TWI726414B - Coating device and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The coating device is equipped with: a processing chamber; a nozzle in the processing chamber that moves a surface relative to the coating target surface while applying a solution of crystalline material to the coating target surface; an internal pressure adjusting part that adjusts the interior of the processing chamber Pressure; and control department. In addition, when applying the solution through the nozzle, the control unit adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber with the internal pressure adjusting unit, thereby sequentially drying the solution applied to the coating target surface to grow the crystal material crystal.

Description

Coating device and coating method

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for forming a crystalline film by coating a solution.

As a technique of forming a crystalline film, a technique of forming a semiconductor film by applying a solution of a semiconductor material and drying it to grow a crystal of the semiconductor material in the solution has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a nozzle is moved in a state in which a liquid pool of solution is formed between the discharge portion of the nozzle and the substrate surface (coating target surface), thereby forming a coating behind the liquid pool. Then, the coating film is dried sequentially to make the semiconductor material crystal grow.

More specifically, Patent Document 1 proposes the following proposal: by providing an overhang on the nozzle body, a space sandwiched by these surfaces is formed between the lower end surface of the nozzle body and the surface of the substrate, and A liquid pool is formed in this space. Moreover, by forming such a space, the space (ie, near the liquid pool) is filled with the solvent evaporated from the liquid pool to form a solvent gas environment, thereby preventing the solvent from continuing to evaporate from the liquid pool and becoming supersaturated State (that is, the semiconductor material is crystallized in the bath). In addition, by moving the nozzle while maintaining the above-mentioned liquid pool, a coating film is formed behind the liquid pool and relatively moved to a position freed from the solvent gas environment (a position away from the above-mentioned space), by In this way, the solvent is sequentially evaporated from the coating film at the position to cause the crystal growth of the semiconductor material. In this way, Patent Document 1 attempts to improve the crystal orientation of the formed semiconductor film (in terms of the crystallographic alignment of the semiconductor film, etc.). In the film, it is shown to what extent the orientation of the crystals is consistent (the degree of alignment). The following is the same).

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5891956

However, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to finely control the gas environment in the above-mentioned space in such a way that the liquid pool does not become a supersaturated state. On the other hand, at the position where the semiconductor material undergoes crystal growth (that is, the position where the coating film is separated from the above-mentioned space), the gas environment, temperature, and the like are not particularly controlled. Therefore, although changes in the gas environment and temperature at the location where the semiconductor material crystal grows greatly affect the state (crystal orientation, etc.) of the semiconductor film, it still cannot respond to changes in the gas environment, temperature, etc. at the location. Therefore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to stably form a semiconductor film with a high crystal orientation degree.

In view of this, the objective of at least one embodiment of the present invention is to stably form a crystal film with a high crystal alignment degree in the technique of forming a crystal film by coating a solution.

A coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with: a processing chamber; a nozzle in the processing chamber that moves a surface relative to the coating target surface while applying a solution of crystalline material to the coating target surface; internal pressure The adjustment part, which adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber; and the control part. And, when the nozzle is applying solution, the control part adjusts the internal pressure The internal pressure of the processing chamber is adjusted entirely to thereby sequentially dry the solution applied to the surface to be coated to grow crystals of the crystalline material.

According to the coating device described above, the drying speed of the solution coated on the coating target surface can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber. Specifically, by reducing the internal pressure of the processing chamber, the evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be promoted, and the drying speed can be increased. In addition, by increasing the internal pressure of the processing chamber, the evaporation of the solvent in the solution can be suppressed, and the drying speed can be reduced. In addition, by adjusting the drying speed to a desired speed, the crystal orientation of the crystal film can be improved under control.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to stably form a crystal film with a high crystal alignment degree.

