KR101178973B1 - Substrate cleaning apparatus and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate cleaning method. In the back cleaning process of the substrate, the substrate is rotated by the spin chuck, and N ₂ gas is supplied between the blocking plate and the substrate via the gas supply pipe. In that state, the cleaning brush contacts the back surface of the substrate while rotating by the motor. Pure water is supplied to the contact portion between the substrate and the cleaning brush from the cleaning nozzle. Thereby, the whole of the back surface of a board | substrate is wash | cleaned with a washing brush, and the contaminant adhering to the back surface of a board | substrate is removed.

Description

SUBSTRATE CLEANING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the back surface of a substrate, a substrate processing apparatus having the same, and a substrate cleaning method.

Substrate processing apparatus for processing various substrates such as semiconductor substrate, liquid crystal display substrate, plasma display substrate, optical disk substrate, magnetic disk substrate, magneto-optical disk substrate, photomask substrate Is being used.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, generally, several different processes are performed continuously with respect to one board | substrate. The substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-324139 is composed of an indexer block, an antireflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block. An exposure apparatus, which is an external device separate from the substrate processing apparatus, is disposed adjacent to the interface block.

In the above substrate processing apparatus, the substrate loaded from the indexer block is conveyed to the exposure apparatus through the interface block after formation of the antireflection film and coating process of the resist film are performed in the antireflection film processing block and the resist film processing block. After the exposure process is performed on the resist film on the substrate in the exposure apparatus, the substrate is conveyed to the developing block through the interface block. After the resist pattern is formed by developing the resist film on the substrate in the developing block, the substrate is transferred to the indexer block.

In the course of various film forming processes before the exposure treatment, the back surface of the substrate may be contaminated. In that case, unevenness | corrugation arises on the back surface of a board | substrate by a contaminant, and a board | substrate will be in an unstable state. Therefore, in the exposure process, defocus may occur in which the focus of the exposure lens is out of the surface of the resist film on the substrate. Thereby, there exists a possibility that the dimension defect and shape defect of an exposure pattern may arise.

Therefore, it is proposed to wash the back surface of the substrate after various film forming processes. However, when a liquid such as a cleaning liquid adheres to the resist film formed on the substrate, the resist film and the liquid react to change the state of the resist film. As a result, the subsequent processing of the resist film cannot be performed normally.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cleaning apparatus capable of sufficiently cleaning the back surface of a substrate while preventing liquid from adhering to the surface of the substrate, a substrate processing apparatus having the same, and a substrate cleaning method.

(1) A substrate cleaning apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention is a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning a lower surface of a substrate, comprising: a substrate rotation support apparatus for rotating the substrate while being supported substantially horizontally, and a substrate supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus. A gas supply part for supplying gas to the upper surface, a cleaning tool for cleaning the lower surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus, and a cleaning liquid supply portion for supplying the cleaning liquid to the lower surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus, The substrate rotation support device is provided with a rotating member rotatably installed around a rotation axis along a substantially vertical direction, a rotating driving mechanism provided on an upper side of the rotating member, and a lower side of the rotating member. And a supporting member for supporting the substrate by abutting against an outer circumferential end of the substrate disposed below the rotating member. .

In this board | substrate cleaning apparatus, the outer peripheral end part of the board | substrate arrange | positioned under the rotating member is supported by the support member provided under the rotating member. Then, the rotary member rotates around the rotary axis along the substantially vertical direction by the rotary drive mechanism provided above the rotary member. As a result, the substrate is rotated while being supported almost horizontally.

Gas is supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate by the gas supply unit. In addition, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the rotating substrate by the cleaning liquid supply unit and the cleaning tool contacts. In this case, the lower surface of the substrate can be cleaned while preventing the cleaning liquid from adhering to the upper surface of the substrate.

Thereby, even if the photosensitive film is formed in the upper surface of a board | substrate, contact of a photosensitive film and a washing | cleaning liquid can be prevented, and the state of a photosensitive film can be kept normal. In addition, by removing contaminants adhering to the lower surface of the substrate, it is possible to reliably prevent defocus due to irregularities on the rear surface of the substrate during the exposure process. By these, generation | occurrence | production of the processing defect of a board | substrate can be reliably prevented.

In this substrate cleaning apparatus, since the rotation driving mechanism is located above the substrate, a sufficient space is formed below the rotating substrate. Since the lower surface of the substrate can be cleaned by the cleaning tool and the cleaning liquid supply unit in the space, the entire lower surface of the substrate can be efficiently and reliably cleaned.

(2) The substrate rotation support apparatus further includes a blocking plate provided on the lower side of the rotating member so as to face the upper surface of the substrate supported by the supporting member, and the gas supply unit may supply gas between the blocking plate and the substrate.

In this case, the space above the substrate blocked by the blocking plate is filled by the gas supplied from the gas supply part. As a result, the cleaning liquid supplied to the lower surface of the substrate is reliably prevented from returning to the upper surface of the substrate, and the adhesion of the cleaning liquid to the upper surface of the substrate is reliably prevented.

(3) The rotary drive mechanism has a hollow rotary shaft extending in the vertical direction, the rotary member has an opening in the center and is mounted to the rotary shaft so as to integrally rotate with the rotary shaft, and the gas supply portion is the rotary shaft of the rotary drive mechanism. The discharge port is inserted into the openings of the inner and the rotating members and is supported by the rotating drive mechanism so as to form a constant gap between the inner circumferential surface of the rotating shaft and the end of the outer surface which is inserted into the outer surface and faces the surface of the substrate. It may have a resin inner tube which supplies gas to a board | substrate from a discharge port.

In this case, since the outer appearance of the metal is supported by the rotation driving mechanism so that a constant gap is formed between the inner circumferential surfaces of the rotating shaft, even when the rotating shaft rotates, the gap between the outer appearance and the inner circumferential surface of the rotating shaft is kept constant. Thus, appearance and rotation shaft wear are prevented.

Moreover, since the external appearance is supported by the rotary drive mechanism, even if the rotary drive mechanism vibrates, the positional relationship between the rotary shaft and the external appearance is maintained. Thereby, the appearance is surely prevented from contacting the rotating shaft.

In addition, since the inner tube made of resin has flexibility, it can be easily inserted into the outer tube. In addition, by inserting the inner tube into the outer tube, the gas supply unit is compact.

(4) The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a supporting member for supporting the rotation driving mechanism so that the rotating shaft extends in the vertical direction, the exterior of which has a flange portion, and the flange portion may be fixed to the supporting member.

