KR20170070887A - Apparatus and method for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus. A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a housing having a processing space; A substrate supporting unit having a support plate for supporting the substrate in the processing space; And a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate at an upper portion of the support plate, wherein the liquid supply unit includes: a nozzle member having a discharge port through which the treatment liquid is discharged; A driving member for moving the nozzle member; And a controller for controlling the driving member, wherein the controller adjusts the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the support plate to be different according to the type of the substrate.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE [0002]

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for liquid-processing 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.

1 and 2 are views showing a state in which a nozzle of a general substrate processing apparatus discharges a processing solution onto a substrate. 1 and 2, in the case of a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate, such as a substrate processing apparatus for performing a developing process, particularly, a plurality of nozzles The height of the nozzle is controlled so as to keep the distances 15 and 17 between the positions where the liquid discharged from the discharge port of each of the nozzles 11 and 13 reaches the substrate 21, And is provided at a constant height when discharging the liquid. However, the substrate 21 has different thicknesses depending on whether the film 23 is formed or provided with a plurality of layers or the like, and a substrate 21 having a different thickness is formed on the support plate 19 for supporting the substrate. There is a problem that the distances 15 and 17 between the positions at which the liquid discharged from the discharge ports of the respective nozzles 11 and 13 reach the substrate also differ from each other.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for controlling the height of a discharge port for discharging a treatment liquid depending on the type of a substrate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for maintaining a constant distance between positions at which a liquid discharged from a discharge port of a plurality of nozzles reaches 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, a substrate processing apparatus includes a housing having a processing space; A substrate supporting unit having a support plate for supporting the substrate in the processing space; And a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate at an upper portion of the support plate, wherein the liquid supply unit includes: a nozzle member having a discharge port through which the treatment liquid is discharged; A driving member for moving the nozzle member; And a controller for controlling the driving member, wherein the controller controls the driving member such that the height of the discharge port is different from the top surface of the supporting plate depending on the type of the substrate.

The controller adjusts the height of the discharge port to be constant from the upper surface of each of the substrates.

The nozzle member includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle that discharge different process liquids to a substrate placed on the support plate

Wherein the first nozzle discharges the treatment liquid so as to be closer to the center of the substrate than the second nozzle, the first nozzle discharges the treatment liquid vertically toward the substrate, The processing liquid is discharged in a direction in which the processing liquid is inclined.

The first nozzle and the second nozzle are provided to be fixed to one arm.

Further comprising: a substrate table provided on the outside of the housing and on which a cassette accommodating a substrate is placed, wherein the cassette is provided with a substrate identifier indicating the type of substrate accommodated in the cassette, A substrate identification reader is provided for reading the substrate identifier and communicating the read result to the controller.

The first nozzle may be a nozzle for discharging the developing solution, and the second nozzle may be a nozzle for discharging the rinsing liquid.

The support plate may be provided as a spin head for rotating the substrate.

The height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the first substrate is placed on the support plate and the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the second substrate having the thickness different from the thickness of the first substrate are placed on the support plate .

The present invention also provides a substrate processing method. According to one embodiment, a substrate processing method for processing a substrate by supplying a processing liquid onto a substrate supported by a support plate includes: a step of adjusting the height of a discharge port through which the processing liquid is discharged according to the type of substrate supported on the support plate .

The adjustment of the height includes adjusting the height of the support plate to be different from the upper surface.

The adjustment of the height may be performed by adjusting the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the first substrate is placed on the support plate and the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the second substrate having the thickness different from that of the first substrate is placed on the support plate As shown in FIG.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus and method of the present invention can adjust the height of the discharge port for discharging the treatment liquid depending on the type of the substrate.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus and method of the present invention can keep the distances between the positions where the liquid ejected from the ejection openings of the plurality of nozzles reach the substrate to be constant from each other.

1 and 2 are views showing a state in which a nozzle of a general substrate processing apparatus discharges a processing solution onto a substrate.
3 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus 1.
FIG. 4 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 viewed from the direction AA.
FIG. 5 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 viewed from the BB direction.
Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the developing chamber of Fig. 3;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the developing chamber of FIG. 3; FIG.
Fig. 8 is a view showing the nozzle member of Fig. 6. Fig.
9 is a view showing the liquid supply unit of Fig.

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 substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is used to perform a photolithography process on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel display panel. Particularly, the substrate processing apparatus of this embodiment is used for performing a coating process and a developing process on a substrate. Hereinafter, a case where a wafer is used as a substrate will be described as an example

3 to 5 are views schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 3 viewed from the direction AA, FIG. 5 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. Fig.

