KR101487364B1 - Processing liquid supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can eliminate the waste of the treatment liquid, efficiently remove the gas dissolved in the waste liquid, optimize the treatment without being affected by the kind of the treatment liquid, And to improve the performance of the apparatus.

A supply pipe 7a for connecting the chemical liquid container connected to the N ₂ gas supply source 71 through the gas supply line 6a and a supply nozzle 70a for supplying the treatment liquid to the substrate to be processed, 2 and the filter 3 are interposed. The buffer tank is formed so as to be communicable with the atmosphere side, and the N ₂ gas supply source 71 and the buffer tank are connected through the gas supply line 6b. A drain pipe 7c connected to the filter 3 and a return pipe 8a branched from the drain pipe and connected to a supply pipe between the chemical liquid container and the buffer tank are provided, The variable throttle 9 installed in the circulation conduit lowers the liquid pressure of the resist liquid flowing in the circulation conduit so as to vaporize and remove the gas dissolved in the resist liquid.

Description

[PROCESSING LIQUID SUPPLYING DEVICE]

The present invention relates to a processing liquid supply apparatus for supplying a processing liquid such as a resist liquid or a developing liquid to a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate (FPD substrate) for a liquid crystal display.

In general, in the photolithography technique for manufacturing semiconductor devices, a photoresist is applied to a semiconductor wafer or an FPD substrate, a resist film formed by this process is exposed in accordance with a predetermined circuit pattern, and the exposure pattern is developed, Is formed.

In such a photolithography process, as a device for supplying a process liquid such as a resist solution or a developer to a wafer or the like, a liquid end sensor, a feed pump, a process A structure that removes bubbles by returning the processing liquid containing the bubbles mixed in the filter and the discharge pump to the supply pipe on the side of the storage vessel through the return pipe through the filter for removing the bubbles by filtering the liquid and the discharge pump, (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

A liquid end sensor, a trap tank, a pump, and a filter are interposed in a supply pipe for connecting the process liquid storage container and the process liquid supply nozzle, and the circulation port and the trap tank (See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-3258), and a structure in which a pipe is provided and bubbles in the treatment liquid are removed by a trap tank.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-77015 (claims, Figs. 12 and 13)

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-269608 (Claims, Fig. 17)

However, in this type of the processing liquid supply device, it is possible to supply a certain amount of processing liquid to a predetermined state, that is, to remove a gas dissolved in the processing liquid (deaeration processing) It is important.

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the waste of the treatment liquid to be discharged from the filter, but since the returned treatment liquid is again foamed by the filter, the gas dissolved in the treatment liquid can not be efficiently removed There is a problem.

In the technique described in Patent Document 2, bubbles in the treatment liquid containing bubbles returned from the pump by the circulation pipe are removed by the trap tank, and bubbles in the treatment liquid are removed by a filter disposed on the secondary side of the pump However, there is a problem that the bubble can not be completely removed by the filter. In the structure described in Patent Document 2, the structure of the pump is specified, that is, a circulation port for separating bubbles is provided at the upper portion, and a discharge port is provided at the lower portion. There is also the problem that there is not.

The timing of performing the bubble removing process in this kind of the process liquid supply device is before the start of the process, after the predetermined process is performed, after the process liquid storage tank is exchanged, and the like. However, in the foam removing process after performing the predetermined process, since the easy generation of gas differs depending on the type of the process liquid, the number of times of the foam removal process for each process liquid, that is, the number of times of discharge of the process liquid from the supply nozzle, And it is necessary to optimize other processes in accordance with each processing solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the waste of the treatment liquid discarded from the filter, efficiently remove the gas dissolved in the waste liquid, optimize the treatment And it is an object of the present invention to improve the treatment efficiency.

In order to solve the above problems, a treatment liquid supply apparatus of the present invention comprises: a supply nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to a substrate to be processed; a treatment liquid storage vessel for storing the treatment liquid; A pressurized gas supply source that pressurizes the process liquid in the process liquid storage container through a gas supply line to press-feed the process liquid; and a pressurized gas supply source interposed in the gas supply line, A temporary storage container interposed in the supply pipe for temporarily storing a processing liquid pumped from the processing liquid storage vessel; and a processing liquid storage container in the supply line, A supply opening / closing valve interposed between the temporary storage containers for supplying or stopping the process liquid to / from the temporary storage container; A filter interposed in a supply line of a secondary side of the long vessel for removing foreign substances by filtering the processing liquid and removing bubbles mixed in the processing liquid and a pump interposed in the supply line of the secondary side of the filter A drain pipe connected to an upper portion of the filter for discharging the bubbles to the outside and a drain pipe branched from the drain pipe for connecting to the supply pipe between the process liquid storage container and the temporary storage container A second gas supply pipe connected to the pressurized gas supply source and the temporary storage container; a switching valve interposed in the second gas supply pipe for switching the temporary storage container to a gas pressurizing side; An open / close valve interposed in the drain line constituting the circulation line, and a valve provided in a secondary side of the valve, A variable regulating throttle for lowering the liquid pressure of the liquid to vaporize a gas dissolved in the treatment liquid and a control valve for closing the gas supply opening and closing valve and the supply opening and closing valve when supplying the treatment liquid from the supply nozzle, And a control means for switching the switching valve to the side for pressing the temporary storage container and opening the opening and closing valve for the drain pipe of the filter to control the flow of the processing liquid through the circulating pipe Claim 1). In this case, the on-off valve may be integrally formed with the variable throttle (Claim 2).

