KR20160081299A - Home port, apparatus for treating substrate including this and method for composing atmosphere - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a home port in which a nozzle for discharging a processing solution stands by wherein the processing solution discharged by the nozzle is outputted through the home port and a substrate treatment device including the home port. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the home port comprises: a discharging space to which the nozzle discharges the processing solution; and an atmosphere composing unit configured to compose an atmosphere in the discharging space by an atmosphere composing solution. The atmosphere composing unit comprises a container accommodating the atmosphere composing solution and an ultrasonic wave applying member configured to apply ultrasonic wave vibration to the atmosphere composing solution accommodated in the container. The atmosphere composing solution sprayed by the ultrasonic wave applying member is directly supplied to the nozzle which stands by in the discharging space.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a home port, a substrate processing apparatus including the same,

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for liquid-treating a substrate.

A photo-lithography process in a semiconductor manufacturing process is a process of forming a desired pattern on a wafer. The photolithography process is usually carried out at a spinner local facility where exposure equipment is connected and the application process, the exposure process, and the development process are successively processed. The spinner apparatus sequentially or selectively performs a HMDS (hexamethyl disilazane) process, a coating process, a baking process, and a developing process.

Here, the coating step is a step of applying a photosensitive liquid on the surface of the substrate. When static electricity is generated in the nozzle to which the photosensitive liquid is applied, since the nozzle is easily contaminated by the polar contaminants, the nozzle cleaning cycle is shortened, So that the particles can be directly adsorbed on the substrate.

1 is a sectional view showing a groove port 21 of a general substrate processing apparatus. 1, in order to prevent the generation of static electricity in the nozzles waiting in the groove port 21, an atmosphere of a thinner or the like is supplied to the buffer 23 formed in the groove port 21 through the liquid inlet 22 , The atmosphere composition liquid exceeding the capacity of the buffer 23 flows along the inclined plane 24 and is discharged to the discharge port 25 so that the atmosphere by the atmosphere composition liquid is formed inside the groove port 21 by the natural vaporization effect . However, this is not enough to prevent the occurrence of static electricity because the atmosphere is weak.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method capable of preventing and eliminating generation of static electricity in a nozzle for spraying a treatment liquid.

The present invention also provides an apparatus and a method for preventing contamination of a nozzle.

The present invention also provides an apparatus and a method for preventing contamination of a substrate.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited thereto, and other matters not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus. According to one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes: a housing having a processing space therein; A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the housing; A liquid supply unit having a nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate; And a groove port which is located outside the housing and which discharges the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle to the outside while the nozzle is waiting, wherein the nozzle port has a discharge space for discharging the processing liquid body; And an atmospheric composition unit that directly injects atomized atomization liquid spray into the discharge portion of the nozzle waiting in the discharge space.

Wherein the atmosphere forming unit comprises: a container provided outside the body and having a liquid containing space in which an atmosphere forming liquid is contained; An ultrasonic wave applying member for applying ultrasonic vibration to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the liquid containing space; And a spray supply line for supplying an atmosphere composition liquid in a spray state generated in the liquid accommodation space to the discharge space.

Wherein the discharge space includes an upper space disposed at an upper end of the body and a lower space positioned under the upper space and communicating with the upper space, the upper space having a width smaller than the lower space, When the nozzle is waiting on the home port, the discharge portion of the nozzle is located in the upper space, and the discharge port is connected to the lower space.

The atmosphere forming unit further includes a pressurized gas supplying member for supplying a pressurized gas into the liquid containing space.

The atmospheric composition liquid includes any one of water, an organic solvent, and a thinner.

In addition, the present invention provides a groove port for waiting for a nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to a substrate, and discharging the treatment liquid discharged from the nozzle to the outside. According to an embodiment, the groove port may include a body having the discharge space through which the nozzle discharges the processing liquid; And an atmospheric composition unit that directly injects atomized atomization liquid spray into the discharge portion of the nozzle waiting in the discharge space.

Wherein the atmosphere forming unit comprises: a container provided outside the body and having a liquid containing space in which an atmosphere forming liquid is contained; An ultrasonic wave applying member for applying ultrasonic vibration to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the liquid containing space; And a spray supply line for supplying an atmosphere composition liquid in a spray state generated in the liquid accommodation space to the discharge space.

