TW202130424A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: a processing-solution discharge part that is provided below a substrate held on a substrate holding part and that discharges a processing solution from a processing-solution discharge port towards an internal bottom surface of a storage space; and an air-bubble supply part that is provided below the substrate held on the substrate holding part and above the processing-solution discharge port and that supplies air bubbles to the processing solution stored in the storage space. Between the air-bubble supply part and the processing-solution discharge port in the vertical direction, at least a portion of a processing solution flowing upward via the internal bottom surface of the storage space is made to serve as a liquid to be split, and the flow of the liquid to be split is split into a plurality of upward flows, which are guided to the substrate held on the substrate holding part.

Description

Substrate processing device and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate by immersing a substrate in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank while overflowing a processing liquid such as a chemical solution or pure water from a processing tank.

The following descriptions of the Japanese application, drawings, and the disclosure of the scope of the patent application are incorporated into this specification by reference in their entirety: Japan Special Application No. 2019-236759 (application on December 26, 2019). Japan Special Application No. 2020-136163 (application on August 12, 2020).

In the field of semiconductor device manufacturing, in order to cope with the increase in density and capacity of semiconductor devices, a technology for forming recesses with a high aspect ratio is desired. For example, the manufacturing process of a three-dimensional NAND-type non-volatile semiconductor device (hereinafter referred to as "3D-NAND memory") includes the following steps: stacking multiple silicon oxide films (SiO2 films) and silicon nitride films ( In the laminate of SiN film), after forming recesses in the laminating direction, the SiN film is removed by wet etching through the recesses. In order to perform this step, for example, the substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-200821 is discussed and used.

In the case of using a substrate processing apparatus to perform the above-mentioned wet etching, a chemical solution containing phosphoric acid, which is an example of an etchant for the SiN film, can be used as the processing liquid. More specifically, in the substrate processing apparatus, an ejection pipe is arranged at the inner bottom of the storage space formed in the processing tank, and the processing liquid is supplied from the ejection pipe to the storage space. Therefore, in the treatment tank, the treatment liquid is stored in the treatment tank in a specific amount while overflowing from the treatment tank. And, the substrate having the above-mentioned recessed portion structure is immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank. Moreover, in the substrate processing apparatus, like the ejection pipe, the bubble supply pipe is arranged at the inner bottom of the storage space, and the bubbles are supplied from the inner bottom of the storage space toward the overflow surface. The bubbles rise in the processing liquid and are supplied to the substrate. By supplying air bubbles to the substrate in this way, it is possible to quickly and continuously supply fresh processing liquid to the recessed portion.

However, the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-200821 has the following problems. The treatment liquid is sprayed from the spray pipe to form a liquid flow toward the overflow surface in the storage space, that is, an upward flow of the treatment liquid. Moreover, although most of the processing liquid reaching the upper opening of the storage space overflows, a part of it does not overflow and flows downward from the vicinity of the overflow surface. A so-called downflow is generated in the storage space. This descending flow prevents bubbles from rising toward the overflow surface, and becomes one of the main reasons for reducing the uniform supply of bubbles to the substrate. As a result, the quality of substrate processing is reduced.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to immerse the substrate in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank while allowing the processing liquid to overflow from the processing tank, and supply bubbles in the processing liquid to process the substrate. In substrate processing technology, air bubbles are uniformly supplied to the substrate to improve processing quality.

The first aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus, which is characterized by comprising: a processing tank having a storage space for storing a processing liquid, while allowing the processing liquid to overflow from the upper opening of the storage space, while immersing the substrate in the storage space The processing liquid in the storage space is used to process the substrate; the substrate holding section holds the substrate in an upright position in the storage space; the processing liquid ejection section has a processing liquid ejecting section below the substrate held in the substrate holding section The processing liquid ejection port allows the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port to flow toward the inner bottom surface of the storage space; and the bubble supply portion, which is provided on the lower side of the substrate held in the substrate holding portion and above the processing liquid ejection port, Supply bubbles to the processing liquid stored in the storage space; in the vertical direction, between the bubble supply part and the inner bottom surface of the storage space, use at least a part of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface of the storage space as the diversion target liquid. The fluid of the branching target liquid is branched into a plurality of upward flows and guided to the substrate held by the substrate holding portion.

In addition, a second aspect of the present invention is a substrate processing method, which is characterized by comprising: an overflow step of storing the processing liquid in the storage space by spraying the processing liquid to the storage space provided in the processing tank, and making the processing liquid Overflow from the upper opening of the storage space; immersion step, which immerses the substrate in the processing liquid stored in the storage space; and bubble supply step, which starts from the bubble supply part from the lower side of the substrate immersed in the processing liquid in the storage space Supply bubbles; and the overflow step is performed in parallel with the immersion step and the bubble supply step. Between the bubble supply part and the inner bottom surface of the storage space, at least a part of the fluid of the treatment liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface of the storage space is divided into A plurality of upward flows are guided to the substrate.

As described above, according to the present invention, a large amount of upward flow is widely dispersed in the treatment liquid stored in the storage space, and the generation of downward flow in the storage space is suppressed. As a result, bubbles can be uniformly supplied to the substrate, and substrate processing can be performed with high quality.

Where the plural constituent elements of the various aspects of the present invention described above are not necessary, in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the effects described in the specification, one of the plural constituent elements may be appropriately adjusted. Some constituent elements are changed, deleted, or replaced with new other constituent elements, and part of the restricted content is deleted. In addition, in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the effects described in the specification, part or all of the technical features contained in one aspect of the above-mentioned invention can also be combined with the above-mentioned essence. Part or all of the technical features contained in other aspects of the invention are combined as an independent aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The substrate processing system 1 includes a container placement unit 2, a shutter drive mechanism 3, a substrate transfer robot 4, a posture conversion mechanism 5, a push rod 6, a substrate transport mechanism 7, a processing unit 8, and a control unit 9. In order to display the directions of the following figures uniformly, as shown in Figure 1, set the XYZ orthogonal coordinate axis. Here, the XY plane represents the horizontal plane. In addition, the Z axis means the vertical axis, and more specifically, the Z direction is the vertical direction.

In the container mounting part 2, a container in which the substrate W is stored is mounted. In this embodiment, as an example of the container, an endless belt F configured to store a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates W in a horizontal posture in a stacked state in the Z direction is used. The endless belt F is placed on the container mount 2 in a state where the unprocessed substrate W is stored, or is placed on the container mount 2 in an empty state in order to store the processed substrate W. In this embodiment, the substrate W accommodated in the endless belt F is a semiconductor wafer forming a 3D-NAND memory and has a concave portion with a high aspect ratio.