With this configuration, the waste liquid solution can be returned to the supply pipe between the treatment liquid storage container and the temporary storage container by the circulation duct by removing the bubbles of the filter. In addition, the liquid to be returned is lowered by the variable adjusting throttle interposed in the circulation line, and the gas dissolved in the liquid becomes visible and bubbles are generated. By passing the treatment liquid containing the bubbles through the filter again from the circulation line through the supply line, the bubbles are removed by the filter.

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Further, in the present invention, the circulation duct may further include a bubble detection sensor for detecting bubbles in the treatment liquid flowing through the circulation duct, wherein the control means controls, based on the detection signal from the bubble detection sensor, It is preferable to control at least one of the amount of pressurization of the supply source, the throttling amount of the variable adjustment throttle, or the time of the treatment liquid flowing through the circulation duct (claim 3).

With this configuration, the bubble in the processing liquid flowing through the circulation duct is detected by the bubble detection sensor, and the detection signal is transmitted to the control means. The control means controls the amount of pressurization of the pressurized gas supply source, the throttle amount of the variable adjustment throttle, It is possible to control at least one of the time of the treatment liquid flowing through the circulation duct.

Further, in the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a trap tank interposed in a supply line between the filter and the pump, the trap tank having a function of separating bubbles dissolved in the treatment liquid, wherein the drain tank It is preferable to have a constitution in which it is connected by a pipeline (claim 4). In this case, the trap tank may further include a bubble detection sensor for detecting bubbles in the treatment liquid stored in the trap tank, wherein the control means controls the bubble detection sensor based on the detection signal from the bubble detection sensor, It is preferable to control at least one of a pressurizing amount, a throttling amount of the variable throttle, or a time of the processing liquid flowing through the circulation line (claim 5).

With this configuration, the trap tank can remove the bubbles generated by the dissolved gas in the processing liquid that has not been removed by the filter, and the hydraulic pressure of the processing liquid discharged from the trap tank is lowered by the opening / closing valve, The bubbles can be generated and the bubbles generated can be discharged from the drain pipe to the outside. The other treatment liquid is returned to the supply line by the circulation line, and the bubbles in the treatment liquid are removed by the filter when passing again through the supply line. In this case, bubbles in the treatment liquid in the trap tank are detected by the bubble detection sensor and the detection signal is transmitted to the control means. The control means controls the amount of pressurization of the pressurized gas supply source, the throttling amount of the variable adjustment throttle, It is possible to control at least one of the time of the flowing process liquid.

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the following remarkable effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the invention described in Claims 1 and 2, since the treatment liquid that has been discarded by removing the bubbles of the filter can be returned to the supply pipeline between the treatment liquid storage vessel and the temporary storage vessel again by the circulation duct, It is possible to eliminate the waste of the treatment liquid to be disposed of. Further, in the recovered processing liquid, the liquid pressure is lowered by the variable adjusting throttle interposed in the circulating pipeline, and the gas dissolved in the liquid is present and bubbles are generated, so that the bubbles in the processing liquid are discharged from the circulation line to the supply line And can be removed by the filter when passing through the filter again. Further, since the gas dissolved in the treatment liquid can be efficiently removed regardless of the kind of the treatment liquid, the treatment can be optimized and the treatment efficiency can be improved.

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(2) According to the invention of claim 3, bubbles in the treatment liquid flowing through the circulation duct are detected by the bubble detection sensor, and based on the detection signal, the amount of pressurization of the pressurized gas supply source, the throttling amount of the variable adjustment throttle, It is possible to further optimize the treatment in addition to the above-mentioned (1), and it is possible to improve the treatment efficiency.

(3) According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, the bubbles generated by the gas dissolved in the treatment liquid which have not been removed by the filter are removed by the trap tank, and the treatment liquid containing the bubbles is circulated by the circulation duct, And bubbles in the treatment liquid can be removed by the filter when passing through the filter again through the supply line. Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned (1) and (2), the processing can be further optimized and the processing efficiency can be improved. In this case, bubbles in the treatment liquid in the trap tank are detected by the bubble detection sensor, and based on the detection signal, at least one of the pressurization amount of the pressurized gas supply source, the throttling amount of the variable throttle, It is possible to further optimize the processing and improve the processing efficiency.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a case where the treatment liquid supply device according to the present invention is applied to a resist coating treatment device in a resist solution coating / developing treatment system of a semiconductor wafer will be described.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a resist coating and developing processing system of a semiconductor wafer having a processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a resist coating / developing processing system, Fig. 2 is a schematic rear view of the processing system.

