TW202228228A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing container in which a substrate is accommodated in a processing space, a fluid supply unit that supplies a processing fluid for supercritical processing to the processing space, a fluid discharge unit that discharges the processing fluid from the processing space through a discharge flow path formed in the processing container in communication with the processing space, and a flow adjustment unit provided at a flow adjustment position of the discharge flow path, wherein the flow adjustment unit adjusts the balance between the flow of the processing fluid on the processing space side with respect to the flow adjustment position.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a processing fluid in a processing container.

The contents disclosed in the descriptions, drawings and claims of the Japanese application as shown below are incorporated into this specification for reference in their entirety: Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-194879 (filed on November 25, 2020).

The processing steps of various substrates such as semiconductor substrates and glass substrates for display devices include a step of processing the surfaces of the substrates with various processing fluids. Conventionally, liquids such as chemical liquids and cleaning liquids have been widely used as treatment fluids. However, in recent years, treatments using supercritical fluids have also been put into practical use. In particular, in the processing of substrates with fine patterns formed on the surface, supercritical fluids with low surface tension are more likely to penetrate deep into the gaps of the patterns than liquids, so the processing can be efficiently performed. Risk of pattern collapse due to surface tension.

For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-082043 describes a substrate processing apparatus that performs drying processing of a substrate using a supercritical fluid. In this apparatus, a processing container is formed, and the processing container is configured to have two plate-shaped members facing each other so as to function as a processing space with a gap therebetween. The wafer (substrate) placed on the thin plate-shaped holding plate is carried in from one end of the processing space, and carbon dioxide in a supercritical state is introduced from the other end. In addition, a fluid discharge header is provided in the processing vessel. A discharge port is connected to the fluid discharge header, and the supercritical fluid is discharged from the processing space to the outside of the processing container through the fluid discharge header and the discharge port. Furthermore, the structure for discharging the supercritical fluid from the processing space is also described in detail in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-033963, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-157745, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-091772.

Although the fluid discharge header and the discharge port form the exhaust flow path of the supercritical fluid from the processing space, the balance of the exhaust gas cannot be achieved in the exhaust flow path, which causes the following problems. That is, on the inlet side of the exhaust flow path, the fluid discharge header is extended in the width direction of the substrate, and the supercritical fluid system flows into the fluid discharge header from a wider range in the width direction. On the other hand, on the outlet side of the exhaust gas flow path, the supercritical fluid system flowing through the inside of the fluid discharge header is discharged from a part of the fluid discharge header to the outside of the processing container. For example, in the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-082043, the fluid is discharged to the outside of the processing container from discharge ports connected to both ends of the fluid discharge header. Therefore, the exhaust gas becomes unbalanced on the inlet side and the outlet side of the exhaust gas flow path, and a reverse flow of the supercritical fluid toward the processing space occurs particularly on the inlet side of the exhaust gas flow path. As a result, the components, particles, etc. eluted from the treated supercritical fluid may adhere to the substrate again, thereby causing contamination of the substrate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to effectively prevent the processed processing fluid from flowing back into the processing space and contaminating the substrate in the substrate processing technology in which the processing fluid is used to process the substrate in the processing space of the processing container. .

In one aspect of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus is characterized by comprising: a processing container for accommodating a substrate in a processing space; a fluid supply unit for supplying a processing fluid for supercritical processing into the processing space; a fluid discharge part, which discharges the processing fluid from the processing space through an exhaust flow path formed by communicating with the processing space in the processing container; and a rectification part, which is arranged at the rectification position of the exhaust flow path; When the process fluid is discharged by the fluid discharge part, the process fluid flowing into the rectification position is rectified to adjust the flow of the process fluid on the processing space side relative to the rectification position and the flow of the process fluid on the fluid discharge part side relative to the rectification position. balance of flow.

In the invention thus constituted, although the processing fluid in the processing space is discharged to the outside of the device through the exhaust flow path by the fluid discharge portion, if the balance of the exhaust gas is at the inlet side (processing space side) and the outlet of the exhaust flow path When the side (fluid discharge part side) is out of balance, the process fluid may flow back toward the process space from the exhaust flow path. Therefore, in the present invention, the rectification portion is provided in the exhaust flow path, and when the treatment fluid is discharged by the fluid discharge portion, the treatment fluid flowing into the rectification position is rectified. As a result, the flow of the treatment fluid relative to the rectification position on the processing space side (the inlet side of the exhaust flow path) and the flow of the treatment fluid relative to the rectification position on the fluid discharge portion side (the outlet side of the exhaust flow path) can be adjusted. balance.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the exhaust gas balance in the exhaust gas flow path is adjusted, it effectively prevents the processed processing fluid from flowing back into the processing space and contaminating the substrate.