1‧‧‧Processing room

2‧‧‧Chuck

3‧‧‧Solution Supply Department

4‧‧‧Internal pressure adjustment part

5‧‧‧Control Department

6‧‧‧Memory Department

11A, 11B‧‧‧ side wall

11C‧‧‧Top wall

21‧‧‧Workpiece table

21a‧‧‧Mounting surface

21b‧‧‧Back

22‧‧‧Workpiece table drive

31‧‧‧Nozzle

31a‧‧‧Exit

32‧‧‧Nozzle Drive

33‧‧‧Liquid delivery pump

41‧‧‧Adding and reducing pump

42‧‧‧Pressure Regulator

43‧‧‧Pressure gauge

210‧‧‧Guide

221‧‧‧Ball screw

221a‧‧‧Shaft

221b‧‧‧Nut

222‧‧‧Motor

321‧‧‧Nozzle Support

322‧‧‧Ball screw

322a‧‧‧Shaft

322b‧‧‧Nut

323‧‧‧Screw support part

324‧‧‧Motor

D1‧‧‧Established direction

D2‧‧‧Long side direction

Tm‧‧‧Substrate

Sp‧‧‧Liquid Pool

V0‧‧‧Constant relative speed

V1‧‧‧The first relative speed

V2‧‧‧The second relative speed

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and also shows the structure of the inner side of the processing chamber.

2 is a schematic diagram of the coating device viewed from the direction in which the nozzle is moved relative to the substrate (the predetermined direction D1), and also shows the structure of the inside of the processing chamber.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a control process (coating process) executed in the coating device.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of a liquid pool (meniscus) formed during coating.

The coating technique of one embodiment of the present invention is a technique of applying a solution of a crystalline material to the surface to be coated and drying it to grow crystals of the crystalline material in the solution to form a crystalline film. Among them, the crystalline material is a material that can be crystallized such as a semiconductor material, and can be precipitated by drying a solution generated by dissolving in a liquid (solvent). Surface crystal growth material. In addition, the inventors have discovered through research that the drying speed of the solution and the evaporation direction of the solvent have a large impact on the state of the semiconductor film (mainly the crystal orientation and the uniformity of the film thickness). The semiconductor film is used as a crystalline material It is formed by crystal growth of a semiconductor material. In addition, the inventors have further studied and found that by controlling the drying speed of the solution and the evaporation direction of the solvent, a semiconductor film with a high crystal orientation can be stably formed. In addition, the coating technology described below was completed using the above-mentioned research results.

Hereinafter, the case where the surface of the substrate is used as the coating target surface and the semiconductor film is formed on the surface will be described. In addition, the coating technique of one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where the surface of the substrate is used as the coating target surface, and can also be applied to the case where various surfaces on which a semiconductor film can be formed are used as the coating target surface. In addition, the coating technique of one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the case where a semiconductor film is formed from a solution of a semiconductor material, and can also be applied to the use of a crystalline material that can grow crystals by drying the solution. The case where the solution forms a crystalline film.

[1] The composition of the coating device

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are schematic diagrams showing a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating device includes a processing chamber 1, a chuck unit 2, a solution supply unit 3, an internal pressure adjustment unit 4, a control unit 5, and a storage unit 6. In addition, FIG. 2 shows a person viewing the coating device from the direction (predetermined direction D1) in which the nozzle 31 is relatively moved with respect to the substrate Tm. In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the structure of the inner side of the processing chamber 1 is also shown.

<Processing room 1>

The processing chamber 1 is a cavity used for the formation of semiconductor films. The processing chamber 1 is divided into the upper part so that the substrate Tm that is the object of semiconductor film formation can be carried in and out. And the lower part, and can be made equal to the up and down direction to approach or separate (not shown). In addition, the processing chamber 1 is closed by bringing the upper portion and the lower portion close to each other and combining them.

<Chuck part 2>

The chuck part 2 includes a work table 21 and a work table driving section 22.

The workpiece table 21 is installed in the processing chamber 1 with the placement surface 21a on which the substrate Tm is placed facing upwards, and attracts the substrate Tm placed on a predetermined position of the placement surface 21a so as not to deviate from the predetermined position. The way to fix the substrate Tm. In addition, the work table 21 is not limited to one that fixes the substrate Tm to a predetermined position by suction force, and can be changed to various work stages that can fix the substrate Tm to a predetermined position by fixing electrostatic force or the like.

The work table driving unit 22 is a mechanism that can move the work table 21 in a predetermined direction D1, and controls the operation of the work table 21 (moving direction, moving speed, etc.) in accordance with instructions from the control unit 5.

