KR102277991B1 - Nozzle cleaning unit and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a cleaning block for cleaning the lip portion of the nozzle while moving along the movement path; A nozzle cleaning unit disposed in at least one of both ends of the movement path and configured of a cleaning booth accommodating the cleaning block to clean the cleaning block inside the cleaning booth, and a substrate processing apparatus including the nozzle cleaning unit is provided

Description

Nozzle cleaning unit and substrate processing apparatus {NOZZLE CLEANING UNIT AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a nozzle cleaning unit for cleaning a nozzle used for processing a substrate, and a substrate processing apparatus including the same.

In general, in manufacturing a semiconductor or flat panel display (FPD), a coating process of applying a chemical solution on a substrate is required as a kind of substrate treatment, and the coating process includes a nozzle through which the chemical solution is discharged. A substrate processing apparatus is used. For example, the coating process may be a unit process constituting a photolithography process. Also, according to this, the chemical used in the coating process may be a photoresist, which is a photosensitive material, and the substrate processing apparatus may be a coater.

A substrate processing apparatus for performing a coating process includes a stage for supporting a substrate, a nozzle for applying a chemical solution on a substrate supported by the stage, and a nozzle cleaning unit for cleaning the nozzle.

The nozzle cleaning unit may remove the residual chemical from the lip portion of the nozzle, thereby preventing coating process failure due to curing of the residual chemical. The nozzle cleaning unit includes a cleaning block, and is configured to clean the lip portion of the nozzle by wiping the cleaning block during the coating process standby and to clean the cleaning block using a cleaning liquid during the coating process do.

Such a nozzle cleaning unit can perform a cleaning operation on the cleaning block, so that cleaning efficiency for the lip portion of the nozzle can be improved, but the cleaning operation on the cleaning block can be performed at the position of the nozzle and/or the substrate (process position). Since it is carried out in a location close to the That is, the cleaning liquid may be scattered around the cleaning block while cleaning is performed, and the nozzle and/or the substrate may be contaminated by the cleaning liquid, which may result in a coating process failure.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1842113 (2018.05.14.) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1914991 (2019.01.07.)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle cleaning unit capable of preventing a problem of surrounding contamination that may occur during cleaning of a cleaning block, and a substrate processing apparatus including the same.

Problems to be solved are not limited thereto, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, cleaning is performed while moving along a movement path of a lip portion of a processing nozzle through which a chemical solution for substrate processing (eg, a photoresist, which is a photosensitive material) is discharged. block; A cleaning booth disposed in at least one of both ends of the movement path and provided with an entrance opening allowing entry and exit of the cleaning block moved along the movement path and a cleaning chamber as an internal space communicating with the entrance opening booth) may be provided.

The nozzle cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a shutter that opens and closes the entry/exit opening.

Here, the shutter may include an opening/closing member operated to open and close the entrance/exit opening by the opening/closing driving module.

The nozzle cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a cleaning liquid sprayer that sprays the cleaning liquid toward the cleaning block that has entered the cleaning chamber. In addition, the nozzle cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a drying gas injector for spraying a drying gas toward the cleaning block entering the cleaning chamber.

Here, the cleaning liquid sprayed by the cleaning liquid injector may be a solvent. The dry gas sprayed by the dry gas injector may be clean dry air (CDA).

The cleaning booth may have a cleaning liquid outlet in which a floor of the cleaning chamber is formed with an inclined surface and communicated with a lower end of the inclined surface.

A driving bar for moving the cleaning block is connected to the cleaning block, the driving bar extends in a vertical direction with respect to the movement path, and the cleaning booth includes the cleaning block when the cleaning block enters the cleaning chamber. A passing slit through which the drive bar passes may be provided.

The passing slit may be blocked by a brush to allow the driving bar to pass therethrough.

The cleaning block may include a contact member contacting the lip portion of the process nozzle to wipe the lip portion; An elastic member for applying an elastic force to the contact member so that the contact member is in close contact with the lip portion may be included.

The cleaning booth may be provided with an inspection window for inspection of the cleaning room.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a stage for supporting a substrate; a process nozzle for performing a coating process on the substrate supported by the stage; a nozzle cleaning unit for cleaning the process nozzle, wherein the nozzle cleaning unit includes: a cleaning block for cleaning a lip portion of the process nozzle while moving along a movement path; It is disposed in at least one of both ends of the movement path and includes a cleaning booth provided with an entrance and exit opening for allowing entry and exit of the cleaning block moved along the movement path, and a cleaning room that is an internal space communicating with the entry and exit openings. A substrate processing apparatus may be provided.

