KR102394671B1 - Coating processing apparatus and cup - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to prevent the coating liquid from splashing out from an airflow control panel installed in a cup and scattering on the surface of a wafer in a coating processing apparatus for rotatingly applying a coating liquid on a substrate. A resist coating device and a cup accommodating the spin chuck 121 and evacuated from the bottom, the cup being positioned on the top side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 121, It has an airflow control part 151 surrounding the outer periphery, and a support part 153 for supporting the airflow control part 151, the support part 153 having one end connected to the inner peripheral surface of the cup 125, and the other end being the A first hole 153a in a shape that is located on the top side of one end and is connected to the airflow control unit 151 and is drilled in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wafer W is formed, and the rotation axis of the wafer W is formed. A second hole 153b in the shape of being drilled in the direction is formed outside and lower than the first hole 153a.

Description

COATING PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CUP

The present invention relates to a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid to a substrate, and a cup used for the coating apparatus.

For example, in a photolithography process in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a coating process in which a predetermined coating liquid is applied on a semiconductor wafer as a substrate (hereinafter referred to as "wafer") to form a coating film such as an antireflection film or a resist film. is done

In the coating process described above, a so-called spin coating method in which a coating film is formed on a wafer by supplying a coating liquid from a nozzle to the center of a rotating wafer and diffusing the coating liquid on the wafer by centrifugal force is widely used. In a rotary coating processing apparatus for performing a spin coating method, a container called a cup is provided in order to prevent a coating liquid that has scattered from the surface of a rotating wafer from scattering to the surroundings. In addition, the cup is evacuated from the bottom of the cup so that when the wafer is rotated, the resist liquid that scatters from the edge of the wafer does not form a mist and fly upward to contaminate the outside of the cup.

It is known that the thickness of the coating film on the outer periphery of the wafer becomes large when it is applied in a rotational manner in this way and exhausted from the bottom of the cup. In order to prevent this, in the coating processing apparatus disclosed in patent document 1, the airflow control panel which surrounds the outer periphery of the rotating wafer and controls the airflow in wafer vicinity was provided in the above-mentioned cup.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-189266

However, when the airflow control panel is provided as in Patent Document 1, depending on the position of the airflow control panel with respect to the rotating wafer or the number of rotations of the wafer during coating film formation, the coating liquid scattered from the wafer bounces off the airflow control panel. It may scatter on the surface of the wafer.

The present invention has been made in view of this, and in the coating processing apparatus for applying a coating liquid on a substrate in a so-called rotational manner as described above, the coating liquid is splashed out from the airflow control structure installed in the cup and scatters on the surface of the wafer. It is aimed at preventing

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a coating processing apparatus for applying a coating liquid on a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding unit for holding and rotating the substrate; and supplying the coating liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit a coating liquid supply member; and a cup accommodating the substrate holding unit and exhausted from the bottom, wherein the cup is located on a top side of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, and an airflow control unit surrounding the outer periphery of the substrate; , a support part for supporting the airflow control part, the support part having one end connected to the inner circumferential surface of the cup and the other end connected to the airflow control part located on the top side of the one end than the one end, and further, the substrate A first hole in a shape drilled in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the substrate is formed, and a second hole in a shape drilled in the rotation axis direction of the substrate is formed outside and below the first hole.

According to the present invention, since the airflow control panel is located on the top side of the substrate, and a first hole in the shape of a hole drilled in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the substrate is formed in the support for supporting the airflow control unit, The coating liquid is not splashed by the airflow control panel or support. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the coating liquid from splashing out and scattering on the surface of the wafer in the airflow control structure provided in the cup.

Preferably, the total area of the first hole is larger than the total area of the second hole.

It is preferable that the said 1st hole is formed in the position opposite to the outer peripheral edge part of the board|substrate held by the said board|substrate holding part in the said support part.

The position opposite to the outer peripheral end of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion is, for example, a portion from 0.8 mm to 4 mm above the surface of the substrate to 2 mm to 5 mm below from the surface of the substrate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the cup is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom having an open top and is exhausted from the bottom, and includes an annular airflow control unit centered on a predetermined axis, and a support unit for supporting the airflow control unit. wherein the support part has one end connected to the inner circumferential surface of the cup, the other end located on the top side of the one end is connected to the airflow control part, and is formed in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined axis. A first hole having a shape is formed, and a second hole having a shape drilled in the predetermined axial direction is formed outside the first hole.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can prevent that a coating liquid jumps up from the airflow control panel provided in the cup and scatters on the surface of a wafer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a top view which shows the outline of the structure of the substrate processing system provided with the coating processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.
It is a front view which shows the outline of the structure of the substrate processing system provided with the coating processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.
3 is a rear view schematically showing the configuration of a substrate processing system provided with the coating processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a resist coating apparatus.
5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a resist coating apparatus.
6 is a perspective view of a middle cup;
7 is a top view of the middle cup.
8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the shape of the middle cup.
It is a schematic diagram explaining the dimension with respect to an airflow control part, a 1st hole, and a 2nd hole, and the position with respect to a wafer.
It is a schematic diagram explaining the other example of a middle cup.
It is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 1st reference embodiment.
12 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the resist coating apparatus according to the first reference embodiment.
It is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 2nd reference embodiment.
14 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the resist coating apparatus according to the second reference embodiment.
It is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 3rd reference embodiment.
It is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 4th reference embodiment.
Fig. 17 is a view showing the result of observing the liquid splashing on the wafer from the middle cup when the resist coating apparatus according to the present embodiment is used.
Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a simulation result of an airflow generated in a cup when the wafer is rotated using the resist coating apparatus according to the present embodiment.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described. 1 : is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the structure of the substrate processing system 1 provided with the coating processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. 2 and 3 are a front view and a rear view schematically showing the outline of the internal configuration of the substrate processing system 1, respectively. In addition, in this embodiment, the case where a coating liquid is a resist liquid, and the coating processing apparatus is a resist coating apparatus which apply|coats a resist liquid to a board|substrate is taken as an example and demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate processing system 1 includes a cassette station 10 in which a cassette C accommodating a plurality of wafers W is carried in and out, and a predetermined process is performed on the wafers W. A configuration in which an interface station 13 for transferring wafers W is integrally connected between a processing station 11 provided with a plurality of various processing devices and an exposure device 12 adjacent to the processing station 11 . have it