In this embodiment, the workpiece table 21 is slidably guided by two guide rails 210 extending in a predetermined direction D1 (refer to FIG. 2). In addition, the illustration of the guide rail 210 is omitted in FIG. 1. In addition, the work table driving portion 22 is composed of a ball screw 221 and a motor 222 that rotates the shaft portion 221a of the ball screw 221 (refer to FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, the shaft portion 221a of the ball screw 221 passes through the workpiece table at a position between the two guide rails 210 in a state in which its axial direction coincides with the moving direction of the workpiece table 21 (ie, the predetermined direction D1). 21 underside. In addition, both ends of the shaft portion 221 a are pivotally supported on the side walls 11A and 11B of the processing chamber 1, and the end of one side is connected to the motor 222 outside the processing chamber 1. In addition, the nut portion 221b of the ball screw 221 is fixed to the back surface 21b (the surface on the opposite side to the placing surface 21a) of the work table 21.

According to this structure, the rotational movement of the motor 222 can be converted into a nut portion The translational movement of 221b can thereby realize the movement of the workpiece table 21 in the predetermined direction D1. In addition, the work table driving section 22 controls the rotation of the motor 222 in accordance with instructions from the control section 5, thereby controlling the movement of the work table 21 (moving direction, moving speed, etc.). In addition, according to the above configuration, since the motor 222 can be arranged outside the processing chamber 1, an ordinary motor can be used as the motor 222. That is, if the motor 222 is arranged in the processing chamber 1, a motor applicable to the environment (a vacuum state or a pressurized state, etc.) in the processing chamber 1 is required, but as long as it has the above-mentioned structure, the above-mentioned motor is not required.

<Solution supply part 3>

The solution supply unit 3 includes a nozzle 31, a nozzle drive unit 32, and a liquid feeding pump 33.

The nozzle 31 is located in the processing chamber 1 while relatively moving along the surface of the substrate Tm (the surface to be coated) to apply the semiconductor material solution to the surface. In this embodiment, when the coating device is viewed from above, the nozzle 31 is fixed at a predetermined position in the processing chamber 1, and the workpiece table 21 moves in a predetermined direction D1 to have a relationship with the workpiece table 21 ( That is, it moves relative to the substrate Tm placed on the work table 21).

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port 31a (refer to FIGS. 1 and 2). In addition, the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a is parallel to the placement surface 21a of the workpiece table 21 (that is, parallel to the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm placed on the placement surface 21a), and is parallel to the nozzle 31 The direction perpendicular to the direction of relative movement of the workpiece table 21 (that is, the predetermined direction D1). That is, the nozzle 31 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the applied solution (coating film).

The nozzle driving unit 32 is a mechanism capable of moving the nozzle 31 in the up and down direction, and adjusts the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm according to an instruction from the control unit 5.

In this embodiment, the nozzle driving portion 32 (refer to FIGS. 1 and 2) includes: a nozzle support portion 321, which supports the nozzle 31; a ball screw 322; a screw support portion 323, which supports the ball screw 322; and The motor 324 rotates the shaft portion 322a of the ball screw 322. Specifically, the nozzle support portion 321 is supported by the top wall 11C of the processing chamber 1 in a state of being slidable in the vertical direction. In addition, the nozzle 31 is fixed to the end of the nozzle support part 321 inside the processing chamber 1. The ball screw 322, the screw support portion 323, and the motor 324 are arranged on the outer side of the processing chamber 1, and the shaft portion 322a of the ball screw 322 is in a state in which the axial direction of the ball screw 322 coincides with the movement direction of the nozzle 31 (ie, the vertical direction) It is pivotally supported by the screw support part 323 at the upper and lower positions. Furthermore, the end on one side of the shaft portion 322a is connected to the motor 324. In addition, on the outer side of the processing chamber 1, the nut portion 322b of the ball screw 322 is fixed to the end portion of the nozzle support portion 321 (the end portion opposite to the end portion to which the nozzle 31 is fixed).

According to this configuration, the rotational movement of the motor 324 can be converted into the translational movement of the nut portion 322b, whereby the nozzle 31 can be moved up and down by the nozzle support portion 321. In addition, the nozzle driving unit 32 controls the rotation of the motor 324 in accordance with a command from the control unit 5 to adjust the height position of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm. In addition, according to the above configuration, since the motor 324 can be arranged outside the processing chamber 1, as with the motor 222, an ordinary motor can be used as the motor 324.

The liquid delivery pump 33 delivers the solution of the semiconductor material to the nozzle 31. Specifically, the liquid delivery pump 33 adjusts the supply amount of the solution supplied to the nozzle 31 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 5, thereby adjusting the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle 31.