Wherein the discharge space includes an upper space disposed at an upper end of the body and a lower space positioned under the upper space and communicating with the upper space, the upper space having a width smaller than the lower space, When the nozzle is waiting on the home port, the discharge portion of the nozzle is located in the upper space, and the discharge port is connected to the lower space.

The atmospheric composition liquid includes any one of water, an organic solvent, and a thinner.

Further, the present invention provides a method for forming an atmosphere. According to one embodiment, in the atmosphere forming method, an atmosphere is formed by an atmosphere forming liquid in a discharge space formed inside the groove port.

The method for forming the atmosphere includes the steps of atomizing the atmosphere forming solution; And spraying the atmospheric aerosol directly sprayed to the discharge portion of the nozzle waiting in the home port.

The step of spraying the atmospheric composition liquid is carried out by applying ultrasonic waves to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the container outside the groove port.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus and method of the present invention can prevent and eliminate the generation of static electricity in a nozzle for spraying a treatment liquid.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus and method of the present invention can prevent contamination of the nozzle.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus and method of the present invention can prevent contamination of the substrate.

1 is a top view of a substrate processing apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a view of the facility of Fig. 1 viewed from the direction AA.
Fig. 3 is a view of the equipment of Fig. 1 viewed from the BB direction.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus provided in the application chamber of FIG.
5 is a plan view showing the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.
6 is a perspective view showing a home port of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the groove port of FIG. 6 taken along the line aa ''.
8 is a cross-sectional view of the groove port of FIG. 6 taken along the line bb '.
9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a home port according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Thus, the shape of the elements in the figures has been exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

The facilities of this embodiment can be used to perform a photolithography process on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel display panel. In particular, the apparatus of this embodiment can be used to perform a coating process and a developing process on a substrate, which is connected to an exposure apparatus. Hereinafter, a case where a wafer is used as a substrate will be described as an example.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 viewed from the A-A direction, and FIG. 4 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 viewed from the B-B direction.

2 to 4, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a load port 100, an index module 200, a buffer module 300, an application and development module 400, and an interface module 700 . The load port 100, the index module 200, the buffer module 300, the application and development module 400, and the interface module 700 are sequentially arranged in one direction in one direction.

The direction in which the load port 100, the index module 200, the buffer module 300, the application and development module 400 and the interface module 700 are disposed is referred to as a first direction 12, A direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 is referred to as a second direction 14 and a direction perpendicular to the first direction 12 and the second direction 14 is referred to as a third direction 16. [

The substrate W is moved in a state accommodated in the cassette 20. At this time, the cassette 20 has a structure that can be sealed from the outside. For example, as the cassette 20, a front open unified pod (FOUP) having a door at the front can be used.

Hereinafter, the load port 100, the index module 200, the buffer module 300, the application and development module 400, and the interface module 700 will be described in detail.

The load port 100 has a mounting table 120 on which the cassette 20 accommodating the substrates W is placed. A plurality of mounts 120 are provided, and the mounts 200 are arranged in a line along the second direction 14. [ In Fig. 2, four placement tables 120 are provided.

The index module 200 transfers the substrate W between the cassette 20 and the buffer module 300 placed on the table 120 of the load port 100. The index module 200 has a frame 210, an index robot 220, and a guide rail 230. The frame 210 is provided generally in the shape of an inner rectangular parallelepiped and is disposed between the load port 100 and the buffer module 300. The frame 210 of the index module 200 may be provided at a lower height than the frame 310 of the buffer module 300 described later. The index robot 220 and the guide rail 230 are disposed within the frame 210. The index robot 220 is moved in the first direction 12, the second direction 14 and the third direction 16 so that the hand 221 that directly handles the substrate W can be moved and rotated in the first direction 12, the second direction 14, . The index robot 220 has a hand 221, an arm 222, a support 223, and a pedestal 224. The hand 221 is fixed to the arm 222. The arm 222 is provided with a stretchable structure and a rotatable structure. The support base 223 is disposed along the third direction 16 in the longitudinal direction. The arm 222 is coupled to the support 223 to be movable along the support 223. The support 223 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 224. The guide rails 230 are provided so that their longitudinal direction is arranged along the second direction 14. The pedestal 224 is coupled to the guide rail 230 so as to be linearly movable along the guide rail 230. Further, although not shown, the frame 210 is further provided with a door opener for opening and closing the door of the cassette 20.

