TWI541935B - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Substrate processing device

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.

Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate"), various processes are performed on the substrate using a substrate processing apparatus. For example, the surface of the substrate is subjected to etching or the like by supplying a chemical solution to a substrate on which a resist pattern is formed. Further, after the etching process is completed, a process of removing the resist on the substrate or washing the substrate is also performed.

In the one-piece substrate processing apparatus that processes the substrate one by one, after the substrate is held by the substrate holding portion, the substrate holding portion is rotated to supply the processing liquid to the substrate. As a method of holding the substrate on the substrate holding portion, various means such as a vacuum chuck, a mechanical chuck, and a magnetic chuck have been practically used. For example, U.S. Patent No. 6,446,643 discloses a mechanism for holding a substrate when the upper and lower chamber members are disposed at positions close to each other, and releasing the holding of the substrate when the upper and lower chamber members are separated. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-19456 discloses a mechanism for releasing a holding or holding of a substrate by rotating a plurality of holding members disposed around a substrate. Further, in the specification of the U.S. Patent No. 6,485,531 (Document 3), a method is disclosed in which a wafer is held on a rotating head by a holding portion having a spring by means of magnetically rotating the rotary head in a non-contact manner with respect to the stator. .

However, the substrate holding portion is suspended in a device like the one in Document 3. When the state is rotated, in order to hold the substrate, the driving force generated by the power source such as electric or compressed air is transmitted to the substrate holding portion, but the transfer is difficult. In the device of Document 3, the wafer is held by the holding portion having the spring, but it is necessary to fix the wafer on the rotating head on the outer side of the processing chamber, and then the cumbersome introduction of the rotating head with the wafer into the processing chamber is cumbersome. Homework. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus, in order to stably rotate the substrate, the focus is on aligning the substrate with respect to the center of rotation. However, when the substrate is carried into the substrate processing apparatus by an external transfer mechanism, the substrate is rotated relative to the substrate. It is not easy for the center to perform the alignment accurately. Therefore, there is a need for a novel method for maintaining the alignment of the substrate on the one hand with respect to the center of rotation.

The present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, and an object thereof is to hold a substrate on the one hand with respect to a center of rotation.

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a substrate supporting portion that supports the substrate from a lower side in a state in which an upper surface of a main surface on one side of the substrate faces upward; and a rotating mechanism that causes the substrate The support portion rotates about a central axis perpendicular to the substrate; the upper surface facing portion faces at least an outer edge portion of the upper surface; and the opposite portion supporting mechanism selectively pairs the upper surface a separation position at which separation occurs above the substrate support portion and a connection position at which the substrate support portion is coupled to the substrate, and a chuck portion provided on the substrate support portion or the upper surface facing portion In one side, the chuck portion includes at least three claw portions that are disposed around the substrate when viewed along the central axis, and a transmission mechanism including the above When the surface opposing portion is at the above-mentioned connecting position, the abutting portion pressed by the substrate supporting portion or the other side of the upper surface opposing portion is acted upon by The force of the abutment The at least three claw portions are transmitted to the at least three claw portions, and the at least three claw portions are pressed against the edge of the substrate so as to face the central axis. In the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate can be held on the one hand with respect to the center of rotation.

Preferably, the transmission mechanism includes an elastic member, and when the size of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting portion fluctuates, the elastic member is elastically deformed to form the upper surface at the connecting position. The distance between the opposing portion and the substrate is kept constant.

Further, the rotating mechanism may include a rotor portion having a ring shape centering on the central axis and including a permanent magnet, and a stator portion facing the center portion with respect to the rotor portion The shaft has a radial ring shape centered on the shaft, and a rotational force centering on the central axis is generated between the rotor portion and the rotor portion, and the rotor portion is coupled to the substrate supporting portion.

In this case, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a sealed space forming portion in which the sealed internal space is formed to process the substrate, the substrate supporting portion, the rotor portion of the rotating mechanism, and the upper surface. The surface opposing portion and the chuck portion are disposed in the sealed space forming portion. More preferably, the sealed space forming portion includes a chamber body having an upper opening and a chamber cover portion that closes the upper opening of the chamber body, and the chamber cover portion is also the opposite portion a portion of the support mechanism, wherein the chamber cover portion is raised and lowered relative to the chamber body, and the upper surface opposing portion is self-positioned in the cavity when the upper surface facing portion is at the separated position One of the chamber cover portions above the chamber body is suspended, and when the upper surface facing portion is at the connecting position, the upper surface opposing portion is abutting or close to the chamber of the chamber body The cover is in a non-contact state.

Another substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a substrate supporting portion that supports the substrate from the lower side with the upper surface of the main surface on one side facing the upper side, and a rotating mechanism that causes the substrate supporting portion Rotating about a central axis perpendicular to the substrate; the weight portion may be disposed at a first relative position and a second relative position, wherein the first relative position is different from the substrate supporting portion in the vertical direction a position in which the second relative position is higher than the first relative position; and a hammer supporting mechanism that disposes the weight portion at the second relative position by supporting the weight portion, thereby releasing the hammer portion Supporting the hammer portion at the first relative position for rotating together with the substrate and the substrate supporting portion; and the chuck portion provided on the substrate supporting portion or the hammer portion, wherein the chuck portion is provided : at least three claws, which are disposed around the substrate when viewed along the central axis; and a transmission mechanism that is positioned in the first relative position The force caused by the weight of the above-mentioned weight portion to be transmitted to said at least three claw portions, so that the at least three claw portions toward the central axis so as to press the edge of the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate can be held on the one hand with respect to the center of rotation.

Preferably, the rotating mechanism includes a rotor portion having a ring shape centering on the central axis and including a permanent magnet, and a stator portion facing the central portion with the rotor portion The central portion has a radial annular shape, and a rotational force centering on the central axis is generated between the rotor portion and the rotor portion, and the rotor portion is coupled to the substrate supporting portion. More preferably, the hammer portion is disposed between the substrate supporting portion and the rotor portion disposed below the substrate supporting portion, and is movable along the protective portion that connects the substrate supporting portion and the rotor portion. The direction is moved, and the chuck portion is provided on the substrate supporting portion.

In one aspect of the invention, the substrate supporting portion and the hammer portion are annularly formed around the central axis. In another aspect, the position of the weight portion when the support by the hammer supporting mechanism is released is closer to the position of the hammer portion when supported by the hammer supporting mechanism. The rotor portion described above.

The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings.

J1~J4‧‧‧ center axis

1, 1a‧‧‧ substrate processing device

4, 4a, 4b‧‧‧ chuck department

4c‧‧‧ chuck department

4d‧‧‧ chuck department

9‧‧‧Substrate

10‧‧‧Control Department

12‧‧‧Processing chamber

14‧‧‧Substrate retention department

15‧‧‧Substrate rotation mechanism

16‧‧‧Liquid Access Department

17‧‧‧ Cover

18‧‧‧Gas and Liquid Supply Department

19‧‧‧ gas and liquid discharge

41, 41a‧‧‧ claws

42, 42a, 42b‧‧‧ transmission agencies

42c‧‧‧Transmission agency

42d‧‧‧Transmission agency

43‧‧‧Apartment

44, 45‧‧‧ pole

46, 47‧‧‧ axis

49‧‧‧Connecting Department

51‧‧‧ Hammer

52‧‧‧Connecting components

53‧‧‧ hammer support mechanism

53a‧‧‧ hammer support mechanism

81‧‧‧ annular opening

91‧‧‧Upper surface

92‧‧‧ below

95‧‧‧Substrate retention department

96‧‧‧Substrate support

97‧‧‧Substrate pressing unit

100‧‧‧Expanding confined spaces

120‧‧‧chamber space

121‧‧‧ chamber body

122‧‧‧Cell cover

123‧‧‧ top board

124‧‧‧Internal space

126‧‧‧ top board moving mechanism

131‧‧‧Case opening and closing mechanism

140‧‧‧ card sales

141‧‧‧Substrate support

142‧‧‧Support base

143‧‧‧Internal space

144‧‧‧Support pins

145‧‧‧Contact hole

151‧‧‧ stator

152‧‧‧Rotor Department

161‧‧‧ Cup

162‧‧‧ Cup mobile agency

163‧‧‧ Cup Opposite Department

165‧‧‧Liquid access recess

180‧‧‧heated gas supply nozzle

181‧‧‧ upper nozzle

182‧‧‧ lower nozzle

183‧‧‧Drug supply department

184‧‧‧ Pure Water Supply Department

185‧‧‧IPA Supply Department

186‧‧‧Inert gas supply

187‧‧‧Heating gas supply department

191‧‧‧1st discharge channel

192‧‧‧2nd discharge channel

193‧‧ ‧ gas-liquid separation department

194‧‧‧Outside exhaust

195‧‧‧Drug Recycling Department

196‧‧‧Draining Department

197‧‧‧ gas-liquid separation

198‧‧‧Inside exhaust

199‧‧‧Draining Department

210‧‧‧Bottom of the chamber

211‧‧‧ Central Department

212‧‧‧Inside wall

213‧‧‧ring bottom

214‧‧‧The side wall of the chamber

215‧‧‧Outer side wall

216‧‧‧ base

217‧‧‧Lower annular space

222‧‧‧ board support

223‧‧‧ Tube

224‧‧‧Flange

231‧‧‧ lip seal

232‧‧‧ lip seal

235‧‧‧Top plate shaft

237‧‧‧Supported Department

238‧‧‧ Tube

239‧‧‧Flange

241, 241a‧‧ ‧ Engagement Department

242, 242a‧‧‧ recess

243, 437‧‧‧ magnets

261‧‧‧1st magnet

262‧‧‧2nd magnet

263‧‧‧Magnet moving mechanism

264‧‧‧Ring hole

410‧‧‧Claw support table

411‧‧‧ claw body

412‧‧‧ upper surface

413‧‧‧Protruding

421‧‧ ‧ sales

422‧‧ ‧ sales

423‧‧‧ Bellows

424‧‧ ‧ sales

425‧‧ sales

431‧‧‧Abutment Department

432‧‧‧Upper support

433‧‧‧lower support

434‧‧‧round board

435‧‧ ‧ spring

436‧‧‧Flexible components

440‧‧‧ rod support

441‧‧‧ long hole

450‧‧‧ rod support

451‧‧‧ long hole

460‧‧‧Axis support

461‧‧‧ pole

462‧‧‧ long hole

463‧‧‧ rod

464‧‧‧ long hole

470‧‧‧Axis support

492‧‧‧ Linkage Support

493‧‧‧ bellows

498‧‧‧Supported Department

511‧‧‧through holes

531‧‧ Air cylinder

532‧‧‧Piston rod

533‧‧‧Support members

534‧‧‧ front end

535‧‧‧ Bellows

536‧‧‧Support arm

537‧‧‧Support members

611‧‧‧ Sidewall

612‧‧‧Upper surface

617‧‧‧ Bellows

951‧‧‧With the Ministry

952‧‧‧ card sales

960‧‧‧Support base

961‧‧‧1st contact

971‧‧‧2nd contact

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a gas-liquid supply unit and a gas-liquid discharge unit.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the configuration of a chuck portion.

4 is a view showing a processing flow of a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus.

Figure 6 is a view showing the chuck portion and the top plate.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a substrate holding portion in a substrate processing apparatus of a comparative example.

Fig. 9 is a view showing another example of the chuck portion.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the abutting portion and the plurality of shafts.

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the claw portion.

Fig. 12 is a view showing still another example of the chuck portion.

Fig. 13 is a view showing the configuration of a top plate moving mechanism.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a view showing a chuck portion and a hammer supporting mechanism.

Fig. 16 is a view for explaining the operation of the chuck portion and the hammer supporting mechanism.

Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus.

Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus.

Fig. 19 is a view showing still another example of the chuck portion.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a joint portion and a plurality of shafts.

Fig. 21 is a plan view showing the claw portion.

Fig. 22 is a view showing another example of the hammer supporting mechanism.

Fig. 23 is a view showing another example of the hammer supporting mechanism and the connecting portion.

Fig. 24 is a view showing the configuration of a chuck portion of a third embodiment;

Figure 25 is a view showing the chuck portion and the top plate.

Fig. 26 is a view showing another example of the chuck portion.

Fig. 27 is a view showing still another example of the chuck portion.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a one-piece apparatus in which a processing liquid is supplied to a substantially disk-shaped semiconductor substrate 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate 9"), and the substrate 9 is processed one by one. In Fig. 1, the cross section of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is omitted, and the parallel oblique lines are omitted (the same applies to other cross-sectional views).

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 12, a top plate 123, a chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, a substrate holding portion 14, a substrate rotating mechanism 15, a liquid picking portion 16, and a lid body 17. The cover 17 covers the upper side and the side of the processing chamber 12.

The processing chamber 12 is provided with a chamber body 121 and a chamber cover portion 122. The processing chamber 12 has a cover and a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom centered on the central axis J1 in the vertical direction. The chamber body 121 is provided with a chamber bottom portion 210 and a chamber side wall portion 214. Chamber The bottom portion 210 includes a substantially disk-shaped central portion 211, a substantially cylindrical inner side wall portion 212 that expands downward from the outer edge portion of the central portion 211, and a substantially circular shape that extends radially outward from the lower end of the inner side wall portion 212. a ring-shaped annular bottom portion 213; a substantially cylindrical outer side wall portion 215 that expands upward from an outer edge portion of the annular bottom portion 213; and a substantially annular outer ring portion that extends outward from the upper end portion of the outer side wall portion 215 Plate-shaped base 216.

