KR20220117370A - Apparatus and method for processing substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, provided is a substrate processing device comprising: a housing providing a processing space; a substrate support unit supporting a substrate in the processing space; a processing liquid supply unit supplying a processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate; a first airflow supply unit including a supply valve for supplying outside air into the processing space and adjusting the supply amount of outside air; a second airflow supply unit disposed under the first airflow supply unit, supplying a second airflow in a direction parallel to the substrate, and replacing the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow; a processing liquid recovery unit disposed to surround the substrate and including a plurality of recovery cups for collecting the processing liquid; an exhaust unit exhausting the atmosphere of the processing space; and a controller controlling the first airflow supply unit, the processing liquid recovery unit, and the exhaust unit when the supply of the second airflow starts. Accordingly, the rate at which the airflow inside the cleaning processing space of the substrate is replaced can be improved.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling an airflow in a processing space in which a substrate cleaning process is performed.

A semiconductor (or display) manufacturing process is a process for manufacturing a semiconductor device on a substrate (eg, a wafer), and may include, for example, exposure, deposition, etching, ion implantation, ashing, and the like. In particular, a cleaning process of cleaning the substrate may be performed before or after each unit process to remove contaminants and particles generated in each process.

Various contaminants that greatly affect device characteristics and production yield, such as particles, organic contaminants, and metal contaminants remaining on the substrate surface, as the circuit patterns are miniaturized rapidly according to the demand for high density, high integration, and high performance of semiconductor devices. A cleaning process that removes ions is emerging as very important.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of efficiently processing a substrate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of improving process yield.

The object of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a housing for providing a processing space; a substrate support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space; a processing liquid supply unit supplying a processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate; a first airflow supply unit including a supply valve capable of supplying external air into the processing space and controlling the supply amount of the external air supplied into the processing space to block the supply of the external air; a second airflow supply unit disposed under the first airflow supply unit to supply a second airflow into the processing space and replace the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow; a processing liquid recovery unit disposed to surround the substrate and including a plurality of recovery cups for recovering the processing liquid; an exhaust unit evacuating an atmosphere of the processing space; and a controller controlling the first airflow supply unit, the processing liquid recovery unit, and the exhaust unit.

The second airflow supply unit may include: a second airflow nozzle configured to discharge a second airflow into the processing space; an upper rectifying plate positioned above the second airflow nozzle and having a plurality of first perforated holes; and a lower rectifying plate positioned under the second airflow nozzle and having a plurality of second perforated holes, wherein the size of the second perforated hole is larger than the size of the first perforated hole.

The plurality of second perforated holes may include a plurality of central holes formed in a central region of the lower rectifying plate; and a plurality of edge holes formed in an edge region surrounding the central region of the lower rectifying plate, wherein sizes of the plurality of central holes are larger than sizes of the plurality of edge holes.

The second airflow nozzle is disposed in an upper region of at least one inner wall of the inner wall of the housing, and has a slit-shaped outlet formed to spray the second airflow in a direction parallel to the substrate in a bar shape. can be provided.

Alternatively, the second airflow nozzle includes an outer tubular member provided in an upper region of the housing and forming a rim of a specific shape, and a plurality of inner tubular members arranged to engage with an inner surface of the outer tubular member. and, the outer tubular member positioned on the other side except for one side connected to the second airflow source includes a plurality of discharge holes formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in a horizontal direction toward the inside. And, the plurality of inner tubular members may include a plurality of discharge holes formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in a direction toward both of the outer tubular members.

The plurality of discharge holes may include: a plurality of inner holes positioned in the upper region of the substrate; and a plurality of rim balls positioned in an upper region of an rim region surrounding the substrate, wherein the size of the plurality of inner balls is larger than the size of the plurality of rim balls.

Alternatively, the plurality of discharge holes may include a plurality of inner holes positioned in an upper region of the substrate area; and a plurality of rim balls positioned in an upper region of the rim region surrounding the substrate region, wherein an interval between the plurality of inner balls may be narrower than an interval between the plurality of rim balls.

Meanwhile, when the second airflow supply unit supplies the second airflow, the controller may close a supply valve of the first airflow supply unit to block the external air supplied to the processing space.

The controller may control an exhaust flow rate per unit time exhausted from the processing space through the exhaust unit to be the same as a supply flow rate per unit time supplied to the processing space by the first airflow supply unit or the second airflow supply unit. .

The controller may control the processing liquid recovery unit to change the location of the recovery cups according to the processing step to change the recovery cups disposed to surround the substrate.

The first airflow supply unit may be a fan filter unit (FFU) that purifies and supplies external air, and the second airflow may be clean dry air (CDA) with low humidity.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a load port on which a carrier in which the substrate is accommodated is seated; an index module in which an index robot for transferring the substrate from the carrier seated on the load port is provided; and a processing module including a substrate processing apparatus performing a substrate processing process on the substrate, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes: a housing providing a processing space; a substrate support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space; a processing liquid supply unit supplying a processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate; a first airflow supply unit including a supply valve configured to supply external air into the processing space and to block supply of the external air by controlling a supply amount of the external air supplied into the processing space; a second airflow supply unit disposed under the first airflow supply unit to supply a second airflow into the processing space and replace the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow; a processing liquid recovery unit disposed to surround the substrate and including a plurality of recovery cups for recovering the processing liquid; an exhaust unit evacuating an atmosphere of the processing space; The substrate processing facility may include a controller controlling the first airflow supply unit, the processing liquid recovery unit, and the exhaust unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for liquid processing a substrate supported in a processing space, the method comprising: supplying external air from which impurities have been removed to the processing space; a second airflow supplying step of supplying a low-humidity second airflow to the processing space after the first airflow supplying step to replace the airflow inside the processing space; including, wherein the first airflow supply step and the second A method for processing a substrate in which a control step for increasing the efficiency of the second airflow supply step is performed between the airflow supply steps.