The buffer module 300 has a frame 310, a first buffer 320, a second buffer 330, a cooling chamber 350, and a buffer robot 360. The frame 310 is provided in the shape of an inner rectangular parallelepiped and is disposed between the index module 200 and the application and development module 400. The first buffer 320, the second buffer 330, the cooling chamber 350, and the buffer robot 360 are located within the frame 310. The cooling chamber 350, the second buffer 330, and the first buffer 320 are sequentially disposed in the third direction 16 from below. The second buffer 330 and the cooling chamber 350 are located at a height corresponding to the coating module 401 of the coating and developing module 400 described later and the coating and developing module 400 at a height corresponding to the developing module 402. [ The buffer robot 360 is positioned at a distance from the second buffer 330, the cooling chamber 350, and the first buffer 320 in the second direction 14.

The first buffer 320 and the second buffer 330 temporarily store a plurality of substrates W, respectively. The second buffer 330 has a housing 331 and a plurality of supports 332. The supports 332 are disposed within the housing 331 and are provided spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16. One substrate W is placed on each support 332. The housing 331 is configured so that the index robot 220, the buffer robot 360 and the developing robot 482 of the development module 402 described later carry the substrate W into or from the support 332 in the housing 331, (Not shown) in the direction in which the index robot 220 is provided, in the direction in which the buffer robot 360 is provided, and in the direction in which the development robot 482 is provided, so that the development robot 482 can be taken out. The first buffer 320 has a structure substantially similar to that of the second buffer 330. The housing 321 of the first buffer 320 has an opening in a direction in which the buffer robot 360 is provided and a direction in which the application unit robot 432 located in the application module 401 described later is provided. The number of supports 322 provided in the first buffer 320 and the number of supports 332 provided in the second buffer 330 may be the same or different. According to one example, the number of supports 332 provided in the second buffer 330 may be greater than the number of supports 322 provided in the first buffer 320.

The buffer robot 360 transfers the substrate W between the first buffer 320 and the second buffer 330. The buffer robot 360 has a hand 361, an arm 362, and a support base 363. The hand 361 is fixed to the arm 362. The arm 362 is provided in a stretchable configuration so that the hand 361 is movable along the second direction 14. The arm 362 is coupled to the support 363 so as to be linearly movable along the support 363 in the third direction 16. The support base 363 has a length extending from a position corresponding to the second buffer 330 to a position corresponding to the first buffer 320. The support member 363 may be provided longer in the upward or downward direction. The buffer robot 360 may be provided such that the hand 361 is simply driven in two directions along the second direction 14 and the third direction 16.

The cooling chamber 350 cools the substrate W, respectively. The cooling chamber 350 has a housing 351 and a cooling plate 352. The cooling plate 352 has an upper surface on which the substrate W is placed and a cooling means 353 for cooling the substrate W. [ As the cooling means 353, various methods such as cooling with cooling water and cooling using a thermoelectric element can be used. In addition, the cooling chamber 350 may be provided with a lift pin assembly (not shown) for positioning the substrate W on the cooling plate 352. The housing 351 is provided with an index robot 220 so that the developing robot 482 provided in the index robot 220 and a developing module 402 to be described later can carry the substrate W into or out of the cooling plate 352 (Not shown) in the direction provided and the direction in which the developing robot 482 is provided. Further, the cooling chamber 350 may be provided with doors (not shown) for opening and closing the above-described opening.

The application and development module 400 performs a process of applying a photoresist on the substrate W before the exposure process and a process of developing the substrate W after the exposure process. The application and development module 400 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape. The coating and developing module 400 has a coating module 401 and a developing module 402. The application module 401 and the development module 402 are arranged so as to be partitioned into layers with respect to each other. According to one example, the application module 401 is located on top of the development module 402.