The cassette station 10 is provided with a cassette mounting table 20 . The cassette mounting table 20 is provided with a plurality of cassette mounting plates 21 on which the cassette C is placed when the cassette C is carried in and out of the substrate processing system 1 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the cassette station 10 is provided with a wafer transfer device 23 capable of moving on a transfer path 22 extending in the X direction. The wafer transfer device 23 is movable in the vertical direction and around the vertical axis (the θ direction), and includes a cassette C on each cassette placing plate 21 and a third block G3 of a processing station 11 to be described later. The wafer W can be transported between the transfer devices.

The processing station 11 is provided with a plurality of, for example, first to fourth four blocks G1 , G2 , G3 , and G4 provided with various devices. For example, the first block G1 is provided on the front side of the processing station 11 (the X-direction negative side in FIG. 1 ), and the second block G1 is provided on the rear side of the processing station 11 (the X-direction positive side in FIG. 1 ). A block G2 is installed. Further, a third block G3 is provided on the cassette station 10 side of the processing station 11 (the negative direction side in the Y direction in FIG. 1 ), and the interface station 13 side of the processing station 11 ( FIG. 1 ). A fourth block G4 is provided on the Y-direction positive side).

For example, in the first block G1, as shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of liquid processing apparatuses, for example, a developing processing apparatus 30 for developing the wafer W, and an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as an antireflection film) under the resist film of the wafer W a lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 for forming a "lower anti-reflection film") An upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 for forming an antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as an "upper antireflection film") is arranged in this order from the bottom.

For example, the developing apparatus 30 , the lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 , the resist coating apparatus 32 , and the upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 are arranged in parallel three in the horizontal direction, respectively. In addition, the number and arrangement|positioning of these developing apparatus 30, the lower antireflection film forming apparatus 31, the resist coating apparatus 32, and the upper antireflection film forming apparatus 33 can be selected arbitrarily.

In these developing apparatus 30 , lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 , resist coating apparatus 32 , and upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 , for example, spin coating for applying a predetermined coating liquid onto the wafer W . this is done In spin coating, for example, the coating liquid is discharged onto the wafer W from the application nozzle and the wafer W is rotated to diffuse the coating liquid on the surface of the wafer W. In addition, the structure of the resist coating apparatus 32 is mentioned later.

For example, in the second block G2, as shown in FIG. 3 , a heat treatment device 40 for performing heat treatment such as heating or cooling of the wafer W, or an adhesive for improving fixability between the resist solution and the wafer W The apparatus 41 and the peripheral exposure apparatus 42 for exposing the outer periphery of the wafer W are provided side by side in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The number and arrangement of these heat treatment devices 40 , adhesion devices 41 , and peripheral exposure devices 42 can also be arbitrarily selected.

For example, in the 3rd block G3, the some delivery device 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 is provided in order from below. Moreover, in the 4th block G4, the some delivery device 60, 61, 62 is provided in order from below.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a wafer transfer region D is formed in a region surrounded by the first blocks G1 to the fourth blocks G4 . In the wafer transfer area D, for example, a plurality of wafer transfer apparatuses 70 having transfer arms 70a movable in the Y direction, the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction are disposed. The wafer transfer apparatus 70 moves within the wafer transfer region D, and is predetermined in the first block G1, the second block G2, the third block G3, and the fourth block G4. The wafer W can be transported to the device of

In addition, in the wafer transfer region D, a shuttle transfer device 80 that transfers the wafer W linearly between the third block G3 and the fourth block G4 is provided.

The shuttle conveyance apparatus 80 is linearly movable in the Y direction of FIG. 3, for example. The shuttle transfer device 80 moves in the Y-direction while supporting the wafer W, and moves between the delivery device 52 of the third block G3 and the delivery device 62 of the fourth block G4. The wafer W can be transported.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a wafer transfer apparatus 100 is provided adjacent to the third block G3 on the positive X-direction side. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 has, for example, a transfer arm 100a movable in the X direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 100 can move up and down in a state in which the wafer W is supported by the transfer arm 100a to transfer the wafer W to each transfer apparatus in the third block G3 .

