JPH11352448A - Device for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for treating a substrate which can keep a temperature of a treating solution fed to the substrate at a specified value without adding special constitution. SOLUTION: A substrate S is oscillated along a transporting direction TD in a state of being kept almost horizontal by a transporting roller 21. A stripper (a treating liquid) is supplied to both an upper and a lower side of the oscillated substrate S from upper nozzles NU and lower nozzles NL. Concerning the lower side of the substrate S, however, the stripper is supplied only to a normally present region Aa where some part of the substrate S is always present, within an oscillating range A of the substrate S. Thus regions other than the normally present region Aa within the oscillating range A are made to be regions where the lower side is not treated. Because this requires only a small number of nozzles, any pump with a large feeding capacity is unnecessary. Consequently an undesired temperature elevation of the stripper due to heat generation of the pump may not occur.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid to a main surface of a substrate such as a flat panel display (FPD) substrate such as a liquid crystal display device substrate and a photomask glass substrate. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device, a process of forming a thin film on a surface of a glass substrate and patterning the thin film is repeatedly performed. A photolithography process has been conventionally used for patterning a thin film. In this photolithography process,
A resist film is patterned on the film to be etched, and etching is performed using the resist film as a mask. After this etching, the resist film is peeled off.

A substrate processing apparatus for stripping a resist film, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, supports a substrate S substantially horizontally and along a main surface thereof (a processing target surface on which a resist film is formed). A plurality of transport rollers 201 for transporting in the transport direction 210 and a plurality of upper surface nozzles 202 disposed above and below the transport rollers 201, respectively.
And a plurality of lower surface nozzles 203, which are housed in a processing chamber 204. Top nozzle 20
The second and lower nozzles 203 are configured to supply a processing liquid (resist stripping liquid) to the entire upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S.

[0004] The atmosphere in the space inside the processing chamber 204 is exhausted from, for example, an exhaust port 206 formed above a partition on the side surface of the processing chamber 204. Thus, the processing of the substrate S is performed in a clean atmosphere.

If the processing is performed while the substrate S is transported in a certain direction at a constant speed, a long transport path length is required when processing the substrate S for a certain time, and the entire length of the apparatus is long. Becomes longer. Then, the transport roller 201 is driven so as to alternately repeat forward rotation and reverse rotation, and the substrate S is swung along the transport direction 210 within a certain distance range.
Thus, the processing liquid can be supplied to the substrate S over a sufficient time required for processing the substrate S without increasing the length of the transport path.

[0006]

In recent years, as the size of flat panel displays has increased, the size of substrates processed in the manufacturing process has also increased. In order to sufficiently supply the processing liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of such a large substrate, it is necessary to increase the number of upper nozzles and lower nozzles.

However, if the number of nozzles is increased, it is necessary to increase the pumping capacity of the pump for pumping the processing liquid accordingly. As a result, the amount of heat generated by the pump increases, so that the temperature of the processing liquid supplied to the nozzles increases, and the temperature of the processing liquid supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S cannot be maintained at a desired value. Occurs.

This problem can be solved by adding a cooling mechanism for cooling the processing liquid. However, such a solution involves another problem that the structure of the apparatus becomes complicated and the apparatus becomes large. Derive.

When processing is performed while oscillating the substrate S, the processing liquid from the lower surface nozzle 203 does not impinge on the substrate S near the both ends of the oscillating range of the substrate S, and There is time to be sprayed on the top surface 205. For this reason, there is a possibility that a droplet of the processing liquid may drop from the top surface 205 onto the upper surface of the substrate S.

Further, a part of the processing liquid that has hit the top surface 205 becomes a mist and is exhausted through the exhaust port 206. Therefore, when the processing liquid supplied to the substrate S is to be recovered and reused, the recovery rate of the processing liquid is deteriorated, and as a result, the consumption amount of the processing liquid is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing good processing on a substrate.

A specific object of the present invention is to maintain the temperature of a processing liquid supplied to a substrate at a desired value without adding a special configuration, thereby enabling processing of a substrate by the processing liquid. Is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing the above-described steps satisfactorily.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention According to the first aspect of the present invention, a substrate is supported substantially horizontally, and the substrate is supported along a predetermined swing direction along the upper surface of the substrate. Oscillating means for oscillating the substrate by means of the oscillating means, upper surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate being oscillated by the oscillating means, and A lower surface processing liquid supply unit for supplying a processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate in a constantly existing region where the substrate rocked by the rocking unit is always present within the rocking range; The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that a region other than the always present region is a lower surface non-processing region where the processing liquid is not supplied to the lower surface of the substrate.