Not all of the plurality of constituent elements of the above-mentioned aspects of the present invention are necessary, and in order to solve a part or all of the above problems, or to achieve a part or all of the effects described in this specification, the above-mentioned plural elements may be appropriately added. A part of the constituent elements is changed, deleted, exchanged with other new constituent elements, and part of the limited content is deleted. In addition, in order to solve a part or all of the above problems, or to achieve a part or all of the effects described in this specification, a part or all of the technical features included in the above-mentioned aspect of the present invention may be combined with the above-mentioned one of the present invention. A part or all of the technical features contained in other aspects are combined as an independent aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for processing the surfaces of various substrates such as semiconductor substrates using a supercritical fluid. In order to unify the directions in the following figures, as shown in Figure 1, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set. Among them, the XY plane is the horizontal plane, and the Z direction shows the vertical direction. More specifically, the (-Z) direction shows vertically downward.

Here, the "substrate" of the present embodiment can be applied to semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, substrates for FED (Field Emission Display), substrates for optical discs, magnetic Various substrates such as disk substrates and magneto-optical disk substrates. Hereinafter, although a substrate processing apparatus used for processing a semiconductor wafer is mainly used as an example and described with reference to the drawings, it is also applicable to the processing of various substrates exemplified above.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit 10 , a supply unit 50 , and a control unit 90 . The processing unit 10 becomes the main body of the supercritical drying process, and the supply unit 50 supplies the processing unit 10 with chemical substances and power required for the processing.

The control unit 90 controls various parts of the devices to achieve predetermined processing. For this purpose, the control unit 90 has a CPU 91 that executes various control programs, a memory 92 that temporarily stores processing data, a storage 93 that stores control programs executed by the CPU 91, and exchanges information with users and external devices. The interface 94 and so on. The operation of the device to be described later is realized by the CPU 91 executing a control program written in advance in the memory 93 to cause each part of the device to perform predetermined operations.

The processing unit 10 includes a processing chamber 100 . The processing chamber 100 has a first member 11 , a second member 12 and a third member 13 formed by metal blocks, respectively. The first member 11 and the second member 12 are combined in the up-down direction by a combination member (not shown), and the third member 13 is combined on the (+Y) side surface thereof by a combination member (not shown) to form a structure. The processing chamber 100 has a hollow structure inside. The inner space of the cavity becomes the processing space SP where the substrate S is processed. The substrate S to be processed is carried into the processing space SP to be processed. A slit-shaped opening 101 extending slenderly in the X direction is formed on the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 100 , and the processing space SP communicates with the external space through the opening 101 .

A cover member 14 is provided on the (-Y) side surface of the processing chamber 100 so as to block the opening 101 . On the (+Y) side surface of the cover member 14 , a flat plate-shaped support tray 15 is mounted in a horizontal position, and the upper surface of the support tray 15 serves as a support surface on which the substrate S can be placed. More specifically, the support tray 15 has a structure in which a recessed portion 152 formed slightly larger than the plane size of the substrate S is provided on the substantially flat upper surface 151 . By accommodating the substrate S in the recess 152 , the substrate S is held at a predetermined position on the support tray 15 . The board|substrate S is hold|maintained so that the surface (it may also be abbreviated as "substrate surface" below) Sa of a process object may face upward. At this time, it is preferable that the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15 and the substrate surface Sa are formed on the same plane.

The cover member 14 is supported so as to be freely movable horizontally in the Y direction by a support mechanism (not shown). In addition, the cover member 14 is movable forward and backward with respect to the processing chamber 100 by the forward and backward mechanism 53 provided in the supply unit 50 . Specifically, the advancing and retracting mechanism 53 has a linear moving mechanism such as a linear motor, a linear guide, a ball screw mechanism, a solenoid, and an air cylinder, and the cover member 14 is moved in the Y direction by the linear moving mechanism. The advancing and retracting mechanism 53 operates according to a control command from the control unit 90 .

By moving the cover member 14 in the (−Y) direction, the support tray 15 can be accessed from the outside by pulling the support tray 15 out of the processing space SP through the opening 101 to the outside. That is, the substrate S can be placed on the support tray 15 and the substrate S placed on the support tray 15 can be taken out. On the other hand, when the cover member 14 moves in the (+Y) direction, the support tray 15 is accommodated in the processing space SP. When the substrate S is placed on the support tray 15 , the substrate S is carried into the processing space SP together with the support tray 15 .

In the supercritical drying process in which the main purpose of drying the substrate is to prevent the collapse of the pattern caused by the surface tension of the liquid, in order to prevent the surface Sa of the substrate S from being exposed and the collapse of the pattern occurs, the substrate S is dried on the surface Sa by It is carried in the state covered with the liquid film. As the liquid constituting the liquid film, an organic solvent having a low surface tension such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and acetone can be suitably used.

The processing space SP can be closed by closing the opening 101 by moving the cover member 14 in the (+Y) direction. A sealing member 16 is provided between the (+Y) side surface of the cover member 14 and the (−Y) side surface of the processing chamber 100 in order to maintain the airtight state of the processing space SP. The sealing member 16 may use an elastic resin material such as a ring formed of rubber. In addition, the cover member 14 can be fixed to the processing chamber 100 by a locking mechanism not shown. In a state where the airtight state of the processing space SP is ensured in this way, the processing of the substrate S is performed within the processing space SP.