The interface station 13 is provided with a wafer transfer device 110 and a transfer device 111 . The wafer transfer apparatus 110 includes, for example, a transfer arm 110a movable in the Y direction, the θ direction, and the vertical direction. The wafer transfer apparatus 110 supports, for example, the wafer W on the transfer arm 110a, and is interposed between the transfer apparatuses, the transfer apparatus 111 and the exposure apparatus 12 in the fourth block G4. W) can be returned.

In the above substrate processing system 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the control part 200 is provided. The control unit 200 is, for example, a computer, and has a program storage unit (not shown). In the program storage unit, a program for controlling the processing of the wafer W in the substrate processing system 1 is stored. In addition, the program storage unit also stores a program for controlling the operation of the drive systems of the various processing apparatuses and conveying apparatuses described above to realize the coating process described later in the substrate processing system 1 . In addition, the program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium (H) such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnet optical disk (MO), memory card, etc. It may have been installed in the control unit 200 from the storage medium.

Next, the structure of the resist coating apparatus 32 mentioned above is demonstrated. 4 and 5 are a longitudinal cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view respectively showing the outline of the structure of the resist coating apparatus 32. As shown in FIG.

The resist coating apparatus 32 has the processing container 120 which can seal the inside, as shown in FIG.4, FIG.5. A carry-in/out port (not shown) for wafers W is formed on the side surface of the processing container 120 .

A spin chuck 121 as a substrate holding unit for holding and rotating the wafer W is provided in the processing chamber 120 . The spin chuck 121 may be rotated at a predetermined speed by, for example, a chuck driving unit 122 such as a motor. In addition, the chuck drive unit 122 is provided with a lifting/lowering drive mechanism such as a cylinder, so that the spin chuck 121 can be raised/lowered.

In addition, a cup 125 accommodating the spin chuck 121 and exhausted from the bottom is provided in the processing vessel 120 . The cup 125 includes an outer cup 130 disposed outside the spin chuck 121 so as to surround a substrate held by the spin chuck 121 , and an inner positioned on the inner periphery of the outer cup 130 . It includes a cup 140 and a middle cup 150 positioned between the outer cup 130 and the inner cup 140 and having an airflow control unit 151 . The outer cup 130 receives and recovers the liquid scattered or falling from the wafer W. In addition, although the outer cup 130 is shown as an integral body in FIG. 4, it is divided|segmented up and down (refer the reference|symbol 130a, 130b of FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 5 , on the X-direction negative direction (downward direction in FIG. 5 ) side of the outer cup 130 , rails 160 extending along the Y direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5 ) are formed. The rail 160 is formed, for example, from the outside in the Y-direction negative direction (left direction in FIG. 5) side of the outer cup 130 to the outside in the Y-direction positive direction (right direction in FIG. 5) side. The rail 160 is provided with two arms 161 and 162 .

A resist liquid supply nozzle 164 as a coating liquid supply member for supplying a resist liquid as a coating liquid is supported by the first arm 161 . The 1st arm 161 can move on the rail 160 by the nozzle drive part 165 as a movement mechanism. As a result, the resist liquid supply nozzle 164 passes above the central portion of the wafer W in the outer cup 130 from the standby portion 166 provided outside the outer cup 130 on the positive Y-direction side, and passes through the outer cup 130 . It can move to the standby part 167 installed outside the Y-direction negative direction side of the cup 130. As shown in FIG. In addition, the first arm 161 can be raised and lowered by the nozzle driver 165 , so that the height of the resist solution supply nozzle 164 can be adjusted.

A solvent supply nozzle 168 for supplying a solvent for the resist liquid is supported by the second arm 162 . The second arm 162 can move on the rail 160 by the nozzle drive 169 as a moving mechanism. Accordingly, the solvent supply nozzle 168 can move from the standby portion 170 provided outside the outer cup 130 on the positive Y-direction side to above the center of the wafer W in the outer cup 130 . The standby unit 170 is provided on the positive Y-direction side of the standby unit 166 . In addition, the second arm 162 can be raised and lowered by the nozzle driving unit 169 , so that the height of the solvent supply nozzle 168 can be adjusted.

A ring-shaped wall 131 is installed under the outer cup 130 , and an annular wall 141 is provided under the inner cup 140 . A gap d constituting a discharge path is formed between these walls 131 and 141 . Further, below the inner cup 140 , an annular horizontal member 142 , a cylindrical outer circumferential vertical member 143 and an inner circumferential vertical member 144 , and an annular bottom face member 145 positioned at the bottom portion ), a curved path is formed. A gas-liquid separation unit is constituted by this curved path.

A drain port 132 for discharging the recovered liquid is formed in the bottom member 145 between the wall 131 and the outer peripheral vertical member 143 , and a drain pipe 133 is provided at the drain port 132 . ) is connected.

On the other hand, the bottom surface member 145 between the outer circumferential vertical member 143 and the inner circumferential vertical member 144 is provided with an exhaust port 146 for exhausting the atmosphere around the wafer W, and the exhaust port 146 is provided. to the exhaust pipe 147 is connected.

An airflow control unit 151 formed to surround the outer periphery of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 121 is installed on the upper portion of the middle cup 150 .

