KR100876377B1 - Nozzle cleaning mechanism and substrate processing apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A nozzle cleaning mechanism is provided. The nozzle cleaning mechanism is a nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while traveling along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, the body including a first and second nozzle forming region defined along the longitudinal direction, The first nozzle forming region is disposed in the advancing direction, the second nozzle forming region is formed in the body disposed opposite to the advancing direction, the first nozzle is formed in the first nozzle forming region, and sprays the cleaning liquid to the tip of the slit nozzle, and And a second nozzle formed in the second nozzle formation region, for injecting dry gas into the tip of the slit nozzle.

Description

Nozzle cleaning device and substrate processing apparatus comprising the same

1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus in which a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to embodiments of the present invention is used.

It is a side view which shows the main structure regarding the coating process in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a front view of an opposing face of a body of a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view for explaining the operation of the nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view for explaining a supply line of the nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a view for explaining a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing)

1 substrate processing apparatus 2 main body

3: stage 5: driving mechanism

6: resist supply mechanism 7: nozzle initialization mechanism

30: support surface 41: slit nozzle

43, 44: lifting mechanism 70: nozzle cleaning mechanism

71: dry gas supply mechanism 72: suction mechanism

74: cleaning unit 75: cleaning liquid supply mechanism

76: drive mechanism 742: body

742a: opposing surfaces 761, 762, 763: first to third nozzles

771, 772: Partition

The present invention relates to a nozzle cleaning mechanism and a substrate processing apparatus including the same, and more particularly, to a nozzle cleaning mechanism having a reduced nozzle cleaning process time and a substrate processing apparatus including the same.

Recently, information processing devices have been rapidly developed to have various types of functions and faster information processing speeds. This information processing apparatus has a display device for displaying the operated information. Until now, cathode ray tube monitors have been mainly used as display devices, but recently, with the rapid development of semiconductor technology, the use of light and small flat panel display devices is rapidly increasing. There are various types of flat panel displays. Among them, liquid crystal displays, which are small in power consumption and small in volume, and low voltage driven, are widely used.

In order to form such a liquid crystal display, in order to form a pattern, a process of applying a processing liquid such as a photoresist to a surface of a substrate is required.

In the substrate processing apparatus which apply | coats this process liquid, the nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle which apply | coats a process liquid to the surface of a board | substrate is provided. Because, if the process of applying the treatment liquid to the dozens or hundreds of substrates is repeated, the treatment liquid may remain at the tip of the slit nozzle, and if applied using the slit nozzle in which the treatment liquid remains, This is because stripe coating unevenness occurs.

In the conventional nozzle cleaning mechanism, the cleaning liquid is first sprayed by first reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle to remove the treatment liquid at the tip of the slit nozzle, and the drying gas is sprayed while the second reciprocating is dried to dry the slit nozzle. Conventionally, the nozzle cleaning time was long because the number of reciprocating progressions was many times, and the long nozzle cleaning time influenced the throughput.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle cleaning mechanism with a reduced nozzle cleaning process time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus including the nozzle cleaning mechanism.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem is a nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while traveling along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, A body including first and second nozzle forming regions, wherein the first nozzle forming region is disposed in the travel direction, and the second nozzle forming region is formed in the body disposed on the opposite side of the travel direction, the first nozzle forming region, And a first nozzle for injecting the cleaning liquid into the tip of the nozzle, and a second nozzle formed in the second nozzle formation region, for injecting dry gas into the tip of the slit nozzle.

The nozzle cleaning mechanism according to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem is a nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, defined along the longitudinal direction A body including first to third nozzle forming regions, and first to third nozzles respectively formed in the first to third nozzle forming regions to spray cleaning liquid or dry gas to the tips of the slit nozzles, and the nozzles When the cleaning mechanism proceeds in the first direction, the first and second nozzles inject the cleaning liquid, the third nozzle injects dry gas, and when the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the third and The second nozzle injects the cleaning liquid and the first nozzle injects the dry gas.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a stage for supporting a substrate, a slit nozzle for supplying a predetermined processing liquid to a surface of the substrate supported by the stage, and a length direction of the slit nozzle. And a nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while reciprocating along the nozzle cleaning mechanism, wherein the nozzle cleaning mechanism includes a body including first to third nozzle formation regions defined along a length direction, and first to third nozzle formation. And first to third nozzles respectively formed in the region to spray cleaning liquid or dry gas to the tip of the slit nozzle, and when the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the first direction, the first and second nozzles spray the cleaning liquid and the third nozzle. The nozzle injects dry gas, and when the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the second direction opposite to the first direction, the third and second nozzles inject the cleaning liquid and the first furnace. Zle injects dry gas.

