TW202309684A - Development processing device and development processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the invention is to improve the in-plane uniformity of the product of development processing, and suitably recover a mist of a developing solution. A development processing device for developing a resist film on a substrate comprises a substrate holding section which holds a substrate, a rotation mechanism which rotates the substrate holding section, a developing solution supply section which supplies a developing solution to the substrate held by the substrate holding section, a rinsing solution supply section which supplies a rinsing solution to the substrate held by the substrate holding section, a liquid receiving section which receives the developing solution and the rinsing solution from the substrate held by the substrate holding section, an evacuation line which is connected to the liquid receiving section and evacuates the inside of the liquid receiving section, and an air intake section provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the liquid receiving section, wherein the air intake section takes in air during at least one of the developing solution supply period and static development period when the inside of the liquid receiving section is evacuated at an evacuation rate less than when processing the substrate using the rinsing solution, thereby recovering a mist of the developing solution that has leaked outside the liquid receiving section.

Description

Developing processing device and developing processing method

The present invention relates to a developing processing device and a developing processing method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a development treatment device comprising: a developer solution supply mechanism for supplying a developer solution to a substrate coated with a photoresist solution; and a substrate supply mechanism for developing a photoresist pattern supplied with a developer solution. Mechanism for cleaning fluid. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-178942

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The technology of the present invention is to improve the in-plane uniformity of the development process result and properly recover the mist of the developer. [Means to solve the problem]

One aspect of the present invention is a developing treatment device for developing a photoresist film on a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding unit for holding a substrate; a rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate holding unit; and supplying development to the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. The developing solution supply part of the liquid; the rinse solution supply part that supplies the rinse solution to the substrate held in the substrate holding part; the liquid receiving part that receives the developing solution and the rinse solution from the substrate held in the substrate holding part; connected to the liquid The receiving part is an exhaust pipe for exhausting the inside of the liquid receiving part; an air suction part is provided to surround the outer periphery of the liquid receiving part. At least any one of when the developing solution is supplied to exhaust the inside of the liquid receiving part at an exhaust rate lower than that in the processing using the flushing solution or during stationary development, the suction part sucks air and recovers the leakage. The mist of the developer to the outside of the liquid receiving part. [Effect of Invention]

According to the present invention, the in-plane uniformity of the developing process can be improved, and the mist of the developing solution can be recovered appropriately.

[Mode for Carrying out the Invention]

In the photolithography process of the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various processes are performed in order to form desired resist patterns on substrates such as semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers"). The various processes described above include, for example, a resist coating process for forming a resist film by supplying a resist liquid on a substrate, an exposure process for exposing the resist film to light, and a development process for supplying a developer solution to the exposed resist film to develop it.

The development treatment described above is performed using a development treatment device. The development treatment device has: a substrate holding part for holding the substrate; and a developer supply part for supplying a developer to the substrate held in the substrate holding part, and the developer is supplied from the developer supply part to the substrate held in the substrate holding part. A liquid film of developing solution is formed on the surface of the substrate to develop the photoresist film on the substrate. Moreover, the development processing apparatus has a liquid receiving part which receives the developer etc. scattered from the board|substrate held by the board|substrate holding part.

However, when the developer is supplied to the substrate, mist of the developer may be generated. The mist of the developer will leak to the outside of the liquid receiving part and adhere to the inner wall surface of the housing containing the liquid receiving part, resulting in particles or the developed photoresist film attached to the substrate, that is, the photoresist pattern. The main cause of various problems such as adverse effects. Therefore, it is necessary to exhaust the inside of the liquid receiving part and recover the mist of the developer during development. However, when the inside of the liquid receiving portion is exhausted during development, a strong air flow is generated near the outer peripheral portion of the substrate, and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate is locally cooled. When using a photoresist with high temperature sensitivity during development, such as an i-line photoresist, if the peripheral part of the substrate is locally cooled as described above, the result of the development process will be different between the peripheral part and the central part of the substrate.

Therefore, the technology of the present invention is to improve the in-plane uniformity of the developing process, and properly recover the mist of the developer.

Hereinafter, the configurations of the development processing apparatus and the development processing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in this specification, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the element which has substantially the same functional structure, and repeated description is abbreviate|omitted.

(first embodiment) ＜Development processing equipment＞ 1 and 2 are respectively a longitudinal sectional view and a lateral sectional view schematically showing an example of the structure of a developing processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a top view of the suction part described later.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the development processing device 1 has a casing 10 whose interior can be sealed. A loading/unloading port (not shown) for loading and unloading a wafer W as a substrate is formed on a side surface of the casing 10 .

Inside the casing 10 is provided a spin chuck 20 as a substrate holding portion for holding the wafer W horizontally. The spin chuck 20 is connected to a chuck drive unit 21 as a rotation mechanism via, for example, a shaft 22 . The chuck drive unit 21 rotates the spin chuck 20 around the vertical axis, thereby rotating the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 around the vertical axis. The chuck drive unit 21 has, for example, a motor or an air cylinder as a driving source for generating a driving force for driving the rotation of the rotary chuck 20 .

In an area on the rear side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 20, lift pins 23 serving as lift members for transferring the wafer W between the wafer transfer mechanism outside the development processing apparatus 1 and the spin chuck 20 are provided. have plural roots (eg three). The lift pin 23 can be freely raised and lowered by a pin drive unit 24 having a motor, an air cylinder, or the like.

In addition, a circular plate 25 is provided to surround the shaft 22 in a region to become the rear side of the wafer W held by the spin chuck 20 . The circular plate 25 is formed with: a hole 25a through which the shaft 22 is inserted; and a hole 25b through which the lift pin 23 is inserted.