3 to 5, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a load port 100, an index module 200, a buffer module 300, a coating and developing 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.

Hereinafter, 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 arranged 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, Quot;

The wafer W is moved in a state accommodated in the cassette 20. 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.

The load port 100 has a mounting table 120 on which a cassette 20 accommodating wafers W is placed. A plurality of mounts 120 are provided, and the mounts 120 are arranged in a line along the second direction 14. In Fig. 3, four placement tables 120 are provided.

The index module 200 transfers the wafer W between the cassette 20 and the buffer module 300 placed on the table 120 of the load port 100. The index module 200 includes 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 a four-axis drive system in which the hand 221 directly handling the wafer W is movable in the first direction 12, the second direction 14 and the third direction 16, This is a possible structure. The index robot 220 includes 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 includes 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 wafers 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 wafer W is placed on each support 332. The housing 331 supports the index robot 220 and the buffer robot 340 so that the index robot 220 and the buffer robot 360 can carry the wafers W into or out of the support 332 in the housing 331. [ 360 are provided with openings (not shown) in the direction in which they are provided. 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 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 wafer W between the first buffer 320 and the second buffer 330. The buffer robot 360 includes 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 363 may be provided longer in the upper or lower direction. The buffer robot 360 may be provided such that the hand 361 is driven only in two directions along the second direction 14 and the third direction 16. [

The cooling chambers 350 cool the wafers W, respectively. The cooling chamber 350 includes a housing 351 and a cooling plate 352. The cooling plate 352 has an upper surface on which the wafer W is placed and a cooling means 353 for cooling the wafer 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 for positioning the wafer W on the cooling plate 352. The housing 351 is provided with the index robot 220 and the developing unit 402. The housing 351 is provided with the index robot 220, The robot has an opening in the direction provided. Further, the cooling chamber 350 may be provided with doors for opening and closing the above-described opening.

The application module 401 includes a step of applying a photosensitive liquid such as a photoresist to the wafer W and a heat treatment step such as heating and cooling for the wafer W before and after the resist application step. 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. [ 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 first 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 wafer W between the bake chambers 420, the resist application chambers 410 and the first buffer 320 of the first 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 coating chamber 410 applies a photoresist on the wafer W. [ The resist coating chamber 410 has a housing 411, a substrate supporting unit 412, and a liquid supply unit 413. In addition, the resist application chamber 410 may further include a nozzle 414 for supplying a cleaning liquid such as deionized water to clean the surface of the wafer W on which the photoresist is applied.

The housing 411 has a cup shape with an open top. The housing 411 has a processing space therein.

The substrate supporting unit 412 is located in the housing 411 and supports the wafer W. [ The substrate supporting unit 412 is rotatably provided.

The liquid supply unit 413 supplies the treatment liquid onto the wafer W placed on the substrate holding unit 412 at the top of the substrate holding unit. For example, the treatment liquid is provided as a photoresist containing a polar material. The polar material may be provided as a solvent.

The bake chamber 420 heat-treats the wafer W. For example, the bake chambers 420 may be formed by a prebake process in which the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature to remove organic matter and moisture on the surface of the wafer W before the photoresist is applied, A soft bake process is performed after coating the wafer W on the wafer W, and a cooling process for cooling the wafer 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. Some of the bake chambers 420 may include only the cooling plate 421 and the other portion may include only the heating plate 422. [ Alternatively, the cooling plate 421 and the heating plate 422 may be provided in a single bake chamber 420, respectively.

The developing module 402 includes a developing process of supplying a developing solution to obtain a pattern on the wafer W to remove a part of the photoresist and a heat treatment process such as heating and cooling performed on the wafer W before and after the developing process . The development module 402 has a development chamber 500, a bake chamber 470, and a transfer chamber 480. The development chamber 500, the bake chamber 470, and the transfer chamber 480 are sequentially disposed along the second direction 14. The development chamber 500 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 development chambers 500 are provided, and a plurality of development chambers 500 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 first 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 robot 482 transfers the wafer W between the bake chambers 470, the developing chambers 500 and the second buffer 330 of the first 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 500 all have the same structure. However, the types of developers used in the respective developing chambers 500 may be different from each other. The development chamber 500 removes a region of the photoresist on the wafer W irradiated with light. 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. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the developing chamber of Fig. 3; FIG. 7 is a side view showing the developing chamber of FIG. 3; FIG. 7, the cleaning nozzle is omitted for convenience of illustration. 6 and 7, the development chamber 500 includes a housing 510, a processing container 520, a substrate support unit 530, a liquid supply unit 540, a cleaning nozzle member 550, (560) and a lift unit (600).

