TW201306157A - Apparatus for treating substrate and method for discharging supercritical fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus for treating a substrate and a method for discharge a supercritical fluid, and more particularly, an apparatus for treating a substrate using a supercritical fluid and a method for discharging the supercritical fluid using the same. The apparatus for treating the substrate includes a container for providing a supercritical fluid, a vent line through which the supercritical fluid is discharged from the container, and a freezing prevention unit disposed in the vent line to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen.

Description

Apparatus for processing a substrate and method for discharging a supercritical fluid

The invention herein relates to apparatus for processing substrates and methods for discharging supercritical fluids, and more particularly to apparatus for processing substrates using supercritical fluids and for using the apparatus to discharge super The method of critical fluids.

Semiconductor devices can be fabricated via a variety of processes including photolithographic processes for forming circuit patterns on substrates such as germanium wafers or the like. When manufacturing a semiconductor device, various foreign matters such as particles, organic contaminants, metal impurities, and the like may be generated. Foreign matter may cause substrate defects to directly adversely affect the yield of the semiconductor device. Therefore, a cleaning process for removing foreign matter can be substantially involved in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

In general, in a typical cleaning process, a foreign matter held on a substrate is removed using a cleaning agent, and then the substrate is cleaned using deionized water (DI water) to dry the cleaned substrate using isopropyl alcohol (IPA). However, in the case where the semiconductor device has a fine circuit pattern, the drying process may have low efficiency. Further, since damage of the circuit pattern (i.e., pattern cracking) frequently occurs during the drying process, the drying process is not suitable for a semiconductor device having a line width of about 30 nm or less.

Therefore, in order to solve the above limitations, research on a technique for drying a substrate using a supercritical fluid is being actively conducted.

The present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate that prevents the discharge from being super A method in which a supercritical fluid is frozen and a supercritical fluid is discharged when the fluid is bounded.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for processing a substrate that removes noise generated when the supercritical fluid is discharged, and a method for discharging the supercritical fluid.

The features of the present invention are not limited to the features described above, and other features not described herein will be apparent from the description and accompanying drawings.

The present invention provides apparatus for processing substrates and methods for discharging supercritical fluids.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a container for providing a supercritical fluid; a discharge line through which the supercritical fluid is discharged; and a freezing A prevention unit is disposed in the discharge line to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen.

In some embodiments, the freeze prevention unit may include a cushioning member that provides a buffer space for preventing a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, the cushioning member may include: a casing that provides the buffer space; an inflow pipe through which the supercritical fluid is introduced into the buffer space; and a discharge pipe through which the supercritical fluid is discharged The tube is discharged from the buffer space; and at least one partition wall disposed in the outer casing to have a plane perpendicular to the length direction to divide the buffer space into a plurality of spaces, the supercritical fluid being under pressure in the plurality of spaces Gradually decline.

In other embodiments, a discharge aperture may be defined in the at least one partition wall, and the discharge apertures defined in the partition walls adjacent to each other when viewed in the length direction of the outer casing may be defined at positions different from each other.

In other embodiments, the discharge opening adjacent to the partition wall of the inflow tube when viewed in the length direction of the outer casing may be defined at a position different from the position at which the inflow tube is disposed, and when in the length direction of the outer casing The discharge hole adjacent to the partition wall of the exhaust pipe at the time of the upper inspection may be defined at a position different from the position at which the exhaust pipe is disposed.

In other embodiments, the freeze prevention unit may further include a heater to heat the supercritical fluid.

In a further embodiment, the heater can be disposed in the housing.

In a further embodiment, the cushioning member can further include a sound absorbing member disposed within the outer casing to absorb noise generated from the supercritical fluid.

In a further embodiment, the sound absorbing member can have a wire mesh structure that interrupts the flow of the supercritical fluid to prevent a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid.

In a further embodiment, the inflow tube may have an end connected to one end of the discharge line and inserted into the outer casing along the length direction of the outer casing, and the inflow pipe for discharging the supercritical fluid may be A portion is defined in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing in which the inflow pipe is inserted into the outer casing.

In still further embodiments, the cushioning member can include a back pressure regulator disposed in the discharge tube to constantly maintain pressure within the buffer space.

In still further embodiments, the freeze prevention unit can include a heater disposed in the discharge line.

In still further embodiments, the container can include a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed using the supercritical fluid.

In still further embodiments, the container can include a supply tank for supplying the supercritical fluid to a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed using the supercritical fluid.

In still further embodiments, the freeze prevention unit may be provided in plurality, and the plurality of freeze prevention units may be connected to each other in series.

In other embodiments of the invention, a method for discharging a supercritical fluid from a container includes providing a buffer space in a discharge line connected to the vessel to discharge the supercritical fluid to prevent a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid, thereby preventing super The critical fluid is frozen.

In some embodiments, the supercritical fluid can be heated during the discharge of the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, a sound absorbing member can be provided to the supercritical fluid passing through the buffer space to absorb noise generated from the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, the supercritical fluid can be discharged from the processing chamber where the drying process is performed using the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, the supercritical fluid can be discharged from a water supply tank for supplying supercritical fluid to a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed using the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments of the invention, an apparatus for processing a substrate includes: a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed using a fluid provided as a supercritical fluid; and a storage tank storing the fluid a water supply tank receiving the fluid from the storage tank to produce the supercritical fluid and providing the supercritical fluid into the processing chamber; a discharge line connected to the processing chamber and the water supply tank At least one of to discharge the supercritical fluid; and a freeze prevention unit disposed in the discharge line to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen.

In some embodiments, the freeze prevention unit may include a cushioning member that provides a buffer space for preventing a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, the cushioning member can include a sound absorbing member that absorbs noise generated from the supercritical fluid.

In other embodiments, the freeze prevention unit can include a heater to heat the supercritical fluid.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention The drawings illustrate the exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the embodiments

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and the scope of the invention will be fully disclosed to those skilled in the art. However, the invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It will be apparent, therefore, that various modifications and changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is also to be understood that the invention is not to be construed as being limited

In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention.

The apparatus 100 for processing a substrate according to the present invention may be an apparatus for performing a cleaning process on the substrate S.

Here, it should be comprehensively understood that the substrate S may include various wafers (including germanium wafers), glass substrates, organic substrates, and the like, and products for manufacturing semiconductor devices, displays, and films including the circuits formed thereon. A substrate for its analogs.

Hereinafter, an apparatus 100 for processing a substrate according to an embodiment will be described.

1 is a plan view of an apparatus 100 for processing a substrate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus 100 for processing a substrate includes an indexing module 1000, a processing module 2000, a supercritical fluid supply unit 3000, a recycling unit 4000, and a freeze prevention unit 5000. The indexing module 1000 receives the substrate S from the outside to provide the substrate S into the processing module. The processing module 2000 performs a cleaning process on the substrate S. The supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 supplies the supercritical fluid to be used in the cleaning process, and the recycling unit 4000 uses the supercritical fluid recirculation for the cleaning process. The freeze prevention unit 500 prevents the supercritical fluid discharged from the processing module 2000, the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000, and the recirculation unit 4000 from being frozen.

The index module 1000 can be an equipment front end module (EFEM). Moreover, the indexing module 1000 includes a loading cassette 1100 and a transfer box 1200. The loading cassette 1100, the transfer frame 1200, and the processing module 2000 can be continuously arranged in a row. Here, the arrangement direction of the loading cassette 1100, the transfer frame 1200, and the processing module 2000 is referred to as a first direction X. Moreover, when viewed from the upper side, the direction perpendicular to the first direction X is referred to as the second direction Y, and the direction perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y is referred to as the third direction Z.

At least one load cassette 1100 can be provided in the index module 1000. The loading cassette 1100 is disposed on one side of the transfer frame 1200. When loading 埠1100 provides In the case of a plurality of loads, the load cassettes 1100 may be arranged in a row along the second direction Y. The number and configuration of the loading cassettes 1100 are not limited to the above examples. For example, the number and configuration of the loading cassettes 1100 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the footprint of the apparatus 100 for processing substrates, processing efficiency, and relative configuration of other apparatus 100 for processing substrates.

The carrier C in which the substrate C is received is placed on the loading cassette 1100. The carrier C is transported from the outside and then loaded onto the load cassette 1100 or unloaded from the load cassette 1100 and then transferred to the outside. For example, carrier C can be transferred between devices 100 for processing substrates by a transfer unit such as a suspended lift conveyor (OHT). Here, the substrate S may be transferred by replacing the OHT or the worker by another transfer unit such as an automated guided vehicle, a track guided vehicle or the like.

The substrate S is received into the carrier C. A front opening standard box (FOUP) can be used as the carrier C.

At least one slot for supporting the edge of the substrate S may be disposed within the carrier C. When the slots are provided in plural, the slots may be spaced apart from each other along the third direction Z. Therefore, the substrate S can be placed in the carrier C. For example, carrier C can receive 25 substrates S.

The interior of the carrier C can be isolated from the outside by an openable door and thus sealed. Therefore, contamination of the substrate S received in the carrier C can be prevented.

The transfer frame 1200 transfers the substrate S between the carrier C located on the loading cassette 1100 and the processing module 2000. The transfer module 1200 includes an indexing robot 1210 and an index track 1220.

Index track 1220 provides a path of movement for indexing robot 1210. The index track 1220 can be positioned such that its length direction is parallel to the second direction Y.

The indexing robot 1210 transmits the substrate S. The indexing robot 1210 can include a base 1211, a body 1212, and an arm 1213.

The base 1211 is disposed on the index rail 1220. Moreover, the base 1211 can be moved along the index rail 1220. The body 1212 is coupled to the base 1211. Moreover, the body 1212 can move over the base 1211 along a third direction Z or about an axis defined in the third direction Z. The arm 1213 is disposed on the body 1212. Moreover, the arm 1213 can be moved back and forth. A hand can be placed on the end of the arm 1213 to pick up or place the substrate S. The indexing robot 1210 can include at least one arm 1213. When the arms 1213 are provided in plurality, the arms 1213 may be stacked on the body 1212 and disposed in the third direction Z. Here, each arm 1213 can operate independently.