The chamber side wall portion 214 is annularly centered on the central axis J1. The chamber side wall portion 214 protrudes upward from the inner edge portion of the base portion 216. The member forming the chamber side wall portion 214 also serves as a part of the liquid take-up portion 16 as will be described later. In the following description, the space surrounded by the chamber side wall portion 214, the outer wall portion 215, the annular bottom portion 213, the inner side wall portion 212, and the outer edge portion of the center portion 211 is referred to as a lower annular space 217.

When the substrate 9 is supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 (described later) of the substrate holding portion 14, the lower surface of the substrate 9 faces the upper surface of the central portion 211 of the chamber bottom portion 210. In the following description, the central portion 211 of the chamber bottom portion 210 is referred to as "lower facing portion 211".

The chamber cover portion 122 is substantially disk-shaped perpendicular to the central axis J1, including the upper portion of the processing chamber 12. The chamber cover 122 seals the upper opening of the chamber body 121. In Fig. 1, a state in which the chamber cover portion 122 is separated from the chamber body 121 is shown. When the chamber cover portion 122 seals the upper opening of the chamber body 121, the outer edge portion of the chamber cover portion 122 is joined to the upper portion of the chamber side wall portion 214.

The chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 is configured to relatively move the chamber cover portion 122, which is a movable portion of the processing chamber 12, with respect to the chamber body 121 which is another portion of the processing chamber 12 in the vertical direction. The chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 is a lid elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the chamber lid portion 122. When the chamber lid portion 122 is moved in the vertical direction by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, the top plate 123 also moves in the vertical direction together with the chamber lid portion 122. Chamber cover The portion 122 is joined to the chamber body 121 to seal the upper opening, and the chamber cover portion 122 is pressed toward the chamber body 121 to form a sealed internal space, that is, the chamber space 120 in the processing chamber 12 (refer to Figure 7). In other words, the upper portion of the chamber body 121 is sealed by the chamber cover portion 122, thereby sealing the chamber space 120. The chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber body 121 form a sealed space forming portion of the chamber space 120.

The substrate holding portion 14 is disposed in the chamber space 120 and holds the substrate 9 in a horizontal state. In other words, the substrate 9 is held by the substrate holding portion 14 in a state in which one of the main surfaces 91 (hereinafter referred to as "upper surface 91") on which the fine pattern is formed is perpendicular to the central axis J1 and faces upward. The substrate holding portion 14 includes the substrate supporting portion 141 and a chuck portion 4 provided on the substrate supporting portion 141. The substrate supporting portion 141 has a substantially annular shape centering on the central axis J1. The substrate supporting portion 141 includes a substantially annular plate-shaped support portion base portion 142 centered on the central axis J1, and a plurality of support pins 144 arranged in the circumferential direction on the support portion base portion 142. The outer edge portion of the substrate 9 is supported from the lower side by a plurality of support pins 144 (that is, a portion including the outer periphery of the outer peripheral edge). The chuck portion 4 includes a plurality of claw portions 41. When viewed along the central axis J1, a plurality of claw portions 41 are disposed around the substrate 9. The detailed structure of the chuck unit 4 will be described later.

The top plate 123 is substantially disk-shaped perpendicular to the central axis J1. The top plate 123 is disposed below the chamber cover portion 122 and above the substrate support portion 141. The top plate 123 has an opening in the center. When the substrate 9 is supported by the substrate supporting portion 141, the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 faces the lower surface of the top plate 123 perpendicular to the central axis J1. That is, the top plate 123 is opposed to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 toward the upper surface. The diameter of the top plate 123 is larger than the diameter of the substrate 9, and the outer periphery of the top plate 123 is located radially outward of the outer periphery of the outer periphery of the substrate 9. Arranged in the circumferential direction below the outer edge portion of the top plate 123 A plurality of engaging portions 241. A concave portion that is recessed upward is provided at a lower portion of each of the engaging portions 241.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the top plate 123 is suspended and supported by the chamber cover portion 122. Specifically, the chamber cover portion 122 has a substantially annular plate support portion 222 at the center portion. The plate support portion 222 includes a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 223 centered on the central axis J1 and a substantially annular flange portion 224 centered on the central axis J1. The flange portion 224 is expanded radially inward from the lower end of the tubular portion 223.

The top plate 123 is provided with an annular supported portion 237. The supported portion 237 includes a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 238 centered on the central axis J1 and a substantially annular flange portion 239 centered on the central axis J1. The tubular portion 238 extends upward from the upper surface of the top plate 123. The flange portion 239 expands radially outward from the upper end of the tubular portion 238. The tubular portion 238 is located radially inward of the tubular portion 223 of the plate support portion 222. The flange portion 239 is located above the flange portion 224 of the plate support portion 222 and faces the flange portion 224 in the vertical direction. The top plate 123 is attached to the chamber cover portion 122 by being suspended from the chamber cover portion 122 by the lower surface of the flange portion 239 of the supported portion 237 contacting the upper surface of the flange portion 224 of the plate supporting portion 222.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the top plate 123 is supported by the plate supporting portion 222 of the chamber cover portion 122 in a state where the chamber cover portion 122 is separated upward from the chamber body 121, and the top plate 123 is disposed relative to the substrate supporting portion. 141 The position separated upwards (hereinafter referred to as "separation position"). Actually, the chamber cover portion 122 is supported by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, and the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 and the chamber cover portion 122 substantially support the opposing portion supporting mechanism of the top surface facing portion, that is, the top plate 123.

The substrate rotating mechanism 15 is a hollow motor. The substrate rotating mechanism 15 includes an annular stator portion 151 centered on the central axis J1 and an annular rotor portion 152. The rotor portion 152 includes a substantially annular permanent magnet. Surface of permanent magnet It is encapsulated by PTFE resin. The rotor portion 152 is disposed in the lower annular space 217 in the processing chamber 12. A support base 142 of the substrate support portion 141 is attached to the upper portion of the rotor portion 152 via a connection member. The support base 142 is disposed above the rotor portion 152.

The stator portion 151 is disposed outside the processing chamber 12 around the rotor portion 152, that is, radially outward of the central axis J1. In the present embodiment, the stator portion 151 is fixed to the outer wall portion 215 and the base portion 216 of the chamber bottom portion 210, and is located below the liquid connection portion 16. The stator portion 151 includes a plurality of coils disposed in a circumferential direction around the central axis J1.

By supplying a current to the stator portion 151, a rotational force centering on the central axis J1 is generated between the stator portion 151 and the rotor portion 152. Thereby, the rotor portion 152 rotates in a horizontal state about the central axis J1. By acting on the magnetic force between the stator portion 151 and the rotor portion 152, the rotor portion 152 is neither directly nor indirectly in contact with the processing chamber 12 in the processing chamber 12 and suspended in the processing chamber 12, so that the substrate 9 is The substrate support portion 141 is rotated in a suspended state and centered on the central axis J1. In this manner, the rotating system including the rotor portion 152 rotates in a non-contact state with other members that do not rotate.

The liquid take-up portion 16 includes a cup portion 161, a cup moving mechanism 162, and a cup opposing portion 163. The cup portion 161 is annularly centered on the central axis J1 and is located on the radially outer side of the processing chamber 12 for the entire circumference. The cup moving mechanism 162 moves the cup portion 161 in the vertical direction. The cup moving mechanism 162 is disposed on the radially outer side of the cup portion 161. The cup moving mechanism 162 is disposed at a position different from the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 in the circumferential direction. The cup opposing portion 163 is located below the cup portion 161 and faces the cup portion 161 in the vertical direction. The cup opposing portion 163 forms part of a member of the chamber sidewall portion 214. The cup opposing portion 163 has an annular liquid receiving recess 165 located radially outward of the chamber side wall portion 214.

The cup portion 161 includes a side wall portion 611, an upper surface portion 612, and a bellows 617. The side wall portion 611 has a substantially cylindrical shape centering on the central axis J1. The upper surface portion 612 has a substantially annular plate shape centering on the central axis J1, and extends from the upper end portion of the side wall portion 611 toward the radially inner side and the radially outer side. The lower portion of the side wall portion 611 is located in the liquid receiving recess 165 of the cup opposing portion 163.

The bellows 617 has a substantially cylindrical shape centering on the central axis J1 and is expandable and contractible in the vertical direction. The bellows 617 is provided on the radially outer side of the side wall portion 611 and is provided around the entire circumference of the side wall portion 611. The bellows 617 is formed of a material that does not allow gas or liquid to pass therethrough. The upper end portion of the bellows 617 is connected to the entire lower circumference of the outer edge portion of the upper surface portion 612. In other words, the upper end portion of the bellows 617 is indirectly connected to the side wall portion 611 via the upper surface portion 612. The connection portion of the bellows 617 and the upper surface portion 612 is sealed to prevent the passage of gas or liquid. The lower end of the bellows 617 is indirectly connected to the chamber body 121 via the cup opposing portion 163. In the connection between the lower end of the bellows 617 and the cup facing portion 163, the passage of gas or liquid is also prevented.

A substantially cylindrical upper nozzle 181 centering on the central axis J1 is attached to the center of the chamber cover 122. The upper nozzle 181 is fixed to the chamber cover portion 122 opposite to the central portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. The upper nozzle 181 can be inserted into the opening in the center of the top plate 123. A lower nozzle 182 is mounted at the center of the facing portion 211 below the bottom portion 210 of the chamber. The lower nozzle 182 is opposed to the central portion of the lower surface 92 of the substrate 9. A plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 are also mounted to the lower facing portion 211. The plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 are disposed at equal angular intervals, for example, in the circumferential direction around the central axis J1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the gas-liquid supply unit 18 and the gas-liquid discharge unit 19 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The gas-liquid supply unit 18 includes a chemical liquid supply unit 183, a pure water supply unit 184, an IPA supply unit 185, an inert gas supply unit 186, and a heating gas in addition to the above-described heating gas supply nozzle 180, upper nozzle 181, and lower nozzle 182. Supply unit 187. The chemical solution supply unit 183, the pure water supply unit 184, and the IPA supply unit 185 are connected to the upper nozzle 181 via valves, respectively. The lower nozzle 182 is connected to the pure water supply unit 184 via a valve. The upper nozzle 181 is also connected to the inert gas supply unit 186 via a valve. The upper nozzle 181 has a liquid discharge port at the center and a gas discharge port around the upper nozzle 181. Therefore, correctly, one portion of the upper nozzle 181 is part of a gas supply portion that is supplied to the inside of the processing chamber 12 in a broad sense. The lower nozzle 182 has a liquid discharge port at the center. A plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 are connected to the heating gas supply unit 187 via a valve.

The first discharge flow path 191 connected to the liquid connection recess 165 of the liquid connection unit 16 is connected to the gas-liquid separation unit 193. The gas-liquid separation unit 193 is connected to the outer exhaust unit 194, the chemical liquid recovery unit 195, and the liquid discharge unit 196 via a valve. The second discharge flow path 192 connected to the chamber bottom portion 210 of the processing chamber 12 is connected to the gas-liquid separation portion 197. The gas-liquid separation unit 197 is connected to the inner exhaust unit 198 and the liquid discharge unit 199 via a valve. The respective configurations of the gas-liquid supply unit 18 and the gas-liquid discharge unit 19 are controlled by the control unit 10. The chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, the substrate rotating mechanism 15, and the cup moving mechanism 162 (see FIG. 1) are also controlled by the control unit 10.

In the present embodiment, the chemical solution supplied from the chemical solution supply unit 183 to the substrate 9 via the upper nozzle 181 is, for example, an etching solution such as hydrofluoric acid or a tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution. The pure water supply unit 184 supplies pure water (DIW: Deionized Water) to the substrate 9 via the upper nozzle 181 and the lower nozzle 182. IPA supply unit 185 sprays through the upper portion The nozzle 181 supplies isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to the substrate 9. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, a processing liquid supply unit that supplies a processing liquid other than the above may be provided.

Further, the inert gas supply unit 186 supplies an inert gas into the processing chamber 12 via the upper nozzle 181. The heating gas supply unit 187 supplies a heated gas (for example, a high-temperature inert gas heated to 120 to 130 ° C) to the lower surface 92 of the substrate 9 via a plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180. In the present embodiment, the gas used by the inert gas supply unit 186 and the heating gas supply unit 187 is nitrogen gas (N ₂ ), but may be a gas other than nitrogen.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the configuration of a portion of the chuck portion 4. As described above, the chuck portion 4 is provided on the substrate supporting portion 141, and one portion of the chuck portion 4 is provided inside the annular supporting portion base portion 142 centering on the central axis J1. In FIG. 3, a part of the support base portion 142 and the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 which will be described later is formed, and a cross section including the surface of the central axis J1 is displayed (the same applies to FIGS. 6 and 9). The chuck portion 4 includes a plurality of claw portions 41 and a transmission mechanism 42 which have been described. As described above, the plurality of claw portions 41 are arranged in the circumferential direction around the periphery of the substrate 9 supported by the plurality of support pins 144. The number of the plurality of claw portions 41 is at least three, and the two claw portions 41 and the central axis are coupled to each of the two claw portions 41 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the at least three claw portions 41. The angle of the line of J1 is less than 180 degrees. The at least three claw portions 41 are preferably disposed at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the four claw portions 41 are provided at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction.