Here, the process nozzle may be a slit nozzle, and the movement path may be set such that the cleaning block moves in a longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle.

Means of solving the problem will be more specific and clear through the examples, drawings, etc. described below. In addition, various solutions other than the solutions mentioned below may be additionally suggested.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the cleaning booth provides a cleaning room that is substantially blocked from the outside, and the cleaning operation for the cleaning block is performed in the cleaning room, the cleaning operation for the cleaning block is performed in the vicinity of the coating process It is possible to minimize the effect on the coating (for example, a problem in which a cleaning liquid scatters to the process nozzle and/or the substrate and causes coating failure), so that the coating process can be performed in a stable environment.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the access opening provided in the cleaning booth to communicate with the cleaning room is opened and closed by the shutter, it is possible to perform the cleaning operation on the cleaning block in a state in which the entrance opening is closed, thereby It is possible to more actively block the adverse effects of the cleaning operation on the coating process.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the contact member that comes into contact with the lip part of the process nozzle in the cleaning block and wipes the lip part is in close contact with the lip part by the elastic force of the elastic member, the lip part of the process nozzle is improved with improved cleaning power. can be cleaned.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the cleaning block is cleaned by the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid injector and dried by the drying gas from the drying gas injector, the cleaning block can be cleaned in a short time.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning booth is provided with a passage slit through which the drive bar for moving the cleaning block passes, and since the passage slit is blocked by the brush, the passage slit can be blocked in a state where the drive bar can pass, , thereby preventing the problem that the cleaning liquid is scattered to the surrounding process nozzles and/or the substrate through the passage slit during the cleaning operation on the cleaning block.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the process nozzle is being cleaned by the cleaning block of the nozzle cleaning unit in FIG. 1 .
3 is an enlarged view showing a cleaning booth of the nozzle cleaning unit shown in FIG. 1 .
4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the cleaning block has entered the cleaning booth in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the cleaning block is being cleaned in FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, in the drawings referenced to describe the embodiment of the present invention, the size of the component, the thickness of the line, etc. may be expressed somewhat exaggeratedly for the convenience of understanding. In addition, terms used to describe embodiments of the present invention are mainly defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and thus may vary according to intentions, customs, etc. of users and operators. Therefore, it would be appropriate to interpret the terms based on the content throughout the present specification.

The nozzle cleaning unit according to the present invention can clean various types of nozzles used for substrate processing in the same or similar manner, but in an embodiment, the nozzle cleaned by the nozzle cleaning unit according to the present invention is spinless. We will focus on the slit nozzle for the coating process.

A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is conceptually shown in FIG. 1 . A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention performs a coating process on a substrate in order to manufacture a semiconductor, a flat panel display (FPD), or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1 , in the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a stage 10 supporting the substrate S from the lower side, and a coating process on the substrate S supported by the stage 10 . It includes a process nozzle 20 for performing the process, and a nozzle cleaning unit 30 for cleaning the process nozzle 20 .

The process nozzle 20 is a slit nozzle extending in the Y-axis direction. Accordingly, hereinafter, the process nozzle 20 will be referred to as a slit nozzle.

The stage 10 may be a mounted stage in which the substrate S is placed on the upper surface, or may be a floating stage that supports and transports the substrate S in a floating state.

First, looking at the case where the mounted stage is applied, the mounted stage may provide a process position on one side of the X-axis direction and a process standby position on the other side of the X-axis direction. The substrate S may be loaded at the process position. The substrate S on which the coating process has been performed may be unloaded at the process position. The slit nozzle 20 may reciprocate between a process position and a process standby position along the X-axis direction by a nozzle driving unit (not shown). The slit nozzle 20 waits at the process standby position, and when the substrate S is loaded in the process position, the slit nozzle 20 is moved to the process position by the nozzle driving unit, and a chemical solution (eg, a photosensitive material) is placed on the substrate S. phosphorus photoresist) to a required thickness, and upon completion of application of the chemical, the nozzle driving unit may return to the process standby position.

Next, looking at the case where the floating stage is applied, the floating stage is a stage body for floating the substrate S from the upper surface, and a substrate transfer unit (not shown) for transferring the substrate S floated by the stage body. may include. The floating stage may be configured to float the substrate S by a method of spraying a gas upward or a method using ultrasonic waves. The stage body may extend in the X-axis direction to have a constant length. The substrate transfer unit may transfer the substrate S along the longitudinal direction of the stage body. The stage body may provide a loading position on one side of the longitudinal direction, an unloading position on the other side of the longitudinal direction, and a process position between the loading position and the unloading position. The substrate transfer unit includes a gripper for gripping the floating substrate S and a gripper driving module for moving the gripper along the longitudinal direction of the stage body, thereby moving the substrate S loaded to the loading position to the process position. It can be transported to the unloading position via The slit nozzle 20 may be disposed in a process position and apply a chemical solution to a required thickness on the substrate S passing through the process position in a state where the position is fixed.