In this embodiment, a fluid such as carbon dioxide that can be used in supercritical processing can be supplied to the processing unit 10 from the fluid supply unit 57 provided in the supply unit 50 in a gas or liquid state. Carbon dioxide is in a supercritical state at relatively low temperature and low pressure, and has the property of being easily dissolved in organic solvents often used in substrate processing, so it is a chemical substance suitable for supercritical drying processing.

More specifically, the fluid supply unit 57 outputs a fluid in a supercritical state, or a fluid supplied in a gaseous or liquid state and subsequently becomes a supercritical state by applying a predetermined temperature and pressure, as a process for processing the substrate S. fluid. For example, gaseous or liquid carbon dioxide is output in a pressurized state. The fluid system is pressure-fed to the input ports 102 and 103 provided on the (+Y) side surface of the processing chamber 100 via the piping 571 and the valves 572 and 573 inserted in the middle. That is, by opening the valves 572 and 573 according to the control command from the control unit 90, the fluid is supplied from the fluid supply unit 57 into the processing chamber 100 (supply step).

2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing flow paths of the treatment fluid. More specifically, FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the flow path, and FIG. 2B is a top view thereof. Hereinafter, the structure of the flow path of the processing fluid will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 , 2A, and 2B.

The fluid flow path 17 from the input ports 102 and 103 to the processing space SP has a function of an introduction flow path for introducing the processing fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit 57 to the processing space SP. Specifically, the flow path 171 is connected to the input port 102 . A buffer space 172 is provided at the end of the flow path 171 on the opposite side of the input port 102 , and the buffer space 172 is formed in such a way that the cross-sectional area of the flow path is rapidly enlarged.

Moreover, the flow path 173 is further provided so that the buffer space 172 and the processing space SP may be connected. The flow channel 173 has a cross-sectional shape that is narrow in the vertical direction (Z direction), long and wide in the horizontal direction (X direction), and the cross-sectional shape is substantially constant in the flow direction of the processing fluid. The end of the flow path 171 on the opposite side of the buffer space 172 becomes a discharge port 174 which is opened facing the processing space SP, and the processing fluid can be introduced into the processing space SP from the discharge port 174 .

Preferably, when the support tray 15 is accommodated in the processing space SP, the height of the flow path 173 is equal to the distance between the top surface of the processing space SP and the substrate surface Sa. In addition, the discharge port 174 is opened to face the gap between the top surface of the processing space SP and the top surface 151 of the support tray 15 . For example, the top surface of the flow path 173 and the top surface of the processing space SP may be the same plane. In this way, the discharge port 174 is opened in an elongated slit shape facing the processing space SP in the horizontal direction.

A flow path of the processing fluid is similarly formed under the support tray 15 . Specifically, the flow path 175 is connected to the input port 103 . A buffer space 176 is provided at the end of the flow path 175 on the opposite side to the input port 103 , and the buffer space 176 is formed in such a way that the cross-sectional area of the flow path is rapidly enlarged.

In addition, the buffer space 176 and the processing space SP communicate with each other via the flow path 177 . The flow path 177 has a cross-sectional shape that is narrow in the vertical direction (Z direction), long and wide in the horizontal direction (X direction), and the cross-sectional shape is substantially constant in the flow direction of the processing fluid. The end of the flow path 177 on the opposite side to the buffer space 176 is a discharge port 178 opened to face the processing space SP, and the processing fluid is introduced into the processing space SP from the discharge port 178 .

Preferably, the height of the flow path 177 is set to be equal to the distance between the bottom surface of the processing space SP and the lower surface of the support tray 15 . In addition, the discharge port 178 is open to the gap between the bottom surface of the processing space SP and the lower surface of the support tray 15 . For example, the bottom surface of the flow path 177 and the bottom surface of the processing space SP may be the same plane. That is, the discharge port 178 is an elongated slit-shaped opening facing the processing space SP in the horizontal direction.

Preferably, the arrangement position of the flow channel 171 is different from the arrangement position of the flow channel 173 in the Z direction. When the two are at the same height, a part of the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space 172 from the flow path 171 directly advances and flows into the flow path 173 . Therefore, in the X direction, which is the width direction of the flow path orthogonal to the flow direction, there is a difference in the flow rate and flow velocity of the processing fluid flowing into the flow path 173 between the position corresponding to the flow path 171 and the position other than this position. Danger. In this case, the flow of the processing fluid flowing into the processing space SP from the flow path 173 causes unevenness in the X direction, which causes turbulent flow.

By staggering the flow path 171 and the flow path 173 in the Z direction, the processing fluid can be introduced into the processing space SP as a uniform width in the width direction without the above-mentioned straight progression from the flow path 171 to the flow path 173 . Laminar flow.