The application module 401 includes a process of applying a photosensitive liquid such as a photoresist to the substrate W and a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling for the substrate W before and after the resist application process. The application module 401 has a resist application chamber 410, a bake chamber 420, and a transfer chamber 430. The resist application chamber 410, the bake chamber 420, and the transfer chamber 430 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. [ The resist application chamber 410 and the bake chamber 420 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 430 interposed therebetween. A plurality of resist coating chambers 410 are provided, and a plurality of resist coating chambers 410 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. A plurality of bake chambers 420 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively.

The transfer chamber 430 is positioned in parallel with the first buffer 320 of the buffer module 300 in the first direction 12. In the transfer chamber 430, a dispenser robot 432 and a guide rail 433 are positioned. The transfer chamber 430 has a generally rectangular shape. The applicator robot 432 transfers the substrate W between the bake chambers 420, the resist application chambers 400 and the first buffer 320 of the buffer module 300. The guide rails 433 are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are parallel to the first direction 12. The guide rails 433 guide the applying robot 432 to move linearly in the first direction 12. The applicator robot 432 has a hand 434, an arm 435, a support 436, and a pedestal 437. The hand 434 is fixed to the arm 435. The arm 435 is provided in a stretchable configuration so that the hand 434 is movable in the horizontal direction. The support 436 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is disposed along the third direction 16. The arm 435 is coupled to the support 436 so as to be linearly movable in the third direction 16 along the support 436. The support 436 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 437 and the pedestal 437 is coupled to the guide rail 433 so as to be movable along the guide rail 433.

The resist coating chambers 410 all have the same structure. However, the types of the photoresist used in each of the resist coating chambers 410 may be different from each other. As an example, a chemical amplification resist may be used as the photoresist. The resist application chamber 410 is provided with a substrate processing apparatus for applying a photoresist on the substrate W. [ FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus provided in the application chamber of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 5 and 6, the substrate processing apparatus 800 includes a housing 850, a substrate supporting unit 810, a lift unit 880, a liquid supply unit 890, and a home port 900 .

The housing 850 has a processing space in which an application process is performed. The housing 850 is provided in a cylindrical shape with its top opened. The housing 850 includes a recovery cylinder 860 and a guide wall 870. The recovery cylinder 860 is provided in the form of an annular ring surrounding the substrate supporting unit 810. The guide wall 870 is provided in the form of an annular ring surrounding the substrate support unit 810 inside the recovery cylinder 860. [ The space between the recovery cylinder 860 and the guide wall 870 provides a recovery space 865 where the processing liquid is recovered. A recovery line 868 is connected to the bottom of the recovery cylinder 860. The recovery line 868 discharges the treatment liquid introduced into the recovery tank 860 to the outside. The discharged treatment liquid can be reused through a treatment liquid regeneration system (not shown).

The collection box 860 includes a first inclined wall 862, a vertical wall 864, and a bottom wall 866. The first inclined wall 862 is provided to surround the substrate supporting unit 810. The first inclined wall 862 is provided so as to be inclined downward in a direction away from the substrate supporting unit 810. [ The vertical wall 864 extends perpendicularly to the ground from the lower end of the first inclined wall 862 downward. The bottom wall 866 extends horizontally from the lower end of the vertical wall 864 toward the central axis of the substrate support unit 810.

The guide wall 870 is positioned between the first inclined wall 862 and the bottom wall 866. The guide wall 870 includes a second inclined wall 872 and a side wall 874. The second inclined wall 872 is provided to surround the substrate supporting unit 810. The second inclined wall 872 is provided so as to be inclined downward in a direction away from the substrate supporting unit 810. The upper end of each of the second inclined wall 872 and the first inclined wall 862 is vertically provided. The interstice wall 874 extends vertically downward from the top of the second inclined wall 872. The side wall 874 connects the second inclined wall 872 with the bottom wall 866.

