KR100436549B1 - Spin coater apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spin coater device having a transfer means for selectively transferring a plurality of nozzles to a discharge position, wherein the spin coater device for applying treatment liquids onto a wafer surface is adapted to rotate in a state where the wafer is fixed. A discharge portion of the upper portion of the wafer at the standby position by selecting one of a spin portion, at least one first nozzle for injecting the processing liquid 1 onto the wafer, a second nozzle for injecting the processing liquid 2 onto the wafer, and first nozzles It has a nozzle moving means for moving to. The nozzle moving means includes a drive unit and a holder coupled to the support block of the selected first injection nozzle and for rotating the first injection nozzle by driving the drive unit. The second nozzle is rotated from the standby position to the discharge position with the selected first injection nozzle mounted on the holder.

Description

Spin Coater Device {SPIN COATER APPARATUS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spin coater apparatus for applying photoresist to a semiconductor wafer, and more particularly to a spin coater apparatus having a transfer means for selectively selecting a plurality of nozzles and transferring them to a discharge position.

In the photolithography method of the semiconductor device manufacturing process, a photoresist (PR) coating process for forming a photoresist film on the surface of a semiconductor wafer and a predetermined pattern exposure process are performed on the semiconductor wafer after photoresist coating, and then the pattern is developed. The developing process is performed. In this photoresist coating process, a spin coating method or the like is widely used as a method for uniformly applying photoresist to the surface of a semiconductor wafer.

In general, the spin coater device preferably includes a plurality of injection nozzles for selecting and supplying a plurality of photoresists (treatment liquids) having different components and viscosities. Such examples are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-52990. It is. As described in this publication, the conventional spin coater apparatus is known to have a conveying means configured to hold a spray nozzle selected from a plurality of spray nozzles located at a standby position and move it to a discharge position above the wafer.

On the other hand, recently, it is desired to reduce the consumption of photoresist for reasons such as a reduction in manufacturing cost. For this reason, it has been attempted to reduce the drop amount of the photoresist on each wafer. One method of reducing the amount of dropping the photoresist is a so-called pre-wet treatment in which the entire wafer surface is wetted with a solvent such as a thinner prior to the application of the photoresist. This prewet process facilitates diffusion of the photoresist, and as a result, the photoresist film can be uniformly formed with a small amount of the photoresist, thereby reducing the consumption of the photoresist.

The thinner nozzle for performing this prewet process is normally provided in the nozzle arm like a photoresist. For this reason, in the conventional spin coater apparatus, the thinner nozzle and the photoresist nozzle (hereinafter referred to as 'PR nozzle') are inevitably moved, and a long time is required for 15 seconds or more after the thinner spraying. Specifically, select the thinner nozzle from the standby position-spray after moving to the center of the wafer-move the thinner nozzle to its original position (standby position)-select the PR nozzle-spray after moving to the center of the wafer-return the PR nozzle to its original position It will go through the process.

In this way, since the drying of the highly volatile at the time of the prewetting process is remarkably fast, when the thinner is sprayed as described above and the photoresist liquid is discharged to the wafer after a long time (15 seconds), the photoresist is discharged. When the drying of the high volatility thinner has already proceeded and the photoresist reaches the periphery of the wafer, the high volatility thinner may be volatilized already.

In such a case, the effect of prewet cannot fully be exhibited, and the reduction of the consumption amount of a photoresist cannot fully be expected. In addition, the heat of vaporization during drying of the highly volatile thinner lowers the temperature of the semiconductor wafer, particularly the temperature around the wafer, resulting in a decrease in the film thickness of the outer peripheral portion of the wafer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a new type spin coater device capable of applying photoresist immediately after applying a solvent to a wafer surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spin coater device of a new type in which a thinner nozzle can be moved to a discharge position simultaneously with a PR nozzle.

1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a coating and developing system for a semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view schematically showing a spin coater apparatus of a semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 and 4 are an exploded perspective view and a perspective view of the nozzle moving means shown in FIG.

