact of the developer applied to the upper resist film is further reduced. In addition, since a relatively strong flow of the developing solution in the liquid pool on the substrate W, that is, so-called “blur” of the developing solution is not generated, a uniform developing process can be performed on the entire processing surface of the substrate W. Furthermore, since the liquid state of the developing solution can be quickly generated on the substrate W, there is almost no difference in the developing time of each part of the substrate, and the uniformity of the developing process can be further improved.

<Third Embodiment> Next, an embodiment using a processing liquid discharge nozzle as shown in FIG. 9 will be described. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view when the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 is viewed from the front. Portions common to the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, a discharge portion 7 for discharging the developing solution Q
2a. Discharging part 72a, n-number of the major axis of the discharge port 72a ₁ ~72a _n is an elongated hole of the oval is directed obliquely, and is configured by arranging in a straight line. further,
Each outlet 72a ₁ ~72a _n, the discharge port to each other adjacent respective overlap when viewed from the front (X direction), are arranged to have the overlapping portion D.

The processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 having the discharge portion 72 discharges the developing liquid Q in a band shape as a whole toward the substrate W as shown in FIG. At this time, each discharge port 72a
₁ ～72A developer discharged from the _n Q is in a state of tapering with distance from the discharge port. Since the overlapping portion D is provided so as to compensate for the tapered portion of the developing solution Q, the discharging portion 72 is similar to discharging the developing solution Q to the substrate W in a continuous straight line. The effect can be obtained. Therefore, the developer can be more uniformly supplied to the substrate W, so that the substrate W can be subjected to more uniform development processing. Furthermore, since a large number of discharge ports can be provided, a uniform amount of the developing solution Q can be gently discharged onto the substrate W in a short time, thereby improving the uniformity of processing and improving the resist film. Does not hurt.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, an embodiment using a processing liquid discharge nozzle as shown in FIG. 11 will be described. FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 12A is a partially enlarged view when the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 is viewed from the front, and FIG. 12B is a side view thereof. The first mentioned above
Portions common to the embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7
Is provided with a discharge portion 73a for discharging the developer Q toward the substrate W. Discharge part 73a major axis of the discharge port 73a ₁ ～73A _n is formed by arranging in two rows linear series is a long hole of n oval. Additionally, each outlet 72a ₁ ~72a _n, together with the discharge ports together which are arranged one behind each are arranged in a staggered manner, the front and rear discharge ports at both ends, overlapping when viewed from the front (X direction) , And have an overlapping portion D.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 having the discharge portion 73 discharges the developing solution Q toward the substrate W as a band. At this time,
Developer Q discharged from the respective discharge ports 73a ₁ ~73a _n
Becomes tapered as the distance from the discharge port increases. An overlapping portion D is provided so as to compensate for the tapered portion of the developer Q.
Is provided, the discharge unit 73 can obtain the same effect as discharging the developing solution Q onto the substrate W in a substantially continuous straight line. Therefore, the substrate W
, The developer can be supplied more uniformly, so that the substrate W can be uniformly developed.

The present invention can be modified as follows.

(1) In the first to fourth embodiments,
Discharge ports 7a _{1 to} 7a of discharge section 7a of processing liquid discharge nozzle 7
_Although the shape of _n is an elliptical shape, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can be applied to a long hole having a long portion and a short portion excluding a perfect circular shape and a square shape. For example, the long hole can be formed in a shape such as a rectangle, an ellipse, a trapezoid, an iron array in which a circle is overlapped on both ends of a long side of the rectangle, and a long and thin triangle.

(2) In the first to fourth embodiments,
The discharge port 7a ₁ ~7a _n of long holes, was placed on the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped processing liquid discharge nozzle 7 as shown in FIG. 4, for example, conventional cross-section as shown in FIG. 13 is downwardly the lower surface of the processing liquid discharge nozzle 80 of the tapered toward, can also be arranged discharge ports 7a ₁ ~7a _n of long holes.

