KR101228773B1 - Liquid processing apparatus, liquid processing method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is a liquid processing apparatus for dividing up and down to perform liquid treatment while rotating a substrate in a cup in which an upper cup can be lifted, and a liquid processing apparatus capable of preventing mist from scattering to the outside from between the upper and lower cups. To provide.
The spin chuck 1 adsorbing and holding the wafer W, the developer nozzle 14 for supplying the developer solution to the wafer W, the cleaning solution nozzle 15 for supplying the cleaning solution, and the sides of the spin chuck 1 are covered. And a cup body 2 formed by combining the lower cup 4 and the movable upper cup 3 and the upper cup 3 when the upper cup 3 is raised so that the curved portion 42 of the lower cup is fitted therein. And a groove portion 32 for storing the washing liquid, a liquid holding tank 34 and a through hole 38 for guiding the washing liquid shaken off by the rotation of the wafer W to the groove portion 32. In addition, the cleaning liquid stored in the groove portion 32 seals the gap between the lower cup 4 and the upper cup 3 in an airtight manner to prevent mist from leaking from the cup body 2.

Description

LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS, LIQUID PROCESSING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid processing apparatus and a liquid processing method for performing processing by supplying a processing liquid to a substrate while holding and rotating the substrate on a substrate holding portion.

Conventionally, in the developing apparatus used for the system which forms a resist pattern in a board | substrate, a board | substrate, for example, a wafer is adsorb | sucked and hold | maintained on the spin chuck which is a board | substrate holding part installed in a cup, and a developer is supplied to the surface of this wafer from a developing nozzle. Subsequently, a series of steps are performed in which the cleaning liquid is supplied by the cleaning nozzle to be cleaned while rotating the wafer, followed by shaking off and drying. As a method of supplying the developing solution, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a method of moving the developing nozzle from the peripheral side of the wafer to the center side while rotating the wafer and swirling the developing solution on the surface of the wafer in a spiral shape is known. Known. During subsequent spin cleaning, since the cleaning liquid is scattered to the outside of the wafer, the upper edge of the cup is located above the height level of the wafer in order to prevent mist from scattering out of the cup and reattaching onto the wafer after development. .

By the way, in the case where the developing nozzles are common to a plurality of cups, for example, it is advantageous to adopt a structure in which the developing nozzle moves over the cleaning nozzle to make the simple structure. In this case, the lifting post which is a part of the moving mechanism of the developing nozzle becomes the height in consideration of the height of the cleaning nozzle, the holding arm for the cleaning nozzle, the developing nozzle and the holding arm for the developing nozzle. On the other hand, in the application | coating and developing apparatus, in order to suppress the occupied area of an apparatus, the resist application | coating unit and the developing apparatus are multistage, and there exists a request to lower the ceiling of one apparatus in order to ensure the number of stages. However, since there is a limit in order to lower the elongation of the moving mechanism of the developing nozzle, it is difficult to comply with this request. Therefore, the present inventors are configured to divide the cup body so that the upper cup of the upper side can be lifted, so that the cleaning nozzle is moved above the wafer. At that time, the device for lowering the upper cup is considered. In this case, it is advantageous to form a labyrinth by fitting the relationship between the two parts so that mist does not leak from the gap between the upper cup and the lower cup. Fig. 18 shows such a developing device, in which 101 is a spin chuck, 102 is a cup body, 103 is an upper cup, 104 is a lower cup, 105 is an inner cup and 133 is an upper opening.

By the way, in the developing apparatus provided with such a cup body 102, the following problem arises. When the wafer is rotated at the time of spin cleaning, as shown in FIG. 18, outside air is drawn in from the upper opening 133 of the upper cup 103 toward the inside due to the rotation of the wafer W1, but the amount of intake air into the cup body 102 is increased. The more the number of rotations of the wafer W1 is, the greater the number is. When the amount of intake air from the upper opening 133 is greater than the amount of exhaust in the cup body 102, the internal pressure of the cup body 102 increases, and mist is formed from the fitting portion of the upper cup 103 and the lower cup 104. There is a risk of leaking out and scattering, reattaching to the processed wafer W1, and causing development defects.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 forms a groove portion at a position in contact with the lower cup of the upper cup, and moves the cleaning liquid discharged by the slow leak in the groove portion through a dedicated supply pipe, or moves on the outer peripheral surface of the upper cup to the groove portion. The liquid processing apparatus which stores the developing solution to seal, and seals airtightly with a liquid between an upper cup and a lower cup is described. However, in the liquid processing apparatus of Patent Document 2, a method in which a scanning nozzle having a length substantially equal to the diameter of the wafer is not used, for example, as in Patent Document 1, the developing nozzle is moved from the peripheral side of the wafer to the center side to swirl the developer. In the developing device which is piled up, the developer is discharged directly to the outer circumference of the upper cup, so that the developer that has hit the upper cup 103 may scatter out of the cup body 102, and the expensive developer is also consumed unnecessarily. .