5 is a front view of a spin coater apparatus of a semiconductor wafer, which is an embodiment of the present invention;

6 to 9 are diagrams for explaining stepwise application of the PR liquid in the spin coater apparatus of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

110: spin portion 112: spin chuck

114: catch cup 122a, 122b, 122c: PR nozzle

124: thinner nozzle 130: nozzle moving means

132: drive unit 133: control unit

134: holder portion 136: support shaft

138: holder portion 140: mounting portion

142: second arm 144: fixed arm

146: fixed block 148: bracket

150: fixed clip

In order to achieve the above object, the spin coater device for applying the processing liquids on the wafer surface according to the characteristics of the present invention includes a spin portion for rotating in a state in which the wafer is fixed; At least one first nozzle for injecting treatment liquid 1 onto the wafer; A second nozzle for injecting processing liquid 2 onto the wafer; And a nozzle moving means for selecting one of the first nozzles to move from the standby position to the discharge position on the wafer. The nozzle moving means includes a drive unit; And a holder coupled to the support block of the selected first injection nozzle and for rotating the first injection nozzle by driving of the drive unit. The second nozzle is moved from the standby position to the discharge position with the selected first injection nozzle mounted on the holder.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support block of the first nozzle has a first pin and a first groove on the upper surface, and the holder has a second groove and a second corresponding to the pin and the groove of the support block, respectively. Has 2 pins.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the holder includes a support shaft for receiving a rotational movement from the drive unit; A first arm formed at an end of the support shaft and assembled with a support block of the selected first injection nozzle to rotate the first injection nozzle; And a mounting portion mounted to the first arm and to which the second spray nozzle is mounted.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion includes a second arm installed on the first arm; And a fixed arm mounted at the end of the second arm and to which the second injection nozzle is mounted, wherein the fixed arm is mounted to the second arm in parallel with the second nozzle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fixing arm comprises a horizontal portion fixed to the second arm and a vertical portion extending vertically downward from the horizontal portion and to which the second nozzle is mounted.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion further comprises a fixing block for fixing the fixing arm to the second arm; The fixing block has a groove into which a portion of the fixing arm is fitted and can be fixed to the second arm by a plurality of bolts on the second arm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion may further include a fixing clip for fixing the second nozzle to the tip of the fixing arm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion may further include a bracket installed on the second arm and a rear end of the fixing arm fixed to prevent the fixing arm from twisting during the rotation operation.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bracket may be installed to be movable back and forth on the fixed arm so as to adjust the position of the tip of the fixed arm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, further comprising a control unit for controlling the drive unit of the nozzle moving means, wherein the control unit controls the drive unit such that the second nozzle mounted on the mounting portion of the holder is located at the discharge position When the injection from the second nozzle is completed, the driving unit may be controlled such that the selected first nozzle is positioned at the discharge position.

For example, embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described below. This embodiment is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape of the elements in the drawings and the like are exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In addition, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are denoted together for components that perform the same function.

1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a coating and developing system of a semiconductor wafer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a spin coater apparatus of a semiconductor wafer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 and 4 are an exploded perspective view and a coupled perspective view of the nozzle moving means shown in FIG. 5 is a front view of the spin coater apparatus of the semiconductor wafer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a view showing the overall configuration of a coating development system applied with a spin coater device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating development system 10 is a spin coater (Spin Coater) device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention 100, an indexer 200 that performs loading and unloading operations of the wafer, a transfer robot 300 that transfers the loaded wafer to each process unit, and develops the exposed wafer. A baker 400 includes a spin developer (not shown) and a hot plate and a cool plate to heat and cool the wafer before or after application or development of the photoresist.

The spin coater device 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a device for coating a photoresist (photoresist) on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. Referring to FIG. 2, the spin coater device 100 rotates at a high speed in a vacuum-adsorbed state. The spin chuck 112 and the spin portion 110 having a catch cup 114 for preventing the remaining photoresist coated on the semiconductor wafer from leaking to the outside to contaminate the external device or the surroundings. Although not shown, the catch cup 114 and the spin chuck 112 are configured to be relatively lifted, and the wafers are brought into the catch cup 114 in a state where they are relatively elevated. (114) It is supposed to be taken out.

In addition, the spin coater apparatus 100 may spray PR nozzles 122a, 122b, and 122c for spraying photoresist onto a wafer surface, and spray a solvent (volatile thinner) onto the surface of the wafer w before applying the photoresist. The nozzle moving means 130 for selectively moving between the thinner nozzle 124 and the PR nozzles 122a, 122b and 122c to move from the standby position to the discharge position (the rotation center of the wafer) on the wafer. Have

The nozzle moving means 130 having the characteristic constitution of the present invention is equipped with a solvent for wetting the wafer surface, that is, a thinner nozzle 124 for discharging the thinner, prior to the PR discharge to the wafer surface. The thinner nozzle 124 is connected to a thinner supply unit (not shown) via a flexible thinner supply pipe 125.