The first air flow supply step may include a chemical supply step and a rinse solution supply step, and the second air flow supply step may include a drying treatment step.

The controlling step may include blocking the supply of the external air supplied in the first airflow supply step; an exhaust amount controlling step for controlling an exhaust amount discharged from the processing space according to a supply amount of the airflow supplied to the processing space; and changing the recovery cup disposed around the substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the speed at which the airflow in the cleaning processing space of the substrate is substituted may be improved.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the atmosphere-forming fluid (eg, clean air) in the processing space can be concentrated on the substrate area, so that the flow rate of the atmosphere-forming fluid can be reduced.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as the discharge flow rate and direction of the atmosphere forming fluid (eg, clean air) to the substrate are uniformed, uniform drying treatment is performed on the entire area of the substrate, thereby improving process quality. .

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the present specification and accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a substrate processing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating the upper and lower rectifying plates shown in FIG. 2 .
4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a second airflow nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an enlarged perspective view of the second air flow nozzle shown in FIG. 5 .
FIG. 7 is an enlarged top view of the second airflow nozzle shown in FIG. 5 .
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a first modified example of the second airflow nozzle shown in FIG. 6 .
9 is a perspective view showing a second modified example of the second airflow nozzle shown in FIG. 6 .
10 is a block diagram illustrating a control structure of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention can be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in various other forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

In describing an embodiment of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the specific description is omitted, and parts with similar functions and actions are omitted. The same reference numerals may be used throughout the drawings.

At least some of the terms used in the specification are defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and thus may vary according to user, operator intention, custom, and the like. Therefore, the terms may have to be interpreted based on the content throughout the specification. Also, in the specification, when it is said that certain components may be included, this may mean that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components, unless otherwise stated. And, when it is said that a part can be connected (or coupled) with another part, it is not only directly connected (or coupled), but also indirectly connected (or coupled) with another part therebetween. cases may be included.

On the other hand, in the drawings, the size or shape of the component, the thickness of the line, etc. may be expressed somewhat exaggerated for the convenience of understanding.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a substrate processing facility of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a substrate processing facility 1 may include an index module 100 and a process processing module 200 . The index module 100 may include a load port 120 and a transport frame 140 . The load port 120 , the transfer frame 140 , and the process processing module 200 may be sequentially arranged in a line. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a direction in which the load port 120 , the transfer frame 140 , and the process processing module 200 are arranged is referred to as a first direction 12 , and when viewed from the top, the first direction ( A direction perpendicular to 12) is referred to as a second direction 14 , and a direction perpendicular to a plane including the first direction 12 and the second direction 14 is referred to as a third direction 16 .

A carrier C in which the substrate W is accommodated may be seated on the load port 120 . A plurality of load ports 120 may be provided, and they may be arranged in a line along the second direction 14 . For example, in FIG. 1 , it is illustrated that four load ports 120 are provided. However, the number of load ports 120 may increase or decrease according to conditions such as process efficiency and footprint of the process processing module 200 . A slot (not shown) provided to support the edge of the substrate W may be formed in the carrier C. A plurality of slots may be provided in the third direction 16 . The substrates W may be stacked in a state spaced apart from each other along the third direction 16 and positioned in the carrier C. As shown in FIG. As the carrier C, a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) may be used.

The process processing module 200 may include a buffer unit 220 , a transfer chamber 240 , and a process chamber 260 . The transfer chamber 240 may be disposed so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12 . Process chambers 260 may be respectively disposed on one side and the other side of the transfer chamber 240 in the second direction 14 . The process chambers 260 located on one side of the transfer chamber 240 and the process chambers 260 located on the other side of the transfer chamber 240 may be provided to be symmetrical with respect to the transfer chamber 240 . . Some of the process chambers 260 may be disposed along the longitudinal direction of the transfer chamber 240 . Also, some of the process chambers 260 may be stacked on each other. That is, on one side of the transfer chamber 240 , the process chambers 260 may be arranged in an arrangement of A X B (each of A and B being a natural number equal to or greater than 1). Here, A is the number of process chambers 260 provided in a line along the first direction 12 , and B is the number of process chambers 260 provided in a line along the third direction 16 . When four or six process chambers 260 are provided on one side of the transfer chamber 240 , the process chambers 260 may be arranged in an arrangement of 2 X 2 or 3 X 2 . The number of process chambers 260 may increase or decrease.

Unlike the above, the process chamber 260 may be provided on only one side of the transfer chamber 240 . Also, unlike the above, the process chamber 260 may be provided as a single layer on one side and both sides of the transfer chamber 240 . In addition, the process chamber 260 may be provided in various arrangements unlike the above.

The buffer unit 220 may be disposed between the transfer frame 140 and the transfer chamber 240 . The buffer unit 220 may provide a space in which the substrate W stays before the substrate W is transferred between the transfer chamber 240 and the transfer frame 140 . The buffer unit 220 may be provided with a slot (not shown) in which the substrate W is placed, and a plurality of slots (not shown) may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in the third direction 16 . In the buffer unit 220 , a surface facing the transfer frame 140 and a surface facing the transfer chamber 240 may be opened.

