JPH11169772A - Apparatus and method for applying coating solution - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly and economically remove the unnecessary coating films in the vicinity of the upper and lower sides of a substrate in an apparatus holding the substrate in a vertical or inclined posture to apply a coating soln. to the substrate. SOLUTION: A resist coating apparatus 1 is equipped with a substrate holding mechanism 2, a resist coating mechanism 3, a posture converting mechanism 4 and an edge/back rinse mechanism 5. The substrate holding mechanism 2 holds a substrate W in a vertical or inclined posture and the resist coating mechanism 3 applies a resist soln. to the substrate W held to the substrate holding mechanism 2. The posture converting mechanism 4 converts the posture of the substrate W coated with the resist soln. so that the upper and lower sides thereof are positioned laterally. The edge/back rinse mechanism 5 is moved along the side of the lateral position of the substrate W after posture conversion to remove the unnecessary resist film from the surface of the substrate W.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display device (PDP), a semiconductor device, various electronic parts and the like.
A coating liquid coating apparatus and a coating liquid coating apparatus for coating a coating film on a surface of a substrate such as a glass substrate for CD or PDP, a semiconductor substrate, a printed substrate, and the like to form a photoresist film, an insulating film, a conductive film, and the like. About the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 8-24740 discloses an apparatus for applying a coating liquid in a posture in which the substrate is set upright to cope with an increase in the size of a substrate to be coated and an increase in the number of square substrates. ing. Here, the coating liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate by vertically moving a coating liquid tank extending in the width direction of the substrate with respect to the substrate in a vertical posture or an inclined posture.

[0003]

However, in the above-described coating apparatus in which the coating is performed by moving the slit-shaped discharge portion, the coating start end portion and / or the coating end side end portion, that is, The film thickness in the vicinity of the upper side and the lower side of the substrate tends to increase. When the film thickness is large in this way, problems such as contamination of the exposure machine in a later step and the film remaining after development are likely to occur.

In order to suppress such a problem, a dedicated unnecessary film removing device is separately provided, and the substrate after the application of the coating solution is transported to the device, where the thick film of the coating solution generated on the upper side and / or the lower side is provided. It is conceivable to supply a rinsing liquid to the portion to dissolve and remove the unnecessary film. However, according to such a configuration, a space for providing a dedicated unnecessary film removing device is required, and the device is increased in size. In addition, the number of parts requiring high-precision alignment of the substrate is increased, and the cost of the device is increased. There have been problems such as a reduction in the amount of substrate processed per unit time, and the occurrence of peeling charging due to repeated adsorption and release.

Further, when spraying a rinsing liquid onto the upper side of the substrate and suctioning and removing the rinsing liquid while holding the substrate after application of the coating liquid in a vertical or inclined posture,
The rinsing liquid may drip on the substrate due to gravity. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to increase the suction force of the rinsing liquid. However, this increases the running cost of the apparatus, and also causes an influence of suction on the application surface, thereby deteriorating the distribution of film pressure. .

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for applying a coating liquid to a substrate while holding the substrate in a vertical or inclined posture.
An object of the present invention is to appropriately and economically remove unnecessary coating films near the upper side and / or lower side of the substrate without increasing the size of the apparatus.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating liquid applying apparatus including a holding unit, an applying unit, a posture changing unit, and an unnecessary film removing unit. The holding means holds the substrate in a vertical or inclined posture. The application unit applies the application liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The posture changing means changes the posture of the substrate on which the coating liquid has been applied such that the upper side and the lower side thereof are located sideways. The unnecessary film removing unit removes an unnecessary coating film along the side at the side position of the substrate after the posture change.

In this apparatus, a coating liquid is applied by a coating means to a substrate held in a vertical or inclined posture by the holding means. Next, in order to remove an unnecessary coating film near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, the posture of the substrate is changed by the posture changing means so that the upper side and the lower side come to the side positions. Then, unnecessary films near the upper side and the lower side along the upper side and the lower side of the substrate located at the side position are removed. In particular,
For example, the substrate after the application of the coating film is 90
The unnecessary film is removed from the substrate by rotating the unnecessary film removing means up and down along the original upper side and lower side, which are the side sides of the substrate.