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-210059 (Paragraph No. 0030,0036) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-85782 (paragraph 0039,0048)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to divide the liquid into a top and a bottom and rotate the substrate in a cup in which the upper cup can be lifted. The present invention provides a liquid treatment apparatus capable of preventing scattering and a technique relating to the liquid treatment apparatus.

Liquid processing apparatus of the present invention,

A substrate holding portion which sucks and holds a substrate and is rotatable about a vertical axis;

A processing liquid nozzle for supplying a processing liquid which is a coating liquid or a cleaning liquid to the substrate adsorbed and held by the substrate holding portion;

A cup body provided so as to cover the side of the substrate holding part and configured by combining a lower cup positioned below and an upper cup positioned above and above the lower cup, the upper cup capable of lifting and lowering;

It is provided in one cup of the said lower cup and the said upper cup, and is formed over the whole periphery so that the peripheral edge of the one end side of the other cup may be inserted from an upper side when the said upper cup raises, and for storing a process liquid With fitting part,

And a guide portion for guiding the processing liquid shaken off by the rotation of the substrate into the fitting portion when the substrate is rotated while the upper cup is raised and the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate.

The fitting portion is for sealing hermetically between the lower cup and the upper cup by the treatment liquid guided and stored in the guide portion.

Further, in the liquid treatment apparatus of the present invention, for example, the fitting portion is a groove portion formed by bending the lower end portion of the upper cup to the outside, and the guide portion is a liquid receiving tank provided so that the upper surface is opened on the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup, A communication hole for connecting the groove portion and the liquid container may be included, and the upper end portion side of the lower cup may be bent inwardly downward, and the curved end portion may be inserted into the groove portion. Moreover, in the liquid processing apparatus of this invention, the said fitting part is a groove part formed in the said lower cup so that an inner surface side might become lower than an outer surface side, for example, and the upper cup is located in which the lower end part is a rising position and a falling position. Even if it is, it is formed so that it may fit in the said groove part, and the said guide part may be the inner peripheral surface of the said upper cup. In addition, in the liquid processing apparatus of the present invention, for example, a developing solution nozzle for supplying a developing solution to a substrate and a cleaning solution nozzle for supplying a cleaning solution to a substrate after supply of the developing solution are used as the processing liquid nozzle, and at least the cleaning liquid nozzle is used. When this washing | cleaning is carried out, the said upper cup may be set to the raise position.

Liquid processing apparatus of the present invention,

The cup body is provided so as to surround the side of the board | substrate holding | maintenance part, and is comprised by combining the lower cup located in the lower side, and the upper cup located in the upper side of this lower cup, and being able to raise and lower,

Holding the substrate on the substrate holding portion;

Positioning the processing liquid nozzle for supplying the processing liquid which is the coating liquid or the cleaning liquid above the substrate while the upper cup is lowered;

Subsequently, the upper cup is raised to a position higher than the substrate, and the periphery of one end side of the other cup is fitted from the upper side in the fitting portion provided over the entire circumference of the lower cup and one cup of the upper cup. Forming a process,

Subsequently, the substrate is rotated and at the same time, the processing liquid is supplied from the processing liquid nozzle to the substrate, and the processing liquid removed from the substrate is guided and stored in the fitting portion, thereby sealing the airtight between the upper cup and the lower cup. It characterized by including the process to make.

The recording medium of the present invention,

It is a storage medium which stored the computer program used for the liquid processing apparatus which adsorbs and hold | maintains a board | substrate to a board | substrate holding part, supplies a process liquid, and performs the liquid process of a board | substrate, rotating a board | substrate,

The computer program is configured with a step group to execute the liquid processing method.

According to the present invention, in the liquid processing apparatus for dividing up and down and performing liquid treatment while rotating the substrate in a cup in which the upper cup can be lifted, one cup of the upper cup and the lower cup has an end portion of the other cup. The fitting portion to be fitted is provided, and the fitting portion is configured to store the processing liquid dropped from the rotating substrate when the upper cup is raised. Therefore, since the processing liquid stored in the fitting portion is sealed tightly between the lower cup and the upper cup, even if the pressure in the cup body rises, it is possible to prevent the mist of the processing liquid from leaking out of the cup body from between the cups. . In addition, since the processing liquid scattered in the cup is used, the liquid does not splash out of the cup and become contaminated.