<Internal pressure adjustment part 4>

The internal pressure adjustment unit 4 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 5. In this embodiment, the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 is composed of a pressure increasing and reducing pump 41, a pressure regulator 42, and It is constituted by a pressure gauge 43 that measures the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (refer to FIG. 1). Specifically, the pressure-increasing pump 41 selectively performs pressure-increasing and pressure-reducing in the processing chamber 1 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 5. The pressure regulator 42 adjusts based on the measurement result of the pressure gauge 43 so that the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 becomes a value corresponding to the command from the control unit 5.

<Control part 5>

The control unit 5 is composed of a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a microcomputer, etc., and controls various operation units (including a processing chamber 1, a chuck unit 2, and a solution supply unit) included in the coating device. 3. Internal pressure adjustment part 4). Specifically, the control unit 5 reads and executes a program stored in the memory unit 6, and functions as a processing unit that controls each operation unit based on the program. That is, the processing unit is implemented by software in the control unit 5. Thereby, various operations required for forming a semiconductor film are realized in the coating device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program is not limited to the case of being memorized in the memory part 6 of the coating device, and it can also be memorized in an external memory medium (flash memory, etc.) in a readable state. Furthermore, the above-mentioned processing unit can also be realized by hardware by configuring the control unit 5 with a circuit.

Then, after the substrate Tm is fixed to the work stage 21 and the processing chamber 1 is closed, the control section 5 executes a control process for forming a semiconductor film (hereinafter, referred to as "coating process"). Furthermore, the details of the coating process will be described later.

<Memory Part 6>

The memory unit 6 is composed of, for example, a flash memory, etc., and stores various information. In this embodiment, the memory unit 6 not only memorizes the above-mentioned programs, but also various information required to form a semiconductor film (including the height position of the nozzle 31, the amount of solution discharged, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, and the temperature of the heater The setting value of the parameter).

[2] Control processing (coating processing) executed in the coating device

Next, the coating process performed by the control unit 5 in the coating device will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the coating process.

When the coating process is started, the control section 5 controls the internal pressure adjusting section 4 to adjust the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (step S11 in FIG. 3). Then, the control unit 5 adjusts the drying rate of the solution applied on the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm in step S13 described later by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution under normal pressure is lower than the desired rate, the control unit 5 reduces the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by reducing pressure, thereby promoting the evaporation of the solvent in the solution and increasing the drying rate. On the other hand, when the drying rate of the solution under normal pressure is higher than the desired rate, the control unit 5 increases the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by pressurizing, thereby suppressing the evaporation of the solvent in the solution and reducing the drying rate.

After step S11, the control unit 5 controls the work table driving unit 22 and the nozzle driving unit 32 to set the nozzle 31 at the coating start position on the substrate Tm (step S12 in FIG. 3). Furthermore, step S12 can also be executed before step S11.

After steps S11 and S12, the control unit 5 controls the work table driving unit 22 and the liquid feeding pump 33 to relatively move the nozzle 31 in the predetermined direction D1 while discharging the solution from the discharge port 31a of the nozzle 31 (step S13 in FIG. 3). In this embodiment, by the movement of the workpiece table 21 in the predetermined direction D1, the nozzle 31 moves relative to the workpiece table 21 (ie, the relationship with the substrate Tm placed on the workpiece table 21). Thereby, a liquid pool Sp (meniscus, see FIG. 4) is formed between the discharge port 31a and the substrate Tm, and the liquid pool Sp is moved in the predetermined direction D1 along the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm.

Thereby, in step S13, the solution coated on the surface (coating target surface) of the substrate Tm is dried sequentially, and the semiconductor material crystal grows. Then, according to the adjusted The internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 specifies the drying rate of the solution at this time as the desired rate. That is, in the above steps S11 to S13, the control unit 5 adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 by the internal pressure adjustment unit 4, thereby sequentially applying the coating on the surface of the substrate Tm (coating target The solution of the surface) is dried, and the semiconductor material crystal grows.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the liquid pool Sp formed during coating. In step S13, the control unit 5 controls the liquid feeding pump 33 to adjust the amount of solution discharged by drying the solution immediately after discharging the solution from the discharge port 31a of the nozzle 31 to crystallize the semiconductor material in step S13. , Thereby reducing the volume of the liquid pool Sp to the extent that the shape of the liquid pool Sp does not become unstable (refer to FIG. 4). Thereby, for example, compared with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the time for the applied solution to be placed on the surface of the substrate Tm while maintaining a wet state is shortened. Thereby, there is no need to control the wetting state of the solution on the surface of the substrate Tm, so the control required for the coating process can be simplified.