In this case, the rotary drive mechanism is supported by the support member, and the flange portion of the external appearance is fixed to the support member. Thereby, the external appearance is firmly fixed to the rotary drive mechanism via the flange portion and the supporting member. In addition, by attaching the outer flange portion to the support member, the outer shell and the inner tube can be easily fixed to the rotary drive mechanism. Therefore, the manufacturing of the substrate processing apparatus becomes easier.

(5) A substrate processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus that is disposed adjacent to an exposure apparatus and performs processing on a substrate having a surface and a back surface, the processing unit for processing the substrate, the processing unit, and the exposure unit. A photosensitive film forming unit, comprising a photosensitive film forming unit for exchanging substrates between devices, wherein the processing section includes a photosensitive film formed of a photosensitive material on the surface of the substrate; And a substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning the back surface of the substrate before the exposure treatment by the substrate cleaning apparatus, wherein the substrate cleaning apparatus is supported by a substrate rotation support apparatus for rotating the substrate while supporting the substrate almost horizontally, and supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus. The gas supply part which supplies gas to the surface of a board | substrate, and the back surface of the board | substrate supported by a board | substrate rotation support apparatus are counted. A cleaning device for supplying a cleaning liquid to a rear surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support device, the substrate rotation support device being rotatably installed around a rotation axis along a substantially vertical direction, and rotating; It includes a rotary drive mechanism provided on the upper side of the member to rotate the rotating member, and a support member provided on the lower side of the rotating member to contact the outer peripheral end of the substrate disposed below the rotating member to support the substrate.

In this substrate processing apparatus, a photosensitive film is formed on the surface of the substrate by the photosensitive film forming unit in the processing portion, and the substrate is transferred from the processing portion to the exposure apparatus by the transfer portion. After the exposure treatment is performed on the substrate by the exposure apparatus, the substrate is transferred from the exposure apparatus to the processing portion by the feed-back portion. Before the exposure treatment by the exposure apparatus, the back surface of the substrate is cleaned by the substrate cleaning apparatus.

In the substrate cleaning apparatus, the outer peripheral end of the substrate disposed below the rotating member is supported by the support member provided below the rotating member with the surface facing upward. Then, the rotary member rotates around the rotary axis along the substantially vertical direction by the rotary drive mechanism provided above the rotary member. As a result, the substrate is rotated while being supported almost horizontally.

Gas is supplied to the surface of the rotating substrate by the substrate supply unit. In addition, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the rear surface of the rotating substrate by the cleaning liquid supply unit and the cleaning tool contacts. In this case, the back surface of the substrate can be cleaned while preventing the cleaning liquid from adhering to the surface of the substrate.

This prevents the cleaning liquid from contacting the photosensitive film formed on the surface of the substrate, thereby keeping the state of the photosensitive film normal. In addition, by removing contaminants adhering to the back surface of the substrate, it is possible to reliably prevent defocus due to irregularities on the back surface of the substrate during exposure processing. By these, generation | occurrence | production of the processing defect of a board | substrate can be reliably prevented.

In this substrate cleaning apparatus, since the rotation driving mechanism is located above the substrate, a sufficient space is formed below the rotating substrate. Since the back surface of the substrate can be cleaned by the cleaning tool and the cleaning liquid supply unit in the space, the entire back surface of the substrate can be reliably and efficiently cleaned.

In addition, since the back surface of the substrate can be cleaned with the back surface of the substrate facing downward, unlike the case where the back surface of the substrate is directed upward, the cleaning liquid supplied to the back surface of the substrate does not flow into the surface side of the substrate by gravity. . As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the cleaning liquid from adhering to the surface of the substrate. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide an inversion mechanism for inverting the substrate, it is possible to suppress an increase in size and cost of the substrate processing apparatus.

(6) A substrate cleaning method according to another aspect of the present invention is a substrate cleaning method for cleaning a substrate, wherein the support member provided below the rotating member supports the outer periphery of the substrate and is provided on the upper side of the rotating member. Rotating the rotating member by a rotating driving mechanism installed, supplying a gas to the upper surface of the rotating substrate, supplying a cleaning liquid to the lower surface of the rotating substrate, and lowering the rotating substrate to the cleaning tool. It has a step of washing by.

In this substrate cleaning method, the outer peripheral end of the substrate disposed below the rotating member is supported by the support member provided below the rotating member. Then, the rotating member is rotated by the rotating driving mechanism provided on the upper side of the rotating member. As a result, the substrate supported by the support member rotates.

Gas is supplied to the upper surface of the rotating substrate by the gas supply unit. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the rotating substrate by the cleaning liquid supply unit. And the lower surface of a board | substrate is wash | cleaned by a washing | cleaning tool. In this case, the lower surface of the substrate can be cleaned while preventing the cleaning liquid from adhering to the upper surface of the substrate.

Thereby, even if the photosensitive film is formed in the surface of a board | substrate, contact of a photosensitive film and a washing | cleaning liquid can be prevented, and the state of a photosensitive film can be kept normal. In addition, by removing contaminants adhering to the lower surface of the substrate, it is possible to reliably prevent defocus due to irregularities on the rear surface of the substrate during exposure processing. By these, generation | occurrence | production of the processing defect of a board | substrate can be reliably prevented.

In addition, since the rotary drive mechanism is above the substrate, sufficient space is formed below the rotating substrate. In this space, the lower surface of the substrate can be cleaned by the cleaning liquid and the cleaning tool, so that the entire lower surface of the substrate can be efficiently and reliably cleaned.

According to the present invention, the back surface of the substrate can be sufficiently cleaned while preventing the liquid from adhering to the surface of the substrate.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of one side of the substrate treating apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a side view of the other side of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.
4 is a schematic side view of the interface block seen from the exposure apparatus side.
Fig. 5 is a side view showing the structure of the back surface washing processing unit.
Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the structure of the back surface washing processing unit.
7 is a longitudinal sectional view mainly showing the structure of the fluid supply pipe of FIG.
Fig. 8 (a) is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the structure near the tip end of the fluid supply pipe of Fig. 5, and Fig. 8 (b) is a plan view of the tip end of the fluid supply pipe as seen from arrow YA of Fig. 8 (a).
9 is a view for explaining a supporting operation of a substrate by a spin chuck.
10 is a view for explaining a supporting operation of a substrate by a spin chuck.
Fig. 11 is a side view for explaining the back surface cleaning processing unit of the substrate.
12 is a side view and a plan view for explaining the back surface cleaning processing unit of the substrate;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using drawing. In the following description, the substrate refers to a semiconductor substrate, a liquid crystal display device substrate, a plasma display substrate, a photomask glass substrate, an optical disk substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, a magneto-optical disk substrate, a photomask substrate, and the like. Say.