According to the above arrangement, the processing liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate only in the region where the substrate is always present, within the swing range of the substrate. Therefore, since the total amount of the processing liquid supplied to the substrate is reduced, a large liquid supply capacity is not required for the processing liquid supply source that supplies the processing liquid to the upper processing liquid supply unit and the lower processing liquid supply unit. . Therefore, the amount of heat generated in the processing liquid supply source is small, and as a result, the temperature of the processing liquid can be maintained at a desired value. Thereby, the processing for the substrate can be favorably performed without adding a special configuration such as a cooling mechanism.

Since the processing liquid from the lower processing liquid supply means always hits the substrate, for example, the processing liquid supplied from the lower processing liquid supply means does not directly reach the top surface of the processing tank. For this reason, the processing liquid does not drop onto the substrate from the top surface of the processing tank, whereby the substrate can be processed favorably.

Further, since the generation of the mist due to the collision of the processing liquid with the top surface of the processing tank can be prevented, the amount of the processing liquid carried away by the exhaust in the processing tank can be reduced. Accordingly, when the processing liquid supplied to the substrate is recovered, the recovery efficiency can be increased, and the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

In addition, since the amount of the processing solution used is reduced as a whole, the amount of mist generated is also reduced. This also makes it possible to increase the processing liquid recovery efficiency.
If the swing range of the substrate is less than twice the length of the substrate in the swing direction, a constantly existing area where any part of the substrate always exists is generated.

Further, the substrate may be rectangular, and in this case, the swing direction may be a direction parallel to a pair of opposing sides of the rectangular substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a swinging means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and swinging the substrate in a predetermined swinging direction along the upper surface of the substrate, and swinging the swinging means by the swinging means. An upper surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface of the substrate being rotated, and a processing liquid being supplied to a peripheral region of a lower surface of the substrate being oscillated by the oscillating means. And a lower surface processing liquid supply means, wherein the peripheral area of the rocked substrate is not located within the rocking range of the substrate rocked by the rocking means. A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that the lower surface is an unprocessed area where the processing liquid is not supplied to the substrate.

According to this configuration, since the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral region on the lower surface of the substrate, the used processing liquid from the upper surface of the substrate (for example, in the case of the resist stripping processing, the processing liquid in which the resist is dissolved) ) Can be prevented from wrapping around the lower surface of the substrate.

In a region where the peripheral region of the substrate is not located within the swing range of the substrate, the processing liquid is not supplied from the lower surface side of the substrate. Therefore, since the amount of the processing liquid used is small, the processing liquid supply source for supplying the processing liquid to the upper processing liquid supply means and the lower processing liquid supply means does not require a large liquid supply capacity. Therefore, the amount of heat generated in the processing liquid supply source is small, and as a result, the temperature of the processing liquid can be maintained at a desired value. Further, since the amount of the processing liquid used is small, the amount of the processing liquid mist generated is small, and as a result, the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

The substrate may be a rectangular substrate. In this case, when the substrate swung by the swing means is located at the first end of the swing range, the lower surface processing liquid supply means is on the opposite side of the substrate from the first end. A first lower surface processing liquid supply mechanism provided so that the processing liquid is supplied to a lower surface near an end located at the first position, and a substrate which is rocked by the rocking means is located at the first end of the rocking range. Is a second lower processing liquid supply mechanism provided so that the processing liquid is supplied to a lower surface near an end of the substrate opposite to the second end when the substrate is located at the second end on the opposite side. And 2 parallel to the swing direction of the substrate swung by the swing means.
It is preferable to include a third lower processing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface near the two sides. In this case, the first
It is preferable that the lower surface processing liquid supply mechanism always supplies the processing liquid to at least the lower surface near the end opposite to the first end while the substrate is swinging. In addition, the second lower surface processing liquid supply mechanism always operates while the substrate is oscillating.
It is preferable to supply the processing liquid to at least the lower surface near the end opposite to the second end.

When the substrate is located at the first end of the oscillating range, the first lower surface processing liquid supply mechanism is provided with the first lower processing solution supply mechanism.
The processing liquid may also be supplied to the lower surface of the substrate near the edge located on the same side as the edge. Further, when the substrate is located at the second end of the swing range, the second lower surface processing liquid supply mechanism also applies the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate near an end located on the same side as the second end. May be supplied. Thus, the processing liquid can be constantly supplied to the peripheral portion on the lower surface of the substrate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and transferring the substrate along a predetermined path passing through a processing tank, and a processing liquid on an upper surface of the substrate transferred by the transfer means. An upper processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid, and a lower processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to a lower surface of the substrate in the vicinity of an outlet from which the substrate is carried out of the processing tank by the transport means. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a region in the processing tank other than a region near the outlet in a path on which a substrate is transported is a lower surface non-processing region where a processing liquid is not supplied to a lower surface of the substrate. .