Furthermore, when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by decompression, even before the coating is started, the solution in the nozzle 31 will easily seep out from the discharge port 31a due to the pressure difference to form a liquid pool. When the coating is started in a state where the solution is oozing out, the liquid pool Sp formed between the discharge port 31a and the substrate Tm in the initial stage immediately after the start of the coating increases the amount of the solution that oozes out before the coating. Moreover, if the liquid pool Sp becomes larger, the drying of the solution is delayed, which in turn leads to unstable crystal growth of the semiconductor material. As a means for solving the above-mentioned problem, it is exemplified to suck the oozing solution into the nozzle 31 by rotating the liquid feeding pump 33 in the reverse direction before the start of coating. As another example, before starting the coating, a liquid absorbing material such as cloth is used to remove the oozing solution, or coating on a dummy substrate is performed until the liquid pool Sp becomes smaller.

In addition, the control section 5 controls the work table driving section 22 to adjust the speed to correspond to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material that is crystallized immediately after coating. The relative speed of the entire nozzle 31. Specifically, the control unit 5 has data related to the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and when adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (that is, adjusting the crystallization of the semiconductor material by adjusting the internal pressure) During the growth speed), the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted in such a way that the internal pressure after self-adjustment becomes the speed derived based on the relevant data. As an example, the relevant data is a quantification of the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative velocity of the nozzle 31 that satisfies the condition that the crystal orientation of the formed semiconductor film is above a predetermined level. Furthermore, related data can also be memorized in the memory 6. In this case, the control unit 5 reads relevant data from the storage unit 6 and uses it.

On the other hand, when the relative speed of the nozzle 31 is adjusted before adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or when the relative speed is preset), when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is adjusted in step S11 The control unit 5 may also adjust the internal pressure by means of an internal pressure derived from the relative speed after self-adjustment or setting based on the relevant data.

In this way, when the control unit 5 adjusts any one of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the relative velocity of the nozzle 31, the other can be adjusted as a value derived from the value of the self-adjusted one based on the relevant data. . Thereby, the semiconductor material in the coating solution can be crystal grown in the predetermined direction D1 at the same speed as the relative speed of the nozzle 31. That is, the crystal growth of the semiconductor material can follow the nozzle 31 that moves relatively.

By making the crystal growth follow the nozzle 31 in this way, it is possible to prevent the formed semiconductor film from being interrupted or the film thickness of the formed semiconductor film from becoming unstable. In addition, when the crystal growth is made to follow the nozzle 31, most of the solvent in the coating solution will evaporate immediately after the nozzle 31 after coating. Thereby, the evaporated solvent is easily guided to the rear with respect to the moving direction of the nozzle 31 by using the nozzle 31 as a guide. Therefore, the evaporation direction of the solvent becomes easy to match, and as a result, the crystal direction is easy to match and it is easy to increase the semiconductivity. The crystal orientation of the body film. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the evaporation direction is shown behind the liquid pool Sp by the arrow shown in the figure.

In the present embodiment, the nozzle 31 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction D2 of the discharge port 31a coincides with the width direction of the applied solution (coating film). Thereby, in the entire solution in the width direction, the evaporated solvent is guided by the nozzle 31 and guided to the rear. Therefore, it is easier to match the evaporation direction of the solvent.

During the execution of step S13, the control unit 5 determines whether the nozzle 31 has reached the coating end position (step S14 in FIG. 3), and repeats step S13 until it can be judged as "Yes" in step S14 And S14. Then, when it is judged as "Yes" in step S14, the control unit 5 controls the work table driving unit 22 and the liquid feeding pump 33 to stop discharging the solution and retreat the nozzle 31 upward (step S15 in FIG. 3) . In this way, a series of coating treatments are completed.

According to the coating process described above, the drying rate of the solution coated on the surface of the substrate Tm (coating target surface) can be adjusted by adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1. Then, by adjusting the drying speed to a desired speed, the crystal orientation of the semiconductor film can be increased under control, and as a result, a semiconductor film with a high crystal orientation can be formed stably.