(1) structure of substrate processing equipment

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the arrow which shows the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction orthogonal to each other is attached | subjected to FIG. 1 and FIGS. The X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to each other in the horizontal plane, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. In addition, in each direction, the direction the arrow points to is + direction, and the opposite direction is-direction. Moreover, the rotation direction centering on a Z direction is made into (theta) direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 500 includes an indexer block 9, an antireflection film processing block 10, a resist film processing block 11, a development processing block 12, and an interface block 15. It includes. In addition, the exposure apparatus 16 is disposed adjacent to the interface block 15. In the exposure apparatus 16, the exposure process is performed to the board | substrate W by the liquid immersion method.

Hereinafter, each of the indexer block 9, the antireflection film processing block 10, the resist film processing block 11, the development processing block 12, and the interface block 15 will be referred to as a processing block.

The indexer block 9 includes a main controller (control unit) 30, a plurality of carrier mounting tables 40, and an indexer robot IR that control the operation of each processing block. The indexer robot IR is provided with a hand IRH for sending and receiving the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

The anti-reflection film processing block 10 includes the anti-reflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101, the anti-reflection film coating unit 50, and the first center robot CR1. The anti-reflection film coating unit 50 is provided to face the heat treatment units 100 and 101 for the anti-reflection film with the first center robot CR1 interposed therebetween. In the first center robot CRl, hands CRH1 and CR12 for exchanging the substrate W are provided above and below.

Between the indexer block 9 and the anti-reflection film processing block 10, a partition 17 for blocking the atmosphere is provided. The partition 17 is provided with substrate placing portions PASS1 and PASS2 close to the top and bottom to exchange the substrate W between the indexer block 9 and the anti-reflection film processing block 10. The upper substrate placing part PASS1 is used to convey the substrate W from the indexer block 9 to the anti-reflection film processing block 10, and the lower substrate placing part PASS2 reflects the substrate W. It is used when conveying from the processing block 10 for prevention film to the indexer block 9.

In addition, the optical sensor (not shown) which detects the presence or absence of the board | substrate W is provided in board | substrate mounting part PASS1, PASS2. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the substrate W is placed in the substrate placing portions PASS1 and PASS2. The substrate placing parts PASS1 and PASS2 are provided with a plurality of fixed pins. In addition, the said optical sensor and a support pin are similarly provided in the board | substrate mounting part PASS3-PASSl3 mentioned later.

The resist film processing block 11 includes a resist film heat treatment unit 110 and 111, a resist film coating unit 60, and a second center robot CR2. The resist film coating unit 60 is provided to face the heat treatment units 110 and 111 for resist film with the second center robot CR2 therebetween. In the second center robot CR2, hands CRH3 and CRH4 for exchanging the substrate W are provided above and below.

Between the anti-reflection film processing block 10 and the resist film processing block 11, a partition wall 18 for blocking the atmosphere is provided. On the partition wall 18, substrate placing portions PASS3 and PASS4 for transferring the substrate W between the anti-reflection film processing block 10 and the resist film processing block 11 are provided close to each other. do. The upper substrate placing part PASS3 is used to convey the substrate W from the anti-reflection film processing block 10 to the resist film processing block 11, and the lower substrate placing part PASS4 is the substrate W. Is used to transfer the resist film processing block 11 from the resist film processing block 11 to the anti-reflection film processing block 10.

The developing block 12 includes a developing heat treatment unit 120, a post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 121, a development treatment unit 70, and a third center robot CR3. The post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 121 is adjacent to the interface block 15 and includes substrate placing units PASS7 and PASS8 as described later. The developing unit 70 is installed to face the developing heat treatment unit 120 with the third center robot CR3 interposed therebetween. In the third center robot CR3, hands CRH5 and CRH6 for exchanging the substrate W are provided above and below.

Between the process block 11 for resist film and the development process block 12, the partition 19 for blocking an atmosphere is provided. The partitions 19 are provided with substrate placing portions PASS5 and PASS6 for transferring the substrate W between the resist film processing block 11 and the developing processing block 12 close up and down. The upper substrate placing portion PASS5 is used to convey the substrate W from the resist film processing block 11 to the developing block 12, and the lower substrate placing portion PASS6 develops the substrate W. It is used when conveying from the processing block 12 to the processing block 11 for resist films.

The interface block 15 includes a sending buffer unit (SBF), a back cleaning unit (BC), a fourth center robot (CR4), an edge exposure unit (EEW), and a return buffer unit (RBF). And a mounting and cooling unit (PASS-CP) (hereinafter abbreviated as P-CP), a substrate placing unit PASS9, and an interface conveyance mechanism IFR. The back surface cleaning unit BC performs a cleaning process (hereinafter, referred to as a back surface cleaning process) of the back surface of the substrate W before the exposure process. Here, the upper surface of the substrate W refers to the surface of the substrate W facing upwards, and the lower surface of the substrate W refers to the surface of the substrate W facing downward. In addition, the surface of the board | substrate W means the surface in which the various film | membrane is formed in each process block, and the back surface of the board | substrate W means the surface on the opposite side. Details of the back surface washing processing unit BC will be described later.

The fourth center robot CR4 is provided with hands CRH7 and CRH8 (see FIG. 4) for transferring the substrate W up and down, and the substrate W is placed in the interface transfer mechanism IFR. Hands H1 and H2 (see Fig. 4) for giving and receiving are installed above and below. Details of the interface block 15 will be described later.

In the substrate processing apparatus 500 according to the present embodiment, the indexer block 9, the antireflection film processing block 10, the resist film processing block 11, the development processing block 12, and the interface block along the Y direction. (15) These are added together in this order.

2 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus 500 of FIG. 1 seen in the + X direction, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the substrate processing apparatus 500 of FIG. 1 viewed in the -X direction. In addition, in FIG. 2, what is mainly provided in the + X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 is shown, and in FIG. 3, what is mainly installed in the -X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 is shown.

First, the structure of the + X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 is demonstrated using FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, three coating units BARC are laminated | stacked up and down in the anti-reflective coating application part 50 (refer FIG. 1) of the anti-reflective coating process block 10. As shown in FIG. Each coating unit BARC supplies the coating liquid of the antireflection film to the spin chuck 51 and the substrate W supported on the spin chuck 51, which rotate and adsorb and support the substrate W in a horizontal position. A supply nozzle 52 is provided.

Three coating units RES are stacked on top of each other in the resist film coating unit 60 (see FIG. 1) of the resist film processing block 11. Each coating unit RES is supplied to a spin chuck 61 which rotates by adsorbing and supporting the substrate W in a horizontal position, and a supply nozzle 62 for supplying a coating liquid of a resist film to the substrate W supported on the spin chuck 61. ).