Furthermore, in the casing 10, "the cup body 100 serving as a liquid receiving part surrounding the spin chuck 20 in plan view" is provided. The cup body 100 receives “developing solution and rinse solution that are thrown off or dripped from the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 ”, and guides the developing solution and rinse solution to be discharged out of the developing processing apparatus 1 . Details of the cup body 100 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2 , rails 30A and 30B extending along the Y direction (left and right directions in FIG. 2 ) are formed on the negative side of the cup body 100 in the X direction (the lower side in FIG. 2 ). The rails 30A, 30B are formed, for example, from the outside of the negative side in the Y direction (left side in FIG. 2 ) of the cup body 100 to the outside of the positive side in the Y direction (right side in FIG. 2 ). The arm part 31 is provided in rail 30A, and the arm part 32 is provided in rail 30B.

The "developer supply nozzle 33 as a developer supply part" is supported on the first arm part 31 . The developer supply nozzle 33 supplies a developer to the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 . Further, the developer supply nozzle 33 is formed in an angular cylindrical shape having a developer discharge port at the bottom. The discharge port of the developer supply nozzle 33 is rectangular in plan view, and the length of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction is approximately the same as the diameter of the wafer W.

The developer supply nozzle 33 may also be a so-called liquid receiving nozzle. The liquid contact nozzle has: a discharge port for spraying developer solution; and a lower end surface extending laterally from the discharge port and approximately parallel to the surface of the wafer W.

The first arm part 31 is movable on the rail 30A by the nozzle driving part 34 . Thereby, the developer supply nozzle 33 can be moved from the standby portion 35 provided outside the positive side of the cup 100 in the Y direction to above the center of the wafer W in the cup 100 . Furthermore, the first arm portion 31 can be freely raised and lowered by the nozzle driving portion 34, so that the height of the developing solution supply nozzle 33 can be adjusted. The nozzle driving unit 34 has, for example, a motor or an air cylinder as a driving source for generating a driving force for driving the first arm unit 31 to move along the rail 30A and to drive the first arm unit 31 up and down.

A rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 as a rinse liquid supply unit is supported on the second arm portion 32 . The rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 supplies a rinse liquid to the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 . Also, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a rinse liquid discharge port on the bottom surface. The second arm portion 32 is movable on the rail 30B by the nozzle driving portion 37 . Accordingly, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 can be moved from the standby portion 38 provided outside the negative side of the cup 100 in the Y direction to above the center of the wafer W in the cup 100 . In addition, the second arm 32 can be freely raised and lowered by the nozzle driving part 37, so that the height of the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 can be adjusted. The nozzle driving unit 37 has, for example, a motor or an air cylinder as a driving source for generating a driving force for driving the second arm unit 32 to move along the rail 30B and to drive the second arm unit 32 up and down.

The developing solution supply nozzle 33 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 36 are respectively connected to the supply sources of the developing solution and the rinse solution through a flow control unit (not shown in the figure). The flow rate of the developing solution and the rinse solution from the above-mentioned supply source is adjusted respectively by the flow control part, and supplied to the developing solution supply nozzle 33 and the rinse solution supply nozzle 36, and then through the nozzles 33, 36 to the wafer on the spin chuck 20. W spit. The flow control unit includes, for example, various valves and mass flow controllers.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1 , an exhaust port 11 is formed on the bottom wall of the casing 10 . An exhaust pipe 12 for exhausting the inside of the housing 10 is connected to the exhaust port 11 . The exhaust pipe 12 is connected to an exhaust mechanism 40 having an exhaust pump and the like via a main exhaust pipe 41 .

In order to "smoothly pass the wafer W when transferring the wafer W between the wafer transfer mechanism outside the developing processing apparatus 1 and the spin chuck 20", the upper part of the cup body 100 has an open structure, that is, the upper part has an opening 100a. The opening 100a is disposed at the central part of the upper part of the cup body 100 when viewed from above.

The cup body 100 includes: an inner cup 101 ; a lower cup 102 ; an upper cup 103 and an outer cup 104 as lifters; and a ring portion 105 .

The inner cup 101 is provided in a "circular plate shape surrounding the circular plate 25 in plan view". The inner cup 101 has a guide wall 110 for guiding the developer etc. spilled from the wafer W to the outside and downward, and a cylindrical vertical wall 111 extending vertically downward from the outer peripheral end of the guide wall 110 .

The lower cup 102 is located below the inner cup 101 . The lower cup 102 has: an annular plate-shaped bottom wall 120 located at the bottom; cylindrical vertical walls 121 - 123 extending vertically upward from the bottom wall 120 . The vertical wall 121 extends vertically upward from the outer peripheral end of the bottom wall 120; the vertical wall 122 extends vertically upward from the inner peripheral end of the bottom wall 120; the vertical wall 123 extends from the outer peripheral end of the bottom wall 120 to the inner peripheral end. The position extends vertically upward.

A liquid outlet 124 is formed between the vertical wall 122 and the vertical wall 123 of the bottom wall 120 . A "drain tube 125 for draining the liquid received by the cup 100" is connected to the drain port 124. Moreover, an exhaust port 126 is formed between the vertical wall 121 and the vertical wall 123 of the bottom wall 120 . An exhaust pipe 127 "to exhaust the inside of the cup 100 (specifically, to exhaust the gas around the wafer W) is connected to the exhaust port 126 .

The exhaust pipe 127 is connected to the exhaust mechanism 40 through the main exhaust pipe 41 in the same manner as the exhaust pipe 12 described above. A damper 42 is provided on the main exhaust pipe 41 to switch between: the exhaust in the casing 10 through the exhaust pipe 12 (hereinafter referred to as "casing exhaust"), and the exhaust through the exhaust pipe 12. The exhaust in the cup body 100 of 127 (hereinafter referred to as "cup exhaust").

The liquid discharged from the liquid discharge port 124 and the gas discharged from the exhaust port 126 can be separated by the vertical wall 123 . In addition, the vertical wall 111 of the inner cup 101 is formed to be "located outside the vertical wall 123 so that the liquid guided by the guide wall 110 will be discharged from the liquid discharge port 124".