As shown in FIG. 9, the resist coating and developing system S includes 25 wafers W, for example, which are carried in and out of the resist coating and developing processing system S from the outside in units of cassettes, A cassette station S1 for loading and unloading the wafers W with respect to the cassette station S1 and a plurality of processing units provided adjacent to the cassette station S1 for carrying out a predetermined process in the coating and developing process, And an interface unit S3 for transferring the wafer W between the processing station S2 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to the processing station S2 are integrally connected have.

The cassette station S1 is capable of stacking a plurality of cassettes C in a row in the horizontal X direction at a predetermined position on the cassette mounting table A. [ The cassette station S1 is provided with a wafer transfer arm D movable along the X direction on the transfer path B. The wafer transfer arm D is also movable in the wafer arrangement direction (Z direction: vertical direction) of the wafer W accommodated in the cassette C and is movable in the X direction with respect to the wafer W in each cassette C As shown in FIG.

The wafer transfer arm D is configured so as to be rotatable in the? Direction around the Z axis. The transfer apparatus TRS belonging to the third processing unit group G3 on the processing station S2 side, as described later, So that it is also possible to access the storage unit 31 as well.

The processing station S2 has, for example, five processing unit groups (G1 to G5) in which a plurality of processing units are arranged in multiple stages. As shown in Fig. 9, the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2 are arranged in order from the cassette station S1 side on the front side of the processing station S2. A third processing unit group G3, a fourth processing unit group G4 and a fifth processing unit group G5 are arranged in order from the cassette station S1 side on the back side of the processing station S2 . A first transport mechanism 110 is provided between the third processing unit group G3 and the fourth processing unit group G4. The first transport mechanism 110 is configured to selectively access the first processing unit group G1, the third processing unit group G3 and the fourth processing unit group G4 to transport the wafer W. [ A second transport mechanism 120 is provided between the fourth processing unit group G4 and the fifth processing unit group G5. The second transport mechanism 120 is configured to selectively access the second processing unit group G2, the fourth processing unit group G4 and the fifth processing unit group G5 to transport the wafer W. [

As shown in Fig. 10, the first processing unit group G1 is provided with a liquid processing unit for supplying a predetermined processing liquid to the wafer W, for example, a liquid processing unit for applying a resist solution to the wafer W, A resist coating unit (COT) 10, 11, 12 having a resist coating apparatus provided with a processing liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, and an ultraviolet curable resin liquid for preventing reflection of light at the time of exposure to form an antireflection film Bottom coating units (BARC) 13 and 14 are superimposed in five stages in order from the bottom. In the second processing unit group G2, a liquid processing unit, for example, development processing units (DEV) 20 to 24 for performing development processing on the wafer W are superposed in five stages from the bottom. A chemical chamber CHM for supplying various processing solutions to the liquid processing units in the respective processing unit groups G1 and G2 is provided at the lowermost end of the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2 25, and 26, respectively.

11, the third processing unit group G3 is provided with a temperature control unit (TCP) 30 and a transition device TRS (second transfer unit) for transferring the wafers W 31 and heat treatment units (ULHP) 32 to 38 for heating the wafers W under high-precision temperature control are superimposed in nine stages.

The fourth processing unit group G4 includes, for example, a high precision temperature control unit (CPL) 40, prebaking units (PAB) 41 to 44 for heating the wafer W after the resist coating process, Post baking units (POST) 45 to 49 for heating the wafers W are stacked in ten stages in order from the bottom.

The fifth processing unit group G5 includes a plurality of heat treatment units for heat treating the wafer W such as high precision temperature control units (CPL) 50 to 53, post-exposure baking for heating the exposed wafer W, The units (PEB) 54 to 59 are superposed in ten stages in order from the bottom.

9, a plurality of processing units are arranged on the positive direction side of the first transport mechanism 110 in the X direction. As shown in Fig. 11, for example, Units AD 80 and 81 and heating units HP and 82 for heating the wafer W are superposed in order from the bottom in four stages. 9, a peripheral exposure unit (WEE) 84 for selectively exposing only the edge portion of the wafer W is disposed on the back side of the second transport mechanism 120. As shown in Fig.

As shown in Fig. 10, an air conditioning unit 90 for air-conditioning each block is provided above each block of the cassette station S1, the processing station S2 and the interface unit S3. With this air conditioning unit 90, the cassette station S1, the processing station S2 and the interface unit S3 can be adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity. As shown in Fig. 11, for example, in the upper part of the processing station S2, the devices in the third processing unit group G3, the fourth processing unit group G4, and the fifth processing unit group G5 are preliminarily And a gas supply unit 91, which is a gas supply means such as an FFU (fan filter unit), for supplying the determined gas, are respectively provided. The gas supply unit 91 can remove the impurities from the gas adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity, and then blow the gas at a predetermined flow rate.