In the process space adjacent to the container placement part 2 on the (+Y) direction side, a shutter drive mechanism 3, a substrate transfer robot 4, a posture conversion mechanism 5, a push rod 6, a substrate transfer mechanism 7 and a processing Unit 8. The container placement portion 2 and the process space are partitioned by a partition plate (not shown) equipped with a baffle 31 that can be opened and closed. The baffle 31 is connected to the baffle driving mechanism 3. The shutter drive mechanism 3 closes the shutter 31 according to a closing command from the control unit 9 to spatially separate the container placement unit 2 from the process space. On the contrary, the shutter driving mechanism 3 opens the shutter 31 in accordance with the opening command from the control unit 9 so that the container placement unit 2 communicates with the process space. Thereby, the unprocessed substrate W can be carried in from the endless belt F to the process space, and the processed substrate W can be carried out to the endless belt F.

The above-mentioned loading and unloading processing of the substrate W is performed by the substrate transfer robot 4. The substrate transfer robot 4 is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. The substrate transfer robot 4 transfers a plurality of substrates W between the posture conversion mechanism 5 and the endless belt F with the shutter 31 opened. After receiving the substrate W from the endless belt F via the substrate transfer robot 4, or before transferring the substrate W to the endless belt F, the posture conversion mechanism 5 switches the postures of the plurality of substrates W between the vertical posture and the horizontal posture.

The push rod 6 is arranged on the substrate transport mechanism 7 side of the posture conversion mechanism 5 (the +X direction side in the figure), and a plurality of substrates W in the erect posture are transferred between the posture conversion mechanism 5 and the substrate transport mechanism 7. In addition, as shown in the figure, the substrate transport mechanism 7 is arranged along the arrangement direction of the processing units 81 to 85 constituting the processing unit 8 from a position facing the push rod 6 (hereinafter referred to as the "standby position") (this figure The Y direction) moves in the horizontal direction.

The substrate transport mechanism 7 includes a pair of suspension arms 71. By the shaking of the pair of suspension arms 71, it is possible to switch between holding and releasing the holding of a plurality of substrates W. More specifically, the bottom of each arm 71 is swayed around the horizontal axis in the direction away from each other, the plurality of substrates W are released, and the bottom of each arm 71 is swayed around the horizontal axis in the direction of approaching each other, clamped and held Multiple substrates W. In addition, although illustration of FIG. 1 is omitted, the substrate transport mechanism 7 has an arm moving part and an arm swinging part. Among them, the arm moving part has a function of horizontally moving the pair of suspension arms 71 in the arrangement direction Y in which the treatment parts 81 to 85 are arranged. Therefore, by this horizontal movement, the pair of suspension arms 71 are positioned at a position facing each of the processing parts 81 to 85 (hereinafter, referred to as a "processing position") and a standby position.

On the other hand, the arm rocking part has the function of performing the above-mentioned arm rocking action, switching between a holding state in which the substrate W is clamped and held, and a released state in which the substrate W is released from the clamp. Therefore, by this switching operation, the elevator 810a that functions as the substrate holding portion of the processing sections 81 and 82 or the elevator 810b that functions as the substrate holding portion of the processing sections 83 and 84 move up and down, so that the elevator 810 and The transfer of the substrate W between the suspension arms 71. In addition, at the processing position facing the processing section 85, the substrate W between the processing section 85 and the suspension arm 71 can be transferred. Furthermore, in the standby position, the substrate W between the posture conversion mechanism 5 and the suspension arm 71 can be transferred via the push rod 6.

The processing unit 8 is provided with five processing sections 81 to 85 as described above, which are respectively a first liquid chemical processing section 81, a first cleaning processing section 82, a second chemical liquid processing section 83, a second cleaning processing section 84, and The drying processing unit 85 functions. Among them, the first chemical solution processing unit 81 and the second chemical solution processing unit 83 respectively store the same or different chemical solutions in the processing tank 821, so that a plurality of substrates W are immersed in the chemical solution at a time, and the chemical solution treatment is performed. The first cleaning processing unit 82 and the second cleaning processing unit 84 respectively store a cleaning liquid (for example, pure water) in the processing tank 821, and immerse a plurality of substrates W in the cleaning liquid at a time to indicate the person performing the cleaning treatment. The first chemical liquid processing unit 81, the first cleaning processing unit 82, the second chemical liquid processing unit 83, and the second cleaning processing unit 84 correspond to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, regardless of the type of processing liquid Different but the basic structure of the device is the same. In addition, the structure and operation of the device will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first chemical solution processing section 81 and the adjacent first cleaning processing section 82 are paired, and the second chemical solution processing section 83 and the adjacent second cleaning processing section 84 are paired. In addition, the elevator 810a not only functions as the "substrate holding portion" of the present invention in the first chemical solution processing section 81 and the first cleaning processing section 82, but also serves as a mechanism for processing the chemical solution by the first chemical solution processing section 81. The dedicated transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate W to the first cleaning processing unit 82 functions. In addition, the elevator 810b not only functions as the "substrate holding portion" of the present invention in the second chemical solution processing section 83 and the second cleaning processing section 84, but also serves as a mechanism for processing the chemical solution by the second chemical solution processing section 83. The dedicated transport mechanism that transports the substrate W to the second cleaning processing unit 84 functions.

In the processing unit 8 thus constructed, the three supporting members (symbol 812 in FIG. 2) of the elevator 810a receive a plurality of substrates W at a time from one of the pair of suspension arms 71 of the substrate conveying mechanism 7, as described in detail below, one side Perform the overflow step of overflowing the processing liquid from the processing tank and the bubble supply step of supplying bubbles to the processing liquid stored in the processing tank, while descending to the processing tank of the first chemical liquid processing part 81 and immersed in the chemical In liquid (dipping step). Furthermore, after waiting for a specific chemical solution processing time, the elevator 810a lifts the supporting member holding the plurality of substrates W from the chemical solution and moves it horizontally to the first cleaning processing section 82, thereby holding the substrates W that have been processed by the chemical solution. The supporting member in the state descends into the treatment tank (symbol 821 in FIG. 2) of the first cleaning treatment section 82, and is immersed in the cleaning liquid. After waiting for a specific cleaning treatment time, the elevator 810a raises the supporting member holding the substrate W that has been cleaned, and lifts the substrate W from the cleaning solution. Thereafter, a plurality of substrates W are delivered from the supporting member of the elevator 810a to one of the pair of suspension arms 71 of the substrate conveying mechanism 7 at a time.

Similarly, the elevator 810b receives a plurality of substrates W at a time from one of the substrate transport mechanism 7 to the suspension arm 71, and lowers the plurality of substrates W into the processing tank 821 of the second chemical solution processing section 83, and is immersed in the chemical solution middle. Furthermore, after waiting for a specific chemical solution processing time, the elevator 810b raises the support member, lifts the plurality of substrates W that have been processed by the chemical solution from the chemical solution, and moves the support member to the processing tank of the second cleaning processing section 84. Furthermore, the support member is lowered into the treatment tank 821 of the second cleaning treatment section 84 and immersed in the cleaning liquid. After waiting for a specific cleaning process time, the second elevator 810b raises the supporting member and lifts the substrate W from the cleaning liquid. After that, the plurality of substrates W are delivered to the substrate conveying mechanism 7 at a time from the second elevator 810b. In addition, it can also be configured that each of the first chemical solution processing unit 81, the first cleaning processing unit 82, the second chemical solution processing unit 83, and the second cleaning processing unit 84 is provided as the "substrate holding portion" of the present invention. The functional elevator, on the other hand, carries the substrate W into and out of the processing units 81 to 84 by the substrate transport mechanism 7 or a dedicated transport mechanism.