The transfer frame 140 may transfer the substrate W between the carrier C seated on the load port 120 and the buffer unit 220 . The transfer frame 140 may be provided with an index rail 142 and an index robot 144 . The index rail 142 may be provided in a longitudinal direction parallel to the second direction 14 . The index robot 144 is installed on the index rail 142 and may move linearly in the second direction 14 along the index rail 142 . Although not shown in detail, the index robot 144 may have a base, a body, and an index arm. The base may be installed to be movable along the index rail 142 . The body may be coupled to the base. The body may be provided to be movable along the third direction 16 on the base. In addition, the body may be provided to be rotatable on the base. The index arm is coupled to the body and may be provided to be movable forward and backward with respect to the body. A plurality of index arms may be provided to be individually driven. The index arms may be arranged to be stacked apart from each other in the third direction 16 . Some of the index arms are used when transferring the substrate W from the process processing module 200 to the carrier C, and other parts of the index arms are used when transferring the substrate W from the carrier C to the process processing module 200 can be used This may prevent particles generated from the substrate W before the process from adhering to the substrate W after the process in the process of the index robot 144 loading and unloading the substrate W.

The transfer chamber 240 may transfer the substrate W between the buffer unit 220 and the process chamber 260 and between the process chambers 260 . A guide rail 242 and a main robot 244 may be provided in the transfer chamber 240 . The guide rail 242 may be disposed so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the first direction 12 . The main robot 244 may be installed on the guide rail 242 and linearly moved along the first direction 12 on the guide rail 242 . The main robot 244 may include a base, a body, and a main arm. The base may be installed to be movable along the guide rail 242 . The body may be coupled to the base. The body may be provided to be movable along the third direction 16 on the base. In addition, the body may be provided to be rotatable on the base. A main arm is coupled to the body, which may be provided to be movable forward and backward relative to the body. A plurality of main arms may be provided to be individually driven. The main arms may be arranged to be stacked apart from each other in the third direction 16 . The main arm used to transfer the substrate W from the buffer unit 220 to the process chamber 260 and the main arm used to transfer the substrate W from the process chamber 260 to the buffer unit 220 are may be different from each other.

A substrate processing apparatus 300 for performing a cleaning process on the substrate W may be provided in the process chamber 260 . The substrate processing apparatus 300 provided in each process chamber 260 may have a different structure according to the type of cleaning process performed. Alternatively, the substrate processing apparatus 300 in each process chamber 260 may have the same structure. Optionally, the process chambers 260 are divided into a plurality of groups, and the substrate processing apparatuses 300 provided in the process chamber 260 belonging to the same group have the same structure and are provided in the process chamber 260 belonging to different groups. The substrate processing apparatuses 300 may have different structures. For example, when the process chamber 260 is divided into two groups, the first group of process chambers 260 are provided on one side of the transfer chamber 240 and the second group on the other side of the transfer chamber 240 . of process chambers 260 may be provided. Optionally, a first group of process chambers 260 may be provided on a lower layer at one side and another side of the transfer chamber 240 , and a second group of process chambers 260 may be provided on an upper layer. For example, the first group of process chambers 260 and the second group of process chambers 260 may be classified according to the type of chemical used or the type of cleaning method, respectively.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the substrate processing apparatus 300 .

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an upper rectifying plate and a lower rectifying plate shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged second airflow nozzle shown in FIG. 2 .

2 , the substrate processing apparatus 300 includes a housing 20 , a substrate support unit 30 , a processing liquid supply unit 40 , a first airflow supply unit 400 , and a second airflow supply unit. 500 , a treatment liquid recovery unit 50 , and an exhaust unit 80 may be included.

The housing 20 may accommodate the substrate supporting unit 30 , the processing liquid supply unit 40 , and the processing liquid recovery unit 50 , and provides a processing space in which a process of processing the substrate W is performed. can do. The bottom surface of the housing 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be one of polygons.

The substrate support unit 30 may be provided as a spin head 30 for supporting and rotating the substrate W. The substrate support unit 30 may be disposed approximately in the center of the processing space. The substrate support unit 30 may support the substrate W and rotate the substrate W during the process. The substrate support unit 30 may include a body 32 , a support pin 34 , a chuck pin 36 , and a support shaft 38 .

The body 32 may have an upper surface that is provided as a generally circular shape when viewed from above. A support shaft 38 rotatable by a motor 39 may be fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the body 32 . A plurality of support pins 34 may be provided. The support pins 34 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval on the edge of the upper surface of the body 32 and may protrude upward from the body 32 . The support pins 34 may be disposed to have an annular ring shape as a whole by a combination with each other. The support pin 34 may support the rear edge of the substrate so that the substrate W is spaced apart from the upper surface of the body 32 by a predetermined distance. The chuck pin 36 is disposed farther from the center of the body 32 than the support pin 34 . The chuck pin 36 may be provided to protrude upwardly from the body 32 . The chuck pin 36 may support the side of the substrate W so that the substrate W is not laterally separated from the original position when the substrate support unit 30 is rotated. The chuck pin 36 may be provided to be linearly movable between the standby position and the supporting position along the radial direction of the body 32 . The standby position is a position further away from the center of the body 32 compared to the support position. When the substrate W is loaded or unloaded from the substrate support unit 30 , the chuck pin 36 is positioned at a standby position, and when a process is performed with respect to the substrate W, the chuck pin 36 is positioned at the support position. In the supported position, the chuck pin 36 may be in contact with the side of the substrate W.