When the unnecessary film removing means is simply moved by moving the unnecessary film removing means along the upper side of the substrate, a problem is likely to occur due to the dripping of the cleaning liquid used for removing the unnecessary film. Since the unnecessary film is removed after the posture is changed so that the upper side and the lower side of the substrate from which the film is to be removed are located on the sides, problems are unlikely to occur due to the dripping of the cleaning liquid. In other words, by using the present apparatus, it becomes possible to more appropriately remove unnecessary coating films near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, and to save or omit means for suppressing a problem caused by dripping of the cleaning liquid. Can be economically advantageous.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the application means has a coating liquid supply mechanism and a moving mechanism. The coating liquid supply mechanism extends along the upper side or the lower side of the substrate before the posture change. The moving mechanism relatively moves the substrate and the coating liquid supply mechanism in the vertical direction. In this apparatus, the application liquid is applied to the substrate by discharging the application liquid from the application liquid supply mechanism extending along the upper side or the lower side of the substrate, that is, extending in the lateral direction of the substrate. Specifically, the application liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate by moving the application liquid supply mechanism that discharges the application liquid onto the substrate up and down by a moving mechanism.

Here, the coating liquid is discharged from the upper side and the lower side of the substrate when the relative movement between the substrate and the coating liquid supply mechanism starts or ends, and the film thickness tends to be large. However, since unnecessary coating films near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate can be appropriately removed as described above, the film thickness is partially increased, thereby contaminating an exposure machine in a later process or forming a film even after development. The problem of remaining is suppressed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the application liquid supply mechanism is a nozzle having a slit-shaped opening. This nozzle is
It extends along the upper side or the lower side of the substrate before the posture change. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the holding means includes a holding plate and a suction mechanism. The holding plate has a flat surface. The suction mechanism is a mechanism for sucking the substrate on the flat surface side of the holding plate.

In this case, the suction mechanism allows the substrate to be brought into contact with the flat surface of the holding plate, or with a certain gap between the substrate and the flat surface of the holding plate. The substrate is sucked and held. Therefore, when changing the posture of the substrate, the posture of the substrate can be changed by changing the posture of only the holding plate and the suction mechanism or the suction mechanism.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the coating solution applying apparatus of the fourth aspect, the suction mechanism has a contact suction portion capable of contacting the substrate. The contact suction unit is movable with respect to the holding plate in a direction intersecting the flat surface of the holding plate. Here, by moving the contact suction part in a direction crossing the flat surface of the holding plate,
Interference between the substrate and the holding plate when changing the posture of the substrate can be avoided. In other words, the posture of the substrate can be changed by moving only the contact suction portion without moving the holding plate.

More specifically, for example, a predetermined gap is provided between the substrate and the holding plate by moving the suction mechanism while holding the substrate by the contact suction unit. Then, by rotating the contact suction unit, the posture of the substrate is changed so that the upper side and the lower side of the substrate are located on the side. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the coating solution applying apparatus of the fifth aspect, the posture changing means has a suction mechanism and a rotation mechanism for rotating the contact suction unit.

Here, instead of rotating the entire suction mechanism, the posture of the substrate is changed by rotating the contact suction unit. For example, the main body of the suction mechanism and the contact suction unit are connected by a rotary joint, a flexible hose, or the like, and only the contact suction unit is rotated. This allows
The power required for changing the posture of the substrate is reduced, and the running cost of the apparatus is reduced.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid applying apparatus of the first aspect, the posture changing means has a rotation mechanism for rotating the holding means. Here, the posture of the substrate is changed by rotating the substrate held by the holding unit by rotating the holding unit. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the coating liquid applying apparatus of the fourth aspect, the posture changing means has a rotation mechanism for rotating the holding plate.

Here, the posture of the substrate is changed by rotating the holding plate instead of rotating the entire holding means. Accordingly, it is not necessary to rotate the suction mechanism, the power required for changing the posture of the substrate is reduced, and the running cost of the apparatus is reduced. The application liquid application method according to the ninth aspect includes a holding step, an application step, a posture changing step, and an unnecessary film removing step.
In the holding step, the substrate is held in a vertical or inclined posture. In the application step, an application liquid is applied to the held substrate. In the posture changing step, the posture of the substrate on which the coating liquid is applied is changed such that the upper side and the lower side are located sideways. In the unnecessary film removing step, the unnecessary coating film is removed along the side at the lateral position of the substrate after the posture change.