The housing 510 provides a closed processing space, and a fan filter unit 560 is installed on the upper part. The fan filter unit 560 generates a vertical airflow in the processing space. The housing 510 has a substrate entrance 512 formed on one surface 511 thereof.

The fan filter unit 560 is a unit in which the filter and the air supply fan are modularized into a single unit and supplies clean air to the inside of the housing 510 by filtering. The clean air passes through the fan filter unit 560 and is supplied into the housing 510 to form a vertical airflow. Such a vertical airflow of air provides uniform air flow over the substrate. The gaseous by-products generated by the treatment process within the treatment space are easily discharged through the exhaust line 525 by the vertical air flow.

As shown in FIG. 7, the housing 510 is partitioned into a process area PA and a utility area UA by a base 900. As shown in FIG. The base 900 is provided with a processing container 520, a cleaning nozzle member 550, and a liquid supply unit 540. The utility area UA is provided with the drive unit 532 of the elevation unit 600 and the cleaning nozzle member 550 in addition to the discharge line 524 and the exhaust line 525 connected to the processing vessel 520, And the liquid supply unit 540, the process area PA is preferably isolated from the utility area UA to maintain high cleanliness.

The processing vessel 520 is installed in the base 900. The processing vessel 520 has a cylindrical shape with an open top and provides a processing space for processing the wafer W. [ The open upper surface of the processing vessel 520 is provided as a take-out and carry-in passage of the wafer W. [ The processing vessel 520 is installed so as to surround the substrate supporting unit 530. The processing vessel 520 is for introducing and collecting fluids (developing solution, cleaning liquid, drying gas, etc.) scattered on the substrate W which is rotated during development and cleaning and drying processes of the substrate W. This not only prevents contamination of other external devices or the surroundings, but also provides developer recovery and uniform air flow over the substrate.

The processing vessel 520 includes an outer space a, an inner space b, a cover 526, an outer wall 521, and a blocking member 527. The outer space a is defined by an outer wall 521 and a vertical partition wall 522 as a space into which a developing solution and a gas to be scattered from the wafer W are inflow and a bottom wall 523 is provided with a discharge line (Not shown). An exhaust line 525 for gas exhaust is connected to the bottom surface of the inner space (b) of the processing vessel 520.

The cover 526 is provided so as to surround the side surface of the substrate supporting unit 530. The cover 526 is provided in an annular shape when viewed from above. The cover 526 surrounds the side surface of the substrate supporting unit 530 to prevent the fluid that is scattered on the substrate W from scattering out of the processing vessel 520. [ The cover 526 is provided so as to be movable up and down along the inner surface of the outer wall 521. The cover 526 is lifted and lowered by the lifting unit 600 so as to carry the wafer W onto the spin head 531 or carry out the processed substrate. The cover 526 is raised and lowered by the lift unit 600 to a higher position higher than the substrate and a lower position lower than the substrate.

The outer wall 521 is provided to surround the lower outer surface of the cover 526. The outer wall 521 is fixedly provided at the lower portion of the housing 510. The outer wall 521 together with the vertical partition 522 define the outer space a.

The elevation unit 600 moves the cover 526 in the vertical direction. As the cover 526 is moved up and down, the relative height of the processing vessel 520 to the spin head 531 is changed. The cover 526 is lowered so that the spin head 531 protrudes to the upper portion of the processing vessel 520 when the wafer W is loaded onto the spin head 531 or unloaded from the spin head 531. [

The substrate supporting unit 530 is located in the processing space of the processing vessel 520. Supports the wafer W during the process, and can be rotated by a driver 532, which will be described later, if necessary, during the process. The substrate support unit 530 has a support plate 531 having a flat upper surface on which the wafer W is placed. The support plate 531 supports the wafer W during the process, and may be provided to the spin head 531 that rotates the substrate by a driver 532, which will be described later, if necessary, during the process. The spin head 531 can directly vacuum-suck the substrate through a vacuum line (not shown) formed therein so that the substrate is not separated from the spin head 531 by centrifugal force. Unlike the above-described structure, the substrate supporting unit 530 can mechanically fix the edge of the substrate from the side of the substrate through the chucking pins provided on the spin head 531. [ A spindle 533 is fixedly coupled to the lower surface of the spin head 531 and the spindle 533 is rotatably provided by a driver 532. [ Although not shown, the driver 532 includes a motor, a belt, a pulley, and the like for providing rotational force.

The cleaning nozzle member 550 and the liquid supply unit 540 are located outside the processing vessel 520. The cleaning nozzle member 550 swings and discharges a cleaning liquid for substrate cleaning on the substrate.