The substrate support unit 810 supports and rotates the substrate within the housing 850. The substrate support unit 810 includes a support plate 820 and a drive member 830. On the upper surface of the support plate 820, pin members 822 and 824 for supporting the substrate are coupled. Support pins 822 support the bottom surface of the substrate, and chuck pins 824 support the sides of the substrate. The support plate 820 is rotatable by the driving member 830. The driving member 830 includes a driving shaft 832 and a driver 834. The drive shaft 834 is coupled to the bottom surface of the support plate 820. The driver 834 provides rotational force to the drive shaft 832. For example, the driver 834 may be a motor.

The lifting unit 880 vertically moves the housing 850 to adjust the relative height between the housing 850 and the substrate supporting unit 810. The lifting unit 880 includes a bracket 882, a moving shaft 884, and a driver 886. The bracket 882 is fixed to the inclined wall of the housing 850. A moving shaft 884, which is vertically moved by a driver 886, is fixedly coupled to the bracket 882.

The liquid supply unit 890 supplies the treatment liquid onto the substrate W placed on the support plate 820. The liquid supply unit 890 includes a nozzle 892 and a nozzle moving member 893 for supplying the processing liquid to the substrate W. [ A plurality of nozzles 892 are provided. Each of the nozzles 892 is connected to a processing liquid supply line. A plurality of nozzles 892 are waiting at the home port 900. One of the plurality of nozzles 892 is movable by the nozzle moving member 893 to the process position and the standby position. Where the process position is the position at which the nozzle 892 is opposed to the substrate W placed on the support plate 820. The standby position is a position where the nozzle 892 is waiting in the home port 900. [ For example, the treatment liquid may be a liquid having an electrical property. The treatment liquid may be charged particles. The treatment liquid may be a photosensitive liquid such as a photoresist.

The nozzle moving member 893 includes a guide rail 894, an arm 896, and a driver (not shown). The guide rail 894 is located on one side of the housing 850. The guide rail 894 is provided such that its longitudinal direction is directed in the first direction 12. An arm 896 is provided on the guide rail 894. The arm 896 is provided to have a bar shape. One end of the arm 896 is fixed to the guide rail 894, and a nozzle 892 is detachably provided at the other end. The actuator can provide a driving force to the guide rail 894 to reciprocate the arm 896 and the nozzle 892 in the first direction 12 or in the opposite direction. The arm 896 and the nozzle 892 mounted thereto are movable by the guide rail 894 and the actuator to the process and standby positions. For example, the actuator may be a motor.

The home port 900 is provided in a place where the nozzles 892 that do not perform the application process are kept in the atmosphere and stored. Each of the waiting nozzles 892 in the standby port 900 continuously or intermittently discharges the process liquid. The home port 900 discharges the processing liquid discharged by the nozzles 892 to the outside. The home port 900 is located outside the housing 850. Each of the nozzles 892 discharges the processing liquid to prevent the processing liquid provided therein from sticking. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the groove port of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the groove port of FIG. 7 taken along the line aa ' Fig. 7 to 9, the groove port 900 includes a body 910 and an atmosphere forming unit 920.

The body 910 has therein a discharge space 911 through which the nozzle 892 discharges the processing liquid. The discharge space 911 has an upper space 911a and a lower space 911b.

The upper space 911a is disposed at the upper end of the body 910. [ The upper space 911a is formed to have a smaller width than the lower space 911b. When the nozzle 892 waits in the home port 900, the discharge portion of the nozzle 892 is located in the upper space 911a. That is, the upper space 911a functions as an insertion hole into which ejection portions of the nozzle 892 not used in the process are inserted. The upper space 911a is provided in a number corresponding one-to-one with the nozzle 892. [ The upper spaces 911a are formed to be arranged in a line along the first direction 12. In each of the upper spaces 911a, discharge ports of the nozzles 892 are inserted so as to correspond one to one.