The drying processing section 85 is one having a substrate holding member (not shown) that can hold a plurality of (for example, 52) substrates W arranged in an upright position, and the organic solvent (isopropanol) Etc.) It is supplied to the substrate W, or the liquid component on the surface of the substrate W is shaken off by centrifugal force to dry the substrate W. The drying processing unit 85 is configured to be able to transfer the substrate W between a pair of suspension arms 71 of the substrate conveying mechanism 7. In addition, the plurality of substrates W after the cleaning process are received from the substrate transport mechanism 7 at a time, and the plurality of substrates W are dried. In addition, after the drying process, a plurality of substrates W are delivered from the substrate holding member to the substrate conveying mechanism 7 at a time.

Next, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The substrate processing system shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with the first chemical liquid processing unit 81, the first cleaning processing unit 82, the second chemical liquid processing unit 83, and the second cleaning processing unit 84. The processing liquids used are different. But the device structure and action are basically the same. Therefore, in the following, the configuration and operation of the first liquid chemical processing unit 81 corresponding to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention will be described, and the first cleaning processing unit 82, the second chemical liquid processing unit 83, and the second liquid chemical processing unit will be omitted. 2Description about the cleaning processing unit 84.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded and assembled perspective view schematically showing the main components of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement relationship between a plurality of substrates held in the elevator and the bubble ejection port. The first chemical solution processing unit 81 is, for example, a device that uses a chemical solution containing phosphoric acid as a processing solution to etch and remove the silicon nitride film through a recess formed on the surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first chemical solution processing unit 81 includes a processing tank 821 for performing the first chemical solution processing on the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The processing tank 821 has a box structure with an upper opening, and the box structure is composed of a rectangular bottom wall 821a in a plan view, and four side walls 821b to 821e rising from the periphery of the bottom wall 821a. Therefore, the processing tank 821 can store the processing liquid in the storage space 821f surrounded by the bottom wall 821a and the side walls 821b to 821e, while immersing the plurality of substrates W held by the elevator 810a at a time. In addition, the treatment tank 821 has an upper opening 821g that opens in the (+Z) direction, allowing the treatment liquid to overflow from the storage space 821f.

An overflow groove 822 is provided around the treatment tank 821, and the overflow groove 822 and the side walls 821b-821e of the treatment tank 821 form a recovery space 822a for recovering the overflowing treatment liquid. In addition, an outer container 823 is provided so as to surround the lower and lateral sides of the treatment tank 821 and the overflow tank 822.

In a part of the recovery space 822a of the overflow tank 822, more specifically, in the space on the (-X) direction side of the side wall 821d, a fluid piping system 839 is arranged. The inlet of the fluid piping system 839 is connected to the processing liquid supply part 832, and the outlet is connected to the fluid pipe 831 of the processing liquid ejection port 830. Therefore, when the processing liquid supply unit 832 operates in accordance with the processing liquid supply command from the control unit 9, the processing liquid is simultaneously supplied to the plurality of fluid pipes 831 via the fluid piping system 839. As a result, the treatment liquid is ejected from the fluid pipe 831 and stored in the storage space 821f. In addition, the detailed structure of the fluid pipe 831 will be described in detail below.

In addition, the treatment liquid overflowing from the treatment tank 821 is recovered to the overflow tank 822. A processing liquid recovery part 833 is connected to this overflow tank 822. If the processing liquid recovery unit 833 operates according to the processing liquid recovery command from the control unit 9, the processing liquid recovered to the overflow tank 822 is sent to the processing liquid supply unit 832 via the processing liquid recovery unit 833 for recycling. In this way, in this embodiment, the processing liquid can be circulated and supplied to the processing tank 821 while storing the processing liquid in the storage space 821f.

In order to hold a plurality of substrates W at a time and immerse them in the storage space 821f in which the processing liquid is stored, as shown in FIG. 2, a lifter 810a is provided. The elevator 810a is configured to be able to move up and down between the "transfer position" where a plurality of substrates W and the substrate transfer mechanism 7 (FIG. 1) are transferred, and the storage space 821f. The elevator 810a includes a back plate 811, three supporting members 812, and an extension member 813. The back plate 811 extends along the side wall 821b of the processing tank 821 toward the bottom wall 821a. The supporting member 812 extends in the (−X) direction from the side surface of the lower end of the back plate 811. In this embodiment, three supporting members 812 are provided. In each supporting member 812, a plurality of V-shaped grooves 812a are arranged in the X direction at a certain pitch. Each groove 812a is formed by opening the V-shaped groove 812a with a width slightly larger than the thickness of the substrate W in the (+Z) direction, so that the substrate W can be locked. Therefore, a plurality of substrates W conveyed by the substrate conveying mechanism 7 can be held at a time by the three supporting members 812 at a specific substrate pitch PT (FIG. 5 ). In addition, the extension member 813 extends in the (+X) direction from the back surface of the upper end portion of the back plate 811. As shown in Fig. 2, the elevator 810a has an L shape as a whole. In addition, the most ascending position of the elevator 810a is set to a height that can pass above the supporting member 812 even if the substrate transport mechanism 7 is in a state where a plurality of substrates W are held.

On the (+X) direction side of the processing tank 821, an elevator driving mechanism 814 is provided. The elevator driving mechanism 814 includes an elevating motor 815, a ball screw 816, an elevating base 817, an elevating pillar 818, and a motor driving unit 819. The lift motor 815 is mounted on the frame (not shown) of the substrate processing system 1 in a state where the rotating shaft is vertically arranged. The ball screw 816 is connected to the rotating shaft of the lifting motor 815. One side of the lifting base 817 is screwed with the ball screw 816. The base end side of the lifting pillar 818 is installed at the center of the lifting base 817, and the other end side is installed on the lower surface of the extension member 813. If the motor driving unit 819 drives the lifting motor 815 in accordance with the lifting command from the control unit 9, the ball screw 816 rotates, and the lifting pillar 818 rises together with the lifting base 817. Thereby, the supporting member 812 is positioned at the handover position. In addition, if the motor drive unit 819 drives the lifting motor 815 in the opposite direction according to the descending command from the control unit 9, the ball screw 816 rotates in the reverse direction, and the lifting column 818 is lowered together with the lifting base 817. Thereby, the plurality of substrates W held by the supporting member 812 are immersed in the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f at a time.