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a developing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the lifting of the upper cup of a developing apparatus.
3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a liquid container;
4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an arrangement of a liquid container;
5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a drain port and an exhaust port;
6 is a perspective view for explaining a driving unit of a developing nozzle and a cleaning nozzle;
7 is a first explanatory diagram for explaining the developing method of the wafer of the present embodiment.
8 is a second explanatory diagram for explaining the developing method of the wafer of this embodiment.
9 is a third explanatory diagram for explaining the developing method of the wafer of this embodiment.
10 is a first explanatory diagram for explaining a developing apparatus according to a second embodiment.
11 is a second explanatory diagram for explaining the developing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
12 is a first explanatory diagram for explaining a developing apparatus according to another embodiment.
13 is a second explanatory diagram for explaining a developing apparatus according to another embodiment.
14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modification of another embodiment.
Fig. 15 is a plan view of a resist pattern forming apparatus incorporating a substrate heating apparatus of the present invention.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a resist pattern forming apparatus incorporating a substrate heating apparatus of the present invention.
Fig. 17 is a side view of a resist pattern forming apparatus incorporating a substrate heating apparatus of the present invention.
18 is a plan view for explaining a cup body of a conventional developing apparatus.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Embodiment which applied the liquid processing apparatus of this invention to the developing apparatus is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the developing apparatus is equipped with the spin chuck 1 which is a board | substrate holding part. The spin chuck 1 sucks and holds the wafer (substrate) W in a horizontal state and rotates it around the vertical axis. The chuck drive part 10 which has a rotating shaft is provided in the lower part of the spin chuck 1, and the rotating shaft is connected to the center part of the lower surface of the spin chuck 1. Then, the spin chuck 1 is rotated around the vertical axis by the driving force of the chuck driver 10.

On the side of the spin chuck 1, a cup body 2 surrounding the side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1 is provided. This cup body 2 is comprised from the upper cup 3 which rises and falls, and the lower cup 4 fixed to the base 11 which fixes the developing apparatus. The inner cup 5 is provided inside the cup body 2. Moreover, the fan apparatus 19 for supplying downflow to the cup body 2 is provided in the ceiling 18 of the developing apparatus.

The upper cup 3 has a cylindrical portion 30, an inclined portion 31 that extends obliquely over the entire circumference from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion 30 to the inner upper side, and a lower end side peripheral edge of the cylindrical portion 30. It has the groove part 32 corresponded to the fitting part of this invention which bends the outer periphery of the outer periphery, and is bent upwards and a longitudinal cross section is formed in a U shape. In addition, the code | symbol 16 is a lifting unit which raises and lowers the upper cup 3 in a figure. The upper cup 3 is disposed between the lower cup 4 and the inner cup 5 and is accommodated on the inner circumferential surface of the developer or cleaning liquid to be separated from the wafer W so as not to scatter to the outside.

Further, in the vertical portion of the upper cup 3 on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 30 of the upper cup 3, for example, a plurality of liquid reservoirs 34 are provided locally, for example, six (Fig. 4) is installed. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid container 34 protrudes the inclined plate 36 from the inner side of the horizontal plate 35 that is superimposed on the lower surface of the groove 32 and fixed upward from the inner side of the upper cup 3. In addition, the end plates 37 extending from the inclined plate 36 to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 30 are provided at both left and right ends of the inclined plate 36. That is, the liquid storage tank 34 stores liquid in the space enclosed by the inner peripheral surface of the inclined plate 36, the end plate 37, and the cylindrical portion 30. In the present embodiment, the liquid is stored in a substantially ring shape on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 30 by the plurality of liquid storage tanks 34. The cylindrical portion 30 is formed with three through holes 38 for connecting the liquid container 34 and the groove portion 32. And in this embodiment, the guide part of this invention is comprised by the liquid container 34 and the through-hole 38. As shown in FIG.

In addition, although six liquid container 34 are provided in this embodiment, as one embodiment of this invention, one liquid container may be provided in arbitrary positions of the upper cup 3, and also an inclination plate One liquid container may be provided over the entire circumference of the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup 3. In addition, as embodiment of this invention, several liquid container may be equally provided in 120 degree space inside the upper cup, for example, and four liquid container may be spaced in 90 degree space inside an upper cup. You may install it evenly. Alternatively, two liquid container tanks may be provided so as to face each other with the wafer interposed inside the upper cup, and a liquid container smaller than the liquid container tank 34 shown in FIG. You may install inward. In addition, in FIG. 1, the liquid storage tank 34 is shown only in one side part of an upper cup for convenience of description, and the part in which the liquid storage tank 34 is not provided in the other side part is shown.

The lower cup 4 has an outer wall 40 extending in the vertical direction, a bottom portion 41 extending horizontally from the entire circumference of the lower edge side peripheral edge of the outer wall 40 toward the inner center, and an upper inner circumferential surface of the outer wall 40. It has the curved part 42 which protrudes inward from the perimeter of the inside, and is bend | folded downward and the longitudinal cross section was formed in the U shape. This bent portion 42 is formed to fit with the groove portion 32 of the upper cup 3, and can be said to be a fitting portion with respect to the groove portion 32.