The transmission mechanism 42 includes an abutting portion 43 provided with respect to each of the claw portions 41 and a plurality of rods 44 and 45. The abutting portion 43 is a rod member that extends in the vertical direction, and is partially disposed in the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 provided on the upper surface of the support portion base portion 142. An annular upper side support portion 432 and a lower side support are provided in the contact portion accommodating portion 431. The portion 433 supports the abutting portion 43 so as to be movable in the vertical direction by the upper and lower support portions 432 and 433. The lower end portion of the abutting portion 43 is disposed in the inner space 143 formed in the base portion 142 of the support portion. A rod 44 is disposed in the internal space 143, and one end of the rod 44 is connected to the lower end portion of the abutting portion 43 via a pin 421. The rod 44 is formed with a long hole 441 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 44, and the pin 421 is inserted into the long hole 441. The rod 44 is rotatably supported centering on the rotation axis of the paper surface of FIG. 3 by the rod support portion 440 provided in the internal space 143.

The other end of the rod 44 is connected via a pin 422 to the lower end of the other rod 45 substantially in the up and down direction. The rod 45 is formed with an elongated hole 451 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 45, and the pin 422 is inserted into the long hole 451. A contact hole 145 is formed on the upper surface of the support base 142 to communicate with the internal space 143, and the rod 45 is inserted into the contact hole 145. The rod 45 is rotatably supported centering on the rotation axis of the paper surface of Fig. 3 by a rod supporting portion 450 fixed around the coupling hole 145. The rod 45 is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 of the support base 142 on the upper side of the rod support portion 450, and is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical bellows 423. A claw portion 41 is attached to an upper end portion of the rod 45. The bellows 423 is formed of a material that does not allow gas or liquid to pass therethrough. The connection portion between the bellows 423 and the claw portion 41, the connection portion between the bellows 423 and the rod support portion 450, the connection portion between the rod support portion 450 and the support portion base portion 142, and the connection between the abutment portion accommodation portion 431 and the support portion base portion 142 The part is sealed to prevent the passage of gas or liquid.

A disc portion 434 centering on the abutting portion 43 is attached to the abutting portion 43. The disc portion 434 is disposed between the upper support portion 432 and the lower support portion 433 in the contact portion accommodating portion 431. A spring 435 surrounding the periphery of the abutting portion 43 is provided between the disc portion 434 and the lower side support portion 433. The spring plate 435 is biased upward to impart potential energy to the disc portion 434 and the abutting portion 43, and the disc portion 434 and the upper support portion are formed as shown in FIG. Abutted below 432. In a state in which the disk portion 434 is in contact with the lower surface of the upper support portion 432, the end portion of the rod 44 on the rod 45 side is located on the lower side of the end portion on the side of the abutting portion 43, and the rod 45 is substantially erected in the vertical direction. Thereby, the claw portion 41 is disposed at a position separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). An elastic member 436 formed of rubber or the like is provided in one part (may be all) of the abutting portion 43, and the abutting portion 43 is slightly stretchable in the longitudinal direction. The above-described configuration included in the transmission mechanism 42 is provided for each of the plurality of claw portions 41.

4 is a view showing a processing flow of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1. In the substrate processing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the chamber cover portion 122 is separated from the chamber body 121 and positioned upward, and the cup portion 161 is separated from the chamber cover portion 122 and is positioned below, by the outside. The transport mechanism carries the substrate 9 into the processing chamber 12, and is supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 from the lower side (step S10). Hereinafter, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 1 is referred to as "open state". The opening between the chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber side wall portion 214 is an annular shape centering on the central axis J1, and is hereinafter referred to as "annular opening 81". In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the chamber cover portion 122 is separated from the chamber body 121, and an annular opening 81 is formed around the substrate 9 (that is, radially outward). In step S10, the substrate 9 is carried in through the annular opening 81.

When the substrate 9 is carried in, the chamber lid portion 122 is lowered from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 5 (a position close to the chamber body 121) by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131. Further, the cup portion 161 is raised from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 5, and is located on the radially outer side of the annular opening 81 over the entire circumference. In the following description, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 5 is referred to as "first sealed state". Further, the position of the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 5 is referred to as "liquid picking position", and the position of the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 1 is referred to as "retracted position". The cup moving mechanism 162 causes the cup portion 161 to open in a ring shape The liquid contact position on the radially outer side of the port 81 moves in the up and down direction between the retracted position below the liquid contact position.

In the cup portion 161 located at the liquid pick-up position, the side wall portion 611 is opposed to the annular opening 81 in the radial direction. Further, the upper surface of the outer edge portion of the upper surface portion 612 is joined to the lip seal 232 at the lower end of the outer edge portion of the chamber cover portion 122 over the entire circumference. A seal portion that prevents passage of gas or liquid is formed between the chamber cover portion 122 and the upper surface portion 612 of the cup portion 161. Thereby, a sealed space (hereinafter referred to as "enlarged sealed space 100") surrounded by the chamber body 121, the chamber cover portion 122, the cup portion 161, and the cup opposing portion 163 is formed. The enlarged sealed space 100 is formed by communicating the chamber space 120 between the chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber body 121 via the annular opening 81 with the side space 160 surrounded by the cup portion 161 and the cup opposing portion 163. One space.

Further, in the first sealed state, as shown in FIG. 6, the concave portion 242 at the lower portion of each of the engaging portions 241 of the top plate 123 is fitted to the upper end portion of the abutting portion 43 that protrudes upward from the abutting portion accommodating portion 431. Thereby, the top plate 123 is connected to the support base 142 of the substrate supporting portion 141. In other words, the relative position of the top plate 123 with respect to the rotation direction (circumferential direction) of the substrate supporting portion 141 is fixed. In the following description, the position at which the top plate 123 and the substrate supporting portion 141 are coupled is referred to as a "connection position". When the chamber cover portion 122 is lowered, the rotation position of the support portion base portion 142 is controlled by the substrate rotation mechanism 15 so that the engagement portion 241 and the abutment portion 43 are fitted. Actually, the magnets 437 and 243 are provided on the surface of the upper end surface of each of the abutting portions 43 and the concave portion 242 of the engaging portion 241 opposed to the upper end surface, and act between the magnets 437 and 243. The magnetic force (gravity) firmly bonds the engaging portion 241 and the abutting portion 43.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion 239 of the supported portion 237 is separated above the flange portion 224 of the plate supporting portion 222, and the plate supporting portion 222 and the supported portion are separated. 237 does not touch. In other words, the support of the top plate 123 by the support of the top plate 123 by the plate supporting portion 222, that is, the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 is released. Therefore, the top plate 123 is independent of the chamber cover portion 122, and is rotatable together with the substrate holding portion 14 and the substrate 9 held by the substrate holding portion 14 by the substrate rotating mechanism 15.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower surface of the abutting portion 241 abuts against the upper surface of the abutting portion accommodating portion 431, and the abutting portion 43 is pushed downward by the weight of the top plate 123. One end of the rod 45 side of the rod 44 moves to the upper side of the end portion on the side closer to the abutting portion 43, so that the rod 45 is inclined so that the upper end portion of the rod 45 is close to the substrate 9. Thereby, the claw portion 41 abuts against the edge (side surface) of the substrate 9 on the support pin 144, and the edge is pressed by the claw portion 41 toward the central axis J1. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41, respectively, and the edges of the substrate 9 are pressed toward the central axis J1 by substantially the same force by a plurality of claw portions 41 arranged in the circumferential direction. Different parts. As a result, the center of the substrate 9 can be placed on the central axis J1, and the substrate 9 can be firmly held by the chuck portion 4 (step S11). Even when the size (diameter) of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 fluctuates, the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member 436 by the abutting portion 43 is changed so that the lower surface of the engaging portion 241 and the abutting portion are formed. The upper surface of the accommodating portion 431 abuts. Therefore, the distance between the lower surface of the top plate 123 and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is kept constant.

When the substrate 9 is held, the substrate rotation mechanism 15 shown in FIG. 5 starts the rotation of the substrate 9 at a constant rotation speed (lower rotation speed, hereinafter referred to as "steady-state rotation speed"). Further, the inert gas supply unit 186 (see FIG. 2) starts to supply an inert gas (here, nitrogen gas) to the enlarged sealed space 100, and the outer exhaust portion 194 starts to expand the gas in the sealed space 100. Thereby, after a predetermined period of time, the sealed space 100 is expanded to be filled with an inert gas filled with an inert gas (ie, Low oxygen environment gas with low oxygen concentration). Further, the supply of the inert gas in the expanded space 100 and the expansion of the gas in the sealed space 100 may be performed in an open state as shown in FIG.

Next, the heated gas is supplied from the plurality of heated gas supply nozzles 180 toward the lower surface 92 of the rotating substrate 9. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated. Then, the supply of the chemical liquid is started from the upper nozzle 181 toward the central portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (step S12). The chemical liquid from the upper nozzle 181 is continuously supplied to the upper surface 91 of the rotating substrate 9. The chemical solution on the upper surface 91 is diffused toward the outer periphery of the substrate 9 by the rotation of the substrate 9, so that the upper surface 91 as a whole is covered by the chemical liquid.

In the supply of the chemical liquid from the upper nozzle 181, the discharge of the heated gas from the heated gas supply nozzle 180 continues to be ejected. Thereby, on the one hand, the substrate 9 is uniformly heated at a temperature which is substantially required, and on the other hand, the upper surface 91 is etched by the chemical liquid. As a result, the uniformity of the chemical treatment of the substrate 9 can be improved. When the chemical liquid is supplied from the upper nozzle 181, the lower surface of the top plate 123 at the joint position extends above the substrate 9 so as to cover the substrate 9 along the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, and is close to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Thus, the treatment of the substrate 9 by the chemical solution is performed in a very narrow space between the lower surface of the top plate 123 and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Thereby, the uniformity of the chemical treatment of the substrate 9 can be further improved.

In the enlarged sealed space 100, the chemical liquid scattered on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 that has been rotated is picked up by the cup portion 161 via the annular opening 81, and guided to the liquid take-up recess 165. The chemical solution guided to the liquid receiving recess 165 flows into the gas-liquid separating portion 193 via the first discharge flow path 191 shown in FIG. 2 . In the chemical liquid recovery unit 195, the chemical liquid is recovered from the gas-liquid separation unit 193, and impurities and the like are removed from the chemical liquid through a filter or the like, and then reused.

When the supply of the chemical liquid from the upper nozzle 181 has elapsed for a predetermined period of time (for example, 60 to 120 seconds), the supply of the chemical liquid from the upper nozzle 181 is stopped, and the supply of the heated gas from the heating gas supply nozzle 180 is stopped. . Next, the substrate rotation mechanism 15 causes the rotation speed of the substrate 9 to be higher than the steady-state rotation speed for a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 3 seconds), and the chemical liquid is removed from the substrate 9.

Next, the chamber cover portion 122 and the cup portion 161 move in synchronization downward. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the annular opening 81 is closed by the lip seal 231 at the lower end of the outer edge portion of the outer peripheral portion of the chamber cover portion 122 in contact with the upper portion of the chamber side wall portion 214, in a state of being isolated from the side space 160. The chamber space 120 is sealed. The cup portion 161 is located at the retracted position as in the case of Fig. 1 . Hereinafter, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 7 is referred to as "second sealed state". In the second sealed state, the substrate 9 is directly opposed to the inner wall of the processing chamber 12, and there is no other liquid receiving portion between them.

In the second sealed state, similarly to the first sealed state, the plurality of claw portions 41 of the chuck portion 4 press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1 to firmly hold the substrate 9. Further, the holding of the top plate 123 by the plate supporting portion 222 is released, and the top plate 123 is rotated independently from the chamber cover portion 122 together with the substrate holding portion 14 and the substrate 9.

When the chamber space 120 is sealed, the discharge of the gas by the outer exhaust portion 194 (see FIG. 2) is stopped, and the discharge of the gas in the chamber space 120 by the inner exhaust portion 198 is started. Then, the supply of pure water to the substrate 9 is started by the pure water supply unit 184 (step S13).

The pure water from the pure water supply unit 184 is continuously supplied from the upper nozzle 181 to the central portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Further, the pure water from the pure water supply unit 184 is continuously supplied from the lower nozzle 182 to the central portion of the lower surface 92 of the substrate 9. The pure water discharged from the upper nozzle 181 and the lower nozzle 182 is supplied to the substrate 9 as a cleaning liquid.

The pure water is diffused toward the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface 91 and the lower surface 92 by the rotation of the substrate 9, and is scattered radially outward from the outer periphery of the substrate 9. The pure water scattered from the substrate 9 is taken up on the inner wall of the processing chamber 12 (i.e., the inner wall of the chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber side wall portion 214), and is passed through the second discharge flow shown in FIG. The path 192, the gas-liquid separation unit 197, and the liquid discharge unit 199 are discarded (the same applies to the drying process of the substrate 9 to be described later). Thereby, in the chamber space 120, the cleaning in the processing chamber 12 is substantially performed together with the cleaning treatment of the substrate 9 by pure water. In fact, a portion of the pure water scattered from the substrate 9 bounces back toward the central axis J1 side on the inner wall of the processing chamber 12, but the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is covered by the top plate 123, thereby preventing from the processing chamber The pure water of the inner wall of the chamber 12 is attached to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9.