The processing fluid introduced from the introduction flow path 17 configured in this way flows along the upper and lower surfaces of the support tray 15 in the processing space SP, and is discharged to the outside of the processing container through the exhaust flow path 18 configured as follows ( discharge step). On the (-Y) side of the substrate S, the top surface of the processing space SP and the top surface 151 of the support tray 15 both form a horizontal plane, and they face each other in parallel with a certain distance therebetween. This spacing functions to guide the processing fluid flowing along the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15 and the surface Sa of the substrate S to the fluid discharge portion 55 , such as the upstream region 181 of the exhaust flow path 18 . The upstream region 181 has a cross-sectional shape that is narrow in the vertical direction (Z direction), long and wide in the horizontal direction (X direction).

The end of the upstream region 181 on the opposite side of the processing space SP is connected to the buffer space 182 . The detailed structure will be described later, but the buffer space 182 is a space surrounded by the processing chamber 100 , the cover member 14 , and the sealing member 16 . The width of the buffer space 182 in the X direction is equal to or greater than the width of the upstream area 181 , and the height of the buffer space 182 in the Z direction is greater than the height of the upstream area 181 . Therefore, the buffer space 182 has a flow path cross-sectional area larger than that of the upstream region 181 .

A downstream area 183 is connected to the upper part of the buffer space 182 . The downstream region 183 is a through hole provided through the first member 11 , which constitutes the upper block of the processing chamber 100 . The upper end thereof constitutes an output port 104 opening on the upper surface of the processing chamber 100 , and the lower end thereof is opened to face the buffer space 182 .

In this way, in this embodiment, the exhaust flow path 18 on the upper surface side of the support tray 15 has the following three areas: an upstream area 181, which is formed between the upper surface 151 of the support tray 15 and the lower surface of the first member 11; • Downstream region 183, which is connected to fluid discharge 55; and • The middle area (buffer space 182 ), which connects the upstream area 181 and the downstream area 183 . As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , the upstream area 181 and the buffer space 182 are set to a width greater than the diameter of the substrate S in the X direction (corresponding to the “first width” of the present invention), and the X direction is equal to the width of the diameter of the substrate S. The flow direction Y of the treatment fluid from the treatment space SP is orthogonal. On the other hand, the width of the downstream region 183 in the X direction (corresponding to the "second width" in the present invention) is greatly reduced. Therefore, as in the prior art, in the case where no special treatment is applied to the exhaust gas flow path 18, a reverse flow of the treatment fluid occurs at the inlet side of the exhaust gas flow path 18, that is, the upstream region 181, and the treated treatment fluid is automatically The case where the upstream area 181 flows into the processing space SP. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , a part of the first member 11 (partition wall 112 to be described later) is extended in the buffer space 182 , and the end on the (−Y) direction side is extended. It is processed into a concave-convex shape so as to exert the function of the "straightening part" of the present invention. Furthermore, these features will be described in detail later.

Likewise, the bottom surface of the processing space SP and the lower surface of the support tray 15 both form a horizontal plane, and they face each other in parallel with a certain distance therebetween. This distance can serve to guide the processing fluid flowing along the lower surface of the support tray 15 to the fluid discharge portion 55 , such as the upstream region 185 of the exhaust flow path 18 . In addition, like the upper surface side of the support tray 15 , the upstream area 185 on the lower surface side of the support tray 15 is connected to the downstream area 187 via the buffer space 186 . That is, the exhaust flow path 18 on the lower side of the support tray 15 has the following three areas: an upstream area 185 formed between the lower surface of the support tray 15 and the upper surface of the second member 12; • Downstream region 187, which is connected to fluid discharge 55; and • The middle area (buffer space 186 ), which connects the upstream area 185 and the downstream area 187 . The upstream area 185 and the buffer space 186 are also set to have a width greater than the diameter of the substrate S in the X direction (corresponding to the "first width" of the present invention) in the same manner as the upper surface of the support tray 15 . On the other hand, the width of the downstream region 187 in the X direction (corresponding to the "second width" in the present invention) is greatly reduced. Therefore, in order to prevent the above-mentioned reverse flow, in the present embodiment, a part of the second member 12 (the partition wall 122 to be described later) is extended in the buffer space 186, and the left end portion is processed into a concave-convex shape, so as to exert the advantages of the present invention. The function of "rectifier". Furthermore, these features will be described in detail later.

The processing fluid flowing above the support tray 15 in the processing space SP is sent out to the output port 104 via the upstream area 181 , the buffer space 182 , and the downstream area 183 . The output port 104 is connected to the fluid discharge part 55 via a pipe 551 , and a valve 552 is inserted in the middle of the pipe 551 .

Similarly, the processing fluid flowing under the support tray 15 in the processing space SP is sent out to the output port 105 via the upstream area 185 , the buffer space 186 , and the downstream area 187 . The output port 105 is connected to the fluid discharge part 55 via a pipe 553 , and a valve 554 is inserted and installed in the middle of the pipe 553 .