And when the upper cup 3 is raised and stopped at the upper position, when the upper and lower cups are accommodated on the inner circumferential surface so as not to scatter out the developing solution and the cleaning liquid from the wafer W, and dropped and stopped at the lower position, It is formed so that it will not interfere with the moving area of the developing solution nozzle 14 and the cleaning solution nozzle 15 mentioned later. Moreover, the cup body 2 is formed so that the curved part 42 and the groove part 32 may be fitted, when the upper cup 3 is stopped at the upper position. 1 shows a state in which the upper cup 3 is stopped at the upper position, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the upper cup 4 is stopped at the lower position.

The inner cup 5 extends obliquely upward from the top edge of the standing wall 50 and the standing wall 50 rising from the inner circumferential end of the bottom portion 41 of the lower cup 4 and outward from the top and is outside from the top. It has the mountain-shaped part which consists of two inclined surfaces obliquely extended downward, and the vertical guide part 51 extended vertically downward from the edge part of the mountain-shaped part. In the space inside the standing wall 50, the chuck driving unit 10, the lifting pin 12, the pin supporting unit 13, and the like are disposed. In addition, the top portion of the ridge is formed at a position facing the lower end of the lower surface of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 1. An annular space is formed between the inclined surface 52 and the outer circumferential surface of the vertical guide portion 51 on the outside of the mountain portion and the cylindrical portion 30 and the inclined portion 31 of the inner cup 3.

Further, a bottom port 41 of the lower cup 4 is provided with a drain port 43 for discharging the waste liquid in the cup body 2 and an exhaust port 44 for exhausting the inside of the cup body 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the drain port 43 and the exhaust port 44 are provided at both ends of the cup 2 so that the drain port 43 is point symmetrical when viewed from the center of the cup 2. When the direction in which the ports 43 are arranged is in the left-right direction, the exhaust port 44 is formed in all directions when viewed from the center point, but in FIG. 1, the drain port 43 and the exhaust port 44 are arranged for convenience of description. It is shown.

As shown in FIG. 6, the developing apparatus includes a developing solution nozzle 14 for supplying a developing solution to the wafer W, and a cleaning solution nozzle 15 for supplying a cleaning solution to the wafer W. As shown in FIG. The developing solution nozzle 14 is connected to the developing solution supply part 21 (refer FIG. 1) containing a developing solution storage part, a flow volume adjusting part, etc., and the developing solution nozzle drive part 23 is provided. In addition, the cleaning liquid nozzle 15 is connected with a cleaning liquid supply part 22 (see FIG. 1) including a cleaning liquid storage part, a flow rate adjusting part, and the like, and is provided with a cleaning liquid nozzle driving part 24. The developing apparatus of this embodiment is provided with three cup bodies 2, for example, and one washing | cleaning liquid nozzle 15 is provided with respect to each cup body 2. As shown in FIG. In contrast, the developer nozzles 14 are common, and the developer nozzle driver 23 moves over the cleaning nozzle driver 24 to move the developer nozzles 14 above the cups 2.

Moreover, the developing apparatus is provided with the control part 26 which controls this developing apparatus. The control unit 26 is, for example, made of a computer, and is provided with a program for performing development processing in addition to a data processing unit made of a memory and a CPU. In this program, the wafer W carried in is held by the spin chuck 1, subjected to the developing process, and then the cleaning process and the drying process are performed, and then the wafer until the wafer W is unloaded from the developing apparatus. Step groups are arranged to control the return schedule of (W) and the operation of each part of the series. These programs (including programs related to input operation and display of processing parameters) are stored in storage media such as flexible disks, compact disks, MO (magnet magnetism disks), hard disks, and installed in the control unit 26. do.