In this method, first, in a holding step, the substrate is held in a vertical or inclined posture, and then, in a coating step, a coating liquid is applied to the substrate by a coating means. Next, in the posture changing step, in order to remove unnecessary coating films near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate, the posture of the substrate is changed by the posture changing means so that the upper side and the lower side come to the side positions. Then, in the unnecessary film removing step, the unnecessary film is removed along the upper side and the lower side of the substrate located at the side position. Specifically, for example, the substrate after the application of the coating film is rotated by 90 degrees by the posture changing means, and the unnecessary film removing means is moved up and down along the original upper side and lower side, which are the side sides of the substrate, and is unnecessary from the substrate. Remove the film.

In the case where the unnecessary film is simply removed by moving the unnecessary film removing means along the upper side of the substrate, a problem is likely to occur due to the dripping of the cleaning liquid used for removing the unnecessary film. On the other hand, here, the method of removing the unnecessary film after changing the posture so that the upper side and the lower side of the substrate on which the unnecessary film is to be removed is located on the side is employed, so that the problem is less likely to occur due to the dripping of the cleaning liquid. . In other words, by using this method, it becomes possible to more appropriately remove unnecessary coating films near the upper side and lower side of the substrate, and
Since the means for suppressing the problem caused by the dripping of the cleaning liquid can be labor-saving or omitted, it is economically advantageous.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an application liquid applying apparatus including a holding unit, an applying unit, and an unnecessary film removing unit. The holding means holds the substrate in a vertical or inclined posture. The application unit applies the application liquid to the substrate held by the holding unit. The unnecessary film removing unit removes an unnecessary coating film on the lower side of the substrate after the application of the coating liquid held in the holding unit.

In the present apparatus, unnecessary films such as unnecessary thick film portions generated on the lower side of the substrate can be appropriately removed without providing an unnecessary film removing device separately from the coating liquid coating device. The coating liquid application device according to claim 11 is the coating liquid application device according to claim 10, wherein the application unit includes a coating liquid supply mechanism that extends in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the substrate held by the holding unit; And a moving mechanism for relatively moving the application liquid supply mechanism from above to below.

In the present apparatus, the thick film portion of the substrate, which tends to occur near the lower side of the substrate at the time when the coating is completed on the substrate, can be appropriately removed without increasing the size of the apparatus. According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coating liquid application apparatus according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, further comprising a drying mechanism for blowing the coating liquid applied by blowing air to the substrate held by the holding means. ing.

In the apparatus according to the present invention, the coating liquid applied to the substrate is dried by the drying mechanism, and the unnecessary film can be removed, so that the coating liquid can be more appropriately applied and dried. A coating liquid applying method according to a thirteenth aspect includes a holding step, an applying step, and an unnecessary film removing step. In the holding step, the substrate is held in a vertical or inclined posture. In the application step, an application liquid is applied to the held substrate. In the unnecessary film removing step, the unnecessary film in the peripheral portion of the substrate is removed while the substrate is held in a vertical or inclined posture.

According to the present method, the unnecessary film on the peripheral portion of the substrate can be removed while maintaining the posture in which the coating liquid is applied to the substrate. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated unnecessary film removing device. Increase in size can be suppressed. The coating liquid applying method according to claim 14 includes a holding step, an applying step, a drying step, and an unnecessary film removing step. In the holding step, the substrate is held in a vertical or inclined posture. In the coating process,
The coating liquid is applied to the held substrate. In the drying step, the coating liquid applied to the substrate is dried. The unnecessary film removing step is performed at the same time as the drying step to remove the unnecessary film in the peripheral portion of the substrate.

According to the present method, the coating liquid applied to the substrate is dried, and at the same time, the unnecessary film on the peripheral portion of the substrate can be removed. It is possible to appropriately and economically remove a proper coating film. According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the thirteenth aspect, the drying step is performed by blowing air to the substrate.

According to the present method, the drying of the substrate and the removal of the unnecessary film on the peripheral portion of the substrate can be performed more appropriately.