9, the interface unit S3 includes a first interface unit 100 and a second interface unit 101 in this order from the processing station S2 side. In the first interface unit 100, the wafer transfer arm 102 is disposed at a position corresponding to the fifth processing unit group G5. On the both sides in the X direction of the wafer transfer arm 102, for example, a buffer cassette 103 (back side of FIG. 9) and 104 (front side of FIG. 9) are provided. The wafer transfer arm 102 can be accessed to the thermal processing apparatus and the buffer cassettes 103 and 104 in the fifth processing unit group G5. The second interface unit 101 is provided with a wafer transfer arm 106 that moves on a transfer path 105 provided in the X direction. The wafer transfer arm 106 can move in the Z direction and can rotate in the? Direction, and can access the buffer cassette 104 and an exposure apparatus (not shown) adjacent to the second interface unit 101 have. The wafer W in the processing station S2 can be transferred to the exposure apparatus through the wafer transfer arm 102, the buffer cassette 104 and the wafer transfer arm 106, and the wafer W Can be conveyed into the processing station S2 through the wafer transfer arm 106, the buffer cassette 104, and the wafer transfer arm 102. [

The resist coating processing apparatus 15 having the processing liquid supplying apparatus according to the present invention applied to the resist coating units (COT) 10, 11, 12 is provided with a processing container 60 Respectively. As shown in Fig. 12, on one side of the processing vessel 60, a wafer W carrying-in / out port (not shown) is provided on a surface facing the carrying region of the first transfer mechanism 110, Closing shutters 63 are provided on the loading / unloading port 60a so as to be openable / closable by an opening / closing cylinder 64 for opening / closing.

12, the resist coating apparatus 15 includes a spin chuck 16 for holding the wafer W horizontally by vacuum suction on the upper surface thereof as holding means for the wafer W, A rotation mechanism 16b connected to the wafer W via a shaft portion 16a and configured to rotate the wafer W in a horizontal plane such as a servo motor, And a collecting nozzle 70 provided with a collecting nozzle 70a.

The collecting nozzle 70 is provided at the tip of the rotating arm 65 as a moving member pivoting about the rotating shaft 66. The collecting nozzle 70 is connected to a solvent supply source 70d via a solvent supply line 70c and a treatment liquid supply nozzle 70a connected to a second treatment liquid supply line 7b to be described later and discharging a resist solution The nozzles 70a and 70b are juxtaposed in the radial direction of the wafer W in the longitudinal direction and open at the lower surface of the collecting nozzle 70 . That is, the process liquid supply nozzle 70a and the solvent supply nozzle 70b are arranged such that the process liquid supply nozzle 70a is positioned radially inwardly of the wafer W and the solvent supply nozzle 70b are located at a predetermined distance from each other. The resist liquid supplied by the second process liquid supply line 7b from the process liquid supply nozzle 70a and the solvent supplied by the solvent supply line 70c from the solvent supply nozzle 70b And is configured to be discharged independently.

12, the rotary arm 65 is fixed in a horizontal posture above the rotary shaft 66 vertically provided on the outer side of the processing container 60, and the rotation mechanism 67 of the rotary shaft 66 is rotated in the horizontal direction, (Nozzle moving mechanism), so as to rotate within the horizontal plane. The rotary arm 65 moves between the state of moving to the vicinity of the central portion of the wafer W and the state of moving to the standby position (the home position) outside the processing container 60 at a position above the wafer W. The rotating arm 65 is moved between them to perform a process of forming a coating film on the wafer W. [

An outer cup 61 capable of moving up and down around the outer periphery of the wafer W and an inner cup 62 disposed on the lower side of the wafer W are provided in the processing vessel 60. A ventilation passage 60c is formed in the processing space 60b of the processing vessel 60 between the outer cup 61 and the inner cup 62 so that the clean air of the downflow flowing downward flows downward.

Next, a treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. Fig.

≪ First Embodiment >

1 is a schematic sectional view showing a first embodiment of a treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

The treatment liquid supply device comprises a treatment liquid storage container 1 (hereinafter referred to as a chemical liquid container 1) for storing a treatment liquid L (resist solution), and a gas supply pipe 6a ) it is connected through a [claim referred to as first gas supply duct (6a) below], a source of a liquid container (an inert gas such as nitrogen pressure means for pressing the resist liquid (L) in a 1) (N ₂₎ gas ( (Hereinafter referred to as an N ₂ gas supply source 71) connected to the chemical liquid container 1 via the first process liquid supply line 7a and the processing liquid derived from the chemical liquid container 1 A second processing liquid supply line 7b for connecting the buffer tank 2 and the processing liquid supply nozzle 70a (hereinafter referred to as a supply nozzle 70a) A filter 3 interposed in the buffer tank 2 side in the second treatment liquid supply line 7b to remove bubbles mixed in the treatment liquid and a small The Through the outlet side of the tank 4, a trap tank 4 is provided with a pump 5 for supplying the process liquid to the supply nozzle (70a).