The processing liquid supply unit 40 may supply various types of processing liquids onto the substrate W during the substrate W processing process. The processing liquid supply unit 40 includes a nozzle 41 , a nozzle arm 42 that horizontally supports the nozzle 41 , and a rotating lifting mechanism (not shown) for rotating and lifting the nozzle arm 42 . can do. One or a plurality of nozzles 41 may be provided, and each nozzle may be moved to a process position and a standby position. The process position may be a position at which the nozzle 41 can discharge the processing liquid onto the substrate W, and the standby position may be defined as a position at which the nozzle 41 leaves the process position and waits. For example, the process position may be a position at which the nozzle 41 can supply the processing liquid to the center of the substrate W. For example, when viewed from the top, the nozzle 41 may be moved linearly or rotationally to move between the process position and the standby position.

When a plurality of nozzles 41 are provided, they may be provided through different nozzles 41 depending on the type of the treatment liquid. The treatment liquid supplied from the nozzle 41 may include a chemical, a rinse liquid, and a drying fluid. For example, the chemical may be a treatment solution capable of etching a film formed on the substrate W or removing particles remaining on the substrate W. The chemical may be a treatment liquid having a property of a strong acid or a strong base. The chemical may include sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, or ammonia. The rinse liquid may be a treatment liquid capable of rinsing the chemicals remaining on the substrate W. For example, the rinse solution may be pure water (DIW). The drying fluid may be provided as a treatment liquid capable of replacing the residual rinse liquid on the substrate W. The drying fluid may be a treatment liquid having a lower surface tension than the rinsing liquid. The drying fluid may be an organic solvent. The drying fluid may be isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

On the other hand, in the drying process, an inert gas such as N2 gas is used together, and this inert gas may also be supplied from the nozzle 41 .

The processing liquid recovery unit 50 may be configured in a multi-stage configuration arranged around a rotation center of the wafer W that is held and rotated by the substrate support unit 30 . As an example, the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 may include a first recovery cup 52 and a second recovery cup 56 . Each of the recovery cups 52 and 56 may recover different treatment liquids among the treatment liquids used in the process. The first recovery cup 52 may be provided in an annular ring shape surrounding the substrate support unit 30 , and the second recovery cup 56 may be provided in an annular ring shape surrounding the first recovery cup 52 . . The inner space 52a of the first recovery cup 52 and the space 56a between the second recovery cup 56 and the first recovery cup 52 are respectively the first recovery cup 52 and the second recovery cup 56 . ) can function as an inlet through which the treatment liquid flows. Each of the recovery cups 52 and 56 may be connected with recovery lines 52b and 56b that extend vertically downwards from the bottom thereof. Each of the recovery lines 52b and 56b may function as a discharge pipe for discharging the treatment liquid introduced through the respective recovery cups 52 and 56 . In addition, the discharged treatment liquid may be reused through an external treatment liquid regeneration system (not shown).

The processing liquid recovery unit 50 may further include an elevation mechanism 58 for adjusting a relative height between the processing liquid recovery unit 50 and the substrate support unit 30 . The lifting mechanism 58 may linearly move the processing liquid recovery unit 50 in the vertical direction. As the processing liquid recovery unit 50 moves up and down, the relative height of the processing liquid recovery unit 50 with respect to the substrate support unit 30 is changed. Although not shown in detail, the lifting mechanism 58 may include a bracket, a moving shaft, and a actuator. The bracket may be fixedly installed on the outer wall of the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 , and a moving shaft that is moved in the vertical direction by a driver may be fixedly coupled to the bracket. When the substrate W is loaded into or unloaded from the substrate support unit 30 , the processing liquid recovery unit ( 50) can be lowered. Also, during the process, the height of the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 may be adjusted so that the treatment liquid flows into the predetermined recovery cups 52 and 56 according to the type of the treatment liquid supplied to the substrate W. . The lifting mechanism 58 can be lifted and lowered by the controller 600 .

Unlike the above description, the lifting mechanism 58 may move the substrate support unit 30 in the vertical direction instead of the processing liquid recovery unit 50 . Alternatively, the recovery cups 52 and 56 may be individually configured to move in the vertical direction.

The exhaust unit 80 may exhaust the processing space in the housing 20 . The exhaust unit 80 may include an exhaust port 82 , an exhaust pipe 84 , a pressure reducing member 86 , and an exhaust valve 88 . The exhaust pipe 84 is installed on the bottom surface of the housing 20 and may be provided as a pipe for exhausting the processing space. The exhaust pipe 84 may be positioned such that the exhaust port 82 faces upwards. The exhaust pipe 84 may be positioned such that the exhaust port 82 communicates with the inside of the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 . That is, the upper end of the exhaust pipe 84 may be located in the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 . Accordingly, any downdraft formed in the substrate region by the exhaust unit 80 can be exhausted through the exhaust pipe 84 .

The pressure reducing member 86 depressurizes the exhaust pipe 84 . A negative pressure is formed in the exhaust pipe 84 by the pressure reducing member 86 , and thus the processing liquid recovery unit 50 can be exhausted. The exhaust valve 88 is installed in the exhaust pipe 84 , and may open and close the exhaust port 82 of the exhaust pipe 84 . The exhaust valve 88 may adjust the exhaust amount. The exhaust valve 88 may be located between the upper end of the exhaust pipe 84 and the pressure reducing member 86 .