The upper cup 103 is provided "to cover the outer peripheral parts of the inner cup 101 and the lower cup 102 in a circular plate shape from above in plan view". The upper cup 103 has an annular plate-shaped wall 130 having a circular opening 130 a slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer W formed in plan view. The annular plate wall 130 is inclined to gradually become lower toward the outer periphery.

Furthermore, the upper cup 103 has: a cylindrical vertical wall 131 extending vertically downward from the outer peripheral end of the annular plate wall 130 ; and an annular rib 132 extending outward from the lower end of the vertical wall 131 . The vertical wall 131 and the rib 132 are arranged to be "located between the vertical wall 121 and the vertical wall 123 of the lower cup 102". The gap G1 between the "inner peripheral surface of the upper cup 103" and "the outer peripheral surface of the guide wall 110 and the vertical wall 111 of the inner cup 101" constitutes: the inside of the cup body 100 communicated with the exhaust port 126, that is, the exhaust pipe 127 An exhaust channel for exhausting (specifically, exhausting the gas around the wafer W). As mentioned above, the upper cup 103 can be lifted up and down.

The outer cup 104 is provided "to cover the outer peripheral portion of the upper cup 103 from above in an annular shape". The outer cup 104 has "an annular wall 140 formed in a planar view having a circular opening 140a larger in diameter than the wafer W". In this embodiment, the opening 140a is inserted into the inner peripheral portion of the annular plate wall 130 of the upper cup 103 . The outer peripheral portion of the annular wall 140 is inclined so as to gradually become higher toward the outer periphery. Furthermore, the outer cup 104 has a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 141 extending upward from the outer peripheral end of the annular wall 140 . Furthermore, the outer cup 104 has an annular folded portion 142 extending from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 141 to the lower inner periphery.

Furthermore, the outer cup 104 is liftable and has a cylindrical vertical wall 143 extending downward from the bottom surface of the inner peripheral portion of the annular wall 140 . The vertical wall 143 is configured to be "located outside the vertical wall 131 of the upper cup 103". Also, the vertical wall 143 is set so that "the outer cup 104 is accommodated in the lower cup 102 when it is lowered, and is located inside the vertical wall 121 of the lower cup 102 and inside the ring portion 105".

The ring part 105 is provided "to annularly cover the outer peripheral part of the lower cup 102 and the outer peripheral part of the rib part 132 of the upper cup 103 from above". The ring portion 105 is fixed on, for example, the upper end of the vertical wall 121 of the lower cup 102 .

With respect to the above-mentioned cup body 100 , the suction part 200 is provided to surround the outer periphery of the cup body 100 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the air intake unit 200 has an air intake port 201 . The suction port 201 is provided in, for example, "a plurality of circular rings arranged concentrically with the cup body 100 in plan view". In addition, the air intake part 200 has, for example, a "annular and hollow annular body 202 in plan view", and an air intake port 201 is provided along the annular body 202 on the top surface of the annular body 202 . Each suction port 201 communicates with the hollow portion inside the annular body 202 . By exhausting the inside of the annular body 202 with an exhaust mechanism (not shown in the figure), the air intake of the air intake part 200 through the air intake port 201 can be performed.

The height of the suction port 201 of the suction part 200 is, for example, below the height of the upper end of the cup body 100 , specifically, below the height of the upper end of the outer cup 104 . The suction unit 200 is also movable up and down similarly to the outer cup 104 and the like. In one embodiment, the suction part 200 can be raised and lowered together with the upper cup 103 and the outer cup 104 .

The upper cup 103 , the outer cup 104 and the suction part 200 are connected to a common lifting mechanism 300 . The lifting mechanism 300 has a support member 301 that supports the outer cup 104 and the suction part 200 . The upper cup 103 is fixed to, for example, the outer cup 104 by screwing or the like, thereby being supported by the supporting member 301 via the outer cup 104 . Furthermore, the elevating mechanism 300 has "a drive unit 302 for elevating the upper cup 103, the outer cup 104, and the suction unit 200 by elevating the supporting member 301". The driving unit 302 has, for example, a motor or an air cylinder as a driving source for generating a driving force for driving the support member 301 up and down.

Furthermore, a fan filter unit (FFU) 400 is provided above the cup body 100 in the housing 10 to supply clean air toward the cup body 100 , specifically toward the wafer W held by the spin chuck 20 . The clean air supplied to the cup body 100 passes through the interior of the cup body 100 and is then discharged through the exhaust pipe 127 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , a control unit U is provided in the above development processing apparatus 1 . The control unit U is a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU and a memory, and has a program storage unit (not shown in the figure). A program for controlling the processing of the wafer W of the development processing apparatus 1 is stored in the program storage unit. In addition, the above-mentioned program may be a program recorded in a computer-readable storage medium, or may be a program installed in the control unit U from the storage medium. Memory media can be temporary or non-transitory. A part or all of the program can also be realized by dedicated hardware (circuit board).

＜Wafer Processing＞ Next, an example of wafer processing performed using the development processing apparatus 1 configured as above will be described. The following processing is performed under the control of the control unit U. It demonstrates using FIG.4 and FIG.5. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the state of the development processing apparatus 1 in the above-mentioned wafer processing, and only main parts are shown. In the following description, a photoresist film is formed on the surface of the wafer W before being loaded into the development processing apparatus 1, and the photoresist film is assumed to have been subjected to exposure treatment and subsequent heat treatment.

(Step S1: holding of wafer W) First, the wafer W passes through the opening 100 a of the cup body 100 and is held on the spin chuck 20 . Specifically, first, a wafer transfer mechanism (not shown) holding the wafer W is inserted into the housing 10 from outside the housing 10 through the loading and unloading port (not shown) provided on the side surface of the housing 10. . Then, the wafer W is transported over the spin chuck 20 . Next, the lift pins 23 are raised by the drive of the pin drive unit 24 , and protrude a predetermined distance from the top surface of the spin chuck 20 to transfer the wafer W onto the lift pins 23 .