Next, a series of flows of the developing step performed in the developing apparatus of the present embodiment will be briefly described. First, as shown in FIG. 7, a resist film is formed, and the exposed wafer W is conveyed above the cup body 2 by the conveyance arm 20, and cooperates with the lifting pin 12. It is transferred to the spin chuck 1 and held by adsorption (see FIG. 8). In addition, when transferring the wafer W between the conveyance arm 20 and the spin chuck 1, the upper cup 3 is stopped in the downward position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, when the upper cup 3 is raised to an upward position, and the developing solution nozzle 14 is moved to the upper region of the periphery of the wafer W, the wafer W is taken as an example. For example, rotate at 500 rpm. Then, while the developer is discharged from the developer nozzle 14, the developer nozzle 14 is moved by the developer nozzle driver 23 so that the discharge position of the developer moves from the periphery of the wafer W to the center, whereby the developer is transferred. Spirally stacked on the surface of the wafer (W). Further, the developer is continuously discharged to the center portion of the wafer W to form the developer layer G while extending the developer by centrifugal force. Subsequently, the upper cup 3 descends, the developer nozzle 14 retreats from the wafer W, and the cleaning liquid nozzle 15 moves to the upper center portion of the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper cup 3 moves to an upward position, and the cleaning liquid nozzle 15 is rotated while rotating the wafer W at the same rotational speed (for example, 500 rpm) as when the developer is supplied. ) Is supplied to the wafer (W). The supplied cleaning liquid flows so as to spread from the center of the wafer W toward the periphery by centrifugal force and evenly spreads over the upper surface of the wafer W. As shown in FIG. And the developing solution is wash | cleaned by this washing | cleaning liquid.

Moreover, from the periphery of the wafer W, the washing | cleaning liquid containing a developing solution scatters toward the annular space mentioned above. A part of this scattered cleaning liquid flows directly into the liquid storage tank 34 through the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup 3 or is stored therein, and the stored cleaning liquid flows into the groove portion 32 through the through hole 38. Therefore, the cleaning liquid flowing into the groove 32 is guided and introduced into the liquid container 34 and the through hole 38, and when the groove 32 is filled with the cleaning liquid, the groove 32 and the groove 32 The seal of the cleaning liquid is formed between the bent portions 42 sandwiched in the grooves. In addition, the excess cleaning liquid flowing into the groove portion 32 overflows from the groove portion 32 and flows to the bottom portion 41 of the lower cup 4 and flows into the drain port 43.

When the cleaning of the wafer W is completed, the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped, the wafer W is rotated at a high speed, for example, 2000 rpm, and the developer and cleaning liquid remaining on the wafer W are shaken off and dried. At this time, since the rotation speed of the wafer W becomes high, the pressure in the cup body 2 rises similarly to the conventional one (see FIG. 18), but in this embodiment, the seal | sticker with the cleaning liquid between the upper cup 3 and the lower cup 4 is carried out. Because of this, even if the pressure in the cup 2 increases, for example, the airflow does not flow out between the upper cup 3 and the lower cup 4 by this seal, and mist is prevented from leaking. Then, when the wafer W is dried, the rotation of the wafer W is stopped, and then the wafer W is transferred to the transfer arm 20 in the reverse procedure to that of the wafer W described in FIG. 7. The developing step is completed by transferring the wafer W from the developing apparatus.

According to this embodiment, in the developing apparatus which divides up and down and performs development while rotating the wafer W in the cup body 2 which the upper cup 3 can raise and lower, the groove part 32 is provided in the upper cup 3 At the same time, the bent portion 42 serving as a fitting portion of the groove portion 32 is provided in the lower cup 4. Then, the liquid storage tank 34 is provided in the groove portion 32, and the cleaning liquid containing the developer separated from the rotating wafer W when the upper cup 3 is raised is placed in the liquid storage tank 34. It stores and wash | cleans this stored washing | cleaning liquid to the groove part 32, and stores a washing | cleaning liquid in the groove part 32. FIG. Therefore, since the cleaning liquid stored in the groove part 32 is sealed tightly between the upper cup 3 and the lower cup 4, even if the pressure in the cup body 2 rises, for example, mist of the cleaning liquid from between the cup bodies 2 is carried out. Can be prevented from leaking out of the cup body 2. And since the washing | cleaning liquid scattering in the cup body 2 is used, a liquid will not splash out of the cup body 2 and become contaminated.

In addition, when the amount of displacement in the cup body 2 is increased, even though there is no seal between the cups, it is difficult for the mist to flow out to the outside. However, a plurality of cups for spin processing are used, and the amount of displacement in the semiconductor manufacturing factory is insignificant. Under the situation, the method of suppressing the outflow of mist while suppressing the displacement is effective.

[Second Embodiment]

As an embodiment which applied the liquid processing apparatus of this invention to the developing apparatus, you may be the developing apparatus shown to following FIG. 10, FIG. Since this developing apparatus is the same as that of 1st Embodiment except the structure of the cup body 6 from 1st Embodiment, it demonstrates by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to 1st Embodiment or an equivalent part.