The lower space 911b is located below the upper space 911a and communicates with the upper space 911a. A discharge port 914 is connected to the lower space 911b. The atmospheric composition liquid supplied in the lower space 911b and the treatment liquid discharged from the nozzle 892 are discharged to the outside of the groove port 900 through the discharge port 914. [

The atmospheric composition liquid is a liquid that dilutes the treatment liquid and absorbs static electricity. For example, the atmosphere forming liquid may include water, an organic solvent (acetone, ethanol, methanol, etc.), or a thinner. The atmosphere forming unit 920 directly injects the spray of the atmosphere forming liquid into the discharging portion of the nozzle 892 waiting in the upper space 911a. As a result, a stronger atmosphere due to the atmospheric composition liquid can be formed in a region adjacent to the discharge portion of the nozzle 892 in the upper space 911a. Therefore, the electrostatic prevention and removal efficiency of the nozzle 892 by the atmospheric composition liquid is improved, and the cleaning effect of the treatment liquid on the nozzle 892 is further enhanced. According to one embodiment, the atmosphere forming unit 920 includes a container 921, an ultrasonic applying member 923, and a spray supply line 925. [

The container 921 is provided outside the body 910. The container 921 has a liquid accommodation space 921a in which an atmosphere forming liquid is accommodated.

The ultrasonic wave applying member 923 applies ultrasonic vibration to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the liquid containing space 921a. The ultrasonic applying member 923 is provided at the lower portion of the container 921. [ The atomization of the atmosphere forming liquid can be further activated by applying ultrasonic vibration to the atmosphere forming liquid. Therefore, the atmosphere composition efficiency in the discharge space 911 can be increased.

The spray supply line 925 supplies the atmospheric composition liquid in the spray state generated in the liquid accommodation space 921a to the discharge space 911. [ For example, the spray supply line 925 penetrates the outer wall of the body 910 and is connected to the upper space 911a. Therefore, the atomized atmosphere forming liquid can be supplied directly to the discharge portion of the nozzle 892. [

The atmosphere forming unit 920 may further include a liquid supply member 922 and a pressurized gas supply member 926.

The liquid supply member 922 is provided outside the container 921. The liquid supply member 922 supplies the atmospheric composition liquid to the liquid accommodation space 921a through the inlet 922a and the inlet line 922b.

The pressurized gas supply member 926 supplies pressurized gas to the liquid accommodation space 921a to increase the pressure in the liquid accommodation space 921a. Therefore, the atomized atmosphere liquid in the liquid accommodation space 921a is supplied to the discharge space 911 through the spray supply line 925 by the pressure by the pressurized gas.

2 to 4, the bake chamber 420 heat-treats the substrate W. For example, the bake chambers 420 may be formed by a prebake process for heating the substrate W to a predetermined temperature to remove organic substances and moisture on the surface of the substrate W, A soft bake process is performed after coating the substrate W on the substrate W, and a cooling process for cooling the substrate W after each heating process is performed. The bake chamber 420 has a cooling plate 421 or a heating plate 422. The cooling plate 421 is provided with a cooling means 423 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. The heating plate 422 is also provided with a heating means 424, such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The cooling plate 421 and the heating plate 422 may be provided in a single bake chamber 420, respectively. Optionally, some of the bake chambers 420 may include only the cooling plate 421, and the other portions may include only the heating plate 422.

The developing module 402 includes a developing process for supplying a developing solution to obtain a pattern on the substrate W to remove a part of the photoresist and a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling performed on the substrate W before and after the developing process . The development module 402 has a development chamber 460, a bake chamber 470, and a transfer chamber 480. The development chamber 460, the bake chamber 470, and the transfer chamber 480 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. The development chamber 460 and the bake chamber 470 are positioned apart from each other in the second direction 14 with the transfer chamber 480 therebetween. A plurality of developing chambers 460 are provided, and a plurality of developing chambers 460 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively. A plurality of bake chambers 470 are provided in the first direction 12 and the third direction 16, respectively.

The transfer chamber 480 is positioned in parallel with the second buffer 330 of the buffer module 300 in the first direction 12. In the transfer chamber 480, the developing robot 482 and the guide rail 483 are positioned. The delivery chamber 480 has a generally rectangular shape. The developing subroutine 482 transfers the substrate W between the bake chambers 470, the developing chambers 460 and the second buffer 330 of the buffer module 300 and the cooling chamber 350. The guide rail 483 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12. The guide rail 483 guides the developing robot 482 to linearly move in the first direction 12. The developing sub-robot 482 has a hand 484, an arm 485, a supporting stand 486, and a pedestal 487. The hand 484 is fixed to the arm 485. The arm 485 is provided in a stretchable configuration to allow the hand 484 to move in a horizontal direction. The support 486 is provided so that its longitudinal direction is disposed along the third direction 16. The arm 485 is coupled to the support 486 such that it is linearly movable along the support 486 in the third direction 16. The support table 486 is fixedly coupled to the pedestal 487. The pedestal 487 is coupled to the guide rail 483 so as to be movable along the guide rail 483.