In the developing processing unit 70 (see Fig. 1) of the developing processing block 12, five developing processing units DEV are stacked up and down. Each developing unit DEV includes a spin chuck 71 which rotates by adsorbing and supporting the substrate W in a horizontal position, and a supply nozzle 72 which supplies a developer solution to the substrate W supported on the spin chuck 71. Equipped.

The edge exposure unit EEW is disposed on the + X side in the interface block 15. The edge exposure unit EEW adsorbs and supports the substrate W in a horizontal position to rotate the spin chuck 98 and the light irradiator 99 for exposing the periphery of the substrate W supported on the spin chuck 98. ).

Next, the structure of the -X side of the substrate processing apparatus 500 is demonstrated using FIG. As shown in Fig. 3, the antireflection film heat treatment parts 100 and 101 of the antireflection film processing block 10 include two heating units (hot plates) HP and two cooling units (cooling). CPs are arranged in a stack. Further, in the heat treatment parts 100 and 101 for the antireflection film, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are disposed at the top.

In the resist film heat treatment parts 110 and 111 of the resist film processing block 11, two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked and arranged. Further, in the heat treatment parts 110 and 111 for resist films, local controllers LC for controlling the temperatures of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are arranged at the top.

Two heating units HP and two cooling units CP are stacked in the developing heat treatment unit 120 of the developing block 12, and two heating units are arranged in the heat treatment unit 121 for post-exposure baking. The unit HP, the two cooling units CP, and the substrate placing parts PASS7 and PASS8 are stacked up and down. Further, in the developing heat treatment unit 120 and the post-exposure baking heat treatment unit 121, local controllers LC for controlling the temperature of the heating unit HP and the cooling unit CP are disposed at the top.

Next, the interface block 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

4 is a schematic side view of the interface block 15 seen from the + Y side. As shown in FIG. 4, in the interface block 15, the transfer buffer part SBF and three back surface washing | cleaning units BC are laminated | stacked on the -X side. In the interface block 15, an edge exposure unit EEW is disposed above the + X side.

Below the edge exposure portion EEW, a feedback buffer portion RBF, two mounting and cooling units P-CP, and a substrate placing portion PASS9 are stacked up and down substantially in the center portion of the interface block 15. Is placed.

Further, a fourth center robot CR4 and an interface conveyance mechanism IFR are provided below the interface block 15. The fourth center robot CR4 includes the transfer buffer unit SBF and the back cleaning unit BC, the edge exposure unit EEW, the return buffer unit RBF, the mounting and cooling unit P-CP and the substrate placing unit. It is installed so that it can move up and down between PASS9 and can rotate. The interface conveyance mechanism IFR is provided between the return buffer portion RBF, the mounting and cooling unit P-CP, and the substrate placing portion PASS9 so as to be movable and rotatable.

(1-2) Operation of Substrate Processing Apparatus

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

(1-2-1) Operation from indexer block to development block

First, the operation from the indexer block 9 to the development processing block 12 will be briefly described.

On the carrier mounting base 40 of the indexer block 9, the carrier C which accommodates several board | substrate W in multiple steps is carried in. The indexer robot IR takes out the unprocessed board | substrate W accommodated in the carrier C using the hand IRH. Thereafter, the indexer robot IR is rotated in the ± θ direction while moving in the ± X direction, and the unprocessed substrate W is placed on the substrate placing part PASS1.

In this embodiment, although front opening unified pod (FOUP) is employ | adopted as carrier C, it is not limited to this, Outside air | atmosphere SMIF (Standard Mechanical Inter Face) pod and storage board | substrate W You may use an OC (open cassette) etc. which expose to i).

In addition, the indexer robot IR, the first to fourth center robots CR1 to CR4, and the transfer mechanism IFR for the interface respectively slide linearly with respect to the substrate W to perform the hand retraction operation. Although a linear transfer robot is used, it is not limited to this, but a multi-joint transfer robot that linearly moves the hand by moving the joint may be used.

The untreated substrate W placed on the substrate placing unit PASS1 is received by the first center robot CR1 of the anti-reflection film processing block 10. The first center robot CRl carries the substrate W into the heat treatment parts 100 and 101 for the antireflection film.

Thereafter, the first center robot CRl takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the anti-reflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101, and carries the substrate W into the anti-reflection film coating unit 50. In this antireflection coating treatment unit 50, an antireflection film is formed on the substrate W by a coating unit BARC in order to reduce standing waves and halation occurring during exposure. do.

Next, the first center robot CR1 takes out the coated substrate W from the antireflective coating treatment unit 50 and carries the substrate W into the antireflective coating heat treatment units 100 and 101. . After that, the first center robot CR1 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the anti-reflection film heat treatment units 100 and 101, and places the substrate W on the substrate placing unit PASS3.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS3 is received by the second center robot CR2 of the processing block 11 for resist film. The second center robot CR2 carries the substrate W into the heat treatment parts 110 and 111 for the resist film.

Thereafter, the second center robot CR2 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the heat treatment units 110 and 111 for the resist film, and carries the substrate W into the coating film 60 for the resist film. In the resist film coating processing section 60, a resist film is applied and formed on the substrate W on which the antireflection film is applied by the coating unit RES.

Next, the second center robot CR2 takes out the coated substrate W from the resist film coating unit 60 and carries the substrate W into the resist film heat treatment units 110 and 111. Thereafter, the second center robot CR2 takes out the heat-treated substrate W from the heat treatment units 110 and 111 for the resist film, and places the substrate W on the substrate placing unit PASS5.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS5 is received by the third center robot CR3 of the developing block 12. The third center robot CR3 mounts the substrate W on the substrate placing part PASS7.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS7 is received by the fourth center robot CR4 of the interface block 15 and, as described later, the substrate W is predetermined by the interface block 15 and the exposure apparatus 16. Processing is carried out. After the predetermined processing is performed on the substrate W in the interface block 15 and the exposure apparatus 16, the substrate W is subjected to post-exposure baking of the developing block 12 by the fourth center robot CR4. It is carried in to the heat processing part 121 for heat.

In the post-exposure bake heat treatment part 121, post-exposure bake (PEB) is performed on the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Thereafter, the fourth center robot CR4 takes the substrate W out of the post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 121 and places the substrate W on the substrate placing unit PASS8.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS8 is received by the third center robot CR3 of the developing block 12. The third center robot CR3 carries the substrate W into the developing unit 70. In the development processing unit 70, development processing is performed on the exposed substrate W. FIG.