Thus, in the indexing robot 1210, the pedestal 1211 can move over the index track 1220 in the second direction Y. Moreover, the indexing robot 1210 can take out the substrate S from the carrier C according to the operation of the body 1212 and the arm 1213 to transfer the substrate S into the processing module 2000 or take out the substrate S from the processing module 2000 to receive the substrate S in the carrier C. .

The index track 1220 may be omitted in the transfer block 1200 and the indexing robot 1210 may be fixed to the transfer frame 1200. In this case, the indexing robot 1210 can be disposed on a central portion of the transfer frame 1200.

The processing module 2000 receives the substrate S from the indexing module 1000 to perform a cleaning process on the substrate S. The processing module 2000 includes a buffer chamber 2100, a transfer chamber 2200, a first processing chamber 2300, and a second processing chamber 2500. The buffer chamber 2100 and the transfer chamber 2200 are disposed along the first direction X, and the transfer chamber 2200 is disposed such that its length direction is parallel to the first direction X. The processing chambers 2300 and 2500 may be disposed on a side surface of the transfer chamber 2200 in the second direction Y.

Here, the first processing chamber 2300 may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 2200 in the second direction Y, and the second processing chamber 2500 may be disposed opposite the side on which the first processing chamber is disposed On the other side. The first processing chamber 2300 can be provided in one or more. When a plurality of first processing chambers 2300 are provided, the first processing chambers 2300 can be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 2200 in the first direction X, stacked in the third direction Z, or disposed in a combination thereof. Similarly, the second processing chamber 2500 can be provided in one or more. When a plurality of second processing chambers are provided, the second processing chambers may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 2500 in the first direction X, stacked in the third direction Z, or disposed in a combination thereof.

However, the configuration of each of the chambers in the processing module 200 is not limited to the above examples. That is, the chambers can be appropriately placed in consideration of the processing efficiency. For example, the first processing chamber 2300 and the second processing chamber 2500 may be disposed in a first direction X on a plane on the same side as the transfer module 2200, or stacked on each other, as necessary.

The buffer chamber 2100 is disposed between the transfer frame 1200 and the transfer chamber 2200 to provide a buffer space. The substrate S transferred between the index module 1000 and the processing module 2000 can be temporarily parked in the buffer space. At least one buffer slot on which the substrate S is placed may be provided in the buffer chamber 2100. When the buffer slots are provided in plural, the buffer slots may be spaced apart from each other along the third direction Z.

The substrate taken from the carrier C by the indexing robot 1210 may be located in the buffer slot, or the substrate C transported from the processing chambers 2300 and 2500 by the transfer robot 2210 of the transfer chamber 2200 may be located in the buffer slot. On the other hand, the indexing robot 1210 or the transfer robot 2210 can take out the substrate S from the buffer slot to receive the substrate S in the carrier C, or transfer the substrate S Up to the processing chambers 2300 and 2500.

The transfer chamber 2200 transfers the substrate S between the chambers 2100, 2300 and 2500 disposed therearound. The buffer chamber 2100 may be disposed on one side of the transfer chamber 2200 in the first direction X. The processing chambers 2300 and 2500 can be disposed on one or both sides of the transfer chamber 2200 in the second direction Y. Accordingly, the transfer chamber 2200 can transfer the substrate S between the buffer chamber 2100, the first process chamber 2300, and the second process chamber 2500.

The transfer chamber 2200 includes a transfer rail 2220 and a transfer robot 2210. The transport track 2220 provides a path of movement for the transfer robot 2210. The transfer rail 2220 can be disposed parallel to the first direction X. The transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S. The transfer robot 2210 can include a base 2211, a body 2212, and an arm 2213. Since each of the components of the transfer robot 2210 is similar to each of the components of the indexing robot 1210, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S between the buffer chamber 2100, the first processing chamber 2300, and the second processing chamber 2500 by the operation of the body 2212 and the arm 2213 while the susceptor 2211 moves along the transfer rail 2220.

The first processing chamber 2300 and the second processing chamber 2500 may perform processes different from each other for the substrate S. Here, the first process performed in the first process chamber 2300 and the second process performed in the second process chamber 2500 may be continuously performed. For example, the chemical process, the cleaning process, and the first drying process can be performed in the first process chamber 2300. Moreover, a second drying process that is a subsequent process of the first process can be performed in the second process chamber 2500. Here, the first drying process may be a wet drying process performed using an organic solvent, and the second drying process may be a supercritical drying process performed using a supercritical fluid. When necessary, only one of the first drying process and the second drying process may be selectively performed.

Hereinafter, the first processing chamber 2300 will be described. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the second processing chamber 2300 of FIG.

The first process is performed in the first process chamber 2300. Here, the first process may include at least one of a chemical process, a cleaning process, and a first drying process. As mentioned previously, the first drying process can be omitted.

The first processing chamber 2300 includes a housing 2310 and a processing unit 2400. The outer casing 2310 defines an outer wall of the first processing chamber 230, and the processing unit 2400 is disposed within the outer casing 2310 to perform a first process.

The processing unit 2400 includes a spin head 2410, a fluid supply member 2420, a recovery container 2430, and a lifting member 2440.

The substrate S is located on the spin head 2410. Moreover, the spin head 2410 rotates the substrate S during the progress of the process. The spin head 2410 may include a support plate 2411, a support pin 2412, a clamp pin 2413, a rotating shaft 2414, and a motor 2415.

The support plate 2411 has an upper portion having a shape similar to that of the substrate S. That is, the upper portion of the support plate 2411 may have a circular shape. A plurality of support pins 2412 on which the substrate S is placed and a plurality of clamping pins 2413 for fixing the substrate S are disposed on the support plate 2411. The rotating shaft 2414 rotated by the motor 2415 is fixed and coupled to the bottom surface of the support plate 2411. The motor 2415 generates a rotational force using an external power source to rotate the support plate 2411 via the rotating shaft 2414. Thus, the substrate S can be located on the spin head 2410, and the support plate 2411 can be rotated to rotate the substrate during the first process progression.

Each of the support pins 2412 protrudes from the top surface of the support plate 2411 in the third direction Z. A plurality of support pins 2412 are disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The support pin 2412 may be configured in a ring shape when viewed from the upper side. The surface behind the substrate S can be placed on the support pin 2412. Therefore, the substrate S is located on the support pin 2412 such that the substrate S is supported by the support pin 2412. The top surface of the gusset 2411 is spaced apart from the protruding distance of each of the support pins 2412.

Each of the clamping pins 2413 can protrude further from the top surface of the support plate 2411 in the third direction Z than each of the support pins 2412. Thus, the clamping pin 2413 can be disposed further from the center of the support plate 2411 than the support pin 2412. The clamping pin 2413 is movable between a fixed position and a picking position along the radial direction of the support plate 2411. Here, the fixed position indicates a position spaced apart from the center of the support plate 2411 by a distance corresponding to the radius of the substrate S, and the pickup position indicates a position away from the center of the support plate 2411 from the fixed position. When the substrate S is loaded on the spin head 2410 by the transfer robot 2210, the clamp pin 2413 is placed at the pickup position. When the substrate S is loaded and then the process is performed, the pin 2413 can be moved to a fixed position to contact the side surface of the substrate S, thereby fixing the substrate S in a normal position. Moreover, when the process is completed, and then the transfer robot 2210 picks up the substrate S to unload the substrate S, the pin 2413 can be moved to the pickup position again. Therefore, the pin 2413 prevents the substrate S from being separated from the normal position by the rotational force when the spin head 2410 is rotated.

The fluid supply member 2420 supplies fluid to the substrate S. The fluid supply member 2420 can include a nozzle 2421, a support 2422, a support shaft 2423, and a driver 2424. The support shaft 2423 is disposed such that its length direction is parallel to the third direction Z. The driver 2424 is coupled to the lower end of the support shaft 2423. The driver 2424 rotates the support shaft 2423 or vertically moves the support shaft 2423 along the third direction Z. The support member 2422 is vertically coupled to the upper portion of the support shaft 2423. A nozzle 2421 is disposed on a bottom surface of one end of the support member 2422. The nozzle 2421 is movable between the processing position and the standby position by the rotation and lifting of the driver 2424 by the support shaft 2423. Here, the processing location table The nozzle 2421 is disposed at a position directly above the support plate 2411, and the position to be used indicates that the nozzle 2421 is disposed to be displaced from the upper side of the support plate 2411.

At least one fluid supply member 2420 can be provided in the processing unit 2400. When the fluid supply members 2420 are provided in plural, each of the fluid supply members 2420 may supply fluids differently from each other, respectively. For example, each of the plurality of fluid supply members 2420 can supply a cleaning agent, a rinsing agent, or an organic solvent. Here, the cleaning agent may include hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) solution, ammonia water (NH ₄ OH), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ) and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) solution. A mixed solution, or a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Deionized water can be used primarily as a rinsing agent. The organic solvent may include isopropanol, ethylene glycol, 1-propanol, tetra hydraulic franc, 4-hydroxy, 4-methyl, 2-pentanone, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, Methanol, ethanol, n-propanol or dimethyl ether. For example, the first fluid supply member 2420a can spray an aqueous ammonia hydrogen peroxide solution, the second fluid supply member can spray deionized water, and the third fluid supply member 2420c can spray an isopropanol solution. However, the organic solvent may not be in a liquid state but may be in a gaseous state. If the organic solvent is supplied in a gaseous state, the organic solvent may be mixed with an inert gas.

When the substrate S is placed on the spin head 2410, the fluid supply member 2420 can be moved from the standby position to the processing position to supply the fluid onto the substrate S. For example, the fluid supply member 2420 can supply a cleaning agent, a rinsing agent, and an organic solvent to perform a chemical process, a cleaning process, and a first drying process, respectively. As described above, the spin head 2410 can be rotated by the motor 2415 to uniformly supply the fluid to the top surface of the substrate S during the progress of the process.

The recycling container 2430 provides a space in which the first process is performed. Moreover, the recovery vessel 2430 recovers the fluid used in the first process. When from the top Depending on the time, the recovery container 2430 is placed around the spin head 2410 to surround the spin head 2410 and has an open upper side. At least one recovery container 2430 can be provided in the processing unit 2400. Hereinafter, a processing unit 2400 including three recovery containers 2430, that is, a first recovery container 2430a, a second recovery container 2430b, and a third recovery container 2430c will be described. However, the number of recovery containers 2430 can be selected differently depending on the number of fluids and the conditions of the first process.