A first air flow supply unit 400 for supplying external air into the processing space may be installed on the upper portion of the housing 20 . The first airflow supply unit 400 may supply external air into the housing 20 from an upper portion of the housing 20 to form a descending airflow in the processing space. The outside air supplied to the processing space by the first air flow supply unit 400 may be outside air from which impurities have been removed. The first airflow supply unit 400 may include a fan 410 , an airflow supply line 420 , a supply valve 440 , and a filter 430 . The fan 410 may be installed on the ceiling surface of the housing 20 . When viewed from above, the fan 410 may be positioned to face the substrate support unit 30 . The fan 410 may be positioned to supply external air toward the substrate W positioned on the substrate support unit 30 . The airflow supply line 420 may be connected to the fan 410 to supply external air to the fan 410 . The supply valve 440 may be installed in the air flow supply line 420 to control the amount of external air supplied. In addition, the supply valve 440 may completely block the supply of external air. That is, the supply valve 440 may completely block the supply of external air to the first airflow supply unit 400 to block the inflow of external air into the housing 20 . The filter 430 may be installed in the air flow supply line 420 to filter the air. For example, the filter 430 may remove particles and moisture included in the outdoor air.

For example, the first airflow supply unit 400 may be a fan filter unit (FFU) in which the filter 430 and the fan 410 are modularized into one unit. Meanwhile, the gas supplied into the processing space by the first airflow supply unit 400 may be an inert gas.

A second airflow supplying unit 500 may be disposed below the first airflow supplying unit 400 to supply a second airflow to the processing space to replace the atmosphere in the processing space with the atmosphere of the second airflow. For example, the second airflow supply unit 500 supplies a second airflow that is relatively low in humidity compared to the outside air supplied by the first airflow supply unit 400 in a horizontal direction to the substrate, and supplies it in a horizontal direction. A downdraft may be induced in the second airflow to replace the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow.

The second airflow supply unit 500 may include a second airflow nozzle 510 , an upper rectifying plate 520 , and a lower rectifying plate 530 . The second airflow nozzle 510 may be positioned between the upper rectifying plate 520 and the lower rectifying plate 530 and discharge the second airflow into the processing space. The upper rectifying plate 520 is positioned between the first airflow supply unit 400 and the second airflow nozzle 510 , and the second airflow discharged from the second airflow nozzle 510 is transferred to the first airflow supply unit 400 . It can serve to prevent inflow into the region where it is located. A plurality of first perforated holes 522 may be formed in the upper rectifying plate 520 over the entire area. The lower rectifying plate 530 is positioned between the second airflow nozzle 510 and the substrate support unit 30 , and the first airflow and/or the second airflow passing through the lower rectifying plate 530 provides a uniform flow velocity. can have it

As shown in FIG. 3 , the plurality of second perforated holes 532 formed over the entire area of the lower rectifying plate 530 may be formed to be larger than the size of the first perforated hole 522 . That is, the second airflow discharged between the upper rectification plate 520 and the lower rectification plate 530 by forming the opening ratio of the lower rectification plate 530 to be greater than the opening ratio of the upper rectification plate 520 is the lower rectification plate 530 . can be configured to pass through. Accordingly, the second airflow discharged in the horizontal direction may be induced to form a downdraft toward the substrate.

In addition, the plurality of second perforated holes 532 formed in the lower rectifying plate 530 are formed in the plurality of center holes 532a formed in the central region of the lower rectifying plate 530 and the edge region surrounding the central region. It may include a plurality of edge holes 532b. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3B , the size of the central hole 532a may be larger than the size of the edge hole 532b. Accordingly, the second airflow may be concentrated in the central region. Since the substrate support unit 30 is provided below the central region of the lower rectifying plate 530 , the second airflow may be concentrated and supplied to the substrate region. In the present invention, the case where the substrate is located in the center of the processing space has been described as an example, but when the substrate is not located in the center of the processing space, the size of the second perforated hole formed in the surface corresponding to the region where the substrate is present is formed to be large By doing so, it will be possible to focus the second airflow to the substrate.

The second airflow nozzle 510 is a bar-shaped second airflow nozzle 510a, 510b in which a slit-shaped outlet 512 is formed in an upper region of at least one inner wall of the inner wall of the housing 20. can be installed. As shown in FIG. 4 , the outlet 512 formed in the bar-shaped second airflow nozzles 510a and 510b is a slit-shaped outlet having an ejection direction in the horizontal direction to radiate the second airflow in a direction parallel to the substrate. (512). In addition, the length of the single bar-shaped second airflow nozzles 510a and 510b may be approximately equal to or slightly shorter than the length of one side of the bottom surface of the housing 20 .

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 300' according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 and 7 are enlarged perspective and top views of the second airflow nozzle 510 ′ shown in FIG. 5 .

8 and 9 are perspective views illustrating a first modified example and a second modified example of the second airflow nozzle shown in FIG. 5 .

Since the substrate processing apparatus 300 ′ according to another embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as the second air flow supply unit 500 ′ except for the shape of the second air flow nozzle 510 ′ and the configuration of the outlet, the second air flow supply unit 500 ′ has the same configuration. , for the same components, reference numerals are given together, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the integral second airflow nozzle 510 ′ includes a plurality of outer tubular members 511 forming an edge of a specific shape and an inner surface of the outer tubular member 511 arranged to be coupled to each other. An inner tubular member 513 may be included. For example, the outer tubular member 511 may form an rim having the same shape as the upper surface of the housing 20 , and the plurality of inner tubular members 513 may be disposed to have a predetermined distance from each other in one direction. .