The cup body 6 is comprised from the upper cup 60 which rises and falls, and the lower cup 61 fixed to the base 11 which fixes the developing apparatus. The upper cup 60 has a cylindrical portion 62 and an inclined portion 63 extending obliquely over the entire circumference from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion 62 toward the inner side upward. In addition, unlike the first embodiment, the upper cup 60 is not provided with a groove portion. On the other hand, the lower cup 61 has an outer wall 64 extending in the vertical direction, a bottom 65 extending horizontally from the entire circumference of the lower edge side peripheral edge of the outer wall 64 toward the inner center, and a lower portion of the outer wall 64. It has the L-shaped member 66 which protrudes toward the inner side from the whole periphery of an inner peripheral surface, is bent upwards, and a longitudinal cross section is L-shaped. And the groove part 67 is formed between the L-shaped member 66 and the outer wall 64, The cylindrical part 62 of the upper cup 60 is fitted in the groove part 67, and the cup body 6 is comprised. .

Therefore, in this embodiment, the cylindrical part 62 of the upper cup 60 becomes a fitting part, and the groove part 67 of the lower cup 61 becomes an fitting part. Further, the tip of the L-shaped member 66 is formed to have a height lower than that of the upper end of the outer wall 64, and the cleaning liquid overflowed from the groove portion 67 is formed to flow in the lower cup 61. And the tip of the L-shaped member 66 is extended to the position which does not interfere with the inner peripheral surface of the upper cup 60, when the upper cup 60 is stopped in a downward position (refer FIG. 10). In addition, the cup body 6 is a cylinder in any state in which the upper cup 60 is stopped in a downward position (refer FIG. 10), and the upper cup 60 is stopped in an upper position (refer FIG. 11). The part 62 and the groove part 67 are formed so that they may always be fitted. Thereby, the seal | sticker with a washing | cleaning liquid is formed reliably between the upper cup 60 and the lower cup 61. As shown in FIG.

Even in such a cup body 6, as shown in FIG. 11, in the state which stopped the upper cup 6 to the upper position, the washing | cleaning liquid shaken off from the wafer W was carried out by the inner peripheral surface and groove part of the upper cup 60 ( The cleaning liquid can be stored in the groove 67 by being guided to the upper end surface of the tip 67 and flowing into the groove 67. And the seal | sticker with a washing | cleaning liquid can be formed between the cylindrical part 62 and the groove | channel part 67 fitted with the washing | cleaning liquid stored in the groove part 67. FIG. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, since the mist of the cleaning liquid can be prevented from leaking out from between the cup bodies 6, and the cleaning liquid scattered in the cup body 6 is used, the liquid splashes out of the cup body 6. There is no contamination of the device.

In particular, in this embodiment, since the washing | cleaning liquid can be supplied to the groove part 67 from the whole circumferential direction of the inner cup 60, it becomes possible to increase the supply amount of the washing | cleaning liquid per unit time to the groove part 67. FIG. In addition, in this embodiment, although the outer wall 64 and the L-shaped member 66 are integrally formed, embodiment of this invention is not limited to this, It forms as an individual member, and installs an L-shaped member in an outer wall. You may also

[Other Embodiments]

As embodiment which applied the liquid processing apparatus of this invention to the developing apparatus, the developing apparatus shown in following FIG. 12 or FIG. 14 may be sufficient. This developing apparatus is provided with a developing solution accommodating portion 70 in the upper portion of the upper cup 3 of the cup body 7, and instead of the developing solution nozzle 14, a scan having a length substantially equal to the diameter of the wafer as in Patent Document 2 is disclosed. Except that the nozzle 14a is provided, since it is the same as 1st Embodiment, it demonstrates by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol to the same part or an equivalent part as 1st Embodiment.

In the developing apparatus of such an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, in the state where the upper cup 3 is stopped at the lower position, the scan nozzle 14a is scanned above the developer accommodating portion 70, and the developer nozzle The developer is discharged from the 14a to form the developer layer G on the wafer W. As shown in FIG. 13, the cleaning liquid nozzle 15 is moved to the upper center part of the wafer W, the upper cup 3 is stopped to an upper position, a cleaning liquid is supplied, and the wafer W is cleaned. .

Also in this developing apparatus, similarly to the first embodiment, the scattered cleaning liquid flows into the groove portion 32 through the liquid storage tank 34 and the through hole 38, and the cleaning liquid is stored in the groove portion 32 so as to store the cleaning liquid. The seal of the cleaning liquid can be formed between the bent portion 42 sandwiched in the groove portion 32, and the mist of the cleaning liquid can be prevented from leaking out from between the cup bodies 7. Moreover, since the washing | cleaning liquid scattering in the cup body 7 is used, a liquid does not splash out of the cup body 7 and contaminate an apparatus.

In addition, in the case of supplying the developer by the scan nozzle 14a, as shown in FIG. 14, a developer introduction hole 71 is formed in the developer accommodating part 70 as in Patent Document 2, and the developer accommodating part 70 is provided. ), The developer discharged into the groove is guided to the groove portion 32 through the developer introduction hole 71 and the outer circumferential surface of the upper cup 3, and the liquid is transferred from the outer side and the inner side of the upper cup 3 to the groove portion 32. You may supply.