The configuration and operation of the nozzle cleaning unit 30 are shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 .

The nozzle cleaning unit 30 cleans the lip portion of the process nozzle 20 with the cleaning block 100 during the coating process standby, and cleans the cleaning block 100 in the cleaning booth 300 during the coating process. configured to clean.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the cleaning block 100 moves the slit nozzle 20 located at the process standby position in the Y-axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20 , when a mounted stage is applied as the stage 10 . It may be arranged to clean the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 while moving along the movement path, and when a floating stage is applied as the stage 10 , the slit nozzle 20 arranged at the process position is replaced with the slit nozzle 20 . It may be arranged to clean the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 while moving along a movement path in the Y-axis direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the .

2 , the cleaning block 100 includes a base 110 , a contact member 120 disposed on the base 110 , and an elastic disposed between the base 110 and the contact member 120 . member 130 .

The contact member 120 may be movably coupled to the base 110 in an up-down direction (Z-axis direction). The contact member 120 is in contact with the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 to wipe the lip portion, and at least the upper portion in contact with the lip portion of the contact member 120 is relatively soft such as rubber, sponge, soft resin, etc. It may be made of material. The contact member 120 may be formed to have a contact surface having a shape corresponding to the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 on the upper side.

The elastic member 130 applies a predetermined elastic force to the contact member 120 so that the contact member 120 is in close contact with the lip portion when the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 is wiped with the contact member 120 . The elastic member 130 is a coil spring, and both sides may be connected to the base 110 and the contact member 120 , respectively.

According to this cleaning block 100, since the contact member 120 is in close contact with the lip portion of the slit nozzle 20 due to the action of the elastic member 130 when cleaning the slit nozzle 20, the slit nozzle ( 20), it is possible to reliably remove the residual chemical from the lip part by cleaning the lip part with improved cleaning power.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the cleaning block 100 is moved along a movement path by the block driving module 200 . The block driving module 200 includes a driving bar 210 connected to the cleaning block 100 , and a bar driving unit (not shown) that moves the driving bar 210 in the Y-axis direction. The driving bar 210 may be coupled to the base 110 of the cleaning block 100 . The bar driving unit may move the cleaning block 100 through the driving bar 210 at a position deviated from the vertical upper region of the stage 10 . The driving bar 210 has a coupling end extending from the cleaning block 100 in an X-axis direction perpendicular to the movement path. The bar driving unit may include a linear motor or a cylinder using pneumatic (or hydraulic), and may include a rotary motor and a transmission mechanism for converting a rotational motion of the rotary motor into a linear motion.

1, 3, 4 and the like, the cleaning booth 300 includes a booth body 310 . The booth body 310 is disposed in any one of both end areas of the movement path (or both end areas of the movement path), and an entry/exit opening 311 that allows entry and exit of the cleaning block 100 moving along the movement path. ) and an internal cleaning chamber 312 in communication with the entry and exit openings 311 .

The booth body 310 is provided with a passage slit 313 through which the driving bar 210 passes when the cleaning block 100 enters the cleaning chamber 312 .

The entry/exit opening 311 is opened and closed by the shutter 400 . The shutter 400 includes an opening/closing member 410 that is operated to open and close the entrance/exit opening 311 by the opening/closing driving module 420 . The booth body 310 may be formed in a flat plane 314 around the entry/exit opening 311 , and the opening/closing member 410 may be slidably coupled to the booth body 310 along the plane 314 . have. The opening/closing driving module 420 may include a linear motor or a cylinder using pneumatic (or hydraulic), and may include a rotary motor and an electric mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the rotary motor into a linear motion.

Here, the opening/closing member 410 has been described as opening and closing the entry/exit opening 311 in a sliding manner, but may be configured to open/close the entrance/exit opening 311 in a sliding manner.

3 and 4 , the passing slit 313 is blocked by the brush 320 . According to the brush 320, the passing slit 313 can be blocked while the driving bar 210 can pass through the passing slit 313.