Before the wafer W is delivered to the lift pins 23, the aggregate of the upper cup 103, the outer cup 104 and the suction part 200 (hereinafter referred to as "integrated moving body") is driven by the lift mechanism 300 to move to the second 1 position. As shown in FIG. 4(A) , the first position is a position where the upper end of the upper cup 103 is lower than the surface of the wafer W on the spin chuck 20 .

Next, the lift pins 23 are lowered by the drive of the pin drive unit 24 . In this way, the wafer W descends and is transferred to the top surface of the spin chuck 20 through the opening 100 a. Then, the wafer W is suction-held on the spin chuck 20 . In this procedure, the damper 42 is adjusted to perform case exhaust among case exhaust and cup exhaust.

(Step S2: Processing using developer) Next, the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 is processed using a developer, specifically, for example, supply of a developer (step S2A) and static development (step S2B).

(Step S2A: supply of developing solution) In this step, a developing solution is supplied to the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 , and a developing solution film is formed on the wafer W. Specifically, next, air intake by the air intake unit 200 is further performed in a state in which the above-mentioned integral mobile body is arranged at the first position and the damper 42 is adjusted to exhaust the housing. In this state, the developer solution supply nozzle 33 moves above the wafer W as shown in FIG. 4(B) by the drive of the nozzle drive unit 34 . Then, the developer is started to be supplied from the developer supply nozzle 33 onto the wafer W to form a developer film. For example, when forming a developer solution film, the developer solution supply nozzle 33 is driven by the nozzle drive unit 34 so that the spray destination of the developer solution from the developer solution supply nozzle 33 is "between the wafer W in the direction in which the rail 30A extends." end" to move to the other end. At this time, the wafer system is not rotating (ie, stationary). When the discharge destination of the developer from the developer supply nozzle 33 reaches the above-mentioned other end of the wafer W and a developer film is formed, the supply of the developer from the developer supply nozzle 33 is stopped. , the developer solution supply nozzle 33 retreats from the wafer W.

Among the developer supplied from the developer supply nozzle 33 in this process, the developer that does not remain on the wafer W passes between the outer peripheral surface of the inner cup 101 and the outer peripheral surface of the upper cup 103 , or passes through the outer periphery of the upper cup 103 Surface and the inner peripheral surface of the lower part of the outer cup 104, and recovered in the lower cup 102.

When the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle 33 , the integrally movable body is arranged at the first position. That is, the upper end of the upper cup 103 is located lower than the surface of the wafer W on the spin chuck 20 . Therefore, when the developer is supplied, the developer supply nozzle 33 moves along the surface in a state close to the surface of the wafer W (for example, the distance from the discharge port of the developer supply nozzle 33 to the surface of the wafer W is 3 mm or less). At the time, there is no interference with the upper cup 103. In addition, the outer cup 104 is designed so that no interference occurs between the developer supply nozzle 33 and the outer cup 104 during this movement.

In addition, when the developer is supplied from the developer supply nozzle 33, the damper 42 is adjusted to "exhaust the case and not exhaust the cup", so it is possible to suppress "the generation of air flow at the peripheral portion of the wafer W when the developer is supplied." ".

In addition, when supplying the developing solution from the developing solution supply nozzle 33, as mentioned above, the air suction of the suction part 200 is performed. Therefore, the "developer mist M generated by the developer sprayed from the developer supply nozzle 33 colliding with the wafer W, etc., which passes above the cup body 100 (specifically, said to be above the outer cup 104) and leak to the outside of the cup body 100".

(S2B: Still developing) In this procedure, the developer solution film formed in step S2A is maintained on the wafer W for a predetermined time, and the photoresist film on the wafer W is still developed. In addition, in this routine, the damper 42 is maintained to be adjusted to the state of "casing exhaust is performed, and cup exhaust is not performed". Therefore, it is possible to suppress "the generation of airflow at the peripheral portion of the wafer W during static development". Furthermore, in this procedure, the suction of the suction unit 200 is also maintained. Therefore, during static development, the mist M leaked to the outside of the cup body 100 can be recovered by the air suction part 200 .

In this procedure, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the integrally movable body may be arranged at a position other than the first position. The positions other than the above-mentioned first position are the positions where the rib 132 of the upper cup 103 is in close contact with the ring 105 , more specifically, the position where the rib 132 of the upper cup 103 is in close contact with the ring 105 around the entire circumference. Thereby, from the lower cup 102 in which the vapor of the developer is recovered and the developer is present, i.e., in the lower cup 102 under the environment where the gas of the developer is formed, the mist of the developer caused by the above-mentioned environment can be suppressed from flowing from the lower cup 102 102 and the outer cup 104, etc., leak to the outside of the cup body 100.

(Step S3: Treatment with rinse solution) Next, the wafer W held on the spin chuck 20 is subjected to processing using a rinse liquid, that is, cleaning processing.

Specifically, the above-mentioned integrated moving body is moved to the second position by the driving of the elevating mechanism 300 . As shown in FIG. 5(B), the second position is the position where the bottom surface of the inner peripheral end of the annular wall 130 of the upper cup 103 is higher than the surface of the wafer W on the spin chuck 20 . As long as this condition is satisfied, the second position can also be other positions where the rib 132 of the upper cup 103 and the ring 105 are in close contact. Also, stop the suction of the suction unit 200, and at the same time, adjust the damper 42 to switch from the case exhaust to the cup exhaust. Furthermore, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 moves above the center of the wafer W due to the driving of the nozzle driving unit 37 .

Then, a rinse liquid is supplied onto the wafer W from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 to clean the wafer W. For example, at the time of this cleaning, for "the wafer W rotated at 100 to 500 rpm driven by the chuck drive unit 21", the rinse liquid is supplied from the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 onto the wafer W to rinse the wafer W. The developing liquid film on the wafer W is replaced by the liquid. After that, the supply of the rinse liquid is stopped, and the rotation speed of the wafer W is increased by driving the chuck driving unit 21, and the rinse liquid is shaken off from the wafer W, and the wafer W is dried. During the drying period, the rinse liquid supply nozzle 36 is retracted from the wafer W by the driving of the nozzle driving unit 37 .