In addition, by adjusting the relative speed of the nozzle 31 to a speed corresponding to the crystal growth speed of the semiconductor material crystallized after coating, the level of the constituent unit of the semiconductor material (ie, the molecular level) can be increased in the semiconductor film. The uniformity of the film thickness. According to this embodiment, even in the case of forming a semiconductor film having a number of molecules in the thickness direction of about 2 to 5, the number of molecules in the thickness direction can be made uniform over the entire semiconductor film.

In step S11, when the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 is reduced by decompression, since the evaporation of the solvent in the solution is promoted and the drying speed is increased, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 with respect to the substrate Tm can be increased. Therefore, the formation of semiconductor film can be improved speed. As in this embodiment, the case of sequentially drying the applied solution to grow the crystals of the semiconductor material is compared with the case of forming a coating film (for example, 300mm/sec) by coating the entire surface while maintaining a moist state, if it is At normal pressure, the relative velocity of the nozzle 31 must be significantly reduced to about 0.02 mm/sec. Therefore, only a slight increase in the relative speed of the nozzle 31 can greatly increase the formation speed of the semiconductor film.

In addition, in step S11, the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 may be reduced by the internal pressure adjusting unit 4 until the processing chamber 1 becomes a vacuum state. By setting the inside of the processing chamber 1 to a vacuum state, the fluctuation of the solvent evaporated from the coating solution can be suppressed. This makes it easier to make the moving direction of the evaporated solvent (that is, the evaporation direction) uniform, and as a result, it is easy to make the crystallographic direction uniform over the entire semiconductor film to be formed.

[3] Modifications [3-1] The first modification

The coating device described above may further include a heater (not shown) for heating the workpiece table 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, in addition to adjusting the drying rate of the solution by the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, the control unit 5 can also adjust the temperature of the solution by controlling the heater, and adjust the drying rate of the solution by adjusting the temperature. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution at room temperature is lower than the desired rate, the control unit 5 increases the temperature of the solution by heating to promote the evaporation of the solvent in the solution, thereby increasing the drying rate.

In addition, the coating device may be provided with a cooler (not shown) that cools the workpiece table 21 and the nozzle 31. In this configuration, the control unit 5 not only adjusts the drying rate of the solution by the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1, but also adjusts the temperature of the solution by controlling the cooler, and adjusts the drying rate of the solution by adjusting the temperature. Specifically, when the drying rate of the solution at room temperature is higher than the desired rate, the control unit 5 reduces the temperature of the solution by cooling. Degree, inhibit the evaporation of solvent in the solution, thereby reducing the drying speed.

In the above two examples, the control unit 5 may also have data related to the temperature of the solution (or the temperature of the nozzle 31) and the relative velocity of the nozzle 31. In addition, the control unit 5 can also adjust the temperature of the solution and the relative speed of the nozzle 31 to a value derived from the value of one after self-adjustment based on relevant data when adjusting the other one. . In this way, the drying speed of the solution can be adjusted by the two parameters of the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 and the temperature of the solution, so that a higher precision control can be performed.

In addition, when it is intended to adjust the drying rate only by the temperature of the solution, it is sometimes necessary to raise the temperature of the solution to a temperature at which the semiconductor material will deteriorate, and the temperature of the solution alone cannot adjust the drying rate to the desired rate. . Even in this case, by adjusting the internal pressure of the combined processing chamber 1, the temperature rise of the solution can be restricted and the drying speed of the solution can be adjusted to a desired speed.

[3-2] Second modification

When the relative speed of the nozzle 31 during coating is set to a constant relative speed V0, the thickness of the formed semiconductor film is smaller than the desired film thickness at the coating start position and gradually increases from this position. Furthermore, a stable phenomenon (the first phenomenon). Alternatively, there is a phenomenon in which the film thickness of the semiconductor film is larger than the desired film thickness at the coating start position and gradually becomes smaller and stabilized from this position (the second phenomenon).

Therefore, in the case where these phenomena occur, the control unit 5 can also control the nozzle driving unit 32 to control the relative speed of the nozzle 31 in the following manner. That is, the control unit 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at the first relative speed V1 for a predetermined period after starting the application of the solution by the nozzle 31. Here, the first relative speed V1 is a speed adjusted so that the film thickness of the semiconductor film from the coating start position becomes a desired film thickness. Specific and In other words, when the above-mentioned first phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed lower than the above-mentioned constant relative speed V0. On the other hand, when the above-mentioned second phenomenon occurs, the first relative speed V1 is set to a speed greater than the above-mentioned constant relative speed V0.