The valves 552 , 554 are controlled by the control unit 90 . When the valves 552 and 554 are opened according to the control command from the control unit 90 , the processing fluid in the processing space SP is recovered by the fluid discharge part 55 through the pipes 551 and 553 .

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3A , 3B, 4 , 5A, and 5B, the configuration and operation of the rectifying portion will be described. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion. More specifically, FIG. 3A is an external view showing the opening portion 101 of the processing chamber 100 . In addition, in FIG. 3B , in order to more easily show the internal structure of the processing chamber 100 , the illustration of the boundary lines of the sealing member 16 , the first member 11 and the second member 12 is omitted from FIG. 3A , and replaced by hidden line (dashed line) to show the structure hidden in Figure 3A.

As shown in these figures, an annular sealing member 16 is attached to the end face on the (-Y) side of the processing chamber 100 , and an opening 101 is provided in an inner region surrounded by the sealing member 16 . More specifically, the (-Y) side end surfaces of the first member 11 and the second member 12 constituting the processing chamber 100 are provided with recesses 111 and 121 whose surfaces are retreated toward the (+Y) side. In addition, a flange-shaped partition wall 112 is provided on the lower end of the concave portion 111 of the first member 11 to protrude in the (-Y) direction, and the width of the partition wall 112 in the X direction is the same as or slightly larger than the width of the processing space SP, And it is thin in the up-down direction (Z direction).

The partition wall 112 is the lower end on the (-Y) side of the first member 11 extending in the (-Y) direction facing the support tray 15, and as shown in FIG. Therefore, the processing fluid (dotted line) flowing through the upstream region 181 passes through the (−Y) side of the partition wall 112 , changes direction further in the (+Z) direction, and flows into the buffer space 182 . In addition, in this embodiment, the partition wall 112 is provided with two notch parts 112a in the approximate center part of the X direction. Thereby, the partition wall 112 is processed into a concavo-convex shape to increase the flow rate of the treatment fluid in the central portion in the X direction, while suppressing the flow rate of the treatment fluid in both end portions in the X direction. That is, the partition wall 112 having the concave-convex portion can function as a "straightening portion" of the present invention.

In addition, at the upper end of the recessed portion 121 of the second member 12, a flange-shaped partition wall 122 is also arranged to protrude in the (-Y) direction, and the partition wall 122 has the same width in the X direction as the width of the processing space SP or Slightly larger and thinner in the up-down direction (Z direction).

The partition wall 122 is an upper end portion on the (-Y) side of the second member 12 extending in the (-Y) direction facing the support tray 15 , and partially partitions the upstream area 185 from the buffer space 186 . Therefore, the processing fluid flowing through the upstream region 185 passes through the (-Y) side of the partition wall 122 , changes its direction further in the (-Z) direction, and flows into the buffer space 186 . In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , two notch portions 122 a are provided in the partition wall 122 in the approximate center portion in the X direction. Thereby, by processing the partition wall 122 into a concavo-convex shape, the flow rate of the treatment fluid in the central portion in the X direction can be increased, and the flow rate of the treatment fluid at both end portions in the X direction can be suppressed. That is, the partition wall 122 having the concave-convex portion is the same as the partition wall 112, and can function as the "straightening portion" of the present invention.

The upper space above the partition wall 112 functions as the buffer space 182 by closing the (−Y) side opening with the cover member 14 . In addition, the lower space below the partition wall 122 functions as the buffer space 186 by closing the (-Y) side opening by the cover member 14 . Downstream regions 183 and 183 are connected on the upper surface of the recessed portion 111 and in the vicinity of both ends in the X direction. The downstream regions 183 , 183 communicate with the output ports 104 , 104 provided on the first member 11 . In addition, downstream regions 187 and 187 are connected to the lower surface of the concave portion 121 and to the vicinity of both ends in the X direction. The downstream regions 187 , 187 communicate with the output ports 105 , 105 provided below the second member 12 . In addition, a fluid discharge part 55 is connected to the output ports 104 , 104 , 105 and 105 to recover the processing fluid.

In this way, in the first embodiment, the inlet side of the exhaust flow path 18 , that is, the upstream regions 181 and 185 need to be configured to have a wide range in the X direction so that the treated fluid can flow into it. The outlet side of the passage 18, that is, the narrow range of the downstream regions 183 and 187 in the X direction allows the treatment fluid to flow out. Therefore, in spite of the above-mentioned problems, in the first embodiment, since the partition walls 112 and 122 that can function as rectifiers are provided, the exhaust gas balance in the exhaust gas flow path 18 can be well adjusted. This feature will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 , 5A, and 5B.