The liquid supply unit 540 supplies the processing liquid to the substrate at an upper portion of the substrate supporting unit 530. The treatment liquid may be a developer. The liquid supply unit 540 includes a nozzle member 541, a driving member 543 for moving the nozzle member 541, and a controller 549. The liquid supply unit 540 may apply the developer in a scanning manner while discharging the developer to the substrate rotated at a predetermined height on the upper surface of the substrate instead of scanning the substrate while being in contact with the substrate. This method has an advantage that it can prevent nozzle contamination that occurs when the substrate is in contact with the substrate, and can reduce the overall process time. In addition, since the liquid container PUDDLE for development is not formed on the substrate, the consumption of the chemical liquid can be drastically reduced. The liquid supply unit 540 has a nozzle bath 545 for cleaning the nozzles 541 when the nozzles 541 are waiting at the home position. In the nozzle bath 545, a chemical liquid or the like which is deposited on the nozzle tip is removed using nitrogen gas and a cleaning liquid.

Fig. 8 is a view showing the nozzle member of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a view showing the liquid supply unit of Fig. 8 and 9, the nozzle member 541 is provided with the discharge ports 541c and 541d through which the process liquid is discharged.

The controller 549 controls the driving member 543. The controller 549 controls the driving member 543 so that the heights of the discharge ports 541c and 541d are different from the upper surface of the supporting plate 531 depending on the type of the substrate when discharging the processing liquid. According to one embodiment, the controller 549 adjusts the height of the discharge ports 541c and 541d from the upper surface of each substrate W to be constant. For example, the controller 549 controls the height of the discharge ports 541c and 541d from the upper surface of the substrate when the first substrate is placed on the support plate 531 and the height of the second substrate The height of the discharge ports 541c and 541d from the upper surface of the substrate is adjusted to be the same.

According to one embodiment, a cassette 20 on which a substrate W is placed is placed on a table 120 provided outside the housing 510, and a substrate identifier is provided. The board identifier 21 indicates the type of the board housed in the cassette 20. Then, the table 120 is provided with a substrate identification reader for reading the substrate identifier 21 and transmitting the read result to the controller 549. [ In this case, the controller adjusts the height of the ejection openings 541c and 541d in accordance with the readout result transmitted from the substrate identification reader 121. [ For example, the substrate identifier 21 may be provided as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and the substrate identification reader 121 may be provided as a high frequency identifier reader. Alternatively, an interface member (not shown) may be provided to transfer the type of substrate directly input by the user to the controller 549. [

For example, when the distance between the upper surface of the substrate W and the discharge ports 541c and 541d may affect the substrate W processing process, for example, the nozzle member 541 may transfer different process liquids to the support plate The first nozzle 541a and the second nozzle 541b for discharging the wafer W onto the substrate W placed on the substrate W. The first nozzle 541a may be a nozzle for ejecting the developing solution, and the second nozzle 541b may be a nozzle for ejecting the rinsing liquid. The first nozzle 541a discharges the processing solution closer to the center of the substrate W than the second nozzle 541b. The first nozzle 541a discharges the processing liquid vertically toward the substrate W. [ The second nozzle 541b discharges the processing liquid in a direction inclined toward the center of the substrate W. The first nozzle 541a and the second nozzle 541b are provided to be fixed to one arm 542. In this case, the distance 1 between the positions at which the respective processing solutions discharged from the discharge port 541c of the first nozzle 541a and the discharge port 541d of the second nozzle 541b reach the substrate W, But varies depending on the height of the discharge ports 541c and 541d from the upper surface of the substrate W. [ Therefore, when the height of the discharge ports 541c and 541d is adjusted according to the type of the substrate as described above, the influence of the variation in the distance between the upper surface of the substrate W and the discharge ports 541c and 541d is prevented can do.

3 to 5, the bake chamber 470 heat-treats the wafer W. For example, the bake chambers 470 may include a post-bake process for heating the wafer W before the development process is performed, a hard bake process for heating the wafer W after the development process is performed, And a cooling step for cooling the wafer. 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. Some of the bake chambers 470 may include only the cooling plate 471 and the other portion may include only the heating plate 472. [ Alternatively, the cooling plate 471 and the heating plate 472 may be provided in a single bake chamber 470, respectively.

As described above, in the application and development module 400, the application module 401 and the development module 402 are provided to be separated from each other. In addition, the application module 401 and the development module 402 may have the same chamber arrangement as viewed from above.

The interface module 700 transfers the wafer W between the application and development module 400 and the exposure apparatus 900. The interface module 700 includes 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 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 wafer W between the first buffer 720, the second buffer 730 and the exposure apparatus 900.