Next, the third center robot CR3 takes out the developed substrate W from the developing processing unit 70 and carries the substrate W into the developing heat treatment unit 120. Thereafter, the third center robot CR3 takes out the heat treated substrate W from the developing heat treatment unit 120 and places the substrate W on the substrate placing unit PASS6.

The substrate W placed on the substrate placing portion PASS6 is placed on the substrate placing portion PASS4 by the second center robot CR2 of the processing block 11 for resist. The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing part PASS4 is placed on the substrate placing part PASS2 by the first center robot CR1 of the anti-reflection film processing block 10.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS2 is accommodated in the carrier C by the indexer robot IR of the indexer block 9. Thereby, each process of the board | substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 500 is complete | finished.

(1-2-2) Operation of the Interface Block

Next, the operation of the interface block 15 will be described in detail.

As described above, the substrate W loaded into the indexer block 9 is placed on the substrate placing portion PASS7 of the developing block 12 (FIG. 1) after a predetermined process is performed.

The substrate W mounted on the substrate placing unit PASS7 is received by the fourth center robot CR4 of the interface block 15. The fourth center robot CR4 carries the substrate W into the edge exposure portion EEW (Fig. 4). In this edge exposure part EEW, an exposure process is performed to the periphery of the board | substrate W. As shown in FIG.

Next, the fourth center robot CR4 takes out the edge-exposed board | substrate W from the edge exposure part EEW, and carries in the board | substrate W to either side of the back surface washing | cleaning unit BC. In the back surface cleaning processing unit BC, the back surface cleaning process is performed on the substrate W before the exposure process as described above.

Here, the time of exposure processing by the exposure apparatus 16 is usually longer than other processing steps and conveyance steps. As a result, the exposure apparatus 16 may not be able to accept the subsequent board | substrate W in many cases. In this case, the substrate W is temporarily stored in the transfer buffer portion SBF (Fig. 4). In this embodiment, the 4th center robot CR4 takes out the back surface cleaning process board | substrate W from the back surface washing process unit BC, and conveys the board | substrate W to the transfer buffer part SBF.

Next, the 4th center robot CR4 takes out the board | substrate W accommodated in the transfer buffer part SBF, and carries in the board | substrate W to a mounting and cooling unit P-CP. The substrate W carried in the placing and cooling unit P-CP is maintained at the same temperature (eg, 23 ° C.) in the exposure apparatus 16.

When the exposure apparatus 16 has a sufficient processing speed, the substrate W is not stored and stored in the transfer buffer portion SBF, and the mounting and cooling unit P-CP is removed from the back surface cleaning processing unit BC. You may convey the board | substrate W.

Subsequently, the substrate W held at the predetermined temperature in the placement and cooling unit P-CP is received by the hand H1 (FIG. 4) on the upper side of the interface transfer mechanism IFR, and the exposure apparatus 16. Carry-in is carried in to the board | substrate carrying-in part 16a (FIG. 1).

In the exposure apparatus 16, the substrate W subjected to the exposure treatment is carried out from the substrate carrying out portion 16b (FIG. 1) by the interface transfer mechanism IFR. The interface conveyance mechanism IFR mounts the board | substrate W in the board | substrate mounting part PASS9.

The substrate W placed on the substrate placing unit PASS9 is received by the fourth center robot CR4. The fourth center robot CR4 conveys the substrate W to the post-exposure bake heat treatment unit 121 of the developing block 12 (FIG. 1).

In addition, when the developing block 12 cannot temporarily receive the substrate W due to a failure of the developing unit DEV (FIG. 2) or the like, the substrate W after the exposure process to the feedback buffer portion RBF. Can be temporarily stored and stored.

(2) Back cleaning unit

Next, the back surface cleaning processing unit BC will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 5 and 6 are side views and schematic plan views showing the structure of the back surface washing processing unit BC. 6, components of a part of the back surface washing | cleaning processing unit BC are shown typically.

In addition, in this embodiment, the back washing process unit BC is equipped with the housing which is not shown in figure, and the following components are provided in the inside of the housing.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the back surface washing | cleaning unit BC is equipped with the spin chuck 600 which supports and rotates the board | substrate W horizontally. The spin chuck 600 includes a spin motor 200, a rotating shaft 210, a disc shaped spin plate 520, a plate supporting member 510, a disc shaped blocking plate 525, a magnet plate 614a and 614b, and It includes a plurality of chuck pins (615).

The spin motor 200 is provided above the rear surface cleaning unit BC. The spin motor 200 is supported by the motor support member 200s. The motor support member 200s has a through hole 200h extending in the vertical direction and is mounted to the motor fixing part 290. The motor fixing part 290 is mounted in the housing of the back washing process unit BC which is not shown in figure.

A rotating shaft 210 having a cylindrical shape is installed to extend downward from the inside of the spin motor 200. The rotating shaft 210 functions as an output shaft of the spin motor 200.

The plate support member 510 is attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 210. As will be described later, the plate support member 510 has a cylindrical shape. The spin plate 520 is horizontally supported by the plate support member 510. The blocking plate 525 is horizontally fixed to the lower surfaces of the plate supporting member 510 and the spin plate 520 by the fixing members 525a and 525b. The through hole 525h is formed in the center of the blocking plate 525. As the rotating shaft 210 is rotated by the spin motor 200, the plate supporting member 510, the spin plate 520, and the blocking plate 525 rotate integrally around the vertical axis.

 The fluid supply pipe 400 is inserted into the through hole 200h of the motor support member 200s, the inside of the rotation shaft 210 of the spin motor 200, and the inside of the plate support member 510. Through the fluid supply pipe 400, the gas may be supplied onto the substrate W supported by the spin chuck 600. Details of the structure of the fluid supply pipe 400 and its peripheral members will be described later.

A plurality of chuck pins 615 (five in FIG. 6) are provided at the equiangular intervals with respect to the rotation shaft 210 at the periphery of the spin plate 520. The number of chuck pins 615 is preferably five or more. The reason will be described later.

Each chuck pin 615 includes a shaft portion 615a, a pin support portion 615b, a support portion 615c, and a magnet 616. A shaft portion 615a is provided to penetrate the spin plate 520, and a pin support portion 615b extending in the horizontal direction is connected to the lower end of the shaft portion 615a. The support part 615c is provided so that it may protrude downward from the front-end | tip part of the pin support part 615b. In addition, the magnet 616 is attached to the upper end of the shaft portion 615a on the upper surface side of the spin plate 520.

Each chuck pin 615 is rotatable about a vertical axis about the shaft portion 615a, so that the supporting portion 615c abuts against the outer peripheral end of the substrate W, and the supporting portion 615c is connected to the substrate W. It is switchable to the open state spaced apart from the outer peripheral end. In this example, each chuck pin 615 is closed when the N pole of the magnet 616 is inward, and each chuck pin 615 is opened when the S pole of the magnet 616 is inward. It is in a state.