Each of the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and the third recovery container 2430c may have a circular ring shape to surround the spin head 2410. Moreover, the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and the third recovery container 2430c may be disposed away from the center of the spin head 2410 in the order of the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and the third recovery container 2430c. . That is, the first recovery container 2430a surrounds the spin head 2410, the second recovery container 2430b surrounds the first recovery container 2430a, and the third recovery container 2430c surrounds the second recovery container 2430b. Therefore, the inflow hole 2431 can be disposed in the third direction Z.

The first recovery container 2430a has a first inflow hole 2431a defined by its internal space. The second recovery container 2430b has a second inflow hole 2431b defined by a space between the first recovery container 2430a and the second recovery container 2430b. The third recovery container 2430c has a third recovery container 2430c defined by a space between the second recovery container 2430b and the third recovery container 2430c. A recovery line 2432 extending downward in the third direction Z is connected to the bottom surface of each of the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and the third recovery container 2430c. Each of the first recovery line 2432a, the second recovery line 2432b, and the third recovery line 2432c discharges the recovered fluid to the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and The third recovery vessel 2430c is for supplying fluid to an external fluid recirculation system (not shown). The fluid recirculation system (not shown) can recycle the recovered fluid to reuse the fluids.

The lifting member 2440 moves the recovery container 2430 in the third direction Z. Therefore, the recovery container 2430 can change the relative height relative to the spin head 2410. When the recovery container 2430 is provided in plural, the inflow hole 2431 of one recovery container 2430 can be selectively adjusted in height such that the inflow hole 2431 is disposed on the horizontal plane of the substrate S on the spin head 2410.

The lifting member 2440 includes a bracket 2441, a lifting shaft 2442, and an elevator 2443. The bracket 2441 is fixed to the recovery container 2430. One end of the bracket 2441 is fixed and coupled to the lifting shaft 2442 that is moved in the third direction Z by the elevator 2443. When the recovery container 2430 is provided in plural, the bracket 2441 can be coupled to the outermost recovery container 2430.

When the substrate S is loaded on or unloaded from the spin head 2410, the lifting member 2440 can move the recovery container 2430 downward to prevent the recycling container 2430 from interfering with the path of the transfer robot 2210 for transporting the substrate S.

Moreover, when the fluid is supplied by the fluid supply member 2420 and the spin head 2410 is rotated to perform the first process, the lifting member 2440 can move the recovery container 2430 in the third direction Z to position the inflow hole 2431 of the recovery container 2430 with The substrate S is on the same horizontal plane such that fluid that has escaped from the substrate S due to centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the substrate S is recovered. For example, in the case where the first process is performed in the order of the chemical process by the cleaning agent, the cleaning process by the rinsing agent, and the first drying process by the organic solvent, the cleaning agent is supplied, In the rinsing agent and the organic solvent, the first inflow hole 2431a, the second inflow hole 2431b, and the third inflow may be The hole 2431c is moved to the same horizontal plane as the substrate S to recover the fluid into the first recovery container 2430a, the second recovery container 2430b, and the third recovery container 2430c, respectively. As described above, when the used fluid is recovered, environmental pollution can be prevented, and expensive fluid can be recycled to reduce the semiconductor manufacturing cost.

The lifting member 2440 can move the spin head 2410 in the third direction Z instead of moving the recovery container 2430.

Hereinafter, the second processing chamber will be described.

The second process is performed in the second process chamber 2500. Here, the second process may be a second drying process for drying the substrate S using a supercritical fluid.

A supercritical fluid means a fluid in a state in which the material exceeds a critical temperature and a critical pressure, that is, the material cannot be classified into a liquid state and a gaseous state because it reaches a critical state. The molecular density of a supercritical fluid is similar to the molecular density of a liquid, and its viscosity is similar to the viscosity of a gas. Supercritical fluids have the advantage of chemical reactions due to their extremely high diffusivity, permeability and solubility. Moreover, since the supercritical fluid does not apply interfacial tension to the fine structure due to its extremely low surface tension, the drying efficiency can be excellent when the semiconductor device is dried, and pattern cracking can be prevented.

Hereinafter, a carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) supercritical fluid mainly used for drying the substrate S will be described. However, the invention is not limited to the composition and type of supercritical fluid.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a phase transition of carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide temperature is about 31.1 ° C or higher and the pressure is about 7.38 Mpa or more, the carbon dioxide can be changed to a supercritical state. Carbon dioxide can be non-toxic, non-flammable and inert. Moreover, the criticality of supercritical carbon dioxide Temperature and pressure are less than the critical temperature and pressure of other fluids. Therefore, supercritical carbon dioxide can be adjusted in temperature and pressure to easily control its solubility. Moreover, supercritical carbon dioxide can have a diffusion coefficient that is about 10 to about 100 times less than the diffusion coefficient of water or other solvents and an extremely low surface tension when compared to water or other solvents. Thus, supercritical carbon dioxide can have physical properties suitable for performing a drying process. Moreover, carbon dioxide can be recycled by by-products from various chemical reactions. In addition, supercritical carbon dioxide used in the drying process can be recycled and reused to reduce environmental pollution.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the second processing chamber 2500 of FIG. 1. The second processing chamber 2500 includes a housing 2510, a heating member 2520, a support member 2530, a supercritical fluid supply tube 2540, and a discharge line 2550. The inside of the outer casing 2510 can provide a space sealed from the outside to dry the substrate S. The outer casing 2510 can be formed of a material that is sufficiently resistant to high pressures. A heating member 2520 for heating the inside of the outer casing 2510 may be disposed between the inner and outer walls of the outer casing 2510. Of course, the invention is not limited to the location of the heating member 2520. For example, the heating member 2520 can be disposed at a position different from the above position.

The support member 2530 supports the substrate S. The support member 2530 can be fixed and mounted within the outer casing 2510. Alternatively, the support member 2530 may not be fixed, but may be rotated to rotate the substrate S located on the support member 2530.

The supercritical fluid supply pipe 2540 supplies the supercritical fluid into the outer casing 2510. The supercritical fluid supply pipe 2540 includes at least one of an upper supply pipe 2540a and a lower supply pipe 2540b. The upper supply pipe 2540a is connected to the upper portion of the outer casing 2510 and the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000. The lower supply pipe 2540b is connected to the lower portion of the outer casing 2510 and the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000. Each of the upper supply tube 2540a and the lower supply tube 2540b may include a valve V for adjusting the flow rate of the supercritical fluid. Valve V can For switching valves or flow control valves. Accordingly, the supercritical fluid may be supplied into the outer casing 2510 via at least one of the upper supply pipe 2540a and the lower supply pipe 2540b according to the progress of the second drying process. Here, the lower supply tube 2540b can be branched from the upper supply tube 2540b. Therefore, the upper supply pipe 2540a and the lower supply pipe 2540b can be connected to the same supercritical fluid supply unit 3000. Alternatively, the upper supply pipe 2540a and the lower supply pipe 2540b may be connected to the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 differently from each other, respectively.

The supercritical fluid within the outer casing 2510 can be discharged via a drain line 2550. The supercritical fluid discharged via the discharge line 2550 can be discharged to the outside, that is, the atmosphere or recirculation unit 4000. The discharge line 2550 can be provided in one or a plurality. For example, the first exhaust line 2550a can be connected to the recirculation unit 4000 to discharge the supercritical fluid into the recirculation unit 4000, and the second exhaust line 2550b can exhaust the supercritical fluid to the atmosphere. When rapid decompression within the outer casing 2510 is required, the supercritical fluid can be directly vented to the atmosphere via the second exhaust line 2550b instead of the first exhaust line 2550a.

Valve V can be disposed in drain line 2550. A drain line 2550 can be disposed below the outer casing 2510. Alternatively, a drain line 2550 can be disposed over the outer casing 2510.

The second processing chamber 2500 can further include a gas supply tube 2560.

The gas supply pipe 2560 supplies an inert gas into the outer casing 2510. Here, the inert gas may include N ₂ , He, Ne, and Ar. The gas supply pipe 2560 is connected to the outer casing 2510 and the gas supply source G. The gas supply pipe 2560 can be coupled to an upper portion of the outer casing 2510. A valve V for adjusting the flow rate may be disposed in the gas supply pipe 2560.

When the gas supply pipe 2560 is supplied to the second process chamber 2500, the inert gas may be exhausted via the discharge line 2550. For example, inert gas It can be discharged to the atmosphere via the second discharge line 2550b. Alternatively, the inert gas may be vented to the atmosphere via a separate third discharge line (not shown).

In the second processing chamber 2500, the number and configuration of the supercritical fluid supply tube 2540, the gas supply tube 2560, and the discharge line 2550 can be varied in consideration of processing efficiency, footprint, and the like. For example, the supercritical fluid supply tube 2540 or the discharge line 2550 can be disposed on a side surface of the outer casing 2510.

Accordingly, a second drying process using supercritical fluid can be performed in the second processing chamber 2500. For example, in the second processing chamber 2500, a second drying process using a supercritical fluid may be performed on the substrate S, and the substrate S is continuously subjected to a chemical process, a cleaning process, and a first drying process using an organic solvent. . When the substrate S is placed on the support member 2530 by the transfer robot 2210, the heating member 2520 heats the inside of the outer casing 2510, and supplies the supercritical fluid via the supercritical fluid supply pipe 2540. Therefore, a supercritical atmosphere can be formed in the outer casing 2510. When a supercritical atmosphere is formed, the supercritical fluid can dissolve the organic solvent remaining on the substrate S because the organic solvent is not used after the organic solvent is used in the first drying process that is finally performed in the first processing chamber 2300. It is completely dry. When the organic solvent is sufficiently dissolved and the substrate S is dried, the supercritical fluid is discharged through the discharge holes. Next, the substrate S is unloaded from the support member 2530 by the transfer robot 2210 to take it out.