During the cleaning process, the integrally movable body is arranged at the second position. That is, the bottom surface of the inner peripheral end of the annular wall 130 of the upper cup 103 is located higher than the surface of the wafer W on the spin chuck 20 . Therefore, during the cleaning process, the developer and rinse solution thrown off from the wafer W on the spin chuck 20 can be caught by the annular plate wall 130 of the upper cup 103 and recovered by the cup body 100 .

In addition, since the outer cup 104 is provided during the cleaning process, when the rinse liquid supplied from the rinse liquid supply nozzle to the wafer W bounces off the wafer W and then splashes out of the upper cup 103 through the opening 130a, it can The flushing fluid is recovered by the outer cup 104 .

Furthermore, by exhausting the cup during the cleaning process, it is possible to suck and recover the mist of the rinse solution and the developer through the "exhaust flow path R1 formed in the cup body 100 through the aforementioned gap G1". In addition, the mist of the rinse solution and developer during cleaning may be caused by "the rinse solution supplied from the rinse solution supply nozzle 36 hits the wafer W" or "the rinse solution or developer thrown off from the wafer W hits the upper cup 103." The annular wall 130" and so on are produced.

(Step S4: Wafer unloading) Next, the wafer W is unloaded from the development processing apparatus 1 in the reverse order of step S1. Thereby, a series of development processing ends.

In the above example, at the time of supplying the developing solution in step S2A and both in step S2B, the casing is not exhausted but the exhaust is performed, and suction is performed by "the suction part 200 provided to surround the outer circumference of the cup body 100". gas. Alternatively, at the time of supplying the developing solution in step S2A and in step S2B, exhausting the case is performed instead of exhausting the cup. inhale.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cup evacuation is not performed during the processing using the developer solution in step S2, but the cup evacuation is performed only during the processing using the rinse liquid in step S3. Specifically, the cup evacuation is not performed in at least one of the supply of the developer in step S2A and the static development in step S2B, and the cup evacuation is performed only in the use of the rinse solution in step S3. That is, at least one of the supply of the developing solution in step S2A and the static development in step S2B, the inside of the cup body 100 is exhausted with an air volume lower than that in the use of the rinse solution. Therefore, at least one of the supply of the developing solution in step S2A and the stationary development in step S2B can suppress the generation of air flow near the outer peripheral portion of the wafer, and prevent the outer peripheral portion of the wafer W from being locally cooled. Therefore, the uniformity of the development process can be improved, such as when using a photoresist solution with high temperature sensitivity during development. In addition, in this embodiment, air is sucked by "the suction part 200 provided to surround the outer circumference of the cup body 100" at least any one of the developing solution supply time in step S2A and the stationary development time in step S2B. Therefore, even if the mist of the developer leaks out of the cup 100 due to the low exhaust volume from the inside of the cup 100 , the leaked mist can be recovered by the suction part 200 . In this manner, according to the present embodiment, the in-plane uniformity of the developing process can be improved, and developer mist droplets can be appropriately recovered.

In addition, in this embodiment, the height of the air intake port 201 of the air intake unit 200 is equal to or less than the height of the upper end of the cup body 100 . Specifically, the height of the air inlet 201 at the time of air suction is equal to or less than the height of the upper end of the outer cup 104 in at least one of the time of supplying the developer in step S2A and the time of stationary development in step S2B. Therefore, the following effects (1) and (2) are obtained. (1) It is possible to suppress the mist of the developer passing through the upper side of the cup body 100 and leaking to the outside of the cup body 100 from being scattered through the lower side of the suction part 200 instead of being collected in the suction port 201 due to gravity or the like. (2) During processing using a developer solution, it is possible to suppress the airflow formed above the wafer W by the FFU 400 from being disturbed by the suction of the suction unit 200 .

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the part constituting the upper end of the cup body 100 , that is, the outer cup 104 can be raised and lowered, and the suction part 200 can be raised and lowered together with the outer cup 104 . Therefore, regardless of the height of the outer cup 104, the height of the air intake portion 200 (specifically, the height of the air intake port 201) relative to the upper end of the outer cup 104 can be kept constant. As a result, the recovery performance of the developer mist can be stabilized.

(Second Embodiment) 6 and 7 are diagrams showing an example of the structure of the development processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, and only main parts are shown. 6 shows an example of the connection form of the lift mechanism 300 and the exhaust mechanism 500 described later, and FIG. 7 shows an example of the exhaust path of the exhaust mechanism 500 .

The development processing apparatus of this embodiment also has the air suction part 200 similarly to the development processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , the exhaust mechanism 500 connected with the air suction part 200 can be raised and lowered by "driving the lifting body (specifically, the outer cup 104 and the upper cup 103) that the cup body 100 has." The driving force" and exhaust. The exhaust mechanism 500 can also be exhausted by any one of "the driving force driving the lifting body of the cup 100 to rise" or "the driving force driving the lifting body of the cup 100 to descend". However, in this embodiment, the exhaust mechanism 500 can be exhausted by any driving force of "driving the lifting body of the cup body 100 to rise" or "driving force of driving the lifting body of the cup body 100 to fall". . The specific structure of the exhaust mechanism 500 will be described later.

The exhaust mechanism 500 has a top plate 501, a partition plate 502, and a bottom plate 503 in this order from the upper side. The top plate 501 and the partition plate 502 are connected by "a first expansion tube 504 such as a bellows that can expand and contract in the vertical direction". The first pump chamber P1 is divided by a top plate 501 , a partition plate 502 , and a first expansion tube 504 .