In the storage space 821f, on the lower side of the plurality of substrates W held by the supporting member 812, that is, on the (-Z) direction side, a processing liquid ejection portion 830 and a bubble supply portion 840 are arranged. The processing liquid ejection unit 830 ejects the processing liquid supplied from the processing liquid supply unit 832 via the fluid piping system 839 to the storage space 821f, and the bubble supply unit 840 supplies the bubbles V( of nitrogen gas) to the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f. Figure 5) has the following configurations.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the processing liquid ejection portion 830 has a fluid pipe 831 extending in the X direction. In this embodiment, the four fluid pipes 831 are arranged away from each other in the Y direction. The (-X) direction end of each fluid pipe 831 is connected to the outlet of the fluid piping system 839, and the (+X) direction end is closed. In addition, a plurality of processing liquid ejection ports 834 are arranged through the side walls of each fluid pipe 831 in such a manner that they are arranged in the X direction at specific intervals. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, each processing liquid ejection port 834 is provided in the (-Z) direction. Therefore, the processing liquid supplied to the fluid pipe 831 flows in the (+X) direction inside the pipe, and is ejected from each processing liquid ejection port 834 toward the bottom wall 821a, that is, the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f. 4, the treatment liquid flows upward through the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f, and forms the treatment liquid fluid F from the bottom wall 821a of the treatment tank 821 toward the upper opening 821g, which is the overflow surface. . In this way, on the lower side of the substrate W, an upward flow of the processing liquid is formed. In addition, in order to facilitate the understanding of the content of the invention, among the four fluid pipes 831 arranged on the most (-Y) direction side are referred to as "fluid pipes 831a", the ones arranged in order on the (+Y) direction side are referred to as "fluid pipes 831a", respectively. Fluid pipe 831b", "fluid pipe 831c" and "fluid pipe 831d". In addition, when they are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "fluid pipe 831" as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bubble supply unit 840 has a plurality of bubblers 841 (four in this embodiment). Each bubbler 841 has a bubble pipe 842 extending in the X direction, and a plurality of protruding portions 843 protruding upward from the bubble pipe 842 in the (+Z) direction. One end of each bubble pipe 842 is connected to a gas supply part 844 for supplying nitrogen gas, and the other end is closed. A plurality of protruding parts 843 are provided on the upper side wall of the bubble pipe 842 at the same pitch PT as the specific substrate pitch PT. As shown in FIG. 3, each protruding part 843 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and a bubble ejection port 845 is provided at the center of the upper end surface. In this embodiment, by using resin materials, especially selected from polyetheretherketone (PEEK, polyetheretherketone), perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA, perfluoroalkoxy alkane), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, polytetrafluoroethylene) The surface of the long resin tube constituted by at least one of the group is subjected to cutting processing and piercing processing to form a bubble piping 842 and a plurality of protruding parts 843 integrally. Here, of course, the bubble piping 842 and the plurality of protruding parts 843 may be separately prepared, and the plurality of protruding parts 843 may be attached to the bubble piping 842 to be integrated.

In the bubble supply unit 840 configured in this way, if the gas supply unit 844 supplies nitrogen gas to the bubble supply unit 840 in accordance with the bubble supply command from the control unit 9, the nitrogen gas flowing in the bubble pipe 842 flows toward the bubble ejection port 845 Squirting from above. Thereby, the bubbles V of nitrogen are supplied to the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f, and the bubbles V are supplied in the vertical direction Z from a position higher than the processing liquid ejection port 834 toward the direction of the overflow surface, that is, the (+Z) direction. The bubbles V rise in the processing liquid, and promote the replacement of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate W with fresh processing liquid. In addition, as the gas supply unit 844, for example, a configuration in which nitrogen gas is supplied from a cylinder filled with nitrogen gas may be used, and public facilities installed in a factory where the substrate processing system 1 is installed may also be used.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, four bubblers 841 are supported from below by three bubbler plates 851, thereby being fixedly arranged on the lower side of the substrate W held by the elevator 810a and above the processing liquid ejection port 834 side. Here, in order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, among the four bubblers 841 arranged on the most (-Y) direction side is referred to as "the bubbler 841a", the ones arranged in order on the (+Y) direction side are respectively It is called "bubbler 841b", "bubbler 841c" and "bubbler 841d". In addition, when the cases are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "bubbler 841" as described above. On the other hand, the same applies to the bubbler plate 851, and the bubbler plate 851 that is arranged on the most (-Y) direction side is called "the bubbler plate 851a", and it will be arranged in order of (+Y) Those on the direction side are referred to as "a bubbler plate 851b" and "a bubbler plate 851c", respectively. In addition, when the cases are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "bubbler plate 851" as described above.

The bubbler plates 851a to 851c all have a plate shape extending in the X direction. The bubbler plate 851a, as shown in FIG. 4, is located higher than the processing liquid ejection port 834 in the vertical direction Z, is arranged between the fluid pipe 831a and the fluid pipe 831b, and is fixed by a fixing member (not shown)于处理槽821。 In the processing tank 821. In addition, the bubbler 841a is fixed to the upper surface of the bubbler plate 851a in a manner that satisfies the following arrangement relationship. The arrangement relationship is as shown in FIG. 5, that is, the protruding portion 843 attached to the bubbler 841a faces upward, and the substrate W and the bubble ejection port 845 are alternately located in the X direction. With this configuration, the bubble V supplied from the bubble ejection port 845 ejects the bubble V between the adjacent substrates W in the X direction to perform effective chemical treatment. In addition, this configuration is the same for the other bubblers 841b to 841d.

The bubbler plate 851b is higher than the processing liquid ejection port 834 in the vertical direction Z, is disposed between the fluid pipe 831b and the fluid pipe 831c, and is fixed to the processing tank 821 by a fixing member (not shown). In addition, the bubblers 841b and 841c are separated by a specific interval in the Y direction and are fixed to the upper surface of the bubbler plate 851b. Furthermore, the bubbler plate 851c is higher than the processing liquid ejection port 834 in the vertical direction Z, is disposed between the fluid pipe 831c and the fluid pipe 831d, and is fixed to the processing tank 821 by a fixing member (not shown). In addition, a bubbler 841d is fixed on the upper surface of the bubbler plate 851c. In this way, the bubbler plates 851a to 851c have a function of supporting the bubble supply part 840 from below.

In addition, since the bubbler plates 851a-851c are located higher than the processing liquid ejection port 834 in the vertical direction Z and are arranged between the fluid pipes 831a-831d, in addition to the above-mentioned support function, they also have a restriction to pass through the storage space 821f The bottom surface 821h functions as the fluid F of the treatment liquid flowing upward. The bubbler plates 851a to 851c are separated from each other to form penetrating parts 852a, 852b as a flow path of the processing liquid. In addition, the fluid pipes 831b and 831c are arranged so that the lower ends of the fluid pipes 831b and 831c enter the penetration portions 852a and 852b. In addition, at the same height position as the fluid pipes 831b and 831c, the fluid pipe 831a is arranged on the (-Y) direction side of the bubbler plate 851a, and the fluid pipe 831d is arranged on the (+Y) side of the bubbler plate 851a Direction side. In addition, a gap 86 is formed between the bubbler plates 851a to 851c and the fluid pipes 831a to 831d that are adjacent to each other. Therefore, the fluid F of the processing liquid flowing toward the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851 in the ascending flow of the processing liquid (hereinafter referred to as the "diversion target liquid") is restricted on the lower surface and separated in the horizontal plane. For example, in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 4, the fluid F of the diversion target liquid toward the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851c is divided into the fluid F5 of the treatment liquid flowing toward the gap 86 between the bubbler plate 851c and the fluid pipe 831c. And the fluid F6 of the treatment liquid flowing toward the gap 86 between the bubbler plate 851c and the fluid pipe 831d. In addition, in the other bubbler plates 851a and 851b, similarly to the bubbler plate 851c, the fluid F of the split target liquid is restricted and splits into a plurality of fluids F1 to F4 of the treatment liquid.