Then, the control unit 5 relatively moves the nozzle 31 at a second relative speed V2 different from the first relative speed V1. As an example, the second relative speed V2 is set to a speed equal to the aforementioned constant relative speed V0. In addition, the control unit 5 may gradually increase or decrease the first relative speed V1 so as to become the second relative speed V2 when the predetermined period has elapsed.

According to this control, the relative speed of the nozzle 31 immediately after the start of coating can be reduced or increased in accordance with the above-mentioned phenomenon (the first phenomenon or the second phenomenon) occurring at the coating start position. Therefore, the semiconductor material can be crystal-grown to a desired film thickness even after the coating is started, and as a result, the film thickness can be uniformly formed over the entire semiconductor film to be formed.

In addition, the control unit 5 is not limited to the relative speed of the nozzle 31 during the coating process, and can also change various parameters such as the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 or the temperature of the solution by improving the state of the formed semiconductor film.

[3-3] Third modification

The above-mentioned coating device may also use the liquid feeding pump 33 as a main pump, and further include a detachable driven pump (for example, a diaphragm pump, etc.) that can be driven by the liquid feeding pump 33. With this, in the case of increasing the discharge volume, the solution is supplied to the nozzle 31 by the liquid feeding pump 33 with the driven pump removed, and in the case of decreasing the discharge volume, the driven pump can be installed, and by The driven pump supplies the solution to the nozzle 31. That is, the pumps can be used separately according to the purpose.

In addition, according to this configuration, there is no need to The pump (diaphragm pump, etc.) that implements thermal countermeasures is used as a slave pump. It does not need to heat the main pump, but only the slave pump, which can increase the temperature of the solution. In this case, since it is not necessary to implement thermal countermeasures on the main pump, a general pump driven by a motor or the like that does not apply thermal countermeasures can be used as the main pump.

[3-4] Fourth modification

In the above-mentioned coating apparatus, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 in relation to the workpiece table 21 is not limited to the case where the workpiece table 21 is moved without moving the nozzle 31, and the nozzle 31 can also be moved without moving the nozzle 31. This is achieved by moving the workpiece table 21. In addition, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 can also be achieved by moving both the workpiece table 21 and the nozzle 31. Furthermore, the relative movement of the nozzle 31 is not limited to a one-dimensional movement, and may be a two-dimensional movement along the placement surface 21a of the workpiece table 21.

[3-5] The fifth modification

The above-mentioned coating apparatus may be an apparatus that only performs any process of depressurization or pressurization of the process chamber 1. In addition, the nozzle 31 is not limited to a slit nozzle, and can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the semiconductor film to be formed.

In the above-mentioned coating process, it is not limited to controlling various parameters based on the correlation between the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 (or the temperature of the solution) and the relative speed of the nozzle 31, and the internal pressure, The temperature of the solution (it can also be the temperature of the nozzle 31), the drying rate of the solution, the supersaturation of the solution, the crystal growth rate, the relative speed of the nozzle 31, etc., are related to each other. Various parameters are controlled based on this correlation.

[3-6] Other variants

The above-mentioned coating device capable of adjusting the internal pressure of the processing chamber 1 can also be applied to a case where a coating film is formed by coating the entire surface while maintaining a wet state, whereby the film thickness can be uniformly formed on the entire coating film. In addition, the coating device described above is suitable for functional films (color filters, conductive films, polyimide films, etc.) whose film thicknesses are preferably uniform.

The descriptions of the above-mentioned embodiments are all exemplifications, and do not limit the present inventors. The scope of the present invention is disclosed not by the above-mentioned embodiments but by the scope of patent applications. In addition, the scope of the present invention is intended to include the meaning equivalent to the scope of the patent application and all changes within the scope.