5A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the treatment fluid in the vicinity of the notch portion of the partition wall. In addition, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the end portion in the X direction of the partition wall. As shown in FIG. 4, in the vicinity of the notch parts 112a, 122a of the partition walls 112, 122, the partition walls 112, 122 are retreated toward the (+Y) side, which corresponds to a concave part. On the other hand, the partition walls 112 and 122 protrude toward the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space 186 from the upstream region 185 at the parts other than the cutout parts 112a and 122a, and correspond to convex parts. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A , the processing fluid flows into the buffer space 186 from the upstream region 185 at a large flow rate in the central portion far from the downstream regions 183 and 187 in the X direction, and flows toward both ends in the X direction. On the other hand, at both ends in the X direction, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B , the flow rate of the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space 186 from the upstream region 185 is suppressed compared to the central portion.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, in the configuration in which the downstream regions 183 and 187 are provided at both ends in the X direction in the exhaust flow path 18, and the partition walls 112 and 122 are provided with concave parts and convex parts, it is possible to The partition walls 112 and 122 are made to function as rectifying parts. That is, when the treated treatment fluid is discharged by the fluid discharge unit 55, it rectifies the treatment fluid flowing into the rectification position RP (FIG. 2B, FIG. This makes it possible to adjust the balance between the flow of the processing fluid on the side of the processing space SP with respect to the rectification position RP and the flow of the processing fluid on the side of the fluid discharge portion with respect to the rectification position RP. That is, it can ensure the balance of the exhaust gas in the exhaust gas flow path 18 . As a result, it can effectively prevent the situation where the processed processing fluid flows back toward the processing space SP to contaminate the substrate S.

6 is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening portion of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion of a processing chamber according to a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 6 and its description, structures having substantially the same functions as those described in FIGS. 3A and 3B are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The biggest difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment lies in the structure of the rectifying portion. That is, in the first embodiment, a part of the first member 11 (the partition wall 112 ) and a part of the second member 12 (the partition wall 122 ) function as the "straightening part" of the present invention. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the independent partition wall rectifying members 191 and 192 are detachable from the first member 11 and the second member 12, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the partition wall rectifying member 191 is a substantially L-shaped angular member in cross section. Two notch parts 191a and 191a are provided in the width direction center part of the wing part extended in the (-Y) direction among the two wing parts which comprise this partition wall rectifying member 191. In addition, the other wing portion is fixed to the first member 11 by a fixing screw 113a in a state of being in close contact with the concave portion 101a of the first member 11 . Thereby, the partition wall rectifying member 191 exhibits the partition wall function and the rectifying function similarly to the partition wall 112 of the first embodiment. In addition, similarly, the partition wall function can be exhibited by fixing the partition wall rectifying member 192 to the lower part of the opening portion 101b by the fixing screw 123a. At the same time, the partition wall rectifying member 192 having two notch portions 192a and 192a provided in the central portion in the width direction is used to exert a rectifying function.

As described above, in the second embodiment, since the partition rectifying members 191 and 192 are detachable, the partition rectifying members 191 and 192 corresponding to the type of the substrate S, processing conditions, and the like can be used. For example, a plurality of partition wall rectifying members 191 and 192 having different numbers, shapes, sizes, and the like of the cutout portions 191a and 192a may be prepared in advance. Then, the partition wall rectifying members 191 and 192 suitable for the type of the substrate S, processing conditions, etc. can be selected from among these, respectively, and can be attached to the processing chamber 100 . Thereby, the versatility of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved by responding to various substrates S, processing conditions, and the like.

As described above, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the processing chamber 100 constituted mainly by the first to third members 11 to 13 exerts the function of the "container body" of the present invention. In addition, the cover member 14 corresponds to an example of the "cover part" of this invention. In addition, the processing chamber 100 and the cover member 14 constitute the "processing container" of the present invention. In addition, the opening part 101 corresponds to the "opening part" of this invention. In addition, the Y direction, the X direction, and the Z direction correspond to the "first direction", "second direction" and "third direction" of the present invention, respectively.

In addition, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the peripheral regions of the output ports 104 and 105 are strongly exhausted by the fluid discharge portion 55, and the (+X) direction side in the exhaust flow path 18 and The range of the end portion on the side in the (-X) direction corresponds to an example of the "strong exhaust range" of the present invention. On the other hand, the central range in the X direction away from the output ports 104 and 105 corresponds to an example of the "weak exhaust range" of the present invention.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in addition to the above-described embodiments as long as the present invention does not exceed the essential content. For example, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, the two output ports 104, 104 (105, 105) are spaced apart in the X direction, and the above-mentioned central range is the weak exhaust range. Therefore, the notch parts 112a, 122a, 191a, and 192a are provided in the central part in the X direction. However, the arrangement position of the notch portion is not limited to this, and can be arbitrarily selected. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A , when the output ports 104 and 105 are provided only on the (-X) direction side, the notched portions 112a and 122a (191a and 192a) may be provided on the (+X) direction side (the third form of implementation). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 7B , in the case where the output ports 104 and 105 are provided only on the (+X) direction side, the notched portions 112a and 122a (191a and 192a) may also be provided on the (−X) direction side (the first Four Embodiments).

