JPS60175569A - Coating apparatus to semiconductor substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a good coating state from the beginning, by imparting moving function to the photoresist emitting nozzle in a coating apparatus to a semiconductor substrate. CONSTITUTION:Moving function by a drive means 1 such as a motor is imparted to a photoresist emitting nozzle 3 equipped with a means 2 for emitting the solvent of a photoresist from the periphery of a photoresist emitting orifice. By this method, a good coating state is obtained from the beginning even after an apparatus has been stopped for a long time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a coating device for semiconductor substrates, particularly for coating a photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as a photoresist) on the surface of a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) in a photolithography process of a semiconductor manufacturing process. This invention relates to a coating device for spin-coating semiconductor substrates.

In recent years, coating equipment for semiconductor substrates used in semiconductor manufacturing processes is required to provide coatings with good coating conditions as the density of semiconductor elements and extremely fine processing have progressed. 7. Good photoresist coating condition on the wafer surface required in the semiconductor manufacturing process means that there is no contamination of impurities in the photoresist coating film formed on the wafer surface, and the desired photoresist coating film thickness is applied to the entire surface of the ware 1. A uniform coating film thickness was obtained, and the above contents were
It is desirable to be able to obtain it stably in continuous processing.
Factors that affect the condition of the photoresist coating film include the shape of the coating processing section caused by the semiconductor substrate coating equipment itself, the flow of the atmosphere, the rotational speed and rotational acceleration of the wafer, etc.
There are molecular weight, viscosity, etc. of the photoresist material that are caused by the photoresist itself. As for the elements originating from the semiconductor substrate coating apparatus itself, relatively good ones have been provided through conventional experience and technological innovation.

In addition, relatively good elements are also provided that are caused by the photoresist itself, but its original properties change over time. The change in viscosity is caused by the volatilization of the solvent contained in the photoresist.

In actual work, the photoresist is stored in the coating equipment for semiconductor substrates so that it is not exposed to the outside atmosphere, and the location where photoresist viscosity changes occur is the photoresist discharge nozzle, which is the final stage of the photoresist piping system. It is. When the coating equipment for semiconductor substrates is continuously operated, the viscosity change at the tip of the photoresist discharge nozzle is short-lived, so it hardly affects the photoresist coating condition4.
will not be given.

However, when the apparatus is stopped for a certain period of time, the change in the viscosity of the photoresist at the tip of the photoresist discharge nozzle continues until it adversely affects the photoresist application state. Furthermore, the viscosity changes around the tip of the photoresist discharge nozzle, and the hardened and adhered photoresist cannot be coated in a good condition unless multiple photoresists are discharged from the discharge nozzle or the tip of the discharge nozzle is cleaned. It doesn't come back like that.

Therefore, in the conventional semiconductor substrate coating apparatus, when the apparatus is not used for a certain period of time, it takes a lot of time and work to obtain a good coating condition again, which is extremely inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the inefficiency of the conventional semiconductor substrate coating equipment described above, and to provide a semiconductor substrate that does not require any restoration work even after the equipment has been stopped for a long time, and can obtain a good coating state from the beginning. The present invention provides an enamel coating device.

A unique feature of the present invention is that the seven photoresist discharge nozzles in the coating apparatus for semiconductor substrates are provided with a moving function. In addition, another feature of the present invention is that means is provided for discharging a cleaning liquid, which is a solvent for shear resist, around the tip of the photoresist discharging nozzle. Another feature of the invention is that the photoresist discharge nozzle is removed from the waste liquid cup of the coating processing section every time each wafer is coated, or every time a plurality of wafers are coated, or every time a set number of wafers are coated. The wafer is vacuum-suctioned inside the chamber, moved to a position that avoids the rotating spin chuck, and the photoresist and cleaning solution are automatically discharged to keep the tip of the photoresist discharge nozzle clean at all times and to allow long hours of work. Even after stopping the coating process, recovery work can be carried out to obtain a good coating condition by automatically emptying the 7 Otoresist at the position where the 7 Otoresist discharge nozzle has moved just before restarting the coating process. This is not necessary at all, and a good coating condition can be obtained from the beginning.

Embodiment t--The first factor will be explained with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the coating processing section has a movement function using a driving means 1 such as an air cylinder or a motor, and a cleaning function using a means 2 that discharges cleaning liquid, which is a solvent for shift resist, from around the photoresist discharge opening. Waste liquid cup 5 equipped with a nozzle 3 and 4t of exhaust and waste liquid piping
and a spin chuck 6 which has a function of vacuum suction and fixation of the wafer and a function of rotation by a motor or the like.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a 7-odresist discharge nozzle 3, which is equipped with a pipe 2 for discharging a cleaning liquid, which is a solvent for photoresist, from around the 7-odresist discharge port.

Semiconductor substrate coating by non-invention - #C The operation of the photoresist coating process on the wafer surface is such that the photoresist discharge nozzle 3 is placed near the rotation center of the spin chuck 6, and after the coating process is completed, the photoresist discharge nozzle 3 moves within the waste liquid cup 5 to a position avoiding the spincher and ri 6,
When cleaning the tip of the photoresist discharge nozzle 3 by discharging the cleaning solution from the cleaning solution pipe 2 and performing the wafer coating process again, after emptyly discharging 7 photoresists at a position where the photoresist discharge nozzle 3 avoids the spin chuck 6. , the spinner 1 is returned to the vicinity of the rotation center and the coating process is performed on the wafer.

As explained above, the invention makes it possible to provide a semiconductor substrate coating apparatus that can always obtain a good coating state, and brings great sound effects to the semiconductor manufacturing process.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention. r) A cross-sectional view of a resist discharge nozzle. In addition, in the figure. l... Nozzle driving means, 2... Cleaning liquid piping, 3... Photoresist discharge nozzle, 4.
...Waste liquid piping. 5... Waste liquid power, 6... Spin chuck, 7... Photoresist piping. Figure 7? figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] +1.1 A semiconductor substrate coating device for spin-coating a photosensitive material onto the surface of a semiconductor substrate, characterized in that a photosensitive material discharge nozzle is provided with a moving function. (2) The moving function has a function of automatically moving the photosensitive material discharge nozzle according to the semiconductor substrate processing operation, and the coating of the semiconductor substrate according to claim (1) Device. (3) The photosensitive material discharging nozzle has a function of discharging a cleaning liquid, which is a solvent for the photosensitive material, around the tip of the photosensitive material discharging nozzle to clean the tip of the photosensitive material discharging nozzle. A coating apparatus for a semiconductor substrate according to item (1) or item (2). (4) Claims (1) and (2) have a function of automatically cleaning the tip of the photosensitive material discharging nozzle and emptying the photosensitive material in accordance with semiconductor substrate processing operations.
) or (3).