When the predetermined time has elapsed since the supply of the pure water has started, the supply of the pure water from the pure water supply unit 184 is stopped. Then, the heated gas is ejected from the plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 toward the lower surface 92 of the substrate 9. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated. Further, in a state where the discharge of the heating gas from the heating gas supply nozzle 180 is continued, the rotation speed of the substrate 9 is increased sufficiently higher than the steady-state rotation speed. Thereby, the drying process of the substrate 9 is performed by removing pure water from the substrate 9 (step S14). When a predetermined time elapses from the start of drying of the substrate 9, the rotation of the substrate 9 is stopped. Further, before the drying process of the substrate 9, the IPA may be supplied from the upper nozzle 181 toward the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, and the pure water may be replaced with IPA on the upper surface 91. Further, the drying process of the substrate 9 may be performed under reduced pressure ambient gas which is decompressed by the inner exhaust portion 198 to reduce the chamber space 120 to below atmospheric pressure.

Thereafter, the chamber cover portion 122 is raised, as shown in FIG. The chamber 12 is in an open state, and the top plate 123 is disposed at a separated position with respect to the substrate supporting portion 141. In step S14, since the top plate 123 rotates together with the substrate supporting portion 141, almost no liquid remains on the lower surface of the top plate 123, so that no liquid is dropped from the top plate 123 on the substrate 9 when the chamber cover portion 122 is raised.

In a state where the top plate 123 is disposed at the separated position, the engaging portion 241 is separated from the abutting portion 43 shown in FIG. 3 in the vertical direction, and the abutting portion 43 is disposed by the potential energy given by the spring 435 as shown in FIG. The location. Thereby, the rod 45 is substantially erected in the up-and-down direction, and the claw portion 41 is separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). That is, the holding of the substrate 9 by the chuck portion 4 is released (step S15). Thereafter, the substrate 9 is carried out from the processing chamber 12 by an external transfer mechanism (step S16), and the substrate 9 is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1. Actually, the processing of the above steps S10 to S16 is repeatedly performed for the other substrates 9.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a substrate holding portion in a substrate processing apparatus of a comparative example. In the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, the substrate holding portion 95 includes a substantially annular substrate supporting portion 96 from the outer edge portion of the lower supporting substrate 9 and a substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting portion 96 from the upper side. The substrate pressing portion 97 of the edge portion. The substrate supporting portion 96 includes a substantially annular plate-shaped supporting portion base portion 960 and a plurality of first contact portions 961 fixed to the upper surface of the supporting portion base portion 960, and a plurality of first contact portions 961 are arranged in the circumferential direction. The substrate pressing portion 97 includes a plurality of second contact portions 971 fixed to the lower surface of the top plate 123, and a plurality of second contact portions 971 are arranged in the circumferential direction. A plurality of engaging portions 951 are arranged in the circumferential direction on the lower surface of the outer edge portion of the top plate 123, and a plurality of engaging pins 952 are arranged in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the supporting portion base portion 960. When the top plate 123 is disposed at the connection position, the engagement portion 951 is fitted to the engagement pin 952, and the top plate 123 is coupled to the substrate support portion 96. In the comparative example In the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate pressing portion 97 presses the substrate 9 toward the substrate supporting portion 96 by the weight of the top plate 123, and the substrate pressing portion 97 and the substrate supporting portion 96 sandwich the substrate 9 up and down.

However, in the substrate processing apparatus, the diameter of the substrate 9 loaded therein slightly changes due to the bending of the substrate 9, the manufacturing error, and the like. In order to cope with such a change, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, the position and shape of the plurality of first contact portions 961 of the support portion base portion 960 are determined in accordance with the substrate 9 having the largest diameter in the SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) standard. And the position and shape of the plurality of second contact portions 971 in the top plate 123. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, when the substrate 9 having a smaller diameter than the largest diameter in the above specification is loaded, when the processing liquid of the substrate 9 is supplied, or when the substrate 9 is rotated or decelerated, There is a case where the position of the substrate 9 on the substrate supporting portion 96 is changed (that is, the substrate 9 is slightly moved). In this case, the substrate 9 is rubbed against the contact portions 961, 971 to generate contaminants or to cause abrasion of the contact portions 961, 971. Further, if the position of the substrate 9 fluctuates greatly, the substrate 9 may be damaged. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, the end surface of the first contact portion 961 is an inclined surface for alignment, but even if such an inclined surface is provided, it is not guaranteed that the substrate 9 can be accurately aligned.

On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the chuck portion 4 having the plurality of claw portions 41 and the transmission mechanism 42 is provided in the substrate supporting portion 141, and when the top plate 123 is at the coupling position, the weight of the top plate 123 is up and down. The direction presses the bottom portions 43 of the transmission mechanism 42 into place. The transmission mechanism 42 transmits the force acting on each of the abutting portions 43 to the corresponding claw portion 41, and the plurality of claw portions 41 press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1. Thereby, even when the diameter of the substrate 9 to be loaded is changed, the self-weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the joint position can be realized, and the plurality of claws 41 are externally The side is held against the substrate 9. As a result, the positional variation of the substrate 9 on the substrate supporting portion 141 can be suppressed during the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate 9, or during the acceleration/deceleration of the rotation of the substrate 9, and the substrate 9 can be prevented from being damaged. Further, by arranging the center of the substrate 9 on the central axis J1 by the plurality of claw portions 41, even if the substrate 9 is aligned with respect to the rotation center, the rotation of the substrate including the substrate 9, the substrate supporting portion 141, and the top plate 123 can be performed. The center of gravity of the body is disposed in the vicinity of the center axis J1 (balanced), so that the rotating body can be stably rotated.

Further, the top plate 123 disposed at the joint position is close to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 to cover the upper surface 91. Thereby, in the process of supplying the processing liquid to the substrate 9 that is rotated, the processing liquid scattered from the outer edge portion of the substrate 9 can be prevented from rebounding on the inner wall of the processing chamber 12 and reattached to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Further, in the substrate holding portion 14, the transmission mechanism 42 includes the elastic member 436, and the elastic member 436 is elastically deformed when the size of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 is changed. Thereby, the distance between the top plate 123 and the substrate 9 at the joint position can be kept constant. As a result, even when the size of the substrate 9 fluctuates, the substrate 9 can be processed under certain conditions.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the substrate rotating mechanism 15 includes an annular rotor portion 152 centered on the central axis J1 and a stator portion 151 having an annular gap that is opposed to the rotor portion 152 in the radial direction. Further, the substrate supporting portion 141 is connected to the rotor portion 152, and the substrate supporting portion 141 and the rotor portion 152 are rotated in contact with the processing chamber 12 in the processing chamber 12. In this manner, even in the case where the driving force of the power source such as electric or compressed air is not transmitted to the chuck portion 4 of the substrate supporting portion 141, the substrate 9 can be made relatively in the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration. On the one hand, the alignment center is maintained on the one hand.

Fig. 9 is a view showing another example of the chuck portion. The transmission mechanism 42a of the chuck portion 4a of Fig. 9 includes a contact portion 43 and a plurality of shafts 46, 47 provided for the respective claw portions 41a. The internal structure of the abutting portion 43 and the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 is the same as that of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the abutting portion 43 and the plurality of shafts 46, 47. In FIG. 10, illustration of other components is omitted for convenience of illustration. As shown in FIG. 9, the inner space 143 of the support base 142 is provided with a shaft 46 extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J1 (lateral direction of FIG. 9). The shaft 46 is rotatably supported around the central axis J2 by a pair of shaft support portions 460. As shown in FIG. 10, one end of the rod 461 extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J2 of the shaft 46 is fixed to one end of the shaft 46, and the other end of the rod 461 is connected to the lower end of the abutting portion 43 via a pin 424. unit. The rod 461 is formed with a long hole 462 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 461, and the pin 424 is inserted into the long hole 462.

As shown in FIG. 9, the lower portion of the other shaft 47 extending in the vertical direction is disposed in the internal space 143 of the support portion base portion 142. The shaft 47 is rotatably supported around the central axis J3 by the shaft support portion 470. As shown in FIG. 10, one end of the rod 463 extending in the direction perpendicular to the central axis J2 of the shaft 46 is fixed to the other end of the shaft 46. The other end of the rod 463 is coupled to the upper portion of the shaft 47 via a pin 425. The rod 463 is formed with an elongated hole 464 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 463, and the pin 425 is inserted into the long hole 464.

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing one claw portion 41a showing the claw portion 41a as viewed in the up and down direction. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the claw portion 41a has a claw body 411 having an elliptical shape as viewed in the vertical direction. The upper surface 412 of the claw body 411 is an inclined surface whose height gradually decreases from one end of the long axis of the ellipse toward the other end. On the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411, and near the position of the highest height, A protruding portion 413 protruding upward. The protruding portion 413 is an inverted conical trapezoid having a diameter larger than that of the lower portion. The claw body 411 is fixed to the upper surface of the cap-shaped cylindrical support table 410.

In the shaft 47, the portion other than the lower portion is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 of the support portion base portion 142, and the upper end portion of the shaft 47 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid portion of the claw portion support base 410. The periphery of the portion of the shaft 47 disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 is surrounded by the side wall portion of the claw support base 410. The connection portion between the side wall portion of the claw support base 410 and the support portion base portion 142 is sealed in a state where the both are slidable.

The top plate 123 is disposed at the separated position, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the disk portion 434 is in contact with the lower surface of the upper side support portion 432 by the potential energy imparted by the spring 435, and the edge of the substrate 9 It is disposed on the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411 at a position slightly separated from the protruding portion 413. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 9, when the abutting portion 43 is pressed downward by the weight of the top plate 123 at the joint position, the shaft 46 shown in Fig. 10 is rotated about the central axis J2, and the shaft 47 is centered. The shaft J3 is rotated about the center. Thereby, the claw body 411 is rotated about the central axis J3 from the rotational position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11 toward the rotational position indicated by the solid line, as shown by the solid line in FIG. The upper side is moved, and the side of the protruding portion 413 abuts against the edge of the substrate 9. In other words, the outer edge portion of the substrate 9 bites into the concave portion formed by the side surface of the protruding portion 413 and the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41a disposed along the outer edge of the substrate 9, and the plurality of claw portions 41a press the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1 with substantially the same force. Different parts of the edge. As described above, in the chuck portion 4a shown in FIG. 9, the weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the joint position is used to hold the substrate 9 on the one hand with respect to the center of rotation.

Fig. 12 is a view showing still another example of the chuck portion. The chuck portion 4b of Fig. 12 is attached to the top plate 123. In FIG. 12, a cross section including a surface including the central axis J1 is displayed on one of the configurations of the top plate 123 and the contact portion accommodating portion 431. The chuck portion 4b includes a plurality of claw portions 41 and a transmission mechanism 42b. When viewed along the central axis J1, a plurality of claw portions 41 are disposed around the substrate 9. The transmission mechanism 42b has a configuration similar to that of the transmission mechanism 42 of Fig. 3 upside down.

Specifically, the transmission mechanism 42 b includes an abutting portion 43 provided with respect to each of the claw portions 41 and a plurality of rods 44 and 45 . The abutting portion 43 is movably supported in the vertical direction by the upper side support portion 432 and the lower side support portion 433. A substantially cylindrical abutting portion accommodating portion 431 is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 123, and the lower supporting portion 433 is provided in the abutting portion accommodating portion 431. The upper end portion of the abutting portion 43 is disposed in the inner space 124 formed in the top plate 123. A rod 44 is disposed in the internal space 124, and one end of the rod 44 is connected to the upper end portion of the abutting portion 43 via a pin 421. The rod 44 is formed with a long hole 441 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 44, and the pin 421 is inserted into the long hole 441. The rod 44 is rotatably supported by the rod supporting portion 440 around a rotation axis perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 12.

The other end of the rod 44 is coupled to the upper end of the other rod 45 via a pin 422. The rod 45 is formed with an elongated hole 451 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 45, and the pin 422 is inserted into the long hole 451. The rod 45 is rotatably supported by the rod supporting portion 450 around a rotation axis perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 12. The portion of the rod 45 that is lower than the rod support portion 450 is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 124 of the top plate 123. The periphery of the portion of the rod 45 near the lower side of the rod support portion 450 is covered by the diaphragm seal 427. A claw portion 41 is attached to the lower end portion of the rod 45.

The disc portion 434 attached to the abutting portion 43 is disposed on the upper branch The support portion 432 is between the lower support portion 433 and the lower support portion 433. A spring 435 surrounding the periphery of the abutting portion 43 is provided between the disc portion 434 and the upper side support portion 432. By the spring 435, potential energy is applied to the disc portion 434 and the abutting portion 43 downward. When the top plate 123 is at the separated position, and the circular plate portion 434 is in contact with the upper surface of the lower support portion 433 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12, the inclination angle of the rod 45 with respect to the up and down direction becomes small. The claw portion 41 is separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside.

An engaging portion 241a that protrudes upward is provided on the upper surface of the base portion 142 of the support portion. When the top plate 123 is at the connecting position, the lower end portion of the abutting portion 43 that protrudes downward from the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 is fitted to the engaging portion. a concave portion 242a at an upper portion of the portion 241a. Thereby, the top plate 123 is coupled to the substrate supporting portion 141. Further, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 12, the upper surface of the engaging portion 241a abuts against the lower surface of the abutting portion accommodating portion 431, and the abutting portion 43 is pushed upward by the substrate supporting portion 141. Thereby, the rod 45 is inclined such that the lower end portion of the rod 45 is close to the substrate 9, and the claw portion 41 abuts against the edge of the substrate 9. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41 disposed along the outer edge of the substrate 9, and the plurality of claw portions 41 press the different portions of the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1. As described above, in the chuck portion 4b shown in FIG. 12, the weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the connection position is used to hold the substrate 9 in alignment with respect to the rotation center. Further, the chuck portion is preferably provided on the substrate supporting portion from the viewpoint of preventing the processing liquid scattered from the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 from being bounced back and attached to the upper surface 91 by the constituent elements of the transmission mechanism connected to the claw portion. 141.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, various modifications can be made.