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the partition wall 112 ( 121 ) or the partition wall rectifying member 191 ( 192 ) is provided between the upstream region 181 ( 185 ) constituting the exhaust flow path 18 and the buffer space 182 ( 186 ), but this The applicable objects of the invention are not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 8A , 8B, 9A and 9B.

8A is a plan view of the flow path of the processing fluid in the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 8B is a perspective view which shows an example of the rectification|straightening part used in 5th Embodiment. 9A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the central portion in the width direction. 9B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the end portion in the width direction. In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, no partition wall or partition wall rectifying member is provided, and the processing fluid flowing in the (-Y) direction from the processing space SP directly flows into the buffer through the upstream regions 181 and 185. Space 182. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, the rectifying portion 20 is attached to the lower surface of the first member 11 so that the uneven surface (lower surface) of the rectifying portion 20 shown in FIG. 8B faces the upstream region 181 . Furthermore, the upstream region 185 is also constituted in the same manner. That is, the rectification part 21 having the same configuration as the rectification part 20 is attached to the upper surface of the second member 12 so that its uneven surface (upper surface) faces the upstream region 185 .

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , the rectifying parts 20 and 21 have a plate shape extending in the X direction. The rectifying part 20 has a concavo-convex shape in which notches 201 and 201 are formed in the central part of the lower surface, and rectifies the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space 182 from the upstream region 181 at the outlet position (rectification position RP) of the upstream region 181 . In addition, the rectification part 21 has a concavo-convex shape in which notched parts 211 and 211 are formed in the center part of the upper surface, and rectifies the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space 186 from the upstream region 185 at the outlet position (rectification position RP) of the upstream region 185 . Therefore, it can obtain the same function and effect as the above-mentioned embodiment.

In addition, although in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to the output ports 104 and 105 provided on both sides in the X direction, only on the (+X) direction side, and only on the (-X) direction side. However, it is also possible to apply the present invention to a device in which the output ports 104 and 105 are provided in the central portion of the X direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , in the case where the output ports 104 and 105 are provided in the central part in the X direction, it is preferable to provide notches 112a, 122a, 191a and 192a at both ends in the X direction (the sixth embodiment). form). In the sixth embodiment, if the output ports 104 and 105 are provided in the central part in the X direction, the central area in the X direction corresponds to the "strong exhaust area" of the present invention, and the end area corresponds to the "weak exhaust area". scope". Therefore, by providing the notch parts 112a, 122a, 191a, and 192a, the processing fluid flows into the buffer space from the upstream region at a large flow rate in the end region. On the other hand, since the partition walls 112 and 122 are not provided with notch portions in the central region, the flow rate of the processing fluid flowing into the buffer space from the upstream region is suppressed compared to the end portions. In this way, the partition walls 112 and 122 having concavo-convex portions formed by the cutout portions 112a, 122a, 191a, and 192a provided at the ends can function as the "straightening portion" of the present invention.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the inlet side (processing space SP side) of the exhaust flow path 18 is opened in the shape of a slit extending in the X direction, which can effectively take in the processing fluid flowing through the processing space SP. However, the configuration of the exhaust flow path 18 on the inlet side is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having an exhaust flow path arranged in the X-direction, for example. A punching plate having a plurality of through holes is constituted so that the processing fluid is taken in. That is, the present invention can also be applied to the apparatuses described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2018-082043, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-033963, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-157745, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-091772, and can be obtained with The above-mentioned embodiment has the same function and effect.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the exhaust flow path 18 is constituted by three types of regions, that is, the upstream region, the intermediate region (buffer space), and the downstream region. However, the present invention is applicable to a substrate processing apparatus in which the exhaust gas flow path 18 is constituted by an upstream region and a downstream region.

In addition, the various chemical substances used in the processing of the above-mentioned embodiment are only a partial example, and other various substances can be substituted as long as it conforms to the technical idea of the present invention described above.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, the above description is not intended to be construed as a limitation. Obviously, those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can easily understand the various modifications of the embodiments of the present invention just like other embodiments of the present invention by referring to the description of the present invention. Therefore, within the scope not exceeding the scope of the essential content of the present invention, the scope of the patent application of the present invention should include such modified examples or embodiments.

The present invention can be widely applied to a substrate processing technology in which a substrate is processed by a processing fluid in a processing container. In particular, it can be applied to a process using a high-pressure fluid, for example, a substrate drying process in which a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate is dried by a supercritical fluid.