Other specific details of the invention are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

In the present invention, the "substrate" may include both a liquid crystal glass substrate, a semiconductor wafer, a film liquid crystal flexible substrate, a photo mask substrate, a color filter substrate, and the like.

1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus in which a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to embodiments of the present invention is used. It is a side view which shows the main structure regarding the coating process in the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a front view of an opposing face of a body of a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a view for explaining the operation of the nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view for explaining a supply line of the nozzle cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, it is defined that the Z-axis direction represents the vertical direction and the XY plane represents the horizontal plane, which is defined for convenience in order to grasp the positional relationship, and does not limit each direction described below. The same applies to the following drawings.

First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is divided into a main body 2 and a control unit 8, and a glass substrate for manufacturing a screen panel of a liquid crystal display device is referred to as a substrate to be processed (hereinafter, referred to as a substrate). Is a " substrate " (90), and is applied to apply a resist liquid as a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate 90 in a photolithography step for selectively etching an electrode layer or the like formed on the surface of the substrate 90. It consists of a processing apparatus. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be used not only as a glass substrate for liquid crystal display devices, but also as a device which apply | coats a processing liquid to various board | substrates for flat panel displays generally.

The main body 2 is provided with a stage 3 which functions as a support for mounting and supporting the substrate 90 and also serves as a base of the attached mechanisms. The stage 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, is made of integral stone, and the upper surface (supporting surface 30) and the side surface are processed into a flat surface.

The upper surface of the stage 3 is a horizontal plane, and is a support surface 30 of the substrate 90. A plurality of vacuum suction holes (not shown) are distributed and formed on the support surface 30, and the vacuum suction holes suck the substrate 90 while the substrate processing apparatus 1 processes the substrate 90. ) To a predetermined horizontal position. In addition, a plurality of lift pins LP freely lifting up and down by driving means (not shown) are provided on the support surface 30 at appropriate intervals. The lift pin LP is used to push up the substrate 90 when removing the substrate 90.

A pair of traveling rails 31 extending substantially parallel in the horizontal direction are fixed to both ends of the supporting surface 30 with a supporting region (the region on which the substrate 90 is supported) of the substrate 90 interposed therebetween. The traveling rail 31 guides the movement of the crosslinked structure 4 together with the support block (not shown) fixed to the lowermost ends of the crosslinked structure 4, and the crosslinked structure 4 is connected to the support surface 30. Configure the linear guides that are supported on the top.

In the upper part of the stage 3, the bridge | crosslinking structure 4 extended substantially horizontally from the both sides part of the stage 3 is formed. The crosslinked structure 4 mainly consists of the nozzle support part 40 which uses carbon fiber reinforced resin as an aggregate, and the elevating mechanisms 43 and 44 which support both ends, for example.

The slit nozzle 41 is attached to the nozzle support part 40. In FIG. 1, the slit nozzle 41 has a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction, and is connected to a resist supply mechanism (see 6 in FIG. 2) including a pipe for supplying a resist liquid to the slit nozzle 41, a pump for resist, and the like. It is. The slit nozzle 41 supplies the resist liquid supplied by the resist pump to a predetermined region (hereinafter referred to as a "resist coating region") on the surface of the substrate 90 to apply the resist liquid. Here, the resist coating area is an area to which the resist liquid is to be applied onto the surface of the substrate 90, and is usually an area excluding a region of a predetermined width from the edge of the entire area of the substrate 90.

The lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 are divided into both sides of the slit nozzle 41, and are connected to the slit nozzle 41 by the nozzle support 40. The lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 mainly consist of AC servomotors 43a and 44a and ball screws (not shown), and the lifting mechanisms of the cross-linked structure 4 are controlled by the control signals from the control unit 8. Create As a result, the lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 raise and lower the slit nozzle 41 in translation. The lifting mechanisms 43 and 44 are also used to adjust the posture in the YZ plane of the slit nozzle 41.

At both ends of the cross-linked structure 4, a pair of ACs includes a stator (stator) 50a, a mover 50b, a stator 51a, and a mover 51b, respectively, along the edges of both sides of the stage 3. Coreless linear motors (hereinafter, referred to as "linear motors") 50 and 51 are respectively fixed. In addition, the linear encoders 52 and 53 which have a scale part and a detector are respectively fixed to the both ends of bridge | crosslinking structure 4, respectively. The linear encoders 52 and 53 detect the positions of the linear motors 50 and 51. These linear motors 50 and 51 and linear encoders 52 and 53 constitute a traveling mechanism 5 for moving the bridge structure 4 onto the stage 3. The control part 8 controls the operation of the linear motor 50 according to the detection result from the linear encoders 52 and 53, and the movement of the bridge | crosslinking structure 4 on the stage 3, ie, by the slit nozzle 41, is carried out. Scanning of the substrate 90 is controlled.

The opening 32 is formed in the -X axis direction at the support surface 30 of the main body 2. The opening 32 has a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction similarly to the slit nozzle 41, and the length in the longitudinal direction is almost equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 41. In addition, a nozzle initialization mechanism 7 is provided inside the main body 2 below the opening 32. The nozzle initialization mechanism 7 is used at the time of preliminary processing performed prior to the application of the resist liquid to the substrate 90 (hereinafter referred to as "application process").

The nozzle initialization mechanism 7 provided in the opening 32 has a preliminary application mechanism 73. The preliminary application mechanism 73 includes a rotation mechanism 730 that generates a rotational driving force, a roller 731 that is rotated by the rotation mechanism 730, a substantially box-shaped cylinder 732 that accommodates the roller 731 therein, and The liquid removal (solvent extraction) blade 733 which scrapes off the deposit of the roller 731 is provided.

The roller 731 is arrange | positioned so that a part may expose from the upper surface opening part of the cylinder 732, and the cylindrical side surface becomes a coating surface to which resist liquid is apply | coated. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the resist liquid is supplied from the slit nozzle 41 to the roller 731 in the preliminary coating process. In addition, the preliminary coating process is a process of preliminarily applying a resist liquid to the roller 731 by supplying a small amount of resist liquid from the slit nozzle 41 which moved above the roller 731 before this coating process. . The substrate processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment makes the state of the slit nozzle 41 uniform in the Y-axis direction by the preliminary coating process.

The application surface of the roller 731 is immersed in the washing | cleaning liquid stored below the inside of the cylinder 732. As shown in FIG. In other words, the coated surface to which the resist liquid is applied in the preliminary coating process is moved downward by the rotating mechanism 730 and washed by the cleaning liquid. In addition, the contaminants adhering to the coated surface drawn up from the cleaning liquid after cleaning are scratched by the dewatering blade 733. In this way, the coating surface is restored to a clean state during the rotation of the roller 731, and the slit nozzle 41 is not contaminated when the preliminary coating process is performed by the slit nozzle 41.

The nozzle initialization mechanism 7 also includes a nozzle cleaning mechanism 70. The nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 cleans the tip of the slit nozzle 41 while traveling along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 41.

 Here, referring to FIG. 3, the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 includes a dry gas supply mechanism 71, a suction mechanism 72, a cleaning portion 74, a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 75, and a driving mechanism 76. . In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in FIG. 3, the dry gas supply mechanism 71, the suction mechanism 72, the washing | cleaning liquid supply mechanism 75, and the drive mechanism 76 are each in the state which can transmit and receive a signal with the control part 8, respectively. Each mechanism is controlled by the control signal from the control part 8.

The dry gas supply mechanism 71 is a mechanism for supplying nitrogen gas to the three governments 74 through a supply pipe from a cylinder (not shown). In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment, although nitrogen gas is used as an inert gas, an inert gas is not limited to nitrogen gas. Moreover, as long as it is a clean gas, it may be air (pressure hole: pressurized air).