According to this configuration, since the supply of the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate is performed only near the outlet of the processing tank, the consumption of the processing liquid is small. Therefore, the processing liquid supply source that supplies the processing liquid to the upper processing liquid supply unit and the lower processing liquid supply unit does not require a large liquid supply capacity.
Thus, a processing liquid at a desired temperature can be supplied to the substrate, and thus the substrate can be processed favorably. Further, since the amount of the processing liquid used is small, the amount of the processing liquid mist generated is small, and as a result, the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

The supply of the processing liquid from the upper processing liquid supply means to the upper surface of the substrate may cause the used processing liquid to flow around to the lower surface of the substrate.
This can be eliminated by supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate from the lower surface processing liquid supply means near the outlet of the processing tank.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and transferring the substrate along a predetermined path passing through a processing tank, and a processing liquid on an upper surface of the substrate transferred by the transfer means. Upper surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid, and a lower surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate in the vicinity of an inlet and an outlet where the substrate is carried into the processing tank by the transport means. In the path on which the substrate is transported by the transport means, the area in the processing tank other than the area near the inlet and the area near the outlet is a lower surface non-processing area where the processing liquid is not supplied to the lower surface of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus.

According to this configuration, the supply of the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate is performed only near the inlet and the outlet of the processing tank, so that the consumption of the processing liquid is small. for that reason,
The processing liquid supply source for supplying the processing liquid to the upper processing liquid supply means and the lower processing liquid supply means does not require a large liquid supply capacity. Therefore, a processing liquid at a desired temperature can be supplied to the substrate, and the substrate can be satisfactorily processed. Further, since the amount of the processing liquid used is small, the amount of the processing liquid mist generated is small, and as a result, the consumption of the processing liquid can be reduced.

The used processing liquid that has reached the lower surface of the substrate can be removed by supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate near the outlet of the processing tank.

In any of the inventions, the substrate processing apparatus may be a resist peeling apparatus for peeling a resist film on a substrate. In this case, the processing liquid may be a resist stripping liquid.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of a resist film peeling apparatus which is a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The resist film peeling apparatus sequentially transports substantially rectangular substrates S such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device in a substantially horizontal transport direction TD, and the main surface of the substrate S (upper surface in FIG. 1). This is an apparatus for sequentially removing the resist films formed on the main surfaces of a plurality of substrates S by supplying a processing liquid to the substrates.

In order to realize such a function, the resist film peeling apparatus includes, in order from the upstream side in the transport direction TD, an inlet conveyor 1, a peeling tank 2 (processing tank), and a washing tank 3
And the exit conveyor 4 along the transport direction TD. Each of the inlet conveyor 1, the peeling tank 2, the washing tank 3, and the outlet conveyor 4 includes a plurality of transport rollers 11, 21, 31, and 41 arranged along a horizontal plane in a positional relationship parallel to each other. The unprocessed substrates S are successively placed on the transport rollers 11 of the entrance conveyor 1 by a substrate loading robot (not shown), and are discharged onto the transport rollers 41 of the exit conveyor 4 by a substrate transport robot (not shown). The processed substrates S are successively removed. Transport roller 11,
Reference numerals 21, 31, and 41 denote transport roller driving units D, respectively.
Rotational force is obtained from D1, D2, D3, and D4 to rotate around each axis.

Transport roller drive units D1, D2, D3, D4
Are controlled by the control device 5. Thereby, for example, the transport rollers 21 and 31 of the peeling tank 2 and the washing tank 3 are rotated forward to transport the substrate S in the transport direction TD, or to return the substrate S in the direction opposite to the transport direction TD. It is reversed. This allows
The substrate S is swung in the peeling tank 2 and the washing tank 3 so that the processing in each of these processing units is uniformly performed over the entire area of the substrate S, and the transport path of each processing unit is used. The processing time necessary and sufficient for each step can be secured without increasing the length. In the entrance conveyor 1, only the processing of sending the substrate S is performed.
In the outlet conveyor 4, only the process of paying out the substrate S is performed after the drying process. Therefore, the drive / stop of the transport rollers 11 and 41 of the inlet conveyor 1 and the outlet conveyor 4 is controlled by the control device 5. Will be.

The stripping tank 2 is provided with an upper surface stripping solution supply mechanism 22 (upper surface processing solution supply means) for spraying a stripping solution on the upper surface (main surface) of the substrate S above the transport roller 21. A lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism 23 (lower surface processing solution supply means) for similarly supplying a stripping solution to the lower surface of the device is provided.

The stripping solution stored in the stripping solution tank 24 is pumped to the upper surface stripping solution supply mechanism 22 by a pump 25 (processing solution supply source) and supplied through a stripping solution supply pipe 26. An air valve 27 is interposed in the middle of the stripping liquid supply pipe 26. By opening and closing the air valve 27, the stripping liquid is ejected from the upper surface stripping liquid supply mechanism 22 or the ejection is stopped. Or you can. Further, the stripping solution pumped from the stripping solution tank 24 by the pump 25 is supplied to the lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism 23 by the pump 2.
It is supplied via a branch pipe 28 which is branched and connected to a stripping liquid supply pipe 26 between the air supply valve 5 and the air valve 27. Branch pipe 2
An air valve 29 is interposed in the middle of 8, and by opening and closing the air valve 29, it is possible to eject the stripping liquid from the lower surface stripping liquid supply mechanism 23 or stop the ejection. it can.