As the transmission mechanism for transmitting the force acting on the abutting portion to the plurality of claw portions, various configurations other than the above may be employed. For example, in the transmission mechanism 42a shown in FIG. 9, a male thread may be formed on the end portion of the shaft 46 on the side of the shaft 47, and The female screw provided on the shaft 47 is screwed. In this case, the shaft 46 is rotated about the central axis J2 by the abutting portion 43 in the vertical direction, and the shaft 47 linearly moves in the direction along the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 9). Further, the transmission mechanism may transmit the force acting on the one or a plurality of the abutting portions 43 in addition to the structure in which the force acting on the abutting portion 43 provided for each of the claw portions is transmitted to the claw portion. To the construction of a plurality of claws.

When the size of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 is changed, the elastic member elastically deformed so that the distance between the top plate 123 and the substrate 9 at the connecting position is constant may be provided in the abutting portion 43 of the transmitting mechanism. other than. Further, in the case where the distance between the top plate 123 and the substrate 9 at the connection position is allowed to slightly vary depending on the size of the substrate 9, the elastic member may be omitted in the transmission mechanism.

In the above-described embodiment, the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be simplified by using the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, which is a closed space opening and closing mechanism, as the opposing portion supporting mechanism (one part) of the top plate 123 that supports the upper surface opposing portion. However, depending on the design of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the opposing support mechanism and the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 may be provided separately.

In the example shown in Fig. 13, the top plate moving mechanism 126 that moves the top plate 123 in the vertical direction is provided as a facing portion supporting mechanism. The top plate moving mechanism 126 includes a first magnet 261, a second magnet 262, and a magnet moving mechanism 263. Each of the first magnet 261 and the second magnet 262 has a substantially annular shape centering on the central axis J1. A cylindrical top plate shaft portion 235 formed of a non-magnetic material is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 123, and the first magnet 261 is disposed inside the top plate shaft portion 235 along the outer peripheral surface of the top plate shaft portion 235. The second magnet 262 is disposed in the annular hole 264 formed in the chamber cover portion 122 and is disposed around the periphery of the top plate shaft portion 235. The second magnet 262 is moved in the vertical direction in the annular hole 264 by the magnet moving mechanism 263. Thereby, the top plate 123 can be opposite to the base The substrate support portion 141 is relatively moved between the separation position at which the plate support portion 141 is separated upward and the connection position at which the substrate support portion 141 is coupled.

Further, the chamber lid portion 122 may be raised and lowered relative to the chamber body 121 by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, and the chamber body 121 may be raised and lowered with respect to the positionally fixed chamber lid portion 122. In this case, the upper end portion of the chamber body 121 is brought into close contact with or abuts against the chamber cover portion 122 by raising the chamber body 121, so that the top plate 123 and the chamber cover portion 122 are brought into a non-contact state, and are disposed. At the connection position (refer to Figure 5 or Figure 7). Further, the chamber body 121 is separated from the chamber cover portion 122 by lowering the chamber body 121, and the top plate 123 is partially suspended from the chamber cover portion 122 located above the chamber body 121 and disposed at a separated position (see Fig. 1). As described above, the opposing portion supporting mechanism that selectively disposes the top plate 123 at the separated position and the connecting position can be realized in various configurations.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, a member having an annular plate shape that faces only the outer edge portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 may be provided as the upper surface opposing portion. In this case, in the process of supplying the processing liquid to the rotating substrate 9, the processing liquid which is scattered from the outer edge portion of the substrate 9 is prevented from being processed in the processing chamber by the annular plate-shaped member disposed at the connection position. The inner wall of 12 is springed back and attached to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 again. As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, at least the outer edge portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 faces the upper surface opposing portion.

The shape and structure of the stator portion 151 and the rotor portion 152 of the substrate rotating mechanism 15 can be variously changed. For example, the stator portion 151 may be provided inside the rotor portion 152 (on the side of the center axis J1). The rotor portion 152 does not have to be rotated in a suspended state, and a structure for mechanically supporting the guide of the rotor portion 152 or the like may be provided in the processing chamber 12, and the rotor portion 152 may be rotated along the guide. In addition, the substrate rotating mechanism The 15 does not have to be a hollow motor. For example, a substrate rotating mechanism that rotates a shaft fixed to the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate supporting portion 141 may be used.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the substrate supporting portion 141, the rotor portion 152 of the substrate rotating mechanism 15, the top plate 123, and the chuck portions 4, 4a, 4b are disposed in the processing chamber 12, which is a sealed space forming portion, and are sealed inside. The substrate 9 is processed in a space, but the substrate 9 can be processed in an open space depending on the design of the substrate processing apparatus.

The substrate to be processed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to a semiconductor substrate, and may be a glass substrate or another substrate.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus 1a according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The basic structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1a is the same as that of the substrate processing apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 (including the gas-liquid supply unit 18 and the gas-liquid discharge unit 19 of FIG. 2), and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1a below, the difference from the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be mainly described.

The upper surface of the support portion base portion 142 of the substrate processing apparatus 1a of Fig. 14 is provided with a plurality of engagement pins 140 projecting upward, and a plurality of engagement pins 140 are arranged in the circumferential direction. As described above, a recessed portion that is recessed upward is provided at a lower portion of each of the engaging portions 241, and the engaging pin 140 is inserted into the recessed portion as will be described later. Actually, the engaging pin 140 and the engaging portion 241 are disposed at different positions in the circumferential direction from the plurality of claw portions 41. The number of combinations of the engaging pin 140 and the engaging portion 241 is preferably three or more.

A plurality of connecting members 52 having a rod shape extending in the vertical direction are provided on the upper portion of the rotor portion 152, and the rotor portion 152 is connected to the support portion base portion 142 of the substrate supporting portion 141 by a plurality of connecting members 52. The plurality of connecting members 52 are preferably arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction.

A substantially annular hammer portion 51 centering on the central axis J1 is provided between the rotor portion 152 and the substrate supporting portion 141. The hammer portion 51 is provided with a plurality of through holes 511 (see FIG. 15) that penetrate in the vertical direction. A plurality of through holes 511 are respectively inserted into the plurality of connecting members 52. The inner circumferential surface of each of the through holes 511 of the weight portion 51 is slidably coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the connecting member 52, and the weight portion 51 is movable in the vertical direction along the connecting member 52. The plurality of connecting members 52 are guide portions that guide the movement of the hammer portion 51 in the vertical direction between the substrate supporting portion 141 and the rotor portion 152 disposed below the substrate supporting portion 141.

Fig. 15 is a view showing the configuration of the chuck portion 4 and the hammer supporting mechanism 53, and the vicinity of the cross section on the left side of the support portion base portion 142 shown in Fig. 14 is enlarged. As described above, the chuck portion 4 is provided on the substrate supporting portion 141, and one portion of the chuck portion 4 is provided inside the annular supporting portion base portion 142 centering on the central axis J1. In FIG. 15, the chamber main body 121, the weight portion 51, the support portion base portion 142, a connecting portion support portion 492 and a bellows 493 which will be described later, and a cross section including the surface including the central axis J1 are displayed (FIG. 16, FIG. 19 and FIG. The same is true in 23). The chuck portion 4 includes a plurality of claw portions 41 and a transmission mechanism 42 which have been described. As described above, the plurality of claw portions 41 are arranged in the circumferential direction around the periphery of the substrate 9 supported by the plurality of support pins 144. The number of the plurality of claw portions 41 is at least three, and the two claw portions 41 and the central axis are coupled to each of the two claw portions 41 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the at least three claw portions 41. The angle of the line of J1 is less than 180 degrees. The at least three claw portions 41 are preferably disposed at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the four claw portions 41 are provided at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction.

The transmission mechanism 42 includes a coupling portion 49 provided with respect to each of the claw portions 41 and a plurality of rods 44 and 45. The connecting portion 49 is a rod member extending in the vertical direction, and the borrowing member 49 The cylindrical connecting portion supporting portion 492 provided on the lower surface of the support portion base portion 142 is movably supported in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the joint portion 49 is connected to the weight portion 51. A substantially cylindrical bellows 493 is provided on the lower end surface of the joint supporting portion 492. The bellows 493 is formed of a material that does not allow gas or liquid to pass therethrough. The connection portion between the bellows 493 and the connection portion 49, the connection portion between the bellows 493 and the connection portion support portion 492, and the connection portion between the connection portion support portion 492 and the support portion base portion 142 are sealed to prevent passage of gas or liquid.

The upper end portion of the coupling portion 49 is disposed in the internal space 143 formed in the base portion 142 of the support portion. A rod 44 is disposed in the internal space 143, and one end of the rod 44 is connected to the upper end portion of the joint portion 49 via a pin 421. The rod 44 is formed with a long hole 441 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 44, and the pin 421 is inserted into the long hole 441. The rod 44 is rotatably supported centering on the rotation axis of the paper surface of FIG. 15 by the rod support portion 440 provided in the internal space 143.

The other end of the rod 44 is connected via a pin 422 to the lower end of the other rod 45 substantially in the up and down direction. The rod 45 is formed with an elongated hole 451 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 45, and the pin 422 is inserted into the long hole 451. A contact hole 145 is formed on the upper surface of the support base 142 to communicate with the internal space 143, and the rod 45 is inserted into the contact hole 145. The rod 45 is rotatably supported centering on the rotation axis of the paper surface of Fig. 15 by the rod supporting portion 450 fixed around the coupling hole 145. The rod 45 is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 of the support base 142 on the upper side of the rod support portion 450, and is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical bellows 423. A claw portion 41 is attached to an upper end portion of the rod 45. The bellows 423 is formed of a material that does not allow gas or liquid to pass therethrough. The connection portion between the bellows 423 and the claw portion 41, the connection portion between the bellows 423 and the rod support portion 450, and the connection portion between the rod support portion 450 and the support portion base portion 142 are sealed to prevent passage of gas or liquid.

As shown in FIG. 15, a recessed portion 218 that opens toward the lower annular space 217 is provided in the chamber side wall portion 214, and a hammer supporting mechanism 53 is provided in the recessed portion 218. The hammer supporting mechanism 53 is provided with an air cylinder 531, and a support member 533 is attached to the front end of the piston rod 532 of the air cylinder 531. The front end surface (surface on the central axis J1 side) 534 of the support member 533 is an inclined surface that is separated from the central axis J1 as it goes upward. A bellows 535 is disposed around the piston rod 532 between the body of the air cylinder 531 and the support member 533. The bellows 535 is formed of a material that does not allow gas or liquid to pass therethrough to prevent intrusion of gas or liquid into the interior of the air cylinder 531. In a state where the air cylinder 531 pushes the piston rod 532, the outer edge portion of the weight portion 51 is supported from the lower side by the support member 533, and the weight portion 51 is disposed at the position shown in Fig. 15 (hereinafter, referred to as "support position". ). The joint portion 49 is pushed upward by the hammer portion 51 at the support position. Therefore, the end portion of the rod 44 on the side of the rod 45 is located lower than the end portion on the side of the joint portion 49, and the rod 45 is substantially erected in the vertical direction. Thereby, the claw portion 41 is disposed at a position separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). The above-described configuration included in the transmission mechanism 42 is provided for each of the plurality of claw portions 41. The hammer support mechanism 53 may also have a motor or the like.

Next, the processing flow of the substrate 9 in the substrate processing apparatus 1a will be described with reference to FIG. In the substrate processing apparatus 1a, as shown in FIG. 14, the chamber cover portion 122 is separated from the chamber body 121 and positioned above, and the cup portion 161 is separated from the chamber cover portion 122 and is positioned below, by the outside. The transport mechanism carries the substrate 9 into the processing chamber 12, and is supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 from the lower side (step S10). Hereinafter, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 14 is referred to as "open state". The opening between the chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber side wall portion 214 is an annular shape centering on the central axis J1, and is hereinafter referred to as "annular opening 81". The substrate processing apparatus 1a is separated from the chamber body 121 by the chamber cover portion 122, and is surrounded by the substrate 9 (that is, radially outward). The side) forms an annular opening 81. In step S10, the substrate 9 is carried in through the annular opening 81.

When the substrate 9 is carried in, the piston rod 532 is slowly pulled in by the air cylinder 531 of the hammer supporting mechanism 53 shown in Fig. 15, and as shown in Fig. 16, the supporting member 533 moves into the concave portion 218 of the chamber side wall portion 214. Thereby, the front end surface 534 of the support member 533 is separated from the outer edge portion of the weight portion 51, and the support of the hammer portion 51 by the hammer support mechanism 53 is released. The connecting portion 49 and the hammer portion 51 are lowered from the supporting position shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 16 . The end portion of the rod 44 on the side of the rod 45 is moved upward from the end portion on the side closer to the joint portion 49, so that the rod 45 is inclined so that the upper end portion of the rod 45 is close to the substrate 9. Thereby, the claw portion 41 abuts against the edge (side surface) of the substrate 9 on the support pin 144, and the edge is pressed by the claw portion 41 toward the central axis J1. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of connecting portions 49 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41, respectively, and the edges of the substrate 9 are pressed toward the central axis J1 by substantially the same force by a plurality of claw portions 41 arranged in the circumferential direction. Different parts. As a result, the center of the substrate 9 can be placed on the central axis J1, and the substrate 9 can be firmly held by the chuck portion 4 (step S11). At this time, the plurality of claw portions 41 are in contact with the edge of the substrate 9, and the movement of the weight portion 51 is restricted downward, and the weight portion 51 is disposed at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 16 (hereinafter referred to as a "support release position"). .