Then, the outline|summary of the middle cup 150 is demonstrated. 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a top view, respectively, of the middle cup 150 , and in FIG. 6 , only half of the middle cup 150 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a cylindrical peripheral wall 152 is provided on the outer periphery of the middle cup 150 . Moreover, the support part 153 which supports the airflow control part 151 is provided in the middle cup 150. As shown in FIG. One end of the support portion 153 is connected to the bottom side of the wafer W on the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 152 , specifically, to the central portion of the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall 152 . Moreover, the other end of the support part 153 is connected to the outer peripheral end of the airflow control part 151 located at the top side rather than the said one end. The support part 153 connects the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 152 and the airflow control part 151 .

A plurality of first holes 153a are formed in an upper portion of the support portion 153 , and a plurality of second holes 153b are formed in a lower portion of the support portion 153 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the some 1st hole 153a is formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the airflow control part 151 so that it may be located outside the airflow control part 151 in a top view.

The some 2nd hole 153b is formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the airflow control part 151 so that it may be located outside the 1st hole 153a in a top view.

The first hole 153a is formed to be larger than the second hole 153b. Specifically, the first hole 153a is formed so that the length in the circumferential direction (longitudinal direction) is greater than the second hole 153b, and as shown in FIG. 8 to be described later, the support portion 153 is It is formed so that the length of the direction (shorter direction) perpendicular to the direction which follows and the circumferential direction may also become larger than the 2nd hole 153b.

Moreover, the 1st hole 153a is formed so that the total area may become larger than the total area of the 2nd hole 153b. Specifically, the first hole 153a is formed so that the sum of the area along the middle cup 150 is larger than the sum of the areas of the second hole 153b.

8 : is a figure explaining the specific example of the shape of the middle cup 150, especially the shape of the airflow control part 151, the peripheral wall 152, and the support part 153, (A) of FIG. A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 7 .

The airflow control part 151 is formed so that the upper surface 151a may become a horizontal flat surface, as shown. In addition, in the cross section, the airflow control part 151 is formed so that the front-end|tip 151c side may become thicker than the base part 151b.

The peripheral wall 152 is provided with an annular convex portion 152a protruding in the radial direction on the outer periphery. The convex portion 152a is for defining the position of the middle cup 150 with respect to the lower outer cup 130a and the position of the upper outer cup 130b with respect to the middle cup 150 .

The middle cup 150 is mounted on the cup 130a by inserting the lower portion 152b of the peripheral wall 152 into the lower outer cup 130a. The lower part 152b of the peripheral wall 152 functions as a guide when attaching to the lower outer cup 130a.

In addition, the cup 130b is mounted on the middle cup 150 in such a way that the upper portion 152c of the peripheral wall 152 is inserted into the upper outer cup 130b. The upper portion 152c of the peripheral wall 152 functions as a guide when the upper outer cup 130b is mounted.

In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 152 constitutes the inner peripheral surface of the cup (125).

The 1st hole 153a of the support part 153 is formed outside and below the airflow control part 151, Moreover, the 2nd hole 153b is more than the airflow control part 151 and the 1st hole 153a. It is formed on the outside and below.

In addition, the area of the first arcuate portion 153c positioned between the first holes 153a can ensure the strength of the middle cup 150 and the flatness of the upper surface 151a of the airflow control unit 151 . It is preferable to be small in the range. In addition, the area of the 2nd arch part 153d located between 2nd hole 153b comrades is also the same.

9 : is a schematic diagram explaining the dimension with respect to the airflow control part 151, the 1st hole 153a, and the 2nd hole 153b, and the position with respect to the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

As for the upper surface 151a of the airflow control part 151, the width d1 of the radial direction of the flat surface is 10 mm, for example. In addition, the airflow control unit 151 is provided so that the gap with the wafer W is small, and specifically, the distance in the horizontal direction from the tip 151c of the airflow control unit 151 to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W1 . It is installed so that (d2) may be 0.2 mm, for example. The distance H1 in the vertical direction from the lower end surface of the tip 151c of the airflow control unit 151 to the surface W1 of the wafer W, that is, the height H1 is, for example, 2 mm.

The first hole 153a is formed as if it was drilled in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the wafer W (Y direction in the drawing). In other words, the first hole 153a is formed so that the area of the first hole 153a when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is larger than when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the wafer W (the Z direction in the drawing).

In addition, the first hole 153a is formed at a position opposite to the outer peripheral end of the surface W1 of the wafer W in the support portion 153 . Specifically, the first hole 153a is formed so as to extend from a position higher than the surface W1 of the wafer W in the support portion 153 to a position lower than the surface W1 . More specifically, in the first hole 153a, the upper end 153a ₁ is located 0.8 mm to 4 mm above the surface W1 of the wafer W, and the lower end 153a ₂ is the wafer W. It is formed so as to be positioned 2 mm to 5 mm below the surface W1.

The second hole 153b is formed as if it was drilled in the direction of the rotation axis of the wafer W. In other words, the second hole 153b is formed to have a smaller area when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis compared to the case viewed from the rotation axis direction of the wafer W. The area when viewed from the vertical direction is almost zero. In addition, the width d3 in the radial direction of the second hole 153b is, for example, 5 mm. In addition, the second hole 153b is located outside the first hole 153a when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the wafer (W). Specifically, the distance d4 from the outer end of the first hole 153a to the outer peripheral end of the wafer W is the distance d5 from the inner end of the second hole 153b to the outer peripheral end of the wafer W ), the second hole 153b is formed.