The development chambers 460 all have the same structure. However, the types of developers used in the respective developing chambers 460 may be different from each other. The development chamber 460 removes a region of the photoresist on the substrate W where light is irradiated. At this time, the area of the protective film irradiated with the light is also removed. Depending on the type of selectively used photoresist, only the areas of the photoresist and protective film that are not irradiated with light can be removed.

The development chamber 460 has a housing 461, a support plate 462, and a nozzle 463. The housing 461 has a cup shape with an open top. The support plate 462 is located in the housing 461 and supports the substrate W. [ The support plate 462 is rotatably provided. The nozzle 463 supplies the developer onto the substrate W placed on the support plate 462. The nozzle 463 has a circular tube shape and can supply developer to the center of the substrate W. [ Alternatively, the nozzle 463 may have a length corresponding to the diameter of the substrate W, and the discharge port of the nozzle 463 may be provided with a slit. Further, the developing chamber 460 may further be provided with a nozzle 464 for supplying a cleaning liquid such as deionized water to clean the surface of the substrate W to which the developer is supplied.

The bake chamber 470 of the developing module 402 heat-treats the substrate W. [ For example, the bake chambers 470 may include a post-bake process for heating the substrate W before the development process is performed, a hard bake process for heating the substrate W after the development process is performed, And a cooling step for cooling the substrate W is performed. The bake chamber 470 has a cooling plate 471 or a heating plate 472. The cooling plate 471 is provided with a cooling means 473 such as a cooling water or a thermoelectric element. Or the heating plate 472 is provided with a heating means 474 such as a hot wire or a thermoelectric element. The cooling plate 471 and the heating plate 472 may be provided in one bake chamber 470, respectively. Optionally, some of the bake chambers 470 may have only a cooling plate 471, while the other may have only a heating plate 472. [

The interface module 700 transfers the substrate W between the coating and developing module 400 and the exposure apparatus 900. The interface module 700 has a frame 710, a first buffer 720, a second buffer 730, and an interface robot 740. The first buffer 720, the second buffer 730, and the interface robot 740 are located within the frame 710. The first buffer 720 and the second buffer 730 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and are stacked on each other. The first buffer 720 is disposed higher than the second buffer 730. The first buffer 720 is positioned at a height corresponding to the preprocessing module 601 and the second buffer 730 is positioned at a height corresponding to the postprocessing module 602. The first buffer 720 is arranged in a line along the first direction 12 with the transfer chamber 630 of the preprocessing module 601 while the second buffer 730 is arranged in the postprocessing module 602, Are arranged in a line along the first direction 12 with the transfer chamber 630 of the transfer chamber 630. [

The interface robot 740 is spaced apart from the first buffer 720 and the second buffer 730 in the second direction 14. The interface robot 740 carries the substrate W between the first buffer 720, the second buffer 730 and the exposure apparatus 900.

The first buffer 720 temporarily stores the substrates W subjected to the resist coating process before they are transferred to the exposure apparatus 900. The second buffer 730 temporarily stores the processed substrates W in the exposure apparatus 900 before they are transferred to the coating and developing module 400. The first buffer 720 has a housing 721 and a plurality of supports 722. The supports 722 are disposed within the housing 721 and are provided spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16. One substrate W is placed on each support 722. The housing 721 has an opening (not shown) for loading or unloading the substrate W into the support table 722 into the housing 721 of the interface robot 740. The second buffer 730 has a structure substantially similar to that of the first buffer 720. The interface module may be provided with only the buffers and robots as described above without providing a chamber for performing a predetermined process on the substrate.

Hereinafter, the atmosphere forming method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described using the groove port 900 of FIG.