The stripping solution supplied to the substrate S from the stripping solution supply mechanisms 22 and 23 on the upper and lower surfaces is collected in the stripping solution tank 24 via the collection pipe 61 connected to the bottom surface of the stripping tank 2. It has become.

According to the above configuration, a stripping solution can be supplied toward the surface of the substrate S carried into the stripping tank 2, and the surface can be subjected to a resist stripping process using the stripping solution.

In the rinsing tank 3, pure water spray nozzles 32 and 33 for supplying pure water to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S are provided above and below the transport roller 31, respectively. Pure water stored in a pure water tank 34 is pumped to a pure water spray nozzle 32 by a pump 35 and supplied through a pure water supply pipe 36. An air valve 37 is interposed in the middle of the pure water supply pipe 36. By opening and closing the air valve 37, pure water is discharged from the pure water spray nozzle 32 or the discharge is stopped. Or you can. Further, the pure water spray nozzle 33 is connected to a pure water pumped from a pure water tank 34 by a pump 35 and is branched into a pure water supply pipe 36 between the pump 35 and the air valve 37. It is supplied via a tube 38. An air valve 39 is interposed in the middle of the branch pipe 38. By opening and closing the air valve 39, pure water is discharged from the pure water spray nozzle 33 or the discharge is stopped. be able to.

The pure water supplied to the substrate S is supplied to the electromagnetic valve 6.
5 and is collected in the pure water tank 34 through the collection pipe 66 or is discarded through the solenoid valve 67 and the waste liquid pipe 68. Specifically, in the initial period when the cleaning process for the substrate S is started, the solenoid valve 65 is closed and the solenoid valve 67 is opened. As a result, pure water containing a large amount of the stripping solution and the like is discarded. Thereafter, after a certain period of time, the electromagnetic valve 65 is opened and the electromagnetic valve 67 is closed. Thus, of the pure water used for cleaning the substrate S, relatively pure water can be collected in the pure water tank 34.

With the above structure, the spray nozzles 32 and 33 for pure water are provided on the surface of the substrate S treated with the stripping solution.
, Pure water can be supplied, and the stripping solution or the like adhering to the surface can be washed away.

The transport roller 41 of the exit conveyor 4 has a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction TD, and supports the substrate S unloaded from the washing tank 3 in the transport direction TD while supporting the substrate S horizontally. Is transported along. Near the entrance of the exit conveyor 4, a pair of air knife devices 42 and 43 for blowing dry air onto the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S to remove moisture on the surface of the substrate S are arranged. These pair of air knife devices 42 and 43 include:
Dry air sent from an air supply source (not shown) is supplied through an air supply pipe 44 and an air valve 45. The substrate S from which moisture has been removed by passing through the air knife devices 42 and 43 is, as described above,
The transfer roller 41 is removed from the transfer roller 41 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the upper-side stripper supply mechanism 22 and the lower-side stripper supply mechanism 23 in the stripper tank 2. The peeling tank 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a pair of side walls 2A and 2B facing each other along the transport direction TD correspond to a path line PL which is a path of the substrate S transported by the transport roller 21. A substrate entrance IN and a substrate exit OUT are formed at the locations.

Above the pass line PL, a plurality of upper surface nozzles NU arranged in a grid along the upper surface of the substrate S which is transported while being supported substantially horizontally by the transport rollers 21
Is provided. These upper surface nozzles NU spray a release liquid as a processing liquid toward the upper surface of the substrate S being transported by the transport roller 21. An upper surface stripper supply mechanism 22 is provided by these upper surface nozzles NU and a stripper supply pipe (not shown) for distributing the stripper to the upper surface nozzles NU.
Is configured.

On the other hand, below the pass line PL,
A plurality of lower surface nozzles NL are arranged in a lattice shape along the lower surface of the substrate S transported by the transport roller 21 at a position avoiding the transport roller 21. These lower surface nozzles NL are connected to the substrate S transported by the transport rollers 21.
Is sprayed toward the lower surface of the substrate.
The lower surface nozzle supply mechanism 23 is constituted by the lower surface nozzles NL and a release liquid supply pipe (not shown) for distributing the release liquid to the lower surface nozzles NL.