The freeze prevention unit 5000 is disposed in the discharge line 2550 to prevent the discharged supercritical fluid from being frozen. FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a supercritical fluid discharge path in the second processing chamber 2500 of FIG. 1. As described above, the second processing chamber 2500 can discharge the supercritical fluid for use in the second drying process. To the atmosphere or recycling unit 3000. Specifically, when the supercritical fluid is quickly discharged to the atmosphere, the pressure and temperature of the discharged supercritical fluid may suddenly change. As a result, the supercritical fluid itself, the discharge line 2550, or the valve V disposed in the discharge line 2550 may be frozen. Therefore, in order to prevent the supercritical fluid, the discharge line 2550, or the valve V from being frozen, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be provided in the discharge line 2550. Of course, when the supercritical fluid is discharged into the recycling unit 4000, a freezing phenomenon may occur. Therefore, the freeze prevention unit 5000 can be provided in the first discharge line 2550a, the second discharge line 2550b, or the two discharge lines 2550a and 2550b. Only one discharge line 2550 can be provided in the second processing chamber as necessary. Here, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed in the discharge line 2550.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the freeze prevention unit 5000 of Figure 5. The freeze prevention unit 5000 may include at least one of the buffer member 5100 and the heater 5200. The cushioning member 5100 provides a buffer space B to prevent a sudden drop in supercritical fluid pressure, and the heater 5200 heats the supercritical fluid.

The cushioning member 5100 may include a casing 5110, an inflow pipe 5120, an exhaust pipe 5130, a partition wall 5140, a sound absorbing member 5150, and a pressure regulator 5160. The housing 5110 provides a buffer space B. The inflow pipe 5120 has one end connected to one end of the discharge line 2550, and the other end connected to one side of the outer casing 5110 to supply supercritical fluid into the buffer space B. The exhaust pipe 5130 has one end connected to the other side of the outer casing 5110, and is open to the outside or connected to the other end of the recirculation unit 4000. The supercritical fluid passes through the buffer space B via the inflow pipe 5120 and is discharged into the exhaust pipe 5130. When the supercritical fluid is directly discharged to the atmosphere, the supercritical fluid may suddenly drop in pressure, and thus, the supercritical fluid may be frozen. On the other hand, when the supercritical fluid passes through the buffer space B, the supercritical fluid may slowly drop in pressure. Low to prevent the supercritical fluid from freezing.

The partition wall 5140 can be disposed within the outer casing 5110. The partition wall 5140 may be disposed to have a plane perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing 5110. The partition wall 5140 divides the buffer space B into a plurality of spaces. At least one partition wall 5140 can be disposed within the outer casing 5110. For example, the first partition wall 5140a, the second partition wall 5140b, and the third partition wall 5140c may be disposed within the outer casing 5110. Therefore, the first buffer space B1, the second buffer space B2, the third buffer space B3, and the fourth buffer space B5 can be continuously defined from the inflow pipe 5120 toward the exhaust pipe 5130.

A discharge hole 5141 through which the supercritical fluid passes is defined in the partition wall 5140. The supercritical fluid flows into the next buffer space B or the exhaust pipe 5130 via the discharge hole 5141. When viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 5110, the discharge hole 5141 defined in the partition wall 5140 disposed adjacent to the inflow pipe 5120 may be defined at a position different from the position at which the inflow pipe 5120 is disposed. Moreover, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 5110, the discharge hole 5141 defined in the partition wall 5140 disposed adjacent to the exhaust pipe 5130 may be at a position different from the position at which the exhaust pipe 5130 is disposed. When a plurality of partition walls 5140 are disposed in the outer casing 5110, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 5110, the discharge holes 5141 adjacent to each other may be defined at positions different from each other.

Figure 7 is a view for explaining the advancement path of the supercritical fluid in the buffer space B of Figure 6. 8 to 10 are views of the first partition wall 5140a, the second partition wall 5140b, and the third partition wall 5140c of Fig. 6, respectively. Here, the sound absorbing member 5150 can be omitted in the cushioning member 5100 of FIG. Since the sound absorbing member 5150 is not a substantial component, the sound absorbing member 5150 can be selectively provided in the cushioning member 5100.

Specifically, provided in three partition walls 5140a, 5140b, and 5140c In the case of the outer casing 5110, the inflow pipe 5120 is disposed in a central portion of one surface of the outer casing 5110 when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 5110, and the first discharge hole 5141a is defined in the lower portion of the first partition wall 5140a. The second discharge hole 5141b is defined in the upper portion of the second partition wall 5140b, the third discharge hole 5140c is defined in the central portion of the third partition wall 5140c, and the exhaust pipe 5130 is disposed in the lower portion of the outer casing 5110. Therefore, the supercritical fluid does not directly flow into the buffer space B, but flows in a zigzag shape. Therefore, the supercritical fluid can reduce the flow rate and can be interrupted in the flow. Moreover, the supercritical fluid can gradually reduce the pressure as it passes through the buffer spaces B1, B2, B3, and B4.

The discharge hole 5141 may be defined as one opening or a plurality of small holes. When the discharge aperture 5141 is defined as a plurality of fine apertures, the discharge aperture can act as a resistance to supercritical fluid flow to reduce the flow rate of the supercritical fluid.

The inflow tube 5120 can be partially inserted into the outer casing 5110. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the inflow tube 5120 of Figure 6. The inflow hole 5121 through which the supercritical fluid is discharged into the buffer space B may be defined in a portion of the inflow tube 5120 inserted into the outer casing 5110. The inflow hole 5121 is defined in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing 5110 to discharge the supercritical fluid in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing 5110. Therefore, the supercritical fluid does not directly flow from the inflow pipe 5120 to the exhaust pipe 5130. Therefore, the flow rate of the supercritical fluid can be lowered to prevent a sudden drop in supercritical fluid pressure. The inflow hole 5121 can be defined as a plurality of fine holes like the discharge hole 5141.

The sound absorbing member 5150 is disposed within the outer casing 5110 to absorb noise generated from the supercritical fluid. Figure 12 is a view of the sound absorbing member 5150 of Figure 6. When the supercritical fluid pressure drops, noise may occur. Here, the sound absorbing member 5150 can absorb noise.

The sound absorbing member 5150 may be disposed in the buffer space B in a wire mesh structure. The sound absorbing member 5150 having a wire mesh structure can interrupt the flow of the supercritical fluid in the buffer space B, so that the pressure of the supercritical fluid is slowly lowered. When the supercritical fluid pressure suddenly drops, large noise may occur. Here, the sound absorbing member 5150 can prevent large noise from occurring to reduce noise generated from the supercritical fluid. However, the present invention is not limited to the sound absorbing member 5150 having a wire mesh structure. For example, the sound absorbing member 5150 can have a comb structure, a lattice structure, or a wool fabric structure.

The sound absorbing member 5150 may be formed of stainless steel. The supercritical fluid directly contacts the sound absorbing member 5150 while passing through the buffer space B. Therefore, the sound absorbing member 5150 formed of stainless steel can prevent the supercritical fluid from being contaminated by it. Specifically, this may be advantageous when the supercritical fluid discharged from the freeze prevention unit 5000 is recirculated in the recirculation unit 4000.

The pressure regulator 5160 controls the internal pressure of the buffer space B. The pressure regulator 5160 can be a reverse pressure regulator disposed in the exhaust pipe 5130.

The heater 5200 can generate heat using an external power source to heat the supercritical fluid. When the supercritical fluid is heated by the heater 5200, it can prevent the freezing phenomenon due to the supercritical fluid from occurring.

The heater 5200 can be placed at various locations. For example, the heater 5200 can be disposed between the outer walls of the outer casing 5110 to heat the outer casing 5100. For another example, the heater 5200 can surround the outer wall of the outer casing 5110.

However, it is not necessary to place the heater 5200 in/on the outer casing 5110. 13 and 14 are views for explaining the configuration of the heater 520 of Fig. 6. For example, the heater 5200 can be disposed in the inflow tube 5120 or in the exhaust line 2550 that is connected to the inflow tube 5120. Alternatively, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may include only the heater 5200 in addition to the buffer member 5100. On the other hand, freezing The prevention unit 5000 may include only the cushioning member 5100 in addition to the heater 5200.

The above-described freeze prevention unit 5000 may be provided in plural in the discharge line 2550 as necessary. The second processing chamber can perform a second drying process using a supercritical fluid that is compressed at about 100 bar to about 150 bar. Here, in order to increase the freeze prevention efficiency of the discharged supercritical fluid, a plurality of freeze prevention units 5000 may be disposed in series in one discharge line 2550. Moreover, as described above, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed in the discharge line 2550 that is connected from the second process chamber 2500 to the recycle unit 4000. 15 and 16 are views for explaining the configuration of the freeze prevention unit 5000 of Fig. 5.

The supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 supplies the supercritical fluid into the second processing chamber 2500, and the recycling unit 4000 uses the supercritical fluid recirculation in the second processing chamber 2500 to supply the recirculated supercritical fluid To the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000. The supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 and the recirculation unit 4000 can be implemented as separate individual devices, or all or a portion of the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 and the recirculation unit 4000 can be included in the device 100 to process the substrate as one component.

Hereinafter, a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide will be described. However, for the convenience of description, this is merely an example. Supercritical fluids can have different compositions.

Figure 17 is a view illustrating a circulation path of a supercritical fluid. Referring to Figure 17, the supercritical fluid can be recirculated while simultaneously circulating in the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000, the second processing chamber 2500, and the recirculation unit 4000. In the circulation process, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed in a pipeline through which the supercritical fluid is discharged. The freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed at a predetermined position corresponding to the portion of the skewed crease line of FIG.

The supercritical fluid supply unit 3000 may include a storage tank 3100, a water supply tank 3200, a first condenser 3300, a second condenser 3400, and a pump 3500.

The carbon dioxide is stored in the storage tank 3100 in a liquid state. Carbon dioxide may be supplied from the external or recirculating unit 400 and then stored in the storage tank 3100. Here, the carbon dioxide supplied from the external or recirculation unit 4000 may be in a gaseous state. The first condenser 3300 changes the gaseous carbon dioxide to liquid carbon dioxide to store the liquid carbon dioxide in the storage tank 3100. Since the volume of the liquid carbon dioxide is smaller than the volume of the gaseous carbon dioxide, a large amount of carbon dioxide can be stored in the storage tank 3100.