Next, an example of the resist pattern forming system which connected the exposure apparatus to the application | coating with which the developing apparatus of this embodiment which the application of this invention is built, and the developing apparatus is demonstrated briefly. As shown in FIG. 15 or 17, the resist pattern forming system 400 of the present embodiment includes a carrier stacking block B1, a processing block B2, an interface block B3, and an exposure apparatus B4. have. The carrier loading block B1 is transferred from the hermetic carrier C1 loaded on the loading part 410 to transfer the wafer W to the adjacent processing block B2 and at the same time. It is configured to receive the processed wafer W processed by the arm A1 in the processing block B2 and return it to the carrier C1.

As shown in FIG. 16, the processing block B2 is an application region of the anti-reflection film that performs the formation processing of the DEV layer, which is a development area for performing the development process, and the anti-reflection film formed on the lower layer side of the resist film. A BCT layer, a COT layer which is a coating area for applying a resist liquid, and a TCT layer which is a coating area for an antireflection film for forming an antireflection film formed on the upper layer side of the resist film, are laminated in order from the bottom. The process block B2 is comprised by layering.

The BCT layer and the TCT layer each include a liquid treatment unit for applying a resist liquid for forming an antireflection film by spin coating, and a heating and cooling system for performing pretreatment and post treatment of the treatment performed in the liquid treatment unit. The transfer arm A2 and A4 which transfer the wafer W between each processing unit group and each unit are provided. The COT layer includes a coating apparatus for applying a resist coating for forming a resist film by spin coating, a group of processing units for performing pretreatment and post-treatment of the treatment performed by the coating apparatus, a hydrophobization processing unit for performing a hydrophobization treatment, And a transfer arm A3 for transferring the wafer W between the units.

Moreover, the DEV layer is provided with the developing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention laminated | stacked in one DEV layer, for example, and the conveyance arm A5 which conveys the wafer W to this developing apparatus. . 15 and 17, the processing block B2 is provided with an elevatable transfer arm (not shown) for transferring the wafer W between the respective units of the lathe unit U1 and the lathe unit U1 A6 are disposed. The exposure apparatus B4 is connected to the inner side of the processing block B2 via the interface block B3. The processing block B2 and the interface block B3 are connected via the shelving unit U2, and the movable block arm A7 configured to be movable up and down, rotatable about the vertical axis, and retractable to the interface block B3. And a substrate cleaning device SRS are provided.

The flow of the wafer W to which the application | coating and developing process in such a resist pattern formation system is performed is as follows. As shown in FIG. 17, first, the BCT of the processing block B2 of the shelf unit U1 is transferred to the wafer W loaded on the carrier C1 of the carrier stacking block B1 by the transfer arm A1. Return to delivery unit CPL2 corresponding to the floor. Subsequently, the wafer W is conveyed from the transfer unit CPL2 to the transfer unit CPL3 → transfer arm A3 → COT layer, and after the surface of the wafer W is hydrophobized in the hydrophobization treatment unit, A resist film is formed. The wafer W after the resist film formation is transferred to the BF3 of the shelf unit U1 by the transfer arm A3.

Then, the wafer W is transferred to the TCT layer through the transfer unit BF3 → the transfer arm A6 (see FIG. 16) → the transfer unit CPL4, and after the antireflection film is formed on the resist film, the transfer unit ( TRS4). In addition, in some cases, an antireflection film on the resist film is not formed, or instead of performing hydrophobization treatment on the wafer W, an antireflection film is formed in the BCT layer.

In addition, the upper portion of the DEV layer has a shuttle arm, which is a dedicated conveying means for directly conveying the wafer W from the transfer unit CPL11 provided on the shelf unit U1 to the transfer unit CPL12 provided on the shelf unit U2. E) is installed. The wafer W on which the resist film is formed is transferred to the transfer unit CPL11 by the transfer arms A6 through the transfer units BF3 and TRS4, and the transfer unit CPL12 of the shelf unit U2 by the shuttle arm E2. Is returned to the interface block B3. In addition, the transfer unit to which CPL is given in FIG. 17 also serves as a buffer unit to which a plurality of wafers W can be loaded.

Next, the wafer W is conveyed to the substrate cleaning apparatus SRS by the moving arm A7 and cleaned, and is then conveyed to the exposure apparatus B4 to perform exposure processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is returned to the processing block B2, and development processing is performed in the DEV layer, and the transfer arm A5 transfers the access range of the transfer arm A1 in the shelf unit U1. Is returned. And it returns to the carrier C1 through the delivery arm A1. In Fig. 15, reference numeral M1 denotes a processing unit group in which heating unit cooling units and the like are stacked, respectively.