One side wall 2C of the peeling tank 2 along the transport direction TD
At a position higher than the installation height of the upper surface nozzle NU,
An exhaust port 70 is formed. The exhaust port 70 is connected to an appropriate exhaust facility such as an exhaust pipe or an exhaust blower provided in a factory via an exhaust duct 71. As a result, the space inside the stripping tank 2 is forcibly evacuated. FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view for explaining an arrangement state of a plurality of lower surface nozzles NL. Substrate S is transport roller 21
As a result, it is swung along the transport direction TD between the first end position EP1 shown by the solid line and the second end position EP2 shown by the two-dot chain line. That is, a region where any portion of the substrate S located at the first end position EP1 or the second end position EP2 exists is the swing range A of the substrate S. In the swing range A, in the overlapping portion of the substrate S located at the first end position EP1 and the second end position EP2, there is always any portion of the substrate S that is swung by the transport roller 12. This is the always existing area Aa. The always present area Aa is shown by hatching in FIG.

The plurality of lower surface nozzles NL are arranged so that the stripping liquid can be supplied to the always present area Aa. That is, in the swing range A, a region other than the always present region Aa is a lower surface unprocessed region in which the release liquid is not supplied to the substrate S from the lower surface side.

Most of the resist film to be subjected to the resist film peeling process is formed on the upper surface of the substrate S. Therefore, the purpose of supplying the stripping solution to the lower surface of the substrate S is to prevent the used stripping solution in which the resist film material is dissolved from flowing from the upper surface side of the substrate S to the lower surface side, thereby contaminating the lower surface of the substrate S. It is to prevent. Therefore, the supply of the stripping solution to the lower surface of the substrate S is not so important, and it is sufficient to remove the stripping solution that has flowed from the upper surface.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the stripper is supplied from the lower surface only in the always present area Aa where the substrate S is always present. The number of the provided lower surface nozzles NL is reduced. Due to this decrease in the number of nozzles, a pump having a relatively low liquid sending capacity can be applied to the pump 25 (see FIG. 1), so that the calorific value can be suppressed low.
As a result, there is no possibility that an undesired increase in the temperature of the stripping solution passing through the pump 25 occurs. Thus, a stripper at an appropriate temperature can be supplied to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S without using a cooling mechanism or the like, and the resist film stripping process can be performed favorably.

Moreover, in this embodiment, since the lower surface nozzle NL is arranged only in the always present area Aa where the substrate S is always present, the stripping liquid jetted from the lower surface nozzle NL hits the top surface 2D of the processing tank 2. There is no fear. Therefore, the amount of the mist of the stripping liquid generated is small, and the amount of the stripping liquid lost by the forced exhaust through the exhaust port 70 can be reduced. Thereby, the recovery efficiency of the stripper through the recovery pipe 61 (see FIG. 1) can be increased, and as a result, the consumption of the stripper can be reduced. Further, since the stripping solution does not directly reach the top surface 2D, it is possible to prevent the drop of the stripping solution from dropping onto the substrate S from the top surface 2D.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the arrangement of the lower nozzles in the resist film stripping apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, the above-described FIG. 1 is also referred to, and portions corresponding to the respective portions shown in FIG. 3 in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, a necessary minimum number of lower surface nozzles NL are provided so that the peeling liquid is always supplied to the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate S while the substrate S is rocked. I have. That is, the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL have a pair of end sides (sides substantially orthogonal to the transport direction TD) Sa, Sb of the substrate S at the first end position EP1 within the swing range A.
Those belonging to the first group N1 for supplying the stripper to the lower surface of the nearby edge region are included. Further, the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL have the second end position EP within the swing range A.
2 that belong to the second group N2 that supplies the stripping liquid to the lower surface of the edge region near the pair of edges (the edges substantially orthogonal to the transport direction TD) Sa and Sb of the substrate S.
Further, the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL are provided with the substrate S
And a group belonging to a third group N3 for supplying a stripper to the lower surface of the edge region near the pair of side edges Sc and Sd (sides substantially parallel to the transport direction TD). However, the lower surface nozzle NL that supplies the stripper to the lower surface of the four corners of the substrate S at the first end position EP or the second end position EP belongs to two groups.

The lower nozzles NL belonging to the first group N1 constitute a first lower treatment liquid supply mechanism, the lower nozzles NL belonging to a second group N2 constitute a second lower treatment liquid supply mechanism, and the third group N3 Constitutes a third lower surface treatment liquid supply mechanism.

On the other hand, a region corresponding to neither the region corresponding to the peripheral portion of the substrate S at the first end position EP1 nor the region corresponding to the peripheral portion of the substrate S at the second end position EP2 is The lower surface unprocessed area M where the supply of the stripping liquid is not performed (shown by hatching). Thereby, the number of nozzles on the lower surface side of the substrate S is reduced.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the stripper is always supplied to the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate S, so that the used stripper flows from the upper surface of the substrate S. It can be effectively prevented. On the other hand, the substrate S
Since the lower nozzles that do not contribute to the supply of the stripper to the peripheral portion of the substrate S are eliminated, the total number of nozzles that supply the stripper to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate S is reduced. Thereby, the pump 25
1 (see FIG. 1) does not require a large liquid sending capacity, and as a result, there is no possibility that an undesired increase in temperature of the stripping solution occurs in the pump 25.