The water supply tank 3200 receives carbon dioxide from the storage tank 3100 to generate a supercritical fluid state. The supercritical fluid is then supplied to the second processing chamber 2500 of the processing module 2000. When the valve V connecting the storage tank 3100 to the water supply tank 3200 is opened, the carbon dioxide stored in the storage tank 3100 is moved into the water supply tank 3200 while being changed to a gaseous state. Here, the second condenser 3400 and the pump 3500 may be disposed in a line connecting the storage tank 3100 to the water supply tank 3200. The second condenser 3400 changes the carbon dioxide having a gaseous state to carbon dioxide having a liquid state. The pump 3500 changes the liquid carbon dioxide to gaseous carbon dioxide compressed via a critical pressure to supply the gaseous carbon dioxide into the water supply tank 3200. The water supply tank 3200 can heat the supplied carbon dioxide at a temperature higher than the critical temperature to produce a supercritical fluid.

The water supply tank 3200 discharges the generated supercritical fluid via the discharge line 3210. Here, the carbon dioxide discharged from the water supply tank 3200 may be in a state of compressing carbon dioxide at a pressure of about 100 bar to about 150 bar.

The discharge line 3210 can be provided to the water supply tank 3200. For example, the water supply tank 3200 can supply supercritical fluid into the second processing chamber 2500 via a discharge line 3210. The water supply tank 3200 can supply liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide into the second processing chamber 2500 when liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide is required in the second processing chamber 2500 depending on the progress of the process.

A plurality of discharge lines 3210 can be provided to the water supply tank 3200. For example, the first exhaust line 3210a can be coupled to the second processing chamber 2500, and the second exhaust line 3210a can vent the supercritical fluid to the atmosphere. When the water supply tank 3200 needs to be inspected or internal pressure adjustment of the water supply tank 3200 is required, the supercritical fluid can be directly discharged to the atmosphere via the second discharge line 3210b.

Like the discharge line 2550 of the second processing chamber 2500, the freeze prevention unit 500 may be provided in the discharge line 3210 of the water supply tank 3200. Figure 18 is a view for explaining a supercritical fluid discharge path in the water supply tank of Figure 17; Although the freeze prevention unit 5000 is provided in both of the curved lines 3210a and 3210b of the water supply tank 3200 in FIG. 18, the water supply tank 3200 includes a first discharge line 3210a connected to the second processing chamber 2500 and a second discharge connected to the atmosphere. Line 3210b, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the freeze prevention unit 5000 can be provided in only one of the two discharge lines 3210a and 3210b. Here, when only one discharge line 3210 is supplied to the water supply tank 3200, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed in the discharge line 3210.

Figure 19 is a view of the recycling unit of Figure 17 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 20 is a view of the recycling unit 4000 of Figure 17 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The recycling unit 4000 recirculates the supercritical fluid containing the organic solvent for the second drying process in the second processing chamber 2500 to supply the recycled supercritical fluid to the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000. The recycling unit 4000 can include at least one of the separation module 4100 and the column module 4200.

The separation module 4100 cools the carbon dioxide to liquefy the organic solvent contained in the carbon dioxide, thereby separating the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide. Column module 4200 The carbon dioxide is allowed to pass through a space in which the absorbing material A for absorbing the organic solvent is disposed to separate the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide.

A plurality of separation modules 4100 can be provided in the recycling unit 4000. Here, the separation modules 4100 can be connected to each other in series. For example, the first separation module 4100a is coupled to the second processing chamber 2500 to separate carbon dioxide from the organic solvent for the first time. Here, the freeze prevention unit 500 is disposed in the discharge line 2550 of the second process chamber 2500 to allow the supercritical fluid to be introduced into the separation module 4100 via the freeze prevention unit 5000. Next, the second separation module 4100b is connected to the first separation module 4100a to separate the carbon dioxide and the organic solvent from each other for the second time. Therefore, the separation of carbon dioxide and organic solvent by the separation module 4100 can be performed several times to obtain relatively pure carbon dioxide.

Moreover, a plurality of column modules 4200 can be provided in the recycling unit 4000. Here, the column modules 4200 can be connected to each other in series. Moreover, the separation of carbon dioxide from the organic solvent by the column module 4200 can be performed several times. For example, the first column module 4200a is coupled to the separation module 4100 to first filter the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide. Next, the second column module 4200b is connected to the first column module 4200a to filter the organic solvent from carbon dioxide for the second time.

Alternatively, the column modules 4200 can be connected in parallel with each other. Here, it may take a long time to separate the organic solvent using the column module 4200. Moreover, it may be difficult to filter a large amount of carbon dioxide using the column module 4200. However, when a plurality of column modules are placed in parallel with each other, a large amount of carbon dioxide can be filtered. For example, each of the first column module 4200a, the second column module 4200b, and the third column module 4200c is connected to the separation module 4100 to filter organic solvent from carbon dioxide, thereby providing carbon dioxide. To supercritical fluid supply In unit 3000.

21 is a cross-sectional view of the separation module 4100 of FIG. 19. The separation module 4100 can include a separation tank 4110, a cooling member 4120, an inflow tube 4130, an exhaust pipe 4140, a drain pipe 4150, and a pressure regulator 4160.

The separation tank 4110 provides a space in which carbon dioxide and an organic solvent are separated from each other. The cooling member 4120 is disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall of the separation groove 4110 to cool the separation groove 4110. The cooling member 4120 can be implemented as a line through which cooling water flows.

The carbon dioxide discharged from the second processing module 2500 is introduced into the inflow pipe 4130.

When the separation module 4100 is provided in plural, the carbon dioxide discharged from the previous separation module 4100 can be introduced into the inflow pipe 4130. The inflow pipe 4130 has an end through which carbon dioxide is supplied into the lower portion of the separation groove 4110. The carbon dioxide supplied to the lower portion of the separation tank 4110 is cooled by the cooling member 4120. Therefore, the organic solvent contained in the carbon dioxide is liquefied to separate the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide.

The separated carbon dioxide is discharged through the exhaust pipe 4140 connected to the upper portion of the separation tank 4110, and the liquid organic solvent is discharged through the drain pipe 4150 connected to the lower portion of the separation tank 4110. A valve V may be disposed in each of the inflow pipe 4130, the exhaust pipe 4140, and the drain pipe 4150 to control inflow and discharge.

At least one exhaust pipe 4140 can be provided to the separation module 4100. For example, the first exhaust pipe 4140a can be connected to other separation modules 4100, the pipe string module 4200 or the storage tank 3100 arranged in series, and the second exhaust pipe 4140b can directly discharge carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Here, the carbon dioxide discharged from the exhaust pipe 4140 may be discharged in a gaseous state or a supercritical state. In this case, frozen The junction prevention unit 5000 is selectively disposed in each of the exhaust pipes 4140 of the separation module 4100. Although the freeze prevention unit 5000 is disposed in the second exhaust pipe 4140b in FIG. 21, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the freeze prevention unit 5000 may be disposed in the first exhaust pipe 4140a or both the first exhaust pipe 4140a and the second exhaust pipe 4140b.

The pressure regulator 4160 adjusts the internal pressure of the separation tank 4110. For example, the pressure regulator 4160 can be a reverse pressure regulator disposed in the exhaust pipe 4140.

22 is a view of the column module 4200 of FIG. The column module 4200 can include an absorption column 4210, a temperature maintaining member 4220, an inflow tube 4230, an exhaust tube 4240, and a concentration sensor 4250.

The absorption column 4210 provides a space in which the organic solvent is separated from the carbon dioxide.

The absorbent material A is disposed within the absorbent column 4210. Here, the absorbing material A may be a material for absorbing an organic solvent. For example, the absorbent material A can be a zeolite. Carbon dioxide is introduced into the absorption column via an inflow tube 4230. The inflow tube 4230 can be coupled to the separation module 4100. When the column modules 4200 are provided in series, the inflow tube 4230 can be connected to the previous column module 4200. The carbon dioxide passes through the absorption column 4210 and is discharged into the exhaust pipe 4240.

The absorbing material A is supplied to carbon dioxide while carbon dioxide passes through the absorption column 4210 to absorb the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide. Therefore, the organic solvent contained in the carbon dioxide is removed to recycle the carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide and organic solvents are separated from each other, heat may occur. Therefore, the temperature maintaining member 4220 can maintain the inside of the absorption column 4210 at a predetermined temperature so that the organic solvent can be easily separated from the carbon dioxide.

The concentration sensor 4250 can detect the concentration of the organic solvent contained in the carbon dioxide discharged from the absorption column 4210. The concentration sensor 4250 is disposed in the exhaust pipe 4240. When a plurality of absorber strings 4210 are provided in series, the concentration sensor 4250 can be disposed only in the last absorber string 4210. Of course, the concentration sensor 4250 can be disposed in each of the absorption strings 4210. Since the amount of the organic solvent that can be absorbed by the absorbing material A is limited, the absorbing material A can be exchanged when the concentration of the organic solvent contained in the carbon dioxide discharged through the concentration sensor 4250 is higher than the preset concentration. The carbon dioxide discharged from the column module 4200 is supplied to the supercritical fluid supply unit 3000.

Although in the present embodiment, the column module 4200 is connected to the separation module 4100 in the recycling unit 4000, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the separation module 4100 is omitted in the recycling unit 4000, the column module 4200 can be directly connected to the second processing chamber 2500.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method, a supercritical fluid recycling method, and a supercritical fluid discharging method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the apparatus 100 for processing a substrate according to the present invention.

This is merely an example for convenience of description, and thus the substrate processing method, the supercritical fluid recycling method, and the supercritical fluid discharging method according to the present invention may use other substrate processing apparatuses capable of performing the same or similar functions as the substrate processing apparatus 100. Executing, except for apparatus 100 for processing substrates in accordance with the present invention.

23 is a flow chart illustrating a substrate processing method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a cleaning process using a supercritical fluid.

The substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: transferring the substrate S from the carrier C located on the loading cassette 1100 to the buffer chamber 2100 (S110); transferring the substrate A from the buffer chamber 2100 to the first processing chamber 2300 (S120); performing the first process (S130); transferring the first processing chamber 2300 to the second processing chamber 2500 ( S140); performing a second process (S150); transferring the substrate S from the second processing chamber 2500 to the buffer chamber 2100 (S160); and transferring the substrate S from the buffer chamber 2100 to the carrier C (170). Hereinafter, each of these processes will be described.

In operation S110, the indexing robot 1210 transfers the substrate S from the carrier C into the buffer chamber 2100.