Next, the wafer processing performed using the substrate processing system 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. First, a cassette C containing a plurality of wafers W is loaded into the cassette station 10 of the substrate processing system 1 , and each wafer W in the cassette C is carried by the wafer transfer device 23 . ) are sequentially conveyed to the delivery device 53 of the processing station 11 .

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2 and subjected to temperature control processing. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to, for example, the lower anti-reflection film forming apparatus 31 of the first block G1 by the wafer transfer apparatus 70 , and a lower anti-reflection film is formed on the wafer W . After that, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 of the second block G2, heat-treated, and temperature-controlled.

Next, the wafer W is conveyed to the adhesification device 41 and subjected to adhesification treatment. After that, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating device 32 of the first block G1, and a resist film is formed on the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is conveyed to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to a prebaking process. Also in the pre-bake treatment, the same treatment as the heat treatment after the lower anti-reflection film is formed is performed, and the same treatment is also performed in the heat treatment after forming the anti-reflection film, post-exposure bake treatment, and post-bake treatment, which will be described later. However, the heat treatment apparatus 40 provided for each heat treatment is different from each other.

Next, the wafer W is transferred to the upper anti-reflection film forming apparatus 33 , and an upper anti-reflection film is formed on the wafer W . After that, the wafer W is conveyed to the heat treatment apparatus 40, heated, and temperature-controlled. Thereafter, the wafer W is conveyed to the peripheral exposure apparatus 42 and subjected to peripheral exposure processing.

Next, the wafer W is conveyed to the exposure apparatus 12 and subjected to exposure processing in a predetermined pattern.

Next, the wafer W is conveyed to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to a post-exposure baking process. After that, the wafer W is conveyed to, for example, the developing apparatus 30 to be developed. After the development process is completed, the wafer W is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 40 and subjected to a post-baking process. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the cassette C of the cassette arrangement plate 21, and a series of photolithography processes are completed.

Here, the resist coating process in the resist coating apparatus 32 is demonstrated in detail. In the resist coating process, first, the wafer W is adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the spin chuck 121 . Then, the solvent supply nozzle 168 is moved above the central portion of the wafer W to discharge the solvent of the resist solution into the central portion of the wafer W. Next, the wafer W is rotated at, for example, 2000 rpm, and the solvent on the wafer W is diffused over the entire surface of the wafer by a spin coating method to perform a so-called pre-wet treatment. Thereafter, after the solvent supply nozzle 168 is retracted, the resist liquid supply nozzle 164 is moved above the center of the wafer W, and the resist while rotating the wafer W at a low rotation speed (eg, 300 rpm). A resist liquid is supplied onto the wafer W from the liquid supply nozzle 164 .

Then, when the supply amount of the resist solution from the resist solution supply nozzle 164 reaches a predetermined amount, the rotation speed of the wafer W is set to a high rotation speed (for example, 3000 rpm). After that, when the supply amount of the resist liquid again reaches the predetermined amount, the supply of the resist liquid is stopped, and then the resist liquid supply nozzle 164 is retracted. Thereafter, the wafer W is rotated at a medium rotation speed (for example, 1500 rpm) and the resist solution supplied to the center of the wafer W is diffused over the entire surface of the wafer W and dried, so that the resist film has a predetermined thickness. is adjusted to

In this process, an airflow is generated along the surface W1 of the wafer W because it is being exhausted from the bottom of the cup 125 . When the generated airflow flows downward along the outer peripheral end of the wafer W, the thickness of the resist film in the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W increases. In particular, in the process of drying the resist film by rotating the wafer W, the airflow flowing downward along the outer peripheral end of the wafer W is a problem. However, in the resist coating apparatus 32, since the airflow control part 151 is provided so that the clearance gap with the wafer W becomes small as mentioned above, in the airflow flowing along the surface W1 of the wafer W, the wafer The amount of airflow flowing in the downward direction along the outer peripheral end of (W) can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the resist film on the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

In addition, in the resist coating process, the resist liquid scatters from the wafer W in the process etc. which diffuse the resist liquid while supplying a resist liquid. If this resist liquid bounces off the middle cup 150 , there is a possibility that it may scatter on the surface of the wafer W . However, in the resist coating apparatus 32, the resist liquid splashed out when the resist liquid splashed from the wafer W comes into contact with the position opposite to the outer peripheral end of the wafer W in the support portion 153 is removed from the wafer ( A first hole 153a is formed at a position expected to be scattered on the surface of W). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the resist liquid splashing from the wafer W from splashing out of the middle cup 150 and scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W in the step of diffusing the resist liquid or the like.

In addition, when the upper end 153a ₁ of the first hole 153a is below the position 0.8 mm above the surface W1 of the wafer W, the resist liquid scattered from the wafer W is transferred to the support portion 153 . There is a possibility that it comes into contact with the back and scatters on the surface W1 of the wafer W. In addition, when the upper end 153a ₁ of the first hole 153a is above the position 4 mm above the surface W1 of the wafer W, inevitably, the airflow control unit from the surface W1 of the wafer W The distance to (151) becomes large, and it becomes impossible to prevent the thickness of the resist film of the outer peripheral part of the wafer W from becoming large.