In addition, the partition plate 502 and the base plate 503 are connected by "a second expansion tube 505 such as a bellows that can expand and contract in the vertical direction". The second pump chamber P2 is divided by a partition plate 502 , a bottom plate 503 , and a second expansion tube 505 .

The top board 501 and the bottom board 503 are fixed. On the other hand, the partition plate 502 is supported by “the support member 301 supporting the suction unit 200 etc.”, and the support member 301 is raised and lowered by the driving unit 302 , so the partition plate 502 is also raised and lowered. The volumes of the first pump chamber P1 and the second pump chamber P2 change due to the elevation of the partition plate 502 . If the partition plate 502 rises, the volume of the first pump chamber P1 will decrease, and the volume of the second pump chamber P2 will increase. On the other hand, when the partition plate 502 descends, the volume of the first pump chamber P1 increases, and the volume of the second pump chamber P2 decreases.

7, the exhaust mechanism 500 has an upstream main exhaust pipe 510, a first upstream branch pipe 511 and a second upstream branch pipe 512, a downstream main exhaust pipe 520, a first downstream branch pipe 521 and the second downstream side branch pipe 522 .

The upstream end of the upstream side main exhaust pipe 510 communicates with the air intake part 200 , specifically, communicates with the inner hollow part of the annular body 202 of the air intake part 200 . The downstream side of the upstream main exhaust pipe 510 is branched into a first upstream branch pipe 511 and a second upstream branch pipe 512, which are respectively connected to the first pump chamber P1 and the second pump chamber P2.

The upstream ends of the first downstream branch pipe 521 and the second downstream branch pipe 522 are connected to the first pump chamber P1 and the second pump chamber P2, respectively. The downstream sides of the first downstream branch pipe 521 and the second downstream branch pipe 522 are merged to be connected to the upstream end of the downstream main exhaust pipe 520 .

The first pump chamber P1 is provided with check valves V1, V2, and the second pump chamber P2 is provided with check valves V3, V4. The check valve V1 is used to prevent backflow of gas from the first pump chamber P1 to the suction part 200 , and the check valve V2 is used to prevent backflow of gas from the first downstream side branch pipe 521 to the first pump chamber P1 . Also, the check valve V3 prevents gas from flowing backward from the second pump chamber P2 to the suction unit 200 , and the check valve V4 prevents gas from flowing backward from the second downstream side branch pipe 522 to the second pump chamber P2 .

The check valve V1 is provided, for example, at the downstream end of the first upstream side branch pipe 511 located in the first pump chamber P1, and is caused by the inflow of gas into the first pump chamber P1 through the first upstream side branch pipe 511. Pressure" to become the open state. On the other hand, it is in a closed state by the gravity acting on the valve body V11.

The check valve V2 is provided, for example, on the upstream side of the first downstream side branch pipe 521 located outside the first pump chamber P1, and the pressure caused by the discharge of the gas from the first pump chamber P1 through the first downstream side branch pipe 521 ” to become the ON state. On the other hand, it is in a closed state by the gravity acting on the valve body V12.

The check valve V3 is provided, for example, at the downstream end of the second upstream side branch pipe 512 located in the second pump chamber P2, and is caused by the inflow of gas into the second pump chamber P2 through the second upstream side branch pipe 512. Pressure" to become the open state. On the other hand, it is in a closed state by the gravity acting on the valve body V13.

The check valve V4 is provided, for example, on the upstream side of the second downstream side branch pipe 522 outside the second pump chamber P2, and the pressure caused by the discharge of the gas from the second pump chamber P2 through the second downstream side branch pipe 522 ” to become the ON state. On the other hand, the closed state is achieved by the gravity acting on the valve body V14.

The exhaust mechanism 500 composed of the above parts is driven by the driving part 302 so that "the integral moving body including the outer cup 104 and the suction part 200 rises", and when the support member 301 rises, the partition plate 502 rises. When the partition plate 502 rises, the volume of the first pump chamber P1 decreases, and the gas in the first pump chamber P1 is discharged through the first downstream side branch pipe 521 and the downstream side main exhaust pipe 520 . At the same time, the volume of the second pump chamber P2 increases, and the surrounding area of the suction port 201 of the suction part 200 is exhausted, and the surrounding gas passes through the suction part 200, the upstream main exhaust pipe 510 and the second upstream side. The branch pipe 512 flows into the second pump chamber P2.

On the other hand, when the exhaust mechanism 500 is driven by the driving unit 302 so that "the above-mentioned integral moving body descends" and the supporting member 301 descends, the partition plate 502 descends. When the partition plate 502 descends, the volume of the second pump chamber P2 decreases, and the gas in the second pump chamber P2 is discharged through the second downstream side branch pipe 522 and the downstream side main exhaust pipe 520 . At the same time, the volume of the first pump chamber P1 increases, and the surrounding area of the suction port 201 of the suction part 200 is exhausted, and the surrounding gas passes through the suction part 200, the upstream side main exhaust pipe 510 and the first upstream side The branch pipe 511 flows into the first pump chamber P1.

In this way, by "exhausting the exhaust mechanism 500 not by either the driving force for driving the above-mentioned upward movement or the driving force for driving the above-mentioned downward movement, but by using both driving forces", it is possible to raise the integral mobile body. Both the air suction part 200 is inhaled during the time of falling and the time of descending.

When the exhaust mechanism 500 is used, the support member 301 is raised and lowered during the processing using the developer in the aforementioned step S2, specifically, the support member 301 is repeatedly raised and lowered. More specifically, during the static development in step S2B, the support member 301 is raised and lowered repeatedly, and the hollow part of the annular body 202 of the air suction part 200 is continuously exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 500 as it is repeatedly raised and lowered. , and the suction of the suction unit 200 is continuously performed. Also, during the static development in step S2A, the supporting member 301 can also be raised and lowered repeatedly, and with this repeated lifting, the exhaust of the hollow part of the annular body 202 of the air suction part 200 by the exhaust mechanism 500 is continuously carried out, And the suction of the suction part 200 is continuously performed. At this time, the rising timing of the integral moving body and the maximum height when the integral moving body is raised and lowered repeatedly are adjusted so as not to cause interference between the developer supply nozzle 33 and the cup body 100 .