The carrier C received from the externally transferred substrate S is placed on the loading cassette 1100. A carrier opener (not shown) or indexing robot 1210 opens the door of carrier C to cause indexing robot 1210 to remove substrate S from carrier C. Next, the indexing robot 1210 transfers the substrate taken out from the carrier C into the buffer chamber 2100.

In operation S120, the transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S from the buffer chamber 2100 into the first processing chamber 2300.

When the substrate S is placed on the buffer slot of the buffer chamber 2100 by the index robot 1210, the transfer robot 2210 takes out the substrate S from the buffer slot. The transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S into the first processing chamber 2300.

In operation S130, the first processing chamber performs a first process. Figure 24 is a flow chart illustrating a first process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In operation S131, the substrate S is placed on the support pin 2412 by the transfer robot 2210, and loaded on the spin head 2410. When the substrate S is placed on the support pin 2412, the clamp pin 2413 is moved from the pickup position to the fixed position to fix the substrate S. When the substrate S is seated, the fluid supply member 2420 supplies the fluid onto the substrate S in operation S132. Here, the spin head The 2410 is rotated to rotate the substrate S while the fluid is supplied onto the substrate S. Therefore, the fluid can be uniformly supplied onto the entire surface of the substrate S. Moreover, the recovery container 2430 can be vertically moved to recover the fluid that has escaped from the substrate S due to the rotation of the substrate S after supplying the fluid onto the substrate S.

Specifically, in operation S132a (first chemical process), when the substrate S is seated, the first fluid supply member 2420a is moved from the standby position to the processing position to spray the first cleaning agent onto the substrate S. Therefore, particles, organic contaminants, metal impurities, and the like remaining on the substrate S can be removed. Here, the first inflow hole 2431a of the first recovery container 2430a can be moved to the same horizontal plane as the substrate S to recover the first cleaning agent.

Next, in operation S132b (first cleaning process), the first fluid supply member 2420a is moved to the standby position, and the second fluid supply member 2420b is moved from the standby position to the processing position to spray the rinsing agent. Therefore, the residue of the first cleaning agent remaining on the substrate S can be cleaned. Here, the second inflow hole 2431b of the second recovery container 2430b can be moved to the same horizontal plane as the substrate S to recover the rinsing agent.

Next, in operation S132c (first drying process), the second fluid supply member 2420b is returned to the standby position, and the third fluid supply member 2420c is moved from the standby position to the processing position to spray the organic solvent. Therefore, the rinsing agent remaining on the substrate S can be replaced with an organic solvent. Here, the third inflow hole 2431c of the third recovery container 2430c may be moved to the same horizontal plane as the substrate S to recover the organic solvent. Moreover, the organic solvent may be supplied by heating the organic solvent at a temperature greater than room temperature to easily dry the organic solvent or the heated vapor state. Moreover, in operation S132c, the spin head 2410 can rotate the substrate S so that the organic solvent can be easily dried after completion of the spraying of the organic solvent.

The process of spraying the second cleaning agent by the fourth fluid supply member 2420d (second chemical process) and the process of spraying the rinsing agent by the second fluid supply member 2420b may be additionally performed between operation S132b and operation S132c (second cleaning process) . Here, the first cleaning agent and the second cleaning agent may be provided as components different from each other to effectively remove foreign substances different from each other, respectively.

Moreover, operation S132c may be omitted as necessary.

When the spraying of the fluid onto the substrate S is completed, the rotation of the spin head 2410 can be completed, and the clamping pin 2413 can be moved from the fixed position to the pickup position. In operation S133, the substrate S can be picked up by the transfer robot 2210, and the substrate S is unloaded from the spin head 2410.

In operation S140, the transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S from the first processing chamber 230 to the second processing chamber 2500.

The transfer robot 2210 picks up the substrate S located on the spin head 2140 to take out the substrate from the first processing chamber 2300. The transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S into the second processing chamber 2500. The substrate S transferred into the second processing chamber 2500 is located on the support member 2530.

In operation S150, the second processing chamber 2500 performs a second process. Figure 25 is a flow chart illustrating a second process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In operation S151, the substrate S is loaded on the support member 2530 of the second processing chamber 2500. In operation S152, a critical state is formed in the outer casing 2510 before and after the substrate S is loaded. Here, the critical state may indicate a state in which the temperature and the pressure exceed the critical temperature and the critical pressure, respectively.

In operation S152a, the heating member 2520 heats the inside of the outer casing 2510 to form a critical state. Therefore, the inside of the outer casing 2510 can be increased to a temperature greater than the critical temperature. Next, in operation S152b, an inert gas is introduced into the outer casing 2510 via the gas supply pipe 2560. Therefore, the housing 2510 The interior can be filled with an inert gas and increased to a pressure above the critical pressure.

When the critical state is formed, the supercritical fluid is supplied into the outer casing 2510 via the supercritical fluid supply pipe 2540 in operation S153. For example, operation S153 can be performed as follows.

First, in operation S153a, the supercritical fluid may be supplied from the lower portion of the outer casing 2510 via the lower supply pipe 2540b. Here, in operation S153b, the inert gas may be discharged to the outside via the discharge line 2550.

Since the supercritical fluid is continuously supplied and filled with the inert gas, the inside of the outer casing 2510 can be filled only with the supercritical fluid to form a supercritical atmosphere.

When the supercritical atmosphere is formed, the supply of the supercritical fluid via the lower supply pipe 2540b is stopped in operation S153c to supply the supercritical fluid via the upper supply pipe 2540a in operation S153d. Therefore, the drying of the substrate S using the supercritical fluid can be performed quickly. In this process, since the inside of the outer casing 2510 is in a critical state, the substrate S can be less damaged or damaged, even if the supercritical fluid is directly sprayed onto the substrate S at a high speed.

When the substrate S is dried, the supercritical fluid is discharged in operation S154. Here, an inert gas may be supplied to the outer casing 2510 to discharge the supercritical fluid.

In the same case, since the substrate S is not sufficiently dried in operation S153, operations S153 and S154 can be repeatedly performed as necessary. Figure 26 is a view for explaining the supply and discharge of supercritical fluid. For example, the supercritical fluid may be supplied in operation S153 until the interior of the outer casing 2510 has a pressure of about 150 bar, and then the supercritical fluid may be discharged until the interior of the outer casing 2510 has a pressure of about 100 bar.

Moreover, according to the experiment, since the drying of the substrate S under the supercritical atmosphere and the inert atmosphere was observed, the removal rate of the isopropyl alcohol remaining on the circuit pattern of the substrate S was remarkably increased, in contrast, Supercritical In the atmosphere, the substrate S is dried for a long time, so that two operations S153 and 154 can be repeatedly performed to increase the drying efficiency. Alternatively, operation S153 may be performed for a long time to dry the substrate S.

When the discharge of the supercritical fluid is completed, the inert gas is exhausted to reduce the internal pressure of the outer casing 2510 in operation S155.

Although the inert gas is used in the current embodiment to perform the second drying process, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the second drying process can be performed using only the supercritical fluid without using an inert gas. Specifically, liquid carbon dioxide may be supplied first, and then, the hot carbon dioxide may be continuously heated to change the liquid carbon dioxide to gaseous carbon dioxide. The gaseous carbon dioxide can then be compressed to form a supercritical atmosphere.

When the supercritical fluid is used to dry the substrate S, generation of particles, static electricity, and pattern cracking occurring in the first drying process using isopropyl alcohol or the spin drying process using the rotating substrate S can be prevented, and water can also be prevented. The generation of marks on the surface of the substrate S improves the performance and yield of the semiconductor device.

In operation S160, the transfer robot 2210 transfers the substrate S from the second processing chamber 2500 into the buffer chamber 2100. When the second process is completed, the transfer robot 2210 unloads the substrate S from the support member 2530 to take out the substrate S from the second process chamber 2500, thereby mounting the substrate S on the buffer slot of the buffer chamber 2100.

In operations S120, S140, and S160, the substrate S may be partially or completely transferred by the arms 2213 of the transfer robot 2210 that are different from each other. For example, in each of operations S120, S140, and S160, the substrate S can be transferred by the arm 2213 of the transfer robot 2210 that is different from each other. Alternatively, the substrate S may be transferred by the same arm 2213 in operations S120 and S140, and the substrate S may be transferred by the different arms 2213 in operation S160. Enter This operation is performed to prevent the hand of the arm 2213 from being contaminated because the substrate S has different states in operations S120, S140, and S160, so that secondary pollution is transmitted from the contaminated arm 2213 to the substrate S of the next operation. Specifically, in operation S120, the transferred substrate S may be the substrate S before the cleaning process is performed. Moreover, in operation S140, the substrate S may be an undried substrate. That is, foreign matter, detergent, rinsing agent or organic solvent may remain on the substrate S, and therefore, the hand of the arm 2213 may be contaminated by the above materials. Therefore, when the substrate S is picked up by the arm 2213 which is soiled by the above material in the second process, the substrate S may be contaminated again.

In operation S170, the indexing robot 1210 transfers the substrate C from the buffer chamber 2100 to the carrier C. The indexing robot 1210 holds the substrate S mounted on the buffer slot to mount the substrate on the slot of the carrier C. Here, operation S190 may be performed using an arm 1213 different from the arm 1213 for operating in S110. Therefore, as described above, the substrate S can be prevented from being contaminated. When all the substrates S are completely received, the carrier C can be transported to the outside by a suspended lift conveyor (OHT).

27 is a flow chart illustrating a method of supercritical fluid recycling in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The supercritical fluid recycling method according to the current embodiment includes: storing carbon dioxide (S210); changing carbon dioxide into a supercritical fluid (S220); performing a drying process using the supercritical fluid (S230); and recycling carbon dioxide (S240) And storing recycled carbon dioxide (S250). Hereinafter, each of these processes will be described.

In operation S210, carbon dioxide is stored in the storage tank 3100. Carbon dioxide is received from an external carbon dioxide supply source F or a recycle unit 4000 and stored in a liquid state. Here, carbon dioxide can be received in a gaseous state. Therefore, the first condenser 3300 can change the gaseous carbon dioxide to the liquid dioxygen Carbon is supplied to supply liquid carbon dioxide into the storage tank 3100.

In operation S220, the water supply tank 3200 changes carbon dioxide to a supercritical fluid. The water supply tank 3200 can receive carbon dioxide from the storage tank 3100 to change the carbon dioxide into a supercritical fluid.