One side 5112 of the outer tubular member 511 does not include a discharge hole and is connected to a second airflow source (not shown) by a T-shaped connecting member 5114 , except for one side 5112 . The outer tubular member 511 may include a plurality of discharge holes 512 ′ formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in a horizontal direction toward the inside. That is, the remaining outer tubular members 511 excluding the side 5112 connected to the second airflow source (not shown) discharge the second airflow in a horizontal direction toward the inner tubular member 513 existing inside. It may include a plurality of discharge holes 512' formed at regular intervals to do so. Meanwhile, the plurality of inner tubular members 513 may include a plurality of discharge holes formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in the direction toward the outer tubular members 511 on both sides. Accordingly, according to the second air flow nozzle 510 ′ of FIG. 6 , the second air flow may be discharged as illustrated in FIG. 7 . The direction in which the inner tubular member 513 is disposed may be a direction perpendicular to the direction shown in FIG. 6 , and the outer tubular member 5112 connected to the second air flow source (not shown) may have other sides.

Meanwhile, the plurality of discharge holes 512 ′ may include a plurality of inner balls positioned in the upper region of the substrate W and a plurality of edge balls positioned in an upper region of an edge region surrounding the substrate W. .

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 , the size of the inner hole 512'aa may be larger than the size of the edge ball 512'a. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9 , the interval between the inner balls 512'bb may be formed to be narrower than the interval between the edge balls 512'b. According to the structure shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, the second airflow can be concentrated toward the substrate area. That is, by increasing the second airflow density of the substrate region, it is possible to increase the airflow replacement rate and increase the airflow replacement efficiency. In addition, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 , when the second airflow having the flow rate as shown in FIG. 7 is supplied, a much larger amount of the second airflow may be concentrated in the upper region of the substrate compared to FIG. 7 . Accordingly, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 , even with a limited flow rate of the second airflow, the airflow replacement efficiency of the upper region of the substrate may be increased.

Meanwhile, although not illustrated in detail in some embodiments, a second air flow source may be connected to the second air flow nozzle, and the second air flow supplied from the second air flow source may be clean dry air (CDA).

10 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the first airflow supply unit 400 , the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 , and the exhaust unit 80 may be controlled by the controller 600 .

The controller 600 may control the first airflow supply unit 400 so that the second airflow supply unit 500 can efficiently displace the processing space. Specifically, when the second airflow is supplied by the second airflow supply unit 500 , the supply valve 440 included in the first airflow supply unit 400 is controlled to completely close, so that the external air flowing into the processing space is controlled. can be blocked In addition, the controller 600 controls the exhaust valve so that the exhaust flow rate per unit time discharged by the exhaust unit 80 is equal to the supply flow rate per unit time supplied from the first airflow supply unit 400 or the second airflow supply unit 500 . (88) can be controlled. Accordingly, the pressure inside the housing 20 can be maintained to be the same as the pressure outside the housing 20 . According to the control of the controller 600 as described above, the air outside the housing 20 may flow into the housing 20 or the air inside the housing 20 may not flow out of the housing 20 .

Also, as described above, the controller 600 may control the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 to change the recovery cups 52 and 56 disposed to surround the substrate W according to the process progress stage. . For example, the controller 600 controls the elevating mechanism 58 to elevate the treatment liquid recovery unit 50 in the first processing step so that the first recovery cup 52 surrounds the substrate W, and , in the second processing step, the processing liquid recovery unit 50 is lowered so that the second recovery cup 56 surrounds the substrate W so that the recovery cup is moved from the first recovery cup 52 to the second recovery cup. (56) can be changed. Accordingly, it is possible to use an unused recovery cup for each process step. In particular, in the case of the drying treatment step performed after the liquid treatment step including moisture, the dried recovery cup can be used even after the liquid treatment step is performed under the control of the controller 600, and the recovery cup used in the previous step Since the internal moisture can be separated from the substrate, the efficiency of reducing the humidity of the substrate area by the second airflow, particularly, clean dry air, can be increased.

Hereinafter, a process of liquid-processing the substrate W using the above-described substrate processing apparatus will be described.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of description, the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 to 9 will be described as an example.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the method of liquid processing the substrate W supported in the processing space may include a first airflow supply step ( S100 ), a control step ( S150 ), and a second airflow supply step ( S200 ). have. The first airflow supply step ( S100 ), the control step ( S150 ), and the second airflow supply step ( S200 ) are sequentially performed, and when the liquid treatment on the substrate W is completed, the substrate W is taken out from the processing space. It may further include the step of taking out the substrate (S300).

When the liquid treatment process of the substrate W starts, the rotation of the substrate W starts, and the first airflow supply step S100 is performed. In the first airflow supply step S100 , a downdraft may be formed in the processing space by the filtered (impurities removed) outside air supplied from the upper portion of the processing space. According to an embodiment, when the first airflow supply step S100 is performed, the chemical supply step S110 and the rinse solution supply step S120 may be sequentially performed. In each of the chemical supply step ( S110 ) and the rinse solution supply step ( S120 ), the down airflow of the first airflow may be provided at the same flow rate. In the chemical supply step ( S110 ), a chemical is supplied on the substrate ( W ), and in the rinse solution supply step ( S120 ), a rinse solution is supplied on the substrate ( W ). The rinsing solution rinses the residual chemicals on the substrate W. When the rinsing process is completed, the drying process step (S210) may proceed. In this case, the drying treatment step S210 may be performed together with the second airflow supply step S200 for efficiency of the drying treatment.

In this case, the second airflow supply step (S200) is a step for creating an optimal environment for the drying treatment step (S210), and may be started before the drying treatment step (S210) starts.