By the above process, in this resist pattern formation system 400, a resist pattern is formed in the wafer W. As shown in FIG. In the resist pattern forming system 400, the developer of the present embodiment is provided so that mist of the developer or rinse liquid in the cup body 2 scatters outside the developing device, that is, into the resist pattern forming system 400. It is possible to prevent the formation and to perform the resist pattern forming process in a good state.

1: spin chuck
2: cup body
3: upper cup
4: lower cup
5: inner cup
14: developer nozzle
15: cleaning liquid nozzle
16: lifting unit
18: ceiling
21: developer supply unit
22: cleaning liquid supply unit
23: developer nozzle drive unit
24: cleaning liquid nozzle drive unit
30: cylindrical part
31: inclined portion
32: groove
34: liquid container
35: horizontal plate
36: inclined portion
37: end plate
38: through hole
40: outer wall
42: bend
51: vertical guide portion
52: slope
G: developer layer
W, W1: wafer

Claims (6)

A substrate holding portion which sucks and holds a substrate and is rotatable about a vertical axis,
A processing liquid nozzle for supplying a processing liquid which is a coating liquid or a cleaning liquid to the substrate adsorbed and held by the substrate holding portion;
A cup body provided so as to cover the side of the substrate holding part, and having a lower cup positioned at a lower side, and an upper cup positioned above the lower cup and configured to move up and down;
It is provided in one cup of the said lower cup and the said upper cup, and is formed over the whole periphery so that the peripheral edge of the one end side of the other cup may be inserted from the upper side when the said upper cup rises, and a process liquid is stored With fitting part to do
And a guide portion for guiding the processing liquid shaken off by the rotation of the substrate into the fitting portion when the substrate is rotated while the upper cup is raised and the processing liquid is supplied to the substrate.
The fitting portion is a groove portion formed by bending the lower end portion of the upper cup to the outside, and is for hermetically sealing between the lower cup and the upper cup by the treatment liquid guided and stored in the guide portion.
The guide portion includes a liquid receiving tank installed on the inner circumferential surface of the upper cup to open the upper surface, and a communication hole connecting the groove portion and the liquid receiving tank,
The upper end side of the said lower cup is bent inwardly downward, and the bending end part is comprised so that it may fit in the said groove part, The liquid processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A substrate holding portion which sucks and holds a substrate and is rotatable about a vertical axis,
A developer nozzle for supplying a developer solution to the substrate adsorbed and held by the substrate holding part, a cleaning solution nozzle for supplying the cleaning solution to the substrate after supply of the developer solution;
A cup body provided so as to cover the side of the substrate holding part, and having a lower cup positioned at a lower side, and an upper cup positioned above the lower cup and configured to move up and down;
It is provided in one cup of the said lower cup and the said upper cup, and is formed over the whole periphery so that the periphery of the one end side of the other cup may be inserted from the upper side when the said upper cup raises, and at least a washing liquid is stored | stored. With fitting part to do
And a guide portion for guiding the cleaning liquid shaken off by the rotation of the substrate into the fitting portion when the substrate is rotated while the upper cup is raised and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the substrate.
And the fitting portion is for sealing hermetically between the lower cup and the upper cup by at least a cleaning liquid guided and stored in the guide portion. The said fitting part is a groove part formed in the said lower cup so that an inner surface side may become lower than an outer surface side,
The upper cup is formed such that its lower end is sandwiched in the groove even if the lower end is located at any of the up and down positions.
And the guide portion is an inner circumferential surface of the upper cup. Using a cup body which is provided so as to surround the side of the board | substrate holding part, and which consists of the lower cup located in the lower side, and the upper cup located in the upper side of this lower cup, and being able to raise and lower,
Holding the substrate on the substrate holding portion;
Positioning the developer nozzle above the substrate with the upper cup lowered;
Thereafter, supplying a developing solution to the substrate from the developing nozzle;
Next, in a state where the upper cup is lowered, the process of placing the cleaning liquid nozzle above the substrate supplied with the developing solution,
Subsequently, the upper cup is raised to a position higher than the substrate, and the periphery of one end side of the other cup is fitted from the upper side in the fitting portion provided over the entire circumference of the lower cup and the one cup of the upper cup. Forming a process,
Subsequently, the substrate is rotated and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle to the substrate, and the cleaning liquid separated from the substrate is guided and stored in the fitting portion to thereby seal the gas tightly between the upper and lower cups. A liquid treatment method comprising the. It is a storage medium which stored the computer program used for the liquid processing apparatus which adsorbs and hold | maintains a board | substrate to a board | substrate holding part, supplies a process liquid, and performs the liquid process of a board | substrate, rotating a board | substrate,
The computer program is characterized in that the step group is configured to execute the liquid processing method according to claim 4. delete

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