Specifically, carbon dioxide is discharged from the storage tank 3100 and moved into the water supply tank 3200. Here, carbon dioxide can be changed to gaseous carbon dioxide by changing the pressure. The second condenser 3400 and the pump 3500 are disposed in a line connecting the storage tank 3100 and the water supply tank 3200. The second condenser 3400 changes the gaseous carbon dioxide to liquid carbon dioxide, and the pump 3500 changes the liquid carbon dioxide to high pressure gaseous carbon dioxide to supply the high pressure gaseous carbon dioxide to the water supply tank 3200. The water supply tank 3200 heats the high pressure gaseous carbon dioxide to produce a supercritical fluid. A water supply tank 3200 provides the supercritical fluid to the second processing chamber 2500.

In operation S230, the second processing chamber 2500 performs a drying process using the supercritical fluid. The second processing chamber 2500 receives supercritical fluid from the water supply tank 3200 to dry the substrate S using the supercritical fluid. Here, the drying process may be the second drying process described above. The second processing chamber 2500 discharges the supercritical fluid during the drying process or after the drying process.

In operation S240, the recycling unit 4000 recirculates carbon dioxide.

In operation S241, the separation module 4100 cools the discharged supercritical fluid to separate the organic solvent from the supercritical fluid. When the supercritical fluid is introduced into the separation tank 4110, the cooling member 4120 cools the supercritical fluid to liquefy the organic solvent dissolved in the supercritical fluid, thereby separating the organic solvent. The organic solvent is discharged through a drain pipe 4150 disposed at a lower portion of the separation tank 4110, and the carbon dioxide separated from the organic solvent is passed through The upper exhaust pipe 4140 placed at the upper portion of the separation groove 4110 is separated. In the separation via cooling of the supercritical fluid, the internal temperature of the separation tank 4110 is important.

FIG. 28 is a graph illustrating the efficiency of the separation unit 4100, and FIG. 29 is a table illustrating the efficiency of the separation unit 4100. 28 and 29 illustrate the amount and efficiency of the organic solvent excreted when the separation unit 4110 has an internal temperature of about 10 ° C, about 20 ° C, and about 30 ° C. As described above, when the operation S241 is performed at a temperature of about 10 ° C, it is seen that the operation efficiency is improved by about 10% as compared with when the operation S241 is performed at a temperature of about 30 °C.

In operation S242, the column module 4200 again separates the organic solvent from the carbon dioxide, wherein the organic solvent is mainly separated by the separation module 4100. Supercritical fluid or gaseous carbon dioxide is introduced via the inflow tube 4230 to pass through the absorption column 4210 and then discharged into the exhaust pipe 4240. Here, carbon dioxide passes through the absorbent material A. In this process, an organic solvent dissolved in carbon dioxide is absorbed in the absorbent material A. Therefore, the organic solvent is separated, and pure carbon dioxide is discharged through the exhaust pipe 4240. Therefore, carbon dioxide can be recycled through the above process.

In operation S250, the recycling unit 4000 supplies the recycled carbon dioxide to the storage tank 3100. When the recycling process is completed, the carbon dioxide is moved and stored in the storage tank 3100. Here, the carbon dioxide discharged from the recirculation unit 4000 is in a gaseous state. Therefore, the gaseous carbon dioxide is changed to liquid carbon dioxide by the first condenser 3300 and stored in the storage tank 3100.

30 is a flow chart illustrating a method of supercritical fluid discharge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The supercritical fluid discharge method according to the current embodiment includes: discharging a supercritical fluid from the container (S310); introducing the supercritical fluid to In the buffer member 5100 (S320); depressurizing the supercritical fluid (S330); heating the supercritical fluid (S340); absorbing noise generated from the supercritical fluid (S350); and discharging the supercritical fluid from the buffer member 5100. Hereinafter, each of these processes will be described.

In operation S310, the supercritical fluid is discharged from the container via a discharge line.

Here, the container may represent a chamber or tank for supplying a supercritical fluid. For example, the container can include a second processing chamber 2500, a water supply tank 3200, or a separation tank 4110 of the separation module 4100.

Moreover, the discharge line can represent a composite tube for discharging supercritical fluid. For example, the discharge line may include a discharge line 2550 of the second process chamber 2500, a discharge line 3210 of the water supply tank 3200, or an exhaust pipe 4140 of the separation tank 4110.

In the case where a plurality of discharge lines are supplied to each of the containers, the supercritical fluid discharge method according to the current embodiment of the present invention can be utilized when the supercritical fluid is discharged through a portion of the plurality of discharge lines or the entire discharge line. For example, when the first discharge line 2550a for supplying the supercritical fluid to the recirculation unit 5000 and the second discharge line 2550b for discharging the supercritical fluid to the atmosphere are supplied to the second processing chamber 2500 The supercritical fluid discharge method according to the current embodiment can be applied to the case where the supercritical fluid is discharged via the first discharge line 2550a, the supercritical fluid is discharged via the second discharge line 2550b, or discharged through the two discharge lines 2550a and 2550b. Supercritical fluid. The same is true for the water supply tank 3200 or the separation module 4110.

As noted above, the supercritical fluid can be discharged from the vessel. For example, the discharge process may be operation S154 in the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment, operation S220 in the supercritical fluid recycling method according to an embodiment, and The supercritical fluid discharge process performed between operation S230, the supercritical fluid discharge process performed between operation S230 and operation S240, or the supercritical fluid discharge process performed between operation S241 and operation S242. The supercritical fluid discharge process is not limited to the above process. For example, the discharge process may include the case of cleaning the inside of the container, the need to quickly discharge the supercritical fluid stored in the container, or the discharge of the supercritical fluid into the atmosphere.

The supercritical fluid is introduced into the buffer chamber 5100 in operation S320. The supercritical fluid discharged from the container via the discharge line is introduced into the outer casing 5110 via the inflow pipe 5120. The inflow hole 5121 may be formed in the inflow pipe 5120 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the outer casing 5110. Here, the supercritical flow system is discharged in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing 5110. Therefore, the supercritical fluid can be prevented from flowing in the length direction of the outer casing 5110, thereby reducing the flow rate and delaying the pressure drop.

In operation S330, the delay pressure is decreased and decompressed while passing through the buffer space B. The buffer space B can be divided into a plurality of spaces by the partition wall 5140. The supercritical fluid is gradually depressurized while passing through the plurality of spaces. Therefore, a sudden drop in the supercritical fluid pressure can be prevented, thereby preventing the supercritical fluid from being frozen. Here, as described above, since the fine discharge holes 5141 are formed in the partition wall 5140 at positions different from each other, the supercritical fluid can flow in a zigzag shape without flowing in a straight shape. Therefore, the flow of the supercritical fluid can be delayed, and therefore, the pressure of the supercritical fluid can be slowly lowered.

The heater 5200 heats the supercritical fluid in operation S340. Therefore, the sudden drop in the temperature of the supercritical fluid can be prevented, thereby preventing the supercritical fluid from being frozen. The heater 5200 is disposed in the outer casing 5110 to heat the outer casing 5110. Thus, the supercritical fluid passing through the outer casing 5110 can be heated. Or, heater The 5200 can be disposed in the inflow tube 5120 or the discharge line to heat the supercritical fluid passing through the inflow tube 5120 or the discharge line.

In operation S350, the sound absorbing member 5150 absorbs noise generated from the supercritical fluid. A sound absorbing member 5150 is disposed within the outer casing 5110 to provide a path for the supercritical fluid to pass. Therefore, noise generated when the supercritical fluid pressure is lowered can be absorbed into the sound absorbing member 5150. The more the pressure drop width of the supercritical fluid increases, the more the noise intensity increases. Accordingly, the sound absorbing member 5150 has a structure that interrupts the flow of the supercritical fluid to reduce the flow rate of the supercritical fluid, thereby allowing the pressure of the supercritical fluid to slowly decrease. Therefore, noise generated from the supercritical fluid can be reduced.

In operation S370, the supercritical fluid is discharged from the buffer member via the exhaust pipe 5130. The supercritical fluid passing through the buffer space B of the outer casing 5110 is discharged from the outer casing 5110 via the exhaust pipe 5130. A pressure regulator 5160 can be disposed in the exhaust pipe 5130 to constantly maintain the pressure within the buffer space B.

The supercritical fluid discharged through the exhaust pipe 5130 may be discharged to the atmosphere or other components of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, the supercritical fluid discharged from the second processing chamber 2500 may be supplied to the recirculation unit 400, or the supercritical fluid discharged from the water supply tank 3200 may be supplied into the second processing chamber 2500.

According to the supercritical fluid discharge method, the sudden pressure drop of the supercritical fluid at the time of discharging the supercritical fluid can be prevented, thereby preventing the supercritical fluid from being frozen. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the discharge line and the valve disposed in the discharge line from being frozen due to the freezing of the supercritical fluid.

Moreover, noise generated due to sudden pressure drop of the supercritical fluid can be reduced. Moreover, the generated noise can be absorbed into the sound absorbing member to reduce overall noise.

In the above substrate processing method, supercritical fluid recycling method, supercritical fluid discharging method according to the present invention, the processes performed in each of the embodiments are not essential. Thus, each embodiment can optionally include the processes described above. Additionally, the embodiments can be implemented by being separated or combined with one another. Moreover, the processes performed in each embodiment can be implemented by separating processes or processes in another embodiment.

Moreover, it is not necessary to continuously execute the processes executed in each embodiment in accordance with the stated order. For example, the process described later can be performed prior to the previously described process.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the supercritical fluid discharged from the processing chamber or the water supply tank from being frozen.

According to the present invention, a sudden drop in supercritical fluid pressure can be prevented by the cushioning member.

According to the present invention, the supercritical fluid can be gradually decompressed when the supercritical fluid successfully passes through a plurality of spaces in the buffer space.

According to the present invention, the flow of the supercritical fluid can be interrupted by the sound absorbing members in the partition wall or the buffer space.

According to the present invention, the discharged supercritical fluid can be heated by a heater to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen.

According to the present invention, noise generated when the supercritical fluid is discharged can be reduced by the sound absorbing member.

According to the present invention, since the supercritical fluid is prevented from being frozen when the supercritical fluid is discharged, the semiconductor manufacturing process can be smoothly performed to improve the yield of the substrate.