In addition, when the lower end 153a ₂ of the first hole 153a is located above the position 2 mm below the surface W1 of the wafer W, the resist liquid scattered from the wafer W is transferred to the support portion 153 . There is a possibility that it comes into contact with the back and scatters on the surface W1 of the wafer W. In addition, when the lower end 153a ₂ of the first hole 153a is lower than the position 5 mm below the surface W1 of the wafer W, it is necessary to increase the overall dimension of the middle cup 150 . For this reason, the resist coating apparatus 32 will enlarge and cost will also increase.

Therefore, in the resist coating apparatus 32, as described above, the upper end 153a ₁ of the first hole 153a is located 0.8 mm to 4 mm above the surface W1 of the wafer W, and the lower end thereof (153a ₂ ) is formed so as to be positioned 2 mm to 5 mm below the surface W1 of the wafer W.

10 : is a schematic diagram explaining the other example of the middle cup 150. As shown in FIG.

The middle cup 150 of FIG. 9 has a shape in which the portion where the second hole 153b is formed in the middle cup 150 gradually descends from the wafer W side toward the inner peripheral wall side of the cup 125 . However, the portion where the second hole 153b is formed is not limited to the example of FIG. 9 . For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the portion where the second hole 153b is formed may have a constant height from the wafer W side to the inner circumferential wall side of the cup 125 .

(1st reference embodiment)

11 : is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 1st reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

In the resist coating apparatus 32 of FIG. 4 , the end of the support part 153 supporting the airflow control part 151 on the opposite side to the airflow control part 151 is connected to the vicinity of the center of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cup 130 . Then, by forming the first hole 153a at a position opposite to the outer peripheral end of the wafer W in the support part 153, it is located near the wafer W and at a position approximately the same height of the wafer W. The struct does not exist.

On the other hand, in the resist coating apparatus according to the first reference embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 , the end of the support part 300 supporting the airflow control part 151 on the opposite side to the airflow control part 151 is the outer cup 130 . ) is connected to the upper part of the inner peripheral surface. By adopting such a structure, in the present reference embodiment, the structure is not present in the vicinity of the wafer W and at a position approximately at the same height of the wafer W, and the resist liquid scattered from the wafer W is controlled by the airflow control unit ( 151) is prevented from being bounced off the member supporting the wafer W and scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W. Moreover, the lighting part 301 is provided in the support part 300 so that the airflow which flowed through the upper surface of the airflow control part 151 may flow outward.

12 : is explanatory drawing of the other example of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 1st reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

In the example of FIG. 11 , the upper surface 151a of the airflow control unit 151 is horizontal and parallel to the surface of the wafer W, and the heights of the base portion 151b and the tip 151c are approximately equal.

However, when it is considered that the resist liquid splashes from the base portion 151b of the airflow control unit 151, as shown in Fig. 12, even if the base portion 151b of the airflow control unit 151 is higher than the tip 151c, good.

(Second reference embodiment)

13 : is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 2nd reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

In the resist coating apparatus 32 of FIG. 4 , the support part 153 which supports the airflow control part 151 was fixed with respect to the outer cup 130. As shown in FIG. In contrast, in the resist coating apparatus according to the second reference embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13 , the support part 400 supporting the airflow control part 151 is formed in the shape of a rod extending in the vertical direction, and the outer cup is formed. It is fixed to the driving unit 420 installed outside the 410 and above the airflow control unit 151 . In addition, the support part 400 is installed to pass through the through hole 411 drilled in the vertical direction of the outer cup 410 , and can be moved up and down by the driving part 420 to adjust the height of the airflow controller 151 .

In the resist coating process in the resist coating apparatus according to the second reference embodiment, after the pre-wet process, the resist liquid is supplied onto the wafer W while the wafer W is rotated at a low rotation speed (eg, 300 rpm). . At the time of starting the pre-wet process and resist liquid supply, the airflow control unit 151 is moved upward.

When the supply amount of the resist liquid reaches a predetermined amount, the rotation speed of the wafer W is set to a high rotation speed (eg, 3000 rpm). After that, when the supply amount of the resist liquid again reaches the predetermined amount, the supply of the resist liquid is stopped, and the upwardly retracted airflow control unit 151 is moved to the vicinity of the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is rotated at a medium rotation speed (for example, 1500 rpm) and the resist solution supplied to the center of the wafer W is diffused over the entire surface of the wafer W and dried, so that the resist film has a predetermined thickness. is adjusted to

In the resist coating apparatus according to the present reference embodiment, in the drying step after the resist solution is supplied, the airflow control unit 151 can be positioned in the vicinity of the wafer W, so that it follows the surface W1 of the wafer W. Among the flowing airflows, the amount of the airflow flowing in the downward direction along the outer peripheral end of the wafer W can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the resist film on the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

Further, in the resist coating apparatus according to the present reference embodiment, in the step of diffusing the resist solution while supplying the resist solution, the airflow control unit 151 and the support unit 400 supporting the airflow control unit 151 are attached to the wafer W ) can be retracted upward from the vicinity of Therefore, in the above step, it is possible to prevent the resist liquid splashing from the wafer W from splashing out of the airflow control unit 310 or the support unit 400 and scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W.

