JPS62250968A - Coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To supply a solution to an article to be coated in an adequate amount, in the coating of a photoresist, by providing a dripping liquid amount control part for controlling the dripping amount of the solution corresponding to the size of the article to be coated. CONSTITUTION:At first, an article 2 to be coated is placed on a spinner 1 and the size of the article 2 to be coated is detected by a TV camera 10 and an image processing part 11 to be transmitted to a dripping liquid amount control part 8. Whereupon, the dripping liquid amount control part 8 controls the extension and contraction quantity of a pump 4 through a motor 7 and a feed screw mechanism 6 so that a proper amount of a solution 5 is supplied to a dripping nozzle 3 corresponding to the size of the article 2 to be coated. Therefore, the solution 5 is dripped on the article 2 to be coated on the spinner 1 in an adequate amount corresponding to the size of said article 2 and a coating film of uniform thickness distribution is formed by centrifugal force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a coating technique, particularly to a technique that is effective when applied to a photoresist coating process in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[Prior Art] Regarding photoresist coating techniques for photomask substrates, semiconductor wafers, etc. in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, see Kogyo Kenkyukai Co., Ltd., published on May 15, 1982,
[Electronic Materials J November 1984 issue, P67-P7
1.

The general idea is to drop a certain amount of photoresist onto the center of a rotating photomask substrate or semiconductor wafer, and use centrifugal force to disperse it over the entire surface.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned coating apparatus, the amount of photoresist dropped remains constant even if the area of the photomask substrate or semiconductor wafer changes. This method has the disadvantage of oversupplying or undersupplying the amount of photoresist that is supplied, which can result in wasted photoresist that has been dropped excessively, and can cause uneven thickness distribution of the photoresist formed on the surface of the photomask substrate or semiconductor wafer. The present inventor has discovered that.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coating technique capable of forming a uniform coating film on the surface of an object to be coated without wasting solution.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention include:
It will become clear from the description herein and the accompanying drawings.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, a dripping liquid amount adjusting section is provided to adjust the amount of solution dripped onto the object to be coated depending on the size of the object to be coated.

[Function] According to the above-described means, even if the size of the object to be coated changes, it is possible to always supply the solution to the object to be coated in just the right amount and quantity, without wasting the solution. A uniform coating film can be formed on the surface of an object.

[Example] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of a coating device that is an example of the present invention.

An object 2 to be coated, such as a photomask substrate, is removably fixed onto a horizontally installed rotatable spinner 1 by vacuum suction or the like, and is configured to rotate together with the spinner 1. .

A coating nozzle 3 is provided above the center of the workpiece 2 fixed to the spinner 1, and a solution such as photoresist is supplied from a tank (not shown) through a pump 4 made of, for example, a bellows. 5 is configured to be dropped.

The pump 4 is also connected to a motor 7 via a feed screw mechanism 6.
is connected, and the amount of solution 5 dripped from the dripping nozzle 3 is changed in accordance with the amount of expansion and contraction of the pump 4, which is proportional to the amount of rotation of the motor 7 in a predetermined direction.

In this case, a dripping liquid amount adjusting section 8 is connected to the motor 7 that drives the pump 4 via the feed screw mechanism 6, and is disposed near the feed screw mechanism 6 along the moving direction. By controlling the amount of expansion and contraction of the pump 4 based on information from a plurality of position sensors 9 that detect the amount of movement of the screw mechanism 6, the desired amount of solution 5 is dripped from the dripping nozzle 3 onto the object 2. The value can be adjusted.

Further, a television camera 10 is provided above the spinner l to detect the size of the object 2 to be coated placed on the spinner 1, and an image processing unit 11 connected to the television camera 10 detects the size of the object 2 to be coated. It is configured such that the size of the object 2 to be coated is transmitted to the dripped liquid amount adjusting section 8.

Further, a manual setting section 12 is read directly into the dripping liquid amount adjusting section 8, and the solution 5 to be dripped from the dripping nozzle 3 onto the object 2 to be coated is
The amount can be set to a desired value from the outside.

The operation of this embodiment will be explained below.

First, the object 2 to be coated is placed on the spinner 1, and the size of the object 2 to be coated is detected by the television camera 10, the image processing section 11, etc., and is transmitted to the dripping liquid amount adjustment section 8.

Then, the dripping liquid amount adjusting section 8 controls the pump 4 to extend via the motor 7 and the feed screw mechanism 6 so that an appropriate amount of the solution 5 according to the size of the object 2 to be coated is supplied from the dripping nozzle 3. The solution 5 is dripped onto the object 2 placed on the spinner 1 in an amount corresponding to the size of the object 2.

Thereafter, the spinner 1 is rotated, and the solution 5 is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the object 2 by the action of centrifugal force, without wasting the solution 5 on the surface of the object 2. , a coating film of the solution 5 with a uniform film thickness distribution is formed.

Furthermore, in the above description, the case was explained in which the amount of the solution 5 dropped onto the object to be coated 2 is controlled based on the size of the object to be coated 2 detected by the television camera 10 and the image processing section 11. For example, it is also possible for the operator to determine the size of the object 2 to be coated and set the optimum dripping amount of the solution 5 in the dripping liquid amount adjustment section 8 via the manual setting section 12.

As described above, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) From the dripping nozzle 3 to the object 2 by the pump 4.
The amount of solution 5 supplied to the container is optimally controlled according to the size of the object to be coated 2 by a dripping liquid amount adjustment section 8 that controls expansion and contraction of the pump 4 via a motor 7 and a feed screw mechanism 6. Because of this structure, even if the size of the object 2 to be coated changes,
The solution 5 is dropped in just the right amount depending on the size of the object 2 to be coated, for example, the solution 5 caused by being dropped in excess
In addition, a uniform coating film of the solution 5 is formed on the object 2 to be coated.

(2) As a result of (11) above, the dimensional accuracy of the pattern formed by lithography on the object 2 to be coated, such as a photomask substrate or a semiconductor wafer, and thus the yield of the product are improved.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the method of controlling the amount of solution dripping is not limited to adjusting the amount of expansion and contraction of the pump, but it is also possible to set the pump's discharge volume at a constant relatively small value and control the number of discharges. It is also possible to make adjustments by

In the above explanation, the invention made by the present inventor was mainly applied to the photoresist coating technology in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, which is the background field of application, but the invention is not limited thereto. It can be widely applied to techniques that require forming a uniform coating film on a coated object.

[Effects of the Invention] The effects obtained by typical inventions disclosed in this application are briefly described below.

That is, in a coating device that performs coating by dropping a solution onto an object to be coated, it is provided with a dripped liquid amount adjustment section that adjusts the amount of the solution dropped according to the size of the object to be coated. Even if the size of the object to be coated changes, it is possible to always supply just the right amount of solution to the object to be coated, and a uniform coating film can be formed on the surface of the object without wasting solution. Can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of a coating device that is an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Spinner, 2...Object to be coated, 3...Dripping nozzle, 4...Pump, 5...Solution, 6...Feeding mechanism, 7...Motor, 8...・Dropped liquid amount adjustment section, 9・
...Position sensor, 10...TV camera, 11...
Image processing section, 12... manual setting section. ,/-“) Agent Patent Attorney Masaru Ogawa 1st Sen Kuisu 1 de Shipp

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A coating device that performs coating by dropping a solution onto an object to be coated, comprising a dripping liquid amount adjustment section that adjusts the amount of the solution to be dropped according to the size of the object to be coated. A coating device characterized by being provided with. 2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein coating is performed by dropping the solution while rotating the object to be coated. 3. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be coated is a photomask substrate or a semiconductor wafer, and the solution is a photoresist.