Above the spin plate 520, the magnet plates 614a and 614b are disposed along the circumferential direction around the rotation shaft 210. The magnet plates 614a and 614b have an S pole on the outside and an N pole on the inside. The magnet plates 614a and 614b are independently lifted by the magnet elevating mechanisms 617a and 617b, and are substantially the same as the upper position higher than the magnet 616 of the chuck pin 615 and the magnet 616 of the chuck pin 615. Move between the lower positions of height.

As the magnet plates 614a and 614b move up and down, each chuck pin 615 is switched to an open state and a closed state. Details of operations of the magnet plates 614a and 614b and the chuck pins 615 will be described later.

On the outside of the spin chuck 600, a guard 618 for receiving a cleaning liquid scattered from the substrate W is provided. The guard 618 has a shape that is rotationally symmetric about the axis of rotation 210 of the spin chuck 600. In addition, the guard 618 moves up and down by the guard elevating mechanism 618a. The cleaning liquid received by the guard 618 is drained or recovered by a drainage or recovery device not shown.

Outside the guard 618, three or more substrate transfer mechanisms 620 (in this example, three) are arranged at equiangular intervals about the rotation shaft 210 of the spin chuck 600. . Each substrate exchange mechanism 620 includes a lift rotation driving unit 621, a rotation shaft 622, an arm 623, and a support pin 624. The rotating shaft 622 is provided so as to extend upward from the lifting lowering rotation driving unit 621, and the arm 623 is connected to extend in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the rotating shaft 622. At the distal end of the arm 623, a support pin 624 for supporting the outer peripheral end of the substrate W is provided.

By the elevating rotation driving unit 621, the rotating shaft 622 performs elevating operation and rotating operation. Thereby, the support pin 624 moves to a horizontal direction and an up-down direction.

In the lower part of the back surface washing processing unit BC, a rear cylindrical brush 630 having a substantially cylindrical shape is disposed. The back cleaning brush 630 is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 635 and is driven to rotate around the vertical shaft. The motor 635 is supported by the brush support member 631. The brush support member 631 is driven by the brush moving mechanism 632. As a result, the cleaning brush 630 moves in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

The cleaning nozzle 633 is attached to the portion of the brush support member 631 in the vicinity of the cleaning brush 630. A liquid supply pipe (not shown) to which the cleaning liquid is supplied is connected to the cleaning nozzle 633. The discharge port of the cleaning nozzle 633 faces the cleaning brush 630 and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge port toward the cleaning brush 630. In this example, pure water is used as the washing water.

(3) Details of fluid supply pipe

Details of the structure of the fluid supply pipe 400 of FIG. 5 and its peripheral members will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view mainly showing the structure of the fluid supply pipe 400 of FIG. FIG. 8 (a) is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the structure near the tip end of the fluid supply pipe 400 of FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 (b) shows the tip part of the fluid supply pipe 400 seen from the arrow YA of FIG. Top view.

As described above, the fluid supply pipe 400 is inserted into the motor support member 200s, the spin motor 200, the rotation shaft 210, and the plate support member 510.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fluid supply pipe 400 is curved upward of the motor support member 200s and extends in the horizontal direction. In the following description, the end of the straight pipe portion extending in the vertical direction is called the leading end, and the end of the straight pipe portion extending in the horizontal direction is called the rear end.

In the fluid supply pipe 400, a first flange FR1 is integrally formed near the curved portion of the straight pipe portion extending in the vertical direction. Moreover, the 2nd flange FR2 is integrally formed in the rear end part.

The first flange FR1 is fixed to the motor support member 200s, and the second flange FR2 is fixed to the fixing part 280. The warehousing section 280 is mounted to the housing of the back washing processing unit BC, not shown.

As a result, the fluid supply pipe 400 is fixed to the housing of the rear surface cleaning processing unit BC by the tube fixing portion 280, the motor supporting member 200s, and the motor fixing portion 290.

As described above, the spin motor 200 is supported by the motor support member 200s. As a result, the fluid supply pipe 400 is attached to the motor support member 200s, so that the positional relationship between the fluid supply pipe 400 and the spin motor 200 is maintained even when the spin motor 200 is operated. Therefore, the position shift is prevented from occurring in the fluid supply pipe 400.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the fluid supply pipe 400 has a structure in which a gas supply pipe 420 is accommodated in the guide pipe 410. The gas supply pipe 420 is used to supply gas (N ₂ gas in this example) to the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the guide tube 410 is made of stainless steel. The gas supply pipe 420 consists of fluororesins, such as PTFE (ethylene tetrafluoride resin) and PFA (ethylene tetrafluoride perfluoroalkoxy ethylene copolymer).

As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the gas supply pipe 420 is provided so that the tip thereof protrudes slightly downward from the through hole 525h of the blocking plate 525. As a result, it is possible to certainly supply the N ₂ gas between the shield plate 525 and the substrate (W). In addition, the tip end of the gas supply pipe 420 may be fixed to the blocking plate 525.

The peripheral member of the front end of the fluid supply pipe 400 is demonstrated. In this example, the rotating shaft 210 has an inner diameter of about 20 mm, and the guide tube 410 has an outer diameter of about 18 mm. As a result, a gap of about 1 mm between the rotating shaft 210 and the guide tube 410 in a state where the fluid supply pipe 400 is mounted on the motor support member 200s and the tube fixing part 280 of FIG. 7. (GA) is formed.

In the vicinity of the distal end of the fluid supply pipe 400, the plate support member 510 having a substantially cylindrical shape is attached to the rotation shaft 210. The inner circumferential surface 510h of the plate supporting member 510 is formed in a step shape along the axis.

When the plate supporting member 510 is mounted on the rotating shaft 210, a cylindrical pad fixing piece 512 is provided in a gap between the inner circumferential surface 510h of the plate supporting member 510 and the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 210. Insert the pad fixing piece 512 to the screw support 511 of the plate support member 510. As a result, the plate supporting member 510 is securely fixed to the distal end of the rotation shaft 210.

The flange 510F is formed in the vicinity of the lower end of the plate support member 510. As the flange 510F and the spin plate 520 are screwed, the spin plate 520 is fixed to the rotation shaft 210.

Returning to FIG. 7, the 2nd flange FR2 is formed in the rear end part of the fluid supply pipe 400 as mentioned above. In addition, the second flange FR2 is fixed to the fixing part 280. In addition, near the rear end of the fluid supply pipe 400, a supply pipe fixing part 490 is provided. In the supply pipe fixing unit 490, the gas supply pipe 420 is fixed to the guide pipe 410.