The second airflow supply step S200 is a step for supplying a second airflow into the processing space in which the first airflow supplying step S100 is performed to replace the existing airflow (first airflow) with the second airflow. In the second airflow supply step ( S200 ), the humidity inside the processing space may be lowered by the low-humidity second airflow. In the second airflow supply step ( S200 ), the second airflow is discharged in a direction parallel to the substrate W by the configuration of the second airflow nozzle 510 . The second airflow discharged horizontally with the substrate W is a downward airflow toward the processing surface of the substrate by the upper rectifying plate 520 and the lower rectifying plate 530 positioned above and below the second airflow nozzle 510 . can form. Specifically, the size of the plurality of second perforated holes 532 formed in the lower rectification plate 530 located under the second airflow nozzle 510 is the upper rectification plate 520 located above the second airflow nozzle 510 . ), as it is formed larger than the plurality of first perforated holes 522 formed in the ), the traveling direction of the second airflow may be induced downward. In addition, the plurality of second perforated holes 532 include a central hole 532a formed in the central region of the lower rectifying plate 530 that is an upper region of the substrate W and a lower rectifying plate that is an upper region of the edge of the substrate W ( The edge hole 532b formed in the edge area of the 530 is included, and as the center hole 532a is formed to be larger than the edge hole 532b, the second airflow may be induced to be concentrated in the substrate area. In this case, the second airflow may be specifically clean gas (CDA, Clean Dry Air). Also, the upper rectifying plate 520 and the lower rectifying plate 530 may equalize the flow rates of the first and second airflows passing through the rectifying plate.

Before the above-described second airflow supply step (S200) starts, the control step (S150) is first performed. The control step (S150) is a pretreatment step of the second airflow supply step (S200) performed to increase the efficiency of the second airflow supply step (S200), and the first first airflow supply step (S100) and the second airflow supply step It may be a connection step/intermediate step/transitional step that smoothly connects (S200).

The control step (S150) may include an outside air supply cut-off step (S152), an exhaust amount control step (S154), and a recovery cup change step (S156). The external air supply blocking step (S152), the exhaust amount control step (S154), and the recovery cup changing step (S156) may all be performed at the same time. Alternatively, only two of the three steps may be simultaneously performed. Alternatively, each step may be performed individually.

The outside air supply blocking step (S152) is a step of blocking the supply of the outside air supplied to the outside air supply unit 400 in the first air flow supply step (S100), and the supply valve 440 of the outside air supply unit 400 is completely closed. It is a step to

In the exhaust amount control step S154, the exhaust amount is controlled according to the supply amount of the airflow supplied to the processing space in order to prevent the airflow inside the processing space from flowing out of the processing space or the airflow from the outside of the processing space from flowing into the processing space. is a step

For example, when performing a liquid treatment containing moisture, it is preferable that the pressure inside the processing space is equal to or slightly lower than the pressure outside, so that the atmosphere in the processing space does not leak to the outside. On the other hand, when the drying treatment is performed, the pressure inside the processing space is reduced so that air (outdoor air) with high humidity (or having a higher particle content compared to the air in the processing space) outside the processing space does not flow into the interior of the processing space. preferably equal to or slightly higher than the pressure in the space of That is, in all cases, it is preferable that the pressure inside the processing space is approximately equal to the pressure in the space outside the processing space (atmosphere of the clean room). Accordingly, the flow rate of the gas discharged from the perforated hole 532 of the lower rectifying plate 530 and the total amount of exhaust discharged through the exhaust pipe 84 need to be approximately the same.

The external air supply blocking step ( S152 ) and the exhaust amount control step ( S154 ) are performed when the second airflow supply step ( S200 ) is performed to supply the second airflow of low humidity into the processing space, the relatively high humidity outside air into the processing space. It is possible to increase the efficiency of reducing the humidity inside the processing space by the second airflow by blocking the inflow of the .

The recovery cup changing step S156 is a step of changing the recovery cup disposed around the substrate W by elevating the processing liquid recovery unit 50 or the substrate support unit 30 to recover the liquid used for liquid processing. . For example, if the first recovery cup 52 is disposed to surround the substrate W in the rinse solution supply step S120 , the recovery cup change step S156 is performed after the rinse solution supply step S120 . In the drying process step S210 , the second recovery cup 56 is disposed to surround the substrate W, so that the recovery cup for recovering the liquid used in the liquid treatment may be changed. By changing the recovery cup ( S156 ), the recovery cup used in the rinse solution supply step ( S120 ) may be spaced apart from the periphery of the substrate. Since the liquid containing moisture is contained inside the recovery cup used in the rinse solution supply step (S120), as the recovery cup used is spaced apart from the substrate, it isolates moisture from the substrate to improve the airflow replacement speed of the second airflow. efficiency can be increased.

In the drying process step ( S210 ), the rinse fluid remaining on the substrate W is replaced with a drying fluid. The drying fluid may be supplied onto the substrate W together with a drying gas including an inert gas such as nitrogen. For example, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), which is a drying fluid, may be supplied onto the substrate W. In the drying treatment step ( S210 ), the entire substrate may be dried uniformly by the second airflow supply step ( S200 ) to improve process quality.

When the drying process step S210 is completed, the supply of the drying fluid and the rotation of the substrate W are stopped, and the substrate unloading step S300 may be performed. The substrate unloading step S300 is a step of transporting the substrate W to the outside of the chamber 310 .

This embodiment and the drawings attached to this specification merely clearly show some of the technical ideas included in the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily infer within the scope of the technical ideas included in the specification and drawings of the present invention. It will be apparent that all possible modifications and specific embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and not only the claims to be described later, but also all those with equivalent or equivalent modifications to the claims will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. .