Next, the chamber cover portion 122 is lowered from the position shown in FIG. 14 to the position shown in FIG. 17 (a position close to the chamber body 121) by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131. Further, the cup portion 161 is raised from the position shown in FIG. 14 to the position shown in FIG. 17, and is located on the radially outer side of the annular opening 81 over the entire circumference. In the following description, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 17 is referred to as "first sealed state". Further, the position of the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 17 is referred to as "liquid picking position", and the position of the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 14 is referred to as "retracted position". The cup moving mechanism 162 is attached to the annular opening 81 The cup portion 161 is moved in the up and down direction between the radially outer liquid picking position and the retracted position below the liquid contact position.

In the cup portion 161 located at the liquid pick-up position, the side wall portion 611 is opposed to the annular opening 81 in the radial direction. Further, the upper surface of the inner edge portion of the upper surface portion 612 is joined to the entire periphery of the lip seal 232 at the lower end of the outer edge portion of the chamber cover portion 122. A sealing portion that prevents passage of gas or liquid is formed between the chamber cover portion 122 and the upper surface portion 612 of the cup portion 161. Thereby, a sealed space (hereinafter referred to as "enlarged sealed space 100") surrounded by the chamber body 121, the chamber cover portion 122, the cup portion 161, and the cup opposing portion 163 is formed. The enlarged sealed space 100 is formed by communicating the chamber space 120 between the chamber cover portion 122 and the chamber body 121 via the annular opening 81 with the side space 160 surrounded by the cup portion 161 and the cup opposing portion 163. One space.

Further, in the first sealed state, the concave portion at the lower portion of each of the engaging portions 241 of the top plate 123 is fitted into the upper end portion of the engaging pin 140 that protrudes upward from the supporting portion base portion 142. Thereby, the top plate 123 is connected to the support base 142 of the substrate supporting portion 141. In other words, the relative position of the top plate 123 with respect to the rotation direction (circumferential direction) of the substrate supporting portion 141 is fixed. In the following description, the position at which the top plate 123 and the substrate supporting portion 141 are coupled is referred to as a "connection position". When the chamber cover portion 122 is lowered, the rotation position of the support portion base portion 142 is controlled by the substrate rotation mechanism 15 so that the engagement portion 241 is fitted to the engagement pin 140. Actually, a magnet is provided on the surface of the upper end surface of each of the engaging pins 140 and the concave portion of the engaging portion 241 opposed to the upper end surface, and the magnetic force (gravitational force) acting between the magnets is firmly fixed. The engaging portion 241 is coupled to the engaging pin 140.

At this time, the flange portion 239 of the supported portion 237 is separated above the flange portion 224 of the plate supporting portion 222, and the plate supporting portion 222 is not in contact with the supported portion 237. In other words, the support of the top plate 123 by the plate supporting portion 222, that is, the opening and closing of the chamber is released. The support of the top plate 123 is connected between the mechanisms 131. Therefore, the top plate 123 is independent of the chamber cover portion 122, and is rotatable by the substrate rotating mechanism 15 together with the substrate holding portion 14 and the substrate 9 held by the substrate holding portion 14.

Next, the rotation of the substrate 9 is started by the substrate rotating mechanism 15 at a constant number of revolutions (lower rotational speed, hereinafter referred to as "steady-state rotational speed"). Further, the inert gas supply unit 186 (see FIG. 2) starts to supply an inert gas (here, nitrogen gas) to the enlarged sealed space 100, and the outer exhaust portion 194 starts to expand the gas in the sealed space 100. Thereby, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the sealed space 100 is expanded to be an inert gas-filled state filled with an inert gas (that is, a low-oxygen atmosphere gas having a low oxygen concentration). Further, the supply of the inert gas to expand the sealed space 100 and the expansion of the gas in the sealed space 100 may be performed from the open state shown in FIG.

Next, the heated gas supply nozzle 180 ejects the heated gas toward the lower surface 92 of the rotating substrate 9. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated. Then, the supply of the chemical liquid is started from the upper nozzle 181 toward the central portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (step S12). The supply operation of the chemical liquid in step S12 is the same as in the first embodiment.

Next, the chamber cover portion 122 and the cup portion 161 move in synchronization downward. As shown in FIG. 18, the annular opening 81 is closed by the lip seal 231 at the lower end of the outer edge portion of the chamber cover portion 122 in contact with the upper portion of the chamber side wall portion 214, and the cavity is closed in a state of being isolated from the side space 160. The chamber space 120 is sealed. The cup portion 161 is located at the retracted position in the same manner as in Fig. 14 . Hereinafter, the state of the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 shown in Fig. 18 is referred to as "second sealed state". In the second sealed state, the substrate 9 is directly opposed to the inner wall of the processing chamber 12, and there is no other liquid receiving portion between them.

In the second sealed state, similarly to the first sealed state, the plurality of claw portions 41 of the chuck portion 4 press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1, and firmly The substrate 9 is held. Further, the holding of the top plate 123 by the plate supporting portion 222 is released, and the top plate 123 is rotated independently from the chamber cover portion 122 together with the substrate holding portion 14 and the substrate 9.

When the chamber space 120 is sealed, the discharge of the gas by the outer exhaust portion 194 (see FIG. 2) is stopped, and the discharge of the gas in the chamber space 120 by the inner exhaust portion 198 is started. Then, the supply of pure water to the substrate 9 is started by the pure water supply unit 184 (step S13). The supply operation of the pure water in the step S13 is the same as that in the first embodiment.

When the predetermined time has elapsed since the supply of the pure water has started, the supply of the pure water from the pure water supply unit 184 is stopped. Then, the heated gas is ejected from the plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 toward the lower surface 92 of the substrate 9. Thereby, the substrate 9 is heated. Further, in a state where the discharge of the heating gas from the heating gas supply nozzle 180 is continued, the rotation speed of the substrate 9 is raised to be much higher than the steady-state rotation speed. Thereby, the drying process of the substrate 9 is performed by removing pure water from the substrate 9 (step S14). When a predetermined time elapses from the start of drying of the substrate 9, the rotation of the substrate 9 is stopped. Further, before the drying process of the substrate 9, the IPA may be supplied from the upper nozzle 181 toward the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, and the pure water may be replaced with IPA on the upper surface 91. Further, the drying process of the substrate 9 may be performed in a reduced-pressure ambient gas which is decompressed by the inner exhaust portion 198 to reduce the chamber space 120 to be lower than atmospheric pressure.

Then, as the chamber cover portion 122 is raised, as shown in FIG. 14, the processing chamber 12 is opened, and the top plate 123 is disposed at the separated position with respect to the substrate supporting portion 141. In step S14, since the top plate 123 rotates together with the substrate supporting portion 141, almost no liquid remains on the lower surface of the top plate 123, and liquid does not fall from the top plate 123 on the substrate 9 when the lid portion 122 rises.

Further, the piston rod 532 is slowly pressed by the air cylinder 531 of the hammer supporting mechanism 53 shown in Fig. 16, so that the front end surface 534 of the support member 533 abuts against the outer edge portion of the weight portion 51, and further upwards along the front end surface 534. The hammer portion 51 is pushed up. Thereby, the weight portion 51 and the coupling portion 49 are disposed at the position shown in FIG. 15, the rod 45 is substantially erected in the vertical direction, and the claw portion 41 is separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). That is, the holding of the substrate 9 by the chuck portion 4 is released (step S15). Then, the substrate 9 is carried out from the processing chamber 12 by an external transfer mechanism (step S16), and the substrate 9 is processed by the substrate processing apparatus 1a. Actually, the processing of the above steps S10 to S16 is repeatedly performed for the other substrates 9.

However, in the substrate processing apparatus, the diameter of the substrate 9 to be loaded is slightly changed due to the bending of the substrate 9, the manufacturing error, and the like. In order to cope with such a change, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of first contact portions of the support portion base portion 960 are determined by incorporating the substrate 9 having the largest diameter in the SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) standard. The position and shape of the 961 and the position and shape of the plurality of second contact portions 971 in the top plate 123. Therefore, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, when the substrate 9 having a smaller diameter than the largest diameter in the above specification is loaded, when the processing liquid of the substrate 9 is supplied, or when the substrate 9 is rotated or decelerated, There is a case where the position of the substrate 9 on the substrate supporting portion 96 is changed (that is, the substrate 9 is slightly moved). In this case, the substrate 9 is rubbed against the contact portions 961, 971 to generate contaminants or to cause abrasion of the contact portions 961, 971. Further, if the position of the substrate 9 fluctuates greatly, the substrate 9 may be damaged. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of the comparative example, the end surface of the first contact portion 961 is an inclined surface for alignment, but even if such an inclined surface is provided, it is not guaranteed that the substrate 9 can be accurately aligned.

On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, a hammer is provided. The baffle mechanism 53 supports the hammer portion 51 at the support position and the chuck portion 4 having the plurality of claw portions 41 and the transmission mechanism 42. When the support of the hammer portion 51 by the hammer supporting mechanism 53 is released, the hammer portion 51 is lowered by the self-weight toward the support releasing position lower than the supporting position, and the conveying mechanism 42 connected to the hammer portion 51 is pulled downward. Each connecting portion 49. The transmission mechanism 42 transmits the force caused by the force acting on each of the coupling portions 49, that is, the weight of the weight portion 51, to the corresponding claw portion 41, and the plurality of claw portions 41 press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1. Thereby, even when the diameter of the substrate 9 to be loaded is changed, the holding of the substrate 9 from the outside by the plurality of claw portions 41 can be realized by the weight of the weight portion 51 disposed at the support releasing position. As a result, the positional variation of the substrate 9 on the substrate supporting portion 141 can be suppressed during the supply of the processing liquid to the substrate 9, or during the acceleration/deceleration of the rotation of the substrate 9, and the substrate 9 can be prevented from being damaged. Further, the center of the substrate 9 is disposed on the central axis J1 by a plurality of claw portions 41, that is, the substrate 9 is aligned with respect to the center of rotation, whereby the rotating body including the substrate 9, the substrate supporting portion 141, and the top plate 123 can be rotated. The center of gravity is disposed in the vicinity of the center axis J1 (balanced), so that the rotating body can be stably rotated.

Further, when the holding of the substrate 9 is released (the substrate 9 is opened), the hammer portion 51 is lifted up along the guiding member, that is, the connecting member 52, and does not exert excessive force on the other components of the rotating body. Therefore, the substrate 9 can be held and opened without shifting the position of the rotating body. Further, since the metal member such as a spring is not used in the chuck portion 4, the chemical resistance of the substrate holding portion 14 can be easily improved, and the substrate holding portion that can be used in various chemical liquid atmospheres can be realized. 14.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the substrate rotating mechanism 15 includes an annular rotor portion 152 centered on the central axis J1, and a stator portion 151 having an annular gap that is opposed to the rotor portion 152 in the radial direction. And, the substrate supporting portion 141 is connected to the rotor portion 152. The substrate supporting portion 141 and the rotor portion 152 are rotated in the processing chamber 12 without coming into contact with the processing chamber 12. In this manner, even in the case where the driving force of the power source such as electric or compressed air is not transmitted to the chuck portion 4 provided in the substrate supporting portion 141, the substrate 9 can be made relatively in the substrate processing apparatus 1a having the above configuration. On the one hand, the alignment center is maintained on the one hand.

Further, the position (support release position) of the weight portion 51 when the support by the hammer support mechanism 53 is released is closer to the rotor portion 152 than the position (support position) of the hammer portion 51 when supported by the hammer support mechanism 53. Thereby, the occurrence of vibration when the hammer portion 51 rotates together with the rotor portion 152 can be suppressed. Further, the support releasing position of the weight portion 51 can be used as a position for rotating the weight portion 51 together with the substrate 9 and the substrate supporting portion 141.

Fig. 19 is a view showing another example of the chuck portion. The transmission mechanism 42a of the chuck portion 4a of Fig. 19 includes a coupling portion 49 and a plurality of shafts 46, 47 provided for the respective claw portions 41a. The structure of the connection portion 49 and the connection portion support portion 492 is the same as that of Fig. 15 .

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the connecting portion 49 and the plurality of shafts 46 and 47. In FIG. 20, illustration of other components is omitted for convenience of illustration. As shown in FIG. 19, the inner space 143 of the support base 142 is provided with a shaft 46 extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J1 (lateral direction of FIG. 19). The shaft 46 is rotatably supported around the central axis J2 by a pair of shaft support portions 460. As shown in FIG. 20, one end of the rod 461 extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J2 of the shaft 46 is fixed to one end of the shaft 46, and the other end of the rod 461 is connected to the upper end of the joint portion 49 via a pin 424. . The rod 461 is formed with a long hole 462 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 461, and the pin 424 is inserted into the long hole 462.

As shown in FIG. 19, the inner space 143 of the base portion 142 of the support portion is matched. The lower portion of the other shaft 47 extending in the up and down direction is placed. The shaft 47 is rotatably supported around the central axis J3 by the shaft support portion 470. As shown in Fig. 20, one end of a rod 463 extending in a direction perpendicular to the central axis J2 of the shaft 46 is fixed to the other end of the shaft 46, and the other end of the rod 463 is coupled to the upper portion of the shaft 47 via a pin 425. . The rod 463 is formed with an elongated hole 464 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 463, and the pin 425 is inserted into the long hole 464.