The gas supply pipe 420 extends outward from the rear end of the guide pipe 410. The rear end of the gas supply pipe 420 extending from the rear end of the guide pipe 410 is connected to a gas supply device (not shown). Being N ₂ gas is supplied to the gas supply pipe 420 from the gas supply, the N ₂ gas is supplied to the substrate (W).

(4) supporting operation of substrate

The supporting operation of the substrate W by the spin chuck 600 will be described. 9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining a supporting operation of the substrate W by the spin chuck 600.

First, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the guard 618 moves to a position lower than the chuck pins 615. In addition, the support pins 624 of the plurality of substrate exchange mechanisms 620 (FIG. 5) pass through the top of the guard 618 and move downward of the spin plate 520. The substrate W is mounted on the plurality of support pins 624 by the fourth center robot CR4 (FIG. 1).

At this time, the magnet plates 614a and 614b are in the upper position. In this case, the magnetic force lines B of the magnet plates 614a and 614b are directed from the inner side to the outer side at the height of the magnet 616 of the chuck pin 615. Thereby, the S pole of the magnet 616 of each chuck pin 615 is attracted inward. Thus, each chuck pin 615 is in an open state.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9B, the plurality of support pins 624 are raised in a state in which the substrate W is supported. As a result, the substrate W moves between the support portions 615c of the chuck pins 615.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.10 (c), the magnet plates 614a and 614b move to a downward position. In this case, the N pole of the magnet 616 of each chuck pin 615 is sucked inward. As a result, the respective chuck pins 615 are in a closed state, and the outer circumferential end portion of the substrate W is supported by the support portion 615c of each chuck pin 615. In addition, each chuck pin 615 supports the outer peripheral end of the substrate W between adjacent support pins 624. Therefore, the chuck pins 615 and the support pins 624 do not interfere with each other. Thereafter, the plurality of support pins 624 move out of the guard 618.

Next, as shown in FIG.10 (d), the guard 618 moves to the height which surrounds the board | substrate W supported by the chuck pin 615. Then, as shown in FIG. And the back surface cleaning process of the board | substrate W is performed.

(5) back washing

Ll and 12 are side views for explaining the back cleaning process of the substrate W. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, during the back cleaning process of the substrate W, the substrate W is rotated by the spin chuck 600, and the blocking plate 525 and the substrate (through the gas supply pipe 420). the N ₂ gas is supplied between W). As a result, an air flow of N ₂ gas is formed between the blocking plate 525 and the substrate W from the center of the substrate W to the outside.

In this state, the cleaning brush 630 contacts the back surface of the substrate W while rotating by the motor 635. The cleaning brush 630 moves between the lower portion of the center of the substrate W and the lower portion of the peripheral portion to contact the entire area of the rear surface of the substrate W. Pure water is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 633 to the contact portion between the substrate W and the cleaning brush 630. Thereby, the whole of the back surface of the board | substrate W is wash | cleaned with the washing brush 630, and the contaminant adhering to the back surface of the board | substrate W is removed.

Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 12A, the magnet plate 614a is disposed at the lower position, and the magnet plate 614b is disposed at the upper position. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, in the outer region R1 of the magnet plate 614a (see FIG. 12B), each chuck pin 615 is in a closed state. In the outer region R2 (see Fig. 12 (b)) of the magnet plate 614b, each chuck pin 615 is in an open state. That is, the support 615c of each chuck pin 615 is maintained in contact with the outer peripheral end of the substrate W when passing through the outer region R1 of the magnet plate 614a, When passing through the outer region R2, the substrate is spaced apart from the outer peripheral end of the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

Therefore, in the outer region R2 of the magnet plate 614b, the portion of the lower surface side of the outer peripheral end of the substrate W can be cleaned by the cleaning brush 630.

Also, in this example, at least four chuck pins 615 of the five chuck pins 615 are located in the outer region R1 of the magnet plate 614a. In this case, at least four chuck pins 615 are separated from the outer peripheral end of the substrate W when the support portion 615c of each chuck pin 615 passes through the outer region R2 of the magnet plate 614b. The substrate W is supported. As a result, the stability of the substrate W is secured.

After completion of the back cleaning process, the magnet plates 614a and 615b are disposed in the lower position, and the substrate W is supported by all the chuck pins 615. In this state, the substrate W rotates at high speed by the spin chuck 600. Thereby, pure water adhering to the board | substrate W is shaken off, and the board | substrate W is dried.

(6) Effect of Embodiment

In the present embodiment, the back surface cleaning process is performed on the substrate W before the exposure process in the back surface cleaning processing unit BC. In this case, while the N ₂ gas is continuously supplied to the surface of the substrate W, the back surface of the substrate W is cleaned by the cleaning brush 630. Thereby, the contaminant adhering to the back surface of the board | substrate W can be reliably removed, preventing a liquid from adhering to the surface of the board | substrate W.

Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent occurrence of defocus due to irregularities on the back surface of the substrate W during the exposure process. In addition, liquid is prevented from adhering to the resist film formed on the surface of the substrate W, so that the state of the resist film can be kept normal. By these, generation | occurrence | production of the processing defect of the board | substrate W can be prevented reliably.

In the back cleaning unit BC, the spin chuck 600 supporting the substrate W is positioned above the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to clean the whole area | region of the back surface of the board | substrate W with the washing brush 630, facing the back surface of the board | substrate W downward. Therefore, unlike the case where the rear surface of the substrate W faces upward, the liquid supplied to the rear surface of the substrate W does not flow into the surface side of the substrate W by gravity. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the liquid from adhering to the surface of the substrate W. FIG. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide an inversion mechanism for inverting the substrate W, it is possible to suppress an increase in size and cost of the substrate processing apparatus 500.

In the back cleaning unit BC, a stainless guide tube 410 of the fluid supply pipe 400 is inserted into the rotation shaft 210 of the spin motor 200 and inside the plate support member 510. It is. The guide tube 410 is supported by a motor support member 200s that supports the spin motor 200 so that a gap GA is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the rotation shaft 210. Since the guide tube 410 made of stainless steel has high rigidity, even when the rotating shaft 210 rotates, the gap GA between the guide tube 410 and the inner circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 210 is kept constant. Thereby, the guide tube 410 is surely prevented from contacting the rotating shaft 210.

In addition, since the guide tube 410 is supported by the spin motor 200, even when the spin motor 200 vibrates, the positional relationship between the rotation shaft 210 and the guide tube 410 is maintained. Thereby, the guide tube 410 is more surely prevented from contacting the rotating shaft 210.