The suction mechanism 72 is a mechanism that sucks a cleaning liquid, a resist liquid removed by the cleaning liquid, or the like from a suction port (not shown) formed in the cleaning portion 74 through a waste pipe. Moreover, as the suction mechanism 72, the mechanism generally known conventionally can be employ | adopted. For example, a mechanism may be used for suction using a vacuum generator or a compressor, or a mechanism including a suction pump and a gas-liquid separation box may be used. In addition, you may use the exhaust installation installed in a factory, for example, as long as required power is obtained.

3 to 6, the cleaning unit 74 is mainly composed of a base 740, a spacer 741, a body 742, a support member 744, and the slit nozzle by repeating the main coating process. The resist liquid attached to the tip of (41) is cleaned and removed.

The base 740 which functions as the base of each structure of the washing | cleaning part 74 is connected with the drive mechanism 76, and can be reciprocated to the Y-axis direction by the drive mechanism 76. It is.

The spacer 741 is a plate-shaped member having a predetermined thickness and is inserted in a detachable state between the base 740 and the body 742. In this embodiment, the spacer 741 is fixed by the bolt inserted into the body 742 from the back surface of the base 740, and can remove it by loosening the said bolt.

The body 742 is a member that defines the first to third nozzles 761, 762, and 763 to be disposed in a predetermined positional relationship. The opposing surface 742a disposed to face the tip of the slit nozzle 41 is an inclined surface having an inclination of a predetermined angle with respect to the YZ plane in accordance with the inclination of the tip of the slit nozzle 41.

Specifically, the body 742a includes first to third nozzle forming regions I, II, and III defined along the length direction of the slit nozzle 41, and includes the first to third nozzle forming regions I, II and III are provided with first to third nozzles 761, 762, and 763 for injecting a cleaning liquid or dry gas into the tip of the slit nozzle 41, and further, the first and second nozzle forming regions I, Partitions 771 and 772 are formed between II) and between the second and third nozzle formation regions II and III, respectively. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first to third nozzles 761, 762, and 763 are exemplarily disposed at equal intervals, but are not limited thereto.

In particular, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first and third nozzles 761 and 763 are provided with a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 75, a dry gas supply mechanism 71, and a valve so as to selectively spray the cleaning liquid and dry gas. It is connected via (v1, v2, v4, v5). On the other hand, the second nozzle 762 is connected through the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 75 and the valve v3 to inject the cleaning liquid.

Through such a connection relationship, the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 can operate as follows. When the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 proceeds in the first direction (Y direction), the first and second nozzles 761 and 762 spray the cleaning liquid, and the third nozzle 763 injects the drying gas. When the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 proceeds in the second direction (-Y direction) opposite to the first direction, the third and second nozzles 763 and 762 spray the cleaning liquid and the first nozzle 761 uses the dry gas. Spray it. That is, when the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 advances in the first direction, the valves v1, v3, and v4 are opened, and the valves v2 and v5 are closed. When the nozzle cleaning mechanism 70 advances in the second direction, the valves v2, v3, v5 are opened, and the valves v1, v4 are closed.

That is, while proceeding, the cleaning liquid is sprayed at the front to remove the treatment liquid (resist liquid) remaining at the tip of the slit nozzle 41, and the dry gas is sprayed at the rear to dry the slit nozzle 41. FIG.

Therefore, as in the prior art, a plurality of reciprocating processes such as first removing the processing liquid remaining at the tip of the slit nozzle 41 and drying the slit nozzle 41 during the second reciprocating process are unnecessary. It is possible to solve the removal of the treatment liquid remaining at the tip of the slit nozzle 41 and the drying of the slit nozzle 41 during one round trip. Therefore, the nozzle cleaning process time can be minimized.

As described above, since partitions are formed between the first and second nozzle formation regions I and II and between the second and third nozzle formation regions II and III, the treatment liquid and the drying gas are simultaneously Even when spraying, the degree of scattering of the processing liquid can be minimized.