14 : is explanatory drawing of the other example of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 2nd reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

In the resist coating device of FIG. 14 , unlike the resist coating device of FIG. 13 , the support part 450 for supporting the airflow control unit 151 is formed in a bar shape extending in the horizontal direction, and the outer cup 460 is outside. It is fixed to the driving unit 470 provided on the side of the interest airflow control unit 151 . In addition, the support part 450 is installed to pass through the through hole 411 drilled in the horizontal direction of the outer cup 460 , and can be moved up and down by the driving part 470 to adjust the height of the airflow controller 151 .

Also in the resist coating apparatus of this example, the airflow control part 151 can be located in the vicinity of the wafer W, or can be retreated from the vicinity of the wafer W. Therefore, in the process of diffusing the resist solution while supplying the resist solution while preventing the resist film from increasing in thickness on the outer periphery of the wafer W, as in FIG. 13 , the resist solution scattered from the wafer W is controlled by the airflow It is possible to prevent scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W by jumping from the 151 or the support 450 .

(3rd reference embodiment)

15 : is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 3rd reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

In the resist coating apparatus according to the third reference embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15 , the support part 500 supporting the airflow control part 151 is formed in the shape of a rod extending in the vertical direction, and an inner cup 510 . It is fixed to the driving unit 520 installed on the inner side of the air flow control unit 151 below. The support part 500 is installed to pass through the through-holes drilled in the vertical direction of the inner cup 510 and the annular horizontal member 530, and can be raised and lowered by the driving part 520 to increase the height of the airflow control part 151. can be adjusted

In the resist coating apparatus according to the third reference embodiment, the airflow control unit 151 is raised and lowered and positioned in the vicinity of the wafer W, so that in the airflow flowing along the surface W1 of the wafer W, the It is possible to suppress the amount of airflow flowing in the downward direction along the outer peripheral end. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the resist film on the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

Further, in the resist coating apparatus according to the present reference embodiment, in the step of diffusing the resist liquid while supplying the resist liquid, the airflow control unit 151 and the support unit 500 are moved by the drive unit 520 to the vicinity of the wafer W It can be withdrawn downward from the Therefore, in the above step, it is possible to prevent the resist liquid splashing from the wafer W from splashing out from the airflow control unit 151 or the support unit 500 and scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W.

(4th reference embodiment)

16 : is explanatory drawing of the resist coating apparatus which concerns on 4th reference embodiment, and has shown the cross section of a cup.

The resist coating apparatus according to the fourth reference embodiment is configured such that, as shown in FIG. 16 , the outer cup 600 is divided up and down, and the upper outer cup 601 is movable with respect to the lower outer cup 602 . has been The upper outer cup 601 is configured to be able to move up and down by the drive unit 610 . Moreover, the support part 620 which supports the airflow control part 151 is being fixed to the upper outer cup 601. Accordingly, the height of the airflow control unit 151 may be adjusted by elevating the upper outer cup 601 by the driving unit 610 .

Moreover, the lighting part 621 is provided in the support part 620 so that the airflow which flowed through the upper surface of the airflow control part 151 may flow outward.

In the resist coating apparatus according to the fourth reference embodiment, by lowering the upper outer cup 601 to position the airflow control unit 151 in the vicinity of the wafer W, the airflow flowing along the surface W1 of the wafer W In the middle, it is possible to suppress the amount of airflow flowing in the downward direction along the outer peripheral end of the wafer (W). Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the resist film on the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

Further, in the resist coating apparatus according to the present reference embodiment, in the step of diffusing the resist liquid while supplying the resist liquid, the upper outer cup 601 is raised so that the airflow control unit 151 and the support unit 620 are connected to the wafer W ) can be retracted upward from the vicinity of Therefore, in the above step, it is possible to prevent the resist liquid splashing from the wafer W from splashing out of the airflow control unit 151 or the support unit 620 and scattering on the surface W1 of the wafer W.

Example

When a resist solution is applied to the wafer W using the resist coating device 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 or the like, a state in which the liquid splashes on the wafer W from the middle cup 150 is observed. One result is shown in FIG. Moreover, the presence and number of liquid splashing on the wafer W was observed using the electron microscope.

In the middle cup 150 used in the embodiment, the horizontal distance d2 from the tip 151c of the airflow control unit 151 to the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W1 is 0.2 mm, and the tip of the airflow control unit 151 ( The height H1 from the lower end surface of 151c) to the surface W1 of the wafer W was 2 mm.

In the comparative example, the resist liquid was apply|coated to the wafer using the resist coating apparatus which has a conventional middle cup. The conventional middle cup means that the first hole 153a like the middle cup 150 used in the embodiment is not formed.

In Comparative Examples and Examples, the application conditions such as the amount of the resist liquid applied and the rotation time of the wafer are common.

In the comparative example, when the rotation speed is 2000 rpm, splashing of the liquid is not observed, but at a high rotation speed such as 3000 rpm or 4000 rpm, it is not uniform among the wafers W, but a lot of liquid splashing was observed. In particular, at 4000 rpm, more than 20 liquid splashes were observed.

In contrast, in the comparative example, splashing of the liquid was not observed not only at 2000 rpm but also at high rotational speeds such as 3000 rpm and 4000 rpm.