Further, since the number of nozzles is small, the amount of mist generated is also small, so that the amount of the stripping liquid lost in the form of mist can be reduced. Thereby, the recovery efficiency of the stripping solution is increased, and as a result, the consumption of the stripping solution can be reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge direction of the stripping liquid from the lower surface nozzle NL is set to a direction inclined from the inside to the outside of the substrate S so that the substrate S
Of the used stripper from the upper surface to the lower surface can be more effectively suppressed.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a lower-surface stripper supply mechanism in a resist film stripper according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a plan view thereof.
The lower surface stripper supply mechanism 23A shown in FIG. 7 is to be used instead of the lower surface stripper supply mechanism 23 in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the description of this embodiment, the above-described FIG. 1 is also referred to, and in FIGS. 7 and 8, portions corresponding to the respective portions illustrated in FIGS. It is shown as follows.

In this embodiment, the lower surface nozzle NL is not disposed within the swing range A, and the substrate S is located below the pass line PL between the swing range A and the substrate outlet OUT. Are arranged along one end side Sb. The plurality of lower surface nozzles NL
And a stripping solution supply pipe for distributing the stripping solution to the lower surface nozzle NL, etc., constitute a lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism 23A.

Inside the peeling tank 2, the substrate outlet O
The area on the pass line PL other than the area B near the UT is an unprocessed lower surface area in which the release liquid is not supplied to the lower surface of the substrate S.

After the processing on the upper surface of the substrate S in the peeling tank 2 is completed, the lower surface nozzle NL is provided on the lower surface of the substrate S in the process of being carried out of the peeling tank 2 by the transport roller 21.
Is supplied. As a result, the used stripper that has flowed from the upper surface side of the substrate S to the lower surface thereof is removed. In this case, the air valve 29 (see FIG. 1) is opened at the timing when the processing on the upper surface of the substrate S is completed and the transport roller 21 is operated to carry out the substrate S from the separation tank 2. Then, at the timing when the rear end side Sa of the substrate S passes above the lower surface nozzle NL, the air valve 29 is closed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the lower surface nozzle NL is arranged only near the substrate outlet OUT,
The total number of nozzles for supplying the stripper to the substrate S is greatly reduced. Accordingly, since a pump having a relatively low liquid sending capacity can be applied to the pump 25, there is no possibility that an undesired increase in the temperature of the stripping solution occurs.

Since the stripping liquid is discharged from the lower surface nozzle NL only when the substrate S is carried out of the stripping tank 2, the consumption of the stripping liquid can be greatly reduced.

The lower surface nozzle NL may be arranged at a position close to the substrate outlet OUT within the swing range A. That is, the transport direction TD at the first end position EP1
Is disposed at any position between the downstream end of the substrate and the substrate outlet OUT, the stripping liquid spray generated by the lower surface nozzle NL in the process of being unloaded from the stripping tank 2 covers the entire lower surface of the substrate S. Can be scanned.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a resist film stripping apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This resist film peeling apparatus has a first peeling module 8 having a first peeling tank 81 and a second peeling module 9 having a second peeling tank 91.

The first stripping module 8 is provided with a stripping solution tank 82 storing a stripping solution inside a stripping tank 81. The substrate S is immersed in the stripping solution stored in the stripping solution tank 82. It is an immersion type peeling module that performs processing. In the stripping liquid tank 82, a transport roller 83 for nipping and transporting the substrate S from above and below is disposed. And, this transport roller 8
Pass line 1 which is the path of the substrate S transported by 3
The substrate inlet 85 and the substrate outlet 86 are respectively provided at a position corresponding to 00 on a pair of opposing side walls of the stripper tank 82.
Are formed. In addition, an ultrasonic oscillator 89 for generating ultrasonic vibration is provided inside the stripping liquid tank 82 in order to enhance the stripping effect by the stripping liquid.

The substrate entrance 85 and the substrate exit 86 are provided with shutter plates 87 and 88 which can be opened and closed. When the substrate S is carried into the stripping solution tank 82, the shutter plate 87 is opened and the substrate S is opened. When carrying out, the shutter plate 88 is opened, and in other periods, the shutter plates 87 and 88 are kept closed.

The partition 89 shared by the first stripping tank 81 and the second stripping tank 91 has a substrate inlet 92 through which the substrate S from the first stripping module 8 is introduced into the second stripping module 9. Is formed. At a position close to the substrate entrance 92, a plurality of lower surface nozzles NL1 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the transport direction TD.
The partition 109 facing the partition 89 has a substrate outlet 110 through which the substrate S unloaded from the first peeling module 9 passes.
In the vicinity of the substrate outlet 110, a plurality of lower surface nozzles NL2 are arranged in the second peeling tank 91 along a direction perpendicular to the transport direction TD.