The features of the present invention are not limited to the above-described features, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other features not described herein from the description and the accompanying drawings. Sign.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that Such modifications, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications, changes and substitutions are not limited by the foregoing embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Moreover, some or all of the above-described embodiments may be selectively combined and constructed so that various modifications are possible without limitation to the configuration and arrangement of the above embodiments.

100‧‧‧Devices for processing substrates

1000‧‧‧ index module

1100‧‧‧Loading equipment

1200‧‧‧Transfer box

1210‧‧‧ indexing robot

1211‧‧‧Base

1212‧‧‧ Ontology

1213‧‧‧ Arm

1220‧‧‧ index track

2000‧‧‧Processing module

2100‧‧‧ buffer chamber

2200‧‧‧Transfer chamber

2210‧‧‧Transfer robot

2211‧‧‧Base

2212‧‧‧ Ontology

2213‧‧‧ Arm

2220‧‧‧Transport

2300‧‧‧First processing chamber

2310‧‧‧Shell

2400‧‧‧Processing unit

2410‧‧‧Rotating head

2411‧‧‧Support board

2412‧‧‧Support pin

2413‧‧‧Clamp pin

2414‧‧‧Rotary axis

2415‧‧‧Motor

2420‧‧‧ Fluid supply components

2421‧‧‧Nozzles

2422‧‧‧Support

2423‧‧‧Support shaft

2424‧‧‧ drive

2430‧‧‧Recycling container

2430a‧‧‧First recycling container

2430b‧‧‧Second recycling container

2430c‧‧‧ third recycling container

2431‧‧‧Inflow hole

2431a‧‧‧First inflow hole

2431b‧‧‧Second inflow hole

2431c‧‧‧ third inflow hole

2432‧‧‧Recycling pipeline

2432a‧‧‧First recovery pipeline

2432b‧‧‧Second recovery pipeline

2432c‧‧‧ Third recovery pipeline

2440‧‧‧ lifting member

2441‧‧‧ bracket

2442‧‧‧ Lifting shaft

2443‧‧‧ Lifts

2500‧‧‧Second processing chamber

2510‧‧‧Shell

2520‧‧‧heating components

2530‧‧‧Support members

2540‧‧‧Supercritical fluid supply tube

2540a‧‧‧Upper supply tube

2540b‧‧‧Lower supply tube

2550‧‧‧Drainage line

2550a‧‧‧First discharge line

2550b‧‧‧Second discharge line

2560‧‧‧ gas supply pipe

3000‧‧‧Supercritical Fluid Supply Unit

3100‧‧‧ storage tank

3200‧‧‧Water supply tank

3210a‧‧‧First discharge line

3210b‧‧‧Second discharge line

3300‧‧‧First condenser

3400‧‧‧second condenser

3500‧‧‧ pump

4000‧‧‧Recycling unit

4100‧‧‧Separation module

4100a‧‧‧First separation module

4100b‧‧‧Second separation module

4120‧‧‧Cooling components

4130‧‧‧Inflow pipe

4140‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

4140a‧‧‧First exhaust pipe

4140b‧‧‧Second exhaust pipe

4150‧‧‧Drainage tube

4160‧‧‧pressure regulator

4200‧‧‧Pipe module

4200a‧‧‧First column module

4200b‧‧‧Second column module

4200c‧‧‧Three column module

4210‧‧‧absorbing column

4220‧‧‧ Temperature maintenance component

4230‧‧‧Inflow pipe

4240‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

4250‧‧‧ concentration sensor

5000‧‧‧Freeze prevention unit

5100‧‧‧ cushioning members

5110‧‧‧Shell

5120‧‧‧Inflow pipe

5121‧‧‧Inflow hole

5130‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

5140‧‧‧ partition wall

5140a‧‧‧First dividing wall

5140b‧‧‧Second dividing wall

5140c‧‧‧ third dividing wall

5141‧‧‧Drain hole

5141a‧‧‧First discharge hole

5141b‧‧‧second discharge hole

5141c‧‧‧ third discharge hole

5150‧‧‧Acoustic components

5160‧‧‧pressure regulator

5200‧‧‧heater

A‧‧‧Absorbent materials

B‧‧‧ buffer space

B1‧‧‧First buffer space

B2‧‧‧Second buffer space

B3‧‧‧ third buffer space

B4‧‧‧fourth buffer space

C‧‧‧ Carrier

F‧‧‧External carbon dioxide supply

G‧‧‧ gas supply source

S‧‧‧Substrate

X‧‧‧ first direction

Y‧‧‧second direction

Z‧‧‧ third direction

1 is a plan view of an apparatus for processing a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first processing chamber of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a phase transition of carbon dioxide; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a second processing chamber; FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a supercritical fluid discharge path in the second processing chamber of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the freezing prevention unit of FIG. 5; Figure 6 is a view of the first partition wall, the second partition wall and the third partition wall of Figure 6; Figure 11 is the inflow pipe of Figure 6; Figure 12 is a view of the sound absorbing member of Figure 6; Figures 13 and 14 are views for explaining the arrangement of the heater of Figure 6; and Figures 15 and 16 are views for explaining the configuration of the freeze prevention unit of Figure 5 Figure 17 is a view illustrating a circulation path of a supercritical fluid; Figure 18 is a view illustrating a supercritical fluid discharge path of the water supply tank of Figure 17; Figure 19 is a recycling unit of Figure 17 according to an embodiment of the present invention; 20 is a view of the recirculation unit 4000 of FIG. 17 according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the separation module 4100 of FIG. 19; and FIG. 22 is a column module 4200 of FIG. Figure 23 is a flow chart illustrating a process for processing a substrate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 24 is a flow chart illustrating a first process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; A flow chart of a second process of an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 26 is a view illustrating supply and discharge of supercritical fluid; and FIG. 27 is a view illustrating a process for recycling supercritical fluid according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a graph illustrating the efficiency of the separation unit; FIG. 29 is a table illustrating the efficiency of the separation unit; and FIG. 30 is a flow chart illustrating a process for discharging the supercritical fluid according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

100‧‧‧ Equipment for processing substrates

1000‧‧‧ index module

1100‧‧‧Loading equipment

1200‧‧‧Transfer box

1210‧‧‧ indexing robot

1211‧‧‧Base

1212‧‧‧ Ontology

1213‧‧‧ Arm

1220‧‧‧ index track

2000‧‧‧Processing module

2100‧‧‧ buffer chamber

2200‧‧‧Transfer chamber

2210‧‧‧Transfer robot

2211‧‧‧Base

2212‧‧‧ Ontology

2213‧‧‧ Arm

2220‧‧‧Transport

2300‧‧‧First processing chamber

2310‧‧‧Shell

2500‧‧‧Second processing chamber

2510‧‧‧Shell

Claims (24)

An apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a container for providing a supercritical fluid; a discharge line through which the supercritical flow system is discharged; and a freeze prevention unit Disposed in the discharge line to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the freeze prevention unit includes a cushioning member that provides a buffer space for preventing a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cushioning member comprises: a casing that provides the buffer space; an inflow pipe through which the supercritical fluid system is introduced into the buffer space; and a discharge pipe; a supercritical flow system is discharged from the buffer space via the discharge pipe; and at least one partition wall disposed in the outer casing to have a plane perpendicular to a length direction to divide the buffer space into a plurality of spaces, the super The critical fluid gradually decreases in pressure in the plurality of spaces. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a discharge aperture is defined in the at least one partition wall, and when viewed in the length direction of the outer casing, the emissions are defined in the partition walls adjacent to each other The pores are defined at different locations from each other. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the discharge hole adjacent to the partition wall of the inflow pipe is defined at a position different from a position at which the inflow pipe is disposed when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing And The discharge hole adjacent to the partition wall of the exhaust pipe is defined at a position different from a position at which the exhaust pipe is disposed when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the outer casing. The apparatus of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the freeze prevention unit further comprises a heater for heating the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the heater is disposed in the outer casing. The apparatus of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cushioning member further comprises a sound absorbing member disposed in the outer casing to absorb a noise generated from the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sound absorbing member has a wire mesh structure that interrupts flow of one of the supercritical fluids to prevent a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the inflow tube has an end connected to one end of the discharge line and inserted into the other end of the outer casing along the length direction of the outer casing, and One of the inflow tubes discharging the supercritical fluid is defined in a portion in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the outer casing, the inflow tube being inserted into the outer casing in the portion. The apparatus of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cushioning member comprises a back pressure regulator disposed in the discharge tube to constantly maintain a pressure in the buffer space. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the freeze prevention unit comprises a heater disposed in the discharge line. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the container comprises a processing chamber in which the supercritical fluid is used Take a dry process. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the container comprises a supply tank for supplying the supercritical fluid to a processing chamber, wherein the supercritical is used in the processing chamber The fluid performs a drying process. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the freeze prevention unit is provided in plural, and the plurality of freeze prevention units are connected to each other in series. A method for discharging a supercritical fluid from a container, the method comprising providing a buffer space in a discharge line connected to the vessel to discharge the supercritical fluid to prevent a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid, thereby Prevent the supercritical fluid from freezing. The method of claim 16, wherein the supercritical fluid is heated during the discharge of the supercritical fluid. The method of claim 16, wherein a sound absorbing member is provided to the supercritical fluid passing through the buffer space to absorb a noise generated from the supercritical fluid. The method of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the supercritical fluid system is discharged from a processing chamber in which a drying process is performed using the supercritical fluid. The method of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the supercritical fluid system is used to supply the supercritical fluid to a water supply tank in a processing chamber, in which the processing chamber is used The supercritical fluid performs a drying process. An apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a processing chamber, wherein a drying process is performed using a fluid provided as a supercritical fluid; a storage tank for storing the fluid; a water supply tank receiving the fluid from the storage tank to generate the supercritical fluid and providing the supercritical fluid into the processing chamber; a discharge line connected to the Processing the chamber and at least one of the water supply tanks to discharge the supercritical fluid; and a freeze prevention unit disposed in the discharge line to prevent the supercritical fluid from being frozen. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the freeze prevention unit comprises a cushioning member that provides a buffer space for preventing a sudden drop in pressure of the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the cushioning member comprises a sound absorbing member that absorbs a noise generated from the supercritical fluid. The apparatus of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the freeze prevention unit comprises a heater for heating the supercritical fluid.