3 and 4, the nozzle moving means 130 will be described in detail. The nozzle moving means includes a driving part 132, a holder part 134, and a control part 133 that controls the driving part 132. Have The holder portion 134 is coupled to the support block 123 of the PR nozzle 122a selected from the PR nozzles 122a, 122b, and 122c, and the holder portion 134 is coupled to the PR nozzle. Rotation is driven by the drive unit 132 in.

The holder portion 134 has a general configuration including a support shaft 136 receiving a rotational force from the drive unit 132, and a first arm 138 formed at an end of the support shaft 136, and a thinner nozzle. It has a new mounting part 140 to which 124 is mounted. The first arm 138 is coupled (assembled) with the support block 123 of the selected PR nozzle 122a, and the first arm 138 is coupled with the selected PR nozzle 122a in the driving unit 132. It is rotated by the rotational force of). For the coupling structure of the support block 123 and the first arm 138, a first pin and a first groove are formed in the support block of the first nozzle, and the pin of the support block is formed in the first arm. A second groove and a second fin corresponding to the and grooves, respectively, are formed.

On the other hand, the mounting portion 140 of the nozzle moving means has a second arm 142, a fixed arm 144, a fixing block 146, a fixing clip 150 and a bracket 148. The second arm 142 is installed from one side of the first arm 138, and the fixed arm 144 is fixed to the end of the second arm 142 by a fixed block 146. The fixed arm 146 is preferably mounted to the second arm 142 so as to be parallel to the selected PR nozzle 122a assembled to the first arm. The fixed arm 144 includes a horizontal portion 144a fixed to the second arm 142 and a vertical portion 144b extending vertically downward from the horizontal portion 144a. The fixing block 146 has a fixing groove 146a into which the fixing arm 144 is fitted, and is fixed on the second arm 142 by four bolts. The tip 124a of the thinner nozzle 124 is fixed by a fixing clip 150 provided at the end (vertical portion) of the fixing arm 144. On the other hand, the bracket 148 is to prevent the fixed arm 144 from twisting back and forth, and is installed on the second arm 142. The bracket 148 has a hole 148a into which the rear end of the fixing arm 144 is fitted. On the other hand, the bracket 148 is installed to be movable back and forth on the second arm 142. The fixed arm 144 is also moved along with the forward and backward movement of the bracket 148, and thus the tip position of the thinner nozzle 124 is moved. To this end, the bracket 148 has a bolt hole 148b to which the bolt is fastened to have a rectangular shape.

The control unit 133 (see FIG. 2) controls the operation of the driving unit 132. The driving unit 132 controlled by the control unit 133 places the thinner nozzle 124 at a discharge position at the center of the wafer (FIG. 7) and when the thinner discharge is completed, is coupled to the first arm 138. The selected PR nozzle 122a is positioned at the discharge position (Fig. 8).

For example, the controller 133 may be configured to control the operation of the driving unit 132 for moving the positions of the thinner nozzle 124 and the PR nozzle 122a, and also control the overall processing operation of the coater process. Of course, it may include a control computer of the coater device 100 configured to.

The structural features of the present invention here. The thinner nozzle is attached to the nozzle moving means for moving the PR nozzle from the standby position to the discharge position. According to such a feature, it is possible to apply PR within a few seconds after applying thinner to the wafer surface.

As such, the spin coater device according to the present invention is the most suitable device for the so-called pre-wet treatment, which wets the entire wafer surface with a solvent such as thinner prior to the PR coating.

Next, the application | coating operation of PR liquid in the spin coater apparatus comprised in this way is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Here, a so-called prewet process by thinner can be performed to form a resist film in a small amount.