In this way, in the present embodiment, a part of the fluid F of the processing liquid (liquid to be split) that moves upward through the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f is split into a plurality of fluids F1 to F6 and rises toward the overflow surface. In this way, in the present embodiment, the bubbler plates 851a to 851c use at least a part of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f as the split target liquid, and split the fluid F of the split target liquid into a plurality of risers It flows and is guided to the substrate W held by the elevator 810a, and functions as a shunt 850 (FIG. 3).

In addition, although the structure of the first chemical solution processing section 81 corresponding to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention has been described with reference to FIGS. Except for the same species or different species, they all have the same configuration as the first chemical solution processing section 81, which corresponds to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, the first cleaning processing unit 82 and the second cleaning processing unit 84 have the same features as the first chemical liquid processing unit 81 except that the processing liquid is a cleaning liquid such as pure water or DIW (deionized water). The structure corresponds to the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the processing liquid is ejected from the processing liquid ejection port 834 toward the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f to form the processing liquid fluid F that passes through the inner bottom surface 821h toward the overflow surface. Therefore, compared with the prior art in which the processing liquid is sprayed upward or obliquely upward from the lower side of the substrate W, or sprayed along the inner bottom surface of the storage space like the device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-200821, it is possible to suppress In the storage space 821f, the upward flow of the treatment liquid is deviated and formed. And, in the vertical direction Z, between the bubble supply part 840 and the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f, a part of the fluid F of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface 821h is divided into a plurality of fluids F1 to F6, and then the It is guided to the overflow surface. Therefore, in the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f, the processing liquid rises in a state where the processing liquid is widely dispersed in a large amount of upward flow. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the generation of downflow in the storage space 821f. As a result, the bubbles V can be uniformly supplied to the substrate W, and the substrate processing can be performed with high quality.

In particular, since the first chemical treatment part 81 wet-etches the SiN film through the recessed part with a high aspect ratio, it is important to apply the present invention to the first chemical treatment part 81 for the manufacture of 3D-NAND memory. That is, in order to improve the wet etching performance, it is necessary to perform a good replacement of the treatment liquid between the inside and the outside of the recess. In addition, although silicon precipitation accompanying an etching reaction occurs near the bottom of the recess, the silicon can be discharged from the recess by replacing the treatment liquid. In order to perform the liquid replacement stably and continuously, it is necessary to increase the concentration difference between the inside and outside of the recess, that is, the concentration gradient, and to maintain uniformity over the entire surface of the substrate W. Furthermore, in order to meet these requirements, an important technical matter is to uniformly supply fresh processing liquid to the surface of the substrate W. In this regard, according to the first chemical solution processing section 81 that can uniformly supply the bubbles V to the substrate W, the wet etching of the SiN film can be performed satisfactorily by the uniform supply of the bubbles V to the processing liquid.

Furthermore, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 4, a bubbler plate 851c and a bubbler 841d are arranged between the fluid pipes 831c and 831d adjacent to each other. That is, the bubbler plate 851c and the bubbler 841d are arranged in the vertical direction Z between the topmost position and the lowest position (processing liquid ejection port 834) of the fluid pipes 831c and 831d. This point is the same between the fluid pipes 831a and 831b and between the fluid pipes 831b and 831c. In this way, the processing liquid ejection portion 830, the bubble supply portion 840, and the branching portion 850 are located within the range of the outer diameter of the fluid pipe 831 in the vertical direction Z, and the processing tank 821 in the vertical direction Z can be processed with high quality without increasing the size of the processing tank 821 in the vertical direction Z. Substrate processing.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in the storage space 821f, with respect to a virtual vertical plane VS passing through the center Wc of the substrate W held by the elevator 810a and perpendicular to the surface of the substrate W, the processing liquid ejection portions 830, The bubble supply part 840 and the branching part 850. Therefore, the upward flow generated in the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f also becomes the object of the imaginary vertical surface VS, and the deviation of the upward flow can be suppressed, and the generation of the downward flow can be effectively suppressed.

In addition, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 5, since the substrate W and the bubble ejection port 845 are alternately positioned in the bubbler 841d in the X direction, the bubble V can be efficiently supplied between the adjacent substrates W. . As a result, substrate processing (chemical solution processing or cleaning processing) can be performed with high quality.

In addition, the bubbler plates 851a to 851c are positioned vertically directly below the bubble supply part 840, and the bubble supply part 840 is supported from below. Therefore, the bubble supply part 840 can be firmly fixed, and the bubbles V can be stably supplied between the substrates W adjacent to each other.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the penetration portions 852 a and 852 b are provided in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction X of the bubble ejection ports 845. Therefore, the relative relationship between the processing liquid fluid and the bubble V fluid flowing upward through the through portions 852a and 852b is fixed in the X direction, and the supply direction of the bubble V is suppressed from being scattered. As a result, the bubbles V can be stably supplied between the substrates W adjacent to each other.

In this way, in the first embodiment, the bubbler plates 851a to 851c correspond to an example of the "restricted portion" of the present invention. In addition, the processing liquid flowing toward the gap 86 after being separated from the lower surfaces of the bubbler plates 851a to 851c corresponds to the "processing liquid flowing in through the restriction portion" of the present invention. In addition, the X direction and the Y direction correspond to the "first horizontal direction" and "second horizontal direction" of the present invention, respectively.

Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The major difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that two bubbler plates 851 and two bubblers 841 are added. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the treatment liquid flowing into the space between the side wall 821c of the treatment tank 821 and the fluid pipe 831a through the inner bottom surface 821h directly rises toward the overflow surface to form the treatment liquid fluid F. In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, a bubbler plate 851 (referred to as "a bubbler plate 851d") is arranged between the side wall 821c of the processing tank 821 and the fluid pipe 831a. Therefore, the above-mentioned treatment liquid corresponds to the liquid to be divided, and the fluid F is restricted on the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851d and separated in the horizontal plane. As a result, the fluid F of the split target fluid is split into a fluid F7 of the processing liquid flowing toward the gap between the side wall 821c and the bubbler plate 851d, and a fluid F8 of the processing liquid flowing toward the gap between the bubbler plate 851c and the fluid pipe 831a . Also, the side wall 821e side of the processing tank 821 is also the same. Since the bubbler plate 851 (referred to as "bubbler plate 851e") is arranged between the side wall 821e of the processing tank 821 and the fluid pipe 831d, the process flows in between. The liquid corresponds to the liquid to be split, and the liquid F is restricted on the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851e and separated in the horizontal plane. As a result, the fluid F of the split target fluid is split into a fluid F9 of the treatment liquid flowing toward the gap between the bubbler plate 851e and the fluid pipe 831d, and a fluid F10 of the treatment fluid flowing toward the gap between the side wall 821e and the bubbler plate 851e .