1: Substrate processing device 10: Processing unit 11: The first component 12: Second component 13: The third component 14: Cover member 15: Support tray 16: Sealing member 18: Exhaust flow path 20, 21: Rectifier 50: Supply unit 53: Advance and retreat mechanism 55: Fluid discharge part 57: Fluid supply part 80: Control unit 91:CPU 92: memory 93: Storage 94: Interface 100: Processing chamber (container body) 101: Opening 102, 103: input port 104, 105: output port 112, 122: Next door (rectification part) 112a, 122a: Gap site 113a, 123a: fixing screws 151: Above 152: Recess 171: Flow Path 172: Buffer space 173: Flow Path 174: Spit out 175: Flow Path 176: Buffer space 177: Flow Path 178: Spit out 181, 185: Upstream area 182, 186: Buffer space (middle area) 183, 187: Downstream area 191, 192: Partition rectification member (rectification part) 191a, 192a: Gap site 551, 571: Piping 552, 572, 573: Valves RP: Rectification position S: substrate SP: Processing Space Sa: substrate surface X: second direction Y: the first direction Z: third direction

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing the flow path profile of the treatment fluid. Figure 2B is a top view of the flow path of the treatment fluid. 3A is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion. 3B is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid around the opening of the processing chamber. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the cutout portion of the partition wall. 5B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the X-direction end of the partition wall. 6 is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion of a second embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. 7A is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion of a processing chamber according to a third embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. 7B is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber of the fourth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention and a rectifying portion. 8A is a plan view of the flow path of the processing fluid in the fifth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing an example of the rectifying portion used in the fifth embodiment. 9A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the processing fluid in the vicinity of the central portion in the width direction. 9B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the flow of the treatment fluid in the vicinity of the widthwise end portion. 10 is a diagram illustrating a structure around an opening of a processing chamber and a rectifying portion of a sixth embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

16: Sealing member

18: Exhaust flow path

104: output port

112: Next door

112a: Gap

181: Upstream area

182: Buffer space

183: Downstream area

RP: Rectification position

X: second direction

Y: the first direction

Z: third direction

Claims (7)

A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that it includes: a processing vessel that houses the substrate in the processing space; a fluid supply part, which supplies the processing fluid for supercritical processing into the processing space; a fluid discharge part, which discharges the processing fluid from the processing space through an exhaust flow path formed in the processing container and communicated with the processing space; and a rectifying part, which is arranged at the rectifying position of the above-mentioned exhaust flow path; The rectification part rectifies the processing fluid flowing into the rectification position when the processing fluid is discharged by the fluid discharge part, thereby adjusting the flow of the processing fluid on the processing space side relative to the rectification position, and Balance of the flow of the treatment fluid on the side of the fluid discharge portion with respect to the rectification position. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The above-mentioned exhaust flow path system includes: an upstream region disposed across a first width in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction in which the treatment fluid flows from the treatment space toward the exhaust flow path; and a downstream region, which has a second width narrower than the first width in the second direction, and is connected to the fluid discharge portion so that the treatment fluid flowing in through the upstream region flows to the fluid discharge portion; The rectifying portion is used to adjust the flow rate of the processing fluid in the strong exhaust range corresponding to the downstream region in the second direction, and the flow rate of the treatment fluid in the weak exhaust range corresponding to the second direction and the region other than the downstream region. Deal with the difference in the flow of fluids. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rectifying part is extended along the second direction and has a convex part and a concave part; the convex part is disposed so as to be directed along the exhaust gas in the strong exhaust gas range The processing fluid flowing in the flow path has a protruding shape, and the concave portion is provided in a receding shape from the processing fluid flowing along the exhaust flow path in the weak exhaust gas range. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The exhaust gas flow path further has an intermediate region, the intermediate region is provided between the upstream region and the downstream region, and the flow direction of the processing fluid flowing in the upstream region along the first direction is directed toward and the flow direction of the upstream region. The third direction that is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction changes, and is directed toward the downstream area; The said rectification|straightening part rectifies|straightens the said processing fluid between the said upstream area|region and the said intermediate|middle area|region. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The said rectification|straightening part rectifies|regulates the said process fluid in the said upstream area. The substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, It is further provided with a support tray, which can support the substrate and can be accommodated in the processing space; The processing container has a container body and a cover; the container body is provided with the processing space and an opening that communicates with the processing space and is used to pass the support tray; the cover can block the opening; The upstream area is a space formed between the container body and the support tray by accommodating the support tray to the processing space of the container body from the first direction; The said rectification|straightening part is provided in the edge part on the side of the said 1st direction which opposes the said support tray in the said container main body. A substrate processing method, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a supplying step of supplying a processing fluid for supercritical processing to a processing space of a processing container to perform supercritical processing on the substrate accommodated in the processing space; and a discharging step, which discharges the processing fluid from the processing space through a fluid discharge part through an exhaust flow path formed in the processing container and communicated with the processing space; In the discharge step, the rectification portion is provided at the rectification position of the exhaust gas flow path, and rectifies the treatment fluid flowing into the rectification position, thereby adjusting the treatment fluid on the processing space side with respect to the rectification position. The flow and the flow of the treatment fluid on the side of the fluid discharge portion with respect to the flow of the rectification position are balanced.

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