In addition, a resist coating process including a drying step was performed using the resist coating device 32 of the example and the resist coating device of the comparative example. Even when the resist coating device 32 of the example is used, the resist coating device of the comparative example Similarly, a phenomenon in which the resist film of the outer periphery of the wafer W becomes thick did not occur.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing simulation results of airflow generated in the cup when the wafer W is rotated using the resist coating device 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 or the like. The direction of the arrow in the figure indicates the flow of the airflow, and the thickness of the arrow indicates the magnitude of the flow rate of the airflow.

18A shows the results of simulations performed for comparison. In the simulation, the support part 700 for supporting the airflow control unit 151 is connected to the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 , but the first hole 153a is not formed in the support part 700 and the first hole 153a is not formed. Only two holes 153b are formed.

In FIG. 18B , there is no structure that mimics the resist coating device 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention, that is, there is no structure between the airflow control unit 151 and the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 . The results of simulations performed on the structure are shown.

Further, in both simulations in which the results are shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the size of the wafer W is 300 mm, the rotation speed of the wafer W is 1000 rpm, and the displacement is 1.4 m ³ /min, the distance H1 in the vertical direction from the lower end surface of the tip 151c of the airflow control unit 151 to the surface W1 of the wafer W was set to 2.8 mm. In both simulations, at the tip of the airflow control unit 151, the time average of the flow rate of the gas flowing above the airflow control unit 151 and the time average of the flow rate of the gas flowing below the airflow control unit 151 were calculated.

As shown in FIG. 18A , when a structure exists between the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 and the airflow control unit 151 , that is, when the first hole 153a is not formed, the airflow control unit The direction of the airflow F11 flowing below the 151 is an oblique downward direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18B , when there is no structure between the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 and the airflow control unit 151 , that is, when the first hole 153a is formed. , the direction of the airflow F1 flowing below the airflow control unit 151 is a horizontal direction.

That is, by forming the first hole 153a in the support portion 153 like the resist coating device 32 of FIG. 4 and the like, the amount of airflow flowing downward along the outer peripheral end of the wafer W is reduced. can Therefore, according to the resist coating device 32, it is possible to more reliably prevent the thickness of the resist film at the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

In addition, according to the simulation, when a structure exists between the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 and the airflow control unit 151 as shown in FIG. 18A , the airflow F11 flowing under the airflow control unit 151 is The flow rate was 0.74 m ³ /min, and the flow rate of the airflow F12 flowing through the upper side was 0.65 m ³ /min.

On the other hand, when the structure does not exist between the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 and the airflow control unit 151 as shown in FIG. 18B , the flow rate of the airflow F1 flowing under the airflow control unit 151 is 0.85 m ³ /min, the flow rate of the airflow F2 flowing through the upper side was 0.54 m ³ /min.

That is, by removing the structure between the center of the inner circumference of the outer cup 130 and the airflow control unit 151, that is, the first hole 153a is formed in the support unit 153 like the resist coating device 32 of FIG. 4 or the like. By forming, the ratio of the airflow F2 flowing in the upper side among the airflow F1 flowing in the lower side of the airflow control unit 151 and the airflow F2 flowing in the upper side of the airflow control unit 151 can be increased. Therefore, according to the resist coating device 32, it is possible to more reliably prevent the thickness of the resist film at the outer periphery of the wafer W from increasing.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, this invention is not limited to this example. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the spirit described in the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to this example, and various aspects can be employed. The present invention can also be applied to a case where the substrate is another substrate other than a wafer, such as an FPD (flat panel display) and a mask reticle for a photomask.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is useful for the coating processing apparatus which apply|coats a coating liquid on a board|substrate.

1: Substrate processing system
32: resist coating device
121: spin chuck
125 : cup
130: outer cup
140: inner cup
150: middle cup
151: airflow control unit
153: support
153a: first hole
153b: second hole

Claims (5)

A coating processing apparatus for applying a coating liquid on a substrate, comprising:
a substrate holding unit for holding and rotating the substrate;
a coating liquid supply member for supplying a coating liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit;
A cup accommodating the substrate holding part and exhausted from the bottom part
to provide
The cup is
an airflow control unit located on the top side of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit and surrounding the outer periphery of the substrate;
A support for supporting the airflow control unit
has,
The support part,
One end is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the cup, and the other end is connected to the airflow control unit located on the top side of the one end, and further,
A coating process, characterized in that a first hole in a shape drilled in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the substrate is formed, and a second hole in a shape drilled in the rotation axis direction of the substrate is formed outside and below the first hole. Device. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a total area of the first hole is larger than a total area of the second hole. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first hole is formed in a position opposite to an outer peripheral end of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion in the support portion. The position opposite to the outer peripheral end of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion is a portion from 0.8 mm to 4 mm above the surface of the substrate to 2 mm to 5 mm below the surface of the substrate. Coating processing apparatus, characterized in that. A cup formed in a tubular shape with an open bottom at the top and exhausted from the bottom,
An annular airflow control unit centered on a predetermined axis;
A support for supporting the airflow control unit
has,
The support part has one end connected to the inner circumferential surface of the cup, and the other end located on the top side of the one end is connected to the airflow control unit,
A cup characterized in that a first hole in a shape drilled in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined axis is formed, and a second hole in a shape drilled in the predetermined axial direction is formed outside the first hole.

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