[0028]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 4 show one embodiment (first embodiment) of a resist coating apparatus (coating liquid coating apparatus) of the present invention. The resist coating device 1 is a device that applies a resist liquid to the substrate W, and mainly includes:
It comprises a substrate holding mechanism (holding means) 2, a resist coating mechanism (coating means) 3, a posture changing mechanism (posture changing means) 4, and an edge rinsing mechanism (unnecessary film removing means) 5.

The substrate holding mechanism 2 is a mechanism for holding a substrate by vacuum suction, and as shown in FIG.
Plate (holding plate) 21 and first suction device 22
And a first nitrogen supply device 23. The plate 21 has a rectangular shape, and is installed vertically at a position where the short side is the vertical position.
1a. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the plate 21 is provided in the thickness direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1).
Are formed, and a plurality of suction holes 21d communicating with each other are formed. 3 arc openings 2
1c are arranged on the same circumference at equal intervals. The suction holes 21d are all pipes and automatic switching valves 22a,
The first adsorption device 22 and the first nitrogen supply device 23 are connected via 23a.

The substrate holding mechanism 2 holds the substrate W by controlling the pressure in the suction hole 21d by the first suction device 22 and the first supply device 23 when the substrate W is in contact with the flat surface 21a. And release of holding can be performed. When the rectangular substrate W is held on the plate 21 such that the short side of the rectangular substrate W is positioned vertically, the resist coating mechanism 3 forms a cylindrical resist extending in the width direction of the substrate W (the left-right direction in FIG. 2). A liquid tank (coating liquid supply mechanism) 31 is provided. An outflow passage 32 is formed in the front wall portion of the resist liquid tank 31 so as to penetrate therethrough and incline upward toward the front end thereof in the width direction. The outflow passage 32 is a nozzle having a slit-shaped opening. The resist liquid tank 31 is supported by a linear drive mechanism (moving mechanism) (not shown) so that the resist liquid tank 31 can be linearly moved in a downward direction (downward in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the width direction of the substrate W. I have.
A pressure setting system and a resist liquid supply system (not shown) are connected to the resist liquid tank 31. The pressure setting system is a system for pressurizing, depressurizing, and opening to the atmosphere in the resist liquid tank 31, and the resist liquid supply system is a system for supplying the resist liquid into the resist liquid tank 31.

The resist solution is supplied to the gap between the coated surface of the substrate W (the right surface in FIG. 1) and the front wall of the resist solution bath 31 by controlling the pressure in the resist solution bath 31. As the bath 31 is moved downward, a resist film is formed on the surface to be coated of the substrate W in order from the upper side. The attitude conversion mechanism 4 includes three contact suction sections 41a to 41c, a collecting pipe 42 on a rotation axis O of a substrate W in which pipes from the contact suction sections 41a to 41c are bundled, and a rotary actuator (rotation mechanism) 43. And the rotary joint 44
And a second adsorption device (adsorption mechanism) 45 and a second nitrogen supply device 46. The contact suction portions 41a to 41c are
The end surface on the substrate W side (the right side in FIG. 1) is a portion that can come into contact with the substrate W, and includes a collecting pipe 42 and a rotary joint 4.
Along with the plate 4, the substrate W is moved along the rotation axis 0 of the substrate W with respect to the plate 21 by a driving mechanism 60 such as an air cylinder (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Contact suction parts 41a to 41c
Is a second pipe installed on the floor via a collecting pipe 42, a rotary joint 44, and automatic switching valves 45a and 46a.
It is connected to the adsorption device 45 and the second nitrogen supply device 46. The rotary actuator 43 includes a motor, and rotates the collecting pipe 42 and the contact suction sections 41a to 41c. The rotary joint 44 connects the collecting pipe 42 and a pipe from the second adsorption device 45 and the second nitrogen supply device 46 so as to be relatively rotatable. It should be noted that the rotary joint 44, the collecting pipe 42, and the contact adsorption sections 41a to 41 for the second adsorption apparatus 45 and the second nitrogen supply apparatus 46.
A telescopic tube 61 is inserted in the pipe connecting the second adsorption device 45 and the second nitrogen supply device 46 to the rotary joint 44 so that c can move along the rotation axis 0.