In this way, according to the second embodiment, not only as in the first embodiment, a large amount of upward flow is widely dispersed and formed at the center of the storage space 821f, and a large amount of upward flow is also widely dispersed and formed at the end of the storage space 821f. That is, the fluid F of the entire processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface 821h is divided into a plurality of fluids and then guided to the overflow surface. Therefore, it is possible to further effectively suppress the generation of downflow in the storage space 821f. As a result, the bubbles V can be uniformly supplied to the substrate W, and the substrate processing can be performed with higher quality.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since the bubbler 841 is additionally provided on the bubbler plates 851d and 851e, the supply range of the bubbles V can be expanded, and the substrate processing can be performed with higher quality.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The major difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is the number of bubblers 841 and bubbler plates 851, and the relative positional relationship between the fluid pipe 831, bubbler 841, and bubbler plate 851. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, four fluid pipes 831 are arranged at a position directly above the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f in a state of being separated from each other in the X direction. Each fluid pipe 831 extends in the Y direction, and is arranged with the processing liquid ejection port 834 facing the inner bottom surface 821h. In addition, a plurality of bubbler plates 851 (eight in the third embodiment) are arranged at a position directly above the fluid pipe 831 in a state of being separated from each other in the Y direction. Each bubbler plate 851 extends in the X direction. Therefore, the fluid pipe 831 and the bubbler plate 851 are orthogonal to each other, and form a lattice structure when viewed from above. Therefore, the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port 834 of the fluid pipe 831 flows upward through the space between the adjacent fluid pipes 831 via the inner bottom surface 821h. A part of the treatment liquid (the liquid to be shunted) is restricted on the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851, separated in the horizontal plane, and when viewed from above, it passes through the through part 852 where neither the fluid pipe 831 nor the bubbler plate 851 exists, and faces the overflow. The stream surface rises. In this manner, as in the first embodiment or the second embodiment, the fluid of the split target liquid is split by the bubbler plate 851 into plural pieces. As a result, the same effects as those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment can be obtained.

Also, a bubbler 841 is fixed to each bubbler plate 851, but the arrangement of the bubble ejection port 845 of the bubbler 841 and the substrate W is the same as that of the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and they can face each other adjacent to each other. The bubbles V are effectively supplied between the substrates W. As a result, substrate processing (chemical solution processing or cleaning processing) can be performed with high quality.

However, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the bubbler plate 851 constituting the branch portion 850 is arranged between the adjacent fluid pipes 831, but it can also be placed directly above the fluid pipe 831 as in the third embodiment. The bubbler plate 851 is arranged at the position, and the bubbler 841 is further arranged on the bubbler plate 851 (fourth embodiment).

In addition, in the first to fourth embodiments, three independent bubbler plates 851 are spaced apart from each other and arranged in the Y direction to form the splitter 850, but the configuration of the splitter 850 is not limited to this, for example It may be configured as shown in Fig. 9 (fifth embodiment).

Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a shunt used in the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In this fifth embodiment, a slit 854 extending in the X direction from one plate member 853 in the Y direction is used as the branch portion 850. In this fifth embodiment, the slit 854 functions as the penetration portion 852, and the strip-shaped regions 855 separated by the slit 854 function as the bubbler plate 851, and the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, in the third and fourth embodiments, in the position directly above the fluid pipe 831, a plurality of independent bubbler plates 851 are separated from each other and arranged in the Y direction to form the branch portion 850, but for example, it may be as The general configuration shown in Fig. 10 (sixth embodiment).

Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a shunt used in the sixth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In this sixth embodiment, instead of providing slits 854 in the plate member 853, as shown in the figure, a plurality of through holes 856 are bored in the plate member 853. That is, in the sixth embodiment, the through-hole group essentially functions as the through portion 852, and the band-shaped regions 855 separated by the through-hole groups function as the bubbler plate 851, and the same as the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained. Effect.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the bubbler 841 is supported by the bubbler plate 851 of the branch portion 850, and is fixedly arranged in the processing liquid stored in the storage space 821f, and the bubbler plate 851 The fluid F of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface 821h is divided into a plurality of fluids. Here, for example, when the bubbler plate 851 is directly fixed to the treatment tank 821, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, a bubbler 841 may be arranged between the fluid pipes 831 (seventh embodiment).

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a seventh embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In the seventh embodiment, as shown in the figure, the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port 834 of the fluid pipe 831 flows upward through the inner bottom surface 821h through the adjacent fluid pipes 831. A part of the treatment liquid (the liquid to be diverted) is restricted on the lower surface of the bubble pipe 842 of the bubbler 841, divided in the horizontal plane, and rises toward the overflow surface. In this way, the fluid of the split target liquid is split into a plurality of fluids by the bubbler 841. As a result, the same effects as those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the device can be simplified to omit the part of the splitter 850.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, part or all of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface 821h is used as the diversion target liquid, and the flow of the diversion target liquid is divided to suppress the generation of downflow. In addition, other configurations for suppressing the generation of downflow can also be added. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, side wall openings 821h to 821k may be provided in the processing tank 821 (eighth embodiment).

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of a processing tank used in the eighth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The eighth embodiment differs greatly from the first embodiment (FIG. 3) in that all the side walls 821b to 821e of the processing tank 821 are provided in the substrate facing area facing the substrate W immersed in the processing liquid. There are points with side wall openings 821h to 821k, and the other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted.

In the eighth embodiment, the storage space 821f and the recovery space 822a communicate with each other through the side wall openings 821h to 821k. Therefore, the processing liquid flowing toward the upper opening 821g is divided into the one that overflows through the upper opening 821g and is discharged from the processing tank 821 to the recovery space 822a, and the one that is discharged from the processing tank 821 to the recovery space 822a through the side wall openings 821h to 821k. In this way, by dividing the processing liquid at a position close to the overflow surface, the downward flow can be more effectively suppressed, and the bubbles V can be supplied to the substrate W more uniformly. As a result, substrate processing can be performed with higher quality.