7 is a view for explaining a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the body 742a is divided into first and second nozzle forming regions I ′ and II ′ defined in the length direction, that is, two regions, which is different from the exemplary embodiment. The components are substantially the same as in one embodiment. The first nozzle 764 is formed in the first nozzle formation region I ', and the second nozzle 765 is formed in the second nozzle formation region II'.

When traveling to the first direction (Y direction), the valves v7 and v8 are opened, and the valves v6 and v9 are closed. When traveling to the second direction (-Y direction), the valves v6 and v9 are opened, and the valves v7 and v8 are closed.

The nozzle cleaning mechanism according to embodiments of the present invention exemplifies only a case in which two or three nozzle formation regions are formed, but is not limited thereto. That is, four or more nozzle formation regions may be formed, and such a configuration is also included within the scope of the present invention.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. I can understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

According to the nozzle cleaning mechanism and the substrate processing apparatus including the same as described above, there are one or more of the following effects.

First, the treatment liquid remaining at the tip of the slit nozzle and the drying of the slit nozzle can be solved during one reciprocation. Therefore, the nozzle cleaning process time can be minimized.

Second, since partitions are formed between the nozzle formation regions, the degree to which the treatment liquid is scattered can be minimized even when the treatment liquid and the drying gas are simultaneously sprayed.

Claims (7)

In the nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while advancing along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, A body including a first nozzle formation region and a second nozzle formation region defined along the length direction, wherein the first nozzle formation region is disposed in the travel direction, and the second nozzle formation region is opposite to the travel direction. A body disposed in the body; A first nozzle formed in the first nozzle formation region and spraying a cleaning liquid or a dry gas to the tip of the slit nozzle; And A second nozzle formed in the second nozzle formation region and injecting a cleaning liquid or a dry gas to the tip of the slit nozzle, When the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the first direction, the first nozzle injects the cleaning liquid, the second nozzle injects dry gas, and the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the second direction opposite to the first direction. And the second nozzle sprays the cleaning liquid and the first nozzle sprays the dry gas. The method of claim 1, A nozzle cleaning mechanism comprising simultaneously spraying a cleaning liquid and spraying a dry gas from the first nozzle and the second nozzle. The method of claim 1, And a partition formed between the first nozzle formation region and the second nozzle formation region. In the nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, A body including a first nozzle formation region, a second nozzle formation region, and a third nozzle formation region defined along the length direction; And A first nozzle, a second nozzle, and a third nozzle formed in the first nozzle formation region, the second nozzle formation region, and the third nozzle formation region, respectively, for spraying a cleaning liquid or dry gas to the tip of the slit nozzle; Including, When the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the first direction, the first nozzle and the second nozzle inject the cleaning liquid, the third nozzle injects dry gas, and the nozzle cleaning mechanism is in a direction opposite to the first direction. And the third nozzle and the second nozzle inject the cleaning liquid, and the first nozzle injects dry gas when advancing in two directions. The method of claim 4, wherein And a partition is formed between the first nozzle formation region and the second nozzle formation region, and between the second nozzle formation region and the third nozzle formation region, respectively. A stage for supporting the substrate; A slit nozzle for supplying a predetermined treatment liquid to a surface of the substrate supported by the stage; And A nozzle cleaning mechanism for cleaning the tip of the slit nozzle while reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle, The nozzle cleaning mechanism includes a body including a first nozzle forming region, a second nozzle forming region, and a third nozzle forming region defined along the longitudinal direction, the first nozzle forming region, a second nozzle forming region, and A first nozzle, a second nozzle, and a third nozzle which are respectively formed in a third nozzle formation region and inject a cleaning liquid or a dry gas to the tip of the slit nozzle, When the nozzle cleaning mechanism proceeds in the first direction, the first nozzle and the second nozzle inject the cleaning liquid, the third nozzle injects dry gas, and the nozzle cleaning mechanism is in a direction opposite to the first direction. And the third nozzle and the second nozzle inject the cleaning liquid and the first nozzle inject the dry gas when advancing in two directions. The method of claim 6, And a partition is formed between the first nozzle formation region and the second nozzle formation region, and between the second nozzle formation region and the third nozzle formation region, respectively.

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