The edge rinsing mechanism 5 is configured such that the substrate W is rotated 90 degrees after the application of the resist solution, and the short sides thereof are set to the left and right positions (the state shown in FIG. 4). This is a mechanism for cleaning the vicinity of the short side (near the left and right sides in FIG. 4) with a rinsing liquid, and includes a moving jet unit 51 having nozzles 51a and 51b opposed to each other across the substrate W as shown in FIG. doing. Nozzles 51a, 51
A plurality of thin tubes extend from b to the substrate W side, and a rinsing liquid is jetted from the thin tubes to the substrate W. The moving ejection unit 51 is supported by a linear drive mechanism 62 composed of a linear motor or the like so as to be able to linearly move downward (downward in FIGS. 3 and 4). Moving injection unit 5
A rinse liquid supply system 63 is connected to 1.

Next, the application of a resist liquid to the substrate W by the resist coating apparatus 1 will be described. First, the substrate W is held by the substrate holding mechanism 2 so that the substrate W is in a vertical posture and the short side is in the vertical position. Here, the flat surface 2 of the plate 21
With the substrate W in contact with 1a, the pressure in the suction hole 21d is reduced by the first suction device 22. Thereby, the substrate W is attracted to the plate 21.

Next, the substrate W
Is applied with a resist solution. Here, the pressure in the resist solution tank 31 is controlled so that the resist solution is supplied to the gap between the coated surface of the substrate W and the front wall of the resist solution tank 31 while the resist solution tank 31 is placed on the upper side of the substrate W. To the lower side. As a result, a resist film is formed on the surface of the substrate W to be coated.

Next, in order to remove unnecessary thick portions of the resist film near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W, the posture changing mechanism 4 is used.
The posture of the substrate W is changed such that the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W come to the side positions. Here, first, the contact suction portions 41a to 41c, the collecting pipe 42, and the rotary joint 44 are moved to the substrate W side by the drive mechanism 60, and the contact suction portions 41a to 41c and the substrate W are brought into close contact with each other. next,
The second adsorber 45 uses a pipe and contact adsorbers 41a-4
The pressure in 1c is reduced, and the substrate W is held by the three contact suction portions 41a to 41c. Next, the suction hole 21d
Pressure in the first adsorption device 22 and the first nitrogen supply device 23
Is controlled to raise the substrate W by the plate 21.
Release the hold. Next, the contact suction portions 41a to 41c,
The collecting pipe 42 and the rotary joint 44 are further moved to the substrate W side by the driving mechanism 60 so that a gap is formed between the substrate W and the plate 21 as shown in FIG. Next, by driving the rotary actuator 43, the contact suction unit 41a holding the collecting pipe 42 and the substrate W
Rotate ~ 41c by 90 degrees. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the short sides (the original upper side and the lower side) of the substrate W are located on the sides of the substrate W.

Finally, an unnecessary resist film near the short side of the substrate W is removed by the edge rinsing mechanism 5 along the short side of the substrate W serving as the side. Here, the nozzles 51a, 5a
While ejecting the rinsing liquid from the narrow tube 1b toward the substrate W, the movable ejection unit 51 is moved from top to bottom (see the arrow A1 in FIG. 4). In the present resist coating apparatus 1, the substrate W
When the edge rinsing process is simply performed along the upper side of the substrate W without rotating the substrate W, the dripping of the rinsing liquid is likely to cause adverse effects on other resist films. Since the unnecessary resist film is removed by moving the moving jetting unit 51 from the top to the bottom after the posture is changed so that the upper side and the lower side of W are located sideways, a problem due to dripping of the rinsing liquid may occur. Decrease. In other words, by using the present resist coating apparatus 1, unnecessary resist films near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W can be more appropriately removed, and means for suppressing a problem caused by dripping of the rinsing liquid is separately provided. And it is economically advantageous.

In the resist coating apparatus 1, the substrate holding mechanism 2 is not moved, and only a part of the posture changing mechanism 4, specifically, the contact suction portions 41a to 41c, the collecting pipe 42, and the rotary joint 44 are used. Is moved to change the posture of the substrate W. For this reason, the substrate holding mechanism 2 has a structure in which movement and rotation are not considered. Also, the movement and rotation of the second adsorption device 45 and the second nitrogen supply device 46 need not be considered. As described above, the resist coating apparatus 1 is an apparatus in which power and running cost required for changing the posture of the substrate W are small.