20: housing
30: substrate support unit
40: processing liquid supply unit
50: treatment liquid recovery unit
80: exhaust unit
400: first air flow supply unit
500, 500': second airflow supply unit
510 (510a, 510b, 510', 510'a, 510'b): second airflow nozzle
512, 512', 512'a, 512'aa, 512'b, 512'bb: second airflow outlet
520: upper rectifying plate
530: lower rectifying plate
600: controller

Claims (15)

a housing providing a processing space;
a substrate support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space;
a processing liquid supply unit supplying a processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate;
a first airflow supply unit including a supply valve configured to supply external air into the processing space and to block supply of the external air by controlling a supply amount of the external air supplied into the processing space;
a second airflow supply unit disposed under the first airflow supply unit to supply a second airflow into the processing space and replace the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow;
a processing liquid recovery unit disposed to surround the substrate and including a plurality of recovery cups for recovering the processing liquid;
an exhaust unit evacuating an atmosphere of the processing space; and
and a controller controlling the first airflow supply unit, the processing liquid recovery unit, and the exhaust unit.
According to claim 1,
The second air flow supply unit,
a second airflow nozzle for discharging a second airflow into the processing space;
an upper rectifying plate positioned above the second airflow nozzle and having a plurality of first perforated holes; and
and a lower rectifying plate positioned under the second airflow nozzle and having a plurality of second perforated holes formed therein;
The substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the size of the second perforated hole is formed to be larger than the size of the first perforated hole.
3. The method of claim 2,
The plurality of second perforated holes,
a plurality of central holes formed in a central region of the lower rectifying plate; and
and a plurality of edge holes formed in an edge area surrounding the central area of the lower rectifying plate,
The size of the plurality of center holes is a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that formed larger than the size of the plurality of edge holes.
3. The method of claim 2,
The second airflow nozzle,
It is disposed in an upper region of at least one inner wall of the inner wall of the housing,
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second air stream is provided in the form of a bar including a slit-shaped outlet formed to eject the second air stream in a horizontal direction to the substrate.
3. The method of claim 2,
The second airflow nozzle,
provided in the upper region of the housing;
an outer tubular member forming a rim of a specific shape;
a plurality of inner tubular members disposed to engage an inner surface of the outer tubular member;
The outer tubular member positioned on the other side except for one side connected to the second airflow source includes a plurality of discharge holes formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in a horizontal direction toward the inside,
and the plurality of inner tubular members includes a plurality of discharge holes formed at regular intervals to discharge the second airflow in a direction toward both of the outer tubular members.
6. The method of claim 5,
The plurality of discharge balls,
a plurality of inner holes positioned in the upper region of the substrate; and
and a plurality of rim balls positioned in an upper region of the rim region surrounding the substrate,
The substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the size of the plurality of inner balls is formed larger than the size of the plurality of edge balls.
6. The method of claim 5,
The plurality of discharge balls,
a plurality of internal holes positioned in an upper region of the substrate region; and
a plurality of rim balls positioned in an upper region of the rim region surrounding the substrate region;
The substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the interval between the plurality of inner holes is formed to be narrower than the interval between the plurality of edge holes.
8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7,
and the controller controls the supply valve of the first airflow supply unit to close to block the external air supplied to the processing space when the second airflow supply unit supplies the second airflow. .
According to claim 1,
and the controller controls so that an exhaust flow rate per unit time exhausted from the processing space through the exhaust unit is equal to a supply flow rate per unit time supplied to the processing space by the first airflow supply unit or the second airflow supply unit. a substrate processing apparatus.
According to claim 1,
and the controller controls the processing liquid recovery unit so that the recovery cups arranged to surround the substrate are changed by changing the positions of the recovery cups according to the processing step.
According to claim 1,
The first air flow supply unit is a fan filter unit (FFU) that purifies and supplies external air, and the second air flow is Clean Dry Air (CDA) with low humidity. substrate processing equipment.
a load port on which the carrier in which the substrate is accommodated is seated;
an index module in which an index robot for transferring the substrate from the carrier seated on the load port is provided; and
a processing module including a substrate processing apparatus for performing a substrate processing process on the substrate;
The substrate processing apparatus,
a housing providing a processing space;
a substrate support unit for supporting a substrate in the processing space;
a processing liquid supply unit supplying a processing liquid to the processing surface of the substrate;
a first airflow supply unit including a supply valve configured to supply external air into the processing space and cut off the supply of the external air by controlling a supply amount of the external air supplied into the processing space;
a second airflow supply unit disposed under the first airflow supplying unit to supply a second airflow into the processing space and replace the airflow in the processing space with the second airflow;
a processing liquid recovery unit disposed to surround the substrate and including a plurality of recovery cups for recovering the processing liquid;
an exhaust unit evacuating an atmosphere of the processing space;
and a controller controlling the first airflow supply unit, the processing liquid recovery unit, and the exhaust unit.
A method for liquid processing a substrate supported in a processing space, the method comprising:
a first air flow supplying step of supplying external air from which impurities have been removed to the processing space;
a second airflow supplying step of supplying a low-humidity second airflow into the processing space after the first airflow supplying step to replace the airflow inside the processing space;
including,
A control step for increasing the efficiency of the second airflow supply step is performed between the first airflow supply step and the second airflow supply step.
14. The method of claim 13,
The method of claim 1, wherein the supplying of the first airflow includes supplying a chemical and supplying a rinse solution, and the supplying of the second airflow includes a drying treatment.
15. The method of claim 14,
The control step is
blocking the supply of external air supplied in the first airflow supply step;
an exhaust amount controlling step for controlling an exhaust amount discharged from the processing space according to a supply amount of the airflow supplied to the processing space;
a recovery cup changing step of changing a recovery cup disposed around the substrate;
Substrate processing method comprising a.

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