First, the wafer W is loaded directly above the catch cup 114 in the spin coater device 100, and then the wafer W is vacuum-adsorbed by the spin chuck 112. In addition, the PR nozzle 122a selected from the three PR nozzles 122a, 122b, and 122c is lifted by a cylinder and coupled to the first arm 138 of the holder 134 to hold the holder for PR coating ( Rotation of 134 is executed. Here, the lifting process of the PR nozzle and the coupling process of the holder with the first arm are already known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-263327), and the drawings and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the movement of the holder 100 is started so that the thinner nozzle 124 is positioned substantially at the center of the wafer W as the discharge position (indicated by the solid line) from the standby position (indicated by the dotted line). Is moved. At this time, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped. In this state, thinner (high volatility thinner such as butyl acetate) is discharged from the thinner nozzle 124 onto the wafer W surface. As shown in FIG. 8, the holder 134 is rotated to move the discharge port of the PR nozzle 122a to be located substantially at the center of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. At this time, the thinner nozzle 124 is moved away from the center of the wafer (W). Immediately after the nozzle position movement in FIG. 8, the wafer W rotates to diffuse the thinner on the wafer W. FIG. In this way, a so-called prewet treatment is performed to wet the entire surface of the wafer W surface with a thinner prior to the application of PR. In the state of FIG. 8, PR is discharged onto the wafer W from the PR nozzle 122a. PR discharged on the wafer W is diffused from the center of the wafer W to the periphery by centrifugal force, whereby a PR film as a coating film is formed on the wafer W. As shown in FIG. When the PR discharge from the PR nozzle 122a is completed, the PR nozzle 122a and the thinner nozzle 124 are moved to the standby position.

As described above, according to the spin coater device 100 of the present invention, after the thinner is applied to the wafer surface, the PR can be applied before the thinner evaporates (within 2-3 seconds). Therefore, since the PR supplied to the wafer surface can be spread very smoothly on the surface, it is possible not only to reduce the consumption of PR but also to form the PR film uniformly with a small amount of PR.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the spin coater device according to the present invention is shown in accordance with the above description and drawings, but this is only an example, and various changes and modifications are possible within the scope without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course.

As described in detail above, there is an advantage that the time required for discharging the PR from the PR nozzle after discharging the thinner from the thinner nozzle can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to apply PR before the thinner sprayed on the wafer surface is volatilized, and there is an advantage that the effect of the prewetting process can be sufficiently exhibited.

In addition, it is possible to simply implement by adding only the mounting portion for installing the thinner nozzle to the holder portion for the movement of the PR nozzle. Therefore, in the present spin coater device, if only the mounting portion is additionally installed in the holder portion, there is an advantage that it can be simply implemented without making a lot of structural changes.

Claims (12)

delete delete delete A spin coater apparatus for applying treatment liquids onto a wafer surface, the method comprising: A spin section for rotating the wafer in a fixed state; First nozzles for injecting processing liquid 1 onto the wafer; A second nozzle for injecting processing liquid 2 onto the wafer; And Nozzle moving means for selecting one of said first nozzles to move from a standby position to a discharge position on said wafer; The nozzle moving means A drive unit; It is coupled to the support block of the selected first injection nozzle and comprises a holder for rotating the first injection nozzle by the drive of the drive unit, The holder, A support shaft receiving a rotational movement from the driving unit; A first arm formed at an end of the support shaft and assembled with a support block of the selected first injection nozzle to rotate the first injection nozzle; And A mounting portion including a second arm installed on the first arm and a fixed arm on which the second injection nozzle is mounted; And the second nozzle is rotated from a standby position to a discharge position with the selected first injection nozzle mounted on the holder. The method of claim 4, wherein And said fixed arm is mounted to said second arm in parallel with said second nozzle. The method of claim 4, wherein And said fixed arm comprises a horizontal portion fixed to said second arm and a vertical portion extending vertically downward from said horizontal portion and to which said second nozzle is mounted. The method of claim 4, wherein The mounting portion, A fixing block for securing the fixing arm to the second arm; And the fixing block has a groove into which a portion of the fixing arm is fitted and is fixed to the second arm by a plurality of bolts on the second arm. The method of claim 4, wherein The mounting portion And a fixing clip for fixing the second nozzle to the tip of the fixing arm. The method of claim 4, wherein The mounting portion And a bracket mounted to the second arm and fixed to the rear end of the fixing arm to prevent the fixing arm from twisting during the rotation operation. The method of claim 9, And the bracket is installed on the fixed arm so as to be movable back and forth to adjust the position of the tip of the fixed arm. The method of claim 4, wherein The processing liquid 1 is a photosensitive liquid, and the processing liquid 2 is a thinner. The method of claim 4, wherein Further comprising a control unit for controlling the drive unit of the nozzle movement means, The control unit, The driving unit is controlled such that the second nozzle mounted on the mounting portion of the holder is positioned at the discharge position, and the driving unit is controlled such that the selected first nozzle is positioned at the discharge position when the injection from the second nozzle is completed. Spin coater device, characterized in that.