[Second Embodiment] FIGS. 6 and 7 show one embodiment (second embodiment) of a resist coating apparatus (coating liquid coating apparatus) of the present invention. The resist coating device 101 is a device for coating a resist liquid on the substrate W, and mainly includes a substrate holding mechanism (holding unit) 102, a resist coating mechanism (coating unit) 103, and a posture changing mechanism (posture changing unit).
141, edge rinse mechanism (unnecessary film removing means) 105
It is composed of In the following description, the same or similar components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The substrate holding mechanism 102 is a mechanism for holding a substrate by vacuum suction. As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate holding mechanism 102 mainly includes a plate (holding plate) 121 and a suction device 12.
2 and a nitrogen supply device 123. The plate 121 is installed vertically, and has a suction hole (not shown).
, And has a space inside which communicates with the suction hole. The steel pipe 124 connected from this space extends from the central portion of the plate 121 to the side opposite to the substrate W side, and is located on the rotation axis O of the substrate W. The steel pipe 124 is the rotary joint 1
25, the adsorption device 122 and the nitrogen supply device 123
It is connected to the.

The substrate holding mechanism 102 detects the pressure in the space in the plate 121 when the substrate W is in contact with the suction device 12.
2 and the nitrogen supply device 123, the substrate W can be held and released. The configuration of the resist coating mechanism 103 is the same as that of the resist coating mechanism 3 of the first embodiment.

The attitude conversion mechanism 141 mainly comprises a rotary actuator (rotation mechanism) provided with a motor, and rotates the steel pipe 124 and the plate 121. The edge rinsing mechanism 105 is a mechanism for cleaning the vicinity of the original upper side and the lower side (near the left and right sides in FIG. 7) of the substrate W with a rinsing liquid when the substrate W is rotated after the application of the resist liquid (the state of FIG. 7). In addition, it has a moving ejection unit 151 and a linear drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the moving ejection unit 151 up and down. The configuration of the mobile injection unit 151 is the same as that of the mobile injection unit 51 of the first embodiment.

Next, the application of a resist liquid to the substrate W by the resist coating apparatus 101 will be described. The description of the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment will be omitted. First, the substrate W is held by the substrate holding mechanism 102 in a vertical posture such that the short side is at the vertical position. Here, with the substrate W in contact with the plate 121, the pressure in the space inside the plate 121 is reduced by the suction device 122.

Next, a resist liquid is applied to the substrate W by the resist coating mechanism 103. Next, in order to remove unnecessary resist films near the upper side and the lower side of the substrate W,
The attitude of the substrate W is changed by the attitude conversion mechanism 141 so that the short side of the substrate W is located at the side position. In this case, the motor of the rotary actuator is operated to drive the steel pipe 12.
The plate 121 holding the substrate 4 and the substrate W is rotated by 90 degrees (see the arrow A2 in FIG. 7). Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the short sides (the original upper side and the lower side) of the substrate W become the side sides of the substrate W.

Finally, an unnecessary resist film in the vicinity of the short side of the substrate W is removed by the edge rinsing mechanism 105 along the short side of the substrate W serving as the side. Here, the mobile injection unit 1
51 is moved from top to bottom (see arrow A3 in FIG. 7). In the resist coating apparatus 101, unlike the first embodiment, the posture of the substrate W is changed by rotating the plate 121 of the substrate holding mechanism 102 (corresponding to the substrate holding mechanism 2 of the first embodiment). . For this reason, the posture changing mechanism 1 is compared with the posture changing mechanism 4 of the first embodiment.
41 is simple and low cost.

In the resist coating apparatus 101, the posture of the substrate W is changed by rotating the plate 121 instead of rotating the entire substrate holding mechanism 102. This eliminates the need to rotate the adsorption device 122, the nitrogen supply device 123, and the like, and reduces the power required for changing the attitude of the substrate W and the running cost of the device.