There is also provided a second gas supply line 6b, one end of which branches off from the first gas supply line 6a and the other end of which is connected to the upper portion of the buffer tank 2. The second gas supply line 6b is provided with a switching valve Vc communicating with the buffer tank 2 and the N ₂ gas supply source 71 so as to be able to switch between the standby portion 72 or the N ₂ gas supply source 71 . In this case, the switching valve Vc is connected to one port on the buffer tank 2 side, the N ₂ gas supply source 71 side, and the port on the standby portion 72 side, And the buffer tank 2 is formed so as to communicate with the atmosphere side or the N ₂ gas supply source 71 side by the switching operation of the switching valve Vc.

A drain line 7c is connected to the upper portion of the filter 3 and a return line 8a branched from the drain line 7c is connected to the first treatment And is connected to the liquid supply line 7a to form the circulation line 8. Closing valves V1 and V2 are respectively provided in the drain pipe 7c on the filter side and the return pipe 8a branched from the drain pipe 7c constituting the circulating pipe 8, A variable throttle 9 (hereinafter referred to as a variable throttle 9) which is a throttle means is disposed in the vicinity of the secondary side of the intake throttle V1. An electronic drain valve Vd is disposed on the drain side of the drain line 7c.

As described above, by interposing the variable throttle 9 in the circulation duct 8, it is possible to lower the liquid pressure of the process liquid that is discharged from the filter 3 and flows through the drain line 7c, that is, the resist liquid L, The gas dissolved in the resist solution becomes visible and bubbles are generated. The generated bubbles are discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 7c.

In the above description, the throttle means is formed of the variable throttle 9. However, as shown by the one-dot chain line block diagram in Fig. 1, the electronic throttle valve 9 and the variable throttle valve 9, Off valve V3 which is capable of adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant.

The trap tank 4 has a function of separating bubbles dissolved in the resist liquid and a drain pipe line 7d for the trap tank connected to the upper portion of the trap tank 4 is connected to the circulation line 8 . An electronic opening / closing valve V4 is provided in the drain pipeline 7d for the trap tank. The liquid pressure of the resist liquid discharged from the trap tank 4 can be lowered by the opening / closing valve V4, Dissolved gas is present and bubbles are generated. The generated bubbles are discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 7c.

An introduction pipe 75 for guiding the resist solution into the buffer tank 2 while being in contact with the gas in the buffer tank 2 is provided at the connection portion between the first process liquid supply line 7a and the buffer tank 2 . In this case, the introduction pipe 75 may be in any form as far as the resist liquid L replenished from the chemical liquid container 1 into the buffer tank 2 is in contact with the gas in the buffer tank 2, (75) can be formed in a trough shape divided into halves extending to the middle of the buffer tank (2).

The resist liquid replenished in the buffer tank 2 from the chemical liquid container 1 and the circulating line 8 through the first processing liquid supply line 7a is supplied to the gas (atmosphere) in the buffer tank 2 By bringing the resist into contact with the resist solution, the gas dissolved in the resist solution can be made current by the increase of the atmospheric contact area of the resist solution, and bubbles can be generated. The bubbles generated in the buffer tank 2 are separated from the vapor-liquid interface in the buffer tank 2 in the buffer tank 2. The bubbles which have not been sufficiently separated are removed when passing through the filter 3 together with the resist solution.

An electronic pneumatic regulator R, which is a variable regulating pressure regulating means, is interposed in the first gas supply line 6a connecting the chemical liquid container 1 and the N ₂ gas supply source 71. The electromagnetic pneumatic pressure regulator R includes an operating portion, such as a proportional solenoid, which is operated by a control signal output from the controller 200 constituted by a central processing unit (CPU) as a control means to be described later, and a solenoid And the valve mechanism is configured to adjust the pressure by opening and closing the valve mechanism.

An electromagnetic opening / closing valve V5 is interposed between the electromagnetic pneumatic regulator R of the first gas supply line 6a and the chemical liquid container 1. [ An electronic on-off valve V6 is interposed between the chemical solution container 1 and the buffer tank 2 of the first process liquid supply line 7a and the pump 5 of the second supply line 7b and the supply An electronic air operation valve Va and a suck-back valve Vs are adjacently disposed on the supply nozzle 70a side between the nozzles 70a.