In addition, since the resin gas supply pipe 420 has flexibility, it can be easily inserted into the guide pipe 410.

In addition, by mounting the guide tube 410 into which the gas supply pipe 420 is inserted to the spin motor 200, the fluid supply pipe 400 can be easily assembled to the back surface cleaning processing unit BC.

Specifically, the spin motor 200 is supported by the motor support member 200s so that the first flange FRl of the guide tube 410 is fixed to the motor support member 200s. As a result, the guide tube 410 is securely fixed to the spin motor 200 through the first flange FRl and the motor supporting member 200s. In addition, the fluid supply pipe 400 may be easily fixed to the spin motor 200 by mounting the first flange FR1 of the guide pipe 410 to the motor support member 200s. Therefore, the manufacturing of the back surface washing processing unit BC becomes easier.

(7) Modifications

(7-1)

In the above embodiment, the guide tube 410 of the fluid supply pipe 400 has been described as being formed of stainless steel, but as the material for forming the guide tube 410, iron, copper, bronze, brass other than stainless steel Tough metal materials such as aluminum, silver or gold can be used.

In addition, although the explanation has been made that the gas supply pipe 420 is formed of a fluorine resin, the materials for forming the gas supply pipe 420 include PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), and PTFE (other than fluorine resin). It is also possible to use a resin material having flexibility such as polydetrafluoroethylene) or PFA (detrafluoroethylene perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer).

(7-2)

In the back surface washing processing unit BC, the spin plate 520 may be brought close to the substrate W without supplying the blocking plate 525, and N ₂ gas may be supplied to the space therebetween.

(7-3)

The number of the back cleaning unit BC, the coating unit BARC, RES, the developing unit DEV, the heating unit HP, the cooling unit CP, and the mounting and cooling unit (P-CP) is the number of each processing block. It may be appropriately changed in accordance with the processing speed.

(7-4)

In addition, in the said embodiment, although the back washing process unit BC is arrange | positioned in the interface block 15, the back washing process unit BC may be arrange | positioned in the developing process block 12 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the backside washing processing block including the backside washing processing unit BC may be provided between the developing processing block 12 and the interface block 15 shown in FIG.

(8) Correspondence between each component of the claim and each component of the embodiment

Hereinafter, although the corresponding example of each component of an claim and each element of embodiment is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the following example.

In the above embodiment, the back cleaning unit BC is an example of the substrate cleaning apparatus, the spin chuck 600 is an example of the substrate rotation support apparatus, the fluid supply pipe 400 is an example of the gas supply unit, and the back cleaning brush ( 630 is an example of the cleaning tool, the cleaning nozzle 633 is an example of the cleaning liquid supply unit, the spin plate 520 is an example of the rotating member, the spin motor 200 and the rotating shaft 210 is an example of the rotary drive mechanism, The support 615c is an example of the support member, the guide tube 410 is an example of the appearance, the gas supply pipe 420 is an example of the inner tube, the motor support member 200s is an example of the support member, and the first flange ( FR1) is an example of a flange part.

In addition, the indexer block 9, the anti-reflection film processing block 10, the resist film processing block 11, and the developing processing block 12 are examples of the processing unit, and the interface block 15 is an example of the exchange unit. The unit RES is an example of the photosensitive film forming unit.

As each component of a claim, you may use various elements other than having the structure or function which were described in a claim.

Claims (6)

A substrate cleaning device for cleaning a lower surface of a substrate,
A substrate rotation support device which rotates while supporting the substrate horizontally;
A gas supply unit supplying gas to an upper surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support device;
A cleaning tool for cleaning the lower surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support device;
A cleaning solution supply unit for supplying a cleaning solution to a lower surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus;
The substrate rotation support device
A rotating member rotatably installed around a rotation axis along the vertical direction,
A rotary drive mechanism installed above the rotating member to rotate the rotating member;
A support member provided below the rotating member and supporting the substrate by abutting against an outer peripheral end portion of the substrate disposed below the rotating member,
The rotary drive mechanism has a hollow rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction,
The rotating member has an opening in the center and is mounted to the rotating shaft to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft,
The gas supply unit,
An outer appearance of a metal supported by the rotary drive mechanism to be inserted into the rotary shaft of the rotary drive mechanism and the opening of the rotary member to form a predetermined gap between the inner circumferential surface of the rotary shaft;
A resin inner tube inserted into the outer surface and having a discharge port at an end portion opposite to the upper surface of the substrate, for supplying gas to the substrate from the discharge port;
And a cleaning liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the rotated substrate while the cleaning liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate rotated by the substrate rotation support device. delete delete The method of claim 1,
Support portion for supporting the rotation drive mechanism such that the rotation axis extends in the vertical direction
With more ash,
The appearance has a flange portion, the substrate cleaning apparatus, characterized in that the flange portion is fixed to the support member. A substrate processing apparatus arranged to be adjacent to an exposure apparatus and performing a process on a substrate having a surface and a back surface, the substrate processing apparatus comprising:
A processing unit for processing the substrate,
A exchange part for exchanging a substrate between the processor and the exposure apparatus;
The processing portion includes a photosensitive film forming unit for forming a photosensitive film made of a photosensitive material on the surface of the substrate,
At least one of the processing unit and the exchange unit,
A substrate cleaning device for cleaning the back surface of the substrate before the exposure treatment by the exposure apparatus;
The substrate cleaning device,
A substrate rotation support device which rotates while supporting the substrate horizontally with the surface upward;
A gas supply unit supplying gas to a surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support device;
A cleaning tool for cleaning the back surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support apparatus;
A cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the rear surface of the substrate supported by the substrate rotation support device;
The substrate rotation support device,
A rotating member rotatably installed around a rotation axis along the vertical direction,
A rotary drive mechanism installed above the rotating member to rotate the rotating member;
A support member provided below the rotating member and supporting the substrate by abutting against an outer peripheral end of the substrate disposed below the rotating member,
The rotary drive mechanism has a hollow rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction,
The rotating member has an opening in the center and is mounted to the rotating shaft to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft,
The gas supply unit,
An outer appearance of a metal supported by the rotary drive mechanism to be inserted into the rotary shaft of the rotary drive mechanism and the opening of the rotary member to form a predetermined gap between the inner circumferential surface of the rotary shaft;
A resin inner tube inserted into the outer surface and having an ejection opening at an end portion opposite to the surface of the substrate, for supplying gas to the substrate from the ejection opening;
And a cleaning liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the rotated substrate by the cleaning liquid supply unit while the gas is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate rotated by the substrate rotation support device. delete

Images