[0056]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the discharge section is configured by arranging a plurality of discharge ports each having a long hole in a row. Because
Although the processing liquid discharged from each discharge port tapers as the distance from the discharge port increases, a band-shaped processing liquid having no taper as a whole can be discharged. In other words, as before,
The discharged processing liquid does not taper as a whole,
Since the processing liquid can be uniformly discharged over the entire processing surface of the substrate, uniform processing can be performed on the substrate. In addition, compared to the conventional example in which circular discharge ports are arranged in a row, the total opening area of the discharge section can be increased, so that a predetermined amount of the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate in a short time. Also,
Since the processing liquid can be supplied quietly by making the flow rate of the processing liquid relatively slow, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven substrate processing due to the “flushing” of the developing solution loaded on the substrate, It does not damage the resist film.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the discharge port is formed as an oblong hole, the discharge port can be easily formed. In addition, the processing liquid discharge nozzle having a plurality of discharge ports can discharge the processing liquid in a band shape as a whole toward the substrate, so that the substrate can be uniformly processed and the resist film is damaged. Nor.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the discharge ports are arranged in rows so that the long portions of the discharge ports are arranged in a straight line, the discharge ports are formed in a uniform band shape as a whole toward the substrate. The processing liquid can be discharged. Therefore, the substrate can be processed more uniformly, and the resist film is not damaged.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the discharge ports are arranged in rows so that the long portions of the discharge ports are arranged in parallel with each other, and the total opening area of the discharge ports is further increased. In addition, a large amount of processing liquid can be discharged without increasing the flow rate. Therefore, the processing liquid in an amount required for processing one substrate can be discharged in a short time, so that the uniformity of the substrate processing can be further improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, by arranging the long part of each of the discharge ports at an angle, the taper of the processing liquid discharged from each of the discharge ports can be reduced. They can be supplemented by liquids. As a result, a large amount of the processing liquid can be discharged in a uniform band shape as a whole toward the substrate without increasing the flow velocity, so that the processing liquid in an amount required for processing one substrate can be discharged in a short time. At the same time, more uniform processing can be performed on the substrate.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of discharge ports are arranged in a plurality of rows to increase the total opening area of the discharge ports, a larger amount of the processing liquid can be supplied without increasing the flow rate. Can be ejected. Therefore, the uniformity of the processing can be further improved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the plurality of discharge ports are arranged in a plurality of rows in a staggered manner, the tapering of the processing liquid discharged from each discharge port can be reduced by the processing from the adjacent discharge port. They can be supplemented by liquids. As a result, a large amount of the processing liquid can be more uniformly discharged onto the substrate, and the uniformity of the substrate processing is further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a lower surface of a processing liquid discharge nozzle according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the processing liquid discharge nozzle shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state where a processing liquid is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a state where the processing liquid is discharged from each discharge port of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where a processing liquid is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a state where a processing liquid is discharged from each discharge port of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state where a processing liquid is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a state in which a processing liquid is discharged from each discharge port of the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state where a processing liquid is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing a state where a processing liquid is discharged from each discharge port of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which a developing solution is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a conventional example disposed close to a substrate.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which a developing solution is discharged from a processing liquid discharge nozzle of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... spin chuck 2 ... inner cup 4 ... outer cup 6 ... standby pot 7 ... processing liquid discharge nozzle 7a ... discharge portion 7a ₁ ~7a _n ... discharge opening 8 ... support arm 8a ... liquid feed pipe 9 ... nozzle drive mechanism 12 ... Control unit 8: Support arm 9: Nozzle drive mechanism Q: Developer W: Substrate

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus provided with a discharge part for discharging a processing liquid as a whole toward a substrate, wherein the discharge part has a plurality of discharge ports arranged substantially in a line. Wherein each of the discharge ports is formed by a long hole which is a hole having a long portion and a short portion having different aspect ratios. 2. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port has a substantially oval long hole. 3. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit has a row of discharge ports such that long portions of the discharge ports are arranged in a straight line. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus configured to be disposed in the apparatus. 4. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit has a row of discharge ports such that long portions of the discharge ports are arranged in parallel with each other. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus configured to be disposed in the apparatus. 5. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit is configured such that a long part of each of the discharge ports is inclined with respect to an arrangement direction of the discharge ports. A processing liquid discharge nozzle of a substrate processing apparatus having discharge ports arranged in rows. 6. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge unit is configured by arranging the plurality of discharge ports in a plurality of rows. Processing liquid discharge nozzle of substrate processing equipment. 7. The processing liquid discharge nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the discharge unit is configured by arranging the discharge ports of each row in a staggered manner. nozzle.