Off valve V7 built in the switching valve Vc, the opening / closing valves V1 to V6, the drain valve Vd, the air operation valve Va, the sagging valve Vs and the pump 5, And is electrically connected to the controller 200. Based on a control signal from the controller 200, a switching operation and an opening / closing operation are performed. An upper limit liquid level sensor 73 and a lower limit liquid level sensor 74 for detecting the upper limit liquid level and the lower limit liquid level of the resist liquid L in the buffer tank 2 are provided in the buffer tank 2, And the lower limit liquid level sensor 74 and the lower limit liquid level sensor 74 are transmitted to the controller 200. [

Next, an operation mode of the treatment liquid supply apparatus will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 6. Fig. 2 to 6, the control system such as the controller 200 is omitted.

≪ Replenishing the resist solution to the buffer tank >

2, after the new chemical liquid container 1 is set, based on the control signal from the controller 200, the opening / closing valve V5 interposed in the first gas supply line 6a, the opening and closing valve (V6) is open and, N ₂ gas supply source 71, a resist solution (L) by the pressure of the N ₂ gas is supplied into the liquid container (1) from the buffer tank through the processing solution supply pipe (7a) (2). At this time, the switching valve Vc is switched to the standby portion 72 side, and the buffer tank 2 is in communication with the atmosphere. When the resist liquid L supplied from the chemical agent container 1 is supplied to the buffer tank 2 through the introduction pipe 75 of the connection portion (replenished), the resist solution is supplied to the gas (atmosphere) By contact, the dissolved gas in the resist solution is activated by the increase in the atmospheric contact area of the resist solution, and bubbles are easily generated or generated.

≪ N ₂ pressurization of resist liquid - resist solution ejection (1) >

When a predetermined amount of resist liquid L is supplied (replenished) to the buffer tank 2, based on the control signal from the controller 200 which receives the detection signal from the upper limit liquid level sensor 73, manner, and closing a shut-off valve (V5) and the opening and closing valve (V6), a switching valve (Vc) is switched to the N ₂ gas source 71. Thus, N ₂ is a shut-off valve (V1, V2), (V3) of the other hand, the circulation duct 8 is fed into the N ₂ gas, the buffer tank (2) from a gas source 71 is an open drain from the filter (3) The resist solution L containing the bubbles discharged into the conduit 7c is returned into the chemical liquid container 1 through the circulation duct 8. At this time, the pump 5 is driven to supply (discharge) the resist liquid from the supply nozzle 70a to the wafer (not shown) which is the substrate to be treated, and the treatment is performed.

In this state, the resist liquid flowing through the circulation duct 8 is lowered in fluid pressure by the variable throttle 9 (or the flow rate adjustable on-off valve V3), and the gas dissolved in the resist solution becomes active and bubbles are generated . The generated bubbles are discharged to the outside through the drain pipe 7c and the gas remaining in the resist solution without being discharged to the outside is returned to the chemical tank 1 together with the resist solution and then supplied to the buffer tank 2 , It is contacted with the atmosphere and discharged (bubbled) to the atmosphere side.

Further, the pressure of the N ₂ gas supplied into the buffer tank 2 should be low enough to sufficiently remove the bubbles of the resist solution by contacting with the atmosphere.

≪ N ₂ pressurization of resist liquid - resist solution ejection (2) >

N ₂ pressure of the resist solution-resist solution discharge (1) in place, and close the opening closing valve (V1), (V3) of the circulating pipe (8), for opening the on-off valve (V2) On the other hand, the trap tank drain for The opening and closing valve V4 interposed in the conduit 7c is opened and the resist liquid L containing the bubbles discharged from the trap tank 4 to the drain pipe line 7d for the trap tank is introduced into the chemical liquid Into the container (1). At this time, the pump 5 is driven to supply (discharge) the resist liquid from the supply nozzle 70a to the wafer (not shown), and the treatment is performed.

Further, in the N ₂ pressure-resist solution discharging (2) step of the resist solution, the other operations are the same as the N ₂ pressure-resist solution discharging (1) of the resist solution. For example, switched to, on-off valve (V5) and the on-off valve, and (V6) are closed, the switching valve (Vc) is N ₂ gas source 71, as shown in Fig. 4 according to a control signal from the controller 200 do.

<Replenishing the resist solution to the pump>

Closing valve V1 (V3) interposed in the circulation duct 8 and the drain of the trap tank (not shown) after supplying (discharging) a predetermined amount of the resist solution from the supply nozzle 70a to the wafer Closing valve V4 interposed in the conduit 7d is closed to replenish the resist solution in the buffer tank 2 on the pump 5 side.

In the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention, the suction pump may be used for the pump 5. In this case, the suction / suction pump is driven in a state where the switching valve Vc is switched to the atmospheric side, and the resist liquid in the buffer tank 2 is replenished to the pump side. In this supplementary type, the suction of the pump itself has a bubble removing effect, and the pump can suck the resist liquid that has been defoamed from the pump side.