1‧‧‧Processing room

2‧‧‧Chuck

3‧‧‧Solution Supply Department

4‧‧‧Internal pressure adjustment part

5‧‧‧Control Department

6‧‧‧Memory Department

11A, 11B‧‧‧ side wall

11C‧‧‧Top wall

21‧‧‧Workpiece table

21a‧‧‧Mounting surface

21b‧‧‧Back

22‧‧‧Workpiece table drive

31‧‧‧Nozzle

31a‧‧‧Exit

32‧‧‧Nozzle Drive

33‧‧‧Liquid delivery pump

41‧‧‧Adding and reducing pump

42‧‧‧Pressure Regulator

43‧‧‧Pressure gauge

221‧‧‧Ball screw

221a‧‧‧Shaft

221b‧‧‧Nut

222‧‧‧Motor

321‧‧‧Nozzle Support

322‧‧‧Ball screw

322a‧‧‧Shaft

322b‧‧‧Nut

323‧‧‧Screw support part

324‧‧‧Motor

D1‧‧‧Established direction

Tm‧‧‧Substrate

Claims (9)

A coating device is provided with: a processing chamber; a nozzle that applies a solution of a crystalline material to the coating target surface while moving relative to the coating target surface in the processing chamber; and an internal pressure adjusting part which adjusts the above The internal pressure of the processing chamber; and a control section, which adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber by the internal pressure adjusting section when the nozzle is applying the solution, thereby sequentially applying the coating to the coating object The solution on the surface is dried to cause the crystal growth of the crystalline material; the control unit, after starting to apply the solution through the nozzle, moves the nozzle relatively at a first relative speed for a predetermined period of time, and then causes the nozzle to interact with the first 1 The relative movement of the second relative speed with different relative speed, in the predetermined period after the start of the coating of the solution, the film thickness of the solution that can be obtained when the nozzle is moved relatively at the first relative speed and the use of The first relative speed is set so that the film thickness of the solution obtainable when the nozzle moves relatively at the second relative speed becomes the same. The coating device of claim 1, wherein, when the solution is applied by the nozzle, the control unit uses the internal pressure adjusting unit to reduce the internal pressure of the processing chamber to a vacuum state in the processing chamber until. A coating device is provided with: a processing chamber; a nozzle that applies a solution of a crystalline material to the coating target surface while moving relative to the coating target surface in the processing chamber; and an internal pressure adjusting part which adjusts the above The internal pressure of the processing chamber; and The control section, when applying the solution at the nozzle, adjusts the internal pressure of the processing chamber with the internal pressure adjusting section, thereby sequentially drying the solution applied to the coating target surface to make The crystalline material crystal grows; the control unit has data related to the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative velocity of the nozzle, and the control unit adjusts any of the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative velocity of the nozzle , Adjust the other to be the value derived from the value of the above one after self-adjustment based on the above-mentioned related data. The coating device of claim 3, wherein the above-mentioned related data is a numerical value of the correlation between the internal pressure of the above-mentioned processing chamber and the relative velocity of the above-mentioned nozzle that satisfies the following condition, which is the value of the formed crystal film The crystal orientation is above the established level. The coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the nozzle is a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port, and the longitudinal direction of the discharge port is parallel to the coating target surface and The direction of relative movement of the above-mentioned nozzle is perpendicular. The coating device of claim 3 or 4, wherein the control unit moves the nozzle relatively at a first relative speed for a predetermined period of time after starting to apply the solution through the nozzle, and then causes the nozzle to be at the same distance as the first relative speed. 1) Relative movement at the second relative speed with different relative speed. The coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the crystalline material is a semiconductor material. A coating method comprising: adjusting the internal pressure of a processing chamber for forming a crystalline film, and in the processing chamber, a nozzle is moved relative to the surface of the coating object while the crystalline material The solution is applied to the coating object surface, whereby the solution applied on the coating object surface is dried in order to cause the crystal growth of the crystal material, and after the application of the solution is started by the nozzle, The nozzle is relatively moved at a first relative speed for a predetermined period, and then the nozzle is relatively moved at a second relative speed that is different from the first relative speed, and during the predetermined period after the start of the application of the solution, The film thickness of the solution that can be obtained when the nozzle is relatively moved at the first relative speed is the same as the film thickness of the solution that can be obtained when the nozzle is relatively moved at the second relative speed. Relative velocity. A coating method, which is a method of adjusting the internal pressure of a processing chamber for forming a crystalline film, and applying a solution of crystalline material to the coating while moving a nozzle relative to the surface of the coating object in the processing chamber The target surface, whereby the solution applied on the coating target surface is sequentially dried to cause the crystal growth of the crystal material; when adjusting any one of the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative speed of the nozzle, The other is adjusted to be a value derived from the adjusted value of the one based on the data related to the internal pressure of the processing chamber and the relative velocity of the nozzle.

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