As shown in FIG. 5 , on the upper portion of the cleaning chamber 312 , a cleaning liquid injector 500 spraying a cleaning liquid (which may be a solvent) toward the cleaning block 100 that has entered the cleaning chamber 312 , and A dry gas injector 600 for injecting dry gas (which may be clean dry air (CDA)) toward the cleaning block 100 that has entered the cleaning chamber 312 is installed.

The booth body 310 is used for cleaning the cleaning block 100 because the bottom of the cleaning room 312 is formed with an inclined surface 315 and has a cleaning liquid outlet 316 communicating with the lower end of the inclined surface 315 . The cleaned cleaning liquid may be naturally discharged to the outside of the cleaning chamber 312 .

Meanwhile, reference numeral 330, which is not described, denotes an inspection window, and the booth body 310 is provided with an inspection window 330 to inspect the cleaning room 312 from the outside.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the cleaning operation for the cleaning block 100 is performed in the cleaning chamber 312 , the cleaning operation for the cleaning block 100 is performed in the vicinity. It is possible to minimize the influence on the coating process (eg, a problem in which the mist or fumes of the cleaning liquid scatter to the slit nozzle 20 and/or the substrate S to cause coating failure).

In addition, since the entry/exit opening 311 is opened and closed by the shutter 400 , a cleaning operation may be performed on the cleaning block 100 in a state in which the entry/exit opening 311 is closed, thereby causing the cleaning block 100 to be cleaned. It is possible to more actively block the adverse effects of the cleaning operation on the coating process.

Of course, since it is possible to block the adverse effect of the cleaning operation on the cleaning block 100 on the coating process in this way, the cleaning operation on the cleaning block 100 can be performed quickly by high-pressure injection of the cleaning liquid and the spray gas. .

Although the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited by the disclosed embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. In addition, the technical ideas described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented independently, or two or more may be implemented in combination with each other.

S: substrate
10: Stage
20: process nozzle (slit nozzle)
30: nozzle cleaning unit
100: cleaning block
200: block drive module
300: washing booth
400: shutter
500: cleaning liquid sprayer
600: dry gas injector

Claims (12)

a cleaning block for cleaning a lip portion of a process nozzle from which a chemical solution for substrate processing is discharged while moving along a movement path;
It is disposed in at least one of both ends of the movement path, and includes a cleaning booth provided with an entrance and exit opening for allowing entry and exit of the cleaning block moving along the movement path and an internal cleaning chamber communicating with the entrance opening. and,
A driving bar for moving the cleaning block is connected to the cleaning block, and the driving bar extends in a vertical direction with respect to the movement path,
The cleaning booth is provided with a passage slit through which the driving bar passes when the cleaning block enters and exits the cleaning chamber,
The passing slit is characterized in that the driving bar is blocked so as to pass by a brush,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a shutter for opening and closing the entrance opening,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
3. The method according to claim 2,
The shutter includes an opening/closing member operated to open and close the entrance/exit opening by an opening/closing driving module,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a cleaning liquid sprayer for spraying the cleaning liquid toward the cleaning block entered the cleaning room,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
5. The method according to claim 4,
Further comprising a drying gas injector for injecting drying gas toward the cleaning block entering the cleaning chamber,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The cleaning booth, characterized in that the floor of the cleaning chamber is formed with an inclined surface and has a cleaning liquid outlet communicating with the lower end of the inclined surface,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The cleaning block is
a contact member in contact with the lip portion of the process nozzle to wipe the lip portion;
and an elastic member for applying an elastic force to the contact member so that the contact member is in close contact with the lip portion.
Nozzle cleaning unit.
The method according to claim 1,
The washing booth is characterized in that an inspection window for inspection of the washing room is provided,
Nozzle cleaning unit.
a stage for supporting the substrate;
a process nozzle for performing a coating process on the substrate supported by the stage;
a nozzle cleaning unit for cleaning the process nozzle;
The nozzle cleaning unit,
a cleaning block for cleaning the lip portion of the process nozzle while moving along a movement path;
A cleaning booth disposed in at least one of both ends of the movement path and provided with an entrance opening allowing entry and exit of the cleaning block moving along the movement path and an internal cleaning chamber communicating with the entrance opening and,
A driving bar for moving the cleaning block is connected to the cleaning block, and the driving bar extends in a vertical direction with respect to the movement path,
The cleaning booth is provided with a passage slit through which the driving bar passes when the cleaning block enters and exits the cleaning chamber,
The passing slit is characterized in that the drive bar is blocked so as to pass by a brush,
substrate processing equipment.
12. The method of claim 11,
The process nozzle is a slit nozzle,
The movement path is characterized in that the cleaning block is set to move in the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle,
substrate processing equipment.

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