<Replacement of chemical container and buffer tank>

A detection signal from the lower limit liquid level sensor 74 is transmitted to the controller 200 when the replenishment amount of the resist liquid L in the buffer tank 2 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, The switching valve Vc is switched to the standby portion 72 side as shown in Fig. 6 so that the buffer tank 2 is in communication with the atmosphere. In this state, the buffer tank 2 can be replaced. 6, the open / close valve V5 interposed in the first gas supply line 6a and the open / close valve V2 intervened in the circulation line 8 are connected to the first gas supply line 6a, and in the closed state can exchange liquid container (1) in a state to stop the supply of the N ₂ gas from a N ₂ gas supply source (71).

After the chemical liquid container 1 is exchanged, the same operation as that described above is carried out, whereby the gas dissolved in the resist liquid can be vaporized and removed.

&Lt; Second Embodiment >

7 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment of the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

The treatment liquid supply device of the second embodiment is provided with the treatment liquid supply device of the first embodiment and includes a bubble detection sensor (not shown) for detecting bubbles in the resist liquid flowing through the circulation duct 8 76) the arrangement and the detection signal detected by the bubble detection sensor 76 and transmitted to the controller 200, according to a control signal from the controller 200, according to the electro-pneumatic regulator (R) N ₂ The throttle amount of the variable throttle 9 (the opening / closing valve V3) or the time of the resist solution flowing through the circulation duct 8 can be controlled.

The bubble detection sensor 76 detects bubbles in the resist liquid L flowing out from the filter 3 and flowing through the circulation conduit 8 and detects the state of bubbles in the resist liquid flowing through the circulation conduit 8 Can be monitored. At least one of the amount of pressurization of the N ₂ gas supply source 71, the throttling amount of the variable throttle 9 (the on-off valve V3) or the time of the resist solution flowing through the circulation duct 8 depending on the amount of bubbles in the resist solution The bubbles in the resist liquid flowing through the circulation duct 8 can be efficiently removed. In the second embodiment, the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

&Lt; Third Embodiment >

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

The treatment liquid supply apparatus of the third embodiment is characterized in that in addition to the treatment liquid supply apparatuses of the first and second embodiments, the treatment liquid supply apparatus of the third embodiment further includes, in the trap tank 4, bubbles for detecting bubbles in the resist liquid flowing in the trap tank 4 A detection sensor 77 is disposed and the detection signal detected by the bubble detection sensor 77 is transmitted to the controller 200. Based on the control signal from the controller 200, And the resist liquid L containing bubbles is flowed from the trap tank 4 to the circulation duct 8 while the flow of the resist liquid L containing the bubbles into the circulation duct 8 is started based on the control signal from the controller 200 At least one of the amount of pressurization of the N ₂ gas supply source 71 by the electromagnetic pneumatic regulator R, the throttling amount of the variable throttle 9 (opening / closing valve V3) or the time of the resist solution flowing through the circulation duct 8 As shown in Fig.

The bubbles in the resist liquid L flowing through the trap tank 4 are detected by the bubble detection sensor 77 and the bubbles in the resist liquid supplied through the filter 3 and supplied to the pump 5 Can be monitored. When bubbles are detected in the resist liquid in the trap tank 4, the opening / closing valve V4 is opened from the trap tank 4 to flow the resist liquid L containing bubbles into the circulation duct 8 It is possible to lower the liquid pressure of the resist liquid L so that the gas dissolved in the resist liquid can be made present and bubbles can be generated and the generated bubbles can be discharged to the outside from the drain line 7c. The resist liquid discharged from the trap tank 4 flows through the circulation line 8 but is supplied to the bubble detection sensor 77 based on the control signal from the controller 200 that has received the detection signal detected by the bubble detection sensor 77 By controlling at least one of the amount of pressurization of the N ₂ gas supply source 71, the throttling amount of the variable throttle 9 (the on-off valve V3) or the time of the resist solution flowing through the circulation duct 8, The bubbles in the resist liquid flowing through the channel 8 can be efficiently removed.

In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the bubble detection sensor 76 for detecting bubbles in the resist liquid flowing in the circulation duct 8 is disposed in the circulation duct 8, The controller 200 transmits the detection signal detected by the detection sensor 76 to the controller 200 and controls the pressing amount of the N ₂ gas source 71 by the electromagnetic pneumatic regulator R based on the control signal from the controller 200 , The throttle amount of the variable throttle 9 (the on-off valve V3), or the time of the resist solution flowing through the circulation duct 8 can be controlled. By such a constitution, bubbles in the resist solution can be removed more efficiently. Since the rest of the configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

<Other Embodiments>

The treatment liquid storage container is formed of the chemical liquid container 1 and the N ₂ gas supplied from the N ₂ gas supply source 71 is directly applied to the liquid level of the resist liquid L in the chemical liquid container 1, The buffer tank 2 can be communicated with the atmosphere as described above in place of the chemical liquid container 1 in the case where the buffer tank 2 is communicated with the inside of the inside pocket It is possible to store the resist solution and press the outer side of the inner pocket to supply the resist solution to the supply nozzle 70a. Also in this case, when the inner pocket is continuously pressurized, the dissolved gas concentration increases due to permeation of N ₂ gas in the inner pocket. Therefore, by using the process liquid supply apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently remove the gas dissolved in the resist liquid have.