As in this embodiment, by using the exhaust mechanism 500 for the air intake of the air intake unit 200, it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of drive units and to suppress an increase in cost.

(third embodiment) Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a development processing apparatus according to a third embodiment, and only main parts are shown.

The main exhaust pipe 41 may not be sealed by the damper 42 due to the generation of particles due to the contact between the damper 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the main exhaust pipe 41 . At this time, even if the damper 42 is adjusted to exhaust the casing, the exhaust flow through the gap G1 as the exhaust flow path R1 is small, but still exists.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 , the exhaust flow path in the cup body 100 has an expansion-contraction ring portion 600 as a switch member for opening and closing the exhaust flow path. The expansion-contraction ring part 600 is formed in a circular ring shape in a plan view, and is configured to be able to expand and contract freely. For example, the hollow part inside the expandable ring part 600 is expanded by supplying air, and the hollow part inside the expandable ring part 600 is contracted by degassing.

By the way, when the upper cup 103 and the outer cup 104 are lowered, the following gaps G2 and G3 can also constitute an exhaust for exhausting the inside of the cup body 100 (specifically, exhausting the gas around the wafer W). flow path. That is, the gap G2 between the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the guide wall 110 of the upper cup 103 and the inner peripheral surface of the lower part of the outer cup 104, the outer peripheral surface of the vertical wall 131 of the upper cup 103 and the inner surface of the vertical wall 121 of the lower cup 102. The gap G3 between the peripheral surfaces can constitute the exhaust flow path R2.

The exhaust flow path R1 joins the downstream side of the exhaust flow path R2 and communicates with the exhaust pipe 127 through the exhaust port 126 . Also, the upstream end of the exhaust flow path R1 is located on the inner side of the upstream end of the exhaust flow path R2, that is, on the side of the spin chuck 20 . Therefore, the exhaust through the exhaust flow path R1 has a large influence on the airflow at the periphery of the wafer W, while the exhaust through the exhaust flow path R2 has little influence on the airflow at the periphery of the wafer W. Therefore, in this embodiment, the expansion-contraction ring portion 600 is provided only in the exhaust flow path R1, and is not provided in the exhaust flow path R2.

In this embodiment, when using the flushing liquid, that is, when the damper 42 is adjusted to exhaust the cups, the integral moving body including the upper cup 103 and the outer cup 104 is in an upward state, and only the exhaust flow path R1 is formed, and no exhaust flow path R1 is formed. Exhaust flow path R2. In addition, at this time, the expansion-contraction ring portion 600 is in a contracted state, and the exhaust flow path R1 is in an open state. Thereby, mist droplets of the developing solution and the rinse solution generated during processing using the rinse solution can be collected through the exhaust flow path R1.

On the other hand, when using the developer solution, that is, when the damper 42 is adjusted to exhaust the casing, the integral moving body including the upper cup 103 and the outer cup 104 is in a downward state, forming the exhaust flow path R1 and the exhaust flow. Road R2 both. However, the expansion-contraction ring portion 600 is in an expanded state, and the exhaust flow path R1 is in a closed state. Thereby, during processing using a developing solution, it is possible to suppress "exhaustion that is unavoidable in the structure of the damper 42 from being carried out through the exhaust flow path R1", and it is possible to suppress generation of a strong air flow at the peripheral portion of the wafer W. Moreover, since "the exhaust that cannot be avoided in the structure of the damper 42 is carried out through the exhaust flow path R2", it can be exhausted not only by the suction of the air intake part 200, but also by the exhaust through the exhaust flow path R2. The developer mist is recovered.

Moreover, the expansion-contraction ring part 600 can also be fixed on any one of the inner cup 101 or the upper cup 103 . The fixed position when the expansion-contraction ring part 600 is fixed to the upper cup 103 is, for example, the following position. That is, the position is in the state where the upper cup 103 is lowered. When the expansion-contraction ring part 600 expands, the exhaust flow path R1 is closed. As indicated by the dotted line, the exhaust flow path R1 cannot be closed either.

At this time, when the upper cup 103 is raised during the treatment using the rinse liquid, the expansion-contraction ring portion 600 is in a contracted state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 . Thereby, reduction in the cross-sectional area of the exhaust flow path R1 due to the expansion-contraction ring portion 600 during processing using the rinse liquid can be suppressed.

The expansion-contraction ring portion 600 can also be integrally formed with any one of the inner cup 101 or the upper cup 103 .

The embodiments disclosed this time should be regarded as illustrations in all points and not limitations. The above-mentioned embodiments can also be omitted, replaced, and changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended patent application and its gist.

1: Development processing device 10: shell 11: Exhaust port 12: exhaust pipe 20:Rotary suction cup 21: Suction cup drive unit 22: axis 23:Lift pin 24: Pin drive unit 25: round plate 25a: hole 25b: hole 30A: track 30B: track 31: arm 32: arm 33:Developer supply nozzle 34: Nozzle drive unit 35:Standby unit 36: Flushing liquid supply nozzle 37:Nozzle drive unit 38:Standby unit 40: exhaust mechanism 41: Main exhaust pipe 42: damper 100: cup body 100a: opening 101: inner cup 102: down cup 103: cup 104: outer cup 105: ring department 110: guide wall 111: vertical wall 120: bottom wall 121: vertical wall 122: vertical wall 123: vertical wall 124: drain port 125: drain pipe 126: drain port 127: exhaust pipe 130: Annular wall 130a: opening 131: vertical wall 132: Rib 140: Annular wall 140a: opening 141: peripheral part 142: Return Department 143: vertical wall 200: suction part 201: Suction port 202: ring body 300: lifting mechanism 301: support member 302: drive department 400: Fan filter unit (FFU) 500: exhaust mechanism 501: top plate 502: Partition 503: Bottom plate 504: The first telescopic tube 505: The second telescopic tube 510: Upstream side main exhaust pipe 511: 1st upstream branch pipe 512: 2nd upstream branch pipe 520: Downstream side main exhaust pipe 521: 1st downstream branch pipe 522: 2nd downstream branch pipe 600: expansion and contraction ring G1: Gap G2: Gap G3: Gap M: mist P1: 1st pump room P2: 2nd pump room R1: Exhaust flow path R2: Exhaust flow path U: Control Department V1: check valve V2: check valve V3: check valve V4: check valve V11: valve body V12: valve body V13: valve body V14: valve body W: Wafer X: direction Y: Direction

[ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the structure of a development processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view and a sectional view schematically showing an example of the structure of the development processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Fig. 3] The top view of the suction part. [FIG. 4] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the state of the development processing apparatus during wafer processing. [FIG. 5] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the state of the development processing apparatus during wafer processing. [Fig. 6] An example of the connection form of the lifting mechanism and the exhaust mechanism is shown. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a development processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. [ Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a development processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [FIG. 9] It is a figure for showing an example of the structure of the developing processing apparatus of 3rd Embodiment.

1: Development processing device

10: Housing

11: Exhaust port

12: exhaust pipe

20:Rotary suction cup

21: Suction cup drive unit

22: axis

23:Lift pin

24: Pin drive unit

25: round plate

25a: hole

25b: hole

33:Developer supply nozzle

35:Standby unit

36: Flushing liquid supply nozzle

38:Standby unit

40: exhaust mechanism

41: Main exhaust pipe

42: damper

100: cup body

100a: opening

101: inner cup

102: down cup

103: cup

104: outer cup

105: ring department

110: guide wall

111: vertical wall

120: bottom wall

121: vertical wall

122: vertical wall

123: vertical wall

124: drain port

125: drain pipe

126: drain port

127: exhaust pipe

130: Annular wall

130a: opening

131: vertical wall

132: Rib

140: Annular wall

140a: opening

141: peripheral part

142: Return Department

143: vertical wall

200: suction part

201: Suction port

202: ring body

300: lifting mechanism

301: support member

302: drive department

400: Fan filter unit (FFU)

G1: Gap

R1: Exhaust flow path

W: Wafer

Claims (13)

A development treatment device for developing a photoresist film on a substrate, comprising: a substrate holding part, which holds the substrate; a rotation mechanism that rotates the substrate holding portion; a developer solution supply part, which supplies a developer solution to the substrate held by the substrate holding part; a rinsing liquid supply unit that supplies rinsing liquid to the substrate held in the substrate holding portion; a liquid receiving part, which receives a developing solution and a rinse solution from the substrate held in the substrate holding part; an exhaust pipe, which is connected to the liquid receiving part to exhaust the inside of the liquid receiving part; an air suction part arranged to surround the outer periphery of the liquid receiving part; At least any one of when the developing solution is supplied to exhaust the inside of the liquid receiving part at an exhaust rate lower than that in the processing using the flushing solution or during stationary development, the suction part sucks air and recovers the leakage. The mist of the developer to the outside of the liquid receiving part. The development treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The suction part has a suction port, The height of the suction port during inhalation is below the height of the upper end of the liquid receiving part. The development treatment device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The liquid receiving part has a lifting body which can be raised and lowered. The development processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The lifting body of the liquid receiving part constitutes the upper end of the liquid receiving part, The suction part can be raised and lowered together with the lifting body. As the development treatment device of claim 3 or 4, it further has: an exhaust mechanism, which can exhaust air by driving the lifting body up and down; The suction part is connected to the exhaust mechanism. The development processing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The exhaust mechanism can exhaust gas by the driving force driving the lifting body up, and can exhaust gas by driving the lifting body down driving force. The development processing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The lifting body is repeatedly raised and lowered during at least one of the developing solution supply time and the stationary development time, and the air discharge mechanism and the air suction part are performed accompanying the repeated lifting and lowering. The development processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The liquid receiving part has an exhaust flow path connected to the exhaust pipe, and a switch member for opening and closing the exhaust flow path. The development processing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein, The exhaust flow path has a first exhaust flow path and a second exhaust flow path that meet at the downstream side and communicate with the exhaust pipe, The upstream end of the first exhaust flow path is located closer to the substrate holding portion than the upstream end of the second exhaust flow path, The switch member is provided in the first exhaust flow path. The development treatment device as claimed in item 9, wherein, The liquid receiving part has a lifting body that can be raised and lowered, The first exhaust flow path and the second exhaust flow path are divided by the lifting body, The switch member can be expanded and contracted freely, and is fixed to the lifting body, When the switch member is in the fixed position of the lifting body and the lifting body is lowered, when the switch member expands, the first exhaust flow path is closed, and when the lifting body is raised, even if the switch member expands , and will not block the position of the first exhaust flow path, When the flushing liquid is used for processing, the lifting body is in an upward state, and the switch member is in a contracted state. A development treatment method, which develops the photoresist film on the substrate, has the following procedures: holding the substrate on the substrate holding portion; supplying a developing solution to the substrate held in the substrate holding part; performing static development on the substrate held in the substrate holding part; using a rinse solution to process the substrate held in the substrate holding part; In at least any one of the process of supplying the developing solution or the stationary developing process, the exhaust volume in the liquid receiving part is lower than that of the process of processing with the flushing solution, The mist of the developing solution leaked from the opening of the liquid receiving part is recovered by sucking air through the suction part provided to surround the outer periphery of the liquid receiving part. The development processing method according to claim 11, wherein, The air suction of the air suction part is carried out using an exhaust mechanism capable of exhausting air by driving the lifting body of the liquid receiving part to go up and down. The development processing method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, In at least one of the process of supplying the developing solution and the process of static development, a switch member for opening and closing the exhaust flow path included in the liquid receiving part is in a closed state.

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