Fig. 21 is a plan view showing one claw portion 41a showing the claw portion 41a as viewed in the up and down direction. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the claw portion 41a has a claw body 411 having an elliptical shape as viewed in the vertical direction. The upper surface 412 of the claw body 411 is an inclined surface whose height gradually decreases from one end of the long axis of the ellipse toward the other end. On the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411, and in the vicinity of the position where the height is the largest, a protruding portion 413 that protrudes upward is provided. The protruding portion 413 is an inverted conical trapezoid having a diameter larger than that of the lower portion. The claw body 411 is fixed to the upper surface of the cap-shaped cylindrical support table 410.

In the shaft 47, the portion other than the lower portion is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 of the support portion base portion 142, and the upper end portion of the shaft 47 is fixed to the lower surface of the lid portion of the claw portion support base 410. The periphery of the portion of the shaft 47 disposed on the outer side of the inner space 143 is surrounded by the side wall portion of the claw support base 410. The connection portion between the side wall portion of the claw support base 410 and the support portion base portion 142 is sealed in a state where the both are slidable.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 19, the edge of the substrate 9 is placed on the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411 at the self-protruding portion 413 in a state where the hammer portion 51 is positioned at the support position by the hammer supporting mechanism 53. A slightly separated position. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 19, when the coupling portion 49 is pulled downward by the weight of the weight portion 51 disposed at the support releasing position, the shaft 46 shown in Fig. 20 is rotated about the central axis J2. 47 is rotated about the center axis J3. Thereby, the claw body 411 is rotated about the central axis J3 from the rotational position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 21 toward the rotational position indicated by the solid line, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 19, the substrate 9 is slightly The upper side is moved, and the side of the protruding portion 413 abuts against the edge of the substrate 9. In other words, the outer edge portion of the substrate 9 bites into the concave portion formed by the side surface of the protruding portion 413 and the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of connecting portions 49 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41a disposed along the outer edge of the substrate 9, and the plurality of claw portions 41a press the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1 with substantially the same force. Different parts of the edge. As described above, in the chuck portion 4a shown in FIG. 19, the weight of the weight portion 51 disposed at the support releasing position is used to hold the substrate 9 in alignment with respect to the rotation center.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a of FIG. 14, the hammer supporting mechanism 53 is provided in the processing chamber 12, but the hammer supporting mechanism may be provided outside the processing chamber 12. Fig. 22 is a view showing another example of the hammer supporting mechanism. The hammer supporting mechanism 53a of Fig. 22 can rotate the support arm 536 about the central axis J4 parallel to the vertical direction, and can raise and lower the support arm 536 in the up and down direction.

When the hammer portion 51 is supported by the hammer supporting mechanism 53a, the processing chamber 12 and the cup portion 161 are in an open state. The hammer supporting mechanism 53 a raises the support arm 536 and then rotates about the central axis J4 , whereby the support arm 536 is disposed in the processing chamber 12 via the annular opening 81 . Then, the hammer supporting mechanism 53a lowers the support arm 536 and then rotates, whereby the support member 537 provided at the front end of the support arm 536 is disposed below the outer edge portion of the weight portion 51. Then, the hammer supporting mechanism 53a slightly raises the support arm 536, whereby the weight portion 51 is supported by the support member 537 from the lower side and placed at the support position. Thereby, the holding of the substrate 9 by the plurality of claws 41 is released. When the substrate 9 is held by the plurality of claws 41, the support arm 536 is slightly lowered. The hammer portion 51 is placed at the support release position by releasing the support of the hammer portion 51. The hammer supporting mechanism 53a takes out the support arm 536 from the processing chamber 12 by sequentially rotating, ascending, and rotating the support arm 536. Further, the hammer supporting mechanism 53a may be configured to move the support arm 536 in the horizontal direction and to move up and down.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the hammer supporting mechanism 53 may also indirectly support the weight portion 51 via the connecting portion 49. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the connecting portion 49 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the supporting portion base portion 142, and a supported portion 498 extending toward the opposite side of the central axis J1 is provided at the upper end portion of the connecting portion 49. Then, the supported portion 498 is supported from the lower side by the support member 533 of the hammer supporting mechanism 53, whereby the hammer portion 51 is placed at the support position. Further, the hammer portion 51 is placed at the support release position by releasing the support of the support member 533 of the hammer support mechanism 53 against the supported portion 498. Of course, the supported portion 498 of the joint portion 49 shown in Fig. 23 can also be supported by the hammer supporting mechanism 53a of Fig. 22.

Fig. 24 is a view showing a part of the substrate processing apparatus 1a of the third embodiment, showing the configuration of the chuck portion 4b. In the substrate processing apparatus 1a of Fig. 24, the hammer portion 51 and the hammer supporting mechanism 53 are omitted as compared with the substrate processing apparatus 1a of Fig. 15, and the structure of the chuck portion 4b is different from that of the chuck portion 4 of Fig. 15. The other components are the same as those in Fig. 15, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Similarly to the chuck portion 4 of Fig. 15, the chuck portion 4b of Fig. 24 is attached to the substrate supporting portion 141, and one portion of the chuck portion 4b is attached to the annular supporting portion base portion 142 centering on the central axis J1. Internal. In FIG. 24, a part of the support base portion 142 and the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 which will be described later is formed, and a cross section including the surface including the central axis J1 is displayed (the same applies to FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 which will be described later). The chuck portion 4b includes a plurality of claw portions 41 and a transmission mechanism 42b. a plurality of claws 41 are tied by plural The periphery of the substrate 9 supported by the support pins 144 is arranged in the circumferential direction.

In the transmission mechanism 42b, instead of the coupling portion 49 in the chuck portion 4 of Fig. 15, the abutting portion 43 is provided for each of the claw portions 41. The abutting portion 43 is a rod member that extends in the vertical direction, and is partially disposed in the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 provided on the upper surface of the support portion base portion 142. The annular upper side support portion 432 and the lower side support portion 433 are provided in the abutting portion accommodating portion 431, and the abutting portion 43 is supported by the upper and lower side support portions 432 and 433 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the abutting portion 43 is disposed in the inner space 143 formed in the base portion 142 of the support portion. The abutting portion 43 is connected to the claw portion 41 via the rods 44 and 45. The structure of the rods 44, 45 is the same as that of the chuck portion 4 of Fig. 15.

A disc portion 434 centering on the abutting portion 43 is attached to the abutting portion 43. The disc portion 434 is disposed between the upper support portion 432 and the lower support portion 433 in the contact portion accommodating portion 431. A spring 435 surrounding the periphery of the abutting portion 43 is provided between the disc portion 434 and the lower side support portion 433. The spring plate 435 is biased upward to impart potential energy to the disc portion 434 and the abutting portion 43. As shown in Fig. 24, the disc portion 434 abuts against the lower surface of the upper support portion 432. In a state where the disc portion 434 is in contact with the upper support portion 432, the end portion of the rod 44 on the rod 45 side is located on the lower side of the end portion on the side of the abutting portion 43, and the rod 45 is substantially erected in the vertical direction. Thereby, the claw portion 41 is disposed at a position separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). An elastic member 436 formed of rubber or the like is provided in one part (may be all) of the abutting portion 43, and the abutting portion 43 is slightly stretchable in the longitudinal direction. The above-described configuration included in the transmission mechanism 42b is provided for each of the plurality of claw portions 41.

As shown in FIG. 25, when the top plate 123 is disposed at a connection position for rotating together with the substrate 9 and the substrate supporting portion 141, the concave portion 242 at the lower portion of each of the engaging portions 241 of the top plate 123 is fitted into the self-contacting portion accommodating portion 431. Abutting portion 43 protruding upward Upper end. Thereby, the top plate 123 is coupled to the support base 142 of the substrate supporting portion 141. Thus, the abutting portion 43 functions as the engaging pin 140 of FIG. Actually, the magnets 437 and 243 are provided on the surface of the upper end surface of each of the abutting portions 43 and the concave portion 242 of the engaging portion 241 opposed to the upper end surface, and act between the magnets 437 and 243. The magnetic force (gravity) firmly bonds the engaging portion 241 and the abutting portion 43.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the lower surface of the abutting portion 241 abuts against the upper surface of the abutting portion accommodating portion 431, and the abutting portion 43 is pushed downward by the weight of the top plate 123. The end portion of the rod 44 on the side of the rod 45 is moved upward toward the end portion on the side closer to the abutting portion 43, so that the rod 45 is inclined so that the upper end portion of the rod 45 is close to the substrate 9. Thereby, the claw portion 41 abuts against the edge (side surface) of the substrate 9 on the support pin 144, and the edge is pressed by the claw portion 41 toward the central axis J1. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41, respectively, and the plurality of claw portions 41 arranged in the circumferential direction are arranged to press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1 with substantially the same force. Different parts. As a result, on the one hand, the center of the substrate 9 is placed on the central axis J1, and on the other hand, the substrate 9 is firmly held by the chuck portion 4b. Further, even when the size (diameter) of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate supporting portion 141 fluctuates, the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member 436 of the abutting portion 43 is changed, and the lower surface of the engaging portion 241 is still abutted. The upper surface of the portion accommodating portion 431 abuts. Therefore, the distance between the lower surface of the top plate 123 and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is kept constant.

Further, when the top plate 123, which is the weight portion, is disposed at a separated position (see FIG. 14) separated from the substrate supporting portion 141, the engaging portion 241 is separated from the abutting portion 43 in the vertical direction, and the abutting portion 43 is given by the spring 435. The potential energy rises toward the position shown in FIG. Thereby, the rod 45 is substantially erected in the up-and-down direction, and the claw portion 41 is separated from the edge of the substrate 9 toward the outside (the side opposite to the central axis J1). That is, the release by the chuck portion 4b The holding of the substrate 9. Further, since the top plate 123 at the separation position is supported by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 and the chamber cover portion 122, which are the hammer supporting mechanisms, the separation position can be used as the supporting position of the hammer portion. Further, since the top plate 123 at the connection position is released by the support of the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131 and the chamber cover portion 122 (see FIGS. 17 and 18), the connection position can be used as the support release position of the weight portion.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, when the top plate 123 is at the connection position, the bottom portions 43 of the transmission mechanism 42b are pressed in the vertical direction by the weight of the top plate 123. The transmission mechanism 42b transmits the force acting on each of the abutting portions 43 to the corresponding claw portion 41, and causes the plurality of claw portions 41 to press the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1. Thereby, the holding of the substrate 9 from the outside by the plurality of claw portions 41 is realized by the self-weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the joint position. Further, the center of the substrate 9 is disposed on the central axis J1 by a plurality of claw portions 41, that is, the substrate 9 is aligned with respect to the center of rotation, whereby the rotating body including the substrate 9, the substrate supporting portion 141, and the top plate 123 can be rotated. The center of gravity is disposed in the vicinity of the center axis J1 (balanced), so that the rotating body can be stably rotated.

Further, when the transmission mechanism 42b includes the elastic member 436 and the size of the substrate 9 supported by the substrate support portion 141 varies, the elastic member 436 is elastically deformed. Thereby, the distance between the top plate 123 and the substrate 9 at the joint position can be kept constant. As a result, even when the size of the substrate 9 fluctuates, the substrate 9 can be processed under certain conditions. Further, the elastic member 436 may be provided outside the abutting portion 43 of the transmission mechanism 42b. In the case where the distance between the top plate 123 and the substrate 9 at the connection position is allowed to vary slightly depending on the size of the substrate 9, the elastic member may be omitted in the transmission mechanism.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a of FIG. 24 in which the top plate 123 is used as the weight portion, the hammer portion 51 is not separately provided as in the substrate processing apparatus 1a of FIG. Since the hammer supporting mechanism 53 is used, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1a can be simplified. On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a of FIG. 14 having the weight portion 51 and the hammer supporting mechanism 53, the top plate 123 can be omitted, and a brush for cleaning the scanning nozzle or the upper surface 91 or the like can be disposed above the substrate 9.

Fig. 26 is a view showing another example of the chuck portion. In the transmission mechanism 42c of the chuck portion 4c of Fig. 26, an abutting portion 43 similar to that of Figs. 24 and 25 is provided instead of the coupling portion 49 of the chuck portion 4a of Fig. 19.

The top plate 123 is located at the separated position, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 26, the edge of the substrate 9 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the upper support portion 432 by the potential energy imparted by the spring 435. It is disposed on the upper surface 412 of the claw body 411 at a position slightly separated from the protruding portion 413. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 26, when the abutting portion 43 is pressed downward by the self-weight of the top plate 123 at the joint position, the shaft 46 is rotated about the central axis J2, and the shaft 47 and the claw body 411 are centered. The shaft J3 is rotated about the center. Thereby, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 26, the substrate 9 is slightly moved upward, and the side surface of the protruding portion 413 abuts against the edge of the substrate 9. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41a disposed along the outer edge of the substrate 9, and the plurality of claw portions 41a press the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1 with substantially the same force. Different parts of the edge. As described above, in the chuck portion 4c shown in FIG. 26, the weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the connection position is used to hold the substrate 9 on the one hand with respect to the rotation center.