Furthermore, in order to further suppress the generation of downflow, the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-102888, that is, a cover that restricts the area of the upper opening 821g, can be added to the above-mentioned embodiment to suppress downflow.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various changes can be made in addition to the above as long as it does not deviate from the gist. For example, in the above embodiment, the bubbler 841 provided with the hollow cylindrical protrusion 843 from the bubble pipe 842 is used to supply the bubbles V, but the structure of the bubbler 841 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to use a hollow cone trapezoid-shaped protrusion part 846 protruding from the bubble pipe 842 (ninth embodiment). Moreover, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the one which does not provide the protruding part, ie, the one with the bubble ejection port 845 penetrated in the upper surface of the bubble pipe 842 (10th embodiment), can also be used.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the processing liquid ejection portion 830 includes four fluid pipes 831, but the number of fluid pipes 831 is not limited to this, and it is desirable to set it according to the size of the storage space 821f or the substrate W. In addition, the number of bubblers 841 included in the bubble supply unit 840 is 4 (first embodiment, seventh embodiment, etc.), 6 (second embodiment), and 8 (third embodiment). However, the number of bubblers 841 is not limited to this, and it is desirable to set it according to the size of the storage space 821f or the substrate W. In addition, the number of bubbler plates 851 included in the splitter 850 is 3 (first embodiment, seventh embodiment, etc.), 5 (second embodiment), and 8 (third embodiment). However, the number of bubblers 841 is not limited to this, and it is desirable to set it according to the storage space 821f or the size of the substrate W.

Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 etc., for example, the processing liquid ejection port 834 opens toward the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f, and the processing liquid is ejected to the inner bottom surface 821h. Here, the method of passing the processing liquid on the inner bottom surface 821h is not limited to this (for example, the 11th embodiment or the 12th embodiment).

Fig. 15 is an exploded and assembled perspective view partially showing the main components of the eleventh embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of the eleventh embodiment. The eleventh embodiment differs greatly from the first embodiment (FIG. 4) in the number and arrangement of fluid pipes 831, the additional cover member 835, and the addition of blistering to the slit 857 that functions as a through part 852 The other structure of the device board 851 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted.

In the eleventh embodiment, the fluid pipe 831 is arranged in the same manner as the previous device. That is, the processing liquid ejection port 834 of the fluid pipe 831 opens toward the lower end of the substrate W held by the elevator (substrate holding portion) not shown in the figure. Therefore, when the processing liquid supply unit 832 operates in accordance with the processing liquid supply command from the control unit 9, the processing liquid is ejected from the fluid pipe 831 toward the substrate W as shown by the arrow AR1 in the enlarged view of FIG. However, in this embodiment, the cover member 835 is arranged to cover the fluid pipe 831 from above, and as indicated by the arrow AR2 in the figure, the processing liquid is guided to the inner bottom surface 821h of the storage space 821f. Thereby, similarly to the first embodiment to the tenth embodiment, the processing liquid flows upward through the inner bottom surface 821h. That is, the liquid to be split is formed. A part of the liquid to be diverted is restricted on the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851 and divided in a horizontal plane. In addition, the separated treatment liquid passes through the slit 857 (the penetrating part 852) of the bubbler plate 851 and rises toward the overflow surface. In this way, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the fluid of the split target liquid is split into a plurality of pieces by the bubbler plate 851. As a result, the generation of downflow in the storage space 821f can be effectively suppressed, and the substrate processing can be performed with high quality.

In the above-mentioned eleventh embodiment, by providing the cover member 835, there is a tendency that the processing liquid immediately above the cover member 835 becomes less. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the through hole 836 may be provided in a part of the cover member 835, and a part of the processing liquid may also be fed directly above the cover member 835 (12th embodiment).

Fig. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a twelfth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In this twelfth embodiment, the through hole 836 is provided at a position in the cover member 835 that does not face the processing liquid ejection port 834. Therefore, the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port 834 flows along the curved lower surface of the cover member 835, and a part of it flows through the through hole 836 from the cover member 835 toward the lower end of the substrate W (refer to the arrow F0 in the figure) . On the other hand, the treatment liquid other than this is the same as the eleventh embodiment, and becomes the flow target liquid, and a part is restricted on the lower surface of the bubbler plate 851, and is divided in the horizontal plane. By adding the fluid F0 of the processing liquid to the area directly above the cover member 835 in this way, it is possible to further effectively suppress the generation of downflow in the storage space 821f. As a result, the uniformity of the supply of bubbles V to the substrate W can be improved, and the substrate processing can be performed with higher quality.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, nitrogen is fed to the bubbler 841 and the bubbles V are fed into the processing liquid, but a gas other than nitrogen may be used as the "gas" of the present invention.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus for chemical liquid treatment or a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning by a chemical liquid containing phosphoric acid, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing techniques in which the substrate is immersed in a processing liquid other than the above-mentioned chemical liquid or cleaning liquid to perform substrate processing.

Above, the invention has been described in accordance with specific embodiments, but the description is not intended to be interpreted in a limited sense. If referring to the description of the invention, those skilled in the technology should understand the various modifications of the embodiments disclosed in the same manner as the other embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should be considered that the scope of the attached patent application does not deviate from the true scope of the invention, and includes the modification or embodiment.

The present invention can be applied to all substrate processing techniques in which the substrate is immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing tank while the processing liquid is overflowed from the processing tank, and bubbles are supplied to the substrate for processing in the processing liquid.

1: Substrate processing system 2: Storage device placement part 3: Baffle drive mechanism 4: Substrate transfer robot 5: Posture conversion mechanism 6: putter 7: Substrate transport mechanism 8: Processing unit 9: Control Department 31: bezel 71: Overhanging arm 81: The first chemical processing section (substrate processing equipment) 82: The first cleaning processing section (substrate processing equipment) 83: The second chemical processing section (substrate processing equipment) 84: The second cleaning processing section (substrate processing equipment) 85: Processing Department 86: Gap 810: Elevator (board holding part) 810a: Elevator (board holding part) 810b: Lift (board holding part) 811: Backplane 812: support member 812a: V-shaped groove 813: Extension member 814: Elevator Drive Mechanism 815: Lifting motor 816: Ball Screw 817: Lifting base 818: Lifting pillar 819: Motor Drive 821: processing slot 821a: (processing tank) bottom wall 821b～821e: (of the processing tank) side wall 821f: storage space 821g: upper opening 821h: (of storage space) inner bottom surface 821h～821k: side wall opening 822: Overflow Slot 822a: Reclaim space 823: Outer Container 830: Treatment liquid ejection part 831: fluid pipe 831a～831d: fluid pipe 832: Treatment liquid supply unit 833: Treatment Liquid Recovery Department 834: Treatment Liquid Ejection Port 835: cover member 836: through hole 839: Fluid Piping System 840: Bubble Supply Department 841: Bubbler 841a～841d: Bubbler 842: Bulb piping 843: protruding part 844: Gas Supply Department 845: Bubble Ejection 846: Protruding Location 850: Diversion Department 851: Bubbler 851a～851e: Bubbler 852: pierced part 852a: penetration part 852b: Through part 853: plate member 854: slit 855: band area 856: Through Hole 857: slit AR1: Arrow AR2: Arrow F: Annular belt F: fluid F0: Arrow F1～F10: fluid PT: pitch V: bubbles VS: imaginary face upright W: substrate Wc: (of the substrate) center X: 1st horizontal direction Y: 2nd horizontal direction Z: Vertical direction