Note that the first and second embodiments are
This is effective when a thick film is formed on both the upper side (coating start side) and the lower side (coating end side) of the substrate at the time of coating. It is possible that a thick film portion is formed only on one of the upper side and the lower side. In such a case, the rinsing liquid moving injection portions 51 and 151 may be provided only on the necessary side. Good.

Third Embodiment FIG. 8 shows one embodiment (third embodiment) of the resist coating apparatus (coating liquid coating apparatus) of the present invention. The resist coating device 201 is a device for coating the substrate W with a resist solution, and mainly includes a substrate holding mechanism (holding means) 202, a resist coating mechanism (coating means) 203, and an edge rinsing mechanism (unnecessary film removing means). ) 2
05. This third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment.
A modification of the embodiment will be described below, focusing on differences from the second embodiment.

First, this embodiment does not have a configuration corresponding to the rotary joint 125 and the posture changing mechanism 141 in the second embodiment, and performs the posture change of the substrate W as in the previous embodiment. Absent. Second, in this embodiment, the edge rinse mechanism 205 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate along the lower side of the substrate W held on the plate 221.

Third, in this embodiment, a drying mechanism 306 for blowing and drying the coated substrate W is provided. The substrate holding mechanism 202 is provided with a frame 209 such that the substrate is held in a vertical position by a plate 221 having suction holes (not shown) not shown.
Attached to.

The resist coating mechanism 203 includes a resist liquid tank 231 extending in the horizontal direction parallel to the substrate surface, and a supporting member 233 for holding the resist liquid tank 231 parallel to the substrate surface.
And support members 233 arranged on the left and right of the plate 221.
And a linear motor (reciprocating mechanism) 235 for moving the resist solution tank 231 along the substrate surface.

The edge rinsing mechanism 205 includes a moving ejection unit 251 having nozzles opposed to each other with the substrate interposed therebetween, and a pulley and a belt for reciprocating the moving ejection unit 251 along the lower side of the substrate W held on the plate 221. , And a linear drive mechanism 262 composed of a guide and the like. The drying mechanism 306 is provided in parallel with the substrate W held on the plate 221 and has a mechanism for blowing air to the substrate W, and blows and dries the substrate coated with the resist liquid.

The apparatus of the present embodiment comprises a resist solution tank 231
Moves from the upper part to the lower part of the substrate W to apply the resist solution, a thick film portion is generated along the end of the coating, that is, along the lower side of the substrate W, but the part at the beginning of the coating, that is, the substrate W This is suitable when a problematic thick film portion does not occur on the upper side. The operation of such an apparatus will be described. First, the resist liquid tank 231 moves from the upper part to the lower part of the substrate W to apply the resist liquid to the substrate W. Next, the resist liquid tank 231 is retracted to the lower standby position (the position shown in FIG. 8). Subsequently, the removal of the thick film portion of the substrate W by the edge rinse mechanism 205 and the blast drying of the substrate W by the drying mechanism 306 are simultaneously performed. That is, in the edge rinsing mechanism 205, while the moving ejection unit 251 moves along the lower side of the substrate held by the plate 221,
The rinsing liquid is discharged from the nozzle to dissolve and remove the thick film portion formed along the lower side of the substrate W. The movement of the movable jetting unit 251 in the removal of the thick film portion may be performed once or several times, and the discharge of the rinsing liquid may be performed in a reciprocating manner or only in one way. At the same time, the drying mechanism 306 blows air on the coated substrate W held on the plate 221 to dry the applied resist liquid. During this drying, leveling of the applied resist liquid is also performed. By simultaneously performing the removal and drying of the thick film portion as in this embodiment, the processing capability per unit time of the apparatus can be improved, and the removal of the thick film portion can be performed on the substrate W held on the plate 221. By doing so, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated unnecessary film removing device, and the device can be downsized. In this embodiment, the drying mechanism 306 is provided to perform drying by blowing air. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, natural drying may be performed by leaving the apparatus to stand for a predetermined time.

[0053]

According to the present invention, since the unnecessary film is removed after the posture is changed so that the upper side and the lower side of the substrate from which the unnecessary film is to be removed are located on the sides, problems due to the dripping of the cleaning liquid are less likely to occur. Thus, unnecessary coating films near the upper side and / or lower side of the substrate can be more appropriately removed. Further, since the means for suppressing the trouble caused by the dripping of the cleaning liquid can be saved, an economically advantageous apparatus can be provided.