Fig. 27 is a view showing still another example of the chuck portion. The chuck portion 4d of Fig. 27 is attached to the top plate 123 which is a hammer portion. In FIG. 27, a cross section including a surface including the central axis J1 is displayed on one of the configurations of the top plate 123 and the contact portion accommodating portion 431. The chuck portion 4d includes a plurality of claw portions 41 and a transmission mechanism 42d. On the central axis J1 In the case of observation, a plurality of claw portions 41 are disposed around the substrate 9. The transmission mechanism 42d has a configuration similar to that of the transmission mechanism 42b of Fig. 24 upside down.

Specifically, the transmission mechanism 42 d includes a contact portion 43 provided with respect to each of the claw portions 41 and a plurality of rods 44 and 45 . The abutting portion 43 is supported by the upper support portion 432 and the lower support portion 433 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A substantially cylindrical abutting portion accommodating portion 431 is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 123, and the lower supporting portion 433 is provided in the abutting portion accommodating portion 431. The upper end portion of the abutting portion 43 is disposed in the inner space 124 formed in the top plate 123. A rod 44 is disposed in the internal space 124, and one end of the rod 44 is connected to the upper end portion of the abutting portion 43 via a pin 421. The rod 44 is formed with a long hole 441 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 44, and the pin 421 is inserted into the long hole 441. The rod 44 is rotatably supported by the rod supporting portion 440 around a rotation axis perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 27.

The other end of the rod 44 is coupled to the upper end of the other rod 45 via a pin 422. The rod 45 is formed with an elongated hole 451 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 45, and the pin 422 is inserted into the long hole 451. The rod 45 is rotatably supported by the rod supporting portion 450 around a rotation axis perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 27. The portion of the rod 45 that is lower than the rod support portion 450 is disposed on the outer side of the inner space 124 of the top plate 123. The periphery of the portion of the rod 45 near the lower side of the rod support portion 450 is covered by the diaphragm seal 427. A claw portion 41 is attached to the lower end portion of the rod 45.

The disc portion 434 attached to the abutting portion 43 is disposed between the upper support portion 432 and the lower support portion 433. A spring 435 surrounding the periphery of the abutting portion 43 is provided between the disc portion 434 and the upper side support portion 432. By the spring 435, potential energy is applied to the disc portion 434 and the abutting portion 43 downward. The top plate 123 is located at the separated position, and in a state where the disc portion 434 abuts against the upper surface of the lower support portion 433 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 27, the inclination angle of the rod 45 with respect to the up and down direction becomes small, and the claw is small. Department 41 from The edges of the substrate 9 are separated toward the outside.

An engaging portion 241a that protrudes upward is provided on the upper surface of the base portion 142 of the support portion. When the top plate 123 is at the connecting position, the lower end portion of the abutting portion 43 that protrudes downward from the abutting portion accommodating portion 431 is fitted to the engaging portion. a concave portion 242a at an upper portion of the portion 241a. Thereby, the top plate 123 is coupled to the substrate supporting portion 141. Further, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 27, the upper surface of the engaging portion 241a abuts against the lower surface of the abutting portion accommodating portion 431, and the abutting portion 43 is pushed upward by the substrate supporting portion 141. Thereby, the rod 45 is inclined such that the lower end portion of the rod 45 is close to the substrate 9, and the claw portion 41 abuts against the edge of the substrate 9. Actually, the force acting on the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions 41 disposed along the outer edge of the substrate 9, and the plurality of claw portions 41 press the different portions of the edge of the substrate 9 toward the central axis J1. As described above, in the chuck portion 4d shown in FIG. 27, the weight of the top plate 123 disposed at the connection position is used to hold the substrate 9 on the one hand with respect to the rotation center. Further, the chuck portion is preferably provided on the substrate supporting portion from the viewpoint of preventing the processing liquid scattered from the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 from being bounced back and attached to the upper surface 91 by the constituent elements of the transmission mechanism connected to the claw portion. 141.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a described above, various modifications can be made.

As the transmission mechanism that transmits the force acting on the coupling portion 49 or the abutting portion 43 to the plurality of claw portions, various configurations other than the above may be employed. For example, in the transmission mechanism 42a shown in Fig. 19, a male screw may be formed at an end portion of the shaft 46 on the side of the shaft 47, and screwed to a female screw provided on the shaft 47 (the same applies to Fig. 26). In this case, the shaft 46 is rotated about the central axis J2 by the movement of the connecting portion 49 in the vertical direction, and the shaft 47 linearly moves in the direction along the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 19). Further, the transmission mechanism may function only in addition to the configuration in which the force acting on the coupling portion 49 or the abutting portion 43 provided for each claw portion is transmitted to the claw portion. The configuration of the plurality of connecting portions 49 or the plurality of abutting portions 43 is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions in conjunction with each other.

In the example of FIG. 25 to FIG. 27, the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, which is a closed space opening and closing mechanism, also serves as a hammer supporting mechanism (one part) of the top plate 123 that supports the weight portion, and the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1a is simplified. The hammer supporting mechanism supporting the top plate 123 is provided separately from the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131.

Further, the chamber lid portion 122 may be raised and lowered relative to the chamber body 121 by the chamber opening and closing mechanism 131, and the chamber body 121 may be raised and lowered with respect to the positionally fixed chamber lid portion 122. In this case, the upper end portion of the chamber body 121 is brought close to or abuts against the chamber cover portion 122 by raising the chamber body 121, so that the top plate 123 and the chamber cover portion 122 are brought into a non-contact state, and further configured. At the support release position (connection position) (refer to Fig. 17 or Fig. 18). Further, by lowering the chamber body 121, the chamber cover portion 122 is separated from the chamber cover portion 122, and the top plate 123 is partially suspended from the chamber cover portion 122 located above the chamber body 121 to be disposed at the support position (separation position) ( Refer to Figure 14).

Further, depending on the design of the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the chuck portion 4 of FIG. 15 and the hammer portion 51 of the chuck portion 4a of FIG. 19 may be provided above or to the side surface of the support portion base portion 142. As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the weight portion that can be disposed at the first relative position and the second relative position can be provided at any position, and the first relative position is different from the substrate supporting portion 141 in the vertical direction. The second relative position is a position above the first relative position. Further, the hammer portion is supported by the hammer supporting mechanism to arrange the weight portion at the second relative position, and by releasing the support of the hammer portion, the hammer portion is disposed in the first relative rotation for rotation with the substrate 9 and the substrate supporting portion 141. position. Further, the force caused by the weight of the weight portion located at the first relative position is transmitted to the plurality of claw portions by the transmission mechanism, whereby the substrate 9 is made on the one hand with respect to the rotation center. The position is maintained on the one hand.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a, a member having only an annular plate shape opposed to the outer edge portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 may be provided as the upper surface opposing portion. In this case, in the process of supplying the processing liquid to the rotating substrate 9, the processing liquid which is scattered from the outer edge portion of the substrate 9 is prevented from being processed in the processing chamber 12 by the annular plate-shaped member disposed at the connection position. The inner wall is springed back and attached to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 again. As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1a, it is preferable to provide the upper surface facing portion opposite to the outer edge portion of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 in view of preventing the reattachment of the processing liquid.

The shape and structure of the stator portion 151 and the rotor portion 152 of the substrate rotating mechanism 15 can be variously changed. For example, the stator portion 151 may be provided inside the rotor portion 152 (on the side of the center axis J). The rotor portion 152 does not have to be rotated in a suspended state, and a structure for mechanically supporting the guide of the rotor portion 152 or the like may be provided in the processing chamber 12, and the rotor portion 152 may be rotated along the guide. In the substrate processing apparatus 1a having a hollow motor, the substrate support portion 141 and the weight portion 51 are annularly centered on the central axis J1, and the lower nozzle 182 and the plurality of heating gas supply nozzles 180 can be easily disposed and arranged. The lower surface 92 of the substrate 9 is opposite the position. Further, the substrate rotating mechanism 15 is not necessarily required to be a hollow motor, and for example, a substrate rotating mechanism that rotates a shaft fixed to the lower surface of the disk-shaped substrate supporting portion 141 may be used.

In the substrate processing apparatus 1a, the substrate supporting portion 141, the rotor portion 152 of the substrate rotating mechanism 15, the weight portion 51 (or the top plate 123 of the weight portion), and the chuck portions 4, 4a to 4d are disposed in the sealed space forming portion. The substrate 9 is processed in the sealed internal space in the chamber 12, but the substrate 9 can be processed in an open space depending on the design of the substrate processing apparatus.

The substrate processed in the substrate processing apparatus 1a is not limited to a semiconductor substrate, and may be a glass substrate or another substrate.

The configurations of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate without any contradiction.

The invention has been described in detail above, but the description thereof is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Therefore, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

4‧‧‧ chuck department

9‧‧‧Substrate

41‧‧‧ claws

42‧‧‧Transmission agency

43‧‧‧Apartment

44‧‧‧ pole

45‧‧‧ rod

91‧‧‧above

123‧‧‧ top board

141‧‧‧Substrate support

142‧‧‧Support base

144‧‧‧Support pins

241‧‧‧Care Department

242‧‧‧ recess

243‧‧‧ Magnet

431‧‧‧Abutment Department

432‧‧‧Upper support

434‧‧‧round board

436‧‧‧Flexible components

437‧‧‧ Magnet

Claims (13)

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a substrate supporting portion that supports the substrate from a lower side in a state in which an upper surface of a main surface on one side of the substrate faces upward; and a rotating mechanism The substrate supporting portion is rotated about a central axis perpendicular to the substrate; the upper surface facing portion is opposite to at least an outer edge portion of the upper surface; and the opposite portion supporting mechanism is configured to selectively a top surface opposing portion is disposed at a separation position at a position above the substrate supporting portion with respect to the substrate supporting portion, and a connection position at which the substrate supporting portion is coupled to the substrate supporting portion; and a chuck portion provided on the substrate supporting portion The chuck portion is provided on one side of the upper surface facing portion, and the chuck portion includes at least three claw portions that are disposed around the substrate when viewed along the central axis; and The mechanism includes: when the upper surface opposing portion is at the connecting position, being pressed by the substrate supporting portion or the other side of the upper surface opposing portion The abutting portion transmits the force acting on the abutting portion to the at least three claw portions, and the at least three claw portions press the edge of the substrate so as to face the central axis. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission mechanism includes an elastic member, and the elastic member is elastically deformed when a size of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting portion fluctuates. , the upper surface to be on the above joint position The distance between the opposing portion and the substrate is kept constant. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism includes a rotor portion having a ring shape centering on the central axis and including a permanent magnet, and a stator portion that is the same as the above The rotor portion is opposed to a radial ring shape centering on the central axis, and a rotational force centering on the central axis is generated between the rotor portion and the rotor portion, and the rotor portion is coupled to the substrate supporting portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a sealed space forming portion in which the sealed internal space is formed to process the substrate, the substrate supporting portion and the rotor portion of the rotating mechanism The upper surface opposing portion and the chuck portion are disposed in the sealed space forming portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sealed space forming unit includes: a chamber main body having an upper opening; and a chamber cover portion that closes the upper opening of the chamber main body, The chamber cover portion is also a part of the opposite portion supporting mechanism, and the chamber cover portion is raised and lowered relative to the chamber body in a relative manner, when the upper surface facing portion is at the separated position, The upper surface opposing portion is suspended from a portion of the chamber cover portion above the chamber body, and the upper surface facing portion is abutted when the upper surface facing portion is at the connecting position Or the chamber cover portion adjacent to the chamber body is in a non-contact state. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a nozzle for supplying a predetermined chemical solution between the upper surface opposing portion and the upper surface of the substrate; When the surface opposing portion is in the above-described connection position, it spreads along the upper surface so as to cover the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a substrate supporting portion that supports the substrate from a lower side in a state in which a main surface on one side is an upper surface; and a rotating mechanism that causes the substrate The support portion is rotated about a central axis perpendicular to the substrate; the weight portion is disposed at a first relative position and a second relative position, wherein the first relative position is in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate supporting portion In the different position, the second relative position is higher than the first relative position; and the hammer supporting mechanism is configured to dispose the hammer portion by the hammer portion and arrange the hammer portion at the second relative position Supporting the first portion of the hammer portion for rotating with the substrate and the substrate supporting portion; and the chuck portion provided on the substrate supporting portion or the hammer portion, the chuck portion The method includes: at least three claw portions arranged to be disposed around the substrate when viewed along the central axis; and a transmission mechanism that is positioned at the first A force caused by the weight of the weight portion to be transmitted to a position of said at least three claw portions, so that the at least three claw portions toward the central axis so as to press the edge of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the rotating mechanism is provided with: a rotor portion having an annular shape centering on the central axis and including a permanent magnet; and a stator portion that is annular with respect to the rotor portion in a radial direction about the central axis, and A rotational force centering on the central axis is generated between the rotor portion, and the rotor portion is coupled to the substrate support portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the hammer portion is disposed between the substrate supporting portion and the rotor portion disposed below the substrate supporting portion, and is connected to the substrate supporting portion and The guard portion of the rotor portion is movable in the vertical direction, and the chuck portion is provided on the substrate support portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the substrate supporting portion and the hammer portion are annularly formed around the central axis. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the position of the hammer portion when the support by the hammer supporting mechanism is released is lower than the support by the hammer supporting mechanism The position of the hammer portion is closer to the rotor portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising a sealed space forming portion in which the sealed internal space is formed for processing the substrate, the substrate supporting portion, and the substrate supporting portion The rotor portion, the hammer portion, and the chuck portion of the rotating mechanism are disposed in the sealed space forming portion. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the hammer supporting mechanism is provided in the sealed space forming portion.