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system equipped with a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded and assembled perspective view schematically showing the main components of the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement relationship between a plurality of substrates held in the elevator and the bubble ejection port. Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a shunt used in the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a shunt used in the sixth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a seventh embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of a processing tank used in the eighth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a bubbler used in the ninth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a bubbler used in the tenth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 15 is an exploded and assembled perspective view partially showing the main components of the eleventh embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus of the eleventh embodiment. Fig. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a twelfth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

81: The first chemical processing section (substrate processing equipment)

82: The first cleaning processing section (substrate processing equipment)

83: The second chemical processing section (substrate processing equipment)

84: The second cleaning processing section (substrate processing equipment)

86: Gap

821: processing slot

821a: (processing tank) bottom wall

821f: storage space

821g: upper opening

821h: (of storage space) inner bottom surface

822: Overflow Slot

831: fluid pipe

831a~831d: fluid pipe

834: Treatment Liquid Ejection Port

841: Bubbler

841d: Bubbler

845: Bubble Ejection

851: Bubbler

851c: Bubbler

F: fluid

F1~F6: fluid

VS: imaginary face upright

W: substrate

Wc: (of the substrate) center

X: 1st horizontal direction

Y: 2nd horizontal direction

Z: Vertical direction

Claims (17)

A substrate processing device, characterized by having: A processing tank, which has a storage space for storing a processing liquid, while allowing the processing liquid to overflow from the upper opening of the storage space, while immersing the substrate in the processing liquid stored in the storage space, to process the substrate; A substrate holding portion for holding the substrate in an upright posture in the storage space; A processing liquid ejection portion having a processing liquid ejection port for ejecting the processing liquid on the lower side of the substrate held in the substrate holding portion, and the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port flows toward the inner bottom surface of the storage space ;and A bubble supply part, which is provided on the lower side of the substrate held in the substrate holding part and on the upper side of the processing liquid ejection port, and supplies bubbles to the processing liquid stored in the storage space; and In the vertical direction and between the bubble supply part and the inner bottom surface of the storage space, at least a part of the processing liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface of the storage space is used as the branch target liquid, and the fluid of the branch target liquid is branched A plurality of upward flows are formed and guided to the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, which further includes: A splitter, which splits the fluid of the above-mentioned split target liquid into a plurality of upward flows; The above-mentioned shunt unit has: Restriction part, which restricts the flow of the above-mentioned diversion target liquid upwards, and separates the above-mentioned diversion target liquid in a horizontal plane; and A plurality of penetrating portions are provided adjacent to the restriction portion in a horizontal plane and penetrating in a vertical direction, and guide the processing liquid flowing in through the restriction portion to the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein The processing liquid ejection portion has a plurality of fluid pipes extending in a first horizontal direction, and a plurality of processing liquid ejection ports are arranged on the side wall along the first horizontal direction, and The plurality of fluid pipes are arranged apart from each other in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction, and the restriction portion is arranged between the fluid pipes adjacent to each other in the second horizontal direction. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein The restriction portion is further arranged between the fluid pipe and the treatment tank which are adjacent to each other in the second horizontal direction. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein The substrate holding portion is separated from each other in the first horizontal direction and holds a plurality of the substrates, The bubble supply unit has a plurality of bubblers, which are extended in the first horizontal direction, and a plurality of bubble ejection ports for ejecting the bubbles are arranged in a side wall along the first horizontal direction. The substrate and the bubble ejection port are alternately located in the first horizontal direction, Each of the air bubble ejection ports ejects the air bubbles toward between the adjacent substrates in the first horizontal direction. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein The restriction portion is extended in the first horizontal direction, The processing liquid ejection portion has a plurality of fluid pipes extending in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction, and a plurality of processing liquid ejection ports are arranged in a side wall along the second horizontal direction. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein The substrate holding portion is spaced apart from each other in the first horizontal direction and holds a plurality of the substrates, The bubble supply unit has a plurality of bubblers, which are extended in the first horizontal direction, and a plurality of bubble ejection ports for ejecting the bubbles are arranged in a side wall along the first horizontal direction. The substrate and the bubble ejection port are alternately located in the first horizontal direction, Each of the air bubble ejection ports ejects the air bubbles toward between the adjacent substrates in the first horizontal direction. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein The restriction portion is located vertically directly below the air bubble supply part, and supports the air bubble supply part from below. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 5 or 7, wherein The penetration portion extends in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction of the bubble ejection ports. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The processing liquid ejection portion has a plurality of fluid pipes extending in a first horizontal direction, and a plurality of processing liquid ejection ports are arranged on the side wall along the first horizontal direction, and The bubble supply unit has a bubbler that extends in the first horizontal direction, and a plurality of bubble ejection ports for ejecting the bubbles are arranged in a side wall along the first horizontal direction. The bubbler is arranged between the fluid pipes adjacent to each other in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction, and divides the fluid of the split target liquid flowing between the adjacent fluid pipes into a plurality of Upflow. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 or 10, wherein In the storage space, the processing liquid ejection portion and the bubble supply portion are symmetrically arranged with respect to a virtual vertical plane passing through the center of the substrate held by the substrate holding portion and orthogonal to the surface of the substrate. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein In the storage space, the processing liquid ejection section, the bubble supply section, and the branching section are symmetrically arranged with respect to a virtual vertical plane passing through the center of the substrate held by the substrate holding section and orthogonal to the surface of the substrate. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 and 10, wherein In the area near the upper opening in the side wall of the processing tank, a side wall opening is provided, The processing liquid flowing toward the upper opening is divided into one that overflows through the upper opening and one that is discharged from the processing tank through the side wall opening. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 and 10, wherein The processing liquid ejection port opens toward the inner bottom surface of the storage space. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 and 10, wherein The processing liquid ejection port opens toward the substrate held by the substrate holding portion, and The processing liquid ejection portion guides the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port to the inner bottom surface of the storage space. Such as the substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein The cover member has a through hole that allows a part of the processing liquid ejected from the processing liquid ejection port to circulate toward the substrate held by the substrate holding portion. A substrate processing method, characterized by having: The overflow step, which stores the treatment liquid in the storage space by spraying the treatment liquid to the storage space provided in the treatment tank, and causes the treatment liquid to overflow from the upper opening of the storage space; An immersion step of immersing the substrate in the above-mentioned treatment liquid stored in the above-mentioned storage space; and A bubble supply step, which supplies bubbles from a bubble supply part from the lower side of the substrate of the processing liquid immersed in the storage space; and The overflow step is performed in parallel with the immersion step and the bubble supply step. Between the bubble supply portion and the inner bottom surface of the storage space, at least one of the fluid of the treatment liquid flowing upward through the inner bottom surface of the storage space Part of the flow is divided into a plurality of upward flows and guided to the above-mentioned substrate.

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