Further, in the present invention, the rinsing liquid is supplied to the thick film portion of the coating liquid formed on the upper side and / or the lower side without separately providing a dedicated unnecessary film removing device, so that the unnecessary film can be appropriately and economically removed. Can be dissolved and removed, increasing the size of the device, increasing the cost of the device, reducing the amount of substrate processed per unit time,
The occurrence of inconveniences such as an increase in the amount of peeling charge can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a resist coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a plate.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a resist coating apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a state diagram of a resist coating apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the moving injection unit.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a resist coating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a state diagram of a resist coating apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a resist coating apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 101, 201 Resist coating device 2, 102, 202 Substrate holding mechanism 3, 103, 203 Resist coating mechanism 4, 141 Attitude conversion mechanism 5, 105, 205 Edge rinse mechanism 21, 121, 221 Plate 21a Flat surface 22, 122 Suction device 51a, 51b Nozzle 41a Contact suction unit 43 Rotary actuator 51,251 Moving injection unit

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A holding means for holding a substrate in a vertical or inclined posture, an application means for applying a coating liquid to the substrate held by the holding means, and a substrate coated with the coating liquid, A coating liquid application comprising: posture changing means for changing the posture so that the lower side is located on the side; and unnecessary film removing means for removing unnecessary coating films along the side of the side position of the substrate after the posture change. apparatus. 2. The coating means has a coating liquid supply mechanism extending along an upper side or a lower side of the substrate before the posture change, and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the substrate and the coating liquid supply mechanism in the vertical direction. The coating liquid application device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The coating liquid application mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the coating liquid supply mechanism is a nozzle having a slit-shaped opening extending along an upper side or a lower side of the substrate before the posture change. 4. The coating liquid applying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding means has a holding plate having a flat surface, and a suction mechanism for sucking said substrate on said flat surface side of said holding plate. . 5. The suction mechanism has a contact suction unit capable of contacting the substrate, and the contact suction unit moves relative to the holding plate in a direction intersecting a flat surface of the holding plate. Is possible,
The coating liquid application device according to claim 4. 6. The coating liquid applying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said attitude changing means has said suction mechanism and a rotation mechanism for rotating said contact suction section. 7. The coating liquid applying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said attitude changing means has a rotation mechanism for rotating said holding means. 8. The coating liquid application device according to claim 4, wherein said attitude changing means has a rotation mechanism for rotating said holding plate. 9. A holding step of holding a substrate in a vertical or inclined posture, a coating step of applying a coating liquid to the held substrate, and a step of moving the substrate coated with the coating liquid so that its upper side and lower side are lateral. A coating liquid applying method, comprising: a posture changing step of changing a posture so as to be positioned; and an unnecessary film removing step of removing an unnecessary coating film along a side at a lateral position of the substrate after the posture change. 10. A holding means for holding a substrate in a vertical or inclined posture, an application means for applying a coating liquid to the substrate held by the holding means, and a coating liquid applied in a state held by the holding means. An application liquid applying apparatus, comprising: an unnecessary film removing unit that removes an unnecessary application film on a lower side of a subsequent substrate. 11. The coating means includes: a coating liquid supply mechanism extending substantially horizontally with respect to a substrate held by the holding means; and a coating liquid supply mechanism for moving the coating liquid relative to the substrate from above to below. 2. A moving mechanism for moving
0. The coating liquid application device according to 0. 12. The coating liquid application apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a drying mechanism for blowing the coating liquid applied by blowing air to the substrate held by the holding means. 13. A holding step of holding a substrate in a vertical or inclined position; a coating step of applying a coating liquid to the held substrate; and a holding step of holding the substrate in a vertical or inclined position. An unnecessary film removing step of removing unnecessary films in the peripheral portion;
A coating liquid application method comprising: 14. A holding step of holding the substrate in a vertical or inclined posture, a coating step of applying a coating liquid to the held substrate, a drying step of drying the coating liquid applied to the substrate, and the drying step. An unnecessary film removing step, which is performed simultaneously with the step, and removes an unnecessary film in a peripheral portion of the substrate. 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the drying step is performed by blowing air to the substrate.