In the above embodiment, the case where the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the resist coating apparatus has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a treatment apparatus other than resist, have.

1 is a schematic sectional view showing a first embodiment of a treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a replenishing operation state of the processing liquid to the buffer tank in the processing liquid supply apparatus. Fig.

3 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a normal processing operation and a bubble removing operation state in the processing liquid supply apparatus.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of a normal processing operation and a bubble removing operation state in the processing liquid supply apparatus.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a replenishing state of the treatment liquid to the pump in the treatment liquid supply device.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid storage container Fig.

7 is a schematic sectional view showing a second embodiment of the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

8 is a schematic sectional view showing a third embodiment of the treatment liquid supply apparatus according to the present invention.

9 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a resist solution application / development processing system to which a process liquid supply device according to the present invention is applied.

10 is a schematic front view of the resist solution application / development processing system.

11 is a schematic rear view of the resist solution application / development processing system.

12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an application unit in the resist solution application / development processing system.

Description of the Related Art

1: Chemical liquid container (treatment liquid storage container) 2: Buffer tank (temporary storage container)

3: Filter 4: Trap tank

5: pump 6a: first gas supply line

6b: second gas supply line 7a: first process liquid supply line

7b: second treatment liquid supply pipe 7c: drain pipe

7d: drain pipe for trap tank 8: circulation pipe

8a: return pipe 9: variable throttle

71: N ₂ gas source (pressurized gas source) 72:

75: inlet pipe 76: bubble detection sensor

77: bubble detection sensor 200: controller (control means)

L: Resist liquid (processing liquid) V1 to V7:

Vc: Switching valve

Claims (8)

A supply nozzle for supplying the process liquid to the substrate to be processed, A process liquid storage container for storing the process liquid; A supply line connecting the supply nozzle and the process liquid storage container, A pressurized gas supply source for pressurizing the process liquid in the process liquid storage container through a gas supply line to press-feed the process liquid, A gas supply opening / closing valve interposed in the gas supply line for supplying or stopping the gas to / from the process liquid storage container, A temporary storage container interposed in the supply pipe for temporarily storing the process liquid fed from the process liquid storage container; A supply opening / closing valve interposed between the process liquid storage container and the temporary storage container in the supply pipe for supplying or stopping the process liquid to / from the temporary storage container; A filter interposed in a supply line of a secondary side of the temporary storage container for removing foreign substances by filtering the process liquid and removing bubbles mixed in the process liquid, And a pump interposed in a supply line of a secondary side of the filter, A drain pipe connected to an upper portion of the filter for discharging bubbles to the outside and a return pipe branching from the drain pipe and connected to a supply pipe between the process liquid storage container and the temporary storage container, A second gas supply conduit connecting the pressurized gas supply source and the temporary storage container, A switching valve interposed in the second gas supply line for switching the temporary storage container to a gas pressurizing side; An open / close valve interposed in the drain line constituting the circulation line; and a variable regulating throttle valve installed at a secondary side of the open / close valve for reducing the liquid pressure of the flowing process liquid and thereby bubbling a gas dissolved in the process liquid and, Closing valve and the supply opening / closing valve when the processing liquid is supplied from the supply nozzle, and switches the switching valve to the side for pressing the temporary storage container, and opens / closes the opening / To control the flow of the treatment liquid through the circulation conduit And a processing liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid to the processing liquid supply unit. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the open / close valve and the variable throttle form an integral electronic flow rate adjustable opening / closing valve. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Further comprising a bubble detection sensor interposed in the circulation duct for detecting bubbles in the treatment liquid flowing through the circulation duct, Wherein the control means controls at least one of a pressurization amount of the pressurized gas supply source, a throttling amount of the variable throttle, or a time of the process liquid flowing through the circulation duct based on the detection signal from the bubble detection sensor Liquid supply device. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Further comprising a trap tank interposed in a supply line between the filter and the pump and having a function of separating bubbles dissolved in the treatment liquid, Wherein the trap tank and the circulation duct are connected to each other by a drain pipe through which an opening / closing valve is interposed. 5. The method of claim 4, Further comprising a bubble detection sensor for detecting bubbles in the treatment liquid stored in the trap tank, Wherein the control means controls at least one of a pressurization amount of the pressurized gas supply source, a throttling amount of the variable throttle, or a time of the process liquid flowing through the circulation duct based on the detection signal from the bubble detection sensor Liquid supply device. delete delete delete

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