The first buffer 720 temporarily stores the wafers W subjected to the resist coating process before they are transferred to the exposure apparatus 900. The second buffer 730 temporarily stores the wafers W processed in the exposure apparatus 900 before they are transferred to the application and development 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 wafer W is placed on each support 722. The housing 721 has an opening (not shown) so that the interface robot 740 can bring the wafer W into or out of the support 722 into the housing 721. The second buffer 730 has a structure similar to that of the first buffer 720. The interface module may be provided with only buffers and robots as described above without providing a chamber to perform a predetermined process on the wafer.

The above detailed description has exemplified the substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate by using the processing solution used in the step of applying the photosensitive liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and can be applied to any apparatus requiring adjustment of the height of the discharge port for discharging the treatment liquid depending on the type of the substrate.

20: cassette 21: board identifier
100: load port 121: substrate identification reader
200: Index module 300: Buffer module
400: application and development module 401: application module
402: developing module 500: developing chamber
510: housing 520: processing vessel
521: outer wall 526: cover
530: Substrate supporting unit 531:
540: liquid supply unit 541: nozzle member
541c, 541d: a discharge port 543:
549: Controller 560: Fan filter unit
600: lift member 700: interface module

Claims (16)

In the substrate processing apparatus,
A housing having a processing space;
A substrate supporting unit having a support plate for supporting the substrate in the processing space; And
And a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate from above the support plate,
The liquid supply unit includes:
A nozzle member having a discharge port through which the treatment liquid is discharged;
A driving member for moving the nozzle member; And
And a controller for controlling the driving member,
And the controller controls the driving member such that the height of the discharge port is different from the top surface of the support plate depending on the type of the substrate on which the processing liquid is discharged. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller adjusts the height of the discharge port to be constant from an upper surface of each of the substrates. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the nozzle member includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle that discharge different process liquids to a substrate placed on the support plate. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the first nozzle discharges the processing solution so as to be closer to the center of the substrate than the second nozzle,
The first nozzle discharges the treatment liquid vertically toward the substrate,
Wherein the second nozzle discharges the processing liquid in a direction inclined toward the center of the substrate. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first nozzle and the second nozzle are provided so as to be fixed to one arm. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising: a table provided on the outside of the housing and on which a cassette containing the substrate is placed,
Wherein the cassette is provided with a substrate identifier that indicates the type of substrate stored in the cassette,
Wherein the table is provided with a substrate identification reader for reading the substrate identifier and communicating a read result to the controller. 6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
Wherein the first nozzle is a nozzle for ejecting the developer,
And the second nozzle is a nozzle for discharging the rinsing liquid. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the support plate is provided as a spin head for rotating the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus,
A housing having a processing space;
A substrate supporting unit having a support plate for supporting the substrate in the processing space; And
And a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid to the substrate from above the support plate,
The liquid supply unit includes:
A nozzle member having a discharge port through which the treatment liquid is discharged;
A driving member for moving the nozzle member; And
And a controller for controlling the driving member,
And the controller controls the height of the discharge port to be different according to the type of the substrate on which the processing liquid is discharged. 10. The method of claim 9,
The height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the first substrate is placed on the support plate and the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the second substrate having the thickness different from the thickness of the first substrate are placed on the support plate To the substrate processing apparatus. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the nozzle member includes a first nozzle and a second nozzle that discharge different process liquids to a substrate placed on the support plate,
The first nozzle discharges the processing solution so as to be closer to the center of the substrate than the second nozzle,
The first nozzle discharges the treatment liquid vertically toward the substrate,
Wherein the second nozzle discharges the processing liquid in a direction inclined toward the center of the substrate. 12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The substrate processing apparatus further comprising: a table provided on the outside of the housing and on which a cassette containing the substrate is placed,
Wherein the cassette is provided with a substrate identifier that indicates the type of substrate stored in the cassette,
Wherein the table is provided with a substrate identification reader for reading the substrate identifier and communicating a read result to the controller. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the support plate is provided as a spin head for rotating the substrate. A method of processing a substrate by supplying a treatment liquid onto a substrate supported on a support plate,
The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the height of the discharge port through which the process liquid is discharged is varied according to the type of the substrate supported on the support plate. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the adjustment of the height comprises adjusting the height to be different from the top surface of the support plate. 15. The method of claim 14,
The adjustment of the height may be performed by adjusting the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the first substrate is placed on the support plate and the height of the discharge port from the upper surface of the substrate when the second substrate having the thickness different from that of the first substrate is placed on the support plate Of the substrate.

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