In the atmosphere forming method, an atmosphere is formed by the atmosphere forming liquid in the discharging space 911 formed inside the groove port 900. The atmosphere forming method includes atomizing the atmosphere forming liquid and spraying the atmosphere atomizing liquid directly sprayed to the discharging portion of the nozzle 892 waiting in the groove port 900. [

The step of atomizing the atmosphere forming liquid is performed by applying ultrasonic waves to the atmosphere forming liquid contained in the container 921 outside the groove port 900. [ For example, a container 921 having a liquid accommodation space 921a in which the atmosphere forming liquid is accommodated is provided outside the groove port 900. [ The ultrasonic wave applying member 923 is provided at a lower portion of the vessel 921 to apply ultrasonic waves to the atmosphere forming liquid contained in the liquid containing space 921a to atomize the atmosphere forming liquid.

In the step of spraying the atmosphere atomized liquid directly to the discharge portion of the nozzle 892, the atomized atomized liquid in the liquid containing space 921a passes through the outer wall of the body 910 through the spray supply line 925, (911a).

20: cassette 100: load port
200: Index module 300: Buffer module
400: application and development module 401: application module
402: development module 700: interface module
810: substrate support unit 850: housing
890: liquid supply unit 892: nozzle
900: Home port 910: Body
911: Discharge space 920: Atmosphere creation unit
921: container 922: liquid supply member
923: Ultrasonic wave application member

Claims (11)

A housing having a processing space therein;
A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate in the housing;
A liquid supply unit having a nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate;
And a groove port located outside the housing and waiting for the nozzle to discharge the treatment liquid discharged from the nozzle to the outside,
The above-
A body having the discharge space through which the nozzle discharges the processing liquid;
And an atmospheric composition unit for spraying a spray of an atmospheric composition liquid directly to a discharge portion of the nozzle waiting in the discharge space. The method according to claim 1,
In the atmosphere forming unit,
A container provided on the outside of the body and having a liquid containing space in which an atmosphere forming liquid is contained;
An ultrasonic wave applying member for applying ultrasonic vibration to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the liquid containing space; And
And a spray supply line for supplying an atmosphere composition liquid in a spray state generated in the liquid accommodation space to the discharge space. The method according to claim 1,
The discharge space includes an upper space disposed at an upper end of the body and a lower space positioned below the upper space and communicating with the upper space,
Wherein the upper space is formed to have a smaller width than the lower space,
Wherein the discharge port of the nozzle is located in the upper space and the discharge port is connected to the lower space when the nozzle is in the home port. 3. The method of claim 2,
In the atmosphere forming unit,
And a pressurized gas supply member for supplying a pressurized gas into the liquid accommodation space. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the atmospheric composition liquid comprises any one of water, an organic solvent, and a thinner. A nozzle for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate stands by, and in a groove port for discharging the treatment liquid discharged by the upper nozzle,
A body having the discharge space through which the nozzle discharges the processing liquid;
And an atmospheric composition unit for spraying a spray of an atmospheric composition liquid directly to a discharge portion of the nozzle waiting in the discharge space. The method according to claim 6,
In the atmosphere forming unit,
A container provided on the outside of the body and having a liquid containing space in which an atmosphere forming liquid is contained;
An ultrasonic wave applying member for applying ultrasonic vibration to the atmospheric composition liquid contained in the liquid containing space; And
And a spray supply line for supplying an atmospheric composition liquid in a spray state generated in the liquid accommodation space to the discharge space. The method according to claim 6,
The discharge space includes an upper space disposed at an upper end of the body and a lower space positioned below the upper space and communicating with the upper space,
Wherein the upper space is formed to have a smaller width than the lower space,
Wherein the discharge port of the nozzle is located in the upper space and the discharge port is connected to the lower space when the nozzle is in the home port. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
Wherein the atmospheric composition liquid comprises any one of water, an organic solvent, and a thinner. A method for forming an atmosphere by an atmospheric composition liquid in a discharge space formed inside the groove port,
Atomizing the atmosphere forming solution; And
And spraying an atomized atomizing liquid directly sprayed to a discharge portion of a nozzle waiting in the home port. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the step of atomizing the atmospheric composition liquid is performed by applying ultrasonic waves to an atmospheric composition liquid contained in a container outside the groove port.

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