The plurality of lower surface nozzles NL1 and NL2 are
The release liquid is provided to the lower surface of the substrate S over the entire length of the substrate S in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the transport direction TD). Each of the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL1 and NL2 and a stripper supply pipe (not shown) for distributing the stripper to the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL1 and NL2, respectively.
A lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism 94 (lower surface processing solution supply means) is configured.

Further, between the lower nozzles NL1 and NL2, a plurality of upper nozzles N
U are provided, for example, arranged in a lattice shape. The plurality of upper surface nozzles NU and the plurality of upper surface nozzles NU
A stripper supply pipe 95 for distributing the stripper to the upper surface constitutes an upper stripper supply mechanism 96 (upper processing liquid supply means).

The second peeling module 9 includes the substrate S
Is provided along the path line 100 and can be returned in the direction opposite to the transport direction TD while supporting the transport roller 97 substantially horizontally. That is, the substrate S is configured to be swung within the fixed swing range A in the second peeling tank 91 along the transport direction TD. The plurality of upper surface nozzles NU are provided so as to supply the stripping liquid to the entire upper surface of the substrate S in the entire swing range A.

The transport roller 97 includes a transport roller driving unit D
A driving force is applied from the control unit 9 and the operation of the transport roller driving unit D9 is controlled by the control unit 98.

The stripper stored in the stripper tank 99 is pumped and supplied to the upper stripper supply mechanism 96 and the lower stripper supply mechanism 94 by the pump 101. The supply / stop of the stripping solution to the upper surface stripping solution supply mechanism 96 is controlled by opening and closing an air valve 103 interposed in the stripping solution supply line 102, and the opening and closing of the air valve 103 is controlled by a control device 98. It has become so.

From the stripping liquid supply line 102, stripping liquid supply lines 105 and 115 for supplying a stripping liquid to the lower surface nozzles NL1 and NL2 are branched, and these stripping liquid supply lines 115 are also provided with air valves. 106,116
Are interposed respectively. Therefore, the lower surface nozzle N
The supply / stop of the stripper to L1 and NL2 is controlled by the air valve 10
The opening and closing of these air valves 106 and 116 is also controlled by opening and closing the control device 98.
It is to be done by.

With this configuration, the substrate S carried into the second peeling module 9 after being subjected to the processing by the first peeling module 8 has a lower surface near the substrate entrance 92 of the second peeling module 9. A stripper is supplied.
With the movement of the substrate S, the lower surface nozzle NL1 can scan the entire area of the substrate S, and can supply the stripping liquid to the entire area of the lower surface of the substrate S. Thereby, the first peeling module 8
The used stripping liquid that has flowed to the lower surface of the substrate S by the processing in (1) can be eliminated by supplying the stripping liquid from the lower surface side.

On the other hand, the supply of the stripping solution from the upper surface nozzle NU in the second stripping module 9 causes the used stripping solution to flow to the lower surface side of the substrate S. The used stripper is removed by the supply of the stripper from the lower nozzle NL2 disposed near the substrate outlet 110. The lower surface nozzle NL2 is connected to the unloaded substrate S
Is similar to the case of the lower surface nozzle NL1.

The control device 98 opens the air valve 106 at a timing when the front end side Sb of the substrate S reaches a position above the lower surface nozzle NL1, and the rear end side Sa of the substrate S moves to the lower surface nozzle NL.
1 at a timing after passing through the upper position of the air valve 106.
Is closed. Further, in the process in which the substrate S is carried into the second peeling module 9 from the first peeling module 8, the air valve 103 is opened at a timing when the substrate S reaches the first end position EP1 in the swing range A, and the board S is opened for a predetermined time. Has elapsed, the air valve 1
03 is closed. During this fixed time, the control device 98
By controlling the transport roller driving unit D9, the substrate S
Is swung in the swing range A along the transport direction TD.

When the processing on the upper surface of the substrate S is completed, the controller 98 moves the substrate S to the substrate outlet 110
Through the second stripping tank 91. At this time, the control device 98 opens the air valve 116 at the timing when the front end side Sb of the substrate S reaches the position above the lower surface nozzle NL2, and the timing when the rear end side Sa of the substrate S passes above the lower position nozzle NL2. To close the air valve 116.

As described above, in this embodiment, the lower surface nozzles NL1 and NL2 are disposed near the substrate inlet 92 and the substrate outlet 110 of the second peeling tank 91, and the pass line 100 inside the second peeling tank 91 is provided. The upper remaining region is a lower surface unprocessed region where the stripping liquid is not supplied to the lower surface of the substrate S. Thus, the total number of nozzles for supplying the stripper to the substrate S is reduced.
Therefore, the pump 101 is not required to have a large liquid sending capacity, so that there is no problem of an undesired increase in the temperature of the stripping solution due to the heat generated by the pump 101.

The lower surface nozzle NL 1 may be arranged at a position close to the substrate inlet 92 within the swing range A. That is, the transport direction TD at the second end position EP2
If disposed at any position between the upstream end of the substrate and the substrate inlet 92, the release liquid spray generated by the lower surface nozzle NL1 will be removed from the lower surface of the substrate S in the process of being carried in from the first release module 8. Can be scanned over the entire area. Similarly, the lower surface nozzle NL2 moves the substrate outlet 11 within the swing range A.
It may be arranged at a position close to zero. That is, if the substrate S is disposed at any position between the downstream end in the transport direction TD at the first end position EP1 and the substrate outlet 101, the release liquid spray generated by the lower surface nozzle NL2 is such that the substrate S is in the second position.
In the process of being unloaded from the peeling tank 91, the entire lower surface of the substrate S can be scanned.

Although the four embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention can be implemented in other embodiments.
For example, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 described above, of the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL belonging to the group N1, the lower surface nozzle NL near the rear end side Sa of the substrate S at the first end position EP1 is omitted. May be. Similarly, of the plurality of lower surface nozzles NL belonging to the group N2, the lower surface nozzle NL near the front end side Sb of the substrate S at the second end position EP2 may be omitted. That is, the first end position EP1
The lower surface nozzle NL may be provided only in the peripheral portion of the overlapping range between the second nozzle position EP2 and the second end position EP2. Also in this case, the substrate S
Of the stripping liquid can be satisfactorily supplied to the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate.
Moreover, the number of nozzles can be further reduced.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the resist film peeling process on the glass substrate for the liquid crystal display device has been described, but the substrate to be processed is a substrate for a plasma display panel, a substrate for a photomask, The present invention may be applied to other types of processing such as rework processing for peeling a poorly coated or poorly developed resist film from a substrate. it can.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration of a resist film stripping apparatus which is a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an arrangement of an upper surface stripping solution supply mechanism and a lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism in a stripping tank.

FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view for explaining an arrangement state of a plurality of lower surface nozzles.

FIG. 4 is a simplified plan view for explaining an arrangement of lower surface nozzles in a resist film stripping apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an arrangement state of a lower nozzle in a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an arrangement state of a lower surface nozzle according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a lower surface removing liquid supply mechanism in a resist film removing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a simplified plan view showing a configuration of a lower surface stripping solution supply mechanism of the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative sectional view of a resist film stripping apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional resist film stripping apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Separation tank 21 Transport roller 22 Upper surface stripper supply mechanism 23 Lower surface stripper supply mechanism 25 Pump NU Upper surface nozzle NL Lower surface nozzle A Swing range Aa Always present area EP1 First end position EP2 Second end position IN Substrate entrance OUT Substrate exit Reference Signs List 8 first peeling module 9 second peeling module 81 first peeling tank 91 second peeling tank 92 substrate inlet 94 bottom surface peeling liquid supply mechanism 96 top surface peeling liquid supply mechanism 97 transport roller 110 substrate outlet NL bottom surface nozzle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A swinging means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and swinging the substrate along a predetermined swinging direction along an upper surface of the substrate, and a swinging means for swinging the substrate by the swinging means. An upper surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the upper surface, and a constantly existing area in which a substrate rocked by the rocking means always exists within a rocking range of the substrate rocked by the rocking means. And a lower surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate, wherein the area other than the always present area within the swing range is not processed on the lower surface where the processing liquid is not supplied to the lower surface of the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a region. 2. A swinging means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and swinging the substrate in a predetermined swinging direction along an upper surface of the substrate, and a swinging means for swinging the substrate by the swinging means. Upper surface processing liquid supply means for supplying the processing liquid to the upper surface, and lower surface processing liquid supply means arranged so that the processing liquid is supplied to the peripheral area of the lower surface of the substrate being swung by the rocking means And supplying the processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate in a region where the peripheral region of the substrate to be rocked is not located within the rocking range of the substrate rocked by the rocking means. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a lower surface unprocessed area is not formed. 3. A transfer means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and transferring the substrate along a predetermined path passing through a processing tank, and an upper processing liquid for supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate transferred by the transfer means. A supply means, and a lower surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to the lower surface of the substrate in the vicinity of an outlet from which the substrate is carried out of the processing tank by the transporting means; 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a region in the processing tank other than a region near the outlet is a lower surface non-processing region where a processing liquid is not supplied to a lower surface of the substrate. 4. A transport means for supporting a substrate substantially horizontally and transporting the substrate along a predetermined path passing through a processing tank, and an upper processing liquid for supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate transported by the transport means. A supply means, and a lower surface processing liquid supply means for supplying a processing liquid to a lower surface of the substrate near an inlet and an outlet where the substrate is carried into the processing tank by the transport means, wherein the substrate is transported by the transport means. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a region in the processing tank other than a region near the entrance and a region near the outlet in the path to be processed is a lower surface non-processing region where a processing liquid is not supplied to a lower surface of the substrate.